Lurker > NBIceman

Tales of Symphonia Wrap-Up
To humans like you, I can entrust this life of mine.

There was a point a few years back, when newer and shinier Tales games had come out and I hadnt played through Symphonia for a while, where I felt pretty strongly that this cast was overrated by fans of the series, held up mostly on the strength of Lloyd and Raine and especially Zelos. And I still sort of believe that. More recently, though, characters like Sheena and Presea have worked their way up higher on the list, and its now a pretty polarized cast. Youve got some of the best characters in the series hanging around with three of its absolute worst. Itd be better for everyone if the atrocity that is Dawn of the New World never existed - the only Symphonia cast member that got any help from that game is the one that needed it the least.

I guess maybe the duality of this party is consistent with the world they come from. One half flourishes, the other half is harvesting dirt. This metaphor only kind of makes sense and isnt that funny but whatever Im leaving it here.

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https://imgur.com/UYamul2
Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

Very even poll so far! Apologies to the ~25% of you I'm about to therefore disappoint.

#4 - Zelos Wilder (Symphonia)
"Haha, I don't know what to tell ya. I'm just a weak lazy bum. All I want is a fun, easy life. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

I remember first being exposed to Zelos in one of the GFAQs Character Battles. It was his and Lloyds appearance in that contest (or it may have been multiple contests - despite being a fairly seasoned B8 member at this point Im far from a contest buff) that prompted me to pick up my first Tales game when I saw it for cheap at GameStop. Then I played it, and, though I loved the game overall, I found myself thinking, What the hell was Zelos doing in that contest? Hes annoying and dull! For at least my first two or three playthroughs I made sure to kill him in favor of getting that amazing badass Kratos back in my party instead.

Now, many years later, here we are with Zelos sitting in 4th place on this comprehensive ranking, waving cheerfully at Kratos sitting way back in spot 52.

Zelos might be the character in Tales with the lowest opinion of himself, which is really saying something. Colette is the Chosen that wants to die because she thinks thats the only way her life has meaning. Zelos is the Chosen that wants to die because he believes his life has no meaning full-stop and he just hates being alive. From the moment his uncaring mother told him, with her dying breath, that he shouldve never been born, his existence becomes a hollow parade of people that just want to use him. His purpose has nothing to do with him and everything to do with his station. Like with Colette, hes a weird parallel to Sync the Tempest in that they were both born as sacrificial lambs, but where Sync makes no attempt to hide his hatred for the world and everyone in it, Zelos masks his in a carefree exterior and just tries to eke out whatever small pleasures he can by the advantages afforded to him by his high society standing.

What Zelos doesnt try to hide is that hell look out for number one above all else. He wants to be on the winning side, he says. Even this is a bit of a half-truth, as hes really prioritizing his half-sister above even himself for the most part (their whole dynamic is absolutely fantastic, by the way), but its genuine in that he does spend most of the game playing Lloyds group, Mithos, and the Renegades against each other for his own benefit, although its likely even he doesnt know for most of the story what exactly his endgame will be. Its even debatable when exactly he chooses his final side. The only line that changes in the Kratos path is that Lloyd says Zelos, can I really trust you? instead of Zelos, I trust you. So was he planning to betray the group for real the whole time, only changing his mind because hes touched that Lloyd believes in him on the Zelos path? Or was he always on the partys side, only changing his mind because hes so hurt that the guy he admires is doubting him on the Kratos path? I dont know, and I think both options are equally intriguing from a character perspective. Gun to my head, though, I think he mightve always been planning to double-cross Cruxis if a good opportunity even halfway presented itself, because he always does the right thing when push comes to shove. Lloyds faith probably just removed any lingering second-guessing. Thats the canon path, so it makes sense to me that Zelos wouldve always been leaning toward the good guys.

And Lloyd obviously is the impetus for most of Zeloss growth. Hes the first person to see Zelos as a person, and thats enough for him to rethink his entire worldview. He goes from a guy who freely admits to being a little racist against half-elves just due to the nature of Tetheallan society to one who lets Kate recuperate in his bed and makes his future cooperation with the King contingent on half-elf discrimination laws being eliminated. He realizes that he actually can do good for other people, maybe as the Chosen but maybe also just as a human being. Its a much better version of Colettes development.

Theres a lot of smaller traits and moments that make Zelos into a true, fully realized character. That hes easily the most intelligent party member who isnt literally a genius. That he can be a hypocrite at times, losing his temper with Sheena for trying to sacrifice herself despite his own death wish or calling out Kratos for running away from his problems and leaving them to other people when thats all Zelos ever does (exacerbated by Kratos being Lloyds father, given Zeloss own parental issues). That he conveniently leaves Meltokio any time it snows because it reminds him of the trauma of his mothers death. That one sidequest where he goes off on a knight for mistreating a poor kid and then gives the kids mom a job. Just after Corrines death when hes trying to be his usual joking self because he knows Sheena wont get past it if everyone walks on eggshells. His relationship with Sheena in general, where shes the only woman he has actual feelings for but he pushes her toward Lloyd anyway because he wants her to be happy and knows hes probably long since killed his own chances.

And finally, FINALLY, we get to a character that actually takes something positive away from the sequel. Where all the rest of the Symphonia cast is willing to doubt Lloyd to varying degrees, Zelos never even entertains the notion. He completely dismisses Emil when he badmouths him to the point that hes going to save Alice just to spite him, and later, when Decus-as-Lloyd kidnaps Seles right in front of him and Emil tries to use it as proof, Zelos immediately, almost casually, just says Nah, thats not Lloyd. Literally, thats the line, and its great. Just great. He completely laughs it off because it just never enters his mind that Lloyd can do any of what hes accused of. Beyond that, hes a lot more open about his affection for his sister and has some of the best banter with Tenebrae. Apparently, Zelos was too great for even Dawns writers to screw up.

TL;DR: Zelos is a perfect execution of his character archetype from the first time you meet him all the way to the end. He works great in the context of the world, the story, and the party. I went from someone who killed him on every playthrough to someone who will never kill him again.

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

95 down to 4. Plenty of controversial rankings, as expected, but we've got one more tier to go - four more party members that are all among my favorite fictional characters of all time. Two today, two tomorrow, and this insane project will finally be done!

The list so far...

"Shut up! This isn't about logic!"
5. Yuri Lowell (Vesperia)
6. Jude Mathis (Xillia)
7. Velvet Crowe (Berseria)
8. Guy Cecil (Abyss)
9. Raven (Vesperia)
10. Beryl Benito (Hearts)
11. Alvin (Xillia)
12. Tear Grants (Abyss)

If one sword has a power of 100, then using two will make it 200, right?
13. Lloyd Irving (Symphonia)
14. Pascal (Graces)
15. Raine Sage (Symphonia)
16. Eleanor Hume (Berseria)
17. Malik Caesar (Graces)
18. Sheena Fujibayashi (Symphonia)
19. Chalcedony Akerman (Hearts)
20. Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (Abyss)
21. Laphicet (Berseria)
22. Rita Mordio (Vesperia)
23. Sophie (Graces)
24. Rowen Ilbert (Xillia)
25. Milla Maxwell (Xillia)
26. Rutee Katrea (Destiny)

What could this mean for the tournament?! ...Oh screw this. I'm outta here!
27. Eizen (Berseria)
28. Farah Oersted (Eternia)
29. Richard Barona (Graces)
30. Repede (Vesperia)
31. Presea Combatir (Symphonia)
32. Reid Hershel (Eternia)
33. Chester Burklight (Phantasia)
34. Stahn Aileron (Destiny)
35. Gaius (Xillia)
36. Muzet (Xillia)

Ive traveled back in time from next week. Please stop throwing monsters at us.
37. Estellise Sidos Heurassein (Vesperia)
38. Alisha Diphda (Zestiria)
39. Rokurou Rangetsu (Berseria)
40. Will Raynard (Legendia)
41. Keele Zeibel (Eternia)
42. Zaveid (Zestiria)
43. Garr Kelvin (Destiny)
44. Kor Meteor (Hearts)
45. Judith (Vesperia)
46. Ludger Kresnik (Xillia)
47. Mary Argent (Destiny)
48. Leia Rolando (Xillia)
49. Claus F. Lester (Phantasia)
50. Flynn Scifo (Vesperia)
51. Anise Tatlin (Abyss)
52. Kratos Aurion (Symphonia)
53. Ines Lorenzen (Hearts)

"You're weak! You're a hack! You're wack."
54. Senel Coolidge (Legendia)
55. Rassius Luine (Eternia)
56. Max (Eternia)
57. Norma Beatty (Legendia)
58. Chloe Valens (Legendia)
59. Hubert Oswell (Graces)
60. Karyl Sheeden (Destiny)
61. Arche Klein (Phantasia)
62. Gall Gruner (Hearts)
63. Karol Capel (Vesperia)
64. Asbel Lhant (Graces)
65. Edna (Zestiria)
66. Fractured Milla (Xillia)

"No, no, no! Horrible! Terrible! Contrived! What kind of shoddy performance is this? Youre an eyesore! Get out of my sight!
67. Regal Bryant (Symphonia)
68. Kohaku Hearts (Hearts)
69. Cress Albane (Phantasia)
70. Elize Lutus (Xillia)
71. Cheria Barnes (Graces)
72. Lailah (Zestiria)
73. Kunzite (Hearts)
74. Philia Felice (Destiny)
75. Genis Sage (Symphonia)
76. Meredy (Eternia)
77. Mint Adenade (Phantasia)
78. Moses Sandor (Legendia)
79. Dezel (Zestiria)
80. Colette Brunel (Symphonia)
81. Hisui Hearts (Hearts)

The reaper and a daemon are shaking their heads at this overwrought monstrosity. Intrinsic worth, zero."
82. Chat (Eternia)
83. Grune (Legendia)
84. Mikleo (Zestiria)
85. Chelsea Torn (Destiny)
86. Patty Fleur (Vesperia)
87. Sorey (Zestiria)
88. Leon Magnus (Destiny)
89. Bruiser Khang (Destiny)
90. Emil Castagnier (Symphonia)
91. Jay (Legendia)
92. Suzu Fujibayashi (Phantasia)
93. Marta Lualdi (Symphonia)
94. Rose (Zestiria)
95. Shirley Fennes (Legendia)

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

Tales of Vesperia Wrap-Up
Oh, its so hard being popular!

Vesperias cast is fairly often heralded as the best in Tales and maybe even one of the best in JRPGs in general. Im not quite there. They ended up being extremely spread out across this ranking, which makes the party a little tough to judge. Theres two fantastic characters, one Patty, and a whole lotta in-between, where several members are perfectly fine but dont actually bring much to the table when you look close. DE in particular soured me a little on the party, and I dont know if its because Flynn and Patty just mess with the chemistry that much or if the somewhat clumsily executed addition of those two characters (even if theyd been more interesting) just makes everything feel a little bloated. Its probably a little of both.

Yuri and Raven drag the cast up pretty high on my overall ranking, and the chemistry among the rest is still good enough that they feel like more than the sum of their parts sometimes, but all things considered I do think Vesperias party is a little overrated.

And they were never heard from again...

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

#5 - Yuri Lowell (Vesperia)
You cant deny that lives were saved because those bastards were put down. Youd rather tell those people, Sorry you have to die today, I promise well change things soon?

The third straight main protagonist bites the dust.

I love Yuri. You love Yuri. Everyone loves Yuri. Even people that dont like Tales love Yuri. So while I probably dont need to go on and on explaining why hes great, Im gonna do it anyway.

It doesnt take long to get a fully formed idea of who Yuri is. When hes called to help out with the aque blastia in the opening minutes of the game, he snarks and complains loudly about it, but shows no hesitation doing so anyway. Then a much more fun option quickly presents itself, in the form of tracking down the guy who stole it, and he wastes no time knocking out a couple of knights and breaking into a mansion to do it. Hes not bothered much by his ensuing arrest, nor by his chance encounter with a mysterious girl in the castle, who mentions soon after that Flynn told her to be careful if she ever met him.

So there we go. Hes a nonchalant, mischievous troublemaker who doesnt much care for the folks in high society and who has a good itch for adventure. But of course, theres more to it than that.

Yuri being a little older than the usual JRPG protagonist puts him at a very different place in the typical persons life, and I think thats portrayed well. He has a strong idea of what he wants to accomplish, and of whats wrong with the world and the change he wants to see in it, but has comparatively little concept of how to bring any of it about or patience to figure it out. I think a lot of us can probably relate to feeling that way at 21 (as a side note, it was a bizarre feeling to realize upon playing DE that I am now a few years older than him - 21 seemed real far away during my first Vesperia playthrough).

See, Yuri, at heart, is a man of action, not thought. Hes frustrated by anything thats out of his control. But since he quickly became disillusioned with the belief that one lone man can do anything significant as far as real change, hes reluctant to really take any of that action unless hes sort of forced into it, which, as we eventually see, brings out both the best and worst in him. So he leaves the heavy lifting to Flynn, knowing hes more suited to it, and commits instead to just righting small wrongs as he can. Around this time, presumably, is when he decides internally to serve as the dark knight to Flynns light. Despite his casual attitude, it clearly bothers him that his best friend has always been a little better at everything than him. Although he believes in what hes doing, he probably also derives some satisfaction in his ability to operate in the shadows to fix some things that Captain Flynn, as he derisively calls him, cant.

