Quick Links
- Where To Find Taito’s Punishing Foes
- Abaddon – Level 61
- Bishamonten – Level 65
- Adramelech – Level 71
- Amon – Level 73
- Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel – Level 74
- Garuda – Level 80
Shin Megami Tensei 5’s final area, Taito, is a nightmare. Not only is there a noticeable spike in difficulty, but the Punishing Foes are also some of the hardest in the game. A bit of grinding may be required if you want to come out on top.
Despite the difficulty, killing each of the Punishing Foes in this area is greatly rewarded. Hefty EXP chunks and powerful essences are the names of the game here. Just remember, going in prepared will give you the highest chance of success.
Where To Find Taito’s Punishing Foes
Taito has SIX Punishing Foes roaming its wilderness. They vary in strength, but each of them should be considered to be on par with a mini-boss. You will likely have to come back at a later date to tackle the strongest of the bunch.
Abaddon – Level 61
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +4 | Physical | – |
| Fire | +2 | Fire | Block |
| Ice | – | Ice | – |
| Electric | -3 | Electric | Weak |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | – | Light | – |
| Dark | +1 | Dark | Resist |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | +3 | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | – | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Severing Bite +4 | Heavy Physical attack to one foe. Greater effect if a Critical hit |
| Frenzied Chomp +4 | Medium Physical attack to one foe. Chance of inflicting Poison/Confusion/Charm |
| Mabufudyne | Heavy Ice attack to all foes |
| Toxic Cloud +3 | Chance of inflicting Poison to all foes |
| Fogna +3 | Chance of inflicting Mirage to all foes |
| Hades Blast +4 | Heavy Physical attack to all foes |
| Retaliate | Chance to counter Strength-based attacks with a medium Physical attack. Does not stack with counter |
Abaddon can be found in the northern Swamps of Taito and is part of the ‘Abaddon’s Assault’ side quest. Abaddon is quite the peset due to his Potentials in Physical and Status, as well as a move set to match. To top it all off, Abaddon comes with some Ice magic, plenty of AoE, and even has Retaliate, punishing you for using Physical demons.
Killing Abaddon isn’t easy – even if he is the weakest Punishing Foe in Taito. He can inflict Poison and Mirage to the entire party, and deal hefty damage turn on turn with his other attacks. Confusion and Charm can also enter the status pool, and they can wreak havoc if they aren’t dealt with swiftly. He is weak to Electric, so try and leverage that for some bonus turns.
Having Demons resistant to Poison, Mirage, and/or Physical can help in this fight. You could also bring Physical Dampers and Amrita Showers. Physical attacks can be countered, so if you do bring a Physical-focused demon, make sure they are also resistant to Physical damage.
Almighty is, as always, great in this fight. Murakumo or Sakanagi are fantastic at knocking Abaddon down a peg or two.
Bishamonten – Level 65
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +5 | Physical | – |
| Fire | +5 | Fire | Block |
| Ice | -4 | Ice | Weak |
| Electric | – | Electric | – |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | +3 | Light | Block |
| Dark | – | Dark | – |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | – | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | – | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Tarukaja | Raise Attack of one ally by one rank for three turns |
| Sukukaja | Raise Accuracy/Evasion of one ally by one rank for three turns |
| Agibarion +5 | Severe Fire attack to one foe |
| Ragnarok +5 | Two to five Medium Fire attacks to random foes |
| Mist Rush +5 | Two to four Medium Physical attacks to random foes. Chance of inflicting Mirage |
| Hades Blade +5 | Heavy Physical attack to all foes |
| Concentrate | Greatly increases the damage of the next Magic-based attack from self |
| Megiodolaon | Severe Almighty attack to all foes |
You can find Bishamonten northeast of the Ueno Park Leyline, and he is part of the ‘Lord’s Sword’ quest chain. Like the other three Lords before him, Bishamonten is a Physical brawler who dabbles in elemental magic. In this case, Bishamonten uses Fire magic. Unlike his fellow lords, Bishamonten has Concentrate instead of Charge, making his magical attacks much more dangerous than usual.
