@@darklion2704 The voice of a man frustrated and confounded by people who seem to want the same things, but instead insist on fighting him. The wailing guitar perfectly captures that raw emotion.
@@Jtheclown i know this comment is old but to keep the phosapy going a man who is in the dark can't pass the torch to one who sees the light the man needs to find the exit first
@@myosotis3062 but he did now sound like he would be dying of old age how did he die? (Also thanks for answering me i did not know who he was so sorry)
Maruki is a great example of what seems to be a literary rarity: the Anti-Villain. On the surface, his actions are really no different from Jaldabaoth, seeking to deprive all humankind of their ability to exercise their free will. But whereas Jaldabaoth was actually seeking control, Maruki just wanted everyone to be free of pain and suffering. The true irony? Maruki's inner mind is on display with the questions in his palace. Judging by the correct answer to the last question, he thinks that people who have the power to affect the hearts of others in the way he and the Phantom Thieves can are obligated to do so in whatever way they think will better the world. Even though they end up opposing him, he ultimately can't bring himself to condemn the Phantom Thieves for their actions. It's just an irreconcilable difference of opinion, both trying to do what they think is right, and he truly regrets that their final conflict is inevitable. Superb writing.
Yaldabaoth deemed that he needed to step in to prevent humanity's ruin as he was proven correct. Even with a trickster attempting to inspire them they did nothing to stop the evil of the world. Maruki on the other hand simply removed pain from the equation which also took away the need for any growth and it became an obselete thing to achieve. I would personally say both Yaldabaoth and Maruki were more morally right than the protagonist considering the phantom thieves did exactly what they both did all the game, forcefully changing the cognition of evil people without their consent to what they believe is betterment of society. Without any super natural beings nothing could have been achieved as Yaldabaoth hoped to be proven wrong on that but alas was proven right.
@@cloudshifter That's... an interesting take. You say "stop the evil of the world", but within the context of Persona 5, evil is demonstrated to be the attempt to control others and subvert their will. Yaldabaoth is literally the God of Control; he's not attempting to stop the evils of the world, he's the personification of them. The Phantom Thieves, while exercising ultimate control over certain other people, are still the good guys because of how they're choosing to use their power. They're "fixing distortions" in the cognition of others and only taking action on those who are actively harming others, which is why they have a little doubt at the beginning of Madarame's arc. Yaldabaoth tried to forcibly write them out of existence, then was defeated by rallying the collective belief of everyone in the Phantom Thieves. With how everything is presented, it's 100% correct to say that the Trickster was successful in inspiring the masses to reject the ultimate evil. Maruki is the more subtle refinement of the lessons from that arc. The story has established that control of others for your own benefit or for the sake of control are evil, but what about if you go running in the exact opposite direction? Is stripping the masses of their free will justified if it makes them happy? The game ultimately decides that it isn't, which is fully in keeping with the themes of Persona. Solipsism is rejected because the relationships we form with others are important, and the idealized reality is rejected because it's still a cognitive distortion, even if it's pleasant. The Persona philosophy in a nutshell is that true happiness and actualization of humanity occurs when people can see the world for what it is and earnestly strive to make it better for themselves and others. The reality of it matters, which was the reason why Maruki was, however good intentioned, still the final villain.
@@lucariken2065 They are close, but no. It's actually pretty accurate to say that the Phantom Thieves themselves are anti-heroes. They're trying to go after the bad guys and help everyone out, but the actions that they take are, in a vacuum, often villainous in nature. Breaking and entering, stealing information from ongoing police investigations, hacking into people's computers, etc. are all crimes, and forcibly changing people's minds by stealing their hearts is romanticized, but is ultimately a form of mind control. However in the context of P5, they're doing things for the greater good. The reason why Maruki is an anti-villain instead of an anti-hero comes down to the judgments made by the games narrative. In particular, that the end result of happiness and contentment shouldn't be considered a good result if it is based on lies and delusion. That delusion denied people the means to grow as individuals and seek true happiness, and thus denied their ability to actualize their own potential. Also, a key theme of Persona is that the bonds we form with others are intrinsically vital to that growth, and you can't form those bonds with people if you can't even share the same reality with them. This makes Maruki a villain, but one with good intentions. Since his motives are ultimately altruistic, despite the fact that he's bringing about what is judged to be a negative outcome, the label of anti-villain applies.
It's really telling that before the fight starts, not only is there no grand "we're the heroes, you're the villain" speech, but Maruki is the only Palace Ruler that we can actually say "I'm sorry" to. Maruki: Don't apologize. All this means is that we both have something we can't afford to let fail. ...God dammit Maruki, cut me some slack and be even a little villainous, would you? This hurts too much.
@@LuizSPK not me. The man wanted to fucking martyrize himself. It was a fight where I was tryina save him in my way and he was tryina save me in his way.
He’s a well-written character 🥹 and prob the best villain from the game. With a solid motive. Part of me was hoping there could be some compromise between both sides (and have Akechi live too) but ofc not 🥲
@@nafihanasar5271Akechi is alive actually, if you maxed out his confidant and such, as Joker leaves on the Train, the scene slows down outside and while the top is whited out, the lower half you see Akechi in his usual getup being taken by the two government agents who were following you.
Truly it's saddest when the villain you must defeat is genuinely a good person. I won't apologize for this confrontation and though it hurts to do this, Maruki for our last heist, we shall take your heart!
"And I believe you call forth your power like this.... Persona." - I have said it before and I will say it again, but the delivery of this line was so incredible! You could really hear that [REDACTED] really regretted having to fight you and sincerely wished things would have gone a different way. This was SO fantastic! Rest in Peace, Billy Kametz! You shall forever be remembered by us all, whenever we hear your voice.
I love that quote man, it shows just how inexperienced Maruki is with his power, he's a lab geek who's been using his power for things other than battle and is only using Azathoth to fight on the fly because his focus has never been on combat. And yet he was no pushover, his skill was both amazing and fearsome, imagine if he'd been more warlike, or had time to hone his craft.
I dodged so many P5r spoilers for….a long while before I managed to get my hands on a copy, and play it to the end. Everything built up to this moment made for one heck of a satisfying ending. And something that I really like was just like during shido’s boss fight where it’s the heroes theme that plays, Maruki gets his own hero theme that you’re fighting against, and have to ultimately shut down.
