Maya Amano

This article is about the protagonist of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. For the character that used her name as an online game handle in the localized versions of Persona 3, see Isako Toriumi.

Maya Amano
Also known as	Ma-ya Big Sis Big Maya Blue Swan (Masked Circle) Sailor-suited girl Mackey (By Fujii)
Japanese Name	天(あま)野(の) 舞耶(まや) or マーヤ
Romaji	Amano Maya
First Appearance	Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Occupation	Journalist
Date of Birth	July 4 c. 1976
Age	23
Zodiac	Cancer
Height	168 cm (5'6")
Weight	48 kg (106 lbs)
Blood Type	O
Ranged Weapon	Twin pistols
Arcana	Moon
Secondary Arcana	Magician, Hermit, Temperance, Suit of Rods, Suit of Coins
Shadow Self	Shadow Maya
Persona	Maia, Maia Prime, Maia Custom, Artemis
Japanese VA	Akiko Yajima
English VA	Lani Minella (Eternal Punishment) Peggy O'Neal (Innocent Sin PSP)

"Let's think positive!"

—Maya Amano, Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Maya Amano is a playable character in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and the protagonist in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment where she is investigating the New World Order.

Maya is the first female protagonist of the Persona series as well as the oldest.

Quick Answers

What role does Maya Amano play in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment?

Maya Amano, a central playable character in both Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, is pivotal to the games' storylines. She is known as 'The woman who holds the fate of the world.' Her relationship with Tatsuya Suou is a key element of the narrative, and she is featured alongside him on the Japanese box covers of the games.

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What is the relationship between Maya Amano and Tatsuya in the Persona series?

In the Persona series, Maya Amano and Tatsuya Suou's relationship is open to interpretation. The Persona World Guidance book states that Maya doesn't have romantic feelings for Tatsuya. Yet, players have the freedom to shape their relationship. Maya is recognized as a key figure in Tatsuya's life, as she is described as the one who holds the fate of the world.

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How does Maya Amano's age compare to other protagonists in the Persona series?

At 23 years old, Maya Amano from Persona 2 holds the distinction of being the oldest protagonist in the Persona series. The next oldest protagonist is Tatsuya, aged 18. Additionally, Maya is the first female protagonist in the series and uniquely, she is not a student.

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What is the significance of Maya Amano being the first female protagonist in the Persona series?

Maya Amano, the first female protagonist in the Persona series, signifies a change in the series' protagonist dynamics. She is unique as the oldest protagonist at 23 and the only non-student. She stands out as the only protagonist that players cannot name, adding depth to the Persona narrative and gameplay.

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What events lead Maya Amano to investigate the New World Order in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment?

Maya Amano, in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, delves into the New World Order, a group rumored to possess the power to control the nation. This group allegedly discovered a mummy, Gozen, at Honmaru Park's construction site, and propagated the rumor of their national control through the mummy's kotodama. Maya's investigation is centered around this apocalyptic event.

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Appearances

• Persona 2: Innocent Sin: Major Character
  • Persona 2: Innocent Sin (novel)
  • Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology Innocent Children
  • Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology Innocent Memory
  • Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics)
• Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: Protagonist
  • Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (novel)
  • Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Comic Anthology Meiishi Monotachi
  • Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Comic Anthology Yurusarezaru Monotachi
  • Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Comic Anthology Atonement
• DemiKids Dark Version: BattleNet Opponent
• DemiKids Light Version: BattleNet Opponent

Design

Maya is a young woman in her early twenties with light skin, shoulder-length black hair styled in a flip, and purple eyes. At 5'6" (168 cm), she could be considered tall (especially in Japan where Persona 2 is set), although she is shorter than fellow party member Yukino Mayuzumi.

Her outfit is unique and appears to be custom-made: she wears a two-piece ensemble consisting of a two-tone brown jacket with distinctive pink hearts on the chest and a matching skirt trimmed in metallic silver paired with knee-high brown boots, finished off with a long navy necktie. Her nails are painted dark red.

As a young teenager, her hair was bobbed with bangs, and she alternately wore a red, white and blue sailor-style school uniform, and a pink shirt under blue overalls with a red heart design.

Personality

"It's whoop-ass time!"

She is famous for her rather unwavering and relentless optimism, something which begins to break down in Eternal Punishment. Maya Amano is a cheerful and compassionate woman, and works as a reporter for the teen magazine Coolest. Maya is also known for her motto, "Let's think positive!"

Maya's rabbit Mr. Bunbun.

