Marie Persona 4 Guide: The Enigma, Woman, and Goddess?!

Persona 4 Golden is a “final mix” remake for the PSP Vita and is now available on PC. Among the new Persona 4 content added in the Golden edition is a genuinely mysterious female character named Marie. While she seems innocuous at first, Marie is a pivotal part of the late-game plot and has her own social link. As we delve into the details of her Persona character, be aware that there will be massive spoilers beyond this point. 

The Aeon arcana and social link represent Marie, and you will be given a chance to explore her story and be allowed to romance her. Special accommodations are made for Marie due to her being added to an already existing story, but she does not feel the least bit contrived. Atlus didn’t simply inject a character the way that many games do. Instead, opting to carefully craft a character that seemingly fits the game’s themes and Meta. Let’s begin our Marie Persona 4 guide by meeting her character.

Meeting Marie

You will see Marie for the first time while leaving the station in Inaba for your new home. As the main character (MC) walks to the car, he drops a paper as she walks by. Marie picks it up and hands it back to him before walking away. When you get the chance to explore the shopping district for a second, she will also be standing outside the bookstore.

Marie will pop up in the Velvet Room on April 17th, when you enter at Igor’s request. Marie is sitting just to Igor’s right side and is initially referred to as an “unfriendly-looking girl.” Both the main character and Marie seem to know one another, but neither can recall why.

Margaret introduces Marie as a “young soul” and tells the MC that she has much to learn about human emotions, whatever that means. Marie is also said to be an apprentice to the Velvet Room.

Margaret from Persona 4 will go on about her, and Marie will tell her to stop, implying she doesn’t want MC to know too much about her. After this cryptic conversation is finished, you can continue the game, and Marie will become available as a social link.

Marie’s Appearance

Marie wears an outfit that is reminiscent of a schoolgirl outfit, with a white sleeveless shirt, black neck-tie, and red plaid skirt. She has black and white thigh-high socks under her shin-high, black plaid combat boots.

Marie carries a fashionable deep blue bag that matches her hat. These relics are likely based on the motifs of the Velvet Room, as her hat is adorned with a gold button featuring a large “V.” Marie wears fingerless gloves which go up past her elbows.

Functions of Marie

As previously stated, Marie is a Velvet Room resident meaning that she will assist you somehow. While in the Velvet Room, Margaret will explain that Marie provides skill card services. As you explore the game’s dungeons, you will occasionally find and receive skill cards.

You can use these items to teach the MC’s persona new battle skills. You can also give them to Marie, who will copy them, which will destroy them in the process. When Marie can replicate them, the advantage comes in, allowing you to pay money to buy infinite copies.

If you have a skill you enjoy using or want to teach to a persona who doesn’t learn it naturally, this can be excessively useful. The drawback is that some of the skills are very expensive. However, if you are after creating a persona that can hit all elemental weaknesses, this is the easiest way to accomplish that.

Getting to Know Marie

As you begin to take Marie out of the Velvet Room, she is unique in that she meets all of your main party members. At first, she is mainly private and shy. Society function is a foreign concept to Marie, who takes every opportunity to witness how MC interacts with his friends and the world. Personally, I think that her outfit references the fact that she is learning about the world through your experiences together. That is why she dons the student outfit.

Marie is naturally curious about the world and will consistently ask MC about the new environments that she ends up in. Adorably, she tends to mispronounce a lot of words when she doesn’t necessarily understand their meaning.

The main party takes very well to Marie, even though she can be aggravatingly blunt with them. It’s unclear whether they sense she isn’t malicious when she is talking or if they just have thick skin. Most of MC’s friends befriend her nonetheless.

As you begin to peel back more of her story, you learn that Marie’s memories are not intact. She will often recognize the places you take her, but she can’t seem to remember how or why she knows them. A bamboo comb is her only possession, and you learn that Margaret picked her up as the Velvet Room was passing by. She also gifted the name Marie to her.

Marie can be exceptionally pouty, as she does not always have the proper social skills to ask politely. While she will improve on this over time, her temper doesn’t ever cool completely. From time to time, when you visit the Velvet Room, you will find scraps of paper with poems by Marie.

Every time this happens, she catches you. Angrily she will shout something very loud at you like “Ihateyoustupidjerk!” While off-putting at first, it quickly becomes part of her charm. She will also assail you and your party if she feels teased or if a situation isn’t working out how she wants.

Because of her poetic side, sometimes, you will catch her talking in poems while on dates with her. She becomes blushingly embarrassed and tries to defend herself before hitting you with one of her trademark insult trills.

