There are a number of ways to keep Joker busy throughout your year in Tokyo during the events of Persona 5 Royal. From school to skill-building, from fighting to friendships, this JRPG packs a serious punch.
Romance has always been a big part of the Persona series, and Royal is definitely not an exception. One of your earliest – and coolest – Confidants is Tae Takemi, the resident goth doctor in Yongen-Jaya. Snarky, jaded, but willing to help, Takemi not only sells you medicine, but she might even date you, too, if you play your cards right.
Updated on December 26, 2022 by Gabrielle Castania: Persona 5’s Takemi romance path got a little bit of TLC when Royal came out, and we figured our guides should do the same. With P5R porting to new consoles in 2022, we went back to touch up some of our older guides from the game’s 2020 release to make sure they’re as easy for you to use as possible.
Visit The Suspicious Doctor As Soon As Possible
One week after you arrive in Shibuya, Tae Takemi will visit Leblanc, and Sojiro will let know you that she's a local doctor. Takemi can be found at her clinic in Yongen-Jaya, just down the street from the cafe.
After this conversation, her Confidant will unlock on 4/16. Tae has one of the game's earliest available links, and you should visit her as soon as possible, so aim for the next day after school. You'll eavesdrop on a conversation when you stop by, and then talk to Takemi about a special type of medicine.
Become Takemi's Guinea Pig
Though she's initially apprehensive about allowing a high school student to help her, eventually, Takemi will propose a deal to Joker: in exchange for doing some clinical drug trials for her, Takemi will allow him to purchase from a selection of her medicine supply.
Agreeing to the plan is the official beginning of your Confidant ranking with Takemi, and most of your subsequent hangouts will center around them. Participating in a clinical trial will bolster your Guts skill, as well as increase your Confidant with Takemi.
Reach Rank 2 Guts And Rank 4 Charm
Although Takemi is one of your earliest Confidants, she certainly won’t be the easiest. Immediately after meeting her, Takemi will refuse to let you continue doing clinical trials for her until your Guts skill is at Rank 2. The trials will also increase your Guts, but you need to begin at Rank 2 before you’re able to get that benefit.
Ranks 1-7 will be unlocked by reaching Rank 2 Guts, but you’ll also need to reach Rank 4 Charm in order to carry on past there. There’s another, more senior doctor trying to sabotage Takemi’s name and progress with a client, so you’ll need to know how to smooth-talk before dealing with him. You can begin the next rank with Takemi as soon as you achieve Rank 4 Charm.
Complete The "Bad Medicine" Request
After reaching Rank 4 Charm, you’re able to progress Takemi’s Confidant once again. This is where you’ll meet the nefarious doctor trying to harass Takemi, after which Joker and the rest of the Thieves will head into Mementos to give this crooked doctor the change of heart that saves Takemi’s reputation. You cannot progress her Confidant again until you defeat him in Mementos.
The doctor can be found on the Path of Chemdah, in Area 2. It’s a rather easy Mementos request, considering where you’ll be skill-wise by the time you reach it, so try to plan to do a few requests on this day to maximize your time spent in Mementos.
Give Takemi Gifts
Joker’s female Confidants in Persona 5 Royal all enjoy receiving gifts, and Takemi is no exception. Since your Confidants will not always rank up during every hangout scene, if their affinity isn’t high enough quite yet, gifts are a great way to bridge any point gaps to progress to the next rank even quicker.
Takemi enjoys a good many of the gifts Joker can find around Tokyo, but her favorite items that are relatively easy to locate are the Black Mug, Black Paint Mug, and Mini Cactus.
Say "I Wanted To See You" During Rank 9
After you take down the doctor tormenting Takemi, she'll ask why you did so much for her. For response 3, tell her, "I wanted to see you," to pursue her as a romantic partner. Takemi won't let you off easily and makes you tell her how you feel multiple times, though.
Follow this statement with "I love you" to press her one step closer to accepting the romance. Finally, when she asks whether this is a joke, say "It isn't a joke" to ensure she truly believes you want to be with her. From this point on, you'll be in a relationship with Takemi.
Visit Takemi Once More To Finish Her Confidant
However, just because you’re in a relationship with her now doesn’t mean Takemi is done wanting to see you. Though you don’t need to worry about earning affinity with her anymore now that you’re an item, Takemi still has a Rank 10 (Max) scene that finishes the Death confidant and allows you to fuse Alice, a Level 83 Shadow that serves as the ultimate Shadow from the Death arcana.
From here, you can continue to spend free time with Takemi on occasion, too, such as on Christmas Eve or for Valentine’s Day.