Tales of Symphonia/Characters

Lloyd Irving

 * Voiced by (English): Scott Menville (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Katsuyuki Konishi

Lloyd Irving (ロイド・アーヴィング) is a strong-hearted young man who wishes for peace in the world without the sacrifice of others. Orphaned as a child, he was adopted and raised by a dwarf, Dirk. When Lloyd learns his mother, Anna, was killed by the Desians, he decides to join Colette's journey. During the journey, Lloyd kills Kvar, one of the Desian Grand Cardinals, after learning that Kvar's Angelus Project caused the death of Lloyd's mother. As Lloyd continues his journey with the party, he is chosen to wield the Eternal Sword to help them achieve their goals. To accommodate for his dual-sword fighting style, the Eternal Sword's powers enter Lloyd's Material Blades. After merging the two worlds and germinating the Great Seed into a Giant Kharlan Tree, Martel pronounces Lloyd as the tree's guardian and asks him to name it. In the sequel, Dawn of the New World, Lloyd is pronounced the culprit of the Blood Purge, a massacre in the village in which Emil Castagnier resides. Lloyd cuts all ties with his friends after the incident and begins his search for the Centurion's cores. The protagonists later learn Lloyd has been framed by Decus for the Blood Purge and that Lloyd had been gathering the Centurion's cores to stop Ratatosk from destroying humanity; the reason for his silence was to prevent Ratatosk, who is able to gather information from monsters, to learn about his plans.

Lloyd has received positive reception in Japan. In the second Tales series character popularity polls, Lloyd ranked as who people want as an older brother, younger brother, and friend categories. Since then, Lloyd has ranked on the Tales series popular characters polls. He appears as a playable character in Tales of the World, Tales of VS., and Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave and as a skill in the Nintendo DS version of Tales of Hearts. Outside of the Tales franchise, Lloyd is a playable character in Soulcalibur Legends. A Mii Fighter costume based on Lloyd's design appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U as downloadable content.

Colette Brunel

 * Voiced by (English): Heather Hogan (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Nana Mizuki

Colette Brunel (コレット・ブルーネル) is the Chosen of Mana of Sylvarant; also known as the Chosen of Regeneration, the one who will bring peace and prosperity to the world. She was brought up with the knowledge that she would need to die to save the world, and, from that, has gained a truly selfless nature. As the party travels to the seals, Colette gains more angelic powers, but loses her humanity. The final seal removes her personality and leaves her as a lifeless shell. After learning that their journey is all a ruse by Cruxis to revive Martel, the party flee to Tethe'alla to find a cure for Colette. They learn that Colette's condition and angelic powers are caused by her Cruxis Crystal, an advanced evolution of the Exsphere, and cure her by attaching a Key Crest to control the Cruxis Crystal. As the party continues on their journey, Colette becomes inflicted with Chronic Angelus Crystallus Inofficium, a disease that turns the body into a Cruxis Crystal. The party then searches for the materials needed to adjust Colette's Key Crest in order to cure her. In the sequel, Dawn of the New World, Colette begins searching for Lloyd after the Blood Purge.

Colette was ranked on the first Tales series character popularity polls. In the second Tales series popularity polls, Colette ranked as the character people want as a younger sister, and has made appearances on the next four polls as well. Since her debut, she has made regular appearances as a playable character in the Tales of the World series.

Genis Sage

 * Voiced by (English): Colleen Villard (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Ai Orikasa

Genis Sage, known as Genius Sage (ジーニアス・セイジ) in the original Japanese version, is the younger brother of Raine Sage. He is a child prodigy and a great cook. The Sages are both half-elves, but they pass themselves off as full-blooded elves to avoid discrimination. During the beginning of the game, Genis incites Lloyd to help Marble, an inmate belonging to the Desian's human ranches. Their actions provoke the Desians to attack their village resulting in Lloyd's exile. Genis decides to follow Lloyd as the two meet with Colette's group on their journey. To assist them, Genis uses Marble's Exsphere to increase his powers. In Tethe'alla, the Sage's race were revealed and accepted by the party. During the course of the journey, Genis becomes close friends with Mithos. After learning Mithos' true identity and apparently defeating him, Genis holds onto Mithos' Cruxis Crystal. The Cruxis Crystal is later destroyed when Mithos is revealed to still be alive in it. In Dawn of the New World, Genis is on a search for Lloyd after the Blood Purge.