Same was dodging them for nearly a year until I played it myself cause I knew danm well it would be incredible and usually everyone wants to ruin that.
Was really glad I managed to evade this song for so long just to hear it in game. God damn that guitar riff at the beginning is just beautiful. Sucks I wasn't able to get all the flavor text of the fight though
I just beat the game on Switch and had no idea this track existed. When the lyrics kicked in I just sat there for a minute or so listening and taking in the image of the final boss staring me down.
@@Varrick24 Did you not get to the Royal content? Otherwise how could you not notice this awesome song as it was playing during the true final boss? Also the only boss music throughout the game was Blooming Villain and Rivers in a Desert, so when Yaldaboath's theme and this theme played during their respective boss fights I instantly noticed.
I honestly wasn't paying attention to the music until I actually took a minute to not take any action and listen. Do I regret trying to speed run the fight (even though I couldn't as the fight was hard.)
I literally JUST finished Maruki's boss fight and man he just wouldn't go down! He's prolly the most relatable villain I've seen in any RPG to me cuz what he's doing isn't inherently bad, and this song reflects that.
I think the point is that he WAS doing something bad but he truly had good intentions. He was robbing humanity of any sort of agency, of any choice in their own fates, in service of ending all pain and suffering.
@@Inksploded in a way though, Maruki’s actions aren’t far off from Jaldabaoth, unwillingly controlling everyone in a world that they believe all people desire while essentially taking away any sort of free will (at least that’s how I view it). The only thing that really differs is the intention
Throw Away Your Mask is Maruki's final plea to let him reshape reality. He restates his previous arguments; The world is scuffed, and pain permeates every sentient being like a plague. He has the capability to rewrite all of existence and eliminate the root cause of that pain: the memories which caused the pain, lingering in human cognition. He begs you to stop fighting so he can change that cognition. And even though he makes a compelling argument, you know you have to stop him, because no matter how much his reality would benefit the human condition, it would rob the people of their free will.
Different from Akechi where the world beat the good out of him but for Maruki the world beat hope out of him. This a song were a man wasn't consumed by desire but lost his desire
I like to think that while Akechi and Ren were opposite sides of the same coin,Maruki and Ren were parallels. Both going the same destination,but both going at it in a different way
It's the original villain of P5's stance but rather than it just being his flimsy justification for taking over humanity. Maruki earnestly believes he is doing the right thing and has no ill intentions with what he is doing. In some aspects he is right but it doesn't change the fact that free will comes first.
@@BornotB-ij9xk It makes even more sense if you consider that Ren has been doing the exact same thing all game, changing cognitions to what he believes is the best for society.
If you live in a world without suffering, do you truly know joy? Because if you live in a world of only suffering, you will become numb to it, or die. But if all you know is happiness, always in the absence of pain, you'll never be able to decipher if it's real, and will become numb. Joy is understanding that while suffering happens, you can always rise above it. You know the bad times won't last and look forward to the good times. It's knowing that it's okay to cry, because one day, you'll laugh. You'll look at it all and see just how much you've overcome.
This is maybe the only statement that i agree to counter Maruki's ideology. Because if it's applied to reality this is exactly how it works, the immense growth and satisfaction with feeling Joy after maybe a countless Suffering is so much more powerful than just being happy all the time. It's the only fact that makes sense... the thing that people said about robbing them of their freedom or will or even caged in a fake utopia was not worthy to challenge Maruki's intent. That's how powerful his good intention is... no living beings in this world want to suffer their whole life. But knowing Maruki he would probably say "But are you prepared to undergo that vicious cycle of life?" or "Not all people can reach happiness after their endless suffering, some will suffer until the end"
@@anakmaganggaming I know you're playing devil's advocate with the potential Maruki responses but I would like to respond to them nonetheless. My reply to the first is: I am. I face my trials everyday and though I feel pain and suffering, I know it will end. Call it blind faith, delusion, or anything under the sun, but that cycle breaks eventually and the rewards are worth it. And I know this because I have broken my chains, I have done things I was told that were impossible, I have evolved past who I was yesterday and I know if a poor bastard like myself can break the cycle, anyone can. And to the latter: That is as ignorant as it is false. Those who suffer will have those who help them through that suffering. If I see someone is hurting, I will not hesitate to offer my hand, my presence and my sympathy. Not everyone has that privilege of stumbling across a sympathetic person, but I'll be damned if I don't do my part. And if I may add, if suffering is truly to be eliminated, what about death? If suffering doesn't exist, death cannot either, because someone ceasing to be alive will be cause for another's grief. As a result, the world will become crowded with human beings incapable of dying, crowding our planet shoulder to shoulder. Remove any part of the equation of what it means to be human, and no outcome becomes preferable. And even if we extended our reach to the stars, the universe will still end at some point. Unless it was infinitely expanding and the heat death never came, there will always be an end. Beginnings cannot be written if you haven't understood there will be an end. As such, there will always need to be suffering in order for happiness to be felt and joy to be known. Life, death, happiness, suffering, joy, they all come together to make the tapestry of humanity and though we are a mess, we are still beautiful in our toiling because we never truly toil alone. Interactions that may take seconds could change the course of someone's life. Who are we to guide people to a life of no reward and potential growth and change?
That's not exactly what it is. There are still bad days and bad experiences, there are just not severe traumatic experiences. The world was exactly the same as before Yaldabaoth, the only change was that no one would fall pray to something incredibly horrible and life altering. In fact most people have the exact same thoughts in Maruki world as they had all game and even after his defeat. Nothing really changed in the public.
Japan has been doing a good job with "Villains who are good people and good intentions but bad methods" for a while now but I think this was one of the first times they had you also really *_befriend_* the person who would become the surprise villain and there wasn't even a hint beforehand it was going to happen.
i love this song because it doesn't sound like your fightning something evil its like your overcoming yourself and coming to terms with your own reality as well as the fake one
Sounds like the only one of two songs with lyrics that aren’t from the Phantom Thieves’ perspective. This one sounds like Maruki, even during the fight, pleading with Joker to side with him and join his reality. Whims of Fate always sounded to me like Sae warning the Phantom Thieves’ of the dangers of her casino.
The way this edit was put together & structured, to me, is reminiscent of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Where everything starts off instrumental, then the vocals kick in at pivotal moments.
