After Joker's run-in with the law, Sojiro Sakura agrees to become his probation officer. Sojiro has a very gruff exterior, but as the game goes on it becomes clear that this is only his way of protecting a very kind heart.
Sojiro's events are unusual compared to a lot of the other non-Phantom Thief confidants in Persona 5 Royal thanks to how close he is to the protagonist. On top of that, it can take some time to get through the first few events since players will need a lot more relationship points than what the rank events provide. This makes him an unusually troublesome confidant to max out.
General Information
In the Tarot Arcana, the Hierophant (or Pope in some editions) is a male figure of great wisdom and spiritual power. The card's interpretations include a person of kindness and compassion, but also an old-fashioned man who is stuck in his ways.
Sojiro spends most of his evenings in Leblanc, but he's only available for hangouts and confidant ranks on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Players can unlock his first rank early, starting on 4/20, but the second half of his events won't be available until much later.
Unlike most confidants, Joker can't invite Sojiro to go anywhere, but he can give him a gift after spending time together in Leblanc. Sojiro's favorite gifts are the Silver Bangle, Castella, Fountain Pen, Leather Pen Case, Kitchen Tools Set, and Robot Vacuum.
Rank 1
As mentioned earlier, the first night to start the Hierophant confidant is 4/20. Sojiro wants Joker to be more useful in the café, so he shows him the basics of working at Leblanc. Most of the dialog choices have no impact, but at the end players can get a few relationship points depending on what they say.
- Got it. 3
- That was our deal. 2
- Happy to help. 2
Note that these numbers are one less if Joker doesn't have a Hierophant Persona in his stock. The numbers throughout the rest of this guide will assume players are getting the same-Arcana bonus.
Rank 2
During this event, Sojiro is still explaining the basics when a strange man enters the shop and seems to threaten Sojiro.
- Making coffee. 2
- Hitting on girls. 0
- No idea. 0
- Who was he? 0
- That guy seemed suspicious. 2
- Who's the "her" he mentioned? 0
- I want the ladies to love me. 2
- I don't care about that stuff. 0
- Got it. 2
- Give me a break. 0
- Why'd you call my cell? 0
As the rank reward, Sojiro will teach Joker Coffee Basics. If the café is empty (players can speak to customers repeatedly to make them leave), Joker can use the coffee pots to brew a coffee item that will restore 30 SP for one ally. Doing this will use up an evening slot, but also gives Joker a small Charm boost, a relationship point with Sojiro, and a fun fact about coffee origins. Rank 2 also rewards Joker with a medium Kindness boost.
Rank 3
Before rank 3 can trigger, players must spend at least one night brewing coffee. This time the conversation is interrupted by a phone call.
- Medium-fine. 2
- Coarse. 0
- Anything goes. 0
- Is it a date? 0
- Is it trouble? 2
- You don't want my help anymore? 0
- I'm ready to work. 2
- Go easy on me. 0
- Thank you in advance. 2
Rank 4
This is the rank that requires a surprising number of relationship points above and beyond what the last event offers. Players can get them by brewing coffee, spending time with Sojiro and giving him a gift, or by waiting until the Fortune ability Affinity Reading is available. During the event, the "Harassing Old Man" reappears and threatens Sojiro more directly.
- Tell me more. 3
- That sounds tough... 0
- It all tastes the same to me. 0
- Run for help 0
- Call Sojiro's phone 3
- Kick the man out 0
- Understood. 2
- I'm kind of nervous... 0
- I'll kick him out. 0
For helping Sojiro out of a bind, he teaches Joker how to make Leblanc Curry. If the café is empty and there are leftovers in the refrigerator, Joker can make a curry that restores 20 SP to every ally. Doing this will use up the evening slot, but it also gives Joker a small Guts boost and a fun fact about curry ingredients. This event also provides a medium Kindness boost.
Rank 5
The rank 5 event involves Futaba, which means it's unavailable until after Futaba's Palace finishes. The earliest players can see it is 8/22. Futaba makes an appearance in Leblanc, and Sojiro opens up about her mother.
