Persona 5: The Phantom X has a huge number of party members, with many of them recruitable through the game's Contract System. There are several different Contract Banners you can choose to pull from when trying to get new characters, and these banners will also supply you with extra Personas for Wonder to swap to in combat.
When you start Persona 5: The Phantom X, you'll have access to a special banner called the Newcomer Banner. This Banner offers several different characters, but the main benefit of using this banner over the standard banner is that you'll get a guaranteed 5-Star character after 50 Pulls on the Banner. You get to choose between three of the original Phantom Thieves: Ann, Ryuji, and Morgana. This guide will explain how each of them work, and suggest who would be the best pick.
You'll eventually get another chance to pick one of these three after completing Plan 1, giving you an opportunity to unlock another of the three, or get a resource used to unlock an Awareness bonus on one you already have.
Persona 5: The Phantom X's Phantom Idols Put the Ball in Persona 6's Court
The Phantom Idols from Persona 5: The Phantom X presented some cool concepts that could fit well into future Persona party dynamics.
Why You Should Pick Ryuji for the Newcomer Banner in Persona 5 The Phantom X
Ryuji is the perfect pick if you're looking for a single-target damage dealer. His Persona's Wounded Glory ability increases his attack power based on the amount of HP he's missing (starting at 10% and capping at 40% when his HP drops below 20%), and also applies the Rebound buff at the start of each turn if his HP drops below 75%. Rebound increases the Damage and Critical Rate of Ryuji's next skill by 30%, allowing him to dish out some crazy damage when his health starts to dwindle.
Ryuji's Persona, Captain Kidd, can use the skills Pirate Tactics, Thunderbolt, and God Hand Burst. Pirate Tactics deals physical damage (equal to 42.4% of Ryuji's attack) to a single target 3 times, and will spend 20% of Ryuji's HP to boost damage dealt and crit rate by 30% if Ryuji doesn't currently have Rebound. Thunderbolt hits all enemies with lightning damage (equal to 44.0% of your attack) with a chance (19.2%) to inflict Shock. If Ryuji has Rebound, the Shock chance increases to 38.4%
God Hand Burst is an incredibly powerful single-target physical attack (dealing 224.0% of Ryuji's attack). When activated, you select a target and Ryuji enters the "Shifting Gears" state. On his next action he will dish out the damage. If he has Rebound, it will always result in a Critical Hit. Additionally, if the target is defeated while Ryuji is in the Shifting Gears state, a new target will be selected at random. Ryuji's Highlight deals physical damage (265.6% of Ryuji's attack) and increases the damage dealt by the next skill used (by 38.4%).
Ryuji's Hidden Ability "Adrenaline" increases his Attack by 15% when his target has more HP than him. His other Hidden Ability, "Rebellious Spirit", causes him to regain HP equal to 10% of his Attack when using any of his skills while he has Rebound.
Overall, Ryuji is an incredibly solid damage dealer who only gets deadlier as his HP gets lower, encouraging you to weigh risk vs reward to get the most out of him.
Why You Should Pick Morgana for the Newcomer Banner in Persona 5 The Phantom X
Morgana is a fantastic Medic who can also dish out a decent amount of Wind and Physical damage. Indeed, thanks to his "Morgana's Favor" ability, Morgana is able to generate stacks of "Chivalry" simply by using a different skill each turn. These stacks are spent automatically when an ally with 70% or less HP uses a skill or Highlight, healing the entire party (for an amount equal to 10% of his attack + 150/225/300, at levels 1/50/70+ respectively). This allows Morgana to maintain the offensive while setting up constant and reliable healing to trigger as needed.
Morgana's Persona, Zorro, has access to the skills Missile Whirlwind, Healing Breeze, and Gentle Fist. Missile Whirlwind deals Wind damage to a single target (equal to 96% of your Attack) and inflicts Windswept for 2 turns. When using this skill Morgana has a chance, equal to his current Critical Rate, to generate a stack of Chivalry. Windswept decreases the target's Defense by 12%.