Unfortunately, this makes for a bad combination when taken with one of his other traits, which he happens to share with Alvin - that tendency to leap toward drastic solutions. Remember those opening minutes of the game? Dude jumps out of a second-story window when called for, rather than just walking out the door and down some steps. Or how about later on, when he slices his own arm open to snap Estelle out of panic following Beliuss death? Sure, both are the practical and quick option, but the common person wouldnt even consider either one. You could make a reasonable argument that Yuri has thrill-seeker tendencies bordering on an unconscious death wish (charging down Barbos alone, etc.).

And all of these qualities lead up to the cold-blooded dispatching of Ragou and then Cumore. Along with being a man of action, he is one of conviction, and once he decides that the world is simply better off without those men, he doesnt hesitate. And hell defend that decision to anyone who asks.

But its not as if hes proud of it, and this is where Yuri really shines. Hed much rather have things done Flynns way, which is probably the biggest reason why hes happy to let him take credit for things that the party does more to accomplish. The more influence Flynn holds, the better off everyone will be. His faith in his friend is full and unshakable. He just doesnt believe its a realistic option in the short-term anymore, and in the absence of anyone else willing to do it, he dirties his own hands to the detriment of himself. Hes well aware that he could become what he kills, and hes concerned about the effect it could have on those around him. The only time his strong voice ever wavers (much credit to Troy Baker, of course) is when he asks Estelle if shes afraid of him, and he freely admits his intention to distance himself from Flynn if and when he needs to. And this downward spiral does eventually present himself with his resolve to kill Estelle if he has to (again, drastic solution) before the rest of the party sets him straight. Good vigilante stories have to touch on two specific dangers (that of becoming a heartless killer yourself and of falling into the tendency of killing when there may be some other recourse), and Yuris does.

Its a tragedy that Vesperias disjointed three-act structure results in his arc sort of ending without a great conclusion. The sequence with Flynn at Aurnion is awesome, but if the whole third act had been devoted to the personal story built up between them instead of the shoehorned, rushed stakes-raising of a giant space monster, it couldve been something really special.

Obviously, though, hes still great enough to deserve finishing this high, especially when you consider his chemistry with the rest of the party. Whether its his banter with Raven, the trolling of Karol, or the wholesome friendship with Estelle, Yuri shows a lot of different sides to himself in his interactions with his fellow cast members, and they go a long way toward making him feel very complete. Hes good fun in battle, too. His fighting style is silly and impractical in all the right ways for a JRPG, and gives him a flair that leads to some of his artes (Dragon Swarm, in particular) feeling memorable.

If his story had been played out to completion, hed have been in the hunt for #1. But it wasnt, so he wasnt. 5th is still pretty damn good, though.

TL;DR: Hes great and we all know it, next ranking.

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

Tales of Xillia Wrap-Up
Heaven smiles upon me because of my good deeds.

Xillia is one of the hardest parties to talk about as a general unit, because they often feel kind of disconnected from one another. Xillia 1, for example, has the two different stories that each give more focus to half the party than the other.

The biggest uniting factor, to my mind, is the poor dialogue across the two Xillia games. There are exceptions, of course, but for the most part, they dont have the long list of memorable quotes and humorous skits that most Tales games do. The story dialogue is often kind of stilted and most of the characters (especially in X1) dont sound like real people a lot of the time. This makes it hard for characters like Elize and Leia to make up for being pretty story-irrelevant and holds back even some of the better offerings (Alvin, Rowen, and Milla) from ascending even higher.

X2, by all accounts, should have been an avenue for the lower half of the cast to climb their way up the ranks, especially with the character episodes. Unfortunately, most of them get shoved far into the background in favor of the main story, and their primary role becomes being awed by how awesome Ludger is. The character episodes certainly help in some cases, but theyre inconsistent, and the best ones went to the members that needed them least.

I do like the casts chemistry and, as yall can see, I absolutely love some of the individuals, but all in all, Xillia has a middling Tales cast.

And they were never heard from again...

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

Jude gets the most focus of any returning party member in Xillia 2, since hes the first to encounter Ludger and his work on Spyrites is fairly well-connected to the main plot. Its cool that he hasnt really changed much more. Hes maybe a little more fazed by the insanity of X2s events than X1s, but thats just because the stakes are higher, and he still finds a chance to casually recap the first game in hilarious fashion. His character episodes are easily the best in the game. They do a fantastic job of weaving together his research work and his relationship with Milla, which are the two biggest aspects of his character at this juncture. The difficulties he goes through in his research and determination to stay the course anyway show how much hes grown, and the reveal in the epilogue that he eventually succeeded and won the Howe Prize because of it brings his story to a perfect conclusion. Is there anything better than going along for a great characters entire journey like that?

Im gonna finish this quickly because its even longer than I expected. Costume design in 1 is terrible. 2 is much better, especially the green alternate color. Tons of fun to play in battle. Fist fighters are a good change of pace every once in a while. Snap Pivot is amazing and Palm Strike is broken.

So, to return to my original statement, while I dont think Jude is the best Tales protagonist, I do think hes the perfect Tales Protagonist. He represents the best possible version of their blueprint because he takes the usual tropes and makes them not actually feel trope-y, and he embodies the main themes of the story. Just great stuff. Hes a little unassuming, especially in comparison to some other main characters in the franchise and even next to the one he shares his own game with, but even so, its always surprising to me that hes not more well regarded.

TL;DR: Incredibly well-developed and likeable character. Compelling journey from beginning to end. Everything an RPG main character should be.

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

Moment of truth, apparently!

#6 - Jude Mathis (Xillia)
"You go to such lengths to protect humans, so it's only fair that I become strong enough to protect spirits, too."

Jude Mathis, in many ways, is the perfect Tales Protagonist. That probably seems like a strange claim to make considering theres two more that havent been ranked yet, but let me explain what I mean.

Tales is obviously a very anime series, and its main characters tend to follow a certain anime main character blueprint. Theyre teenaged, male (but probably a little androgynous in their design), idealistic, do-gooding doofuses. Its a good, safe formula, but it doesnt always lead to the most interesting characters. KorShing was pretty much what happens when you take that blueprint and dont alter it at all. Stahn is what happens when you really lean into it and try to make it a strength. And so on.

Jude is undoubtedly cast in that same mold, but hes the best possible version. It starts with the doofus aspect. Instead of being a book dumb goofball that loves fighting and eating, hes intelligent and mature, just with a good bit of social awkwardness and a tendency to geek out about things at times. That kind of personality allows him to approach all of the ridiculousness that gets thrown at him with a calm mind, which makes the few instances where he loses his composure (namely, when something dramatic happens to Milla or Leia) seem more important.

Speaking of the ridiculousness, theres a lot of it in the first game alone. It takes him all of an hour to finish up at school for the day, encounter the Lord of Spirits, infiltrate a heavily-guarded government facility, and fall ass-backwards into a struggle that, before too much longer, involves a war between nations and a terrorist organization from another world. And most of the time, it barely seems to faze him. Which is probably because hes secretly a badass. Hes in a group with a woman that can harness the Four Great Spirits, a longtime battle-hardened mercenary, a ludicrously powerful magic girl with a booster, one of the greatest military minds in history, and Leia, and hes still the one that saves them in tough spots most often. Sometimes its just through quick thinking and situational awareness, but other times its just sheer force of will. During the fight with Maxwell, just before Milla returns, hes the only one that can even stand up, let alone launch an attack and then land a damn powerful punch after a little boost when she does show up. Also, remember when he casually steps out in front of a crossbow and then dodges it by just tilting his head slightly? Yeah. Secret badass.

But, of course, where Jude really shines is his development. The theme of Xillia 1, as Ive mentioned a few times, is the search for purpose. For meaning in life. Jude epitomizes that. Sure, hes a successful medical student and he seems to enjoy that well enough, but its pretty clear from the beginning that its not quite a passion. Its not the reason for his existence. Its the path of least resistance, though, and he doesnt have enough rebellion in him to go in another direction until he meets Milla. And maybe thats also part of the reason he doesnt freak out more about being thrown into fantastical circumstances that, for all intents and purposes, he shouldnt be equipped to handle. It seems like he recognizes that such an adventure is a chance for him to take the initiative and discover his real goals. At first, because he doesnt have a lot of experience with that (and because hes obviously taken by her), he just latches on to Milla, wanting to do nothing more than accomplish her own mission. Then, just when he thought he had it all figured out, she dies, and it all comes crashing down around him. So he shuts down. And people give him a lot of hate for how he acts at that point, but its completely understandable. Remember, as much as he doesnt act like it, hes just fifteen years old. Its a lot to take in. And anyway, it leads to a couple of great scenes when he finally resolves to move past it. He re-adopts Millas mission not just because of her, but because its something hes come to truly believe in. He finds the conviction he always wanted, and it gives him the strength to carry on when she later leaves again.

As great as that all is on its own, what really makes it shine is how perfectly its combined with a coming-of-age story. Rowen pegs him early on as desperately trying to become an adult as quickly as possible. And thats a dead-on description, because for all his maturity, its clear theres things Jude doesnt quite understand about growing up. The side-events with his father are some of my favorite not just in the Xillia games, but all of Tales. Derrick Mathis toes the line perfectly of being a hardass while still making it obvious that he loves his son. The first part of the sidequest has Derrick making a potentially life-or-death decision for a patient and having to explain to a shaken Jude that growing up means often having to take responsibility for hard choices. By the end, all of Judes experiences give him the confidence that allows him to make a similar decision when needed, followed by Derrick privately acknowledging how proud of him he is. Its extremely well done, and brings into the foreground for a little while just how respectable a young man Jude is on his way to becoming.

I touched on the Milla romance in her writeup, but I have to mention again how much I like it. It evolves naturally from what is initially a cute but lacking-substance infatuation and puppy-dog crush and idolization into something genuine and deep, born out of respect and understanding and trust. I really like that, even though it must kill him inside that he knows they can never be together, he never shows it, instead just choosing to appreciate the time they do have as best he can.

This is a good segue into Xillia 2. The appearance of Fractured Milla really throws him for a loop, as one might imagine, and he very obviously doesnt know how to feel about it for the entirety of her time with the party. His pragmatic way of thinking leads him to openly acknowledge that F. Milla and his Milla are different people, but it doesnt make him any more comfortable around her. Its telling that even though her death brings his Milla back, it still hits him hard. Part of that is sympathy for Elle and his general personality, sure, but honestly, the way he behaves around her at times makes me wonder if there wasnt some tiny part of himself that thought F. Milla was his chance to get everything he wanted. It almost feels like hes halfway trying to convince himself as much as anyone when he says My Milla and you are two different people. Thats all there is to it.


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#5 through #7 was probably the hardest string to settle on across the whole list. Those three are somewhat interchangeable.

It's just that I think it'd have been marginally more interesting if Velvet wasn't the one so clearly in the right in Berseria's conflict. Selfish though her motivations are, her actions do much more good for a much larger number of people than the Abbey's, but sometimes it feels like the game is trying to tell you that's not necessarily true. I dunno, it just creates a bit of a disconnect where her story doesn't feel like it was exactly right. It's a minor thing, but in the top 7 like this you have to decide which hairs to split eventually.

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

What kind of person doesn't vote Kirby Air Ride out of these choices?

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Spurs - Yankees - Eagles - Golden Knights

#7 - Velvet Crowe (Berseria)
I hate to say it, Niko... But I think Im a terrible person. I really thought I could have my own life back again, and I could forget everything else. I tried to act like I was doing it for Laphi, but it was all for myself. But I cant forget. I shouldnt forget. Laphi is dead. He was murdered without even knowing why. I will never forgive that... Ever!

I feel like its important to note before anything else here that optimism for Tales was kind of at an all-time low among fans when Berseria was in development. Zestiria had been widely considered a disaster, and if you were someone who didnt care for one or both of the Xillia games, youd really had to endure a rough stretch of entries in the series. So when the game was revealed and we got our first look at Velvet in her outrageous getup, the prevailing reaction of the internet was one that I could most accurately equate to a worldwide, simultaneous exchanging of wide-eyed looks. Oh no, we thought, here we go again.

Then we played it, and we all got to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Bamco had given us a great Tales game again, and theyd done it in no small part by creating an absolutely incredible protagonist.

Something that I think goes a long way into making Velvet interesting is that she already feels like a complete character before the fateful Scarlet Night. Shes a happy girl in an unhappy world, eking out a simple existence while having to deal with relatively pedestrian struggles like a sick brother whos most likely doomed no matter how much she tries to believe otherwise, the implications of her impending adulthood as a woman with desirable domestic qualities, and somewhat ambiguous romantic feelings toward her sisters widower that is largely distrusted on the basis of being an outsider in a tight-knit and somewhat isolated community. In another medium or even genre, thats a compelling story setup all on its own.

What we get instead is a really excellent story of vengeance. You could make a compelling argument, I think, that even at her lowest point, Velvet is never truly a violent person deep down. Shes motivated exclusively by her all-consuming hatred for Artorius, which in turn is only due to the pure love and devotion she has for her little brother. Shell use and hurt and kill other people in service of her goal if shes even the least bit convinced she has to, but she does it with a sort of dispassion, and as the game wears on it becomes more and more obvious that, no matter what she says, being known the universe over as a bane on the world weighs heavy on whatever part of her humanity shes retained. It feels like she has to relearn every day when she wakes up how to be a killer (which, incidentally, kind of excuses the overly dark and edgy dialogue she tends to spout in the early game, which would otherwise be a really off-putting aspect of the character - it reads like shes trying to remind herself over and over that this is what must be done). Its also intriguing to note that there likely existed many scenarios where she was a full supporter of Arthurs plans and ideals. She puzzles out in the prologue after some initial internal conflict that hunting boars for food is a rational thing to do in a manner disturbingly similar to some of the detached Abbey logic.

