We Finally Know The Joker's Real Name and It's Fantastic
We Finally Know The Joker's Real Name and It's Fantastic
Persona 5 Royal: Joker x Kasumi Is Basically Canon - And ...
The JOKER’S ‘True Name’ is … (SPOILER ALERT) 13th ...
Good name for Joker? - Persona 5 - GameFAQs
Joker's real name : Persona5 - reddit
What Is The Joker's Real Name (In The Comics & New Movie)?
Yes, Persona 5's main character does have a canon name ...
Ren Amamiya Or Akira Kurusu - Why Does Persona 5's ...
Joker's True Name : Persona5 - reddit
Joker has a Canon name?!???? - Persona 5 - GameFAQs
persona 5 joker true name
persona 5 joker true name - win
The Identity of John - An Analysis
John Doe. A name used to identify a corpse with an unknown identity. While seemingly insignificant in the context of UnOrdinary, where our protagonist—John Doe—is living and breathing; however, I believe this truly summarizes his character struggle. Even among the fanbase, John is a controversial character. We explore several radically different sides of him, but I believe we can find out who John Doe is. Gel Hair John The carefree, naive, and sassy version of John is the one we're introduced to in the initial episodes. It's been a long time since we've seen him appear, but his existence is important to our understanding of his character and even where he is now. A considerable portion of the fanbase wants his return, but Gelled John should never come back. While quite obvious to some, Gelled John is fake. After his readjustment, John grew to loathe his ability. To prevent any further emotional trauma, he decided to become someone else entirely. From what we've seen, these characteristics of his seem to be stolen from other places. For his personality and hair, he drew from his father. Meanwhile, his choice to become a cripple potentially stems from the book UnOrdinary. This book is heavily referenced as a significant motivation behind the increase of vigilantes. But, when we see John and Seraphina discuss it's contents, he takes away that even the weak can contribute and should be protected. I believe that is where John draws inspiration to become a cripple. In his confrontation with Sera in episode 173, we see John list off several of 'his' traits. But, from the way he presents it, we can see it's more like him messily putting together a character rather than describing who he is. Gelled John is also one of the few characters we see consistently swap between two text colors. The use of these colored text boxes goes along with each respective character's aura color, but for John, it points toward something else. The white box is symbolic of John's restraint, while the black box indicates a more impulsive and unrestrained aspect. What's interesting is the choice of using a white box, the polar opposite of the black. This version of John isn't some mere nice and kinder version but intentionally constructed to be the antithesis of his previous self. Yet another supporting detail is fittingly enough the gel itself. He overly gels his hair just as he took upon an extreme persona. Then he finally lets go of his restraints, he also lets his hair fall. Joker The Joker is a card frequently used in replacement for other cards in a poker deck. It also lacks a standardized appearance. This, of course, matches the Joker we all know and possibly love. A masked figure that gradually begins replacing the upper ranks. He has few spoken lines if any at all. This showcases a rawer form of John as well as his place in the hierarchy. We know that UnO society is based on how strong you are with your level and tier deciding your position. To put it in perspective, if you were given a random list of ten names, you likely wouldn't be able to discern much about them. However, replace those features with their level, and suddenly you learn a key aspect of their identity. Now consider John, someone who started at the lowest tier of society. Now add in a drastic change in level, essentially designing a new person. That's exactly what Joker represents. Without even a face or dialogue, we see how level can define a person. Current John Now, to the key topic of controversy. Non-gelled King of Wellston John, a God-Tier prone to violence and outbursts of anger. Contrary to some views, I don't think this John represents the genuine John; however, it does reveal more of his nature. John isn't some hero of the hierarchy either. Characters like Arlo interpret it to be about authority and control. John perceives the surface of it, power. In a way, he's more royal than Arlo, Remi, Blyke, or Cecile. He uses his more capable power to assert himself, selfishly doing what he desires without care. But, he's the strongest and the King so technically it's within his power to do so. Going back to his episode 173 talk, there's something else to discover. Even if Gel Hair John was a fake, but it was still his identity for around a year. Even in private he acted under his ruse. It's been ingrained in his mind. So why did John discard it as if it was nothing? Current John is also a fake. In an attempt to construct an identity for himself, he scrambles to acquire the most unique traits. And once he does, he takes them to the extreme. Choosing to either abuse his power or not use it at all. Making friends or creating tools. Any semblance of previous identities must be destroyed. His development is tragic because he doesn't grow as a person; all he does is move to another mask. Aura Manipulation Something great about Unordinary is how abilities truly fit their user. Aura Manipulation possesses no distinctive identity and is wholly reliant on the existence of other abilities. You could even reword a summary of the ability to describe his character. Ex. Aura Manipulation is an ability that allows the user to copy the abilities of others. He can mix, match, and morph these copied abilities to his whims. Furthermore, he can amplify the strength of the copied abilities. John is a character that creates masks based on traits he observes from others. He blends these traits to try and make a unique existence for himself. Furthermore, he tends to take to the extremes with these traits as if they validate their existence. Future Developments After all of that—what's left in store for his growth? Well to fix some of his flaws he'll require several things. - Be put in place so that his position can be stabilized without being an extreme - Grow beyond self-loathing so that he won't disregard many of the traits he's built for years - Discover his true self, the final step in his arc where he can, at last, obtain an identity Conclusion John is not an ordinary edgy MC with OP powers. I also don't want this analysis to be misconstrued as me saying, "Jogne has multiple personalities and is broken because of SOCIETY." He's more than that; John struggles to uncover an identity in a world where it's defined for him. There are also several topics and details that I left out as this isn't an entire character analysis. This is just my analysis of several observations I made. Take it with a grain of salt as it's possible I muddied up some of this as it a little rushed and it's been a long time since I've read the earlier episodes.
Cuz this topic never starts fights. I decided to do a deep dive of the genders of the Smash cast and the ratios therein. Please leave comments if I am missing any information because some of the characters were difficult to determine. Also, I know this can be a sensitive topic so please let me know if I use any incorrect terminology. Okay, here goes: Mario - Male Donkey Kong - Male Link - Male Samus - Female Dark Samus - Questionable. As described by metroidwiki.com, “She is a combination of elements from Metroid Prime, Samus Aran, and Samus's Phazon Suit.” It consistently refers to “her” as female, as does the game, but one could argue that a being like this does not have a gender at all. Yoshi - Unknown/Inconsistent. Yoshi is a species of creatures. Some games and sources claim that Yoshis reproduce asexually and they have no gender, but Yoshi (as in, the main Yoshi that appears with all of Mario’s friends) is referred to as “he” in English translations, but is not specified in Japanese as they refer to Yoshi with ungendered pronouns. Being able to lay eggs is generally a female trait. My personal take is that Yoshis come in male and female varieties. The females are the only ones capable of laying fertilized eggs, but males can lay eggs too. The main Yoshi is male. But that is my headcanon and not official. Kirby - Male. There seems to be some debate online, similar to Yoshi, about the species and how they reproduce. Kirby is consistently referred to as male in games in English. In Japanese, Kirby is referred to by gender neutral pronouns. Fox - Male Pikachu - Either, depending on skin. Pokemon are creatures that come in either sex. A large part of Pokemon is breeding them, so it’s an integral part of their series. Pikachu are 50% male and 50% female. There is a difference in appearance between the sexes. Male Pikachu have a pointed tail and female Pikachu have a rounded tail. Therefore, the default Pikachu is male and so are all but two of the alternate skins. Luigi - Male Ness - Male Cpt. Falcon - Male Jigglypuff - Probably female. As with Pikachu, Jigglypuff can be either male or female. However, unlike Pikachu, there is no visual