Tarot in games and anime quiz: from JoJo to Persona
A pop-culture tarot quiz: JoJo's Stands, the arcana of Persona, Arcana Force monsters, and the cards of Balatro and The Binding of Isaac. Five of 12.
- 5 questions
- ≈ 2 min
- +5 bronze keys for a flawless run
Where does tarot show up in games and anime?
The Major Arcana left the fortune-teller's parlour long ago and moved into pop culture. This quiz checks whether you can spot tarot in games and anime: whose powers are named after the trumps, where the cards stand for a hero's friendships, and where flipping a card upside down changes what it does under the rules.
Why tarot? The 22 trumps come with vivid images and ready-made characters: the Fool is the newcomer, the Hermit the loner, the Devil temptation. A writer never has to explain what Death or the World means; the picture already tells a story. The deck also has a fixed order, which is easy to turn into a plot arc or a levelling system.
Which anime named its heroes' powers after the arcana?
The best-known case is Stardust Crusaders, the third part of Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In the first half of the story the characters' Stands are named after the Major Arcana, and in the second half after Egyptian gods. Jotaro's Stand is Star Platinum, from the Star. Joseph's is Hermit Purple, from the Hermit. Iggy the dog wields The Fool, and the villain Dio wields The World.
In the Persona games tarot is built into the mechanics. Each of the hero's friendships is tied to an arcana, and the protagonist usually carries the Fool, the starting point open to every other card. Persona 5 even has a fortune-teller character linked to the Fortune arcana.
Cards as a game mechanic
The Yu-Gi-Oh! card game has a series of monsters called Arcana Force: when one is summoned you toss a coin, and the result decides whether its upright or reversed effect applies. In the roguelike The Binding of Isaac, tarot cards are consumables with different bonuses, and the Repentance expansion added reversed versions that do something else.
In the poker roguelike Balatro, 22 tarot cards provide different effects, each named after a Major Arcana card. In Cult of the Lamb, tarot cards grant blessings for the length of a run. None of this is divination, but it shows how durable these images are, six centuries after they were first painted in Italy.
All questions and answers
Open after you play: the full question set with right answers and explanations.
1. Which trump is Joseph Joestar's Stand Hermit Purple named after?
Right answer: The Hermit
Hermit Purple is a vine Stand that seeks out hidden things, much like the Hermit with his lantern.
2. Which anime named its characters' Stands after the Major Arcana?
Right answer: JoJo
In Hirohiko Araki's Stardust Crusaders, the Stands of the first half are named after the Major Arcana.
3. Which trump gives its name to Dio's Stand, the main villain of JoJo?
Right answer: The World
Dio's Stand is The World. The last card of the Major Arcana went to the strongest enemy of all.
4. What are the Major Arcana tied to in the Persona games?
Right answer: The hero's friendships
Each of the hero's social bonds in Persona is tied to an arcana. Stronger bonds mean stronger personas.
5. Which arcana does the protagonist of the Persona games usually carry?
Right answer: The Fool
The Persona protagonist starts with the Fool, card zero, the one open to every other arcana.
6. Why do game and anime creators love the Major Arcana?
Right answer: They come with vivid images
The Fool, the Hermit, Death: each tells a story at a glance, so writers need not build the image from scratch.
7. In Yu-Gi-Oh!, what does the coin toss decide for Arcana Force monsters?
Right answer: Upright or reversed effect
When an Arcana Force monster is summoned, a coin toss decides whether its upright or reversed effect applies.
8. The Binding of Isaac has reversed tarot cards.
Right answer: True
The Repentance expansion added reversed versions of the tarot cards, each with a different effect.
9. How many tarot cards are there in Balatro?
Right answer: 22, one per Major Arcana
Balatro has 22 tarot cards, each named after a Major Arcana card, from the Fool to the World.
10. Every Stand in JoJo's third part is named after a tarot card.
Right answer: Myth
The arcana covered the first half. In the second half the Stands are named after Egyptian gods.
11. Polnareff's Stand in JoJo is Silver Chariot. Which trump is it?
Right answer: The Chariot
Silver Chariot is a swift armoured swordsman, a clear nod to the Chariot card.
12. What do tarot cards give you in Cult of the Lamb?
Right answer: Bonuses for the current run
In Cult of the Lamb, tarot cards grant blessings that last until the end of the current run.