Genis appeared on the first character popularity polls; He ranked on the second and sixth popularity polls in the character people want as a younger brother category. Since his debut, he has made regular appearances as a playable character in the Tales of the World series.

Kratos Aurion

 * Voiced by (English): Cam Clarke (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Fumihiko Tachiki

Kratos Aurion (クラトス・アウリオン) is a mysterious mercenary who is hired to accompany Colette on her journey. He is later revealed as a high-ranking member of Cruxis and one of Mithos Yggdrasill's companions who was ordered to ensure Colette would finish her journey. After betraying the party to Mithos, Kratos secretly searches for materials to enable Lloyd to use the Eternal Sword. He is revealed to be Lloyd's father after Yuan fails to blackmail him into releasing the summon spirit Origin. After gathering the materials to make the Eternal Ring, Kratos has the party form a contract with Origin to enable Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword. After reuniting the two worlds, Kratos leaves for Derris-Kharlan with the remaining members of Cruxis. In Dawn of the New World, he makes a final transmission to Yuan before Derris-Kharlan is out of range.

His past is explored through side stories. Over 4000 years prior to the game, Kratos was the lead knight of Tethe'alla's capital. He meets Mithos and Martel who asks him to arrange a meeting with Tethe'alla's king to warn him about an upcoming invasion by Sylvarant. The king ignores Mithos' pleas due to his race and Tethe'alla's capital is destroyed in the attack. Mithos, Martel, and Kratos are exiled from the capital after being deemed responsible for the attack and Kratos joins the two as they journey the world to find a new home. After Mithos saves the world, Kratos leaves for Sylvarant after disagreeing with Mithos' Age of Lifeless Beings plan and meets Anna who encourages him to stop Mithos. The two then flee from Cruxis where Lloyd was born during their flight. Kvar corners them and turns Anna into a monster, forcing Kratos to kill her. Kratos battle with Kvar causes Lloyd and Noishe to fall off a cliff where Kratos assumed they both died.

Kratos' reception has been positive in Japan. He appeared on the first Tales character popularity polls and in the second one the character people want as an older brother and a teacher categories. Since then, he has appeared in all current polls. He is a playable character in the Tales of the World series, Tales of VS., and makes a cameo appearance as an enemy in Tales of Vesperia.

Raine Sage

 * Voiced by (English): Kari Wahlgren (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Yumi Tōma

Raine Sage, known as Refill Sage (リフィル・セイジ) in the original Japanese version, is Genis' older sister and Iselia's schoolteacher. Raine is a calm, pragmatic thinker who is mistrustful of others and is a terrible cook. In the past, Raine and Genis were Tethe'allans who were sent to Sylvarant by the use of the Otherworldly Gate, a portal that intertwines the world. Because of this, she is fascinated with ruins of any kind because of memories of being abandoned at the Otherworldly Gate. They were sent to Sylvarant by their mother Virginia to escape Tethe'alla's discriminatory laws. While on the run, Raine fell off of a boat and nearly drowned, leading to a severe case of aquaphobia. After the re-unification of the world, Raine and Genis set out to educate the world to eliminate the prejudice against half elves.

Raine appeared on the second character popularity polls as the character people want as an older sister category and has made no appearances on future rankings since then. Since her debut, she has made regular appearances as a playable character in the Tales of the World series.

