【Character Analysis + Criticism】About Eva Tsunaka-The Perfect Liar (part one FTE) 2

　[Eva's Defining Characteristic: Near-Perfect Self-Deception]

　　Within Eva's cognitive framework:

　　[The world revolves around her] (Self-centeredness)

　　She believes the Mastermind provided her with useless mathematical tools as a mockery (in fact, each person's room has a themed setting of abilities; Damon's lectern is even more useless),

　　[Success is guaranteed] (Self-deification)

　　Example: The possibility of her own inadequacy was not considered.

　　[Will not be held responsible] (externalizing responsibility)

　　Example: The reason for the Failure to achieve success has to be the limitations imposed by her title.

　　[Must be the persecuted party](Victim-acting addiction)

　　Example: Believes she has suffered unfair treatment from institutions, leading to limitations imposed by titles and a predefined future.

　　[Demonstrates no interest in individuals beyond a binary categorization.](has disregard for the individual will of others)

　　Example: Deriving a sense of validation from Damon/netizens, setting up Wolfgang/schools/institutions as enemies to satisfy the Victim-acting addiction, punishing Diana for "Not taking sides completely".

　　[Inability to accurately perceive reality and to consider complex real-world factors] (disconnect from reality) (oversimplification of thinking)

　　Example: talented = successful, unsuccessful = title problem.

Final Result:

　　"I am superior to everyone else, I must be the best, therefore I deserve to succeed. If the world does not recognize me, it is certainly not my fault; it must be a matter of titles restricting me, or others discriminating against/persecuting me. I am not at fault."

　　Cognitive Pattern:

Self-Deification Cycle:

[I am perfect → Guaranteed success → Reality check (failure) → It must be external factors (victim mentality) → I am perfect + I am not wrong]

　　↓

The Victim-acting addiction Cycle:

[ A‘ I'm not wrong' mentality + preemptive victimhood + self-centered worldview → elicits outwardly aggressive behavior + lack of accountability → external backlash → confirmation of ‘victimhood' → reinforces the ‘ I'm not wrong' mentality + the belief that ‘the world is persecuting me']

　　These two patterns are mutually reinforcing. The self-deification cycle, when thwarted in reality, transforms externally into a victimhood addiction cycle, which in turn reinforces the self-deification cycle.

　　She consistently disseminated this packaged victim narrative (e.g., the theatrical manner she used when she recounted her interactions with Damon), to cultivate self-pity and nurture sympathizers/non-sympathizers(antagonists).

　　Sympathisers: Potential sources of emotional validation → fueling self-deification → proving her self-extraordinary feeling.

　　Non-sympathizers/"Persecutor": fulfillment of victim fantasies → serving the Victim-acting addiction → proving self-importance.

　　(re-reinforcement by recycling)

　　This essentially amounts to creating a psychological safe space for herself—maintaining the Self-deification image from shattering, thereby preserving a sense of superiority to alleviate underlying feelings of inferiority (an inevitable result of avoiding self-growth); maintaining a victim identity allows for the continuous acquisition of moral high ground, relieving pressure from moral or responsibility-related pressure, and obtaining immunity from blame. Simultaneously, this allows for the constant affirmation of her presence and importance (‘the world revolves around me'), satisfying self-pity, mitigating the fear of being potentially unnoticed, and fulfilling narcissistic needs.

　　However, this safe zone is static. Its purpose is to escape reality, using the price of never growing or changing to alleviate psychological pressure, rather than addressing the root cause.

　　A closer examination reveals that all her logic, thoughts, and actions are trapped within this closed-loop thought pattern. She is detached from reality, simplifying everything to conform to her cognitive model. Information and possibilities that do not align with her cognitive model will be ignored.

　　The result:

　　The Irresponsibility of Immaturity.

　　The Mediocrity of fear to change.

　　"The world owes me" greed.

　　And the perfect hypocrisy resulting from the combination of the above three points.

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　　[ Immaturity ]

　　Example:

　　She consistently emphasizes a lack of recognition, even using the phrase "feeling invisible" to describe her experience. However, has she truly never received any recognition?  No. She herself has mentioned receiving numerous awards in mathematics competitions.

　　The issue, therefore, isn't the lack of recognition, but rather its insufficiency—she seeks constant external validation to confirm her self-worth, and any setback triggers feelings of invisibility. This stems from an underlying belief that she is inherently deserving of recognition, leading to a sense of injustice whenever it's lacking.

　　She skips the premise of ‘perhaps I am not yet good enough' (self-deification), skips the reality of ‘talent does not equate to recognition' (disconnection from reality), and skips over the process of ‘success may require more effort' (externalization of responsibility, victim-acting addiction). She went straight from ‘I am excellent' to ‘I deserve success'.

　　It's a child's way of thinking—self-centered, unable to comprehend the complexities of objective reality, and demanding instant gratification.

