List of characters in Tales of Symphonia
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This article lists the characters in Tales of Symphonia, a video game released on the Nintendo GameCube and Playstation 2 console systems. Throughout the plot synopsis of Tales of Symphonia, eight party members are introduced to each other who begin to search for a method to save the worlds of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. One world is home to half of the party, while the other world is home to the remaining half.
There are many non-player characters who supply a small role in the video game. Some of these characters are beneficial to the party, while others openly oppose them. The major antagonists include members of such organizations as Cruxis and the Desians. The Renegades are also considered antagonists for part of the game.
Below is a comprehensive listing of the nine party members and major non-player characters.
Contents |
[edit] Heroes
[edit] Lloyd Irving
(ロイド・アーヴィング "Roido Aavingu" / English Voice actor: Scott Menville)
Age: 17
Height: 173 cm / 5 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 58 kg / 127 pounds, 10 ounces
Lloyd is the main hero - orphaned as a child, he was raised by Dirk, his adoptive dwarf father, just outside the village of Iselia. His friends are Colette Brunel and Genis Sage, of whom he is very protective. He accompanies Colette as one of her guardians on her Journey of Regeneration. Lloyd is a slacker, a bad student and tends to goof off, but he is serious about protecting his friends and defending his ideals. He also has acute knowledge of Exspheres, a talent that comes in handy quite often over the course of the journey. Thanks to Dirk, his adopted father, he is a skilled craftsman. The player will be able to control Lloyd for most of the game. He uses two single-edged swords, and his attacks are purely physical. He is the only character other than Presea who possesses no magical attacks.
[edit] Colette Brunel
(コレット・ブルーネル "Koretto Burūneru" / English Voice actress: Heather Hogan)
- In the Japanese version she is known as Collet Brunel
Age: 16
Height: 158 cm / 5 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 44 kg / 96 pounds, 13 ounces
The Chosen of Sylvarant. Colette is a kind, selfless girl who always puts others before herself. Throughout the game, Colette is shown to be quite clumsy, as her repetitive tripping causes the most unusual (and usually beneficial) things to happen, from making a hole in the wall at school to deactivating the most complex machinery. Being the Chosen and Sylvarant's only hope for regeneration, her early life was somewhat sheltered in order to protect her. She is rather clueless, as she often misses some things that are obvious to everyone else. However, she knows what it means to be kind to people and is able to "smile and forgive" (as Presea puts it) almost anything. Colette has a tendency to hide her problems from others, such as her Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium. This often annoys Lloyd since he wants to help her, but Colette hates making others worry for any reason. It is implied that she has romantic feelings for Lloyd, but, being as she is, she prefers not to say so. Instead, she loyally stays by Lloyd's side, subliminally letting her behavior speak for itself. As the Chosen of Regeneration, it is her duty to regenerate the world by praying at various seals before ascending the Tower of Salvation as an angel, thereby awakening Martel to rejuvinate the mana, seal off the Desians, and save Sylvarant. Colette is primarily a melee fighter and fights using two chakram. Later in the game, she can learn powerful angel techniques.
[edit] Genis Sage
(ジーニアス・セイジ "Jīniasu Seiji" / English Voice actor: Colleen O'Shaughnessey)
- In the Japanese version he is known as Genius Sage
Age: 12
Height: 141 cm / 4 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 29 kg / 63 pounds, 13 ounces
Genis is a child prodigy from Iselia, Lloyd's best friend, and the younger brother of Iselia's schoolteacher Raine. Because of his actions, he and Lloyd are exiled from Iselia, and the two join Colette's Journey of Regeneration. The Sages are both half-elven, but they pass themselves off as full-blooded elves to avoid discrimination. After experiencing racial discrimination in Tethe'alla, Genis starts to express a hatred for humans, but remembers that his friends are themselves human. Late in the game, when the party meets Mithos, Genis is excited to finally have another half-elven friend, and he becomes torn between being Mithos' friend and Lloyd's. Even after it is revealed that Mithos is indeed Yggdrasill, the main antagonist, he still wants to be friends with Mithos, eventually honoring his friend's final wish to die. Because of his high intelligence, he was at one point planning to attend the Palmacosta Academy. Furthermore, he tends to have a sharp tongue, which he uses from being snarky with Lloyd to yelling at Zelos. Genis is a genius in the kitchen, like Regal, but, as shown in a cutscene, hates being told, "I don't care, make anything." Genis also holds a deep crush on Presea Combatir, which begins as soon as he first sees her. Although he tries to hide it for a little while, Genis often exhibits too much emotion when Presea is the subject. Genis is a magic-user, and fights with powerful elemental attacks. He casts spells by way of a kendama, using it to help him focus and attack enemies as well.
