Character from Persona 5 Royal by Atlus
A school counselor who could rewrite reality — he erased everyone's pain with the best of intentions and became the kindest tyrant the world has ever known.
Maruki is the best antagonist in Persona 5 because he's right — partially. His actualization power can literally rewrite reality to remove suffering. His girlfriend's trauma? Erased. Sumire's grief? Overwritten. Akechi's death? Undone. He creates a world where nobody hurts, and he asks with genuine sincerity: isn't this better? The answer the game gives is no — because a life without pain is a life without growth, and choosing someone else's happiness for them is still control. But Maruki isn't a villain who wants power. He's a therapist who wants his patients to stop hurting, and he has a god's ability to make that happen. He listens. He empathizes. He offers you snacks and asks about your day. And then he rewrites your cognition because he can't bear to watch you suffer. Fighting him feels wrong in a way no other Palace ruler does.
Tall and lanky with messy brown hair, glasses, and a perpetually rumpled dress shirt. Looks like a grad student who forgot to grow up. Warm, approachable smile. Carries snacks for students. In his Palace: a clean white lab coat in a pristine research facility — the aesthetic of benevolent science.
Also known as: Maruki, Doc, Maruki-sensei, The Councillor