Plot:Persona 4 Golden

	This article covers a complete plot summary.
	The contents within will contain major spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

This is a summary of the plot changes and additions made in Persona 4 Golden, the enhanced edition of Persona 4. In accordance with the wiki's policy for Japanese canon over localization, major differences between the Japanese and English versions of the game are noted here in spots where a person who has played the English version might remember something happening differently. Everything that happens starting in December and onward is treated as major spoilers and those sections are wrapped in spoiler tags. Based on the events of the sequels Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona 4: Dancing All Night, this summary assumes the protagonist does the Aeon Social Link, completes the Hollow Forest, and obtains the true ending on March 20th. The other possible endings are treated as alternate endings that are listed at the end.

As this only covers the differences and additions in Golden, the main bulk of the plot can be read at Plot:Persona 4.

Prologue (Golden changes)

When the protagonist arrives in Inaba on April 11th, he drops a paper note saying to meet Dojima at the train station at 4pm. A new character, Marie, notices him drop it and hands it back to him. When his cousin and uncle notice him looking unwell after stopping at Moel Gas Station, the protagonist takes a walk around the Central Shopping District and can spot characters such as Marie standing around the area.

The Investigation Team (Golden changes)

On April 17th, when the protagonist enters the Velvet Room, he discovers that Marie has taken up residence there. Margaret asks that the protagonist forgive her rudeness as she is only an apprentice. From then on, Marie will take care of Skill Cards for the protagonist so he can teach his Personas new skills. At night time, Morooka calls the protagonist and asks him to meet at Moel Gas Station. After explaining this to Dojima, the protagonist is able to go into Inaba at night. When meeting up with Morooka, he gives the protagonist a Yaso High Jersey then leaves to escort a female student home.

Operation: Up Close and Personal

On May 7th, Yosuke presents Chie with a new copy of Trial of the Dragon. He was unaware it had reduced pricing or he would have replaced it immediately instead of buying her meat. Chie is more concerned about the lightning outside and gets afraid each time she hears it strikes. Yosuke is surprised she's afraid and teases her, leading to Chie hoping he gets struck by lightning. The school suddenly experiences a blackout. Yosuke prepares to leave for work, hoping to score a big bonus from the grocery department which he could use since he is saving for a scooter. His manager calls him shortly after and tells him that the blackout affected the fridge shelves, and they will probably have to close the grocery department early. Yosuke silently blames this on Chie. Yukiko tries to tell her a ghost story, but Chie gets frightened due to the lights being out.

On June 8th, Yosuke approaches the protagonist in class and brings up the idea of them getting scooters. Kanji comes to their classroom and hears about this plan, which Yosuke calls "Operation: Up Close and Personal". Yosuke believes that by getting scooters, girls will instantly be attracted to them, and they can ride around with a girl pressed up against their back. Kanji crushes Yosuke's dreams by reminding him you can't ride two to a scooter. Yosuke is determined, regardless, thinking that having one will still attract girls. Kanji is too young to get a scooter as he's only 15, but he is set on coming along for Operation: Up Close and Personal. Yosuke encourages the protagonist to talk to his uncle about it. When the protagonist returns home that night, he finds Dojima and Adachi. Dojima grew tired of hearing Adachi slurp noodles and invited him over for store-bought eel dinner. The protagonist asks about the scooter license. Dojima isn't sure, but Adachi is more understanding as he's also from the city and thinks it must be annoying to get around Inaba. Adachi recalls that Dojima used to ride around on a scooter when he was younger, but Dojima quickly tells him to shut up. After, Dojima gets a call about a suspicious person, and he and Adachi have to report back to the station. Before he leaves the house, Dojima tells the protagonist to work on getting his license first, then they can talk about the scooter. Yosuke calls the protagonist after, suggesting they get their licenses the next day.

After school on June 9th, Yosuke and the protagonist secure their scooter licenses. When they return, they spot Dojima at Moel Gas Station. Dojima is shocked they passed the exam so quickly and tells the protagonist he'll figure out what to tell his mother. Yosuke leaves to look through a scooter catalog. Before heading back to the Dojima house, Dojima calls out to Adachi who brings Dojima's old scooter and presents it to the protagonist. Dojima had it tuned up and refueled, and it's ready for the protagonist to use. Adachi wishes the police had scooters, as that would make it easier to find a suspicious photographer spotted in Inaba recently. Dojima says he'll ignore the protagonist taking it out of town so long as he stays safe while riding it.

