Characters / The Caligula Effect The Protagonist

Voiced by: Chiharu Sawashiro (Male Protagonist, Ritsu Shikishima — Episode 1-9, 12), Nobuhiko Okamoto (Ritsu Shikishima — Episode 11-12), Miyuki Sawashiro (Female Protagonist), ??? (Lucid)

The nameless protagonist called into Mobius by µ in the beginning of the game. During the second year entrance ceremony, they begin to realize that something is wrong and become aware of being stuck inside of a virtual world.

They meet up with Aria, a virtuadoll that explains the nature of Mobius to them, and says that the only one with the power to send them back to the real world is µ right now. They awaken their Catharsis Effect and end up recruited into the Go Home Club by Shogo, eventually becoming president of the club.

The Overdose release allows players to choose whether the President is male or female, which affects some of their interactions with the party. In addition, players can also pursue the Musician Route by accepting Thorn's offer to join the Ostinato Musicians, becoming the newest member known as Lucid to better understand the viewpoint of those who cannot live a normal life in the real world.

Male Protagonist (Left), Female Protagonist (Right)

• The Ace: Partially the reason why Shougo names them the President. They are the first to develop a Catharsis Effect and the person Aria made contact with, along with giving the Go-Home Club their first real clue as to how they can return to the real world.
• Action Girl: The female protagonist. A given, as she is the first to develop a Catharsis Effect.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Inverted. Stork takes an immediate interest in the female protagonist after seeing her picture when Thorn calls for the Ostinato Musicians to discuss the Go-Home Club's recent actions.
• Ambiguously Bi: Aside from Kensuke and Izuru, both of whom are implied to develop romantic feelings for the female protagonist over the course of their Character Episodes via certain dialogue options, there's also Ayana and Suzuna.
• Boyish Short Hair: The female protagonist has short hair and, while not a tomboy, it does look rather boyish.
• Brainy Brunette: The female protagonist can be this in certain circumstances, either by standing incredibly close to Mifue to infiltrate Sweet-P's party by acting as lovers or misleading the Go-Home Club while as Lucid.
• Chick Magnet: Over half of the Go-Home Club develop romantic feelings for the male protagonist. There's Mifue who becomes flustered at the protagonist's Relationship Upgrade suggestion, Kotone for his support in helping her reconcile with her aunt, Suzuna for being her Living Emotional Crutch and Naruko for simply being her source of moral and emotional support. Overdose includes Wicked and Kuchinashi from the Ostinato Musicians in the Japanese version. On the inverted side, there's Kensuke and Izuru for the female protagonist at the end of their respective Character Episodes along with Suzuna.
• Cloudcuckoolander: They exhibit rather odd traits during the Character Episodes, especially when dealing with certain characters like Stork or Ike-P.
• Cool Big Sis: While not on the same level as Kotone, who is more of a Team Mom, the female protagonist becomes this towards Kotaro after he admits the Go-Home Club is his Family of Choice and Naruko.
• Dark Action Girl: Downplayed when going the Forbidden Musician route as the female protagonist, since she doesn't go out of her way to antagonize the Go Home Club. Played straight should they side with Thorn.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Like everyone else in Mobius, they had one so bad that Mu invited them. It's ultimately up to the player what kind of trauma ultimately led the protagonist to entering Mobius in the first place.
• Dramatic Unmask: Or rather Dramatic Masking in this case. In the Downer Ending, the protagonist transforms into Lucid right before the Go-Home Club's very eyes and solidifies their status as a traitor.
• Even the Girls Want Her: The female protagonist garners the attention of Suzuna, who sees both her and her male counterpart as a Living Emotional Crutch, whereas Ayana is a Lipstick Lesbian and takes an immediate liking towards the female protagonist.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": They are almost always referred to as "President" by the Go-Home Club.
• Flower Motifs: Torch Ginger. They have the flower on the string around their collar, and it blooms around their stake when the Catharsis Effect is active. The flower can represent strength, as well as limitless diversity in personality. It's also a substitution flower for roses.