difference between the sexes. What is interesting is that while Pikachu as a species are a 50/50 split between male and female, Jigglypuff as a species are 75% female, meaning the Jigglypuff in Smash is most likely a female. Peach - Female Daisy - Female Bowser - Male Ice Climbers - The Ice Climbers are a duo, Nana is female and Popo is male. Sheik - Female, presenting as male. Spoiler alert, Sheik is Zelda. Zelda is a female, but she disguises herself as a new identity, Sheik, during the events of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Sheik persona presents as male, but it is a disguise, which means her true gender is still female. One could say that the Sheik persona is male, but Zelda herself is still female. Like how a drag queen’s character is female, but the performer can still be male. Zelda - Female Dr. Mario - Male Pichu - Undetermined. Unlike Pikachu, there is no visual indication of sex, so it is impossible to know if the Pichu in Smash is male or female, as there is a 50/50 chance either way. There is one skin, the Spiky-Eared Pichu that is confirmed to be female. Falco - Male Marth - Male Lucina - Female Young Link - Male Ganondorf - Male Mewtwo - Genderless. Mewtwo, while a Pokemon like Pikachu and Jigglypuff, is somewhat unique because it was created in a lab. It is the only one of its kind and cannot reproduce, even with Ditto (a Pokemon able to breed with almost any Pokemon regardless of sex). In game, Mewtwo has no gender listed while most other Pokemon do. Roy - Male Chrom - Male Mr. Game and Watch - Male. Meta-Knight - Male. Like Kirby, there is some debate online about the specifics of his species (underneath the mask, he looks like a dark blue Kirby), but he is consistently referred to as male in game. Pit - Male Dark Pit - Male Zero Suit Samus - Female Wario - Male Snake - Male Ike - Male Pokemon Trainer - Trainer: Either, depending on skin. Pokemon: Probably male. The trainer can be male or female based on the skin you choose. The actual Pokemon are all various forms of evolution of starter Pokemon. All starter Pokemon have an 87.5% chance of being male. Therefore, it’s most likely the Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard in Smash are male, but it is not confirmed. Diddy Kong - Male Lucas - Male Sonic - Male King Dedede - Male Olimar, Alph, and Pikmin - Olimar: Male. Alph: Male. Pikmin: Undetermined. I couldn’t find any evidence of gender for the Pikmin. They are referred to as “it” in game. They reproduce by delivering their DNA to “onions” and therefore reproduce asexually making their actual gendesex unknown. Lucario - Probably male. Much like the starter Pokemon mentioned earlier, Lucario also has an 87.5% chance to be male. It is most likely that the Lucario in Smash is male. R.O.B. - Robot, identified as male. R.O.B. is a robot and therefore has no distinguishable sexual characteristic. He is referred to as a male in all in game mentions. He may be a robot designed as a male and programmed to identify as such. R.O.B. stands for Robotic Operating Buddy, but is also read as the name Rob, which is typically a male name. Toon Link - Male Wolf - Male Villager - Either, depending on skin. It is also worth mentioning that, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, all villagers are referred to with they/them pronouns. This is presumably to leave no room for misgendering any non-binary or transgendered individuals, but one could also interpret it to mean that all villagers are non-binary or genderless. Mega Man - Male. He is a robot, like R.O.B., but, unlike R.O.B., has a clear personality and has a sister who is also a robot. He also has “man” in his name. Wii Fit Trainer - Either, depending on skin. Rosalina and Luma - Rosalina: Female. Luma: Undetermined. Rosalina is definitely female, but it is more complicated for her Luma companion. Like the Yoshis, Lumas are a species. They come in all sorts of colors and, presumably, genders. There is a main Luma in Super Mario Galaxy that is indicated to be male that matches the default Luma Rosalina starts with in Smash. The black Luma is also probably Polari who is also male. He other colors’ genders are unknown. Little Mac - Male Greninja - Probably male. Greninja is the final evolved form of Froakie, a starter Pokemon. As we have learned, all starter Pokemon have an 87.5% chance to be male, therefore the Greninja in Smash is likely male. Palutena - Female. One could argue whether gods have genders, but she is consistently referred to as female. Pac-Man - Male. Robin - Either, depending on skin. Bowser Jr. and The Koopalings - Bowser Jr. is male. Larry, Roy, Iggy, Morton, Lemmy, and Ludwig are all male. Wendy is the sole female Koopaling. Duck Hunt - Dog: Male. Duck: Undetermined. Shooter: Undetermined. Duck Hunt is a strange case because they are technically a trio. There is a dog, a duck, and a hunter who shoots from off screen during some attacks. Duck Hunt’s reveal trailer confirms this hunteshooter is a part of the team. The dog is referred to as a male in all appearances. The duck is unclear, but some of the skins are specifically male (like the mallard duck one). The shooter is unknown. Ryu - Male Ken - Male Cloud - Male Bayonetta - Female Corrin - Either, depending on skin. Inkling - Either, depending on skin Ridley - Male Simon - Male Richter - Male King K. Rool - Male Isabelle - Female Incineroar - Probably male. Incineroar is the evolved form of the starter Pokemon Litten. As we know, starter Pokemon have an 87.5% chance to be male, therefore the Incineroar in Smash is likely male. Piranha Plant - Unknown/Inconsistent. This one is strange because in some languages, the character is referred to with gender neutral pronouns and in some languages they are referred to with male or female pronouns. Piranha plants are a species and some of them have presented themselves as a specific gender, like Petey Piranha, but it is unclear what the Piranha Plant in Smash is supposed to be. Plants typically have both female and male parts. It is unknown. Joker - Male. Hero - Male. There are four separate heroes, but they are all male. Banjo-Kazooie - Banjo: Male. Kazooie: Female Terry - Male. Byleth - Either, depending on skin. Min Min - Female Steve, Alex, Zombie, and Enderman - Steve: Male. Alex: Female. Zombie: Unknown/Either. Enderman: Unknown, presumed male. This one is tricky because Steve and Alex are just default skins for the player in Minecraft and not really characters. Steve is generally considered to be the male one and Alex is generally considered to be the female one. However, there is evidence and debate online that Steve and Alex, especially Alex, are non-binary or genderless. There is evidence that Alex was apparently based on Jeb, a male Mojang developer. Official sources list Steve as male and Alex as female. Zombies are assumed to be whatever gender they were as humans. Therefore, the gender of the Zombie in Smash is unknown. Endermen are presumed to be male based on their name, but it’s technically unknown. Sephiroth - Male Mii Fighters - Whatever you want them to be! I hope you have enjoyed this TedTalk. Let me know anything I got wrong (and I’ll update) and be nice to each other in the comments. I thought about doing one on sexualities, but, for most of the characters, the answer should realistically be “unknown.” What did I learn? Well, for one, we REALLY need more women in Smash. Can we get Lara Croft, Chun-Li, Chell, fucking Ms. Pac-Man? Also, Nintendo is really unclear about their different species, specifically the Yoshis, Toads, and whatever Kirby is.
Anyone trying to convince you that Trek should be watched in: production order, airdate order or chronological order is wrong. The only true way to appreciate the franchise is in alphabetical order: from 11:59 to Zero Hour
No
Series
Title
1
VOY
11:59
2
TNG
11001001
3
TNG
A Fistful of Datas
4
DS9
A Man Alone
5
TNG
A Matter Of Honor
6
TNG
A Matter of Perspective
7
TNG
A Matter of Time
8
ENT
A Night in Sickbay
9
TOS
A Piece of the Action
10
TOS
A Private Little War
11
DS9
A Simple Investigation
12
TOS
A Taste of Armageddon
13
DS9
A Time to Stand
14
PIC
Absolute Candor
15
DS9
Accession
16
ENT
Acquisition
17
ENT
Affliction
18
DS9
Afterimage
19
TAS
Albatross
20
VOY
Alice
21
TNG
All Good Things...
22
TOS
All Our Yesterdays
23
TNG
Allegiance
24
VOY
Alliances
25
VOY
Alter Ego
26
TOS
Amok Time
27
DSC
An Obol for Charon
28
TOS
And the Children Shall Lead
29
TNG
Angel One
30
ENT
Anomaly
31
DS9
Apocalypse Rising
32
TNG
Aquiel
33
TOS
Arena
34
DS9
Armageddon Game
35
VOY
Ashes to Ashes
36
ST
Ask Not
37
TOS
Assignment: Earth
38
TNG
Attached
39
VOY
Author, Author
40
ENT
Awakening
41
ENT
Azati Prime
42
DS9
Babel
43
ENT
Babel One
44
DS9
Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
45
TOS
Balance of Terror
46
DS9
Bar Association
47
VOY
Barge of the Dead
48
VOY
Basics, Part I
49
VOY
Basics, Part II
50
DSC
Battle at the Binary Stars
51
DS9
Battle Lines
52
VOY
Before and After
53
DS9
Behind the Lines
54
TAS
Bem
55
TAS
Beyond the Farthest Star
56
TNG
Birthright, Part I
57
TNG
Birthright, Part II
58
DS9
Blaze of Glory
59
VOY
Blink of an Eye
60
VOY
Bliss
61
VOY
Blood Fever
62
DS9
Blood Oath
63
TNG
Bloodlines
64
VOY
Body and Soul
65
DS9
Body Parts
66
TNG
Booby Trap
67
ENT
Borderland
68
ENT
Bound
69
ENT
Bounty
70
TOS
Bread and Circuses
71
ENT
Breaking the Ice
72
VOY
Bride of Chaotica!
