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Ryuji is one of three Phantom Thieves you can choose from the Newcomer Banner, or as a reward for completing Plan 1, inPersona 5 The Phantom X. As a Physical Element Assassin character, Skull excels at taking out single targets with high damage bursts. With his Rebound buff, he can raise the damage and critical chance of his next attack, letting him burst down targets easily.
Ryuji’s biggest drawback inPersona 5 The Phantom Xis that he needs to be below 75% HP to make the most of his abilities, since he only gains Rebound when starting his turn below that amount of HP. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of Rebound without putting Skull in unnecessary danger, especially with good team composition.
How Does Skull Work in Persona 5 The Phantom X?
Ryuji is a Physical Element Assassin who specializes in dealing huge critical damage. To help with this,his Wounded Glory ability will grant him the Rebound buff whenever he starts his turn with less than 75% HP.It also raises his attack based on how much HP he is missing.The Rebound Buff increases the damage of Ryuji’s next attack by 30%, and raises his critical rate by 30% too. It also triggers additional and/or strengthened effects on all of his skills.
Effect
Pirate Tactics
Deal Physical Damage to a single foe three times. If Ryuji doesn’t have Rebound, spend 20% of his Max HP to increase damage dealt by 30% and critical rate by 30%.
Thunderbolt
Deal Electric Damage to all foes with a chance to inflict Shock. If Ryuji has rebound, the chance to Shock is increased.
God Hand Burst
Select a target and enter the Shifting Gears State. On the next action, deal a huge amount of damage to the target. If Ryuji has Rebound, this attack will always be a critical hit. If Ryuji’s target is defeated while he’s in the Shifting Gears State, he’ll select a new target at random.
Thief Tactics
Highlight:Deal Physical Damage to one foe and increase Damage of next Skill.
1 MORE:Deal Physical Damage to one foe.
Melee Attack:Deal Physical Damage to one foe.
Ranged Attack:Deal Gun Damage to one foe. Can fire until out of ammo.
Hidden Abilities
Adrenaline
While the target’s remaining HP is higher than Ryuji’s, Ryuji’s Attack is increased.
Rebellious Spirit
When Ryuji has Rebound and uses Pirate Tactics, Thunderbolt, or God Hand Burst, he regains HP.
Skull’s Awareness
With Multiple copies of Ryuji from the banners,you can unlock these Awareness Skills:
0: Wounded Glory
Increases Attack based on missing HP. The minimum increase is 10%, and if HP is20% or lower, Attack will increase by a maximum of 40%. When Ryuji has less than 75% HP on his Action, he gains Rebound for 1 turn.
Rebound:Increases the Damage of Ryuji’s next Attack by 30%, and increases Critical Rate by 30%.
1: Under the Skull and Bones
Increase Damage of God Hand Burst by 20%. When in the Changing Gears State, decrease Damage Taken by 20%.
2: Fearless Charge
When dealing Critical Damage with a skill, ignore 35% of the Target’s Defense.
3: Anchor Management
Increases the Skill Levels of God Hand Burst and Thief Tactics by 3.
4: Riding the Storm
Highlight Enhanced: Increases the Next Skills Damage by 30%, and increases Critical Damage by 75%.
5: Raise the Sails!
Increases the Skill Levels of Pirate Tactics and Thunderbolt by 3.
6: Comeback Kid
During Battle, survive Fatal Damage 1 time and recover 25% HP. After Damaging a foe with God Hand Burst, inflict Cower on the Target.
Cower: Increase next Skill Damage from Ryuji taken by 60%.
What Skills Should Skull Level Up First in Persona 5 The Phantom X?
When gearing up Skull for Success,you’ll want to prioritize leveling up Pirate Tactics and Thief Tactics first, since Pirate Tactics is the easiest way to set up his Rebound buff, and leveling up Thief Tactics will make his Highlight even more effective. Good use of his Highlight and Pirate Tactics will take him far. Thunderbolt should be your next priority, since Shocked enemies are easier to land critical hits on, which works well with Skull’s improved Critical Rate from Rebound.
Best Weapons for Skull in Persona 5 The Phantom X
Skull’s best weapon overall is definitely the Revenge Axe.With the ability “Explosive Outburst” it raises his Critical Damage considerably and allows him to gain “Fired Up” stacks whenever an ally or enemy takes an action. Whenever Ryuji attacks, he’ll spend those Fired Up stacks to amplify his skill damage per stack spent.
If you don’t have the Revenge Axe, Ryuji also performs well when equipped with Grand Presser, a 4* Weapon that increases his Critical Rate and raises his damage when dealing a Critical Hit with Rebound active.
Best Revelation Cards for Skull in Persona 5 The Phantom X
When selecting Revelation Cards for Ryuji, giving him a full set of Valor cards is a no-brainer.The 2-piece bonus increases Physical Damage by 10%, while the 4-piece bonus increases Critical Damage by 30% for 2 turns at the start of battle. The 4-piece bonus is refreshed whenever Skull lands a critical hit, making it a consistent and reliable buff thanks to his high critical hit chance. The Power cards are another strong option here, providing a constant 12% attack bonus and a 10% attack increase every 6 turns in battle, stacking up to 3 times.
If you’re equipping Skull with the Valor card set, you should grab a Mediation Space card, allowing you to benefit from the “Mediation & Valor” set bonus. This increases Physical and Electrical damage by 12%, raising them by an additional 24% if there is only one foe on the field. If you’re using the Power set, get a Growth Space card to benefit from “Growth & Power”, raising the Power attack buff’s stack limit to 5.
Ryuji’s most important stats are Attack, Critical Chance, and Critical Damage.
Best Team Compositions for Skull in Persona 5 The Phantom X
Skull works well in any team that can enable his Rebound mechanic, usually by applying shields so he can drop his health with less risk. He also performs well when supported by a strong Strategist who can buff his attack power.One easy way to build a team around Ryuji is by pairing him with Leon, Moko, and Puppet.Leon/Leo Kamiyama is a Nuclear Element Guardian who can sacrifice some of an ally’s HP to give them a shield. Since his shield always absorbs more damage than the HP sacrificed, he can be used to reduce Ryuji’s HP and trigger Wounded Glory without nearly as much risk.
Adding Moko/Tomoko Noge to this setup lets you amp up Ryuji’s attacks even higher, while also increasing the damage enemies take and inflicting sleep. Puppet/Miyu Sahara adds another source of shields, while also providing tons of other offensive and defensive benefits through her Support skills. If you have Riddle/Haruna Nishimori, you can swap her in instead of Moko to gain some incredibly powerful offensive buffs, and also increase the strength of your party’s shield effects using her second skill. Morgana can also be very effective at keeping Ryuji alive, since his healing can trigger on any ally’s turn.
