History Analysis / Persona3

The Priestess is about taking time to stop and listen to one's intuition and instincts before acting. Reversed, however, the Priestess Shadow uses that contemplation in a manipulative and destructive way. It tricks SEES into boarding a train, which it then proceeds to try to ram into another train to kill them, and it would have succeeded had the Main Character chosen another engine lever. By forcing the player into a timed mission, the Shadow Priestess hinders their ability to really think about what option is best to take during their mission. The impeding crash between the two trains could be interpreted as the conflict between instinct/intuition versus intellect that the High Priestess card can symbolize.

The Emperor and Empress are two cards that traditionally are foils to one another; with the Emperor representing dominance, courage, authority, power, and structure, all traditionally "masculine" sources of power, and the Empress representing creation, beauty, desire, intuition, and satisfaction, serving as a traditionally feminine counterpoint. As such, their reversed forms turn these on their heads. The Emperor, a stiffly-moving, lanky man with short, ineffectual limbs and an ineffectual weapon, contrasts dominance and power by seeming to have none of either, and is too rigid to boot. The Empress, a corpulent, only vaguely female monster that seems to have overindulged in food, inverts her meanings as well. In addition, the inversion of the cards is accentuated by their gimmick; a skill which exchanges their strengths and weaknesses. Rather than being two separate and distinct entities, they are essentially the same.

The Hierophant is supposed to be the moral guiding force in the community, hence why the card is usually associated with a spiritual leader. Reversed, however, results in a boorish, obese, hypocritical holy man in a love motel, seated on a throne with legs wearing fishnet leggings, as stereotypical prostitutes would. This clearly means that the Hierophant has disregarded his vows of celibacy and all he's supposed to stand for, in favor of overindulging himself. The back of the throne this Shadow is seated on takes the form of a shapely woman that has a head shaped like a bent cross and is caressing the Hierophant's face, which can stand in for corruption being present in the very foundation of the institution the Hierophant is supposed to represent, or the Hierophant making a mockery of the divine connection he's supposed to communicate in order to help and guide his followers. The two crosses that accompany the Shadow Hierophant can stand in for followers that are crucified. Another interpretation is that this Hierophant symbolizes a spiritual leader, guide, or guru that tries to use fear to control people, hence its 'Prophecy of Ruin' attack that makes your whole party afraid.

The Lovers typically represents one of three things: a pairing/relationship, a choice, or identity. When upright, it can mean an important choice to be made, a naturally flowing relationship, or an aspect of identity. As such, the reversed form represents a repression of choice, a forced or mismatched pairing, or a loss of identity. The boss calls to mind all three meanings, with the search leading up to finding it, where you must choose one specific course of action; the scenes directly before the boss, where it not only forced the team into two pairings, robbing them and the player of any choice, but two pairings based upon nothing but gender; and the fight itself, where it usually inflicts Charm on the party and can even cause extra damage with an attack when party members are Charmed. Charm is a status that turns a character against their allies, which ties into the theme of a forced or nonexistent choice. Its visual design as well calls the meaning of a forced pairing to mind, with a male and female symbol linked together in a large gelatinous heart, symbolizing a pairing or union that exists for no solid reason.

The Chariot, normally, represents victory, conquest, and properly controlling one's ego. In the case of the Reversed Chariot, it's literally military conquest and victory at all costs, as this Shadow takes the form of a tank. Since it's a tank, it can also signify excessive aggression, inflexibility, difficulty to control oneself (as a tank is hard to maneuver and direct), and being sheltered in and armored with one's ego. The Arcana Justice acts as its driver, leading it around so it can achieve victory over others. Incidentally, the boss battle happens in an abandoned military base. The former Japanese Empire fought an aggressive military campaign to gain victory at all costs and ended up losing spectacularly.

Normally, you would interpret this card as someone introspective, reclusive, understanding of themselves. Reversed, however, denotes someone with no regard or respect for society and who is inhumane, thus explaining the power failure it causes. The Hermit also lacks the wisdom its Arcana is supposed to have, as shown by the long charge time on its 'Giga Spark' move, during which it is most vulnerable.

Ordinarily, Fortune is meant to represent the importance of patience in achieving great change. Reversed, it means quick resolutions by any means necessary. The Shadow's main skill is to use a roulette to cause damage or inflict status ailments, but there's the possibility that the enemy party will be harmed instead. Eventually, Fortune will try to cheat when it's alone and at a disadvantage.

Upright, Strength is about love, patience, fortitude, and gentle self-control and persuasion over brute force and aggression, and kindness over cruelty and savagery. Reversed, it can represent someone harboring a selfish, possessive, all-consuming desire to protect another person, at the expense of helping others too: picture the maiden in white smothering the lion instead of calming and understanding him -- in order to feel more powerful -- from the Strength card's depiction in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Quite uniquely, the Strength Shadow shields its partner Fortune (who resembles the lion from the aforementioned deck) from all damage until it dies, and violently defends it with a plethora of physical-aligned attacks. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants Fortune only for itself. Upright, Strength acknowledges and makes use of her animal passions, but she never lets them override and consume her, unlike this Shadow, who is willing to let itself be consumed by desire and willing to let others lose control (with Charm-inflicting moves, such as Sexy Dance). Also, Strength is one of the few bosses in the game vulnerable to the Fear status ailment. Additionally, the pointed steel fence surrounding Strength may represent the fact that it's blocking itself off and preventing others from benefitting from its zeal, dedication, and protectiveness.