But she wouldnt be nearly this high if she wasnt well-rounded like all the other characters in this part of the list. I love the subtlety of the progression in her interactions with the rest of the party. Theres never any explicit attention drawn to it, but around the time of the first fight at the Throne she just starts to get a little friendlier. Small smiles in skits, calling people by name, that sort of thing. Toward the games end we even get little heartwarming lines like her telling Magilou, I hope you learn to like yourself. Endgame Velvet is probably as close as she could reasonably get to being the person she used to be given everything that happened, which is admirable. And theres a few other small moments - her profound sadness at being unable to taste the food she still loves to cook, the silly recurring quirk of being notably bad at nicknaming, her impassioned argument that Artorius genuinely believed that his actions were best for mankind, the brief occasions where she allows herself to think back fondly on the days when her whole family was together - that fill in the few remaining pieces that make her incredible. Her finest hour, though, comes in what is (indefensibly) an optional scene where she states, with no hesitation, that she wouldnt go back in time to change what happened to her little bro because changing events doesnt change people or intentions.

The final thing I want to do in this writeup is shout out Cristina Vee for turning in what is pound-for-pound the best voice performance in the series. Velvet goes through a metric ton of emotional turmoil of pretty much every kind in Berseria, and it wouldnt have worked at all if not for Vee clearly understanding the character so well. Even comparatively small things like the in-battle screams or the subtle changes in vocal pitch as she gets used to the partys presence, she just nails. Ive seen some people complain about this and it just baffles me. Its perfect.

TL;DR: When the worst thing I can say about Velvets story is that her enemys ambitions are just a little too obviously wrong, so that the player never has any prolonged periods of having to heavily consider the implications of what the protagonists are doing, it says a lot. I love that this is a revenge story that never gets hung up on killing their killer wont bring them back. Shes forthcoming about doing it for herself first and foremost, and no abstract benefit to her late brother or the world as a whole ever enters into her thinking. And we grow to love her through it. All that is why its so satisfying to see it through.

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You forget jade is one of the people directly responsible for hod since his replication tech was used for its destruction. And technically culpable for akzeriuth given luke wouldn't have been used as a weapon to destroy the sepiroth without his creation of fomicry and programming replicas. Though he didn't create luke directly. Jade is also responsible for the death of his teacher as well. He admits to some of that but that's the extent of it.

One of the pretty big themes of the game, told through the idea of fomicry, is that ideas and tools are not inherently good or evil and that their creators cannot reasonably be held responsible for everything that other people do with them. So no, he's not directly responsible for any of what you're claiming he is except for Nebilim, which was an accident.

Then there's Anise who was responsible for akzeriuth since she was working with them, the deaths of billions between the war and the miasma incidents, the 400 people on the tartarus

I'll give you the last one in this section but the other stuff would've happened with or without Anise. And really even that one I am giving you could probably be argued.

throw in the 10k something replicas at the tower of rem to remove the miasma

You mean the miasma that would've killed literally every living thing on the planet if nothing was done?

You're reaching into bad faith arguments now, so that's gonna be the end of my participation in this particular discourse.

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I always wonder how many people that refuse to accept that part of the appeal of Abyss's party is that they all recognize that they've maybe not been great people in the past and go through great pains to rectify that are the kind of people who are fierce believers in rehabilitation of criminals and that people shouldn't be judged for their past mistakes in real life.

No party member in Abyss does something worse than what Luke did at Akzeriuth. The degree to which that was his fault is really immaterial in that sort of discussion.

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shadowysea07 posted...

No he had planned to loooooong before the start of the game back when luke was even younger and was going to take his severed head into the dads office or bedroom or something iirc much like had been done to their father As A souvenir.

Right, because loooong before the start of the game Guy didn't give two shits about Van's larger plans or hadn't been clued in on them - he just wanted revenge on Duke Fabre.

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Killing luke would not make sense for the plot as the games villains needed him for the key events like akzeriuth and he was deeply ingrained into their plans.

Wasn't the idea that Guy was waiting to kill him until after the Akzeriuth events?

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But just going as far as planning it (which doesn't make sense for the plot)

I don't understand what you mean by this.

but friends don't typically plan to murder each other

He was only planning it before they became friends.

But he still covered up all the crap with van like every other character in the game not named Natalia which definitely hurts him on the loyal friend scale.

I don't really think this has much bearing on whether you're a loyal friend or not, but either way, he recognizes he made mistakes with that whole thing, apologizes for them, and does his damnedest to make amends.

Though he was missing the actual truth of it all since Lukes father only murdered his father but were not responsible for the destruction of hod which I would assume Van knew but kept from him for some unknown reason.

Sounds like your bigger problem is actually with Van, then, not Guy.

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shadowysea07 posted...

I mean except for the part where he planned to assassinate you as a child with van and the gardener and who knows how many other employees or how he kept vans stuff secret. So not exactly much loyalty there. Granted some of it comes from self preservation and loyalty to van who used to be his friend and someone he looked up to as an idol. But given that he could have moved at any time eh.

You're being pretty critical of him for things he didn't actually do and oversimplifying the motivations he had for them besides, but okay.

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#8 - Guy Cecil (Abyss)
Well, everybody's different, but I think that clinging to life is what really makes people want to change the world. It's not wrong or right, it's just... faith.

We should all be so lucky to have a friend like Guy. Someone who knows the absolute worst side of us and has every reason to hate us and somehow stays by our side to become our most loyal and trusted companion anyway.

Guys just a good dude. Hes the first to recognize Lukes inherent goodness (really, hes the first person in Lukes life that seems to give a damn about him at all) and the first to go back for him after Akzeriuth, acknowledging that he was always friends with the replica and not the original. While thats admirable enough on its own, the subtext there is that hes seemingly the only person, not just in the party but the game as a whole, to understand immediately that Luke and Asch are two different people.

Even with nothing else, thatd be enough to land Guy a pretty high placement on the ranking, but because hes an Abyss character, hes got plenty of depth to him, too. For starters, Team Destiny shouldve taken some notes from him on how to do the I couldve ended up just like the villain thing right. Really, the majority of his development is dedicated to showing just how close he was. A noble joins the house of his most hated enemy as a servant, fully prepared to hang around as long as it took to enact his revenge, only to fall ass-backwards into a genuine friendship with the one hed sworn to kill. And its hinted from the beginning that he has a dark edge to him. When Luke asks him how many people hes killed, his response to say Who knows? and rather flippantly speculate that the number is probably lower than that of the soldier he struck down moments before. And theres plenty of other examples to show that deep down, hes really a very violent and angry person. As it turns out, though, for all his suffering, Guy just doesnt have the disposition for vengeance. Hes simply too nice. But that doesnt mean hes able to completely let go of the past, and that makes for a couple of memorable moments as the game goes on, like his taking advantage of the summit of world leaders to threaten all of their lives until he gets a straight answer about what really happened with Hod. Its another good example of the Abyss brand of development where party members dont lose entire aspects of their character forever after one big moving on scene. Thats not to say he doesnt get scenes like that, though, and for the most part theyre pulled off pretty well. I particularly like the one where he admits to being partly responsible for what eventually went down at Akzeriuth, given that he knew Van was up to no good and never said anything and that he had an unintentional hand in raising Luke to become the easily manipulated pawn that he did.

Once he breaks off his ties with Van, he eventually settles into a nice little role in the party dynamic where he more or less functions as a calming influence. He very rarely loses his cool and often comes off as the most introspective cast member, which makes sense given how much his worldview once shifted. Because of those qualities, I always felt like Guy was the most trustworthy of the Abyss cast. That is to say, if he expressed a particular point of view about something, I was inclined to believe it was true over any conflicting thoughts, because I could be sure hed spent a good bit of time thinking about it. Plus, Abyss strikes a good balance with his whole Fon Machine obsession. Its equal parts a humorous quirk and a legitimate help to the party in their adventure. (Johnny Yong Bosch is a big part of all of this, by the way. His always-great voice acting goes a long way toward making Guy feel as genuine as he does.)

I also think the gynophobia is handled in a pretty clever way. Its played entirely for laughs for the majority of the game, so you feel completely free as a player to make fun of him alongside the party. Then, when the cause is revealed, you feel every bit as bad about treating it as a joke as they do. Its an effective little tactic to help you bond with the character. Simple, but effective. More importantly, it contributes in a big way to the Tower of Rem scene which, as I think I mentioned in Tears write-up, is my favorite moment in all of Tales. And Guys really the star of that scene. When Tear loses her composure, its Guy that leaps in to physically restrain her. Its one of only two times in the game (three if you count sidequests) that hes able to touch a woman without freaking out, and he does it all while being arguably the most pissed off of anybody that Lukes doing what hes doing.

Finally, all things considered, hes probably in the top 3 or 5 of my favorite Tales character to play as in battle. I love his fighting style and I love his lineup of artes, namely Brilliant Overlord and the best version of the best recurring Tales arte in Tiger Blade.

Ill leave off the same place Abyss did: Tataroo Valley, two years after the events of the game, where hes the only one who still seems to believe deep down that Luke would be coming back someday. Why? Just because he said so. He knew his friend wouldnt go back on his word.

TL;DR: A perfect example of how to pull off a best friend character that doesnt feel like hes only there to be the best friend. He ends up being the best friend in the series anyway.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Man, the only Hearts character that I think doesn't look like a complete disaster of a design, and this first thing you say is you don't like her look!

It looks better in official concept art etc. than it does in the game proper, but even then, I just don't think an 18-year-old should look 12 unless it's, like, really important to their character or something.

Xiahou Shake posted...

Hearts is such a weird game that I actually forget it exists a lot of the time. The chasm of production value between it and the rest of the series coupled with the really rough localization and (at least for me personally) the control issues playing on Vita TV make for such an unfortunate combo. If it ever did somehow get a re-release on modern consoles with a dub and at least a somewhat polished localization I'd probably be reasonably psyched to replay it, because there is a lot of fun to be had in there underneath all the... rest.

I think of Hearts in much the same way I think of Symphonia with modern eyes. Perfectly solid as a total package but very, very rough in multiple ways, and it obviously doesn't have the nostalgic cache to buoy it.

Anyway, sorry for this next writeup looking more like a redacted government document than probably any other one has, but it's tough to talk about this guy without getting way into spoilers.

#9 - Raven (Vesperia)
Schwanns buried in the depths of Baction, aint he? The guy standin in front of ya is Raven, just a simple old man.

Ive been critical of some characters that lean heavily on some shtick on this ranking, so having the guy who has maybe 80% of his screen time revolving around him being a perverted old man this high up might be a bit of a head-scratcher.

But damned if that other 20% isnt just awesome.

The interplay between Ravens two identities fascinates me. He himself even seems convinced theyre legitimately two different people, which is odd because, to an objective observer, theyre not really all that dissimilar. The impressive combat prowess, the unshakable selflessness, the wry intelligence, the determination to keep moving forward even when all seems against you. All things considered, hes not even as much of a lech as he tries to pretend - hell certainly do more than his fair share of flirting, but at the end of the day, hell nudge those women who are actually interested in him in another direction.

The only real difference between the two, apart from their weapon of choice, is their attachment to life. Schwann wouldve been perfectly content to die alongside his love in the Great War, but Alexei robbed him of that chance. And then, he accidentally does him a favor. The identity of Raven starts as an assignment but quickly becomes an escape. The easygoing, charismatic, free-spirited guild member has the luxury of walking through life with a smile that the steadfast Imperial Knight never did. Don Whitehorse immediately sniffing out his true purpose and allowing him to stick around anyway is the turning point in Ravens life, which is probably why he treats the Don with a reverence beyond even Karols hero worship.

But his sense of duty keeps him tethered to Alexei, and with Whitehorses death destroying the equivalent connection to Altosk and the other guilds, whatever lease on life hed gained through his alter-ego seemingly vanishes as well. He walks into Baction after kidnapping Estelle fully intending to finally die for good, only for Brave Vesperia to pull that troublesome Raven out of him again.

Schwanns burial and Alexeis subsequent demise eliminates that tether as well, making Raven a truly free man for the first time in a long time. His sorrowful willingness to die at Yuris hands isnt the broken resignation of the death-seeking Schwann, its the regretful apology of the kindhearted Raven who simply didnt see another way out before. And when he finds his life once again spared, we finally get to see the complete picture of the man: a fiercely loyal ally who will fight with all he is in service of what he believes in, both to atone for his past mistakes and to show his gratitude to those who gave him that chance in the first place. It took the soldiers death to allow Raven to really embrace himself and become the true knight he always couldve been. Thats who he was deep down all along.

