History Characters / TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld

* {{Foil}}: To [[spoiler:Mithos]] from the previous game. [[spoiler:Both are half-elven orphans who both experienced discrimination from humans, and who had ''serious'' issues dealing with loss: Alice took the loss of her parents and the near-loss of Decus to become a commander in the Vanguard and as motivation to become powerful. Mithos, on the other hand, went completely batshit insane after Martel's death, ''after'' he became powerful, and arguably because of it. Both hate humans (and have every reason to do so), except that Alice is basically the TokenMinority of the Vanguard, where as Mithos only has (well, ''had'') only one human with him in Cruxis, and was ultimately betrayed by just about everyone he's ever trusted except for the Desians, whereas Alice had the UndyingLoyalty of Decus right up until his death, which was the only time when Alice realized her feelings for him. Mithos had the power Alice wanted, whereas Alice had the trusted companion Mithos wanted, and when it was all said and done, it only brought anguish to both of them.]]

* NotSoDifferent:
** Emil is surprised to learn that Lloyd shares his dislike for sacrificing innocents for the greater good.
** On the other hand, Ratatosk-Mode Emil agrees with the mayor's reasoning that a few have to be sacrificed for the many.

* TrickedOutGloves: His Flambeau provide an offensive boost[[note]]Well, a dexterity boost, technically, but that translates to increased chance of critical hits and accelerated guard break[[/note]]. It probably helps that they're made from [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons wyvern skin]].

* {{Adorkable}}: To Marta and Collette, at least. Richter and Tenebrae find his awkwardness irritating.

** He definitely has traits that are similar to [[VideoGame/Disgaea3AbsenceOfJustice Almaz]]: they're both [[ScarfOfAsskicking scarf-wearing]],{{Adorkable}} [[CowardlyLion Cowardly Lions]] that sport an {{Ahoge}}. They even have the same VA, in BOTH languages!

%%* ZettaiRyouiki

* FlowerInHerHair: Two on both sides actually. They're actually fake, but her mother wore them on her first date with her father. Marta then says that they brought them together and now they'll bring her and Emil together (who can only laugh awkwardly).

* TheDragon: To Richter.

* AmnesiacGod: [[spoiler:He is an amnesiac alternate personality of the Lord of Monsters Ratatosk.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Is usually compared to a dog early in the game. In the Japanese version, Richter calls him a pig instead.

* BloodKnight: While in his "Ratatosk Mode". [[spoiler:As it turns out this attitude was his ''actual'' personality before the start of the game.]]

* DeadPersonImpersonation: In very bizarre [[NightmareFuel (and creepy)]] ways. [[spoiler:He impersonates ''two'' entirely different dead people at the same time, but the second case is unintentional. His current appearance is that of a boy Ratatosk killed, named Aster. Ratatosk then instinctually created a blank personality that was designed to quickly fill in the gaps of its memory; during the mass murder in Palmacosta six months prior, a woman named Lana, blinded by her injuries, mistook Ratatosk for her son, Emil, and so the false persona came to believe it was Emil.]]

* HeroicSafeMode: A [[spoiler:villainous]] version. [[spoiler:After receiving a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown by Richter, Ratataosk's mind shut down in order to protect himself, both creating a BlankSlate personality that quickly fabricated its own memory from whatever information it came across, and also allowing Ratatosk's repressed gentler and more idealistic personality-traits to resurface. The result was Emil; he is a Villanous Safe Mode.]]

* SplitPersonality: Normally, he's very timid, sweet, and cowardly. But when he goes into his humorously named, "Ratatosk Mode", he turns much more vicious and merciless. Though, [[spoiler:he is actually Ratatosk, and "Emil" is actually the SplitPersonality]].
* SplitPersonalityMerge: At the end of the game. [[spoiler:Possibly subverted in the GoldenEnding, as Ratatosk is allowed to send his "Emil"-self back to spend the rest of Marta's life with her, though it's left ambiguous how much of his "Ratatosk"-side is left inside that "Emil", as the "Ratatosk" who stays behind to protect the Ginnungagap takes the form of a lifeless jewel on Richter's forehead. The fact that ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheRays'' claims that Ratatosk original, non-traumatized self was basically identical to late-game Emil in terms of personality anyway only adds to the ambiguity.]]
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: Without it, he couldn't even fight at all. His Ratatosk-mode isn't ''evil'' per se, but is extremely vicious with a grayer moral compass. [[spoiler:This is heavily implied to be a result of a HeroicBSOD Ratatosk suffered after seeing humanity destroy his Mana-tree and being betrayed by Mithos.]

