ryuji sakamoto guide

Ryuji Sakamoto Guide

Introduction:

Ryuji Sakamoto is one of many Confidants in Persona 5 Royal who represents the Chariot Arcana. Ryuji is one of the founding members of the Phantom Thieves and is the first friend that Joker makes when arriving at Shujin, getting along due to their similar backgrounds.

Ryuji takes the code name “Skull” and tries his best to contribute to the team while butting heads with Morgana. His Confidant goes over his past relationship with the track team and the importance of relying on other people, something that he struggles to do. Now that we’ve introduced you to Ryuji, let’s begin our Ryuji Sakamoto guide by looking at his overall character.

Description/Overview:

Ryuji Sakamoto_Overview
Image from Fandom

Ryuji Sakamoto is a 2nd-year student at Shujin Academy who is a former member of the track team that was one of Shujin Academy’s most famous sports teams. He was initially the ace of the team until Kamoshida took over as the coach of the track team.

Kamoshida wanted the volleyball team to be famous and did his best to try and disband the track team. He succeeded when he spread rumors about Ryuji’s parental situation, goaded him into a fight, and then broke his leg in “self-defense.” The track team is disbanded, and Ryuji gains a delinquent reputation, becoming isolated from the school.

This ties into his bond with Joker as he can relate to his circumstances and forms a big part of his motivation for joining the Phantom Thieves as he wants to stop people from suffering like the students of Shujin Academy. While he often speaks before he thinks, he means well and is a loyal friend, which shows during his time with the Phantom Thieves.

Ryuji’s Confidant explores his desire to get back in shape but also his feelings about the track team’s disbanding. As the Confidant progresses, Ryuji learns the importance of working with others and not doing everything by yourself.

Starting the Chariot Confidant gives Joker an easier time navigating through Palaces and Mementos. Shadow Dash makes it less likely for Joker to be found when running, and Insta-kill allows Joker to take out enemies instantly if they are lower level and he dashes into them.

Key Moments:

Ryuji-Sakamoto_Key-Moments

Ryuji is first introduced shortly after Joker sees Ann on the first day of school. They are not formally introduced, but both enter Kamoshida’s Palace together after Ryuji manages to say the exact keywords necessary for the Metaverse Navigator to bring them to the Palace. Ryuji’s confirmation that the environment is definitely not Shujin Academy only highlights the odd situation.

Eventually, Ryuji and Joker are captured by Kamoshida’s soldiers, and they are thrown in a jail cell. Shadow Kamoshida approaches, and Ryuji attempts to buy time for Joker to leave. Unfortunately, the attempt fails, but Joker manages to summon his Persona to take out the guards. Ryuji takes advantage of the situation to trap Shadow Kamoshida in the cell and escape.

Along the way, the duo runs into Morgana, who was captured while exploring the Palace. When Morgana is freed, he teaches them how Palaces work, enough to help them escape. While Ryuji is escaping, he notes that he can see students from the school getting tortured and wants to help but prioritizes escaping first.

When the duo leaves the Palace, they find themselves at the front of the school, where the real Kamoshida wonders why they are there. Fortunately, the situation is quickly resolved, and they end the school day without much trouble, with Ryuji formally introducing himself to Joker before going to class.

Awakening Captain Kidd

Awakening Captain Kidd

The next day after school ends, Ryuji meets with Joker and wants to try and enter the Palace again, mainly to see if it is actually real. After some trial-and-error, the duo re-enter the Palace and reunite with Morgana. Ryuji tries to rescue some of the students while exploring the Palace, but Morgana points out that the students aren’t real; they are just mental cognitions of what Kamoshida thinks they are.

While trying to leave, the group is confronted by Shadow Kamoshida and a group of guards. The guards manage to overpower Morgana and Joker while Shadow Kamoshida taunts Ryuji. Ryuji initially feels terrible and dispirited, but upon hearing Kamoshida’s real motivation for breaking his leg and disbanding the track team, he awakens his Persona to defeat the guards and help the trio leave.

After leaving the Palace safely, Ryuji and Joker decide to get more information about Kamoshida’s alleged abuses. Ryuji remembered the faces of the students he saw in Kamoshida’s Palace and tried his best to get more information. The closest lead they can get is a student named Yuuki Mishima, but unfortunately, it leads to a dead end as no one is willing to speak out.

The duo is then confronted by Ann Takamaki, who has noticed their attempts, but she is brushed off. They are then reunited with Morgana, who has taken on a cat form. Morgana explains that they can get back at Kamoshida and possibly expose him by stealing his Treasure in the Palace (explained as stealing his heart). Morgana does note that he doesn’t know if Kamoshida will survive, making Ryuji wary of the method.

Things change when Ann’s friend, Shiho Suzui, is abused by Kamoshida and jumps off the roof of the school building. Ryuji, realizing that something clearly happened, confronts Kamoshida but only manages to irritate Kamoshida and motivate him to expel Ryuji, Joker, and Mishima.

