Getting those single-day Palace completions inPersona 5 Royalis never easy. Well, until you eventually get your hands onSojiro Sakura’s coffee-brewing and curry-cookingtechniques.
He owns the Leblanc café, where our protagonist stays for his transfer. While initially a little stone-hearted, he truly opens up to us in his social link, which has some father-son vibes sprinkled in it.
Persona 5 Royal: Maruki Confidant Guide
A new character to the Royal edition, and arguably the most important social link in the game, here’s a guide to Maruki’s confidant in Persona 5 Royal
So, in this confidant guide for Sojiro Sakura in Persona 5 Royal, we’ll go over every rank-up event and the correct dialogue to choose to make the bonding session with our adored coffee dad as streamlined as possible.
Make sure to have a matching Persona of the Hierophant Arcana to maximize the points from each social link rank event.
Sojiro Sakura Confidant Abilities
Sojiro is one of the non-party member confidants I consider quintessential to maximize your social link with due to his extremelybeneficial confidant abilities.
Obviously,the talking point is the Leblanc Curry and Coffee Master skills,which allow you (Or Kawakami) to cook up these food items in your spare time and then use them in your dungeon-crawling for easy SP recovery.
I’ve listed theexact Confidant Abilities for Sojiro below,just in case you want to check what you’re getting yourself into here with the Coffee and Curry benefits.
Social Link
Description
Coffee Basics
Allows you to make coffee which slightly restores SP to one ally.
Leblanc Curry
Allows you to make curry that slightly restores SP to all allies.
Coffee Mastery
Allows you to make coffee which greatly restores SP to one ally.
Curry Tips
Allows you to make curry that moderately restores SP to all allies.
Max Social Link Rank
Curry Mastery
Allows you to make curry that greatly restores SP to all allies.
You can initiate the social link as early as April 21st,ideally around the same time you’ve possibly completedKamoshida’s palace.
Sojiro asks us about our school life and if we’re up to anything mischievous. Before he heads out to close the café, he offers to teach us how to brew the perfect cup of coffee.
And as a casual coffee connoisseur myself, I think that’s a pretty good deal.
“You’re not causing any trouble, are you?”
I’m not. +0
I might be. +0
“If you could lend a hand, it’d really be a great help…”
I’d be glad to. +0
I’m kinda busy… +0
It’s too much trouble. +0
“I’ll teach you how to make the perfect cup of coffee. Not a bad trade, eh?”
I guess. +0
Sounds interesting. +0
“Just keep doing what you can. And don’t cause any trouble, right?”
Got it. +3
That was our deal. +2
It’s the least I can do. +2
Sojiro teaches us thebasics of managing the caféwhile his lovely regular asks him about spilling the secrets behind the curry’s secret recipe.
You’re interrupted by a man who acts condescendingly towards the bossman. Try not to pry too much here, since we’re not really close to Sojiro (yet) like that.
You’ll also berewarded with Kindness +3 for completing this social link rank-up event.
“You know what I’m talking about, right?”
Making coffee. +2
Hitting on girls. 0
No idea. 0
“Ugh… I don’t know where he caught wind of this place.”
Who was he? 0
That guy seemed suspicious. +2
Who’s the “her” he mentioned? 0
“Besides, ladies love a guy who knows his coffee. This isn’t such a bad deal for you.”
I want the ladies to love me. +2
I don’t care about that stuff. 0
“Seems like you’re a quick study, so I hope you’ve got the hang of it.”
Got it. +2
Give me a break. 0
Why’d you call my cell? 0
You’ll need to brew a cup of coffee in Leblanc before you can actually initiate Rank 3 of Sojiro’s social link.
Grab a paper and pen (I’m kidding) because, in this confidant rank, Sojiro explains somevaluable fundamentals about brewing your flawless cup of coffee.
But before you get any deeper into the lesson, he gets a phone call, leaving us in a hurry to tend to an urgent matter while reassuring us it’s not something we need to worry about.
“…Are you listening to me? What grind are you supposed to use?”
Medium-fine. +2
Anything goes. 0
“Sorry, something just came up. We can keep going with the lessons some other time.”
Is it a date? 0
Is it trouble? +2
You don’t want my help anymore? 0
“But don’t worry, I’ll put you to work. We’ve got lots of time on our hands.”
I’m ready to work. +2
Go easy on me. 0
Thank you in advance. +2
This one’s my favorite event in his social link. Sojiro gives us a little inside info on mixing the right amount of coffee beans and knowing their types.
We also get to serve Sojiro a cup for a taste test while learning about the perfect blend ratio. Like before, we are again interrupted by the elderly man, who makes lowly remarks about the protagonist and Sojiro.
You’re again rewarded with +3 Kindness for completing this confidant rank.
“That’s because the acidity and the flavor profile all depend on the bean ratio. Pretty deep, huh?”
Tell me more. +3
That sounds tough… 0
It all tastes the same to me. 0
It looks like Sojiro’s in trouble. What should I do…?
Run for help 0
Call Sojiro’s phone. +3
Kick the man out. 0
“Just let him do his thing and get on with the job. Got it?”
