Sphinx is a pseudo-terrorist group that is composed of two members, Twelve and Nine, along with an extra member later in the series; Lisa Mishima. She is never formally declared a member, but she participates in a later mission at the airport. The goal of Sphinx is to expose the rotten underbelly of the Japanese Government, and the sickening, unethical projects it was concieving behind closed doors. Sphinx is a criminal mastermind group but also a unique terrorist organisation - as they limited as many casualties as possible. This is demonstrated when a bomb is planted by Sphinx, and Nine and Twelve trigger an alarm in an effort to evacuate all citizens. Another demonstration is when Nine rescues a sleeping civilian after they planted a bomb, though this was entirely unintentional, and a direct result of Five's interference. Sphinx was formed several years later after Nine and Twelve escaped from the institution. Sphinx was considered "pseudo" as they never killed anyone, and in fact had the lowest casualties of any terrorist group in human history. They also never made any demands like a regular terrorist group, nor did they have any political or religious beliefs. Unfortunately, Sphinx was demolished when the founders, both Nine and Twelve, were killed. Their mission complete, the organisation Sphinx came to a close.
Trivia[]
- Sphinx ceased operations when Nine and Twelve passed, meanwhile Lisa moved forward with her life. She was never formally a member of Sphinx, but many argue that she acts as the honorary third member.
- Sphinx's name is inspired from a mythical Egyptian creature known as "Sphinx", however, as pointed out by Shibazaki, Nine and Twelve decide to use the Greek spelling and pronunciation. This is likely to draw a harder and more obvious connection between the duo and the ancient Greek tale of Oedipus and the Sphinx. In Oedipus Rex, the people of Thebes are terrorised by the Sphinx, who sits atop the city wall and tells the citizens riddles. If the people of Thebes cannot answer the riddles, the Sphinx eats them.
- Sphinx's enemy was the Japanese Government, which corrupted itself in it's desperate attempt to save face after the atomic bombings of the 1940s. Sphinx's goal is to expose the unethical inner workings of the Government. The drug is theoretically fatal to the nervous system, causing a stroke, or a massive, fatal hemorrhage, causing headaches throughout the years then death.
- The side effects of the drugs administered by the Athena Project are clearly seen and widely documented in Nine and Five - however, Twelve seems to display fewer physical symptoms of deterioration. It's clear to see, however, that the majority of Twelve's damage from the facility was internal, mental, and invisible.