Death Arcana

The Death Arcana is a recurring Arcana revolving around the Persona franchise.

Overview
The Death Arcana is debatably one of the most misunderstood cards in the standard Tarot deck because of its common interpretations that imply a physical death. While it is certainly associated with foreboding and doom, the Death Arcana also symbolizes metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles. In the earliest Tarot decks, it was the only Arcana that didn't have a name, but the depictions of an ominous skeleton bearing a scythe led people to call it Death.

When one follows the order of the cards in the Tarot deck, one can notice that the Death Arcana implies a change in the deck. The Arcana before this one are the "small mysteries" and are often represented by human figures, while the "great mysteries" following Death include celestial symbols and angels.

The Personas of the Death Arcana are commonly associated with and excel in Dark-based affinities, but are weak towards Light-based affinities. Mythological figures of the Death Arcana are usually figures related to death or are notable in their myths for their own deaths.

In recent games, characters of the Death Arcana are associated directly with death, but a commonality that connects all Death Arcana characters is the cycles of change they experience. Their lives have a strong focus on someone that they care for dearly, but are separated from due to some form of tragedy. They carry great guilt inside for this tragedy, despite carrying little to no responsibility for causing it. It's through the bond with the protagonist that they're able to forgive themselves and look to the future with hope.

Appearances

 * Megami Ibunroku Persona
 * Persona 2: Innocent Sin
 * Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
 * Persona 3 / FES / Portable
 * Persona 4 / Golden
 * Persona 4 Arena
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
 * Persona 5 / Royal
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
 * Persona 5 Strikers

List of Personas
In Megami Ibunroku Persona and Persona 2, this Arcanum corresponds to the Reaper race.

Innocent Sin
The Death Tarot is a high leveled Arcana. As their Arcana suggests, the Personas of the Death Arcana focus on Dark-based attacks, while they are weak towards Light-based attacks. The Death Arcana is also the Arcana of the playable character Eikichi Mishina.

Eikichi follows the archetype of the Death Arcana by transforming from his shy, lonely childhood self into a flamboyant, overconfident macho persona. Yet even as swept by the changes in his lifestyle he remains the same person; a timid, sensitive person hidden beneath a boisterous mask, with a deep appreciation for friends.

In the same vein, the cycles the Death Arcana promises are revealed as Eikichi's fears: he assumed said personality as to no longer fear the bullying he endured as a child, but eventually had to deal with his fear of his father and his open disapproval of what Eikichi had become.

Eternal Punishment
The Death Tarot returns as a high leveled Arcana. It retains the same Persona attributes and affinities as its predecessor.

Persona 3
The Death Arcana plays a major role in Persona 3. Years prior to the events of Persona 3, the Kirijo Group founded an experiment hoping to study the nature, and hoped to convert the power of, Shadows. During the experiment, the lead scientists learned about the prophecy of the Fall, and subsequently, the Arcana that was never meant to be, the Death Arcana.

Accepting death as a deliverance, many scientists willingly embrace it and began collecting more Shadows, to rejuvenate Death and summon it. However, during the last stages of the experiment, one of the lead scientists, Eiichiro Takeba objected to the ideal and interrupted the experiment. As a result, Death was forcefully separated into twelve respective Arcana Shadows. In his incomplete state, Death tried to run away, however, his escape was stopped by the Anti-Shadow weapon, Aigis. In their battle on the Moonlit Bridge, Death was eventually sealed within a young boy. The young boy is the protagonist.

Years later, the protagonist is able to interact with an amnesiac young child named Pharos. He constantly speaks of the Fall, and gives the protagonist vague hints regarding Death. At some point, Pharos would request the protagonist to be his friend, allowing him to forge the Death Arcana Social Link. Unique from other Social Links, the Death Arcana automatically upgraded from time to time, regardless of whether the protagonist visits Tartarus or not (Pharos can only be interacted with during the Dark Hour). By defeating the Hanged Man, the final ordeal of the Full Moon, the Death Social Link will automatically maximize itself, bestowing the protagonist the ultimate Persona of the Social Link, Thanatos, the bringer of death.

Pharos would later regain his memories, and bids farewell to the protagonist. A young man named Ryoji Mochizuki shows up as a transfer student a few days later, who Aigis is immediately hostile towards. Eventually, it is revealed that Ryoji Mochizuki harbors something more horrible: he is the manifestation of Pharos, which is also Death given form. He is given a human-like appearance and emotions via the protagonist while he was assuming the form of Pharos, and his existence proves the unavoidable prophecy of the Fall.

As Ryoji is the Appriser of Nyx, he is destined to be the harbinger of Death and summon Nyx to destroy humanity.

In the end, Ryoji offers the protagonist two choices: to kill him instead of facing Nyx. By killing Ryoji, however, the memories of the Dark Hour would be wiped clean and the members of SEES will live their lives as normal students until the arrival of Nyx. Declining Ryoji's offers to kill him results in providing the members of SEES with useful information regarding a confrontation with Nyx at the top of Tartarus on the destined day, January 31st.

On January 31st, Ryoji now serves as an avatar of Nyx, bearing the potential and skills of the twelve previous shadows. Throughout the battle, Nyx Avatar, after having gone through twelve forms, finally shifts to a melancholic tone, revealing his true Arcana: Death. In SEES final confrontation and the protagonist creating The Universe Arcana with Igor's help, Igor states that fate has dealt the protagonist's Death, but it is the path of the protagonist's choosing whether to avert or accept the fate that allowed him to go so far.

Persona 4
The Death Arcana Social Link is represented by Hisano Kuroda, an elderly widow. The protagonist can start the Social Link once the Devil Arcana Social Link with Sayoko Uehara has reached level 4. After first meeting her in the hospital at night, she can be found by the banks of the Samegawa Flood Plain every Sunday or during holidays if the weather is sunny or cloudy. By the end of the Social Link, the ultimate form of the Death Arcana, Mahakala, the King of Darkness, will be bestowed.

Persona 4 Arena
The Death Arcana is represented by Elizabeth and her Persona, Thanatos. In Ultimax, she is instead represented by the Fool Arcana.

Persona 5
The Death Arcana is represented by the Confidant with Tae Takemi, which ranks up as the protagonist interacts with her. This Confidant unlocks new medicines, accessories, discounts and item efficiency improvements as it ranks up.

Tae's confidant involves her drive to make medicine to save a terminally ill patient of hers. Completing the Death Arcana Confidant will also bestow the ultimate form of the Arcana, Alice.

Since Persona 5 uses the naming terminology from the Tarot of Marseilles deck, the Death Arcana is unnamed.

Royal
In Persona 5 Royal, Death Arcana has been adjusted slightly with the addition of Nue from the Moon Arcana.