[edit] Kratos Aurion
(クラトス・アウリオン "Kuratosu Aurion" / English Voice Actor: Cam Clarke)
Age: 28 (real age: 4028)
Height: 186 cm / 6 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 78 kg / 171 pounds, 10 ounces
Kratos is a mysterious mercenary who volunteers to accompany Colette on her journey. Though he accompanies the party for quite some time, it is later revealed that Kratos is actually one of the Four Seraphim, one of Mithos Yggdrasill's original companions during the Kharlan War, and a spy for Cruxis, sent to ensure Colette completes her task. He betrays the party in the Tower of Salvation, but his true motives remain unclear until much later (when it is revealed that he is actually Lloyd's father and has been searching for a way for a human to wield the Eternal Sword so that he could fix what Mithos had done to the world). He was forced to kill Lloyd's mother, Anna, out of mercy and desperation, which leads his own story to a dramatic parallel of the one shared by Regal and Presea. He eventually reveals this to Lloyd, telling him that he knew Lloyd was his son the instant he saw Anna's grave behind Dirk's house. It is also revealed in the game that Kratos was actually Mithos' teacher in swordsmanship back when they were traveling together. Despite his long life and many years of experience, Kratos is, up until the end of the game, a fatalist, taking a long time to come to the realization that he does not have to cling to Mithos' ideals. Depending upon choices the player makes, he may or may not rejoin the party later on. He hates himself to a good extent, and constantly tells Lloyd not to die, probably because he never truly got to be a father to Lloyd. Kratos is a powerful melee fighter and an excellent spell caster. He wields a double-edged sword (or dagger) and shield, and is proficient with elemental, curative, and angelic magic (which he uses if he rejoins the party near the end of the game).
[edit] Raine Sage
(リフィル・セイジ "Rifiru Seiji" / English Voice Actor: Kari Wahlgren)
- In the Japanese version she is known as Refill Sage
Age: 23
Height: 166 cm / 5 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 49 kg / 108 pounds, 13 ounces
Raine is Genis' older sister and Iselia's school teacher. Raine is usually calm, but is always overly fascinated around ruins of any kind, which is likely her true reason for joining Colette in the Journey of Regeneration in the first place. She raised Genis from childhood all by herself, and doesn't hesitate in resorting to physical violence to teach Lloyd or Genis a lesson. Though she and Genis both claim to be elves, it is revealed later that they are in fact half-elves, and that they came from the world of Tethe'alla. They were sent to Sylvarant by their parents to escape Tethe'alla's highly discriminatory laws and to keep the child prodigy Raine from being manipulated by the Imperial Research Academy. While on the run from the Academy, Raine fell off of a boat and nearly drowned, leading to a severe case of hydrophobia. Eventually, Virginia, Raine and Genis' mother, sent them both through the Otherworldly Gate so that they could escape. The reason Raine and Genis were able to live in Iselia was because Raine told the villagers they were elves, having Genis hide his true nature as well. Raine is a classic staff-wielding healer, and is also gifted with light-element offensive spells and stat augmentations. Despite this role, she is far from the stereotypical RPG healer in terms of personality. Raine is the complete opposite of Genis in cooking, and tends to make rather repulsive food, as noted by Lloyd and several other members. She takes comments about her cooking straight to heart and usually loses her temper.