Maya often takes the role of a leader in the group, even in Persona 2: Innocent Sin where she is not the protagonist. Her unstoppable optimism and kindheartedness inspired and encouraged the group throughout the events of the game, making her an unforgettable force within the world they inhabited. Maya also often cheers the party up with her stuffed rabbit doll, which she calls "Mr. Bunbun." This doll evokes memories of her father.

Maya functions as the silent protagonist in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment but still retains components of her Innocent Sin personality.

Profile

Persona 2

Innocent Sin

"A beautiful and cheerful journalist. She's gathering rumors from students to compile into a special report."

—Her introduction, Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Maya Amano is a writer for Kismet Publishing working on the teen magazine Coolest. Her father is Masataka Amano, who became a war causality when he was out reporting for an overseas war. Before he left overseas and died, he left a bunny plush toy that she calls "Mr. Bunbun" that she kept to this day.

Having nowhere left to go, she joined a group of children known as the Masked Circle who gathered at a shrine and hid their identities from one another with Featherman masks and referred to themselves as Feathermen. She taught them the game "Master Persona," which would allow all of them to manifest a Persona and would also save Maya's life.

However, one day Maya told the other children that she would have to move away. Although Tatsuya wanted no part, Lisa Silverman, Eikichi Mishina and Maya wanted to, which the kids believed would force her to stay if she wasn't available at the time her parents moved. During the night where Lisa and Eikichi locked the shrine, it was set on fire by an insane arsonist known as Tatsuya Sudou. Maya was not killed thanks to her Persona awakening, but she was severely injured and developed a phobia of fire.

Jun Kurosu, one of Maya's closest friends, was led by Nyarlathotep (who was impersonating Akinari Kashihara at that time) to believe that Maya had died in the fire and the arsonist was Tatsuya Suou. Furthermore, the Crawling Chaos tricked Jun into believing that the fire, far from the horrific coincidence it actually was, had been the intention all along. As a result, he developed a lingering grudge against the others, and it led to him taking the role of Joker.

A decade later, after hearing rumors of a wish-granting genie called Joker, who grants anyone any wish, Maya became intrigued and tried to investigate behind the rumors, along with her partner Yukino Mayuzumi. Her investigation ends up in the Seven Sisters High School, in which she meets Tatsuya Suou and the others, setting the events of Innocent Sin.

Maya with Tatsuya, Lisa, Jun and Eikichi.

While revisiting the Alaya Shrine, Maya is impersonated by Shadow Maya, a mockery of the original Maya spawned by terrorist rumors that Maya was burnt at the Alaya Shrine by Tatsuya Suou.

After the party's final confrontation with Nyarlathotep, Ms. Ideal stabs Maya with the Spear of Destiny. Due to a rumor that wounds inflicted from it could not be healed, it inflicts a mortal wound. Even in her dying breath, Maya tells the party to be positive, telling them "Mr. Bunbun" will not be happy if they are sad, and finally dies, fulfilling the Oracle of Maia and destroying the world, with the exception of Sumaru City.

Stricken with grief and devastated over her death, the party demands Philemon to do something about it. Philemon agrees to bring her back, but in an 'alternate world' with a hefty price; everyone must forget Maya and the friendship they shared. Everyone willingly discards their memory, but during the process Tatsuya out and out refuses to forget through sheer force of will. In the events of doing so, Tatsuya ends up in the 'alternate' universe with all his memories intact, causing a paradox and setting the events of Eternal Punishment.

At the end of Innocent Sin, Maya and Tatsuya end up bumping into each other in front of a station, along with the other party members who witness this. This meeting causes Tatsuya to remember the events of Innocent Sin and Maya to develop a bruise.

Eternal Punishment

"Editor of Kismet Publishing's teen magazine, Coolest. The game's main character."

—Her introduction, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

"Editor of Coolest. Cheerful by nature, she has been troubled by occurrences of deja vu lately."

—Initial Profile Description

Persona 2 Eternal Punishment - Ending

Maya walking across the street.

Maya functions as the silent protagonist in Eternal Punishment. She still writes for Coolest, often working alongside Yukino Mayuzumi. Before the events of the game, she had bumped into a mysterious student who had felt familiar to her. After this meeting, she also developed a mysterious bruise on her chest which occasionally aches. While working on a story about JOKER, she stumbles upon JOKER himself. He forces Maya, Katsuya Suou, and Ulala Serizawa to summon their Personas, and they wind up pursuing him.

