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Arc Phantoms
In General
- Action Girl: Yuzu and Ruri are capable of duelists but now get to kick actual ass with their Persona.
- Adaptational Angst Downgrade: Thanks to the Persona, the Phantom Thieves have much less angst to worry about.
- Yuya no longer becomes a Stepford Smiler and finally lets loose on his anger and sadness that has haunted him for three years.
- Yuto no longer has to feel alone now that You Show has accepted him as part of their family.
- Ruri can vent out her stress and frustrations over Obelisk Force and she manages to escape to Synchro with Rin.
- Adaptational Badass: The Arc Phantoms gain power through their Personas and new cards in dueling. For example, Yuya and Yuzu learn Xyz summoning and Yuzu even gets Pendulum cards for her own.
- Code Name: Each thief has one for their very own to protect themselves from being caught by Academia or their targets in the Metaverse.
- Yuya - Arlequin
- Yuzu - Bloom
- Yuto - Revenant
- Ruri - Odette
- Composite Character: Each of the Arc Phantoms is based off of one of the Phantom Thieves of Heart.
- Yuya is, obviously, based on Joker. He wears a black and red Phantom Thief attire, his codename is based on a fool-type character, and he's been looked down upon for something that's not his fault (accused of attacking Sylvio when it was Yuto). He also has a signature set of eyewear like Akira has his glasses.
- Yuzu is Panther, given her use of the color red and her Fire and Healing spells.
- Yuto is Skull, given the undead motif, primarily wearing black, and Thunder being their main element.
- Ruri is Queen, as her weapons are knuckle-dusters.
- Cool Mask: Each thief has their own mask to differentiate from one another.
- Yuya wears a satyr mask that represents how he sees his life as a twisted comedy.
- Yuzu wears an operatic mask to associate with her music-based monsters.
- Yuto has a black feathered mask associated with the darkness and shadows.
- Ruri has a white/black feathered mask to reflect her Lyrilusc monsters.
- Cute and Psycho: Yuya and Yuzu are sweet, kind-hearted teens...and are the most dangerous of the Arc Phantoms thus far. Yuya snapping makes Reiji look ready to wet himself, and Yuzu decides to beat her opponents up with a flaming baseball bat.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Many of the Phantoms were black in their thief attire, but they are 100% on the side of good.
- Decomposite Character: Yuzu and Yuto both have different elements of Skull: Yuto has the black attire and undead inspired Code Name, whereas Yuzu gets Skull's use of baseball bats.
- Henshin Hero: They wear unique outfits and masks in order to access their Persona.
- Hope Bringer: In contrast to Reiji's goal to create an army and initially keeping everyone in the dark about the dimensional war, they decide to help rally people to fight back tyranny and the cruelty of Academia or just stopping a schoolyard bully from suing You Show to oblivion.
- Not So Similar: Discussed. When Yuya, Yuto, and Yuzu decide to steal people's hearts in order to change them from within, they question if they are becoming like Reiji — someone who does shady things without feeling sorry for those he hurt. Yuzu says that what the three are doing is making people smile again and unite for a common cause, while Reiji wants to isolate others.
- Red Is Heroic: Yuya and Yuzu have bright red in their outfits and are noble characters.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Thanks to the Persona, the cast of Arc-V survive their canon fates. Yuto doesn't get assimilated into Yuya and Ruri and Rin don't get parasites in their brains.
- Took a Level in Cheerfulness: The Personas allow the Phantom Thieves to smile more often than before and open up about their problems.
Members
Yuya Sakaki
Yuya Sakaki
Arcana: The Fool
Persona: Dionysus
Son of Yusho Sakaki and the creator of Pendulum Summoning.
His Persona is Dionysus, the Greek God of Wine, Theater, Death and Rebirth.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Yuya still clung to his "Duel With Smiles" philosophy all throughout the anime, even when it would be better for him to just fight. In the story, Yuya knows that he has to fight back if he wishes to survive.
