Since it's not likely I'll be completing this story, I wanted to make a chapter revealing my character designs and themes. I'm working off a similar layout to Persona 4, so you might notice many similarities between Higurashi and Persona 4 persona users.

Again, this will be heavy spoilers. If I do continue this story, please skip this chapter so as to not be spoiled.

You have been warned.


Let's summarize:

I've revealed the following details of the two characters.

Keichi

* Arcana: Magician

* Magician was chosen simply because Keichi's faux main character status made him very close to Fool, but not quite.

* Keichi's house

* Palace: City School

* Equivalent: Yosuke Hanamura

* Shadow:

* Dark figure attached to a desk

* Desk is being picked up and carried by numerous hands symbolizing the other students Keichi believed was beneath him due to his good grades. It also represents the shame he feels at being helped by others despite feeling like he doesn't deserve any sympathy.

* To his arms, a bat is conjoined to one and a toy gun to the other. This symbolizes how he can't separate himself from his past and how the Hinamizawa syndrome has affected his mind to such a degree that all he knows is violence.

* His theme is narcissism, self-hatred, and a desire to hide away from a horrible past.

* Wind-based attacks.

The following will contain heavy spoilers!


Rika

* Arcana: Fortune

* I initially thought of using Priestess, but I felt Fortune was more relevant given her time traveling powers.

* Also, given Satoko's arcana of Strength, I thought it was a good fit to give Fortune to Rika.

The next bits are for later in the story.

* Palace: None (in Shion's)

* Equivalent: Teddy

* Shadow:

* Since Rika is Teddy's equivalent, this would happen later in the story, during Shion's arc.

* Her shadow would be a giant porcelain doll version of herself with cracks in several areas, most notably her right eye area and separation between her torso and legs at the midsection (for obvious reasons).

* She would be conjoined to a structure via a mixture of barbed wire and bandages (the latter of which would be covering her left eye).

* At the top of the structure would be a giant clock that, if one looks closely, they could observe was ticking backward.

* Her theme would be fatalism and helplessness.

* Instant kill dark, light, and physical attacks.


Mion

* Arcana: Empress

* Given her heiress status, I felt empress was the most appropriate.

* It would be at the Sonozaki residence.

* Palace: Castle (Like Yukiko's)

* Equivalent: A mixture of Yukiko and Chie

* Shadow:

* It would be like a giant ogre in a cage.

* Its face would have a demon mask-like appearance, with the mask frowning.

* It would be wearing Mion's traditional yukata.

* The cage can symbolize Mion's feeling of being trapped by her family lineage.

* The ogre mask represents the tomboyish/powerful front she puts on as a result of being an heiress to the Sonozaki family as well as trying to hide her femininity.

* Her theme would be a feeling of being trapped and wanting to be saved by a strong man, similar to Yukiko's desire for her "prince charming." There would be also be themes of being ashamed of her femininity while simultaneously wanting to embrace it. That could mirror Kanji's confusion with his masculinity in Persona 4.

* Ice-type attacks.


Shion

* Arcana: Lovers

* Given her flirty and laidback demeanor, I think this was appropriate.

* Also, her infatuation with Satoshi helps.

* Palace: Strip Club is like Rise's except that it parodies Saint Lucia Academy. It would be at Saint Lucia Academy.

* Shadow:

* Like Mion, it would have a demon mask, except this one would be smiling.

* It would have the same squishy colorful body as Rise's. Electric-type attacks.

* The main theme would be love and a feeling of becoming evil for the sake of love, as denoted by the demon mask. It would also be the feeling of guilt Shion had for not being able to protect Satoshi, for which the shadow is portrayed as a stripper to represent the cheapness of her love.

* This one would be attack rather than support.


Rena

* Arcana: Hanged Man

* I felt Hanged Man was most important given it relates to people going through life-changing events, and since it's often used to represent people persecuted for crimes, Rena was the obvious choice.

* Palace: Secret base. Her headquarters at the garbage dump.

* Equivalent: Naoto

* Shadow:

* This one was pretty difficult to conceptualize.

* I settled on a theme of flies and made her shadow take on the form of a tall, fly-like creature. It would have spindly limbs, fly wings, one eye that was human while the other was a fly's.

* It would wear Rena's casual outfit.

* In its hand would be Rena's iconic hatchet.

* I chose "fly" for the fact that Rena's favorite place to go would be the garbage dump, which flies also usually like to be around.

* Also, since her Hinamizawa took the form of maggots coming out of her wounds, a fly was appropriate for that reason too.

* It also has the theme of being disliked since people don't generally like having flies around, it can be interpreted as a representation of how Rena views herself.

* It may also represent the way she distances herself from others due to her paranoia.

* One eye being a fly and the other being human can represent her two-faced nature.

* Finally, flies are known to be perceptive and have great reflexes, which is something Rena has demonstrated.

* Her attacks are fire-based.


* Takano Miyo is Namatame's equivalent, so no persona for her. Her arcana would be Justice. She would take Kunino Sagiri and have a similar angel-like appearance with a bit more godliness to fit her god complex. Her palace would be Heaven. Satako would be dragged in since her equivalent is Nanako. (Yes, I watched Gou and Sotsu.)


* Culprit

* Yes, there is an overarching antagonist.

* I'm not really revealing any details of the culprit. All I can say is that I haven't planned on using Adachi in this story.