Tarot

History
Tarot Cards are the individual cards of the Tarot Deck, a type of playing card deck occasionally used for divination and standard games. A standard Tarot deck will consist of seventy-eight cards: twenty-two which are uniquely numbered and illustrated with Roman numerals, called the Major Arcana, plus fifty-six cards separated in four suits (Coins, Cups, Wands, and Swords) and numbered from One to Ten, with the additional cards of Page, Knight, Queen and King for each suit, called the Minor Arcana. There have been a few commonly accepted variations on the Arcana historically, but for the purposes of Sayonara Wild Hearts, the classic Tarot of Marseilles design is used.

Sayonara Wild Hearts
In the game, all of the Major Arcana show up in card forms, though many of them also have other shapes or presentations as well. Some (such as the Fool, the Death, the Devil, and others) have human forms that are either the player's character or her opponents. Others (such as the Wheel of Fortune, the Strength, and so on) appear as tools or weapons that are essential to the chapter designs.

The Fool - 0
Always depicted as the first or final Major Arcana (similar to how in a standard playing card deck the Ace may act as both the smallest and largest value in certain games), the Fool Arcana represents a person undergoing a journey, or alternatively a person with greatly unrealized potential. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the player is represented by the main character who becomes The Fool, going on a journey through the rest of the Arcana to reach peace of heart and mind at the end of the game.

The Magician - I
The Magician Arcana represents the vision and drive to achieve a goal, often through applying personal growth and learning to harness one's own potential. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the Magician is a very unusual card in that it only appears if the player has been failing a chapter in the same place repeatedly, offering the ability to skip to the next section.

The High Priestess - II
The High Priestess Arcana represents internal wisdom, as well as the confluence of instincts and intellect to determine one's actions. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the High Priestess is one of the three "Divine Arcana" mentioned in the prologue cutscene and epilogue section of the game, and does not otherwise have a functional purpose in the game. Given its standard meaning, it may be implied that the withdrawal of the High Priestess in the prologue indicates the main character losing her way and being confused about how to proceed in the face of her crisis.

The Empress - III
The Empress Arcana represents creativity, caring, and the ability to see the wonder and beauty intrinsic in the world. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the Empress is one of the three "Divine Arcana" mentioned in the prologue cutscene and epilogue section of the game, and does not otherwise have a functional purpose in the game. Given its standard meaning, it may be implied that the withdrawal of the Empress in the prologue indicates the main character losing her enthusiasm for life and her sense of creativity, as well as her plunge into depression.

The Emperor - IV
The Emperor Arcana represents determination, perseverance, courage, and control (both of oneself and of one's circumstances). In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the Emperor appears as a white stag primarily in the chapter "Forest Ghost," where it first guides The Fool safely through the forest before allowing her to jump on its back and ride it to cross a series of jumps that would be otherwise difficult to make on The Wheel of Fortune. The Emperor does also re-appear in "Wild Hearts Never Die" during a sequence in which The Fool rides The Emperor again to confront the Howling Moons.

The Hierophant - V
Also sometimes known as The High Priest, the Hierophant Arcana represents education, self-awareness, and understanding of the esoteric or obscure. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the Hierophant is one of the three "Divine Arcana" mentioned in the prologue cutscene and epilogue section of the game, and does not otherwise have a functional purpose in the game. Given its standard meaning, it may be implied that the withdrawal of the Hierophant in the prologue indicates the main character losing her self-awareness and any clarity of vision regarding her own mindset and emotional state.

The Lovers - VI
The Lovers Arcana represents the types of love, crossroads, and understanding others. In Sayonara Wild Hearts, the Lovers appear not only as a card during the prologue cutscene and "Heartbreak III," but also as the active opponent Stereo Lovers in the chapters "Hearts and Swords," "Parallel Universes," and "Mine." This section of the game depicts the stage of Bargaining, in which The Fool is forced to make choices and defeat her vacillatory state of mind caught between wanting to relive the past and needing to move on. All three chapters heavily involve imagery of branching roads, making choices, and a split nature. The Lovers do also re-appear in "Wild Hearts Never Die" during a sequence in which The Fool confronts Stereo Lovers one last time.

The Chariot - VII
Appearances: Car in "Night Drift"

The Justice - VIII
Appearances: Minigun in "Laser Love," "Dead of Night," "Hate Skulls," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Hermit - IX
Appearances: Card in "Heartbreak IV," Hermit64 in "Night Drift," "Reverie," "The World We Knew," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Wheel of Fortune - X
Appearances: Motorbike in "Doki Doki Rush," "Fighting Hearts," "Begin Again," "Forest Ghost," "Forest Dub," "Laser Love," "Dead of Night," "Heartbreak III," "Hearts and Swords," "Parallel Universes," "Mine," "Transonic Gravity," "Hate Skulls," "Inside," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Strength - XI
Appearances: Sword in "Hearts & Swords," "Mine," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Hanged Man - XII
Appearances: Hate Skulls in "Transonic Gravity," "Hate Skulls," "Inside," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Death - XIII
Appearances: Card in Prologue and "Heartbreak V," Little Death in "Transonic Gravity," "Hate Skulls," "Inside," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Temperance - XIV
Appearances: Bow in "Hate Skulls," "Inside," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Devil - XV
Appearances: Card in Prologue and "Heartbreak I," Fighting Devils in "Doki Doki Rush," "Fighting Hearts," "Begin Again," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Tower - XVI
Appearances: Tower in "Heartbreak III"

The Star - XVII
Appearances: Card and Boat in "Heartbreak V"

The Moon - XVIII
Appearances: Card in Prologue and "Heartbreak II," Howling Moons in "Forest Ghost," "Forest Dub," "Laser Love," "Dead of Night," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The Sun - XIX
Appearances: Shock Obstacle in "Transonic Gravity"

The Judgment - XX
Appearances: Minigun in "Laser Love," "Dead of Night," "Hate Skulls," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"

The World - XXI
Appearances: VR Mask in "Night Drift," "Reverie," "The World We Knew," and "Wild Hearts Never Die"