The Persona series is one of the few video game franchises where I actively want to replay the games over and over. Whether it is to perfect the playthrough with 100% completionist of everything, from social links to the Compendium, or to experience everything again, it is a blast. But there are some challenges you can impose upon yourself. One example is: can you beat Persona with just Izanagi?
This is an intense challenge that isn’t like the typical ones of increasing the difficulty level or all that. Instead, this is more like a Pokemon Nuzlocke challenge in that you are forced to work with what you are given at the beginning of the game.
After all, Izanagi is a starting Persona, and you are meant to move on from your initial Persona down the road. So, can you beat Persona with just Izanagi? Read on to find out the answer.
Bottom Line Up Front
The honest answer to the question: can you beat Persona with just Izanagi? Is a resounding yes. Absolutely, you can boot up Persona 4, its Golden variant, Persona 5, and Persona 5 Royal, and beat all of those games solely using Izanagi as your Persona.
That said, it won’t be easy since you will be dealing with a low-level Persona that only learns so many skills in the game. But if you manage your party, equipment, and skill cards correctly, it is possible to make this happen, at least on the standard difficulty option.
Izanagi Challenge Overview
Image from Fandom
Let’s begin by breaking down this Izanagi challenge a bit more for the fans out there. Izanagi is a Persona introduced in Persona 4, being the signature summon for the player character in that game. Think of Izanagi as the starter Pokemon that you get in that franchise.
Essentially, this challenge is aiming to take the starter Persona that you get in Persona 4 and see if it is possible to play through the entire game without ever switching or using any of the other Personas. There is no reward for doing this, nor is anyone asking you to do this, so it is solely for your personal achievement and joy.
If you want to replay the Persona games and do it in a unique way that most people won’t experience, this is one way to do it. After all, everyone else will be moving on from Izanagi by the time they’re in the third, if not second, dungeon of the game.
This Izanagi challenge is a great way to make your mind think since there will be some tough scenarios where your back is against the wall due to a weakness or lack of skills. Plus, it can feel rewarding to play through the entire JRPG with a single partner by your side who can feel like your best friend.
And, lastly, someone might want to do the Izanagi challenge because of the way Persona sets up its party members. Your party members aren’t wild cards like you are, so they only have a single Persona. It might evolve later in the story, but they are pretty much stuck with their initial choice. In this way, you can act like them and have a team that is truly all on the same page. But can you do it?
What Games You Can Do This In
Image from Fandom
Izanagi’s debut only happened in Persona 4, meaning that any Persona 3 Portable players on current systems won’t be able to try this out. That said, any mainline game that came out after Persona 4 is possible for this challenge. That basically means Persona 4, its Golden variant, Persona 5, and its Royal expanded version.
Those are the four games where you can experience this challenge. Thankfully, both Golden and Royal are available on all modern platforms these days so they are the most easily accessible and recommended games that you should attempt this in. Plus, they have some extra changes and options that make this challenge a bit easier or more flexible, at the very least.
Plus, if there ever is a Persona 6 in the future, there is also the possibility that Izanagi will be added to that game as a DLC Persona, so there is the chance that you’ll be able to attempt this there, too. What I should also note before we start is that Izanagi is the best starting Persona in the mainline games so far.
Out of Orpheus from Persona 3, Izanagi from Persona 4, and Arsene in Persona 5, Izanagi stands tall as the best of the bunch by a long shot. This is due to the fact that it has the least amount of weaknesses of the group and the most resistance. In addition, it has more skills than the other two, making it much more viable for a more extended period of time. And much easier to use in terms of this challenge.
Can You Beat Persona 4 With Just Izanagi?
Let’s start with the exact answer to your question, beginning with Persona 4 and its Golden variant, in particular. Yes, you can beat Persona 4 with only Izanagi, and that’s it. You don’t, technically, have to use any other Persona if you don’t want to and stick only to this creature for the entirety of your JRPG adventure in the countryside town of Inaba.
That is 100% possible, but there are a couple of factors and parameters that I should mention that make this possible. I am saying it is possible, but I can only verify that it is possible on the normal difficulty for the game and, of course, the lower ones below that.