Freeing Ann & Stopping Kamoshida

Ryuji Freeing Ann

After meeting with Morgana again, Ryuji decides to steal Kamoshida’s heart as the stakes have become too high (since someone nearly died). They then revisit the Palace to map out an infiltration route to the Treasure.

Their journey is interrupted by news of Ann’s capture within the Palace, and they move to free her. The resulting events lead to Ann awakening her own Persona, and the team decides to leave, unable to continue with Ann’s fatigue from her awakening. However, this results in Ann formally joining the team and Ryuji deciding they need to go and get new equipment, introducing Joker to Munehisa Iwai’s store.

The group manages to successfully steal Kamoshida’s Treasure and force a change of heart, which manages to get Kamoshida to admit his crimes while getting the expulsion charges dropped.

To celebrate, the group decides to eat at a buffet but notices that the other diners think that they are out of place. Feeling a resolve to help other people in need and to make sure that people like Kamoshida are stopped, the Phantom Thieves are officially formed.

Growing As A Phantom Thief

ryuji phantom thief

Ryuji’s journey with the Phantom Thieves runs into a few problems, though Ryuji nearly compromises the Phantom Thieves’ identity with Makoto during a phone call with Joker and is upset that he can’t publicly reveal himself as a Phantom Thief.

While Ryuji’s relationship with the Thieves is mostly friendly, and he has friendly bickering with Morgana, this reaches a tipping point when the addition of Futaba has seemingly made Morgana’s presence useless. Ryuji happens to hit a sore spot of Morgana’s during one such bickering session; who has had a bad dream about his real identity and is becoming insecure about being able to stay on the team.

This causes Morgana to leave the team for a while and forces the team to halt their activities to try and find him. The resulting events have the Phantom Thieves find Morgana with Haru, who had partially developed her Persona but was able to save Morgana when he was alone. Haru eventually joins the Phantom Thieves, and the incident with Morgana and Ryuji isn’t brought up again.

Saving The Phantom Thieves

ryuji saving phantom thieves

Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when stealing Kunikazu Okumura’s heart goes awry, and he is killed. The Phantom Thieves’ reputation takes a turn for the worse, and they are forced to accept an alliance with Akechi Goro, a famous detective, in order to clear their names.

However, the Phantom Thieves quickly realize that Akechi plans to betray them to the criminal mastermind who actually killed Okumura: Masayoshi Shido. With this information, the Phantom Thieves manage to create a plan to protect themselves, save their new target Sae Niijima and rescue Joker from being killed by Akechi while Joker tries to convince Sae to take their side.

After Joker manages to escape custody, the Phantom Thieves plot to steal Shido’s heart; when the Phantom Thieves manage to steal Shido’s Treasure, he attempts to stop them by putting himself in a coma destroying his own Palace to take the Thieves with him. Ryuji manages to run fast enough to secure a lifeboat for the Phantom Thieves, preventing their demise and allowing them to come out on top.

Eventually, the Phantom Thieves arrive at the bottom of Mementos and, after learning about the enemy they face, manage to take out Yaldabaoth.

Persona 5 Royal

Ryuji in persona 5 royal

Should the game enter the 3rd semester, Ryuji’s desire is to still remain on the track team, having never been injured by Kamoshida and still being friends with everyone. He manages to realize her new reality is fake and reunites with the rest of the Phantom Thieves to help Joker and Akechi save Sumire.

The Phantom Thieves gear up for one more mission to take down Maruki and give everyone the chance to live their own lives.

Persona 5 Strikers

ryuji in Persona 5 Strikers

In Persona 5 Strikers, Ryuji joins Thieves when Joker returns to Tokyo for summer break. They eventually run into Alice Hiiragi and learn of the reappearance of their powers thanks to the return of the Metaverse (in the form of an app called EMMA) in the form of Jails. The Phantom Thieves join forces with Sophia, an AI who can summon her own Persona, in order to solve the mystery behind Alice’s Jail.

After defeating Shadow Alice, Ryuji and the Phantom Thieves accept Zenkichi Hasegawa’s deal to travel across Japan to take care of Jails that have appeared around the country.

Ryuji and the rest of the Phantom Thieves manage to solve the mystery behind Sophia and her relationship with EMMA and stop the being Demiurge from taking over all of Japan.

How To Begin The Chariot Confidant

The Chariot Confidant will automatically begin on April 13th and will be the first Confidant that you establish. This is how the player learns about the importance of Confidants and how they are established within the game. Ryuji’s Confidant will always be the easiest to progress out of all the Phantom Thieves; while everyone else has social stat requirements, Ryuji will never be unavailable due to not having enough social stats.