• Gender-Inclusive Writing: The English text for Overdose only refers to the protagonist using neutral pronouns. They only get a male or female pronoun used for them during the animated cutscenes. This is exclusive to text however, the voiced dialogue uses gendered language.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: A Meaningful Echo at that, as the protagonist delivers a headbutt to Shougo after he witnesses Thorn commit suicide right in front of him. When they first met, Shougo did the same to them when they were panicking after being chased by Digiheads.
• Guns Akimbo: Wields a large pair of pistols as their Catharsis Effect weapon.
• Gun Fu: Their overall fighting style. Their Overdose and final skill deserves special mentions.
• Hard Head: Receives a headbutt from Shogo upon their first meeting with him then quipping that their head was far harder than he imagined.
• Heroic Mime: Never speaks outside of battles.
• The Leader: Shogo names them the President of the Go-Home Club after Kagi-P's defeat, namely because they developed a Catharsis Effect first, gave them their first solid lead on how to return to the real world, and because Shogo couldn't bother to continue being President on account of laziness.
• Living Emotional Crutch: They are this to Suzuna throughout her Character Episode.
• Multiple-Choice Past: It is ultimately up to the player themselves to decide what the protagonist's Dark and Troubled Past is. Variations range from fearing about what the future may hold for them, wanting to forget a past incident (possibly also "getting rid" of anyone who knows), being brutally rejected by their crush, or they couldn't forge any bonds with people and wanted everyone to disappear.
• No Name Given: Neither protagonist has an official name, save perhaps "Ritsu Shikishima" in the anime for the male protagonist.
• Platonic Life-Partners: The female protagonist becomes one with most of the male members of the Go-Home Club. Shogo has absolutely no interest in dating due to his past, while Kotaro flat-out refers to her as being like a big sister to him. And Eiji cares more about his own business and work than romance.
• Pretty Boy: It's noted by a few characters that the male protagonist is rather handsome
• Ship Tease: The male protagonist gets teased with every female member of the Go-Home Club, except for Ayana. The most prominent of these is Suzuna, who ends up relying on him for many things, and even bluntly states that she and the protagonist will be together forever much to Aria's worry. For the female protagonist, there is Ayana who takes an immediate liking towards her. At the end of her Character Episodes, she even blatantly asks the female protagonist what her type is after mentioning that same-sex couples can marry.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: The female protagonist is the tomboy to the girly girls of Ayana and Suzuna.
• Vague Age: No official age is stated for them in the real world, but they are 17 in Mobius.
• We Cannot Go On Without You: Played straight in the original version of the game, where the protagonist falling in battle meant a Game Over. Averted in Overdose, with a Game Over occuring only when all party members are defeated.

The Traitor

• The Ace: Quickly established to be the best fighter among the Ostinato Musicians bar none, as the Go-Home Club quickly discovers. Unsurprising, given they're the President of said club.
• All Amazons Want Hercules: In the Japanese version, at least. Wicked becomes very interested in Lucid near the end of her Character Episode.
• Ambiguous Gender: No matter which gender players chose for the President, Lucid's conspicuously blank torso makes it hard to figure out whether they're a man or a woman, likely done by Mu or Thorn to hide the fact they're the President of the Go-Home Club. As part of a Running Gag whenever introduced to the other Musicians for the first time, they're asked if they are a man or a woman.
• Badass Armfold: They strike this pose every so often. A sinister version occurs in the Downer Ending where Lucid watches Thorn stomp on a beaten Shougo's head after they finished delivering a Curb-Stomp Battle to the Go-Home Club.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: In contrast to the President's brightly-colored school uniform, Lucid wears a spiffy black suit with a fedora to go with the look. They're also regarded as being the most dangerous musician among Thorn's group.
• Boss Subtitles: The Ostinato Musicians trailer called the protagonist The Traitor. This only applies to them during the Downer Ending.
