Why "Throw Your Mask Away"/"Keep Your Faith" from Persona 5 Royal is an indisputable masterpiece of composition.
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 5
The 2010s was a transitionary time period between an era where chronically online people were seen as unusual to a time where it became the norm.
During the pandemic, most high school kids, and their role models, spent a ridiculous amount of time mindlessly wandering the internet, and transitioning back to normal life has become less of a priority as more professions begin to "go digital" and AI improves.
The permanence of the change is starting to seep into all sorts of academic disciplines, and many have started to worry about whether this is intentional manufacturing of our desires by the government, or a naturally occurring (or perhaps divine) sequence of unfortunate, but inevitable, circumstances.
A rising fear that we are willingly giving up our freedom and autonomy is rampant in the developed world, and I find that not many pieces of art properly frame these social maladies. That's why I'm talking about Persona 5 Royal today.
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| The original tagline for Persona 5 |
The original Persona 5 pulled zero punches with its themes of a modern society losing their autonomy. In the original release of the game, the final boss is a malevolent false god that takes control of modern day Japan and "proverbially", although shown literally, enslaves every person by distorting and slowly altering their desires.
From the protagonists point of view, the prime minister was a pawn in the god's plan; CEO's of massive corporations, that overwork their employees, are pawns in the prime minister's plan. New wave crime syndicates are allowed to run rampant due to greed and negligence; and young vulnerable people are getting blackmailed into becoming felons. School administrators turn a blind eye to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of their students by tenured educators; and influential figures in media hide secrets and scandals from the general public for years.
All of these evils are depicted in extreme detail in Persona 5. Allegories and metaphors are used to highlight the twisted way that these authority figures (the false god, the prime minister, etc.) abuse and exploit the vulnerable. It is safe to assume that if it wasn't for the magical "metaverse", every one of the main characters in this game would have ended up on the streets or dead.
The phantom thieves, a bunch of rebellious, meddling, immature, and problematic school children, are given the ability to change their lives for the better, and when given that honest chance, they rise to the occasion and weed out every seemingly insurmountable force working against them.
When I think about my youngest brother, whose high school experience was ravaged by the pandemic, I see those rebellious kids in him and others his age. I constantly hear adults complain about how reliant on technology they are, and how they cannot think for themselves. I find it disturbing that so many adults take to blaming broke, powerless, and clearly suffering children for not doing well when their schools are teaching them nothing but bullshit, and no one seems to care about their needs. It is obvious that they need role models, and I think the phantom thieves are a great analog, because they stand up for and do what is right even though everyone else sees them as, essentially, iPad kids.
Even though the game outwardly promotes the phantom thieves as a solution to society's problems, that is not the intention if you look at the subtext of the game. A phantom thief is supposed to do what is right, even when it goes against the status quo and puts you up against mob mentality. In other words, the game doesn't want you to rely on or worship the phantom thieves. In fact, it is actually asking you to become like them. "You" are the leader of the phantom thieves in the game. It asks its players directly to consider what THEY are doing to worsen or perpetuate cultural evils. It is a very conservative, self-reflective, and Kantian morality that a small vocal minority of the fanbase fails to grasp.
Persona 5 Royal smashed expectations and left players wondering if the phantom thieves are any more moral that the worst villains' of the original game. This is intentional and biblically important in dispelling the idea that we should rely on a bunch of magical saviors to change the world.
Royal presents a well intentioned and mentally ravaged man named Takuto Maruki. He inherits a similar power to the protagonists, and tries to help humanity by abusing the same power that the false god used. Out of a feeling of responsibility and a love of his discipline, he promises to create a new reality indistinguishable from the old one, but lacking the moments of extreme suffering that ruin so many people's lives. Unlike previous antagonists in the game, the developers decided to present the option to live with his reality as an equally positive outcome from trying to oppose him.
However, a fascinating philosophical dilemma arises when you, the protagonist, try to oppose him. Most of the phantom thieves briefly live in his reality and can admit that they could tell the difference, and liked it, but are willing to fight for their own reality---except Yoshizawa.
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| "Kasumi" Yoshizawa |
The idea of going back to a world where she watched her sister get run over in front of her eyes gives her so much discomfort that she lashes out at you and decides to work with Maruki. You will have to physically force her away from him and try and convince her that "your world", the phantom theives' reality, is still worth living in. This paints the protagonist as a bad guy who is preventing her from being happy, and Maruki, as her savior. This is a much more nuanced approach to depicting the phantom thieves compared to how positively they were shown in the base game.