I imagine that it is possible on the more challenging difficulty levels in Persona 4, but that is going to either require a second playthrough with a much higher level Izanagi or some seriously planned-out tactics. This is because your single weakness can possibly be detrimental to those higher difficulty levels.
That said, if you solely wanted the answer to your question, you now have it. However, there are some ways to go about making this challenge happen that will make it a whole lot easier to accomplish. I will note those below.
Izanagi Persona 4 Stats Explanation
Let’s start by taking a look at Izanagi himself. He is the best starting Persona in the series so far, beginning at level 1. Stats-wise, he focuses more on strength and agility, so being able to dodge attacks and deal some heavy physical damage, but his magic isn’t too far behind. That gives him a nice well-rounded look without too many glaring issues in the stats department.
In addition, he is the best starting Persona when it comes to weaknesses area. There is only a single weakness he has, compared to two for the other Personas, in wind. That is an intriguing element to be weak to, especially earlier on in the game. However, I would honestly say that it is one of the better elements to sacrifice.
Though there are quite a few enemies that use wind, I don’t feel like it is as common as fire and ice. And it is certainly better than allowing a weakness for the one-shot kills like light and dark. Thankfully, it doesn’t stop there, either.
There are a couple of resistances that Izanagi has, too, that will help you out in your journey. First, he resists electricity as that is his main elemental attack power. Again, this isn’t the most common or helpful element to resist, but any resistance, especially early on, is going to be helpful in some of the vital boss fights. Unfortunately, he only resists it, so Zio attacks will still land but not deal as much damage.
The main draw here is that he has another resistance that completely blocks dark attacks. None of the dark attacks or one-shot kills will take you out here so long as you have Izanagi on your side. This takes care of some of the more annoying parts of the game so that you only have to worry about the Hama light insta-kill attacks, and that’s pretty much it.
Then there are the skills that Izanagi learns, which are five in total, more than his starting brethren. Zio and Cleave are your two main attacks, dealing light electric and physical damage, respectively. Then you get three buffs and debuffs that let you affect your party members and enemies with them.
Honestly, the skills department is a bit underwhelming. The light single-target attacks mean that you won’t be able to keep up much in the later parts of the game, even once you get to the third or fourth dungeon, honestly. However, I have some tips for alleviating this problem later on.
Persona 4 Golden Izanagi Challenge Differences Explained
Image from Fandom
First, we need to discuss the differences in using only Izanagi in Persona 4 versus Golden, the superior version. It is likely that you will only do this challenge in Persona 4 Golden, but some players may want to dust off their PS2 (emulators) to try this out in the original game as well for a true challenge.
There aren’t a ton of differences since the skills, stats, and all that remain the same throughout. Of course, Persona 4 Golden has more content and an expanded true ending where you will have some more formidable challenges to await when you get to know Marie more. Even still, it is possible to accomplish this.
Other than the new content, I think it’s even easier to do this challenge in Persona 4 Golden. This is mainly due to the changes to how shuffle time and the like work, letting you more easily pick the cards that you want to take, which can make it good to focus on experience boost and item cards since you won’t be using other Personas.
In addition, some of the bosses and dungeons were reworked in this version, overall making them a bit simpler, in my opinion. Lastly, the main difference here is one that I will go over further below in how to make this challenge work, but you are able to now more easily get skill cards through the help of Marie. She is the new social link character added to this game.
How to Beat Persona 4 With Izanagi
There are a few essential pointers that you need to know about when it comes to playing Persona 4 or Golden with only Izanagi. One is to watch out for wind weaknesses, as that will make your job a whole lot tougher. If you want to stay true to your challenge but get some help, I recommend looking up guides to know which enemies and bosses to avoid.
When those moments come, it may be time to switch out Yu Narukami for another character or get an accessory that will render his weakness to wind void. Once that hurdle is dealt with, the rest of the game becomes more manageable.
What you want to do next is to make use of skill cards. The greatest weakness for Izanagi in this challenge is his move pool. The point of constantly changing Personas is that they will level up, learn all their moves, and then their moves will become obsolete the further you get into the game.
