Breath of Fire

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This article is about the series of games. For the original and first game, see Breath of Fire (video game).

Logo from the original Breath of Fire video game.

Breath of Fire (ブレスオブファイア, Buresu obu Faia^?) is an RPG series by Capcom.

Each game is set on the same world, merely after the previous one. As such, there are many changes from game to game, although there are certain recurring themes and character names. This is in similar tradition to the discontinuity between games of the Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Wild Arms, and other Japanese RPG series.

Currently there are five games in the series:

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Theme
2 Characters
3 Races and Groups
4 Release history
5 External links

[edit] Theme

As in most console RPGs of the era, the main conflict in the Breath of Fire series is the battle between good and evil. Although this theme is extremely common in RPGs, the Breath of Fire series is unique in its treatment of the subject in that the plot is of a decidedly religious nature. In each installment of the series, the main antagonist is a demon or Goddess; the protagonist Ryu, the last surviving member of the messianic dragon clan, must save the humans from their otherworldly foe. The plot often involves corrupt or misled religious leaders who are eventually revealed to have helped the foe.

Although religion in games is not an uncommon theme today, it was extremely unusual in the 16-bit era when the series first debuted, and the early Breath of Fire games were a pioneer of this trend. While topics of faith had long since been considered fair game in Japan, they were largely ignored by American companies who feared that the subject was too controversial. Typically, when a game which had any religious references in it was ported to an American console, (usually from a Japanese or PC version of the original) all of those references, no matter how small, were edited out (such as the SNES Ultima games). There were even a few cases of games that were denied American releases specifically because they were deemed as being too religious in content, such as the SNES game Terranigma. In fact, it is likely true that Breath of Fire II was the first American console RPG to have its plot center around a religious conflict.

The Breath of Fire games are also unique in the fact that, while most RPGs are easily recognized as either Eastern or Western inspired (as in Dungeons & Dragons or Anime inspired), the Breath of Fire series has shown clear elements of both cultures. Dragons and enemies from both cultures are usually used, and although the series does have a slightly anime feel to it, the morally ambiguous plots owe much more to the cynical early PC RPGs of America than to traditional Japanese RPGs, which were typically much more black and white in their presentation of good versus evil. The earlier games' official artwork and especially boxart was also of a decidedly western nature (even retaining a slightly western look, although to a much lesser degree in the Japanese releases). However, as the series has progressed its artwork has shifted to a more traditional anime look, and some of the newer games even feature full motion anime cutscenes.

Finally, where as many RPG series tend to re-invent themselves with every game, the Breath of Fire games have retained essentially the same tone and style of gameplay throughout the entire series. Only the fifth game, Dragon Quarter, differs greatly in these aspects from the original. Some changes are introduced with each sequel, as is to be expected. For example, Breath of Fire III features a more sci-fi inspired setting compared to the semi-medieval backdrop of the first two. In addition, the more recent games have replaced the traditional worldmap setup with a more "point and click" based one, similar to those commonly featured in strategy games. Despite these aesthetic changes, the core gameplay remains intact. The result is that whereas games in other series such as Final Fantasy are often completely different in style from one game to the next, often to such an extent that the only recongnizable characteristic is the title, the Breath of Fire games are instantly recognizable as being what they are, similar to Dragon Quest.

Although a timeline for the series has never been explicitly stated, the first three games supposedly occur in a single timeline. If this is true, 1 is definitely the earliest of the three, as 2 and 3 both refer to its events and/or characters at points. The timing of the second and third games is more ambiguous, but most evidence, including most Wyndians' complete lack of wings in 3, points to them having been released in chronological order. 4's place in the timeline is uncertain, although fans have long theorized that it could occur before any of the other games, telling how dragons first appeared in the series' world. Breath of Fire 5 is something of a departure from the other games, and Capcom has confirmed that it takes place in a separate universe.

The character designs have changed little for the core characters. Ryu characters have blue hair and are equipped with a sword and a fishing rod. Nina is usually a Caucasian-looking, blonde female with wings (or something sticking out her back) who provides magical support. Deis/Bleu is (in four of the games) a mysterious mage who needs to be awakened.

[edit] Characters

The characters of Breath of Fire on the SNES.

Throughout the series many characters have come and gone. The five constant characters in every game are listed below.

Ryu is the protagonist of the series, and the main character of each game. He is one of the last surviving members of the dragon clan and is always depicted as having blue hair and wielding a sword as his weapon. Although his age varies from game to game, he's generally depicted as being in the 15-20 year old range. An interesting point is that Ryu never speaks (except a few battle cries) in any of the games (except Dragon Quarter, and a few times in Breath of Fire, such as when Ryu answers "Well, there is one thing." to the king's question of Ryu's reward). It is important to note that each game stars a different Ryu who is presumably a descendant or reincarnation of the protagonist of the previous game. In Dragon Quarter, Ryu is a human whose power to transform into dragons was granted to him by an outside source, because Dragon Quarter has no actual "dragon clan".