- Adaptational Personality Change: By the time Yuya appears in the beginning of the story, he's much more playful and mischievous.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Yuya mostly just wants to make people smile with his dueling. That said, Reiji instantly recalls that one thing a person must be wary of is the wrath of a gentle man...something he sees first hand when Yuya finally snaps.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Yuya is usually a goofball who likes to make people have fun...and he can also snap like a twig to the point that he can make the likes of Reiji look ready to cry. Fittingly, his Persona is Dionysus who, as one commenter states, "Life of the party one moment, rampaging berserker the next."
- Big "SHUT UP!": Yuya snaps during his duel with Reiji which leads to his screaming his lungs out at the heartless CEO.
- Cosmic Motifs: He's constantly associated with the sun. Ame-no-uzume and Alexis call him "sunshine" and the symbolism of Yuzu gaining her Persona is to help emulate how Ame-no-uzume danced in order to get Amaterasu, Goddess of the sun, out of the cave is like how Yuya steps forward to his performing self. Moreover, Yuya introduces himself in his new Phantom Thief attire by singing a line from Dionysus that goes "Until the sun rises, where the party at?"
- Did You Think I Can't Feel?: Yuya asks this question to Reiji and the LDS trio as to why he's been bullied for something that wasn't his fault.Yuya: Did you think I couldn't feel? Did you think I didn't know what it meant to feel pain? Do you know how much I suffered while you have fathers who dote on you? Who give you all the attention in the world?! If it was your fathers who vanished, do you think I'd laugh at you? Would I look down as you suffer?
- Dishing Out Dirt: Dionysus is capable of summoning chunks of earth or stalagmites.
- I'll Kill You!: Ends up screaming this at Reiji after being called a coward's son far too many times.Yuya: SHUT UP!!!!! Shut up shut up shut up shut up, I hate you, I hate you, I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I'LL KILL YOU I'LL KILL YOU I'LL KILL YOUUUUUU!!!! JUST DIE REIJI AKABAAAAAAA!!!! YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!!
- In-Series Nickname: Ame-no-uzume calls him "Mr. Sunshine."
- The Last Straw: Yuya tolerated the insults and sneers from his peers for three years, but the pressure of facing Reiji's monsters combined with Yaiba and Hokuto calling him a cowardly weakling (to which Reiji just half-heartedly tells them to shut up) has him finally lose it.
- Laughing Mad: After being called a coward one too many times, he ends up laughing during his mental breakdown.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Subverted. Yuya's outfit is red and black, but he's not a bad guy.
- Rule of Symbolism: One comment notes how Yuya was reborn again like Dionysus. Like Dionysus was reborn from Zagreus, Yuya was reborn from Zarc.
- Tarot Motifs: The Fool, obviously. Full of infinite possibility and also known to act like a clown.
- Too Kinky to Torture: When Alexis threatens to have Cyber Blader cut him up and fed to the fish, all he can go is, "Kinky!"
Yuzu Hiragi
Yuzu Hiragi
Arcana: The Lovers
Persona: Ame-no-uzume
Yuya's Childhood Friend and daughter of Shuzo Hiragi
Her Persona is Ame-no-uzume, the Goddess of Dawn, Flowers, and Dancing who famously lured Amaterasu out of the cave by performing a strip-tease.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Compare the girl who struggled with Fusion in the anime to the one in the story who quickly gets the mechanics of Xyz.
- Appropriated Appellation: She gets her codename from Yuya commenting at how she "bloomed" into a beautiful lady when in her thief attire.
- Batter Up!: Her weapon for the Shadow Sora Palace trip is a baseball bat and she's also seen using a bat when Yuya is being interrogated.
- Color Motifs: Red, like her father. Red roses in her outfit and her Persona also has red hair.
- Extremely Protective Child: Yuzu gets her Persona after she sees her father be pushed around by Sylvio and his goons.
- High-Class Gloves: She wears them as part of her Phantom Thief attire.
- The Heart: She's kind and compassionate towards her loved ones, being the one who tells Yuya he's better than Reiji because of how he wants to make people smile and hugs Yuto to tell him that he's not alone in his struggles.