Sheena Fujibayashi

 * Voiced by (English): Jennifer Hale (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Akemi Okamura

Sheena Fujibayashi (藤林しいな) is a strong-willed and kindhearted ninja from Mizuho, a village in Tethe'alla; Sheena is always accompanied by Corrine (コリン), a man-made Summon Spirit. She is the summoner of the party allowing her to form a pact with Summon Spirits to call them for help. She has a fear of the Summon Spirit Volt, who attacked her village about failing to make a pact with him. She is sent to Sylvarant to assassinate Collete but joins them as they seek to save the two worlds. The party accompanies her on her second attempt to form a pact with Volt, which succeeds after Corrine sacrifices her life. During the party's journey, she forms a pact with all Summon Spirits including Origin who allows Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword. She later reunites with Corrine who is newly reborn as the Summon Spirit of Heart, Verius (ヴェリウス). Later, her grandfather wakes up from his coma and makes Sheena the chief of Mizuho. After the worlds are reunited, Sheena is chosen to be an emissary of peace between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla. In Dawn of the New World she joins Emil and Marta's to search for Lloyd.

Sheena appeared on the second character popularity polls as the character people want as an older sister category and has made no appearances on future rankings since then. Corrine ranked in the sixth Tales character popularity polls in the mascot category. Since her debut, she has made regular appearances in the Tales of the World series as a playable character.

Zelos Wilder

 * Voiced by (English): Shiloh Strong (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Masaya Onosaka

Zelos Wilder (ゼロス・ワイルダー) is the Tethe'alla's Chosen. He is the comic relief of the group, dropping tactless comments at the most inopportune moment and hitting on women and the female party members. His personality is later revealed to be a facade to deal with the difficulties in his life. Zelos came from an upper-class society and is highly popular due to his status and looks. He joins the party when they arrive in Tethe'alla to watch and prevent them from completing Sylvarant's regeneration ritual. During the party's journey, Zelos befriends Lloyd and shares his past with him. His parents were forced to marry by orders of Cruxis to continue the bloodline of the Chosen. Zelos expresses disdain for life as he was shunned by those around him. His mother, Mylene Wilder, was killed by his father's former lover. Mylene's final words to Zelos was cursing his birth. After the murder, Zelos' half sister, Seles Wilder (セレス・ワイルダー), is placed under house arrest. Despite what happened, Zelos cares for Seles, though she has a tsundere complex with him. Zelos is revealed to be leaking information to the Renegades and Cruxis since the beginning and had planned to betray the party. Depending on the player's choice in Flanoir, Zelos will either remain loyal to the party or betray them and die. He survives in Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World establishing his survival as canonical. In Dawn of the New World, he publicly expresses his belief that Lloyd is not involved in the Blood Purge. When Decus, disguised as Lloyd, kidnaps Seles, he joins the Emil and Marta to save her and to prove Lloyd's innocence.

Zelos' reception has been positive in Japan. He ranked on the first Tales character popularity poll and in the second, ranked in the character people want as an older brother category. Since then, he has appeared on all current polls. Game Informer listed Zelos as one of the best characters in the Tales series. He is a playable character in the Tales of the World series and Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave.

Presea Combatir

 * Voiced by (English): Tara Strong (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Hōko Kuwashima

Presea Combatir (プレセア・コンバティール) is chronologically twenty-eight years old, but is physically twelve years old. She is a lumberjack from Ozette, a village in Tethe'alla. When her father fell ill, her younger sister Alicia Combatir (アリシア・コンバティール), went to work for the Bryant family. Presea volunteered to Vhaley's experiment so she could wield an axe and continue her father's work in his place. She was given an Exsphere without a Keycrest, which suppressed her consciousness causing her to behave robotically and stopped her body from aging. Sixteen years later, the party meets and builds a Keycrest for her and restores her personality. She joins the party permanently to repent her betrayal while under the influence of the Exsphere. After learning how Regal killed Alicia, Presea holds a strong resentment towards him but slowly forgives him as the plot progresses.

Presea's reception has been positive in Japan. She ranked as the character people want as a younger sister category in the second Tales character popularity polls and has appeared in all current polls. She is a playable character in the Tales of the World series and Tales of VS. and as a skill in the Nintendo DS version of Tales of Hearts.

Regal Bryant

 * Voiced by (English): Crispin Freeman (ToS) Voiced by (Japanese): Akio Ōtsuka.