I absolutely love his design, too. The deep purple that dominates his outfit is kind of an underutilized color in Tales (and some of the characters that use it look terrible otherwise, coughJaycough) that looks super clean and sleek, giving him a casual but refined air that fits him perfectly once his double life is revealed. Hes great in combat, too - one of the better jack-of-all-trades characters in the series, even if playing as him sometimes feels like a trudge through a swamp. Love Shot in particular is a fantastic healing arte and some of his late game spells have a lot of utility. He can play several different roles in any situation, so he always ends up near the top of my usage chart in Vesperia playthroughs unless Im actively trying not to use him for the sake of variety.

This is another one of those characters I could probably talk about for a good deal longer because he has so many little moments that make him great, but thats pretty much the essence of why he ended up this high. Great character.

TL;DR: Tremendously likable character from beginning to end as the layers peel back on him more and more, and hes great for gameplay as well. The dichotomy of his two identities is one of the more interesting backstories in the series when alls said and done. The guys popular for a reason, in-universe and out.

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Tales of Hearts Wrap-Up
Personality issues aside, I'm very impressed. I guess even you have your uses sometimes.

Despite being a relatively simple and straightforward game, especially as compared to the rest of the Tales series, Hearts feels really busy, and thats no more evident than with the huge cast. There are several hours during the game where your traveling party is composed of eleven characters - eight playable, three supporting - and while I find most of them to be at least solid, its too much.

The bigger problem is that I feel like theres a disconnect for me with the Japanese audio. Im a firm dubs over subs guy (Im sure some here will hate me for that) and this game just reinforces that opinion. I cant take the voice acting at times. Beryl is high-pitched and has no off switch, Kohaku sounds like a meek seven-year old and takes forever to get sentences out half the time, Hisui is always turned up to eleven and screaming at the top of his lungs I just feel too separated from the party when half of them have obnoxious voices and are speaking a language I dont understand.

And they feel kind of separated from each other a lot, too, which is odd in a game where bonds are such an emphasized point. Its like Ines and Kohaku, for example, barely interact.

I dont hate this cast, but with so many characters it seems like more than just two shouldve been able to find a place in the upper tiers. And since they didnt, I cant really call it one of the better ones in the series.

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Let us begin.

#10 - Beryl Benito (Hearts)
Ill have you know that I am WAAAAAY too old to be called a loli, pal!

I chose this quote because I spent the entirety of my first Hearts playthrough assuming Beryl was, like, 12 years old, only to find out afterwards that shes actually 18. Which, I guess, means I might as well start by talking about how her overall look isnt great. That she looks far younger than she is is clearly intentional, as is the whole Magical Girl influence, but just because its technically successful doesnt make it good. And I dont care for her color palette. The purple used for her overalls just looks ugly, and using the exact same color for the bow in her hair makes it look like its constantly clipping through her even when its not. The garish hat is the cherry literally on top of the design - Beryl is probably the Tales character benefited most by the hatless costume option.

Now the good stuff. Beryls greatest asset is how relatable she is for me. Personal relatability isnt something Ive talked about much on this ranking, mostly because I think its kind of an overrated measure of fictional characters, but its applicable here. I see a lot of myself in her. Ive been an athlete (a fairly noteworthy one in certain circles) for most of my life, and although I was fortunate enough to have a good deal of talent in a couple of different sports, and one in particular, I had massive issues with confidence and self-esteem, and I was always far too hard on myself when it came to training and getting better. It took me a long, long time to get over the pervasive feeling that no matter how much I worked on a particular skill or how much success I achieved, there would always be someone better achieving something greater.

Thats Beryls journey over the course of Hearts. Its obvious to everyone, artists and non-artists alike, that shes an extraordinarily gifted painter. But she sets ludicrously high goals for herself, and that leads only to frustration when she finds obstacles in reaching them. She sees other artists, some even more talented than her, squandering their ability and refusing to work equally hard to develop it, and it drives her insane. Shes got a chip on her shoulder a mile wide because of her grandfathers fame and it leads her to judge herself way too harshly.

So between those self-confidence issues and the frustrating lack of progress shes encountering, Beryls in a pretty bad place when the party first stumbles across her. But in spite of her low opinion of herself and her abilities, she proves herself to be one of the more useful and reliable members of the group. Her immaturity masks a surprising cleverness that saves them more than once, first with her quick-thinking gambit with the Shard of Doubt and later when shes the only one who seems to notice the strange behavior of a despir-infected Tourmaline. And then theres the multiple occasions where she teleports them all out of situations that otherwise wouldve spelled certain death.

And yet, no one seems to notice or care. Theyre all too concerned with Kohaku. Just when Beryl finally starts to find some self-worth, it gets ripped away from her by the feelings of inadequacy brought on by the brave, pretty girl that everyone seems to love more than they do her. And she feels even worse about it because even she likes Kohaku.

The whole sequence in her hometown is done beautifully. She lets go of her anger towards the grandfather and finds a way to accept herself for who she is through and through. Now that her journey isnt partly about flipping him the finger for abandoning the family, she can start truly painting for herself. And when she finally blows up on the party for treating her like an afterthought and they ease her concerns, she finds a real place with them that shes comfortable with as well. It leads her and Kohaku to an understanding that allows them to form the best friendship in Hearts.

Plus, shes great comic relief. Shes a lot like Moses in that the universe just seems to enjoy screwing with her at every possible turn, except that her misadventures are actually funny. The bizarre speech impediment is an entertaining quirk that never got old, and for the entirety of her time with the party she seemed to approach every situation with an almost stubborn refusal to let anything get too serious and seemed to take her bad luck as license to mess with everyone else, too.

TL;DR: The most entertaining Hearts character is also the best developed. She goes from a hopelessly lost and unconfident girl to someone whos so secure and steadfast in her dreams that shes even inspiring other characters like Guildmaster Marine by the games end. Her struggles are really well done and eventually mold her into something memorable. I have a hard time recommending Hearts to any but the most ardent Tales fans, but its a shame most folks will never get to see how good this character is.

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Gotta admit, the outpouring of Tear love surprises me a bit, especially the prevalence of "Tear>Guy" opinions. I feel like that's not one I see on many other forums, even when Tear is actually popular.

Mega Mana posted...

Just starting Vesperia, and I'm wondering before I get too much farther in...

Are there any achievements/titles in this game, or frankly any other Tales, that are like Colette's Dog Lover title or Genis' "Don't use Gels until this point in the game" kind of titles? Where you don't really know to be aware of them the first or even second time playing, and that csn be easily failed before you even realize failure was an option?

Just curious if I should keep an eye out on who to lead parties when talking to people. Zesty and Berseria didn't seem to have anything like that (though I could be wrong).

Ooh, Top 10 most annoying titles to get??

I platinum'd Vesperia DE - it was a gigantic pain in the ass for things like this. I'm pretty sure there are just a couple examples of a specific party member needing to be the lead for them, but there's a lot of missable stuff. Enemies that you need to Magic Lens for the Monster Book that only show up in one place that you can't return to afterwards, missable weapons in stores for the Collector's Book, weird sidequest triggers...

The thing is, there's also a couple of achievements that are "Finish Part 1 at Level 15 or under" or "Beat the game in 15 hours," which you're not going to be able to get on your first playthrough no matter what. So if being a completionist for Vesperia is important to you, I'd recommend not even worrying about it your first time through the game. You can always look up a guide for subsequent runs.

Top 10 Most Annoying Titles would be fun. After the list is done, I'll open the topic up for suggestions on other Skits if people want to see them.

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Been a bit of a journey, but we're on the homestretch! Your top ten, folks.

Symphonia/Symphonia 2 (1)
Zelos Wilder

Abyss (3)
Guy Cecil
Jade Curtiss
Luke fon Fabre

Vesperia (2)
Raven
Yuri Lowell

Hearts (1)
Beryl Benito

Xillia/Xillia 2 (1)
Jude Mathis

Berseria (2)
Magilou
Velvet Crowe

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I disagree pretty strongly, too, but I guess that's implicit in the fact that after this elimination, Abyss will officially make up 30% of the top ten...

#11 - Alvin (Xillia)
"Heh heh... Well, if you can't see through a false front, isn't that your problem?"

Theres undeniably some big points against Alvin, I know. Even Ive oscillated once or twice on whether I like him. For starters, hes the most obvious Tales Traitor Character ever in the series, to the extent that most fans had him pegged as such from the moment he was first introduced in magazines in trailers pre-release. Im not even sure he had his name revealed at the time. His whole design just screamed turncoat. And then the game itself doesnt go too far out of its way to hide it, either. So the only emotional response a player is likely to get from his sudden but inevitable betrayal is annoyance. Then, to make matters worse, he does it repeatedly, and even though the rest of the party will frequently remark on how untrustworthy he is, hes always able to worm himself enough into their good graces that theyre convinced to keep him around. Its an exhausting cycle from a players perspective, but I dont really think its fair to take that out on the character himself. That aspect of him is more of a product of Xillia being kind of a weakly written game overall, and if anything, Im more inclined to count it against the others. Plus, once you get past that, Alvins fascinating.

He gets way, way more focus than any other Xillia party member not named Jude or Milla, so were privy to practically his entire life story. That story tells us that this guy has one of the worst combinations of traits humanly possible: terrible luck and even worse decision making skills. Xillia 2 straight up implies that Alvin has made the choice that will make him less happy in every major decision point in his life, because every fractured version of him is considerably happier than the prime version. He cant catch a break to begin with, and then he exacerbates everything by his tendency to immediately leap to whatever the most drastic option is in a given situation. Your mom is sick? Better blackmail the most corrupt doctor you can find to try and force her to take care of her. Dont know how to get back to your homeworld? Well, I guess you can try killing Jude at the behest of an ax-crazy Great Spirit and just hope that she upholds her end of the bargain and sends you there. And so on. This is all born out of his extraordinarily low opinion of himself. Normally, characters like that have a tendency to brood a lot or otherwise be insufferable edgy loners, but Alvin carries it well. Theres a balance struck where it doesnt encroach upon the way he acts most of the time, but it shows itself enough that it does always feel like an important aspect of his personality thats driving his actions.

I think what I like most about Alvin is that hes written in such a way that its blatantly obvious to pretty much everyone but himself that hes just not actually suited for the backstabbing persona hes built. Yeah, hes a fluent liar and good at spotting deception from others, but there his aptitude ends. His hearts not in it. Plenty of sidequests demonstrate that touch on his childhood show that he was shy, sensitive, and even notably selfless as a kid. He never really grew out of that, even after being recruited into Exodus and later becoming a spy in mercenary (which, by the way, he only does because he doesnt know anything else by that point in his life). And even there, something always manages to trip him up. He seems to have genuinely loved Presa, for example, but he pushes her away simply because thats what someone in his line of work has to do (another one of those bad decisions). Even his spying for Exodus during the game is motivated by his desire to take care of his mother. He truly doesnt have the stomach to be the big bad manipulator that the world tried to make him.

His big turning point is shooting Leia in the back and the subsequent brawl with Jude, which he really only goes through with at that point because hes so overwhelmed with guilt that the only way he can cope is by blaming someone else. And if he didnt like himself before, he hit his personal event horizon as far as believing himself to be beyond redemption then. Its uplifting to watch the dramatic growth he gets between that and the end of the game, where he finally resolves once and for all to be the better person that the rest of the party understands he is, and even though he readily admits his fear that it might already be too late, he knows all he can do is try to be an honest man going forward.

Xillia 2 doesnt add too much to his character so much as it sort of tidies up what was already good about him. His self-deprecation has become more of a humor mechanism, even if it still comes from a place of truth, and its clear that hes trying his best to be that good dude and that he appreciates the rest of the cast seeing that and forgiving him for his misdeeds. He gets much less focus in that game (because, really, where was there even room for him?), but his character episodes are some of the consistently better ones, and they end on a hopeful note. His journey throughout the two games is a satisfying one.

I cant end this without talking about his aesthetics, because his visual design (specifically from X1) is another one of my absolute favorites in the series. The coat, the sword/gun combination, and that badass scarf set him up perfectly as the suave and charming but exceedingly dangerous character that he would become. I havent brought this up much in the other characters write-ups, but I HATE a lot of the Xillia 1 costumes. Millas is fine, Leias isnt horrendous, but Judes, Rowens, and Elizes are all terrible, and they make Alvins look even better by comparison. Xillia 2s is much less ostentatious, but I like how it underscores the fact that were dealing with a much different Alvin. Its a lot more mellow even in the color scheme (dark though it may be), which fits a guy whos looking to get on the straight and narrow. Its certainly not like a bad design sinks a character for me (hell, probably half of the characters left to drop have pretty silly ones), but a good one can certainly lift a character I already love to even greater heights.

And I do love Alvin. Its crazy to me that there was a time when I didnt care for this guy. Heading into the top 10 here, were very much into the territory of this list where every character left is entertaining throughout the whole game while also being deep and developing well. Alvin checks all those boxes. Cant say enough good things about him.

TL;DR: Tons of fun, wonderfully developed, great design Alvin just plain doesnt get the credit he deserves sometime

You know, sometimes I wonder why fiction as a whole doesn't make more of an effort to write nuanced, multidimensional characters. Then I come on the internet and see all the people who just seem determined to boil them down to the most extreme, polarized, black-or-white opinion or description possible and I understand it a little better.

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_stingers_ posted...

I'm pretty surprised Tear isn't top 5 so I'm interested to see what yours is

I'm kind of surprised anyone would be surprised by anyone not being top 5 at this point. I feel like almost every character left at this point is at least somewhat chalk.