- It Runs in the Family: Both her and her father are associated with the color red, the element of fire, and are very fiery and passionate towards life.
- Light 'em Up: Her Melodious monsters are all Light attribute.
- Love Confession: As Yuya snaps during his duel with Reiji, she confesses that she loves him for all of his positive aspects.
- Neutral Female: Defied. Yuzu is sick and tired of having to stay in the sidelines while others fight her battles and her deciding to fight her battles grants her a Persona.
- Paper Fan of Doom: Like in the anime, she's ready to beat rubbish mentality into submission with her harisen.
- Playing with Fire: She uses Fire spells and uses it to summon fireballs or light her baseball bat on fire.
- Relative Button: Hurt her dad and you are gonna burn.
- Rule of Symbolism: Ame-no-uzume was the goddess who danced to bring the sun back into the world. Yuzu's support is what makes Yuya snap out of his meltdown and to have him bring light and hope back.
- Something about a Rose: Her mask and phantom thief attire has numerous roses.
- Tarot Motifs: The Lovers is about connections and standing by your beliefs. She decides to stop being a Neutral Female and to rescue herself and it is her love for Yuya that awakens his Persona.
Yuto
Yuto
Arcana: The Moon
Persona: Nemesis
- Ascended Extra: Was mostly there to herald that there was something going on with the world of Arc-V, but he's now one of the main characters and founding members of the Arc Phantoms.
- Bolt of Divine Retribution: Nemesis makes her introduction by unleashing lightning on an Ancient Gear Hound.
- Easily Forgiven: His actions nearly led to Reiji buying out You Show, but in his defense, he had no idea that it would lead to such consequences and You Show can see he's sorry.
- Living Is More than Surviving: Yuto snaps when Yuya tries to comfort Yuto that he survived almost losing his head to an animatronic.Yuto: Survived...that's all I do these days. It's all I can do. But I don't want to survive, I want to live!
- Prone to Tears: Yuto is more open to crying in the story, since he's surrounded by so much kindness and love in what is the darkest period of his life.
- Shock and Awe: Nemesis unleashes lightning bolts on the enemy.
- Swallowed Whole: He gets devoured by Shadow Sora — depicted as Freddy Fazbear — and gets trapped in the animatronic's stomach.
- Tarot Motifs: The Moon is a beacon of light in the darkness and when he first appeared, he caused utter confusion on why "Yuya" was dueling Sylvio using an Xyz deck. Nemesis also emerged when Yuto was on the verge of being carded.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Him dueling Sylvio is the reason why the LDS vs You Show duel happened. However, no one blames him for the incident and it ended up being a positive in the long run.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Is terrified of animal animatronics due to him having his head accidentally chomped by a bear animatronic on his 8th birthday.
Ruri Kurosaki
Ruri Kurosaki
Arcana:
Persona: Saraswarti
- Animal Motif: Swans, obviously. But just like swans are known to be dangerous when provoked, Ruri is not afraid to be aggressive in the name of self-defense.
- Dainty Little Ballet Dancers: Subverted. Ruri's attire is based off a ballerina and her codename is named after a ballet, but her first order of business is to crush an Ancient Gear Golem into scrap metal.
- Duality Motif: Her phantom thief attire and mask are black and white, reflecting the White Swan and Black Swan of the ballet she's inspired by.
- Lady Swears-a-Lot: Calls an Obelisk Force soldier "Cum stain" when she decides she is not going to let Academia drag her back to that wretched tower.
- Making a Splash: Saraswati is a Water-elemental Persona and she demonstrates this by summoning a giant watery fist to destroy Ancient Gear Golem.
- Swans A-Swimming: Ruri's animal motif are based on swans. Saraswati is a goddess who rides on the back of a swan, and her codename is Odette, the protagonist of Swan Lake.
Allies
Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi
Tatsuya, Ayu Ayukawa, and Futoshi
Arcana: Wheel of Fortune
Persona: Taweret
- Cheerful Child: They're all sweet, innocent children who do their best to be supportive of their older siblings.
