| Social Links - Fool to Strength
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- 0. The Fool
- Joker: He was Sudou's master before the King was killed in the line of duty. It evens out, since he's not Joker anymore either.
- II. The High Priestess
- Yukiko Amagi: She tossed him some heals during Caracol and is also fiery. Not much beyond that yet, though.
- III. The Empress
- Maria von Leonbrandt: Mom. An Austrian diplomat and his wife were sent to Japan during World War II and, when the War ended, never left. Maria was born a few years afterwards. After obtaining a first-rate education, she found a position as a secretary in the Foreign Ministry (it was the 1970s, after all) and there attracted the notice of a young minister...you get the idea. Their relationship turned rocky after Tatsuya was born, and steadily declined over the next decade. When Tatsuya was ten, she died...as far as he knows, anyway. He idealises her, misses her terribly, and visits her grave often. And, of course, hates his father all the more for (among other things) having her killed.
- Tsukiko Otonashi: One of Sudou's liaisons to the other branches of the NWO, SEBEC's fall has shifted her into a position as a corporate ally of the government arm. She's extremely learned in matters both mystical and technological and, though they do argue at times, they generally get on well.
- Nanami Kato: Another socialite and victim of an overbearing, easily-disappointed father, Nanami has found a tentative place in the NWO at Sudou's behest. He genuinely likes and empathises with Miwa Saitou's childhood friend...when he's not fantasizing about sinking his fangs into her throat, anyway. She's also missing an eye, further endearing her to him.
- Mitsuru Kirijo: Seiichi's love interest. Sudou's conflicted over Mitsuru due to this fact, though he no longer considers killing her as a way of winning back Seiichi's unfailing loyalty. He's well aware it wouldn't work.
- Susumu Kamiya: Nika's bestie and Sudou's newest errand boy, as it were. Sudou doesn't hold Susumu's tendency to avoid combat against him, at least; Susumu has other talents.
- IV. The Emperor
- Yisa Taimiev: He wants to see her beautiful fury again, and is Upset about being denied it the way he was. She will learn not to deny him, next time.
- Nika Rumyantseva: SO ADORBS. Sudou finds Nika's rage beautiful as well, though it's a different kind of beauty. It's safe to say he's very fond of the gaijin girl.
- V. The Hierophant
- Tatsuzou Sudou: Dad. The one person Tatsuya hates above all others, especially now that he doesn't hate certain other people anymore. He's less afraid of Tatsuzou than he used to be, though; now, he just has a serious craving for revenge.
- Shinjiro Aragaki: They have more in common than either would like to admit, the two Leos. It's been learning this that's eased Sudou's feelings on the boy, though there's still a good deal of mistrust there. The fact that Shinjiro's Shadow attacked Sudou in the latter's own home shortly after his death doesn't help.
- Yui Utsuki: Former Stregite, newest Dragon. Helped out when Sudou and his band of merry (wo)men raided Sumiyoshi HQ, and has assisted them in the past. He thinks she's awfully...young.
- VI. The Lovers
- Ginji Sasaki: A former founding executive of the Masquerade, and the only one who didn't defect with Sudou after the latter's death. Despite this, Sudou finds he can't really hate the guy for some reason. Maybe it's Ginji's charm, maybe it's their previous long-standing working relationship, maybe it's just the plain fact that Sudou's less likely to take offense at every little damn thing nowadays.
- Mikage Kohama: Another of Sudou's former colleagues, Mikage recently gave up on the NWO as a way of distancing herself from her father. She really seems to want to bang Sudou, a fact he's only just beginning to notice.
- Lisa Silverman: One of Jun's friends. She finds Sudou creepy and disturbing, a fact no one can really argue with.
- VII. The Chariot
- Yoh Yamagatani: Yoh likes punching things. Sudou is an excellent challenge. That's pretty much it. The kid seems to think they're friends, but Sudou would be hard-pressed to recall the kid's name if asked for it.
- William Blazer: An American expat working for the NWO, he's a good employee who...might need to have a chat with Sudou soon, ouch.
- Chie Satonaka: An employee of the KDA, Sudou inadvertently hired Chie with a blank check and an instruction. He used her account to post to the Darkside board one time; it earned him a whacking with a newspaper. They get on well enough, for all that.
- VIII. Justice
- Katsuya Suou: Sudou nearly killed Katsuya's brother, the aftermath of which disgraced the Suous' father and put Katsuya on the path to becoming a police officer -- unfortunately, not the career he wanted. It's pretty safe to say Katsuya hates Sudou, though the latter is only dimly aware of the detective's existence. This will undoubtedly change soon.
