Summary

  • Luck in Persona 3/4/5 game affects critical hits, impacting combat performance significantly.
  • Ultimate Personas usually add a point towards a character's stats, but for some characters, this boost isn't enough.
  • Characters like Akihiko Sanada and Makoto Niijima have low Luck stats but excel in physical attacks or support roles.

In Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal, Luck is one of several stats that calculate a Persona's performance in combat. A high Luck stat increases the likelihood of a character landing a critical hit. When an attack on the enemy or ally is "critical," they will be inflicted with the Down status ailment, granting the attacker a "1 More."

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Critical hits can only be inflicted by melee weapons or Physical Skills in Persona 3/Reload, Persona 4/Golden, and Persona 5/Royal. There are Passive Skills that can increase the chances of criticals, making them useful for those with lower luck. Unlike the protagonist, who can switch freely between Personas, the SEES, IT, and Phantom Thieves' initial and ultimate Personas have a fixed Luck stat. Characters with poor Luck usually have all-around stats or have more Physical than Magical Skills.

7 Makoto Niijima

Personas: Johanna, Anat, Agnes (P5 Royal)

persona 5 makoto niijima all out attack

Johanna Affinity Weaknesses

Melee

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Nuke

Psy

Light

Dark

-

-

-

-

-

-

Resist

Weak

-

-

As a fighter, Makoto Niijima has all-around stats with Luck being her worst at 49 when max level. Not even awakening to Agnes in Persona 5 Royal's third semester is enough for her Luck to break 50. Makoto learns two Physical Skills when leveling up while the rest of her Skill List is primarily Nuke Magic Skills, Healing/Support, and Passive Skills. She makes a good teammate for targeting Shadows with a weakness to Nuke, or filling a Support role.

6 Akihiko Sanada

Personas: Polydeuces, Caesar (P3 Reload)

persona 3 reload akihiko sanada all out attack

Polydeuces Affinity Weaknesses

Slash

Strike

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Light

Dark

-

-

-

-

Weak

Resist

-

-

-

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Akihiko has good Agility and Strength, but he also gains access to Zio Skills, which can be used to target Shadows that are weak to Electric. Unfortunately, his Luck could be better. Since his Persona will most likely be used for Physical Skills in combat, it may not be a bad idea to equip Akihiko with a critical rate-boosting Accessory. Like Makoto Niijima, he learns a few Healing and Support Skills. In fact, his Theurgy Characteristics in Persona 3 Reload are Buff Boost and Buff Amp, which increase the effects of Buffs on himself. Akihiko will learn Masukukaja, which increases the party's Accuracy/Evasion for three turns in battle.

5 Aigis

Persona: Palladion, Athena (P3 Reload)

persona 3 reload aigis all out attack

Palladion Affinity Weaknesses

Slash

Strike

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Light

Dark

-

-

Resist

-

-

Resist

-

-

-

Aigis shares the same Luck stat with one other character in Persona 3/Reload. Unlike Akihiko and Makoto, her Personas, Palladion and Athena, have no Magic Skills. Instead, she learns Pierce/Strike Skills and Matarukaja/Marakukaja. She doesn't have the highest Strength stat out of SEES, but her Endurance ensures she can take a few hits before going down. Fortunately, despite Aigis' poor Luck, her Physical Skills usually target multiple enemies and can hit 1-2x or more.

4 Shinjiro Aragaki

Persona: Castor (P3 Reload)

persona 3 reload shinjiro aragaki all out attack

Castor Affinity Weaknesses

Slash

Strike

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Light

Dark

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

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Shinjiro Aragaki will join SEES - or rather re joins - in September, and, due to story events, becomes unavailable after October 4th. Like Aigis, he has no Magic Skills, and his Luck stat is tied with hers at 45 (max level, no modifiers). Despite this, Shinjiro has a Skill called Bloody Charge in Persona 3 Reload, which increases his critical rate and doubles his physical attack power at the cost of 40% of his HP. Shinjiro also has the advantage of having no Affinity weaknesses, but his Skill Set lacking Magic or Healing/Support means he can run into trouble if he's up against an enemy that Nulls or Reflects all forms of Physical Skills.

3 Yusuke Kitagawa

Personas: Goemon, Kamu Susano-o, Gorokichi (P5 Royal)

persona 5 yusuke kitagawa all out attack

Goemon Affinity Weaknesses

Melee

Pierce

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Nuke

Psy

Light

Dark

-

-

Weak

Resist

-

-

-

-

-

-

In Persona 5/Royal, Yusuke Kitagawa has the lowest base Luck, which is ironic given his Strength is his best stat. As he levels, Yusuke unlocks stronger Bufu-Skills and Physical Skills, making him ideal for attacking Shadows with Ice weakness or Shadows that resist all forms of Magic. Despite the low Luck, Yusuke can still get critical hits if RNG is in the player's favor. His high Endurance and moderate Speed makes him great on the frontlines if the team needs a Physical Attacker. On top of this, Yusuke will learn Masukukaja, which raises the party's evasion/accuracy.

2 Kanji Tatsumi

Personas: Take-Mikazuchi, Rokuten Maou, Takeji Zaiten (P4 Golden)

persona 4 arena kanji tatsumi

Take-Mikazuchi Affinity Weaknesses

Melee

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Light

Dark

-

-

-

Resist

Weak

-

-

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Kanji Tatsumi joins the IT before the midway point of Persona 4/Golden, and it shouldn't be a surprise that he boasts the best Strength and Endurance out of all the characters. Likewise, his Magic and his Luck is rather poor, despite having access to Zio Skills. In most cases, this can be a problem, as good Luck on a Persona who excels in Physical Skills has a higher chance of "Downing" opponents without having to rely on SP. However, Kanji's amazing Strength means he can use Physical Skills and still get the job done, especially if the Charge or Tarukaja Skill is in effect.

1 Yosuke Hanamura

Personas: Jiraiya, Susano-o, Takehaya Susano-o (P4 Golden)

persona 4 arena yosuke hanamura

Jiraiya Affinity Weaknesses

Melee

Fire

Ice

Electric

Wind

Light

Dark

-

-

-

Weak

Resist

-

-

In Persona 4/Golden, Yosuke Hanamura is a magnet for any form of bad luck. The protagonist first sees him rolling around in a trash can, and most of his plans (such as his "Operation Babe Hunt" but with "motorcycles") tend to backfire. Out of all of Yosuke's stats, it's his Luck that refuses to grow. In fact, his Strength, Magic, Speed, and Endurance are all over 65 (at max level), but his Luck remains a poor 35. This is somewhat mitigated when he awakens to Takehaya Susano-o in Persona 4 Golden, where he gains a +2 to his 35 Luck, bringing it to the same base total as Kanji. Fortunately for Yosuke, he works better as a jack-of-all-trades with an affinity for Magic and Support than he does as a Physical Attacker like Kanji or Yusuke (P5/R). Thus, the low Luck stat isn't as "damaging" as it could be. However, that doesn't stop Yosuke from having the worst Luck out of all the characters in Persona 3/4/5 both in and out of combat.

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Persona 3 Reload Tag Page Cover Art
Persona 3 Reload
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9 /10
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Released
February 2, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Developer(s)
P-Studio
Publisher(s)
Atlus, Sega
Franchise
Persona
Genre(s)
JRPG, RPG, Life Simulation, Strategy
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