73
ENT
Broken Bow
74
DS9
Broken Link
75
PIC
Broken Pieces
76
DSC
Brother
77
TNG
Brothers
78
DS9
Business as Usual
79
TOS
By Any Other Name
80
DS9
By Inferno's Light
81
DS9
Call to Arms
82
ST
Calypso
83
ENT
Canamar
84
TNG
Captain's Holiday
85
DS9
Captive Pursuit
86
ENT
Carbon Creek
87
DS9
Cardassians
88
VOY
Caretaker
89
ENT
Carpenter Street
90
VOY
Cathexis
91
TOS
Catspaw
92
TNG
Cause and Effect
93
ENT
Cease Fire
94
TNG
Chain of Command, Part I
95
TNG
Chain of Command, Part II
96
DS9
Change of Heart
97
TOS
Charlie X
98
ST
Children of Mars
99
DS9
Children of Time
100
VOY
Child's Play
101
DS9
Chimera
102
DSC
Choose Your Pain
103
ENT
Chosen Realm
104
DS9
Chrysalis
105
DS9
Civil Defense
106
ENT
Civilization
107
TNG
Clues
108
VOY
Coda
109
TNG
Code of Honor
110
ENT
Cogenitor
111
VOY
Cold Fire
112
ENT
Cold Front
113
ENT
Cold Station 12
114
VOY
Collective
115
TNG
Coming of Age
116
VOY
Concerning Flight
117
TNG
Conspiracy
118
TNG
Contagion
119
DSC
Context Is for Kings
120
TNG
Conundrum
121
TNG
Cost of Living
122
ENT
Countdown
123
VOY
Counterpoint
124
VOY
Course: Oblivion
125
TOS
Court Martial
126
DS9
Covenant
127
LDS
Crisis Point
128
VOY
Critical Care
129
DS9
Crossfire
130
DS9
Crossover
131
LDS
Cupid's Errant Arrow
132
ENT
Daedalus
133
TOS
Dagger of the Mind
134
ENT
Damage
135
VOY
Dark Frontier
136
TNG
Dark Page
137
VOY
Darkling
138
TNG
Darmok
139
TNG
Datalore
140
TNG
Data's Day
141
ENT
Dawn
142
DS9
Dax
143
VOY
Day of Honor
144
TOS
Day of the Dove
145
ENT
Dead Stop
146
VOY
Deadlock
147
ENT
Dear Doctor
148
VOY
Death Wish
149
DS9
Defiant
150
TNG
Deja Q
151
VOY
Demon
152
ENT
Demons
153
TNG
Descent
154
TNG
Descent, Part II
155
ENT
Desert Crossing
156
DSC
Despite Yourself
157
DS9
Destiny
158
ENT
Detained
159
TNG
Devil's Due
160
DSC
Die Trying
161
TNG
Disaster
162
VOY
Displaced
163
VOY
Distant Origin
164
DS9
Distant Voices
165
ENT
Divergence
166
DS9
Doctor Bashir, I Presume
167
ENT
Doctor's Orders
168
VOY
Dragon's Teeth
169
DS9
Dramatis Personae
170
VOY
Dreadnought
171
VOY
Drive
172
VOY
Drone
173
DS9
Duet
174
ENT
E²
175
TOS
Elaan of Troyius
176
TNG
Elementary, Dear Data
177
VOY
Elogium
178
VOY
Emanations
179
TNG
Emergence
180
DS9
Emissary
181
DS9
Empok Nor
182
TNG
Encounter at Farpoint
183
VOY
Endgame
184
TNG
Ensign Ro
185
LDS
Envoys
186
ST
Ephraim and Dot
187
DS9
Equilibrium
188
VOY
Equinox
189
VOY
Equinox, Part II
190
TOS
Errand of Mercy
191
PIC
Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1
192
PIC
Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2
193
TNG
Ethics
194
TNG
Evolution
195
VOY
Ex Post Facto
196
ENT
Exile
197
DS9
Explorers
198
ENT
Extinction
199
DS9
Extreme Measures
200
VOY
Extreme Risk
201
TNG
Eye of the Beholder
202
VOY
Eye of the Needle
203
TNG
Face of the Enemy
204
VOY
Faces
205
DS9
Facets
206
VOY
Fair Haven
207
VOY
Fair Trade
208
ENT
Fallen Hero
209
VOY
False Profits
210
TNG
Family
211
DS9
Family Business
212
DS9
Far Beyond the Stars
213
DSC
Far From Home
214
DS9
Fascination
215
DS9
Favor the Bold
216
VOY
Favorite Son
217
DS9
Ferengi Love Songs
218
DS9
Field of Fire
219
ENT
Fight or Flight
220
TNG
Final Mission
221
TNG
First Contact
222
ENT
First Flight
223
TNG
Firstborn
224
VOY
Flashback
225
VOY
Flesh and Blood
226
DS9
For the Cause
227
DS9
For the Uniform
228
TOS
For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
So, I believe u/Rexthedinosaur2002 made a post about the Fool's Journey before. He believed John was in The Tower (Tarot card 16 of 21) as of now. I'm gonna see if I agree by going through the story thus far: BEGINNINGS & CONSCIOUSNESS:"He is a fool because only a simple soul has the innocent faith to undertake such a journey with all its hazards and pain"(The Fool, 0). "The Magician....represents the active, masculine power of creative impulse. He is also our conscious awareness"(The Magician, 1).
John is born, innocent and untainted.
John becomes conscious/active.
UNCONSCIOUS AWARNESS & POTENTIAL:"The High Priestess is our unrealized potential waiting for an active principle to bring it to expression"(The High Priestess, 2).
John has a lot of dormant potential as a result of his ancestry.
NATURE & SENSATION: John's parents influence him as he learns about the world (The Empress, 3) ORDER & DISCIPLINE: John also learns about the Rules (The Emperor, 4). It's possible that John's mother represents the Emperor and John's father represents the Empress, instead of vice-versa. I don't think we know enough yet to say though. EDUCATION & GROUP IDENTIFICATION:"Eventually, the Fool ventures out of his home into the wider world. He is exposed to the beliefs and traditions of his culture and begins his formal education"(The Hierophant, 5).
John goes to school, where he is bullied and learns about the hierarchy. He hates it, but he does meet Adrion along the way and finds his niche.
RELATIONSHIP & VALUES:"[The Fool] yearns for relationship. The Fool also needs to decide upon his own beliefs"(The Lovers, 6).
John meets Claire, who befriends him and Adrion. This seems clear to me since it's revealed that John liked Claire. Claire helps John discover his ability, and John is overjoyed that he actually has one, placing value on power.
VICTORY & SELF-ASSERTION:"For the moment, the Fool's assertive success is all he might wish, and he feels a certain self-satisfaction(The Chariot, 7).
John begins training and becomes stronger due to his discipline and willpower. He starts to win fights.
STRENGTH & COMPASSION:"Over time, life presents the Fool with new challenges, some that cause suffering and disillusionment"(Strength, 8).
Here's where things start to go off the rails a bit. John becomes the strongest/ becomes king even after suffering setbacks like losing to Zirian. However, instead of rising above frustration and anger while learning tolerance, John gives in to excessive revenge and his fixation on power. This is still accounted for though: "At times, intense passions surface, just when the Fool thought he had everything, including himself, under control."
INTROSPECTION/GUIDANCE/SOLITUDE:"The sensual world holds less attraction for him, and he seeks moments of solitude away from the frantic activity of society. In time he may seek a teacher or guide who can give him advice and direction"(The Hermit, 9).
John is apprehended by the authorities and comes back unable to live with himself. The guide can either be seen as his father or unOrdinary itself. This part also signifies the destruction of John's friendships.
TURNING POINT & PERSONAL VISION: "When the Fool glimpses the beauty and order of the world, if only briefly, he finds some of the answers he is seeking"(Wheel of Fortune, 10).
John reads unOrdinary and rather than thinking he can be like the hero in the book, he takes it as assurance that there are other people like that in the world to make it a better place since he doesn't trust himself to do it. "Having been solitary, he feels ready for movement and action again." He starts hanging out with his dad, exercising, and trying to get into Wellston...he succeeds and turns everything around.
RESPONSIBILITY & DECISION:"He looks back over his life to trace the cause and effect relationships that have brought him to this point. He takes responsibility for his past actions so he can make amends and ensure a more honest course for the future"(Justice, 11).
John becomes like his dad and decides to not use his power at all in order to not hurt other people. He protects some people from getting bullied and tries to live his best life. It is in this step that attends Wellston and meets Seraphina. However, John is now at a crossroads: "Will he remain true to his insights, or will he slip back into an easier, more unaware existence that closes off further growth?" By using a persona instead of bettering his true self, however, he actually closes himself off from further growth.
LETTING GO & REVERSAL:"Sooner or later, he encounters his personal cross - an experience that seems too difficult to endure. This overwhelming challenge humbles him until he has no choice but to give up and let go"(The Hanged Man, 12).
I think this would be John's month without Seraphina and Arlo's betrayal. This leads into Sera's ability loss and John's struggle with how he should help her. Eventually, John lets go of some of his inhibitions: "At first, the Fool feels defeated and lost. He believes he has sacrificed everything, but from the depths he learns an amazing truth. He finds that when he relinquishes his struggle for control, everything begins to work as it should. By becoming open and vulnerable, the Fool discovers the miraculous support of his Inner Self." The difference here is that his inner self is quite vengeful instead of reaching a peace and tranquility. He lets everything go out of control actually, not really releasing control.
ENDING & ELIMINATION: "The Fool now begins to eliminate old habits and tired approaches"(Death, 13).
