Hello everyone, Justin here and welcome to the Otaku Mind. If you’re like me I’m sure you guys are just about tired of this whole lockdown business and starting to go a little crazy around the house. The one upside I will give this lockdown credit for is that it has allowed me to work on a few projects around the house as well as go back and rewatch animes that I’ve been hoping to review along with other projects. It’s also given me a chance to play catch up on some games such as FF7 Remake and of course P5 Royal. One of the questions I received from Persona-mas was my thoughts on the confidants in Persona 5. During the first Persona-mas I made a list naming the top 11 social links from Persona 3 and 4 and I guess someone wanted to know where the confidants come in. The answer is a few of them would have definitely made the list had the game come out sooner when I made the list and I do regret not going back and updating the list. So in order to make up for this, I’m going to rank the confidants from P5 Royal from worst to best. Half the fun of the Persona games is being allowed to interact with this great cast of characters. Spending time with them, learning more about them, relating to them more, and unlocking cool abilities that’ll help you throughout the game. For this blog we’ll be taking a look at these confidants and seeing which ones were the best and the worst. Which ones had the best abilities, characters, and of course story. Now the Fool, Magician, and Judgment confidant will not be on this list. These confidants were ranked up automatically and didn’t have their own self-contained stories. Now let’s get started. This is Justin and these are the P5 Royal confidants ranked from worst to best.
#20. Ichiko Ohya (Devil Confidant)
https://static.zerochan.net/Ohya.Ichiko.full.2294993.png
I’m just gonna come out and say it, I was not a big fan of Ohya. Which is a shame because of the Devil usually has some fun and interesting individuals, but we never get that from Ohya. She’s not a corrupted individual, she’s a journalist out for the truth as well as looking for her friend which really isn’t all that interesting of a story to begin with. She really doesn’t fit the mood of what the Devil is all about. On top of that her benefits suck. All her benefits do is just lower the security level in a palace which was never an issue for me or anyone else for that matter, so her benefits are useless. This was easily the most annoying and weakest confidant in the game.
#19. Makoto Niijima (Priestess Confidant)
https://s1.zerochan.net/Niijima.Makoto.600.2148501.jpg
Oh yeah, I’m gonna get a lot of hate for this one. While I think Makoto’s character is cool and a complete badass with easily one of the best personas throughout the series, her confidant was seriously one of the weaker ones in the game. At first it starts off well with Makoto wanting to become more independent and not rely on her sister and the opinion of others in order to validate herself. We learn that she wants to follow in the footsteps of her dad and one day become a police commissioner. I enjoyed that and it was great to see Makoto go to places and do things she normally wouldn’t have thought of doing and discovering a new side to her. However, the story quickly switches over to Eiko and her relationship with some host which takes the attention and story completely off of Makoto and makes her a side character in her own confidant. What a disappointment. Her benefits aren’t that great either. All they do is just show you the potential items a shadow will drop and let’s you see if a shadow can null, repel, or drain an attack when highlighted. Who cares about item drops, you’ll get them automatically after you defeat the shadow and you can literally just look up an enemy guide online to see what their strengths and weaknesses are which makes her benefits pointless. Makoto is easily one of the best characters in the game, I just wish they would have given her a better story and benefits for her confidant.
#18. Haru Okumura (Empress Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2892684
I’ve talked in the past about how her confidant was rushed because she comes so late in the game and because of everything going on at the time, but there’s no denying that she was fun to hang out with and her growth throughout the confidant was good as she goes from this girl with low self-esteem not sure who to trust or what to do, to a confident woman who’s ready to take control of her life and take the necessary steps to make her dreams come true. The only real downside to her confidant is that she never gets a chance to tell off her fiancé. The guy just appears one time in the confidant and disappears. He treats Haru like crap, throws our cat into a wall, and we never get a chance to put this guy in his place. Not even a battle in Mementos. We had a perfect opportunity to recreate the Mitsuru moment from Persona 3 when she told off her fiancé. It would have been great, and everyone was hoping to see the sweet and elegant Haru unleash her dark side on him. There was even a comic dub which shows Haru telling him off on Youtube. Check it out after this, it’s great. As far as benefits go, Haru can grow vegetables that will restore your HP and SP which are helpful and does save you a trip to the grocery store as well as money but they take too long to get as opposed to other confidants which give you the items right away so not as helpful as they could be. Haru may have come late in the game but she’s a cinnamon roll with a strong fandom and a strong mind and heart.
