Comments below will contain major spoilers for Persona 5 Royal so come back when you’ve beaten the game. This is your friendly neighbourhood spoiler warning.

P5: STEAL YOUR HEART P5R: BREAK YOUR HEART

Persona 5: you can change the future Royal: But you can’t change the past

"And they were rivals" "Oh my god they were rivals

This song was powerful enough without understanding meaning of any word. But after you look out at the lyrics. Man. This just hits you ten times more. Bow down every single piece of this game is amazing.

Atlus: Did you cry in persona 5? Me: Yes... Atlus: Wanna cry again?

You know what the saddest part about Akechi is? Lavenza tells you that in the game between Igor and Yaldabaoth, they each chose someone to represent their side. Igor chose Joker to represent humanity’s potential, while Yaldy chose Akechi to incite the masses’ distortion, meaning that from the moment Akechi was born, he was already being used as a puppet by someone else. Whether it be Shido or Yaldy, there was never a point in Akechi’s life where he was in control of his own fate. Even though Maruki’s reality offered him everything he ever wanted, he still chose to oppose it, knowing full-well that doing so would kill him, just so he could finally feel what it was like to be free for once in his life.

This hits different knowing that Joker's wish in [redacted]'s reality was to see Akechi alive. :(

"I will go on and walk along the path that I've chosen for myself." Goodbye, Akechi. I'm still keeping that glove... Just in case.

An actual bop. Just a shame that you can't listen to it without feeling empty inside. 👌👌

People in these comments forgetting that Akechi stuck to his Justice in the end. Justice isn't always good, evil or what you think it might be, but rather what you believe it to be. Akechi portrays that perfectly

Had to come back after the news, may Billy Kametz rest in peace His work as Dr. Maruki is one of the best I’ve ever heard and his character as well as the entire Third Semester are the main reasons Royal is one of the greatest video games of all time

I feel like a good portion of Royal was to tell the people who dont like Akechi that he isnt just the villian, but the flipside to the protag. His rival

I really love the line "That is the distorted world where I met you" Because it really was the first time we got to see the real Akechi

“even though that time shall transform into pain, that pain shall guide me towards the stars and sky above us.” sometimes the best endings aren’t the happy endings, but the ending where we grow as people and face reality head on.

I think people tend to forget this song is for the TRUE ENDING, they have to move and mature, change the world but not as the phantoms thieves, but as who they are as kids, people, still have so much they can do, they are just moving to the next phase of their lives, this ending sure isn't as fulfilled as it could be, but it's reality, that's the one they fought for.

But the real light was the friends we made along the way. Now that I think about it, that really is the plot, huh?

The ugly side of freedom: Free will must allow for the possibility of pain to be truly free.

Rest in peace, Billy Kametz. Your contributions to this game as well as many others were amazing. You were a very talented man, and you will never be forgotten for that.

Me playing the game: Wow this song sounds really sad, I wonder what it's saying Me after watching this video: I'm gonna go cry in a corner now

0:00-2:28 Maruki's thoughts towards Rumi 2:28-4:47 Joker's thoughts towards Akechi 4:47-6:25 Sumire's thoughts towards Kasumi

Honestly, this should have swapped between everyone's p5r renders to really make it hurt more

So, the lyrics of this song are about someone meeting someone in a false reality they come to care for, and that person not wanting that false reality and destroying it, knowing they'll die in the process. The singer laments that while letting that person go hurts, it's the right thing to do and will allow them to forge their own path. It's better to experience pain and be free than to accept a false happiness. So yeah, it's definitely specifically about Akechi. It even references his dialogue. Akechi heroically sacrifices himself twice in this damn game and protag-kun understandably has some feelings about all that. It was his regret at letting Akechi die that brought him back to life, after all. So this song is about protag-kun finally accepting the pain of Akechi's death and moving on from it. That's not to say that the song doesn't thematically fit the ending as a whole though. Protag-kun met all of his friends in that false reality, they all had to help him take it down, and now that he's leaving Tokyo he has to let them go to move on and forge his own path in life (except Morgana but shhhh) just as they do for theirs. They'll always have their time together, but the ending is undeniably bittersweet so the song fits it with that melancholic yet hopeful tone. Agh feelingsssss

Cool, now I'm depressed on the floor and crying. Thanks Atlus.

