Maruki Takuto - Tumblr Posts

Ok... I guess very random thought I had: I'm honestly starting to fully see and get the frustration about the, "Maruki is a bad Therapist and an actual Therapist said so themselves!" takes. Especially since, well... A lot of them were AMERICAN therapists.

Now they have a right to an opinion but when it comes to applying Western views and values to a game made in and takes place in Japan... With the idea of appealing to primarily its Japanese audience... Yeah... That's where it gets stupid. The critiques are undeniably good in some areas, but it's mostly about Japanese society. Not U.S. or Western society, that is at best of course. Like, just because the critiques in it happened to match up with the West's doesn't mean that it's trying to appeal to the Western audience too. They just HAPPEN to align and match up somehow. That's it.

Now let say this: I do agree that Maruki wasn't good at his job per se and he clearly did bad and even manipulative shit. He did things wrong. But to apply American rules to him isn't exactly fair either since that's apparently how Therapy in Japan works.

(Source: Tv Tropes)

(Source: https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=orpc )

You can like or dislike a character but at least maybe get some FACTS straightened out first. I guess if people are going to apply American laws and values to P5/P5R/P5S then I guess... The girls would get in SERIOUS trouble for beating up Ryuji in public for example as it's a form of assault. Same can apply to Makoto during the Hot Springs event in Kyoto along with animal cruelty since to the public, Mona is just a regular cat and she beats him up anyways along with the guys. Or Yusuke when he resorted to blackmail in the 2nd arc which can warrant as a form of harassment regardless of the context. Or Sumire would probably get institutionalized at best, serious trouble at worst for basically impersonating someone along with a form of fraud since Kasumi was a well-known and popular/famous athlete. Unknowingly yes and it would primarily effect her parents since she's a minor but let's face it, Western laws wouldn't exactly care. Even Akechi probably wouldn't be spared at all for what he did regardless of the motive. Maybe even be given imprisonment or the death penalty depending on things. See what I mean?

Maruki was more casual and honest compared to other Therapists and that was part of what contributed to Japanese players liking him. The difference in values is interesting to analyze no doubt but good god people...

Do I still hate some of the writing decisions? Oh yeah. Including some of the jokes, especially double-standard ones? Definitely! But I get that some of it was primarily rooted in appealing to the Japanese audience really. I'll still be annoyed and frustrated but yeah. It's all about understanding the differences and looking at things through a different lense. Do I consider myself an expert? Nope, I'm still slowly learning and there's bound to be other people that know more than me. It's just that this take is getting beyond tiring and even comes off as ignorant at best. And that's putting it mildly. I'm not defending or justifying his shitty actions at all, just getting tired of this really.

Icarus (my idea for Maruki's new persona) design notes:

He would definitely be of an average build at best with Greek attire but said attire would maybe look torn up and a bit damp as an allusion to Icarus drowning along with the second (often overlooked) part of his father's warnings: Don't fly too low/close to the sea or the wings will get soaked and heavy/clogged.

I was thinking parts of his body be wrapped in damp and/or burned bandages (or a mix of both) like a burn victim of some sort. His or one of his eyes would be visible. Or perhaps Icarus would have one eye covered while the 3rd tier Persona would have both eyes visible as symbolism for Maruki's outlook on things and that he's not gonna blind himself again? I kinda like this one!

As a reference to him and his father (Daedalus) being imprisoned before they escaped, there would be some chains. At least one ankle chain at best if anything.

Since the "skin" would be mostly covered, perhaps just a pitch black like Valjean or even something celestial? An alternative would be a shade of blue or even white to have him stand out more? Either that or shades of red to continue the "burning" theme? Or ooo! Maybe have him look like cracking glass! The eyes would be the standard glowing yellow/gold. Basically the skin color scheme ideas being kind of like what's pictured in those screenshots here:

His wings would constantly be on fire with feathers occasionally falling continuously. I vaguely remember my bf suggesting a bit of a space pattern for them along with blue flames.

The pose would definitely be challenging but it'd be more of a "determined" type of mood/tone at best.

2nd Tier I was aiming towards Cthulhu maybe? It's not set in stone yet since I want to replace Adam along with Azathoth.