#17. Yusuke Kitagawa (Emperor Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2112263
The best boy of the game. Yusuke’s confidant is about trying to create a painting to show off his skills as an artist and rediscover his passion for it. This confidant certainly did have its share of laughs thanks to Yusuke’s eccentric personality and character, but the confidant also showed Yusuke’s determination and love for what he does best. It’s hard not to get sucked in by him and want to see what he’s gonna draw next as well as make you wish you had something in your life you were so passionate about like him. His benefits allow him to create skill cards which you can use on personas to give them new skills. While I personally never used his benefits all that much, I have to admit they are cool and definitely come in handy if you find a great skill and want to make duplicates of it to give to other personas (if I could only duplicate Victory Cry and Hassou Tobi). He’s the best boy in the game, he made his confidant fun, and has benefits that you may not use all that much, but they’re there if you need them.
#16. Munehisa Iwai (Hanged Man Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2604520
The intimidating gun shop owner can be offsetting at first, but once you get to know him you learn he’s a good guy deep down. In a confidant I can only imagine was inspired by the Yakuza games, Iwai shows us the lengths one is willing to go to protect one’s family and those he cares about. After leaving his clan he gets roped back into the underworld and has his past exposed to his adoptive son. What makes this confidant stand out is the story of Iwai as he learns not to hide his past from his son and be afraid of it, but rather embrace it and know that his son will accept him no matter what. His story was definitely the most interesting of the bunch and really did remind me of the more mature and darker storylines in the SMT universe. His benefits allow you to customize your guns making them more powerful as well as give them status aliments. Sadly, guns are low tier in the game, so chances are high you won’t be using the customization unless you’re a fan of status aliments making his benefits totally useless in the long run. Still, great story and a cool character to boot.
#15. Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/1839759
You’re partner in crime, the school delinquent, and all-around good guy. While he’s not the smartest and quick to anger, there’s no denying that he has a good heart and his confidant shows this perfectly. We see him go out of his way to make the track team get back on the right path and come together as a team rather then fall individually. We see him face the mistakes of his past, learn from them, move on, and ultimately become a better person who will find his own path in life. As well as see the friendship and trust you develop with him throughout the confidant you learn that just like you, he’s just a guy labeled by the masses because of one mistake and shouldn’t be judged by his cover. Surprisingly, I’ve heard a lot of people not too keen on his benefits. The stealth dash really doesn’t do all that much for me, but I actually did find his instant kill benefit helpful. Especially, when I was in Mementos and was just looking to level grind, earn quick cash, and didn’t want to waste SP and health on shadows.
#14. Ann Takamaki (Lovers Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2044210
Probably the first confidant you’ll max out in the game. Aside from the sexy technique which cancels an enemy’s attack, Ann’s benefits are nothing to write home about. However, her confidant story more than makes up for it. There’s no denying that Ann is a beautiful and stylish young woman whose natural beauty will benefit her greatly in life. However, Ann shows us that she’s more than just a pretty face, she’s actually a smart woman who will put in the hard work to make her friends proud, and face those who seek to undermine her with a confident smile. Ann’s whole character is an answer to those SJWs and feminists out there who say sexy women in videogames objectify real women. Rather then be ashamed by her sexuality Ann chooses to embrace it, be proud of her body and use it to empower herself and others. Even in the game the characters don’t see Ann as a sexy woman but just Ann, their friend and nothing else. Throughout her confidant we see her go from someone just coasting through life without putting in the hard work to someone who realizes what she wants out of life and take the necessary steps to achieve her goals. It’s because of this that I consider Ann one of the best girls in the Persona series.
