Persona 5 Strikers has plenty of boss fights for those who love to battle, not only offering repeatable boss battles in the various Jails, but the game also includes lots of optional bosses too. One of the types of optional bosses that you can take on is the Powerful Shadows, also known as Strong Shadows. (These are different from the Dire Shadow enemies that should ideally only be faced post-game.)

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These special shadow bosses will only appear once you accept the specific Requests that Lavenza makes of you beginning on August 24th. You must complete the previous Powerful Shadow request in order to unlock the next.

Defeating these shadows is a must for anyone looking to complete the Persona Compendium, as they offer special rewards that are the only way to fuse certain Personas. Additionally, defeating Powerful/Strong Shadows is a requirement to unlocking the boss fight with the Reaper. We've got all the information you need about each Powerful Shadow here, including the date the request will be made, where to find them, and how to beat them.

Updated January 4, 2022: We've updated this guide to make the information more readable and included additional images so you can locate each Powerful Shadow with ease.

An Ebon God Descends Location — The Fratricidal Destroyer (Seth)

Seth is the first Powerful Shadow that you can take on and he is found close to the Mt. Aoba checkpoint in Sendai Jail, in the location shown on the map above. He appears as a flying shadow with a machine gun, and then once you begin the battle he will show his true form.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Prepare yourself for the battle by ensuring you have a decent stock of medicine items, especially SP items. Some of the best items to recover HP/SP are the meals you can cook, such as the Crab Hot Pot.

You need a party setup that is best suited to tackle Seth's elemental traits. Avoid using Mona and Panther, as their skills won't be helpful. Sophia possesses Bless skills, so she's a good choice, and make sure Joker has some suitable Personas equipped too.

Buff your party and debuff Seth as soon as possible at the beginning of the battle. Keep on top of healing at all times. You want to avoid Seth's gun attack that will target you by dashing out of range. Make the most of Baton Pass to utilize all your characters and charge the Show Time gauge a little faster. Be sure to have a Persona with a Bless elemental base equipped when using Show Time with Joker. There are also environmental objects you can use to deal some extra damage, so use these to perform some Phantom Dash attacks. The ice items can inflict Freeze on Seth, so if possible, follow up with a physical attack to get in a Technical hit.

The Hound of Hades Howls Location — The Guard Dog of Hades (Cerberus)

Cerberus can be found by traveling to the Juoji Zoo checkpoint and then heading north to the area shown on the map above. It appears as a large robotic canine shadow until the battle begins, at which point it reveals its true self.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Once again, prepare yourself for battle by ensuring you have a decent stock of medicine items, especially SP items and items that remove the burn status ailment. Set your party up to be the most efficient when engaging Cerberus. Do not use Queen or Panther, as their skills won't be helpful. Fox possesses Ice skills, so he's a must for this battle, though Cerberus's Fire-based moves can hurt him quite a bit so keep an eye on his health, or equip him with an accessory that mitigates Fire damage. You also need to make sure that Joker has at least one Ice-based Persona equipped too.

As soon as the battle begins, buff your party and cast some debuffs on Cerberus if possible. Keep on top of healing at all times, and ideally, have a dedicated healer such as Sophie in your party. Once more, there are environmental objects you can use when Cerberus is close to them to give yourself some added damage input.

Cerberus has a wide AoE fire attack, so try to avoid it as best you can, but be ready to cure your party of Burn. You can equip accessories and armor that help to mitigate Fire attacks and Burn if you need them. Make the most of Baton Pass to utilize all your characters and charge the Show Time gauge a little faster. Make sure Joker has a Persona with an Ice elemental base for Show Time.

Make the Way for the Frozen King Location — The Monarch of Snow (King Frost)

King Frost is located in Sapporo Jail, so travel to the Arboretum checkpoint and take the snowboard down to the lower area marked on the map, where King Frost will be waiting. It takes on the form of a large humanoid shadow with a gun before the battle begins.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Prepare yourself accordingly by ensuring you have a decent stock of medicine items, especially SP items and items that will remove the frozen status ailment. Next up, prepare your party according to King Frost's elemental traits. Don't use Fox or Sophie as their skills won't be helpful. Be sure to take Panther with you as her main element is Fire, though she isn't great at taking damage, so keep an eye on her health. Ideally, you should use Mona as your healer and then be sure to take a Fire-based Persona with Joker.

Once the battle begins, try to buff your party and cast any debuffs you can on King Frost. Frozen Ice Blocks are in the area, and you can use these to push into King Frost, but they're not the easiest of Phantom Dash items to use as you have to line up your shot correctly.

King Frost will summon some Jack Frost adds, which can prove a problem if you're struggling with the fight and they can also inflict Dizzy when they pelt you with snowballs. Aim to take them out as soon as possible with some Fire-based AoE from Joker or Panther. Your party members can be afflicted with the Freeze status ailment, so keep on top of healing and help them out your party when needed. If you are really struggling, you can choose to equip accessories that will help to negate the status ailments for this fight. Use Baton Pass to the Show Time gauge a little faster and make sure Joker has a Fire-based Persona equipped when you use Show Time.

