March 20
As the cherry blossoms drift through the air, you realize that your time in town has come to an end. Dojima encourages you to see your friends while you can, and Nanako walks by, holding a letter in her hand.
Now for the various goodbyes. You can talk with anyone whose Social Link you completed, and since I finished all Social Links, I was able to talk to everyone.
Shopping District South
I generally talk with Chie first, who admits that she's studying to become a police officer, and hopes to train under Dojima to protect the town where she lives.
Next up is Margaret. Having told you that actions speak louder than words, she demonstrates that principle by giving you a goodbye kiss, even if it's taboo for the residents of the Velvet Room.
You also find Rise in the shopping district. She says she's working hard on returning to showbiz with a new album, even if she's better at singing songs than writing them.
Shu's standing in the middle of the road, and seems to be Locked Out of the Loop about your impending departure. He notes that he has a baseball game tomorrow- the same day that you leave. He also reveals that he's become friends with the transfer student(who, as you may recall also didn't have any friends before), after his former rival stood up for him when he got caught cheating.
Shopping District North and Shrine
At Souzai Daigaku, you see Marie. She gives a standard angry Tsundere reaction upon hearing the news, but is determined to make memories of her own.
At Aiya, you find Kou and Daisuke. Kou's determined to study abroad and do what he can to support the Ichijo family, since they're his family. He and Daisuke also share a bit of friendly ribbing about whether they'll be friends forever.
Outside Tatsumi Textiles, Kanji's a bit embarrassed to see you, and after Kanji rudely tries to rebuff him his mother explains the reason why- he's holding a handicrafts class at the store. Once again, you have the option to prove yourself a true friend to Kanji by not laughing at him. He's almost at a loss for words, but is glad to have you as a friend, and that the case has been resolved.
Near Konishi Liquors, Naoki greets you, and says that he's hoping to learn what he can to support his family (such as getting a scooter license and learning about alcohol once he's old enough to drink it), who are selling handcrafted eau de toilette, possibly as a way to compete with Junes. He reminisces about how long ago his sister's murder was.
As you might expect, the fox is next, but it isn't at the shrine. Instead, there's the old man, who mentions that the city was considering tearing down the shrine because of someone stealing from the offertory box, and plans on taking the fox to an animal shelter (although it's a bit odd for a wild animal like the fox, to say the least)- oddly enough, he doesn't specify how long ago either event was. After he reminisces about the rumors about the Fog and the Midnight [[strike]]Channel[[/strike]] Radio, he goes off to get some juice for his grandson. Afterward, while you're wondering about the fox, it comes down with some kits.
Junes
Yosuke and Teddie are waiting. Teddie's happy to see you, and Yosuke asks you how you like the "boring" town of Inaba, before noting that everything started happening when you arrived. The three of you reminisce about all your times, from exploring the TV world together to you and Yosuke fighting on the Samegawa (Incidentally, there's a version of this ending that happens if you don't complete Yosuke's Social Link). Teddie expresses his heartfelt gratitude toward you and Yosuke for helping him to change.
Yasogami High School
Naoto's on the first floor. She goes up to the roof with you, possibly out of her love of high places, and discusses how she feels a bit listless without a case to solve with you, but is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, even if she's called upon for a mystery elsewhere.
Ai, who's here for supplementary lessons(presumably due to her poor attendance), is also at school. She's also on the first floor, which, annoyingly enough, means you'll have to go back downstairs to find her after speaking with Naoto (or vice versa). She'll reminisce about the time you stopped her from jumping off, and talk a little about her goals to improve herself, which includes becoming a kinder person. She's clearly come a long way, even if she's still a bit awkward about saying goodbye.
Yumi's in the drama club, somewhere that, in the practice building, is fairly out of the way (which you won't have to go to apart from your first day, since Yumi waits for you on the second floor balcony). She explains that she's considering new things- working at Junes, joining the student council, rejoining the drama club and finding a boyfriend. Obviously, the latter doesn't mean you, but she seems to be taking it well.
Samegawa Flood Plain
Next up are the Dojimas (technically, you find them at the Dojima house, but I put them here since you and they end up here). In a not entirely intuitive twist, you begin the conversation by saying you're "mostly" done with saying goodbye, with the implication possibly being that you have yet to say goodbye to them.
