It doesn't take an expert to state just how great of a video game Persona 5 actually is. Most people who assumed that JRPGs were a relic of a bygoneage had to eat their words when the fifth, well, technically sixth, mainline entry in the series finally made its much-awaited worldwide release in 2017 to near-universal critical acclaim. There was nothing in the game that was flawed to the point where it could've ruined the experience, but Atlus decided to go one step further, regardless, and released an upgraded version of Persona 5, which is as brilliant as one might expect.
It goes without saying that Persona 5 Royal is easily one of the greatest video games ever made, featuring all the brilliance of the original along with some amazing additional chapters that will increase the player's enjoyment even further. This is especially true of the boss fights, with everything from the initial encounters to the end-game bosses being nothing short of brilliant.
Updated February 25, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Persona 5 Royal is a game full to the brim with awe-inspiring boss fights, featuring a whole bunch of encounters, both mandatory and otherwise, throughout the game that are memorable for their own reasons. This is especially true of the post-game, which features some incredibly challenging bosses that will give any hardcore JRPG veteran a run for their money.
However, even the weakest bosses in this game are enough of a thrill ride that they will keep fans entertained as they coast towards victory. Players will need to get pretty creative with how they combat these bosses.
15 POWERFUL: Leviathan
It was obvious from the get-go that fighting Sae Niijima would be anything but a walk in the park, but the challenge she poses can be way too hard for unprepared players to bear. For starters, Sae has the ability to use a roulette that will change the element of her attacks at random. This can be quite problematic since most party members will be weak to some element or the other. Players just have to stay on their toes and this boss should become a cakewalk sooner rather than later.
14 WEAK: Asmodeus
The first proper boss that players fight in a JRPG is never all that hard to deal with, and this is exactly the case when it comes to Kamoshida's shadow form. The only thing about Asmodeus that players really need to worry about is using three party members to deal damage while the fourth tries to exploit the boss' weakness. Just do this multiple times, as Asmodeus is as good as dead.
13 POWERFUL: Mammon
The fight against Okumura's shadow form can be quite tricky if players can't exploit its weaknesses in time. This is mainly because this fight has a 30-minute timer attached to it, along with countless mobs that serve only as a way to divide the player's offense and give Mammon more breathing room.
In order to prevent the risk of running the clock down, make sure to exploit every enemy's weakness and get rid of them in two turns or less. Failing to do so will enable Mammon to bring these waves back up to full strength, wasting even more of the Phantom Thieves' time in the process.
12 WEAK: Azazel
If the first boss is weak enough as is, then the second boss of the game isn't really going to bring anything new to the table either. While the design of Madarame's shadow might be great, the fight is as rote as can be.
With multiple targets in the picture, using attacks that hit every enemy and dishing out tons of damage equally should be the strategy to pursue in this visually spectacular boss fight.
11 POWERFUL: Azathoth
The additional encounters present in Persona 5 Royal Edition are bound to serve as a test of any seasoned JRPG player, and Azathoth is no exception to this golden rule.
While this fight might have five targets, the HP of only two of these matters — Azathoth's main body and Maruki. With Maruki getting healed by his Persona at constant intervals, it's important that players focus their strongest attacks on Azathoth's main body. This, coupled with the fact that the boss limits moves to a significant extent and spams status effects, means that players have certainly got a very tough fight on their hands.
10 WEAK: Sumire Yoshizawa
It's somewhat disappointing that an incredibly interesting character that's added in Persona 5 Royal is heavily featured in a boss encounter that feels just way too phoned in for it to have any impact. While this fight starts out with just Joker and Akechi, this changes later on with all the party members coming into the mix, making for an entertaining battle that is just a tad bit too easy.
9 POWERFUL: Samael
Fighting Shido's shadow is easily one of the most cathartic moments in Persona 5, and also serves as a tough-as-nails boss fight to boot. With different forms, powerful attacks, and annoyingly high defense, the fight quickly become a battle of attrition.
If that wasn't hard enough as is, the final segment of the fight sees the protagonist in a one-on-one battle against Shido. This makes for a nail-biting finale where a single misstep can lead to a Game Over.
8 WEAK: Adam Kadmon
Scripted boss fights are never all that fun, mainly due to the fact that they pose absolutely no challenge whatsoever. This is exactly the case with Adam Kadmon, Maruki's final Persona. Any challenge that the fight could've had is completely thrown out of the window after Futaba reveals his weakness.
What makes this even worse than Maruki's initial Persona, Azathoth, posed way higher a challenge than this absolutely disappointing boss fight.
7 POWERFUL: Yaldabaoth
The ultimate fight in Persona 5 takes everything that the player has learned throughout the game and tests their knowledge in the most brutal manner possible. From enduring a ton of damage to retracting arms that can cause a ton of problems, there's no end to Yaldabaoth's relentless onslaught. However, by utilizing a proper strategy, this fight is actually doable, and completing it is easily one of the most satisfying moments in Persona 5 Royal.
6 WEAK: Holy Grail
The initial big bad the Phantom Thieves fight in a bid to save the world is the Holy Grail, which, just like the Adam Kadmon fight, is completely scripted. After figuring out that victory is impossible, all the player can do is regularly heal the party until they reach the "end" of the battle. It's an incredibly underwhelming moment that is quickly forgotten as the story picks up the pace.
5 POWERFUL: Goro Akechi
While fighting Akechi in Shido's Palace might be a highlight of the game, there's another encounter featuring Akechi that is truly difficult in every sense of the word, namely, when Joker needs to fight Akechi on his own in order to max out his Confidant.
This is not an easy battle by any stretch of the imagination, with the solo effort proving to be somewhat of a pain due to the massive damage of Akechi's attacks. The player needs to be stocked to the brim with expensive healing items and have their best moves out on the table in order to overcome Akechi's offense and deplete his HP as soon as possible. The fact that failing this encounter ends up being a literal waste of time, given the game's life sim mechanics, certainly doesn't help things.
4 WEAK: Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki
The fight against Futaba's mother, or at least, Futaba's perception of her mother, is definitely memorable. It serves as a highly personal battle that definitely feels like a boss battle, and dungeon, for that matter, straight out of Persona 4 due to the personal nature of this conflict.
That being said, this boss battle eventually becomes nothing more than a battle of attrition. The party simply needs to weather the storm until Futaba brings out the ballista, following which the boss becomes easy pickings as long as the player is diligent and keeps their guard up at all times.
3 POWERFUL: Caroline & Justine
It was only a given that a post-game super boss in a Persona game was bound to appear at some point or the other. The iconic twins of Persona 5 are certainly endearing in their own right, although Caroline does have a tendency of getting on people's nerves sometimes. Watching them absolutely wreck the party can prove to be quite a jarring experience.
However, with enough preparations, the player can definitely bring the fight to Caroline & Justine and take them out for the count. Although, it's a challenge that can prove to be frustrating to some.
2 WEAK: Jose
While Jose might seem like a powerful boss, the fact of the matter is the party would already be sufficiently leveled up with decent Personas and stats by the time they unlock this fight. There are really only two dangerous attacks that Jose has up his sleeve. The first is the attack he starts with, Drift. While this definitely makes for a rough beginning, the fight becomes fairly straightforward for a while. That is, until he uses Launch. Make sure to guard when this move comes, since the follow-up attack can potentially wipe out characters without it. It's a fairly simple battle otherwise.
1 POWERFUL: Lavenza
If Caroline & Justine gave players a hard time, then the super boss that is included in the Royal Edition is bound to be a massive pain indeed. Fighting Lavenza is no laughing matter. Her insistence on attack party weaknesses is annoying enough as is, but the fact that her normal attacks also pack a serious punch can definitely prove to be a hindrance as well.
There's no denying the fact that fighting Lavenza is easily the hardest challenge in the game by a country mile, and players who manage to defeat this boss once and for all can revel in the satisfaction of beating one of the hardest bosses in JRPG history.