Atlus Confirms Unsettling Fan Theory About Persona 5 Royal's Ending

gamerant.com:

Persona 5 Royal ending spoilers ahead.

Joker and Goro Akechi are aware of their true fate in the bad ending of Persona 5 Royal, Atlus has revealed. The move confirmed a long-standing fan theory that makes the alternate ending of Persona 5 Royal even bleaker than it first appeared.

Aside from the Persona 2 duology, all mainline entries in the iconic JRPG franchise feature multiple endings. Specifically, those adhering to that pattern have a true ending and up to several alternate ones. Bad endings in Persona games often cut the story short, but not always. The main bad ending that Atlus added to Persona 5 Royal can qualify as either of those types because players are able to trigger it multiple times during the third semester, both before and after completing the final Palace. The choice itself sees Joker accept Maruki's reality in order to stay with his friends forever, even if that means being brainwashed.

The artwork that comes up before the credits roll following that choice has long made fans theorize that both Joker and Akechi are still aware that they aren't in the real world. That's primarily because they seem to be giving meaningful stares to the player while everyone else is enjoying themselves. Atlus has now outright confirmed that theory via Persona 5 Royal Official Design Works, the game's latest artbook that hit the Japanese store shelves on March 28. The caption attached to the alternate ending artwork specifically states that Akechi and the protagonist are looking back at the viewer «to establish that they're aware that this scene is Maruki's ending,» according to a translation provided by Twitter user SpecterThieving.

This confirmation makes Persona 5 Royal's bad ending even bleaker than it might appear at first. That's largely because Akechi himself states he would «rather be dead than live as a puppet» multiple times throughout the third semester. Knowing he's been brainwashed, even if only subconsciously, leaves him in a tragic situation from which