Chariot Confidant Benefits

Starting the Chariot Confidant gives Joker the opportunity to not be noticed by enemies while dashing or instantly kill them for easier Palace/Mementos navigation. Unlike other Confidants, the Chariot Confidant has no bonus at Rank 1 since it is purely an introduction.

  • At Rank 2, you unlock Punk Talk for Ryuji, which allows him to save a failed negotiation with upbeat Shadows if it fails.
  • At Rank 3, Ryuji will gain the Follow Up attack, which allows him to perform a follow-up attack if Joker hasn’t been able to KO an enemy.
  • At Rank 4, Ryuji unlocks the Shadow Dash ability, which allows Joker to avoid being noticed if he can dash past enemies quickly enough (dashing towards them will still get him detected).
  • At Rank 6, Ryuji unlocks Harisen Recovery, which allows him to heal a party member affected by status ailments if he hits an enemy weakness/gets a Critical.
  • At Rank 7, Ryuji unlocks the Insta-kill bonus. This allows Joker to dash towards Shadows in Palaces/Mementos and instantly kill them, gaining any EXP, money, and occasionally a Persona as if he had just participated in the battle. You can only do this with enemies who are weaker than you (highlighted with a green outline when using Third Eye), but it is a great way to level and cut down on unnecessary fights.
  • At Rank 8, Ryuji learns Endure, which allows him to withstand a fatal attack with 1 HP.
  • At Rank 9, Ryuji learns Protect, which allows him to protect Joker if he is about to take a fatal blow.
  • At Rank 10, Ryuji’s Persona Captain Kidd will evolve into Seiten Taisei, and you will be able to gain his New Game Plus item in March.

Guide To The Chariot Confidant

ryuji Chariot Confidant

Rank 1:

Automatically begins on April 13th.

Rank 2:

Answer with the following responses:

  • You seem pretty excited
  • What about them?
  • Do you regret it?
  • You’re already fast enough.

Rank 3:

Answer with the following responses:

  • Let’s not fight
  • Calm down, Ryuji
  • I can’t exactly blame you

Rank 4:

Answer with the following responses:

  • Are you worried about him?
  • I know how you feel

Rank 5:

Answer with the following responses:

  • Protein powder?
  • Do you want to rejoin?
  • So he’s an asshole?
  • Don’t worry, I gotcha

Rank 6:

Answer with the following responses:

  • We can train at my place.
  • This is no time for arguing
  • Absolutely
  • Can you explain that?
  • I really don’t understand
  • So he should’ve punched back?

Rank 7:

Answer with the following responses:

  • Let’s talk to Takeishi
  • I think it’s cool, Ryuji
  • Never know until you try

Rank 8:

Answer with the following responses:

  • What if they start fighting?
  • Things turned out for the best
  • All I did was watch
  • But I was just standing here…
  • So. Case closed?

Rank 9:

Answer with the following responses:

  • Are you satisfied now?
  • Don’t do it
  • I never realized that
  • I agree
  • Better watch out for them

Rank 10:

Respond however you like, you will complete the Confidant.

How To Use Ryuji In Battle

Ryuji Sakamoto_in_Battle
Image from Fandom

Ryuji is the physical tank of the team, having the highest Endurance out of all the Phantom Thieves and having the 2nd highest Strength. His repertoire includes Electric spells and physical attacks, but Ryuji’s poor Magic stat means you will often be taking advantage of his Physical moves more often, only using his Electric moves to target weaknesses.

Ryuji’s Agility is the worst out of everyone, and he will likely go last in most situations. He is good at taking hits and dealing even more damage to enemies after he is still standing. As he gains more physical moves, you want to move him away from using Electric spells for damage and focus on his physical attacks.

In Persona 5 Strikers, Ryuji’s lack of Agility isn’t a big problem, and he still has the same moveset to make himself a physical powerhouse. His high Endurance will be useful in case he gets hit by attacks, and he is able to take advantage of applying Shock to other enemies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Question: Is there a deadline for completing Ryuji’s Confidant?

Answer: The cut-off date is December 24th for Persona 5 and February 2nd for Persona 5 Royal.

Question: Is there anything special about Ryuji’s Confidant?

Answer: At Rank 8, Ryuji will try to find a time that works for trailing an important person. The time will take a few days, and the Chariot Confidant will be unavailable during that time period. When a certain date pops up, Ryuji will contact you (though you are not forced to go right away). Until you attend that meeting, the Chariot Confidant cannot progress.

There will be more dates that appear, and you shouldn’t feel depressed if you miss one opportunity. However, the date is not dependent on game progression and only happens on certain days each month. If you miss that date, you will have to wait for another one (the meeting will not happen again until Ryuji contacts you).

Question: Why doesn’t Ryuji’s New Game Plus bonus appear when he joins the team?

Answer: Ryuji’s New Game Plus benefits only appear once you start the Chariot Confidant, which means he will only grant those bonuses once you have formally recruited Ryuji after the story event in April.

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