Nanako seems like she's about to cry, but Dojima reminds her of their promise. Nanako offers you a Childhood Marriage Promise, but while Dojima's open to the possibility, he also points out that it'll be a while before it happens if he has anything to say about it. I'll point out that relationships between first cousins aren't quite as taboo in Japan as they are in the Americas, and Japanese are apparently somewhat more open-minded about large age gaps in relationships, but Nanako's off limits, at least for now, because of her youth and her Not Blood Siblings relationship with you.
Hisano's back in town, but only so that she can visit her husband's grave, since she's living with one of her kids and raising a grandson (who seems much younger than the teenage granddaughter she mentioned in her first event, who's probably the boy's sister or cousin). She says she stayed distant from her children, not wanting to be a burden on them, but she realizes she has a place with them. She notes that just as she lost her husband, they lost their father- a seemingly obvious but also very profound realization that you're not alone in your suffering. She then decides to live her remaining years to the fullest, for her dead husband's sake.
Locations Reached By Bus
At the hospital, you overhear two nurses talking about Sayoko. They're a bit amazed by her work ethic and passion for her job in her last days on the job, and hope to follow her example. They also mention spreading Midnight Channel rumors, even if they're unclear where they started, which also seems to suggest that they go well beyond Yasogami High. Finally, they conclude that Sayoko did actually love you.
At the hill, you can either play with Yuuta or talk with Eri. Eri's changed for the better, and notes that when the true suspect was caught, she was relieved that Yuuta would be safe. As for the future, she hopes that he will grow up to be a kind person who has empathy for others (possibly rooted in how it took so long for her to understand his perspective), since raising him has helped her to lead a fulfilling life.
At the Amagi Inn, you can find Yukiko, wearing her kimono. She admits that she'd rather not have seen you, since she's been doing what she could to prepare to see you off without crying, and briefly jokes about leaving with you. She, however, is determined to learn what she must to support the inn, and tells you "I will always love you."
After all of them are done, you'll be given an option to go home. DO NOT go home unless you do not want to see the real ending. In a somewhat counterintuitive twist, you have to go back to the Junes lobby, even though you'd previously been told you had no business there.
At Junes, you realize that everyone else happened to come by. You share some lunch and talk about the case- everyone notes that it was often a struggle, but it was highly fulfilling, which is why they'll miss it. The conversation shifts to where it all began- Yukiko and Yosuke heard the rumor from Chie, but Chie can't remember who told her. Yosuke notes that they never found out the truth about that even after they caught the killer and cleared the fog, and Chie touches on another mystery- why you, Adachi and Namatame could go inside the TV without facing your Shadows.
You then remember and open up the letter that you got from Adachi this morning (it might have helped if the game gave you some hint that you had it, apart from showing it in Nanako's hand). In it, Adachi says that his game is over, and he's willing to accept the consequences of his actions, but he decides to reveal something- he suspects that someone's behind everything.
Hunger Rank 10
If you completed his Social Link, Adachi will go on to say that despite everything, he enjoyed his time with you, Nanako and Dojima, and is grateful to you... even if he thinks you're a dumbass. He has a grudging respect for you, though, and wishes you the best of luck.
As a reward, you get the ability to fuse Adachi's Persona, Magatsu-Izanagi. By this point in the game, I already have Yoshitsune and Lucifer (although I'm not high enough to use him on this playthrough), so I don't bother with him.
Back to the story. You get asked if you met anyone besides Dojima and Nanako on the day you arrived in town, but for some reason, you can't quite remember, so you set out to investigate while your friends remain on standby. Meanwhile, the weather has gotten cloudy, a rare case of you witnessing a gradual change in weather.
You go over to the Dojimas, and ask them, at which point Nanako talks to you about the weird gas station attendant, and how you felt odd after shaking hands with that person.
The obvious place to look is the gas station, but the attendant isn't there, so you have to stop by the Velvet Room. Igor looks over your bonds, and gives you the Orb of Sight. If Marie is there, she also gives
You then go out on the street as it starts to rain. If this is your second time playing, you've maxed out the Empress Social Link and you've killed all the optional bosses(Contrarian King, Intolerant Officer, Momentary Child, Escapist Soldier, Rampaging Machine, Lost Okina), then you have an opportunity to fight Margaret if you IMMEDIATELY go back in the Velvet Room, view the scene with her and then backtrack to the top of Heaven. Unfortunately, I did a fresh playthrough, so that option was not available.
