Part 61: 6/26-6/27: When A Fly Pigs

Part 60: 6/26-6/27: When A Fly Pigs

I fixed the portraits.



Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)



Nope.



You’ll understand what I mean when you can see clearly with eyes of truth.



Do not close your heart in shame of your ignorance. Truth shines its light on open minds. In essence, there are two kinds of thieves: the Robin Hood figures, and the mere criminals. Thieves like Robin Hood rebel against authority. The Phantom Thieves only target individuals. And so, the Phantom Thieves are nothing more than criminals. It’d be best you remember that.



Today they’re selling two Uji Matcha Flan for 2980 yen, gifts you can give to female Confidants to rank them up faster on off days. They’re pretty pointless but we buy them anyway because we’re flush with cash.

Music: Tokyo Emergency



We did actually remember to claim Yusuke’s skill card, gaining another Rakukaja.



I totally didn’t forget our weekly purchase of special drink and have to rerecord this entire update, no sir. Anyway, what’s with this game and the word “nasty” lately?

Maaku gains Guts+1.

Now, we have pretty much no options left today but to send the calling card. No one’s available today due to stat locks (Death) or because we haven’t sent the calling card (the entire rest of the party), so let’s just do that.

Music: Suspicion



I would agree, but it will not be an easy task this time.
Yeah, nobody actually knows him...
There’s so goddamn much I wanna write on the calling card too…

Huh, nothing happened. I must really be free.

Music: Tokyo Emergency



Anon: this is so immature.
Anon: they’ll improve the world!
Anon: i dont buy into that stuff.
Anon: Don’t be fooled, everyone!
Anon: i miss this sorta excitement
Anon: aww yeah, come back soon!!
Anon: JUSTICE! Jajajaja
Anon: they’re up to something

Music: Wicked Plan



Yeah, we don’t know where he lives...
Hm? Why not use the same method as before?



It sounds like Makoto has an idea in mind...

Music: Beneath the Mask



Makoto took Ryuji with her. She specifically mentioned that he would be fine and we have nothing to worry about.



I’m sure it’ll be fine if Makoto’s there with him. I’d definitely be worried if Ryuji was going alone though.
You have a point. I suppose we will find out tomorrow either way. For now, we should get some rest.
Yup, cya!
We’re finally going to strike tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep so we can be in tip-top shape!



Nothing goes your way in life. You’ll end up failing if you tense up like that.

Sojiro gives his usual response on calling card days.



Let’s make some lockpicks.

Music: Everyday Days



We get 2 lockpicks from one craft. That means we get a bonus to Proficiency at the end.



...And again.



Only one from this one though.

Maaku gains Proficiency +3 (including an extra Proficiency +1 from the double craft) and five Lockpicks. That’ll last us a while.



It says it’s from the Phantom Thieves...
Look, there’s a bunch over there, too!
Is this some kind of stealth marketing campaign?
Junya Kaneshiro? Who’s that?



Anon: Ends justify the means…

Music: Beneath the Mask (Instrumental Version)



Nah man, I’m a fucking delinquent. I’m always late.

I can’t be late today too...



No, I was up very early, shooting a news show. I have much more work in television because of the Phantom Thieves. I have permission from my school, but it’s still tough to do both. ...Ah, I can’t keep complaining. Well, let’s both do our best today.

Music: So Boring



Oh yeah. In Japan, when the rainy season ends, we say that it “opens.” But in English, it’s more common to hear people say the rainy season “closes.” Be careful!

I’ve never heard it either of those ways, but okay!

Expressions for the weather are totally different depending on what country you’re in. Now then… Mr. Hamiru! In English, what does the term “cat-and-dog weather” refer to?



Not to be confused with David Cage’s “masterpiece.”

That’s right! Raining cats and dogs. The strongest theory for its origin is that the sound of rain resembles that of dogs and cats fighting. Some other European languages describe bad weather as “dog’s weather,” too.

Maaku gains Knowledge +1.

Additionally, in Norwegian they say it’s raining witches, and in Polish they say it’s raining frogs.

Gonna be honest, being a Norwegian sounds hilarious.

Just to say “heavy rain,” as many things fall as there are countries in the world.
Oh yeah, over here they say that when a cat washes its face, it rains. I clean my face every day because I like being clean, and lemme tell you, that’s a load of bull.