DemiKids: Light & Dark

Maya is an A-Rank BattleNet opponent that's said to be a reporter that prefers to use recovery spells and bird demons. Defeating her 25 times earns a War Crow, 30 times a Garuda.

Stats

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

The following lists Maya's base stats. As the protagonist, the player decides her bonuses from leveling up.

Arcana Type Level SP cost Bonus Returns ° Moon None 1 None None None Atk Def Matk Mdef Strength 2 Vitality 3 Technique 5 Agility 3 Luck 3 Varies Varies Varies Varies

Contact

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Solo Contacts

• Interview: Maya interviews the enemy.
• Consult: Maya consults with the enemy.
• Discuss Parents: Maya talks about parents.
• Compliment: Maya compliments the enemy.

Group Contacts

• Maya + Tatsuya: Maya tries to get Tatsuya's attention. (Gained after exiting the Air Raid shelter.)
• Maya + Eikichi: Maya interviews Eikichi. (Gained automatically after the Club Zodiac dungeon.)
• Maya + Yukino: Maya and Yukino perform a comedy routine. (Available from start.)
• Maya + Eikichi + Lisa: Maya, Eikichi, and Lisa perform a comedy routine. (Gained automatically after the Club Zodiac dungeon.)
• Maya + Lisa + Yukino: Maya, Lisa, and Yukino seduce the enemy. (Available from start.)
• Maya + Jun: Maya acts like a big sister towards Jun.
• Maya + Jun + Tatsuya: Maya and Jun comment on their growth and recollect about their past. Tatsuya observes.
• Maya + Lisa + Jun: Maya and Lisa seduce the enemy, while Jun asks for the demon's mercy.

Battle Quotes

Innocent Sin

• Ready or not, here I go! (when entering a battle)
• It's whoop-ass time! (when entering a battle)
• Yikes! (when entering a battle on low HP)
• Freeze! (when attacking)
• There! (when attacking)
• Bulls-eye! (when attacking)
• Huh! (when attacking)
• Persona! (when summoning a Persona)
• Come to me! (when summoning a Persona)
• Ciao! (when summoning a Persona)
• Omni Dimension! (when using Omni Dimension with Maia and Maia Prime)
• Dark Dimension! (when Shadow Maya uses Dark Dimension, the dark counterpart to Omni Dimension, with Reverse Maia)
• Crescent Mirror! (when using Crescent Mirror with Artemis)
• Are you ready? Here goes! (when using Fusion Spells)
• Grand Cross! (when using Grand Cross)
• See you next time! (when escaping)
• Grab your asses and run! (when escaping)
• No... (when KO'ed)
• I'm sorry... (after winning a battle)
• Did I overdo it? (after winning a battle)
• Ohhh yeah, whoop-ass complete! (rare victory quote)
• I know they're demons, but... *sigh* I guess you get used to it. (rare victory quote)

Eternal Punishment

• Let's do it! (when entering a battle)
• Whoop-ass time! (when entering a battle)
• This is not good! (when entering a battle with low HP)
• There! (when attacking)
• Snap shot! (when attacking)
• Persona! (when summoning a Persona)
• Ciao! (when summoning a Persona)
• Now, go! (when summoning a Persona)
• Artemis! (when using Crescent Mirror with Artemis)
• Let's go, ready? (when using Fusion Spells)
• Let's fuse a spell! (when using Fusion Spells)
• Everyone, c'mon! (when using Fusion Spells)
• Whoop-ass completed! (after winning a battle)
• I'm sorry... (after winning a battle)
• Hmm... Did I overdo it? (rare victory quote)
• Is that all? (rare victory quote)
• I've felt this before... (rare victory quote)
• I want to meet him... Stay out of my way! (rare victory quote)
• See - you - next - time! (when retreating)
• Grab your asses and run! (when retreating)
• No way! (when KO'ed)
• I can't, not here... (game over)
• I'm sorry... Tatsuya... (game over)

Music

The motif of Maya's theme is probably the most arranged officially in the human character's theme category of the Megami Tensei series. If one does not count the remastered tracks of PSP remakes of the Persona 2 duology, there are 4 tracks containing Maya's motif in Innocent Sin OST, 1 track in Eternal Punishment OST, 1 vocal remix from "Persona 2: Innocent Sin ~ The Errors of Their Youth," 1 rearranged track from Persona 3 FES, 2 rearranged track in the Eternal Punishment PSP remake and Persona 20th Anniversary All Time Best Album for Persona 5 deluxe version pack-in bonus soundtracks which were released exclusively to Japanese version.