@@mewacyboi huh all this time me hearing this I always thought of you heariing Maruki's perspective in what he wants for the world especially for the Team but that makes sense then too since Akechi is in heaven and Joker would wish the best for him so awesome I'll keep that in mind too thanks for the share! 👍
@@mewacyboi This might sound crazy but what you said kind of validates two thoughts in my head in which Maruki either screwed up from the beginning or he on purposely had the Phantom Thieves helping him undo everything he had done when his Palace came to fruition.
@@gutembergnery7985 maybe im getting this wrong but i think you misunderstood the comment he the ending theme he means its not this song but another one this one is meant to be marukis view on the world yes
It's not as simple as white or black. That is the perspective of our teenager protagonists. In fact they did exactly what ydabaoth and Maruki did all game, changing cognitions of people left and right tk what they believed would make society better. Everything they achieved proved Yaldabaoth right, since it was done by supernatural means and not by people genuenly changing their ways and Maruki offered the alternative of a world identical to their own but simply without severe traumas, bad days, good days and all. You had a parent who died in a car crash unjust? That never happened cause it shouldn't have happened, nobody deserves that. Growing emotionally stronger means tackling the next big trauma. If there is no next big trauma to prepare for, there is no need to prepare in the first place.
I haven't played this game since late April 2020 when I beat the game. I still get chills. I still get misty eyed. My favorite final boss in all of gaming. A genuinely great man who just wanted to help humanity, in his own misguided way. I genuinely didn't want to fight him, because I couldn't consider him a villain. I knew I HAD to, but I didn't WANT to. Rest in peace, Mr. Billy Kametz
After beating this game again just last night, I can easily say I am glad I played the Persona series. It was like this franchise was destined to be one of my favorites, and I feel like it taught me so much I did not know about myself. Ever since I first saw Morgana I did not know what the series was and since Joker got into smash I was like I need to get into this series. I watched a playthrough of Vanilla Persona 5 and I thought this was a great game. I even looked into more of the persona series and listened to the soundtracks. Then, in Christmas 2020, I asked for a ps4, and one of the games I got was Persona 5 Royal. Even though I watched a playthrough, I played it through the first time and really got to enjoy the characters and the gameplay and the story. I played it again and realized as an adult what the hell I was doing with myself. So yeah, I feel like this series taught me that even in our grieving, we have to keep living life, our friends will always be there for me, you need to accept your flaws, never be afraid to stand up for yourself, you should never pretend to be someone or something and just be your own self.
I will never forget beating this boss with my Orpheus, he was on the bench for a lot of the time but once I saw the tentacles were weak to his attacks I unleashed that monster, best game ever.
3:06 a moment of silence for billy... Rest in peace and you are a legendary warrior who will always be warrior in the hearts of many... A voice actor I will never let go of 😭💗
Wish Maruki and Sumire were in Strikers it would be nice to see their character development later on especially since you don't get to play with Sumire too much either in Royal as her main game play is during Maruki palace
Form 1: Ok, this is not too bad. Ill just keep buffing and debuffing. Form 2: Damn this is taking too long. He gets how many turns? Running out of SP! (90 minutes later) Form 3: I knew it, its not over yet. Goddammit. Oh dam, theres lyrics now! Form 4 :Still going. Are you kidding me?! Form 5: Naruto VS Sauske flash back.
@@ekandll yeah, it is basically that, 2 men fighting each other only using their fists, but ig that the game can be considered old rn, so most people don't even take it to compare because they don't know about the fight.
Thrres not another soundtrack that can, by itself, make me want to return to a game. The music was amazing, and the people who wrote and preformed it deserve all the love. All the Persona music is oddly extraordinary.
@@Captain_M27 yeah, i get that. But its very anime style for people that arent interested into the style. The game literally got me watching anime because i had kept a distance from it in the past.
This is the best boss fight in existence because, let's be honest... Not a single one of you would wanna live your mundane, painful lives. The idea of being free of your suffering and living your best life? You would take that offer in a heartbeat. Either that, or sleep forever. That also sounds like an amazing prospect...
the palace ruler is so morally gray, its crazy. some people would think what they are doing is okay, and some may think the phantom thieves are in the right. amazing writing
That, and some people would rather escape their current reality, be it emotional pain or trauma that they go through, who would say no to changing their lives in a positive manner even if they lose their free will? Personally, I deal with trauma myself, and I feel like in a situation like that, I’d be very tempted to give up my free will to avoid pain. But at the same time I do believe that we must endure pain to grow and learn to live. I do agree with Maruki too, some people can’t handle their own suffering alone, and escapism is really their only option until they realize that escaping isn’t what they really need.
And then you also have people that just don't believe in free will, I'm one of those. second to that is the antagonist in this game is a better custodian than our actual political leader in our reality. It's a false reality, that's fine. We live in a reality we're truth and information has reached a point of the Liar's dividends, which I can actually see people make good case is much worse than living in a blissful Matrix. And we are facing such cataclysmic things in the future, that will ruin mankind and also take with them most of animal kind as well, also Maybe reshaping the bias wear of our planet for thousands of years. Actually having an appointment Overlord that is a God that would do good for people, is perhaps more preferable than pure chaos in every Arena you can possibly think of.
How most video games handle boss battle music: *Epic orchestra music that'll make this scene like a movie* How Persona does their boss battle music: *Crying guitar noises*
No joke, i was tearing up during the fight, because I get wanting to help everyone... but giving everyone their dream isnt what they truly need, they need to gain it themselves... It resonates with me because I tend to put others before myself and I want to help my friends find happiness at the expense of my own...just seeing them happy is what fills me with purpose Guess maruki really struck a cord huh?
one of the best villain character that ever made wait, we can't call him a villain either, he didn't even want to hurt us, and his goal just want to make us safe and happy without any bad things happened to us..
Estuve pensando en que, en cierta parte entiendo al Doctor Maruki, sobre querer estar en una realidad donde eres más feliz sin sufrir por traumas o por alcanzar tus metas, y esa "realidad" serían los videojuegos o en su defecto el Persona 5. Yo, como alguien que pasa muchas horas jugando, el Persona 5 hizo replantearme mi vida, me hizo querer no seguir perdiendo el tiempo y encontrar mis propios sueños, aunque suene contradictorio dicidí jugarme una segunda Run del juego, más porque me sentía insatisfecho la primera vez, pero está vez con la mentalidad de aprender las lecciones de los confidentes, saber qué sentido darle a mi vida, sentirme como su amigo y despedirme adecuadamente del juego, tardé unas 350 horas en 3 meses, y a día de hoy sí he intentado mejorar: no he vuelto a inciar otro videojuego, retomé algunos hobbies viejos, recordé porqué inicié mi carrera y me he enfocado en mi desarrollo personal. Nunca olvidaré lo que fue Persona 5 para mí.
