Written in the Stars

Seena is a mysterious mage who’s determined to uncover the forgotten legend of Doom Island. She recruits a brave warrior named Wain to join her on the perilous journey, and she uses her fortune-telling abilities as a guide. Seena hopes her visions will lead to prosperity, and everything she predicts becomes a reality. She’s eventually revealed to be an evil god known as the Sinistral of Death, and the reason why her predictions were so accurate was because she had the power to make them come true. Seena was tired of being an instrument of death, so she decided to recruit someone who would be strong enough to kill her. This is why she joined up with Wain in the first place, and she effectively tricks him into killing her. She makes one final prediction before she dies, however, and tells Wain that they’ll see each other again.

Chihaya Mifune runs a fortune-telling stand in one of the busiest districts in Tokyo, and she always retains a cheerful demeanor. Her precognitions are usually right on the money, and she’s even ostracized for her apparent infallibility at times. Although her powers are genuine, she peddles suspicious stones that are later revealed to be made out of rock salt. Her employers force her to sell the worthless trinkets, and she goes along for the ride because her Tarot readings suggest that she cannot escape the arrangement. After meeting the right people, Chihaya comes to realize that her destiny is not set in stone. She uses her abilities to help others grow and evolve, so it’s nice that she’s granted a chance to flourish as well. Her fortunes are legitimate, but it turns out that fate can be changed with enough effort.

A flirtatious Italian woman of divine beauty, Lucia works as both a fortune-teller and an exotic dancer. She received formal training in both fields from an early age, and it’s hard to say which discipline she’s more famous for. Lucia is short-sighted and not especially intelligent, but she’s still able to captivate men with her feminine charms and enticing intonation. Lucia uses Tarot cards to guide her patrons through life, and they have a meaningful impact on how battles unfold during the game. These cards allow her to heal her allies or boost their stats, and she even has a chance of killing her enemies in an instant. Lucia also dabbles in aromatherapy, and this means that she has numerous ways to heal wounded souls. Her charisma is undeniable, and her compassion makes up for the fact that she’s as dumb as a box of rocks.

The elderly fortune-teller from Chrono Cross is, admittedly, just a minor character. There’s no official artwork for her, and she isn’t even given a proper name! There are perfectly valid reasons why she’s being mentioned here. One of the things that defined Chrono Cross was its massive roster of 45 characters. Amazingly, the fortune-teller gives unique readings for nearly every single one of them. NPCs in RPGs usually repeat one or two key phrases ad nauseam, so it’s refreshing to run into someone who is mindful of who they’re talking to. Best of all, she provides her services for free! (That’s a busted business model, so I hope the bazaar she works in has reasonable rent.) The nomadic diviner is a lot older than most of the gals on this list, and that probably explains why she’s so wise.

Katrina is a navy panther who looks to the future and provides insight on love, friendship, health, and finances. She’s quite accomplished, but some of the crankier villagers question the legitimacy of her business. Even though she’s a familiar face in Animal Crossing, she’s not always easy to pin down. She works out of a proper office building in City Folk, and she’ll take residence on Main Street if she gets enough business in New Leaf. In most games, however, her tent simply pops up on random days and in a random area. She obviously knows what she’s doing. Katrina charged 50 bells for her services in the first Animal Crossing, but her prices were inflated to 500 bells by the time New Leaf was released! I thought she was supposed to tell fortunes, not make a fortune amirite?

Rouge is a beautiful young woman who wanders the world in search of the mysterious Power Stones. The ancient artifacts will apparently grant a wish to whomever finds them, so Rouge faces fierce competition during her adventure. She’s able to keep her opponents at bay with an acrobatic fighting style and dance-based attacks, and her revealing outfit accentuates how graceful she is. She can also manipulate fire and set her opponents ablaze, and it’s no wonder she’s known as the Scorching Beauty. Outside of battle, Rouge is guided by a crystal ball that leads her to the Power Stones. She also uses the crystal ball to tell fortunes, and she wants to use her clairvoyance to bring happiness to others. When its not being used to look into the future, the crystal ball can cast protective spells that deflect projectile attacks.

Alicia is an ambitious young woman who pursues the carefree lifestyle of a fortune-teller even though her mother insists that its not a real profession. She reads the weather with great accuracy, and she can even control the weather to a certain extent. She also keeps up with gossip, and she’s very good at locating people around town. Unfortunately, her other predictions are not as accurate, and some of them only come true because she personally intervenes. During one reading, she tells an naive client that she sees “unexpected money-loss” in their future. She then charges him an exorbitant price, even though she’s the one who asked to do the reading in the first place! She’s grateful for the business, if nothing else, and she will be willing to marry you if you continue to use her fortune-telling services.

Although she sees glimpses of the future, Viola is more concerned about what happened in the past. When the young woman woke up in a besieged town without her memories, she had a mysterious orb by her side. She was convinced that the orb was the key to remembering who she was. The crystal ball allowed her to look deep within a person’s soul, and she put this ability to use as a traveling fortune-teller. Sadly, Viola had to adopt a nomadic lifestyle and couldn’t stay in any one place for long. Incidentally, she refuses to tell people what they want to hear, and the harsh truths she relays to her clients invariably foster feelings of resent and hatred. I guess it’s a good thing she can handle herself in a fight. On that note, she often uses her crystal ball as a weapon! I guess that’s one way to show someone the future.

An Italian beauty who wields a mysterious energy known as “Soul Power,” Rose was only the third woman to be featured in a Street Fighter game. Her bright hair and colorful outfit made her stand out from the very beginning, and her uncanny ability to reflect projectiles with her scarf made her unique. (She’s also the only character in the series to carry Tarot cards in her cleavage.) In between battles, Rose mulls over the nature of destiny and fate. She’s acts as something of a mentor in this regard, and she even opens a house of divination in her hometown of Genoa. I’d be remiss not to mention Rose’s Egyptian protege, Menat. Menat’s swiggly hips are mesmerizing, but we have to give credit to Rose for showing her the ropes. Imagine that… a fortune-teller who actually cares about future generations.

Meena is the polar opposite of her older sister, Maya. While Maya is a free spirit who enjoys dancing around in skimpy clothing, Meena is quiet and reserved. She’s also a lot more responsible than her sister is, and she often has to scold her for her reckless spending habits. She’s so mature that people assume that she’s the older of the two. Meena is investigating her father’s murder, and she funds her venture with a fortune-telling business. She seldom seen without her crystal ball, and she’s also proficient at palm-reading. When she’s drawn into battle, she lets a deck of silver tarot cards dictate the course of action. Depending on the cards, Meena might end up attacking her enemies, healing her allies, or doubling the amount of gold she obtains. She’s an unconventional party member, but she’s certainly unique.