"Change Your Way" is the ending theme song for Persona 2: Eternal Punishment written and sung by Elisha La'Verne with the game in mind. According to the songwriter the song is about always being available to get out of bad situations, and was based upon experiences as she grew up in London, witnessing homeless people on the streets. This echoes the protagonist Maya's motto, "Let's think positive!"[1]

Music

"Maya's Theme" (Innocent Sin) "Maya's Theme -Sad version-" (Innocent Sin) "Maya Dies" (Innocent Sin) "Maya's Theme" (Innocent Sin PSP remake) "Vehicle Maneuver" (Innocent Sin PSP remake) "Maya's Theme 2" (Eternal Punishment) "Open your heart -Up-rifting house mix" ("Persona 2: Innocent Sin ~ The Errors of Their Youth"） "Maya's Theme -Atsushi Kitajoh Rearrange Ver-" (Eternal Punishment PSP bonus soundtrack) "Maya's Theme" (Persona 3 FES)

Gallery

Innocent Sin Artwork
Artwork of Tatsuya and Maya, along with Apollo and Artemis Most of Maya's expressions, her childhood self, and her Shadow Side Higher-quality shot of Maya's remake artwork Maya with the group Maya and Jun in the light novel Maya as she appears in the official Persona 2: Innocent Sin PSP guide book Official sketch of Maya drawn by Shigenori Soejima

Innocent Sin Portraits

Maya's normal portrait Maya's angry portrait Maya's surprised portrait Maya's happy portrait Maya's sad portrait Maya crying Maya's annoyed portrait Maya's scared portrait Maya's injured portrait Maya wearing a Masked Circle mask Maya as she's dying Maya sad as a kid Maya crying as a kid Maya tearfully smiling as a kid Maya sad as a teenager Maya happy as a teenager Maya scared as a teenager The rumor ghost modeled after teen Maya Fusion spell portrait

Eternal Punishment Artwork

Maya weeping Japanese PSX boxart of Maya holding the head of Tatsuya's Persona, Apollo USA PSX Boxart of Maya being held by her Persona Maia Master's Guide cover Maya and Tatsuya (Master's Guide cover without text) Maya and Tatsuya Maya and her Persona Artemis PSP boxart of Maya and her Persona Maia Maya with the group Maya and Tatsuya Nyarlathotep in the guise of Tatsuya Suou to the right of a tearful Maya Amano Maya Amano in the Eternal Punishment PSP remake Art of Maya weeping Maya Amano in the Eternal Punishment PSP remake Maya's Fusion Spell cut-in portrait in the PSP remake of Eternal Punishment Maya icon Maya in the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment PSP trailer Maya summoning Artemis Maya's sprite Promotional art Full illustration of Maya appearing in the official Eternal Punishment guide Maya's blush portrait in the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment guide book Official Maya character bio in the Persona 2: Eternal Punishment guide book

Eternal Punishment Portraits
Maya's normal portrait Maya's happy portrait Maya's angry portrait Maya's surprised portrait Maya's sad portrait Maya's other sad portrait, with eyes closed Maya's injured portrait Maya's Fusion Spell portrait

Persona 2 Comic Anthology

Maya on the cover of Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology Innocent Children Maya on the cover of "Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Comic Anthology Yurusarezaru Monotachi" Maya on the cover of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment Comic Anthology Atonement Maya on the cover of Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics) Maya's illustration in a personality test Maya on the cover of Persona 2: Innocent Sin Comic Anthology Innocent Memory Art of Maya featured in Persona 2: Innocent Sin DNA Media Comic Anthology Illustration of Maya in the Persona 2: Innocent Sin comic anthology Katsuya, Tatsuya, and Maya illustrated by Sumino Hirune Katsuya, Tatsuya, Maya, and Ulala illustrated by Chimaki Kuori Illustration by Hideaki Hoba Illustration by Sumino Hirune Illustration by Sumino Hirune Illustration by Sumino Hirune Illustration by Kuori Chimaki Illustration by Madoka Matsuda

Other
Maya in the anime trailer Maya and Yukino in the anime trailer Maya in the tech demo of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maya in the tech demo of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Textures from Shin Megami Tensei NINE Textures from Shin Megami Tensei NINE Mitsuru and Artemisia as Maya and Artemis in Persona 4 Arena

Etymology

• The name Maya means "dance" (舞) (ma) and "question mark" (耶) (ya).
• Maya's surname Amano means "heaven/heavenly, sky, imperial" (天) (ama) and "field, wilderness" (野) (no).