Regal Bryant (リーガル・ブライアン) is the president of the Lezareno Company, a major corporation in Tethe'alla. He and Alicia Combatir, Presea's younger sister, were lovers who were forcefully separated when Regal's butler sold Alicia to Vharley. Vharley's experiment turned Alicia into a monster and forced Regal to kill her. Tortured by guilt, Regal turns himself into prison for murder and forces himself to wear shackles on the premise of never using his hands for fighting again. During his time in prison, Regal is taught by a prisoner to fight with kicks. When the party travels to Tethe'alla, Regal confronts them after making a deal with the Pope to arrest Vharley. He joins the party when he realizes Presea is with them and settles his past after talking to Alicia's spirit. He and Presea later confront and kill Vharley. At the end of the game, Regal removes his shackles and devotes his company to improving the world. He was a playable character in Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3.

Emil Castagnier

 * Voiced by: Hiro Shimono

Emil Castagnier (エミル・キャスタニエ) is a timid person who is constantly apologizing. He lost his parents during the Blood Purge to which Lloyd is held responsible for. He lives with his uncle and aunt who despises him. When Richter attempts to kill Marta, Emil forms a pact with Tenebrae to become a Knight of Ratatosk (ラタトスクの騎士), which grants him Ratatosk's powers; Ratatosk is the Summon Spirit of the previous World Tree and lord of all monsters. During battle, Ratatosk's personality takes over giving Emil red eyes and an aggressive personality. As he journeys with Marta to gather the Centurion's cores to awaken Ratatosk, Emil discovers he is Ratatosk and that the timid Emil's personality and memories are a fabrication. He learns that the real Emil Castagnier died in the blood purge and that his physical appearance is an imitation of Aster (アステル), Richter's close friend. When Aster and Richter pleaded with Ratatosk to restore the worlds climate, Ratatosk killed Aster. Realizing Ratatosk bears a hatred towards humanity for the death of the past World Tree, Emil is unable to trust him and seals away his personality by using Verius, the Summon Spirit of Heart. When the party confronts Richter to prevent him from opening the door to Niflheim, the world of demons, two outcomes are decided by the player. After Richter's defeat, Emil will either kill himself and have Ratatosk's core act as a seal to Niflheim, or persuade Ratatosk to resume guarding the door. In the latter choice, Ratatosk divides himself into two allowing Emil to live his life. Since his debut, Emil has appeared on all current Tales character popularity polls. Emil has made an appearance in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 and Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave.

Marta Lualdi

 * Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya

Marta Lualdi (マルタ・ルアルディ) is the daughter of Brute the leader of the organization known as Vanguard. She lost her mother during the Great Kharlan Tree's rampage in Palmacosta and blames Colette for her death. During the Blood Purge, she was saved by Ratatosk and is the reason of her initial affection towards Emil. Ratatosk attached a fake Ratatosk core on her forehead to draw his enemies attention away from him and she is accompanied by Tenebrae since then. Soon after, Marta defects from the Vanguard upon learning of their plans on using Ratatosk's core to destroy Tethe'alla. She is pursued by the Vanguard and is reunited with Ratatosk, now under the Emil personality, during her flight. Together, the three travel around the world to gather Centurions' cores to revive Ratatosk. She ranked on the fourth Tales character popularity polls. Marta is playable in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3 and Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave.

Mithos Yggdrasill

 * Voiced by (English): Brianne Siddall (Mithos); James Arnold Taylor (Yggdrasill) Voiced by (Japanese): Minami Takayama (Mithos); Hideyuki Tanaka (Yggdrasill)

Mithos Yggdrasill (ミトス・ユグドラシル) is the main antagonist of Tales of Symphonia. He is introduced under his surname as an adult but is able to interchange into his child body since his appearance and growth is controlled by his Exsphere. He was originally a kind hearted person despite the discrimination he faced for being a half elf. Four thousand years prior to the game, he and his companions, Martel, Kratos, and Yuan, ended the war between the countries Sylvarant and Tethe'alla by using the Eternal Sword and splitting the two into different worlds. His plan was to reunite the worlds when the comet known as Derris Kharlan approaches Earth so he can use its mana to germinate the Great Seed into a Giant Kharlan Tree. The humans attempted to monopolize the Great Seed and killed Martel in the process. Daunted by her death, Mithos delays the germination and instead places Martel's soul inside the Great Seed until he can find a new body for her. Her death caused him to gain a strong hatred towards the world and becomes cruel and merciless. Years later, Mithos forms the organization known as Cruxis in order to find a compatible body for Martel and to fulfill his Age of Lifeless Beings plan, a plan where everyone's consciousness will live inside their Exspheres free from their body; the latter being a twisted interpretation of Martel's last wish. Mithos' ideas resulted in the deaths and suffering of many people and the party is forced to kill him. In the second Tales character popularity poll, Mithos ranked in the memorable villain category. He made an appearance in Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3.