Nina is the lead female character in each game. Like Ryu, she appears in each game as a descendant of the previous Nina. She is a member of the Fae (winged) tribe and is the princess of Wyndia. There is typically no explicitly stated romantic connection between her and Ryu, though secondary sources (such as manga adaptations) often indicate such a relationship, and a scene in Breath of Fire II implies that the original Nina married the original Ryu.

Deis is a blue haired sorceress, resembling a naga in appearance. She was referred to as Bleu in the English translation of the first two games. Although Ryu and Nina are different people in each game, it is generally assumed that Deis is the same person. She does not seem to appear in Dragon Quarter.

Myria (also called: Tyr, Maria) the Goddess of Destruction, is the final boss in parts I and III. She has a beautiful and angelic appearance, but when threatened, she becomes an ugly snake-human naga. Breath of Fire II's antagonist, Deathevan, is her creation. In Breath of Fire, she grants powers to the Dark Dragons to create war in the world. In Breath of Fire III, she acts as an overprotective mother of all the world's creatures, "protecting" them from the dangers of technology and the destructive power potential of the Brood (Breath of Fire III's nigh-extinct dragon clan). Myria is Deis's sister, and this is directly acknowledged at the end of Breath of Fire III, and is hinted at by Deis in "Breath of Fire". This fact is not mentioned in any of the other installments. In Breath of Fire IV Yuna speaks of creating a man-made god at the end of the game and this leads to speculation that Myria or at least Myria's body is the end result.

Ladon (simply known as the Dragon God in the Japanese version) is present in the first three games and records the party's progress. In part I his statue is everywhere and is prayed to by many people. In part II, there are still quite a number of his statues in each town but few people pray to him, preferring to pray to the Church of St. Eva. In part III he serves as one of the "masters" of the game, allowing the party members to learn certain types of skills under him, with only a single statue located elsewhere in the game. He does not appear in part IV or Dragon Quarter.

[edit] Races and Groups

Creeping Clan: The Creepers of the frog-like Creeping Clan are uniformly cheerful and narcissistic. Because of that, many of them lose themselves in the arts or specialized pursuits. They range from cooks and bards to professional fishers. Jean/Tapeta is a member of this clan, and in fact its prince.

Dirt-Eating Clan: A race of anthropomorphic moles who built their world underground and lives there quietly. Only one of the clan have ever appeared in the front lines of history (Mogu), but their ability to dig several thousand feet a day is known throughout the land. They are small, but powerful and can wear heavy equipment. They are active as mercenaries and workers in hostile environments.

Demons: They are malevolent creatures sealed within the Gates of Inifinity. Some demons however escaped and have plagued the world ever since and they possess weak willed and corruptible humans into serving and sending energy to Deathevan. They are most probably creatures who were exposed to Deathevans aura and became evil and corrupted.

Dragon Clan: An ancient race of people who have the ability to transform themselves into dragons. When they aren't transformed into a dragon, they are very similar in appearance to humans. The clan split into two separate clans, the Light Dragons and the Dark Dragons, in a war that took place years before the first game; when their numbers started to dwindle, the clans merged again. Some of the clan members later grew wings because of their prolonged exposure to Deathevan. The clan later came to be known as The Brood when they were demonized by the lies perputrated by the dominant religion and were hunted down nearly to extinction. Ryu is almost always a member of this clan in each game.

Endless: Not so much a race, but a nickname for a group of ancient sorcerers. Many refer to them as Gods as they seem to be immortal and possess incredible power. Deis (Bleu) and Myria/Tyr are the most prominent members of this group. Ryu from Breath of Fire IV turned out to be a member of this group, although his skill set in that game is similar to the Dragon Clan incarnations.

Faeries: Faeries exist in the world of dreams. The world of dreams sort of overlaps with the real world and is a part that, long ago when the world was created, became a kind of "connector." Because of that, ordinary people can't go to the world of dreams. The lifespan of a faerie is about ten years in human terms. The world of dreams is a tiny, closed-away world, so no matter how many times a faerie dies, it's simply reborn in the same place (though none of the faeries realize this). They're omnivorous, but their palate is far more refined than a human's, and so they constantly search here and there for Flanks.

Forest Tribe: They are a group of swift wolf-like people. The Forest tribe are a clan of hunters who live in the forest and revere nature. This clan is so familiar with the forests that you will never get lost when one of them is leading you. By the end of the First installment, they have largely left the forest and founded the town of Tantar. Bo/Gilliam from the first game is from this tribe.

