Persona 5 Royal: Emperor Confidant Guide

The Persona series has always been about creating relationships with people, and Persona 5 Royal is no different.

There are tons of characters you’ll encounter, each offering unique storylines and dialogue through a mechanic called Social Links. Reaching higher ranks in Social Links will reward players with unique perks and abilities for combat.

Yusuke Kitagawa is one of the Confidants players will encounter on 6/18. According to his in-game description, he is known for being a Japanese art genius at school who despises adults who leeche off the talent of others. In other words, he sort of has a rebellious attitude.

Persona 5 Royal: Can It Run Doom? Yes, Thanks To This Amazing New Mod

Thanks to a new mod, it is now possible to play 1993’s DOOM inside of Persona 5 Royal.

To reach maximum rank with Yusuke, you’ll have to spend time with him on certain days and select the right dialogue options. This guide has everything you need to know.

Confidant Benefits

While Yusuke has a great storyline to follow, it’s his abilities that make the Social Link worth completing.

He has a rare skill where he can duplicate skill cards, allowing for the specific skill to be used multiple times. Additionally, he offers an ability that allows for a retry if Shadow Negotiation fails.

Let’s go over all the confidant abilities for Yusuke in Persona 5 Royal.

Rank	Ability	Description
1	Card Duplication	Grants Yusuke the ability to use Blank Cards to duplicate Skill Cards.
3	Follow Up	Possibility to perform a follow-up attack of Joker’s attack doesn’t down the enemy.
4	Art Talk	If Shadow Negotiation fails, then you are allowed a retry.
5	Card Creation	Grants Yusuke the ability to create any Skill card he has copied before.
6	Harrisen Recovery	Chance to cure status ailments inflicted upon your party members.
7	Live Painting	Grants Yusuke the ability to use Card Duplication and Card Creation on the spot.
8	Endure	Chance to withstand an otherwise fatal attack with 1 HP remaining.
9	Protect	Chance to shield Joker from an otherwise fatal attack.
Max	Second Awakening	Transforms Persona into a mythological trickster.
Royal	Second Awakening R	Fuse with the mythological Trickster, awakening its true power.

All social ranks with Yusuke in Persona 5 Royal

Like all other Confidants in Persona 5 Royal, Yusuke has 10 ranks players can work through to reach max level. Each dialogue option with Yusuke offers a set number of points that can increase if you have the correct persona equipped.

Considering Yusuke represents the Emperor Arcane, it’s highly recommended to bring an Emperor Persona with you to the meet-ups. The points in this guide represent the bonuses you receive when an Emperor Persona is equipped.

Once you start Yusuke’s Social Link on 6/18, his Confidant events become available on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturdays. You can find him on these days in the Shibuya Underground Station.

Persona 5 Royal: Best Party Members, Ranked

Having the right team can be a complete game changer in Persona 5. Here are the best members to consider for your party.

Rank 1

Players can unlock Rank 1 with Yusuke as early as 6/18 on the calendar. During the day, head to the Shibuya Underground Station and speak to him to officially begin the Social Link.

Rank 1 has Yusuke and Joker heading into Mementos to get inspiration for a painting. Unfortunately, Yusuke has been in an artistic slump due to his gloomy perspective of the world.

“I have to hold up my end of the deal, so I’ll perform to the best of my ability. You need only ask.”	“I’ll be asking a lot” +3
	“I’ll try not to” +2
	“Thanks” +2

Rank 2

Yusuke will present Joker with his painting draft from earlier, which represents a unique version of the Mementos realm. It also resembles the word “desire” Yusuke says.

Yusuke mentions how he feels great about his artistic ability at the current moment and feels that he is finally out of his slump.

“I would like your honest opinion, if you would.”	“It’s a novel” +2
	“I hope you’re right” +3
	“Will people like it?” +0
“More importantly, it shall be the spark that revitalizes my slumbering art career!”	“I can’t wait” +3
	“I hope you’re right” +3
	“Will people like it?” +0
“I’m on a roll right now. I shall keep up this momentum and apply it to the Phantom Thieves as well!”	“You’re already doing enough” +2
	“I’m looking forward to it” +0
	“Will you really?” +0

Rank 3

Rank 3 shows Joker and Yusuke at an art show, where Yusuke has his painting on the wall. He’s unfortunately upset considering no one has come over to his painting to view it.

Eventually, two middle-aged adults come over to take a look and speak negatively about it, claiming there is no “desire” in the piece.

“My work is…empty?”	“That was harsh” +0
	“What a dick” +0
	“Don’t let it bother you” +2
“This grave mistake shall be the end for me…!”	“Stop exaggerating” +0
	“This is just the beginning” +0
	“Stand up” +0
“What is going to happen to me now…? Without art, what will remain of my being..?”	“You’re really giving up?” +2
	“This isn’t like you” +3
	“Stand up, Yusuke” +0
“But that is all the more reason I must break out of my slump. I must prove my ability to him…!”	“How exactly?” +2
	“That’s the spirit” +2

Rank 4

Yusuke takes Joker on a canoe ride to find more inspiration for his next painting. It’s here where Yusuke realizes the reason why his painting got a negative review by the adults at the art gallery — it didn’t have passion.

