Quote Originally Posted by Forsaken Lover View Post
He's your best friend. That's his character. I don't know why people get on his case for this. Sure you can say Junpei is your friend too and Michelle and Ryuji but they are still just "a friend." There is absolutely nothing that makes Junpei, Ryuji or Eikichi closer to you than any of the others. Yosuke is the first person whose darkest secrets you see and then help him through it. For the rest of the game he is your partner in everything and will be the first person to cheer you on or support you. There are a lot of little things, like the fact he will call you up to ask for your help at the store. (and then pay you) His final Social Link scene is you and him having a friendly fist fight and celebrating your youthful manliness.

There was a YT comment on a Yosuke S Link video that commented about how Yosuke has better chemistry with the MC than the MC does with the actual girls. That's pretty much why people love him. It's why I love him.
Funny enough, and perhaps this says more about me, but I feel the opposite. I feel Yosuke was the "designated" bro who just gets super buddy with you pretty early with little say on your part because that's his role. What I like about Junpei is that he has to earn his friendship with you, and I don't mean his relationship with the MC, I mean with the player. You get chummy, you fight, you deal with his jealousy and you are there for him during his good times and dark times with Chidori. I feel like Junpei grows to be the best bro as the two of you really share ups and downs. It's the problem with Yosuke and Ryuji, like Scott_ffgamer points out, the characters growth is separate from the story and has no bearing on it, so even playing therapist for the guys never changes the disconnect you feel from the difference in their growth as characters in the plot versus the SL. Yosuke and Ryuji getting their Ultimate Personas are cute moments for them, but Junpei's was like a serious awesome moment for him and he's a great guy I like being around. He has his flaws, but you watch him really outgrow them and feel that impact, which is something that makes him and even Eikichi stand out compared to the more recent bros. It's why I didn't like it when P4 started making the party all designated SL links because it took away from the story proper. I think I would have liked Ryuji so much more if the growth of his Confidant Link had translated into the main story proper.