(Just as a toddler believes that "I want candy now" equals immediate gratification, and cries when unsuccessful. However, a key difference exists: a toddler's behavior is a normal part of psychological development, whereas the world will not cater to an adult's every whim in the same way a parent might indulge a child.)

　　She refused to acknowledge the possibility of her own responsibility for her lack of success, and even more so, refused the process of growth itself—a classic manifestation of immaturity.

　　　　————————

　　[Mediocrity]

　　Example:

　　She believes that the title of "Ultimate Mathlete" limited her and defined her life, but is this truly the case?

　　Participation in mathematics competitions brought her fame, honors, and an impressive resume; however, she downplayed these achievements, as she needed to maintain the image of an underappreciated, victimized genius.

　　(e.g., For example: When Damon pointed out Eva's self-serving motives for participating in the math competition, Eva's vehement denial exposed her hypocrisy—she needed to maintain the image of a perfect victim to conceal her own ambition for fame and Benefits.)

　　Furthermore, if she genuinely wished to relinquish the title, it would be quite simple—since the title was bestowed upon her due to exceptional performance in the competition, all she needed to do was lose.

　　But she couldn't, because she lacked the resolve to change and feared the loss of her ultimate title and descent into ordinariness.

　　Now, I even suspect that Eva is not truly entirely averse to the title of "Mathlete." Although she repeatedly claims that the title restricts her, she actually relies most heavily on this "restriction."

　　She was terrified of losing her Ultimate title and becoming an ordinary person, of losing the superiority it conferred, and unwilling to shatter the illusion of her perfect self.  More importantly, if she lost the title of " Mathlete," she could no longer attribute everything to "labeling." Without a title as a shield to deflect responsibility and a source of Victimhood pleasure, she would lose her means of justification, her spiritual anesthetic, and be forced to confront the inevitable consequences: "I may have shortcomings," and "I now need to take responsibility for the setbacks and failures in my life," and the painful changes that would follow.

　　Therefore, she will not adopt truly effective methods to shed the title, such as deliberately losing a competition, nor will she strive to surpass its limitations. She will remain indefinitely within this secure bubble, the self-styled ‘victim'

　　What's more, Eva also needs to repeatedly create conditions that allow her to reiterate a narrative of victimhood.  This allows her to gain a moral advantage, thereby justifying her irresponsible actions towards her life and others.

　　She needs to revel in this advantage: maintaining her flawless self-image while simultaneously ensuring dominance on the moral high ground.

　　Each such experience temporarily numbs her underlying anxiety, allowing her to justify her inaction—' Others are persecuting me; I can't do anything; I am the victim.'

　　The so-called mediocrity of Eva does not refer to a deficiency in ability, but rather to a person's capacity to alter their unsatisfactory circumstances, yet choosing instead the stagnation of self-deception to consume everything—a mediocrity of her own making.

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　　[Greed]

　　Example:

　　Ultimately, this cultivates a self-centered mindset that completely disregards others:

　　What I get = What I deserve

　　what I don't get = the world owes me

　　Eva's greed is manifest in numerous instances, but nowhere is it more strikingly revealed than in the dialogue between Eva and Diana following the class trial in Chapter One.

　　When Diana asks Eva why she framed her for murder, Eva responds:

　　[It didn't mean anything; you still agreed with everything Wolfgang said, no matter what he did to me, you kept supporting him. Yeah... and you deserve it.]

(About the detailed discussion of the specific character relationships in Chapter One, we'll discuss it later.  For now, let us examine Eva's logic itself.)

[Emphasis on the background of the story added]

　　Story Setting:

　　[Characters are kidnapped by armed violence and forced to participate in a deadly game of mutual killing. In which their lives are in real danger. ]

　　Duration of the characters' acquaintance:

　　[ Less than four days had passed before the first murder. ]

　　From Diana's perspective, agreeing with Wolfgang's viewpoint and maintaining social connections with him and other members of the group is the optimal choice for ensuring her survival.

　　However, Eva's logic here is essentially: You helped me, therefore you should sever ties with others, relinquish your social connection rights, personal will, and basic right to survival for me. (a stranger you have known for four days)

　　In summary:

　　What I got (Diana's help) = What I deserve

　　What I didn't get (Diana abandoning everything for me) = she owes me

　　[Without an extreme degree of self-centeredness, dehumanization of others, and externalization of responsibility, this kind of logic cannot arise.]

　　Eva is incapable of treating others as independent individuals, incapable of empathizing with the perspectives and feelings of others; her world contains only herself.

　　(Ironically, in her FTE, she mentions feeling treated not as a living being, yet within the game itself, she replicates this pattern—viewing others as either persecutors or as tools to be completely subservient. She has transformed from a past victim into a far more formidable perpetrator.)

