This article is about the Shadow. For the Arcana, see Emperor Arcana. |
The Arcana Emperor is one of two Shadows that appears during the third Full Moon Operation (June 8th) alongside Arcana Empress in Persona 3.
Appearances[]
- Persona 3 / FES / Portable / Reload: Full Moon Operation boss, June 8th alongside Arcana Empress
- Persona 3 The Movie
Design[]
The Arcana Emperor is a tall Shadow that carries a rather small sword. On its torso is a large red cross, and its arms are long and almost floppy, with small tassels at the end of its "sleeves." It has no neck or head, only a floating Emperor Arcana mask, identifiable by its signature purple color and spiked top. All of its movements are very stiff, as if it forces every action out.
As all Full Moon Operation boss encounters, its appearance and behavior are based on Tarot cards from the Major Arcana in the reverse position. The Emperor represents masculinity, authority and the strong will of a king. On the other hand, the Reverse Emperor represents weak will, corruption and rigidness. This is represented by the fact the Arcana Emperor has a large chest and fights alongside the Arcana Empress; it gloats of its power and superiority, yet it gangs up on weaker humans and attacks them alongside its partner. The small sword it uses and its stiff movements also represents the weak will of someone irresponsible or one who doesn't make the right decisions as a leader.
Profile[]
Persona 3[]

Arcana Emperor holding Mitsuru.
During the third Full Moon Operation (June 8), the Arcana Empress and the Arcana Emperor are the two Shadows that attack Yukari and Mitsuru. By the time Akihiko, Junpei and the male protagonist or female protagonist return to the first floor of Tartarus with Fuuka, the girls have been defeated because they haven't been able to exploit a consistent weakness. Fuuka's Persona, Lucia, turns out to be able to sense Shadow weaknesses, allowing Akihiko, Junpei and the protagonist to fight the Shadows.
Strategy[]
Persona 3/FES/Portable[]
At the start of the fight, the Emperor is weak to magic and immune to all physical attacks, which is the reverse of the Empress which is immune to all magic but weak to all physical attacks. However, it can change its affinities randomly with "Paradigm Shift" just like the Empress. The fight is designed to demonstrate Fuuka's ability to fully reveal enemy weaknesses. Just like all other bosses, both Shadows are constantly immune to Light or Darkness attacks.
Persona 3 Reload[]
Here, Arcana Emperor starts off weak to Electricity and resistant to Slash, but nullifies every other element. It mainly attacks with Slash skills. After its elemental weakness is exploited, it will use Paradigm Shift to shuffle its elemental attributes, but its physical resistances will stay static.
Scan the Emperor and Empress after each casting of Paradigm Shift to find out what their new weakness is. Popping off a Mazio with Akihiko on the very first turn can trigger a convenient knockdown, setting up for an All-Out Attack if Akihiko then Shifts to the protagonist with a Pierce skill for the Empress. Because it never gains a full immunity to Slash, getting chip damage with Junpei or the protagonist can serve as a last resort should their SP reserves run dry.
Stats[]
P3/FES/Portable[]
Full Moon Boss[]
Be sure to scan them after every time Paradigm Shift is used to determine the new affinities.
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Full Moon Boss (P3P)[]
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Vision Quest[]
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Reload[]
- Paradigm Shift is only used two times. The affinities the boss is weak to is always Electricity > Ice > Fire. Once it uses Paradigm Shift a second time, it will no longer use that skill.
- Emperor always spends its first turn using Tempest Slash, then Paradigm Shift on the second turn.
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Gallery[]