“Knowledge of the truth is not everything. Yet drunk with truth, you exceeded your role and became too involved... Now, learn for yourselves whose wrath you have brought down!”
Izanami is the Japanese Goddess of Creation and the ultimate main antagonist and final boss of Persona 4. She also appears as a boss in the PSP remaster of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.
Izanami appears in the Tatsuya Scenario added to the remake of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. She resides in the Tower of Emotion that is part of the Kadath Mandala. They question Izanagi's actions and human emotions. She wears a mask to crush her emotions, as she still feels love for Izanagi. Her anger towards him has disappeared and the curse she made long ago has ceased. Now she yearns for him like the days of old, wearing a mask as she wishes to be with him once more. She then gives them the Trapezohedron of Emotion.
Izanami plays an important role in Persona 4 by being the game's true antagonist. Fighting her is available through the true ending. Intrigued by humanity's true desire, Izanami takes the form of a human, and bestows various people their latent powers of invoking Personas. Izanami believes that by observing the ones who have awakened, she would learn and be able to carry out humanity's true desire.
Physical Appearance[]
Her main appearance is of a pale woman with gray hair at shoulder length wearing a white dress and red eyes.
Design Variants[]
In Innocent Sin she appears as a woman with a gold dress and green hair.
In Eternal Punishment she appears as a woman in a black dress wearing a gold mask with green eyes and gold horns.
At the beginning of Persona 4 she disguises herself as a gas attendant who wears the red hat and uniform.
As her main boss form she is a gargantuan woman with long flowing black hair and a white dress.
In her final boss form she is disfigured with several limbs, burnt red from flames, and a scarred face.
In-Game Appearances[]
| In-Game Appearances | |
|---|---|
 Izanami's model  Izanami's true form |
Other Video Game Appearances[]
In Shin Megami Tensei, she appears as a beige colored woman with black hair.
| Other Video Game Appearances | |
|---|---|
 Izanami in Shin Megami Tensei |
History[]
Disguised as an attendant working in the Moel Gas Station of Yasoinaba, Izanami awakened the Persona using abilities of at least three humans as part of her experiment: Tohru Adachi, representing Emptiness; Taro Namatame, representing Despair; and the protagonist, representing Hope. It is unknown how many humans Izanami awakened, but she implies many have been awakened by her.
Using her identity as a gas station attendant, Izanami spread rumors regarding the urban legend of the Midnight Channel. As the Midnight Channel reflects the images of the viewers' desires, Izanami believed this would make her understand humanity's wishes. Izanami created several facets of herself, the gods of fog Ameno-sagiri and Kunino-sagiri*, to watch over the experiment.
Izanami sets her plan in motion; upon the protagonist's first meeting with Izanami, taking the identity of the Moel Gas Station Attendant, Izanami takes an interest within the protagonist's potential, and gives his latent talent of invoking a Persona a push via a handshake.
After the protagonist's first interaction with the gas attendant, Izanami visits the protagonist in his dream where Izanami taunts the protagonist's wish to reach the truth, but asks him to follow her if he truly wishes to seek the truth. As the year goes on, Izanami observes that Adachi's actions have the greatest effect on people, and so prepares to flood the world with fog and turn everyone into Shadows in response to what she assumes is humanity's wish.
In the events of the True Ending, after defeating Tohru Adachi and defying Ameno-sagiri's plans, the protagonist discovers the attendant's true identity as Izanami, and upon realizing the protagonist's determination of seeking the truth and stopping her from carrying out her plan, Izanami chastises the protagonist's persistence to seek the truth, and tells him that she shall await the protagonist's defeat in the "other world;" Izanami's reality within the Midnight Channel, Yomotsu Hirasaka.
In the party's final confrontation with Izanami, she faces the party in her goddess form, but it is revealed to be a fabricated appearance when the protagonist uses the Orb of Sight, an item given by Igor, to shine upon the truth. Having her facade taken away, Izanami reveals her true form as Izanami-no-Okami, a rotting, death-ridden being. Despite the party's efforts, Izanami-no-Okami sends the protagonist and his comrades to the underworld. As the protagonist is about to give up, he hears the voices of his Social Links, encouraging him to stand back up and finish the death-ridden goddess.
Accumulating the bonds and powers of the Social Links he had forged thus far, the protagonist channels the powers to his initial Persona, Izanagi, transmogrifying Izanagi to his true form, Izanagi-no-Okami. Bemused by the protagonist's powers, Izanami-no-Okami repeatedly attacks the protagonist, but is surprised the protagonist endures all her attacks. Asking how the will of so few could defy the will of humanity, the protagonist ultimately summons Izanagi-no-Okami, defeating Izanami with one powerful attack, known as "Myriad Truths."
Upon Izanami's defeat and freeing his comrades, Izanami exclaims she will no longer interfere with humanity and encourages them to live and face their own decisions, but cannot guarantee their happiness, and fades away. Along with her destruction, the fog in the Midnight Channel lifts and it returns to its original state, a paradise and the Shadows in it had become peaceful.
Despite Izanami's antagonistic nature, she wishes for humanity's happiness, as evident that she later congratulates the Investigation Team for discovering the truth, as well as defeating her.
Mythological Origins[]
But then she gave birth to Hi-no-Kagutsuchi the Deity of Fire and died from the severe burns of the flames. When she perished, she went to Yomi, the Land of the Dead. Izanami ate from the furnace of Hell, and went to petition the deities of the Netherworld to let her go. She made her husband promise not to look at her, but Izanagi did anyway and was greeted by the sight of a rotting corpse with the Eight Thunders protruding from her body. Ashamed by Izanagi's indiscretion, she sent the Yomotsu-Shikomes, the Thunders and Yomotsu-Ikusas after him. Izanagi sealed the entrance to Yomi with a boulder, and Izanami cried, "Why did you do such a thing to me?! You betrayed me!! Remove this boulder this instant or I'll kill 1000 of your subjects every day!" Izanagi countered, "For every 1000 you kill, 1500 shall be born in their place!" and thus their marriage was over. She became the Yomotsugami, the Goddess of the Land of the Dead.
Personality[]
Izanami-no-Mikoto (伊弉冉尊, 伊邪那美命) or simply Izanami, is the primordial Shinto mother goddess and sister/wife to Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She helped stir the oceans on the Bridge of the Heavens and settled down with Izanagi on Earth on their island Onogoro. On their first marriage ceremony, she made the mistake of speaking to Izanagi first, so the ritual had to be repeated. After the second ceremony she gave birth to various deities.
Appearances[]
- Shin Megami Tensei II
- Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
- Shin Megami Tensei NINE
- Shin Megami Tensei IV
- Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse
- Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Persona 4 / Golden
Notes[]
- In Shin Megami Tensei IV, she has a weakness to fire, referencing her death after her birth of the fire god, Hi-No-Kagutsuchi.
- The commentary of Kazuma Kaneko Works III explains the dark purple spots all around NINE Izanami's body symbolize the maggots which are commonly seen feeding on corpses. While the Shimenawa ropes wrapped around her body represent purification of her originally corrupted flesh.
- In Persona 4, she has two forms in her boss fight. Her first form was that of a beautiful goddess, radiant and holy, reflecting her origin as the Shinto Mother Goddess. Her second was that of a rotten decaying and unholy abomination, reflecting her transformation into the Goddess of the Land of The Dead after the assumed betrayal of her husband.
- Izanami cannot be killed in Persona 4 during any of her phases. Attempting to do so (such as by hacking Thousand Curses onto a persona) will result in the game crashing.