Healing Breeze restores the whole Party's HP (by 24.6% of Morgana's Attack + 80) and heals one Elemental Ailment. If it heals an Elemental Ailment it also generates a stack of Chivalry. Finally, Gentle Fist is a single-target physical attack (dealing damage equal to 84.5% of Morgana's Attack) that becomes less accurate (by 20%) each time it's used, in exchange for raising its Critical Rate (by 30%) each time it is used. Whenever it scores a Critical Hit it also generates a stack of Chivalry.
Morgana's Highlight deals Wind Damage to a single target (equal to 149.4% of Morgana's Attack) and revives KO'd allies with 20% HP. Morgana's Hidden Ability, "Masked Gentleman", raises his Critical Rate by 10% whenever he heals with Chivalry and increases Chivalry's healing effect (by 8% of Morgana's Attack + 240) when landing a critical hit. His other Hidden Ability, "Morgana's Method", Decreases the SP Cost of Healing Skills by 5% for the entire party.
Morgana is fantastic for making your party more durable, providing constant healing while dishing out a healthy amount of damage, and their Highlight's party-wide revival effect can turn the tide when a fight goes particularly poorly.
Why You Should Pick Ann for the Newcomer Banner in Persona 5 The Phantom X
Ann is one of the best Sweepers in the game, able to unleash huge amounts of Fire damage on entire groups of enemies. Thanks to the ability "Passion", Ann will generate stacks of Passion whenever she deals Fire damage, causing her to gain "La Vie en Rose" for 1 turn after gaining 4 stacks. While La Vie en Rose is active, Ann's Attack is increased (by 30%/40%/50% at levels 1/50/70+, respectively), making her even more dangerous.
Ann's Persona, Carmen, can use the skills Crimson Rose, Trifire, and Falling Sun. Crimson Rose deals fire damage to all foes (equal to 62.1% of Ann's Attack) and raises Ann's Attack by 20% for 2 turns. If La Vie en Rose is active, this attack will also lower all foes' Attack by 8% of Ann's Attack, while raising Ann's Attack by the same amount, for 2 turns. Trifire is a single-target attack that deals fire damage (equal to 88% of Ann's Attack) and has a 75% chance to inflict Burn. If La Vie en Rose is active and the enemy has 50% or less HP remaining, this attack deals 30% bonus damage.
Falling Sun deals fire damage to all foes (equal to 63.2% of Ann's Attack) with a 30% chance to inflict burn. If La Vie en Rose is active, this attack deals 30% more damage. Ann's Highlight deals fire damage to all foes (equal to 128% of Ann's Attack) and raises the damage of Ann's fire skills by 51.2% for one turn. Ann's Hidden Ability, "Rising Tension", activates a Fire Technical (if possible) whenever she uses a Skill or Highlight. If the Fire Technical activated is Fireburn, the damage of the Skill or Highlight is increased by 10%. Since Fireburn is triggered when activating a Fire Technical on a burning target, this is very easy to trigger.
Ann's other Hidden Ability, "Carrot and Stick", restores HP to the ally with the lowest HP (HP restored is equal to 15% of Ann's Attack) when La Vie en Rose ends, providing a little extra support to the party in longer fights.
Overall, Ann is an incredibly powerful Sweeper who can tear through entire groups of enemies effortlessly, as long as they don't have resistance or immunity to fire. She's arguably one of the best Sweepers in the game right now, with only Ren Amamiya/Joker outpacing her when it comes to AOE damage.
Should You Pick Ryuji, Ann, or Morgana for Newcomer Banner in Persona 5 The Phantom X?
So, now that we've covered all the options, who's the best pick? In terms of raw offensive power, the obvious choice is Ann. She can clear entire groups incredibly easily and sweeps through waves of enemies without breaking a sweat, though if you're lucky enough to get Joker, you might not need a second Sweeper. In that case, Morgana could work well as a versatile Medic who still deals a good amount of damage, and Ryuji's risk/reward attacks can also be tremendously valuable when paired with a healer to help mitigate that risk.
Persona5: The Phantom X
- Released
- June 26, 2025