[edit] Sheena Fujibayashi
(藤林しいな Fujibayashi Shiina) / English Voice Actress: Jennifer Hale)
- In the Japanese version her name is romanized as Shihna Fujibayashi
Age: 19
Height: 164 cm / 5 feet, 5 inches
Weight: 48 kg / 106 pounds, 10 ounces
Sheena is a beautiful woman from the flourishing world of Tethe'alla. She is originally sent to Sylvarant by the Pope and the King with orders to assassinate Colette, but events cause her to end up joining the party instead. Sheena is tough, but kindhearted, and is always accompanied by Corrine, a man-made summon spirit. She's also the person Zelos loves to flirt with most, but she usually manages to rebuff him. At the age of 9, Sheena ventured to the Temple of Lightning with people from Mizuho in order to form a pact with Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning. Unfortunately, Volt speaks a language that only certain scholars can comprehend, and as she couldn't understand what he was saying (specifically, his unwillingness to form another pact after being betrayed by his last summoner), Volt went on a rampage killing a quarter of Mizuho's population and putting the chief of Mizuho (her adoptive grandfather) into a coma. In some ways, Sheena is a stereotypical teenager, switching between refusing to admit her feelings and trying hard to do so. Towards the beginning of the game, she has romantic feelings for Lloyd, but due to her tough personality, Sheena tries to derail any close assumptions about her feelings in pure anger. She has a constant irritation with Zelos, as there are mentions of past conflicts. Sheena is a fair melee fighter, and fights using magic-infused cards. Sheena is a vital member of the game: she can call upon powerful Summon Spirits to aid the party in battle.
[edit] Zelos Wilder
(ゼロス・ワイルダー "Zerosu Wairudā" / American voice actor: Shiloh Strong)
Age: 22
Height: 179 cm / 5 feet, 10 inches
Weight: 68 kg / 149 pounds, 10 ounces
The Chosen One from Tethe'alla, the flourishing world. He is almost never serious and often is the comic relief of the group, always ready to cheer everyone up at heavy-hearted moments. He is also quite the "ladies' man" and has the ability to charm all the women and girls, who in turn give him gifts (the player will be able to take this advantage in the game). Zelos is handsome and often seems somewhat oblivious (though there is evidence of high intelligence, especially in mathematics), and approaches most situations hoping to meet or impress any pretty girls nearby. He takes every opportunity to hit on his female team members, much to their annoyance. The first impression Zelos gives is that of a skirt chasing, irresponsible and immature person. However, Zelos has more internal conflicts and emotional pain than he lets on (through clues are dropped throughout the storyline), possibly more severe than any other character in the game.
Growing up in upper-class society, Zelos became highly popular due to his title, status and looks - in essence, he earned praise and adoration for what he was rather than who he was. It seems likely that this, combined with his traumatic childhood, resulted in Zelos adopting a shallow lifestyle, dumbing down his own intellect and ambitions in order to simply enjoy the "good" life given to him by his status. At times he occasionally shows that he's not as vapid or happy as he seems, though these instances are relatively rare and usually go unnoticed by other characters. His focus in the game mainly revolves around changing his attitude through his interactions with the party members, specifically Lloyd. However, a pivotal moment in the game can change drastically due to a specific action; storywise, it is dependent on whether Zelos' attitude has changed enough due to Lloyd's amount of trust in him.
Combat wise, Zelos is nearly identical to Kratos, using the same weapons and armor as well as the same physical and magical techniques. Zelos is faster than Kratos, but his stats are lower and he lacks the Seraphim's angelic magic (although in the PS2 version, he can use angelic magic to some extent).