Hearing this after Dr. Maruki’s VA passing away, this hurts a lot more than usual…

This hurts now. This really hurts. Rest in peace, Billy. We’ll never forget you.

Akechi has to be one of, if not the only, sympathetic villains I actually enjoy. His story is incredibly tragic without having to rely on cheap or overused beats, his betrayal *actually* caught me off guard, even though I picked up on the pancake hint, which I just brushed off because he had Robin Hood when we brought him into Sae's palace for the first time, and not Loki. And then his sacrifice leaving Joker scarred to the point that when Maruki makes his offer, Joker is actually tempted to accept it makes his character way too easy to get attached to. The fact that he sacrificed himself and placed his ambitions of taking Shido down in Joker's hand when Akechi could have just as easily ran away and left the party to deal with Shadow Akechi shows how much he actually respects Joker.

I bet akechi would call joker pathetic for feeling this way

Rest In Peace Billy Kametz. Rest well in Heaven.

At least Joker cares about Akechi

I personally don't think Akechi really hated Joker. I think Akechi simply saw in him what he could have been, what he wanted to be. Someone he was insipired by, someone he desperately wanted to be. But it was too late. Akechi is a guy with A LOT of problems, remember that he killed a ton of people with no problem whatsoever, that he was alone since he was very little. Akechi never got close to anyone, he never loved anyone because nobody loved him in the first place. Every single person he met was either despicable or pathetic in his eyes. But then Joker comes along: someone with a pure heart, who wanted to do good and at the same time he was surrounded by friends who supported him. Joker was the first person Akechi ever met who had integrity and was actually loved by a good amount of people. This is something which drives Akechi wild, because he doesn't understand how that's even POSSIBLE, it sure wasn't for him at least. And in Royal, the more he gets to know Joker, the more this uneasy feeling grows, until he realises the core to the problem: he admires Joker, he wants to be like him!Akechi! The guy who never had to admire anyone, the guy who made it by himself, FOR himself the whole time, now admires a "naive idealistic child". That is when he chokes his feelings, when he simply says:"That's not possible, I guess I just HATE him! Yup, that's it." It might sound odd, even more so if we consider that at some point he tries to kill Joker, and for some time he even thinks he actually succeded. But we have to remember that Akechi does have issues: he's detatched from other people, he pushes them back but at the same time he wants approval (wich is also how he interacts with the public: he likes to be on the spotlight but he never shows his true self, he remains hidden guarded.), so when Joker manages to reach somewhere in Akechi's soul (or heart if you wish eheh) he instantly pushes him back and actually tries to erase him completely, which might seem like an overeaction but we also have to remember that he was ordered to do that anyway and he murdered people before: murder in his mind is an accettable solution at that point. I'm no psychologist but I think this is somewhat similar to how depression works: you push people away, even people you care about. In Maruki's reality we see how Akechi progressively accepts the fact that Joker is an important part of his life: someone he cares about to some extent, someone he keeps always in his mind, someone to whom he values enough to consider him an ideal to be overcome, to be improved by his own personal efforts. He no longer denies Joker in his life. The problem is: the development stops there, because Akechi is dead. That's the whole point: he gave his life to hatred and revenge and he loses sight of what really is important in his young life. He even realises this right before he's killed in Shido Palace: he lost his chance to be loved, to be normal, he lost a friend ("somewhere along in the bitterness.."), he lost himself. There's nothing left to do for him anymore. *Akechi is dead.* Could these two have been friends? I onestly don't know. Probably, but I insist on the fact that Akechi is NOT normal. The kid's got issues. So he probably would have to work on himself before anything else, maybe even seek professional help.

