#He's very insecure but puts on airs of fortitude to hide it

[eternally6pm]

On a scale of 1 to Bordering on Inappropriate, how much does Camilla love Xander?

[aokozaki]

9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors Tarot Analysis.

One of 999′s greatest strengths will always be its character writing, imo. It’s able to take these seemingly stereotypical characters, and through various late-game scenes focusing on them, subvert a lot of the stereotypes! Of course, being a huge fan of Persona, whenever I try to think about or analyse multifaceted character archetypes, my mind immediately turns to the Major Tarot Arcana.

With that said, I think that it gives a really interesting look at each character if you consider their personalities boiled down to an Arcana, then look at how that reflects them in the Upright, and Inverse positions (remember, the characters in 999 often seem one way before revealing a hidden side).

(For context, the Upright card represents, usually, the positive aspects of an arcana, while the Inverse represents the negative traits. With that in mind, let’s begin). 

The Magician archetype is that of an opportunist and a showman, not so much a "master of the arcane" as a "master of sleight of hand". However, the reversed Magician can be manipulative, condescending, delusional, emotionally abusive, and sometimes unlucky. 

Number I - The Magician - Junpei

While it’s often tempting to make the protagonist of a story, I think Junpei fits the Magician far better. Junpei is above all else, a “guile hero”, as TV Tropes would put it. He knows probably the least out of the cast the events of 9 Years Ago, yet as the protagonist is the one to uncover it all.

There’s also the scenes where he chooses Door 3, or rigs the 1/2/6 Vote in his favor, or manages to outsmart Ace. Even with very little resources at his disposal, Junpei manages to turn things around magnificently, a textbook Magician move.

However, Junpei’s more negative traits are also embodied by the Magician. He’s most certainly manipulative, as his choice of Door 3 can show, he also tends to run his mouth sometimes, and has generally poor luck (at least in the bad endings).

The Priestess symbolizes wisdom and mental fortitude. Common positive traits include being highly intelligent, wise, and patient, along with having plenty of hidden potential within them. On the flipside, one under the Priestess Arcana may be calculating, have ulterior motives in mind, have frail emotions, or can come off as pitiable and weak in their passivity.

Number II - The High Priestess - Akane

If you’ve read that description and played through 999, you’ll most likely agree that it all fits Akane fairly well. As another bonus, the Magician and Priestess are sort of “foils” to each-other, representing similar ideas in a masculine and feminine ideal.

Akane is a veritable font of trivia about pseudoscience (or, in the world of 999, actual science), and comes across, at least for the most part, as fairly calm. She shows wisdom and patience in her desire to leave nobody behind.

However, on the flipside, Akane has incredibly obvious ulterior motives for almost every action she takes in the game, and even before this is revealed, shows a great deal of frailty and passivity through her fevers.

The Empress represents maturity, elegance, and also strongly embodies the archetype of motherhood, maternal feelings and instincts. Reversed, the Empress may find it difficult to cooperate with others. They may infantilize their peers in their pursual of leadership, making it difficult to truly connect with or understand them in the process of “mothering” them.

Number III - The Empress - Lotus

Lotus is pretty much the Team Mum of the 999 crew, and The Empress Arcana really fits her in that respect. However, unlike Junpei and Akane, (and as a part of 999′s habit of building unlikable characters only to reveal their softer sides), Lotus arguably shows her Inverse aspects before revealing her more positive side.

To begin with, Lotus is hardly a team player. She constantly brings up the need to sacrifice at least 4 people once they reach the 9 Door, and can be flippant to the point of seeming uncaring. In terms of “infantizing”, this is a more lose connection, but she does tend to ramble off stories about telepathy that she doesn’t really believe herself.

However, her softer side solidifies herself as the Team Mum of 999′s cast. She’s also the only character confirmed to have children, which plays into her backstory heavily and gives her an edge of maternal instincts. Furthermore, it’s revealed she’d be willing to be one of the 4 people sacrificed, totally changing the tone of her reminders.

The Chariot Arcana is a very broad one, gender-neutral. It symbolizes pride, control, and goals. A person under the Chariot are usually very extroverted, have a strong sense of will, and are resolute-- striving for an ultimate goal that they desire. But on the negative side of things, they can be extremely aggressive and unpredictable, and often reckless and insecure.

Number VII - The Chariot - Clover

Clover starts the game in an upright state, but when Snake goes missing, reveals the negative inverse side of her arcana. However, Snake coming back for the endgame is enough to push her back into her positive aspects.

Clover fits the terms of the upright Chariot to a tee, being extroverted with a strong sense of will. Her ultimate goal is usually as simple as defending the people who matter to her. On the other hand, when displaying more negative traits, Clover swings wildly between the extremes of heartbroken silence and reckless rage.

