sunday analysis i wrote for my abnormal psych dual enrollment class

For this discussion, I chose to analyze Sunday, a character from a game called Honkai: Star Rail. Ever since he was introduced in version 2.0, he has stuck out to me. This is primarily due to the heavy religious symbolism, both in his design and in his story. At the beginning of the Penacony missions, he seems benign, an ally to our character. But, as the story progresses, he seems to spiral downwards until the climactic end of the 2.2 mission.

Sunday is a manipulative character, however, this has come from being manipulated himself by Gopher Wood, who is essentially his and his sister, Robin’s, adoptive father. Gopher taught him the ways of Ena the Order (an Aeon, which is a deity/god), and groomed him to follow the Order. According to the his ideals, the strong protect the weak, and there should be seven rest days, rather than just two (Oversimplifying). Anything outside of these ideals is incorrect to him.

He is a false prophet, covering the harsh truth of reality with a sweet, cozy dream, where only he would be permanently awake. He genuinely believes that he is doing the right thing by trapping everyone in a collective dream, never to wake. As I stated, Sunday is a manipulative character, but he is not a selfish one. He genuinely wants to save the people of Penacony, but he is, in reality, harming them, along with himself. Sunday most definitely has a savior complex, and this ties in with the heavy religious imagery in his design and story.
As one last note, I would like to add that it is implied that Sunday has OCD. In the English translation, a note on a table reads as follows: “It’s said that [Sunday] suffers from severe compulsions, but this table clearly shows that he as been cured.” Apparently in other translations, they just outright say “OCD”.

According to the cognitive-behavioral model, the cause of dysfunction is maladaptive thoughts or learning (Comer, 2021). I believe this is the most accurate model to analyze Sunday through. He displays thoughts and beliefs of grandeur, especially in the later parts of the story. In a cutscene before we fight Sunday, he says that “[he] shall ascend to the heavens, becoming the scorching sun. Bathed in [his] light, [his] people shall flourish, while all evil shall be eradicated.” Delusions of grandeur are false beliefs in one’s importance or ability (Villines, 2018). Sunday, before and during our fight with him, clearly displays his thoughts of religious grandeur. He claims that “[he] had to become the lone star in the sky to guide [the people of Penacony],” showing that he sees himself in a role akin to a divine shepard (like Christ, again with the religious motifs.)

These delusions of grandeur are a result of maladaptive teaching leading to maladaptive thinking. As I’ve stated earlier, Gopher Wood took in Sunday and Robin. Their mother died with their planet in a Stellaron (Cancer of All Worlds) crisis. In a cutscene, we see a young Sunday and Robin as they try to figure out how to save an abandoned Charmony Dove (fictional species). Sunday proposes bringing it inside, while Robin insists it should be free. Gopher Wood tells a story about how Charmony Doves learned to fly, saying that many fell to their death before making it. He then asks the children their thoughts. Robin stays to her previous statement, focusing on how the birds ended up flying due to determination. Sunday, on the other hand, says “people believe birds are meant to be in the sky because they’ve never seen those birds crashing to their death. Sunday says he’ll put it in a cage until it can care for itself. But, he questions if the bird will ever be able to fly without falling to its death.

Sunday changes his opinion after Gopher Wood’s story. He is described as a “trustful boy” in a cutscene after the mission. Gopher knew that he was vulnerable, and he took advantage of this. Sunday, as a result of his “father’s” guidance, has developed maladaptive behaviors and thoughts. These problematic ideals and beliefs caused more harm than good. Not only for Sunday, but for everyone. 

In terms of treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) would be the best option. The basic principles of CBT are that psychological problems are at least partially caused by unhelpful, or faulty lines of thinking and behavior, as well as finding more effective coping mechanisms. CBT also helps clients recognize the issues in one’s thought process that cause issues, allowing them to fix it  (American Psychological Association, 2017). Based on these factors, I think this is the best treatment option for a character like Sunday, or real people who have gone through similar experiences.

- References

Comer, R. J., & Comer, J. S. (2022). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology (10th ed.). Worth Publishers. 

Villines, Zawn (2018, April 27). Delusions of grandeur: Types and symptoms. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/32164 

‌American Psychological Association. (2017). What Is Cognitive Behavioral therapy? American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral