Persona 5 Strikers Master Arts are a vital part of building a strong party. They function similar to expanded combo movesets in other Warriors-style games, with some important twists befitting each character’s unique style and elemental affinities.
Despite having just one unlock requirement, they’re also not that easy to unlock, so it’s worth planning ahead to make sure you get the ones you want the most. Lucky for your, our Persona 5 Strikers Master Arts guide is here to take the guessing out of your party planning.
Note: this guide contains what could be considered mild spoilers for movesets and the new party members.
How to Unlock Master Arts
You’ll unlock these by using a given character in battle repeatedly. The catch is that you have to actually be controlling that character. They’ll gain nothing towards Master Arts when the AI controls them, so figuring out who you want to level up the most is a good idea when you start your infiltrations.
Fortunately, unlocking these moves doesn’t take too terribly long. Joker’s first one unlocks as a tutorial after a few battles in the Shibuya Jail, and you can expect it to take roughly 15-20 or more to unlock the next one or another character’s first one.
And there’s no harm in turning the difficulty down to mow through mobs to unlock them faster if you want to.
For this guide, normal attacks refer to your “Square” attack on PlayStation or “Y” attack on Switch, while special attack is for the “Triangle” attacks on PlayStation and “X” attack on Switch.
If you’re playing on Steam, then it’s, of course, whatever key you’ve mapped those attacks to or the same button on any controller you’re using.
Joker Master Arts
Joker’s revolve almost entirely around his special gun attacks, except the initial one. Make sure to use Marked Shot whenever possible, as follow-up strikes are handy for wearing down stronger foes.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Marking Shot | Press “A” or “Circle” after a special attack or mid-air special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Wild Rush | Five normal attacks, two special attacks | Extra Persona strike |
| Phantom Barrage | Special attacks won’t use ammunition | Triggers 3-shot attack after certain moves |
| Dead Shot | Hold L to aim gun, and hold R to fire | Consumes multiple ammo rounds for a powerful shot |
Skull/Ryuji Master Arts
Ryuji’s make him a more viable damage dealer by shortening charge attack times and reducing some damage.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| In My Sights | Two normal attacks and a special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Good Measure | One normal attack followed by one special attack | Deals increased damage. Charge to summon Captain Kidd for additional damage |
| Sprinter | Passive art | Decreases charge time |
| Rebel Yell | Passive art | Increases Skull’s Toughness longevity and may reduce damage. |
Mona/Morgana Master Arts
Morgana’s aren’t quite as impressive but significantly improve his usability.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Instinct | Four normal attacks and one special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Cat’s Paw | One normal and one special attack or three normal attacks and one special attack | Pulls enemies closer |
| Miracle Punch | Two normal attacks and one special attack | Attack could become Miracle Punch (critical hit) |
| Cyclone Charge | Passive skill | Bus Morgana rams enemies and produces Wind wave. |
Panther/Ann Master Arts
Ann’s best make use of her plain special attack Enchant (press the special attack button once), which adds a fire element to all her attacks.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| No Escape | Five normal attacks | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Feel the Heat | With Enchant active, press the special attack button at the end of a combo | Performs a swinging whip attack |
| Crocodile Tears | One normal attack and one special attack | Carmen casts Tarunda (lowers enemy attack) without using SP |
| Wildfire | Passive skill | Increases fire attack power and chance of burn |
Fox/Yusuke Master Arts
Yusuke’s are a versatile mixed bag that make the starving artist a force to be reckoned with.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Gleaming Blade | Two normal attacks and one special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| High Counter | One special attack or three normal attacks plus one special attack | Briefly increases hit count when pressing the special attack button multiple times |
| Legendary Thief | One normal attack and one special attack | Goemon casts Sukukaha (increases agility) without using SP |
| Ice Counter | One special attack | Increases chance of Freeze. Press multiple times to raise the chance higher. |
Queen/Makoto Master Arts
Unsurprisingly, Makoto’s are all about making the queen of fists hit even harder with her special Burst move, which adds Nuclear to Makoto’s moves.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelie Rush | Two normal attacks and one special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Phantom Star Rider | Passive skill | Using Burst increases damage for all Makoto’s special attacks |
| Fortified Moxy | Passive skill | Using Burst increases Makoto’s melee Triangle/X attacks |
| Nuclear Reaction | Perform a Follow-Up | Activates Burst |
Noir/Haru Master Arts
Haru’s improve every aspect of the mistress of murder’s moveset.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Axe Waltz | Four normal attacks | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Vertigo Slash | One normal attack and one special attack | May cause Dizzy |
| Ballroom Blitzer | Press and hold special attack button | Increases damage and range of Haru’s special attack (press once and hold down) without consuming ammo. |
| Etoile | Press and hold special attack button | Increases fire rate and decreases chance of flinching |
Sophie/Sophia Master Arts
Sophie’s are a bit trickier to pull off just because they’re tied with her yo-yo throw-and-catch attacks, but getting the hang of it gives her a bit of a power boost.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Drive Spinner | Four normal attacks and one special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Data Synch | Perform a normal or midair normal attack with good timing | Upgrades Sophia’s attack power by one |
| Blast Processing | Passive skill. After perfect catch, perform a normal and special attack or two normal and one special attacks, then press the special button repeatedly for higher hit count | Upgrades special attack after perfect catch. |
| Mega Blaster | Aim with L, then hold R to fire. | Launches Gravity Bullet. Perfect Catch restores ammo |
Wolf/Zenkichi Master Arts
Zenkichi’s work a bit differently. These are almost all Fury (one press of the special button) related, and he won’t get a Follow-Up skill until later. His Alpha’s Fangs is a three-part skill that affects multiple combos. We’ve listed them separately, but they all unlock at the same time Alpha’s Fangs does.
| Master Art | Input | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wolf’s Maw | Activate Fury | Adds Almighty to all Zenkichi’s attacks |
| Master of the Hunt | Don’t activate Fury | Increases HP absorption |
| Wolf’s Howl | Activate Fury | Increased critical rate, reduced HP consumption |
| Alpha’s Fangs (1) | Normal attack and special attack | Perform a follow-up strike |
| Alpha’s Fangs (2) | Two normal attacks and a special attack, then hold special button | Extends the combo |
| Alpha’s Fangs (3) | Three normal attacks and one special attack, then hold the special button | Increases hit count |
That’s everything you need to know about Persona 5 Strikers Master Arts, but be sure to check out our other Persona 5 Strikers guides for more tips and tricks on this awesome road trip.
