Of the available party members in Persona 5 Royal, Ryuji (also known as "Skull") is one of the earliest additions to the team and an excellent physical damage dealer. His Persona, Captain Kidd, wields a mix of highly damaging physical attacks and some useful electrical magic, along with providing access to the attack-boosting "Tarukaja" and "Matarukaja."
Ryuji is a valuable member of the team throughout the early game of Persona 5 Royal and retains his utility into the late game when facing foes that do not resist physical and/or lightning damage. He also has decent defensive stats and HP too, adding to his survivability in combat, though his weakness to Wind can be problematic against certain opponents.
Best Weapons For Skull
Judge Mace
The Judge Mace is a fantastic early upgrade for Ryuji that can be located while exploring Kamoshida's Palace, and continues to be useful until Untouchable starts stocking new gear during the Madarame arc. Along with having better stats than any other available weapon that can be obtained at this point in the game, it also has a low chance of inflicting confusion on any enemy hit with it. It is found in Old Castle 2F, East Building 3F, inside a chest.
Mjolnir/Imprisoned Mjolnir
One of Ryuji's most powerful weapon options, Mjolnir is a tremendously powerful hammer that is created by executing Thor using the electric chair, ironically. It has 280 attack and 88 accuracy, while also boosting the power of Ryuji's electrical attacks, making it an excellent choice for players looking to improve the effectiveness of his magic.
Choosing to execute Thor during a Fusion Alarm will instead yield the Imprisoned Mjolnir, which is Ryuji's strongest available weapon in terms of raw stats. With 324 attack and 88 accuracy, while retaining the electrical magic boost of the original Mjolnir, this is a fantastic choice for improving Ryuji's damage potential. Thor is a level 64 Chariot Persona.
Ruyi Jingu Bang/Fine Ruyi Jingu Bang
An alternative weapon for Ryuji with a great deal of power is the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Created by executing Hanuman via the Electric Chair, this powerful weapon boasts 270 attack and 88 accuracy. It also applies Tarukaja to Ryuji at the beginning of battle, boosting his attack power and saving the turn needed to manually apply it before attacking.
Executing Hanuman via the Electric Chair during a Fusion Alarm instead produces the Fine Ruyi Jingu Bang. This has 290 attack and 88 accuracy, while retaining the auto-tarukaja effect the original possessed.
Players who don't want to spend the time to acquire and execute Thor for the Mjolnir, or who would rather amplify Ryuji's power without needing to spend a turn buffing him, will find this weapon very useful. Hanuman is a level 64 strength persona who can be encountered as a shadow in Shido's Palace.
Pumpkin Bomb/Pumpkin Buster (Electric Chair Execution: Jack O'Lantern)
A good weapon to give Ryuji as soon as the Electric Chair is unlocked in the Velvet Room is the Pumpkin Bomb. This is a shotgun that has a medium chance of inflicting burn, while also having 150 attack and 85 accuracy. This gives it a lot of versatility and can also set up technical attacks via the burn effect paired with wind attacks from Joker or Mona. To get this weapon, simply execute Jack O'Lantern using the Electric Chair.
Waiting for a Fusion Alarm before performing the Itemization will produce the Pumpkin Buster instead, an even stronger variant that has 160 attack and a high chance of inflicting burn, making it all the more effective in combat.
Megido Fire/Megido Buster
The ultimate shotguns in the game are Megido Fire and Megido Buster. To get hold of Megido Fire players will need to execute Shiva in the Electric Chair, and it has 350 attack, 85 accuracy, and a high chance of inflicting burn. This allows it the same degree of effectiveness and versatility as the previously mentioned Pumpkin weapons, but with far greater power.
Executing Shiva during a Fusion Alarm instead produces the Megido Buster, which has 380 attack but otherwise functions identically to the Megido Fire. Shiva is a powerful level 82 Judgement Persona.
Best Armor For Skull
Dishonored Haori
A useful pick to play off of Skull's excellent natural defenses, the Dishonored Haori has 140 defense and 8 evasion while boosting endurance by 5. It can be acquired by washing Sooty Man's Armor at the Laundromat. Sooty Man's Armor can be found in treasure chests in the Path of Kaitul section of Mementos, which opens up after the Kaneshiro arc is finished. It can also be acquired as a drop from Take-Minakata, or as a reward for successfully negotiating with them.
Lucky Underwear
The Lucky Underwear is a very good armor option for Skull that can be acquired during the Third Term content added by Royal. It has 330 defense and 15 evasion, and raises the wearer's HP by 50. It can be acquired by washing Sooty Bolt Armor at the laundromat. Sooty Bolt Armor can be found in Treasure Chests in the Path of Da'at section of Mementos, which becomes available during the Third Term, or by successfully negotiating with Thor.
Tantric Oath/Tantric Oath R
The Tantric Oath is one of the best pieces of Armor available in the game, available only by Executing Satan using the Electric Chair. It has 325 defense, 18 evasion, and an effect that reduces all magic damage by a high amount. This makes it a perfect choice for any of the male characters in the game.
The Tantric Oath R is the best piece of armor in the game, and is acquired by Executing Satan using the Electric Chair during a Fusion Alarm. This has 350 defense and otherwise identical stats to the original Tantric Oath.
Best Accessories For Skull
Ring Of Vitality/Captain Badge
The Ring of Vitality and Captain Badge both serve the same purpose, granting Life Surge to the equipped character. This raises their HP by 30%, making characters like Ryuji even tankier. The Captain Badge is acquired by clearing all the Big Bang Burger challenges, while the Ring of Vitality can be purchased from 37 Degrees Celcius in the Shibuya Underground Mall for 60,000.
Champion's Cup
The Champion's Cup is acquired after collecting all of Kamoshida's Will Seeds and completing his Palace. It allows the equipped character to use a skill that provides a decent chunk of healing while also applying Tarukaja to the entire party. This is a useful skill to have on a character who is tanky enough to survive even really nasty hits and then heal/buff the party in one move, so Ryuji makes excellent use of this accessory.
Divine Pillar
The Divine Pillar is a very tricky item to acquire, being a rare drop from the formidable Reaper found in Mementos. This bonus boss is no easy opponent, but players who best it can acquire the Divine Pillar, which halves all damage received in exchange for removing the equipped character's ability to Dodge. For a character as naturally tanky as Skull, this is a fantastic accessory option.
Persona 5 Royal is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
