The Phantom Thieves ofPersona 5 Royalmeet Yusuke Kitagawa under some shady circumstances, and what he does after that doesn’t help matters. Still, Yusuke eventually comes tounderstand the circumstances he’s inand awakens to his Persona, joining the Phantom Thieves in their search for justice.
However, players won’t get to access the Emperor confidant right away. His first rank becomes available on 6/18, well after Madarame’s Palace finishes up. On the bright side, Yusuke’s special ability offers some interesting possibilities, though only if players consistently remember to make use of it throughoutPersona 5 Royal.
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General Information
The Emperor of the Tarot Arcana represents a male figure of great secular power. That doesn’t describe the perpetually poor Yusuke, but some more relevant meanings includeconfidence, intelligence, and someone who is calm rather than passionate. The reverse meanings include indecision and ineffectiveness, which are at the heart of Yusuke’s confidant events. Yusuke’s Persona is Goemon, a Japanese folk hero who lived and died at the end of the Sengoku period.
Once players establish the Emperor confidant, during the day they’ll find Yusuke in the Underground Walkway of Shibuya, right by the exit to Central Street. He’s available for confidant events onMonday,Tuesday,Friday, andSaturday. Players will sometimes find him in the Underground Walkway on other days, but they can only speak to him to duplicate cards.
During summer break, Yusuke will frequently show up at Leblanc to hang out with Joker. Specifically, he shows up on 7/27, 8/1, 8/4, 8/8, and 8/11. He’ll also ask Joker to see a movie together on the evening of 8/5 and suggest a study session on 10/15.
Joker can invite Yusuke to several locationsto get room decorations. Take Yusuke to Ueno to get aNude Statue, to Meiji Shrine to get aHamaya, and to Ikebukuro to getStar Stickers. Yusuke’s favorite gift items are theSilver Bangle,Glass Vase,Uji Matcha Flan,Truffles,Castella, and theWatercolor Postcard.
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Rank 1
Before starting the rank 1 confidant event, players should make sure they have an Emperor Persona in stock to get an extra relationship point and a Persona with Magaru. The event ends with Yusuke and Joker going into Mementos for some inspiration, andthe two will get interrupted by a group of five Slimes. Slimes are weak to Wind, and so, Magaru will end the encounter almost before it can begin.
After the battle, Joker will receive a Blank Card. Yusuke will paint on it, turning it into a Recarm Skill Card. This unlocks the Emperor confidant andCard Duplication. From this point on, Joker can bring Yusuke a skill card and a blank card and have himcopy the skill onto a new card. One day later, Joker can speak to Yusuke again to get the duplicated card. Before the two part ways, however, there’s an opportunity to gain a few points:
These are the relationship points players can get if they have an Emperor Persona in stock. The rest of this guide will also assume Joker has an Emperor Persona in his stock.
Rank 2
The visit to Mementos has borne fruit, because during this event Yusuke brings his new painting to Leblanc for Joker to admire.
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Rank 3
Yusuke puts his painting, “Desire,” on display in an art gallery, but not everyone is impressed with it. Players canunlock the Ueno destination with this event.
For reaching this rank, Yusuke gets the abilityFollow Up. After Joker’s turn, if Yusuke is in the active party he has a chance toask Joker for a follow-up attackthat will hit one enemy with an automatic critical.
Rank 4
After the failure at the art gallery, Yusuke decides to look for more inspiration in the rowboats of Inokashira Park. Players will have been to the park by the time Yusuke’s confidant events begin, so this won’t unlock a new location. Also, unlike most of Yusuke’s events, this one can only take place if it isn’t raining.
This rank unlocksArt Talk. If Joker is trying to convince the only Shadow on the field to join him, Yusuke will sometimes provide a second chance if the player makes the wrong choices.
Rank 5
Yusuke’s next stop on his hunt for inspiration is the church in Kanda. Joker gets access to the Star confidant if Yusuke is at rank 2 and the date is at least 6/25, so this event most likely won’t unlock a new location.
At this rank, Yusuke getsCard Creation. Yusuke can now recreate any card he’s duplicated before, even if Joker doesn’t have a spare copy for him to look at.
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Rank 6
Players should be very careful about starting this rank, because the game’s warning is vague and doesn’t mention thatJoker needs Proficiency 4 to complete it. Yusuke decides to head back to the old atelier, and he meets the art producer Kawanabe in the process.
The reward for this rank is Yusuke’sHarisen Recovery. At the start of his turn, Yusuke will sometimes end a status ailment on a party member.
Rank 7
For the rank 7 event, Kawanabe invites Yusuke tothe sushi bar in Ginza to discuss his future. This can potentially unlock the location, but Ginza unlocks automatically on 7/24.
The rank 7 reward isLive Painting. Yusuke will now create or duplicate skill cards immediately, though he still only takes one request per day. Players can also make this daily request during a Palace infiltration by speaking to Yusuke in a safe room.
Rank 8
Yusuke is running out of time to create a painting for a competition, so he asks his friends the Phantom Thieves for help.
At rank 8, Yusuke getsEndure. Instead of falling, Yusuke has a chance tosurvive a fatal blow with one HP remaining.
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Rank 9
Yusuke invites Joker to Mementos again, but this time to have a private chat about art and motivations. Luckily, no Shadows interrupt this time.
The rank 9 reward isProtect. Yusuke now has a chance to takea single-target fatal attackinstead of Joker, at least if he’s in the active party.
Rank 10
The rank 10 event returns to Ueno, where Yusuke’s new painting “Desire and Hope” is on display. For this event the relationship points no longer matter, and even if they did players will get the same point total no matter which options they choose.
For maxing out the Emperor confidant, Yusuke will undergo aSecond Awakening. Goemon becomes Kamu Susano-o, the irresponsible god of storms in Shinto mythology, and he gains both null Ice and resist Wind affinities. He also gets the skill Evade Fire, which players can fit into Yusuke’s skill list. Joker also gets access toOdin, the ultimate Emperor Persona.
Rank 11
If players reach Emperor 10 and enter the third semester, Yusuke will ask to speak to Joker in his room. At the end of this discussion, he’ll have aThird Awakeningand unlock Gorokichi, a nickname that was supposedly applied to Goemon in his younger years. Yusuke’s Persona trait will upgrade from Scoundrel Eyes to Unparalleled Eyes, giving allies an even bigger chance of evading Physical attacks. He’ll also get the skillHyakka Ryouran,which applies all three buffs to all allies.
Players who max out the Emperor confidant can also speak to Yusuke on 3/19 to get the paintingDesire and Hope. This will give players access to Card Creation and Live Painting immediately after reestablishing the Emperor confidant during a New Game Plus run.
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