3rd tier would be named after Icarus' Etruscan name: Vikare

Possible Compendium entry: "The son of the master craftsman Daedalus. His father ended up crafting pairs of wings to escape imprisonment in Crete. Sadly, Icarus doesn't survive said escape due to ignoring his given warnings and flew too close to the sun... Costing him his wings."

And that's about all I have so far! I would love more input really! ^_^

# maruki did nothing wrong

Persona 5 [112/??]

So Maruki scar HC brainworms: To give a basic description, it's a HC that Maruki got a scar on the back of his neck from when he fused with Adam (which was done by being jabbed by a tentacle in that area which looked like it hurt and that horrified me!).

Now he did give verbal permission for Azathoth/Adam to basically "use him" (which already is horrifying no matter how you spin it) but he probably didn't think it involves a painful neck jab and knocking him unconscious. Basically being reduced to a puppet as a result of the fusion. So fast forward to the aftermath, Maruki is honestly shaken and even traumatized by it. He felt used, violated even and that scar he ended up getting is a grim reminder of that along with his impulsive decisions.

He covers it up when he can just so that he doesn't have to see it and be reminded of that experience. But when he does see it or anyone remotely notices and even touches it, he panics. Yes, it does undeniably go against what he ultimately learned but let's face it; there's bound to be relapses and he wouldn't be an exception to that. But yeah, every bad and impulsive decision, the moments where he hurt and even nearly got a group of kids who wanted to help him killed. Regardless of whether he was in control or not, there's no denying that he would be messed up by that knowledge. Even when he was able to hold Adam back somehow because he does care and they know he didn't intend to, his mind drifts to negative thoughts and self-loathing. Everything basically comes back to him with a vengeance and can even go into a PTSD induced panic attack at worst.

When asked about it (the scar), he denies it being there or dodges the question and changes the subject. He knows he's running again but he's too afraid of confronting those feelings of hurt and violation at the hands of his own so-called, "Persona." He basically acts like someone who dealt with a toxic partner (romantic or platonic) from an outsider's perspective which is what would lead to a subject change sometimes. Not only that, but he would have nightmares of the experience... Sometimes with horrifying outcomes.

Now let's add HaseMaru/MaruKichi to the mix shall we? Zenkichi has scars too. Mostly from his time in the Metaverse and using his "Fury" ability and hey, maybe even surgery scars if we go with the Trans HC for him! Zen would undoubtedly be insecure but Maruki just says otherwise. Naturally, the latter would know about his own hypocrisy there but he does genuinely think Zen looks beautiful regardless. Maruki still hides his own scar and Zen would slowly get curious until one day they were just laying in bed and Maruki sits up for a moment and that's when Zen sees it. He asks about it only to get denial of its existence. He's confused and scoots closer, asking again. Still denying it. He gets a little annoyed and ends up tapping on it with his finger before asking once more and... Maruki freezes as memories come flooding back, especially that motion. He clutches his head and quietly says the "I am thou" quote as tears run down his face and then hyperventilates. Zen starts to panic too and tries to calm him down only for Maruki to scream and repeatedly apologize with a faraway look in his eyes. He does snap out of it but by then Zen had backed away from him, looking extremely guilty and thinking he had hurt him. Maruki tries to explain but he gets a rushed apology followed by a door opening and closing. Maruki could practically hear Azathoth mocking him as he's now all alone with no one to help him and that he caused it. Maruki finally has it. He's done. He already pushed away everyone else, Rumi especially... He doesn't want to lose more loved ones. He finds Zen in the living room trying to collect his thoughts and immediately hugs him tightly as he fully breaks down. He tells him everything, even the more darker aspects of his story. He doesn't look at Zen as he finishes, feeling like he would be viewed as a monster but he doesn't hear any hate or berating towards him.

"Can you turn around? I want to fully see it."