- IX. The Hermit
- Shizuka Taniguchi: One of the former executives. She seems to have a close relationship with Haruna Satou, though not one Sudou's had much opportunity to observe in the wild.
- Izo Imaizumi: SOON
- Rei Saionji: Tatsuzou's personal assistant, and therefore instantly and irrevocably on the younger Sudou's shit list. They've exchanged snubs and jabs, but neither can really explain why they hate one another. Maybe it has to do with something they don't really remember...
- Eien Seida: After gaining some very disturbing insights into the former executive's psyche via accidental contact, the young psychometrist ambushed Sudou to learn the truth of his death. Their subsequent proved much more open and frank than perhaps either of them had anticipated.
- X. The Wheel of Fortune
- Junko Kurosu: Jun's mother, Akinari Kashihara's ex-wife, and one of the founding executives of the Masquerade. Junko defected with Sudou after the latter's death, but never relinquished or lost her Crystal Skull (which is now probably in use as a funky planter or something). The two are (perhaps predictably) great friends, and often attend classy social events together.
- Jun Kurosu: Kashihara-sensei's son, Jun gave Sudou something to believe in and live for when he was on the brink of utter despair. He cared for the boy when they were both young, cares for him still, and will fight anyone who would try to harm Jun -- especially if they come seeking revenge for anything Jun did as Joker-sama.
- XI. Strength
- Masahiko Irie: Masahiko causes the former executive a great deal of consternation, especially with this "Kagutsuchi" organisation of his. Sudou finds him pretentious, sanctimonious, self-righteous, and a lot of other very hypocritical things.
- Enoha Koinose: Enoha's neesan waves cannot be denied, even by Tatsuya Sudou. Science fact.
- Thora Kobayashi: Once affiliated with the Tower Arcana, Thora has now undergone a shift Sudou hasn't fully investigated, but which he suspects is related to her falling out with Shirou Sekigawa. The King and the Oni have history, to be certain. Currently, they're sort of working together in the hopes of getting Akari Hoshi unpossessed, though Sudou only gives a shit about the difference because Shadow-Possession is hazardous to one's health.
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| Social Links - Hanged to World
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- XII. The Hanged Man
- Tohya Kidzuki: She wasn't Hanged when they met, but Sudou counts the ex-KNOWS member as one of the few Darkside affiliates he can tolerate. Recently, the former executive gave her a new katana to replace the one she'd been wielding -- knowing very well there might come a day when she was forced to turn it against him. That wasn't the point.
- Baofu: Sudou has an odd sort of alliance with the tap buster, owing to their mutual hatred for the former's father. They may very well defeat the old dragon one day...or, at the very least, they'll die trying.
- XIII. Death
- Seiichi Miyamoto: Sudou's best friend, inexplicably. The two men have a complicated relationship that has come a long way from the business arrangement it initially was. Sudou genuinely cares for Seiichi -- in fact, he cares for him past the point of foolishness, or even simple good sense. It was Seiichi who pushed Sudou out of a critical moment of existential crisis as well, prompting another stage of development after the latter's death. And of course now they both wear eyepatches, because apparently the cosmos decided they needed to be similar somehow, or something.
- Haruna Satou: A fellow dreamseer and Mayan scholar, Sudou had the unenviable task of breaking the news to Haruna that the paradise for which they'd strived was a lie. He felt worse about this than he did when informing the other executives, due to the nature of their connection.
- Eikichi Mishina: Another of Jun's friends. Eikichi landed the final blow on Sudou on the airship, finally putting an end to both the latter's mad rampage and his life. Also kind of a dweeb, even if his Shadow very much wasn't.
- XIV. Temperance
- Naomi Suzuno: At their first actual meeting at Okina Prison, Tatsuya surprised and disconcerted Naomi by casually referencing "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", a poem she knows well -- and found engraved into a blade she received from Takahisa Kandori while in KNOWS. Tatsuya finds himself both impressed with and occasionally frustrated (and confounded) by the Spencer heiress; while he likes and respects her for her talents and accomplishments, he's willing to cross swords with her if necessary. Still, after his death, the two nevertheless struck a bargain that would have dire consequences for them both should it ever come to pass. He's also found he prefers her to her Shadow. Unrelatedly, Naomi's father Miles Spencer seems to like Sudou for some reason.
