*Note that this article contains MAJOR spoilers for Persona 5 Royal.*
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Persona 5 Royal's Takuto Maruki quickly became a fan-favorite character when the game released in the West this past March. From his instantly likable dorky personality, a hilarious affinity for snacks, and a compellingly layered storyline that the likes of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Persona 5 had never seen before – it's no surprise that everyone fell in 🌜love with Shujin Academy's new guidance counselor so easily.
Dr. Maruki is a textbook example of a well-written villain with morally grey ambitions and was someone who players could easily sympathize and empathize with. The Phantom Thieves are a vigilante group who wanted everyone to be happy and safe, and Maruki personified the extremes of that logic with his altered reality and utopian ideals. Maruki was a perfect addition to Royal's new third semester as someone who challenged the Phantom Thieves, yet ultimately still supported them and wanted them to succeed. He cared for Joker and his frie𒊎nds dearly, and everything he ever did was a direct result of his desire to help everyone be happy.
With all that in mind, why did Atlus꧟ do this beloved character so dirty when it🎐 came to his ending?
Maruki's Ending
After the Phantom Thieves succeed at changing Maruki's heart, they save🀅 the doctor from his crumbling palace and fly back home in the Morgana-copter. The reality goes back to normal, and Joker spends his last months in Tokyo spending time with his friends, who all retain 👍the memories of Maruki's world. In the month between Joker's release from juvenile hall and his departure back home, Maruki is nowhere to be found.
That is, until the day Joker's scheduled to go back home. The doctor makes a ๊surprise appearance as a taxi driver, who offers to take Joker to the train station after some government agents spot him. While in the car, Maruki reminds Joker that anyone can start over if they find themselves struggling, acknowledging his own fresh start. He then wishes Joker good luck and drives off, never to be seen again (at least, for now).
A Bad Ending
Theꦡre's no other way around it – Maruki's ending was pretty bad. After 130 hours of getting to know🧔 this character inside and out, all Atlus gave us was this?
Firstly, it was very rushed. Why did Atlus choose to wait until right before Joker left Tokyo for Maruki to make an appearance? Gameplay-wise, Joker gets out of juvie in February and doesn't depart home until March. You're telling me that Maruki, the man who made a casual visit to Leblanc Café when he was in Yongen-Jaya just because he knew that Joker lived there, the man who was willing to buy Joker an entire buffet meal as thanks for helping him write his paper, the man who literally brought Joker's friend back from the dead because he knew how deeply he cared for him wouldn't have – at any point during that time – thought to head to Leblanc for a quick cup of♒ coffee just to say thank you to Joker for saving his life when he was about to fall to h♌is death?
And it's not like Atlus was against adding additional moments to pad the time between Maruki's palace and Joker's departure. Royal added a number of additional scenes in that interim; namely, Joker's White Day date and the scene where the Phantom Thieves discuss their plans for the future. Why couldn't they have added one more scene where Joker and Maruki talk about Akechi andﷺ their future plans? Oh, and have Maruki give an actual reason as to why he's suddenly a taxi d൲river?
Secondly, the taxi driver. Really? I get that Atlus wanted the doctor to make a final appearance in the last cutscene of the game, but was there really no other way to do it than randomly making Maruki – a licensed counselor whose ambitions involve helping others through improving their mental health – a taxᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚi driver?
How They Could've Fixed It
Atlus should've added an additional scene sometime during February-March featuring Maruki and his plans post-palace. The even game sets up what could've been a perfect segue into a separate scene with Maruki, during the day before Joker's departure when he runs around Tokyo to say goodbye⛦ to ev💮eryone.
While in Kichijoji, Joker can talk to Maruki's friend Shibusawa. If Joker decides to talk to him, Shibusawa will talk about Maruki and his whereabouts. This could've been the perfect lead-in to a separate moment between Joker and Maruki that would've given the doctor a chance to thank Joker for saving his life, talk about what he's currently bꦜeen up to since the collapse of his palace, and even discuss his revised future goals.
It's frustrating to build up a character who had so much going for him, only to throw away his last moments with two vague lines and no explanation whatsoever. In the last thirty hours of the game, players are thrown so much information about Maruki, and all of those loose threads deserved to be wrapped up. Is Maruki going to continue helping others as a counselor? Has he finally forgiven himself 𒊎and let go of Rumi? Is the poor man꧒ going to start going to therapy himself?
We don't know the answer to any of these questions because Atlus prioritized adding a weak surprise at the end of the game (as well as leaving the potential for a Royal sequel), rather than actually giving a character the ending he deserved. Royal players deserve an actual reason as to why Maruki randomly decidꦦed to trade in his counseling hou💎rs for driving people around Tokyo.
Takuto Maruki deserved a proper ending. At the very least, Atlus could've given him a proper se🎀nd-off and not a quick two lines to🐭 Joker to wrap up his entire storyline at the end.
Persona 5 Royal is avail🎃able now, exclusively fo🐲r the PlayStation 4.