If you’ve just started Persona 5 Strikers and are feeling a bit overwhelmed, you’re not alone. While the game does a decent job explaining the basics, there are nuances to each character that aren’t always immediately obvious. This guide will focus on Joker, the main protagonist, and explore his abilities, combos, and strategies to help you maximize his potential.

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Joker’s Unique Abilities

Persona Switching – The Jack of All Trades

Joker’s defining trait in Strikers is his ability to switch between different Personas. This makes him incredibly versatile, allowing him to adapt to various combat situations by changing his elemental affinities, resistances, and attack options.

Each Persona he equips enhances his stats and changes his available abilities, meaning you can tailor Joker’s playstyle to the current battle.

Gun Attacks – Single Shot with Limited Potential

Joker wields a semi-automatic pistol, which, while stylish, is not the strongest weapon in the game.

• Single-shot mechanic: Unlike some other characters whose bullets pierce through enemies, Joker’s shots do not.
• Limited ammo: His pistol holds 12 bullets, which is relatively low compared to other characters like Fox and Sophie.
• AoE effect: While weak overall, Joker’s shots do have a slight area-of-effect damage.

Gun Improvement – Mastered Arts Bonus

Joker eventually unlocks the Deadshot Mastered Art, which allows him to charge his shots, consuming more bullets per use but finally enabling piercing damage. This makes his gun more viable in certain scenarios but is still situational.

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Joker’s Mastered Arts

As Joker fights, he unlocks Mastered Arts, which provide new combat options. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Marking Shot – After a special attack (ground or air), follow up with an extra strike for additional damage.
2. Wild Rush – Performing a specific combo (five normal attacks followed by two special attacks) triggers an extra attack from Joker’s current Persona.
3. Phantom Barrage – Special attacks no longer consume ammo. Following up with another special attack triggers a three-shot burst, making gun attacks more viable.
4. Deadshot – Holding the shoot button charges shots, consuming up to six bullets for powerful piercing attacks.

Mastered Arts Evaluation

• Wild Rush is excellent as it provides free Persona attacks.
• Phantom Barrage makes gun attacks much better, removing the ammo limitation.
• Deadshot is situational; while the piercing effect is useful, Joker’s ammo capacity limits its effectiveness.

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Joker’s Combos & Attacks

Joker’s Persona-switching adds incredible variety to his combat style. Unlike other characters who rely on fixed elements, Joker can adapt on the fly.

Key Combos and Persona Integration

1. Basic Attack → Special Attack
   • Simple upward pop-up move.
   • Doesn’t deal much damage but sets up aerial combos.
2. Two Basic Attacks → Special Attack → Special Attack
   • Triggers a Persona attack based on the equipped Persona.
   • Grants free elemental damage without SP cost.
3. Full Basic Attack Chain → Special Attack
   • Wide AoE sweep dealing solid damage.
   • Adding another special attack triggers Phantom Barrage (if unlocked).
4. Five Basic Attacks → Special Attack → Special Attack
   • A large AoE attack followed by a Persona strike.
   • Incredibly useful for crowd control and elemental exploitation.

Why Joker’s Combos Matter

Because Joker’s special attacks automatically trigger Persona abilities, you rarely need to manually summon and cast skills. This lets you conserve SP while still applying elemental damage.

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Joker’s Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths:

✔ Incredible versatility – Can switch between elemental attacks freely. ✔ Constant access to elemental damage – Persona attacks trigger through combos. ✔ Jack-of-all-trades – Can fill multiple roles in battle. ✔ Free special attack usage – Certain combos allow for powerful skills without SP cost. ✔ Great for exploiting weaknesses – If an enemy is weak to an element, Joker can always adjust accordingly.

Weaknesses:

✖ Gun attacks are weak – Even with buffs, they are outclassed by melee and Persona attacks. ✖ Combo interruptions– Many of Joker’s best attacks require long combo strings, making him vulnerable to being hit before completing them. ✖ Mastered Arts are underwhelming – Aside from Wild Rush, none of them drastically improve his gameplay.

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Overall Evaluation: How Good is Joker?

Joker is a solid and versatile character with endless adaptability. His ability to switch Personas mid-fight makes him the most flexible fighter in Persona 5 Strikers.

Pros:

✅ Can exploit any elemental weakness. ✅ Access to free Persona attacks via combos. ✅ Constant adaptabilityensures he never becomes obsolete.

Cons:

❌ Gunplay is underwhelming despite buffs. ❌ Combo reliance makes him vulnerable to interruptions.

If you enjoy balancing multiple elements, exploiting enemy weaknesses, and adapting on the fly, then Joker is an excellent character choice in Persona 5 Strikers.