#13. Shinya Oda (Tower Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2294986
I’m surprise to find out that a lot of people really did like Shinya’s character. Just like the Tower social link in Persona 4, Shinya shows the hardships that I think a lot of kids are dealing with today. A skilled gamer who deals with the pressure of being perfect, winning is everything, and failure is unacceptable. Everybody has felt this pressure in their life at some point and it hurts on a mental level. His story was good and the sibling bond you develop throughout your interactions are precious and really tap into your big brother/sister mentality. He’s not a bad kid, just misguided and needs a role model to help show him the way. Just like Iwai his benefits focus on gun skills except they’re more useful here. His down shot lets you knock down an enemy instantly, his bullet hail works like an all-out attack, and the warning shot makes it easier to obtain personas. Good skills, good story, and good character. This was definitely a solid confidant.
#12. Goro Akechi (Justice Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2178003
One of the big changes done in Royal was improving Akechi’s confidant. What was once an automatic confidant became a self-contained story which gave us more insight on everyone’s favorite (and obvious) pancake loving traitor. This is what everyone wanted to see in the original game. The thief and the detective interacting off each other and us trying to figure out what Akechi’s true feelings are. Could these two have been friends/rivals if circumstances were different or they met at an earlier time? Or were they meant to be heated enemies destined to fight one another? Whatever the answer, this change really did help you appreciate the relationship between the two characters more and made your final decision in the game all the more heartbreaking and difficult. For his benefits, he allows you to see the affinity of new shadows you haven’t faced before. Like I said before an enemy guide from the internet makes his benefits pretty much useless, but it does save you from having to scroll through the page and look up the shadow.
#11. Caroline and Justine (Strength Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2608116
They’re cute and sadistic, the loli wardens easily have the most unique confidant in the game and the most rewarding in terms of personas. By simply completing their fusion requests and leveling up their confidant you not only unlock new fusion techniques and other techniques to make your personas stronger but you also help the girls learn more about themselves and bring them closer to remembering who they really are. While this confidant may not have much in terms of story, just hanging out with the lolis and seeing how they really care about you makes the confidant fun to do. Royal managed to enhance this experience by taking a page from Persona 3 and letting you go on dates with the lolis as you took them to various locations throughout the game and got to see a more childish side to them which made them all the more cuter and fun to be around. Royal managed to combine the aspects of Elizabeth and Margaret and give us a fun experience with the Velvet twins to remind us that the twins are more than just a more welcoming face in the Velvet Room.
#10. Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2294988
After the disaster of what they did with the Sun in Persona 4, I was worried who would represent the Sun in Persona 5. To my surprise it was a politician to my greater surprise it was a corrupted politician and to my greatest surprise it was actually an amazing confidant. During the confidant we learn how Yoshida made a mistake in the past and got blacklisted by politicians and the people of Japan for his mistake. Despite his mistake we actually see him try desperately to return to the world of politics by speaking on the streets and saying some really good things, but the people can’t forget what he did in the past. Even Yoshida finds himself freezing when coming face to face with his past. Finally, Yoshida stops running from his mistakes, owns up to them, tells everyone how he’s learned from them, and wants to move forward to help the country. It’s a very inspiring scene and makes me wish there were more politicians like him in real life who were honest, admit their mistakes, and want to help the world rather than themselves. It was a good take on politicians. It would have been so easy to take shots at politicians, but instead the game chooses to take the high road and show that even those working in politics can be redeemed for the better. Another cool thing about Yoshida is that he’s the only character in the game to figure out you’re a phantom thief without you giving him a huge hint. He just pieces together you’re a phantom thief by observing your behavior and personality. His benefits are great as well as his benefits will allow you to ask for more money when you hold up shadows, skip negotiations all together to make a shadow join automatically, and summon personas no matter how high their level is compared to yours. While not as good as Persona 3’s Sun, Yoshida was still awesome and is a confidant I never skipped over.