Many players, including me, found themselves actively uncomfortable beating up one of my own party members because she doesn't agree with our goals this time. This makes the battle with her and Maruki bittersweet. Like many players, I really admire Maruki's willingness to help as many people as he can, and found it hard to oppose him as a result. He originally became a therapist because he wanted to help people recover from trauma, and you are taking away his one shot of ending trauma for good. He is the only antagonist in media I have ever thought was a genuinely good and moral person, so it really stings to dethrone the guy—but a phantom thief's gotta do what a phantom thief does.
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| Left: Joker (Protagonist) | Right: Takuto Maruki |
So, how do you write music for a fight like this? If I was given this task, I can say for certain I would not have come up with as genius of a song as Shoji Meguro did. "Throw Your Mask Away"/"Keep Your Faith" is perhaps the greatest song of the 2010s, and boy do I have an analysis for you today, buddy...
But in order to do that, I need to analyze the lyrics of a different song.
Lyrics of "I Believe"
On the final climb to the garden of Eden where Maruki sits, the protagonists fight their way to the top of his palace to the tune, "I Believe". This piece is a variation of "Life Will Change", the anthem of rebellion that plays whenever the protagonists confront one of the palace rulers who distort reality with their selfish delusions.
The lyrics of both pieces are from the perspective of the phantom thieves, and they reiterate the idea that they can do anything they set their mind to. Each stanza in this piece has a narrative function which I will highlight.
"It's time to unveil the hype y'all been waiting for
It's time to bring an end to the question of who will win, it's us"
The first two lines establish, with great certainty, the phantom thieves' confidence in their philosophy and ability to achieve victory against Maruki.
"I used to have a bad feeling
A premonition of falling short
Now I have no fear, since we're here
To fight it together"
This stanza is a summary of the events leading up to the confrontation with Maruki. Now that the phantom thieves are finally reassembled, they put their faith in each other and push on without fear that anything, whether it is society or a school psychologist, will alter their idea of reality, which they know to be right. They know it is right because they learned it from the journey they all went on together.
"I believe we can fly up in the sky
One day we may just be able to touch down on a star
Off the road we have to go, the roadless path
We shall proceed until the end of our roles
There's no turning back for us
'Cause we will never give up"
I think the chorus is supposed to represent that even though society saw the phantom thieves as problematic children, nuisances, and even criminals, they can still do whatever they set their minds to (represented by the metaphor of being "able to touch down on a star" which has never been done).
"Going off the road" represents straying from the path that others impose on them and choosing to live the way they feel is right. This is something very relatable in a culture where all eyes are placed on young people constantly because of social media, technology, and a general stigma put on children. This is especially pertinent in the aging, tradition heavy, and collectivist society of modern day Japan. "The roadless path" goes one step further to imply that the path the phantom thieves have decided to walk is one devoid of comfort but full of potential.
The last three lines are deontological statements that show the phantom thieves' drive and unwillingness to stray from the path they have chosen.
"I thought that I told you, I'm not a robot, no
I thought I told you, I'm not a phantom, I'm in your face"
The "robot" metaphor is explored in the original "Life Will Change". More specifically, the line, "I'm not a robot AI challenging you" was meant to dispel the prejudicial idea that the phantom thieves are "just a bunch of rebellious kids glued to their phones who can't think for themselves". This is one of the most common ways kids and teenagers are unfairly shamed in first world countries today. Because adults see these kids as "robot AIs", they are not taken seriously and treated with distain instead of being given patience, empathy, and positive leadership from authority figures.
This is important in the context of this piece because the lyrics of "Throw Your Mask Away", which is from Maruki's perspective, are stated with a paternalistic edge, which I will illustrate later.
I also think it is poetic that the lyricist, Lotus Juice, used AI and robotics as his metaphor, considering the new prominence of AI technology that threatens to remove even more autonomy from our lives. It seems the line between person and robot is being blurred in our own reality, or something like that. At worst, I suppose, it is a line that aged like fine wine.
"It's our turn to get back
To grab the future which we fully believe
And it's not given to us, it's earned"
This line is addressed to Maruki specifically, whose well-intentioned goal of reducing the suffering in their lives is at odds with the phantom thieves desire for autonomy.