* ActionGirl: She's way more competent than Emil in a fight when they first met. Even after he gets stronger, she's still got him beat in terms of raw power.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: [[spoiler: Implied by Richter, who mentions that he had "a few screws loose in his head".]]

* OnlyFriend: [[spoiler: To Richter]]

* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: Non-romantic example to Richter. In fact, everything Richter does in the game all leads up to his plan to revive Aster.]]

* HeroicSafeMode: A [[spoiler:villainous]] version. [[spoiler:After receiving a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown by Richter, Ratataosk's mind shut down in order to protect himself, both creating a blank-slate personality that quickly fabricated its own memory from whatever information it came across, but also allowing Ratatosk's repressed, more gentle and idealistic aspects to resurface. The result was Emil; he is aVillanous Safe Mode.]]

** ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheRays'' (which grabs its characters from their original continuities) implies that [[spoiler:Ratatosk's]] personality during the events of [[spoiler:the Kharlan-War]] was much more similar to Emil post CharacterDevelopment than to [[spoiler:the personality called "Ratatosk" in this game.]]

* AmnesiacGod: [[spoiler:He is an amnesiac fake personality of the Lord of Monsters Ratatosk.]]
* AnimalMotifs: Is usually compared to a dog early in the game.
* ApologisesALot: He might even be worse then Colette.

* BloodKnight: While in his "Ratatosk Mode".
* CloningBlues: [[spoiler:Created from Aster's body.]]
* CharacterDevelopment Both Emil and Ratatosk Mode Emil get heaps of it.
** Emil becomes braver and more confident over the course of the journey. [[spoiler: He also becomes the dominant personality out of him and Ratatosk and takes his place and stops Richter's plan.]]
** Ratatosk Mode Emil starts out as a huge {{Jerkass}} that loathes regular Emil and ends up pissing off everyone in his determination to protect Marta, but softens up a little bit in regards to Marta. [[spoiler: After TheReveal that he's really Ratatosk and was close to committing genocide, Ratatosk comes to respect Emil and through the journey, realizes how wrong he was and finds another way to fix the problem of no mana = world dying.]]

* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Lloyd Irving is a classic IdiotHero - headstrong, quick to action, confident in himself, and optimistic about bringing change to the worlds. In contrast Emil, is a male ShrinkingViolet, lacking confidence in himself, and very quick to apologize until his CharacterDevelopment and SuperpoweredEvilSide kicks in.

* CrazyJealousGuy: His Ratatosk persona is like this toward Marta. Especially evident after random battles.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: In very bizarre [[NightmareFuel (and creepy)]] ways. [[spoiler:He impersonates ''two'' entirely different dead people at the same time, but the second case is unintentional. His current appearance is that of a boy Ratatosk killed named Aster. Ratatosk then created a fake personality that was designed to quickly fill in the gaps of its memory; during the mass murder in Palmacosta six months prior, a woman named Lana, blinded by her injuries, mistook Ratatosk for her son, Emil, and so the false persona came to believe it was Emil.]]

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:"Ratatosk Mode" is not a SuperPoweredEvilSide, Ratatosk is Emil's true self. Emil is just a fake personality.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:His Ratatosk persona never liked humans, elves or half-elves to begin with, but compare his personality from chapter 1 to chapter 8 (and ''especially'' to his flashback) and you'll see that he has changed.]]

* MemoryGambit: Falls under this category, albeit in an 'unintentional-but-we'll-roll-with-it' sort of way. [[spoiler:Really, Ratatosk created a fake version of his dormant state, merged it to the first person he came across, the proceeded to take on the identity of another random person who had just been killed, and the appearance of the best friend of the reason he was in this mess, who he killed himself, all for his own protection until his powers could recover.]]