Fuuka's role as the [[MissionControl team's scanner]] plays into the High Priestess's themes of intuition and mystical visions. Her Persona is based off Saint Lucy/Lucia, a patron saint of the blind who continued to prophesise even after the emperor's guards cut her throat and gouged out her eyes. Fuuka's role as the "eyes" of SEES and her abilities in general relate to her. After determining that she wants to remain connected to all of her friends, especially the recently transferred Natsuki, her emotions give rise to Juno, queen of the Roman gods. This is likely to fit with the description of the Juno Moneta, known as "the one who warns". The High Priestess card can represent the ideal femininity and inner confidence, and in the Male Protagonist Route's Priestess Social Link, she's afraid of revealing her true self because she's ashamed of her fondness for computers and electronics (as she thinks it's an unfeminine hobby), so to avoid seeming unfeminine, she decides to get better at cooking, but eventually ditches it and realizes that being good at electronics and computers is not something to be embarrassed about.

Mitsuru is represented by the Empress Arcana. The Empress symbolizes female leadership, creation, sensuality, and abundance. Mitsuru is a well-off corporation heiress, and since so much is expected from her, she's strict, but she means well and is very much the TeamMom. She expects SEES to maintain good grades, even signing them up for summer school. She is popular with both men and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer women]] at school. In the Male Protagonist Route's Empress Social Link, he helps Mitsuru appreciate her life (despite her many responsibilities) and regain control of it.

Akihiko fulfills the role of the Emperor. The Emperor Arcana represents leadership, so it's fitting that Akihiko's Persona is the first to evolve. However, the Emperor also represents dominance and a desire for control. After the death of his sister, Akihiko became obsessed with getting stronger, believing that he could protect anyone if he were just strong enough. It isn't until Shinjiro's death that Akihiko realizes what he needs to do.

Aigis is represented by the Chariot because of the process of her humanization (see Plato's Chariot Allegory, an allegory of the human soul). She slowly asserts herself as an individual, rather than a simple Anti-Shadow weapon. This is reflected in the contrast between her initial Persona's appearance and that of her evolved one, going from a Persona that essentially is a humanoid mask on a mechanical spine to a fully-human figure.

The Hanged Man symbolizes self-sacrifice, which obviously fits Chidori as she [[spoiler: sacrifices her own life in order to save Junpei's]]. However, the Arcana can also symbolize new points of view, such as how she gains a new outlook on life since meeting and falling in love with Junpei. Her Persona, Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes, who fell in love with Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame) and betrayed her father by not only aiding Jason, but running off with him. [[spoiler: This mirrors Chidori's betrayal of Strega to save her own love.]]

The Magician starts the Fool off on their journey, and Junpei comes to make friends with the MC right at the beginning of the game. His initial Persona, Hermes, is traditionally associated with that particular aspect of The Magician, since he leads Persephone out of the Underworld in Ancient Greek mythology. Junpei is eager to fight Shadows, but is very immature. Only when [[spoiler:Chidori sacrifices her life for his]] does his Persona evolve into Trismegistus, which is the portrayal of Hermes most strongly associated with the Magician traditionally.

Fuuka's role as the [[MissionControl team's scanner]] plays into the High Priestess's themes of intuition and mystical visions. Her Persona is based off Saint Lucy/Lucia, a patron saint of the blind who continued to prophesise even after the emperor's guards cut her throat and gouged out her eyes. Fuuka's role as the "eyes" of SEES and her abilities in general relate to her. After determining that she wants to remain connected to all of her friends, especially the recently transferred Natsuki, her emotions give rise to Juno, queen of the Roman gods. This is likely to fit with the description of the Juno Moneta, known as "the one who warns".

Mitsuru is very much the TeamMom. She expects SEES to maintain good grades, even signing them up for summer school. She is popular with both men and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer women]] at school.

The Chariot, normally, represents victory, conquest, and properly controlling one's ego. In the case of the Reversed Chariot, it's literally military conquest and victory at all costs, as this Shadow takes the form of a tank. Since it's a tank, it can also signify excessive aggression, inflexibility, difficulty to control oneself, and being armored in one's ego. The Arcana Justice acts as its driver, leading it around so it can achieve victory over others. Incidentally, the boss battle happens in an abandoned military base. The former Japanese Empire fought an aggressive military campaign to gain victory at all costs and ended up losing spectacularly.

Upright, Strength is about love, patience, fortitude, and gentle self-control and persuasion over brute force and aggression, and kindness over cruelty and savagery. Reversed, it can represent a selfish, possessive, all-consuming desire to protect one person, at the expense of helping others too: picture the maiden in white smothering the lion (instead of calming and understanding him) from the Strength card's depiction in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Quite uniquely, the Strength Shadow shields its partner Fortune (who resembles the lion from the aforementioned deck) from all damage until it dies, and violently defends it with a plethora of physical-aligned attacks. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants Fortune only for itself. Upright, Strength acknowledges and makes use of her animal passions, but she never lets them override and consume her, unlike this Shadow, who is willing to let itself and others (with Charm-inflicting moves, such as Sexy Dance) lose control. Also, Strength is one of the few bosses in the game vulnerable to the Fear status ailment. Additionally, the pointed steel fence surrounding Strength may represent the fact that it's blocking itself off and preventing others from benefitting from its zeal, dedication, and protectiveness.

The upright or "normal" reading of this card represents self-sacrifice, endurance, surrendering one's ego in favor of embracing a more enlightened and authentic way of seeing the world, and pure altruism despite facing setbacks and personal difficulties; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from your party. It can even sacrifice an ally, a Devious Maya, to unleash a powerful attack. This Hanged Man takes the shape of a large, muscular man floating high in the air, and is held up by thin chains bound to golden, winged, spinning wheels resembling halos (reminiscent of the imagery of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck's depiction of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana). The chains shouldn't even be capable of supporting its weight, yet it seems like they are. There's the impression that this Shadow plays the role of a pure and generous saint and a martyr, but actually doesn't sacrifice anything itself, preferring to play the innocent, [[HolierThanThou holier-than-thou]] victim instead to absolve itself of personal responsibility and the moral imperative to serve humanity, since it's supposedly a mere puppet bound to fate and circumstances. In reality, the Hanged Man Shadow is perfectly capable of being of assistance, as it takes the shape of a large, muscular man, but it's "out of reach" because it's too selfish and egocentric to care about others, and won't even bother to change itself for the better. Alternatively, this Shadow is spiritually weak despite its strong and saintly appearance, as thin chains are capable of restraining it and preventing it from reaching out to others.

