Persona 3 Reload‘s canine fighter Koromaru is the charm of SEES. Becoming friendly with him unlocks Byakko, the white beast: a new Persona to aid in your fight against the Shadows.
Byakko is a level 63 Persona of the Temperance Arcana, so if you’ve established the Temperance Social Link with Bebe, you already get a head start into making this Persona even more powerful.
Personas draw from mythologies around the world, and Byakko is no exception. It’s one of the Ssu-Ling—the “celestial creatures of Chinese myth,” as described in-game—and represents the direction west and the season of autumn. It uses Ice attacks and has a high Endurance stat, though it’s weak to Fire.
Here’s what you need to know about Byakko in Persona 3 Reload, including how to fuse it, what abilities it has, and what you can do with your new white tiger.
Fusing Byakko in Persona 3 Reload: requirements, recipes, and more
Before you can fuse Byakko, you need to complete all Linked Episodes with Koromaru. These are the story events with characters who don’t have full-fledged Social Links and are marked by a double exclamation point on your map. We finished Koromaru’s episodes in early January, which allowed us to fuse Byakko close to the end of the game.
After Koromaru gives you a special item in a touching cutscene, you can head to the Velvet Room and fuse Byakko. Since Byakko is not a Special Fusion, you can acquire this Persona through a simple Dyad Fusion. There are several options you can use, with these being the five easiest combinations to fuse together to unlock Byakko.
Best Byakko fusion combinations
- Gabriel (Empress, level 62) and Parvati (Priestess, level 48)
- We recommend this fusion because Gabriel learns Ice Amp at level 66, which you can pass to Byakko.
- Titania (Lovers, level 49) and Norn (Fortune, level 65)
- Thor (Chariot, level 64) and White Rider (Strength, level 46)
- Cybele (Lovers, level 67) and Lachesis (Fortune, level 44)
- Hell Biker (Hanged, level 65) and Kurama Tengu (Hermit, level 46)
You can find other combinations to fuse Byakko in Persona 3 Reload, but these are generally simpler. Thor and Cybele require you to finish the Lovers and Chariot Social Links, respectively, while you need to have done all of Shinjiro’s story moments to unlock Hell Biker.
Byakko’s skills in Persona 3 Reload
Byakko’s abilities in Persona 3 Reload revolve around Ice damage and survivability, which fit this Persona’s stats. Its best stat is Endurance at 50 by default, though it’s followed closely by Strength (45) and Magic (44). It’s a high Endurance stat to have, especially compared to Personas at this level.
Here are the skills Byakko learns naturally, without accounting for any inherited abilities or cards.
- Mabufula (default)
- Freeze Boost (default)
- Heat Wave (default)
- Soul Shift (level 64)
- Evade Fire (level 66)
- Mabufudyne (level 67)
- Enduring Soul (level 69)
By default, Byakko leans towards supporting allies and Ice damage. Evade Fire helps offset its weakness to Agi-based Magic, but Fire attacks can still be a problem.
Is Byakko good in Persona 3 Reload?
All in all, Byakko can be a good Persona, though it comes with a downside. At just level 63, you’ll probably be vastly above Byakko’s level when you fuse it, making this Persona somewhat obsolete. A maxed-out Temperance put Byakko at level 69, which is still a bit underleveled for the hardest challenges in Tartarus’ last block.
Even if you don’t want to use Byakko as your main Persona, though, it can serve you well. Leveling it grants the King of Beasts Fang, a Heart item required to make Koromaru’s Gaia Dog Suit. This armor piece costs one King of Beasts Fang, three Gold Quartz, and one AS Refined Material. It’s not the best pick for Koromaru, but it’s a good budget option.
You can also use Byakko to fuse Kohryu. You can make Kohryu as a Special Fusion with the four Ssu-Ling: Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu, and Genbu. Kohryu also works as a magic/support Persona, learning Concentrate, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, and Spell Master in addition to whatever it inherited.