#9. Yuuki Mishima (Moon Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2295595
The man who would be a phantom thief. What many thought was only going to be a one off character turned out to be a vital part in the fame of the Phantom Thieves. No matter how you look at it, Mishima is an NPC for life. The guy gets walked on by everyone around him and he lacks confidence. In his confidant we see how he provides support for the Phantom Thieves by finding targets for them only to become corrupted and try to use that power to benefit himself. Thankfully, he realizes his mistake and turns himself around for the better where he graduates from NPC to become the hero of his own story. Mishima is a good example of an underdog you want to cheer for. You want to see him get a win and when he finally does get that win near the end of his confidant you can’t help but smile and be proud of his growth. Just like you and the other characters have grown and changed so too has Mishima. Mishima easily has some of the best benefits in the game as he allows party members in backup to earn experience even without fighting keeping your team balanced and not having anyone fall behind by being under-leveled. A little bit of an annoying confidant to do, but still good and a rewarding one to boot.
#8. Tae Takemi (Death Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2147640
From the moment she popped up in the trailer, everyone was drawn to Takemi’s character. The sexy mature cool gothic beauty definitely delivered by giving us a great confident and being our go to person for the best healing items in the game thanks to her benefits. Takemi starts off as a distant person who hides her heart behind a wall never letting anyone in and keeping them at a distance as she’s failed in the past. In truth, Takemi is a sweet lady who cares about the lives of others more then anyone and her cool personality just made her so much fun to be around. I was actually sad when her confidant was maxed out because I enjoyed hanging out with her so much. Takemi is a beautiful woman both inside and out and is hands down the best of the Death stories in the series.
#7. Kasumi/Sumire Yoshizawa (Faith Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2794266
The newest confidant in the series. Yoshizawa really had hype surrounding her and fans couldn’t wait to see what her confidant would be about. First half of her confidant is pretty uneventful as we get to meet her, build a relationship with her, and even help her shop for a gift. The second half of her confidant is where things start to pick up as you show her that even though she wasn’t who she wanted to be, she is still valued and love. Losing someone very close to you and having survivor’s guilt is painful and the game manages to capture that perfectly in this confidant as Yoshizawa finally learns to accept the mistakes of her past and move forward to become a better person and to achieve her dreams. Another thing I liked about this confidant is the bond you develop with her. They definitely do a good job showing the senpai-underclassman relationship here and making you really fall in love with Yoshizawa. You feel her pain, understand it, and want to help her anyway you can. As for her benefits, they’re very helpful in terms of palace fighting. Her first benefit stops you from being surrounded by shadows if they get the jump on you. The second one allows you to use the grappling hook to ambush shadows from a distance which I always found cool. In fact, I go out of my way to perform that ambush as opposed to regular ones. Finally, the last one increases the chances of follow-up attacks if Joker doesn’t down an enemy during his attack. This confidant was a great addition to the game. It started off slow but finished on a high note.
#6. Chihaya Mifune (Fortune Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2124693
Don’t let the fact that she screwed you out of 100,000 yen discourage you because this confidant delivers on a good story and serves as a cautionary tale about cults. The Fortune arcana has always had good characters to represent them but the stories haven’t been as good as people would have hoped. Thankfully, the story of Mifune is good. She’s a person who fate hasn’t been kind to and believes that fate can never truly be changed until she meets you who turns her world upside down and changes her perception of fate. By the end of her confidant even she changes and convinces others to stop relying on her and other things. If you want to change fate you’ve got to put in the work yourself to make it happen. Take control of your lives and even though things are bad now it’s sure to get better if you put in the work. I have to admit, I overlooked her benefits when I first played the original, but she really does have good abilities such as increasing the growth of stats for one day, money earned in battle, deepening bonds with other confidants so that you can rank them up faster, and even increasing the chances of fusion alarms which isn’t really all that helpful in my opinion. Just stick with the first three and you’ll be all good to go. The steps leading up to starting the confidant were annoying but worth it to help make everything easier in the game later on.
#5. Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2604466
Your parental guardian and chief of the curry and coffee. The Hierophant has always had touching stories and this one is no different. When you first meet Sojiro he comes across as a jerk, but when you get to know him you find out that the guy is sweet and caring. Throughout the story you really come to respect Sojiro for his kindness and patience with others. Not only does he take you in but also acts as the father figure for Futaba protecting and doing his best to help her return to society and look after her. Aside from this, Sojiro was also your main guy to go to for SP items as his curry and coffee work as SP items and you’ll learn some interesting facts about curry and coffee. An easy confidant to access and in my opinion one of the best and heartwarming confidants in the game.
