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Angel, Devil, and Human (illustration)
FILE No.181Unsolved

Angel, Devil, and Human

Difficulty ★★☆about 5 minLogic PuzzleAssumptionsTruth and lies
Triplets play the roles of angel (always honest), devil (always lying), and human (either). Who plays which?

Case Record

The triplets Mei, Yui, and Rii played a pretend game of angel, devil, and human. An angel says only true things. A devil says only false things. A human may say any mix of true and false things (both true, both false, or one of each). Each person has one role, and each makes two statements.

  • Rii: (1) "I'm the angel." (2) "Mei is not the devil."
  • Yui: (1) "I'm the human." (2) "I'm not the devil."
  • Mei: (1) "I'm the devil." (2) "Rii is the human."
Your question

Choose the correct combination of who plays which role.

Case Files

Diagram

Roles and statementsRoleWhat they sayAngelAll trueDevilAll falseHumanMix of bothWhoStatementsRii"I'm the angel" "Mei is not the devil"Yui"I'm the human" "I'm not the devil"Mei"I'm the devil" "Rii is human"
Diagram

Hints

If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.

Open hint 1

What goes wrong if Rii is the devil?

Open hint 2

An angel says only true things.

Open hint 3

Once the devil is decided, the rest is the human.

Solve It

Your question

Choose the correct combination of who plays which role.

Choose the answer closest to the truth.

Share: I'm solving this

The Truth

Rii = angel, Yui = devil, Mei = human

The answer is "Rii = angel, Yui = devil, Mei = human."

If Rii were the devil, "Mei is not the devil" would also be false, making Mei a devil too, which gives two devils. So Rii is not the devil.

Suppose Rii were the human. Then Yui and Mei would be the angel and the devil in some order. But Mei says "I'm the devil": an angel cannot say that (it would be false), and a devil cannot say it either (it would be true). So Rii is not the human, and therefore Rii is the angel. Rii's statements are true, so Mei is not the devil. The devil is Yui, and "I'm the human" is a lie. The remaining one, Mei, is the human. Checking every case also shows that only this combination works.

Cases by Rii's roleAssumeResultRii = devilHer claim is false → Mei is a devil too → two devils ✗Rii = humanMei's "I'm the devil" fails for angel and devil alike ✗Rii = angelStatements true → Mei not devil → Yui is the devil→ Mei is human ✓
Diagram of the solution

Key Points

  • Assume one role and look for a contradiction
  • Angels are all true, devils are all false
  • Decide with the remaining roles

Why people get fooled

Because you are unsure how to treat "everything a liar says is false."

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