Many players will be wondering about the Persona 5 Royal ending or maybe they would like a simple study on it. We at Binfogamer.com explain to you today both the new endings and the new plot part.
Needless to reiterate that this article contains heavy spoilers, if you want information on Persona 5 Royal please consult our wiki.
If you are looking for something more direct, feel free to consult our guide that explains how to unlock the new semester and the new ending.
We break down all the Persona 5 Royal highlights one at a time, even citing some of our own speculations.
Do not worry, we will specify the parts in doubt in the text, in order to provide you with top quality information on the ending of this magnificent title.
The true identity of Kasumi Yoshizawa (Violet)
One of the most important twists within the plot is the true identity of Kasumi Yoshizawa, or if you prefer Violet for the Phantom Thieves.
Numerous clues are scattered throughout the story regarding this mysterious character not present in the original version of the game.
As already mentioned in our guide to Cinderella, Kasumi is actually not who she says she is. The real name of the girl is in fact Sumire, who, after losing her older sister Kasumi in an accident, received the help of Takuto Maruki (truth), being transformed in all respects into the latter.
Takuto Maruki used Sumire as a guinea pig to test her new powers and at the same time to make her happy, being crushed at that moment by the burden that her sister's death represented for her.
At the end of the game we can see how Sumire greets the protagonist and goes in the opposite direction to hers, now confident in herself and ready to face new challenges.
Takuto Maruki's story and his motivations
After his retirement from Shujin Academy on November 18th, Takuto won't show up until the new part of Persona 5 Royal.
Let's summarize what happened chronologically within the plot.
Takuto Maruki was a brilliant graduate student engaged in the experimental field of psychognitive science, who has seen all sorts of things.
The family of his fiancée, Rumi, is brutally murdered and takes the girl into a deep state of depression, which she can barely speak of.
Unable to bear this injustice, something clicks inside Takuto and right there he begins to manifest the power of his Person for the first time, Azatoth.
Unfortunately, Rumi loses his memory and Takuto doesn't actually know what happened, being the first time he uses this mysterious power. He then decides to abandon his ex-girlfriend, now unable to recognize him, to free her from a possible future relapse.
The misadventures of the young doctoral student do not end here, in fact his research on the subject is interrupted for reasons unknown to him. Behind the excuse of the absence of evidence, the university puts a stop to the research of Takuto, who is even more motivated to follow his path in a less conventional way.
In reality it was the plan orchestrated by Masayoshi Shido, who appropriated his research to deepen it in Wakaba, Futaba's mother. The research laboratory a Odaiba it thus remains abandoned, becoming Takuto Maruki's Palace at this very moment, albeit unconsciously.
Continuing to use the powers of his persona Azatoth, he meets by pure chance a very psychologically unstable girl, namely Sumire Yoshizawa. He then decides to alleviate his pain by fulfilling his desire for fake glory and alienation from reality.
The Doctor's Brilliant Plan
The purpose of the school counselor is to collect the wishes of as many students at Shujin to present the research to the professor who was supposed to approve his thesis.
To do this, he also needs to gather information from Phantom Thieves, as they are students.
During his magical sessions, Takuto manages to obtain the necessary information and to know the wishes of each member of the group, except for Goro Akechi, who does not attend Shujin Academy.
In fact, Takuto was already aware of the identity of the Phantom Thieves from the Kamoshida story, having glimpsed the Joker, Ann and Ryuji returning from the Metaverse.
On November 18th Takuto will drop out of Shujin Academy, giving a speech to students urging them to avoid pain and negativity and stay fit.
On December 24 Takuto presents his research to the professor, who belittles it by inviting him not to get in the middle of Masayoshi Shido. Just then, Yaldabaoth appears, causing the corruption of Takuto's Persona.
In fact, before the merger between the Memento and Tokyo there was no catalyst that would give a tangible form to the Persona.
After the defeat of Yaldabaoth by the Joker and Satanael, power passes directly to Takuto, who becomes the new God of control in fact. This happens thanks to the temporary void created immediately after the fall of the previous divinity.
The long awaited moment
Now Takuto's Persona has full control not only over its bearer but also over the Memento, controlled and probed thanks to "cables" connected directly to the Palace in Odaiba. By doing so, the wishes of the masses can be fulfilled quickly and in a timely manner.
So this new semester never existed in the original version because it is a construction by Takuto Maruki in which the wishes of the Phantom Thieves have come true.
Azatoth represents the creator god of the material world, but who does not present any rational thought and acts unconsciously from a human point of view. Precisely for this reason, Azatoth represents the artificial world created by Takuto Maruki full of happiness and free of pain.
Furthermore, Azathoth's power also allows the dead to be brought back to life, since it is not a question of perception, but of actual physical reality.
Once you have completed his Palace and reached the highest level, called Eden, the player will face a Takuto Maruki in all her glory.
But why does Azatoth turn into Adam Kadmon? The answer lies in the fact that the latter represents infinite wisdom unlike its former form. Furthermore, he is also interpretable as the Messiah, and you can also notice this from the sentences he will say during the battle.
Takuto, joining the Olympic torch (his Treasure therefore) to Azatoth, manages to achieve the supreme knowledge and the ambition necessary to achieve his goal.
Another reason why Adam Kadmon was chosen probably lies in the reference to Adam, a biblical figure that is linked to Eden.
Despite his Persona's awakening, the school counselor hasn't been able to stop the Phantom Thieves' attempt and decides to give all of himself to Adam Kadmon.
By letting himself be absorbed he awakens the Person once again, making him tremendously stronger. The only way to defeat him will be to directly hit Takuto Maruki, located in Adam Kadmon's insides.
Thanks to the delay of the group, Joker manages to climb with the grappling hook on top of the colossus and hit the bearer mask, ending the battle.
