Shadow Miyazawa lurks at the heart of Persona 5 The Phantom X’s second palace, armed with illusions, debilitating curses, and a parade of deadly tricks that punish every misstep. To outwit his relentless mind games and survive his shifting phases, you’ll need sharp observation, strategic team choices, and the nerve to see through his deceits before your party is overwhelmed.
Here’s how to beat the Shadow Miyazawa boss in Persona 5: The Phantom X.
How to beat the Shadow Miyazawa boss in Persona 5: The Phantom X
To defeat the Shadow Miyazawa boss in Persona 5: The Phantom X, you’ll need a well-prepared team and keen attention to mechanics across multiple phases. Miyazawa’s battle involves deception-he creates confusing clones in phase two and uses phases that require you to spot the real boss by observing subtle clues like his posture, HP values, or unique head movements. Bring party members who can resist or nullify Curse damage, such as Soy, Ann, Sumi, and Joker, and equip your healer (like Wonder or Morgana) with skills to consistently cleanse debuffs. Focus on single-target attacks, especially Ice or Physical skills, since Miyazawa has counters for misdirected area attacks and punishes players for targeting his fakes. Keep plenty of SP recovery and status-cleansing items on hand for the drawn-out fight, and adapt your strategy as the boss transitions between attack patterns, illusions, and projectile devices. Maintaining high levels and enhancing your party’s stats with Revelation Cards are also advised to ensure you can endure his heavy attacks and win the fight.
Before starting the Shadow Miyazawa boss fight, there are a few things you should know about the boss and the fight in general. We strongly recommend bringing an Ice and Physical damage dealer, either as Wonder’s Personas or as another party member, and a Medic as Miyazawa can deal a lot of damage in one turn if you make a mistake. For your last slot, feel free to bring your strongest damage dealer. However, make sure to avoid Psychic damage dealers as their damage is nullified.
Additionally, you’ll need a way to remove debuffs from your characters. Bring along a Medic that can remove debuffs like Minami Miyashita or Morgana or grab a Persona with the Patra ability such as Silky. You can also use items like Relax Gels and Alert Capsules if you don’t have any of the other methods.
Phase 1
During the first phase, you’ll face off against Miyazawa himself. There are no gimmicks or tricks here, so feel free to damage him as you please. Once Miyazawa drops to 50% HP or below, the fight will move on to phase two.
Phase 2 – Clones
In phase two, Miyazawa will summon two clones of himself, and if you hit a fake Miyazawa, he’ll immediately deal damage to the whichever character hit him. From here on out, don’t use AOE attacks because the clones will immediately counter.
To find the real Miyazawa, watch each Miyazawa’s idle animation very closely. One of the Miyazawas starts to doze off and you can see his head nod up and down. He’ll then try to wake himself up by shaking his head.
Alternatively, you can either hit each one or wait until the real Miyazawa goes in for an attack. Just after the real Miyzawa attacks, he’ll drop his sword onto the ground and retreat to his position. Now you’re free to attack the real Miyazawa for a turn before the three swap places. However, if you successfully damaged the real Miyazawa, you can look for whichever one has a lower health pool and focus on that one.
Phase 3
After the lengthy cut scene, you’ll end up in phase three, which doesn’t have any tricks that you need to look out for. However, Miyazawa will be a lot stronger than the previous phases. He’ll attack a single target and then deal AOE damage to everyone else in the party, so make sure to heal before he gets a turn.
Phase 4 – Nuisance
In phase four, Miyazawa will apply the Nuisance debuff to one of your characters and retreat into the wall behind him. With your healthiest or curse-resistant character, remove the Nuisance debuff through a Persona skill or either the Relax Gel or Alert Capsule items, or else the character afflicted with Nuisance will start to attack the other party members. With your other party members, use guard to lower the damage of the upcoming attack.
After he shows himself, deal as much damage to him as you can and repeat the process until you move onto phase five.
Phase 5 – Cameras
For the fifth phase, Miyazawa will spawn two cameras that are weak to Physical damage. The cameras themselves don’t really do anything, but, if you destroy the two cameras, Miyazawa will stop what he’s doing and enter a vulnerable state where he’s free to attack. Make sure to destroy the cameras as fast as possible because Miyazawa will target one of your party members and deal a lot of damage.
