#addendum: alright this isn't the newest post in the p3 tag go crazy

[p3ta]

Here's the thing with "I would still like you no matter if you were a guy or a girl" with Ryoji Mochizuki—yes, on the surface it seems like a blatant lie. Ryoji doesn't even have a Social Link with the male protagonist! It's a bit hypocritical, no?

This observation fails to note that P3P is a shoestring budget adaptation. As it didn't have the space for assets, instead the writing was expanded. FeMC in specific was the addition here, with everything involving her being made from scratch. In subsequent developer interviews she was referred to as a "gimmick" to get people invested. Thusly, her route is entirely additive. The intended play for Persona 3 (regardless of what you actually picked, the P3P menu even clarifies this) is first as the boy, then the girl. Hence the line carries more meaning. The original game still lies under the surface. It's not retroactive, wherein the previous experience was modeled entirely for Portable, because it's not a remake. Due to the male route being (mostly) a port and the female route is new, she's allowed new dialogue with implications for both protagonists. Hence, Ryoji's comment. The male protagonist recieves a similar line himself, but this was a Portable addition as well.

(This is a reductive addition but I feel it's worth saying that while the male protagonist already has a bond with Ryoji (Pharos, Death), the female one simply has two.)

And yes, he still loves them.