According to one embodiment, a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry sets an excitation pulse sequence that applies an excitation pulse including an inversion pulse between at least one set of sub pulses of a local excitation radio frequency pulse formed of a plurality of sub pulses, and applies a spoiler gradient magnetic field that disperses transverse magnetization while applying the inversion pulse. The processing circuitry controls execution of the excitation pulse sequence by applying the excitation pulse and the spoiler gradient magnetic field according to the excitation pulse sequence, and collects a magnetic resonance signal based on a data collecting sequence after execution of the excitation pulse sequence.