Maruki's confused but does so. He jumps a bit when he feels a small touch and then a kiss on it. To his surprise, he feels more... Warm. Especially when he feels arms wrap around him. None of the cold, empty tentacles or pain. Just a warm, gentle touch. No pain, just safety. Zen doesn't hold any of it against him, in fact... He appreciated the moment of honesty and vulnerability and that, like how Maruki viewed his scars, he thinks it's beautiful like him. They both cried but are happy that night. Ever since then, Zen made it a routine to kiss that scar when he could and Maruki doesn't associate it with those traumatic memories anymore, just that night and his lover/partner. Recovery is slow but progressing regardless. He still has the attacks and nightmares but he has someone to help ground him now if needed. The PTs themselves included once he fully reconnects with them. He's genuinely happy.

You know I've always wanted to ask. And I know it might be an obvious question. But I've seen your phantom thief Maruki design. So does that mean you want Maruki to come back and join the thieves?

Absolutely! Maruki had definitely dealt with lots of injustice in his life on top of letting his trauma overtake and control him (best represented by Azathoth/Adam). Hell, Joker could have easily let him fall to his death but didn't. The kid knew that he was a man who was hurt badly to the point where his mindset became warped. He's basically what he could have become had he not met the group who kept him grounded (same with Akechi but there's not enough talk about how Maruki is a foil to Joker as well). He needs people who care about him and to take care of himself. But yeah, Maruki redemption, recovering, and becoming a PT? Hell yes!

Saviour ☀

This started as a very quick scribble just to see what slick-haired Maruki would look like in the fantastic new outfit Yaldabaoth gave him.. And then I went crazy with it §(*￣▽￣*)§ 

Keep reading

Honestly, you hit the nail on the head on why Maruki's situation was so tragic and downright horrifying. It's ambiguous as to when he was in full control of his actions but regardless of how one spins it, it all leads back to Azathoth. There's just so much, "Ohhh he's a child groomer" takes but they're also missing the bigger picture. Design wise, Azathoth is a pretty cool looking Persona but then you go into the story and how it all goes down... He's basically the equivalent of a toxic friend/partner at best or even an abusive parent. Maruki deluded himself into believing that he's doing good when he's doing the opposite and Azathoth more or less allowed and/or worsened it. Also, the lead up to his fusing with Adam... How he felt that he lost because he "wasn't committed to" his words. Like honey no... No. And we all know what happened next. Also this dialogue also raised more questions of who was really in control:

It's labeled as ADAM saying it, not him. Also there was apparently canon evidence in a previous game (P3 I think) that fusing with a/your own Persona can actually KILL you. So with that in mind, Maruki was extremely lucky to have even survived to tell the tale.

He undeniably did wrong in so many ways and can't really be excused but at the same time he was clearly a broken man who genuinely wanted to do good but did and went about it in a very, very wrong way. That adds to the overall moral greyness and tragedy of his character.

I feel like, sometimes people just forget how traumatizing it must’ve been for Maruki to be a victim of a B&E. Then you add on him witnessing two murders, one attempted murder, and the survivor’s guilt that resulted from the whole ordeal… Yeah.

Saw your post. Hear me out, NG+ Maruki who’s aware that the year is repeating for… some reason and breaks FURTHER because of that. He has to relive all those moments over and over again.

Oh god Purge your mind! And Azathoth will be aware too and would further fuck with his head. Especially if Maruki attempts to reject him in one timeline.

Regardless though, owww!

Guess it's sad Maruki hours because... This bit hit way too close to home and even cemented him as a favorite character.

Like... No... Honey... 😭

So I just realized something... What if after Maruki fused, Adam/Azathoth put him in a dreamlike state during the fight... In particular, a perfect reality of his own where he regains what he lost all those years ago while he "sleeps."

Adam getting destroyed basically wakes him back up to that harsh reality and just everything sinking in at once leads to the fist fight phase. All of his pent-up emotions, trauma, and guilt come out of the woodworks until he's done and gives up.

The underlying tragedy being that he will never have a "happy ending" no matter how hard he tried and even his diary entries indicate that he struggled before and after encountering Azathoth. Like Sumi, he lived in a fairytale in his reality and only fell deeper and deeper into his own despair and madness. So Adam giving him a form of "cruel mercy" by knocking him out and giving him an ideal wish of his own while he is unconscious would be just be horrible and sad. Especially when it would have led to the deaths of a group that actually wanted to help him and not have him keep running away anymore. I feel that moment he vented was also him snapping. He has nothing left to lose so why not just let it all out before... Well you know the rest.

