A quick prediction for the probable antagonists of Kuro no Kiseki.

September 26 edit: This theory has been at least partially broken by subsequently released information.

Cold Steel IV introduced us to an allegedly fictional organization of assassins known as, creatively, the Organization. Hajimari/Reverie confirmed that they are very real and now Kuro appears to be setting them up as the antagonists for the first game of the Calvard Arc. I think I know what name this organization ultimately bears and I will even attempt to guess the names of its members appearing in Kuro. A quick refresher:

• Their lower-ranking members are named for the Minor Arcana while their high-ranking members are named for the Major Arcana. The one known member of the latter group is the Emperor.
• During their Episode, Swin and Nadia mention that they’ve successfully eluded the persistent ‘Thorns’, implied to be the pursuers mentioned in the Three and Nine novel who repeatedly attacked Ace and Swin when they attempted to flee.
• Near the end of Hajimari the two are referred to as having escaped from the ‘Garden’ with the two being shocked that someone knew that name.
• In Beyond the Beginning, Elaine rescues a pair of children from a low-level criminal group trying to imitate the Organization’s methods. When confronting the leader, she asks what higher organization the man answers to and if it is ‘A’. The man doesn’t answer and is soon killed by a member of the Organization itself.
• The unnamed Organization member claims to be pursuing ‘the ultimate fear’ in the belief that it is the driving force of all existence.
• Kondo specifically mentioned in the first Famitsu interview to reveal details on Kuro that Calvard has a mix of Asian, Eastern European and Middle Eastern influences.

On the fairly reasonable assumption that the ‘A’ Elaine refers to is in fact synonymous with the Garden and taking all the above into consideration, I think I know exactly what it ‘A’ stands for: Alamut. That was the name of the fortress in present-day Iran which was occupied by a sect of the Nizari Ismaili branch of Islam from the late 11th century, This group eventually gave the world the very word ‘Assassin’ and was known for using fear as one of their main weapons. The fortress of Alamut was popularly believed (at least in European sources) to contain a magnificent garden which was used as part of the indoctrination of assassins.

Calvard is stated to have at least some Middle Eastern influences (as can already be seen with Feri Al-Fayed) and Swin and Nadia’s former employer not only appears known by the same letter as Alamut but has adopted several of the historical group’s methods. Hence I’m calling that as the name that Falcom will eventually reveal for this antagonist group. Also, that if I’m proven correct I first called it last October.

Bonus Cracklet :The Members

And now, a bit more of that patented Yotaka Naming Speculation that is much more ambitious and thus probably wrong, but so much fun. On the fairly safe assumption that the group seen near the start of the Web CM are Garden members, they should follow the same naming scheme as Emperor and be named for the Major Arcana. My only rules in guessing their names are no duplication of Enforcer numbers known to be active in Calvard (because those are based on the same cards) and no use of The Fool because that’s Campanella’s title as well as his associated tarot symbolism and that would just be confusing. With that in mind, my guesswork:

Blond Man: Justice, because I can’t think of anything else based just on his appearance other than the nixed Strength.

Gun Woman: Moon, because she gives off some lunatic vibes.

Bandaged Girl: Hierophant, because that thing floating behind her looks vaguely angelic so she gets the religious-themed title.

Armored Man: Tower, because he’s scary looking befitting the really ominous card.

Boy: Hanged Man, because I couldn’t think of something better and there’s something vaguely unsettling about his appearance.

Smirking Man: Judgment, because he gives off the vibe of being the most important of the bunch and should get the coolest name.