Information about Persona 6, the next main series title in the Persona series of Japanese role-playing games, remains scarce. Officially, developer Atlus has confirmed that Persona 6 exists, but fans have no idea when it will be released and what sort of story or characters it might feature. However, fans of the series remain hopeful that announcements regarding Persona 6 are on the horizon, as the series continues to celebrate its 25th anniversary throughout 2022. Persona 6 will likely retain many beloved elements of previous games in the series, including associating its characters with the major arcana of the tarot deck. If that is the case, the Fool Arcana will likely play an important role, much as it did in previous Persona titles.
The Persona series began as a spinoff of the larger Shin Megami Tensei franchise, but has since gained popularity on its own, especially in the West. Persona 5, the most recent main series title, sold and reviewed extremely well, eventually receiving multiple spinoff titles, an enhanced edition titled Persona 5 Royal, and an appearance for lead character Joker in the fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Persona 6 is currently expected to be a standalone title set in the same world as the previous Persona games and once again starring a group of characters able to wield Personas, powers based on their true inner self that can be manifested in battle.
Persona 6 Is Unlikely to Abandon the Tarot Card Motif
Tarot cards and the Persona series have been connected since the very first game, Revelations: Persona, which released in 1996 for the original PlayStation console. Each playable character in the Persona games has been represented by one of the 22 Major Arcana from the tarot deck. The Arcana typically connects to the character's personality, such as a powerful female figure wielding an Empress Persona or a character devoted to the law with a Persona of the Justice Arcana. The various mythical figures who serve as Personas are also assigned to one of the Major Arcana.
Starting with Persona 3, non-playable side characters who the protagonist can bond with, referred to as "Social Links" or "Confidants," have also been associated with the Major Arcana. Deepening their relationship with these characters helps the player gain stronger Personas and abilities related to the Arcana in question. In the case of Confidants, their assigned Arcana generally represents a problem they are struggling with and which the protagonist must help them overcome. For example, a character with a major decision to make might represent the Hanged Man, while a Hermit Social Link is usually dealing with issues related to isolation. The overall popularity of the tarot theme and the Social Link / Confidant system makes it unlikely that Atlus will abandon it in Persona 6.
Past Protagonists Have Been Represented By The Fool
The protagonists of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 have all been represented by the Fool Arcana, which is typically considered to be the "beginning" of the tarot deck. The Fool, also known as the "Wild Card," has given the protagonists the ability to access and wield multiple Personas, rather than limiting them to one like other members of the playable cast. In Persona 5, the latest game in the series, protagonist Joker could use his Wild Card abilities to access nearly 200 different Personas.
In addition to the ability to summon a variety of Personas, the Fool Arcana has given the protagonists of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 access to a mysterious location called the Velvet Room, where they can fuse Personas together as well as strengthening existing Personas and granting them additional abilities in battle. The Velvet Room is run by Igor, an enigmatic figure who sometimes provides the protagonist with cryptic advice regarding their adventure.
The Fool Represents Infinite Possibility
The reason why the Fool is so commonly chosen as the protagonist's personal Arcana is due to the card's meaning as well as its position at the very beginning of the Major Arcana. The Fool has been portrayed in different card games as being both the lowest and the highest card, similar to an Ace in a 52-card playing deck. This has been represented in the Persona series by having the Fool Social Link or Confidant transform into The World or The Universe - the highest-ranked Major Arcana card - near the end of the game once the protagonist has unlocked their true power.
The meaning of the Fool card in tarot-based fortune-telling also connects easily to the playable protagonist in a video game. Upright, The Fool represents the beginning of a journey or a person who is just setting out and does not yet have the knowledge or skill they will gain as they travel. Reversed, the Fool can come to symbolize abandonment and isolation - things that are arguably the opposite of the protagonist of a Persona game, who is surrounded by their supportive friends and Persona-wielding party members and quite literally powered by the bonds they build throughout the game.
Could The Persona 6 Protagonist Have a Different Arcana?
While the Fool is the most likely Major Arcana to represent the protagonist of Persona 6, it is possible that Atlus will end the tradition and choose a different Arcana instead. Protagonists being represented by the Fool is a pattern that only began in Persona 3; the main characters of the first three Persona games fell under different major arcana. The nameless protagonist of Revelations: Persona was associated with the Emperor Arcana, while the Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment duology had Tatsuya Suou representing the Sun and Maya Amano utilizing the Moon.
If the Protagonist of Persona 6 does not use the Fool, fans might like to see one of the Major Arcana that has not yet been represented by a playable character, namely Temperance, or The Tower. Alternately, the Persona 6 protagonist could use an Arcana from the variant Thoth, Gran Tarot, or Visconti-Sforza tarot decks, as Persona 4 Golden previously featured the Hunger and Aeon cards and Persona 5 Royal utilized both Councillor and Faith. However, whichever Arcana might be chosen to represent the protagonist, it is still likely that the Fool Arcana will play an important role in Persona 6 due to both its meaning and its historical relevance throughout the series.
Persona 6 is in development.