Despair (絶望, Zetsubō)? is an ailment in the series.
Appearances[]
Effect[]
Combatants inflicted with Despair are unable to act. They lose 5% SP for every action they take each turn (with decimals always rounded down), until they succumb and instantly die on the third turn. The effect of death ignores all Enduring effects. It is independent from the SP loss, meaning it occurs even if the combatant cannot lose SP (due to having no SP left or their max SP is too low, like with Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac).
Despair technically has an expiration timer of 2, but under normal conditions death always comes first before the ailment expires. Because of that, Fast Heal and Insta-Heal can cure Despair if applied.
Combatants inflicted with Despair are vulnerable to Technical damage from Psychic skills. In Persona 5 Royal, if Knowing the Heart has been read, Despair is also vulnerable to Technical damage from Curse skills.
In Royal, if a combatant simultaneously Downs an enemy and gets Despaired (e.g. from a reflected Bad Beat), they will still get a One More but Despair prevents the combatant from taking an action with it while also causing them to lose more SP. However, due to a glitch, if this attack happens after a Baton Pass, the combatant will be able to act freely during the One More even while being Despaired, although the SP loss will still occur with each One More gained. In either case, an irregular Hold Up will be initiated if all enemies are Downed after this. The turn the combatant inflicted themselves with Despair is not counted towards the number of turns they have before succumbing.
All bosses, including the ones that are vulnerable to other status ailments are immune to Despair in order to prevent them from being killed instantly.
Shadows under Despair will automatically be cured if negotiated with.
Inflict[]
Persona 5 / Royal[]
Via Skills[]
| Skill | Affinity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Negative Pile | 
|
Heavy Physical damage and inflict Despair (medium odds) to 1 foe. |
| Bad Beat |
|
Medium Physical damage and inflict Despair (low odds) to all foes. |
| Magatsu Mandala | 
|
Heavy Curse damage to all foes and inflict Confuse/Fear/Despair (medium odds). |
| Ominous Words | 
|
Inflict Despair (high odds) to 1 foe. |
| Abysmal Surge |
|
Inflict Despair (medium odds) to all foes. |
| Despair Boost | 
|
Increase chance of inflicting Despair. |
| Ailment Boost |
|
Increase chance of inflicting all ailments. |
Via Items[]
Persona 5 Royal only:
| Item | Effect |
|---|---|
| Despair Vial S | Small vial of liquid. High chance of inflicting Despair to one foe. |
| Despair Vial L | Large vial of liquid. Medium chance of inflicting Despair to all foes. |
Via Melee Weapons[]
| Weapon | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Arsene's Cane | Protagonist | +Random Ailment (low) |
| Blood Scimitar | Morgana | +Despair (med) |
| Envy Chain | Ann Takamaki | +Despair (high) |
| Red Demon Blade | Yusuke Kitagawa | +Despair (med) |
| Vajra | Makoto Niijima | +Random Ailment (high) |
| Death Contract | Haru Okumura | +Despair (low) |
| Weapon | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Arsène's Cane | Protagonist | Low Random Ailment |
| The Great Thief Stick | Med Random Ailment | |
| Blood Scimitar | Morgana | Med Despair |
| Envy Chain | Ann Takamaki | High Despair |
| Red Demon Blade | Yusuke Kitagawa | Med Despair |
| Vajra | Makoto Niijima | High Random Ailment |
| Unparalleled Vajra | High Random Ailment | |
| Death Contract | Haru Okumura | Low Despair |
| Death Promise | Med Despair | |
| Death Axe | Low Despair | |
| Infini-saber | Goro Akechi | Low Despair |
Via Ranged Weapons[]
| Weapon | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin SP | Protagonist | +Despair (low) |
| Gravity Gun | +Despair (med) | |
| Big Sleep SP | Ryuji Sakamoto | +Despair (low) |
| Calamity Gun SP | +Random Ailment (low) | |
| Pirate Killer | Morgana | +Despair (med) |
| Sudarshana | +Random Ailment (low) | |
| Wild Hunt | Ann Takamaki | +Despair (med) |
| Kuzuryu Gouhou | Yusuke Kitagawa | +Random Ailment (low) |
| Evil Roulette | Makoto Niijima | +Random Ailment (low) |