RIP Billy Kametz: You will be missed

i miss akechi

The "One of the best games released in recent years is over" theme.

This song hits different today. Rest in Peace Billy Kametz.

never cried about a game until this one, shit hit different

I always cry when i hear this song. Puts me in the feels right away, it means a lot to me as a person. I completely understand Persona 5 Royal and the message they were going for. Such a great game and experience, bout to cry right now 😅...

Freedom vs security. I like how persona manages to end while saying that nothing really ends and everything is just another beginning.

I lost both my parents and playing through persona 5 and seeing futaba and haru's story made me cry a lot and then seeing the translation for this song makes it even more so. It makes me sad and happy at the same time. I'm 24 now and I have a much deeper appreciation for the people in my life. Thanks persona 5 for making me feel like I can live on with the pain

When this actually played at the end of the game, I actually said out loud, "I won't let it end like this." Imagine my surprise when that came up as a line for Joker right after.

I cried once I heard the lyrics and I cried even more once even more when I read it in English. Rest in pancakes Goro Akechi

Alpharad once said that he will never get to play Persona 5 for the first time again and, after playing it, I felt that. Royal was as close as I got, but this time the post-game depression hit really, really, hard, and that's great. No game or movie has ever gotten me to feel this much. I have never had post-game depression until I beat it. Now whenever I listen to "I Believe" I am reminded of my love for this game. When I listen to "Our Light" I am reminded of the bittersweetness of this ending and that's kind of the point. I am going off to college soon, so I think I played this game at the perfect time because I think this game's themes are relavent in not only 2020, but also in the transition to the rest of my life. I am leaving my family and friends behind to start my own life. Royal is now my favorite game by a long shot the closest something comes is Smash Ultimate or Brawl which is fitting as the Ultimate is the game that introduced me to this amazing game. Now when ever I am being lazy or am in a bad place. I say the phrase "Wake up, Get up, Get Out There" or else my life won't change.

This song represents how all of them are leaving each other behind to move on with their lives, and how painful it is to let go of those you love. But despite how painful it is, the things you experienced with them, and how they helped you grow, those will stay with you forever. I left my country some years ago and I stopped speaking to many friendships that were important to me. It was sad leaving everything behind and seeing how old those people stopped being part of my life, yet I will forever treasure those experiences. Royal really hit home for me, and remind me of why life is worth living. this game was great on its vanilla version, but it has now become a masterpiece with royal.

I cried when I realized this song was talking about aketchi

Boy out here doing the lords work

This whole arc is probably going to hit harder now, considering Maruki's English VA Billy Kametz...

“i will go and walk on the path i’ve chosen for myself” This convinced me the song is about Akechi.

Here's to Billy Kametz aka Dr. Maruki. You'll be missed. Rest in Peace

Headcanon: Some form of this song- or, at least, the lyrics- exists within the game's universe. Penned by none other than Akira himself, after the events of P5R's true ending. Be it immediately after, or years later, and it is locked within a little box and contains a single glove, a pair of fake glasses, a blank calling card, a few lockpicks, and a little notepad in which the lyrics are written. There is a lock on this box, and a card fitted into a carefully hidden door on the side of it. The key is hidden in this little card, bound to it on the inside. The only thing on this card is the symbol of the Phantom Thieves.

I think the song can be about a general sense of grief that covers all the phantom thieves, since each one of them had to give something up, but in Joker's case that would still be the fact he had to give up Akechi.