Grassmen: Grassmen are the longest-living clans. Emotionless and guided only by logic, they travel the world when they are young gathering as much knowledge as possible and transform into wise trees in their old age. Because of their extreme longetivity, they often appear in the game as sages and tells the people about things that have passed long ago and remain as the sole source for accurate historical information, information that is not tainted by the revisions done by religions or Gods. Spar/Aspara is a member of this tribe. Pecoros from Breath of Fire III is a close relative thereto.

Grassrunner: A tribe of dog-like creatures. Bow/Bosshu, Momo, Scias and Ursula are members of this clan.

Guardians: a race in Breath of Fire III created by the Goddess of Destruction. They resemble gargoyles and derive their energy directly from Myria, which means if Myria were to die, so would they. Later through the course of history, they became known Dragon Slayers when they were angelicized through the lies perputrated by the dominant religion while the Dragon Clan was demonized. They were the ones who hunted down the Dragons to near extinction. Some of them had doubts about their creator though, but most of them continued to follow the Goddess' wishes out of blind faith and devotion. When they die, they turn into stone statues. Garr and Geist from the third game are the only Guardians left.

Highlanders: A clan of monkeys. The people of this clan are incredibly gifted in terms of althetic ability, like quickness and ability to jump. Their personalities range from irrepressible jokesters to the ever-serious, from one extreme to the other. Sten from Breath of Fire II is of this race.

Iron Ogre Clan: A clan of anthropomorphic Oxens. Warriors of the Iron Ogre clan are immense and powerful. They trace their mastery at creating weapons and armor back to ancient times. They are also skilled at breaking apart walls and hard rock. Despite their size, they are capable of delicate and subtle work. They are best at crafting weapons, but since they oppose war, they rarely use this talent. Ox/Builder from the first game is from this clan.

Manillo: A race of bipedal fish that are able to survive on land. A clan of traders who boast that they will one day control the world's commerce. Their trade area is any place that touches the sea. They are notorious for their greed. With the use of a special sphere, members of the clan can transform themselves into the Big Fish. They often appear in the games as merchants and bankers. Although they prominently appear in Breath of Fire IV, Gobi from the first game is the only PC to ever come from this tribe.

Pabu-Pabu: A clan that lives in the archipelago to the north of the continent in one of the games. Because their language and culture are so utterly different, no one has any detailed information on their origins, etc. A distinguishing characteristic of theirs is the extremely optimistic outlook they have, "pabu-pabu", or "things will turn out all right." Some theorize that perhaps they, in contrast to the other clans (all of which originated with a summoned god), might be a native clan that was there from the beginning.

Shaman: A clan of people with the ability to fuse with others to increase their powers and alter their appearance. The Shamans from Breath of Fire II belong to this tribe. It is also believed that Karn from Breath of Fire I is from this tribe, although this is merely speculation.

Shell Clan: A race of large bipedal armadillos. Despite their intimidating stature, they are a humble and peaceful people and accomplished farmers. Rand from Breath of Fire II is from this tribe.

Wing Clan: A tribe of winged people that resides in the kingdom of Wyndia. In the earlier games, their older members have the ability to transform into the Great Bird. Their wings degenerated, however, as time went on, until a point came when they didn't have wings. The royalty of the Wing Clan wore garments that resembled wings. In the fourth game of the series, the clan was known as "the Fae." Nina is invariably from this clan.

Woren: A tribe of cat-people, resembling tigers. They are natural fighters and vary slightly in appearance from game to game. In the Japanese games they are called "Furen". Besides humans, they are the most recurrent tribe in terms of playability: Katt/Rinpu, Rei, Cray, and Lin are all Woren.

Clanless: Normal humans who have either renounced their clan or are of mixed heritage, having diluted their heritage to the point where clan specific powers are lost. In the beginning of the original game it is explained that the villagers of the starting town "renounced the dragon" with the exception of Ryu and Sara.

[edit] Release history

1993 - Breath of Fire is released for the SNES in Japan.
1994 - Breath of Fire is translated by Squaresoft and released in North America.
1994 - Breath of Fire II is released for the SNES in Japan.
1995 - Breath of Fire II is translated by Capcom USA and released in North America.
1996 - Breath of Fire II is released by Laguna for the SNES in Europe.
1997 - Breath of Fire III is released for the PlayStation in Japan.
1998 - Breath of Fire III is translated and released Europe and North America.
2000 - Breath of Fire IV is released in Japan, translated and released for Windows and the PlayStation in North America.
2001 - Breath of Fire IV is released in the United Kingdom.
2001 - Breath of Fire is re-released for the Game Boy Advance in North America.
2002 - Breath of Fire II is also re-released in North America for the Game Boy Advance.
2003 - Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (Breath of Fire V) is released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan, North America and Europe.
2005 - Breath of Fire III is re-released in Japan for the PlayStation Portable.
2006 - Breath of Fire III is re-released in Europe for the PlayStation Portable.