(First, little reminder of the Rules.
- This is an essay series on the traditional Tarot's 22 major Arcana Cards, and how their use in 2 major video game franchises- Persona and Street fighter effect the narrative or have their narrative reflect on the card their character was artwork for!
- All Essays are on the BASE PERSONA GAMES ONLY! STOP ASKING FOR SUMIRE!
- ALL ESSAYS ARE THE TRADITIONAL CARDS ONLY! STOP ASKING FOR AIGIS! SHE'LL BE COVERED AS PART OF JUDGEMENT!
- Streetfighter will be based solely on their base Games. No Crossovers except with Shared Universe Sources.
- There are 3 rounds- Inspiration: a run down of a character's Story and dissection of elements to find context to that card, Perks, Story or Ingame gains to the Main Character (FOR REFERENCE FOR STREET FIGHTER, THE WORLD'S REP IS RYU AS STREET FIGHTER IS HIS STORY!) And finally the Influence on the hero and his game's Reality. If i feel Justified to give a character a point i will do so.
- Also, at time of Release the Beta of Street fighter 6 was just announced, so while I will be pulling from what we see design wise for now, I will do a post to prime everything we now know to the street fighter 6 storyline.
So let's Begin On our Halfway point!
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
The Wheel of Fortune is 11th card of the Major Arcana, It's designated 10, and is Ruled By Jupiter, The first of the "Influence" Cards to denote the will of the Universe, the influence of things beyond our control-As in the Narrative of the Tarot our Fool turned Hermit in his understanding of the great beyond, has visions of the otherworldly.
Surrounded by Angelic Figures and a Blue Sky, a Spinning Wheel for Spinning thread is a Well known Allegory of the Mysteries of Life, Going all the way to Ancient Greece, as it was Believed that 3 Goddesses called the Fates Spun the lives of all Morals in a tapestry of the greater world. We Get a lot of sayings from the Legend of the Fates: How a change of Fortune is called a "Turn", "A Measure Of A Man" and how Lives can "Hang By a Thread" Before being "Cut Short". The Vikings had a similar set of Goddesses called the Norn. Infact in Persona you can Fight against and Recruit monster versions of the Fates and Norn. All powered by this Arcana.
Back to the card, The Wheel Of Fortune, Means Destiny, Fate and Luck. Not Necessarily GOOD! Luck but sometimes the kind of Bad Luck that ends up with you learning something that will make you grow as a person. And that is the Essence of this Card: It's representing the one thing beyond your Control: Life! That is evident in the Artwork and the Animals circling the Wheel. The Snake had his Turn on top, and Dog will have his, Denoting that Luck has no preference in Good and Evil, And the Current Ruler the Sphinx, represents the Uncertainty that is the Immediate Future we now live in. Since Fortune is a Intangible Concept, It cannot be used to Represent a Single Person...But Persona and Street Fighter Did it anyway!
Looking Towards the Horizon for a Brighter Future are our first group. Keisuke "Doc" Hiraga, Naoto Shirogane, the 2nd Detective Prince, Chihaya Mifune, The Relief Maiden, and I'm Breaking my own rules here, I think On his Own, Ed has Nothing to work with, I will be Combining Both Neo-Shadoloo Members So Ed will Joined by his....Sister?....Lover....?....Fellow Clone......Associate Falke
Keisuke Hiraga
Once again we at the beginning of term for Minato Yuki, Who needs to join an extra Curricular club, This time, we take the Advice of Fuuka, and instead why not join an Artistic Club?
Which Club?
Doesn't matter, because like the sports team, you will meet the same person In all of them, Keisuke Hiraga, the Leader of the Club and Sixth Year Student.
One day after Art Club, Fuuka complains about a headache, that's when Keisuke springs into action as the rest roll their eyes. They explain that "Doc" here is the son of a Hospital Director. And Despite Keisuke being a Talented Painter (for simplicities sake, let's assume there is only the Painting Club!), His father imposes his will on his life, leading to more than a passing knowledge of Medicine.
But that is tested when Keisuke's painting is entered in a Competition and placed 4th and is humbled to learn that he is given an Art Scholarship overseas. And thinking his father will be furious, he's not, but soon again he starts making choices for him. In his rage, he punches a wall, which causes a box to fall on your head. Annoyed he decides the only thing to do is steal his dad's Credit card and Ride the Rails as an artist. That's when Fate has other plans, as not one but two heart attacks happens! Saving both Lives grants the young Student an epiphany. Now convinced those people would have died if he wasn't there, and even then he was at the train station to run away from his problems, he decides to Quit the Art Club to study Medicine, indeed his Calling, he Quits the art class, Proud of his Kouhais, but now it's time to study.
Keisuke is a Good Start for the minor Characters' Social links. Keisuke is a humble, quirky yet Honest young man who generally does not know how good he actually is. His father wants him to join the family business, but while happy for his art and having the best intentions, he oversteps himself, and Keisuke questions himself. Even in his most Selfish Act and Lowest point, Keisuke couldn't let Strangers die so this is not him giving up in his dream, this is him realising what will do more good.