It is hinted that when MC isn’t there to take her out, she just sits in the Velvet Room with nothing to do. Marie remarks that she also learns things from Margaret but must be half paying attention since she always seems to mispronounce the things she learns.

Marie’s Social Link

Out of all the social links, Marie has the most growth objectively. Her story hinges on discovery, exploration, and a thirst for knowledge not only of the world but of herself. In many ways, Marie is a parallel of the actual player as we learn about this world and the intricacies of relationships between characters. However, her lackluster optimism toward the world falls away by the end of the game, and we see a person who cares arguably too much about the people around her.

Marie’s social ignorance never feels like a choice she is making. Eventually, that cold demeanor turns to genuine affection for MC and his friends. She was effortlessly accepted by them and wished to be able to return that favor by protecting them.

While other characters are developing the selves they know, Marie is instead finding herself. This is an arduous task in comparison, and she is not afraid to rise and overcome it.

Social Link Guide

Remember to have an Aeon arcana persona in the MC’s persona list since it will grant extra points. Marie’s social link is more accessible than most of the other ones. It is crucial to have her maxed out by December 31st, or you will miss out on the extra month.

Failing to complete the final month will also lock you out of the true ending. Please don’t be worried though, because Marie is often available when it isn’t raining.

If you are looking for her, Marie can be found next to the blue door to the Velvet Room. Rain permitting, she will be available any Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday, or holidays. Unlike most other confidants, Marie cannot be completed all at once. If you find you have completed a ranking for the Aeon arcana and Marie is unavailable on one of these days, you likely need to progress farther into the story to continue her social link.

You have the choice to wait on her social link and devour her storyline all in a row or enjoy the spread-out dates. Personally, the latter is preferred, so you accidentally run out of time before December 31st. I think it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

Similar to most social links, if you answer with the correct phrases when prompted, you can raise your relationship faster with Marie. Doing this will save you time for your other social links. Remember that the game does not have a time limit, but you only have a certain number of actions you can do, and once you reach the end of that allotted time, you are stuck with what you have done. 

You may receive rewards for other options, but I have included the ones that you can get wrong for the most part. This one is much easier than most other social links in terms of difficulty. Atlus isn’t trying to make Marie inaccessible to you, so ranking her up generally goes swiftly if you answer the right way. 

Rank 1:

• This is the start of Marie’s social link, which can be accessed by talking to her while she stands outside the Velvet Room starting on April 18th. None of the options are worth points for this event. 

Rank 2:

• While you are given many options through this episode, none of them grant bonus points. 

Rank 3:

• “Hey, what do you do in a city? Any Option. 
• “Huh? Me too?” “Let’s hurry” or “You aren’t coming?”

Rank 4:

• “You don’t get tired of it?” “It’s fun” or “It’s pretty much my duty.” 

Rank 5:

• Answer however you like. There are no options for extra points. 

Rank 6:

“…will this help?” “It’s made of bamboo” or “It is sold somewhere.”

Rank 7:

Once again, no options for extra points.

Rank 8:

 Yet again, no options for extra points.

Rank 9:

• When you reach this rank, you will have to decide just how precious Marie is to you. Is she your forever girl? Has she made a big enough impact on you while discovering herself that values her over the other women of the game? Or do you have a different sweetheart in mind and refuse to lead Marie on? Perhaps you think she is an excellent friend, but that is all she will ever be. This is the moment to let her know either way. 
• In my first playthrough, I did not choose Marie, choosing Rise Kujikawa in her place. I fell for Marie’s human journey to self-realization on my second playthrough. I saw her vulnerability towards the MC and opened my heart to her. If you can get past her initial rough exterior, there is an intimate woman beneath the shell. I can’t tell you what to do, but I promise you will not be disappointed with your decision if you choose her as a partner. 
• “Hey, can we make more? Memories?” Any Option.
• Romance Route: (You have to choose both options or you will fail to romance her. If you select the second prompt wrong, you miss your chance and will be friends only)
• “…Why?” Because I love you.” 
• “…I won’t just believe words” “Hug her.”
• Congratulations on admitting your feelings for Marie, she may not fall immediately to tears like many of the other girls, but deep down, she is happy with your decision. 
• Friends Route: Choosing the second option will leave you as friends, nothing more. (Your loss!) 