Trivia

• Maya is the first (and to date, only, not counting Aigis and Shin Kanzato) Persona protagonist that cannot be named by the player. She's the only one to do so as protagonist in a main series game, as Aigis is the protagonist in a special episode in FES and Shin Kanzato in a non-canon anime spin-off. 
• Maya is the oldest protagonist in the series at 23 years old, Tatsuya being second at 18.
• Maya is currently the only Persona protagonist that is not a student.
• Maya's intense guilt about her resentment of the original Masked Circle for the Alaya Shrine incident prevents her from ever accepting her own Shadow as an aspect of herself, making her unique among the series' playable characters who've interacted with their Shadows. She instead chooses to insist that her Shadow is an impostor created by the conflicting rumors about her involvement with the Masked Circle. The only other playable character in the series to ever do this is Rei.
  • This is represented by her Arcana, the Moon, which is associated with illusions, self-deception and subconscious emotions.
• There's some debate over the canonicity of Maya's romantic feelings towards Tatsuya and Katsuya Suou. Tatsuya is often considered the "default" option between the two, but according to the Persona World Guidance book, Maya is romantically uninterested in both of the Suou brothers. Meanwhile, interviews state that it's up to the player to choose for Maya, although scenario writer Tadashi Satomi personally leans towards Tatsuya.
• When the party goes to get her legendary weapon from Garcon Soejima, he tells them that the only way she can get the weapon is to eat his spaghetti di kusaya (spaghetti horse mackerel in the fan translation), which she descibes as her least favorite food.
• In Persona 2: Innocent Sin ~ The Errors of Their Youth, track 10, "Bomb Shelter Imitation Hell," Maya does an impression of Shinnosuke Nohara from the manga and anime series Crayon Shin-chan, a reference to her voice actress's role as Shinnosuke.
• Tadashi Satomi proposed the idea of allowing Maya to speak in the bonus content of Eternal Punishment PSP remake. This was dropped due to the tradition that the protagonist must remain silent because they represent the player.
• In the English version of Persona 3, the protagonist can befriend a player in the fictional MMO "Innocent Sin Online" (which itself is a reference to Persona 2: Innocent Sin), who uses the name "Maya," and even says "let's think positive!" In the Japanese version, that character is instead a reference to Yumiko Shirasagi.
• In the game files of Skullgirls, there is a text portrait of Maya shrugging. 
• In Shin Megami Tensei NINE, there are leftover textures from a model of Maya.
• In Eternal Punishment, despite being silent, Maya Amano appears to have some sort of internal monologue in character introductions: her introduction of Maya Okamura is "I sense that I've met her somewhere...?", while Tatsuya Suou is introduced as "He ran into me. For some strange reason, I feel I know him from long ago...". She also appears to speak in the opening FMV, a repeat of Innocent Sin's ending, in which she says "please forget about me... go on without me".
• While looking down at a dolphin brooch at Tony’s shop, Maya mentions that she’s gone scuba diving with dolphins before, but has long since gone again due to busy-ness at work
• Maya loves ramen and one of her favorite foods is crab. She has a big appetite and is known at Kizmet for having a “black hole stomach.”
• Maya is quite careless in her private life and her apartment is a complete mess. According to Maya her room smells like mildew from her AC because she cannot remember when she last changed the filter.
• Maya once told a story in which she had jumped a fence to get to a closed off building for an assignment she and Yukino were working on together.
• She is quite oblivious when it comes to love and relationships and wasn’t aware that Yukino had a crush on Fuji or why Lisa was so envious about her and Tatsuya talking alone in the bomb shelter while Lisa was asleep.
• Maya wanted to be a journalist ever since she was a kid and feels passionately about her work, saying she’s “married to her work” and prioritizes work over finding a relationship.
• Shortly after Yukino departs from the party, Maya in London Clothier says she saw Yukino as an older sister despite Yukino being younger than her.
• She has a habit of touching her earlobe when she's lost in thought.
• The right side of her chest is scarred from a bad burn in the past, and she's very self conscious about not showing it
• Despite being terrible at driving, Maya loves driving and considers herself a durable person because no matter how many times she crashes her car she doesn't get injured.
• Maya is very dependent on Ulala and she takes care of Maya's makeup, clothes (She doesn’t understand fashion and has all her clothes picked by Ulala), and all the cooking at home.
• She finds mornings difficult because she has low blood pressure and it makes it hard for her to get out of bed. Maya naturally became a night person due to this fact and the nature of her job.
• Her future dream is to become a successful journalist who can juggle her career and family.