- Rule of Three: Three kids, three animals on the Wheel of Fortune Card itself, and they get their own Persona immediately after seeing Yuzu, Yuya and Yuto's Persona.
- Running Gag: The kids always asking if they can get super powers to which the Personas reply with "No".
- Sweet Tooth: All of them love sweets, happily devouring Taweret's honey cakes and being sad that they can't have candy with Sora after he skedaddles.
- Tarot Motifs: The Wheel of Fortune represents how they are dealing with significant changes in their lives — like Yusho disappearing, Yuya getting Pendulums, and now the whole dimensional war stuff — but also how they wish to do something good by helping others.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Despite being around 8 years old, they are mature enough to understand the severity of Yuto's plight and are willing to comfort him in any way possible, even helping with donating food for Heartland.
Shuzo Hiragi
Shuzo Hiragi
Arcana: The Hierophant
Persona: Agni
- Color Motifs: Red. A Fiery Redhead with a red sports jacket and his Persona, Agni, has red skin.
- Composite Character: The Soujiro Sakura of the Arc Phantoms, with his Persona capable of cooking curry.
- Elemental Motifs: Fire. He always proclaims he's "hot-blooded", his Persona is Agni, the Hindu god of fire, and he proclaims "My blood...is on FIRE!!!" when he decides to fight back against Sylvio.
- Faints in Shock: A Running Gag is him constantly fainting at the sight of the Persona like Taweret or Agni.
- Hot-Blooded: He's a passionate, fiery coach who loves screaming at the top of his lungs. Agni being his Persona was a no-brainer.
Zarc
- Ambiguously Evil: Is Zarc just as evil as he is in the anime? He plays the role of Igor in the fanfic, and in Persona 5, Igor was actually Yaldaboth in disguise, manipulating Akira from the shadows.
Targets
Sylvio Sawatari
- Adaptational Jerkass: Sylvio was at his worst an annoying pompous blowhard. In here, he's willing to sue You Show for the "trauma" they give him and will only rescind if Yuzu gives up her Pendulums and a formal written apology.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: Sylvio invokes this when he tries out the Amazement archetype against Yuzu, using the type of sleight of hand tricks that made Yusho famous while also using a monster that looks similar to Yusho Sakaki himself.
- Composite Character: He's the first target like Shido, but his Palace is themed after an art gallery like Madarame.
- Curb Stomp Cushion: Gets his ass beat by Yuzu, but he did take off half of her lifepoints and destroyed one of her Xyz monsters in the process.
- Dark Is Evil: More like "Dark is an asshole", but Sylvio uses the Dark-attribute Amazement archetype in his duel against Yuzu's Light associated Melodious.
- Dub Name Change: Like all Arc-V stories written by Green Phantom Queen, he goes by Sylvio instead of Shingo.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Sylvio is a prick, but the Arc Phantoms realize he's not wrong in his remarks.
- When Sora tries to make a point that Yuya is better than Sylvio, Sylvio points out that Sora is a hypocrite. After all, if Sora did care about You Show, why didn't he try to defend it instead of having Gongenzaka take his place because Gongenzaka wasn't a You Show student but Sora was? Yuya and Yuzu are stunned to hear Sylvio being right for once.
- In his duel against Yuzu, Sylvio points out that he can rightfully sue Yuto for emotional trauma because Yuto was being aggressive in their duel, even throwing a spear at Sylvio that looked like he was going to kill the haughty LDS student.
- Starter Villain: The first official target of the Arc Phantoms.
Other Characters
Alexis Rhodes
A student of Academia who defected and teamed up with Yusho Sakaki. She hopes to get to the bottom of the Arc Phantoms' actions.
- Audience Surrogate: She's unraveling the truth about Yuya's Persona related escapades alongside the reader.
- Composite Character: The Sae Nijima of the story who hopes to uncover the truth about the changing of hearts.
- Shout-Out: Is first seen performing in an opera ala Parasite Eve.