- It wasn't bad. 2
- Nothing special. 0
- I think I'm addicted! 3
- Was she like Futaba? 2
- She wasn't normal, huh? 3
- So that's why you're a bachelor? 0
- It really paid off in the end. 2
- Almost brings a tear to my eye. 0
- So much history... 0
- Sounds good to me. 0
- She needs a balanced diet. 2
- There's always instant noodles. 0
The only reward for this rank is another medium Kindness boost.
Rank 6
The old man comes back for more during this event, and Sojiro finally explains the man's relationship with Futaba.
- I admire it. 0
- I'm not impressed. 0
- To each his own. 2
- You're wrong. 2
- I'm sorry. 0
- Shut your mouth. 3
- Saving Futaba was no mistake. 2
- Just cut your ties with him. 0
- Is she okay? 0
- Try to relax. 0
- If I can help somehow... 2
For his help with the old man, Joker will get a large Kindness boost and Sojiro will teach him Coffee Mastery. This improves the SP recovery of coffee items from 30 to 100.
Rank 7
To start this rank, Joker needs Kindness 5 to get past Sojiro's gruff exterior. Sojiro wonders whether he's the best guardian for Futaba, and she interprets his words in the worst possible way.
- You might be right. 2
- That's not true. 0
- They're still delicious. 0
- Are you all right? 0
- Have you calmed down? 0
- Do you want to talk? 0
- Let's talk to him. 0
- You should tell him that. 0
- You guys are one awkward duo. 0
- I'm truly glad. 0
- You're welcome. 0
- Feel like a real dad now? 2
The reward for this rank is a (completely pointless) large Kindness boost.
Rank 8/Request
The old man shows up again demanding more money, and this time things get violent. The uncle is clearly at fault, but it still means trouble thanks to Joker's probation.
- You want my suggestion? 3
- Something with curry. 3
- I can't decide! 0
- I didn't do anything wrong. 0
- I was just protecting Futaba. 3
- I'm sorry. 0
- Of course I wouldn't. 0
- Maybe a bit. 0
If Joker chooses the second option:
- Just this once. 0
- I guess I can't say no. 0
Like other confidants, Joker can't continue with Hierophant until he resolves a Mementos request, in this case "The Money-grubbing Uncle." Unlike a usual request, Futaba wants to keep this between herself and Joker, so players must speak with Futaba during the day and spend a daytime action going to find the uncle in Mementos.
The uncle's Shadow is Girimehkala, and while it takes extra damage it has a large HP pool and no elemental affinities or weaknesses. Shadow Isshiki will use Rising Slash if Joker isn't immune to Physical damage and Megidola if he is. There are no secondary fights before or after, so feel free to spend as much SP as it takes. Shadow Isshiki will drop a Venture Saber, a weapon for Morgana.
Rank 9
As it turns out, the uncle lodged an anonymous complaint before he had his change of heart, and two investigators from Domestic Affairs appear at Leblanc. Fortunately, they quickly realize the complaint was an attempt to abuse the system.
- It's great. 3
- He's a bit of a nag. 3
- Are you crying? 0
- You have a great daughter. 3
- Congrats. 3
- You did great. 3
- Futaba did great. 3
- You two were already family. 3
After this, Sojiro will share some Curry Tips, which boosts the curry's SP restore from 20 to 50.
Rank 10
After everything that happened, Sojiro is finally ready to visit Wakaba's grave along with Futaba and Joker. The relationship points no longer matter, and players will get the same amount no matter what they choose.
The rank 10 reward is Curry Mastery, which means curry now restores 100 SP for all allies. Joker also gets access to the ultimate Hierophant Persona, Kohryu.
Players who max out the Hierophant confidant will get Recipe Notes from Sojiro on 3/19. During a New Game Plus, players with this item will be able to make master-level coffee and curry as soon as Sojiro gives Joker access to the coffee pots and kitchen.
Persona 5 Royal is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.