For Uncertainty, and Destiny aspects, Keisuke gets 1 point!
Naoto Shirogane
The Small Town of Inaba, Was in a Crisis.
A Newscaster was Murdered and her Body was Crucified and Displayed on telephone wires. The only Eyewitness, shared her fate. The two man Police Team were proven incompetent when would be victims saved by Yu Nurakami's unofficial Investigation Team would join the Charismatic young Vigilante's Group. The chief of police in Tokyo had enough and sent an Expert Detective with an Impeccable Record.
He Sent.....a Young Child!
Don't let the age Fool You! Naoto comes from a long line of Policemen, But "his" love of Old Detective Movies and B-Movies is what drove "Him" to Sleuthing. Nothing on the level of a Murder, but Naoto was here for one reason: The killer was rumoured to be a teenager, Suspecting Yu or one of his group, Naoto was enrolled in Yasogame High school to tail the investigation team during a school trip to Kyoko.
At a club, during a Kings Game that got out of hand when 2 of them got Drunk on Milk and Blabbered about TV Worlds and Personas. Naoto snapped that they would lead "him" on like this!
It didn't help that Yu's Class teacher was killed in the same fashion but without Mr Mooroka appearing in the Midnight Channel, to those not in the know, it seemed like the police found their killer, without the help of the know-all brat!
With Naoto having no part in finding the killer, "His"Peers would jeer the "Cosplay Detective", as he was told to leave. That Night the midnight channel showed a Shadow Naoto as a Doctor Frankenstein like Professor claiming to transfer the brain of the real Naoto into a Robot Body that doesn't age or fail. That's when like the victims before "him" part of the TV world turned into a laboratory as the 6th victim of the TV world.
The Shadow Naoto rapidly regressing into a child, Representing the Real feelings of Resentment of adults and Body inadequacies, that she will not be able to cover up forever! Yes you heard right for you see the Big Reveal is Naoto is in fact, (GASP!) A WOMAN!
Yeah, No Shit, Sherlock!
I have eyes , y'know!
Obsessed with never Aging, the Shadow Naoto becomes a Transformer. After a battle, Naoto, once a skeptic to owning her own persona, it reformed into Sukuma Hikona , Based on the Japan Dwarf Deity of healing, who once proved his mettle biting a giants finger and they became friends. A story parallel to this story.
For her Social Link, her Confidence with her Skills and herself have been shaken. So her Family and servants fake a robbery of the contents of her childhood detective costume. She is angry that a Childish prank at her expense is being played on her during her investigation but she is so annoyed she rises to the challenge as long as you help her.
The scavenger hunt goes without incident, and You learn more of the Sheltered Detective's Lonely Childhood, Until at the Shrine, The Mysterious Phantom Thief (NO, NOT THAT GUY!) Turns on Naoto holding a knife. The knife is fake, but Yu didn't know that when he steps in, She gets Angry that you did that, and if you choose to confess your feelings, yes like the other females your age you can date Naoto and expresses your love.
(Sigh!)
Except this storyline, compared to others feels so tacked on, given the context.
"Thank you for finding my Childhood Costume....
Also it's canon even by this game, that Naoto and Kanji are attracted to each other. So the romantic option is noncanon.
Either way, Naoto comes to terms with her gender Identity and in the eve of the Final Battle, Confronts the true killer, Detective Tohru Adachi, using the Newscasters husband, Nadatame's Discovery of the TV World and thinking it was a paradise for those who appeared on TV should be "saved", Nadatame became a unaware accomplice to murder either by Adachi or by their shadows. But there was one mastermind left, the one who told people about the Midnight hour, the only person who can met everyone and not be remembered: a gas station attendant, who turns out to be a Fallen God, Izanami. Breaking the Curse once and for all, You with the force of truths people hold dear, struck down Izanami, sending the fog away and saving Inaba's people from becoming monsters! And when Yu returns you can hardly believe yourself seeing Naoto wearing women's clothing! As she like Chie are joining the Police Academy, which by persona 5 they are still enrolled in, according to a TV Program Joker watches!
Much like Keisuke, Naoto's Social link comes down to being an Identity Crisis, Not Just as a Detective or a woman but both, fearing that becoming the latter will make that aspect of her disappear, that why the Shadow cried that it wanted to stay! She was afraid of Growing up! It really didn't occur to her that she could be both! But on a card interpretation, she's all the factors. Face Value, her Family is Wealthy, Straight and inversion are back and Forth and Subverted as she can be Clumsy in the light humour scenes.
Chihaya Mifune
With great power, comes great responsibility.
But sadly with Great power also comes great Fear!
Such is the tale of Chihaya Mifune.
When she was younger, this girl from a farming village predicted an Earthquake that hit her village, at first Chihaya was praised, but soon similar predictions followed a pattern of Misfortune, and her own village cast her out.
Heartbroken and alone, the young Women ended up where Joker finds her, in the Red light District, here she met a group interested in her abilities, the ADF, a New Age Cult, who actually exploit homeless Country Folk to Pose as Mystics, But what a boon it was for the Chairman, Fukarai, that Miss Mifune was the real deal, Meaning he can scam City Folk into his cult to sell them fake Holy stones made from Rock Salt. But we barely Scratched the surface.