• Broken Pedestal: In the Downer Ending, they're this to the Go-Home Club following the Internal Reveal. The pedestal can be potentially broken even further if you've completed the Character Episodes.
• Cessation of Existence: Disappears alongside Mobius after reality has been destroyed in the Downer Ending.
• Chick Magnet: Zigzagged. In the English version, Wicked and Kuchinashi are Platonic Life-Partners with Lucid, whereas in the Japanese version they are among the many females to develop a romantic interest in the protagonist.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Lucid hands these out like candy on Halloween with how often they utterly destroy their opponents, regardless if they are Laggards or even their friends on the Go-Home Club, though admittedly they do have help from the other Musicians. In the Downer Ending, Lucid utterly destroys the Go-Home Club by themselves with no help from Thorn whatsoever and then goes on to face Aria herself.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Zigzagged. Though Lucid's entire wardrobe is almost entirely black and has a skull for a face, they don't necessarily have to be evil and can even help the other Ostinato Musicians work past their traumas as they do with their fellow club members in the Go-Home Club. The reason it's zigzagged is that Lucid has to act cruelly in order to advance through Wicked's Character Episode.
• The Dragon: In-Universe, they are seen as this to Thorn by the other Ostinato Musicians as they are frequently called upon by Thorn whenever they suffer a setback. Whether or not Lucid remains as such depends on the ending.
• The Dreaded: Lucid quickly becomes this to the Go-Home Club following their first encounter, quickly recognized as Thorn's ace in the hole.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Downplayed. Despite being a new member like Kagi-P was at the start of the game, none of the Musicians treat Lucid poorly or look down at his skills. Even Mirei, who treats Lucid like she would anybody else, respects their fighting capability.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: An In-Universe example. Lucid's Leitmotif and debut song, SuicidePrototype, immediately garners larger acclaim to the point that, during Mirei's Character Episode, Mu mentions its at the top of the rankings. By the end of the game, Lucid's song is at the very top and even plays a role in keeping the number of Digiheads in Mobius stable in spite of the Go-Home Club's best efforts.
• Evil Counterpart: Zigzagged. How much of a dark counterpart Lucid is to the protagonist depends on their choice at the end of the game and what route the protagonist chose. Whereas a Go-Home Club Route protagonist has the resolution to face their past head-on and the determination to return to the real world, Lucid's resolve regarding their past is shaky and leads to them joining the Musicians and potentially stay in Mobius, even if the world and later Mobius itself is destroyed because of their actions. Lucid is even shown to be the protagonist's reflection in the title screen, regardless of whether or not players pursue the Forbidden Musician Route.
• Evil Makeover: They ditch the Kishimai uniform to opt for a white scarf, black fedora, and a black long coat when becoming an Ostinato Musician.
• The Faceless: Nobody knows Lucid's real appearance, except for µ who crafted their appearance as Lucid and Thorn who personally invited them into the Musicians. They can remain as this until the Bad Ending, where the protagonist reveals themselves as Lucid to the Go-Home Club.
• Face–Heel Turn: Played with and downplayed with equal measure. Although the President joins the Ostinato Musicians, it's less of an official position and more akin to a part-time job as Thorn doesn't ask them to actively participate in their activities, and even made the offer in the first place so they could understand the viewpoint of people who genuinely cannot live a normal life in the real world. The only times they're asked to go against their allies in the Go-Home Club is when the Ostinato Musicians suffer a setback of some kind, typically when one of their members loses a fight against them and the Go-Home Club sets up an ambush. The heel is only cemented in the bad ending, where Lucid fully sides with Thorn. In short, how much of a heel turn it is depends on your viewpoint.
• Flower Motifs: Rose. They have no visible body, but the torso area has what looks like a rose depicted with its shadow. It could signify them becoming a shadow of what they used to be as the protagonist.
• Foil:
  • To Kensuke. He defected from the Musicians and joined the Go Home Club in order to find a new purpose to his life in Mobius, and see if returning to the real world was even an option. The protagonist joined the Ostinato Musicians when Thorn invites them because she played on their doubts about reality, and they wanted to learn the perspective of the people who honestly couldn't find a place in the real world.