I will always remember you akechi

The point of Akechi is not forgiving nor forgetting his past actions, it's that he does actions to compensate for all the wrong he's done. He saved the world, twice possibly (if you count the possibility of the PT dying on the engine room if it wasn't for Akechi). So yeah, it's not about forgetting what he did, it's about what he's doing now, in the end a person isn't only what they're in the past, it's what they are in front of you, and on the future. (Also quick unrelated side not but I think not a lot of people know that Akechi thinks his life as pretty worthless and values himself incredibly low. I mean why do you think he didn't care possibly dying twice? He has 0 value for his own life, but possibly he has a bit of value for at least Joker's life and friendship, which may be as to why he got to survive in the ending)

I had to come back here to pay my respects to Maruki's english VA, Billy Kametz. He passed away recently... Thank you for giving us an amazing performance that elevated Maruki's character like no one could ever do. Rest in peace.

Just beat Royal recently, and got goosebumps listening to this song. Didn't know the lyrics so I went to check this video out, and man I am just sitting here crying. In a weird, melodramatic way, I think it can also sum up the fanbase's feelings after beating this game. Where it feels like you just woke up from a good dream where you know you won't experience it anymore, and it leaves you with a mix of pain and utter joy. Seriously, one of the best games I've ever played. Sad that it's over and I won't get to experience it the same way again, but I'm happy to have taken the journey.

Akira moving on to P5Scramble without Akechi, it truly brings pain and suffering but he knows that this is the right path.

you will be missed billy kametz. your performance as maruki touched my heart alongside countless others. may you be welcomed into the kingdom of Heaven and rest peacefully.

Rest in piece, Billy Kametz. His voice work as Maruki was phenomenal, and really helped make his entire character arc as emotional as it was. It's tragic that he died so young, fuck cancer.

This entire game is going to hit different now after the news about Maruki's VA.

You know this song is gonna hit hard when Lyn singing it in JPN.

Persona 1: Everything starts off calmly, and ends in a rush of cold blood. Persona 2: Life isn’t the way you think it is. Persona 3: Accept death as a part of life, and find meaning for it. Persona 4: Accept who you are, and life will grant you happiness. Persona 5: You can change the future. P5 (Royal): You can’t change the past.

I hated Akechi in the first game, but after p5r I think he’s my fav character Edit- the reason I like akechi in p5r is because of the third act/semester. Seeing him redeem himself without ignoring the things that happened in the past is in my opinion the best way to write a villain; he still did the things he did and the party still acknowledges that, however he's willing to change himself for the greater good, being stopping the final palace ruler Is akechi a bad person? Yes. Is he a well written villain? Yes.

Billy’s work as Maruki had a very deep impact on me. I was going through the worst depression of my life when I first played Royal and Maruki’s character, development and story really hit home. Billy’s performance was a big part of that. It will always be my favorite role of his. Goodbye Billy and thank you for everything

I just finished Royal, YOU CANNOT TELL ME THIS SONG ISNT ABOUT AKECHI AND AKIRA. GOD IM SOBBING I HATE IT I HATE IT ATLUS MADE ME LIKE AKECHI AGAIN THEN WAS LIKE "NAH HE STILL DEAD LMAO" BRUH WHY

Now, how will Persona 6 top this one?

I'm not crying because it's this song is about Akechi it's just my hayfever acting up yeah 😭 You're crying not me 😭

I love the fact that Akechi went from being one of the most hated characters in the game to being one of the most loved when p5r was released

This song hits really hard, especially when you realize that the Phantom Thieves defied a false reality and chose to face the world and their cruel reality. They charged forward never looking back. Yes, it may fit Akechi and Akira, but I think it depicts both Dr. Maruki's struggle after letting Rumi go and his wish to change that reality into a painless one for everyone, and the ideal world the PT had to leave behind as they noticed the distorted world. I like to think that this song is about accepting the changes in life, moving on with whatever desire you had, and never giving up. That was the main point of the false reality and your own views as a person: if you have the power to live in a cruel reality or choosing to live in a painless one for the sake of simplicity. And that reflects in your comrades choosing to pursue their goals, Sumire choosing to live as herself and fulfill her promises and the protagonist returning home after his ordeal as the world savior, leaving his lover behind (if you chose to have one) until they met again.