Inspired by the concept art where his Palace attire was originally a tuxedo like he's dressed for a wedding which he never got with Rumi. That would have hurt a lot though, ngl since that was one of many losses for him before breaking.

Ok, funnily enough, me and my bf were just talking about those takes and just this is some good tea here! It's also apparently mentioned that he opened or ran a clinic himself while still continuing his research which would have definitely required some form of licensing here to do that? Either way, he would have definitely needed something to be able to do that sort of thing to begin with there.

Persona fans be like “Oh Maruki’s not a real therapist lol!!!! I can’t believe Shujin hired a fake psychologist, they must not care at all!!!!” as if it ISN’T possible to um maybe go to fucking school again? Pick a new major or get a second one? Get multiple degrees? Not to mention he was originally qualifying to become a COGNITIVE PSIENTIST, so it may be likely he already had something in the field of psychology… Also he would have been arrested if he was faking as a therapist.

You know, I've often seen takes (mostly anti) that basically say that Maruki should have been punished for his actions... Mostly of the severe/horrific kind that even involves Joker letting him fall to his death (which is SEVERELY OOC btw). Though to be perfectly honest... He actually does when you think about it, it's just more subtle. As he said during his breakdown, he gave up everything for his dream and he's not exactly wrong. He's lost his perfect reality, his research/his life's work, he doesn't get back with Rumi as one would expect, he fully quits his job as a counselor/therapist, he's lost everything except for maybe Shibusawa and the PTs themselves. The biggest thing is though, is that he starts to let go of those losses and uses them to start over. He even uses his job as taxi driver to help Joker get away from the police and seems more than happy to do so. Also, remember his final interaction with Joker which best sums up one of Royal's main messages:

So yeah, I feel like he already faced punishment for what he did. But as per the message there, he uses it to improve and heal and potentially atone. That's at least my takeaway here.

Plus remember how Ichinose tried to turn herself in at the end of Strikers only to be rejected because no one believed her about the supernatural occurrences (her case was odd though because Zenkichi was exposed to it too so he could've vouched for her story there, then again he would probably be dismissed too but it's hard to say) so jail time wouldn't work if Maruki even remotely tried (which I wouldn't be surprised if he did but who knows).

"Everyone is capable of changing themselves - your imagination is the only limit." —Takuto Maruki, Persona 5 Royal R.I.P. Billy Kametz... You will be dearly missed and thank you for bringing such beloved characters to life and just overall always being a kind and bright person.

Honestly, all of this and the replies hit the nail on the head here! Not to mention refreshing since I've seen nothing but anti takes in the P5 tag lately.

Maruki was undeniably well intentioned in his goal but the overall plan and execution is doomed to fall apart and even fail eventually if the player chooses the "Stay" ending. Good idea, bad execution all around. Doesn't help that he wasn't feeling alright to begin with due to his own unresolved grief and trauma along with the implication that his own Persona probably wasn't that helpful to begin with (I already talked at length about that though).

But I digress, yes he should've done things like enabling Sumi's desire to be her dead sister which worsened things along with the actualization that's for certain. But his goals were genuine and his heart was in the right place and was a undeniably a broken man.

Overall, before I go all over the place, his goal was good and understandable but will fail and fall apart in the long run. Nobody "wins" as the group would lose all free will and autonomy and Maruki either erases himself from his own reality or continues trying to run it in a fate worse than death as he would have to try to keep everyone happy. Once one wish is granted, people will demand more and more of them so on.

But yeah, the above points here best sum up the rest of my thoughts on the matter!

So here's a question, since you're presumably reading this because you're a Maruki fan; Exactly how wrong do you think Maruki was in his goal? I'd love to speak to anyone who actually agrees with Maruki's reality.

“Do you finally acknowledge your hubris? Despite your insistence that you’ve changed, you still refused help… You will surely fall to your own demise with charred wings if you keep up this charade… Do you still seek freedom? True salvation? Then I will help fly again with a pair of new wings… I am thou, thou art I… Rise above your torment and take flight once more!”