This process starts during Episode 107, when John becomes so frustrated with himself for not acting when Sera got beat up by Zeke that he punches the wall and becomes Tuesd-I mean Joker. John starts to lash out at the people that hurt Sera and himself. His black speech bubbles become even more frequent, and his William-esque personality begins to die. He even has this internal monologue where he concludes that "power is the only thing that matters" and stops thinking that people will ever listen to reason. This process seems to end around Episode 131/132, when John comforts Sera after her kidnapping and then he declares war against the hierarchy. This is also when his white speech bubbles stop completely.
TEMPERANCE & COMBINATION:"Now, he realizes the balancing stability of temperance (14). He discovers true poise and equilibrium"(Temperance, 14).
Another way that John's Fool's Journey is like a more dark/twisted version: he becomes more confident and cunning now that he's set his mind on destroying the hierarchy. He's still angry, but it seems like he's completely in control. No one can stop him.
HOPELESSNESS:"The Fool has his health, peace of mind and a graceful composure. What more could he need?...The Devil is not an evil, sinister figure residing outside of us. He is the knot of ignorance and hopelessness lodged within each of us at some level"(The Devil, 15).
While John is the furthest from peace of mind and graceful composure, he does fall away into hopelessness when Sera confronts him about being Joker. He feels like Sera has gone behind his back and talked to people John hates and now thinks he is a monster, regardless of whether or not she actually does think so. Thinking she betrayed him, he loses himself and succumbs to anger and power fixation once again...losing trust for everyone so he can only rely on himself. And then, his hopelessness becomes complete when Zeke attacks him due to his secret being out. He literally says "it's hopeless" and just admits that he's a monster...or perhaps a devil.
DOWNFALL/SUDDEN CHANGE/RELEASE:"How can the Fool free himself from the Devil?...The Tower is the ego fortress each of us has built around his beautiful inner core. Gray, cold and rock-hard, this fortress seems to protect but is really a prison"(The Tower, 16).
John constructed his tower after Arlo put doubt in his mind about Cecile and when Safe House was founded. In response to those events, John keeps everyone at a distance and threatens all who cross him with pain, falling further into anger. This is where we are now in the story, so I agree that John is currently in The Tower. So what happens next?
"On Card 16 we see an enlightening bolt striking this building. It has ejected the occupants who seem to be tumbling to their deaths. The crown indicates they were once proud rulers; now they are humbled by a force stronger than they. The Fool may need such a severe shakeup if he is to free himself, but the resulting revelation makes the painful experience worthwhile. The dark despair is blasted away in an instant, and the light of truth is free to shine down." So, if we're going by the Fool's Journey, John might lose his status as king, whether he gives it up or it is taken from him. In addition, whatever happens will break him out of his shell and allow him to trust/be hopeful again.
Also, the change will be sudden. This may come in the form of someone taking the amplifier and beating John, which likely won't change his worldview, or someone will have to talk to John and convince him to change. Maybe John's mom or dad will come back to try and help him. Maybe John will be taken down by Vaughn and potentially expelled, but that will not change John's worldview and will come off as repetitive. Or perhaps John will be betrayed by Zeke and Cecile, although that's not quite sudden and also not help him at all. There's also the association of lightning in the card to go over, since that's Remi's ability. I don't think she could beat him in a fight, but Remi might have a hand in breaking through John's shell. Or maybe the revelation that Remi's brother was a superhero could do something. I'm not sure.
I think though that Sera will have to be one of the people that convinces him. Her getting her ability back would certainly be sudden and unexpected, and if Sera wins a fight against John, he will have no choice but to listen to her. While this will reinforce John's opinion that power matters, Sera still might be able to convince him that it's not the only thing that matters. Again, I don't know, but I do think that the next card supports this theory if John's story does indeed follow the Fool's Journey.
HOPE/SERENITY/GENEROSITY:"The Fool is blessed with a trust that completely replaces the negative energies of the Devil. His faith in himself and the future is restored. He is filled with joy and his one wish is to share it generously with the rest of the world"(The Star, 17).
The picture on the card is that of a woman. I believe that Seraphina is the Star, as she is in the unique position to be able to defeat John in battle and to get through to him as well. In addition, her name means "fiery/burning ones." In this stage, John will finally be able to trust himself and others.
FEAILLUSION/BEWILDERMENT:"What effect could spoil this perfect calm? Is there another challenge for the Fool? In fact, it is his bliss that makes him vulnerable to the illusions of the Moon"(The Moon, 18).
I think in this stage, John wants to make a positive change in the world, but he still doubts himself too much and is scared of himself. Either that, or he believes that he can live how he used to as his cripple persona. For example, let's say for the sake of argument that he refused to use his powers once again and just hung out in Safe House. This doesn't really help since he's already attacked Safe House before and don't trust him, even if Sera were to be friends with him again. What he really needs is to merge a good nature with the power to change things for the better.
ENLIGHTENMENT/GREATNESS/ASSURANCE:"No challenge is too daunting. The Fool feels a radiant vitality. He becomes involved in grand undertakings as he draws to himself everything he needs. He is able to realize his greatness"(The Sun, 19).
I think this would symbolize John finally understanding that he truly can be like the main character of unOrdinary instead of thinking he cannot. If he puts the effort into changing himself and making amends for what he has done, it will serve as proof that he actually can do it.
REBIRTH/INNER CALLING/ABSOLUTION: "The Fool feels absolved. He forgives himself and others, knowing that his real self is pure and good. He may regret past mistakes, but he knows they were due to his ignorance of his true nature. He feels cleansed and refreshed, ready to start anew"(Judgement, 20).
This would be John truly accepting himself and making the changes necessary to live as he should. John recognizes that he has changed himself and he can finally do perform good works in the wider world. "He discovers his true vocation - his reason for entering this life. Doubts and hesitations vanish, and he is ready to follow his dream."
INTEGRATION/INVOLVEMENT/FULFILLMENT:"In line with his personal calling, he becomes actively involved in the world. He renders service by sharing his unique gifts and talents and finds that he prospers at whatever he attempts"(The World/ZA WARUDO, 21).
This is John actually making changes in the world and reforming the hierarchy, perhaps. This would probably be during the endgame of the story. This could encompass fights with EMBER, Spectre, and/or the Authorities. After that's over and a new order is achieved, the story will likely end. We might get a redemption by death, John having to give up his ability, John becoming a member of the new authorities, John just going home to be a family man, or even John becoming an ability trainer, helping people develop their abilities as well as their minds in order to prevent people from going through what he did. Not sure, I'm just some guy on Reddit.
Edit: Wow, I didn't think this would get gold. First one I've ever gotten. Thank you very much u/DemiNeveWinter!