Bishamonten can raise his Attack and Evasion stats, so consider debuffing him to prevent him from scaling out of control. Mist Rush can potentially Mirage your whole team, so have curatives on standby.
Bishamonten is weak to Ice, but any damage type outside of Fire and Light will do. Having resistance to Physical and Fire blocks can help out in this fight, as can Fire Dampers. He’s a rather straightforward encounter, and can likely be defeated on sight.
Adramelech – Level 71
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +1 | Physical | – |
| Fire | +6 | Fire | Resist |
| Ice | -5 | Ice | Weak |
| Electric | – | Electric | – |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | – | Light | – |
| Dark | – | Dark | Block |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | +2 | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | – | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Hellish Brand +6 | (Unique) Heavy Fire attack to all foes. Negates target’s status buff effects |
| Deathbound +1 | Medium Physical attack to all foes |
Adramelech can be found in a building just to the east of the Umayabashi Leyline and is part of the ‘In Defense Of Tokyo’ side quest. Adramelech is very simple to understand due to only having two attacks. Of the two, Hellish Brand is the most dangerous as it deals Heavy Fire damage to the whole party and removes any buffs your party may have stacked. Focus on hitting Adramelech and using AoE healing.
Adramelech is weak to Ice, so bringing along some Fire-resistance Ice demons will result in an easy win. Consider giving Nahobino Fire immunity for this fight, or bring some Fire Dampers and burst Adramelech down.
Amon – Level 73
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +2 | Physical | Resist |
| Fire | +6 | Fire | Drain |
| Ice | -6 | Ice | Weak |
| Electric | – | Electric | – |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | – | Light | Resist |
| Dark | – | Dark | Resist |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | – | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | +4 | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Megido Flame +6 | (Unique) Severe Fire attack to all foes. Ignores affinity resistance and pierces through |
| Agidyne +6 | Heavy fire attack to one foe |
| Nihil Claw +2 | Two to three Heavy Physical attacks to one foe |
| Tentarafoo | Chance of inflicting Confusion to all foes |
| Madness Nails +2 | Two to four Heavy Physical attacks to random foes |
| Marakunda +4 | Lowers defense of all foes by one rank for three turns |
| Makarakarn +4 | Reflects a Magic attack once for one ally for one turn |
Amon is one of the most dangerous Punishing Foes you will encounter. He is found north of the Ueno Leyline, he is the last boss of the ‘Winged Sun’ side quest. He is a capable melee combatant, but his real strength comes from his unique ability, Megido Flame. This attack deals Severe Fire damage to your entire party and ignores Resistance to fire. Ouch.
Amon is no pushover in other areas either. Nihil Claw can deal serious damage if it procs three times, Tentarafoo can mess with your entire party, and Marakunda makes it much easier for Amon to kill you. To top it all off, Makarakarn reflects magic damage when cast, making Amon very difficult to damage on those turns.
Amon is only weak to Ice, is Resistant to Physical, Light, and Dark whilst draining Fire. He’s quite the beast to take down. Healing, tanky demons, Ice magic, and Almighty attacks are going to be needed to take him down. You could bring Fire Dampers purely to negate his other Fire attacks, or even Physical Dampers to block his other moves.
Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel – Level 74
Uriel
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +2 | Physical | – |
| Fire | +5 | Fire | Block |
| Ice | -5 | Ice | Weak |
| Electric | +2 | Electric | Resist |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | +3 | Light | Block |
| Dark | – | Dark | – |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | – | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | -4 | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Maziodyne +2 | Heavy Electric attack to all foes |
| Agidyne +5 | Heavy Fire attack to one foe |
| Deathbound +2 | Medium Physical attack to all foes |
| Mighty Cleave +2 | Heavy Physical attack to one foe. Low accuracy, but hits are always Critical |
Raphael
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | – | Physical | – |
| Fire | -4 | Fire | Weak |
| Ice | – | Ice | – |
| Electric | – | Electric | Resist |
| Force | +5 | Force | Block |
| Light | +3 | Light | Block |
| Dark | – | Dark | – |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | +2 | ||
| Healing | +3 | ||
| Support | – | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mazandyne +5 | Heavy Force attack to all foes |
| Zandyne +5 | Heavy Force attack to one foe |
| Diarahan +3 | Full HP recovery to one ally |
| Patra +3 | Cure status ailments on one ally |
| Makajamaon +2 | Chance of inflicting Seal to all foes |
Gabriel
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | – | Physical | – |
| Fire | – | Fire | Resist |
| Ice | +5 | Ice | Block |
| Electric | -4 | Electric | Weak |
| Force | – | Force | – |
| Light | +3 | Light | Block |
| Dark | – | Dark | – |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | -7 | ||
| Healing | +3 | ||
| Support | +1 | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mabufudyne +5 | Heavy Ice attack to all foes |
| Bufudyne +5 | Heavy Ice attack to one foe |
| Mahamaon +3 | Heavy Light attack to all foes |
| Hamaon +3 | Heavy Light attack to one foe |
This Punishing Foe can be found west of the Asakusa Leyline, in the pit, and is part of the’ Holy Ring’ side quest. You are going toe-to-toe with three very powerful Angels, and they are not going to go down easily. Uriel mixes Physical damage with Fire and Electric, Raphael is a Force caster with healing abilities, and Gabriel is all about Ice and Light magic.
Their attacks cover six of the seven main sources of damage, which makes them very hard to defend against. The only defense is to have no weaknesses. Few demons have this luxury as a standard, but many can be created with clever fusion and transferals. You will want a few of these.
Nahobino is harder to defend in this instance, so you kind of want to be resistant to as much as possible, without being weak to anything but Dark. When it comes to killing, you will want to kill Raphael first to prevent his healing and stop him from Sealing your party. Gabriel’s second as he has less health than Uriel.
In terms of weaknesses, Gabriel is weak to Electric, Raphael is weak to Fire, and Uriel is weak to Ice. Even with all of this pre-fight knowledge, this trio is quite the challenge.
Garuda – Level 80
Potentials & Resistances And Weaknesses
| Potentials | Resistances and Weaknesses | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical | +2 | Physical | – |
| Fire | – | Fire | – |
| Ice | – | Ice | – |
| Electric | -4 | Electric | Weak |
| Force | +5 | Force | Drain |
| Light | – | Light | Resist |
| Dark | – | Dark | – |
| Almighty | – | ||
| Status | – | ||
| Healing | – | ||
| Support | +1 | ||
Attacks
| Attack | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Mazandyne +5 | Heavy Force attack to all foes |
| Masukukaja +1 | Raises Accuracy/Evasion of all allies by one rank for three turns |
| Yabusame Shot +2 | Weak Physical attack to all foes. Ignores resistance, pierces through, and always Critical |
| Retaliate | Chance to counter Strength-based attacks with a medium Physical attack. Does not stack with counter |
Garuda can be found north of the Umayabashi Leyline. Garuda is a Physical and Force user. Despite Garuda’s level, it has a limited move pool that isn’t all that threatening. Her biggest damage comes from Mazandyne, which can be countered pretty easily. Garuda does have Retaliate, so make sure your Physical demons are tanky enough to take a few hits in return.
Garuda can elevate her Evasion stat to the point where you are highly unlikely to land a hit. Bring a demon who can raise your party’s Accuracy, or lower Garuda’s Evasion. Yabusame Shot always lands a Critical and ignores any resistances you may have. Make sure your party is topped up with healing, as Garuda will gain bonus turns whenever it uses this attack.
Force Dampers or demons with Force immunity are great in this fight, and there isn’t much Garuda can do to stop you if you bring such a party. Garuda is weak to Electric, but Almighty works too. Don’t be afraid to use Physical attacks if your demon has Physical resistance, or is generally very tanky. Despite having the highest level, Garuda isn’t that difficult in the grand scheme.
