InPersona 5 Royal, Takuto Maruki is the school counselor whom the Shujin Academy principal hiresin response to the Kamoshida incident. His character was created for theRoyalrerelease, and so it’s no surprise that he’s closely tied to another new feature: the third semester.
Over the course of the regular game, Maruki will meet with each of the Phantom Thieves and give them a quick counseling session, Joker included. If players ignore this confidant, that will be the start and the end of things. However, if players want to get the most out ofPersona 5 Royal, they should spend more time with Maruki.
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General Information
As a bonus character,Maruki’s Arcana is the Councilor, an alternative to the Magician found in the Spanish El Gran Tarot Esoterico deck. The card in the game depicts a sun with the face of a wise old man, and while figures on the ground below are begging the sun for help, figures in the clouds above are falling from the sky. Like the regular Magician, the Councilor can represent intelligence and flexible thinking but also deception and hubris.
Once Maruki’s confidant events unlock, players can find him at school on the first floor of the practice building onMondayandFriday. He’s only available during school days, so players won’t see him during August, but he shows up more often in September, October, and November.The last day players can visit him is 11/17, so be sure to reach rank 9 by then. On the bright side, none of Maruki’s ranks are affected by the weather.
Like other confidants, Joker canspend time with Marukiif players don’t have enough relationship points to rank up yet. Joker can give Maruki a gift on these outings, and his favorites are theSilver Bangle,Omni-Vitamin,Fountain Pen,Mini Cactus,48-Sided 3D Puzzle,Robot Vacuum, andBlaring Alarm Clock.
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Ranks 1 and 2
Both the first and second rank of the Councilor confidant are given automatically on 5/13. The second rank features dialog options that provide relationship points, so players should try to stock a Councilor Persona on 5/10to get the same-Arcana bonus. The numbers listed in this guide assume that players will have this bonus.
The rank 2 reward isDetox X. Sometimes when Joker is hit with an ailment, he will recover immediately. Joker also gets+5 SPandNon-Static Gumfrom the session.
Rank 3
During the next session, Maruki discusses the nature of emotional pain.
The next reward isFlow, which lets Joker sometimes start a combatwith Concentrate and Charge active. He also gets another+5 SPand aJagariko.
Rank 4
This time Maruki brings Joker to the courtyard to discuss how hard it is to treat emotional trauma.
No new ability with this rank, but Joker still gets+5 SPand aHappy Pop.
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Rank 5
Maruki brings out a basket of sweets and discusses the psychology of scarcity.
At rank 5, Joker getsMindfulness. If Joker’s SP is low at the start of his turn, he has a chance to restore some SP for free. This rank also provides+5 SPand aDonut-Worry.
Rank 6
Maruki asks to visit Joker’s home and talks about the collective unconscious. This rank is unavailable until after 9/20 andthe start of the Okumura arc.
Rank 7
After the last conversation, Maruki has taken an interest in the Phantom Thieves. The counselor is feeling especially eager, soevery choice gives max points. The rank rewards areFlow Boost, which increases the odds of Flow triggering, along with+5 SPandPhantom Wafers.
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Rank 8
Maruki achieved a breakthrough in his research, so he takes Joker to the Shibuya buffet to celebrate.
Ranks 9 and 10
As previously mentioned, the last chance to get rank 9 is on 11/17. Rank 10 is automatic, and so relationship points no longer matter. However, players can get the best response by saying “Kind of sad…”
The rank 9 reward isDetox DX, which makes Detox X more likely to trigger. Joker also gets+5 SPand aFulfiller.
The rank 10 event takes place on 11/18 if players have reached rank 9. The final ability isWakefulness, which improves the SP recovery of Mindfulness. This rank also unlocksVohu Manah, the final Councilor Persona, and itgrants access to thethird semester.
Unlike most confidants, Marukidoesn’t have a New Game Plus item, but players may still end up seeing him on 3/19 if they max out his rank.
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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