It's interesting that Doc's battle theme is like the only one with lyrics that's from his perspective as opposed to the Thieves'. Compare this to Rivers in the Desert. I'm not going to pretend I'm smart enough to dig for the thematic meaning behind that choice.
i think its mostly to resemble how enticing the deal is, so much so that the song itself is slightly siding with the boss in a way, but it would probably be more accurate to say that it’s your party or just joker starting to double guess themself
I am glad Billy will be immortalised through his work, but man, it sucks that his death takes attention away from how awesome the song and character are on their own.
Honestly I sometimes chose Maruki’s ending in honour of Billy There no pain in that when it grows to be to hard because I forgot to level properly and the boss grows to be to hard I consider it to be paying respect because the ending doesn’t seem bad
Maruki is way to good of a villain to be only in the 15 hour expansion to this game. I kinda wish he was the main villain of persona 6 instead because we would get more time to explore why he's wrong instead of the PT just saying "yeah but what if I wanna suffer" and then punching him. Not saying royal is bad, just saying Maruki deserved better since he's one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen.
Does anyone know if Maruki is successfully able sow doubt in someone’s mind during the battle if you didn’t max their confidant? I know he tries and everyone resists, but it’d make sense if someone you didn’t max starts to doubt the reality you’re fighting for. Can anyone confirm?
@@technology5979Illusion of choice moment. No doubt the devs would have wanted to add in a mechanic like that, but it probably would have been too difficult or obstruct from the story's original goal and tone.
"I gave up everything! EVERYTHING!" RIP Billy
that’s swear to my bones
Such pain and emotion in that delivery 😢
Billy had cancer when doing this game which makes it sadder
@@darklion2704 The voice of a man frustrated and confounded by people who seem to want the same things, but instead insist on fighting him. The wailing guitar perfectly captures that raw emotion.
I don't usually play or watch with English dubs, but his delivery was chilling to the bone.
I love how maruki tries to appeal to whoever you currently have in the fight.
Even mid combat he’s reaching for a peaceful solution.
A simpathetic yet blinded hero
24 subs for doing nothing? Are you even real?🫢🤔
There’s one thing he missed. Torches are meant to be passed on to light the way forward.
@@Jtheclown i know this comment is old but to keep the phosapy going a man who is in the dark can't pass the torch to one who sees the light the man needs to find the exit first
rest in peace Billy Kametz. best final boss ever because of you my man...
Precisely what I was thinking as well.
10/10 bro. would punch in the face again
Wait what??? Did he made the song and if he is dead??? What???
@@klaus.sfc01official30 BIlly Kametz was the voice actor for Maruki
@@myosotis3062 but he did now sound like he would be dying of old age how did he die? (Also thanks for answering me i did not know who he was so sorry)
Maruki is a great example of what seems to be a literary rarity: the Anti-Villain. On the surface, his actions are really no different from Jaldabaoth, seeking to deprive all humankind of their ability to exercise their free will. But whereas Jaldabaoth was actually seeking control, Maruki just wanted everyone to be free of pain and suffering.
The true irony? Maruki's inner mind is on display with the questions in his palace. Judging by the correct answer to the last question, he thinks that people who have the power to affect the hearts of others in the way he and the Phantom Thieves can are obligated to do so in whatever way they think will better the world. Even though they end up opposing him, he ultimately can't bring himself to condemn the Phantom Thieves for their actions. It's just an irreconcilable difference of opinion, both trying to do what they think is right, and he truly regrets that their final conflict is inevitable. Superb writing.
Yaldabaoth deemed that he needed to step in to prevent humanity's ruin as he was proven correct. Even with a trickster attempting to inspire them they did nothing to stop the evil of the world.
Maruki on the other hand simply removed pain from the equation which also took away the need for any growth and it became an obselete thing to achieve.
I would personally say both Yaldabaoth and Maruki were more morally right than the protagonist considering the phantom thieves did exactly what they both did all the game, forcefully changing the cognition of evil people without their consent to what they believe is betterment of society. Without any super natural beings nothing could have been achieved as Yaldabaoth hoped to be proven wrong on that but alas was proven right.
@@cloudshifter That's... an interesting take. You say "stop the evil of the world", but within the context of Persona 5, evil is demonstrated to be the attempt to control others and subvert their will. Yaldabaoth is literally the God of Control; he's not attempting to stop the evils of the world, he's the personification of them. The Phantom Thieves, while exercising ultimate control over certain other people, are still the good guys because of how they're choosing to use their power. They're "fixing distortions" in the cognition of others and only taking action on those who are actively harming others, which is why they have a little doubt at the beginning of Madarame's arc. Yaldabaoth tried to forcibly write them out of existence, then was defeated by rallying the collective belief of everyone in the Phantom Thieves. With how everything is presented, it's 100% correct to say that the Trickster was successful in inspiring the masses to reject the ultimate evil.
Maruki is the more subtle refinement of the lessons from that arc. The story has established that control of others for your own benefit or for the sake of control are evil, but what about if you go running in the exact opposite direction? Is stripping the masses of their free will justified if it makes them happy? The game ultimately decides that it isn't, which is fully in keeping with the themes of Persona. Solipsism is rejected because the relationships we form with others are important, and the idealized reality is rejected because it's still a cognitive distortion, even if it's pleasant. The Persona philosophy in a nutshell is that true happiness and actualization of humanity occurs when people can see the world for what it is and earnestly strive to make it better for themselves and others. The reality of it matters, which was the reason why Maruki was, however good intentioned, still the final villain.
@@cloudshifterYaldabaoth’s interferences led to the very ‘’ruin’’ he condemns the masses for tho.
Yo, a year late but what you just explained is an Anti-Hero. Like Punisher you know?
@@lucariken2065 They are close, but no. It's actually pretty accurate to say that the Phantom Thieves themselves are anti-heroes. They're trying to go after the bad guys and help everyone out, but the actions that they take are, in a vacuum, often villainous in nature. Breaking and entering, stealing information from ongoing police investigations, hacking into people's computers, etc. are all crimes, and forcibly changing people's minds by stealing their hearts is romanticized, but is ultimately a form of mind control. However in the context of P5, they're doing things for the greater good.