Lyrics of "Throw Your Mask Away"
As mentioned earlier, the lyrics of "Throw Your Mask Away" are from Maruki's perspective and "I Believe" is a reaction to the ideas expressed by him in this song. Just like in "I Believe", each stanza has a rhetorical purpose that reveal Maruki's twisted beliefs.
"Beliefs that I have my faith in
It never seems to see the light of day
Shadow is where my mind's state's in
Cause people tend to be sensitive to the new ways
But it doesn't have to be like this"
In the first stanza, Maruki laments that the world is full of trauma, suffering, and sadness. He wishes to cleanse the world of these "conditions". After all, he is a psychologist. He says "it doesn't have to be like this" because he was given the power to help suffering people reach self-actualization artificially, through his persona, Azathoth.
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| Azathoth in the Garden of Eden |
"Don't sleep through dreams that can come true
No more tears shall drop from your cheeks anymore
You won't need to strive for greatness
Believe in me that you don't need to suffer from anything no more!"
The chorus illustrates Maruki's proposition to the phantom thieves. He argues that it is better to live in a happy dream than a waking nightmare, and that he can induce said dream without any repercussion. At a glance, this seems like a good deal, but the fact that he actively encourages the phantom thieves to give up striving for greatness to live in a perfect world shows that while his heart is in the right place, his understanding of human nature is lacking.
Part of what keeps human society from collapsing is the fact that all people understand, to some extent, that the world would fall apart if we stopped maintaining it. Logically speaking, all people must have a duty to uphold what is good for human society because they don't want would happen if we all neglected our duties entirely. Furthermore, if you were to take away the consequences of our actions, it will eventually lead to a feeling that we lack autonomy because that duty gives us purpose.
This is the same issue that Immanuel Kant spoke about in his writings. In Kant's writings, he asks one to consider whether human society could maintain itself given "insert parameter here", and if the answer is no, then it is morally bad. This pragmatic approach to morality ensures that we act upon what is necessary to maintain and improve our current position. If we did not have to make these checks, we would cease to even resemble humanity as we know it.
You see, Maruki is obsessed with his goal of "solving" trauma, but he is unwilling to allow his patients to maintain their autonomy as payment for his surefire solution. He says, "Believe in me THAT you don't need to suffer from anything" instead of "Believe in me AND you don't need to suffer from anything", and this wording suggests that his solution only works when you have faith in his methods (sort of like real therapists). This is a highly paternalistic and degrading which reveals how out of touch with reality he really is. He even speaks in commands throughout the chorus which further illustrates his paternalistic nature.
"You don't need to make a wrong turn
It just requires guidance from above
We don't need to have this conflict
Cause I can take you to the place of delight
Give peace of mind to the whole world"
The second verse is Maruki bargaining with you to reconsider opposing him. He is a humble man, and he does want what is best for you, but it is arguable if he truly knows what is best. Maruki's persona, Azathoth, is powerful to make everyone in the world feel fulfilled and truly happy, so from his perspective, by opposing him, you are depriving everyone in the world of happiness. In a way, he is completely correct, but he does not understand what he is sacrificing as a result. This is what makes him such a nuanced antagonist.
"You can throw your mask away,
no more pretending
You've been tied down for the longest of the time, be free
You deserve better - you should forever be"
In the bridge, he mocks the phantom thieves for trying so hard to oppose him when he only wishes to remove their woes. "Pretending" implies he sees the phantom thieves as children playing dress up with their masks and reduces all of their triumphs to the degree to which he likens them to the preoccupations of children. This bridge is chocked full of sophistry and gaslighting all in an attempt pacify them with manufactured authority.
At the end of the bridge he explains that he can make them free from all the pesky consequences and stressors of the world they know. I guess he assumes all the negative parts of life don't contribute to making the good parts worth living. What purpose would we have in a world where we are given everything for free?
The phantom thieves, given the player doesn't decide to join him, ultimately refuse to take the easy path to happiness and success, even when presented with it on a silver platter by Maruki. This is, perhaps, the most extreme allegory of Kantian ethics I have ever seen in media, and it certainly took a lot of time to set in for me when I first played Royal back in 2020.
The phantom thieves willingly chose to forsake self-actualization with no strings attached because they rather earn that actualization through their own hard work. This is illustrated by them literally saying so in the bridge of "I Believe".
Maruki illustrates the root of the problem with modern day authority figures—they promote the idea that everything should be handed to you for free without you having to put any work in to achieve success.