Music: Desire



Uh, I found this on the car. There’s something written on it...

This guy is named “Menacing Man,” but his voice actor is stuttering and playing it like he’s quietly freaking out this entire scene.

Hm? Read it.

This is really weird. As far as Kaneshiro knows this is some kind of ad. Why would he care what’s on it?

Um, but...
I said, read it!



Yep. Not greed, gluttony. All you people who guessed it was greed were off-base. Now, part of it is that this game’s conception of the sins is kind of warped, but if I squint real hard I can sort of see where they’re coming from, considering Kaneshiro is all about hoarding, rather than actually consuming and depriving. They still have to explain it a bit with that “money-devouring” line though.

“You indulge in scamming others with horrendous methods that target minors exclusively. We have decided to make you confess all your crimes with your own mouth. We will take your distorted desires without fail. From, #Millennials...” I-Isn’t this bad…?
What of it?
I-If something happened to you…! I mean, if the higher-ups find out about this...
Don’t waste your time worrying about this useless shit. Just keep quiet for now.
B-But it’s… posted all around the city… People’re talking about it online too...
Grr…



If you don’t surpass your quota… I’ll kill you.
Y-Yes, sir!






They’ll pay for this…

Music: Life Will Change (Instrumental Version)



A good idea, no? Given the theatrical nature of this one, Kaneshiro must surely have been contacted about it.
You truly are the brains of this Phantom Thieves operation! Ryuji, you should follow her example!
Y’know I’m the one who went postin’ it everywhere, right!? I even had to get all dressed up so they wouldn’t notice me!
Come now, we don’t have the time for idle chitchat. Let us get moving.
We’re going up against a truly horrible criminal this time…
That dick ain’t gonna stop us now that we got our awesome new member! Makoto! You remember how all this works?
Once we steal the Treasure, the Palace will crumble and the Palace ruler’s heart will change.
Wow, you got that quick! I think Ruji’s still struggling to comprehend it all...
Evil adults are nothing more than garbage, and I am no better… I will resolve this, I swear it!
Sounds like you’re fired up! All right, Joker! Give us the signal!




For today, we’ll be using Ryuji, Morgana, and Makoto. We want both Morgana and Makoto for healing, but as for why we’re using Ryuji over Yusuke… well, Ryuji has Tarukaja, which is great, but there’s one more reason. We’ll get into that later.



Here’s what was in that chest we couldn’t open. A Revenge Mirror replicates Yusuke’s Counter and a Chewing Soul gives 100 SP. I don’t consider this terribly worth it, so I reload after opening it.




He was waitin’ for us!

Music: Blood of Villain



A safe…!? This wasn’t here the last time we came…! He changed the entire room so quickly… Tch, I guess this Palace isn’t a bank for nothing.




Lucky? Don’t be ridiculous.
We’re gonna change your heart and make you confess everything you’ve done. That’ll save all those people who’re suffering ‘cause of your shitty actions. Even the police’re strugglin’ to deal with you, so this’ll make the public believe in us too!
Those in power work the ones below them to the bone for money. Such is the hierarchy of the world. Just accept your fate as a source of my wealth!
We’ll never agree to that!
And hierarchy? You have to be out of your mind.
All of that was forced on me too, you know!? I went through shit until I crawled out of the dregs! Now it’s my turn to profit on everyone else!
Still! Don’t you think you’re getting back at the wrong people?
What a pitiful man.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re clean or dirty! Only the clever come out on top! The strong and the smart devour the weak. That is the natural order of things. You damn brats who think you know the world through the shit you read online will make perfect prey.
Hmph. He is utterly hopeless.
It’s always the fools who get tricked! Fools who have to pay for their foolishness. And if those fools don’t learn, well they have to suck it up and stay as plain, stupid fools!
Will you just shut it already!?
I guess there’s not much point saying anything to you fools! This is where my gracious lecture ends. Now then, I hope you’re ready to work as slaves here for the rest of your lives.
That’s outrageous!





Boss: Junya Bael Kaneshiro












Uhhh…

You filthy fly on dirty money… Get the hell out of my face!

These are certainly lines of dialogue.



Music: Keeper of Lust

Huh, that’s not the usual track.