Cruxis and Desians
Cruxis (クルシス) is the organization led by Mithos who aims to revive Martel and to complete his Age of Lifeless Beings plan. The organization known as Desians (ディザイアン) is a branch of Cruxis who imprisons humans to use to create Exspheres. The members of both groups are half-elves who want revenge against humans for the discrimination they suffered; Cruxis members are given Cruxis Crystals, which gives them angel-like wings. The party is initially led by Remiel (レミエル) on Collete's World Regeneration. After learning the journey would not save the worlds, Remiel is defeated.

Lloyd's party later encounters and defeats the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, the leaders of the Desians who manage the Human Ranches. The Five Desian Grand Cardinals consist of: Forcystus (フォシテス), Magnius (マグニス), Kvar (クヴァル), Rodyle (ロディル), and Pronyma (プロネーマ). Forcystus, a man who was hailed a hero for killing a group of humans that were leading a massacre on half-elves, is the Grand Cardinal in charge of the Iselia Ranch. Magnius, a corrupt and cruel man, is the Grand Cardinal in charge of the Palmacosta Human Ranch. Kvar, an arrogant and calculating man, is the Grand Cardinal in charge of the Asgard Human Ranch. He pioneered the Angelus Project, which Anna, Lloyd's mother, was a victim of. Rodyle, an ambitious and manipulative scientist, is the Grand Cardinal in charge of the Remote Island Human ranch. He had planned to overthrow Yggdrasill with the use of his creation, the mana cannon. The final member, Pronyma, a woman who worships and loves Yggdrasill, is the leader of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals. She was killed by Yggdrasill after addressing him as Mithos.

Richter Abend

 * Voiced by: Kenji Hamada

Richter Abend (リヒター・アーベント) the main antagonist of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. He is a half elf and a scientist. When he and Aster tried to persuade Ratatosk to restore the world's climate, Aster was killed and Richter retaliated against Ratatosk. Tenebrae saves Ratatosk's core before it was destroyed and flees from Richter. Since then, Richter has been researching on how to kill Ratatosk. Since Ratatosk's death would open the door to Niflheim, allowing demons to enter their world, Richter intends to use his life to seal the door after killing Ratatosk. When the party confronts Richter at the Ginnungagap, the realm between their world and Niflheim, Richter uses the demon's powers to confront them but is defeated. Having forced open the seal on the door, Richter remains with Ratatosk at the Ginnungagap to prevent the demons from crossing over. He was a playable character in Tales of VS.

Vanguard
The Vanguard (ヴァンガード) is an organization manipulated by Richter to serve his goals. They are a Sylvarant organization determined to destroy Tethe'alla. To complete their plans, they sent assassins after Marta Lualdi in order to retrieve the Ratatosk core from her. The Vanguard are led by Brute (ブルート) whose mind has been warped by the Centurion's core, Solum. Four notable members of the Vanguard are Alice (アリス), Decus (デクス), Hawk (ホーク), and Magnar (マーグナー). Alice is a sadistic young female half-elf and leader of the Vanguard's army's Battle Combat system. She has brainwashed monsters under her control and abuses Decus' feelings towards her in order to have him do her bidding. Eight years prior to the game, Alice's parents were forced on a pilgrimage by the Church of Martel that caused their deaths. She was then sent to an orphanage where she makes a pact with a demon to save Decus' life after he was framed for a mugging by the orphanage's director; Alice is then freed from the pact by Lloyd's party years later. Since then, Decus has dedicated his whole life for her. When Decus is killed by Emil, Alice acknowledges her love for him before she also dies. The last two members are Hawk, a cowardly and weak man and subordinate of Alice and Decus. He was killed by Brute in a cross fire; and Magnar, a knight who infiltrated the Church of Martel. After Brute regains his sanity, he disbands the Vanguard.

Martel Yggdrasill

 * Voiced by (English): Kim Mai Guest Voiced by (Japanese): Misa Watanabe

Martel Yggdrasill (マーテル・ユグドラシル) is Mithos's older sister and a half-elf. After she died Mithos placed her soul in the Great Seed by using a Cruxis Crystal with the intent of reviving her. In the present time, Martel is passed down in stories as a goddess by Cruxis, which also created a religion to worship her. When Mithos revives Martel through Colette, Martel reprimands him for the cruelty and murder his actions have caused. The majority of her soul returns to the Great Seed while a part of her inhabits the android Tabatha (タバサ) granting her perfect speech. When the Great Seed is germinated, Martel's souls and Tabatha are taken in and used to create the Summon Spirit for the Giant Kharlan Tree. Lloyd forms a pact with Martel, promising to protect it, and names the tree Yggdrasill.

Yuan Ka-Fai

 * Voiced by (English): Chris Edgerly Voiced by (Japanese): Toshiyuki Morikawa

Yuan Ka-Fai (ユアン・カーフェイ) is a half-elf, former high-ranking soldier of Sylvarant, and a companion of Mithos during the Kharlan war. He was engaged to Martel before her death. He secretly defies Mithos after learning of Mithos' plans, which is a twisted perception of Martel's last wish and creates the organization called Renegades (レネゲード) to oppose Cruxis. The Renegades are led by Botta (ボータ) in his absence. After learning about Lloyd's existence, Yuan's plan was to blackmail Kratos into releasing Origin. His plan fails and he instead assists the party into forming a pact with Origin that eventually allows Lloyd to wield the Eternal Sword. In Dawn of the New World, he is revealed as the Guardian of the World Tree.

Noishe

 * Voiced by (English): Debi Derryberry. Voiced by (Japanese): Yumi Tōma

Noishe (ノイシュ) is a Protozoan (プロトゾーン」), one of the first organisms born when the elves brought a Giant Kharlan Tree to the planet. Protozoans go through five evolutions in their lifetime: The first stage is Aquan, a fish-like organism; the second is Aeros, a bird-like creature, and the third stage Arshis, dog-like create, the fourth stage is Fenrilra whose evolution has not been reached yet; and the final stage is a human who fights evil. They were considered extinct after their usage in the war four thousand years prior. Noishe is currently an Arshis and has known Kratos for over four thousand years. When Lloyd and Kratos were separated during Kvar's attack, Noishe remains by Lloyd's side and journeys with the party.

Tenebrae

 * Voiced by: Hōchū Ōtsuka.

Tenebrae (テネブラエ) is the Centurion of Darkness, an elemental spirit that loyally serves Ratatosk. When Ratatosk was attacked by Richter, Tenebrae saves his core, which is eventually transferred to Marta. Since then, he has been journeying with her to gather the Centurion's cores while avoiding the Vanguard. When Ratatosk is awakened from his core during the Blood Purge, Tenebrae is aware Emil is the identity Ratatosk assumed. Months later, Tenebrae calls Emil and forms a pact with him, reawakening a part of his powers. Before the final confrontation with Richter, Tenebrae deduces Emil's plan to suicide and have Ratatosk's core seal the door to niflheim and keeps it a secret from the party. In the fifth and sixth Tales series character popularity polls, Tenebrae ranked in the mascot category.

Aqua

 * Voiced by: Yōko Honda

Aqua (アクア) is the Centurion of Water. She was the one who lead Aster and Richter to Ratatosk's location. After witnessing Ratatosk kill Aster and swear revenge against humanity, she journeys with Richter who plans on saving the world by killing Ratatosk and sacrificing himself to seal niflheim.

Notes and references
Notes

References

Primary references