One Night After Excepting Makoto as a client, Joker and Ryuji came across a Fortune Telling booth, after Ryuji asked for a reading about his love life, which ended in quite Frankly, a tone deaf representation of Gay men, Joker convinced by Morgana that she's not faking it that the cat senses Something within her. Joker's fortune is read and she is shocked to read that Joker will die in prison by the end of the year. Shocked as she is, she had to stick to the plan, predict one good thing and foist a Holy stone on him, so Joker payed 100,000 Yen and Told him Half was waiting at home.
Back at Leblanc, Sojiro has good news, he won the lottery and wants you to have a windfall of 50,000 Yen. However it's not all good news as Morgana notices the Holy stone has Cracked and is Dissolving into Rock Salt, Angry, Ren returns to Shibuya for a Refund.
However, while there he overhears a reading to an Abused Woman and Chihaya predicts her Death... for the Husband is possessed by a "Demon". Thinking this sounds like a Persona in Mementos and a request to change his heart, all he needs is that person full name when he steps in, much to Chihaya's annoyance after all, Fate is Absolute!
After Battling that Request, Chihaya is Shocked that Not Only fate has changed but the cards have either changed order or entirely. she's Curious about this boy who claim to change hearts, So she hires him as her Apprentice of sorts, changing the fortunes of those considering buying the phoney Holy Stones.
The lack of sales on Chihaya's part doesn't go Unnoticed as an Acolyte of the Cult comes to check on "The Relief Maiden", A Name Bestowed to her by Chairman Fukarai, However Chihaya's fortune telling and Personality (Helped by taking Public Speaking Classes) is still raking in Coin. But why the over reliance of this scam?
Well it turns out that Fukarai's Cult uses it Seminars to Dose it's Sheep with Mind Altering Drugs for "Donations", Chihaya tells Joker Fukarai's full name as she requests his help in Changing his heart.
When you do, Fukarai turns himself into the police, However , the Hangers on and Acolytes want to cling on to Something, so they try to cling to Chihaya, but in a fit of Annoyance she speaks in a Country Dialect, (In the English Dub, it's a Southern American accent, but it has the same connotations behind it!) But by Speaking in her true voice, her point is made, She is not a Maiden or a Monster, she is a person, who like them was as lost as they are. And while Solidarity can strengthen a person, being able to think for Yourself, something she forgot up to that point, is better. She'll still Divinate Fortunes, But It's Solely her Employment!
YAY CAPITALISM!
Using the very cards as a backdrop to one cards Meaning, is very clever, However it's the exact same story we've seen. And Since the last time it was a Key character, they had to pull out the stops-All I can say is the Perks make Befriending Chihaya worth it!
Ed and Falke
It's The End of the Events of Street Fighter 4. Seth had Just being Defeated by Ryu and the Secret Island In the Pacific Ocean, a Hidden Lab used by the Shadaloo Intelligence Network (S.I.N) Was set to explode.
While others Fled, Balrog who had turned on Bison For Money, Was now on the Hunt for a bargaining chip, A weapon or Technology to Plunder, to get back in Shadaloo's good graces.
He found something better.
A Boy.
More Specifically, a Clone of his Former Master, As Balrog saw the Bandaged Boy's Palm imprinted with the Shadaloo Insignia, He knew Selling the Clone Would be the Easiest Money ever, But he had to be trained. The Boy went from Frail Burn Victim, to Cocky Boxing Prodigy, Thanks in part to his Keen Fighting Skills and Rapid Clone Growth, Turning from a Boy that looked 10 to a teen who looks 17 in less than a year.
Life with Balrog was not Ideal, Being on the Run, Fighting Illegal fights, Scams and Muggings to feed while avoiding Gangs and the Police, Ed would gain Balrog's Hard Fists and quick Lip. Ed was ready to be handed over to Bison as a ready made Soldier and a vessel for Bison's Soul when the time comes.
But It's this fate of Losing Himself as a vessel for another soul is what Broke Ed.
He argued with Balrog ending up fighting and Winning against the only family he ever knew. Now on his own, Ed wandered Asia with seemingly no purpose, til he ended up in India where a fortune teller later Revealed to be Rose's Protege, Menat. who was herself on a mission to warn all parties involved about the rise of the Illuminati, Ed had met the So called Emperor Urien Previously when Balrog worked for them until a dispute about (WHAT ELSE?) Pay!
Shadaloo and the Illuminati. Both Factions had one thing in Common: Human experimentation and secret Labs to do so. If he can Liberate those inside he could amass an army, But he doesn't want to rule, his army will provide refuge and care this is not the old Shadoloo this is"NEO-SHADALOO!"
The Only thing he has in common with the now deceased Dictator is his ambition, But Ambition can be a dangerous thing, is it his own will to create this army or is it a programmed Nature of the cloning Process?
Falke
And you thought Ed has little Story to work with!