[edit] Presea Combatir
(プレセア・コンバティール "Puresea Konbatīru" / American Voice Actress: Tara Strong)
Age: 12 physically; 28 chronologically
Height: 138 cm / 4 feet, 6 inches
Weight: 24 kg / 53 pounds
A young lumberjack from the small town of Ozette, in Tethe'alla. When the party first meets her, she is the victim of an Exsphere lacking a proper Key Crest; this is part of an attempt to use her as a host body in creating a Cruxis Crystal. She agreed to take part in this experiment as her sister Alicia had left for Altimira, and their father, Sieg, had become too ill to continue work as a lumberjack; Presea wanted the Exsphere to enable herself to be strong enough to use his axe in his place. The Exsphere, as usual, increases her strength, but because it is not controlled by a Key Crest, it suppresses her emotions, causing her to behave robotically. When she is finally given a working Key Crest, it is revealed that it also slowed her aging process. The rest of Ozette's villagers shun her and call her a monster for being seemingly unable to age, wielding an axe with the body she inhabits, and for not burying her father, who had succumbed to an illness long ago without her notice. Because her emotions were suppressed for so many years, Presea has forgotten much about the ordinary world, and what it means to be human. Over time, she re-learns much of what she has forgotten, although, as she says, she will never get back the time she lost while under the Cruxis Crystal's control. She seems to quickly regain the ability to feel base emotions, such as hatred and a desire for revenge, though she eventually learns forgiveness as well. Presea seems to take everything quite literally. It is never revealed if Presea truly realizes the feelings that Genis has for her, but it is clear that she only thinks of Genis as a friend. Since Presea keeps forgetting she's only 12 (technically), she sometimes mistakenly calls Genis a child, and Genis snaps "You're as old as me!", often catching her off guard. She has a knack for carving and whittling and has made figurines and brooches popular in Meltokio. Presea wields an axe in battle, and, though slower than other characters, is quite powerful.
[edit] Regal Bryant
(リーガル・ブライアン "Rīgaru Buraian" / American Voice Actor: Crispin Freeman)
In the Japanese version his name is romanized as Regal Bryan
Age: 33
Height: 189 cm / 6 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 85 kg / 187 pounds
A very serious convict sent by the Pope of Tethe'alla to capture Colette. He ends up joining the party because he recognizes Presea. As it turns out, Regal is actually the president of the Lezerano Company, a major corporation which is quite influential in Tethe'alla. He and Alicia Combatir, Presea's sister, were in love, which is why he recognized Presea. Alicia became a victim of Exsphere research, and was turned into a monster because of it. Regal was forced to slay her as she begged him to do so. He could never forgive himself for this, and turned himself into prison. Regal always wears handcuffs to symbolize his crime and his promise that he will never use his hands to kill again. Regal is a kind and gentle soul, and a very talented cook (unusual, given the only free appendages he has are his feet, which become something of a joke at one point). Despite his kindness, Regal is extremely hard on himself, thinking his crime unworthy of any forgiveness. Regal shows in one cutscene that he can shoot powered energy blasts from his fists. Regal is very content with being alone, although he does enjoy company and conversation, especially with Lloyd. His emotions are almost always very subdued. Regal is a fighter, supplementing his melee capabilities with a small amount of healing (chi) magic. He fights exclusively with his feet, and uses greave to enhance the power of his kicks. He is clearly the pinnacle of manliness; throughout the game he displays his strength, wisdom and honor (even as one of his titles, aptly named 'Testosterone' states). According to him, before he donned his trademark shackles, Regal mainly fought using his hands -- and his strength and mastery of this previous style far surpassed those of the Traubel style he uses throughout the game.
The word "regal" means royal, magnificient, or stately, which suits Regal's presidency in the Lezareno Company.
[edit] Allies
- Marble, an old woman that Genis befriends, who originally lived in Palmacosta before Desians captured her and transferred her to Iselia's Human Ranch. Genis brings her food, and Lloyd offers to give her a Key Crest in order to save her from her Exsphere. However, when the two are visiting her, security systems detect them, and their intrusion causes the Desians to attack Iselia. Marble is turned into a mutant, and Genis and Lloyd are forced to fight her. She seizes Forcystus before he can attack them, and sacrifices herself in an attempt to stop the Desian.
- Chocolat, Marble's grand-daughter. She helps Cacao, her mother, run the shop that Marble founded in Palmacosta (in addition, Chocolat helps run the local tour groups), and defies Desians who attempt to buy her goods cheaply. As a result, Cacao is ordered to be executed, but Lloyd's group saves her. Chocolat is later captured, and Lloyd attempts to rescue her. However, when she learns that Lloyd was responsible for Marble's death, she shuns them and is recaptured. When she is taken to the Iselia Human Ranch, she learns what Lloyd truly did for her grandmother, and forgives him.
- Altessa the dwarf, a former member of Cruxis whom Rodyle forced to experiment on Alicia and Presea. Because of his guilt, he is initially unwilling to help the party save Presea from her Exsphere, but when Ozette is destroyed (presumably because he lived nearby), he tells the party about what Cruxis is doing. He later helps them find a cure for Colette's Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium. When Mithos reveals that he is Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis, Altessa jumps in front of Presea to protect her from Mithos. He is seriously injured. The group flies to Flanoir to get a doctor for him; he recovers by the game's ending. In an optional scene, he is also the one to reveal the source of Kratos' magical ability.
- Tabatha, a robot-like figure whose origins are unknown. She is thought to be a lifeless being by Lloyd's group, due to the way she talks and acts. Altessa, however, says that he made her and that she is nothing more than a doll. Later in the game, she repeats the words "MITHOS SAVED ME". This may be evidence of a malfunction, as is her giving an introductory phrase when spoken to after Mithos leaves. Mithos describes her as a failed vessel who could not accept Martel's consciousness. In the end, she becomes the vessel for Martel, the resurrected Spirit of Mana.
- Dirk, a dwarf who became Lloyd's foster father. He resides outside of Iselia Forest, near the Iselia Human Ranch. He first discovered Lloyd and Noishe bestide the Ranch with a woman named Anna. She asked Dirk to raise Lloyd as his own, which he has done. Dirk is known for his craftsmanship, a skill which has been passed on to Lloyd. He can craft and repair many things, including Exspheres. The greatest weapon that Dirk had ever crafted was the Vorpal Sword, an ice blade that would later join Kratos' Flamberge to create the Material Blades.
- Orochi, a ninja from Mizuho. He helps Lloyd's group infiltrate the Tethe'alla base. Brother to Kuchinawa, their parents were killed when Sheena failed to form a pact with Volt. Note: In the village of Mizuho, the citizens' names are all cover-ups for their real names, it is said in the game that "Orochi" and "Kuchinawa" mean snake. This is probably due to the fact that Orochi's name is taken from the Orochi, but for Kuchinawa it is unknown as if it has anything to do with the snakes of real life.
- Neil, an assistant to Governor-General Dorr. He informs Lloyd of the Governor-General's corruption, and governs Palmacosta after Dorr dies. Although he was presumably killed when the root of the Giant Tree destroyed Palmacosta, his fate is unknown.
- Seles, Zelos' half-sister. Her mother, a half-elf, had been married to Zelos' father, and was angry when he was forced to marry Zelos's mother, Mylene, as dictated by Cruxis. She killed Mylene as vengeance (although it is also suggested that she was actually attempting to kill Zelos so that Seles would become the next Chosen) and was executed for her crime. Seles was imprisoned in the Southeast Abbey. When they meet, Seles and Zelos pretend to not care for the other, though deep down each is truly concerned with the other's welfare. Before Zelos' mother was killed, it's said that they played together as children. Seles is also quite prone to sickness. Surprisingly, she is a fairly skilled with both a sword and ice magic.
- Kate, a half-elf who is actually the Pope's daughter. She helps Lloyd, Zelos, Colette and Presea escape the basement laboratory in Sybak (where she and other half-elves are forced to work) so that they can rescue Genis and Raine from being executed. She also gives them advice on how to save Presea from her Cruxis Crystal. She is arrested for helping them and sentenced to die in the arena. However, the party saves her. Despite what he has done to her, she craves her father's approval and attention.
