As a student, reading is a part of everyday life for Joker in Persona 5 Royal. That's why the game has plenty of books for the player to find and even more opportunities to read them. Many books offer bonuses to social stats, but others provide benefits that are useful even during New Game+ runs.
However, it's not easy to track down every book. Some book locations are obvious, but others are in seemingly random locations or else locked behind specific requirements. The hardest books to find are often the ones with the best benefits, so it helps to know exactly where to find every book in Persona 5 Royal.
Shujin Academy Library
Shujin Academy has a library on the third floor. It's in the classroom building, but it's on the hallway that connects the school's two main buildings. In Persona 4 the school library was a good place to study, and that's still true in Persona 5 Royal, but Joker can also check out a few books for some light reading.
Almost all the books in the library have to do with the Personas of the main characters, and they appear in the library once Joker sees a Persona in action. When players first get access to the library, the available books are The Great Thief, Pirate Legend, Zorro the Outlaw, and The Alluring Dancer. As more Persona users appear, the list expands to include The Gallant Rogue, The Illusory Popess, Cry of Cthulhu, Woman in the Dark, Dressed in Ashes, and The Hero with a Bow.
Each of these books take two sessions to read, and they each provide a large boost to a social stat. Joker can only borrow one book at a time, but there's no time limit to how long he can borrow a book, and he'll automatically return his current book before borrowing a new one. Players can check out library books as often as they like, but their names will turn gray when Joker finishes reading them.
There's also a special book in the Shujin library called Speed Reader. This book shows up on the list immediately, but it's grayed out because someone else has borrowed it. To get this book, players must return a different library book after 7/1. Speed Reader should then be available to borrow. Joker only needs one session to read the book, and from then on he can read two book chapters in a single session. However, he can still only read one book per session, so this ability is less helpful with books that have one or three chapters.
Shibuya Bookstore
The Shibuya bookstore is immediately on the left on Central Street when players take the exit from the Station Square. The bookstore starts out with a small inventory, but this inventory expands as the game goes on. To see what's coming up next, interact with the signs to the right of the store's entrance.
|
Title |
Price |
Chapter Count |
Date Available |
Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Buchiko's Story |
700 |
2 |
Immediate |
|
|
The Art of Charm |
700 |
2 |
Immediate |
Large Charm boost |
|
Tidying the Heart |
700 |
2 |
Immediate |
Large Proficiency boost |
|
Medjed Menace |
1200 |
2 |
5/6 |
Large Knowledge boost |
|
Vague |
1800 |
1 |
5/18 |
Unlocks Harajuku |
|
Nightlife Hotspots |
1800 |
1 |
6/1 |
Unlocks Seaside Park |
|
Wise Men's Words |
700 |
2 |
6/1 |
Large Knowledge boost |
|
Ghost Encounters |
700 |
2 |
7/1 |
Large Guts boost |
|
Aquarium-a-Day |
1800 |
1 |
7/17 |
Unlocks Shinagawa |
|
Fishpond Spotter |
1800 |
1 |
7/17 |
Unlocks Ichigaya |
|
Musty Pages |
1800 |
1 |
9/1 |
Unlocks Jinbocho |
|
Night Skies |
1800 |
1 |
9/1 |
Unlocks Ikebukuro |
|
Tokyo Shrines |
1800 |
1 |
9/1 |
Unlocks Meiji Shrine |
|
Nakano Walker |
1800 |
1 |
10/1 |
Unlocks Nakano |
Players should note that there are several ways to unlock most of these Tokyo locations, including confidant rank-up events and special hangout events that sometimes appear on weekends, holidays, or during the summer vacation. If Joker tries to read a book that unlocks a location he already knows about, Morgana will mention this fact and the game will mark the book as "read" without spending any time. This trick is a great way to get to quickly get the Thieves Den award for reading 40 books.