When I played Persona 4 Golden earlier this year, I fell in love with some aspects (the characters, the atmosphere, the music), and tolerated others at best. With the advent of Persona 5 Royal, and my cousin letting me borrow his PS4, I found myself swept up in the hype of a game that blew my expectations away and then some. It truly felt like someone at Atlus had been looking over my shoulder while I played the previous game and took detailed notes about what to improve in the sequel. I can honestly say that it’s an upgrade across the board in just about every way that matters to me, and I can wholeheartedly, without any caveats, recommend it to anyone with an interest in this series. If you like anime, if you want to get into JRPGs and don’t know where to start, or maybe you’re like me and you just thought the memes and fanart were cute, you owe it to yourself to give this game a shot. It’s enough for me to want to go back and retroactively make this my game of the year for 2017, which was a pretty stacked roster in itself. Everything seemed to come together, the right team at the right time with the right idea, to catapult what was a pretty niche franchise into AAA stardom to rub shoulders with the Zeldas and Marios as among the best in its class. Even now, with the release of Royal, it’s easily my GOTY now, due in some part to the anemic list of releases, but that’s another topic altogether. I’ll try to keep this review/essay focused on the game itself rather than just comparing it to 4, but given that it was my primary entry point to the series, I will make frequent references to that game, so SPOILERS for both ensue. What I found most immediately charming about Inaba was its sense of time and place. The shuttered businesses, the barren main street, the anxious town with the specter of death over it while a group of carefree teens made plans to go to the mall on their clamshell flip phones captured a dichotomy that I hadn’t felt explored in other games. Whether the developers intended to or not, they created a late 00s period piece that resonated with me quite strongly as someone who was roughly the same age as the protagonist in that time. I would imagine sentiment would follow for those younger than I, as 5 is much more proactive and hyperactive in its presentation. The game is a feast for the eyes, proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that a cohesive style and aesthetic will far outlast the shiniest graphics, as it makes the most of its visuals to draw the player in. The UI itself is a masterclass in action, there are entire games with budgets and teams that dwarf Persona 5 that don’t have as much personality as the pause menu in this one, the way the icons jiggle and pop practically begging you to click on them next. The other pillar holding up its remarkable sense of style is the music, and between 4 and 5 I’m genuinely torn as to which I like better. 5 definitely has the edge when it comes to production value, but the jazzy, upbeat soundtrack is also more content to sit in the background and provide an accompaniment to the city living, in contrast to 4’s loud, gaudy pop earworms, each one an anime opening in the making. While it takes center stage during key moments, most of the time, the soundtrack is this constantly undulating rhythm in the back of the player’s mind, rising and falling with the action, keeping the pulse going like the click clack of wheels upon the train tracks. Undoubtedly, my favorite song is Beneath the Mask, a melancholy tune that sounds like a rainy night and a dying cigarette in an ashtray, the perfect soundtrack to a place of sanctuary after a long day. The nebulous subject of its lyrics leaves it open to many different interpretations: a well-deserved rest after great triumph, or crushing loss and setback; a private moment shared between two lovers, or a reflection on the emptiness of the room itself, alone with one’s thoughts. It’s hard to compare soundtracks in a year with Nier Automata on the roster, but 5 absolutely passes the “would I listen to this outside of the game willingly” test. Just as Heartbreak, Heartbreak became synonymous with me doing laundry and other chores over the summer, I came to associate Beneath the Mask with my commute in the fall, under cover of darkness. I think it’s special when you can tie a game to a certain moment in your life, and this one certainly did it for me. Overall, it was the slower paced, more moody tracks like this and Sunset Bridge that stuck with me, proving that music does not have to be a spectacular front and center banger to play an essential role in the drama, though the game has its fair share of those (Life Will Change, Last Surprise, and Rivers in the Desert being standouts). The change in setting is not limited to the audiovisual aspects, however, as the game itself feels faster and more anxious, almost oppressively so, as moving to the city from the middle of nowhere would feel. Gone is the lackadaisical, laid back intro of the prior game. Here, you are thrust into the driver’s seat immediately, before the game splashes water in your face and asks you where you were on the night of the 12th between the hours of such and such. I thought the opening hours of the game were a fantastic way of setting the stage, as we’re wowed by the prospect of Ocean’s Eleven but anime and then brought back down to Earth via the interrogation as a framing device for the story. I like it because it splits the story into neat chunks, each Palace its own arc. Coming out of Persona 4, my two biggest questions were A: If adults like Adachi are aware of and can manipulate the Shadow World, why have there been no formal attempts to study it? And B: What if the Investigation Team didn’t stop after uncovering the killer? I was delighted to discover that not only does 5 address these topics, but the latter defines the conceit of the whole game, placing the Thieves’ idealism for a better world against bigger and bigger targets, a fitting escalation for a big name sequel. The former question is a major subplot in the story, though the answers I came up with in my head were grander than what ended up being presented. I appreciated how this turn of events resulted in the gang being more proactive, i.e. seeking out targets to punish them for their misdeeds, rather than purely reactive like the kids in 4, who had to wait for each kidnapping to happen in turn before acting. Persona 5 is a much harsher world in comparison, one that demands that its protagonist hit the ground running and get going fast. You’ve been sent to juvie on trumped up charges, nobody wants you around, you’re shoved into an old, dusty attic as a ward of the state, and everyone is looking for an excuse to get you expelled or worse. Even walking down the hallway invites comments from onlookers and rubberneckers who aren’t sure yet if they want to look down on or admire you. All this set dressing contributes to a city that feels just alive enough to allow your imagination to color in the margins and give a much better impression of a cramped metropolis with a beating heart than a big open world would. It’s natural, then, that the protagonist would come to identify with others who fell through the cracks like he did, others who people judged by the masks they wore other than their true character. With Yu it seemed like he immediately formed lifelong bonds with the first three kids he met on the way to class. Ryuji’s and Ann’s friendships feel like they develop more naturally, first as a result of being backed into a corner together with nowhere to go, and gradually getting to know each other as people. It’s as if Atlus took a good look at the broad archetypes they established with Yosuke, Yukiko, Rise, etc and realized them into more fully fledged characters. I loved hanging out with all of the Thieves, getting to know their inner lives and it pained me that I couldn’t max them all in the allotted time. It’s impressive that they managed to build up such a strong portfolio of confidants with their own storylines and character moments without stepping on each other or retreading old ground. I even liked hanging out with Mishima, probably because he’s the one closest in spirit to what fans of this game are actually like, as opposed to Joker’s more aspirational mystique. For the longest time, I thought that the first Palace was the game’s high point. At no other point in the base game did I feel like the player motivations and the character’s motivations were so intertwined on a base level. Kamoshida is such an excellent starting point because right away, you hate him on multiple different fronts: for antagonizing you (and by extension, the player), for being an abusive monster to your friends and classmates, and because of the corrupt authority he represents and the power structures that enable him, nurturing the seed of rebellion planted within Joker and his friends. It’s not a coincidence that all of the Thieves are latchkey kids with absent/aloof parents. That neglect, intentional or otherwise, fostered a lingering sense of ennui and discontent that lets them get wrapped up in the Thieves’ romantic struggle against societal norms. It’s an adventure, and you want to get carried away in it just as much as they do, that investment feeling all the more bittersweet when it comes crashing down around them. It does a brilliant job of selling the illusion of putting the player in the driver’s seat and letting them dictate the pacing of the plot, all by changing a few of the circumstances around how the Palaces are tackled, and though you are given an abundance of activities to dedicate your time towards, I never felt confused about what I should do, because they were all equally viable methods of advancing the player’s goals. Since I brought up the Palaces, I should mention perhaps the single biggest improvement over the previous entry, and that is the way this game handles the dungeon crawling aspect of the game. For starters, Palaces/Dungeons are actual discrete spaces now with proper level design (!) that draws upon the chosen theme in a meaningful way to make them all distinct from one another. It’s a huge step up from ten floors of the same randomly generated slog with different wallpaper every single time. Traversal is overhauled, and the quarter-assed stealth mechanics from 4 are realized into the ambush system here that makes entering combat feel like a tactical decision on your part rather than having Yu swing his bat in the vague direction of an enemy. Joker and the Thieves move at a brisk, animated pace, zipping around between hiding spots and looking for an angle of attack rather than blundering through a bunch of copy pasted hallways. Other big, big pluses include: not having to fight every single enemy to squeeze out the xp needed to fight the boss, not having to fight trash mobs at all with Ryuji’s level 7 perk, having more items and perks to mitigate the war of attrition on your SP early on, there being an actual reason to go out of your way to explore in the form of Will Seeds. The list goes on. And if you do want that down home grind, there’s always Mementos, which I actually enjoyed my time in, largely because of the aforementioned reasons. Side quests in 4 always amounted to talk to this random guy who asks for a vendor trash item you probably got rid of when mashing sell all at the ironworks shop. Now they manifest as minibosses in Mementos, which ties into the whole vigilante justice hero of the people angle that the Thieves thrive on. Again, taking something that kinda worked before and improving it by marrying the themes and the gameplay. Also, everyone gets guns, which would be great on its own, but is amplified by the fact that they actually do work. Not all of the Palaces are bangers, I think the 2nd and 3rd suffer the most from lackluster villains but they do their job as a sort of training arc showing how the Thieves escalate in terms of targets and notoriety as well as expanding their own roster. Futaba’s Palace is a highlight and one of the better story dungeons, and I appreciate how it broadened the scope of the setting by showing that people had indeed attempted to research the Metaverse in an academic fashion, but were struck down by some shadowy force. This is where my brain took over and started imagining much wider implications that the game ultimately didn’t explore, like the government having access to a black ops unit of Persona users who could change hearts and inflict mental shutdowns at will, but I’ll come back to that later. Suffice it to say that Sae’s Palace is another excellent addition with a dope theme, but what follows immediately after doesn’t so much bring the story to a halt as much as it gets t-boned by a mile long train of awkward, clunky exposition. You