Persona 5 Royal Maruki Confidant guide and choices
How does that make you feel
Maxing out the Persona 5 Royal Maruki Confidant is essential not just for unlocking the game’s true ending, but for accessing some of the best Confidant abilities as well. Maruki, the Councillor, gives Joker a chance to power up his attacks and restore SP, the latter of which is especially handy when you want to finish a Palace quickly without leaving to stock up on items.
Unlike the Faith Confidant and Kasumi, you have easier access to Maruki – but you still need to take advantage of every opportunity to deepen your relationship. Maruki is unavailable for a long period of time, and if you don’t reach a certain point by November, you won’t get to unlock the third semester.
Make sure to give Maruki his favorite gifts to help reach each milestone faster.
As with all Confidants in Persona 5 Royal, you can boost your relationship with Maruki faster if you include a Persona of the matching Arcana during rank up events – Councillor, in his case. This guide uses point values for answers with a matching Persona in your roster, so adjust the point value down by 1 if you don’t have one on hand.
You should be able to find a Councillor Persona without much fuss. Two early-game options are Kushi Mitama, which you can obtain by fusing Hua Po and Pixie, and Nigi Mitama, obtainable by fusing Kushi Mitama with Regent.
Maruki Confidant unlocks
Rank 1: N/A
Rank 2: Detox
- Joker may recover from a status ailment instantly
Rank 3: Flow
- Joker may receive Charge and Concentrate effects at the start of a battle
Rank 4: N/A
Rank 5: Mindfulness
- Joker may recover SP when it gets low
Rank 6: N/A
Rank 7: Flow Boost
- Flow has a higher chance of activating
Rank 8: N/A
Rank 9: Detox DX
- Detox has a higher chance of activating
Rank 10: Mindfulness restores more SP
Maruki Confidant choices and availability
Maruki is available during the day on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday near the nurse’s office and is available day and night on rainy days. Don’t let the availability fool you, though. You end up in a bit of a rush to max his Confidant out thanks to how Persona 5 Royal splits it up.
Rank 6 is blocked off until after late September, and then you have to complete rank 9 by November 17 if you want to unlock the third semester and true ending. However, Maruki also isn’t available during summer break, from late July through the beginning of September. Make hanging out with him a priority.
Maruki Confidant rank 1
- Unlocks automatically on May 13. No dialogue choice matters.
Maruiki Confidant rank 2 choices
Welcome! Thank you for coming
- We made a deal
- I’m a little nervous (both give +2)
Then again, maybe that's a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?
- But it sounds right
And, uh... I've got a lot of snacks, too! You can have them! They're yours!
- Well okay
Maruki Confidant rank 3 choices
But at the very least, I'm glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps toward recovery.
- So they have, huh?
- Thanks to you, probably (both give +2)
You remember how I asked you to help me with my research?
- Of course
- Yeah, for our deal (both give +2)
Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain?
- That one seems necessary
- It’s a seed for new loves (both give +2)
You helped me realize that purpose again. Thank you.
- Both give +2
I'm taking a breather. Just finished my last counseling session for the day. And I thought I'd thank you once again for your help earlier.
- Good work over there (+2)
Maruki Confidant rank 4 choices
I had no idea a cat's claws were so sharp…
- I know, right?
If only we could somehow directly reduce emotional pain in a healthy way—like putting antibiotics on a scratch
- Is that what you’re researching?
But we'll even be able to perform more effective treatment for those people with wounded hearts
- Both give +2
Say, would you like to try being my assistant? Of course, I'm on a shoestring budget, so I wouldn't be able to pay you!
- That sounds fun
I should've asked this sooner, but... is this leaving you with any mental fatigue? Is your schoolwork being affected?
- I feel completely fine
- It’s part of our deal, so… (both give +2)
Maruki Confidant rank 5 choices
I thought I'd get a surprise for you, since you've been kind enough to indulge me all this time. Go ahead, enjoy!
- This looks great!
You can see this law in action just by observing how excited people get over limited-edition merchandise
- You know, you’re right
How do you feel about that idea? That your unconscious desires may have changed the taste of the cookie?
- My senses lied to me
- Hey, as long as it tastes good (both give +2)
That cookie would have remained more delicious than usual. It would have been a subjective truth of your reality
- I guess so (+2)
It was supposed to be a chance for us to relax, but it ended up being another big academic discussion…
- I really don’t mind
- It was thought provoking (both give +2)
Unless you’ve put Maruki’s Confidant off until (very) late, that’s it until September 20. Maruki will contact you and resume the work together on his research.
Maruki Confidant rank 6 choices
You must have a real knack for coffee. This is fantastic.
- Another cup?
- We’ve got curry too (both give +2)
So I’m sorry to bother you, but I'd appreciate if you'd help me talk through this again
- I can do that
I don't think that would be enough to finally beat trauma. And I guess that's what I ultimately realized
- So give up (+2)
Sorry for... hah... rushing out... phew... so suddenly... hah... earlier…
- Calm down
- What’s going on? (both give +2)
Maruki Confidant rank 7 choices
Maybe it's a little hard to believe, but I guess I've taken an academic interest in them
- You really are dedicated
- Are they even relevant?
According to those calling cards they send out, their stated method is to 'steal your desires'... How is such a feat even possible? Any ideas?
- As in, removing them?
Put another way, if that desire is gone, your cognitive perception of the cookies skews back to normal. So. Does that remind you of anything?
- The change of heart?
Well, they're thieves, so... if they could perceive a world like that, they could steal desires like any other treasure.... You think I'm getting anywhere here?
- It’s intriguing
Maruki Confidant rank 8 choices
You're in for a real treat today! I know it's been a while since you've had one, too!
- What do you mean?
I'd like to take you to that buffet, as my way of thanking you. How does that sound?
- Ooh, really?
No holding back—eat as much as you please!
- Thanks for the food!
Oh, he's uhhh... how do I put it?
- We made a deal
I had meant to mention this earlier, but... my paper is finally almost finished
- Both give +3
Oh, don’t worry so much. Don't you wanna congratulate him too?
- I sure do
- Let’s celebrate
Well... maybe it's because he knows I'm a little careless, though
- He’s a good friend
Maruki Confidant rank 9 choices
As mentioned, you must complete this event before November 17 to unlock the third semester and true ending. You also need to reach rank 5 in the Faith Confidant and max out Akechi’s Confidant.
I think this’ll probably be the last time I come to you about the paper.
- Kind of sad
Maruki Confidant rank 10 choices
No choice matters in this final event. Just listen to Maruki and respond as you see fit.
You end up speaking with Maruki a few more times after January rolls around. The context around these conversations is laden with spoilers. Suffice to say your answer will determine the game’s ending, and based on your chats with him and Persona 5 Royal’s general narrative focus, the correct, good-ending answers should be apparent.
If all that relationship building means you're struggling in school, check out our Persona 5 Royal classroom answers guide to ace every question and exam.