We know very little about Falke, we know she is a Female Clone of Bison, Identifies as German, and fights in a similar manner as Rose and Menat, as in they use Conduits for their Soul Power such as Scarves or Crystal Balls, But Falke Imbues her Bully Cane to shoot Psycho Power "Bullets". She was rescued by Ed and Acts as a Training Marshall, as well as a Sister Substitute to Ed's Man-Child
We Know Ed is confirmed for Street Fighter 6 and like many characters, has seemingly moved on from the death of Bison, as he is now dressed in a simple Tracksuit as his default costume. But with the Illuminati knowing who he is, And his Ambition to make a better world, maybe warped or Taken advantage of, Ed and Falke are very Embodiment of the Wheel of Fortune's Uncertainty Aspect
EVERYONE GETS A POINT IN ROUND 1
Keisuke-1
Naoto-1
Chihaya-1
Ed and Falke-1
ROUND 2-PERKS
As a Side Character, Keisuke Adds Nothing or increases Minato's Stats in anyway. His offer Letter is the Key Item you need to fuse for The Norn. You can only hang out with him at the art Club during the midweek days.
Naoto suffers the same fate as Haru does in persona 5, she joins the game too late and requires max Courage and Intelligence to speak to the man in the black suit to have him give you the Sealed Envelope. Naoto learns all the Standard moves the rest of your Allies learn, so you are doing this Social Link solely for her to catch up! These Abilities are Recover, Follow up, Protect, Endure and Second Awakening. Her key item is her Childhood Detective's Badge.
I have never mentioned the Christmas Dates with the girls since all you get is a present that is a key item and not useful in game, but if you do go down the Romantic Route, Naoto will Bashfully change into a a School girl's uniform, which will unlock the option for her to wear in the TV World.
Chihaya is a High Maintenance, High Reward Social Link, you must pay her ¥10,000 and complete a Sub-boss for her to even get to Rank 1. But she comes with Divinity inspired Perks. Luck Reading will increase your Growth for Social links, Money reading your loot, Affinity Reading will increase your Bonds and Fate Reading and Max Fate Reading will show what Abilities your Allies can learn with Max Fate showing all the moves an ally can learn. She also pays you back the 10 Grand she conned out of you. And gifts you a Fortune tarot card as prove to fuse The Norn. However She can only be seen at night, and on nights that are neither Raining or Snowing.
Giving Ed's Affiliation with Shadaloo, Ryu and Ed are not exactly Friends. Same with Falke.
Keisuke-1
Naoto-2
Chihaya-2
Ed and Falke-1
ROUND 3- INFLUENCE ON THE HERO AND THEIR WORLD!
As a side Character Keisuke plays no big Part in the Story as a whole.
Despite Yu being the Leader, it is Naoto who uncovers Nadatame, Adachi and The Gas Attendant on their Schemes to kill everyone.
Personally she feels like Yu was the one who accepted her as she is and feels like she got her groove back as a Detective.
Chihaya if you max her out, Adds her own cheers of Support to the Phantom Thieves in the Rally of Cheers lead by Mishima in the final Battle against Yaldaboath before Joker Kills him in the Cinematic Final Turn.
Ed is Standoffish with Everyone and Doesn't seem to have a problem exploiting a weaknesses. Ryu does sense good inside Ed that others do not see and that maybe due to Falke who he respects and it's likewise.
Keisuke-1
Naoto-3
Chihaya-2
Ed and Falke-2
The Winner is Naoto.
JUSTICE
A Stoic, Straight Faced Angel Stands Between 2 Pillars Representing Mercy and Punishment. She Holds a Sword and the Scales of Justice, Denoting the ruler of the card, the Star Sign Libra.
The 12th card, designated 11, Also shows the Angel with her head topped with a crown and in some artworks standing behind a pile of Gold, turning her back to those who would wish to bribe her. She wears a crown without Kingdom, Serfdom or Sovereignty, but she is here to "Rule"....as a Judge, a reminder that the laws of Man may fail but the karmic Retribution of a higher power will not!
Justice is the most Straightforward card of the Tarot, it means....Well, Justice!
Being found in the Right, balance and harmony, a Problem Solved with A moral Compass, Reversed it means Bad Judgement, a Loss in Arguments, or in General Discord and Instability.
For A Single Person this card means someone who Works in Jobs that give them some Authority, Like Governmental, Law or Sciences.
Or More Broadly Someone born under Libra
ORDER! ORDER!
Approaching the Witness Stand are the next four defendants. Chihiro Fushimi, the Easily Rattled Student Council Treasurer, Nanako Dojima, Yu's "Lil Sister", Goro "Crow" Akechi, The 3rd Detective Prince and Chun Li, the First Lady of Fighting games.
Chihiro
You Don't Know why, But One Day you Just ask the Cloddish, Plain and Prudish Girl From the Student Council if she needed to be walked Home, and So Starts the Social link to get to know Chihiro.