Now, this is where it gets tricky. You still want to collect some Personas and fuse some of them but not use them. The purpose is to get the skill cards for them and to interact with Marie to get more cards. These skills cards then need to be given to Izanagi to give him abilities that he wouldn’t usually learn.
Unfortunately, this system does have some luck based around it that you may have to worry about. But the general idea is to pass on valuable skills to keep Izanagi relevant, such as Mediarahan, Maziodyne, and some of the higher-level versions of his already existing skills.
If you can do this while also grinding out levels to keep him up to date with the other Personas and dungeons, you should have a relatively easy and fun time only using Izanagi in battle. If anything, this will teach you just how versatile and flexible that a single Persona can be if you genuinely love it and only want to use it in combat.
Can You Beat Persona 5 With Just Izanagi?
Image from Fandom
Next up, let’s talk about another game, which is likely the one that most players are going to be trying this challenge with these days, and that is Persona 5. Izanagi is available in both Persona 5 and its expanded version, Royal, for you to try it out in.
Admittedly, there aren’t a ton of changes for Izanagi as an additional Persona in these two games, but they are some key ones that you need to worry about. In the meantime, let’s answer the question: can you beat Persona 5 or Royal with only Izanagi? Again, the automatic answer is yes.
As with Persona 4, this is a situational challenge you must keep in mind. For one, I only know and can verify that this is possible on the normal difficulty most people will be playing on and the ones below it. Persona 5 can be quite the challenging game on the later difficulty levels, so I can’t say for the true challengers out there if it is possible, but I assume it is likely with the right strategy and set-up.
The main issue with the later difficulty levels is dealing with your weakness with Izanagi and ensuring that you have the skill profile to back you up since most of his skills are lower-level ones that are only useful for a time in the game. That said, if you can take care of these glaring problems, this challenge should be even more accessible in Persona 5 than in Persona 4 and Golden.
Persona 5 Izanagi Stats
Let’s start by taking a look at the stats that Izanagi has in this game. They are inspired by the Persona 4 version of the character, but there are some key differences that you need to know about. This is especially true when it comes to the skills it learns, which are far different and include many more options.
To begin with, Izanagi isn’t a starting Persona in this game; that honor goes to Arsene. As such, it begins at level 20, depending on if you want the basic version of the Persona or the Picaro one (more on that in a bit). Let’s begin with the standard form of Izanagi, based on the one Yu Narukami has in Persona 4.
This one is level 20, requiring you to be at that level generally to have it in the first place. That means your challenge will have to wait a bit until you are further into the game most of the time. Its stats are roughly the same as before, with a mostly balanced spread, with strength and agility getting a slight edge.
This makes Izanagi perfect for learning and using almost any skill you can think of in the game. It also has the same resistance and weakness as before, with the wind being its core weakness that you’ll need to watch out for. I think it is less dangerous in this game than in Persona 4 or roughly the same.
The resistances include the resistance to electricity, which, again, means reduced damage from these attacks, but it doesn’t completely ignore that element. On the other hand, the dark element doesn’t exist in this game, as it has been swapped out for curse damage. Thankfully, Izanagi still blocks this, which is even more helpful here than in Persona 4.
Then there are the skills, which are the most significant change. It has mostly the same skills as before but with some better versions like Zionga and Cross Slash, which deal heavy damage. In addition, you learn two valuable skills later on, including Dodge Physical, which lets you occasionally dodge physical attacks, which almost gives you a third resistance in a way.
And then, there is Growth 3, which allows Izanagi to gain experience when not in battle. That is pretty useful for other playthroughs, though, unless you switch him out for some reason to avoid a weakness.
Picaro Stats
Picaro is the other form of Izanagi that you can use. Think of it as a palette swap with different colors and appearances. But you can absolutely use it for this challenge, but there are some differences to note. For one, you need to be level 23 or higher to get this Persona, instead of just 20.