ever play an action game, and right in the middle of it, the game stops and shows you a cutscene of your character doing all these badass choreographed moves for minutes on end, that you would never be able to do in the game itself, that’s just this long, laborious display that leaves you thinking “wow, that looks cool, I wish I was playing that instead of just watching”? This is the narrative equivalent of that. All along, we’ve stuck by Joker’s side. Very occasionally, the game will shift perspective to a fly on the wall of the villains so they can twirl their mustaches for a few but by and large, the player and protagonist are one in the same from beginning to end. They even go through the trouble of giving him amnesia at the start so that your Joker can retell the story as he remembers it. This is important because it establishes that the player knows what the protagonist knows, and vice versa. This whole segment throws that all out the window and reveals that Joker and the rest of the Thieves colluded in a secret gambit to expose Akechi that the player had no knowledge of and could not contribute to even if they wanted it. It’s like the devs rip the controller out of your hands and tell you to keep all limbs inside the car because you’re on their ride now and you’re going to experience it exactly as we intended even if it completely divorces the player from the shared experience of the protagonist by shoehorning all this shit that supposedly happened offscreen into what is supposed to be the emotional climax of the story. It feels like an overcorrection of the equivalent moment in 4, except in that one you had to choose the exact string of responses the devs wanted lest you be booted to the credits. Here, it’s just flashback after flashback crowbarred into the story, sometimes in succession to such a degree that I began to feel like it was losing the all important emotional investment built up. Narratively, it’s supposed to be a moment of triumph as everyone congratulates Joker on pulling off his masterstroke idea of faking his death flawlessly but in practice it feels like that meme of Michael from the Office shaking hands with his old boss, the player taking credit for something they had no part in, but would have liked to be in on. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it is annoying considering how closely intertwined the journey of player and protagonist had been up to that point Another nitpick before we move on from here, I really thought that Joker’s constant flashbacks to the inciting event where he punched Shido but was unable to remember him were building to something. I legitimately thought that Shido had masterminded this scheme where he got Joker enrolled into Shujin and purposefully nudged him towards radicalization and forming the Thieves so that he could have a crew of fall guys to take down in his ascent to the top. I expected that Joker’s amnesia was a by-product of this mind tampering, but apparently he’s just an idiot who has this chip on his shoulder when it comes to authority but for some reason is unable to put a name to the face of the man who first put him behind bars. I also thought it was a bit cheesy that Shido had ties to literally every major villain they had faced up to that point. By the end I was half expecting him to reveal that he was the one driving the car that ran over Kawakami’s favorite student back in the day. Some real Reverse Flash “IT WAS ME BARRY” shit going on there, but I digress. Shido’s a good villain, and a fitting end to the escalation that the Thieves had going. I also loved the development that even though Shido had a change of heart, the movement behind him was still going, because the systems of power that allowed him to get where he was and exercise his will ran deeper than any of the Thieves knew, and it would take more than changing one heart to turn things around this time. What follows is pretty iffy for me. I’m a firm believer that all the supernatural Metaverse stuff should take a backseat to or be a vehicle for the interpersonal drama between the characters we’ve come to know. It’s flavor text and set dressing, important to the story and atmosphere, but not its focus. When you try to put backstory and worldbuilding into the foreground, especially in the drama first storytelling that Persona is going for, you end up with Yaldaboath, a boring ass cup in the basement of Mementos who speaks in riddles and soaks up damage like a sponge. Nothing about this fight feels as climactic as the last because the player had no idea they existed until about 15-20 minutes ago. I liked the reveal with Igor and the conversations with the crew in the Velvet Room, but beyond that a confrontation with a shiny god of Some Abstract Proper Noun just feels really lame without any requisite emotional context. Capping him in the face with a three story Glock was pretty cool though, so props for that. And, it sets the stage for the Royal content, the single best arc in the game. I’d heard the third semester in this game hyped up before I got into the series, and it deserves every bit of praise. Again, it’s like someone at Atlus predicted my comments on the previous final boss and tailor made an arc full of closure and emotional resonance because the characters coming into conflict with each other are people with complex relationships and not just jumbles of polygons with a health bar and an ominous monologue. I love the It’s a Wonderful Life AU aspect of the dream world, making it genuinely difficult to try and turn people like Ann away from this place where they could forget their awful traumas and just be regular teens. I loved seeing Kasumi go from a pretty bland and boring confidant to literally rediscovering herself and becoming a wholly realized person for it. Akechi’s presence in this arc is my favorite in the game and his snide comments and deliciously over the top ferocity in combat shot him up the charts of best characters now that he was able to comfortably go mask off. It’s fantastic hearing him address the Thieves with previously barely concealed and now open contempt, but he reserves the worst barbs for Maruki, who’s so kind and affable that it almost makes you forget how crazy his plan is. Instead of lecturing you to death or getting too heady, he appeals to the same ideals that Joker did in forming the Thieves, creating an interesting foil with motivations that are arguably more noble than the main characters, but that alone cannot justify what he’s done. It’s a tricky situation to unpack, but I think it’s easily the best written part of the game, and left me feeling whole and satisfied by the end. As exhaustive as this may seem, there are still things left I haven’t even touched on, like that one honestly fucked up scene where Joker leave Ryuji to be assaulted for no reason, or how much better Akechi is than Adachi even though they fill the same role of cop who's actually a secret incel, or the hundreds of smaller quality of life improvements that make the game less of a chore and more of an addictive rush as you get swept up in this other world. My total playtime clocked in at just under 130 hours, an absolutely massive jump from the 75 or so I’d spent with 4, after foolishly assuming I’d knock the sequel out in about a month or so. When I finished the game, I was exhausted, I was ready for it to be over, and wanted to move onto something else, but I was also wistful. I carried within myself the knowledge that I would never play it for the first time again, and consciously or unconsciously I would spend the next few weeks looking for something to fill the Phantom Thief shaped hole in my chest. I had so thoroughly been engrossed in this world and its characters that I don’t quite feel ready to say goodbye, even if the prospect of NG+ still seems daunting. As in some of the best games, like Nier Automata or Red Dead Redemption 2, this first full playthrough feels so complete to me, that it almost seems wrong to go back and disturb the world as I left it, because I played my part, and it’s at peace now. I had assumed that I would hate an ending where, after everything, Joker moves away. Why, after so much investment and time spent building friendships that would last a lifetime, would he simply go back to nothing? I wasn’t prepared for how natural it would feel. How everyone expressed their desire to grow as people, first beyond the labels others ascribed to them, and then the label of Thief they applied to themselves, to become men and women who could affect society in their own way, wholly distinct from any god given supernatural power. It felt surprisingly mature for the series to advocate for a break from escapism, and instilled within me a desire to move on as well. I have no idea what Persona 6 will look like, but it’s going to be hard to replicate the leap in quality, as they’ve outdone themselves to create what’s become one of my favorite games.
Upon reflection, it has become increasingly evident to me that Clownhunter is Red X. We know that the Infinite Frontier posters show both Red X and Damian side by side, and while it can be a case of misdirection I believe that DC has made it pretty apparent who takes up the mantle of Red X. I'd like to state that after seeing Robin quit the mantle of Robin my hope was that Damian would create a new persona akin to Red X in order to be a nice homage to Dick since he respects him very much. This is why when DC surprised us with their announcement of making Red X canon I became very excited. However, after re-reading Joker war recently I came to the realization that Red X probably wouldn't be Damian. The reason why I believe this is the case is that while it would be cool, It doesn't seem to fit his motif. One of the various themes we've had when a Robin leaves the nest is that they generally keep the theme that accompanied their character. Dick Grayson sticks to the Bird motif that has stuck with him during his inception. To Dick, wearing a bird as a symbol displays how he feels about soaring through the sky and feeling the freedom that accompanies it just like how he used to when he used the trapeze with his parents. A very similar argument can be made about Jason Todd as well. While it's true he did choose the name Red Hood to screw with the Joker, Jason can very much be described as a "Hoodlum/Delinquent". This name also fits his motif of wanting to use a name that previously inspired fear in the heart of Gotham of the past. When you use this knowledge about all the Robins who have graduated from the role, We can see that Red X really doesn't meet any of these established criteria for Damian. From the first moment we see Bao as Clownhunter we see that he very unhinged and very rebellious by nature. He has zero problems with outright murdering people and dropping them from buildings. That sense of rebellion is also present in his costume design as well. Bao's costume is torn and battered beyond compare but also establishes a punk aesthetic that yearns to change a crude society that has zero desire to change. One of the important things to note about his costume are the crosses. The crosses signify Bao's disdain of not only clowns but criminals in general that are running rampant in Gotham. The last time that we see Bao is after he accepts that revenge isn't what he truly desires and he likely seeks help from Leslie Thompkins. So getting this far you might be asking what does this have to do with the identity of Red X? Well let's compare the motif that both costumes share using all the info we know. Clownhunter and Red X both share the same theme and color scheme. In hindsight it's very obnoxious as well as amusing how on the nose Tynion IV and Jimenez were with trying to hint to readers this would be the case(even his edge-up has an X in it which might be indicative of his obsession with the symbol). I believe now that we have seen what is happening with Infinite Frontier we can also look back at statements made by Tynion IV on his blog. He states that he wishes to make new characters that can contribute to the lore and landscape of Gotham without being held back by multiple continuities and different timelines. He considers Punchline and Clownhunter to be new characters that are the "Future Generation of Gotham" and he has really big plans for the two going into 2021. With all this info I can safely say that I'm confident that Bao is Red X. It shall be rather interesting to see what he plans to do with the character because I believe that he definitely has staying power if used carefully. What do you all think about this? and are you all excited to see what's in store? For those who are interested in his perspective on the current landscape of comics and how new characters play a part in his plans https://preview.redd.it/nv0rl1jf1x661.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=caa5dcfc0cd5a030574a3febba6fe1f17ff7ad6a