As Said, Chihiro is a Prudish Girl who gets Flustered Easily when Romance and Displays of Affection are Happening Before Her! Or when a Creep Outside the Chemists implied she was getting Condoms, Until Minato stepped in, This Causes you to become the Object of her Desire.
One Day you Join her in Bookworms, When she finds an Artbook of her Favourite Manga, But Sadly she cant afford it with her Allowance, Her Mother works Overtime for little pay as is. Plus she is really bad with Money-SOMETHING A TREASURER SHOULD NEVER ADMIT-UNLESS SHE WANTS A JOB IN THE IRISH GOVERNMENT!
So it Really Hurts when Chihiro is accused of stealing Money from the Student Body. Since The President of the Student Council is Mitsuru, She wants to talk to Minato one on One to vouch for Chihiro's Character. which causes Chihiro to go into a Jealous fit and Confront the teacher she gave the Money to, Turns out the Teacher missed his train and used the money to get a taxi-MY BAD LOL!
Chihiro, Catching Her Breath, Can't Believe she did that, all because A Girl gave Minato Attention, Maybe with him, by her side, she can have the courage to get what she wants, Even that Artbook.
NOTHING TOO DEEP HERE-THE KEY WORD HERE IS "DESERVE"-a girl bad at Maths who doesn't DESERVE to be a A treasurer. She things she DESERVES are the things she wants, and ends up blowing 3 weeks of her allowance to do so. She DESERVES a Boyfriend and she if doesn't, then noone should display affection at school, But she Doesn't DESERVE to be a Pariah.
It's the Straight and inverted Meaning to the card-Straightfoward stuff.
Nanako Dojima
7 year old Nanako is the only daughter to Ryuntaro Dojima, Inaba's Head Detective. and Yu Nurakami's cousin, who has come to stay for a year while his parents are working as missionaries.
Cheerful, precocious, And lively, Nanako is no different that any child her age, But she lives alone with a workaholic Father, And her mother dying in a car accident, making her the one to cook and clean when he is not there. And she has seen things she shouldn't have, Her Father angrily lecturing Yu on staying away from his cases to have to drag her Drunk Father to bed.
While the other Victims of the Midnight channel have their Social links after, Nanako is different, as her's is before her Kidnapping, after all Nanako is the FINAL Victim of the Midnight Channel. So I'm Covering the events of the Social link Now, and then Covering her Kidnap afterwards as they are intertwined.
Nanako was looking forward to Golden Week. (think the Recent Jubilee for War Criminal Liz, ONLY A WEEK LONG!) Only to be told that Dojima can't take those holidays due to the Murders. So when Golden week comes around and You ask Nanako if she wants to come with you to Junes. Your Cousin joins you at the Shopping Centre, Your Friends don't seem weirded out by it, if anything they love how mature she is given her circumstances, but they do Silly things with her in cutscenes to make her feel like a child Again.
One night, the TV is on a Long lost Family type show and the young girl is confused about the Phrase "Real Father", in so far she only knows about being Real and being pretend, After all She's only 7!
That's when she gets a letter from school, It's a Parent Contact Notice for Parent Teacher Night, she's sad that her father will always be busy and her mother will never "Come Down from Heaven", She misses her Mother and the worst thing, The Dojima Household had no pictures of her, she thinks Dojima is pretending to care so she says Ryuntaro is not Her "Real" Father and runs away. It's only when you remember a fond Memory of her and her mother Picking Flowers at the riverbank and you remember find her at the bus shelter. The next night on Dojima's Desk, you find 2 documents you've never seen there before. The first is a filled out Parent Teacher contact notice, claiming to be available anytime. And a Family Photo of When Nanako was a baby with both parents. A copy of which Nanako gives Yu, after all the family is a lot bigger now her new "Big Bro" is here and harmony is restored.
As little as that lasted.
By now the Killer's Pattern has being Discovered. Anyone who had Appeared on TV has had there likeness appear on the midnight channel and days later, under the cover of fog, bodies displayed crucified on telephone wires. The news did a piece on the kindergarten and though for Safety no children were shown, only one spoke and it was clear to anyone who's knows her, whose voice it was. Nanako was kidnapped by Taro Namatame, Disgraced Councilman turned Delivery Man.
To keep it brief, Namatame had an Affair with a singer who went Public and lost him his job. In his regret he Discovered, after like Yu, he shook hands with a gas Attendant, who was actually a god, the power to move to a cognitive world, a world Behind the TV. He convinced himself that estranged wife, a Newscaster called Mayumi. and him can start anew in a new world. But she didn't believe him because there was still a scandal and she had a police escort, A Young Detective called Tohru Adachi.
Big Mistake!
Adachi was obsessed with Mayuri and attempted to rape her. In his anger her threw her at the television only for her to fall into this world, to be murdered by demonic creatures and her own Shadows only for the Sick and Twisted Detective to display his works as trophies on the telephone wires.
Namatame would see the Midnight Channel of the shadow Mayumi reaching out her arm to him,not knowing full context. Namatame would Kidnap those on TV, to the cognitive world to "save them"-Not knowing he was being a unknown accomplice to Adachi. Every time a new victim was thrown in a piece of the TV world warped into their world view.