| Evil Roulette II | +Random Ailment (low) | |
| Golden Beam | Goro Akechi | +Despair (med) |
| Weapon | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Hunt | Ann Takamaki | Med Despair |
| Gungnir | Med Despair |
Via Accessories[]
Persona 5 Royal only:
| Accessory | Effect |
|---|---|
| Corrupting Mask | Despair Boost |
Miscellaneous[]
| Criteria | Effect |
|---|---|
| Flu Season weather | Inflict Despair on enemies at start of battle in Mementos |
Remove[]
Persona 5 / Royal[]
Via Skills[]
| Skill | Affinity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Drop | 
|
Cure Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash of 1 ally. |
| Energy Shower |
|
Cure Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash of party. |
| Amrita Drop |
|
Cure all ailments of 1 ally except for special status. |
| Amrita Shower |
|
Cure all ailments of party except for special status. |
| Salvation |
|
Fully restore HP and cure all ailments of party except for special status. |
Via Items[]
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Happy Pop | A refreshing lollipop. Cures Despair for one ally. |
| Relax Gel | Topical balm for Rage/Despair/Brainwash/Fear/Confuse for one ally. |
| Hiranya | Cures all non-special ailments for one ally. |
| Recover Oil | A spring-exclusive body oil. Cures all non-special ailments for one ally. |
| Refresh Aroma | Autumn-only. Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Repentance Ashes | Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Amrita Soda | Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Phantom Wafers | Phantom Thieves snack. Restores 50 HP and cures ailments for one ally. |
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Happy Pop | A refreshing lollipop. Cures Despair for one ally. |
| Relax Gel | Topical balm for Rage/Despair/Brainwash/Fear/Confuse for one ally. |
| Hiranya | Cures all non-special ailments for one ally. |
| Awake Incense | Cleansing air freshener. Cures all non-special ailments for one ally. |
| Recover Oil | A spring-exclusive body oil. Cures all non-special ailments for one ally. |
| Refresh Aroma | Autumn-only. Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Repentance Ashes | Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Awakening Incense | Invigorating air freshener. Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Amrita Soda | Cures all non-special ailments for all allies. |
| Phantom Wafers | Phantom Thieves snack. Restores 50 HP and cures ailments for one ally. |
| Strawberry Daifuku | Fully restores HP and cures non-special ailments for all allies. |
Miscellaneous[]
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Harisen Recovery | Chance to cure status ailments inflicted upon party members. |
| Skill | Effect |
|---|---|
| Harisen Recovery | Chance to cure status ailments inflicted upon party members. |
| Detox X | When Joker is inflicted with an ailment, he may recover immediately. |
| Detox DX | Raises the chance of Detox X succeeding. |
Resist[]
Persona 5 / Royal[]
Via Skills[]
| Skill | Affinity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Resist Despair |
|
Reduce susceptibility to Despair. |
| Null Despair |
|
Impart immunity against Despair. |
| Unshaken Will |
|
Impart immunity against all mental ailments. |
| Fortify Spirit |
|
Reduce susceptibilities to all ailments. |
| Skill | Affinity | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Resist Despair |
|
Reduce susceptibility to Despair. |
| Null Despair |
|
Impart immunity against Despair. |
| Unshaken Will |
|
Impart immunity against all mental ailments. |
| Fortify Spirit |
|
Reduce susceptibilities to all ailments. |
Via Armor[]
| Armor | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Hope Shirt | Unisex | +Resist Despair |
| Gambler Shirt | Unisex | +Resist Despair |
| Armor | For | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Hope Shirt | Unisex | +Resist Despair |
Via Accessories[]
| Accessory | Effect |
|---|---|
| Despair Charm | +Null Despair |
| Daffodils | +Null Despair |
| Despair Gem | +Null Despair |
| Accessory | Effect |
|---|---|
| Cape of Hope | Null Despair |
| Despair Charm | Null Despair |