With the Stars and Us: triumphant and free Our Light: intimate and mournful

Want to know my biggest flex? I loved akechi as a character in the vanilla version:>

I don't get why people are angry about the ending, it's bittersweet, and that isn't a bad thing. A good story doesn't has to necessarily have a happy ending

Shine on Billy Kametz. Your flaming soul is the only thing that can never truly be extingished. 🔥🔥🔥

Rest in peace dr. maruki

"Drinks apple Juice", Rest in Peace Billy

Man, shoji meguro and lyn inuzumi, a great team, they really know how to pry the floodgates open

It's ironic, Akechi's part "I will go and walk along the path I've chosen for myself" shows a pure essence of the game's many but strongest themes: Rebellion. Atleast, that's how Joker saw him but I'd like to think he would actually do the exact same.

Akechi stood in the face of death and had no fear. His whole life was him being a pawn to others and he didn't want that to happen again no matter what. That final scene with the 3 of them made akechi such a memorable and amazing character

Rest in peace, Billy

This song hits so much harder after you realize that royal isn’t the ideal ending, but the real ending.

A lot of people are saying that this is Joker's song to Akechi. But when I listen to it, it sounds like everybody is singing to Joker. The entire game is about you helping other people realize that the past is hurtful, and cannot be changed. But at the same time, everything about the future can be changed, if you believe in it. What's crazy is that Joker spends the entire game relaying this message to others, but because he's their leader, no one ever says it to him. No one lets him know that it's okay to shed his past pain, and that he can shape his own future going forward. I think that's what hit so hard for me here. At the very end of the game, when everything was said and done, the game itself sings to Joker, and vicariously, sings to you. Letting you know that the theme of the game extends into your actual life. You cannot change where you came from. But you can change who you are. And the path you take to get there shouldn't be forgotten, but embraced.

The relationship between Joker and Akechi reminds me a lot of Mob psycho, the arc where he faces this mega powerful and evil psychic who makes him realize that he is the way he is because he got lucky, because he grew in an enviorment that allowed him to be someone who wouldn't take advantage of his powers and who cared for people because there were people who cared about him. Both Joker and Akechi belonged nowhere, they were alone. But Joker found a home and people who would be by his side, Akechi, sadly, did not.

that song hurts ! it's not only about Akechi but suffering of leaving someone you love, so yeah of course Maruki, Sumire and Joker/Akechi, but it feels like a message from the phantom thieves to joker and to the player. Hurts more than I anticipated

Rest in peace Billy Kametz.

Akechi wasn't my favorite character in Vanilla P5, but in Royal my opinion of him went from "fuck this guy" to feeling complete sympathy. Akechi in Royal is the perfect example of that one guy who even though he did horrible things, you still see the good in him and want to go to hell and back to save him, but no matter how hard you try he is always out of reach. He may have said he hated Ren/Akira/Joker with a burning passion and even admitted he was jealous, but I feel deep down he really didn't. If Akechi hated him as much as he said than he wouldn't have sacrificed himself not once, but twice

Spoilers ahead People tend to dislike the true ending for the bittersweetness of it, but the thing is that it's by far the most realistic and truly the "best" ending possible. The Phantom Thieves are now over and they have to move on from that chapter of their lives. They wish they could've continued changing the hearts of criminals but they know that they must face the world ahead of them. The world they chose to live in, not Maruki's reality. I would like to add to what I said to clarify. I never said that the ending was "good". Whether or not it is is your opinion. But in the context of the story and the morals that we've learned throughout the story, to the Phantom Thieves, it was the right and best move to do. The whole point of why they decided to leave the reality that Maruki made is because of the fact that they can choose their own future. I might've phrased it wrong when I said it was the best ending, and that's my fault. But what I meant is that to them as the group and considering everything that they've been through in the game, it makes sense that they felt it was right and the best move to pursue their own endeavors in life because that is what they fought for in the end. (EDIT: I’m well aware P5S exists. When I initially made this, it wasn’t going to be released in the West yet, and I was talking about it in the context of P5R.)

