Persona 5 Shogi: Hifumi, Quiz Answers and Terms Explained
The shogi player in Persona 5 is Hifumi Togo, the Star confidant you meet at the church in Kanda. Shogi also comes up twice at school. In Persona 5 Royal, the June 29 class question about the back of a shogi piece is answered “Gold”. In the original Persona 5, the July 13 exam question about a phrase that comes from a shogi piece is answered “Nouveau riche”.
The rest of this page explains who Hifumi is, what the shogi words in her confidant abilities mean in the real game, and why those two school answers are correct.
The shogi questions at Shujin Academy
We only list questions where at least two independent game guides agree on both the wording and the answer.
| Date | Version | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/29 (class) | Persona 5 Royal | “What do you think it says on the back of this (Shogi) piece?” | Gold |
| 7/13 (final exam) | Persona 5 | “Which of these phrases has its origins in this shogi piece?” | Nouveau riche |
Guides for Persona 5 Royal list a different question on the 7/13 exam, so the “nouveau riche” question applies to the original game.
Why the answer is “Gold”
The piece in the lesson is a pawn. Every shogi piece is two-sided, and a pawn that reaches the far three rows of the board can flip over to its promoted side. That side is called tokin (と金), and it moves exactly like a gold general. So the back of the pawn effectively says “gold.”
This is the promoted pawn’s movement:
Our pawn page explains why a tokin is so valuable: it fights like a gold, but if it’s captured the opponent only gets a pawn back.
Why the answer is “Nouveau riche”
The Japanese word for a newly rich person is narikin (成金). In shogi, narikin means a piece that has promoted into gold-general movement. The everyday meaning grew out of the shogi one: a lowly pawn that pushes into enemy territory suddenly becomes a much stronger piece, just as a person of humble background can suddenly come into money. In Japanese the word is usually an insult, used for people who flaunt new wealth.
The game also points out that the Japanese word for acting on a “high horse,” takabisha (高飛車), started as a shogi term. Takabisha originally meant an aggressive rook placement.
Who is Hifumi Togo?
Hifumi Togo is a student at Kosei High School and a celebrated shogi player, known for not losing her matches. Her mother manages her career and pushes her into TV appearances and photo shoots, which sits badly with Hifumi, who simply loves the game. Her interest in shogi came from her father. That tension drives her confidant story.
She represents the Star arcana. She is not a Phantom Thief, but her abilities change how you manage your party in battle.
How to unlock the Star confidant
- Finish Kaneshiro’s Palace.
- Hear from your friends about a shogi player who hangs out in Kanda.
- Have Charm at rank 3 or higher.
- Visit Kanda Church at night.
After that, Hifumi is available on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, and during the day when it rains. To rank her up past 7 you need maximum Knowledge (Erudite). Time spent with her raises Knowledge, and a romance option appears at rank 9.
Hifumi’s abilities: the shogi terms explained
Every one of Hifumi’s confidant abilities is named after a real shogi term, except the last one, which is named after her. Ability effects are as listed in Persona 5 Royal guides.
| Rank | Ability | What it does in Persona 5 | What it means in real shogi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koma Sabaki | Swap party members during Joker’s turn | Koma means piece. Sabaki means handling: getting your pieces, especially the rook and bishop, working freely, often by trading off what blocks them |
| 3 | Uchikomi | Chance of a follow-up attack from a backup member when Joker knocks an enemy down | Uchi means a drop. Uchikomi is dropping a captured piece into the opponent’s camp |
| 5 | Kakoi Kuzushi | Attempt to escape even when surrounded | Kakoi is a castle, the defensive formation around a king. Kuzushi means breaking it down |
| 7 | Narikin | Double money if you win in one turn after an ambush | A piece promoted to gold-general movement, like the tokin |
| 9 | Touryou | Instantly escape battle | Resigning a game. Shogi games usually end with a resignation once mate can’t be stopped |
| 10 | Togo System | Swap party members during anyone’s turn | Not a standard term. Real strategies are sometimes named after the professional who invented them, such as the Fujii System |
Each ability’s effect plays on its name:
- Koma Sabaki moves your pieces around smoothly, which is what sabaki means.
- Uchikomi brings in an extra attacker from off the field, just as a drop brings a piece in from your hand. See the drop rule for how that works on a real board.
- Kakoi Kuzushi breaks out of an encirclement. In real shogi you break into the opponent’s castle instead.
- Narikin pays out extra money, the joke behind the word.
- Touryou ends the fight at once, the way resigning ends a game.
“Togo System” follows the pattern of real names like the Fujii System, a set of ranging rook strategies named after professional Takeshi Fujii.
Try the real game
If Hifumi got you curious, shogi is a real game with roughly a thousand years of history and a professional league in Japan. The what is shogi page is a short overview, and the shogi rules page covers promotion, drops and everything else the game mentions. You can play shogi online against the computer here for free, with no account. For other games that put shogi in front of players, see our pages on puzzle shogi in the Yakuza series and shogi in anime and manga.
FAQ
Who is the shogi player in Persona 5?
Hifumi Togo, a Kosei High School student and shogi star who is the Star confidant. You find her at the church in Kanda at night after finishing Kaneshiro’s Palace, once your Charm is at rank 3.
What does it say on the back of the shogi piece in Persona 5 Royal?
The answer to the 6/29 class question “What do you think it says on the back of this (Shogi) piece?” is Gold. The piece is a pawn, and its promoted side, the tokin, moves like a gold general.
Which phrase comes from a shogi piece in Persona 5?
Nouveau riche. On the 7/13 final exam in the original Persona 5, the answer to “Which of these phrases has its origins in this shogi piece?” is Nouveau riche. The Japanese word narikin means both a newly rich person and a piece promoted to gold.
What does Narikin mean in Persona 5?
Narikin is Hifumi’s rank 7 ability, which doubles the money from a battle won in one turn after an ambush. In real shogi, narikin is a piece promoted into gold-general movement, and in everyday Japanese it means a person who has suddenly become rich.
What does Touryou mean in shogi?
Touryou (投了) means resigning. Shogi games usually end with one player resigning once checkmate can’t be avoided. In Persona 5, Hifumi’s Touryou ability lets you escape a battle instantly.