  • To Eiji in regards to their placement. Eiji is a Token Evil Teammate in that he tries to tempt the Go-Home Club to pursue the shorter route of escaping Mobius by destroying Mu and is a Consummate Liar who will kill anyone who learns of his secrets. By contrast, Lucid is a Token Good Teammate who can potentially help the Ostinato Musicians move past their traumas and possibly help them find peace in the real world should they choose to return. Regarding their own secret, they can become a Karma Houdini by choosing to return to the real world or the protagonist can openly reveal themselves as Lucid during the Downer Ending.
• Gratuitous English: Lucid is written in English in the Japanese version.
• The Grim Reaper: Their design heavily evokes this. Choosing to side with Thorn in the final dungeon enhances the image, as Lucid defeats the Go-Home Club and Aria, leading to the real world and Mobius destroyed.
• Hero Killer: Indirectly. Defeats the Go Home Club in the bad ending, but doesn't actually kill them. This does allow µ to destroy reality, which ends up destroying Mobius and everyone living in it, including the Go Home Club.
• Instant Expert: If the protagonist tells μ they don't know how to make music, she does this to them as she did with Kagi-P so they don't have to waste time in learning how to operate the equipment, much less study music before making their first piece.
• Internal Reveal: Players already know the protagonist is Lucid when they begin the Forbidden Musician Route, but the Go-Home Club remains in the dark until the Downer Ending, where the President walks up to Thorn, turns around and transforms into Lucid right before their eyes.
• Invisibility: Their upper torso is conspicuously invisible in comparison to the rest of their body, likely done to hide the President's gender and make it harder for people to discern their civilian identity as Thorn keeps their true identity a secret from the rest of the Musicians while everyone else's (barring Wicked) are public knowledge. This is also a Running Gag when the Musicians meet Lucid for the first time as they ask whether Lucid is a man or a woman. Stork, meanwhile, is very impressed.
• Ironic Name: Fittingly, the meaning of the President's musician identity^note "Lucid" means 'expressed clearly' or 'easy to understand' is the total opposite of the circumstances that led them to accept Thorn's offer in the first place, having doubts about whether they can really go back to the real world.
• Karma Houdini: If the protagonist chose the Forbidden Musician Route, but chooses to return to the real world, the Go-Home Club never discovers that the President and Lucid are the same person.
• Leitmotif: SuicidePrototype. The song references Lucid's predicament they find themselves in, confused about wanting to return to the real world or remaining in Mobius, and implying that joining the Musicians was a moment of weakness taken advantage of and now dealing with it however they can. µ thinks it is one of the best songs she's seen composed. The remix in the Downer Ending takes on a much darker meaning as evidenced by it only having a single lyric to reflect Lucid's decision:
  Fuck this world
• The Mole: Played with. Despite their double life, Lucid never really takes advantage of their status except on two occasions.
  • In Kuchinashi's Character Episode, Kuchinashi has Mu keep Tadokoro locked in an area in the Sun Palace to prevent Eiji from finding him and from him escaping so he can live and testify against Eiji. Later on during Eiji's Character Episode, the protagonist uses this information to help Aria and them confront Eiji about his actual involvement with Tadokoro.
  • After the second visit to Sea Paraiso following the Shadow Knife Arc, Lucid sends a message to the Go-Home Club as the protagonist to lure them to the Landmark Tower to ambush them for a change.
• Mole in Charge: Played with. As noted in The Mole, Lucid never takes full advantage of their position and only joined the Ostinato Musicians in order to understand the viewpoint of people who cannot live in the real world.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket: Wears a black long coat, though whether or not their torso is bare is unknown due to their Invisibility.
• Not So Stoic: During the second visit to the Sun Temple, Lucid looks at Kuchinashi when she says that Mobius is a place where those who have lost their place in the real world can find happiness. Considering the protagonist became Lucid in order to understand the viewpoints of people who couldn't live in the real world, their action implies they're starting to understand what Thorn meant when she extended the offer to them.
