Rise of the Ronin has 7 romance options, and some are way better than others. After spending 60+ hours with Team Ninja’s open-world samurai epic, here’s my honest ranking of every romanceable character — from the ones that genuinely surprised me to the ones that felt like afterthoughts.
If you’ve played other PlayStation exclusives with romance systems, you’ll know the quality can vary wildly. Rise of the Ronin does some things really well here, but it also stumbles in a few places. Let me break it down.
Before we get into the ranking, here’s the quick version of how the Bond system actually works. Every romanceable character has a Bond level that you raise through three main methods: completing their personal missions (called Veiled Edge bonds), giving them gifts at the Longhouse, and picking the right dialogue options during story events. Hit Bond level 3 and you unlock their romance scene, which usually plays out as a private conversation followed by a Twilight mission unique to that character.
The gift system matters more than you’d think. Each character has preferred gifts — give Ryoma a bottle of Western liquor and his Bond jumps noticeably, but hand him a hairpin and he’ll barely react. Pay attention to their personality and background, and you’ll figure out what works without needing a guide.
One thing I appreciate: the game doesn’t lock you into one romance. You can pursue all seven across a single playthrough, which makes experimenting easy. That said, the emotional weight of each romance varies dramatically — and that’s what this ranking is really about.
Ryoma isn’t just the best romance option — he’s one of the best-written characters in the entire game. Based on the real historical figure who helped overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate, the in-game Ryoma is a revolutionary who’s equal parts idealist and pragmatist. He’s the kind of character who’ll give a rousing speech about Japan’s future one moment and then crack a joke about your terrible sword stance the next.
What sets his romance apart is pacing. Unlike some characters who feel like they go from stranger to lover in two cutscenes, Ryoma’s relationship builds naturally through the main story. You fight alongside him in several key battles, and his Veiled Edge bond missions actually tie into the bigger political plot. By the time you reach his Bond 3 scene, you’ve been through genuine hardship together, and the payoff feels earned.
His romance scene itself is understated in the best way — no dramatic confessions, just a quiet conversation where he drops the bravado and talks about what he’s afraid of losing. It hit harder than I expected.
For gift-giving, Ryoma responds best to items related to Western culture and reform — books, foreign goods, and anything that speaks to his curiosity about the world beyond Japan. His Twilight mission is also one of the more challenging ones in the game, so come prepared with a solid combat build. If you only pursue one romance in Rise of the Ronin, make it this one.
Taka almost ended up at #1 for me. He’s the charming rogue archetype done right — witty, a bit evasive about his past, and surprisingly vulnerable when you earn his trust. His swordsmanship is impressive (he’s a solid companion in combat), but what makes him work as a romance option is how his personality shifts the more you get to know him.
Early on, Taka deflects everything with humor. Ask him something personal, and he’ll pivot to a joke or a challenge. But stick with his bond missions and keep giving him gifts (he likes practical items — weapons, crafting materials), and the walls start coming down. There’s a specific mission in the Yokohama chapter where you help him confront someone from his past, and the writing in that sequence is genuinely strong.
The reason he’s #2 and not #1 is that his romance scene feels slightly rushed compared to Ryoma’s. The buildup is excellent, but the actual payoff needed another 5 minutes of dialogue. Still, Taka is easily one of the highlights of the game’s relationship system, and I’d recommend him to anyone who enjoys characters that reward patience.
Atsuko is a member of the Tokugawa shogunate, which makes romancing her as a ronin feel genuinely transgressive. The game leans into this — your meetings are secret, the dialogue options carry more weight because getting caught would have real consequences, and her bond missions often involve sneaking around political figures who’d lose their minds if they knew what was going on.
She’s not the typical “damsel” character, either. Atsuko has strong opinions about Japan’s future that sometimes clash with yours depending on your faction alignment. One conversation in the palace gardens where she pushes back on your ideals felt more alive than most RPG dialogue I’ve experienced recently. She’s intelligent, politically savvy, and trapped by her position — which makes the moments where she lets her guard down genuinely moving.
The main knock against her romance is that it’s somewhat gated by story progression. You can’t really pursue her early, and some of the best interactions only unlock if you’ve made specific choices in the main plot. Her preferred gifts lean toward refined items — tea sets, poetry collections, and elegant accessories suit her background. If you’re trying to raise her Bond quickly, focus on completing main story missions in the Edo chapters first to unlock her Veiled Edge content. But if you get the full arc, it’s one of the more memorable romances in the game.