By June 15th, Yosuke has finally gotten a scooter of his own, and the protagonist agrees to go to Okina with him after school to try out Operation: Up Close and Personal. Kanji joins the two, riding along on his granny bicycle. While Kanji visits a craft store, the protagonist and Yosuke hang out in front of the train station with their scooters, assuming women will naturally come to them. By the time Kanji returns three hours later, neither the protagonist nor Yosuke has attracted anyone. Kanji suggests they turn it into a contest and try talking to women in the area. The protagonist can optionally get a number from a woman near the theater, but it turns out to be a man's number who assumes the protagonist is making moves on his girlfriend. Kanji received a number from a phone sex operator, but Yosuke tells him it didn't count. Yosuke also got a phone number, but it turns out the person who gave it to him was pranking him, as the number belongs to Hanako Ohtani from school. Hanako, who is also in Okina, comes across the boys at the station. She sees Yosuke's scooter and assumes he wants to take her on a scooter date. Hanako jumps on the back, but Yosuke's scooter breaks under her weight. Yosuke is devastated, and Hanako leaves, telling Yosuke he needs to put in more effort if he wants to date her. Kanji offers to give Yosuke a ride home on his bike, finally understanding the meaning of Up Close and Personal when Yosuke sits behind him. But since it's illegal for two people to ride on a bicycle, Yosuke takes the train home while the protagonist and Kanji ride back to Inaba.

School Campout (Golden changes)

The scene where Yosuke sounds excited about the upcoming camping trip and the scene where the protagonist helps out with the health associate and is introduced to Naoki now both take place on June 7th. Additionally, on June 17th, Yosuke thinks Hanako might give him some of her curry since she owes him after breaking his scooter.

The Third Victim (Golden changes)

When Chie charges Teddie's new clothes to Yosuke on July 10th, Yosuke instead asks her how she could do that when she knows he just bought a scooter and now he's broke. Chie replies that since he's already broke, then it's not like this changes much.

Summer Vacation (Golden changes)

By July 25th, Yosuke's scooter has been repaired, and he suggests the group go somewhere together during summer vacation, like the beach. Rise has already turned 16 and is old enough to get her license, but she wants to ride snugly behind the protagonist. Yosuke reminds her that you can't have two people on a scooter, echoing what Kanji told him. The girls realize they all have scooters they can use or borrow and decide to go to the beach together. They aren't sure what to do with Teddie, but they figure they could wheel him along.

On August 15th, Chie or Rise will let the protagonist know the girls have all gotten scooter licenses, and then on August 23rd, Yosuke calls the protagonist and suggests they go to the beach that day. Everyone rides to Shichiri Beach together with Kanji riding behind on his bicycle and Teddie on roller skates. Yosuke is excited to see Rise in a bikini but less than thrilled to see Kanji in a speedo. Teddie jumps in the water, and the others follow him. The protagonist helps Yukiko swim while Yosuke pushes Rise around in a floaty, and Chie races against Kanji. When Teddie tries to undo one of the girls' swimsuits, Kanji drags him out of the water. Yosuke and the protagonist panic when they realize Kanji's speedo has come off. They hear the girls getting out of the water, and scramble to find something for him to cover up with. Yosuke hands Kanji some seaweed, and Kanji puts it over himself and then pretends to imitate the Birth of Venus painting. The girls see this and run off while calling the boys perverts. As the day comes to a close, Kanji eventually gets his speedo back, and the girls play in the sand with Teddie. Overlooking the beach, Kanji says he never would've gone to the beach if they hadn't invited him, and he finds it fun to do stuff that might not "fit" his image. Yosuke thinks about how the fun times are over so quickly and wonders if the rest of their high school life will be like that. Kanji feels that since the murder case has been solved, their fun is just beginning. Yosuke agrees and starts to plan a skiing trip for winter break.

When the protagonist wakes up on August 30th, Rise calls him and tells him about the fireworks festival, and they plan to go with everyone else in the Investigation Team. The protagonist invites Nanako to go with them, but she mentions she has already planned to go with her dad. At night, the Investigation Team gathers on a hill overlooking Inaba that Yukiko suggested. She also told Nanako about it, hoping she and Dojima would show up. Teddie got flattened in his bear suit by Hanako, and Yosuke has no sympathy for him as he brought certain "reading material" from Yosuke's room to the breakfast table and asked what they were. Nanako and Dojima make it, and the fireworks show begins shortly after. Chie yells, "Tamaya!" Teddie mimics after her, saying, "Ted fi-ya!" and Nanako repeats after him. After the fireworks end, Nanako gets sleepy, and Dojima takes her home. Kanji wonders if they should have invited Naoto to come along with them. Rise, in particular, feels bad as she said hurtful things to Naoto the last time they spoke, though the others aren't sure if Naoto is even in Inaba anymore.