#4. Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2174577
A teacher by day and a maid at night. Often considered one of the fan favorites in the game because of her benefits which let’s her make curry and coffee for you as well as do laundry, free time in school and give you a massage to restore your stamina after palace and Mementos exploring. Kawakami easily has some if not the best benefits in the game. Her story is one that I think a lot of teachers face on a daily basis. Wanting to help their students as much as possible but being limited in what they can do. After one of her past students dies in an accident, Kawakami blames herself and asks for forgiveness to the student’s guardians by giving them money. It’s straight up extortion at it’s darkest and this confidant shows the dark side of humanity at their greediest. This confidant blew my expectations away as I was deeply invested in the story and characters. You feel bad for Kawakami and respect her dedication to her job as a teacher. While Kawakami isn’t one of my favorite persona girls she serves as a standard that teachers should put effort into being for the sake of their students.
#3. Hifumi Togo (Star Confidant)
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/80/db/46/80db4633b736b936996ade81334461f4.jpg
Often considered one of the most underrated confidants in the game Hifumi is definitely one of the best in terms of story and benefits. A shogi player caught between her love for the game and being pushed by her mom to be an idol who no one will take seriously. Hifumi’s confidant shows the burden one feels from a parent being overbearing and trying to live their life through their child not caring what they want or think. Just like Yusuke’s love for art you can’t help but get invested in Hifumi’s love for shogi. For her this isn’t just a hobby this is her life and passion and she wants to be the best at it. While her benefits aren’t as good as Kawakami they’re still awesome and helpful in terms of battle. She allows you to swap out party members in the middle of battle, gain more money if you beat a shadow in 1 move after ambush, perform follow-up attacks after a successful ambush, and instantly escape from battles. A beautiful girl who shines as bright as a star and would have been a great member of the Phantom Thieves.
#2. Takuto Maruki (Councilor Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2560177
A lot of people have placed Maruki at the top of their list in terms of best confidant and I have to agree with them. He’s a very well-written character who means well and wants to help people. Sadly, nobody stopped to help him. Throughout his confidant you can just tell how genuine he is in his search to find a way to help people. It’s almost like looking at a grown up version of Joker with the only difference being is that Joker had friends who shared in his pain and showed him how even though the tough times are painful, it makes a person stronger and let’s them value more of what they have. Maruki unfortunately didn’t have that same support network but knew he wasn’t a bad person and chose to change the world through different means. At first, I thought his benefits were awesome, but looking back they’re just okay. He only has two benefits which is decreasing the amount of time an aliment last and starting the fight off with charge or concentrate. These benefits are helpful, but I feel like there’s another character who provides the same support skills only better. Maruki was a cool and genuinely nice guy. I really do wish we had more time to spend with him in the game.
And number 1. . .
#1. Futaba Sakura (Hermit Confidant)
https://www.zerochan.net/2652319
Best girl in the game. Fight me! How do you not fall in love with Futaba? She’s like the little sister you always wanted. Just like she supports the team with navigation skills, Futaba’s benefits are just that, support skills. She can increase your attack, defense, evasion/accuracy, and even heal no matter what battle you’re in, but she doesn’t stop there. On top of these benefits she can protect the team from fatal attacks, down the enemies at the start of a battle, restore treasure items in palaces, and when you’re exploring Mementos she might map out the whole the floor to show where treasures are and everything (this makes stamp collecting all the more easier). Her confidant story is actually a continuation of her palace story as Futaba takes the steps to rejoin society and you’re there to support her. A lot of her steps to rejoin society may come across as silly to an outsider but to her they’re big achievements. I love how she has the mindset of a gamer when tackling her goals. It’s both silly, endearing, and totally matches up with her personality. Just like Yusuke is an eccentric guy, Futaba is an eccentric girl that you fall in love with. She may not be everyone’s romantic choice but she’s everyone’s choice for best girl and best adoptive sister.
And those are my rankings. I hope you enjoyed, let me know what you’re favorite confidants were in the comments below. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you time on Project Nitsuj.
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