Ai Ebihara

Ai Ebihara is a character in the Persona 4 game. She is a 2nd year student of Yasogami High School. Befriending her will help the Protagonist realize the potential of the Moon Arcana.

Appearance

 * Persona 4: Social Link Character

Profile
Ai is first introduced to the Protagonist during sports practice. She was picked by Mr. Kondo as the sports team manager, but it's immediately evident that she couldn't care less about the team. Ai explained that she was only there to fulfill the attendance quota and ensure her graduation, since she had been skipping classes for quite a while now. Despite her pattern of truancy, Ai has many admirers, and her beauty is said to trump even Yukiko Amagi's.

A materialistic girl with a prima donna complex, Ai often talks down to her admirers, and has no qualms of outwardly insulting them, deeming their confessions worthless if their looks aren't up to par with her standards. The Protagonist can ask Ai out provided that his Courage characteristic has reached Lv. 3 or better, you can find her on the first floor of the classroom building, by the shoe boxes. Ai will invite the Protagonist to skip class later on and accompany her on a shopping trip to Okina City.

During the course of the Protagonist's interaction with Ai, she shyly reveals harboring romantic feelings towards Kou Ichijo or Daisuke Nagase (varies depending on which club was selected) but was afraid of rejection, and practically orders the Protagonist to perform reconnaissance and find out what kind of girl he likes.

Upon learning that Kou prefers Chie Satonaka (or Daisuke saying that he wants a "nice girl") and is not interested in her at all, Ai is devastated and attempts to commit suicide by jumping from the rooftop. Eventually calmed down by the Protagonist, Ai reveals that back in her old home town, she was a plump girl and was given the insulting nickname "Piggy-Hara" by her peers. Furthermore, Ai's confession towards a boy she loved was rejected horribly, and was even told by the boy that he might get infected by her "germs" if they were to be together.

After her father earned a fortune in land investment, her family moved to Yasoinaba. It was that time that Ai decided to go on a diet and consult fashion magazines like bibles to turn herself into the ideal girl that everyone wants to be with. However, having her feelings indirectly spurned once again, Ai takes refuge in the Protagonist being nice to her despite having no ulterior motives, and suggests that they should become a couple.

If the Protagonist accepts, Ai will practically drag him into a shallow, play-acting relationship where she constantly wants to be affirmed of their being perfect for each other. Ai will eventually feel guilty and break up with the Protagonist, revealing that she cares about him too much as a friend to hurt him like this. But if the Protagonist rejects her proposal, Ai will remain his friend, but subsequent events will cause Ai to become enamored with him.

By the end of the Social Link, Ai realizes that she only chose to skip classes and wear fashionable accessories was because she wanted the attention and admiration that she had longed for. In actuality, she was avoiding her more laid-back, simpler, but truer self. Ai eventually also realizes that she wasn't in love with Kou or Daisuke all along, but was only all for the idea of loving someone.

Ai gives the Protagonist her Compact, telling him that after reshaping her image, she has been carrying the compact to constantly remind herself that she's different now from how she was before. Now she vows to respect others people's views, realizing that they are her true "mirrors" to point out her existing flaws.

Completing the Moon Arcana unlocks the Ultimate form of the Moon, Sandalphon, the Heavenly Prayer.

Social Link

 * Unlock: Strength Arcana Rank 4
 * Available: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Ai Ebihara's Social Link is arguably one of the more difficult ones to maximize. Her S. Link scenarios have more opportunities to reverse than any other character in the whole game and the only one that can be Broken. Points of Reverse:
 * Rank 2 to Rank 3: Picking the "That was downright cruel..." option.
 * Rank 4 to Rank 5: Picking the "Not gonna happen!" option.