Izanagi



Izanagi (イザナギ, Izanagi) is a recurring figure revolving the Megami Tensei series. In the Shin Megami Tensei series, Izanagi, along with Izanami, is more often shown as a cameo appearance. In Persona 4, Izanagi is also the initial Persona of the Protagonist.

History
Izanagi is a Japanese creation deity born of the seven divine generations in Japanese mythology. He is also known as Izanagi-no-mikoto, the "male who invites". He and Izanami created many of the islands and deities of Japan. When Izanami died, Izanagi tried to retrieve her from the underworld, but failed. He mistakenly looks at her while she in a rotting, monstrous state in the underworld, which shames her. She attempts to kill him, and swears to kill a thousand of his men a day. Izanagi claims that he will make sure that a thousand and five hundred will be born each day.

Appearances

 * Megami Tensei: Protagonist
 * Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: Secret Cameo
 * Persona 4: Fool Arcana
 * Persona 4 The Animation: Fool Arcana
 * Persona 4: The Golden: Fool Arcana
 * Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena: Fool Arcana

Megami Tensei
Akemi Nakajima, the protagonist of Megami Tensei, is the reincarnation of Izanagi. After being tricked into summoning Loki, he begins to experience visions of his previous life as Izanagi. He later teams up with Yumiko Shirasagi, who is the reincarnation of Izanami, Izanagi's wife in Japanese Mythology to defeat Loki.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
If the Hito-Shura manages to achieve a qualifying Press Turn count on all the Burial Chambers in the Labyrinth of Amala, then he will be awarded an extra Turn Press by Izanagi and Izanami during a second play through.

Persona 4
Izanagi is the initial Persona for the Protagonist. He is first summoned when the Protagonist first encounters the Shadows, in which Izanagi's voice prompts the Protagonist to awaken him. In the events of the Normal Ending, Tohru Adachi himself is also capable of invoking his own variation of Izanagi; a bloodied, more malevolent form called Magatsu Izanagi.

While the Investigation Team was surprised to see Adachi's Persona being the same as the Protagonist, the events of True Ending reveals that the Protagonist, along with Adachi and Namatame actually "received" their Personae from the Moel Gas Station Attendant, whose true identity is revealed to be Izanami. According to Izanami herself, she gave the Persona of Izanagi to three outsiders that represented Hope, Despair, and Emptiness. The Protagonist represented Hope and ;thus his Izanagi was 'pure'. Adachi represented Emptiness, and as he refused to see the truth and gave into murderous corruption his version of Izanagi became tainted and malevolent as well. Namatame presumably would also received another version of Izanagi, which represented Despair, reflecting his disparate idea of "saving" people from the murders by throwing them in the Midnight Channel, although his Izanagi is never shown on the game.

During the True Ending's final sequences, in the Protagonist' final confrontation with Izanami-no-Okami, he gathers the strength of the heart accumulated by his Social Links and forms The World Arcana, transforming Izanagi into his true, standalone form and most likely the Protagonist's true Persona - Izanagi-no-Okami. The Persona easily dispatched Izanami-no-Okami with his 'Myriad Truths' skill.

Trivia

 * In Japanese the skill 'Myriad Truths' is literally translated as 'Ten Thousand Words of Truths', and Izanami's skill 'Thousand Curses' is actually 'Thousand Words of Curses'. The two skills most likely parallel Izanami's curse and Izanagi's vow in the original Japanese myths, where Izanami swore to kill 1000 mortals a day and Izanagi countered by vowing to give life to 1500 mortals a day.