Rank 10:

• These scenes are different depending on your choice to romance her or not. Ultimately, these choices don’t matter because you have maxed out her social rank either way. Still, who doesn’t want to make their friend/girlfriend special by saying the right things? 
• Girlfriend: “Marie is looking around your room…” Any Option.
• “Memories so fun, I won’t care about the past any more.” “Leave it to me” or “Lots of memories won’t do it.” 
• Friends: “…I wouldn’t have been able to do that on my own. I only realized that because of you.” “It was fun.”

You have gained an irreplaceable friend in Marie, no matter which option you choose. Having her maxed out by the dreaded December 31st makes you eligible to experience more story and an extra secret dungeon. You receive the Bamboo Comb key item from Marie and max out the Aeon arcana, allowing you to fuse the persona, Kaguya.

After Ameno-Sagiri

After defeating the main game boss and completing the Christmas and New Year events, you will have a dream sequence involving Marie. She will thank you for everything and tell you that since you are safe, she is going away. Not a lot of detail is disclosed as to the why, though. Margaret will reach out to you within the next few days and ask if you want to find Marie. Saying yes will trigger an extra month of social links and events for your characters. Occasionally, Margaret will call with updates on her search. 

It isn’t until February 13th, on the ski trip, you are finally given a chance to go after and save Marie. You and your friends will enter the TV in the abandoned cabin and be transported to Marie’s dungeon. Margaret greets you and gives some explanation as to where you and your party have ended up. Make sure to thank her for all of her hard work in finding Marie! 

Margaret informs you that Marie has come to this place with the intention of locking herself away inside of it. Margaret either doesn’t know why or whimsically doesn’t explain why to the party. As they enter the dungeon, they find Marie immediately, who, with great sadness, looks upon you all. She explains that she is one of the Sagiri, like the two you fought before. Marie’s eye has transformed and now looks like the Sagiri.

The entire time she was on Earth, her task was to determine “what the wish of the people” was. Marie names herself a spy but isn’t even aware of what she is doing. She tells you to leave and proceeds within the dungeon. 

Related read: Comprehensive Ameno Sagiri Guide.

Marie’s Dungeon

The party is now in the Hollow Forest, where Marie has run away for reasons unknown. The rules for this dungeon are different from the rules of all the others up to this point. You will have to endure these rules to go after your friend, Marie:

1. No matter what items you have going into the hollow forest, you will lose them upon entry. (You get them all back after completing the dungeon)
2. All items and money that you collect within will be lost upon exiting.
3. You keep your experience, but it is a minuscule amount per battle. 
4. You will want to make sure to watch out for chests, as these have weapons and armor that will definitely help you in this dungeon.
5. Every time you finish a fight, your SP will be halved of whatever you have at the end of the battle. (100 to 50, 50 to 25, 25to 13, etc.) There is nothing you can do to stop this, but there are a lot of SP restorers that can be found within. 
6. If you do not have any SP and don’t want to use the dungeon’s melee weapons, you will need to look for elemental items. These are numerous and often given for victories. Instead of relying on your persona to do fire damage, you could have a party member use a firecracker and knock the enemy down. This will be a reliable way to use all-out attacks, significantly reducing your chances of dying or running out of items. 
7. On some of the floors, there are no shadows prowling around. Instead, whenever you open one of the gates, you will be forced into a battle. When you see shadows, skip them because you will have enough required battles. This is a very agitating mechanic, but in place, so you can’t just run past all the shadows to get to the boss. There is no way to tell which gates have a battle hiding behind them, so be prepared. There is no indication of where to go, and these traps are overabundance. If you go the wrong way, you could fight battle after battle. 
8. If you need to leave the dungeon for anything, you need to use the item: “branch.” Unless you have genuinely fumbled the dungeon, I would attempt to complete it all the way through the first time, as you will lose all your items upon leaving.

For the most part, those will be the most prominent rules. I didn’t personally find the dungeon impossible, but it is time-consuming and takes a different strategy than the ones you are likely used to.

All the rules of the Hollow Forest sound worse than they are because the game provides more than enough opportunity to create a stash of medicine, attack items, and armor to make this a more accessible dungeon. 

Kusumi-no-Okami Appearance

Marie has forsaken her student outfit into a white cloak with red accents. Her appearance almost symbolizes the idea of Nirvana. However, she wears a red necklace with a gold padlock on it. The hood of the cloak is pulled up over Marie’s head. Long sleeves wrap on either side of her arms with wide matching fabric hanging down from them. 