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Halt the Strutting Little Imp Location — The Fallen Snowman (Black Frost)

Black Frost is found right at the beginning of the Jail, just at the first intersection that you will come to, as shown on the map above. It takes the form of a large humanoid shadow with a gun, and once the battle begins it will reveal its true form.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Stock up on medicine items so that you can change the tide of battle if you're struggling or running out of SP. Having SP restoration items are always recommended. Next, ensure your party is appropriate for the forthcoming battle. Don't use Queen, Panther, or Fox, as their main skills are useless here. Take Sophie with you as she's good for healing, but she also has Bless attacks, which Black Frost is weak against. Make sure that Joker has a Bless-based Persona with him.

At the start of the battle, be sure to apply some buffs to your party and then debuff Black Frost as much as you can. There are various items you can use in the environment, such as lamp posts, to inflict some extra damage to Black Frost as long as he is within their radius.

Most of Black Frost's moves are easily avoidable as you can see the AoE and dash out of the way. There is a chance that he can inflict the Freeze status ailment, so just keep on top of healing and cure any status ailments as needed. If you are really struggling, you can choose to equip accessories that will help to negate the status ailments for this fight, but to be honest, Black Frost is one of the easier Powerful Shadows. Don't forget to use Baton Pass to make the most of your whole team and help the Show Time gauge charge a little faster, then unleash Show Time whenever possible. Ensure that Joker has a Bless-based Person equipped for Show Time.

Dragon Slayer Enters the Fray Location — The Brilliant Dragonslayer (Siegfried)

Siegfried is found in Kyoto Jail, just travel to the Fox Couple checkpoint and then head into the portal that opened behind their statue during the main storyline. Continue forwards in the next area and you'll find yourself in the location marked on the map above. It will appear as a large humanoid shadow with a gun until engaged in battle.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Make sure you've got plenty of medicine items before you enter this fight and prep your party setup according to Siegfried's elemental stats. Don't take Fox or Skull as their skills won't work, instead, you should take Queen and Mona with you for sure. Of course, make sure that Joker has some suitable Personas equipped that are either Wind-based or Nuclear-based.

At the beginning of the battle, make sure you cast some buffs on your party and get in some debuffs for Siegfried. Take advantage of the items in the environment to use some Phantom Dash moves against Siegfried whenever possible/when he is in range of them.

As Siegfried is resistant to physical attacks, you'll likely find this battle a little trickier or at the very least, a little longer. He also hits really hard and likes to buff himself a lot, so remove these buffs if you can. His worst attacks can be avoided by jumping in the air or Phantom Dashing to a higher level, such as on one of the pillars. Aim to use Baton Pass to make the most of your party and increase the rate at which the Show Time Gauge fills. Make sure Joker has a Wind or Nuclear-based Persona equipped when you use Show Time.

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The Writhing Nightmare Rising Location — The Throbbing King of Desire (Mara)

Mara is in the very last room in Okinawa Jail, so travel to the Lab: South checkpoint and then just work your way around to the location shown on the map above. Mara takes the form of a melted/slime-like shadow until the battle begins.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

Stock up with plenty of medicine items before you enter this fight and set up your party based on Mara's elemental stats. Don't take Sophie, Queen, or Panther as their skills are useless. You should definitely take Noir, and we recommend using Mona as a healer instead of Sophie as at least his attacks will do something. Ensure that Joker has a Bless-based Persona on hand.

Start the battle by casting some buffs on your party and throw a few debuffs Mara's way. Once more, there are some items in the environment you can use to get some extra hits in. Mara's attacks are largely avoidable as you can see them coming, be sure to dash out of the way to avoid them, especially the one that follows you for some time before landing.

Mara also uses Fire-based moves, so be prepared for these and any potential Burn status ailments. You can of course equip accessories and armor to help with this if you need, but this battle isn't as hard as some of the others. As always, use Baton Pass and then use Show Time on your characters whenever possible. Just make sure that Joker has a Psy-based Persona equipped when you use it with him.

Angel of Contracts Descends Location — Shadow of God (Metatron)

This request only becomes available post-game and Metatron can be found close to the final checkpoint in the Tree of Knowledge. It appears as a flying shadow with a machine gun, and then once you begin the battle he will show his true form.

Affinities and Weaknesses:

This is the hardest Powerful Shadow that you will come up against, so of all these optional bosses, this is the one where you really want to make sure you have a healthy stock of all kinds of medicine items. Items that give HP or SP to all party members simultaneously will be the most ideal. Don't take Mona, Noir, or Queen with you. Your best bet is to take Sophie as a healer and take Skull as he is Electric-based. Make sure Joker has a decent Electric or Curse-based Persona with him.

Buff your entire party and optimize your armor and accessories. Debuff Metatron if you can. Most of Metatron's attacks are Physical and Bless-based, so having a Persona that is resistant to Bless equipped to Joker is ideal. As the fight continues, Metatron will begin to use Almighty attacks and will also summon lots of adds to complicate the battle even further.

While some of Metatron's attacks are easy to dodge, it uses some really hard-hitting moves that aren't as avoidable. One tactic you could use is to dash in and deal damage, then retreat to avoid attacks, then simply rinse and repeat this strategy. Use Baton Pass and then fire off Show Time whenever possible, ensuring you have a Curse or Electric-based Persona equipped to Joker when using it with him.

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