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Ideal Energy

Basic diagram of the Masked Circle's plans.

Ideal Energy (イデアルエナジー, Idearu Enajii)? and Kegare (穢れ?) are recurrent concepts in the Persona 2 duology.

Appearances[]

Profile[]

Like Magatsuhi, they are types of energy generated by human psyches. However, the key difference between Magatsuhi and the two types of energy is the actual generation of the substances; Ideal Energy is generated by dreams and hopes, while Kegare is a highly corruptive, potentially toxic substance generated by guilt and despair. Kegare and Ideal Energy are considered to be polar opposites.

Enormous quantities of either substance are able to warp reality according to the controller's wishes; however, the process is extremely erratic and volatile, only allowing individuals of extreme power (e.g. Nyarlathotep) to unlock its fullest potential.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin[]

The Masked Circle's original plan revolved around collection of Ideal Energy to use it in conjunction with Sumaru City's powers to raise Xibalba and create a golden age for humanity. In actuality, they were all played by Nyarlathotep to unleash an apocalypse for his entertainment. To this purpose, five crystal skulls were used to drain Ideal Energy from selected victims.

Joker used one to drain the energy of anyone who called but did not answer his question, another was given to a junior member of the Masked Circle in Kasugayama High School to drain the Ideal Energy of his classmates during the school festival, Prince Taurus used another to drain the assistants to the MUSES concert, and Queen Aquarius had one to drain adults. The last one was wielded by King Leo and was lost to him during the events of the Sky Museum. Their plan was successful, as not only Xibalba is manifested, the party also fails to thwart Nyarlathotep as he summons Maya Okamura to kill Maya Amano and fulfill the Oracle of Maia, which would cause a grand cross to wipe out humanity as Nyarlathotep intended. However, Philemon created a new timeline to deny him a win and allow Tatsuya and Maya an opportunity to launch a counter-attack.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment[]

Nyarlathotep switched tactics in the Eternal Punishment timeline, collecting Kegare instead of Ideal Energy through the New World Order through various means. In one way, they contacted their Taiwanese mafia ally, Tian Dao Lian to abduct the Joker callers and send them to Takahisa Kandori's science laboratory to drain their Kegare by the "Joker Separation Machine" (JSM). The process has a few serious side-effects including causing the subject to lose their personality or turning them into a vicious demon. After the JSM technology was mastered, which reduced its side-effects, the New World Order convinced people through various means to assist Ginji Sasaki's seminar, which was a trap designed to siphon the Kegare of the audience. Chizuru Ishigami describes Kegare as a negative emotion such as sin or jealousy.

The drained substance was collected, and Sasaki was forced to defend it from a violent shootout. Predictably, the Kegare tanks were shattered and he was doused in the contents, transforming him into another victim of the JOKER curse. The tanks the Order had already managed to collect were pumped into Earth's fissures, where the imbalance between Ideal Energy and Kegare would force the sleeping dragons below Earth's surface awake, triggering an apocalypse Nyarlathotep hoped would be enough to destroy all existence. This fails when the party boards the Ameno Torifune, manages to defeat Tatsuzou Sudou and Gozen and throws the ship into the Monado Mandala, averting the prophecy and giving them a chance to confront Nyarlathotep directly.

With Nyarlathotep's defeat in the hands of the new party formed by Maya, it is likely no longer possible to extract Kegare or use it to induce apocalyptic events.

Gallery[]

Etymology[]

Kegare can be rendered in kanji as either "穢れ" or "汚れ", the latter can be also pronounced as "yogore" and is more common in actual usage. Both kegare and yogore mean "filth", but kegare is more about spiritual or mental impurity (see also Magatsu.) While yogore primarily associates with physical blemish.

Trivia[]

  • Merkabah from the Shin Megami Tensei IV duology has a tendency to use the word "filth" as in insult. The exact word he uses in the Japanese script is "Kegare" like the Persona 2 term, but the text is written in full Katakana.


