When Yojimbo asks what you want from him, most players pick the first option that sounds powerful — and end up paying thousands more gil than they need to. The good news is that this negotiation has a clear pattern, and once you understand it, you can recruit him for a reasonable price without much guesswork.
This guide covers which dialogue option to pick and why it matters, how the haggling works step by step, what a realistic final price looks like, and how your answers affect his behavior later in battle.
What the Yojimbo “Quiz” Actually Is
Yojimbo is an optional Aeon found in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth, located below the Calm Lands. To get there, take the northern exit from the Calm Lands, head right under the bridge, and follow the path into the valley leading to the cavern entrance.
Before you even talk to his fayth, you have to fight Lady Ginnem’s Yojimbo. Lady Ginnem was Lulu’s former summoner, and her unsent spirit still haunts the area. Defeat her Yojimbo, proceed through the cavern, and use the teleport pad to reach the Chamber of the Fayth.
You also need to have defeated Defender X before accessing this area, so if you haven’t done that yet, that comes first.
Once you reach the fayth, the “quiz” begins. It’s really two connected decisions: a dialogue choice about your purpose, and a back-and-forth price negotiation. Both of these affect your outcome, so it’s worth understanding what each one does before you answer.
The One Dialogue Choice That Changes Everything
After speaking with the fayth, Yojimbo asks: “Summoner, what do you want of me?” Three options appear on screen. Most players either pick the one that sounds strongest or go with their gut — but there’s a clear right answer here.
Choose the third option: “To defeat the most powerful of enemies.”
This does two things at once. First, it sets his opening price at 250,000 gil — the lowest starting point of the three options. The other choices result in a higher initial price, which means you’re negotiating from a worse position before you’ve even made an offer.
Second, it raises his hidden motivation stat. Yojimbo has a compatibility system that influences how likely he is to use Zanmato — his instant-kill attack — in battle. Picking this option gives you a better starting point on that stat, which matters a lot for late-game use.
If you pick one of the other options, you’re not locked out of recruiting him. You can still negotiate and get him to join. But you’ll pay more gil, and his long-term effectiveness takes a slight hit. There’s no real upside to the other options, so pick the third one every time.
How to Haggle His Fee Down — Step by Step
After you choose the third dialogue option, Yojimbo asks for 250,000 gil. Don’t accept this. The game is built around a negotiation, and he expects you to counter.
The standard approach that most tested sequences use is to start by offering roughly half his asking price, plus one. So your first counter should be 125,001 gil.
He won’t accept that, but it moves the negotiation forward. He’ll lower his price — typically to somewhere around 205,000 to 225,000 gil depending on how the exchange plays out. From there, you keep countering with offers that are roughly half his latest counter, with a small buffer added.
Here are two sequences that players have confirmed work:
Sequence A (from community testing)
- Your offer: 125,001 → He counters: ~225,000
- Your offer: 112,501 → He counters: ~202,500
- Your offer: 141,751 → He accepts around 190,350
Sequence B (from guide walkthroughs)
- Your offer: 125,001 → He counters: ~205,000
- Your offer: 112,501 → He counters again
- Continue offering roughly half + a buffer → He accepts around 197,000
The exact numbers can shift slightly between runs. Some players report getting him for around 180,000 gil; others land at closer to 200,000. The key point is that no single exact sequence is “the only way.” Any reasonable path that uses the half-plus-buffer approach will get you into the 180,000–200,000 range.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Don’t lowball too aggressively. Offering something extremely low without a buffer can cause him to reject the deal outright and kick you out of the chamber.
- If he does kick you out, you’re not locked out. Step back onto the teleport pad, re-enter the chamber, and try again.
- Save your game outside the chamber before you start. If the negotiation goes sideways, you can reload and try a different sequence.
- Some players suggest waiting a second or two between offers rather than selecting your counter immediately. This may help avoid instant rejections, though it’s not a confirmed mechanic.
Before you attempt this, make sure you have at least 200,000 gil on hand — more if you want some flexibility or plan to go for the bonus below.
The Triple-Price Bonus and When It’s Worth It
There’s one extra detail that’s easy to miss: if you offer Yojimbo three times his final accepted price, he joins your party and gives you 2 Teleport Spheres as a bonus.
For example, if the negotiation lands at 197,000 gil, offering 591,000 gil instead triggers the bonus. He accepts, joins, and hands over the spheres.
Teleport Spheres are useful for sphere grid optimization in the late game. They let you move a character to any node already activated by another character, which saves a lot of grinding if you’re trying to build out your party’s stats.
Whether this is worth it depends on two things: how much gil you have, and how much you need those spheres. If you’re still in the mid-game and your gil is tight, skip the bonus and just recruit him normally. If you’re well-funded and planning a serious late-game build, the triple offer is a solid investment.
For general gaming tips, resources, and guides across different topics, Bizblinks is worth bookmarking.
Either way, the bonus is optional. Don’t feel pressured to go for it if it doesn’t fit your playthrough.
How Your Answers Affect Yojimbo in Battle
Once Yojimbo joins your party, he works differently from other Aeons. You don’t command him directly — instead, you pay him gil each time you want him to act, and he chooses which attack to use based on several factors.
His attacks range from weakest to strongest: Daigoro, Kozuka, Wakizashi, and Zanmato. Zanmato is the one most players want because it instantly defeats almost any enemy, including some of the hardest bosses in the game.
What influences which attack he uses:
- How much gil you pay him in battle
- His compatibility or motivation stat with Yuna
- The difficulty of the enemy being fought
- Some hidden factors that aren’t fully documented
This is why the dialogue choice at the start matters beyond just the price. Picking “to defeat the most powerful of enemies” gives you a better starting compatibility score, which nudges the odds toward Zanmato when you need it most. It’s not a guarantee — paying him more gil in battle still matters — but starting with higher compatibility means you’re working from a better baseline.
Players often use Yojimbo against Dark Aeons, Monster Arena creations, and other optional superbosses that are otherwise very difficult to deal with. Because Zanmato can end those fights immediately, having Yojimbo fully optimized from the moment you recruit him saves you a lot of trouble later.
Quick Recap Before You Head In
Here’s the short version if you want to go straight to the chamber:
- Defeat Defender X first if you haven’t already.
- Find the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth north of the Calm Lands.
- Beat Lady Ginnem’s Yojimbo inside the cavern.
- Use the teleport pad to reach the Chamber of the Fayth.
- When asked what you want, pick “To defeat the most powerful of enemies.”
- Counter his 250,000 opening with 125,001.
- Keep offering roughly half his counter plus a buffer until he accepts — usually around 180,000–200,000 gil.
- If he rejects you, re-enter and try again. Save beforehand so you can reload if needed.
- Optional: offer triple his accepted price to get 2 Teleport Spheres.
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