Arcana

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For the mechanic in Ronde, see Arcana (Ronde).

The Arcana[a] are a recurring element and mechanic in the Persona series. Arcana refers to the different names or classes of Tarot Cards used throughout the series, of which there are two kinds: the Major Arcana (consisting of 22 trump cards) and the Minor Arcana (four suits with 14 cards each). Of these two, the Major Arcana are much more prominent in the series.

The Major Arcana are used to group DemonsPersona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
, Personas, and Shadows in the series, equivalent to Races in other Megami Tensei games, wherein the entities are grouped into certain Arcana based on their shared characteristics or how they relate to the Arcana itself. Beginning with Persona 3, each Major Arcana also has an associated Social Link (Confidant in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal); a character the protagonist can interact with who often has a story arc representing their Arcana. Completing a Social Link's story arc will give high experience to a newly fused Persona of that Arcana, allow the fusion of the highest level persona of that Arcana and, in certain games, unlock new abilities to the protagonist or their teammates.

The games' party members and their awakened Personas are also each associated with a particular Arcana. From Persona 3 onwards, the protagonist is associated with the Fool Arcana, the first card in the Major Arcana and often a representation of the beginning of a journey through life.[1] In re-releases of games with additional content, new Social Links generally introduce new Arcana from other Tarot decks, which may also correspond with already existing Arcana (for example, Aeon Arcana, which was introduced by the introduction of Aigis' Social LinkPersona 3 FES
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Reload
, is XX, which is also the number of the Judgement Arcana.)

Mechanics

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List of Minor Arcana

List of Major Arcana

Most Persona games have just 22 Arcana, numbered 0 to 21; the same number of cards in a traditional Major Arcana deck. The Arcana in Megami Ibunroku Persona and the Persona 2 duology are based on the Rider–Waite Tarot deck (in which the Strength and Justice cards are numbered VIII and XI, respectively), while the Arcana in Persona 3 and onward are based on the Tarot de Marseilles deck.

Some Persona games add additional Arcana from other Major Arcana decks. Some of these cards share the same number as other cards in the same deck while a few are entirely new additons. The Persona 2 duology also includes the minor Arcana for some Persona, only obtainable by the Mutation mechanic.

Number Arcana
0
JesterPersona 4 Golden; shares number with Fool
I1
CouncillorPersona 5 Royal; shares number with Magician
II2
III3
IV4
V5
VI6
VII7
VIII8
IX9
X10
XI11
HungerPersona 4 Golden; shares number with Strength
XII12
XIII13
XIV14
XV15
XVI16
XVII17
XVIII18
XIX19
XX20
XXI21
UniverseOnly mentioned in Persona 3
Unnumbered
Unnumbered

Trivia

  • In Persona 5 Royal, the Magician and Councillor share the same number, One. However, on the Magician's card the number is written as the Roman numeral, "I", while the Councillor's card writes it with the Arabic numeral, "1".

Notes

  1. ↑ Ordinarily, arcanum is the singular form whereas arcana is the plural form. The Persona series uses Arcana as both singular and plural.

References

  1. ↑ "Mr. Edogawa: Beginning with "The Fool" and ending with "The World"... they tell a story in numerical order that is a metaphor of an individual's journey through life. Each Major Arcana represents a stage on that journey... an experience that the individual must incorporate to realize his oneness. They are all important, so let's take a look at each of the 22 cards, one by one." Persona 3.
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