Trisha

"The Midnight Venus," Trisha
Classic Full Body
Sex	Female
Age	Unknown
Hair	Red
Eyes	Dark blue
Occupation	Presenter, goddess of fertility
JPN VA	Junko Minagawa
ENG VA	Erin Fitzgerald

"When the night sky fills with glamour, a lovely story awaits you!"

Trisha, known in the Japanese version of the game as Rue Ishida (Ishida Ruu, 石田☆ルウ), also known as Ishtar, the Midnight Venus and Astaroth, is the hostess of the Golden Playhouse. She presents Vincent Brooks's story to players, and takes us to the point where his nightmares first began.

She plays several roles throughout the game, with most notably that of Trisha (an anagram of her name), the hostess of the Golden Playhouse, and even Astaroth, the unseen god (her avatar), behind the the mysterious deaths. She explains upon the player's unlocking of the Axis Mundi Babel stage that in reality, the entire purpose for the game and story was simply to find another consort for herself, which ends up being the 'player.' She seeks a replacement for her current consort, Dumuzid, because of his incessant cheating (Ironically, she was said to have taken many lovers, who commonly ended up dead or worse when the goddess grew tired of them). Successfully completing Axis Mundi produces a cutscene where she breaks the fourth wall.

Just as in the game, Sumerian mythology has Dumuzid the Shepherd (Tammuz) as Ishtar's consort and 'husband.' He has much of the same personality, and it is his lack of respect to her that condemns him to the Underworld.

Design

Trisha's iconic giant red afro is only one of her many charms. She wears a black business-like suit.

In Catherine: Full Body, she dons an entirely new look.

Rapunzel

In the game of Rapunzel, the entire Extra Mode story tells the myth of Ishtar's Descent into the Underworld. In the real-life Sumerian myth, Ishtar journeys to the Underworld after the murder of one her sister's husbands, passing through seven gates to arrive, sacrificing an accessory or piece of clothing at each one. These clothes that she wore contained all of her powers, so by the time she reaches the Queen of the Underworld (her sister Ereshkigal), she is completely powerless and naked.

The Queen of the Underworld inflicts her with disease and hangs her to die on a hook (in Rapunzel, she is hung by her hair); in her absence, all sexual activity ceases, leading to a slow, steady dying off of all things. After time has passed, her minister seeks aid from the gods to save Ishtar, who create two asexual beings to get the Water of Life from the Queen of the Underworld and resurrect her (in Rapunzel, her group of ministers sends a young male rogue to seduce the Queen in order to get the Water of Life).

The plan is a success and Ishtar is released, accompanied by demons to fulfill the pact she made with the Queen: another must take her place if she is to leave the Underworld. She comes across friends who are mourning her, and cannot condemn them. She eventually happens upon her husband, Dumuzid, who isn't mourning at all, but appears quite happy. In anger, she orders the demons to drag him to the Underworld, though his sister Geshtinanna agrees to take Dumizid's place for half of each year, (In Rapunzel, Dumuzid is openly committing adultery, causing him to lose his title as Ishtar's consort).

Catherine

Trisha presents Babel

Trisha presents Babel.

Trisha is the presenter for the Golden Playhouse, framing it by introducing and closing it out. At the end, she has a short monologue of the morals of the game (in the style of the television show the Golden Playhouse is based on), and comments about the ending, giving a glimpse into the future for all non-Bad endings. She also presents the Babel and Colosseum game modes.

Catherine - Super Secret 9th Ending ????

Trisha reveals the truth.

After unlocking the Axis Mundi Babel stage, Trisha explains in a cutscene her true identity. "Trisha" is an anagram for Ishtar as it was her true name, the Babylonian goddess of fertility and love. She also reveals that she had a much more active part in the story because Astaroth, the Mysterious Voice in the Confessionals, was one of her avatars. She dismisses all the explanations Astaroth and Dumuzid gave for the Nightmares and states the only reason for it all was because she wants a new consort, as she grew tired of Dumuzid's cheating ways. She issues Axis Mundi as the player's (not Vincent's) last challenge to be worthy of her.

Trisha, with her hair down, visiting the player after completing Axis Mundi.

After completing Axis Mundi, she breaks the fourth wall in a short cutscene to accept the player as her consort. At the end of the level, there is a secret ending of Ishtar where she is seen walking down the hallways and being glad to let her afro hair down after the player's wins for her heart when she is at the doorway, the unseen player begin to open up for Ishtar as she seductively comforted about the golden playhouse and handled the realm at the Axis Mundi at which she seems to flirted with the unseen player as it is dying to meet Ishtar. She was also excited to be with the player it is possible that she and the unseen player made love with each other when she said " Well then...congratulations, and now let's celebrate."

Quotes

• "When this sanctuary is bathed in Ishtar's love, I'll see you again, in a place far removed from here."

The Trivia For Tonight...

• Ishtar has been featured in Atlus (and Soejima) titles before, mainly in Shin Megami Tensei and Persona titles. In Persona 4, she is the ultimate Lovers Arcana persona (related to both her status as a goddess of love and fertility and the retelling of the Lovers Arcana tale featuring Katherine, Catherine and Vincent.) More at the Ishtar entry at the Megami Tensei Wiki

Gallery

Art

Trisha.

Scans from Venus Mode Art Book.

Scans from Venus Mode Art Book.

Scans from Venus Mode Art Book.

Catherine

"Have you heard about this scary rumor?"

"They say, if you fall in a dream and don't wake up before you land..."

"...you die in real life!"

Trisha in a cutscene.

Trisha in a cutscene.

Catherine: Full Body

Trisha twirling.

Trisha with a new hairstyle.

Trisha with a new hairstyle.

Trisha with the Persona 5 cast.