Persona is a JRPG that blends life-simulator and visual novel elements to tell its story. That story is about a group of teenagers using special powers called “personas,” which is a second, protective side of themselves drawn up from the depths of their soul as they fight shadows.
Manifestations of dark desires and impulses that sometimes mirror real people, depending on the circumstances. It’s a series that focuses a lot on human resilience and ingenuity in the face of human weakness and cowardly nature.
A motif throughout the game is the Arcana, the names, and variations of tarot cards. An esoteric piece of the occult that is supposedly able to tell the secrets about the future and the things they don’t know about themselves. The later ability of the tarot card makes it an apt motif to appear throughout a series focused on personal growth.
This Magatsu Izanagi guide will tell you all about Magatsu-Izanagi, is here to tell you everything you need to know about the persona. From their real-life roots in Japanese mythology to their role in the game’s story and how they work as a usable persona in-game.
It’s a lot to cover, so why don’t we stop dallying and get right into the action with who or what the persona Magatsu-Izanagi is.
The Tool of the New World Fool
In the game Persona 4 and its companion Persona 4: Golden, Magatsu-Izanagi was the persona of one of the game’s main antagonists, Tohru Adachi.
Adachi detested the simple and boring life of the small town, and upon discovering the TV World (a mental landscape where powers such as personas can be used), he set in motion the murders that would define the game’s main story. However, we don’t see Magatsu Izanagi until the tail end of it.
In the original Persona 4, as the protagonist confronts Adachi in Magatsu-Mandela, the place that serves as the dungeon with Adachi as the boss at the end, the protagonist’s allies, called The Investigation Team, come to realize he has a persona, much like them.
Magatsu-Izanagi mirrors the protagonist’s starting person, save for the red color scheme and vein-like designs. Its movements are wild and erratic, attacking the player as Adachi rages until he’s eventually put down and a secondary boss battle begins.
Later in the game, it’s revealed that Magatsu-Izanagi was given to Adachi when he unknowingly shook the hand of the gas station attendant, who is the final boss of Persona 4 and Persona 4: Golden, Izanami-No-Okami.
This explains why the design of Magatsu-Izanagi mirrors, the player’s Izanagi. They have the same outward appearance, metal claws, stilted shoes, oversized jackets, and metallic masks, but Izanagi gets a bloody red color palette with vein-like designs covering the entire thing. It really makes Magatsu-Izanagi stand out from other personas.
The Myth Behind the Persona
Magatsu-Izanagi is based on the similarly named figure from Shinto mythology, Izanagi. As the story goes, after Izanagi’s wife, Izanami, died during childbirth, he ventured to the Underworld, called Yomi, to try and bring her back. Eventually, he finds her, and they spend some time together in the cold darkness, with Izanami insisting that’s for the best.
Izanagi eventually has enough and lights a wooden comb he was carrying with him, only to learn that his wife had eaten the food of Yomi and become the God of the Underworld.
He quickly escaped from Yomi back to the world proper as his wife brought about the curse to kill 1,000 people in Japan a day. Izanagi returns by saying he’ll bring to life 10,000 each day before sealing the entrance to Yomi.
Traveling quite some ways, Izanagi proceeds to wash off the filth of the Underworld in a river. The act of cleaning his left eye created the sun goddess Amaterasu, the act of cleaning his right eye created the moon good Tsukiyomi, and the act of cleaning his nose created the storm god, Susano’o.
The persona, Magatsu-Izanagi, is based on Izanagi before he had washed off the filth of Yomi, explaining the persona’s disturbing design and color pallet when compared to the protagonist’s starting persona Izanagi, and the protagonist’s ultimate persona Izanagi-No-Okami.
The Symbolism Behind Magatsu-Izanagi
Magatsu-Izanagi is clearly meant to parallel the protagonist’s starting persona, Izanagi. This reflects Adachi’s nature and potential to have been someone just like the protagonist had they chosen another path in life.
Adachi and the protagonist were sent to the sleepy town of Inaba; however, rather than forging connections like the protagonist, Adachi remained alone, ultimately his downfall.
Like the protagonist, and despite the Arcana of Magatsu-Izanagi, Adachi represents the Fool arcana; however, unlike the protagonist, Adachi’s Fool is in the reversed position. When an Arcana is drawn upside down, the usually positive messages are changed, intending to warn the subject, but it appears Adachi did not heed his.