Junes Concert

After school on October 8th, Yosuke calls everyone in the Investigation Team, including Teddie, to the roof at Yasogami High. Originally, idol Kanami Mashita was supposed to come to Inaba and be named honorary police chief for the day on October 9th, and Yosuke's dad planned to have a huge sale at Junes coinciding with Kanami's visit. However, due to Naoto going missing recently, the Inaba PD didn't have time to prepare for the event, and they ended up canceling it last minute. Yosuke asks Rise if it's possible for her to have a live show at Junes. He's afraid that if this sale bombs, his dad will be transferred again, and he'll have to change schools.

Rise isn't thrilled about the idea of being Kanami's replacement but agrees to sing so long as the Investigation Team joins her on stage since she refuses to sing to pre-recorded music. The others find this an impossible task, but Naoto has experience playing piano and is willing to do whatever she can to help since this is partially her fault. Yosuke remembers he has a bass somewhere, though he has no experience playing it. They gather in the school's music room, and Chie brings them some instruments. At first, they try using instruments that resemble the weapons they use in the TV World. Slowly, their makeshift band comes together with Naoto on piano, Kanji on drums, Teddie on percussion, Chie on trumpet, Yukiko on sax, Yosuke on guitar, and the protagonist on bass. Yosuke gets excited because they look like a band, but with Chie and Yukiko unable to produce any sounds from their instruments and Teddie having no clue how to read sheet music, Yosuke foresees transferring in his future.

The group meets at school again on October 9th to practice. Yosuke starts to think this is hopeless, but the protagonist gives everyone a motivational speech, and the others refuse to quit. Rise promises Yosuke that tons of people will come and they'll all leave happy. Yukiko manages to finally get a single note from her saxophone, and the group resumes practicing, this time with Rise singing along. Teddie thinks this is the beginning of them achieving fame as a band, but the others remember their time on the Midnight Channel and want anything but that.

The Investigation Team meets in the Junes food court on October 10th, where they've drawn an even bigger crowd than Yosuke expected. Yosuke briefly notices a man in a teal uniform observing them before Rise calls everyone in for a group huddle. She tells them the audience is there for a good show, so they need to prioritize having fun over doing everything correctly. The group gets on the event stage and successfully plays a short version of Rise's song "True Story". The crowd demands an encore, and the group panics as they only prepared one song and weren't expecting this. While deliberating what to do, Yosuke notices the man in the teal uniform walking away from the audience. Hearing the crowd's chants, Teddie leaps off the stage and goes crowd surfing. Yosuke thinks they should all try diving into the crowd to avoid having to play an encore. Kanji agrees, and the two and the protagonist all leap off the stage. However, the audience parts, and Kanji and Yosuke land face first while the protagonist lands, posing with his bass at his side.

Halloween

On October 31st, Yosuke calls the protagonist and asks him to come help with the Halloween Fair at Junes. The two decorate the food court, and both Teddie and the protagonist dress up. Another Junes employee comes to the food court and sees the decorations. He reminds Yosuke that the Halloween Fair was cancelled during a morning staff meeting, and wonders if Yosuke might have been half-awake during it. Yosuke apologizes to the protagonist for this, and gives him a set of Halloween Costumes as a thank you.

The Interrogation (Golden changes)

This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)

When interrogating Namatame on December 4th, he mentions he saw that the people he saved had returned to their regular lives, so he was completely unaware of how dangerous it was until he went into the TV with Nanako, and he further had no idea that people couldn't get out on their own.

But after saying that, Namatame thinks that part of him must have realized the TV was dangerous, or else he would not have tried to meet the group before. Yosuke thinks back to the Junes concert and realizes the person he saw in the food court seemingly watching them was Namatame. Namatame was curious why the people he had saved had grouped up together and wanted to know what they remembered. But he could not say anything and ended up returning home. He thinks he might have felt guilty, and all of his anxiety and other thoughts came bursting out when he entered the TV World finally.

After, the Investigation Team recognizes that Namatame truly was trying to save people, and he apologizes for everything he has done.

End of spoilers.

Winter Vacation

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The protagonist sees Yosuke on the way to school on December 26th. Yosuke noticed that it's supposed to rain that night, and suggests they watch TV at night just in case. At school, Kashiwagi tells them to enjoy winter break and sends them to the gym for the end of semester assembly. At night, the protagonist watches his TV like Yosuke suggested, and nothing comes on. Yosuke calls him after, thrilled that everything must finally be over now that they defeated Ameno-sagiri.