Overall, there’s almost not much to say in regards to Clover and the Chariot, seeing as she fits it so well that the blurb seems to do most of the job for you.

The Justice Arcana is one that symbolizes morality, fairness, and truth. A very dynamic card, the positive sides of the Justice Arcana include being truthful, analytical, rational, and fair. But the negatives are violent, one under the Justice may seek vigilantism and vengeance, or are rather dishonest and unhappy with themselves.

Number VIII - Justice - Santa

Santa is an enigma for most of the game, not revealing much of his arcana at all. However, it’s quickly established he’s dealing with a lot of personal demons, and is very much hiding something. This establishes him as someone who begins the game representing the inverse Justice arcana.

Come time for the True Ending, during the moments when it seems like he’s the sole mastermind behind the Nonary Game, he exceedingly represents the inverse Justice. He’s violent and seems to be behind the vigilante killings of the Cradle Pharmaceutical members, all in the name of revenge. 

Though this is all a facade, and he happily explains the truth behind the Nonary Game once this facade breaks. Further (much like how Ace put it 9 Years Ago), there was always a fair chance to escape, and during the Safe Ending, it’s implied Santa returned everyone to their normal lives. Santa is fair to the point of only being an assistant to the real mastermind.

The Hermit Arcana, one that symbolizes self-searching and guidance. They are often very positive and introspective-- nearly to the point of being almost philisophical in nature. They often give someone guidance when needed. But at the same time, they are also very lost themselves. They don't know "where" they are, or what they're doing, making them rather isolated and alone.

Number IX - The Hermit - Snake

Snake is a very on-the-nose application of the Hermit arcana. With his blindness, he is in some sense “lost”. However, this is misleading, and as a part of subverting character archetypes, Snake shows that his other senses more than make up for his lack of sight.

Otherwise, Snake fits the upright aspect of his arcana very closely, fitting for a character the narrative wants you to sympathize with after his “death”. Snake is very knowledgeable, and often comes across as the most level-headed member of the group.

However, in another interpretation of being “lost”, Snake spends most of the game locked away, in another form of darkness. In a less literal form, he also loses his head when placed under extreme stress (such as learning of the loss of Clover), subverting his wise level-headedness.

The Strength Arcana, represents discipline and simple honest to goodness strength. The Strength is shown by courage, self-control, patience, and honesty. But deep inside, it also shows a lack of integrity, will, control, and actual power.

Number XI - Strength - Seven

Unlike a lot of other characters, Seven mainly represents himself through the upright meaning of his arcana, Strength. While the arcana at first seems far too on-the-nose, the concepts of “courage, self-control, patience, and honesty” are all very core to his character as a Detective.

Other than that, Seven does display some negative aspects at first too, with his amnesia making him seem more suspicious than he is, and making him prone to hesitate. This could be described as a seeming lack of integrity and any actual power.

Befitting “self-control” however, Seven is generally who he appears to be, with any suspicion from Junpei being undue on his part.

Mostly a somewhat negative or unpleasant Arcana. The Devil symbolizes addiction, lust, and a will to gain. The Devil is one about seeking something, or being tempted. This may include finding more power or letting their impulses control them, to simple greed and arrogance.

Number XV - The Devil - Ace

Much like how many characters in this game begin in the inverse interpretation of their arcana, only to reveal the upright side, Ace surprisingly follows this pattern. The Devil Arcana is a more negative card, so its inverse position represents a positive state of mind.

Quite often, Ace insists that everyone should trust each other, and, importantly, not to give into temptation to Zero’s traps. Ace insists that everyone should stick together, and overall he puts out an air of level-headedness.

However, once his facade drops, Ace is revealed to be the most temptation-driven member of the cast. 9 Years Ago, Ace wished for the ability to see faces so much that he orchestrated a deadly experiment that put the events of the entire game in motion. You can’t get much more driven by temptation than almost killing children.

The 21st card in the Major Arcana, Judgement depicts absolution and realization. At best, Judgement represents a person who has found their calling in life, and is on their way to their true calling. But at worst, this also depicts a person who is in doubt-- unsure if the path that they're going on is the right one at all, leading to self-unawareness.

Number XX - Judgement - The 9th Man

Out of the four Cradle Pharmaceutical members, the 9th Man is the most clearly anxious, leading to an interpretation of being unsure over the ethics of his actions. Even if this is not the case, his anxiety during the second Nonary Game very much impairs his self-awareness, leading to his death.

Another interpretation of what the Judgement card means (in this case referring to an event rather than a person) can be the appearance of consequences from a long time ago. Considering he designed the system which eventually kills him, his death can be considered quite karmic.

Otherwise, the 9th Man doesn’t have much else to him, dying quite early on, before his character had a chance to shine. Despite this, his death is still relevant, as it’s the first example of Zero’s “judgement” of Cradle coming into effect.