Katsura is a fascinating character. As one of the leaders of the anti-shogunate movement, he’s driven, sharp, and absolutely consumed by the cause. He debates politics with the intensity most people reserve for life-or-death situations — which, to be fair, it often is in this game.
The problem is that his romance feels like an afterthought compared to his role in the main story. Katsura works brilliantly as a political ally and mission companion. His bond missions involve some of the game’s best tactical sequences. But when the relationship shifts toward romance, the transition is awkward. One moment you’re planning a covert operation, and the next he’s opening up about his feelings in a way that doesn’t quite fit the rhythm of his character.
There’s a post-mission scene where you’re both recovering from injuries that almost works — it’s the closest his romance gets to feeling natural. But overall, I think Katsura would have been better served by a deeper platonic bond system rather than a romantic one. He’s still worth pursuing for the mission content alone, though.
Okita is the youngest of the Shinsengumi and he acts like it — in both good and frustrating ways. He’s enthusiastic, loyal, and genuinely fun to have around. His combat banter during missions is some of the best in the game, and there’s a sparring session early in his bond arc that’s a highlight of the whole relationship system.
But here’s the thing: his romance doesn’t go very deep. Okita is all surface-level charm. He’s great for lighthearted moments and his energy is infectious, but when the game tries to give him emotional weight, it doesn’t land the same way it does with Ryoma or Taka. His Bond 3 scene feels like it needed another draft — the dialogue is functional but not particularly memorable.
I’d still recommend experiencing his arc at least once, if only because the Twilight mission tied to his romance is mechanically interesting — a nighttime duel that plays differently from any other fight in the game, with unique environmental hazards and a timed element that keeps the pressure on. Okita prefers weapons and training-related gifts, which fits his personality perfectly. Just don’t expect the same emotional depth you get from the top three.
Ernest Satow is a British diplomat, and his romance is built around the culture clash between East and West. On paper, this is a great concept — a relationship where you’re constantly bridging two completely different worldviews, where even the way you express affection has to be translated across cultural lines. The game does attempt some interesting things here, including a Western-style gathering that feels genuinely out of place for your ronin character (in a good way).
In practice, though, Satow’s romance suffers from a lack of screen time. He appears less frequently than the Japanese characters, and his bond missions feel disconnected from the main plot. By the time you reach his romance scene, the relationship hasn’t had enough space to breathe. You go from “polite acquaintances with cultural curiosity” to “romantic partners” too fast, and it robs the cross-cultural angle of the weight it deserved.
If Team Ninja ever expands this game’s DLC, Satow is the character who’d benefit most from additional content. The foundation is there — a British diplomat falling for a Japanese ronin during one of history’s most volatile periods — it just needed more scenes and more time to develop into something that matches the premise’s potential.
Look, I respect that Team Ninja included Commodore Perry as a romance option. It’s a bold choice. This is the man who sailed his Black Ships into Edo Bay and essentially forced Japan to open its borders at gunpoint. Making him romanceable is… certainly a decision. Out of all seven characters, Perry is the one most players will either skip entirely or play through out of sheer curiosity.
The power dynamic is the elephant in the room the entire time. Every conversation with Perry carries the weight of what he represents historically. The game tries to humanize him through quieter moments — there’s a scene on the deck of his ship where he talks about missing home — but it never fully overcomes the fundamental weirdness of romancing the guy who just threatened your entire country.
His bond missions are the least interesting mechanically, and his gift preferences are oddly generic. The romance scene itself feels more like a diplomatic exchange than anything intimate. I played through it for completionism’s sake, but I can’t imagine many players putting Perry at the top of their list. He’s an interesting historical figure to interact with, but as a romance option, he falls flat.
Rise of the Ronin’s romance system isn’t perfect, but at its best — particularly with Ryoma, Taka, and Atsuko — it adds genuine emotional weight to a game that could have easily been just another action RPG. The Bond system gives you enough control over which relationships you invest in, and the Veiled Edge missions tied to each character are worth doing regardless of whether you care about the romance angle.
My advice: focus on two or three characters per playthrough rather than trying to max everyone out. The relationships feel more meaningful when you’re not speed-running through gift menus. Spread your Longhouse visits across your chosen characters, pay attention to gift preferences, and don’t skip the Veiled Edge bond missions — they’re where most of the actual character development happens.
And if you’re on the fence about who to start with, go with Ryoma. You won’t regret it.
If you’re looking for more PlayStation game guides and coverage, we’ve got you covered. And drop your own rankings in the comments — I’m curious whether anyone out there is actually team Perry.
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