　　　　————————

　　[On the Social Relationships of Eva]

　　In both the in-game groups, the online acquaintances she mentioned in FTE, and her school, a commonality exists: she has not established any genuine, meaningful interpersonal relationships.

　　As she discussed online interactions with Damon, Damon pointed out that online individuals are real people. However, Eva described them as "not real real."  She needs to psychologically distance herself from others.  Online interactions (with physical distance from the other party) help her "dehumanize" the other person, alleviating communication pressure.

　　She informed her online acquaintances that she was an Ultimate, but did not specify "mathlete".

　　Damon's inside comment: So she wants to flaunt her Ultimate status, but not the specifics of it, huh? (Validation Addiction)

　　In another FTE, she abruptly lied about Damon during a conversation(Just as Damon began to feel for her), then remarked that he was a lot more gullible than she had expected, adding, "I can't blame you (other group members) all for buying after it."  This demonstrates a clear sense of superiority—manipulating the other person's perception, belittling their intelligence (gullible), and enjoying using others as instruments to fuel her self-superiority (objectifying others), while disregarding their potential feelings as human beings. Describing the other person as "gullible" and saying "I can't blame you all" subtly justifies her own actions of lying (implying their gullibility is the real responsibility for their reason to be deceived).

　　At the end of FTE3, Damon also began to reflect: Eva always lies, should I believe what she says?  While this is a minor detail, it also encapsulates the nature of all of Eva's relationships.

　　Because she doesn't care about other people's personal values and feelings, she won't have the willingness to maintain social relationships. Consequently, those who approach her will eventually grow suspicious and distance themselves, thus self-fulfilling her prophecy of ‘no one being on her side'.

[ relational model ] :

 Fear of "malicious treatment" → Fear of genuine relationships → Objectification of others → Self-sabotage of relationships → Confirmation of "malicious treatment" → Increased fear of genuine relationships → Intensified objectification of others → vicious cycle

　　[Note: Fear does not justify relational exploitation, and trauma does not justify wrongdoing. ]

　　In the end, the people she came into contact with, as far as we know, have been categorized by her into two groups.

　　Strangers

　　↓

　　1. Threat/persecutor: (school, Wolfgang, UTP, other group members)

　　2. Approvers/Admirers: tools that provide a sense of self-worth (online users, Damon)

　　This pattern is based on a binary mode of thinking: ‘either completely subservient to me or an enemy.' When someone's actions deviate from ‘complete obedience,' they are immediately categorized as a ‘persecutor.' (See the Diana example of 'not fully siding with me, therefore deserved'.) (The Victim-acting addiction is manifested)

　　In short, within this binary mindset, she can never establish genuine connections with others—those she interacts with either become tools that provide her with a sense of self-worth (by validating her), or symbols of persecution (by disagreeing with or disobeying her).

　　That is, they will be seen either as an enemy or as a worshipper/submissive below her.

　　Those who acknowledge her will reinforce her self-deification, while those who do not will reinforce her Victim-acting addiction

　　, ultimately further solidifying the closed-loop thinking.

　　　　————————

　　[ Character types ]

　　Her behavior pattern is actually similar to that of Re Zero's Regulus(the sin Archbishop of greed), although Regulus's character is portrayed in a more overt and extreme manner.

　　Behavioral comparisons:

　　Inherent greed and self-centeredness

　　Eva: (I'm supposed to succeed)

　　Regulus: (It's my right.)

　　Victim-acting addiction + externalizing responsibility

　　Eva: (title defined me)(others discriminate against me)

　　Regulus: (You violate my rights)

　　Self-proclaimed extraordinary

　　Eva:(I'm a jack-of-all-trades expert)(My titles do not reflect my capabilities.)

　　Regulus: (I am a perfect being)

　　Self-isolation

　　Eva:( Self-imposed limitations through labels) (Self-destructive social relationships)

　　Regulus: ("greed" Power Essence – Absolute Isolation Brought by Time Stop)

　　However, these two characters also have many differences.

　　Character Differences:

　　(Note: This comparison is based on the assumption that we fully believe Regulus's final monologue.)

　　Regulus:

　　Childhood Circumstances: Slum

　　Inherent Resources: Average/below Average Physical and Intellectual Abilities

　　Choice: After gaining power, become utterly reliant upon it and reject further growth.

　　Eva:

　　Childhood Circumstances: Bullying within the Mathlete Team

　　Inherent Resources: Exceptional talent (mathematical prodigy), privileged social status (Ultimate-level student)

　　Choice: To forge her superior resources into a self-imposed prison

　　Character type: The Self-Destructive Mediocre Evil

　　Eva has a rare genius-level mathematical ability, Regulus has one of the world's most powerful superpowers in the original work, but beneath their otherworldly skin is an incorrigible Immaturity, and the mediocrity and greed that drive them to self-destruction——This kind of existence is a symbol of hypocrisy.

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