SuperNiceDog posted...

Tear only at #12? She was like the best waifu

You appear to have accurately surmised that this is not a ranking of Tales waifus.

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Nova did indeed do nothing wrong. My hot take is that even the debt mechanic itself gets more hate than it deserves.

Anyway, we've officially reached the point in this list where every elimination cuts me to my very soul, so just know when your favorite character goes down that I'm hurting just as much as you.

#12 - Tear Grants (Abyss)
Hypothesizing about not having been born is meaningless. You're living your own life. Experiences that only you know. Feelings that only you feel. Don't deny them. Youre here.

The wonderfully named Mystearica Aura Fende is such an endearing character. For a good while, she seems to be every inch the person she presents to the world: a calm, detached soldier who thinks of little but whatever mission happens to be in front of her at the time. The cracks in that armor start to show up pretty quickly, though, upon the reveal that shes Van sister and isnt quite as gung-ho about the idea of killing him as she seemed, which is enough to start the ball rolling that theres a lot more to her than what she shows. It takes until the very end of the game, but we do eventually get the clear picture. Despite her front, Tear is probably the most emotional party member deep down, and it just so happens that her training has also made her the best at covering up those feelings. Theres plenty of examples that show just how much that training runs counter to her actual personality, like the fact that shell go out of her way to avoid killing whenever its at all possible (not just people, either - one sidequest even has her hold back on killing monsters). Past that, she has the kind of charming awkwardness that you dont often see portrayed in RPG characters. Its cute to watch her slowly warm up to the party and subtly try to be a little more outgoing, because shes just so terrible at it. She even starts to make bad jokes here and there, and its a testament to the writing in Abyss that it comes off like its supposed to instead of just being cringy.

Now, obviously, I cant do a write-up on Tear without talking about her romance with Luke, not just because its one of my personal favorites in video games but because its pretty important for her development. Ive mentioned a couple times before that good romances develop both characters, and you can trace a lot of the change she goes through during the game to however her relationship with Luke has progressed at the time. For example, her first real coming-out-of-her-shell moment begins when she snaps at Luke for his ignorance about the world and he miserably responds that he didnt have a chance to learn too much when he was busy relearning his parents faces. She awkwardly apologizes, and the rest of the team notes that she seems to be treating him more nicely afterwards. It goes through a very natural evolution from there, and while it definitely sometimes drifts into an irritating trope or two, it also never feels like its not genuine or that they dont have legitimate chemistry. Theres a line in the Cecille/Frings sidequest where an embarrassed Tear privately admits that she didnt pick up on the vibes between them, which seems like a throwaway at the time but in retrospect serves as pretty good evidence for just how inexperienced she is in matters of the heart, to the point that she seems legitimately shocked when Luke expresses concern for her when the party learns about the miasma contaminating her body. It makes some of her more juvenile behavior a little more forgivable.

Tears finest hour comes in the events leading up to and culminating at Lukes attempted sacrifice atop the Tower of Rem in the climax of the game. The rest of the party members, along with some of the more important recurring characters, all attempt, to varying extents, to talk him out of his choice or give him an alternative way out. Tear doesnt. She instead tells him that shell accept his decision, whatever it is, and trust that hes thought it through all the way. She repays her gratitude to him for allowing her the dignity of a similar choice in the past by extending him the same courtesy. And then, with all that said, she lets him know in no uncertain terms that shell never forgive him for leaving her behind, doing an uncharacteristically poor job of controlling her emotions. She cant even look at him while shes saying it. Its an excellent scene that does a great job of showing how far their relationship has evolved. She was the one who originally called Luke out for never attempting to understand anything and just relying on what others told him, and now shes acknowledging that hes moved far past that. More importantly, it demonstrates that her feelings for him are based on the true respect shes developed for him.

And then, of course, when the moment of truth comes, she cant actually bring herself to watch him die and has to be physically held back from getting involved. Her obvious relief at his subsequent survival feels like a heralding of her last emotional barrier being broken down, and for the relatively brief remainder of the game shes clearly much more comfortable in expressing how much shes grown to care for the rest of the party, Luke in particular, leading up to her quiet confession in the ending (major points for that, by the way - how many times do we actually get to hear those three little words in a JPRG romance?) and then the epilogue, where she finally allows herself to shed a tear when he returns.

But I dont want to give the impression that her most prevalent contribution to Abyss is being a love interest, even though she plays that role to perfection. All things considered, you could make the argument that shes the most important character to the plot in the party. Shes the one who sets the main story in motion by infiltrating the Fabre Manor and accidentally transporting her and Luke across the world. Shes the one that gives Luke the final push he needs to commit to his change, and she faithfully guides him on that journey afterwards when she didnt have to. Shes the one that makes it possible for the party to operate the Passage Rings in the Sephiroth. Shes the one that finally takes Van down by using her hymns to free Lorelei. And, though this isnt particularly relevant to the plot, she gets perhaps the best-written line in a game chock full of great writing when she calls out the replicas on the Isle of Feres for their callous attitude and arrogance.

TL;DR: Theres just so much to love about Tear. I didnt even go into her relationship with Van or Legretta, and thered be plenty more to say about both of them. But really, I can probably summarize why shes ranked this high by saying this: despite all her status as the love interest, conflicting feelings towards Van, and overall emotional drive, shes an extraordinarily efficient soldier throughout the entire game. That m

4. Don Whitehorse (Vesperia)
How cool was this son of a bitch? I will never not love the trope of the old badass that can still take down anyone on the planet if hes so inclined. And I also always love the story of guys like that being brought down by wild events in the world around him that, despite how smart they actually are, are completely out of their control. His attempt to give Yeager what he deserved first was just icing on the cake. The relationships he develops with Yuri and Karol are well done, too, and the fact that his death is what really kicks Yuris development into gear gives him a really interesting story role. Sometimes I wish wed gotten to see more of him, but on the other hand, he was pretty much perfect for what he was. At least we got to fight him in the Definitive Edition.

3. Julius Kresnik (Xillia)
Love or hate Xillia 2, I think most folks would be hard pressed to say that game didnt nail the big emotional moments its story was built on. X2 flat-out doesnt work if the relationship between Ludger and Julius isnt perfect, and even though Ludger himself was a swing and a miss, it was. The older brother makes an excellent ideal of strength to strive for while still maintaining a nice air of mystery - you really cant tell exactly what his goals are or whether hes even on your side until fairly late in the game.

And then he dies, and like I said, they just nail it. The brief glimpse of his sad but proud smile during the battle as he closes his eyes and waits for the last blow, his immediate awareness and calm acceptance in the Fractured Dimension where the deeds actually done, Ludgers silent screaming, all capped off by Rollo giving the saddest meow you ever heard from a cat. Xillia 2 had its flaws, but damned if it didnt get its most important NPC so, so right.

2. Ion (Abyss)
The different sides we get of the whole idea of being a replica in Abysss world are all fascinating, and Ions is no exception. A lot of the time, it doesnt really seem to bother him all that much, and it feels like hes more or less content with the good he can do for the world in his role as Fon Master, but seeing how he speaks and behaves during the first half of the game on replays of the game reveal that hes got a helping of self-loathing almost as big as Syncs - it just manifests differently. He feels like his status as a replacement precludes him for really doing anything but what others tell him to, and even when he does try to strike out on his own, he always lets someone else actually take the lead.

Meeting Luke changes him. The outright defiance Luke shows toward everyone and everything before he learns what he is shocks Ion, who probably thought the very idea of a replica asserting himself so was impossible, and then the devotion Luke shows toward overcoming the circumstances of his existence and trying to become a better person just inspires him further. Late-game Ion is almost unrecognizable: pulling rank when he has to, all but threatening country monarchs with the Orders influence, even snarking at people sometimes. But he never loses his kindness. His ability to be something so different from what the original Ion was long before Luke did the same thing is pretty cool - he just didnt realize it.

And then his death, obviously, is heartbreaking, especially considering he even mentions how theres still replacements for him. Turns out he never quite got over that inferiority complex after all, and thats the real shame. But in his last moments, hes still thinking of other people, saving Tear and even just reading the Score in the first place when he knew itd kill him. Great character.

1. Peridot Hamilton (Hearts)
Like Tenebrae and Ion, Peridot and Pyrox have a leg up on a lot of other NPCs in the series by virtue of all the extra time they get to interact with the party in their travels alongside them. The development of their relationship with Chalcedony is a big reason he ended up as high as he did on the main ranking. Pyrox is pretty solid in his own right, but Peridot? I think I like her more than 75% of the playable characters in the series.

Shes endlessly entertaining, pretty well developed, and even gets a boost from being the center of a whole series of sub-events dealing with her old orphanage. Shes even got a nice design and a pretty fun combat style. But what really puts her over the top is her eventual death scene. The delusion she channels to get Chal to finally leave her and Pyrox behind, even if it was halfway faked, is among the most heartbreaking moments in the entire series. I still dont know where Hearts pulled that scene from - its not exactly the best-written game in the franchise - but Im sure glad for it, because its really one of the most memorable things in that entry. Just a fantastic character.

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It's still technically "tomorrow," shut up. <_<

Skit - Top 10 NPCs/Supporting Characters/Whatever you want to call them...

10. Grimoirh (Berseria)
I imagine if everyone lived to be 5000 years old, theyd probably be a lot like Grim here. She just wants to be left alone to live a calm, uneventful life, and she just has no time or care for anyones bullshit, which leads to a great role in a Berseria that, to varying degrees and in various ways, is completely ruled by their emotions and is very used to other people having at least some sort of reaction to that. The relationship she develops with Laphicet is really sweet, though, and she does a great job as the one delivering exposition for some of the more complex subjects in the game. I never got tired of listening to her puzzle things out in skits.

9. Dirk (Symphonia)
The world would be a hell of a good place if everyone had a dad like Dirk. Hes kind but firm, lets Lloyd make his own decisions but wants to make sure he understands the responsibility that brings, and does his small part to aid people wherever he can, happy with his place in the world. He also gets to beat the crap out of some monsters in Dawn. Just a good guy. Every scene hes in feels so serene and enjoyable.

8. Fourier (Graces)
She may be endlessly tortured that Pascal will always be better than her, but she loves her anyway. I love the relationship those two have, and despite those feelings of inferiority, Fourier damn sure comes through in a big way at times. She can be hilarious, too. Her SHUT UP shriek to Pascals singing in the Mecha-Asbel sidequest is the best-delivered line in the whole damn game - how did this same VA also put in the performance that was Xillia 1 Elize? Love her design, too. Im not a big waifu guy, but yeah.

7. Emperor Peony IX (Abyss)
This dude is a riot. Notably the only character that ever manages to get even the slightest bit of the upper hand on Jade, but its also not like he always has his number. Their banter is fantastic, and his interactions with the rest of the party are great too. His more serious moments are also really nice. Telling Luke he wont blame him if Luke decides to run from the events they discuss for the Tower of Rem, for example. And his backstory with Nephry that was done in manga form is incredible - highly recommended if you enjoy the Abyss worldbuilding.

6. Nova (Xillia)
Xillia 2 is depressing, and its debt mechanic can be a real drag. Nova softens the blow of both of those things considerably. Shes so upbeat and lovable that the nihilistic tone of the game almost doesnt seem so absolute sometimes, and her interjections for the debt stuff can be legitimately funny. Its just a shame that she has such awful timing, and it hurts when shes just super down by the end of the game. Really feels like the signal that there isnt a happy ending coming for anyone.

Also, Nova is the best Ludger ship, don't at me.

5. Tenebrae (Symphonia)
I mean, everybody loves this guy. Hes a fantastic troll, but some of his motivations are interesting enough that hes also not one-note. I have to admit I didnt find him quite as funny on subsequent Dawn playthroughs as I did the first time around, so I cant really put him higher, but hes definitely still great, and part of that was probably because everything else that happens in Dawn just makes me want to shoot myself. Tenebie is certainly the best thing that came out of that miserable game.

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Alright, I lied, Skit tomorrow. >_>

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Just two tiers to go. Tomorrow's likely gonna be a Skit day.

