Persona 5 Royal Iwai confidant guide: Hanged Man choices & unlock list

The mysterious store owner that provide the Phantom Thieves with their firearms for their heists isn't just a shopkeep - he's also one of the confidants you get to know as a friend in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal. That means Iwai Munehisa comes with all the confident benefits - he represents the Hanged Man arcana, and comes with skill unlocks that prove very useful as you continue on your adventures. On top of that, you make a crucial new friend.

This guide is here to help you with that - it lists all the conversations you have with Iwai over the course of the ten ranks of the hanged man confidant cooperation, plus the best choices to make so that you can zip through this cooperation quickly and rank it up in order to free up more time to spend elsewhere. Simple!

We have the same sorts of guides for every confidant in the game - so check out our Persona 5 Confidant guide for the rest. 

Everyone will meet him as the weapons vendor, but you'll have to be proactive if you want to start the Iwai confidant relationship.

Iwai Munehisa Confidant Cooperation Guide - Hanged Man (Le Pendu - XII)

Here's every single cooperation rank and conversation with Iwai around rank-ups. The point values after answers show what each answer adds to the hidden stat that tracks your relationship - once those numbers hit certain thresholds you rank up, so you want to get to the highest rank you can.

You should always have a Hanged Man Persona on your person when you hang out with Iwai - that gives you a bonus that makes the point values as displayed on this page, and ensures you level up your confidant cooperation quickly.

  • Location & Days Iwai is available: Iwai's cooperation is always advanced by visiting him in his shop at night on a Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, or on Rainy Days. He's in his shop at day, but won't entertain advancing your friendship then.

Rank 1:

  • After 5/6 and once you see the event in the airsoft shop with the 'package' you have to hold, talk to Iwai with rank 4 (dauntless) guts to start this cooperation.
  • Unlocks Starter Customization, allowing you to tweak your guns for battle.

Impactful Conversation Choices for this Rank:

  • If you want somethin', you're gonna have to work for it.
    • Option 3: "So what's my first job?" +3
    • Option 1: "Leave it to me." +2
    • Option 2: "As long as it's safe..." +1

Rank 2:

Impactful Conversation Choices for this Rank:

  • Choice 1: "Maybe I should call him." or "That's probably the signal." to call him.
  • Sounds like there's some weird stuff goin' down.
    • Option 3: "How's your cold?" +2
    • Option 2: "What should I do now?" +2

Bonus: Proficency Up

Rank 3:

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • The same clan I was in... back when I was part of the yakuza.
    • Option 1: "I always knew you were a thug." +3
    • Option 3: "Y-Yakuza?!" +2
  • ..Hope I ain't scarin' you off with all this talk.
    • ​​​​​​Option 3: "We made a deal, didn't we?" +3

Unlocks Medium Customization of your firearms, and gives a bonus boost to your Proficiency social stat.

Rank 4

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • I'm gonna be able to give Tsuda a real scare thanks to the info you gave me!
    • Option 3: "Where's my reward?" +3
    • Option 2: "You two should play nice." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): Now Tsuda knows your face. And that could be a real problem.
    • Option 1: "I agree." +2

Bonus: Proficency Up

Rank 5:

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • He's just got too much power...
    • Option 2: "You're pathetic." +3
  • ...You prolly don't want anythin' to do with me after that, huh?
    • Option 3: "I'll stick around for the guns." +3
    • Option 1: "That's right." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): But I gotta protect that secret, no matter what. For Kaoru's sake.
    • Option 1: "You're right."

Unlocks a Discount for gun customization, as well as the now-expected bonus to your Proficency stat.

Bonus: Proficency Up

Rank 6:

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • What've you been talkin' about?
    • Option 2: "Girls." +3
    • Option 3: "That's a secret." +3
    • Option 1: "Our futures." +2
  • Ain't that right?
    • Option 3: "You should buy is something." +3
    • Option 1: "Right." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): Glad to see you two get along.
    • Option 1: "He's my age, so it comes easier." +2
    • Option 2: "All I did was listen to him." +2

Rank 7:

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • Don't somethin' about that seem off to you?
    • Option 2: "Absolutely." +3
    • Option 3: "I guess he likes guns." +2
  • And now he's tryin' to use me to cover up his mistake.
    • Option 2: "He's clever." +3
    • Option 3: "What a crafty bastard." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): We can't afford to take any chances.
    • Option 1: "Bring it on." +2

Unlocks Expert Customization for your guns. Also you get another bonus Proficency boost

Rank 8:

Requires rank 5 guts to proceed with this phase of the Iwai confidant link. Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • I hope dealing with all this yakuza business hasn't been too much trouble.
    • Option 2: "I did it all for Iwai." +3
    • Option 1: "It most definitely was." +2
  • Just forget all of this...
    • Option 1: "I will." +2
    • Option 2: "I want to help." +2

After these choices a sidequest / request for Mementos is unlocked, Shady Deal in the Shadows. Complete the quest, then return to Iwai to continue is confidant story:

  • You think a guy can really go through a drastic change that quick?
    • Option 2: "I dunno." +2
  • I understand kids these days have all sortsa commitments, so I get it if the answer's gotta be no...
    • Option 2: "I guess I could consider it." +3
    • Option 3: "If you pay me well." +3
    • Option 1: "I'm back, baby." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): Seemed like he was on the level, but... can't be too careful.
    • Option 1: "Understood." +2

Bonus: Proficency Up

Rank 9:

Impactful conversation choices for this rank:

  • Serves him right, huh?
    • Option 3: "Are you sure he's alive?" +3
    • Option 1: "That's great news." +2
  • Kaoru...
    • Option 1: "Tell him the truth." +3
    • Option 3: "You need to trust your son." +3
  • Guess you're maturin' quicker than I even realized...
    • Option 3: "He's a cool kid, huh?" +3
    • Option 1: "Karou is really strong willed." +3
    • Option 2: "He gets that maturity from you." +2
  • Phone Call (P5R): ...The kid must've grown into a man while I wasn't looking.
    • Option 1: "Like father, like son." +2
    • Option 2: "Gecko bonds go beyond blood." +2

Rank 10:

  • Any choices you make will be irrelevant, since this is the max rank.
  • Unlocks Special Customization, the maximum type of gun type weapon customization.
  • Unlocks Attis for fusion.
  • Bonus: Proficency Up