Shin Megami Tensei 5 is full of tough bosses, both in the main quest and in subquests. At the end of the subquest, "The Cursed Mermaids", players will come face to face with the demon who has been tormenting the Mermaids: Pazuzu, a plague-spreading fiend from Sumerian mythology.
When one's party initially enters battle against Pazuzu, the foe's elemental affinities will be hidden. However, Shin Megami Tensei 5players can use a Spyglass consumable item to reveal the boss' weakness, attacks, and much more. This will be very helpful in planning a strategy and should be done at the beginning of combat. Spyglasses can be bought from Gustave's shop at any Leyline Fount.
Pazuzu's Weaknesses, Attacks, & More
After using a Spyglass on Pazuzu, go into their stat screen by using the navigational menu in the bottom right. His HP and MP will not be shown, however, everything else will be.
Pazuzu's Weaknesses
Pazuzu's only true elemental weakness is Ice-type skills. As such, players should bring demons with offensive Ice-type attacks. Interestingly, a Mermaid is one of the better allies to have in a battle against Pazuzu for this reason, which fits with the story of this subquest nicely.
It should also be mentioned that Pazuzu has a fairly low Vitality stat, which means that they won't have much defense against the player's attacks. It's possible to beat down Pazuzu somewhat quickly if players use their Magatsuhi skill to guarantee critical hits and give themselves multiple turns in a row.
Pazuzu's Attacks
This foe will have Mudo +1 (hits 1 character) and Mamudo +1 (hits all characters), both of which are Dark-type magical attacks. Furthermore, Mudo has a small chance to instantly kill targets that are weak to Dark attacks instead of simply damaging them. As such, it's highly recommended to not bring any demons weak to Dark-type skills and to also make sure that the protagonist isn't weak to them either. One can change their elemental affinity in the World of Shadows at any Leyline Fount. To do so, go to "Essence Fusion" and select the protagonist before choosing an available essence.
Pulinpa +4 is a status condition skill that inflicts Confusion, which is represented by an icon with little stars. Having a party member that is confused will be annoying, as they will sometimes be unable to move or will strike the wrong target. There aren't too many demons at this point in the game that have resistance to Confusion, therefore it's advised to carry healing items that cure status conditions, like Amrita Soda. Having a demon that knows the Patra skill, which also heals status conditions, is very helpful as well.
Finally, Pazuzu has the Mazan +3 skill, which will deal Force-type damage to all allies at once. Bringing demons who are resistant to the Force element will be handy. Also, it would be helpful to have demons who have HP healing skills, like Dia or Media, as Pazuzu's constant barrage of magical damage will take a toll on one's party. Be sure to take advantage of the fact that the player has reserve slots of demons by bringing a backup healer and other allies.
What Not To Do Against Pazuzu
Pazuzu is resistant to pretty much every kind of status condition, as is appropriate for a plague demon, so don't bother trying to use any of those against him. Pazuzu will also be able to completely block Dark-type skills, so it is best to avoid using such attacks on him, as this would decrease the actions in the player's turn.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is available on the Nintendo Switch.