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AfterJoker’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 inPersona 5 Royalthanks 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.
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General Information
In the Tarot Arcana, the Hierophant (or Pope in some editions) isa 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 onMondays,Tuesdays, andThursdays. 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 theSilver Bangle,Castella,Fountain Pen,Leather Pen Case,Kitchen Tools Set, andRobot 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 himthe 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.
Note that these numbers are one less if Joker doesn’t havea Hierophant Persona in his stock. The numbers throughout the rest of this guide will assume players are getting the same-Arcana bonus.
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Rank 2
During this event, Sojiro is still explaining the basics when a strange man enters the shop and seems to threaten Sojiro.
As the rank reward, Sojiro will teach JokerCoffee 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 Jokera small Charm boost, a relationship point with Sojiro, and a fun fact about coffee origins. Rank 2 also rewards Joker with amedium 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.
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.
For helping Sojiro out of a bind, he teaches Joker how to makeLeblanc 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 Jokera small Guts boostand a fun fact about curry ingredients. This event also provides amedium Kindness boost.
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Rank 5
The rank 5 event involves Futaba, which means it’s unavailable untilafter 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.
The only reward for this rank is anothermedium Kindness boost.
Rank 6
The old man comes back for more during this event, and Sojiro finally explains the man’s relationship with Futaba.
For his help with the old man, Joker will get alarge Kindness boostand Sojiro will teach himCoffee Mastery. This improves the SP recovery of coffee items from 30 to 100.
Rank 7
To start this rank,Joker needs Kindness 5to 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.
The reward for this rank is a (completely pointless)large Kindness boost.
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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.
If Joker chooses the second option:
Like other confidants, Joker can’t continue with Hierophant untilhe 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 useRising Slash if Joker isn’t immune to Physical damageand 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 aVenture 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.
After this, Sojiro will share someCurry Tips, which boosts the curry’s SP restore from 20 to 50.
Rank 10
After everything that happened, Sojiro isfinally ready to visit Wakaba’s gravealong 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 isCurry Mastery, which means curry now restores 100 SP for all allies. Joker also gets access tothe ultimate Hierophant Persona,Kohryu.
Players who max out the Hierophant confidant will getRecipe Notesfrom 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 Royalis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
