The Shin Megami Tensei series is known for its extreme difficulty, requiring its players to utilize unconventional strategies and experiment with a variety of party line-ups in order to defeat the many terrifying bosses that appear throughout the series. Persona, despite being much more casual-friendly than its parent franchise, also requires some level of tactical skill in order to defeat the many bosses that are encountered throughout the series.
However, some bosses may look threatening, but are much easier to get rid of. Whether it be because of an unintended exploit or a flaw in the boss's design, here are some Persona bosses that are much easier to defeat than expected.
6 Ichiryusai Azazel Madarame
Ichiryusai Madarame is one of the many Palace Rulers that the Phantom Thieves go up against, being the second of which they encounter in the series. As a boss, Madarame can be quite annoying, as his first phase consists of multiple targets, each absorbing a different kind of damage. This might make some players think targeting the parts one-by-one is necessary, but actually, using multi-targeting attacks is still viable, since absorbing damage doesn't matter much if the enemy is already at full health.
His second phase is also surprisingly easy. Madarame summons several fake versions of himself, each attuned to a different element. While that might seem troublesome, this actually makes it easier to set up Baton Passes, and since Baton Passes boost damage in this game, it's easy to set up damaging attacks to the main Madarame. He himself doesn't have much in the way of attacks, so he is considerably easier to deal with than other Palace Rulers.
5 Empress And Emperor
Empress and Emperor can seem like a rather difficult early boss fight in Persona 3. While they have weaknesses, they frequently change them while nullifying all other attacks, making every attack a possible waste of resources. Furthermore, the player still doesn't have a full team yet, only being able to field three party members for this fight.
However, since Empress and Emperor are mainly meant to show off Fuuka's functions as a navigator, this battle is much easier than might be expected. With both bosses' weaknesses exposed, it's much easier to target the right weakness without having to waste resources. This boss battle, despite being a little rough, should be easy to clear even with only three party members.
4 Shadow Teddie
Of the many shadow forms that appear in Persona 4, Shadow Teddie is easily one of the most horrifying. Towering over the cast and emerging out of a gaping abyss, Shadow Teddie is a huge 180 from the cartoonish and plushlike Teddie.
However, while Shadow Teddie can be a struggle, he is not as powerful as he appears to be. Shadow Teddie's regular moves, while powerful, are easily predicted, as he has a very simple pattern to his moves. Furthermore, his strongest move Nihil Hand can be completely nullified by guarding, and the timing of the move is called out by Rise. While Shadow Teddie is certainly a fight that can take a while, it isn't as difficult as one might expect.
3 Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki
The monstrous cognitive version of Futaba's mother is easily one of the biggest bosses in the series, taking the form of a massive sphinx. Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki's most annoying factor is her constantly flying a fair distance from the party, making it impossible to hit her with physical attacks. Combined with her powerful attacks that can daze the party, Cognitive Wakaba Isshiki can seem like a stressful fight.
However, Persona 5 Royal makes this boss fight incredibly easy. Certain dialogue prompts will pop up from time to time, and by answering correctly, Futaba will trigger a barrier that will repel her mother's powerful physical attacks, dealing great damage to her. The fight becomes much simpler as a result, and will be over fairly quickly.
2 Fortune And Strength
Fortune and Strength are some of the last few Full Moon Bosses the player must face throughout Persona 3, and are quite annoying as well. Fortune's special gimmick is to spin a wheel that can either help or weaken the party, while Strength casts a barrier on Fortune to keep the party from taking Fortune out first. This can be a rather difficult fight for those who are unprepared and unlucky.
However, this boss fight is much easier thanks to a trick to Fortune's wheel that can be exploited. By stopping the wheel on the panel opposite of the one actually desired by the player, it's possible to manipulate the wheel so that it only provides beneficial effects. This not only bypasses the negative effects of Fortune's wheel, but grants huge benefits to the party. While Strength can still be a hassle, it is much easier with Fortune's many buffs.
1 Takuto Maruki (First Phase)
Takuto Maruki is the new final boss of Persona 5 Royal, and he has quite a few phases in his boss fight. Of special note is the very first phase, which is quite involved. Maruki surrounds himself with his persona Azathoth and three tentacles that each have different effects. Each tentacle has different resistances and sharply reduce damage, which makes this fight look like a slog.
However, this is not actually the case. With three tentacles on the field, it is possible to work up to a full party Baton Pass by hitting each tentacle with their elemental weakness. Since they come back every turn, it's possible to keep repeating this to gain the damage boost gained from a full party Baton Pass. Utilizing this strategy will make short work of what might initially seem to be an incredibly difficult first phase.