- Shion Katsuragi: She and Sudou were acquainted -- friends, even -- in high school thanks to track meets, and she may have been his first real crush. They recently reconnected at a ball thrown by Rei Saionji, though they (unbeknownst to Shion) have actually met once in the Inaba Mines. But we don't talk about that. The sort of woman he might fall hard for, were it not for the fact that he's already romantically involved.
- Miwa Saitou: One of the Shinsengumi, and impressively learned in the occult and other esoteric matters. He's fond of Miwa in his way, which causes her no end of discomfiture.
- XV. The Devil
- Daisuke Itami: Daisuke is a pro at getting under people's skin, and Sudou is no exception. Something else is going on there, though...
- XVI. The Tower
- Anna Yoshizaka: The fourth founding executive of the Masquerade, and Sudou's romantic interest. It's safe to say he loves her more than is healthy, given how she tends to be cold and standoffish and a whole lot of other things that are the opposite of "loving girlfriend." However, she does have her own feelings for him in turn, complicated as they may be, and it's because of them that she was instrumental in drawing him out of his first and most critical existential crisis immediately subsequent to his death. Recent weeks have seen a positive shift in their relationship...if something that so feeds on violence and brutality can be called "positive," anyway.
- Takahisa Kandori: Kandori broke Sudou's trust by nearly killing Anna and, while Sudou repaid the favour, the incident irrevocably destroyed their once-close relationship. It's for the best, really; a few months after their fight, Kandori was killed by some teenagers seeking to prevent the end of the world. Good riddance.
- Mai Namikawa: That thing about being on good terms? Ha ha ha yeah that was a joke.
- Mikiya Ryouhara: The shinobi has taken it upon himself to execute Sudou as punishment for the Shadows that invaded in the wake of the latter's death, both the ones he engineered and the ones he didn't. So far, Mikiya hasn't succeeded.
- XVII. The Star
- Yukio Fujii: They had an unpleasant run-in at a fancy party. Given their mutual luck, it probably won't be the last unpleasant run-in they have.
- XVIII. The Moon
- Akari Hoshi: Once King Leo's minion and chief occupational hazard, Akari has become more of a sister-slash-daughter to the former executive. Abandoning her parents entirely, she's taken up residence in Sudou's flat (where she has her own room) and is now legitimately his ward. She appears to have forgiven him for taking her hostage at the Sky Museum, even though the entire episode resulted in her Shadow becoming ascendant and possessing her. Oops.
- Maya Amano: Now that the Voices are gone, Sudou finds he's half-awed, half-chastened by the woman he hunted for so long. Alone of all the people he's harmed over the years, Maya is the one who stirs genuine feelings of regret in the former executive's battered heart. Especially because she's forgiven and accepted him, taming the proud creature further.
- Kohaku Tsukino: Crooked cop, courier, spotter, and bootlicker extraordinaire, Kohaku received his induction into the supernatural at Sudou's inadvertent hands. Subsequent encounters have proven to Leo that the cop is extremely useful...and to Kohaku, that the once-executive is fucking terrifying as hell. The departure of the Voices hasn't changed this, it would seem.
- XIX. The Sun
- Tatsuya Suou: Sudou's namesake. While the elder Tatsuya can't find it in himself to hate Suou anymore (seems it's all burnt out), and in spite of the fact that they no longer appear to occupy the same metaphysical space, they're still opposed for various other reasons. At least they don't give each other headaches just by being near each other, though there is still an uncomfortable spiritual intimacy there.
- Kyo Enda: It is perhaps telling that Sudou cannot quite bring himself not to view the cunning sociopath's Shadow form as adorable and pettable. Unsurprisingly, they have a complicated relationship -- especially given Kyo's behaviour toward Seiichi Miyamoto and Akari Hoshi. Sudou did feed him the corpse of Naomi Suzuno's Shadow, though.
- XX. Judgement
- Michio Magaride: One of the former Masquerade executives. Sudou has an appreciation for the youth's...attention to cleanliness, let's say.
- Shirou Sekigawa: At this point Sudou kind of doesn't care anymore, to be quite honest.
- Frederick Blazer: William Blazer's elder brother and, apparently, hunter. Sudou is aware of their relationship, and of Fred's reason for being in Japan. He finds the situation...amusing.
- XXI. The World
- Nyarlathotep: FUCK YOU GHOST DAD
- Philemon: Legitimately believes in Tatsuya. Yeah, he's just as surprised as you are.
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