Tall, bald, lean and mean, Masayoshi Shido is one of the main antagonists in Persona 5 Royal and the ruler of the 7th dungeon in the game, Shido’s Cruiser. Persona 5 Shido is the reason why Joker’s life is in shambles and why everyone thinks of him as a delinquent.
Shido is a top-rank politician of Japan in Persona 5 Royal and is secretly allied with Antisocial Force to overthrow the current government. Shido’s alter ego is the demon Samael in Persona 5 Royal.
The journey leading to Shido’s boss fight in P5R is both chaotic and bittersweet. Sacrificing his own Goro Akechi to destroy his political opponents Castles’ in the metaverse, there are no depths of depravity Shido won’t fall into. The Shido boss fight in Persona 5 has two phases (general and demonic) with overall 5 forms he takes during the encounter (3 in the first phase and 2 in the second).
P5R Shido’s weaknesses and resistances
General Shido has no weakness against any physical or magic attacks. Beast form can repel physical and gun attacks. Wings form is strong against every single magic attack.
- Level: 63
- HP: 10000
- SP: 999
- Strength: 66/66/66
- Magic: 64/54/64
- Endurance: 28/28/28
- Agility: 48/48/48
- Luck: 22/22/68
General Shido’s attacks
- Beast King’s Wrath. Heavy physical damage to all party members.
- Arm of Destruction. Heavy Almighty damage to all party members with a chance to inflict rage.
- Wage War. Chance to inflict rage on all party members.
- Royal Wing Beam. Heavy Almighty damage to all party members with a chance of dizzy.
- Kou/Ei Gaon. Heavy Bless/Curse damage to one party member.
- Agi/Bufu/Zio/Garu/Psi/Frei Dyne. Heavy fire/ice/elec/wind/psi/nuke damage to one party member with chances of inflicting ailments.
- Canon Fire. Severe Almighty damage to one party member.
- Pyramid Blast. Massive Almighty damage to all party members. Needs 2 turns to be charged.
Samael Shido’s weaknesses and resistances
Samael is the final form of Masayoshi Shido and basically occurs in the 2nd phase of the boss fight. Samael Shido has no weakness against any physical or magic attacks. Shido in true form doesn’t have any resistances either so you can use any attacks against him.
- Level: 63
- HP: 4000/5800
- SP: 999
- Strength: 80/80
- Magic: 52/40
- Endurance: 60/40
- Agility: 38/38
- Luck: 25/15
Samael Shido’s attacks
Samael Shido will use all the massive attacks available in Persona 5. From fire to nuclear, there isn’t a single attack Shido will skip. He also uses all the buffs and debuffs constantly during this phase. Shido loves to target party members’ weaknesses so be very careful against him.
We will be mentioning the attacks exclusive to Shido in Persona 5 Royal.
- Tyrant’s Glare. Shido gets three consecutive turns.
- Tyrant’s Wave. Heavy Almighty damage to all party members.
- Tyrant’s Fist. Heavy physical damage to one party member with chance of inflicting fear.
Recommended level and party members against Persona 5 Shido
Level recommendation for Shido Boss fight in Persona 5 is at least level 65. Shido has around 20000HP divided between his two phases. So, keeping a party at Shido’s level or above is the best way to approach this fight.
You can always level up quickly using Expedite Ring accessory (1.5x more exp from defeating shadows) in addition to maxing Mishima’s Confidant Rank (same exp for all party members).
- MC with Black Frost and Dionysus personas (to activate Thermopylae). Joker must have Titania, Rangda and Trumpeter personas on hand to cast necessary buffs, debuffs and curse magics.
- Makoto with her second awakening Anat to get access to Dekunda (remove all negative buffs from the party) and Marakukaja (increase defense of all party members for 3 turns) skills.
- Ryuji with his second awakening Seiten Taisei which gives access to Megaton raid (massive physical damage to one foe) and Charge (increase damage for next physical attack) skills.
- Ann. She is a key member of this party. DON’T let her die. She can cast Dekaja (remove all buffs from the foe) in addition to fully healing party members.
We also recommend maxing out your Star Arcana confident, Hifumi Togo, in addition to Futaba (she will heal party members, switch them, restore HP and provide necessary buffs).
How to defeat Masayoshi Shido in Persona 5 Royal
Now comes the fun part. With all the preparations done and having an intense knowledge of Shido’s stats and weaknesses, this fight will still be tough as nails.
We have outlined the strategy for each phase of Persona 5 Shido boss fight below so you know which tactics to use
Phase 1 – General Shido
Shido has three forms during his first phase (general) and two moves per turn. He will be riding atop a golden lion made of human torsos named, Beast of Human Sacrifices. Don’t attempt to use any physical or Gun attacks or they will be repelled. Start the fight with buffing your party members and debuffing Shido.
Shido will use Makarakarn (shield to repel one magic attack) regularly. Use Joker to attack with Eigaon immediately, as he has the highest chance of blocking a deflected attack. Heal your party members during the fight and keep attacking him with magic attacks.
With Shido’s HP reduced by 33%, he will change his form and ride a golden lion with wings named, Wings of Human Sacrifices. This form is strong against all magic attacks. Use physical or Almighty attacks against him as much as you can.
Beware of Royal Wing Beam (an Almighty attack that can cause dizzy). Shido will use a lot of powerful magical attacks targeting particular weaknesses of party members. Maxing your party’s confidant ranks will help them in dodging these attacks.
The third form will emerge as soon as you take down Shido to 33% HP. His third form is a golden Tomb made of human limbs named, Tomb of Human Sacrifices. Beware of this phase as Shido will bring out big guns (literally). He will attack with canons in this phase causing severe Almighty damage wiping out whole party in one go.
Buff your defenses and block as soon as you see Shido charging with Unholy Convergence. Shido has no resistance in this form. Keep chipping away at his HP slowly and steadily while healing your party members to finish him.
Phase 2 – Demon Samael Shido
The fight is not over yet. Destroying his egoistical form (phase 1) will throw Shido in a tantrum mode. Shido will call upon his true self in Persona 5 Royal, Demon Samael. Shido has two forms in this phase. Samael and True Samael.
In his first demonic form, Shido will use a lot of heavy physical attacks. He will constantly buff himself with Heat Riser (atk/def/agl for 3 turns). Use Ann’s Dekaja skill to debuff him instantly. Strategy for this form is very simple. Buff your party members, debuff Samael Shido, attack with your most powerful skills and heal your party members.
This is a fight of patience. Keep Ann alive and free of all ailments in this phase at all costs. Shido will transform into true Samael with a hell lot more attacks. There is not a single magic attack in the game (severe versions of all) Shido won’t use in this form.
He will throw everything and anything in his arsenal at you. Shido will constantly buff himself with Heat Riser and you will be in a world of hurt if you don’t debuff it instantly. Shido will use Tyrant’s Glare skill to get 3 moves per turn. He will always use one move for buffs, one for debuffs and the last for Tyrant’s Wave (heavy Almighty damage to all party members).
There is a chance of losing one or two members during this flurry of attacks. Don’t worry, either revive or swap your downed party members. The strategy remains the same. Shido will take a lot less damage in this form so it will be a true test of endurance.
If you apply the same strategy for taking down Samael Shido here, your success is all but guaranteed.