- Mayumi was the reflection of her home, where the noose was found, no doubt where she was killed. The walls was covered with posters of the women in the affair covered in blood or slashed, to represent her hatred of her.
- Saki's Cognition of her hatred of Yosuke's Family and of June's putting her family's shop in the red, created a Ruined Version of the Shopping District.
- Yukiko's Cognition of her wanting to leave home and her sexual Awakening created a fairytale castle.
- Kanji's Shame of Being Queer, Created a Bathhouse.
- Rise's Cognition of being Sexualised too young Created a strip club.
- Mitsui Kubo, the Copycat Killer who killed the Teacher, Mr Morooka, was transformed into a monster, for claiming responsibility for the other killings. His cognition made a video game level, out of his Immaturity.
- Naoto's gender confusion and fear of growing up turned into a sci-fi film type laboratory
And now Nanako's innocent thoughts of life and Death had created "Heaven". Namatame, Convinced by this that he was now chosen to be Humanity's Saviour took this as a sign, but when the Investigation Team arrived, Namatame who was holding the youngster by her neck threw her aside and merged with his shadow becoming a false God, Kunimo-Sagiri.
Kunimo was a devious foe-Changing Weakness and bombarding the party with mind control waves, but in the end, the God was only a man, but there was a casualty, Nanako clung to life.
Springing into Action, as Nanako was rushed to hospital, Dojima, who was in a car crash previously to find his daughter, was enraged to find out Namatame was in the next room. The investigation team storm Namatame to conspire to shove him into the TV world as revenge and if you do Nanako dies, ending the game.
We will talk about Sparing Namatame when we cover Judgement, So back to Nanako.
Nanako is the Moral Compass for the Heroes, Someone whose goodness shines through them all, who inspires them to do and be better, even Teddie ( who we will cover in part 10), a full blown Horny Jerk, Spends all his time before the final battle at her Bedside.
Personality wise, Nanako is a child with a lot of inner strength, given that she has to grow up fast than anyone else her age. She loves and Adores her father, so she takes any negativity very badly, especially when in a lose-lose situation when Dinner was going to be late. In the final cinematic blow that see Yu knocked down and is about to be killed. The voices of everyone he met to this point reminds him what he is fighting for, and it's Nanako's voice at the end who reaches him and revives him to finish off Izanami by empowering Izanagi into Izanagi-no-Kami, who destroys her with Myriad Truths- a move specifically made to destroy illusions and lies.
For inspiration Nanako gets a point!
Goro Akechi
WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS INBOUND!
Humanity cannot Take Responsibility for Themselves.
Every So Often, the Velvet Room must Deal with their Own Kind-Demons!, Who try to influence the human world by taking over hearts and minds, before manifesting themselves physically.
This time, the master of the Velvet Room, Igor, was piqued by the proposal of the newest Threat, the false God of Control, Yaldaboath, when he asked a question.
"If you gave Humanity, the power to change Society, would they?"
So Igor and Yaldaboath, would choose a human each, two strangers at the time, bizarrely linked to the same man who ruined each life, and would never have known of the other if fate hadn't intervened.
We will in length, speak of Igor's champion, the trickster, the Phantom Thief, Ren "Joker" Amamiya. But we are talking about the other side of the coin, the 3rd Detective Prince, the Traitor, The PANCAKE BOI! Goro "Crow" Akechi
We meet The Detective Prince at a Field Trip/ Unpaid Labour Scheme at a TV Studio ( A Reminder that Shujin Academy has Horrible, Horrible people as it's Teachers!) Joker and the other Phantom Thieves were in the audience for a chat show, when a guest, a Detective around their age. Told the Public at Large, that the Phantom Thieves, though they should be praised for uncovering Madarame's Forgery Scheme, they done so via Blackmail and invasion of privacy-Which are still Crimes!
Crimes he is now tasked to investigate!
But Being on a talk show you are asked to give your 2 cents, which makes you stand out to Akechi, Who introduces himself further, not knowing how deep the Connection between them truly is!
With Akechi On the Case, the Detective would Trail Joker's Growing group of friends, all the while, with a blend of One-Track-Minded Professionalism and a Veneer of pleasantness, Akechi would appear to question why the victims of each case would suddenly become friends with Joker. He does say in a moment of weakness, that he is Jealous of his rival. You see he is an Orphan, his father abandoned him after his mother told him she was pregnant and she would kill herself after his birth. he would spend 16 years moving from Foster home to foster home. Feeling Sorry, Joker would extend the hand of friendship to Akechi, not knowing her was baited for a trap.
or so it seems!
The 6th Boss of the Metaverse was Makoto's own Sister, Sae the Prosecutor who Joker is telling the story to in flashback. Sae wants to Publicly implicate the Phantom thieves was the ones causing the Murders via Mental Shutdown. The only way to stop her is to change her Heart, by going into the Metaverse to change her Cognition. You have a new Ally...of sorts, Akechi has photos of the group Running and Disappearing into nothing...Just like him!