- Yuan (ユアン "Yuan" / English Voice Actor: Chris Edgerly): Yuan is a half-elf double agent — the leader of the Renegades, an organization opposing Cruxis, and one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis. He pretends to be loyal to Mithos so he can learn Cruxis's plans and thwart them. When he is busy working for Mithos, Yuan leaves the control of the Renegades to Botta, his lieutenant. 4,000 years ago, Yuan journeyed with Mithos and his companions in the past to end the Kharlan War and was engaged to Martel before she was killed. She asked Mithos and Yuan to make the world a better place and to stop the half-elf discrimination before she died. Mithos tried to do this, but not in the way Martel had intended. Yuan knew that Martel didn't want her wish to be fulfilled in the way Mithos interpreted and thus tries to stop him. Later on, he helps the Chosen's group defeat Mithos, and is thus something of an anti-hero. Yuan is resilient in his views and calculative. He firmly decides to subvert Mithos unlike Kratos, but also decides to covertly do it in order to keep close to Mithos. Lloyd and Yuan are shown in contrast to each other, despite a similar goal. They both wish to stop Cruxis's plans and ultimately destroy Cruxis and save the worlds. However, Lloyd has more compassion than Yuan as Lloyd wishes to not sacrifice anyone. Yuan, however, is willing to accomplish his goals by any means possible, even killing people (attempts to assassinate Collette) and taking hostages (He even briefly takes Lloyd hostage as a bargaining tool and switches sides with him multiple times throughout the course of the game).
- Botta (ボータ "Bōta" / English Voice Actor: Robin Atkin Downes): Botta was Yuan's lieutenant. He leads the Renegades to the Martel Temple (near Iselia) to kill Colette to prevent her from becoming Martel's vessel. He fights Lloyd's group twice, once in the Sylvarant Base and once in the Tethe'alla Base. He wields a heavy, curved sword that can perform Earth-based special attacks. He accompanies the group to the Remote Island Human Ranch, where he sacrifices himself in order to allow Lloyd's group to escape.
[edit] Villains
[edit] Mithos Yggdrasill
(ミトス・ユグドラシル "Mitosu Yugudorashiru" / English Voice Actors: Brianne Siddall/James Arnold Taylor): Mithos is a friend of Genis's who turns out to be Yggdrasill, the mightiest of the angels who rules over Cruxis and the Desians. Mithos, resembling a 14-year-old child, was a great swordsman who trained under the guidance of Kratos. He had strong ideals about peace and unity, but his sister's death deepened his hatred for humanity and made him lose track of whether the world, or her life, was more important to him. Mithos does, however, have (in his opinion) the best interests of the worlds at heart; the only problem is that Martel's death pushed him into thinking of extreme "solution".
[edit] Remiel
(レミエル "Remieru" / English Voice Actor: Wally Wingert):
Remiel is an angel of Cruxis. He guides Colette on the Journey of Regeneration, and calls Colette his "daughter", causing the party to believe that he is Colette's true father. However, he later reveals that this is untrue, and he only called her that to gain the party's trust. After being defeated by Lloyd's group, Remiel begs for Kratos's help, but Kratos refuses, his response mocking Remiel and the rest of Cruxis for their views on life. Remiel subsequently dies.
[edit] Pronyma
(プロネーマ "Puronēma" / English Voice Actor: Masasa): Also known as Twilight Pronyma, Pronyma is the leader of the five Desian Grand Cardinals. She works for Yggdrasill and is usually seen with him. The fake Kilia posing as Dorr's daughter was working under Pronyma's orders. Kvar believes that she is stealing data from the Angelus Project, but this, in fact, turns out to be Rodyle. Yggdrasill unhesitantly kills her after she called him Mithos while begging for him to heal her after she loses to Lloyd's group, the honor of using his real name having been reserved for his former companions. Pronyma is the only Desian Grand Cardinal to not have her own Human Ranch. She has many spells at her disposal, a few of these are "shadow versions" of the spells the player receives (Dark Sphere, for example, is the Dark-element version of the Light-element Photon), though she seems to be an aquamancer at heart and it can be assumed that her original element was water before becoming Mithos' right hand woman and the leader of the Cardinals.