Cry all yeh want, but I ain’t gonna forgive yeh!



They’re naive, they’re reckless, and on top of that, they don’t even realize how stupid they are. Now I couldn’t just sit back and not cash in on those idiots, right?



Okay, so the explanation of “Bael” is a little complicated. Bael, or “Baal,” was a goetic prince of Hell. This version, however, is a lot closer to the similar (or identical, based on your source) figure Beelzebub, which means “Lord of the Flies” (yes, that is where the name of that book came from). German bishop and theologian Peter Binsfield’s classification of demons associated Beelzebub with the deadly sin of gluttony, and here we are.



For this fight we’ll be using pretty much unfailingly the Flauros Ari fused. We might switch to Matador once or twice for Media, but it’s one of our best Physical attackers, and it knows Tarukaja and Rakunda.



Bael gets two actions, but his health pool is rather tiny. He’ll start generally by using Evil Touch to inflict Fear, and attack physically. Makoto’s Energy Shower gets rid of Fear easily enough, so it’s nothing to worry about.



No more games then. I ain’t gonna forgive yeh punks for this.
That’s our line! You had better be prepared!



He can also use Eiga or Maeiga to inflict Curse damage. It’s still rather pathetic unless you have a Curse-weak Persona equipped.



Keep at it, Joker! Corner him!



D-Dammit…! Yeh goddamn punks…!
Show no mercy! Let’s finish him!




Looks like I gotta bring out my big guns…!
You’re all buzz and no bite!
Hehehe… We’ll see about that… Time to roll out…! Here he is… My guardian robot!

Music: Blooming Villain

Oh, there it is.





A pig!?
It ain’t a pig, yo! This is my Palace’s swine-model defensive mechanoid, Piggytron! Goin’ against me’s a real bad crime, yeh know? It’s time for yeh all to go to hell!
Dammit…! I didn’t expect he’d have something like this up his sleeve!
Joker! Make sure you have us regroup if you think we’re at a disadvantage! That thing’s a giant… If it attacks us while we’re at low stamina, we won’t survive!

We’re now in the meat of this fight. And before we really get into it, I should say: this is the easiest boss in the game. That’s not to say it’s impossible to die, but once you know how to deal with his bullshit he’s trivial to counter, and some of his moves seem just designed for Makoto to handle. Sure, I had less trouble with Kamoshida, but that’s as a veteran Persona player who knows about debuffs and had a Persona selection to complement that. Here, we’re just using Flauros, because we don’t have a Persona with Tarunda and to take advantage of his Rakunda and great Strength (Evade Phys and his null Fire affinity also help a lot). Tarunda would be really nice to have, because this boss does, admittedly, hit like a truck. Perhaps we should have upgraded our frankly pretty shitty armor, though he does shitloads of damage even to Makoto, who starts with better gear than any of us have. But as long as we got Morgana to level 24 for Diarama, and brought both him and Makoto, we’re fucking golden. I said Media was useless recently, and that’s not entirely true. It’s still useful to have someone topping up multiple people with low health just in case. Diarama is still going to be our bread and butter though.

For some context: I fought this boss four times (which will explain why the screenshots differ so heavily from the video). The first time I actually killed him too quickly and had to reload so I could show more of the fight, the second time is the take you’ll see in the video, the third time was because I realized I forgot to buy that fucking aojiru and had to rerecord, and the fourth time was to test some stuff I hadn’t tried for the purpose of better explaining the fight.



Thankfully, this form of the boss only gets one turn.



Metabolic Wave sends Piggytron crashing into the ground, causing damage to the entire party.




Ocular Vulcan does a ton of damage to one party member.



Were yeh talkin’ about me too when you said that? If you were… Imma tear yeh all to shreds!

Imma fix piggytron

Go, Piggytron! Super VIP Fooorm!







Piggytron is now spinning, preparing to roll into us. We keep attacking it.



On the next turn, it begins spinning even faster. It’s definitely about to hit us, and attacking it didn’t make it stop.



On the next turn...

\

Yikes.



