Look, Persona 5 Royal is a massive time sink. You’ve got exactly one year to save the world, pass your exams, and somehow convince a brooding detective and a caffeine-addicted boss to like you. It's a lot. If you’re hunting for a Persona 5 Royal confidant guide, you probably already know that the social aspect isn't just flavor text; it’s the literal backbone of your combat prowess. Miss a few hangouts and you're entering the final palace without the ability to swap party members on the fly. That’s a nightmare.
Most people play this game and realize, usually around October, that they’ve completely ignored the most important people. You spent too much time at the batting cages and now your teammates can't even take a bullet for you. It happens. But Royal changed the math. With the addition of the third semester and a bunch of new perks, your priority list needs a total rewrite compared to the original 2017 release.
Why Some Confidants Are Just Better Than Others
Let’s be real: not all friends are created equal in Tokyo. While hanging out with Ohya might be fun for the "vibes," her actual abilities—lowering the security level in palaces—are basically useless if you’re even halfway decent at stealth. On the other hand, someone like Sadayo Kawakami is a godsend. She’s the school teacher who, if you max her out, lets you go out at night even after you've spent the day in a dungeon. In a game where "time" is the only currency that matters, Kawakami is essentially printing money.
Then there's Ryuji. Good old Ryuji. People used to complain that his Insta-kill ability ruined the game because it stole experience points. In Royal, Atlus fixed that. Now, if you dash into a low-level enemy, you get the Persona, the money, and the EXP instantly. It’s the single best way to grind. If he isn't Rank 7 by the time you hit the fourth palace, you're making your life unnecessarily hard.
The Third Semester Gatekeepers
You cannot ignore Takuto Maruki. Period. If you’re looking at a Persona 5 Royal confidant guide to see the new content, Maruki is the literal key. If you don’t get the Consultant Arcana to Rank 9 before November 18th, the game just ends where the original did. You miss the best palace, the most emotional ending, and about 20 hours of gameplay. It’s a harsh cutoff.
Akechi and Kasumi (Sumi) are also vital here. While Maruki is the only strict requirement for the third semester, missing out on Akechi’s reworked progression means you lose his ultimate Persona and a massive chunk of character development that actually makes his rivalry with Joker feel earned. Kasumi needs to be at Rank 5 before late December. It’s a short window, but her crit-heavy combat style is a life-saver in the end-game.
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Managing Your Social Stats Without Going Insane
You want to hang out with Makoto? Great. Hope you’ve been reading books, because her Rank 6 is locked behind a massive Knowledge requirement. Want to talk to Sojiro? You better be Kind. The biggest mistake is trying to level every stat equally.
Honestly, focus on Guts early. You need it for Iwai (the weapon shop guy) and Kawakami. Without Guts, you’re stuck with basic gear and a limited schedule. Knowledge is a slow burn—just study on rainy days at the diner. It gives you a buff. Also, don't sleep on the juice stand in the Underground Walkway on Sundays. It’s a flat +1 to a stat without passing time. It seems small. It isn't. Over 50 weeks, that’s 50 free points.
- Mondays/Thursdays: Bathhouse for extra Charm.
- Rainy Days: Diner for Knowledge and a secondary stat.
- Sundays: Aojiru juice at Shibuya.
- Always: Carry a matching Persona.
That last point is the most important thing in any Persona 5 Royal confidant guide. If you go to see Ann and you don’t have a Lovers Arcana Persona in your pocket (like Pixie or Carmen), you are leaving points on the table. You’ll end up having to do "empty" hangouts where the rank doesn't go up. That is the ultimate sin of a P5R playthrough.
The Chihaya Mifune Strategy
If you haven't met the Fortune-teller in Shinjuku yet, hurry up. Chihaya is the "secret weapon" for a perfect run. Once you hit Rank 5 with her, she can perform an Affinity Reading. For a small fee, she gives you points toward a confidant of your choice without spending any time.
This is how you max everyone. You wake up, go to Shinjuku, get a reading for, say, Hifumi, and then go hang out with Hifumi in the evening. Because of the reading, you’ll have enough points to rank up immediately instead of just "spending time." It costs yen, but by the mid-game, money is trivial. Time is what you're poor on.
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Teammates vs. NPCs: Who Wins?
Your party members should usually take priority because they get combat buffs. Follow-up attacks, curing ailments, and "Endure" (surviving a lethal hit) are tied to their ranks. However, don't ignore the "Star" (Hifumi Togo). She lets you swap party members during battle. In the boss fights of the later palaces, being able to swap in a fresh healer or someone who hits a specific elemental weakness is the difference between a win and a game-over screen.
The "Politics" guy, Yoshida, is also weirdly good. He’s only available on Sunday nights, but he doesn't require high stats to start. His abilities let you demand more money and rare items from demons. If you’re trying to fill out the Compendium, he’s your best friend. Plus, his speeches are actually kind of inspiring in a "corrupt world" sort of way.
Common Misconceptions About Rank 10
A lot of players think they need to rush everyone to Rank 10 immediately. While the "Second Awakening" for your teammates' Personas is great, you don't actually get their ultimate forms until the very end of the third semester.
The real value of Rank 10 is the "Unlocking" of high-level Persona fusions. For example, maxing out the Twins (Strength Arcana) is the only way to fuse Personas that are a higher level than Joker. It costs a fortune, but walking into a Level 40 dungeon with a Level 80 Yoshitsune is a power trip like no other. Note that the Twins don't actually take time—you just show them the Personas they asked for. You can do the whole social link in one in-game afternoon if you have the fusion materials.
Don't Forget the "New" Guys
In Royal, the "Faith" and "Consultant" Arcanas are integrated into the story differently. Maruki will leave the school in November. If you haven't finished him by then, he’s gone. Kasumi is capped at Rank 5 until the third semester. Don't freak out when she won't hang out with you in October; the game is just gating her progress for plot reasons.
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Also, the "Justice" Arcana (Akechi) is no longer automatic. In the base game, he just leveled up as the story went along. In Royal, you have to actively seek him out at the jazz club in Kichijoji. This catches a lot of veteran players off guard. If you treat him like the old version and wait for the story to move him along, you'll be stuck at Rank 2 forever.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To make the most of your Persona 5 Royal confidant guide experience, follow this logic for the first three months of the game. Get the Temperance (Kawakami) link started as soon as the story allows. It requires Level 3 Guts, so eat those big burgers at Big Bang Burger whenever you can.
Once you hit the summer, prioritize the Fortune (Chihaya) link. Between Kawakami giving you more time and Chihaya giving you more points, the social links will start falling like dominoes. Always check your map for the "UP!" icon over a confidant's location. If it’s not there, use a Fortune reading or go to the Shrines to pray for them.
Never go to bed early. If Morgana isn't forcing you to sleep, you should be making tools, reading, or brewing coffee. Every single action should contribute to a stat or a relationship.
- Reach Rank 5 with Chihaya by mid-summer for Affinity Readings.
- Max Kawakami ASAP to unlock the night massage.
- Get Ryuji to Rank 7 for the Insta-kill grind.
- Hit Rank 9 with Maruki before November 18.
- Spend your Sundays at the Shibuya juice stand.
Following these steps ensures you aren't just scrambling at the end of the game trying to finish a social link while the literal apocalypse is happening outside your window. Focus on the time-savers first, and the rest of the game becomes a breeze.