[edit] Forcystus
(フォシテス "Foshitesu" / English Voice Actor: Andre Sogliuzzo): Forcystus, the Gnashing Gale, is the first Desian Grand Cardinal that Lloyd encounters, as he controls the Iselia Human Ranch. He brought charges against Lloyd for violating the non-aggression treaty near the beginning of the game and subsequently had Iselia razed. Despite how he acts towards humans, Forcystus was known as a hero among the Desians and other half-elves for killing every member of a group of humans who were leading a massacre of half-elves. One of his arms is a strange golden metal capsule; it appears to be some form of energy cannon that he uses in battle. He is able to eject violent gusts of wind from it and has the element of wind at his disposal, as his nickname suggests. At the end of Disc 1, Lloyd kills Forcystus after he attacks Colette, who was protecting Chocolat at the time.
[edit] Magnius
(マグニスさま "Magunisu" / English Voice Actor: Chris Edgerly):
Magnius, the Pyroclasm, is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Palmacosta Human Ranch. He used Governor General Dorr to collect Gald for the Desians, making him think that if he follows the Grand Cardinal's orders, he'll be able to save his wife, Clara, who had been turned into a monster by Magnius via an unleashed Exsphere. Magnius is a pyromancer and wields a huge axe, making his melee techniques quite powerful. Magnius is defeated and killed by Lloyd's group. After they escape the Ranch, it is revealed that Magnius was being used by Rodyle for the purpose of furthering his plans for the construction of Thor's Hammer, alternatively known as the Mana Cannon, by having him collect Gald and attempt to eliminate the Chosen. Rodyle taunts Magnius one final time before the Pyroclasm dies.
[edit] Kvar
(クヴァル "Kuvaru" / English Voice Actor: Chris Edgerly):
Kvar, the Fury Tempest, is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Asgard Human Ranch. He controls the element of lightning and is often considered the cruelest of the Grand Cardinals. Kvar is a highly skilled wizard who employs small robots to distract his opponents, while he blasts them with spells at a safe distance. Anna, Lloyd's mother, was involved in the Angelus Project, an attempt to create a Cruxis Crystal independently of the dwarves. The Exsphere, which she was used to grow, was picked up by Dirk and later used by Lloyd. It is revealed in the game that Kvar was directly responsible for Anna's death, as he unleashed Anna's Exsphere, which led Kratos being forced to kill her. Kvar and Rodyle were working together to build the Mana Cannon. However, after Kvar's death, Rodyle spends no time mourning for him and just helps himself to the Angelus Project research.
[edit] Rodyle
(ロディル "Rodiru" / English Voice Actor: Daran Norris): Iron Will Rodyle is the Desian Grand Cardinal in charge of the Remote Island Human Ranch. He controls the element of earth and manipulates Magnius and Kvar to get Gald and slaves to help him with his Mana Cannon project. An ambitious man, Rodyle merely pretends to work for Yggdrasill while actually plotting to overthrow him after destroying the Tower of Salvation. He works with the Pope of Tethe'alla and Vharley the Exsphere broker in the hopes that performing the Angelus Project over there will produce a Cruxis Crystal strong enough to power the Mana Cannon. Rodyle deceives Presea for a long time by using the Cruxis Crystal on her. He is also (indirectly) responsible for the death of Presea's sister, Alicia. Rodyle dies after using a flawed Cruxis Crystal on himself in an attempt to kill Lloyd's group.
[edit] Abyssion
Abyssion is a hidden villain who can be found in Flanoir once either Soul Eater or Evil Eye (both Devil's Arms) is obtained. If the player speaks to him, he will tell them about the Devil's Arms, nine cursed weapons, and give the player the Nebilim Blade (one of the Devil's Arms) and the key to a series of black chests. Each chest contains one of the nine weapons. When eight of the nine Devil's Arms are located, he tells the player that he will await in the Temple Of Darkness, where he will seal the nine away. Upon finding the final one, the player may speak to him there and hand over the weapons, only to discover that he is intent on reviving the evil sorcerer Nebilim. He then uses the Necronomicon to summon the spirit of the dark sorcerer, who possesses Abyssion's body and attacks the party. After the fight, the soul of Nebilim attempts to possess Presea, but Colette saves her. Abyssion is often considered one of the toughest foes in the game, even harder to defeat than Mithos, due to the fact that he can cast many of the game's strongest magical spells with very little casting time required and has almost twice as much HP as Mithos's final form. He can also execute many physical techniques taken from most of the playble characters, since he wields every weapon type. This battle has been known to last as long as a half-hour provided that the party is not over-leveled at the point of this battle. In the PS2 version he is immune to All-Divides.