Spoilers: I just beat the game and man does this song bring chills. The true ending is far more bittersweet than vanilla P5, and this playing in the credits forces everyone to reflect on all of their whole experience. I feel like that this is what the protagonist or his squad mates are thinking at the end of all the events that occur. All of these characters are far more developed and matured at the end of Royal. All of the Thieves are moving on, similar to how you’re moving on from this era from Persona. It’s truly sad yet hopeful, this game series has changed my life. Royal was fantastic, I’m surprised I liked it more than Golden. This song will make anybody cry idagf😭😭

The cool thing about this song is that it can really be applied to all the phantom theives. I know all notice it might be in reference to akechi. But all the phantom theives lost somthing when they woke from their dreams. -Makoto loss her dad and a fixed relationship with her sister -futaba loss her mom and the family she always wanted -haru loss her dad and the relationship/respect she craved from him -ryuji loss his place in school and his respect from his peers -Ann loss her wish for her and shiho to be together and to live without guilt of not helping her when shiho needed her -yusuke loss his relationship with the man who raised him and the respect for his mentor -kasumi loss her reality where she wasn't at fault for her sister's death and the confidence that came with -morgana loss the world where he truely felt like a equal to the rest of his friends and had a chance at romance with ann A beautifully written song to show the strength, sadness, and hope everyone felt to throw away their false realities and choose to grow through the pain

Rest In Peace Billy Kametz, may the light forever shine on you

This song is especially sad knowing what it's truly about. Also I am sad for MC that Akechi and him never get the ending they deserved, but Akechi sacrificing himself seemed like the best option for the world.

I love how open to interpretation this song is. You can say this song is about Joker and Akechi, Sumire and Kasumi, Maruki and Rumi or even the PT and their desires and still not be wrong. Truly one of the best ending songs ever

Atlus be like : People don't seem to like Akechi that much, now what can we do in Royal to make people cry about him? Writters : Hold my beer Lyn and Shin Megami Tensei : we'll make them cry trust us

Just like 1 lifetime isn’t enough to experience the world, there isn’t enough time in 1 play through to do everything you want to do. As I approach 30 years old the comparison hits me like a truck. My own experience as a teen was my own and I loved it; but It brought me immeasurable joy to relive my youth again vicariously through Joker. “Take your time” what a masterfully written, executed, and invaluable recurring theme. By the end of the game you’ll be reflecting on all the days that’s gone, your old bonds, mistakes and successes in life. I’ve never ever gotten that from a game and that’s why it’s my favorite of all time.

I'm so happy I decided to play Royal after the OG. Akechi's writing on the OG left a bittersweet taste in my mouth, but the extra content we got in Royal, and the 3rd semester... I really grew to like him, and now my heart hurts with feels.

Now that I finished Royal, I really hope Akechi and Sumire appear in a future game. I already miss them.

Came back here as soon as I heard about Billy Kametz's death... T-T

im not saying this is about akechi but god does that fit well into the lyrics

Joker: Wait! I want to say something before you go! Akechi: What?! Joker:

Just finish the game today. It is normal to feel sad after completed the game ? 😅

I'm gonna miss billy kametz.

What really hit me was the near-end of the credits roll where they included a special mention in the memory of Matsuki Miyu (Chihaya Mifune's original P5 JP voice). Legitimate grown-ass manly tears were shed.

I'm just here to pay my respects to Billy Kametz- Dr. Maruki's actor who pased away too soon. From the little I've seen of him, he seemed like an amazing person, and his role as Takuto Maruki in this game was perfectly cast, and I owe him a deal of gratitude for the impact this game has on my life. May you rest in peace Bill...! 🕯