The upright or "normal" reading of this card represents self-sacrifice, surrendering one's ego in favor of embracing a more enlightened and authentic way of seeing the world, and pure altruism despite facing setbacks and personal difficulties; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from your party. It can even sacrifice an ally, a Devious Maya, to unleash a strong attack. As this Hanged Man is floating high in the air, and is held up by chains bound to golden, winged, spinning wheels resembling halos (reminiscent of the imagery of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck's depiction of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana), there's the impression that this Shadow plays the role of a pure and generous saint and a martyr, but actually doesn't sacrifice anything itself, preferring to play the innocent, [[HolierThanThou holier-than-thou]] victim instead to absolve itself of personal responsibility and the moral imperative to serve humanity, since it's supposedly a mere puppet bound to fate and circumstances. In reality, the Hanged Man Shadow is perfectly capable of being of assistance, as it takes the shape of a large, muscular man, but it's "out of reach" because it's too selfish and egocentric to care about others, and won't even bother to change itself for the better.

The upright or "normal" reading of this card represents self-sacrifice, surrendering one's ego in favor of embracing a more enlightened and authentic way of seeing the world, and pure altruism despite facing setbacks and personal difficulties; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from your party. It can even sacrifice an ally, a Devious Maya, to unleash a strong attack. As this Hanged Man is floating high in the air, and is bound to strings or threads coming from golden, winged, spinning wheels (reminiscent of the imagery of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck's depiction of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana), there's the impression that this Shadow plays the victim and the martyr, and that it portrays itself as a puppet bound to fate and circumstances, and is supposedly helpless and can't help others, when in reality it's too selfish and egocentric to care or change itself in a meaningful, healthy way.

Strength is about love, patience, and gentleness, such as the need to help other people. Reversed, it represents a selfish and possessive desire to protect one person, at the expense of helping others too. The Strength Shadow shields its partner Fortune from all damage until it dies, and violently defends it. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants Fortune only for itself. Also, the pointed steel fence surrounding Strength may represent the fact that it's blocking itself off and preventing others from benefitting from its zeal, dedication, and protectiveness.

The upright or "normal" reading of this card represents self-sacrifice, surrendering one's ego in favor of embracing a more enlightened and authentic way of seeing the world, and pure altruism despite facing setbacks and personal difficulties; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from you. It can even sacrifice an ally, a Devious Maya, to unleash a strong attack. As this Hanged Man is floating high in the air, and is bound to strings or threads coming from golden, winged, spinning wheels (reminiscent of the imagery of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck's depiction of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana), there's the impression that this Shadow plays the victim and the martyr, and that it portrays itself as a puppet bound to fate, and is supposedly helpless and can't help others, when in reality it's too selfish and egocentric to care.

The Hierophant is supposed to be the moral guiding force in the community, hence why the card is usually associated with a spiritual leader. Reversed, however, results in a boorish, hypocritical holy man in a love motel, disregarding his vows of celibacy and all he's supposed to stand for. The chair or throne this Hierophant is seated on takes the form of a staff-headed shapely woman caressing its face, which can stand for corruption being present in the very foundation of the institution the Hierophant is supposed to represent, or the Hierophant making a mockery of the divine connection he's supposed to communicate in order to help and guide others. The two crosses that accompany the Shadow Hierophant can stand for followers that are crucified. Another interpretation is that this Hierophant symbolizes a spiritual leader, guide, or guru that tries to use fear to control people, hence its 'Prophecy of Ruin' attack that makes your whole party afraid.

The Lovers typically represents one of three things: a pairing/relationship, a choice, or identity. When upright, it can mean a naturally flowing relationship, an important choice to be made, or an aspect of identity. As such, the reversed form represents a repression of choice, a loss of identity, or a forced pairing. The boss calls to mind all three meanings, with the search leading up to finding it, where you must choose one specific course of action; the scenes directly before the boss, where it not only forced the team into two pairings, robbing them and the player of any choice, but two pairings based upon nothing but gender; and the fight itself, where its focus upon Charm, a status that removes control of a character, ties into its theme of a forced or nonexistent choice. Its visual design as well calls the meaning of a forced pairing to mind, with a male and female symbol linked together in a large gelatinous heart, symbolizing a pairing or union that exists for no solid reason.

The Chariot, normally, represents victory and conquest. In this case, it's literally military conquest and victory at all costs. Reversed, however, it also represents impulsiveness, inflexibility, and anxiety. It takes the form of a tank, which is seen as very difficult to control. The Arcana Justice acts as its driver, leading it around so it can achieve victory over others. Incidentally, the boss battle happens in an abandoned military base. The former Japanese Empire fought an aggressive military campaign to gain victory at all costs and ended up losing spectacularly.

The Magician is the card of the purposeful, charismatic person making use of available resources and taking advantage of existing possibilities, but reversed, the person is not using them with a clear purpose in mind, or it's using them for the wrong purposes: picture a con-artist. Notice that this Shadow has multiple arms and hands with daggers ready to slice and dice, but lacks a head: this likely symbolizes scattered and unfocused efforts, or wanton and excessive manipulation. Also, this is the boss that had the most suspense and build up to its appearance and is the only Full Moon Shadow to appear in an animated cutscenes. But because it's beaten through [[CutscenePowertotheMax the power of cutscenes]] it's not considered to be a real boss and was only full of hot air and false bravado, fitting for a charlatan.