The upright Fool represents the beginning of the journey and limitless potential; in the reversed position, the Fool represents a misstep and failure. An issue or obstruction that prevents the Fool from reaching their fool potential.
In Adachi’s instance, his misstep was the mistake that led him to be stationed in Inaba. Furthermore, he only worsened his circumstances by refusing to make bonds and connections. It’s theorized he has the same power as the protagonist to switch persona, but without friends, he only has Magatsu-Izanagi.
In Persona 4: Arena Ultimax, Adachi does appear to at least be repentant of his crimes but is still too stubborn to tell the protagonist that he messed up.
Design-wise, The red is an obvious association with passion and fury, something evocative of Magatsu-Izanagi’s wrathful nature. The spear-lance-knife-thing that both Magatsu-Izanagi and player’s Izanagi use is a reference to the spear thrust into the ocean to raise the land of Japan in mythology.
Moreover, the stilted platform shoes that both Izanagi’s wear is a reference to wooden getas, although they usually had two teeth rather than one. It’s also worth noting that the “Magatsu” in Magatsu-Izanagi is a reference to “Magatsu Kami”. Gods of Calamity that were known to cause natural disasters and inflict other harm on humanity.
Magatsu-Izanagi’s Key Moments
Due to being tied to Adachi, whose villainous reveal happens towards the end of Persona 4, Magatsu-Izanagi doesn’t show up until the boss fight. I think it’d be kind of a shame since Magatsu-Izanagi is super cool. When we battle him, we see a persona unlike any other. A raging berserker that attacks with angry fury.
There’s a good moment at the beginning of the fight when the entire party is left awestruck and terrified to see Adachi has a persona.
It also serves as a moment for the player themselves to wonder why Adachi’s persona looks so similar to the protagonists starting persona, foreshadowing the reveal that Izanami was the one who gave the player and Adachi their personas.
How to Get Magatsu-izanagi
Magatsu-Izanagi has a semi-usable version hidden in the game’s files that can be used with hacks but ultimately remains unobtainable in the original Persona 4. I find this version interesting due to its incomplete state. The persona exists and is equipable, but it has no skills, so you’d have to modify the skills alongside the persona to make it usable.
And yet, what’s more interesting about this one is that it has unused animations that can’t be seen during the boss fight. If you’re into modding ISOs it might be worth hacking in.
In Persona 4: Golden, Adachi was given his own Social Link. The protagonist spends a lot of time with Adachi, gradually becoming close friends until his reveal as one of the masterminds behind the murder.
His Social Link switches from the Jester arcana to Hunger arcana, and upon its completion, the player will be rewarded with a usable version of Magatsu-Izanagi, which they can fuse in the Velvet Room.
In Persona 5, Persona 5: Royal, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, and Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Magatsu-Izanagi is obtainable through DLC.
You have to pay money for all versions in the games, except for Persona 5: Royal, through the free Persona 5: Royal Legacy DLC bundle. You also get the picaro version of Magatsu-Izanagi, a more robust version with a different color scheme, the DLCs for Persona Q2, and the Persona 5: Royal Legacy DLC Bundle.
The Cooler One that the Boss Gets
Like games are oft to do, the version the player gets and the boss uses are two very different things. Magatsu-Izanagi is tied to Adachi’s boss-fight as his persona.
It is immune to light and dark, and it’s worth noting that Adachi has an unlisted resistance to physical damage. The boss is the same in both versions of Persona 4 and Persona 4: Golden. It can use:
- Atom Smasher – Medium Damage to all enemies 1x to 2x with a chance of Fear.
- Vorpal Blade – Deals heavy physical damage to all enemies.
- Ziodyne – Deals heavy electricity damage to 1 enemy.
- Maziodyne – Deals heavy electricity damage to all enemies.
- Garudyne – Deals heavy wind damage to 1 enemy.
- Magarudyne – Deals heavy wind damage to all enemies.
- Mudoon – Dark attribute, 60% chance of killing 1 enemy
- Power Charge – The next physical attack will be nearly 3x (250%) stronger.
- Heat Riser – Increases 1 ally’s attack, defense, and hit/evasion rate for 3 turns.
- Dekaja – Undoes all stat bonuses on every enemy.
- Dekunda – Undoes all stat reductions to every ally.
- Evil Smile – 30% chance of inflicting fear on all enemies.
- Ghastly Wail – 100% chance to instantly kill all enemies with the Fear status ailment.