This is the exact sort of world the older generations of our time fear the youth are promoting, but that just is not the case. It cannot be. Who lets these kids sit on their phones all day? Who is responsible for our kids turning out like this? It is weak parents and a lack of proper modeling of correct behavior that created this issue in the first place. The last couple of generations of parents were complicit in fostering the delusion that you should strive for an easy life. It should not be up for debate whether humanity is better off tying itself in chains and hulling themselves in their homes by themselves. The phantom thieves object against Maruki's moral relativistic theory of reality—the same foolish philosophy that adults and authority figures project on impressionable kids who are powerless to deny it.
Persona 5 Royal is asking the younger generation to break the cycle. It asks us to stop shifting blame, and to fight for the world we want and know is good and just. I continue to hope that this game spreads the world over because there are so many who would benefit from the inquiries this game proposes.
Huh?! Actually talking about the music finally? About time!
Here is the version with the lyrics:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhUpUTWRnEk
Here is the much much better mixed instrumental:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRjvpcXhcd8
Listen listen to my piano arrangement too!:
Okay time for harmony.
The verse is a standard rock progression with power chords and parallel fifths:
a:
i-VI- (iv-V)-i
i-VI-(iv-V)-(VI-VII)
i-i-i-i
Now for the chorus.
Shoji Meguro, the composer for Persona 5 Royal, is a Japanese pop musician at heart, and, due to that experience, is uniquely qualified to write a song that appeals to the sensibilities of kids who grew up in the 2010s.
As I said fifty million words ago, this song needed to be a just as much of a mix of emotions as the fight itself is. As a result, he borrows a trade secret harmony that gained a lot of popularity in 2010s Japanese pop music for being a bit bittersweet, a tad tragic, and a lot catchy, (ii7-V7)/VI.
It is highly highly important that if you use V/VI, that you use ii7/VI or IV/VI instead of VII or V7/III because that would create a terrible cross relation that destroys all of the charm and momentum. Seriously, just don't do it. There is a reason why Japanese composers do it this way.
In Jpop, (ii7-V7)/VI is almost always preceded by i and followed by VI (obviously). This brings as much attention as possible to the darkness of the ii7/VI which is a haunting bvii7 in the original key.
Here are the roman numerals for the chorus
a:
VI-iv-i-(ii7-V7)/VI
VI-V7-i-(ii7-V7)/VI
VI-iv-i-(ii7-V7)/VI
VI-v7-iv7-iv7-V7-V7
I don't know if its apparent from the fact that he does it 3 times in 6 measures, but he sure uses (ii7-V7)/VI a lot.
The repetitious hammering of the (ii7-V7)/VI makes Maruki sound like a crazed cult leader repeating himself ad nauseum during a religious rant. The commands in the chorus's lyrics combined with these harmonies create such a feeling of desperation and mania that it amplifies the feeling that Maruki really believes in what he is preaching. It is one of the most convincing refrains in songwriting history, and it deserves high praise for how well executed it is.
Speaking of well executed, look a the progression of the bridge:
C: a:
I-IV64-I-IV64
I-ii
iii-IV-iii-(ii-V) v-VI-v-(iv-VII)
vi-vi i-i
C major? This comes so out of left field that it actually sounds like a mistake. This progression is so bright and cheery. That combined with Maruki likening the phantom thieves to kids playing pretend makes this bridge really eerie.
It is so unlike the rest of the piece that it really threw me off the first time I heard it, but that's the point. Maruki is playing mind games with the phantom thieves, and the music is trying to put up a façade that everything is alright and you should just stop fighting.
Needless to say, I was blown away by this piece of music. Everything about it is so perfectly executed and tells such a compelling story. Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal are among the finest works of art ever crafted, and I will never stop singing its praises.
Back in 2017, it helped me understand what was important to me in my transition to adulthood and taught me to prioritize people above all else. Kant's and many Idealist's teachings live on in the programming of this game which makes me so thankful to the small team that worked tirelessly on that game to make something truly worth every moment of playtime. There is not a dull moment in this 120 hour video game, and that makes it a magnificent marvel. It is truly the epic poetry of our time.
If you are reading this and you haven't played Persona 5 Royal, I verily hate your guts because I know I'll never get to experience that game for the first time ever again and you can. You owe it to yourself to give it a shot so you can join the club of those who know what its like to witness the pinnacle of human creativity.
Thank you so much for reading,
Evan Davis :)
All chord charts and diagrams created and owned by me. If you would like to use any of my figures, contact me at evandavispiano@gmail.com for permission.
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