After the cameras have been destroyed, the fight will return to normal with no gimmicks or tricks. Deplete Miyazawa’s health pool to move onto phase six.
Phase 6 – Swords
The sixth phase is the final phase and one of the most dangerous if you don’t know what to look out for. Miyazawa will summon four swords that are weak to Ice and only one of the swords is real, like the clones in phase two.
The real sword has a magenta colored tassel attached to the hilt, so make sure to look for the tassel before attacking any of the swords. If you attack a fake sword, Miyazawa will receive an attack buff, and, if you happen to destroy a fake sword, he’ll unleash a powerful AOE attack. Avoid using any AOE attacks when the swords come out or else Miyazawa will become a very difficult fight.
Additionally, when performing a “One More” attack, avoid using an Ice attack because the attack will go to one of the fake swords – giving Miyazawa a buff. Instead, use one of your other party members because they’ll attack the sword with the lowest HP.
What hidden mechanics make Shadow Miyazawa’s fight so challenging
Shadow Miyazawa’s boss fight is particularly challenging due to several hidden mechanics that repeatedly punish the unprepared and reward acute observation and careful action.
Key hidden mechanics include:
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Clone and Sword Gimmicks: In multiple phases, Miyazawa creates clones (of himself or swords). Striking a fake clone or sword will trigger severe counters: the boss retaliates with direct damage or significant buffs, and destroying the wrong sword causes a strong area-of-effect attack against your team. Clones and swords must be distinguished visually-the real clone or sword exhibits subtle, unique behavior or appearance (such as a magenta tassel).
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Punishment for AOE Attacks: Using area-of-effect (AOE) attacks during clone or sword phases will hit multiple targets, including fakes. This either results in immediate counters or gives Miyazawa powerful buffs, greatly escalating the fight’s difficulty.
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Observation-Based Targeting: The only reliable way to damage Miyazawa during clone phases is to carefully watch for his unique idle animation or post-attack behavior. Hitting the wrong target has immediate and severe consequences.
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Debuff Manipulation: Miyazawa applies unique debuffs like Nuisance that compel afflicted party members to attack allies unless cleansed quickly. Managing debuff removal becomes essential; neglecting this can lead to disastrous friendly fire.
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Vulnerable Minions and Timed Pressure: In the camera phase, destroying minions quickly is vital, as it triggers a brief window to attack Miyazawa; hesitating can result in powerful enemy attacks targeting your team.
These mechanics mean the fight is far more than a damage race. Success depends on recognition of visual cues, strict targeting discipline, deliberate suppression of AOE abilities at critical moments, rapid debuff removal, and exploiting short vulnerability windows. Failing to identify these hidden elements or slipping in execution can rapidly turn the advantage to Shadow Miyazawa, making the fight one of the most punishing in the game.
How do Miyazawa’s subtle cues reveal his true intentions during the fight
Miyazawa’s subtle cues during his boss fight in Persona 5 The Phantom X are integral for discerning his real intentions and the correct actions needed to win. Specifically:
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Clones and Sword Phases: The real Miyazawa or sword always displays a slight but deliberate visual difference-for example, a unique animation, a magenta tassel, or a specific idle movement. These cues are subtle but distinguish the real target from decoys; closely watching for these telltale signs is essential for hitting the true target without triggering punishing counterattacks.
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Reaction to Player Choices: When you target or act upon a decoy, Miyazawa often reacts with immediate reprisal or a buff, indicating you’ve made an incorrect choice. This feedback loop encourages players to hone their observational skills, carefully scrutinizing enemy patterns each round.
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Behavior During Vulnerable Windows: In certain phases, Miyazawa becomes momentarily vulnerable following very specific minion deaths or missed cues. The animation or aura briefly changes, revealing a window where attacking is safe and effective.
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Subtle Debuff Patterns: The way debuffs are applied or how Miyazawa telegraphs upcoming status effects can be seen in his casting animations or pauses before attacks, alerting observant players to cleanse or defend before disaster strikes.
Miyazawa’s fight is designed so that these subtle signals-through visual, behavioral, and timing cues-are the primary way the player distinguishes intent. Mastery comes from recognizing and responding to these indicators while avoiding the traps that result from ignoring them. This mechanic transforms the battle from a simple fight into a test of observation and tactical patience.