Shinjuku Bookstore
Starting on 6/18, Joker can visit the Red-Light District in Shinjuku. There are a few shops and confidants around, including a bookstore across the street from the flower shop. The store sells books that make several Tokyo activities easier, and they're all one chapter long, but here's the catch: Joker must try an activity at least once before the corresponding book will show up in the store.
|
Title |
Price |
Benefit |
|---|---|---|
|
ABCs of Crafting |
2800 |
Joker can craft twice as many infiltration tools in one session. |
|
Batting Science |
2800 |
Joker can use Third Eye in the Yongen-Jaya Batting Cages; this slows down time and the ball will glow blue when Joker can hit it. |
|
The Craft of Cinema |
2800 |
Joker gets extra social stat points when watching DVDs or movies. |
|
Essence of Fishing |
2800 |
Joker can use Third Eye while fishing in Ichigaya; tagged fish will sparkle, the Guardian and Kingpin glow gold, and Joker can also see where his lure will land. |
|
Flowerpedia |
2800 |
When asked to make a bouquet when working at the Flower Shop, players will get more information about flowers that help them make better choices. |
|
Game Secrets |
2800 |
When playing retro games in Leblanc, Joker can use secret techniques that make the games easier to beat. |
|
Learn Pro Darts |
2800 |
Joker can use Third Eye when playing darts at Penguin Sniper; this makes the target dot slow down a little. |
Jinbocho
One unlockable Tokyo destination is Jinbocho. This neighborhood is packed with bookstores, and Joker will visit one in particular when he's alone. At first, the store owner will only let Joker buy the book Master Swordsman. The book costs 8000 yen and is three chapters long, but after reading it Joker will get a massive boost to his Guts (the game shows this as three notes, the same as a two-chapter book, but the real point boost is bigger).
After reading the book, players can return to Jinbocho and get access to four more books: Call Me Chief, Reckless Casanova, Heroic Revelations, and The Art of Automata. These books also cost 8000 yen, have three chapters, and provide a massive boost to the other four social stats.
If players get through all five books and return to Jinbocho one last time, the old bookseller will let Joker buy Knowing the Heart. This book costs 12,000 yen, but it's only one chapter long. Reading it will let the Phantom Thieves use new elements to get Technical hits:
- Rage and Fire
- Fear and Ice
- Forget and Electricity
- Confuse and Wind or Gun
- Brainwash and Bless
- Despair and Curse
Psychokinesis damage still works on these status ailments, but now other party members can take advantage of them instead of relying on Joker and Haru to do all the hard work.
Other Locations
There are a few other books scattered across the rest of Tokyo. First, Joker will get two books by cleaning up his room: Yoncha Walker 04 and Social Thought. The first book is one chapter long, and it unlocks all the Yongen-Jaya fast-travel points if players haven't found them all yet. The second book is two chapters and provides a large Knowledge boost, but Joker must have Knowledge rank 2 to understand it.
Next, there are three books Joker can get from fulfilling requests. All of them are one chapter long and unlock Tokyo destinations.
|
Title |
Benefit |
Request |
|---|---|---|
|
Chinese Sweets |
Unlocks Chinatown |
Part-Time Job, Full-Time Hell |
|
Shitamachi Reborn |
Unlocks Asakusa |
Who's Muscling in Yongen-Jaya? |
|
Theme Park Escort |
Unlocks Maihama (Destinyland) |
We Aren't Just Your Slaves |
Trader Sakai in Kichijoji offers a book from 7/26 to 7/30. Players who give him an MRE Ration will get the book Factorization Guide in exchange. This book is one chapter long, and reading it gives Joker an extra bonus to Knowledge when studying.
The last two books are connected to billiards. After playing billiards once, Joker can find the book Expert Billiards in the Sports Store in the Underground Mall in Shibuya. It costs 3500, but it's one chapter long and will let Joker unlock Technical rank 2. The Sports Store also sells the Jump Cue, which will unlock rank 3.
After reaching rank 3, a patron at Penguin Sniper will approach Joker and give him the book Billiards Magician. This is also one chapter long, and after reading it Joker can unlock Technical rank 4.
Persona 5 Royal is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.