That's when Akechi Reveals his smartphone has a copy of the Nav App Joker has that allows him to enter The Metaverse. He wants Sae to drop the investigation to save his friends...Or he will blackmail his "Friends"
We will Cover Sae and her Palace, the Pit Of Jealousy when we get to Judgement in our last essay. But Akechi does hold up his end of the Bargain. But It's Part of a bigger plan, to put Sae on leave to Drop all her investigations to him, including the one on Councillor Shido....HIS FATHER!
And now we are Back in the Present, with Joker Arrested and Sae leaving the room without him ratting out his comrades, Taking out the Guard, The Young Detective Pulls out his pistol with a Silencer and tells his rival....
 |
| "Case Closed....this is where your "Justice" Ends!" |
Before Blowing his Brains Out!
But he and his father don't celebrate for long, when they realize the Casino didn't turn back into a courthouse, Akechi Never left the Metaverse and Only killed a Cognition of Ren Amamiya.
The Joker was Still Alive! And Ready to take revenge on Shido for ruining his life and to Save Japan!
Shido's Elitist Beliefs in a Presidential speech using Maritime Terms Manifested in the final Palace, An Ark Carrying the Rich and affluent as it sails in a flooded out Ghetto, where in the Bowel of the ship they encountered Akechi, who couldn't believe he was outsmarted, But they explained they how he slipped up, as he mentioned over hearing someone speaking about "Delicious Pancakes!" It was Morgana who Spoke, Who could not be heard by anyone whose never been to the metaverse! and here Akechi, during a mental Breakdown, reveals he is the Black Mask, The one Killing His father's Political Rivals Directly or Indirectly with Mental Shutdowns, Not out of love, but to get close to him so he can kill him and reveal who he is, HIS BASTARD! Reveling in his Psychopathy, He reveals his true persona, not the Heroic lie, that is Robin Hood, but a Demon that matches his cunning: Loki!
Defeated, Akechi looks up and sees his father has Sent a Cognitive copy of himself to kill the real Akechi. Learning his father knew his identity he was always going to kill his son this way and write of his Death as Suicide after making It Public he was Responsible for the Murders, taking all the heat off Shido. Aiming a bullet at Joker, the Real Akechi shoots an Emergency Lift that separates the two Akechis away to finish each other. As the Bulkhead Door slams Shut, A shot rings out, Fubata Solemnly telling Joker that Akechi's Signal is dead!
Joker Felt pity, But then Remembered Akechi was a product of the Society he was trying to Ironically save. This was no longer pity, or Revenge, but Resolve, For Goro Akechi once believed in Justice, and his Young Life will not be ended in Vain!
Egotistical, Efficient, and Warped to Believe his own lies, Akechi is as believable as any real life Assassin, As for the tarot's inspiration- He is Inversion all the way: doing immoral acts for his own ends, While hiding in plain sight. He gets Redemption, at the cost of his life, he dies at the hand of what he is perceived by his father: a disposable pawn looking for daddy's approval.
Akechi gets a point.
CHUN LI
One day, a young girl asks her Adopted Mother- "What are those things in you hair?"
An Innocuous Question for any other woman, But Li-Fen's mother is no ordinary woman!
Just to be sure you understand the meaning, the Hair adornments are Called Odongo, or Ox Horn Buns, they are usually worn at days of Celebration or of days of Mourning.
Chun Li lived with her father, A single father, detective and former martial artist who was trailing a crime syndicate who was emerging from the shadows committing protection and Drug Dealing offences.
They called themselves Shadaloo.
But they were more Ambitious than That!
The Self Styled Dictator of the group, would turn his gang into an Army to rival any country, Dipping his toes into more extreme crimes, kidnapping, Human Trafficking, Human Experimentation,
Murder!
Chun Li's father was such a thorn in Bison side, The Dictator himself came to deal with him on Chun Li's Birthday. The young girl wearing the hair decorations held her father, as her father laid dying he told her who to go to seek help.
"Gen"
Gen, a former assassin for hire, a Ruthless killer, Slowly Dying of Leukemia, would become a Master for the Orphan, the Young girl would complete all the Kung Fu Training her father thought her, but Gen did hold some sway, the spiked Bracelets, though never truly expanded upon, you can't help but think the assassin gave her these to even the odds, after all, he does think playing to the letter of the law, got her father killed.
10 years passed, and Chun Li joined the police Academy, when Announcement of the World Warrior Tournament was made, the benefactor being traced to having ties with Shadaloo, the then Rookie cop left her post to join the 1st Tournament.
Appearing as just a normal fighter, Bison is does pay her mind, and in their fight, Chun Li lost, not expecting to fight a foe using, for that for lack of a better word, Superpowers, ending up in Hospital.
Convalecing from her wounds and having her ass chewed out by her commissioner, it seemed like Chun Li's career in law Enforcement was over!
Until Interpol was Piqued by her Story, and told her they will finish her training under their banner. One Caveat, she would have to do her investigation into Bison by the Book.
Teaming up with 2 air force soldiers, another tournament announced. This time Chun Li was determined to get Bison to confess to murder. So she dressed in what she wore the night her father died, to jog the memory of her nemesis.