The Priestess is about taking time to stop and listen to one's intuition and instincts before acting. Reversed, however, the Priestess Shadow uses that contemplation in a manipulative and destructive way. It tricks SEES into boarding a train which it then proceeds to try and ram into another train to kill them and it would have succeeded had the MC guessed wrong. By forcing the player into a timed mission, it hinders their ability to really think about what is best. It's physical appearance also reverses the 'B' and 'J' pillars found in the card, further hinting at its reversed nature.

The Emperor and Empress are two cards that traditionally are foils to one another; with the Emperor representing dominance, courage, authority, and power, all traditionally "masculine" sources of power, and the Empress representing creation, beauty, desire, intuition, and satisfaction, serving as a traditionally feminine counterpoint. As such, their reversed forms turn these on their heads. The Emperor, a stiffly moving, lanky man with short, ineffectual limbs and an ineffectual weapon, contrasts dominance and power by seeming to have none of either. The Empress, a corpulent, only vaguely female monster that seems to have overindulged in food, inverts her meanings as well. In addition, the inversion of the cards is accentuated by their gimmick; a skill which exchanges their strengths and weaknesses. Rather than being two separate and distinct entities, they are essentially the same.

The Hierophant is supposed to be the moral guiding force in the community, hence why the card is usually associated with a spiritual leader. Reversed, however, results in a boorish, hypocritical holy man in a love motel, disregarding all he's supposed to stand for. Another interpretation is that this Hierophant symbolizes a spiritual leader, guide, or guru that tries to use fear to control people, hence its 'Prophecy of Ruin' attack that makes your whole party afraid.

The Mana figure is supposed to be either a wise old man or a mother, and Nyx Avatar counts as both - Nyx is the maternal being, after all, and Nyx Avatar gives the main character wise speeches on the nature of the Arcana and life.

Every Persona-user in the game (except Elizabeth) is associated with one of the first 13 Arcana in the Fool's Journey, based on their Persona's Arcana. If you also count Ryoji, this covers the entire portion the game focuses on (from Fool through Death).

Akihiko fulfills the role of the Emperor. The Emperor Arcana represents leadership, so it's fitting that Akihiko's persona is the first to evolve. However, the Emperor also represents dominance and a desire for control. After the death of his sister, Akihiko became obsessed with getting stronger, believing that he could protect anyone if he were just strong enough. It isn't until Shinjiro's death that Akihiko realizes what he needs to do.

Yukari, as the girl who could be considered the "canon" love interest, fits the Lovers arcana. However, she also fits in that she has several choices to make. Should she forgive Mitsuru for keeping secrets? Should she forgive her mother for her behavior after her father's death? Should she continue to believe in her father [[spoiler:while knowing that he's responsible for unleashing the 12 Arcana Shadows on the world]]?

Aigis is represented by the Chariot because of the process of her humanization (see Plato's Chariot Allegory, an allegory of the human soul). She slowly asserts herself as an individual, rather than a simple Anti-Shadow weapon. This is also reflected in her Persona's evolution, from a humanoid mask on a mechanical spine to a fully-human figure.

Shinjiro's influence as the Hierophant causes Ken to rethink his desire for revenge, and Nemesis evolves into Kala-Nemi. Kala-Nemi in the official works is stated to have been a pre-Vedic deity whose name means "wheel of time"; however, Vedic Sloka, or epic prayers, depict him not as the Wheel of Time itself, but its destroyer, one who frees people from ignorance, karma and the cycle of reincarnation. Kala-Nemi in another interpretation is depicted as a demon who wielded enough power to wage successful war against the gods--this would make sense when taking into consideration Ken's resolve to defeat the undefeatable avatar of death, ending the cycle of revenge once and for all.

Takaya's Persona, Hypnos, is the personification of sleep, brother of Moros and Thanatos and, most importantly, a son of Nyx. Fortune is an Arcana of fate and omnipotent forces, which makes sense, as Takaya welcomes the coming of Nyx on the promised day, and understands it is humanity's want of death that calls her to them. Fortune also represents opportunities, which at first, Takaya sees Tartarus and the Dark Hour as one great opportunity, a "frontier which only a chosen few can explore".

Strength is a card representing self-control, stability, and inner strength. He is fiercely loyal to both his late owner and SEES, protective of both the site of the priest's accident and his friends. This is shown in his Persona, Cerberus. Just as Cerberus watches over the gates of Hades, the Underworld in Ancient Greek mythology, Koromaru watches over the site of his master's death. From a gameplay perspective, Koromaru's arcana also comes into play, as his Persona has no ascended form. Rather, his Persona has attributes of one that has already upgraded. Since the other members of the party only obtain their ascended Personae after sorting through some emotional baggage and/or rethinking their reasons for doing what they do, it seems to imply that Koromaru is already of sound mind and reason. Which, as representative of the card of inner strength and discipline, makes perfect sense.

The progression through the Arcana as the main character goes through different Personas is another Fool's Journey, if not a strictly linear one. Still, as the player progresses through the game, they'll tend to fuse Personas of higher-numbered Arcana: low-numbered Arcana tend to have lower-level Personas than high-numbered ones. In fact, the highest-level Magician and Emperor Personas have lower levels than the lowest-level Judgment and Aeon Personas.