Understood.+2
I’m kind of nervous… 0
I’ll kick him out. 0
The following rank will be unavailable until after you’ve passed the deadline date (August 22nd) forFutaba’s Pyramid of Wrath Palace.
In this rank,we learn more about Sojiro’s relationship with Futaba’s mother, Wakaba Isshiki,and the heartwarming bond they both shared before she passed away.
It also makes us appreciate Leblanc’s famed curry even more because, at this point, it allows Sojiro to have a coherent connection and understanding with Futaba.
“And what about you?”
It wasn’t bad. +2
Nothing special. 0
I think I’m addicted! +3
“I thought my pick-up lines were the best in town, but not a single one worked on her… Heh…”
Was she like Futaba? +2
She wasn’t normal, huh? +3
So that’s why you’re a bachelor? 0
“That’s why when I took her in, I vowed to keep this recipe alive until she could eat it again.”
It really paid off in the end. +2
Almost brings a tear to my eye. 0
So much history… 0
“…It’s only a problem when she asks for it three times a day.”
Sounds good to me. 0
She needs a balanced diet. +2
There’s always instant noodles. 0
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This is where things get interesting.The event starts cheerily, with Sojiro’s regular customer teasing him about marriage and his personal life.
But it goes slightly downhill when the elderly man approaches the café again, threatening Sojiro and Futaba. How many times do we need to teach this guy a lesson?
We soon learn that this is Futaba’s uncle.After her mother passed away, Futaba’s custody was tossed around relatives, and this guy treated her the absolute worst.
But all’s well for now, since we’re here to remind Sojiro that saving Wakaba’s daughter back then was no mistake.
“By the way, what are your thoughts on So-chan’s life of solitude?”
I admire it. 0
I’m not impressed. 0
To each his own. +2
“Doesn’t quite seem to be the best environment for Futaba, now does it?”
You’re wrong. +2
I’m sorry. 0
Shut your mouth. +3
“I don’t even know how he managed to find me here… Maybe paying him was a mistake.”
Saving Futaba was no mistake. +2
Just cut your ties with him. 0
“Futaba’s fast asleep… Didn’t mean to get you tangled up in all this mess.”
Is she okay? 0
attempt to relax. 0
If I can help somehow… +2
Prerequisite:To start Sojiro’s Rank 7 confidant rank,you need Max Rank Kindness (Angelic).
Futaba and Sojiro get into an argument about how she hacked her Uncle’s private credentials so they can win the custody case if push comes to serve.
I get that she wanted to help,but that IS a step too far and illegal.Thankfully, both father-daughter duo reconcile, and Futaba vows to stay with him forever, no matter what happens.
“At the end of the day, the coffee and the curry people love so much are both just… excuses.”
You might be right. +3
That’s not true. 0
They’re still delicious. 0
Futaba: “…”
Are you all right? 0
Have you calmed down? 0
Do you want to talk? 0
“I just thought I’d be able to stay here with him if my hacking worked…”
Let’s talk to him. 0
You should tell him that. 0
You guys are one awkward duo. 0
“And that’s only because you helped us connect, so… thanks for that.”
I’m truly glad. 0
You’re welcome. 0
Feel like a real dad now? +2
The situation with Futaba’s uncle escalatesas he threatens Sojiro’s livelihood if he doesn’t get his money. Luckily, Sojiro also fires back with the debt and business failures the uncle’s stuck in.
The guy frustratingly leaves with a warning that he’ll sue us for assault and close the café. Later, this will trigger Futaba’s research into the matter and task you with"The Money-Grubbing Uncle" request for Mementosto change her Uncle’s heart.
It’s asolo fight with Joker, but don’t worry; he’s honestly a pushoverunless you’re purposely trying to lose.
“How about you? Anything you’d wanna add to the menu?”
You want my suggestion? +2
Something with curry. +3
I can’t decide! 0
“God damn… What a pain in the ass. Don’t you have enough problems already?”
I didn’t do anything wrong. 0
I was just protecting Futaba. +2
Make sure you’vecompleted “The Money-Grubbing Uncle” requestto initiate the rank 9 confidant event.
A few people from the Domestic Affairs teamarrive to conduct a check-in with an alleged report on Futaba’s mistreatment and the ‘assault’ by Joker on her uncle in the café previously.
Thankfully, this entire misunderstanding gets cleared up smoothly as Futaba and Joker ensure that Sojiro is the best guardian ever, leading to an endearing moment between the three towards the end.
Mild-Mannered Investigator: “How is it… living with Sakura-san? Please, you can speak honestly.”
It’s great. +3
He’s a bit of a nag. +2
“…Sojiro?”
Are you crying?
You have a great daughter. +3
Congrats. +3
“God, I’m a joke. Getting all sentimental like this? At my age?”
You did great. +2
Futaba did great. +2
You two were already family. +2
Sojiro takes us to the Church and, in an emotionally climactic revelation, tells us about finally being able to connect again with Futaba, thanking us for our support along the way.
As we see him slightly anxious about her unforeseeable future, Sojiro asks us to rely on him whenever possible while at the same time seeing us as a full-fledged man.
This marks the end of the Hierophant Arcana social link and unlocks the Kohryu Persona fusion recipe.
“Oh… I told her about you too.”
Good for you. +2
Thank you. +3