A few days later, on December 31st, Yosuke texts the protagonist and suggests all of them meet up at Tatsuhime Shrine for New Year's Eve. At night, Kanji meets up with the protagonist outside the shrine. Yosuke and Teddie show up after, delayed because Teddie didn't check the prices of anything he put into the Junes lucky bags. Teddie asks why the girls aren't there yet. Kanji thinks they might have gone to Yukiko's first to dress up in New Year's kimonos. The boys get their hopes up, and are disappointed when the girls show up in winter clothes. Inside the shrine, the group counts down to New Year's, and it begins snowing shortly after. Dojima and Nanako greet the protagonist early in the morning on January 1st. Dojima observes that the protagonist looks more grown-up now. The family eats New Year's food that Dojima bought at Junes. Due to Nanako's health, Dojima and Nanako won't be making their first shrine visit of the New Year, but the protagonist can go out in the afternoon with a girlfriend.

On January 2nd, the protagonist and Nanako make a snowman that resembles Teddie. Dojima has Nanako come back inside so she doesn't catch a cold while the protagonist goes out into Inaba and gives New Year's greetings to his friends. When the protagonist enters the Velvet Room to greet Margaret, she informs him that Marie has gone missing. Margaret offers to find Marie and take the protagonist to her, but she warns him that it might be dangerous. The protagonist doesn't care and asks Margaret to find her. Margaret asks that he give her some time, saying she will come and fetch him once she has located Marie. When the protagonist returns home that night, he feels a chill after walking around all day, and goes to sleep.

On January 3rd, Yosuke and Teddie come by the Dojima house. Yosuke suggests they go skiing with the others at a nearby ski resort before winter break is over. Meanwhile, Dojima and Nanako return to the hospital. When Teddie realizes that the protagonist will be home all alone, he invites himself to stay with the protagonist. At night, Teddie returns with his belongings. The protagonist feels his condition worsening and collapses in the living room. Teddie places him under the kotatsu and goes to find him a pillow. While he sleeps, the protagonist sees a vision of Marie in an unknown location. She knows about the fog being gone from Inaba and tells the protagonist goodbye, but he is unable to respond.

On January 4th, Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko stop by and visit. Yosuke decides to delay the skiing trip due to the protagonist's illness. On January 6th, Kanji, Rise, and Naoto visit. Naoto observes that the medicine from the hospital appears to be doing something, and Rise asks Teddie to take care of him. The protagonist recovers from his cold by January 9th. When he wakes up in the evening, he finds Teddie lying face down beside him. Margaret calls him shortly after. She has yet to find Marie, but believes Marie is going somewhere in the supernatural world. Margaret expects this will test the protagonist's Persona ability, and suggests he continue working on his bonds and strengthening his Personas. School resumes on January 10th, and the protagonist talks to Yosuke on the way. Yosuke tells him they delayed the skiing trip, but he's thinking they can go during their break in February instead.

End of spoilers.

Nanako's Homecoming

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On January 15th, the protagonist receives a phone call from Dojima, who tells him that Nanako will be coming home on the 20th. During his dreams on January 17th, the protagonist thinks of the times he took Marie to the Yasogami Hills, when she went shopping in Okina, and when they met up with Yosuke at Yasogami High. In the morning, he receives a call from Margaret, informing him that she is having difficulty locating Marie as she seems to have specifically been trying to break away from the protagonist.

Dojima and Nanako finally come home on January 20th, bringing a fancy sushi platter to celebrate. Teddie welcomes Nanako home, then assumes he has to leave since he isn't part of their family. Nanako thinks Teddie should stay since he's a friend to both her and the protagonist. Dojima agrees and encourages Teddie to stay as well. After dinner, Teddie goes back to Yosuke's house. On the way to school on January 21st, Yosuke heard from Teddie that Nanako is back from the hospital and suggests the group throw her a welcome back party.

On January 22nd, the Investigation Team holds a party for Nanako in the Junes food court. They all congratulate her on her recovery. Rise assumes Nanako might be a bit bored just sitting around in the food court, but Nanako finds it fun since everyone is there and they have so many snacks. Kanji thinks playing hide and seek in a store as big as Junes would be fun. When thinking about playing hide and seek, Nanako suddenly remembers that the protagonist and everyone else came and found her, like a hero group she would see on TV. Yosuke proposes they have a Sales Floor Hide-and-Seek Tournament since it isn't open yet, which Nanako gets excited about. After spending time with the group, the protagonist and Nanako return home.

When the protagonist sleeps on January 24th, he dreams about taking Marie to Junes and the Samegawa, then bringing her comb to Tatsumi Textiles. When he wakes up the next day, Margaret calls to report that she is getting closer to figuring out where Marie has gone. Additionally, her disappearance has something to do with her memories.

End of spoilers.

Skiing Trip

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On the way to school on February 1st, Yosuke suggests they go skiing after their upcoming exams. On February 2nd, the protagonist dreams of taking Marie to Daidara, the Samegawa, and the hilltop overlooking Inaba. In the morning, he receives a call from Margaret, who has finally located Marie. Just as Margaret suspected, Marie is not somewhere humans can reach, and she asks the protagonist to give her a little more time. The end of year exams last from February 6th to 10th.