I then went to confront the attendant. His answers are initially fairly evasive, but he soon gets defensive and annoyed at your questioning. If you persist long enough and get to the point, he'll admit that you've found "him" out and reveals the truth. "He" is actually the goddess Izanami, and she was the one who bestowed power upon you, Adachi and Namatame. She also recognizes Marie's comb, and mocks her for keeping it around even though it's a symbol of separation, before mocking you for saving someone she considers insignificant. She then invites you to come and face her for the final showdown.
At this point, there's nothing left to do but go into the final dungeon. The TV exit portal is available, but only allows you to go to Daidara and Shiroku, with the rainy day discounts.
At Junes, you can talk about who Izanami is and what she's done.
Inside the TV, Rise helps find the final dungeon, Yomotsu Hirasaka. The inside is oddly calm, lacking any of the discord in the victims' hearts. The enemies aren't all that strong for the final dungeon, and mainly consist of upgraded versions of previous enemy types.
As you go in, Izanami discusses her plan- to make a long story short, she gave three people power to see which was strongest- hope, despair or emptiness. Since Adachi, who represented despair, was the most proactive, she decided that humans wanted to live in falsehood, and so came up with the idea to cover the world in fog. Of course, she realizes that you're stronger than she thought, so she's putting you to the test.
On the third floor, you'll notice that the layout seems familiar- it's the same place you saw in your dream on the first night in Inaba. Eventually, you'll face the Neo Minotaur
SUB-BOSS: Neo Minotaur
- Party: Yu(80), Yosuke(80), Chie(80), Yukiko(81), Rise(80)Personas: Yoshitsune(87)
The boss hits fairly hard, but doesn't have much HP. After spending the first round charging up, I was able to easily kill him in the second.
After you win, Izanami will taunt you, and you'll eventually face the Neo Minotaur as a regular enemy, one that has a weakness to fire and significantly lower defenses.
Proceed through the next few floors, and when you reach the sixth floor, you find another room with a predetermined layout. Eventually, the only path forward will take you through another miniboss.
- SUB-BOSS: Sleeping TableParty: Same as Neo Minotaur
This boss primarily specializes in magic, and has a paltry 2,000 HP, so the battle only lasted two or three rounds for me.
On the ninth floor, you see Izanami's inner sanctum. If you're preparing for a New Game+, go back, sell everything that you don't need for the Final Battle and give Marie all your Skill Cards.
You confront Izanami, who reiterates her belief that humans do not have the desire to see the truth. Naoto somewhat cynically notes that Izanami's correct about most people, but Chie insists that they're the exception. The team then prepares for one final battle, as a send-off for their leader.
- FINAL BOSS: IzanamiParty: Yu(81), Yosuke(81), Chie(81), Yukiko(82), Rise(81)Personas: Yoshitsune(91)
Izanami starts out with fairly standard attacks- elemental spells and Megidolaon- with fairly high attack and defense.
After you deplete her health, you'll realize that your attacks aren't doing anything, although it takes a few rounds and taunts from Izanami for you to realize this, and use the Orb of Sight.
After you do so, Izanami reveals her true form and changes her name to Izanami-no-Okami.
In addition to using elemental attack spells, Izanami has a few new moves. She will use a powerful multi-target attack called Fury of Yasogami, as well as a spell called Kuro Ikazuchi, both of which do significant damage. She also uses Galgalim Eyes from the Shadow Naoto battle, and follows it up with Summons To Yomi, which will kill the person it hits if they have any status ailments. As a result, you'll need to keep everyone healed up, and free of status ailments throughout this long and fairly difficult fight.
Late in the battle, Izanami uses her deadliest combo- Stagnant Air and Mind Charge, followed by World End and Summon To Yomi. The former damages everyone and inflicts random status effects, any of which allow the latter to instantly kill its victim This would seem like an instant Game Over, but you'll be protected from the status ailments if you guard (the boss telegraphs it with Mind Charge), and even if you don't, it's possible for Rise to intervene and remove your status ailments between the boss' turns or block all attacks/revive your main character. Luckily, though, the battle should only last one or two rounds.
