How To Beat Hanged Man Boss In Persona 3 Reload

The Hanged Man is the twelfth main shadow boss in Persona 3 Reload, who you face during the full moon on 11/3. It's a relatively straightforward encounter, though it's not easy by any means. 

Like previous main bosses in Persona 3 Reload, The Hanged Man is a challenging foe who is difficult to beat without the right team composition and appropriate character level and skills. 

In this boss guide, we explain how to easily beat the Hanged Man in Persona 3 Reload, including our take on the best team composition and strategies that should come in handy when facing this gigantic foe. 

The Hanged Man Shadow Boss Guide In Persona 3 Reload

Before we delve into the details of how to beat the Hanged Man shadow, take a look at our recommended team composition for this encounter below. 

Best Team Composition For The Hanged Man Shadow Boss 

We recommend going with: 

• Aegis
• Yukari
• Mitsuru
• Protagonist (default)

Yukari is incredibly useful in this battle since she can deal wind damage to the Statues and the Hanged Man, and heal and revive all party members. 

Aegis can deal Strike damage to Statues and the Hanged Man while buffing up the party's attack. Additionally, she can increase everyone's evasion rate, which is quite useful against some of Hanged Man's deadliest attacks. 

Some Statues are weak to ice attacks, and Mitsuru can wipe them out quickly. However, the main reason for keeping Mitsuru in the team is because she can lower the enemy's defense. Also, it's easy to fill up her Thuergy meter, which means you can unleash her ultimate ability more than once in this battle. 

Lastly, with the protagonist, we recommend using Personas that can deal heavy Wind and Ice attacks, like Black Frost and Atropos. It's also best to have a Persona that can buff up the entire party's attack and defenses in case Aigis hasn't unlocked them yet or if she gets down. 

It's best to attempt this battle when every party member is between level 50-55.

Best Strategy To Beat The Hanged Man Shadow Boss 

The Hanged Man shadow boss in Persona 3 Reload has three phases. When the battle starts, it will send three Statues to fight you while it hangs above the Moonlight Bridge. You can't target the Hanged Man until you have taken down all three Statue shadows. 

In the first wave, the Statue on the left is weak to ice damage. The Statue in the middle is weak to Slash damage. The Statue on the right is weak to Wind damage. 

Since each Statue shadow has an affinity towards different elements, you may want to use multi-target Slash attacks to damage them instead of taking them out quickly. However, we recommend using Mitsuru, Aigis, and the protagonist to deal respective elemental weaknesses while leaving Yukari to provide support. It will allow each member's Theurgy meter to fill up before facing the Hanged Man. The trick is to use at least two party members' ultimate in every encounter against the Hanged Man to end this fight quickly. 

Once you have cleared all the Statues, the Hanged Man will drop down, and the real battle will commence. The Hanged Man doesn't have any weaknesses, but it's immune to Fire and Dark attacks. It's also resistant to Strike attacks, so you may want to avoid those. 

Firstly, use Mitsuru's Rakunda skill to lower its defense. Next, use Aigis' or the protagonist's Matarukaja's skill to increase the entire party's attack. Now it's time to start raining down everyone's Theurgy's attacks. In between, you can deal heavy Wind and Ice attacks. You can also use Poison Mist to inflict Poison status on the Hanged Man and sneak in more damage.

The Hanged Man will use a skill called Grim Transcendence to get more turns. It will use skills such as Maeigaon, Dekaja, and Revolution. Make sure to use Aigis' Masukukaja skill to increase the party's evasion rate to avoid these attacks. 

Once you have dealt enough damage, the Hanged Man will summon two Statues and once again hang above the bridge. You can't attack it until you have slayed the Statues. Thankfully, these aren't too difficult to take down. 

In the second wave, the left Statue is weak to Slash and Fire attacks, whereas the right Statue is weak to Strike and Wind attacks. You can use Yukari's Garudyne skill to easily take down the left shadow, whereas you can use the protagonist's Agidyne skill to take down the right shadow. Once they are down, the Hanged Man will be back.

Thankfully, it will use the same attacks, so you know what to expect. Follow the same pattern as before and continue to deal damage. Once you have dealt enough damage, the Hanged Man will once again summon a Statue, but only one this time around. You already know what to do. 

Once you have defeated the Statue in the third wave, the Hanged Man will return one last time. It's time to go all in. Don't be shy to use Fuuka's Theurgy to charge up the party and boost everyone's attacks. Increase your evasion rate, boost up your attacks and defense, and use the remaining Theurgy attacks to finish up the Hanged Man. Defeating it will get you the Hanged Man Tarot and tons of XP.