Now, you may be thinking, “I’ll just guard that attack. That’s why they give you two turns to prepare, right?” And that’s one way to deal with that… though I can’t recommend it. In my infinite wisdom, on the fourth attempt I mentioned earlier, I thought to see if it was possible to survive being steamrolled by guarding. Well, it is. But only just barely. It does upwards of ~400 damage to each party member, and guarding should about halve that. Let’s look at Morgana, who has both the lowest HP and the lowest Endurance in the party. He currently, at level 25, has 240 HP. Unguarded, it did about 550 to him vs 400 for the others. Now, while the other party members were able to guard and survive with HP that didn’t even approach the critical range, from about 80-120 left (and that 80 wasn’t even from full health), Morgana was left with only sixteen. Considering Morgana is critical to trivializing this fight (unless you want to bring Yusuke or Ann instead and make Joker the other primary healer, which would take a lot longer still because that’s way less Rakunda going out), and he only barely manages to survive even while guarding, I don’t think it’s a viable strategy, especially because you probably won’t be at full health for that attack and RNG may very well determine if he survives it at all. Again, you could probably Tarunda this, but I didn’t have that option, and while Rakukaja from Makoto is great, it only affects one person (and Makoto should probably be healing anyway).



So, what do you do? Well, you can try to guard the first one and wait for the game to tell you what to do on the next use of Super VIP Form… or if you press left or right on the D-pad, you can switch targets to Kaneshiro, who has quietly become targetable. I forgive you if you didn’t notice this, because he’s barely fucking visible.

Let’s do that instead.



Kaneshiro, with his HP pool reduced even further, gets knocked off in a few hits.





He is then flattened by Piggytron when it rolls over him. Now, as Kaneshiro is not the real boss here, this is completely meaningless in terms of progression, but it’s kind of funny I guess.



He then gets back inside.




Missile Party deals considerable Fire damage to the entire party (which is why we didn’t bring Yusuke) and has a chance to inflict Burn.



What’s the plan? Should we knock him off like earlier, or do you want to find another way out?



As you know, Kaneshiro is a money monger. Tossing an expensive item his way might draw his attention and serve as a distraction…! Let’s give it a try, Joker! It’s your call what item we throw!
All right, Joker! Time to get that bastard lookin’ over here!



This is the single most worthless one of these special actions in the game, and the one most people cite when saying the mechanic feels half-baked.





A few things here: I have no idea how the game decides what is and is not an acceptable item. All I know is that there’s no point in ever trying any of the “I’m not sure” items, because to my knowledge they always fail. Here, Ryuji will always provide an item that will pique Bael’s interest, but I don’t know why some items are in the pool and some aren’t. One time, one of the “bad” items was a fucking Soul Food, an item that completely restores your SP. Another time, one of the cheap items was a Recover Oil, an item that serves the exact same function as a Hiranya (curing all status effects on one ally), which is in the “expensive” pool. My only guess is that it’s based on how much the item sells for.

Either way, I’m not willing to part with a Hiranya, so I use Morgana’s Life Stone.




Ngh, he’s not interested at all… Do we need to use something worth a little more…?

It doesn’t work.



My Piggytron’s gonna lose…? No, that’s impossible!
It’s already been decided… You are going down.




This has a chance to inflict the entire party with Fear. It’s also gross. As my good friend Freakazoid once said, “I don’t wanna go down into the sewer. It smells like poo gas.”




On the next go around, we get a Magic Ointment (reflects one magic attack). What the hell, let’s throw it.







Th-This’ll make us a fortune! Damn good find, yo!
D-Did it work…!? We don’t need to worry about getting rushed now! Nice work, Joker!



Maybe I can pick up a girl or two once I pawn this thing off...
Kaneshiro’s completely engrossed… Attack him while he’s off guard! It’s only right that a money monger like him is destroyed by money!

It only incapacitates Bael for two turns, after which he’ll go right back to attacking. If you’re really getting your ass kicked, I guess it might be handy, but otherwise there’s absolutely no reason to bother with throwing an item. It’s just a waste.




And that’s Bael down.

Music: Triumph



Morgana learns Garula to replace Garu.



Ann learns Fire Break, a pretty much worthless skill that negates Fire resistance (except the skill Fire Wall, which adds Fire resistance). On Ann, it’s not quite as bad as usual because she lacks any source of damage outside of Fire, but Break skills are hot garbage across the board.



Finally, Yusuke learns Mind Slice, which deals Medium Physical damage to all enemies with a low chance of Confuse.