After depleting Izanami's health again, she brings out her ultimate attack- Thousand Curses, a reference to how she cursed that 1,000 people would die every day. Your party members shield you one by one, but all fall, and Izanami eventually finishes you off.
At this point, you get encouragement from all the Social Links you maxed out, starting with Margaret and ending with Marie. You then get up one last time, and after a failed Thousand Curses, you withstand several uses of Oho Ikazuchi (essentially an upgraded Kuro Ikazuchi), in what has to be several rounds in a row. Finally, you get a turn, and there's only one option- Myriad Truths, an Almighty attack that summons your ultimate persona, Izanagi-no-Okami, which finishes her off.
While shocked at her defeat and the party's rejection of the bliss she offers, Izanami genuinely praises you as she disappears for good. The team celebrates their victory, and then steps into the fog-free TV world, which Teddie recognizes as the world's natural state, perhaps implying that Humans Are Good.
You're summoned into the Velvet Room one last time. Marie introduces herself as Izanami and thanks you for your help. Igor says that your journey is finally and truly over, and says that "You were truly a remarkable guest."
March 21
The day comes for you to go home. If you got the Good Ending, the same scene will play out, but with a few minor changes, such as the characters realizing that someone could use the TV World to do evil.
The rest of your team still has trouble coming to terms with your absence, especially Rise, who breaks down and cries, as does Nanako. Teddie offers to protect the other world, but everyone knows that means he'll be coming and going as he pleases, as usual. Naoto considers going back with you, now that the case is closed, but she decides against it. Yosuke invites you back in May for Golden Week, a vacation that doesn't go as planned, to put it mildly, Yukiko offers rooms at the inn, and Teddie plans revenge for his humiliation last time.
You also ask about Marie, and have the option to give one of a few answers as to where you think she is.
As you prepare to step onto the station platform, you're greeted by your school friends whose Social Links you completed- Kou and Daisuke, Yumi/Ayane, Ai and Naoki- who briefly say goodbye and hope to see you again.
In a final cutscene, the Investigation Team and the Dojimas say their goodbyes, and you board the train. The Investigation Team runs after the train, shouting goodbyes (and in Rise's case, a Love Confession), while you say nothing. As the train pulls away, they say that it's sad that you're leaving, but you'll stay friends, and you look at the picture of you and your friends.
Epilogue
After getting off the train, you see Namatame giving a speech about how important it is not to be deceived, and how you taught him that. A woman asks you if you know him, and remarks that he's running for mayor.
The shopping district is lively, and several local merchants are gearing up for a unlikely collaboration with the hated Junes. It's an interesting step forward, especially considering that the townspeople not only are accepting something they saw as an enemy, but also are no longer blaming others for their misfortunes.
At the Dojima house, Dojima claims to be out and tells you to meet up with your friends. You then head to Junes, and find Yosuke and Teddie in a failed attempt to surprise you. The rest of the gang joins you, having gotten makeovers to various extents- Kanji, in particular, looks like a completely different person. Dojima calls to ask how the surprise went.
At the Dojima house, you discuss the news. Namatame was let off, but wants to make up for what he did, so he's running for mayor. Adachi's trial is some time off, and, as mentioned in Arena, Dojima often visits him in jail. Marie is a meteorologist named Mariko Kusumi, and if you romanced her, she gives you a love confession on air. Nanako takes piano lessons, another reminder of Chisato that once would have been painful to Dojima. Dojima remarks on how the town's changing for the better, now that people are willing to come to terms with the less pleasant aspect of themselves.
One final cutscene is shown, and the gang tries to say "Welcome Back" in unison, but while they mess it up, the sentiment isn't lost on your character, who simply smiles.
So that's it. My total playtime was 71 hours and 41 minutes. I didn't get 100PercentCompletion, since I didn't read all the books (having missed some of the events in which you get them so that I could advance other links), but I chose to do them on a separate playthrough. It's worth it, though, as Persona 4 is a game that's worth playing multiple times.
My main liveblog may be over, but I'll probably post a few additional entries about things I didn't cover here.