After exams, the Investigation Team heads to a ski resort on Mt. Yasogami on February 11th. Chie and Yosuke race each other on snowboards, Kanji tries to teach Naoto how to ski, and the protagonist skis with Rise. Teddie and Yukiko race each other down the mountain at breakneck speed. Teddie almost runs into Rise, but swerves out of the way at the last moment, sending him flying through the air. He begins rolling down the mountain and collides with Yosuke, and the two crash into a building. As the day goes on, Yosuke tries to ask everyone what they thought of his snowboarding skills, but he gets mostly ignored. Chie asks what they're serving at the ski resort, and is disappointed that it's fusion-style sole instead of meat. Naoto and Rise question it being fusion cuisine, but Yosuke thinks the girls are the last people who should talk about other people's cooking, given their own track record. Kanji thinks Chie has a point; a protein dish would be good after skiing. The group eyes Teddie, but Yukiko reassures him they won't eat him since bear tastes too gamey.

At night, everyone except Teddie returns to the lodge, where Yukiko suggests they tell ghost stories. After seeing Chie, Rise, and Naoto all get scared about the idea, Yosuke thinks that's a great idea. He begins telling a story he heard about how girls at a private school bullied another girl, then she turned up dead and began haunting her bullies. Chie freaks out, Yukiko begins laughing, and Naoto tries to claim it's illogical before remembering she read a police report similar to what Yosuke is describing. The protagonist goes next and tells another ghost story. While he tells it, the group begins hearing noises, and the light goes out before the protagonist finishes. When the lights come back on, Teddie rejoins the group and is responsible for turning off the lights to "haunt" them for eating all the snacks without him. Chie, Rise, and Naoto are all in agreement to beat Teddie up, while Yukiko expectantly asks the protagonist to finish his ghost story.

On February 12th, the group hits the slopes again. Rise tries to justify why she gets to hog the protagonist all to herself that day, but Naoto reminds them that they're all trying to have fun with the protagonist before he leaves. Suddenly, everyone wants to go skiing with the protagonist, and Rise asks him to choose only one of them. Yosuke breaks it up by telling them they're all going skiing together. Later, Rise and the protagonist watch on as Kanji tries to teach Naoto how to ski. Yukiko and Teddie go rushing by them, and then Yosuke and Chie. Rise suggests they move since they're in people's way, but Naoto asks someone to stay with her since she still has no idea how to turn in her skis. After Teddie goes bodysurfing down the mountain past the group again, Naoto gives up and decides to walk to the bottom of the slope.

Before the sun sets, the protagonist can invite one of the girls or all the guys to go skiing with him. He and his chosen skiing partner(s) get stuck in a snowstorm, get lost trying to find their way back to the lodge, and take shelter in a small shack. They light a fire in a hearth to keep warm. Suddenly, an old TV in the shack flickers on despite not being plugged in, and the rest of the Investigation Team shows up, assuming something inappropriate was about to happen. Chie leans over to investigate the TV, and Margaret's hand unexpectedly comes out of the TV and pulls her plus the rest of the group through the screen. When they come to, they're outside a tomb in a bamboo forest, surrounded by haniwa and flowers that fall like snow.

Margaret introduces herself to the rest of the Investigation Team and explains that this place, called the Hollow Forest, is where Marie has gone. The protagonist explains to the rest of his friends that Marie had no memories and she recently disappeared. The group assumes Marie was thrown into a TV and must be in danger due to the Shadows. Margaret tells them this is different from the kidnappings, and that Marie, a being originally from the world inside the TV, came to the Hollow Forest on her own, and she is likely not in any danger from the Shadows. The Hollow Forest will close soon, and Marie will vanish from their memories when it does. Margaret made a link between the Hollow Forest and the TV in the shack, then brought them here to explain the situation and the danger to allow them to make their own decision. She reiterates that Marie has purposely shut herself in the Hollow Forest. They are all free to leave and live their lives. After, Margaret takes her leave.

Back in the shack, Chie calls a meeting to order. Naoto questions why Marie would run away and go to the Hollow Forest in the first place. Chie thinks that if she vanishes from their memories, that would be like a form of death, as if Marie were intentionally trying to make them forget about her. Teddie can empathize, as when he realized he was a Shadow, he thought to himself that he shouldn't exist. Though they don't understand why Marie is doing this, they know it feels bad to be misunderstood and that they're the only ones who can save her. They agree to take a day to gather what information they can before they act.

End of spoilers.

