Investigation Team Social Link
The Investigation Team's Fool Social Link in Persona 4 Golden ranks up on its own on fixed story dates, from Apr 17 to Dec 3; rank 10 lets you fuse Loki, and on the better story paths it leads straight into the Judgement link.
The Investigation Team's Fool Social Link in Persona 4 Golden needs nothing from you: it ranks up by itself on fixed story dates, rank 1 on Apr 17 and rank 10 on Dec 3, as each new member joins the team, per RPG Site and TheGamer. Rank 10 lets you fuse Loki, the Fool arcana's top Persona. The Dec 3 scene is the one choice that matters: its wrong answers lead to a bad ending, and the right ones max the link and start the Judgement Social Link. In Persona 4 Revival (Feb 18, 2027) Atlus says the story is a full remake of Golden's and every Social Link is fully voiced; it has not published Revival's rank dates.
Quick facts
| Arcana | Fool |
| Character | The Investigation Team |
| Starts | Apr 17, automatically |
| Ranks up | On story dates; no hangouts |
| Missable | Rank 10 only, by a bad ending on Dec 3 |
| Romance | No |
| Rank 10 | Fuse Loki; the Judgement link begins |
| Persona 4 Revival | Fully voiced; rank dates not published (as of Nov 3, 2026) |
Sources: RPG Site's Fool, Star and Judgement guide; TheGamer's Fool guide.
Every rank and its date
| Rank | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4/17 | The team agrees to save Yukiko and solve the case |
| 2 | 4/30 | Yukiko joins |
| 3 | 5/18 | No choices |
| 4 | 6/6 | Kanji joins |
| 5 | 7/10 | Rise joins |
| 6 | 7/10 | Teddie joins as a fighter |
| 7 | 7/27 | Kanji asks about an unknown person; is he a victim or the killer? |
| 8 | 10/6 | Naoto joins |
| 9 | 11/6 | No choices (RPG Site's date; TheGamer lists none) |
| 10 | 12/3 | The decision at an open window |
Sources: RPG Site; TheGamer, which gives the scenes.
Each rank improves the Fool Personas you fuse, RPG Site says, as with any link.
The Dec 3 choice
Spoiler warning: this section describes a late story decision in general terms.
On Dec 3 the protagonist must choose his words carefully. Some choices lead to a bad ending; when you pick one, your friends ask if you are sure, and changing your mind keeps the story going, TheGamer says. Choosing well maxes the Fool link and opens the Judgement link at once, which leads toward the normal and true endings. See Persona 4 Endings for the exact answers and Persona 4 Calendar for the dates around it. The clip is AMHarbinger's Persona 4 Golden playthrough of the Dec 3 scene, ending as the Fool link maxes.
Reward
Rank 10 lets you fuse Loki, the Fool arcana's strongest Persona. The link gives no item or skills of its own; the team's members each have their own links: Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie and Naoto.
The Investigation Team's link in Persona 4 Revival
Atlus calls Revival "a full remake of Persona 4 Golden", so the team should come together in the same order, but Atlus has not published Revival's rank dates. The Social Links are unchanged in nature, Kazuhisa Wada told Anime Corner on Jul 8, 2026, and every Social Link event has newly recorded voices, per Atlus's Japanese site. The guides read here cover Golden only, so what the PS2 Persona 4 did differently with this link is not stated. The clip is Atlus's Aug 11, 2026 New Features video, Revival footage of team members' voiced scenes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you rank up the Investigation Team in Persona 4 Golden? You don't: the Fool link in Persona 4 Golden ranks up on its own on story dates, from Apr 17 to Dec 3.
Can you miss the Fool Social Link in Persona 4 Golden? Only rank 10. A wrong choice on Dec 3 in Persona 4 Golden leads to a bad ending, and the link does not max.
What does the Investigation Team's rank 10 unlock in Persona 4 Golden? Rank 10 of the Fool link in Persona 4 Golden lets you fuse Loki and starts the Judgement link.
When does the Fool link reach rank 9 in Persona 4 Golden? RPG Site gives Nov 6 for rank 9 of the Investigation Team link in Persona 4 Golden.
Sources
- Social Link Unlocks for Fool, Star and Judgement, RPG Site, Jun 13, 2020
- How To Rank Up Your Fool Social Link In Persona 4 Golden, TheGamer, Jan 18, 2023
- Persona 4 Revival, SEGA
- Interview: Persona 4 Revival Staff Kazuhisa Wada & Shigenori Soejima, Anime Corner, Jul 8, 2026
- Persona 4 Revival "Revival" page, Atlus
- How to Unlock Persona 4 Golden's True Ending, AMHarbinger, Jun 10, 2025 (video)
- Persona 4 Revival - New Features | ft. Paul Castro Jr., Official ATLUS West, Aug 11, 2026 (video)
Moments
How to Unlock Persona 4 Golden's True Ending
AMHarbinger
Persona 4 Revival - New Features | ft. Paul Castro Jr.
Official ATLUS West
Photos
See also
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Judgement Social LinkThe Judgement Social Link in Persona 4 Golden is the Investigation Team renamed the Seekers of Truth: it starts on Dec 3 if you avoid the bad ending, ranks up automatically through Dec 7 and the last dungeon, and rank 10 lets you fuse Lucifer.
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Persona 4 RevivalPersona 4 Revival is Atlus's full remake of Persona 4 Golden, published by SEGA, out Feb 18, 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Steam), day one on Game Pass, and on Nintendo Switch 2 on May 20, 2027. It keeps the story and adds full voice acting, new events and new battle mechanics. -
Persona 4 EndingsPersona 4 Golden has bad endings, a normal ending, the true ending and the Golden ending, decided by the Dec 3 hospital choices, naming the culprit on Dec 5, and saying "No" to going home on Mar 20. The PS2 Persona 4 has no Golden ending.
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Persona 4 CalendarPersona 4 Golden runs on a day-by-day calendar from April to Mar 20, with fixed dungeon deadlines, exams and Social Link cutoffs. This calendar lists the dates editorial guides publish, month by month, and says which ones are not confirmed. -
Yosuke Social LinkYosuke Hanamura's Magician Social Link in Persona 4 Golden starts on Apr 16 at school; at rank 10 it gives the Buddy's Bandage, which lets you fuse Susano-o and Mada. It is not a romance, and Persona 4 Revival does not add one.
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Chie Social LinkChie Satonaka's Chariot Social Link in Persona 4 Golden starts automatically on Apr 18; choose "Will you be my girlfriend?" at rank 8 to romance her, and rank 10 gives the Wristband for fusing Suzuka Gongen and Futsunushi.