• Odd Friendship: Develops one with the quirkier members of the Musicians such as Stork, Shadow Knife, and Wicked.
• One-Man Army: Considered one because of their immense strength, with the Go Home-Club seeing them as their worst foe. Their strength is best seen in the Downer Ending.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Despite the Character Episodes showing some teasing between Lucid and several Musicians, especially for Ike-P or Kuchinashi, none of them are actually interested in a romantic relationship. Subverted in the Japanese version for Kuchinashi and Wicked, who do develop romantic feelings for Lucid.
• Replacement Goldfish: Downplayed. During Thorn's Character Episode, Asuka has them play the role of either himself or Shougo while Asuka acts as Ichika while re-enacting the times the three hanged out together prior to Ichika's suicide.
• The Rival: In Mirei's Character Episode, Mirei can potentially surpass or equal Lucid in smarts, but fall behind when it comes to physical strength. This incenses her to develop a rivalry with them and leads to her acting a little nicer to them. Emphasis on the "little."
• Rookie Red Ranger: Averted. Like Kagi-P at the start of the game, Lucid is a new member of the Ostinato Musicians but makes it clear very quickly that they are not to be underestimated. Their clear combat experience and capability on the field even has Sweet P questioning of Lucid is actually Thorn's secret weapon.
• Running Gag: When meeting a new Musician, their Invisibility makes them question whether or not Lucid is male or female.
• Schrödinger's Question: Thorn brings up the trauma the protagonist experienced that caused them to be called into Mobius, harking back to what the player answered Aria when awakening their Catharsis Effect. What was picked leads to Thorn saying that missing thing can be found by joining the Ostinato Musicians.
• Silent Protagonist: Unlike the protagonist, who while not having any voiced lines outside of battle and in anime cutscenes, Lucid does not speak. Their debut in the Ostinato Musicians Trailer even lists their VA as "???."
• Skull for a Head: Their artwork makes it ambiguous as to whether or not the skull that makes up Lucid's face is made up of smoke or flames. In the game, the skull lacks such features and is entirely solid.
• Smug Smiler: Sports one in the Downer Ending when revealing themselves as Lucid.
• Token Good Teammate: Can be one to the Musicians by interacting with the more unhinged members, and showing that they fundamentally are still the same protagonist striving to understand and help people deal with their trauma.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Lucid acts needlessly cruel during Wicked's Character Episode by helping her psychologically and physically torture Laggards and Rogues. This is either them simply acting to gain Wicked's friendship or them being affected by the rapid build-up of negative emotions like the other Ostinato Musicians who were previously affected before they were defeated by the Go-Home Club.
• Training from Hell: In Sweet-P's Character Episodes, she asks Lucid to help her lose weight. She quickly comes to regret this decision when they inflict this on her, having her run thirty laps around Kishimai High School before she collapses from exhaustion.
• Villain Protagonist: Only if choosing the Downer Ending.
• The Voiceless: As noted in Silent Protagonist, Lucid does not have any voice acting either in battle or in cutscenes. Like their Invisibility, this is likely to hide their actual identity from those who might recognize them.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Needless to say after the President reveals they're Lucid to the Go-Home Club in the Downer Ending, none of them are happy. During their boss battles, each demanding to know why they betrayed them.

• Ambiguous Disorder: The last few episodes show him speaking with a stutter and blinking rapidly, while often avoiding eye contact. Combing this with his struggle to interact socially shows common symptoms of being on the Autism spectrum. The closest is his trauma listed as Social Anxiety Disorder.
• Amnesiac Hero: He only has vague recollections of what could have lead to him coming to Mobius, but cannot remember much of anything else. In truth, Ritsu despised his real self and both admired and envied his co-worker Shingo Tachibana, wishing he had what Shingo did. When he was brought to Mobius, he repressed those memories.
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Confesses his love to µ before he delivers the final blow.
• Badass Bookworm: While he is the last to develop a Catharsis Effect out of sheer willpower, Ritsu was very intelligent and knowledgeable about the human psyche to the point where his friends refer to him as "Professor Ritsu."
• Becoming the Mask: Ritsu's personality in real life is that of a stuttering man who wants to interact with other people but can't for numerous reasons. Upon entering Mobius, he based his new personality off of his co-worker Shingo, who was the exact opposite of him and could get along with everyone in their workplace. By the end of the anime, however, his appearance of Shingo peels away to reveal his actual face, implying that he no longer needs to continue using Shingo's image to interact with others.
• Determinator: Early on, Aria tells Ritsu that he cannot develop a Catharsis Effect as he is now. Come Episode 6, however, and he develops one out of sheer willpower to stop µ's rampage after witnessing the resolve the Go-Home Club had for wanting to return to the real world.
• Identity Impersonator: Based his appearance in Mobius after his co-worker Shingo Tachibana due to his charismatic nature and ability to interact with other people easily.
• It's All My Fault: Upon seeing what µ has been doing and regaining his memories, he realizes that none of this would have happened if he hadn't told her about the suffering people in the real world were enduring or instilling the idea of trying to bring happiness in other people by granting their wishes.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Once they learn of the Judgement Gate, the only way for them to escape Mobius, Ritsu becomes so focused on escaping that he leaves Kotaro behind. It's only after the others show him the horrific treatment of the Landmark Tower prisoners Shadow Knife abuses that he decides to put returning home on hold and rush to Kotaro's aid.
• Kill the Ones You Love: He was forced to kill µ after witnessing just how broken she became after absorbing so much of the resident's negativity and data within Mobius.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He is horrified to discover what µ has been doing in Mobius by trapping people's consciousness while having a distorted view on what happiness should be. Since he was one of the people who made her and the reason why she developed sentience in the first place, it's hard not to blame him for his reaction.
• No Social Skills: In the real world, he could never find the ability to try and reach out towards other people, not even when Shingo personally invited him to hang out during a celebration. This is what lead to him envying Shingo, as the latter was the exact opposite.
• Older Than They Look: Subverted. Appears to be in his mid-twenties, while being 17 in Mobius.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Shadow Knife's death and subsequent revelations, Ritsu enters the Judgement Gate while everyone returns home for the day. When they reconvene, Ritsu is nowhere to be found and suspect him of being a traitor when Wicked captures them and locks them up inside their club room. In actuality, Ritsu returned to the real world in an attempt to fix µ's programming and save everyone trapped in Mobius.
• Ship Tease: With Marie. He becomes closer to her and often discusses the human mind and philosophy with her. When Kensuke attempts to round up Rogues, Ritsu immediately grabs Marie's hand and bolts out of there with her. Marie also visits the Go Home Club often, with Naruko stating she's only doing so because she wants to see Ritsu. Averted when Marie reveals herself to be Wicked. She's disappointed to learn that Ritsu isn't with the Go-Home Club at the time, and admits to having wondered how 'the lame virgin' would have reacted to her showing her true colors.
• There Are No Therapists: Subverted. Ritsu was seeing a therapist to try and help him, but ultimately it didn't pan out.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Zigzagged. While Ritsu was responsible for helping µ gain sentience and told her about the suffering people endured in the real world, µ's trapping people inside of Mobius and absorbing their negative emotions would never have happened had she not met Thorn.
• Wham Shot: After returning to the real world, Ritsu is being chased by a man in a hoodie and flees into his company's building, only to discover the hooded man is there and reveals himself. The person the hooded man was chasing wasn't Ritsu but rather the person he based his appearance off of, and the hooded man is Ritsu himself.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: After saving everyone in Mobius, Ritsu is shown in his apartment building and is working at his computer. The ending scene has him touch the monitor, with a gloved hand on the other hand mimicking the motion, implying that he is trying to restore µ.