- Foolish Whisper – 30% chance to inflict the Silence status ailment to all foes.
Despite the intimidating move list, Adachi isn’t too hard of a boss due to his relatively low health. It might be best to go all out from the start with expensive skills to get past him and reach the next boss, Ameno-Sagari, which takes place immediately after Adachi’s boss fight, before Adachi can do too much damage to your party.
The Lamer One that You Get
Persona 4: Golden
Presuming you have already completed Adachi’s Social Link in Persona 4 Golden, the usable version can be fused at the Social Link’s ultimate reward. It’s a level 77 Persona of the Hunger arcana that blocks light and dark skills, with no weakness and a preference for inheriting dark skills.
- Atom Smasher – Cost 16% HP, deals medium physical damage to all enemies 1x to 2x with a chance of Fear. It knows this skill by default.
- Maziodyne – Cost 22 SP, deals heavy electricity damage to all enemies. It knows this skill by default.
- Ghastly Wail – Cost 15 SP, 100% chance to instantly kill all enemies with the Fear status ailment. It knows this skill by default.
- Magarudyne – Cost 22 SP, deals heavy wind damage to all enemies. It learns this skill at level 78.
- Megidolaon – Cost 60 SP, deals severe almighty damage to all enemies. It learns this skill at level 80.
- Power Charge – Cost 15 SP, the next physical attack will be nearly 3x (250%) stronger. It learns this skill at level 82.
- Heat Riser – Cost 30 sp, increases 1 ally’s attack, defense, and hit/evasion rate for 3 turns. It learns this skill at level 84.
- Vorpal Blade – Cost 25% HP, deals heavy physical damage to all enemies. It learns this skill at level 86.
While Magatsu-Izanagi has its uses, it’s best used as a transitioning Persona due to learning some very good skills like Heat Riser, which you can pass onto something you’d prefer using. Its lack of an elemental weakness makes it useful as a default persona to have equipped as you start fights to avoid any unfortunate knockdowns.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
In the game Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth for the Nintendo 3DS, Magatsu-Izanagi is DLC that is sold for $1.99 USD. Because it is DLC, it has no impact or role in the game’s story. This version is of the Tower Arcana. Its skills are as follows: Â
- Resist Dark – reduce the chance of instant kills from darkness-based attacks. It knows this skill by default.
- Silent Thrust – Cost 164 HP, a heavy stab attack that pierces the back row. It knows this skill by default.
- Calamity Seed – Cost 100 SP, multiple heavy cut attacks to all enemies for 3 turns. It learns this skill at level 93.
- Resist Light – reduce the chance of instant kills from light-based attacks. It learns this skill at level 94.
- Absorb Fire – Absorb the damage from fire attacks rather than taking damage. It learns this skill at level 95.
- Absorb Ice – Absorb the damage from ice attacks rather than taking damage. It learns this skill at level 96
- Absorb Wind – Absorb the damage from wind attacks rather than taking damage. It learns this skill at level 97
- Absorb Elec – Absorb the damage from electricity attacks rather than taking damage. It learns this skill at level 98
While the persona is very good for its skill coverage, providing a way to completely negate damage from most elemental attacks and reduce the odds of instant kills, it sadly is too high of a level to be much use.
You’ll likely be done with the game by the time you fuse it. The skill that can be extracted from the persona is Silent Thrust, which is a good skill, but much like the persona comes too late to be of any real use.
Persona 5
The Magatsu-Izanagi you get is different depending on which version of Persona 5 you own. It is of the Tower Arcana. In the original base game of Persona 5, it has a preference to inherit Almighty-type moves, blocks bless and curse, resist gun, and is weak to nuclear. Its skills are as follows:
- Magatsu Mandela – Cost 30 SP, deals heavy curse damage to all enemies. Medium chance of Confuse/Fear/Despair. It knows this skill by default, and the skill is exclusive to Magatsu-Izanagi and Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro.
- Megidola – Cost 24 SP, deals heavy almighty damage to all enemies. It knows this skull by default.
- Ghastly Wail – Cost 28 SP, 100% chance to instantly kill all enemies with the Fear status ailment. It knows this skill by default.
- Maziodyne – Cost 22 SP, deals heavy electricity damage to all enemies. It learns this skill at 45.
- Bloodbath – Medium Physical damage to all foes. Low chance of Fear. It learns this skill at level 46.
- Attack Master – automatically applies tarukaja to the user at the beginning of the battle. It learns this skill at level 48.