Kenji's Social Link revolves entirely around his plan to get in a relationship with one of his teachers, Emiri Kanou. Very early on, he discusses his plans openly with you, and makes it a point that he his determined to succeed, which plays into his arcana as the Magician is mainly a card of initiative and self-confidence. However, it soon becomes apparent that Kenji is simply fooling himself, as Emiri stops returning his calls, and rumors spread of her being forced to transfer to another city. Turns out it's because she already has a fiance, and Kenji's attempts at romance are a nuisance at best. Kenji's delusions are the result of his refusal to accept the painful facts, a sign of immaturity and a major implication of his Arcana.

The meat of this social link comes from the couple's struggle to keep a tree planted by their late son, who taught at the high school, from being chopped down. They see the tree as all they have left of him and represents his passion for teaching. A petition gets going to keep the tree from being removed, and eventually gets the school to leave the tree alone. However, upon learning that the tree's removal was to make room for another wing of the building, the two decide that they cannot hinder the education of children to fulfill their own selfish wishes, and not even their son, as a teacher, would want that. They allow the tree to be cut down, thankful for the protagonist's support and the support of their son's former students. The Arcana comes into play when one considers that the Hierophant is a card of both conservatism and education. On one hand, they wanted to keep the status quo by fighting to keep the tree alive. This desire is overridden by how much they value education, as their son no doubt did, which is why they allow change for the sake of bettering the school their son loved so much.

Much like Female Protagonist and Rio Iwasaki, the Male Protagonist meets Kazushi by joining a sports club. Kazushi is very determined and does his sport with gusto, even wearing his workout clothes all the time so that he can be ready to practice at a moment's notice. Much to his chagrin, Kazushi is informed that he has a knee injury that could leave permanent damage to his leg. However, Kazushi is determined to keep going as part of a promise to his young nephew, who has similiar problems, even keeping his injury secret from the rest of the team. Eventually, though, he comes clean and opts to have the surgery, choosing (of his own free will) to go through rehabilitation with his nephew.

Rio Iwasaki is the captain of either the tennis or volleyball team. She is very serious about her sport, sometimes too serious. She can't comprehend the other girls' interest in group dates. As the link progresses, we learn that Rio did not ask to be captain, but rather, the other girls voted her into it. Eventually, however, Rio's strictness leads the other girls to walk out. At some point, Rio realizes that she has feelings for her childhood friend, Kenji. When she and the other girls reconcile, they encourage her to confess her feelings. She looks to the Female Protagonist, who tells her that it is her decision. This is the cornerstone of the Chariot Arcana: Victory, control, and asserting one's self. She confesses her feelings to Kenji [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend and is turned down]] for reasons [[LikesOlderWomen she already knows]]. She isn't unhappy, though. She has finally taken control of her own life. She becomes even more serious about her sport and expresses a wish to play it in college.

In Saori's S-Link, the Hermit represents a person who hides himself from others and doesn't care about what others do or say about him. Saori is the oldest student of the school and is respected (well, practically feared) by all her classmates. She doesn't care about anything they say about her until she meets the Female Protagonist, when she gains some confidence. After an incident when her homeroom teacher found a magazine with her picture and an interview saying she was a femme fatale and all her classmates despise her, she gets enough courage to go to the PA room and tell everyone she ''was'' the girl in the picture but the interview was fake. Then, she decides to leave the school and thanks the [=FeMC=] for everything. In her epilogue, she sends a letter to the [=FeMC=] where she tells her life in her new school is good but that she'll never forget her, as she was her first true friend.

Keisuke is unsure of what he wants to do in the future. He doesn't wants to be a doctor because his father expects him to be one yet he is very well versed in medical terminology and fellow club members think of him as ' the doctor.' He joins a club to do something that is his own thing without his father's influence. However once Keisuke gets recognition his father begins pushing him in that direction. His Social Link is Fortune because of the circumstances Keisuke finds himself in he doesn't know what to do because neither choice seems to really come from him and is instead the influence of another. Incidentally it's only be chance that Keisuke happens to be in the same place as two people who need immediate medical attention and it's those incidents that make him realize what he truly wants. Keisuke comes to the decision that while he was raised with the expectation of becoming a doctor that isn't why he is choosing to be one. Instead it is genuine desire to help people that drives him. He quits his club to study for the entrance exam and thanks the MC for helping him realize this.

The encounter with the Mana, Nyx Avatar, leads the main character into the final stage of individuation, where his various Personas and Arcanas (in the form of Social Links) come together to make the Universe Persona. (This is why the main character only obtains the Universe after that battle, when it seems to serve no purpose at all.)

The Fool's Journey is the subject of the nurse's biggest speech, so you know it's important. It's why the main plotline is called The Journey in FES, and it shows up in several parts of the game: the main cast, Personas, Shadows, and social links. Most of the game focuses on a subset of the Fool's Journey, from Fool through Death.

The Magician starts the Fool off on their journey, and Junpei comes to make friends with the MC right at the beginning of the game. His initial Persona, Hermes, is traditionally associated with that particular aspect of The Magician, since he leads Persephone out of the underworld in mythology. Junpei is eager to fight Shadows, but is very immature. Only when [[spoiler:Chidori sacrifices her life for his]] does his Persona evolve into Trismegistus, which is the portrayal of Hermes most strongly associated with the Magician traditionally.

Yukari, as the girl who could be considered the "canon" love interest, fits the Lovers arcana. However, she also fits in that she has several choices to make. Should she forgive Mitsuru for keeping secrets? Should she forgive her mother for her behavior after her father's death? Should she continue to believe in her father [[spoiler:while knowing that he's responsible for unleashing the 12 Shadows on the world]]?

Aigis represents the Chariot by her humanization. She slowly asserts herself as an individual, rather than a simple anti-Shadow weapon. This is also reflected in her Persona's evolution, from a humanoid mask on a mechanical spine to a fully-human figure.