The reason why Maruki is an anti-villain instead of an anti-hero comes down to the judgments made by the games narrative. In particular, that the end result of happiness and contentment shouldn't be considered a good result if it is based on lies and delusion. That delusion denied people the means to grow as individuals and seek true happiness, and thus denied their ability to actualize their own potential. Also, a key theme of Persona is that the bonds we form with others are intrinsically vital to that growth, and you can't form those bonds with people if you can't even share the same reality with them. This makes Maruki a villain, but one with good intentions. Since his motives are ultimately altruistic, despite the fact that he's bringing about what is judged to be a negative outcome, the label of anti-villain applies.
It's really telling that before the fight starts, not only is there no grand "we're the heroes, you're the villain" speech, but Maruki is the only Palace Ruler that we can actually say "I'm sorry" to.
Maruki: Don't apologize. All this means is that we both have something we can't afford to let fail.
...God dammit Maruki, cut me some slack and be even a little villainous, would you? This hurts too much.
I fought the whole battle agains him with half of me not wanting to actually win.
maruki does a cute little villain laugh when he regenerates the tentacles
@@LuizSPK not me. The man wanted to fucking martyrize himself. It was a fight where I was tryina save him in my way and he was tryina save me in his way.
He’s a well-written character 🥹 and prob the best villain from the game. With a solid motive.
Part of me was hoping there could be some compromise between both sides (and have Akechi live too) but ofc not 🥲
@@nafihanasar5271Akechi is alive actually, if you maxed out his confidant and such, as Joker leaves on the Train, the scene slows down outside and while the top is whited out, the lower half you see Akechi in his usual getup being taken by the two government agents who were following you.
There is something so deeply emotional about this song.
Just by listening to this you 100% understand what kind if person Maruki is.
It hits so hard
Truly it's saddest when the villain you must defeat is genuinely a good person. I won't apologize for this confrontation and though it hurts to do this, Maruki for our last heist, we shall take your heart!
"And I believe you call forth your power like this.... Persona."
- I have said it before and I will say it again, but the delivery of this line was so incredible! You could really hear that [REDACTED] really regretted having to fight you and sincerely wished things would have gone a different way. This was SO fantastic!
Rest in Peace, Billy Kametz! You shall forever be remembered by us all, whenever we hear your voice.
I love that quote man, it shows just how inexperienced Maruki is with his power, he's a lab geek who's been using his power for things other than battle and is only using Azathoth to fight on the fly because his focus has never been on combat. And yet he was no pushover, his skill was both amazing and fearsome, imagine if he'd been more warlike, or had time to hone his craft.
The way that guitar sings is just beautiful 🔥
So true, it's like it's expressing feelings from the characters
That guitar is crying
It weeps for Billy Kametz (Maruki’s voice actor), who’s unfortunately no longer with us.
@@MilanTehVillain RIP Kametz
I loved Billy's acting al the way through, this whole experience was a parting gift from him
I dodged so many P5r spoilers for….a long while before I managed to get my hands on a copy, and play it to the end. Everything built up to this moment made for one heck of a satisfying ending.
And something that I really like was just like during shido’s boss fight where it’s the heroes theme that plays, Maruki gets his own hero theme that you’re fighting against, and have to ultimately shut down.
Honestly I felt like "Rivers in the Desert" really underwhelmed considering how much the fandom hyped it up. I liked so many other tracks ahead of it.
Same was dodging them for nearly a year until I played it myself cause I knew danm well it would be incredible and usually everyone wants to ruin that.
Was really glad I managed to evade this song for so long just to hear it in game. God damn that guitar riff at the beginning is just beautiful. Sucks I wasn't able to get all the flavor text of the fight though
same
Saaaame
I just beat the game on Switch and had no idea this track existed. When the lyrics kicked in I just sat there for a minute or so listening and taking in the image of the final boss staring me down.
@@Varrick24 Did you not get to the Royal content? Otherwise how could you not notice this awesome song as it was playing during the true final boss? Also the only boss music throughout the game was Blooming Villain and Rivers in a Desert, so when Yaldaboath's theme and this theme played during their respective boss fights I instantly noticed.
I honestly wasn't paying attention to the music until I actually took a minute to not take any action and listen.
Do I regret trying to speed run the fight (even though I couldn't as the fight was hard.)
Virgin "God of Control" vs Chad Actuator of Happiness
Low key want to see that image of that meme 😂
Lad Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Homage to the Gentle Madman.
I literally JUST finished Maruki's boss fight and man he just wouldn't go down! He's prolly the most relatable villain I've seen in any RPG to me cuz what he's doing isn't inherently bad, and this song reflects that.
I think the point is that he WAS doing something bad but he truly had good intentions.
He was robbing humanity of any sort of agency, of any choice in their own fates, in service of ending all pain and suffering.
@@R3m1lyphantom thieves altering personality and forcing someone toturn themselfs in is also not okay in a way tho
@@Inksploded in a way though, Maruki’s actions aren’t far off from Jaldabaoth, unwillingly controlling everyone in a world that they believe all people desire while essentially taking away any sort of free will (at least that’s how I view it). The only thing that really differs is the intention
@@grapeluver5 dont the phoantomthieves act on personal gain too? like helping confidants before others thats alo not realy fair if you think about it
@@Inksploded yeah that's why instead of it being a good vs evil situation it's two parties fighting for what they believe in
Rest in peace, Billy...
Today’s his birthday
Throw Away Your Mask is Maruki's final plea to let him reshape reality. He restates his previous arguments; The world is scuffed, and pain permeates every sentient being like a plague. He has the capability to rewrite all of existence and eliminate the root cause of that pain: the memories which caused the pain, lingering in human cognition. He begs you to stop fighting so he can change that cognition.
And even though he makes a compelling argument, you know you have to stop him, because no matter how much his reality would benefit the human condition, it would rob the people of their free will.
Different from Akechi where the world beat the good out of him but for Maruki the world beat hope out of him. This a song were a man wasn't consumed by desire but lost his desire
I like to think that while Akechi and Ren were opposite sides of the same coin,Maruki and Ren were parallels. Both going the same destination,but both going at it in a different way
It's the original villain of P5's stance but rather than it just being his flimsy justification for taking over humanity.