- Heat Riser – Cost 30 SP, increases 1 ally’s attack, defense, and hit/evasion rate for 3 turns. It learns this skill at level 50.
A pretty good persona, all things considered. It gets Heat Riser at around the mid-game, which is a skill you won’t stop spamming even by the time you’re nearing the end of it. If you can make this or withdraw it from the compendium free of charge, you might as well, if only to get some good skills for fusions.
The item it drops from being put into the electric chair is the Black Headband which gives an additional 40 points of SP.
In Persona 5, when you buy the DLC, you also get access to a “Picaro” version of the Persona. Both of these are of the Tower Arcana.
Picaros have an altered appearance and a similar skill list with a few changes to match the picaro’s higher level for the late game. Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro has most of the same skills as the regular version. However, Maziodyne and Attack Master do get replaced with something else.
- Magarudyne – Cost 22 SP, deals heavy wind damage to all enemies. It learns this skill at 49.
- Speed Master – automatically applies sukukaja to the user at the beginning of the battle. It learns this skill at level 52.
A better version of the original persona in case you still want to keep using Magatsu-Izanagi after the original runs its course. It is not a dramatic improvement, but it is something you can use if you want to.
The item given from using the electric chair execution is different as the picaro version will instead give you a “Heat Riser” skill card, which is very good.
Persona 5: Royal
Due to some of the unique mechanics introduced in this version of Persona 5, Magatsu-Izanagi ended up better in this version of the game, and not just because you don’t have to pay for it. It is of the Tower Arcana. Its skill list and resistances, and weaknesses are identical to the version from the original Persona 5.
Rather than having the item given from the electric chair execution differ based on which version of Magatsu-Izanagi you sacrifice, it is instead dictated by whether or not the alarm is sounding in the jail.
The regular version of Magatsu-Izanagi gives the Black Headband when there’s no alarm, which automatically raises the wearer’s total SP by 30% and gives +3 strength.
When there is an alarm Magatsu-Izanai gives the Black Headband R, which raises the wearer’s total SP by 30% and gives +8 strength.
What makes the version in Persona 5: Royal is the unique persona trait which is called Hollow Jester: Increases Attack by 40% per ailment inflicted on the enemy. It’s a really good skill that, with a bit of tailoring with skills like Ailment boost, should boost the chances of inflicting an ailment.
The picaro version of Magatsu-Izanagi is the exact same as the picaro version from regular Persona 5. The picaro version also has the Hollow Jester persona trait, and the item given by putting Magatsu-Izanagi in the electric chair is the skill card for Heat Riser, and when there is an alarm in effect, the skill card given changes to Debilitate.
This picaro persona is super useful, not due to its skills, but thanks to what it can give you. Heat Riser and Debilitate are some of the best skills in the game, so having a way to get them very easily like this will come in handy at in point in your playthrough. I know they did in mine since I essentially spammed the skills at the start of every battle.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Just like with Persona 5 the Magatsu-Izanagi comes with the normal version and the picaro variant. The normal version can be fused at level 25. It is of the Tower Arcana. The skills for the normal version are as follows:
- Calamity Seed – Cost 100 SP, multiple heavy cut attacks to all enemies for 3 turns. It knows this skill by default.
- Eiga – Cost 14 SP, medium curse attack to 1 enemy. It knows this skill by default.
- Curse Amp – Passive skill, moderately boosts the damage of all curse-based attacks. It knows this skill by default.
- Maeiga – Cost 36 SP, medium curse attack to all enemies. It learns this skill at level 26.
- Mamudo – Cost 22 SP, curse-based low chance of an instant kill to all enemies. It learns this skill at level 27.
- Curse Turbo – Passive skill, greatly boosts the damage of all curse-based attacks. It learns this skill at level 28.
The skill card Caroline and Justine can extract from this persona is Curse Turbo. Magatsu-Izanagi does get extra points from me for learning Curse Turbo.
Due to Curse Amp and Curse Turbo stacking, its damage for curse-type skills should be incredibly high for that early in-game. That makes it rather useful even against enemies that aren’t weak to curse.
The picaro version of the persona follows the usual pattern of being a higher-level suped-up version of the normal one, however, this one fills out an entirely different role in your toolbox.
It’s nearly double the level of the normal version of the regular version of Magatsu-Izanagi starting at level 40. It’s of the Tower Arcana. Its skills are as follows:
- Calamity Seed – Cost 100 SP, multiple heavy cut attacks to all enemies for 3 turns. It knows this skill by default.
