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| “ | Think about it, you both have dreams, no? I have the power to make them come true. My reality can become just the way you like. | „ |
| ~ Takuto Maruki to Joker and Goro Akechi, showing his new intentions. |
| “ | I'm... running from.... Heheh. You nailed it. It's true that I turned my back on the original reality... But where's the harm in that!? When it grows to be too much, too painful... Every person deserves to escape that! In all honesty, it's best for a person's growth when they tackle their own hardships... But reality doesn't always make that so feasible! No matter how much you try, or work for so long, the smallest injustice can wipe it all out, leave you with nothing... Don't you, of all people, understand that!? | „ |
| ~ Takuto Maruki's breakdown. |
| “ | I gave up everything! EVERYTHING!!! So, why?!? Why Rumi?!? A reality where... no one suffers... | „ |
| ~ Maruki fighting Joker for one last time and his second breakdown. |
| “ | HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! I'm done. I get it now. | „ |
| ~ Maruki after his defeat. |
Dr. Takuto Maruki (also known as the Dreamer) is the secondary antagonist and final boss of the 2019 ATLUS action-adventure video game Persona 5 Royal. He originally served as a major supporting character of the first and second semesters, before taking over as the main antagonist of the third semester.
He was a kind and friendly man that was hired by Shujin Academy to serve as a councillor to help students who suffered horrible treatment by Suguru Kamaoshida. There, he became acquainted with Ren Amamiya and became his Confidant. He was later revealed to be another Persona user with his own Persona, Azathoth, which later evolves into Adam Kadmon.
During the Reckoning Day, because of Yaldabaoth's actions, Maruki was corrupted by Azathoth and was twisted into a delusional extremist, who used his power to "save" humanity through creating a new world of his recognition, where every member of the Phantom Thieves, even including Goro Akechi (whom he "revived" through Ren's recognition), would live happily without their past troubles.
He is voiced by Satoshi Hino in Japanese and the late Billy Kametz in English.
Biography[]
Past[]
In his past, after his girlfriend Rumi fell into catatonia following a break-in that resulted in the deaths of her parents, Maruki awakened to a Persona with the power to alter cognition, which he used to save Rumi by rewriting her memories. It worked, but it caused her to forget about their relationship.
While devastated, Maruki's desire to better understand the cognitive world only emboldened by this experience. He later opened a clinic where he used his powers to help alleviate his patients of their suffering. Among these patients was Sumire Yoshizawa, who he brainwashed into believing was her recently deceased sister Kasumi.
Day of the Reckoning[]
During the Day of Reckoning, Yaldabaoth's merging of Mementos with reality causes Maruki to manifest a corrupted version of his Persona which quickly takes him over, twisting his desire to help people into the deluded belief that he must "save" all of humanity from suffering of any kind. To this end, he takes advantage of the Phantom Thieves' personal wishes to create a new, idealized reality in which all of their dreams can come true.
Maruki's Palace[]
Maruki's Palace is a massive, towering laboratory made out of glass and gold, filled with cognitive patients in white who are slowly being brainwashed into believing they're experiencing true happiness, before experiencing true bliss in a model of the biblical Garden of Eden.
It first appears on top the Odaiba construction site at the start of October, and is based on the real laboratory Maruki had planned to open before his funds were embargoed and his research stolen by Masayoshi Shido. His treasure is a golden torch with chains on it, and its true form is the newsletter about the murder of Rumi's family.
Third Term[]
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Final Battle[]
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Redemption[]
| “ | If you find yourself struggling in life, you can start over, like me. Remember that. | „ |
| ~ Maruki to the protagonist at the end of Royal, vowing to move on with his life. |
After his defeat, Maruki realizes the error of his ways and redeems himself. Working now as a taxi driver, he drives the Protagonist to the train station, while the Protagonist's friends distract Shido's remnants to keep them safe. Maruki reveals that he becomes inspired by the Phantom Thieves and decides to move on to a better view of life just like them, before bidding the Protagonist farewell.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Despite Morgana having stated that Persona users cannot develop Palaces due to having a clear grasp on their desires, Maruki somehow manifests a Palace of his own, making him the only Persona user in the game to do so.
- Considering that Azathoth's tentacles appear within the palace itself, it can be inferred that Azathoth itself is the palace.
- He is the first main antagonist in a Persona 5 installment that ended up both alive and redeemed, and the second major target to be portrayed as fully tragic and be redeemed after Sae Niijima (excluding Futaba beforehand because she never has any villainous role in the story).
- Maruki resigns from his post at Shujin on November 18th; if the Protagonist fails to progress through his Confidant before this time, the Third Semester becomes unavailable.
- According to an interview from Persona 5 Royal Official Complete Guide, Maruki is designed to be sympathetic unlike the other heist targets, so the development team took care and made sure that he didn't act in a heinous way or made mocking expressions just like most of the other targets.
- Maruki has been noted to have a strong resemblance to Sōsuke Aizen from Bleach, even in the endgame when they reveal their true identities. They share a common goal to overthrow society by becoming an omnipotent being to tear down the status quo with a special power they sought. Their interests in the protagonists and their history with them drove them to the completion of their plan and their goal of seeking a friendship in them. Both suffered loneliness which is a driving factor of their desires.
- His ideals are reminiscent of Obito Uchiha and Madara Uchiha's Infinite Tsukuyomi from Naruto. The loss of their loved ones is their reason why they sought to take down reality by altering it in favor of the sacrifice of the harsh reality's pain and suffering. Their redemption after their defeat is similar, though Maruki is given the chance to live.
- In spite of the foreshadowing of his true wish, Maruki is the only Persona 5 major villain that isn't villainous or antagonistic from the start of the game, only becoming fully so during the final battle against Yaldabaoth.
External Links[]
- Takuto Maruki on the Heroes Wiki
- Takuto Maruki on the Megami Tensei Wiki
- Takuto Maruki on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki.
[]
 Villains
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SEBEC Route Takahisa Kandori | Nyarlathotep | Pandora Snow Queen Quest Victims of the Snow Queen Mask | Tomomi Fujimori | Night Queen
Innoncent Sin Masked Circle | Master Joker | Tatsuya Sudou | Junko Kurosu | Anna Yoshizaka | Ginji Sasaki | Akari Hoshi | Nyarlathotep Eternal Punishment New World Order | Tatsuzou Sudou | Kiyotada Sumaru | Takahisa Kandori | Chizuru Ishigami | Nyarlathotep
Strega (Takaya Sakaki | Jin Shirato | Chidori Yoshino) | Kouetsu Kirijo | Shuji Ikutsuki | Nyx Avatar Persona 3 FES
The Killer | Mitsuo Kubo | Izanami Persona 4: Arena & Persona 4: Arena Ultimax Sho Minazuki | Shadow Labrys | Hi-no Kagutsuchi
Suguru Kamoshida | Sphinx | Sae Niijima | Antisocial Force (Ichiryusai Madarame | Junya Kaneshiro | Kunikazu Okumura | The Traitor | SIU Director | Sugimura | Kobayakawa | Masayoshi Shido | Yaldabaoth) | Shiro Asakura Persona 5 Royal Takuto Maruki Persona 5 Strikers Alice Hiiragi | Ango Natsume | Mariko Hyodo | Shuzo Ubukata | Akira Konoe | Jyun Owada | Kuon Ichinose | EMMA | Lock Keepers
Teru Gojuin | Dark Yashiro | Yatsufusa Hatanaka
Persona Q Clockwork God Persona Q2 Kamoshidaman | Enlil
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