“Give me new wings, ICARUS!!”

So I decided to redo my old PT Maruki design and at long last... He's done! Old version can be seen here!

Here's a rough sketch of the full outfit! I took some inspiration from starrycosmicyuu's take on the old design. I tried there and the ends of the coat are meant to resemble feathers. I tried to make the staff look sharp so hopefully it's doable. I just feel like he would be more magic oriented than combat oriented since he considers himself a pacifist unless pushed.

Anyhow, more notes/profile:

Codename: Adam (a reference to the Adam and Eve motif associated with him (that and Adam was casted out of paradise along with Eve so it still fits with what I’m going with here with this design))

Persona: Icarus (I personally felt like the story/myth fit Maruki pretty well, he flew too close and fell with his hubris but (unlike Icarus, who met his demise) that doesn’t mean he can’t be saved and redeemed)

I know people would often have him be all white and gold but… I couldn’t help but think that the black and gold is a good way to show that he’s symbolically a “fallen god” now along with fitting the story of Icarus still a bit.

Melee Weapon: His staff in canon, but probably modified more for battle. Helps with magic use too.

Ranged Weapon: Bow and arrows.

Specializes in Bless Magic along with healing.

His brooch was loosely inspired by Hawkmoth from Miraculous Ladybug and my bf's own input. The meaning behind a gold/yellow moth is apparently this:

His 2nd tier Persona would be Asclepius, who was a renowned doctor/medical practitioner from Greek mythology and apparently associated with snakes as well (the Adam and Eve motif of his Palace).

His 3rd tier will be Vikare, Icarus' Etruscan name.

Stats (I’m gonna do a 1 to 10 thing. 1 for weakest, 10 for strongest. Idk why, it strangely helps me a bit more.):

Strength: 5

Magic: 10

Endurance: 4

Agility: 5

Luck: 7

Phew! All done! Hope you enjoy him!

Im curious what are the maruki misinterpretations that the fandom can have do you dislike the most? Your maruki takes and analysations are great i’d love to see more of your thoughts on him :D

Thank you!! I love the wet man councillor and I spend a lot of time thinking about him, it’s a problem

And hmm there’s a few, a lot of them is the idea he’s doing stuff maliciously, which he isn’t, and like it doesn’t take a genius to go “yeah he’s not evil” he’s just sad and hurt and kinda dumb about his own emotions and I think literally anyone given the chance to control reality would be unable to handle it and stop themselves from shaping the world as they personally see fit, humans are complicated and no one is free from their own biases and ideas about what a perfect world would look like.

I’ve already gone on my rant about the whole bad therapist/ joker acts as his therapist thing so we don’t need a repeat of that here.

People using his as an instigator in stuff because they Need a Bad Guy tm for their fic and because Maruki is the Palace Ruler Joker and Akechi go up against together they default to Him and they just severely fuck up his character or misunderstand how he acts, a lot of the time making him an active antagonist or someone who genuinely hates the PT for dismantling his false reality, when Maruki really isn’t like that at all, his themes are literally called Gentle Madman and Out of Kindness, like Fucking come on man.

Those are just a few but I know if I look in my discord dms with my friends I’ll find more, because I don’t think I ever shut up, a large portion is just Misunderstanding his character, purposefully misunderstanding his character, or people not doing a little research into things I guess. The grey morals are allowed for other characters in the series but not Maruki I guess

"A false god is slowly coming undone, a decaying gentle madman... How long will he continue to maintain his ideal world as it becomes real but he loses himself to self-destruction?"

So... Possessed Mooki anyone??

Also a couple alts w/o the glamour and bg! The tears are black and reminiscent of the mental shutdown symptoms. I also made him seem more thin, sickly, tired, and pale. Like he hasn't been taking care of himself AT ALL.

tw: blood and injury

Decided to kind of sort of redo my crying Maruki sprite edit to compliment my Berserk Sumi edit there. This time with a neck injury based on the scar HC! Enjoy!

"Why... Why Rumi!?"

A screencap edit bonus!