- Vorpal Blade – Cost 67 HP, 4 heavy physical attacks to 1 enemy. Stronger in Boost. It knows this skill by default.
- Shura Tensei – Cost 24 SP, greatly lowers HP each turn but greatly raises attack while active. It knows this skill by default. It knows this skill by default.
- Shura Revert – Cost 8 SP, undoes Shura Tensei, restoring a moderate amount of HP. It learns this skill at level 41.
- Power Charge – Cost 22 SP, triple the physical attack of the user for 3 turns. It learns this skill at level 42.
- Oneshot Kill – Cost 92 HP, severe physical attack to 1 enemy that pierces to the back row. Stronger in boost. It learns this skill at level 43
Magatsu-Izanagi Picaro is a really good physical attack persona. Its damage is capable of shooting through the roof if you play it risky and use Shura Tensei and then One Shot kill, which can only get boosted even further by having another character apply tarukaja for even more damage.
Persona 5: Arena Ultamax
It’s sometimes easy to forget that Persona 4 got a fighting game and that Adach is in it as a playable character. His persona is, of course, Magatsu-Izanagi.
In the game’s story, Magatsu-Izanagi doesn’t do too much aside from being Adachi’s tool as he conspires alongside Sho Minazuki and Hinokagutsuchi. Eventually betraying the two of them and joining forces with the player to strike down Hinokagatsuchi at the end of Persona 4’s side of the story mode in the game.
As a playable persona, he can only be used when Adachi is picked on the character select screen. The general gimmick behind the character is to be a slow-starter. Adachi needs to take a bit of damage before his awakening kicks in, and he has enough meter to use his two best moves: Heat Riser and Magatsu Mandela.
Heat Riser gives him a buff to his attack and defense, which gives the already behind player a much-needed boost. And Magatsu Mandela makes it so that he can inflict a variety of status effects with his persona moves. Furthermore, his command grab, Ghastly Wail, gets a significant damage increase as long as Magatsu Mandela is active.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Question: How do I Fuse Magatsu-Izanagi?
Answer: In all of the games, Magatsu-Izanagi doesn’t have a special formula meaning a two or three-piece fusion is enough to get him.
In Persona 4 Golden, he can only be fused after finishing Adachi’s Social Link, so you are required to do that first. In all the other games, Magatsu-Izanagi is DLC, so do be sure to download it before you hop into the velvet room.
Question: How Good is Magatu-Izanagi?
Answer: How good the persona varied with the game. In Persona 4 Golden, he’s a decent choice for a physical persona, but there are better alternatives. In Persona Q, he’s too high level to be worthwhile.
In Persona 5 and Royal, he makes for a decent mid-game persona. Persona Q2 is when I think he’s the best. He has the potential to become a physical monster with a bit of effort.
Question: Is It Worth Spending Money on Magatsu-Izanagi?
Answer: That depends on which game you’re talking about. In Persona 5 Royal, he’s free, so I’d go ahead and download him, and he comes with the game Persona 4 Golden, so there’s no need to download anything there.
I’d say he’s not worth it in the base Persona 5 because other personas can fill the same niche. I wouldn’t buy him for Persona Q because he’s too high level actually to be that useful. At that point, you’ve already beaten the game and moved on to bonus content, and Magatsu-Izanagi is not strong enough to be helpful.
In Conclusion
Magatsu-Izanagi is a pretty cool persona. Its usability varies within the series, especially considering you have to fork over extra cash to buy it as DLC half the time, but its design remains something that stands out. Red and veiny with piercing yellow eyes that glow, and a feral attitude and behavior to all of its attacks.
I think Magatsu-Izanagi is pretty cool. It’s not every day we get to meet another persona user, let alone one that’s meant to so clearly mirror the protagonist. Well, Akechi does exist, so I suppose you should say Adachi walked so Akechi could run.
Adachi was the first enemy persona user meant to mirror the protagonist and to have an entire social link added to the updated version of the game, standing as an allied anti-hero when the going gets rough. The protagonist has to face a bigger threat.
And his persona Magatsu-Izanagi has been with him every step of the way.
- Loki Persona 5 Guide - February 13, 2023
- Yaldabaoth Persona 5 Guide - February 3, 2023
- Persona 5 Romance Options Ranked - January 11, 2023