Hollow Forest

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The Investigation Team regroups on the roof at school on February 13th. All of them have gone out into Inaba and checked around with their own contacts. Still, none of them heard anything about people going missing recently, and Naoto concludes that Marie's disappearance must be unrelated to the previous cases. Teddie and Rise also went into the TV World and tried looking. Teddie could not sense Marie at all, and Rise could only sense that the Hollow Forest was far away. Yukiko and Naoto remember that the phrase "Hollow Forest" came up before when they faced Ameno-sagiri, who called the TV World a Hollow Forest that it created in response to human desire. Yosuke wonders if this means the landscape inside Marie's heart is the same kind of Hollow Forest that Ame created? Naoto assumes Marie may somehow be connected to Ame, but they won't know until they go and find her. The group returns to the ski resort and enters through the old TV in the shack, with the fox coming along with them. Rise senses that the Hollow Forest is getting further away, setting that same day as their hard deadline to save Marie.

Upon entering the Hollow Forest, Rise hears Marie's voice talking about how she walks alone and needs nothing else. The group's items and equipment all vanish, and they are forced to walk the same path as Marie through the tomb. On each floor, they see flower petals covering a stone flooring, and scenery resembling locations from around Inaba, such as the Junes food court and the picnic table outside of Souzai Daigaku, all places the protagonist and his friends took Marie to. In the Memories of Anger, the Investigation Team finally catches up to Marie. When she turns to face them, she has a glowing left eye. Marie tells them to stay away from her and calls this place her grave. She remembered that her name is Kusumi-no-Okami, and she is similar to Kunino-sagiri and Ameno-sagiri. Marie likens herself to a spy. She was given a human form and sent to walk amongst humans to report to the Sagiri what mankind desired. She tells the group not to chase her, as their world will vanish if they don't let her die.

On the final floor of the tomb, the Memories of Meeting, the group finds Marie again. She still has no idea why they came this far for her. Naoto tries to convince her not to throw her life away. If Kuni and Ame are gone, then Marie can be free now. But Marie has no freedom. She repeats that their world will vanish if they don't let her die. She and the two Sagiri not only responded to what mankind desired, but also controlled the fog. The cycle of rain and fog in Inaba for the past year was not real weather, but rather, the Sagiri would create fog, and then Marie would absorb it, hence why the fog kept coming back. After the group defeated Ame, the fog didn't actually "clear" from the city; Marie heard a strange voice, and then all of the fog in Inaba flowed into her as it was no longer needed and still exists inside her. Once Marie's heart gets swallowed by the fog inside her, she will cease to exist, taking the fog and the Hollow Forest with her, and everyone will be safe. But the Investigation Team refuses to allow her to sacrifice herself.

Marie knew this would happen, which is why she left in the first place. She knows the group won't leave on their own, so she resorts to attacking the group to make them leave. After fighting her, Marie calls them all stupid for doing this, as they are only hurting themselves. Teddie tries to encourage Marie and tells her not to talk about dying. He was once just a Shadow, but he was able to change, and she can too if she just believes. But for them to say they don't want Marie to die is like saying they want their world to be doomed. Though there was once a time when Marie wished she could remember anything, now she starts to wish that she had never remembered anything, and how much better off she would be if she hadn't. Suddenly, Marie hunches over in pain, and an unknown voice comes out of her, saying that no one needs the truth and living in ignorance leads to happiness. Yosuke realizes that the fog is taking over Marie's heart, and tells her to fight it.

Marie yells at them all to leave her again, saying she hates them. However, the group calls her out on her lie: This place is a tomb, created by Marie's desire to die, but it's also filled with landmarks from Inaba. Kanji invites her back to the real world to go see it all in person again, but Marie refuses, saying she must die. The protagonist rejects the idea that Marie has to die. Yosuke agrees, as the thing that actually needs to go away is the fog inside of her, not Marie herself. Marie says that's impossible, though. If they don't let her die, then the fog will take hold of her and be unleashed, transforming her into a monster. The protagonist doesn't give up, though, and thinks that if they defeat the monster, then they can save Marie. After considering it, Marie says they may be able to. She decides to believe in the Investigation Team. Marie puts herself to sleep and allows her body to be taken over by the fog, but with her heart still intact. She transforms into Kusumi-no-Okami, and the Investigation Team fights her, attempting to defeat the fog being before Marie's life runs out.

The Investigation Team finally defeats Kusumi-no-Okami, but are unsure if they saved Marie. Kusumi-no-Okami disappears, leaving Marie behind, and the protagonist catches her. The group fears for the worst when the protagonist notices that Marie isn't moving, and Teddie begins crying on top of Marie while pleading for her to wake up. Marie comes to, pushing Teddie off of her. She thanks the protagonist and hugs him tightly, and Rise gets jealous. The ground suddenly begins shaking, and Marie forgot to tell them that the Hollow Forest will disappear now that she doesn't need it. They rush out, exiting through the TV in the skiing shack. With her fate changed, Marie thanks the group for saving her and apologizes for everything. Despite Marie's prickly attitude, they want to help her learn more about themselves and their world.

