A Persona is a manifestation of one’s inner will and capabilities. No two Personas are exactly the same, though occasionally the same mythological figure can be used more than once. Anyway, because the Phantom Thieves of Persona 5 are such a vast and varied group, they each bring their own special abilities to the table when things get intense. Here’s a guide to each Thief’s special abilities in Persona 5 Strikers.
Protagonist/Joker
As a Persona protagonist should be, Joker is blessed with the power of the Wild Card, the ability to retain multiple Personas within himself. Occasionally, when you defeat an enemy Shadow, they’ll drop a Persona mask, which Joker can immediately use to invoke their abilities. When you bring up the Persona skill menu, you can swap through whatever Personas you have on hand as much as you’d like. Just remember that changing Personas changes elemental affinities, so don’t accidentally make yourself weak to something an enemy is using.
Ryuji/Skull
As the team’s resident knucklehead, Ryuji is quite physically durable. That durability can be multiplied by pressing the special ability button to activate Sturdy, making it more difficult for enemies to knock Ryuji back or make him flinch.
Ryuji can also Charge his attacks by holding the special button in the middle of an attack combo. Charging moves increases their damage and adds extra knockback.
Morgana/Mona
Mona may be small, but he’s fast, and a master of the wind. When Mona performs a spinning attack, his wind can Draw enemies closer to him, clumping them up for group punishment.
With the special button, Mona can transform into the Morgana Car, zipping around the battlefield and running down foes. You can keep driving as the car until you take a hit.
Ann/Panther
With her whip and fire magic, Ann can really bring the heat. Either by pressing the special button or using certain combos, Ann can Enchant her whip with a fire element, dealing extra damage to fire-weak foes and inflicting Technicals on frozen foes.
Yusuke/Fox
Yusuke may be a starving artist, but he’s no pushover. With the special button, he can assume a Counter stance; any enemy that attacks him after his sword flashes will have their attack thrown right back at them. Even if nobody does attack him, Yusuke can still use his special to unleash a series of quick slashes.
Makoto/Queen
Makoto’s fists are already deadly weapons, but they could be deadlier. Tap the special button to invoke Burst, imbuing all of Makoto’s attacks with a Nuclear element. Hit an enemy that’s burning, frozen, or shocked for an instant Technical.
Haru/Noir
Elegant as always, Haru knows how to keep the crowd’s eyes on her. Hold down the special button in a combo to Extend the ensuing attack. All of Haru’s special inputs can be Extended for several seconds, as well as steered around the battlefield.
Sophia/Sophie
Sophie may be the newest Phantom Thief, but she’s got plenty of skill to keep up. When performing an attack combo, press the attack button again when Sophie’s yo-yos flash to perform a Perfect Catch, temporarily upgrading her abilities. If you’re having difficulty with that, you can also just press the special button on its own for a free upgrade.