[edit] Niflheim
Niflheim is a cursed world full of perilous dangers. Located in a book inside of the Sybak library, its intent is to destroy and replace the world. The party ventures into Niflheim in order to stop it from succeeding. Once inside, the party realizes that, if their mana (which is called "Soulfire") completely depletes while in the underworld, they will die, and the book will consume the world. The book is a harsh foe; it demands a sacrifice at every one of its fifteen levels. If the player refuses to give something up, their soulfire depletes with no way to restore it. On the final floor, the party encounters and defeats the Living Armor, the ruler of Niflheim. When the monster is destroyed, the party burns the book with their Soulfire.
[edit] Other Characters
[edit] Martel
(マーテル "Māteru" / English voice actor: Kim Mai Guest) Martel is Mithos's sister. As in the case of Raine and Genis, Martel took on the role of raising her younger brother, so when Martel is killed, Mithos is absolutely devastated. He decides to bring her back from the dead, no matter the cost. Near the end of the game, Mithos succeeds in doing so, but Martel admonishes him for causing countless people to suffer for four thousand years in the name of her resurrection. She then returns to the Cruxis Crystal that links her soul to the seed of the Giant Kharlan Tree. When the Tree is resurrected at the end of the game, Martel and Mithos's souls join together with several other souls to create the spirit Martel, using Tabatha, a humanoid doll that resembles Martel, as the medium. The Spirit Martel, in turn, becomes the guardian of Yggdrasil, the Giant Kharlan Tree reborn, that Lloyd renames at the end of the game as proof of the pact between them (although the name Lloyd speaks is never truly in Symphonia, however, its name is given in the sequel, Tales of Phantasia). Martel was also engaged to Yuan, one of the Four Seraphim. It was because that Yuan was once engaged to Martel that Mithos decides not to kill Yuan when he found out about his betrayal.
[edit] Anna
Little is known about Anna's early life, except that she was born in Luin. At some point, she was taken to the Asgard Human Ranch, where she became the subject of Kvar's Angelus Project, an attempt to cultivate a Cruxis Crystal in a human body. During the time in which she was held at the Ranch, Kratos Aurion came to Sylvarant, presumably on the orders of Cruxis. They met, fell in love, and had a child. Unfortunately, Mithos was not about to let Kratos desert him (as he was Origin's Seal), and Anna was crucial to the Angelus Project, so the newlyweds were forced to flee, constantly pursued by Kvar's Desians. At some point during the flight, Anna gave birth to Lloyd Irving. Still being pursued, the three continued to run for two more years, until they were near the Iselia Human Ranch, where Kvar and his troops caught up with them. At the top of a steep cliff beside the Iselia Ranch, Kvar removed Anna's Cruxis Crystal; as she did not have a Key Crest, the mana in her body went out of control and she turned into a monster. Confused and enraged, she attacked the infant Lloyd. She would have killed him had the family pet, Noishe, not leapt in the way, injuring and stunning the monstrous Anna. She regained control for a short period of time, during which she begged Kratos to kill her, terrified that she might harm Lloyd or her husband. Unable to bring himself to kill her, Kratos was forced to watch until Anna lost control again and tried, once more, to kill Lloyd. Desperate to save his son's life, Kratos fatally injured his wife. Kvar took this opportunity to attack Kratos. During the fight, Noishe, Lloyd, and the mortally wounded Anna fell down a nearby cliff. Dirk, a dwarf who happened to be near the base of the cliff at the time, found them. Anna, who had regained her original human form, begged the dwarf to look after her son, Lloyd; Dirk agreed. He then took Lloyd and Noishe to his home. He buried Anna's body beside his house. A distraught Kratos would search the bottom of the cliff, in vain, for his wife and son. He would then return to Cruxis believing his wife and son dead, having given up on life and lost the will to fight back.