Ken's persona, Nemesis, represents absolute justice, or rather revenge. Ken himself illustrates the Justice Arcana very clearly. He joined SEES in order to seek revenge on Shinjiro for his mother's death. The question remains, however, whether or not it is right to seek revenge. Ken's desire for revenge is self-destructive, consuming most of his life, and he even plans to kill himself after taking revenge. This is another facet of Nemesis: she is a daughter of Nyx, and thus embodies a desire for death. When the crucial moment comes, Shinjiro refuses to take the role of Ken's enemy - he doesn't resist Ken, even giving his life to save him, but he does advise him against revenge for Ken's own benefit.

Not unlike the Hermit's social link, Jin is referenced multiple times as an internet dweller, with Fuuka going so far as to say he's well-known on the internet at large, which helped him get the ball rolling on the cult of Nyx. He's Takaya's right hand man and voice of reason, but eternally loyal to him for "showing him the way out of darkness." This can refer to the Hermit's representing philosophical searches and introspection. The Hermit also represents guidance, which can refer to both Takaya's role to him or Jin directly influencing people to join the cult. His Persona, Moros, is the brother of Hypnos and Thanatos. He is the spirit who warns people of the day of their death, which is precisely what Jin himself does in the creation of the cult.

Takaya's Persona, Hypnos, is the personification of sleep, brother of Moros and Thanatos and, most importantly, a son of Nyx. Fortune is an arcana of fate and omnipotent forces, which makes sense, as Takaya welcomes the coming of Nyx on the promised day, and understands it is humanity's want of death that calls her to them. Fortune also represents opportunities, which at first, Takaya sees Tartarus and the Dark Hour as one great opportunity, a "frontier which only a chosen few can explore."

Strength is a card representing self-control, stability, and inner strength. He is fiercely loyal to both his late owner and SEES, protective of both the site of the priest's accident and his friends. This is shown in his Persona, Cerberus. Just as Cerberus watches over the gates of Hades, Koromaru watches over the site of his master's death. From a gameplay perspective, Koromaru's arcana also comes into play, as his Persona has no ascended form. Rather, his Persona has attributes of one that has already upgraded. Since the other members of the party only obtain their ascended Personae after sorting through some emotional baggage and/or rethinking their reasons for doing what they do, it seems to imply that Koromaru is already of sound mind and reason. Which, as representative of the card of inner strength and discipline, makes perfect sense.

The Hanged Man symbolizes self-sacrifice, which obviously fits Chidori as she [[spoiler: sacrifices her own life in order to save Junpei's]]. However, the arcana can also symbolize new points of view, such as how she gains a new outlook on life since meeting and falling in love with Junpei. Her Persona, Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes, who fell in love with Jason (Of Jason and the Argonauts fame) and betrayed her father by not only aiding Jason, but running off with him. [[spoiler: This mirror's Chidori's betrayal of Strega to save her own love.]]

Kenji's social link revolves entirely around his plan to get in a relationship with one of his teachers, Emiri Kanou. Very early on, he discusses his plans openly with you, and makes it a point that he his determined to succeed, which plays into his arcana as the Magician is mainly a card of initiative and self-confidence. However, it soon becomes apparent that Kenji is simply fooling himself, as Emiri stops returning his calls, and rumors spread of her being forced to transfer to another city. Turns out it's because she already has a fiance, and Kenji's attempts at romance are a nuisance at best. Kenji's delusions are the result of his refusal to accept the painful facts, a sign of immaturity and a major implication of his arcana.

Junpei's social link is how he cares for you. While his immaturity does come into play, such as when the action movie is also thought provoking, he shows his initiative when pictures of you in your gym clothes appear. He doubts himself as he believes that the Persona mission is the only thing going for him. However, you inspire him to put in some hard work and eventually, encourage him to allow himself to be serious at times. He also decides to be someone that you can depend on.

The meat of this social link comes from the couple's struggle to keep a tree planted by their late son, who taught at the high school, from being chopped down. They see the tree as all they have left of him and represents his passion for teaching. A petition gets going to keep the tree from being removed, and eventually gets the school to leave the tree alone. However, upon learning that the tree's removal was to make room for another wing of the building, the two decide that they cannot hinder the education of children to fulfill their own selfish wishes, and not even their son, as a teacher, would want that. They allow the tree to be cut down, thankful for the protagonist's support and the support of their son's former students. The arcana comes into play when one considers that the Hierophant is a card of both conservatism and education. On the one hand, they wanted to keep the status quo by fighting to keep the tree alive. This desire is overridden by how much they value education, as their son no doubt did, which is why they allow change for the sake of bettering the school their son loved so much.

Much like Female Protagonist and Rio Iwasaki, the Male Protagonist meets Kazushi by joining a sports club. Kazushi is very determined and does his sport with gusto, even wearing his workout clothes all the time so that he can be ready to practice at a moment's notice. However, Kazushi has a knee injury that could leave permanent damage to his leg. However, Kazushi is determined to keep going as part of a promise to his young nephew, who has similiar problems, even keeping his injury secret from the rest of the team. Eventually, though, he comes clean and opts to have the surgery, choosing (of his own free will) to go through rehabilitation with his nephew.

Much like [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Nanako Dojima]], Ken has a very strong sense of right and wrong for his age. In the early stages of his Social Link, Ken is uncomfortable showing his childish side to the Female Protagonist. It isn't until Shinjiro shows him the truth that Ken becomes comfortable showing his vulnerable side to her. Still, he is unsure of whether or not to make his feelings known. After all, there ''is'' a six year difference between them. At some point, however, he realizes (with some prodding from the Female Protagonist) that it's ''just'' a six year difference and that it isn't necessarily wrong. After all, that's what the Justice Arcana embodies - right and wrong.