When they step outside the shack, the protagonist notices Marie hesitating and asks her what's wrong. Marie recalls that when she allowed the fog to take over her body, an unknown voice told her that humans don't actually want the truth; they wish to live in a world full of fog. She thinks it might have been the same voice she heard when the fog flowed into her, but at the same time, she thinks it might have been her own voice. After, Yosuke throws a snowball between the protagonist and Marie. He assumes she's never been in a snowball fight. Marie quickly creates a bunch of snowballs and begins pelting them at Yosuke. She declares they can team up boys versus girls, except none of the boys help Yosuke, while all of the girls happily gang up on him. After the snowball fight, they all visit a bathhouse together, and the girls celebrate their landslide victory over Yosuke with Marie being crowned the Snowball Queen. Teddie and Yosuke use Kanji as a ladder to try and peek into the girl's bathing area. But Yosuke starts to fall forward, and the bamboo divider collapses, sending him and Teddie sliding into the girls' bath and losing their loinclothes in the process. When Marie sees them both, she smites the guys with lightning bolts while screaming that she hates all of them.

End of spoilers.

Winter Semester

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On February 14th, Chie, Yukiko, and Rise give their friendzone chocolates to everyone on the Investigation Team. After, the protagonist can spend Valentine's Day with a girlfriend if he has one, or visit the Junes food court and hang out with Yosuke, Kanji, and Teddie. When he returns home at night, Nanako presents him with a chocolate resembling a Slime that contains ingredients Chie, Yukiko, and Rise suggested to her. The protagonist is horrified as she lists what she put into it, but after Nanako tells him she loves him, the protagonist realizes he has no choice but to eat it. After taking a bite, he collapses on the living room floor.

The protagonist arrives at school on February 15th and meets up with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko. The weather is getting warmer, and spring is coming soon, meaning the protagonist will be leaving Inaba. Yosuke insists they will keep doing things until he leaves. In a montage, the group takes Nanako to the mountains on February 26th, then celebrates Hinamatsuri together at the Dojima house on March 3rd. On the evening of March 13th, Nanako watches the protagonist making White Day chocolates, which he hands out at school to his friends on March 14th. On March 17th, the Investigation Team takes a group photo together to a hilltop in the Yasogami Hills. Two days later, on March 19th, the protagonist has the photo in a frame. He picks it up from his drawer and packs it in his bag.

End of spoilers.

The Conductor (Golden changes)

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When the protagonist enters the Velvet Room on March 20th and gets the Orb of Sight, Marie tells him that she remembers things about her past. Marie was born a long time ago as a wish shared between people. Her role was to protect the human world, walk amongst them, and grant their wishes. Eventually, she split into two halves: A part of her that wanted to protect humans and a part of her that wanted to grant their wishes. But people's desires were infinite, and the part of her that granted wishes became much more powerful. Marie herself became a powerless and amnesiac shell of her former self named Kusumi-no-Okami, and her other side used her. She encourages the protagonist to find her other half and defeat her.

When the protagonist finds Izanami afterward, she calls the protagonist an annoyance for having saved Marie and defeated the Sagiri, retconning that she hid them within Adachi and Namatame. Izanami begins laughing after she notices that the protagonist has Marie's Old Bamboo Comb. The comb was a curse from Izanami and a symbol of the two separating. Izanami assumes Marie must have desperately clung to it.

End of spoilers.

Yomotsu Hirasaka (Golden changes)

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After the protagonist defeats Izanami-no-Okami and gets summoned into the Velvet Room, he sees Marie again. She says that she, Izanami-no-Okami, Kunino-sagiri, and Ameno-sagiri all used to be one being. Now that the protagonist has defeated the other pieces of Marie, they have all returned to her, and she is in the process of becoming whole again. She tells the protagonist that her true name is Izanami-no-Mikoto, and she will not forget about him. She vanishes, and Igor and Margaret appear after.

End of spoilers.

Leaving Inaba (Golden changes)

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When speaking with his friends outside Yasoinaba Station on March 21st, Naoto is surprised that Marie didn't show up to tell the protagonist goodbye. Kanji asks if she's doing okay since they haven't seen her since February. The protagonist assumes she's fine. Kanji thinks she should have come since this could be the last time they see the protagonist. Hearing this upsets Nanako and causes Rise to start crying.

End of spoilers.