Maruki earnestly believes he is doing the right thing and has no ill intentions with what he is doing. In some aspects he is right but it doesn't change the fact that free will comes first.
@@BornotB-ij9xk It makes even more sense if you consider that Ren has been doing the exact same thing all game, changing cognitions to what he believes is the best for society.
Uhm... this is SMT series, we're the only ones who have free will.
Maruki: Do not make the mistake of thinking our power is equal.
Me on ng+: You're right... I'm stronger.
You are anime to be frank Adam kadmons first hit wouldve killed you all without plot armour
not even ng+ jsut a bit of a grind and an ultra powerfull lucifer and you are set
Maruki was a good villain on his own; but Billy Kametz's death made this fight so much more sad. So much more sad. :(
If you live in a world without suffering, do you truly know joy? Because if you live in a world of only suffering, you will become numb to it, or die. But if all you know is happiness, always in the absence of pain, you'll never be able to decipher if it's real, and will become numb.
Joy is understanding that while suffering happens, you can always rise above it. You know the bad times won't last and look forward to the good times. It's knowing that it's okay to cry, because one day, you'll laugh. You'll look at it all and see just how much you've overcome.
Damn
I asked my dad if he would have sided with Maruki and he said this exactly.
This is maybe the only statement that i agree to counter Maruki's ideology. Because if it's applied to reality this is exactly how it works, the immense growth and satisfaction with feeling Joy after maybe a countless Suffering is so much more powerful than just being happy all the time. It's the only fact that makes sense... the thing that people said about robbing them of their freedom or will or even caged in a fake utopia was not worthy to challenge Maruki's intent. That's how powerful his good intention is... no living beings in this world want to suffer their whole life.
But knowing Maruki he would probably say "But are you prepared to undergo that vicious cycle of life?" or "Not all people can reach happiness after their endless suffering, some will suffer until the end"
@@anakmaganggaming I know you're playing devil's advocate with the potential Maruki responses but I would like to respond to them nonetheless.
My reply to the first is: I am. I face my trials everyday and though I feel pain and suffering, I know it will end. Call it blind faith, delusion, or anything under the sun, but that cycle breaks eventually and the rewards are worth it. And I know this because I have broken my chains, I have done things I was told that were impossible, I have evolved past who I was yesterday and I know if a poor bastard like myself can break the cycle, anyone can.
And to the latter: That is as ignorant as it is false. Those who suffer will have those who help them through that suffering. If I see someone is hurting, I will not hesitate to offer my hand, my presence and my sympathy. Not everyone has that privilege of stumbling across a sympathetic person, but I'll be damned if I don't do my part.
And if I may add, if suffering is truly to be eliminated, what about death? If suffering doesn't exist, death cannot either, because someone ceasing to be alive will be cause for another's grief. As a result, the world will become crowded with human beings incapable of dying, crowding our planet shoulder to shoulder. Remove any part of the equation of what it means to be human, and no outcome becomes preferable. And even if we extended our reach to the stars, the universe will still end at some point. Unless it was infinitely expanding and the heat death never came, there will always be an end. Beginnings cannot be written if you haven't understood there will be an end. As such, there will always need to be suffering in order for happiness to be felt and joy to be known. Life, death, happiness, suffering, joy, they all come together to make the tapestry of humanity and though we are a mess, we are still beautiful in our toiling because we never truly toil alone. Interactions that may take seconds could change the course of someone's life. Who are we to guide people to a life of no reward and potential growth and change?
That's not exactly what it is. There are still bad days and bad experiences, there are just not severe traumatic experiences.
The world was exactly the same as before Yaldabaoth, the only change was that no one would fall pray to something incredibly horrible and life altering. In fact most people have the exact same thoughts in Maruki world as they had all game and even after his defeat. Nothing really changed in the public.
I was fully expecting this to play at the end of metaphor fighting Louis with him saying some shit like “behold my archetype… the Avenger”
Maruki is in a better place now (rest in peace Billy Kametz)
🥲🙏
i hope the place of delight is as great as Maruki envisioned. Forever, Billy
Just discovered doc's voice died. RIP
The transition is perfect
Yeah its smooth as silk, amazing
Rest in peace Billy, thank you for bring Maruki (and Josuke from JJBA) to life.
You forget Ferdinand from fire emblem
@@dylangoodall4686 I haven't played Fire Emblem yet, but thank you for the addition.
@@SailorMoon5555 White Blood Cell from Cells At Work! as well.
@@baraness24 Thank you :)
He also played Blue in Pokémon Masters!
This hit hard when you heard it for the first time, but now.... it hits even harder... knowing that Billy isn't with us anymore. Rest in peace.
Japan has been doing a good job with "Villains who are good people and good intentions but bad methods" for a while now but I think this was one of the first times they had you also really *_befriend_* the person who would become the surprise villain and there wasn't even a hint beforehand it was going to happen.
You know, no feelings really hit me in his boss fight till now. While listening to the ost the feelings are spilling out and tears are falling.
rip billy, you were an absolute legend
Thanks for uploading a combined version I've been trying to find one
i love this song because it doesn't sound like your fightning something evil its like your overcoming yourself and coming to terms with your own reality as well as the fake one
This is probably the best ost in videogames history
truly the ost of all time
I love the song but thats a bit of a stretch ngl
I have to correct myself, i've discovered Ludwig the Holy Blade.
Still a close second tho.
@@madeinmeme9688 I agree with this one, bloodborne is sooo good
Top 3
Throw Away Your Mask
Bury The Light
Ludwig Holy Sword
My preferred version to listen to Throw Away Your Mask, thank you so much for the fire edit. :)
Sounds like the only one of two songs with lyrics that aren’t from the Phantom Thieves’ perspective. This one sounds like Maruki, even during the fight, pleading with Joker to side with him and join his reality. Whims of Fate always sounded to me like Sae warning the Phantom Thieves’ of the dangers of her casino.