That's not all, Takuto doesn't give up and decides to hinder the group's escape. Joker decides to face him in a head-on confrontation, but due to the impending collapse of the Palace neither of them will be able to use their powers.
A symbolic battle ensues in which the only weapon you will have is your fists. After "coming to his senses" the doctor with the old ways, Joker will be able to save him from a sudden fall into the void.
What happens to Takuto Maruki after the finale?
After the defeat of Takuto Maruki, we can see him in the final as a taxi driver who helps the protagonist to sow his pursuers. The change of heart has happened correctly, since his Treasure has been lost and has really changed.
We can also note how Takuto Maruki is different from the other owners of Palazzi, since not only do we not see his cognitive version, but we do not even see any particularly evil intent.
Despite the corruption of the Person, his disposition remains benevolent at the bottom and sums up the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions". In fact Takuto with his "pride" insists on imposing his reality on everyone to make them happy, even if some people would like to solve their problems by themselves.
Is Goro Akechi alive or dead?
Good question, unfortunately we don't know very well from what we saw in Persona 5 Royal. Theoretically Akechi would die, since he was resurrected by Takuto in an attempt to make him meet once again with Akechi for the "challenge" that the two had promised.
If you remember, one of the requirements to get the real ending was to bond with Akechi. In fact, the two promise to meet in the future and challenge each other. Remember when Joker thinks about the challenge with Akechi before falling asleep?
So why have doubts about Akechi's death? Simple, in the final video of the game Joker sees a silhouette that is clearly Akechi, despite the shot only showing the dress and not the face.
Immediately after the protagonist looks at the train window and sees his reflection, but wearing the Metaverse costume. It is easy to understand how Atlus wants to leave the story in suspense once again, indicating at the same time that the Metaverse has not yet been completely destroyed.
A possible logical explanation for Akechi's survival lies in the fact that Akechi may have been hiding somewhere in the Metaverse by escaping his cognitive version and Shido. In fact, it is not known who the shot was coming from on the other side of the security door.
In addition, Akechi as a wild card has powers similar to those of the Joker, despite having been reduced to poor condition by the immediate previous fight with the Phantom Thieves.
Takuto may very well have revived a fictional version of Akechi, while in the original reality Goro may have still been alive and well.
Unfortunately, there are no official confirmations and these are just some of our speculations about it.
Bad Ending
In this ending we don't see any other members of the group but, knowing Takuto's intentions, they will probably be living peacefully and happily in their ignorance.
We will only see Takuto Maruki who will wish us a good stay in the reality he created. The protagonist will fall asleep and nothing will be known about the Phantom Thieves ...
Fake reality ending
By accepting the doctor's offer we will avoid the confrontation with Cinderella and we will spend the rest of our days in the fictional reality concocted by Takuto. The group graduated from al Shujin and the commemorative photo was taken by the doctor himself.
Everyone lives happily ever after with loved ones, including Takuto Maruki himself.
Actually, this would technically be the happy ending, but is it really? We will cover this sensitive issue in another future article!
The future of Persona 5
The surprises do not end there, given that Persona 5 Scramble in Japan has already been released, a spinoff but canonical title that follows the events of the original game.
There is still no certainty about it, although Atlus has declared that it is a sequel to Persona 5.
But, given the Persona 5 Royal ending, it's safe to say that it could in fact be a sequel to the Royal version, as the two games converge towards the same events at the end.
Possible references to Persona 2 !?
One of the thorny issues of this title concerns the presence of some old acquaintance from Person 2 (HEAVY SPOILERS). If you haven't played the title, stop here, don't go any further because we're going to spoil you a lot of stuff about the classic Persona trilogy.
Put simply, many fans were hoping to meet Nyarlathotep, the final boss of both Persona 2, as tentacles had been glimpsed in the trailers. In the end, Azathoth is still Nyarlathotep's father in the Lorecraftian lore and his son is also his messenger.
We also saw another possible reference to Persona 2: Innocent Sin, but it is our speculation. When Takuto traps Sumire, he holds her hostage thanks to Azatoth's tentacles forming a cross, a scene that may remind you of something.
It is the same thing that Nyarlathotep shows in the ending of Innocent Sin when he reveals to Jun his parents, in particular the father, of whom he has assumed the likeness.
What would have served or would have liked
The new semester is quite a welcome addition and completes a game that was basically near perfect.
We complain about the usual abrupt treatment of the final part of the story, which, although it does not affect the gameplay experience in any way, could have been avoided to give more space to the new characters introduced by this re-release.
The problem inherent in Goro Akechi can also be there, after all it serves to create the usual aura of mystery and foment the hype of the fanbase for possible future explanations.
The choice of an ending that leaves room for the imagination is really excellent from a logical point of view, since it allows you to add any details without ruining other elements considered previously.
The management of the antagonist is really excellent, who does not fit into the usual equation "adult = bad" but manages to go further and partially get closer to the Phantom Thieves.
This is also due to Takuto being quite young and therefore closer to the group's teenage problems. In a certain sense Takuto represents a bit of the school consultant or the most capable teacher of others, willing to listen to us for hours without asking for anything in return.
After all, in Persona 5 Royal the characters who preached a lot of willpower to deal with problems are the first to have taken refuge in an ideal reality.
Sumire fits perfectly into the same category as Takuto and, just like him, manages to break out of the vicious circle of a happy illusion.
What can I say, Persona 5 Royal evolves what we saw with the original version and offers us various food for thought on society (not only Japanese) and on individual willpower.
Despite numerous adversities, the Phantom Thieves decide to return to a "real" reality rather than rely on "abstract" happiness.
![Persona 5 Strikers - Game Trophy Guide [SPOILER]](/images/posts/cbaeff34ca85a26d8ea14fd04621ff00-0.jpg)
