Follow Up (追い撃ち, Oiuchi)? is a mechanic in the series. It has the chance to allow for more enemies to be knocked down in a single turn.
Overview
Persona 4 / Golden
Follow Up is introduced in Persona 4, as an unlockable Social Link ability available to all party members. During battle, if any party member successfully knocks down an enemy, there is a chance that an ally in the party will request to perform a Follow Up. If allowed to do so, they will attack a random enemy on the battlefield (usually one that is not already Downed) and Down them without fail.
Each party member has a varying effect to their Follow Up, such as Chie Satonaka instantly obliterating any single (non-miniboss) enemy, or Yukiko Amagi dealing low damage but guaranteeing that the targeted enemy will become Dizzy. Each user's Follow Up attack also has an individual name attached. While most are descriptions of the attack itself, such as Yukiko's "Fan Assault," or Chie's "Galactic Punt," Yosuke Hanamura's Follow Up is named after himself, being called "Yosuke Strike."
In order for a character to be able to perform this ability, their Social Link must be advanced to at least Rank 3.
In Persona 4 Golden, after the Investigation Team gets access to their scooters, all party members who have already unlocked Follow Up (and those who unlock the ability afterwards) will immediately gain the ability to perform a Cavalry Attack. This attack is very similar to a Follow Up, except it is performed by members of the team that are not currently in battle, driving into the fray with their scooters for a quick assist.
Persona 3 Portable
Since Persona 3 Portable was made after Persona 4, it includes a feature similar to Follow Up, called Co-Op attacks. They act almost exactly the same way in concept as in Persona 4, the only difference being that they are performed by both a party member and the protagonist simultaneously. These attacks also do not have individual names, instead being simply called "Junpei Co-Op" or "Koromaru Co-Op," for example.
However, these attacks do not have personalized effects between party members; all of them achieve the same result of knocking down a single enemy without fail.
This ability requires the SEES Social Link to reach Rank 3 to unlock, whereupon all characters gain the ability simultaneously. This happens automatically during the story.
Persona 5 / Royal
Follow Up is a Confidant ability party members are able to learn. During battle, after the protagonist attacks, if the target isn't Downed, there's a chance an eligible party member will make a request to perform a Follow Up. If accepted, they will attack the target the protagonist failed to Down and finish the job themselves, downing the enemy.
The effects of each party member's Follow Up vary, as in previous games. For instance, Ryuji's Follow Up targets 1 enemy and deals high damage, and Morgana's Follow Up instead pursuits all enemies. Both will result in a Critical hit, Downing them in the process.
In order to for a party member to be able to perform this ability, their Confidant often needs to be at least Rank 3, with the exception of Makoto Niijima at Rank 4, Sumire Yoshizawa at Rank 6, and Goro Akechi when he first joins the party, regardless of Confidant progress.
Hifumi Togo's Confidant ability, Uchikomi, allows any party member to have a chance of performing a Follow Up, regardless of their position in battle, allowing backup party members to perform them as well. However, Follow Ups performed by backup party members have a slightly different trigger, instead activating when the protagonist successfully downs an enemy, similar to Persona 4. This ability is unlocked with Rank 3 of Hifumi's confidant.
In Persona 5 Royal, Raoul's trait, Hazy Presence, boosts the odds of Follow Up activating.
Trivia
- In Persona 4 Golden, Naoto Shirogane is the only character whose Cavalry Attack does not use the vehicle itself to deal damage; instead, her gun is used.
- Chie's Follow Up shares its structure with Yusuke Kitagawa's from Persona 5, that being instantly killing regular enemies, while simply dealing a large amount of damage to unique or miniboss enemies.
- In Persona 5, the Follow Up attacks from characters in the party use their melee weapons, while those from character in reserve use their firearms.
- Akechi's Follow Up is virtually the same during both Niijima's Palace and Maruki's Palace, the only difference being that the former uses brilliant blue light to slice through all enemies onscreen, while the latter channels dark purple energy to the same result.