Also last surprise isn't always from their perspective as it's meant to be a more neutral song as take over didn't exist in vanilla
The way this edit was put together & structured, to me, is reminiscent of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Where everything starts off instrumental, then the vocals kick in at pivotal moments.
also happens with rivers in the desert
True
@@mdemanuel1911And Life Will Change
I've recently just beaten Royal this time especially love the ending theme so hearing this sounds amazing! 👌
Fun fact: the translation for the ending theme is joker saying goodbye to akechi. Enjoy the new emotions that unlocks
@@mewacyboi huh all this time me hearing this I always thought of you heariing Maruki's perspective in what he wants for the world especially for the Team but that makes sense then too since Akechi is in heaven and Joker would wish the best for him so awesome I'll keep that in mind too thanks for the share! 👍
@@mewacyboi This might sound crazy but what you said kind of validates two thoughts in my head in which Maruki either screwed up from the beginning or he on purposely had the Phantom Thieves helping him undo everything he had done when his Palace came to fruition.
@@gutembergnery7985 maybe im getting this wrong but i think you misunderstood the comment he the ending theme he means its not this song but another one this one is meant to be marukis view on the world yes
Don't let anyone decide your life for you.
It's not as simple as white or black. That is the perspective of our teenager protagonists. In fact they did exactly what ydabaoth and Maruki did all game, changing cognitions of people left and right tk what they believed would make society better.
Everything they achieved proved Yaldabaoth right, since it was done by supernatural means and not by people genuenly changing their ways and Maruki offered the alternative of a world identical to their own but simply without severe traumas, bad days, good days and all.
You had a parent who died in a car crash unjust? That never happened cause it shouldn't have happened, nobody deserves that. Growing emotionally stronger means tackling the next big trauma. If there is no next big trauma to prepare for, there is no need to prepare in the first place.
dear maruki, SCREW YOU, I CANT FIGHT YOU IF YOU KEEP PUTTING TEARS IN MY EYES
Finally beat the game after 144 hours over 18 months. The ending was incredible
And 1 year later... I'm 10 hours into the Steam version. Here we go again. Such a magnificent video game
What? I completed the game in 3 weeks
@@Sebtuseb_el_zorro_con_traje it took me 9 months
How the hell, I finished it in a month...I don't touch grass
4:05 transition
I haven't played this game since late April 2020 when I beat the game.
I still get chills. I still get misty eyed. My favorite final boss in all of gaming. A genuinely great man who just wanted to help humanity, in his own misguided way. I genuinely didn't want to fight him, because I couldn't consider him a villain. I knew I HAD to, but I didn't WANT to.
Rest in peace, Mr. Billy Kametz
After beating this game again just last night, I can easily say I am glad I played the Persona series. It was like this franchise was destined to be one of my favorites, and I feel like it taught me so much I did not know about myself. Ever since I first saw Morgana I did not know what the series was and since Joker got into smash I was like I need to get into this series. I watched a playthrough of Vanilla Persona 5 and I thought this was a great game. I even looked into more of the persona series and listened to the soundtracks. Then, in Christmas 2020, I asked for a ps4, and one of the games I got was Persona 5 Royal. Even though I watched a playthrough, I played it through the first time and really got to enjoy the characters and the gameplay and the story. I played it again and realized as an adult what the hell I was doing with myself. So yeah, I feel like this series taught me that even in our grieving, we have to keep living life, our friends will always be there for me, you need to accept your flaws, never be afraid to stand up for yourself, you should never pretend to be someone or something and just be your own self.
I will never forget beating this boss with my Orpheus, he was on the bench for a lot of the time but once I saw the tentacles were weak to his attacks I unleashed that monster, best game ever.
3:06 a moment of silence for billy... Rest in peace and you are a legendary warrior who will always be warrior in the hearts of many... A voice actor I will never let go of 😭💗
And yes I literally just heard of this note don't hate me for being 4 months late I love under a rock not literally lol
He rests in peace. Just like the reality Maruki wanted to make. One of peace.
Wish Maruki and Sumire were in Strikers it would be nice to see their character development later on especially since you don't get to play with Sumire too much either in Royal as her main game play is during Maruki palace
I know right, Strikers was made before Royal. But I think it also should get a Royal treatment too.
@Beerbottles123 Agreed but unfortunately Maruki VA passed away that's why I think they didn't do that
They're both non canon characters
@@johnboona4048 XD?
@@johnboona4048are you high?💀
Brilliant is such a small word to describe it.
This is my favorite way to listen to these songs. Thank you, dear uploader.
And I believe you called your power forth like this...
*THE MOST SOFT BADASS VOICE* Persona...
Thank you so much for this song.
"don't let go off your dreams"
Maruki was such a great antagonist
one of my favourite songs, from one of my favourite games makes me so happy every time i hear this.
Keep Your Faith: Sumires theme❤
Throw Away Your Mask: Marukis theme🖤
No?
The theme of mastering the baton pass.
Form 1: Ok, this is not too bad. Ill just keep buffing and debuffing.
Form 2: Damn this is taking too long. He gets how many turns? Running out of SP! (90 minutes later)
Form 3: I knew it, its not over yet. Goddammit. Oh dam, theres lyrics now!
Form 4 :Still going. Are you kidding me?!
Form 5: Naruto VS Sauske flash back.
Last fight for real xD i immediately said is this supposed to be a sasuke vs naruto fight? I even expected to hear:
JOKER!
MARUKI!
relatable even in safe mode
form 5: square up nigga, I'm NOT going totherapy
The last phase always reminded me of Snake vs Ocelot in mgs4
@@ekandll yeah, it is basically that, 2 men fighting each other only using their fists, but ig that the game can be considered old rn, so most people don't even take it to compare because they don't know about the fight.
Thrres not another soundtrack that can, by itself, make me want to return to a game. The music was amazing, and the people who wrote and preformed it deserve all the love. All the Persona music is oddly extraordinary.
Rest in peace Billy ❤️
obviously the best persona music.
Smooth transition. Fucking sublime
I'm not even a big anime fan but the music in this game was so insanely good that it made me start watching animes 😂 the art style so stylish too.
Well this is a boss fight ost not from an anime
The game name is persona 5 royal
@@Captain_M27 yeah, i get that. But its very anime style for people that arent interested into the style. The game literally got me watching anime because i had kept a distance from it in the past.
This theme is on par with Nyx Final Boss theme and both is my favorite final boss in the Persona series so far.
"It's time Azathoth. Our final battle has come."
This is the best boss fight in existence because, let's be honest...
Not a single one of you would wanna live your mundane, painful lives.
The idea of being free of your suffering and living your best life? You would take that offer in a heartbeat.
Either that, or sleep forever.