If one sword has a power of 100, then using two will make it 200, right?
13. Lloyd Irving (Symphonia)
14. Pascal (Graces)
15. Raine Sage (Symphonia)
16. Eleanor Hume (Berseria)
17. Malik Caesar (Graces)
18. Sheena Fujibayashi (Symphonia)
19. Chalcedony Akerman (Hearts)
20. Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (Abyss)
21. Laphicet (Berseria)
22. Rita Mordio (Vesperia)
23. Sophie (Graces)
24. Rowen Ilbert (Xillia)
25. Milla Maxwell (Xillia)
26. Rutee Katrea (Destiny)

What could this mean for the tournament?! ...Oh screw this. I'm outta here!
27. Eizen (Berseria)
28. Farah Oersted (Eternia)
29. Richard Barona (Graces)
30. Repede (Vesperia)
31. Presea Combatir (Symphonia)
32. Reid Hershel (Eternia)
33. Chester Burklight (Phantasia)
34. Stahn Aileron (Destiny)
35. Gaius (Xillia)
36. Muzet (Xillia)

Ive traveled back in time from next week. Please stop throwing monsters at us.
37. Estellise Sidos Heurassein (Vesperia)
38. Alisha Diphda (Zestiria)
39. Rokurou Rangetsu (Berseria)
40. Will Raynard (Legendia)
41. Keele Zeibel (Eternia)
42. Zaveid (Zestiria)
43. Garr Kelvin (Destiny)
44. Kor Meteor (Hearts)
45. Judith (Vesperia)
46. Ludger Kresnik (Xillia)
47. Mary Argent (Destiny)
48. Leia Rolando (Xillia)
49. Claus F. Lester (Phantasia)
50. Flynn Scifo (Vesperia)
51. Anise Tatlin (Abyss)
52. Kratos Aurion (Symphonia)
53. Ines Lorenzen (Hearts)

"You're weak! You're a hack! You're wack."
54. Senel Coolidge (Legendia)
55. Rassius Luine (Eternia)
56. Max (Eternia)
57. Norma Beatty (Legendia)
58. Chloe Valens (Legendia)
59. Hubert Oswell (Graces)
60. Karyl Sheeden (Destiny)
61. Arche Klein (Phantasia)
62. Gall Gruner (Hearts)
63. Karol Capel (Vesperia)
64. Asbel Lhant (Graces)
65. Edna (Zestiria)
66. Fractured Milla (Xillia)

"No, no, no! Horrible! Terrible! Contrived! What kind of shoddy performance is this? Youre an eyesore! Get out of my sight!
67. Regal Bryant (Symphonia)
68. Kohaku Hearts (Hearts)
69. Cress Albane (Phantasia)
70. Elize Lutus (Xillia)
71. Cheria Barnes (Graces)
72. Lailah (Zestiria)
73. Kunzite (Hearts)
74. Philia Felice (Destiny)
75. Genis Sage (Symphonia)
76. Meredy (Eternia)
77. Mint Adenade (Phantasia)
78. Moses Sandor (Legendia)
79. Dezel (Zestiria)
80. Colette Brunel (Symphonia)
81. Hisui Hearts (Hearts)

The reaper and a daemon are shaking their heads at this overwrought monstrosity. Intrinsic worth, zero."
82. Chat (Eternia)
83. Grune (Legendia)
84. Mikleo (Zestiria)
85. Chelsea Torn (Destiny)
86. Patty Fleur (Vesperia)
87. Sorey (Zestiria)
88. Leon Magnus (Destiny)
89. Bruiser Khang (Destiny)
90. Emil Castagnier (Symphonia)
91. Jay (Legendia)
92. Suzu Fujibayashi (Phantasia)
93. Marta Lualdi (Symphonia)
94. Rose (Zestiria)
95. Shirley Fennes (Legendia)

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Last of the night and the tier. Apparently it's gonna be a big relief for some of y'all.

#13 - Lloyd Irving (Symphonia)
How can we go on a quest to regenerate the world if we can't even save the people standing right in front of us?!

My favorite book of all time is Steinbecks East of Eden. I mention this because theres a quote in there that I think fits very well with Lloyd - And now that you dont have to be perfect, you can be good.

The crux of Lloyds character development is learning that you yourself dont necessarily have to be perfect yourself to work towards a perfect world. At the beginning of Symphonia, hes the strongest fighter in the village, a kid full of confidence. Then he promptly gets shown up by Kratos and, in a reckless effort to reassert himself as a badass, gets into a skirmish at the Human Ranch and inadvertently causes the conflict that burns down Iselia. The first time he ever has to face up to his actions having consequences, theyre massive, and its that guilt as much as anything that leads him to commit to a path where no innocent person ever has to suffer again if he has anything at all to say about it.

Im not breaking any new ground by calling Lloyd an idealist. He even gets a title for it. He doesnt just want to find a solution to the worlds problems, he wants to find THE solution to all the worlds problems. He wants to fix everything at the same time so that it never has to be fixed again. But to reduce him only to that label is to ignore a good deal of nuance. He knows in the back of his mind that there maybe (probably) isnt such a thing as the ideal world he seeks and even admits once that his way of thinking can be hard on him, but he persists in it simply because that is what he has chosen to do. He chooses to believe that things will all work out, and after a few times hearing him say that, I always start to believe it too.

His earnestness is contagious. Hes a steadfast believer in life surrounded by a party of borderline suicidal people obsessed with sacrificing themselves for some greater good or misguided atonement. He seeks atonement as much as anyone, but he realizes that the best way to accomplish that is for the people with the willpower to make such change to keep on living. And that slowly rubs off on the other characters. They change for the better because of his influence. Its not even like hes always easy for him - the best skit in the game is the one where he struggles over a split second where he chose the world over Colette. That feels like the moment where he accepts that hell never be a perfect person, and by so doing learns how to truly become a good one.

I dont want to spend a lot of words on this, but its also unfair that Lloyd gets treated as a complete moron so often by fans. Book dumb, sure. But hes relatively clever and quick on his feet, and theres more examples of that than just the coffee thing. Hes perceptive enough to be the one to peg that Zelos isnt nearly the goof-off he pretends to be and to figure out Emils dumbass plan at the end of the sequel.

Speaking of Dawn, I cant put it off any longer. Lloyds a bit of a special case there. When Dawn hurts Symphonia characters, its usually by giving them one or two especially big problems. Lloyds portrayal in Dawn, on the other hand, isnt so much a targeted character assassination as a series of small missteps over and over and over and over again. Giving him that incredibly sweet story with that Paul kid and his mom and then turning it into a joke by just making it all a setup for canonizing that Lloyd has a thing for older women. Committing to a whole bait-and-switch with the impostor storyline when no player would actually believe hes going around killing random people. Trying to have their cake and eat it too by making him a recurring part of the main story but turning him into an aloof loner because of shoehorned plot reasons so he doesnt join the party for most of the game. Its just so tiring. Dawn cant even do an obvious cash grab correctly. Theyd have been better served making him into an almost mythical figure and letting him show up for the first time right at the end - it wouldve solved every problem.

Symphonia was my first Tales game, and Lloyd was thus the first Tales character I ever played as, so I have a big soft spot for him as a fighter. He controls super slick, can dish out a ton of damage quickly, and has a fun, if fairly basic, lineup of artes. He stands out in the clunky Symphonia battle system as the only experience I can confidently describe as smooth, and I have a hard time playing through the game using anyone else for long periods of time.

TL;DR: I understand why a lot of people dont like Lloyd, I really do. The well-meaning idiot as a hero has been done before and done since and will be done again, and he really leans into it at times. But I dont think thats enough to outweigh how well done his development is. He starts with some very firm beliefs about the world and manages to grow alongside it without ever really abandoning them. If not for Dawns inability to get out of its own way, he mightve even managed to just squeak into the top ten. Unfortunately, that game exists, so he drops here instead, just short of the next tier of characters that dont have his baggage.

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I'm going through the 3rd right now having done the other two a good while back and I'm not having any trouble. They generally recap stuff pretty well.

Can't hurt to read a recap, though. The worldbuilding is the biggest strength of the series, you might as well make sure you enjoy it as much as possible.

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Tales of Graces Wrap-Up
Its just letdown after letdown with you, isnt it?
Missed Opportunities: The Video Game. None of Graces characters are bad or unlikable per se, but the majority have their individual arcs shoved aside with almost no time devoted to them in favor of the Asbel and Richard Friendship Show, also starring Sophie.

Its interesting - the Tales series often gets lambasted for having terrible pacing, and while I think its a little overblown, there are undeniably a few games where thats a massive issue. Graces absolutely doesnt have that problem. There are very few stretches in the main story where nothing much happens, and hardly any periods of down time at all. Thats one of the reasons I like the game as much as I do, but it has the unfortunate side effect of giving the cast no room to breathe if theyre not directly involved with whatevers happening at a given time. Which theyre usually not.

A lot of them only ended up as high on the list as they did because they happened to be in the game with the best battle system in the series and their playstyles at least made them fun gameplay-wise. If you took that gameplay out of the equation, the cast as a whole would easily be one of the weaker offerings in the series. They might be regardless, all things considered.

One thing I will say, though, is that the Graces party is greater than the sum of its parts. From a strict entertainment perspective, this is the game with the best lineup of skits in Tales, which creates a feeling of awesome chemistry. It really drives home the point that theyre mostly all likeable characters that just arent always very interesting when all is said and done.

And they were never heard from again...

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xp1337 posted...

I'll say it. Eleanor too low. Top 2 character in Berseria only to Velvet. (and i am dying inside that she is losing to lloyd irving of all people, raine too)

So what part(s) of Eleanor didn't I cover that raise her up so high for you? And what aspects of, say, Raine do you not agree are good?

I enjoy debating this stuff, but I gotta have some actual things to respond to to do that beyond "Nah, you're wrong"!

#14 - Pascal (Graces)
"Ye cannot tell from whence we Amarcians came and whither we go or whatever!"

Its a pretty well-established trope in JRPGs that if a character seems impossibly happy or full of life, its usually because theyre actually quite depressed, and the happiness is just there to disguise whatever deep emotional trauma made them that way. And theres nothing wrong with those characters (hell, theres a couple on this list still yet to drop), but it was refreshing to have someone like Pascal that was cheerful all the way through the game just because thats really how they are.

Characters like that have a tendency to drive me crazy, because they can often get really grating if theyre not handled well enough, but Pascal is just so genuine that its hard not to love her. It would be annoying for most other RPG characters to say that they didnt mention to the party that theyre actually a member of race thought to be extinct just because no one asked, but with Pascal it seems perfectly reasonable. That kind of whimsy is especially welcome in a game like Graces where the rest of the cast is so prone to brooding. Pascal never lets things get too tense. Even on the rare occasion that something gets her down (like the blowup her sister has about how much easier everything is for Pascal), she tends to perk up pretty much as soon as anyone draws attention to it, like shes just happy that they care enough to notice.

And I think thats kind of the crux of her character. Shes just a straight-up people person, and theres not a whole lot of those in Tales. Cheria muses at one point that she only acts like a goofball because the party gets such a kick out of it before quickly deciding that, no, she really is just a goofball, but I feel like the truth is actually somewhere in the middle. Pascal legitimately doesnt seem to grasp just how odd she is, but shes certainly smart enough to understand that, for one reason or another, the group is happier when shes around, and that in turn makes her happy as well. And thats also endearing to me as a player, which is why shes ranked so high among characters that are much better developed. Shes just pure fun. Her Yokay! catchphrase is super cute, her aversion to bathing leads to some funny moments and skits, and shes an absolute blast (pun intended) to use in battle. She also has whats probably my favorite dynamic with Sophie in the cast. On its face, its a weird obsession, but even from the beginning its clear that she has a true big sister instinct for her as well that she takes very seriously (which makes sense considering the worship she has for Fourier). Shes the first to cover Sophies eyes when Richard goes insane and starts slaughtering people, and later on shes moved to tears (for the only time in the game) when Sophie tells her how much she appreciates how warm she is to everyone. Its just sweet.

I mentioned in Huberts write-up that their little romance subplot was just thrown together way too quick, and thats particularly obvious in her case. Its like the writers had no idea where exactly they wanted her to stand on the whole thing. She completely misunderstands Huberts big confession and seems completely oblivious in general, but she does show a few hints of her own. She straight up flirts with him pretty heavily in the Future Arc ending (and shes blushing while shes doing it, so its not like its just Pascal being Pascal), and shes unusually fixated on what his reaction will be to her finished Mecha-Asbel. But because the writers crammed the whole damn thing into a couple hours, none of it means anything. Its really too bad, because they had the makings of a really good pairing if it had just started earlier and gone further. It seems like the direction they were going was that she does have some feelings for him and it just doesnt consciously register to her because shes always so far off in her own little world, and I think that would have been interesting. Would have given her some room to actually develop.

Alas, beginning-of-game Pascal is the same as end-of-game Pascal. I dont really hold that against her too much, though. A simple, static character isnt always a bad one, especially when theyre otherwise so likable. So she still makes it this far.

TL;DR: Shes delightful through and through. If I had one critique itd be that I just wish she was a little bit more of something else, too.

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I never quite understand why I seem to see so many comments about LM along the lines of "I would like this so much more if it wasn't really La-Mulana anymore."

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Wow. I've played 19 and assumed I was on the lower end.

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Well, "deep" here may mean something different to me than you. I'm using it to mean, like, layered. I think he has multiple interesting sides to his personality and general characterization. He feels much more complete to me than someone like Regal, who really only has one personal plot thread that doesn't display itself in interactions with the party or the rest of the world very often.

Anyway, one more tonight.

#15 - Raine Sage (Symphonia)
Its ironic. My human blood spurs my intellectual curiosity, and my elven blood provides me with the years I need to satisfy it. It's almost as if I'm acknowledging being happy that I was born a half-elf. Even though, up until now, I've never once thought such a thing before....

With Symphonia being the most visible game in the series, Raine is probably one of the most clear and obvious examples of the Tales tendency to get a little creative with their characters in terms of breaking cliches and tropes, because where a lot of those characters have to grow into it, Raine demonstrates it from the very beginning. The White Mage in JRPGs tends to be an endlessly kindhearted, physically frail, demure, somewhat naive teenage girl who will never hesitate to help out someone in need, regardless of context. Raine is none of that. Shes a world-weary woman with some pretty violent tendencies who explicitly calls out the other party members for being too nice and, on a couple of occasions (most notably with Sheena in Luin), has to be talked into healing or helping someone in desperate need of it. And its fantastic.

