Ryou's journey as The Fool
Have I told you how much I loved Taka’s symbolism? Like this one
Interestingly, Ryou is depicted as The Fool here for some reason, him over a more obvious choice like Jonouchi. Although Ryou indeed fits the symbolism of The Fool in his own way. In fact, this peculiar choice of major arcana implies that he had an adventure of his own throughout the series, one that was significant to his character, as protagonists are commonly associated with it.
The Fool represents new beginnings, having faith in the future, being inexperienced, not knowing what to expect, having beginner’s luck, improvisation and believing in the universe.
Beginnings, Spontaneity, Originality, Innocence, Leap of faith
After recovering from the events of Monster World, instead of throwing the Ring away, he desired to learn about the Millennium Items and perhaps also who Bakura was. Ryou saw the existence of the spirit of the Millennium Ring as his quest for knowledge instead of a nightmare that he must endure. He went all out in his little adventure by willingly letting the spirit take over as Bakura’s actions would lead him to new discoveries.
There was no external influence that lead him to this. Despite everyone’s concern, he kept believing in his actions and hoping for the best result. His beliefs were so unique that practically nobody in the series had the same train of thought as him and thus he could be seen as an eccentric.
Naivety, Poor judgement, Folly, Lack of direction, Stupidity, Chaos
Let’s be honest, no matter how much Ryou could have gained out of this quest, it was still extremely reckless to let someone as dangerous as Bakura out while his own consciousness was suppressed. Being the compassionate person he is, he gave Bakura a second chance of sorts, foolishly believing he wouldn’t hurt anyone else as long as he could keep him close. Ryou pretty much let Bakura guide him in a certain direction, showing his naivety as he underestimated his control over the Ring. As such, he let chaos rule over him.
Following the tarot will grant the positives while neglecting it brings the negatives. By following the tarot, Ryou should have grown out of his naive ideas regarding Bakura and the Ring and obtained the determination in what he decided what the best outcome should be for Bakura and himself.
By creating the diorama, instead of letting a greater force guide him, he tried to take fate in his own hands. Taking a part in Bakura’s scheme, as heinous as it was, would give him a better chance at sabotaging his evil plans if needed while still being able to gain insight into the Millennium Items and their purpose.
Despite failing in the end, he didn’t let it bring him down and still believed in a better future together with his friends. Had the story not neglect him, perhaps we would have seen a more meaningful conclusion to his character arc.
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