What’s Different in Shadow Type Characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Shadows have been originally introduced in Persona 3, and since then, they have become progressively more important in the entire series, going as far as becoming main story bosses in Persona 4 and even playable characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

While they do look the same on the surface, there are quite a few differences from regular characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Here’s everything you need to know about Shadow Type characters in the game.

What’s Different in Shadow Type Characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

As mentioned above, Shadow Type characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax look not too different from the regular version of each playable character, outside of some visual and personality changes. In reality, differences are quite big, and Shadow Type characters play very differently from regular characters.

Shadow Type characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax do not have access to many of the core gameplay mechanics of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. They cannot enter Awakened State, cannot use Instant Kill attacks, and cannot Burst Cancel. They make up for the loss of these mechanics, however, with Frenzy Mode, a unique mode that can only be used by Shadow Type characters.

Shadow Mode can be activated once the Burst Gauge is full by pressing the X and A buttons on Nintendo Switch and Y and B on the Steam Deck. In this mode, SP consumption for special attacks is greatly reduced, and it is possible to string together attacks that normally cannot combo together, opening up some powerful new options that can end the fight in a single combo. In addition, auto-combos of Shadow Type characters are different from those of regular characters, which may throw you off if you are unprepared.

Shadow Type characters aren’t inherently better than regular characters in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. They are just a different take on the regular characters that may be more or less effective depending on your knowledge of them. Spend some time in Training Mode to see what works for you, and you may become unstoppable.