Epilogue

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After the protagonist's train leaves, it immediately goes to Teddie's monologue while the protagonist looks at their group photo. The calendar then appears and skips months ahead to summer vacation that same year. The protagonist arrives at Yasoinaba Station and spots Namatame giving a speech. He hopes Inaba can become a place where people don't get fooled by passing things, and can focus on the things that matter to them in the long run. A woman listening tells the protagonist that he is running for mayor. He originally didn't draw much of a crowd, but now people will stop and listen to him.

When the protagonist goes to Dojima's house, Dojima isn't home yet and suggests that he meet up with his friends. The protagonist takes a walk through the Central Shopping District. He overhears the local vendors talk about a partnership with Junes, which has agreed to carry locally made goods. He sees the shopping district has been revitalized, and goes to Junes next. In the food court, a poorly hidden Yosuke and Teddie jump up from a bush and surprise the protagonist, botching the surprise greeting the Investigation Team had planned. The rest of the Investigation Team comes out of hiding and chides Yosuke and Teddie for ruining it. The protagonist observes how much his friends have changed, especially Kanji.

Dojima calls the protagonist on his phone and mentions he's actually home, but the others had asked him to help out with their surprise greeting. He tells the protagonist to bring his friends back to the house where Dojima has food waiting for the group. He catches up with the protagonist: Namatame has been released due to a lack of evidence and because he can't even reproduce his own supposed methods. Namatame tried to apologize to Dojima. However, Dojima suggested he think about how to make amends on his own, and Namatame said he planned to run for mayor. Dojima also visited Adachi in jail after he was indicted, and his trial date was set. The evidence was circumstantial, but Adachi apparently said things that only the real culprit could possibly know.

Shortly after, Nanako returns home from her piano lessons and is thrilled to see the protagonist, calling him big bro again. She's also surprised to see Teddie, Rise, and everyone else there. Dojima recalls that his wife, Chisato, taught piano. After her death, he didn't even want to hear the word "piano", but now that Nanako wants to learn and has been getting good at it, he knows he has to change.

Nanako is eager to watch the weather report. The protagonist is surprised when Marie, now known as Mariko Kusumi, comes on screen and begins giving the weather. Since it was raining until yesterday, she decides to make it sunny outside, especially now that a certain person is in town. However, she wouldn't mind changing it to back rain instead if he wants. Chie realizes that no one told the protagonist about Marie, while Rise complains about Marie's popularity and her stage name. Nanako asks if she controls the weather, and Yosuke replies that since it's her, that might actually be the case. Marie signs off, telling her viewers to keep at it.

Yukiko and Chie have found that the people in Inaba have all been in better spirits, especially now that the fog is gone. Dojima attributes it to how people's perspectives must have changed after the fog vanished. He remembers that Nanako wanted to tell the protagonist something. Nanako whispers something in Yosuke's ear, and on Nanako's count, everyone besides Kanji tells the protagonist welcome home. Rise heckles Kanji for messing it up, and the protagonist laughs and smiles at his friends.

End of spoilers.

Other Endings

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If the protagonist does not interact with Marie or never asks Margaret to look for Marie, then the events of winter vacation leading up to the skiing trip will still play out the same, but during the skiing trip, the protagonist and his skiing partner don't get trapped in a blizzard and the events of the Hollow Forest are skipped over. On March 21st, the regular ending from Persona 4 will play and there will be no epilogue scene during summer.

If the protagonist does rescue Marie but never finds Izanami, then on March 21st the regular ending from Persona 4 will play and there will be no epilogue scene during summer.

If the protagonist gets Adachi's Social Link to rank 6 by November 1st and chooses to protect him on December 5th, then there will be a new scene where the protagonist considers visiting Adachi on March 20th. This can lead to new bad endings:

• If the protagonist does not visit Adachi, he will call on March 21st and say he has gotten transferred overseas. He tells the protagonist goodbye, then the regular bad ending will play.
• If the protagonist does visit Adachi, he tells the detective he knows that he's the murderer, but he's trying to help him. Adachi then tests the protagonist by handing him the 2nd threatening letter sent to the Dojima house and a lighter. Adachi reasons that it would be bad for him if his prints or something were found on the letter, and tells the protagonist to burn it.
  • If the protagonist does not follow through on burning the letter, then Adachi says he was just joking, and the regular bad ending will play.
  • If the protagonist does follow through on burning the letter, Adachi begins laughing and tells him that destroying evidence is a crime. Adachi mocks the protagonist for his pursuit of the truth, saying the truth is what one makes of it, and for the protagonist, this is now the truth. He then calls the protagonist from another phone and tells him that when he sees that number, he better pick up. After the regular bad ending scene at the train station, the protagonist sees Adachi walk by the train tracks through the fog, and he instinctively clutches his phone.

End of spoilers.