· Capricorn Sun:- If Batman was real, there is a lot of speculation about his Zodiac Sun Sign. Many have made a technical guess on various information provided about his fictional birthday and even real events and have come to zodiac signs like Aquarius, Taurus, Scorpio, Gemini and in some cases Leo, among which former 3 are most popular with Taurus and Scorpio even making sense. But both fail to explain some key and opposite traits of batman. The only sign to be able to completely make justice to the character graph is of Capricorn and that too in its uniqueness of being born in late December. I mean let’s be honest the people who can change the world have ever only born in December (Jesus Christ himself). Traits:- Workaholic, detached, lonely, introvert, sarcastic, ambitious and perseverance ,determination, will& Grit, strategist, intellectual. · Capricorn Moon:-This is a rather popular opinion in contrast with that of this sun placement of batman. There are really only two that come close which are Scorpio moon and Capricorn moon. But there are enough reasons to choose a Capricorn Moon. While Scorpio moon does justify his detective skills, they could be attributed to other placements as well . Moon placements must justify the emotions of the subject. Bad past, Conflicted moral compass, Vengeance, insecure, untrusting , secretiveness, cunningness, kinkiness (Let’s admit it the bad boy is into BDSM),sadness ,loneliness and courage are some of the things that batman has and both signs may explain well, but Capricorn moon gives better reasons. Daddy-mommy issues of batman, his inability to express himself but most importantly his complicated no kill rule, I mean this is where the difference is right, it requires a Capricorn’s discipline to look into the abyss and not blink, to survive space war lords like darkseid, ruthless assassins like deathstroke and not get corrupted by the joker and that too without killing and only on the emotional support of his butler. I mean if batman were a scorpion moon, he would have killed. And then he is more into technical then magic. Scorpio moon may go better with Dr Doom. · Scorpio Rising:- I think this is the only sign placement that is going to go unchallenged. Batman is Scorpio rising period. He is damn courageous and a risk taker and not afraid of odds, He owns darkness and stealth, he is motivated by vengeance , he is intimidating, magnetic and though I have not ever saw him having sex, I am sure Talia and selina will comply this guy is an animal in bed whenever and how rarely he has sex. He is detached, cruel but really he is mysterious, and damn intimidating, he radiates fear wherever he goes. He lives with powerful aliens, magical beings, gods and they all fear him and respect him. Scorpio rising is what differentiates a batman from a green arrow (a wannabe robin hood). In simple terms with all his insecurities and flaws he is perceived as invincible. Only an evolved Scorpio rising can manage to do that( This guy strong armed darkseid into a negotiation once). The only character who ever comes close is deathstroke, and he too maybe a Scorpio rising. · MC Leo:- To understand this we need to understand his goals, what he wants to achieve, what he really wants is to put fear into the mind of criminals so that they never even attempt to commit a crime. This symbol of fear that he wants to become is in a very dark way he’s way of saying I want to get so famous in criminals that when they should always be scared of committing a crime because of my fear. Strategically speaking maybe that’s why he lets his victims live, to advertise his feats and promote his scary image to scare others. And he has definitely rose to that reputation rather quickly. Look at how amazingly and with ease he portrays the playboy persona of Bruce Wayne, telling us that he is a great actor who can manage to convey what he wants from audience. In simple terms you can love him or hate him but you cannot ignore him. · **Saturn Aries:-**This could be conflicted for Capricorn, Aquarius and Libra but… even though he is not a people’s person he is a leader a influencer and an inspirer. Firstly he is the patriarch of Bat –family. To lead such talented individuals you need to have Saturn in Aries. He is also a founding member and one of the DC trinity. If justice league was an organization , he would not have been the chairman ,that is more of superman actually (Face of the league, embodies values, he is more people friendly simply better placed to do that with his god like powers) but Batman is definitely the CEO of the JL. He is the strategist ,he understands the members better and he is the only one who can keep this god like creatures in check. I think it is pretty natural for him because he is simply operating with more information than anybody else. · Mercury Sagittarius:- Mercury in Sagittarius tells us about a guy being an adventurer in terms of his intellect. Basically a polymath. He is not the best scientist/inventor or best magician, best business man but he is second best or third best in most of the things and yes he is the best detective undisputedly . He may not know the magic to fight a guy with, but knows enough to make strategic decisions to send which magician in a particular situation would flair best. He has acquired skills in a range of areas form criminal psychology, detective skills and torture, fighting, mind and body training, stealth, magic, chemistry, alien biology, science and inventions , medicine , you name it. People with mercury in Sagittarius are often expected to study more than normal and for often longer periods and different subjects. · Venus Aquarius:- Batman’s Love life is as complicated as the man himself. It is conflicted, but has its movements of highs and lows with extreme passions. From sacrificing themselves to kill him, his lovers have done everything for him. Venus in Aquarius also explains how he has so many love interests in spite of his workaholic and detached IDGAF attitude. And his lovers are extreme, the choices within themselves, I mean from Talia –the daughter of demon to Wonder woman the daughter of gods. He has a complicated relationship with all as he cannot settle down, he knows that but he still manages to fall for girls, coming close to marrying selina Kyle and Talia on different occasions. He even has children with many of them in many alternate universes but he does not want to settle. Variety is the first word that comes in mind when we talk about a Venus in Aquarius, and he has it. Also, nature of going against social traditions of conceiving children without marriage and be okay about it( he publicly accepted Damien Wayne as his biological son). He’s basic outlook of family is untraditional and is not conserved to blood relations. Why he accepts them (Bat woman, Damien Wayne), he has place for others who are not his relatives (Night wing, Alfred, Gordon, Barbara, Jason , luscious fox and all of them). He has had his fare shares of heartbreak only deepening his pain. Venus in Aquarius is not considered a good placement. It is said ,that only after a lot of sacrifice can a Venus in Aquarius have his soul mate. Sometimes the possibility of relationship with the person’s soul mate itself is the sacrifice. Batman has many lovers, but we all know that his soul mate is cat woman. He too knows it, and so does she, but they both know they cannot be together. · **Mars Aquarius:-**Mars in Aquarius is a placement that keeps the person at extremes of both ends. On one hand he can go celibate for years ,almost asexual and in others he can be into Dark, kinky BDSM marathon sex satisfying the lover to a point that the partner will never find another person as satisfactory. They could be animals in bed ,enjoying the act like no other and still go celibate because they simply prioritize other things in life over sex. This can be frustrating to partners. This placement also tells us how unorthodox the person satisfies their own high sexual needs. Having sex, without marriage. Strictly speaking only a Venus in Scorpio and mars has the power to match the intensity of those sensual marathon runs on one day and then not have sex for weeks (they are open to other ways-alternate partners, porn etc). · Pluto Sagittarius:- Pluto in Sagittarius explains the persons’ acceptance towards more darker and sensitive topics. Pluto in Sagittarius are astrologically best placements to accepting truths as they are in every situations. They have problems when they do discover their own limitations and insecurities and they will, and they will be hurt when they do but will survive with it, and in a way that it makes them more accepting of others as well. Batman has been more accepting and capable of absorbing pain more than anyone else. His complicated philosophy and conflicted ideas , in general he’s very complex. He is untrusting of people’s character but mostly accepting of them with their flaws in general. Maybe that’s the reason why he has not gone insane even after dealing with the idealists like superman and wonder woman and anarchist like joker. There could not have been any other guy having an equation with both without getting mad. It needs a Pluto in Sagittarius for this. · Jupiter Aquarius:- Jupiter in Aquarius native can be best described with one word-unique. Batman was always going to have Aquarius influence in him. And Jupiter in Aquarius does the job. While it does support his mercury in Sagittarius in becoming a polymath and absorbing knowledge from everywhere, Jupiter at times allows him to accept ideas and solutions that other times may seem too big. He’s out of the box thinking is what has enabled him to come up with a plan to take down all of JL members if the need arose. While he is a perfect strategist, he is quick thinker who has many times displayed he can be spontaneous. Jupiter in Aquarius’s greatest contribution to his character is best seen in his decision to take path of vigilantism to fight crime and doing so with the no kill rule. Other decisions where it is visible is in him choosing children as his sidekicks, or his plans to take down JLA, and etc. · **Uranus Aquarius:-**Another planet in Aquarius ,and we are wondering why this man is a genius or a rebel, I think we should have been more surprised if any native with that much of Aquarius is not either of the above. This placement majorly supports batman’s inclination towards technology and being more open about people. All in all since Uranus is in home sign it is being positive here · Neptune Capricorn:- Neptune tells us about one’s desire and batman’s desire though seems to be vengeance (Neptune Scorpio, it is strictly speaking his motivation.) He goes every night out to extract his revenge ,he many times even encounters situations where he can , but he chooses not too. Because if he will, then he will lose the motivation to come back next night and his goals ,his true desire will not be accomplished. Capricorn is a sign which provides batman with the focus he needs to achieve his rather unrealistic goals. With whatever pain and abilities his fate due to other planet holds, it is Neptune in Capricorn that allows him to go out and work irrespective of the complications in hand. · Lilith Libra:- Lilith deals with demons within oneself, one’s relationship with one self. Batman does not have a very healthy relationship with himself. In simpler terms we may like what he is, but he himself is disappointed in himself. Many will argue that this is not true, but it actually is. He has once said “Deep down inside Clark is a good person , and deep down inside I am not”. Batman does not consider himself a good person, worthy of his parents. He takes very little care of himself, is highly self-critical and angry with himself. Batman’s many issues are with his disappointment within himself. Maybe that’s why he has so hard time making relations, he simply does not feel he deserves a true love like cat woman or wonder woman. Lilith in Libra also indicate problems in relations and he does have them with all his lovers. Considering his self-criticizing nature ,problems in self-acceptance and dark love angles he seems perfect for Lilith in Libra. He is tested on ethics, personal relationships and Lilith in Libra also gives a hint of kinkiness. · North Node Virgo:- north node in Virgo means south node in Pisces. This takes care of one more important shade of batman which has not been discussed above. His struggle to balance order and chaos. His ideological enemy joker is the agent of chaos, and he himself is the knight of order. Batman’s this war of order vs. chaos definitely explains his complicated relationship with the clown.