In addition, everything else pretty much changes in the other departments to even be better than before. If you want an easier Izanagi run, this is the one to use. For one, electricity is no longer a resistance but a full-on block that you have.
In addition, it has one extra skill in the form of Null Phys, which means that it can learn at a later level to be entirely immune to all physical attacks. This makes him have three blocks in total, which is insanely high and essential. I honestly used Izanagi Picaro for my most recent Persona 5 Royal run for most of the game, as it is that good, and I wasn’t even trying to do a unique challenge or anything like that.
Persona 5 Royal Izanagi Challenge Differences
Image from Fandom
Like with Persona 4, there are a couple of key differences for this challenge when it comes to Persona 5 versus Royal. The main difference comes in the form of how you obtain these Personas. In both games, they are regarded as DLC Personas that don’t appear in the base game.
This means that you have to physically pay extra money to obtain Izanagi and Picaro in Persona 5. Thankfully, if you have Persona 5 Royal, Izanagi is included in that game as free DLC. So, you want to play Royal if you want to save some money and play the superior version.
Some bosses are a lot simpler and more straightforward in Royal, too, especially with regard to a certain space-themed Palace. Other than that, everything else is pretty much the same in terms of your challenge run with Izanagi.
How to Beat Persona 5 With Izanagi
Izanagi sets you much better in Persona 5 and Royal for more extended play than in Persona 4, so that is a plus right off the bat. For the most part, you probably won’t even be able to worry about this Persona until the second dungeon at the earliest. It should last you a couple of dungeons after that, naturally.
From that point forward, you’ll need some boosts. I recommend planning ahead early. Start with ranking up Mishima’s Confidant, which will give some extra experience to your Personas in general. This ensures that Izanagi is growing at a steady rate, which is what you’ll need since you aren’t switching Personas.
You also want to obtain as many skill cards as possible. While it does have some decent skills, it will be obsolete by the mid to late game, especially in the general second half. And don’t even get me started on the third semester that Royal added, so you want skill cards.
To do this, don’t forgo obtaining and fusing for other Personas; just don’t use them in battle. Sacrifice them to make skill cards that you can then give to Izanagi. You want some of the more valuable skills like elemental attacks it doesn’t learn, better electricity attacks, and healing skills. If you need some buff action, that might be useful, too.
The idea is to set up Izanagi for the endgame as much as possible. This is easier to do in this game due to his higher level, so I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be able to do this on the average difficulty level, if not higher.
FAQs
Question: Is Izanagi-no-Okami the strongest Persona?
Answer: No, Izanagi-no-Okami is not the strongest Persona in the series. It is the strongest Persona in Persona 4, though. There are much better Personas like Satanael in later games like Persona 5.
Question: Is Izanagi a good Persona?
Answer: I think Izanagi is a pretty decent Persona, like a 6.5/10, at least in Persona 4 and Golden. All early Personas struggle to be good because they are meant to be traded out. In Persona 5, though, its higher level makes a good Persona at probably 7.5/10.
Question: What is the weakness of Izanagi?
Answer: Izanagi has a single weakness, and that is the wind element. This means that you’ll need to watch out for the Garu attacks in the Persona games.
Try It With Arsene in Persona 5 Next
Izanagi is the best starting Persona for a reason, so doing a challenge like this is fun and exciting. If you want to truly test the limits of your skills as a tactical player and turn-based combat expert, this is the way to do it. It is also an excellent way to add some life to Personas 4 and 5, especially if you have beaten these games multiple times already.
But why does it have to stop here? There are more ways to expand your time with these games, namely Persona 5. If you think this was a challenge, why don’t you try spending all of Persona 5 or Royal with only Arsene as your sole Persona companion? With his double weaknesses and limited skill set, this would be a much more formidable challenge to complete.
Cody is a writer who discovered the Persona series about 10 years ago. As a huge Pokemon fan growing up, he was recommended to check it out on his PSP. He started with the very first game and when in sequential order before catching up with Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden cemented his love for the series. He was proud to be able to eventually spread his passion into the Shin Megami Tensei series and be there in time for the launch of Persona 5, which is one of his favorite games of all time.
