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You’ve finished your first go through Yukiko’s Castle in Persona 4 Golden and have gone back to grind or complete requests, and you’ll find a new boss waiting for you at the end. Now that Yukiko has joined the Investigation Team, rule over her Castle has fallen to Contrarian King.
And while he doesn’t look too imposing, it’s reviled by P4G players for being such a heavy hitter with its multi-hit physical attacks and lack of weakness. However, with experience, the right Personas, and careful move selection, the battle with Contrarian King in Persona 4 Golden will be a breeze.
This guide contains spoilers for early-game segments of Person 4 Golden.
Contrarian King Battle Setup
Recommended Level And Personas
Should you choose to re-enter Yukiko's Castle again after beating it the first time, you'll find a new boss waiting in place of Shadow Yukiko - Contrarian King.
This shadow is Lv. 17 and can pack one hell of a punch with its multiple multi-target physical damaging moves, Therefore, you'll want to bring a Persona that resists physical damage if possible.
At Lv. 13, you're able to fuse Obariyon, who is resistant to physical damage in addition to dealing physical damage itself. This way, if Contrarian King's attack lands, your protagonist will take less damage.
This affinity will come in handy, as Contrarian King is renowned for taking out unprepared parties with Rampage.
This attack lands between one and three times each time Contrarian King uses Rampage, and he's apt to use the move multiple times in a row.
Healing is pivotal, as the Rampage spam can easily wipe a team that's in rough shape.
You'll want plenty of Revival Beads, as your team will likely endure some KOs in this fight.
Contrarian King's Affinity Chart
Persona Affinity Table Key
|
Label |
Explanation |
|---|---|
|
Str |
This shadow is strong against this element, and attacks of this element deal less damage. |
|
Wk |
This shadow is weak against this element, and attacks of this element deal more damage. |
|
Rep |
This shadow will repel attacks of this element, reversing the damage onto you. |
|
Nul |
This shadow will nullify attacks of this element, and as such, they deal no damage. |
|
Drn |
This shadow will gain health from attacks of this element, so attacks of this heal the shadow. |
|
- |
Attacks of this element deal normal damage to the shadow. |
Contrarian King's Affinities
|
Affinities and Weaknesses |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Phys. |
Fire |
Ice |
Elec. |
Wind |
Light |
Dark |
Almi. |
|
- |
Drn |
- |
- |
Nul |
Nul |
Nul |
Str |
|
Skills and Attacks |
|||||||
|
Kill Rush |
Light physical damage to one foe that lands 1–3 times |
||||||
|
Hysterical Slap |
Light physical damage to one foe with a chance to inflict rage |
||||||
|
Rampage |
Light physical damage to all foes that lands 1–3 times |
||||||
|
Marakunda * |
Lowers all foes' defense stat for three turns |
||||||
|
Red Wall |
Provides a resistance to fire magic for one ally that lasts three turns |
||||||
* Contrarian King will typically only use Marakunda if it lands a critical hit on your party - it then uses Marakunda as its bonus move.
Contrarian King Battle Strategy
How To Get Back To Yukiko's Castle
In order to battle Contrarian King, you'll need to have gone back through Yukiko's Castle after finishing it the first time.
To get back into the dungeon, enter the TV World and speak to Yukiko inside.
To re-enter any completed dungeon throughout P4G, speak to the person associated with the dungeon while you're in the TV World for the option to head back in again.
Use Physical, Electric, And Ice Moves On Contrarian King
Once you've challenged Contrarian King, it will start the battle by using Red Wall. Don't be fooled once it wears off, though, as Contrarian King drains fire magic.
You'll want to focus on ice and electric magic during this fight, as well as physical attacks, as they're the only damage types that deal normal damage to Contrarian King.
Yu and Chie will be your primary attackers in this fight.
Meanwhile, Yukiko should heal the party, as her fire magic is ineffective.
It's a good idea to have Yosuke focus on support, casting Sukukaja on every party member to boost hit and evasion rates for the party. This will help when Contrarian King uses multi-target moves, as evasion will be boosted by 50 percent.
And by keeping a physical-resistant Persona on Yu, you've got a much better chance of surviving physical attacks.
When your team takes heavy damage, the battle doesn't end until Yu goes down, so keep Yu protected against physical attacks in order to maintain the party between turns, if need be.
Obariyon is doubly effective in this fight, as its physical resistance keeps Yu protected, while its physical attacks are effective against Contrarian King.
Avoid All-Out Attacks
If one of your attacks manage to down Contrarian King during this battle, don't perform an All-Out Attack on it.
It's tempting, given how much damage they normally do, but in P4G, an All-Out Attack deals almighty damage, to which Contrarian King is resistant.
You'll do more damage by declining when given the option to perform one, and then instead using a follow-up attack to continue dealing a more effective kind of damage with an element other than almighty.