So, Yusuke decides to focus his next painting on the “burning passion between man and woman.”

“Thank you for your assistance today. After all, it would be impossible to sketch while rowing.”	“What are we doing here?” +0
	“Why are we in a boat?” +2
	“I should bring a girl here” +2
“It seems my bias has caused my to overlook the truth of the matter.”	“Love comes in all forms” +3
	“Maybe you should train more” +2
	“You have a wild imagination” +0
“Even if I ever do understand it, will I truly be able to draw it..?”	“Don’t get discouraged” +2
	“Just keep drawing” +0
	“You lack love yourself” +0

Rank 5

The next rank brings Yusuke and Joker to a church, where Yusuke is trying to find his next motivation for the painting he’s working on. Two words come to his mind: Sheep and Anguish.

He decides he wants to paint the anguish Christ felt as he “bore the sins of mankind.”

“You will have to be my model today”	“Make me beautiful” +0
	“I dunno if I can do it…” +2
	“Do you want me to strip?” +3
“Do you think I will be able to capture the truth someday?”	“I’m sure you will” +3
	“It doesn’t look like it” +3
	“Do you want to give up?” +2
“The further I seem to be from understanding the abyss of the heart.”	“Don’t overthink it” +0
	“You have to keep drawing” +0
	“There’s still hope” +2

Rank 6

In rank 6 with Yusuke, we see him and Joker visit an old run-down building from Yusuke’s childhood. It turns out to be his childhood home.

Yusuke explains to Joker that he’s beginning to understand how to portray the human heart in a painting, and visiting his old home has helped him get a little bit closer to that fully realized vision for his painting.

Keep in mind that you will need a level 4 in Proficiency to unlock rank 6 with Yusuke, so do that before meeting up with him.

“This place has not changed in the slightest…”	“It feels nostalgic” +2
	“Why are we here again?” +0
	“Are you going in?” +0
“Why do you think Madarame decided to take me in?”	“Maybe he was sympathetic” +3
	“He somehow knew you had skill” +2
	“I couldn’t possibly tell you” +3
“What’s your impression of him?”	“He had a certain dignity” +2
	“He seems reliable” +0
	“I’m not sure” +0

Rank 7

Yusuke and Joker go out to dinner together, where they meet a mysterious person with unfortunate news. It turns out that Yusuke’s old mentor is the reason why he is having trouble painting with a pure heart and has been in an artistic slump.

The mysterious man starts to mock Yusuke for being the typical “tortured artist” type. This is where Yusuke goes off about how people only care about money, instead of passion.

“We’ll sell you as the tragic, handsome, artist.”	“That’s a great name” +0
	“What do you mean?” +2
	“Handsome..?” +0
“Why is it that all artists talk about is money, money, money!? Has the true meaning of art been lost!?”	“The truth is within you” +3
	“Money is important” +0
“I’m a petty sellout, a slave to the power of money!”	“Calm down” +2
	“It’s not a crime to enjoy sushi” +2
	“Let’s go again sometime” +0

Rank 8

Rank 8 shows Yusuke calling a meeting with all his friends at the diner, where he asks the group for help. Being good friends that they are, they inform Yusuke that they are more than happy to help.

Yusuke mentions to the group that he is planning on presenting his painting in another art competition, and he must win to prove to the world that he still has passion. This is where he asks the group for help to come up with a topic for his next painting.

“What subject do you think would most capture beauty”	“Scenery is always nice” +0
	“I’d say Morgana” +0
	“It has to be Ann” +2
“Is this what pure passion is supposed to looke like!? My heart is clouded by worldly desires..!	“What’s wrong with that?” +2
	“The same applies to everyone” +0
	“You’ve really grown, Yusuke” +3

Rank 9

During Rank 9 with Yusuke, Joker and him make their way to the Mementos realm. Yusuke mentions how Mementos continues to surprise him no matter how many times he visits, similar to how he’s continuously in shock when doing soul-searching for himself.

After speaking about Yusuke’s mom, he mentions to Joker that he is going to wield his brush again with the promise to give hope to all those who look upon his paintings.

“When my mother was painting the Sayuri…what do you think she was thinking about?	“Her love for her son” +3
	“The pain of separation” +3
	“I don’t know” +2
“But that is why I am going to wield my brush again… To give hope to all those who see my paintings.”	“You’ve really changed, Yusuke” +3
	“That’s a great idea” +2
	“It won’t be easy” +0

Max Rank

The final rank with Yusuke shows him winning the art competition that he mentioned earlier. He finally figured out how to portray the human heart, through this final painting called “Desire and Hope.”

The final rank with Yusuke is easy considering all dialogue choices have the same amount of point values, meaning it doesn’t matter which ones you pick.