Major Characters
Playable Tatsuya Suou - Maya Amano - Lisa Silverman - Eikichi Mishina - Yukino Mayuzumi - Jun Kurosu
Non-Playable Philemon - Nyarlathotep - Joker
Minor Characters
Plot Relevant Maya Okamura - Akinari Kashihara - Shunsuke Fujii - Katsuya Suou - Ulala Serizawa - Daisuke Todoroki (Kyouji Kuzunoha) - Head Monk - Maki Sonomura - Kei Nanjo - Eriko Kirishima - Hidehiko Uesugi - Reiji Kido - Tamaki Uchida - Tadashi Satomi - Trish - Noriko Katayama - Miho Ogishima - Mami Shibata - Miyabi Hanakouji
Masked Circle Tatsuya Sudou - Ginji Sasaki - Anna Yoshizaka - Junko Kurosu - Shadow Tatsuya - Shadow Maya - Shadow Lisa - Shadow Eikichi - Shadow Yukino - Akari Hoshi - Hiroki Sugimoto - Takashi Hanya - Yasuo Inoe - Youichi Makimura
Last Battalion Fuhrer - Order of the Holy Lance
Velvet Room Igor - Nameless - Belladonna - Demon Painter
Rumormongers Kenta Yokouchi - Baofu - Chika Ueda - Sumaru Genie
Shop Time Count - Garcon Soejima - Kankichi Mishina
Climax Theater Motoko Mitsugi - Naozumi Kariyazaki - Musubu Torikiri - Akari Torikiri - Rose Futaba - Minato - Umiko Shiyama - Persephone - Tamaizu Nirasawa - Haruo Weyland - Kushiel
Locations
Sumaru City Seven Sisters High School - Club Zodiac - Kasugayama High School - Air Raid Shelter - Mu Continent - Giga Macho - Aoba Park - Smile Hirasaka - GOLD - Aerospace Museum - Mt. Iwato - Mt. Katatsumuri - Caracol - Aquarius Temple - Taurus Temple - Scorpio Temple - Leo Temple - Silver River - Xibalba - Abandoned Factory - Climax Theater
Music
Albums Original Soundtracks - The Errors of Their Youth - Persona 20th Anniversary All Time Best Album
Songs "Kimi no Tonari" - "Joker" - "Satomi Tadashi Drugstore Song" - "Unbreakable Tie"
Archives
Terminology Persona (Initial / Prime / Ultimate / Reverse) - Persona user - Cards (Tarot / Material / Skill / Incense) - Mystic Change - Affinity - Mutation - Ideal Energy - In Lak'ech - Oracle of Maia - Spear of Destiny - Muses - Phoenix Ranger Featherman R - Shadow Self - Ambrosia - "Infectious Groove" - Crystal Skull - Ideal Self - Growth Rate - Rumor
Lists Arcana - Personas - Demons - Bosses - Skills (Fusion Spells) - Items - Rumors - Restaurants
Other Media
Productions Lost Memories
Publications Innocent Sin (novel) - Persona 2: Tsumi ga Ataeshi Batsu - Persona: Tsumi To Batsu - Comic Anthology: Short Comic Heaven / Innocent Children / Innocent Memory / Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics)
Major Characters
Playable Maya Amano - Tatsuya Suou - Katsuya Suou - Ulala Serizawa - Baofu - Kei Nanjo - Eriko Kirishima
Non-Playable Philemon - Nyarlathotep - JOKER/Tatsuya Sudou - Metal Trio
Minor Characters
Plot Relevant Maya Okamura - X series robots - Eikichi Mishina - Lisa Silverman - Jun Kashihara - Daisuke Todoroki (Kyouji Kuzunoha) - Takashi Hanya - Youichi Makimura - Ginji Sasaki - Suou's father - Trish - Noriko Katayama - Akinari Kashihara - Shunsuke Fujii - Miho Ogishima - Mami Shibata - Junko Kurosu - Akari Hoshi - Hiroki Sugimoto - Yasuo Inoe - Matsuoka - Yung Pao - Miyabi Hanakouji - Miki Asai - Makoto Kuwahara - Anna Yoshizaka
New World Order Tatsuzou Sudou - Takahisa Kandori - Chizuru Ishigami - General Sugawara - Captain Shimazu - Chief Togashi
St. Hermelin High School Graduates Hidehiko Uesugi - Maki Sonomura - Reiji Kido - Yukino Mayuzumi - Tamaki Uchida - Boy with Earring
Velvet Room Igor - Nameless - Belladonna - Demon Painter
Rumormongers Kenta Yokouchi - Chika Ueda
Shop Time Count - Garcon Soejima - Sumaru Genie - Kankichi Mishina
Shadow Selves Shadow Maya - Shadow Katsuya - Shadow Baofu - Shadow Ulala
Tatsuya's Scenario Lieutenant General Zula - Shiori Miyashiro - Chandraputra - Kouji Nakamura
Locations
Sumaru City Kasugayama High School - The Seedy CD - Mu Continent - Seven Sisters High School - Mt. Mifune - Sanitarium - Sky Museum - GOLD - Club Zodiac - Aoba Park - Padparcha - Sewers - Laboratory - Sumaru TV - Smile Mall - Factory - Nichirinmaru - Undersea Ruins - Mt. Iwato - Subway Tunnel - Ameno Torifune - Sumaru Castle - Monado Mandala - Bomb Shelter - Extra Dungeon
Music
Albums Original Soundtrack (PSX / PSP) - Punitive Dance - Persona 20th Anniversary All Time Best Album
Songs "Change Your Way" - "Satomi Tadashi Drugstore Song"
Archives
Terminology Persona (Initial / Prime / Ultimate / Reverse) - Persona user - Cards (Tarot / Material / Skill / Incense) - Mystic Change - Affinity - Mutation - Unknown Power - JOKER Infection (Artificial Persona) - Kegare - Other Side - Nanjo Group - Trapezohedron - Muses - New World Order - Tien Tao Lien - Shadow Self - Tatsuya's Scenario - DEVA System - Growth Rate - Rumor
Lists Arcana - Personas - Demons - Bosses - Skills (Fusion Spells) - Items - Rumors - Restaurants
Other Media
Productions Infinity Mask
Publications Eternal Punishment (novel) - Persona 2: Tsumi ga Ataeshi Batsu - Persona: Tsumi To Batsu - Comic Anthology: The Atoners / The Unforgivable / The Strays
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