In Persona 5: The Phantom X, building the right Personas for your Protagonist (Wonder) can make or break your early-to-mid-game success. Whether you’re new to Persona games or just need help navigating the early grind, this guide is for you. We’ll walk through Rank I to Rank III Personas that offer real value, not just for elemental damage, but for the buffs, debuffs, and passive effects that make battles smoother and more efficient. Wonder isn’t your main damage dealer. He’s your tactical engine, supporting your team, enabling combos, and helping your big hitters like Ann, Joker, or Cattle carry fights. So this guide focuses on building Wonder as a flexible support with the best Persona picks available from Ranks I to III.
Best Personas Rank I-III
While you’ll eventually unlock stronger Rank IV+ Personas, the Rank I–III tier covers a huge portion of the game’s early- to mid-stage progression. These Personas will carry you through your first major Palaces, your early Velvet Room Trials, and many boss encounters.
But here’s the kicker: building the right early Personas gives you a foundation for strong team synergy later. Many Rank IIIs are simply upgraded versions of earlier options, more stats, better passives, and slightly enhanced skills. Understanding which Personas are worth building early saves you time, energy, and a lot of unnecessary fusion mistakes.
How Passives Work & Why It Matters
This first section is a quick lesson to avoid early mistakes. Not all passives are created equal, and some only activate under very specific conditions. One of the most common early mistakes is assuming a Persona’s passive is always active. That’s not true. Let’s break it down:
First Slot = First Priority
If your Persona has a passive that says “at the start of battle,” it only activates if that Persona is equipped first. Switch to them mid-fight? Too late.
Here are three practical examples:
- Succubus: Equipped first? No buff. Just a clean start.
- Oni: Equipped first? Boom, Auto-Mataru activates (+4.2% ATK).
- Jikokuten: Defense Master II? Massive jump from 642 to 809 DEF, but again, only in first slot.
Other Key Passive Tips
- Auto Buffs like Auto-Mataru and Auto-Rakukaja won’t trigger unless slotted first.
- Resistance and weakness change when you switch Personas mid-fight.
- Speed at battle start also depends on first-slot Persona, choose wisely.
- Certain weapons scale off your equipped Persona’s element or traits.
Be intentional. The first slot isn’t just a buff slot, it’s your opener, your tempo, and your elemental setup.
How I Pick Personas (And How You Should Too)
I’m not listing every Persona with Ice, Fire, Wind, etc., that would be a nightmare to follow. Instead, ask yourself three questions/things:
- Do I need AoE or single-target damage?
- Does this Persona give me something extra, buffs, passives, healing, utility?
- Elemental coverage or Baton Pass synergy
Quick Examples
- Jack Frost: Has Mabufu (AoE Ice), Ice Boost, and Lucky Punch for crits. Solid Velvet Room pick.
- Genbu: Doesn’t even have Ice skills, but is Ice-type, great for Baton Pass follow-up damage.
- Kodama: Tarukaja (ATK buff) + Forget chance. Simple but effective.
I only level what adds value beyond raw damage. Think shields, passives, combo setups, or ailment synergy.
Persona Recommendations (Rank I–III)
Each of these Personas offers more than just elemental coverage, they offer team value, support strength, or situational clutch potential. Whether you’re prepping for Trials or just trying to beat a tough boss, these are the ones I trust.
Best Personas: Rank I Picks
| Persona | Role | Why It’s Good |
|---|---|---|
| Slime | Early tank and debuff | Physical resist for Wonder + Tarunda (ATK down). Helps in boss fights. |
| Succubus | Crit support | Rebellion = crit rate boost. Buff turn one, then swap. |
| Berith | Basic ATK buffer | Tarukaja is all he brings, still valuable early game. |
| Genbu | Shield support | Shields ally, can Freeze attacker (lowers ATK). Great for survivability. |
| Orobas | Fire utility | Fire Break removes fire resist. Enables Ann’s big damage. |
| Apsaras | Crit + Ice hybrid | Rebellion + healing + Ice. Flexible support. |
| Kodama | ATK support | Tarukaja + Forget. Forget is situational but Tarukaja always helps. |
Best Personas: Rank II Picks
| Persona | Role | Why It’s Good |
|---|---|---|
| Nue | Curse utility | AoE Mudo. Great for Velvet Room clears under 50% HP. |
| Oni | Balanced tank/support | Gun & physical resist + Auto-Mataru. Strong slot-one pick. |
| Leanan Sidhe | Debuff support | Rakunda + tech damage synergy. Great with ailments. |
| Jack Frost | Ice AoE + Crit Hybrid | Mabufu + Ice Boost + Lucky Punch = AoE, and crit chance. |
Best Personas: Rank III Picks
| Persona | Role | Why It’s Good |
|---|---|---|
| Rakshasa | Buff upgrade | Auto-Mataru II. Stronger stats and buff than Oni. |
| Naga | DEF buffer + Lightning | Auto-Rakukaja + Electric coverage. Helps with survival and utility. |
| Fuu-Ki | ATK support | Tarukaja with better Rank III stats. Replace older buffers. |
| Jikokuten | Dual buff swap-in | Matarukaja + Defense Master II. Best used after turn 1 due to low speed. |
| Kin-Ki | Single-target DEF buffer | Rakukaja. Great with Fox or squishy ally protection. |
| Neko Shogun | Damage amp + SP regen | Hunter’s Instinct + buffs + SP regen. Great for ailment teams. |
| Principality | Hybrid healer/defender | Marakukaja + Powers of Faith (heal + DEF buff). Reliable support option. |
A Quick Note on Passives
Passives often make or break a Persona. Some passives outright compensate for weaker movepools or base stats, so even if a Persona looks basic on paper, their value may lie in those gold-passive traits.
- Example: Orthrus
- +12% Crit DMG
- Bonus ATK after inflicting
- This makes him a sleeper pick for burst damage fire teams, especially when paired with Ann or other burn setups.
- Example: Principality
- After healing, grants +17.5 DEF to the party.
- That’s actually stronger than Marakukaja early game (13.9%, scaling with DEF), especially if your team doesn’t have high base DEF yet or lacks DEF-boosting cards.
- After healing, grants +17.5 DEF to the party.
Tip: Always check the gold-highlighted passive text at the top of a Persona’s profile. You’d be surprised how often that’s the real reason to use them.
Wrap-Up
That’s a wrap on my Rank I–III Persona recommendations for your units in Persona 5: The Phantom X! If you’re wondering who to build early, stick to supports that:
- Buff your team (Rebellion, Tarukaja, Auto-Mataru)
- Debuff enemies (Rakunda, Tarunda, Fire Break)
- Offer elemental utility (Ice/Fire/Lightning)
- Give survivability and healing (shields, SP regen, passive DEF)
Use your first slot wisely. Build around your team. Let Wonder do what she does best: make everyone else stronger. If you want to take it even further and really unlock his full potential, I’ve got you covered. Check out my full Wonder build guide in P5X, where I go deep into skills, speed tuning, passives, and more to help you turn your MC into the ultimate support unit. Don’t miss it!
