Information aboutPersona 6,the next main series title in thePersonaseries of Japanese role-playing games, remains scarce. Officially, developer Atlus has confirmed thatPersona 6exists, but fans have no idea when it will be released and what sort of story or characters it might feature. However, fans of the series remain hopeful that announcements regardingPersona 6are on the horizon, as the series continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary throughout 2022.Persona 6will likely retain many beloved elements of previous games in the series, including associating its characters with the major arcana of the tarot deck. If that is the case, the Fool Arcana will likely play an important role, much as it did in previousPersonatitles.
ThePersonaseries began as a spinoff of the largerShin Megami Tenseifranchise, but has since gained popularity on its own, especially in the West.Persona 5,the most recent main series title, sold and reviewed extremely well, eventually receiving multiple spinoff titles, an enhanced edition titledPersona 5 Royal,and an appearance for lead character Joker in the fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. Persona 6is currently expected to be a standalone title set in the same world as the previousPersonagames and once again starring a group of charactersable to wield Personas,powers based on their true inner self that can be manifested in battle.
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Persona 6 Is Unlikely to Abandon the Tarot Card Motif
Tarot cards and thePersonaseries have been connected since the very first game,Revelations: Persona,which released in 1996 for the original PlayStation console. Each playable character in thePersonagames has been represented by one of the22 Major Arcana from the tarot deck. The Arcana typically connects to the character’s personality, such as a powerful female figure wielding an Empress Persona or a character devoted to the law with a Persona of the Justice Arcana. The various mythical figures who serve as Personas are also assigned to one of the Major Arcana.
Starting withPersona 3,non-playable side characters who the protagonist can bond with, referred to as “Social Links” or “Confidants,” have also been associated with the Major Arcana. Deepening their relationship with these characters helps the player gain stronger Personas and abilities related to the Arcana in question.In the case of Confidants, their assigned Arcana generally represents a problem they are struggling with and which the protagonist must help them overcome. For example, a character with a major decision to make might represent the Hanged Man, while a Hermit Social Link is usually dealing with issues related to isolation. The overall popularity of the tarot theme and the Social Link / Confidant system makes it unlikely that Atlus will abandon it inPersona 6.
Past Protagonists Have Been Represented By The Fool
The protagonists ofPersona 3, Persona 4,andPersona 5have all been represented by theFool Arcana, which is typically considered to be the “beginning” of the tarot deck. The Fool, also known as the “Wild Card,” has given the protagonists the ability to access and wield multiple Personas, rather than limiting them to one like other members of the playable cast. InPersona 5,the latest game in the series, protagonist Joker could use his Wild Card abilities to access nearly 200 different Personas.
In addition to the ability to summon a variety of Personas, the Fool Arcana has given the protagonists ofPersona 3, Persona 4,andPersona 5access to a mysterious location called theVelvet Room, where they can fuse Personas together as well as strengthening existing Personas and granting them additional abilities in battle. The Velvet Room is run by Igor, an enigmatic figure who sometimes provides the protagonist with cryptic advice regarding their adventure.
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The Fool Represents Infinite Possibility
The reason why the Fool is so commonly chosen as the protagonist’s personal Arcana is due to the card’s meaning as well as its position at the very beginning of the Major Arcana. The Fool has been portrayed in different card games as being both the lowest and the highest card, similar to an Ace in a 52-card playing deck. This has been represented in thePersonaseries by having the Fool Social Link or Confidant transform intoThe Worldor The Universe - the highest-ranked Major Arcana card - near the end of the game once the protagonist has unlocked their true power.
The meaning of the Fool card in tarot-based fortune-telling also connects easily to the playable protagonist in a video game. Upright, The Fool represents the beginning of a journey or a person who is just setting out and does not yet have the knowledge or skill they will gain as they travel. Reversed, the Fool can come to symbolize abandonment and isolation - things that are arguably the opposite of the protagonist of aPersonagame, who is surrounded by their supportive friends andPersona-wielding party membersand quite literally powered by the bonds they build throughout the game.
Could The Persona 6 Protagonist Have a Different Arcana?
While the Fool is the most likely Major Arcana to represent the protagonist ofPersona 6,it is possible that Atlus will end the tradition and choose a different Arcana instead. Protagonists being represented by the Fool is a pattern that only began inPersona 3;the main characters of the first threePersonagames fell under different major arcana. The nameless protagonist ofRevelations: Personawas associated with the Emperor Arcana, while thePersona 2: Innocent SinandPersona 2: Eternal Punishmentduology had Tatsuya Suou representing the Sun and Maya Amano utilizing the Moon.
If the Protagonist ofPersona 6does not use the Fool, fans might like to see one of the Major Arcana that has not yet been represented by a playable character, namely Temperance, or The Tower. Alternately, thePersona 6protagonist could use an Arcana from the variant Thoth, Gran Tarot, or Visconti-Sforza tarot decks, asPersona 4 Goldenpreviously featured the Hunger and Aeon cards andPersona 5 Royalutilized bothCouncillor and Faith. However, whichever Arcana might be chosen to represent the protagonist, it is still likely that the Fool Arcana will play an important role inPersona 6due to both its meaning and its historical relevance throughout the series.