Chun Li Proved to be as Relentless as her father, to the point Vega was sent to kill her at her most vulnerable, in her sleep, but even Ambushed, Chun Li would more of a match for her would be killer! Ending with her throwing him out of her hotel room window, a few storeys from ground level, Believing to have killed him until he returned in Street Fighter 4.
Chun Li, Guile and Nash would investigate Shadaloo for years, Until she finally met her father's killer, master Bison, Himself, Rather than Confess or Deny, Bison would simply state he doesn't care, or in the words of the Late Raul Julia...
Disgusted, Chun Li let her guard down and was Officially Defeated in Battle, But she had won the war in insuring Bison's plans of Conquest were Thwarted, Countless Times, but she was feeling burnt out after a while, it was when she rescued Li-Fen, from Urien,
When the Illuminati returned from the underground in SF 3's Storyline, is when she Ended up opening an Orphanage and Officially adopting Li-Fen. Her Perspective had changed, she now longer fights for her lost Future, but preserve a future for the next generation. In 5, Li-Fen is kidnapped again this time by Shadaloo's New General, F.A.N.G, for her programming skills to boot the Black Sun Online, she gets her back safely, without even entertaining an idea of murder, or vigilantism.
A Mission Statement she has kept when she was announced recently for 6, as she is seen in a cut scene sparing with what looks like a teenage Li-Fen. And with the passage of time, we are living in a world without Bison. And with him gone, Chun Li has moved on, as her hair is no longer has Odongo in them, given the symbolism they contain, and more telling, she is now dressed in more traditional garb, similar to Gen when he was a master to an orphan girl!
Despite her hard life and tough Upbringing, Chun Li's may not have gotten Revenge, by herself, but indeed Got her Justice, when Ryu killed Bison for good in the end of Street fighter 5. Not that she is without victories, she's cracked kidnappings, and Drug Busts, Arrested Balrog, and reunited The Amnesiac French Fighter Abel with his family. Though her lost Childhood has manifested into her being Immature in Spurts of anger, She remains a Hero and icon of her universe!
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ROUND 2 PERKS
You must Speak to her 3 times after class for you to start her Social Link. You Gain the manga at Level 10, Which is your Proof to fuse for Melchizedek.
Nanako"s Social Link starts on May 3rd, the actual start of Golden week, and Can only be progressed in Days Dojima is not at the House. To Progress you need Rank 3 Expression to give her the Death Talk, and later Rank 5 Expression to comfort her. But it is imperative you finish before the Kidnapping as you will not get the chance to do so after.
There is a perk. One day Nanako brings home a platter for a class assignment, and what starts as a passing grade, turns into full on allotment, as you grow Vegetables for healing items and awesome effects, but need seeds everytime your crop grows to its fullest, thankfully when you leave the house, there is a Housewife in Dungarees just outside to give you seeds. And you cannot grow anything during the winter. You Gain the aforementioned Family Photo, which now Fuses for Sraosha.
Akechi's social link Progresses as the Story goes along, You have no choice in the matter. When he Joins your party, he learns what all your party members learn at that point at rank 6, Follow up, Talk Harisen Recovery. He has no item to give you due to his death, but you can still fuse for Metatron at Rank 10.
Despite what Fanfiction and Rule 34 want to tell you, She and Ryu are just good friends. Helped that they and Ken were around the same age when they started their Journey
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ROUND 3- INFLUENCE ON THE HERO AND THEIR WORLD
Like Keisuke, Chihiro, is an optional side character and with no real relevance to the story at Large.
However, she starts the Tradition of characters appearing or referenced in sequels. The school trip I mentioned in Naoto's story. It was a trip to Gekkokan High, where Chihiro is now a sixth year and gotten through one hell of a glow up! And she gives advice to the girls!
Nanako is the driving force behind our heroes, especially Yu, as it's her voice that reaches him before Izanami can kill him. Her death of you are wrong in your decision making, automatically ends the game.
Akechi's death greatly affected Joker that an entire game sequel called "The Royal" , in which the new Big Bad is a well Meaning Psychologist who Persona (WHICH HAPPENS TO BE AN ELDER GOD!) can rewrite reality, and makes a reality where Akechi lives and but he remembers dying. And now Joker and Akechi try to convince the others, that the Perfect lives given by Dr. Muroko, is no different than Yaldaboath taking everyone's free will!..even if it means Akechi goes back to being dead!
Chun Li and Ryu have being Friends for years, as their win quotes are generally friendly. Thanks to alpha being a retcon of Street fighter 1, Chun Li did not learn to throw fireballs from Ryu, rather she always did have the Ability to use chi. They share the same Hatred of Bison, But not the same goals. Chun Li sees Bison as a MATERIAL evil, Responsible for Worldly Crimes.
Ryu sees Bison as a SPIRITUAL evil, an Unnatural Soul who has not only cheated death, But Stole away the lives from his Replacement Bodies, usually Children!
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Join me in August when we cover the next 2 cards, the Hanged Man and Death!
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