The Hermit Arcana represents wisdom, solitude, and philosophical searches. Maya, the Protagonist's friend from ''Innocent Sin Online'', is, in fact, [[spoiler: his homeroom teacher, Isako Toriumi]]. She fits in that her only interactions with the Protagonist are over the internet, where her face cannot be seen. She also fits in that she is older than the Protagonist and thus, much wiser. She is worried when it announced that ''Innocent Sin Online'' is to be shut down, and decides to send the chat logs between herself and the protagonist in order to convince them to keep the game going. After reading over them, she decided that she didn't like the person she saw interacting with him, constantly bad mouthing others behind their backs behind a mask of anonymity. She thanks the protagonist for teaching her to be more thoughtful, and logs off permanently, but not before writing a confession of love in the sand for him.

Each of the Full Moon bosses are themed after a major Arcana; however, as Shadows, they generally represent an ''inversion''; each is meant to show a Reversed reading of the tarot.

The Magician is the card of the purposeful, charismatic person making use of available resources and taking advantage of existing possibilities, but reversed, the person is not using them with a clear purpose in mind, or it's using them for the wrong purposes: picture a con-artist. Notice that this Shadow has multiple arms and hands ready to slice and dice, but lacks a head: this likely symbolizes scattered and unfocused efforts, or wanton and excessive manipulation. Also, this is the boss that had the most suspense and build up to its appearance and is the only Full Moon Shadow to appear in an animated cutscenes. But because its beaten through [[CutscenePowertotheMax the power of cutscenes]] its not considered to be a real boss and was only full of hot air and false bravado, fitting for a charlatan.

The Hierophant is supposed to be the moral guiding force in the community, hence why the card is usually associated with a spiritual leader. Reversed however gives the boorish holy man in a love motel, disregarding all he's supposed to stand for and a hypocrite. Another interpretation is the holy man that tries to use fear to control people, hence its 'Prophecy of Ruin' attack that makes your whole party afraid.

The Lovers typically represents one of three things: a pairing/relationship, a choice, or identity. When upright, it can mean a naturally flowing relationship, an important choice to be made, or an aspect of identity. As such, the reversed form represents a repression of choice, a loss of identity, or a forced pairing. The boss calls to mind all three meanings, with the search leading up to finding it, where you must choose one specific course of action; the scenes directly before the boss, where it not only forced the team into two pairings, robbing them and the player of any choice, but two pairings based upon nothing but gender; and the fight itself, where its focus upon charm, a status that removes control of a character, ties into its theme of a forced or nonexistent choice. Its visual design as well calls the meaning of a forced pairing to mind, with a male and female symbol linked together in a large gelatinous heart, symbolizing a pairing that exists for no solid reason.

Normally, you would interpret this card as someone introspective, reclusive, understanding of themselves. Reversed, however, denotes someone with no regard or respect for society and who is inhumane, thus explaining the power failure it causes. The Hermit also lacks the wisdom its arcana is supposed to have as shown by the long charge time on its 'Giga Spark' move, during which it is most vulnerable.

Ordinarily, Fortune is meant to represent the importance of patience in achieving great change. Reversed, it means quick resolutions by any means necessary. The shadow's only skill is to use a roulette to cause damage, but with the possibility that it'll be harmed instead. This eventually drives it to cheat when at a disadvantage.

Strength is about love, patience, and gentleness, such as the need to help other people. Reversed, it represents a selfish desire to protect one person, at the expense of helping others too. The Strength Shadow shields Fortune from all damage until it dies, and violently defends it. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants Fortune only for itself. Also, the pointed steel fence surrounding Strength may represent the fact that it's blocking off itself and preventing others from benefitting from its zeal, dedication, and protectiveness.

The normal reading of this card represents self-sacrifice; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from you. It can even sacrifice an ally, a Devious Maya, to unleash a strong attack. As this Hanged Man is floating high in the air, and is bound to strings or threads coming from golden, winged wheels (reminiscent of the imagery of Rider-Waite-Smith deck's depiction of the Wheel of Fortune Arcana), it gives the impression that this Shadow plays the victim, it portrays itself as a puppet bound to fate, and is supposedly helpless to help others, when in reality it's too selfish to care about assisting others.

Strength is about love, patience, and gentleness, such as the need to help other people. Reversed, it represents a selfish desire to protect one person. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants Fortune only for itself.

The normal reading of this card represents self-sacrifice; in reversed form, however, it's the inverse of that; this Hanged Man is a FlunkyBoss who keeps summoning other things to shield itself from you.

The Magician is the card of possibilities and of a charismatic person but reversed there are no possibilities and the charismatic speaker is a con-artist. This is the boss that had the most suspense and build up to its appearance and is the only Full Moon Shadow to appear in an animated cutscenes. But because its beaten through [[CutscenePowertotheMax the power of cutscenes]] its not considered to be a real boss and was only full of hot air and false bravado, fitting for a charlatan

The Priestess is about taking time to stop and listen to one's intuition and instincts before acting. Reversed however the Priestess Shadow uses that contemplation in a manipulative and destructive way. It tricks SEES into boarding a train which it then proceeds to try and ram into another train to kill them and it would have succeeded had the MC guessed wrong. By forcing the player into a timed mission it hinders their ability to really think about what is best and instead act quickly. It's physical appearance also reverses the 'B' and 'J' towers found in the card, further hinting at its reversed nature.

The Emperor and Empress are two cards that traditionally are foils to one another; with the Emperor representing dominance, courage, authority, and power, all traditionally "masculine" sources of power, and the Empress representing creation, beauty, desire, intuition, and satisfaction, serving as a traditionally feminine counterpoint. As such, their reversed forms turn these on their heads. The Emperor, a stiffly moving man with short, ineffectual limbs and an ineffectual weapon, contrasts dominance and power by seeming to have none of either. The Empress, a corpulent, only vaguely female monster, inverts her meanings as well. In addition, the inversion of the cards is accentuated by their gimmick; a skill which exchanges their strengths and weaknesses. Rather than being two separate and distinct entities, they are essentially the same.

