Persona 5 Royal ending spoilers ahead.
Summary
Joker and Goro Akechi are aware of their true fate in the bad ending ofPersona 5 Royal, Atlus has revealed. The move confirmed a long-standing fan theory that makes the alternate ending ofPersona 5 Royaleven bleaker than it first appeared.
Aside from thePersona 2duology, all mainline entries in the iconic JRPG franchise feature multiple endings. Specifically, those adhering to that pattern have a true ending and up to several alternate ones.Bad endings inPersonagamesoften cut the story short, but not always. The main bad ending that Atlus added toPersona 5 Royalcan qualify as either of those types because players are able to trigger it multiple times during the third semester, both before and after completing the final Palace. The choice itself sees Joker accept Maruki’s reality to stay with his friends forever, even if that means being brainwashed.
The artwork that comes up before the credits roll following that choice has long made fans theorize that both Joker and Akechi are still aware that they aren’t in the real world. That’s primarily because they seem to be giving meaningful stares to the player while everyone else is enjoying themselves. Atlus has now outright confirmed that theory viaPersona 5 Royal Official Design Works, the game’s latest artbook that hit the Japanese store shelves on March 28. The caption attached to the alternate ending artwork specifically states that Akechi and the protagonist are looking back at the viewer “to establish that they’re aware that this scene is Maruki’s ending,” according to a translation provided by Twitter user SpecterThieving.
This confirmation makesPersona 5 Royal’s bad endingeven bleaker than it might appear at first. That’s largely because Akechi himself states he would “rather be dead than live as a puppet” multiple times throughout the third semester. Knowing he’s been brainwashed, even if only subconsciously, leaves him in a tragic situation from which there is no escape.
New Persona 5 Royal Artbook Sample Pages
Granted, fans are still debating whether Akechi was even alive during the game’s epilogue. But seeing how he doesn’t immediately disappear along with all the other artificially “revived” characters when Maruki is defeated in thetrue ending ofPersona 5 Royal, many players have previously argued that he wasn’t merely a cognition.
Such convictions grew stronger after onedatamined scene fromPersona 5 Royaloutright confirmed Akechi survivedShido’s Palace. However, that cutscene cannot be considered canon since it was cut from the game.
Persona 5 Royal
WHERE TO PLAY
Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways! Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more. Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Persona 5 Royal.