Symphonia is an almost annoyingly idealistic game, and Raine, similar to Malik in Graces, is the only consistent source of some much-needed pragmatism. She has a strong sense of the responsibility placed upon the party (probably partly because she was never meant to go on the Regeneration journey originally) and never once loses sight of the larger picture. Shes the party member whose views differ the most from Lloyds - where he believes their journey to save the world is pointless if they cant save individuals, she worries that all the extra effort they go to in saving those individuals leaves them dangerously close to losing sight of their ultimate purpose. Its not that shes coldhearted, exactly - shes clearly deeply bothered by her inability to save Dorr, for example - she just accepts that some sacrifices may be necessary, and says so explicitly in that one skit with Regal that I mentioned in his write-up. She softens up a little by the end of the game as Lloyds determination starts to inspire her, but she never loses that realistic edge. I also appreciate that her intelligence isnt limited to book smarts - shes situationally aware enough to realize that somethings up with Kratos right at the games beginning and theres several times where the group only has a clear direction because Raine logically puzzles things out.

Her more personal story threads are also great. She clearly takes half-elf persecution just as hard as Genis, but she doesnt wear it on her sleeve like he does. I adore the scene in Iselia late in the game where all the townsfolk go off on the mayor for being a bigot and she runs off because shes so overcome by all the support, then tries to play it off as just not wanting to waste her time lecturing him herself. But that even pales in comparison to the sidequest dealing with her mother. Raines confrontation with her in Exire is nothing short of heartbreaking (thanks in no small part to Kari Wahlgrens voice work), easily the hardest-hitting scene in the game. It was a clever move to tie her ruins obsession to that as well. Its really a shame that Dawn never followed up on the thread they left dangling that Raine might try to go find her again.

Speaking of DotNW, Raine is the only returning character that isnt really affected at all by that game, positively or negatively. Her biggest contribution is immediately figuring out the whole Emil/Ratatosk thing, but her knowledge doesnt have any real bearing on the plot so all it actually does is further drive home how clever she is. Like with other characters, I dont love that she doesnt show a little more faith in Lloyd, but at least that cynicism is in keeping with her character.

Also helping Raine is the fact that shes almost unarguably the most important combat unit in OG Symphonia. Good luck winning some of the harder fights in the game without her in the party. Her healing is fantastic, with the best Revitalize in the series, and even her offensive spells pack a good punch. Its actually a cool (although maybe accidental) gameplay-story parallel - no one ever makes a huge deal of it or anything but its seemingly implied multiple times that Raine is a particularly gifted magic user even in-universe.

TL;DR: Raine has an important role in the party that would probably make her unlikable if she wasnt pulled off so well. Its clear that her rough edges come from a good place, and if anything it makes her personal struggles, not to mention her sweet moments or the rare times her dry sense of humor comes out, all the more memorable. And to top it all off, shes great in battle. I have a hard time coming up with bad things to say about her.

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#16 - Eleanor Hume (Berseria)
The cowards path is not that of an exorcist. Theyll say, I didnt know anything, so I cant be blamed. I cant... I cant live like that!

And so the first of Berserias power trio of female characters goes down.

Its pretty damn impressive to pull off a character like this without ever once making her feel like a preachy goody-goody. It wouldve been really easy to just take her through the basic journey of her archetype where shes aggressively combative to the party when she first joins, slowly warms up to them over time, and then commits fully to their cause by the end. But since this is Tales, they throw some curveballs. She seems, to some extent, to be committed to making the best of things when she first joins, because shes immediately willing to have cordial conversations with them and they all end up getting along fairly well not long afterwards. Probably helps that it would only take about five minutes with that group before it becomes painfully obvious that the Abbey is at least halfway full of crap.

Her development proceeds in a more-or-less predictable fashion from there, but again, it never feels forced, and the execution is quite satisfying all the way around. She learns to think for herself, and her overall worldview changes, but her actual ideals never do, because at a fundamental level, the Abbeys principles were fine. Leadership just took them too far and the methods they used in service of them were reprehensible. Even in Eleanors very first scene, we get to see that she has doubts about how their idea of reason really impacts the world. By the end, she understands that reason and emotion dont necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

And its nice that she eventually takes it upon herself to remind Velvet that all of the worlds ills dont rest solely on her shoulders. Their relationship is probably the best one in the game - circumstances prevent them from ever completely breaking down a barrier of friendship, but they clearly come to trust and respect and rely on one another quite a bit. The small scenes in the Aball illusion that show just how close they couldve been in another life are honestly some of the most painful in that sequence, which is saying something.

Really, while she obviously has the closest bond with Laphicet thanks to her status as his vessel, Eleanor feels most connected to the two daemons in the party. She brings out a softer side to Rokurou almost never seen otherwise - its rare that he has a discussion with anyone other than her that doesnt have something to do with fighting - and even shes surprised sometimes at how well they seem to understand each other. Its a curious dynamic considering that her hatred of daemons was her motivation for becoming an Exorcist to begin with.

This is a good segue into the sidequest with the troll daemon that killed her mom, which kind of feels like the simultaneous high and low point of the character. I love that we get the chance to see her with her defenses down and that she really seems, if only momentarily, to be at risk of succumbing to malevolence herself. Really puts into perspective how tough it must have been for her to keep those feelings at bay all along and how similar she and Velvet truly are. Its the exact sort of thing some Zestiria characters could have benefited immensely from. My one complaint about that sidequest is that its extremely rough from a writing perspective. Berseria does a fantastic job with subtlety for the most part, but thats completely absent from these scenes. It makes what should be a memorable and important piece of development feel too heavy-handed and overdone.

Ultimately, though, thats a small complaint. I really love Eleanor. Deceptively strong-willed despite her crybaby tendencies, unfailingly kind, but far from boring - she has a feisty side if the moment strikes her. Shes just a lovable character. Like, seriously, Im pretty sure at least three NPCs try to marry her in-game. Look, I dont blame them. Shes beautiful and can handle herself in a fight besides. Honestly, as Im thinking about it, of the six Shepherds we know anything about, shes the only one that actually seems suited to the position.

TL;DR: Tales doesnt do a whole lot of clever naming with their characters, but Hume really hits it on the nose. Shes the only true human in the party in the literal sense and the most human in the figurative. Shes a constant representation of the idea that while people make mistakes and can be misled, at their core, most generally want to do good. Thats an important role for the kind of themes Berseria examines, and she manages to serve it while still being really well-rounded.

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Just realized how severely lacking this topic is in the actual best FF game.

XII - Boss Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tojdtfyKWP4

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I can see that. Once we get into the top 5 of this list, though (well, top 4, anyway), we're really getting into characters that I consider to be among my favorites in all of fiction, not just in the series or even just video games. And yeah, I don't think she's really special enough to be on that level.

#17 - Malik Caesar (Graces)
If were apologizing for the past, Ive got one. When you were my student, I used to roll dice to determine your test scores.

So, first of all, Malik has the all-around best repertoire of Mystic Artes in the whole series, capped off by that tremendous Malik Beam.

More importantly, though, hes the only Graces character other than Sophie thats consistently entertaining while also being relatively deep. Malik generally does a pretty good job of balancing his role of the wise mentor that looks at the big picture of things and keeps the party focused on their objectives and that of the goofy jokester that trolls the hell out of everyone. He brings a much-needed dose of pragmatism to the otherwise idealistic party as the only one who shows a willingness to kill Richard both to stop Lambda and as an act of mercy to Richard himself.

The best of both sides of Malik tends to come out in his interactions with Sophie. In the beginning, sure, shes the most frequent target of his trolling because he knows shell repeat anything he says and draw funny reactions from the rest of the party, but before too long he starts to actually speak candidly with her. One skit mentions how they frequently have long conversations lasting well into the night that touch on a wide variety of subjects, and as the game goes on, the things she repeats seem less like blatantly made-up facts about the world and more like things that hed just naturally say when talking to a friend, even if its not strictly age-appropriate (like how its nice to pound a cold one after a long day). It creates a really sweet dynamic because he obviously appreciates having an innocent and honest kid around that he knows wont judge him for anything he says or does, or anything that he said or did in the past.

And whats somewhat unique about Malik in comparison to a lot of the other troll characters of the series is that some of his trolling has an actual purpose beyond his own amusement. Regardless of all of the other circumstances that led to Lorelias death, its clear that he believes it could all have been avoided had he just been completely honest with her. All his teasing of Asbel and especially Hubert in the Future Arc seems to largely be an attempt at keeping them from ending up with the same regrets. He really feels like a mentor during that time, even if he has a tendency to go a little overboard with it.

I dont have much to say about his design or gameplay. His weapon is cool even if its a little silly and nonsensical, but in a lot of respects, hes a pretty standard caster thats still fun to play because everyone in Graces is at least sort of fun to play.

Unfortunately, like too many characters in the Graces cast, Malik is almost completely irrelevant to the main story, so as much as I personally like him, its hard to rank him any higher than this because he ends up being kind of forgettable when compared with characters yet to drop. For all of the attention they give to his remorse at giving up on the revolution in his home country, they never connect that to current events. They could have played up more of a resolve not to make the same mistakes again or something like that. It would have at least made him feel a little less tacked on. Even so, he plays an important part in the group dynamic, which makes up for his lack of relevance enough to give him a pretty great spot on this ranking.

TL;DR: Fantastic character that you could otherwise lift right out of the game without much changing plot-wise. Hes so great in other respects that he earns a high ranking anyway, but it definitely holds him back.

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I'm definitely of the opinion that Symphonia really hasn't aged well gameplay-wise.

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One last drop for the night.

#18 - Sheena Fujibayashi (Symphonia)
... Im so stupid. Stubborn to the very end... I really need to start acting more feminine at times like this and just let him rescue me Heh, that wouldnt be my style, now, would it?

Sheenais the most purely likable character in the series. Or if not, shes definitely a strong contender. From almost the very beginning, even when shes technically trying to kill you, its not like Symphonia makes any attempt whatsoever to hide that shes actually a kindhearted, well-meaning person, especially on the Hard Path. Ostensibly her one goal is to assassinate Colette, but she sure seems to take a lot of detours to try and cure a sick guy or play hide-and-seek with a group of kids. Its obvious that shes not an antagonist of belief, just circumstance, and she doesnt even stay that way for long. And once she joins up and gets a little comfortable, her fun personality and playful sense of humor come out immediately. She has a lot of great individual moments (Corrines death is pretty far and away the most emotional scene in the main story), and even when shes not doing anything that important, Im grateful for her presence in the party because its just so pleasant.

And more often than not, she is doing something important. I would argue shes the most plot-relevant party member not named Lloyd. Shes the initial link to Tethealla and the one who has to take care of everything involving the Summon Spirits. And that all shows well in her development. She starts, in some ways, as a much less confident version of Lloyd. She realizes pretty quick that action taken to save Tethealla would doom Sylvarant, but instead of immediately deciding that there must be a way to help both worlds, she retreats into a paralysis of indecision. Her lack of self-confidence stemming from the Volt incident makes her almost incapable of doing anything meaningful to try and fix things. Its satisfying to watch her gradually gain that confidence back throughout the journey and become one of the most stalwart party members by the original Symphonias end. A lot of that is due to Lloyds influence, and yes, if it wasnt already obvious from their respective rankings, I am one who thinks shes a much better pairing for him than Colette is. While were on the subject, though, I do like her relationship with Zelos as well - we can tell a lot about it with the limited info were given and her crying over him if you choose his death route is a nice little touch.

I do have some issues with Sheena, but theyre fairly minor. Shes a pretty bad combat unit, I think - the Summons would be awesome in theory, but the Over Limit mechanics in Symphonia kind of ruin them. If it worked like it does in Vesperia or especially Abyss, itd be a whole different story. Also, shes another one that gets kind of shortchanged in Dawn. Its cool that she does a bit more ninja-esque stuff in that game, but she also somehow becomes little more than that girl that falls in holes even though that happens exactly once in the original Symphonia. And she only summons twice! She gets some points for being the only one smart enough to realize that if Emil becomes a Summon Spirit she can just make a pact with him, but overall her Dawn appearances kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth.

TL;DR: Sheena may not be the absolute deepest Tales character. Shes not the funniest or the most creative or most unique. Shes not the best developed or best designed (although I have to admit shes gorgeous) or the most fun to use in battle. But like I said, shes just so gosh darn likable. Her presence makes Symphonia so much more enjoyable.

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#19 - Chalcedony Akerman (Hearts)
I dont want to become a man who would use saving the world as an excuse to abandon his fellows.

Ill get the big negative out of the way first. Chal here is a strong, strong contender for the title of worst visual design in the series. The massive armor that is his Soma is comical, especially when taken in concert with his short, skinny legs, and the bowl cut hair is just embarrassing. The Hearts cast is one of the most consistently good in terms of visuals, so he stands out in a real bad way.

Luckily for Chalcedony, thats the least important aspect of a character for me, and he gets high marks everywhere else. The air-based combat in Hearts suits him perfectly considering he, you know, has wings. Zipping around the battlefield with him just feels so damn smooth and free, like what Action RPG combat was always meant to be. And between the sword, armor, light element affinity, ability to heal, and service as a knight of the worlds church, hes also got the cool little distinction of being the Tales party member thats closest to being a traditional RPG Paladin.

