LogFAQs > #973748418

#9 Nial

Nial is the least important character in this part of the rankings. That's just a testament to how good he is.

In the middle of FCs massive political conspiracy, the protagonists, finding themselves unsupported by the kingdom and the military, who are under attack by the Intel Division, manage to find help among the press. The dynamic between Estelle/Josh and Nial is just really good. They tell him about their adventures each chapter, so he can write the next Liberl News, and in turns, he reveals the plot hooks they need to slowly crack the bad guys' plans. it works all the way from chapter 1 to the coup at the end of the game. The point is that, whenever Nial is around, you can expect interesting reveals, and good plot developments. The press is another institution that the writers of this game wanted to show in a good light, and he and Dorothy represent that.

Nial himself is also a pretty likable dude. He is snarky, but not too much that he is hard to deal with. Estelle and Josh earn his repsect in the prologue, and from then on, he always has time to sit with them at a bar and trade info, often negotiating for it.

He does take a hit in SC though, because the conflict changes from a political conspiracy to a mkre JRPG-like one, with an evil organization bound to dig some mcguffins. So Nial is now less of a partner in crime, and more of a guest in the Arseille so he can help make the crown look good.

Honestly, Nial is here much more for his role than for his person, but he is an integral part of the tightly written plot that is Trails.

#8 Kevin

I was originally going to say Kevin would be the most unfairly ranked character in this list due to me not having played the game he is the protagonist of. But he got to #8! Man, Kevin is just great! Like, Anelace, this is another character who could be hanging out with the big guys by the time I finish the trilogy.

Kevin is a very supporting character, by nature. You could say he is the quintessential RPG cleric. Even in battle, he is the least offensive character in the group, while having the best support s-craft and a few other strong support crafts. Because he wasn't in FC, Kevin feels like a guest for most of SC, popping in and out fo help move things around. And at the end of SC, he takes the spotlight, helping Josh achieve his great victory over Weissmann, and ultimately killing Weissmann himself. That scene shot Kevin up a few positions, because he is just so badass in it. He has been hiding what he can really do all game, and suddenly, he is some ruthless inquisitor. At the same time, there are hints of him hating himself for being like that, which I'm hyped to see the developmnent of next game.

Kevin also strikes a good balance between a clown and a mature guy. While he tries to be a mild Olivier, his wisdom score is just through the roof (again, cleric). He has a very strong introduction at the start of the game, where he accompanies Estelle as she is having a mental breakdown. And then, for the rest of the game, he is that dependable guy who shows up whenever things are going to shit, being particularly pivotal in chapter 3. And he always seems to have access to artifacts and knowledge necessary to counter Orobouros tools. Otherwise, he can be found in the infirmary, keeping things ready in case someone gets hurt. Kevin doesn't want to be a protagonist, in fact, it's possible he hates it, but he is so great he ends up bing the ace in the hole the good guys need to defeat Weissmann.

#7 Kloe

I think FC may be my favorite of the two games. While SC is a masterpiece, I'm very awed at the insanely subsersive thing the first game set out to do, and how well it executed it. What I mean is how it does not really try to have a big, epic, JRPG story about saving the world, instead being just a story of two kids who travel around the world learning what it means to be a bracer. But because we are not looking at the plot yet, we get to build the world, and the characters. And make the foundations that will make the pay offs worth it.

Kloe plays an integral role in that. Her main chapter in FC is sandwiched between the sky bandit red herring, and the real plot with the Intel Div that starts in Zeiss. She is the girl who shows you around the city, and hangs out with the main characters because she just likes them. She helps them get acquainted with the orphanage kids, and eventually takes them to the school where they can make a play. I am particularly awed at how much I enjoyed that sequence involving the play, considering how much it is absolute filler to the main story. It's just... fun to watch. Kloe herself is not revealed to be a princess yet, which can be a metaphor to how, at this point of the story, we just need good friends, not princesses. Her friendship with Estelle and Josh is one of the most real things in this series. So when it's time to save Kloe and her kingdom, it feels personal. It feels like it matters. Like they say, it's "our Kloe" that we are saving.

And it all works because Kloe herself is just so likable. Kloe is just a good person, someone who is easy to like. That's all there is to it.

She is another character who takes a big hit in SC, though, probably why she is not in the tier above. When it's time to focus on main plots, Kloe is given a personal sidequest that, while good on paper, is solved completely offscreen. She vanishes for one chapter, then returns and announces she is now heir to the queen. And the payoff to that, the negotiation scene, isn't as good for her as it could have been, because it's Olivier who is the MVP of the whole thing. Kloe really needed to have her big moment of decision shown, just like Dunan needed to have his character development, which happened at the same time and was also cut. I wonder if those scenes were originally going to be in the game, and they didn't make to the final product.

God Tier

1-
2-

Very High Tier

3-
4-
5-
6-

High Tier

7- Kloe
8- kevin
9- Nial
10- Tita
11- Zin
12- Anelace
13- Scherazard

Mid Tier

14- Dorothy
15- Dunan
16- Gilbert
17- Richard
18- Mogran
19- Cassius
20- Campanella
21- Kilika
22- Loewe
23- Amalthea
24- Maybelle

Low Tier

25- Bleublanc
26- Walter
27- Don
28- Luciola
29- Hans
30- Julia
31- Sieg
32- Cid
33- Mueller
34- Kurt

Bottom Tier

35- Kyle
36- Josette
37- Aina
38- Queen Alicia
39- Russel
40- Jill
41- Anton
42- Clem
43- Ricky

Unranked:

Agate
Estelle
Joshua
Olivier
Renne
Weissmann