That also sounds like an amazing prospect...
finally someone said the honest truth
the palace ruler is so morally gray, its crazy. some people would think what they are doing is okay, and some may think the phantom thieves are in the right. amazing writing
That, and some people would rather escape their current reality, be it emotional pain or trauma that they go through, who would say no to changing their lives in a positive manner even if they lose their free will? Personally, I deal with trauma myself, and I feel like in a situation like that, I’d be very tempted to give up my free will to avoid pain. But at the same time I do believe that we must endure pain to grow and learn to live. I do agree with Maruki too, some people can’t handle their own suffering alone, and escapism is really their only option until they realize that escaping isn’t what they really need.
And then you also have people that just don't believe in free will, I'm one of those. second to that is the antagonist in this game is a better custodian than our actual political leader in our reality. It's a false reality, that's fine. We live in a reality we're truth and information has reached a point of the Liar's dividends, which I can actually see people make good case is much worse than living in a blissful Matrix. And we are facing such cataclysmic things in the future, that will ruin mankind and also take with them most of animal kind as well, also Maybe reshaping the bias wear of our planet for thousands of years. Actually having an appointment Overlord that is a God that would do good for people, is perhaps more preferable than pure chaos in every Arena you can possibly think of.
How most video games handle boss battle music: *Epic orchestra music that'll make this scene like a movie*
How Persona does their boss battle music: *Crying guitar noises*
This is such a good remix. Thanks for uploading
Man it's a very good thing Maruki isn't evil because imagine if a vile villain like Shido had his Persona lol
No joke, i was tearing up during the fight, because I get wanting to help everyone... but giving everyone their dream isnt what they truly need, they need to gain it themselves...
It resonates with me because I tend to put others before myself and I want to help my friends find happiness at the expense of my own...just seeing them happy is what fills me with purpose
Guess maruki really struck a cord huh?
When lyrics kick in, I truly go hard
the guitar in the non vocal version really reminds me of the raidou games, especially raidou 2
one of the best villain character that ever made
wait, we can't call him a villain either, he didn't even want to hurt us, and his goal just want to make us safe and happy without any bad things happened to us..
The singer telling me to throw my mask away as the boss obliterates me really makes this one of my favorite fights of all time
They told me to do this two years ago, the next day I couldn’t taste smell and threw up 14 times
When you realise Maruki's first phase Persona blocks 99% of Izanagi No Okami's "Myriad Truths" damage.
I wish we can find a way to bring this amazing voice actor back from the dead
Perfect boss, except for the last part being just survive 2 BIG PAUNCHES
Come on maruki!! Let's see what you've got man...🤨🤨🤨
Truly a great final boss fight
im convinced this is the only right way to listen to these songs
Estuve pensando en que, en cierta parte entiendo al Doctor Maruki, sobre querer estar en una realidad donde eres más feliz sin sufrir por traumas o por alcanzar tus metas, y esa "realidad" serían los videojuegos o en su defecto el Persona 5.
Yo, como alguien que pasa muchas horas jugando, el Persona 5 hizo replantearme mi vida, me hizo querer no seguir perdiendo el tiempo y encontrar mis propios sueños, aunque suene contradictorio dicidí jugarme una segunda Run del juego, más porque me sentía insatisfecho la primera vez, pero está vez con la mentalidad de aprender las lecciones de los confidentes, saber qué sentido darle a mi vida, sentirme como su amigo y despedirme adecuadamente del juego, tardé unas 350 horas en 3 meses, y a día de hoy sí he intentado mejorar: no he vuelto a inciar otro videojuego, retomé algunos hobbies viejos, recordé porqué inicié mi carrera y me he enfocado en mi desarrollo personal. Nunca olvidaré lo que fue Persona 5 para mí.
bro you so good
Persona 5 Royale crushed so hard
This is so perfect...
It's interesting that Doc's battle theme is like the only one with lyrics that's from his perspective as opposed to the Thieves'. Compare this to Rivers in the Desert. I'm not going to pretend I'm smart enough to dig for the thematic meaning behind that choice.
i think its mostly to resemble how enticing the deal is, so much so that the song itself is slightly siding with the boss in a way, but it would probably be more accurate to say that it’s your party or just joker starting to double guess themself
The first time I hear this music I hate, but now I love it
Persona 5 is a masterpiece in its own right. P5R in my opinion took it to a whole new level. Personally my favorite game of all time.
I am glad Billy will be immortalised through his work, but man, it sucks that his death takes attention away from how awesome the song and character are on their own.
what?
@@xysm5224 the va for maruki died
too bad that throw away your mask looses that wicked electric guitar
My all nighter music
Yes
Honestly I sometimes chose Maruki’s ending in honour of Billy
There no pain in that when it grows to be to hard because I forgot to level properly and the boss grows to be to hard
I consider it to be paying respect because the ending doesn’t seem bad
All this time I kept my faith, and now I can throw away my ps4 as I can now play this masterpiece portably. Life will change.
ME IN THIS FIGHT: ALL WILL BE REVEALED
Dope!
Am I the only one who vastly prefers Keep Your Faith? I think it’s the guitar that does it for me. The vocal one just lacks the same punch imo
it has huge "Don't speak her name" frome fire emblem vibe wich make sens but have to admit this is realy a cool part
both are great, i fucking love it when guitars sound like they're crying tho so keep your faith is slightly better
I wish he come back RIP billy kametz
you lost everything...but still have your friends (also does workout to be buff)
4:05 lyrics start
Nice transition
Maruki is way to good of a villain to be only in the 15 hour expansion to this game. I kinda wish he was the main villain of persona 6 instead because we would get more time to explore why he's wrong instead of the PT just saying "yeah but what if I wanna suffer" and then punching him. Not saying royal is bad, just saying Maruki deserved better since he's one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen.
i first thought the beginning was similar to burn my dread
Physician, heal thyself.
Does anyone know if Maruki is successfully able sow doubt in someone’s mind during the battle if you didn’t max their confidant? I know he tries and everyone resists, but it’d make sense if someone you didn’t max starts to doubt the reality you’re fighting for. Can anyone confirm?
They do not, because regardless of social link status the phantom thieves are already fire forged comrades.
Doesn't happen.
@@technology5979Illusion of choice moment. No doubt the devs would have wanted to add in a mechanic like that, but it probably would have been too difficult or obstruct from the story's original goal and tone.
@@kazumakariamaBut accepting Yaldaboaths ain't?
@@smoqueed44 What do you mean?