It shows in his character, too. For a while, he has the same sort of self-righteous, sanctimonious arrogance shared by every Lawful Good DnD Paladin that all the other players at the table hate. But he improves tremendously after he mends fences with the party and joins up. He starts showing the good aspects of the archetype in his loyalty and sense of duty and respect for his companions. His wry sense of humor humanizes him pretty quickly and allows him to develop some of the more enjoyable friendships in the game with Kor and Gall, not to mention the familial relationship with Peridot and Pyrox. That one is especially great - he goes from someone they follow mostly because they were assigned to his unit to someone that they truly look up to. The one stumble he has as far as relationships is the Paraiba romance, which is sweet enough but severely underdeveloped and kind of hamstrung to begin with by Paraiba being a really terrible character.

Chalcedony also has the benefit of being the central focus of the best scene in Hearts: his defiant stand against Incarose in the volcano where he takes down two of her units almost single-handedly. And I appreciate that he doesnt brood excessively over losing his two companions afterwards - instead, he finds comfort in the bonds they shared and resolves to earn the faith they put in him. Really, for someone who puts as much pressure on himself as he does, he rarely falls into the angst trap at all. The one exception is in his church confessions, which stand out because most characters have silly or humorous ones where his are actually serious and sad. But they come off as actual depth and not just cheap emotion bait.

TL;DR: He starts out kind of rough, but once he loosens up, it becomes obvious that Chalcedony was always a good dude that just took his responsibilities a little too seriously. He placed all his self-worth on being the best knight possible, for better or worse, and it left him with a lot of weight on his shoulders (starting with that heinous breastplate, heyoooo). Once he moved past that, he became an awesome, well-rounded character.

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Yeah, looks like the characters I pretty much expected to be mentioned a lot.

Well, let's knock out one of them now.

#20 - Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear (Abyss)
I was a fool. I thought my job was to help the suffering in places like Akzeriuth and the front lines. But I was wrong. I should have stayed by Father's side and admonished him when he strayed down this errant path.

I gotta admit, Im as surprised as any of yall that I have Natalia ranked this high. It wasnt long ago that shed have been way down on the list, but something about her suddenly clicked for me on my last Abyss playthrough for whatever reason.

Like most of the Abyss cast, she doesnt start off as a particularly likable character. Her defining trait when shes first introduced is being obnoxiously clingy to Luke, and shes about as rude and haughty as you can get when dealing with the rest of the party as well. That all lasts for about the space of a single dungeon, which is where she differs from the rest of the group. Its not long afterwards that we get to Akzeriuth, where she wastes no time at all literally getting her hands dirty to treat the sick there, making it obvious early on that were not dealing with the garden-variety useless royalty character with Natalia. Her transition into being a pleasant person comes much quicker, and what I really like about it is that she doesnt just magically become nicer. There are a couple of times throughout the rest of the game where she slips back into old habits and becomes very bossy and overbearing again, but she apologizes profusely when shes called out for it. It feels much more real, like shes really had to make a concerted effort to get past her earlier behavior but isnt quite perfect yet. Its rare to see development handled like that, so it sets her apart.

But thats not where her development ends. The subplot where her true parentage is revealed later in the game leads to some of Abyss best moments. If the partys escape from Baticul, aided by the citizens who love Natalia for what shes done for all of them whether shes the real princess or not, doesnt move you at least a little bit, then I dont know if you have a soul. That whole sequence comes along around the time in the story that the party has really started to form a bond, and the fact that they share in her struggles the way they do is the biggest indicator, both to the player and to the characters themselves, that theyve become true companions. Also, the kings later acceptance of her kind of acts as another turning point, where the Kimlascan royal family stops being worthless assholes and actually begins aiding the main party.

Also, while its somewhat understated because no one ever explicitly brings it up in-game, Natalias kind of a badass. She saves the party on multiple occasions, first in Theor Forest where she essentially pulls a 180 no-scope to snipe Sync out of a tree, later when she manages to duel pretty evenly with the gun-wielding Legretta during an ambush, and finally when she lands the killing blow on Largo a split second before he was going to take Lukes head off. She doesnt hesitate for even a moment to strike down her real father in order to protect her friends. That iron will, more than anything, is what sums up Natalia. She may look and sometimes act the part of the graceful princess who fights on the political front rather than the battlefield, which is a part she can certainly play incredibly well. But when push comes to shove, she takes absolutely no shit from anyone, and shell put her head down and get the job done with the best of them. She doesnt abuse her rank, but she knows how to pull it when its necessary. The only time her resolve ever falters is when Asch is killed, which is perfectly understandable, and even then she snaps out of it pretty quick once Jade lays into her. I also really like her ditzy, completely-out-of-it side. It only pops up on rare occasion, but when it does, it makes for some of the funniest moments in a game not lacking for funny moments, like when Anise manages to convince her that Van draws power from his beard or when she lights a pot on fire while trying to cook and, in a panic, tries to fix it by casting Heal.

By now, Im sure some of you are screaming at me through your computer screen about that line from when Guy tells her and Asch that hes going back to wait for Luke at Yulia Road. But the REAL Luke is right here! Natalia pleads. And that line is pretty terrible. Its partly what holds her back from being ranked even higher. Honestly, though, that attitude doesnt last long at all, and it seems like its pretty heavily motivated by the Akzeriuth tragedy still being fresh in her mind. She realizes almost immediately afterwards that Luke and Asch are two different people, and she really doesnt treat Luke as any less for the entire game outside of that one line. So while I definitely dock her a few points for it, I think its seriously overblown.

Ill finish off by talking briefly about her as an in-game fighter, because shes a very underrated support unit as well. Shes a marginally quicker healer than Tear is and shell spend more of her downtime casting buffs on the party than dishing out damage. In skilled hands, though, she can be a respectable damage dealer as well, because her defense is surprisingly solid and some of her artes are pretty powerful. Plus, even though you have to suffer through the horrendous crafting sidequest to get the Elven Bow, it does give her Noble Roar, which barely missed out on being included in my Mystic Artes top 10. Her only real weakness is that she burns through TP like no ones business, but once you get certain accessories, even that ceases to be an issue.

TL;DR: Im not sure why it took me so long to realize how great Natalia is, but better late than never, right? Shes not only a tremendous Tales character - shes one of the better princess characters in video games and. Just an all-around great character - likable, fun to play as, well-developed. Were it not for one or two rough moments, Id be inclined to rank her even higher.

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Your Top 20, everybody.

Symphonia/Symphonia 2 (4)
Lloyd Irving
Raine Sage
Sheena Fujibayashi
Zelos Wilder

Abyss (5)
Guy Cecil
Jade Curtiss
Luke fon Fabre
Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear
Tear Grants

Vesperia (2)
Raven
Yuri Lowell

Hearts (2)
Beryl Benito
Chalcedony Akerman

Graces (2)
Malik Caesar
Pascal

Xillia/Xillia 2 (2)
Alvin
Jude Mathis

Berseria (3)
Eleanor Hume
Magilou
Velvet Crowe

Pretty even distribution aside from a couple of standouts - it's easy to see why opinions on which game in the series are generally pretty varied.

I'd be curious to know who everyone thinks is the biggest surprise out of the characters remaining.

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UshiromiyaEva posted...

Boooo

Also how do you not even mention her mega obvious crush on Estelle??

Because I've never been able to figure out how to present my opinion that those feelings aren't as obviously romantic in nature as everyone says and that it really doesn't matter for her character at all whether they are friendly or romantic without pissing off all the shippers.

#21 - Laphicet (Berseria)
Eat my arm. I dont care. Just leave me the other one. I need it to clobber the jerk who made my Velvet cry!

Look, I know the competitions not exactly stiff, but if I was to call Laphicet the best kid character ever in a JRPG, itd still be pretty high praise, right?

I imagine were all pretty familiar with those characters. They generally go one of two ways. Theyre either unbearably whiny or emotional (see: Kamoana) or theyre a young prodigy who delights in lording their superiority over others. Sometimes theyre both at once. They almost always have a negative effect on the party chemistry because their presence ruins what would otherwise be enjoyable situations. But it can be tough to write them any other way because, yknow, theyre kids. Kids are whiny and annoying.

But Berseria gets it so, so right. It focuses on his innocence and kindness and love for adventure. It throws in just enough traits along the way so that he does still feel like a boy, though, what with his annoyance with being called cute or his dislike for the nickname Phi or his embarrassment at Velvets insistence at treating him like a little brother no matter the context. And all of that fits perfectly with his journey to self-discovery and identity. One of the best scenes in the game comes when his frustration at feeling like nothing more than a substitute for Velvets dead brother finally boils over - its a great way to show how much hes changed from the beginning. But even that doesnt hold a candle to his punching Innominat in the face, which ranks right up there with the best moments in the entire series.

But even with all that, his best aspect is the effect he has on the other characters in the game. He has a way of bringing out peoples true best nature through their interactions with him. Velvets deep-seated familial love, Eleanors commitment to being a protector, Eizens belief in freedom, even supporting characters like Grimoirh and Teresa show different sides around Laphicet. He even gets Magilou to show outward empathy once or twice, a feat no other character has claim to, and hes so genuine that hes also the only one to ever knock her off balance at all, which he does with some regularity.

I only have a few real complaints with the character. First, his development finishes up a little early, so late in the game he can sometimes feel like a vehicle to move the plot along since nothing that happens really impacts him personally. The second is that a couple of his soliloquies or big moments can come off a liiiittle bit silly through a combination of mediocre writing and uneven voice work. Those are pretty minor problems, though. The bigger one is that I dont really love his ending. Becoming the new Empyrean doesnt really seem like the natural end to his story in some ways. I get it on some level, but I dont know, it just doesnt quite land with me. It feels like it was really forced as a way to link to Zestiria. Maybe Im just tired of bittersweet Tales endings. It also makes the whole plot point of Heldalf merging with Maotelus in Zestiria make even less sense than it did before.

Fuck Tales of Zestiria.

TL;DR: The best child character in JRPGs, for whatever thats worth. He never once feels unwelcome in the party and his character growth is extremely pleasant and satisfying. He ends up elevating the other characters in the game too, which is about as big a compliment as you can pay to a cast member.

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Hey, top 25% ain't too bad considering how many enjoyable characters there are in this series!

#22 - Rita Mordio (Vesperia)
I dont have any family, so I dont But I kinda like, you know, how we are.

Even before I started replaying games with this ranking in mind and putting the proverbial pen to paper for it, I obviously had a rough idea of where a lot of characters would finish. Some turned out to be pleasant surprises that rose way up on the final list. Others left me scratching my head a bit and wondering what it was that made me initially think so highly of them. Rita is one of the latter category. As you can tell from her placement here, I dont mean to say shes bad, by any means. I still quite like her. But I figured shed be competing for a top ten spot, and that wouldve been quite a stretch.

The biggest point in her favor is that shes my favorite dedicated caster in the series battle-wise. I love a good mage, and everything about her just feels good. Shes got a great repertoire of spells, particularly once she starts getting altered artes thrown in, with fun incantations. Spamming some of the bigger ones in Over Limit, especially with the famous blah blah blah shortcuts that fit her character perfectly, is immensely satisfying. The expressive twirls and little dances she does while casting are some of the more enjoyable casting animations Ive seen in an RPG. And sometimes its fun to just run up and smack a giant monster over the head with a book. Ritas a mainstay in my Vesperia party - I hardly ever take her out.

Personality-wise, I think she gets too much hate from some camps and too much love from others. Her detractors really dont like the way she treats Karol and, to a lesser extent, Raven for the majority of the game, but that never bothered me much. Karol almost got her killed within an hour of their first meeting and its a long time before he starts really pulling his weight, so I dont blame her for not liking him. Plus, I get a kick out of the karate chops she gives him, probably because the exaggerated SMACK sound effect makes the whole thing so delightfully slapstick, and Ive always loved slapstick humor. And with Raven, I think its pretty well established that she actually likes him quite a bit and the abuse is just her awkward form of affection.

But its that aggressive nature that seems to be the basis for her popularity among some more passionate fans, and that doesnt seem right either. At her core (pun intended), shes a misunderstood teen genius with tsundere tendencies, and weve all seen that plenty of times if weve played JRPGs or watched anime.

Theres enough nuance thrown in there to keep her from being excessively tropey, though. Early on, when Karol teasingly needles her for being lonely, she doesnt smack him or even protest. She knows shes lonely. Shes hyper-aware, probably to a fault, that she doesnt relate to other people very well. Its nice to watch her gradually open up and find a family with the rest of the party, and I would argue that she has the best-explored relationships with the other main characters than anyone else in the game, aside from Yuri. The writers were good about throwing in reminders every once in a while that, while its easy to forget, she is still a kid, like the odd superstition she has of writing her name on gald so that itll always come back, or her massive fondness for cats, which will always endear someone to me. By the end of Vesperia, shes even able to find common ground and empathize with Zagi, of all people.

Ultimately, though, her personal arc isnt that different from most tsundere characters, so as nice as it is, the lack of uniqueness drags it down some. Looking back, I was 13 years old when Vesperia first released and I think I probably had a bit of a crush on her to have such strong memories of the character. Solid? Most definitely. One of the best in the series? No way.

TL;DR: blah blah blah TSUNDERE TEENAGE GENIUS BUT, LIKE, A PRETTY GOOD ONE

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Uhh...

The Dear Hunter - Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise
Caligula's Horse - In Contact
Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

Top of my head picks, but it's probably not far off if anything.

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