Before entering the Hollow Forest, Marie explains that her actual name is Kusumi-no-Okami, which she remembers after the party defeats Ameno-Sagiri. When you complete the Hollow Forest and confront Kusumi-no-Okami, the whole party pleads with her not to destroy herself. Marie will retort that the fog was the Sagiri creation and would bring about the “wish of man.” That fog would turn the world into shadows didn’t stop it. 

Instead, Marie absorbed that fog and brought it to the Hollow Forest, where it would die with her. If she went through with this, it would mean that Earth would be safe at the cost of her life. However, she was willing to make that sacrifice for the party. Kusumi-no-Okami then tries to force you all to leave by defeating you, resulting in a boss fight. 

Kasumi-no-Okami Boss

Kusumi-no-Okami will be Marie in her first form, still clad in her white mage-looking robe. While she will fight you, it pains her. However, Marie is only fighting you so you will leave and save yourselves after all. When you wipe her health down to about 50%, she will plead with the party and put up Shell of Denial.

From this point on, Kasumi-no-Okami is immune to all elemental attacks launched by the party. Fight beyond this point, and she will again beg the party to abandon her, putting up Alienation Wall. Now she is immune to all attacks, so they will all be reflected at the party. The battle will end after one more full turn, but it is an excellent time to heal and defend your party. Trust me. 

Marie will be belligerent in her rebuke of MC and party. Try as she may, she cannot fathom why you will not let her perish alone. Finally, a voice settles over the group proclaiming that the truth should be covered up. Whatever this malevolent force is, it gave Marie the order to kill herself. This force attempts to take control of her to finish the deed. The party elects to destroy the fog inside Marie so that she might be able to regain control of herself. 

Kusumi-no-Okami’s proper form is revealed! She has become a slender behemoth with a silver helmet over her black hair. The eyes are a deep red color, and they wrap up into flames up the helmet. This fiend version of Marie has a large ruffled crimson cape that meets her shoulders under chrome shoulder pads.

Her skin has become jet black like many of the other shadows, and she wears white fan shape armor on her chest, legs, and arms. The lock on her neck now hangs like a charm over her caged chest. At the bottom of the intricate chain is a magatama like the ones in the Hollow Forest. Kusumi-no-Okami sits on her knees, clutching her face in agony at what is happening around her. 

Despite her posture, she absolutely can and will attack when she isn’t being held back by Marie. You will have to use elemental break items on her to create vulnerabilities; otherwise, she will block all of your attacks. Kasumi-no-Okami later will use fog-based attacks. These attacks will weaken Marie’s body until finally, you defeat her. 

Fate of Marie and Epilogue

Following the battle, Kasumi-no-Okami’s shadow ceases existence. Marie’s body falls into the MC’s arms, and she wakes up to the Investigation Team. Expertly, she roasts a jealous Rise Kujikawa before everyone flees the forest. Thus ending the chapter of Marie. 

The Investigation Team will celebrate with a trip to the spa, where the guys will learn not to peep at higher powers. If Marie is your girlfriend, you get to have her date scene on Valentine’s day. Enjoy the chocolate! On second thought, maybe you shouldn’t. 

Marie finally remembers her origins. She is a fragment of the being who created the fog and was controlled because of it. Marie informs you that her other half is still out there. When you come face to face with her other self, Marie will be there to motivate you in your most dire moment. Afterward, she will tell you that she has yet another name: Izanami-no-Mikoto (make up your mind, Marie). Also, despite the fact you saved her like twice, she is going away forever again. 

When the Investigation Team has their reunion, Marie (Mariko) will appear as the cheerful weatherwoman on TV. She even gives the MC a special shout-out, implying that she can control the weather and make it sunny in your honor unless you don’t want that. 

Concluding Remarks

Marie is a literal enigma waiting to be solved. Every time it seemed impossible for her to have another facet added to her character, Atlus would throw it at us in a way that created a need for answers over things like food or sleep. Marie’s character is full of twists and turns but is perfectly balanced by her willingness to sacrifice herself for the greater good.

Despite being under mind control, she would have chosen that fate over letting tragedy befall the Investigation Team. While Marie tries desperately to keep people away, getting beneath her surface reveals a lovely Goddess with a desire to protect humanity. How many people can claim to befriend (let alone date) a goddess? 

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Eric Parker

Eric is a content writer and an avid JRPG gamer. He is a certified Persona fan and has been playing the game for a long time. She enjoys being the hero of his own story and checks out different endings. He loves those fantasy, open world, and narratives. He offers guides and character bios surrounding this amazing series.

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