The casino boss in Persona 5 Royal pits the Phantom Thieves against Shadow Sae Niijima, the sixth major target and the figure waiting in the real-world interrogation room. The fight runs in two phases built around a rigged roulette wheel, so it rewards reacting to her tricks rather than raw damage. Shadow Sae has no fixed weakness, which means careful turn management and the right party cover everything.
Quick answer: In phase one, never attack while the wheel spins, then choose “I most certainly have” and “There’s a glass lid” to expose her cheat and snipe it. In phase two, hit Leviathan only with the element opposite the one she rolls until she reaches half HP, survive her single Berserker Dance, then attack freely.
Prep before the Shadow Sae Niijima fight
Because Leviathan’s second form shuffles its affinities by roulette, you cannot pre-build for a single weakness. The goal of preparation is flexibility, so set up Joker to cover any elemental gap and bring revival and healing items.
Reaching Rank 1 of the Hifumi Togo (Star) Confidant is the single most useful setup, since it lets you swap an active party member on Joker’s turn. To start that Confidant, max Yusuke to Rank 2, unlock the Kanda district by watching television on 6/25, and reach Rank 3 Charm.
- Bring Makoto and Akechi, plus one flexible third member.
- Equip Joker with Personas that cover multiple elements, such as Garuda (Star), Norn (Fortune), and Sarasvati (Priestess).
- Stock healing items, status cures, and revives from Takemi’s Clinic.
- Hand out accessories that grant extra elemental skills so you can react to any roulette result.
Phase one: Shadow Sae Niijima and the roulette wheel
The battle opens on an oversized roulette wheel. You get one free set of attacks, but nothing meaningful lands during this phase, so conserve SP for Leviathan instead of burning it here.
Phase two: Sae Leviathan Niijima and shifting affinities
Shadow Sae transforms into Sae Leviathan Niijima, a tougher form that keeps the roulette gimmick. Now the wheel decides Leviathan’s elemental affinity for the round, and she can respin it several times during the fight, so the typing keeps changing.
The rule is simple. After a roll, Leviathan repels attacks of that same element and resists everything else except the opposing element, which deals normal damage. To hurt her, attack with the opposite of whatever she rolled.
| Rolled element | Use this to damage her |
|---|---|
| Fire | Ice |
| Ice | Fire |
| Electricity | Wind |
| Wind | Electricity |
| Nuke | Psy |
| Psy | Nuke |
| Bless | Curse |
| Curse | Bless |
This is where Hifumi’s Rank 1 ability pays off. If your current party cannot hit the opposing element, swap in someone who can on Joker’s turn. Joker’s stock of Personas should cover most rolls on its own, but the swap is a reliable backup.
Note: If an active member is weak to the chosen element, Leviathan targets them first, and that can include Joker. The upside is that the weak member is also the one carrying the damage type Leviathan is vulnerable to, so it can be worth keeping them in despite the risk. Strong Evade skills from a Rank 10 Confidant help that character dodge the incoming hit.
Surviving Berserker Dance and the half-HP shift
When Leviathan drops to about half HP, she spins the wheel one final time and lands on Almighty. She immediately follows with Berserker Dance, dealing severe Almighty damage to the entire party. Keep everyone’s HP topped up heading into the halfway point so they can survive that blow. She only uses this ultimate attack once.
Defaulting to Almighty also strips Leviathan of her elemental gimmick, so all her affinities become neutral. For the rest of the fight she leans on physical and gun moves like Gatling Gun, Brutal Impact, Severing Slash, and Hundred Slaps, and you can attack with anything for normal damage. Keep the party healthy, trade blows, and chip the remaining health down.
You know the fight is won when Sae admits defeat and the game cuts to a long stretch of cutscenes that catch the story up to the interrogation room. When the dialogue choices arrive afterward, do not sell out your allies if you want to avoid the worst ending.
Why the fight stalls or wipes
- Attacking during a roulette spin drops the attacker’s HP to 1, so wait for the wheel to stop.
- Picking any dialogue other than “I most certainly have” and “There’s a glass lid” loops phase one and keeps you losing bets.
- Hitting Leviathan with the rolled element or anything that is not its opposite gets repelled or resisted, wasting turns.
- Entering the half-HP mark with low party HP means Berserker Dance wipes the team, since it strikes everyone for severe Almighty damage.
Keep Joker flexible, respect the roulette, and ride out the single Berserker Dance, and the casino boss falls without needing a heavy level advantage.