The Hierophant is supposed to be the moral guiding force in the community, hence why the card is usually associated with a spiritual leader. Reversed however gives the boorish holy man in a love motel, disregarding all he's supposed to stand for and a hypocrite. Another interpretation is the holy man that tries to use fear to control people, hence its 'Prophecy of Ruin' attack that makes your whole party afraid

The Chariot, normally, represents victory and conquest. In this case, it's literally military conquest and victory at all costs. Reversed, however, it also represents impulsiveness, inflexibility, and anxiety. It takes the form of a Tank, which is seen as very difficult to control. The Arcana Justice acts as a "Driver", leading it around so it can achieve victory over others. Incidentally, the boss battle happens in an abandoned military base. The former Japanese Empire fought an aggressive military campaign to gain victory at all costs and ended up losing spectacularly.

Normally, you would interpret this card as someone introspective, reclusive, understanding of themselves. Reversed, however, denotes someone with no regard or respect for society and who is inhumane, thus explaining the power failure it causes. The Hermit also lacks the wisdom it's arcana is supposed to have as shown by the charge time on its 'Giga Spark' move, during which it is most vulnerable

Strength is about love, patience, and gentleness, such as the need to help other people. Reversed, it represents a selfish desire to protect one person. The boss is surrounded by roses meant to represent its lustful nature, as it wants fortune only for itself.

Nozomi lives in the shadow of his dead twin, is obesseed with food and follows a cult. He lives under the belief that he'll never be as good as his brother and that people are always laughing and judging him so he looks for solace in eating, the only thing he's good at, and the cult that promises salvation. One of the Moon's interpretations is illusions and Nozomi has fallen prey to a lot of them to get himself some semblance of self-esteem, donning a haughty attitude to cover how he really feels about himself when you first meet him. He continues to spread illusions by recruiting more people to the cult but it is only through the MC, being the first person that believed in him, that he is finally able to break free of the illusions and finally embrace what he's good at and stop comparing himself to others.

* More accurately, the resolution of Mutatsu's reunion with his family is never revealed, merely his decision to do so. As the Tower Arcana represents impending doom, it is actually far more likely that his family rejects his attempts to reconcile. This emotional disaster is the embodyment of the Tower Arcana, and accepting it and moving on is important in one's journey.

Mitsuru is very much the TeamMom. She expects SEES to maintain good grades, even signing them up for summer school. She is popular with both men and [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer women]] at at school.

Fuuka's role as the [[MissionControl team's scanner]] plays into the High Priestess's themes of intuition and mystical visions. Her Persona is based off Saint Lucy/Lucia, a patron saint of the blind who continued to prophesies even after the emperor's guards cut her throat and gouged out her eyes. Fuuka's role as the "eyes" of SEES and her abilities in general relate to her. After determining that she wants to remain connected to all of her friends, especially the recently transferred Natsuki, her emotions give rise to Juno, queen of the Roman gods. This is likely to fit with the description of the Juno Moneta, known as "the one who warns".

The Chariot, normally, represents victory and conquest. In this case, it's literally military conquest and victory at all costs. Reversed, however, it also represents impulsiveness, inflexibility, and anxiety. It takes the form of a Tank, which is seen as very difficult to control. The Arcana Justice acts as a "Driver", leading it around so it can achieve victory over others

The Moon Arcana represents creativity, dreams, and fantasy. How on earth could a {{Badass}} like Shinjiro fit it, especially considering he already fulfills the role of Hierophant? Of course, the Moon also represents contradictions, madness, fear, and illusion. For the Female Protagonist, this is truly a tragic Social Link. Shinjiro is a deeply troubled young man. As his Social Link progresses, it becomes clear that he dearly cares for all of SEES, but is afraid to get close due to what he is certain to be his impending death. He is particularly troubled by his growing feelings for the Female Protagonist (the dreams and thoughts of her being imprinted in Shinjiro's mind prove this point well), knowing that pursuing a relationship with her would only hurt her. This is all in sharp contrast to the tough, [[ClusterFBomb foul-mouthed]] boy we meet early in the game. Shinjiro lives a created facade, as a character that truly represents the Moon Arcana would.

In traditional readings, Death represents transitions, metamorphosis, deep changes, and cycles. Instead, the Nyx Avatar represents the more popular, generic interpretation of the card: [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom doom]] and destruction. Rather than continuing the cycle of life, it serves only as a harbinger of Nyx to fulfill mankind's death urges and bring about [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Fall.]]

Ken's persona, Nemesis, represents absolute justice, or rather revenge. Ken himself illustrates the Justice Arcana very clearly. He joined SEES in order to seek revenge on Shinjiro for his mother's death. The question remains, however, whether or not it is right to seek revenge. Ken's desire for revenge is self-destructive, consuming most of his life, and he even plans to kill himself after taking revenge. This is another facet of Nemesis: she is a daughter of Nyx, and thus embodies a desire for death. When the crucial moment comes, Shinjiro refuses to take the role of Ken's enemy - he doesn't resist Ken, even giving his life to save him, but he does advise him against revenge for Ken's own benefit. Shinjiro's influence as the Hierophant causes Ken to rethink his desire for revenge, Nemesis evolves into Kala-Nemi.

In traditional readings, Death represents transitions, metamorphosis, deep changes, and cycles. Instead, the Nyx Avatar represents the more popular, generic interpretation of the card: [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom doom]] and destruction. Rather than continuing the cycle of birth, life, and death, it serves only as a harbinger of Nyx to fulfill mankind's subconscious death urges and bring about [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Fall.]]