Batman other characters:- astrology
· Bane- sun in cancemoon in Taurus/ascendant in Aries:- Bane has influence of water sign along with his tough earth appearance, personally he is caring. He cared for his mother, he cared for his father so much that he was looking for him after he got out of jail. Bane personally is an anti-hero, and that is because he cares. He is capable of making friends, Sinister six storylines have covered this part about bane in detail. I even suspect his mars in cancer. Ascendant in Aries is undisputed, that body , baldness he is an Aries ascendant . What makes the character what he is will be his moon in Taurus. This man has jealeaousy issues and he is ambitious to the point of obsession with the batman . He does not want to rule Gotham, he wants to beat Batman. That is his greatest feat, breaking the bat. He is like “everything you can do batman, I can do better”. That is the only goal in his life. From the time he heard of batman in the prison in Pena Dura (Santa Prisca). · Talia Al Ghul:- **Virgo Sun/Moon in Taurus/ascendant in Aries:-**Talia was tricky. I had to choose by elimination. She is not too much in justice so no Libra, not too caring so no cancer, not too strong minded to be Aries (she could be influenced), cap, Pisces, Gemini ,Leo ,Sagittarius are not even close. That leaves Scorpio,Taurus,virgo and Aquarius. She is not a Scorpio, because Scorpios are anything but confused. They are decisive and usually one’s to manipulate. Scorpio could be at other places, in fact it may be both her Venus and mars are in Scorpio. I mean ,this explains why she is sexually compatible with batman (her interests in kink).And as I realized this I knew she is not an Aquarius. Taurus and Virgo were tough. Taurus enjoys pleasure, but Virgo can become one’s pleasure. Talia never choose batman for the pleasure ,she choose him because he was the best. Her decision was analytical, practical and not motivated by pleasure. And this explains it. Also, it needs a Virgo influence for Talia to become batman ‘s sub(Capricorn) They are into BDSM, and she is his most obedient sub, (at least in the bed). Her moon is in taurus.I truly believe that Taurus is why While she never choose him for pleasure, after choosing it she has derived it from him, and many times. She is jealous of cat woman, and many other lovers of batman. She is ambitious (being leader of league of assassins is her destiny, but that leader being batman is her ambition.) And in doing so she go to such lengths that she had a baby with him. Taurus moon made her so ambitious and ruthless, that she kills, but also that she made her own 8 year old son into a killing machine. Ascendant in Aries, goes with her. She does have a perfectly sensual figure . But under her clothes on her bare skin she has her share of cuts and bullet marks , which is to extreme for a girl. She is confident in who she is, but delusional and of course confused. But Sensual, while on the surface, batman and she look compatible, even sexually, she simply lacks self control against lust and killing due to strong Scorpio in Venus and mars, which is the root cause of her problems with batman. · Night wing - Pisces sun, Taurus moon, Gemini ascendant :- against batman,nightwing is rather a less complicated person. He is more friendly and sorted. He has retained a certain innocence and cool persona against batman’s. He is neither extreme nor obsessed with anything. He sees his life as an act of his contribution against the bad, unlike batman who feels he had too. Pisces sun and Gemini ascendant explain his much better social abilities. Taurus moon makes him ambitious, may be to simply be the next batman. But Pisces sun gives him the wisdom and humility to understand that he can’t. Taurus moon makes him lusty ,and fortunate to have two beautiful and sexy women in his life (Kori and Barbara) ·**Cat woman-Scorpio sun, Capricorn moon and Capricorn ascendant:-** Cat woman is a tough placement. You know there is a Scorpio there, but so is a cancer, Pisces and Capricorn. But then you feel why not a Leo ,Libra or a Gemini. But in the end I came to a conclusion and the repo she shares with batman. If he truly is a Capricorn, then only a Scorpio can do that. Scorpio sun goes with her. She is dark, mysterious and sensual. But unlike how a Libra would, she uses her sensuality as a weapon. She is deceiving, manipulative she is complex but calm as well. What makes her a Scorpio the most is her ability to absorb batman’s darkness completely. She is the only person in this world, who loves him for exactly what he is:-a broken child whose parents were killed in front of him, and since that day he has endured only pain and suffering. Talia loves batman for his strength, and for what he could be. Zattana feels she could repair this broken man, and then he will become the ultimate love. Ivy thinks of batman in a similar fashion as Talia, wonder woman is impressed by how this man beats the odds , his courage and thinks may be the world today needs a man like him. But only cat woman truly cares and understands the man he is within. Only she has ever told him like Alfred has, that in spite of his methods being wrong, whatever Bruce does, he has too. Otherwise he will die, in his own guilt. She is not critical of it, but rather understanding of it as is Alfred. Only a person equally complex can understand this, how batman’s existence is justified. And this gives her Capricorn moon. Scorpio moons are power hungry, she is not. Though she does cross the line and kills, it is not because of Capricorn moon’s inability to control her, it is rather a collective control of her Capricorn ascendant and Capricorn moon that she can kill and still stay sane. She unlike batman knows that some people have to die. She is decisive, and is not scared of this truth( like captain America). Her Venus is in Libra, making her beautiful and at the same time compatible with batman and mars in either Aquarius or Gemini to not giving sleeping with a lover that much of importance. I am betting on Gemini since she falls in love when she is being taught, After all She was in a relationship with wildcat who taught her how to fight.
Others:-
· Poison Ivy:- Aquarius Sun, cancer moon, Taurus ascendant · Superman:- Scorpio Sun, Capricorn moon and Leo ascendant · Wonder woman:- Leo sun, Aquarius moon, Capricorn/Sagittarius ascendant
One is the name he was born with (which is as meaningless to us as John Smith) one is the Joker – his public persona or stage name, and one is the name of the identity that embodies the impulses that drive him, like in the Batman Animated Series – Harvey Dent’s other personality was “Big Harv”. Post a Reply Related: Persona 5 Strikers Preview - One Last Surprise. Akira Kurusu is Joker’s name in the Persona 5 manga, which is why certain people have been led to believe that it’s his canon name in the game. However, Ren Amamiya was used in the official anime series based on the game, as well as in Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight. For Persona 5 on the PlayStation 4, a GameFAQs message board topic titled "Good name for Joker?". Community for Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal Do not post P5R spoilers outside of the megathread Persona 5 is a role-playing game in which players live out a year in the life of a high school boy who gains the ability to summon facets of his psyche, known as Personas. I like the Akira Kurusu name, but knowing what I know from Persona 3 and 4, they are going to change in eventually. It's like having a really nice pet I don't want to get attached to. As such, I avoided naming him that in my playthroughs, but watching the playthroughs of others have given him that name. Persona 5 Royal saw the introduction of a brand new character and Phantom Thief - Kasumi Yoshizawa. An energetic and talented first-year, the gymnast and honor student quickly befriends Joker. As the story goes on and her tragic backstory is revealed, Joker helps the young girl to embrace her true identity as Sumire and eventually join the Phantom Thieves, adopting the code name "Violet." That is true. But people will still refer to this name as the "canon" (by which they mean "commonly referred to in games/anime" or "universal name so everyone knows who we're talking about"). You can still say Akira, you can say Ren, you can say P5MC, or Joker. It doesn't matter we all know who we're talking about. XP The bespectacled hero of Persona 5 has a name in the official manga: Akira Kurusu. (Given name Akira, Family name Kurusu). Everyone in voice clips will still refer to him as "this guy" or "Joker ... Last Updated: December 15, 2019 There has never been a true origin that explains who the Joker is, with a number of conflicting backstories being proposed. The first came in a 1951 issue of Detective Comics, where the character was formerly an unnamed laboratory worker who dons a Red Hood to become a thief. He falls in a vat of chemicals following a confrontation with Batman, resulting in his ... Jack Napier, you’ll remember, is the same name of the man who eventually becomes the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989, meaning that in a way, we’ve known the Joker’s true identity ...