** On the other hand, Ratatosk Mode Emil agrees with the mayor's reasoning that a few have to be sacrificed for the many.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Ratatosk Emil has red eyes to go with the black parts of his outfit. [[spoiler: He's also the currently-Face Ratatosk, who wishes to destroy all of humanity. Marta's influence causes a HeelFaceTurn though]].

* SplitPersonality: Normally, he's very timid, sweet, and cowardly. But when he goes into his humorously named, "Ratatosk Mode", he turns much more vicious and merciless. Though, [[spoiler:he is actually Ratatosk, and "Emil" is actually a fabricated personality]].
* SplitPersonalityMerge: [[spoiler: At the end of the game. Later subverted as Ratatosk basically makes him and Emil two separate people in the good ending.]]
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: Without it, he couldn't even fight at all. His Ratatosk-mode isn't ''evil'' per se, but is extremely vicious with a grayer moral compass.

* TomatoInTheMirror: Eventually it comes to light that [[spoiler:Emil has not been channeling Ratatosk's power; he himself is Ratatosk, and the moments when he gains power to fight are him using his true abilities. Contrary to everyone's belief, Ratatosk had been awake for months, but was incredibly weak. In order to hide his true identity as he recovered, he created a fake persona using the appearance of a boy he'd killed named Aster. The fake was designed to quickly fill in the gaps of its memory; during the mass murder in Palmacosta six months prior, a woman named Lana, blinded by her injuries, mistook Ratatosk for her son, Emil, and so the false persona came to believe it was Emil. No one in Palmacosta recognizes him because while there was once an Emil Castagnier there, this one looks completely different. The real Emil is implied to be dead, murdered at the same time as his parents. Furthermore, the core Marta has is a fake, designed to make her a target for those who seek to kill Ratatosk before he regains his full power.]]

* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler: He's actually Ratatosk, the Lord of Monsters who wanted to KillAllHumans. Ratatosk does become a good-aligned {{Antihero}} eventually however]].

* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Parents]]: Thinks that Lloyd did it. [[spoiler: Turns out Decus took Lloyd's form with a Centurion's core and framed him.]]

Emil provides examples of the following tropes:

Marta provides examples of the following tropes.

Tenebrae provides examples of the following tropes:

Richter provides examples of the following tropes:

The leader of the Vanguard.

Tropes associated with Brute:

* LukeIAmYourFather [[spoiler:Marta's father.]]

Tropes associated with Alice:

Tropes associated with Decus:

Tropes associated with Hawk:

Tropes associated with Magnar:

%%* TheBrute

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Ratatosk Emil beats seven shades of piss out of him after their fight.

* ClingyJealousGirl: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Marta starts the story as being clingy and quick to get annoyed/jealous when Emil shows any signs of friendliness with other girls, much to his embarrassment. Initially its played for laughs, but after a certain point, Emil ''snaps'' and calls her out on how annoying she is for acting this way. This alongside Emil point blankly telling her that its doing nothing to make him like her causes her to go through CharacterDevelopment and mature.

'''Note:''' Any tropes refering to the [[Characters/TalesOfSymphonia returning cast]] goes there.

* DoomedHometown: Palmacosta.

* LethalChef: Mainly because he's never cooked before.

* TheManBehindTheMan [[spoiler: He's the true leader of the Vanguard, and is the one responsible for their more radical turn.]]

* ClingyJealousGirl: Her defining personality trait. [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] to a degree, since it doesn't win Emil over; it just annoys him throughout the journey until he calls her out on it because he's sick of it. She tones down on this via CharacterDevelopment.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in that the object of her affection finds her constant attention and praise annoying. Not only does the journey she takes Emil on not improve his life, it actively makes it worse. Emil and Ratatosk both call her out on this behavior late in the game, with Emil telling her he's not a badass knight in shining armor like she wants him to be, and Ratatosk telling her that she's nothing more than an annoying brat. However, it [[DeconReconSwitch later gets reconstructed]] as Marta goes from a petty schoolgirl crush on Emil's dark side to legitimately falling in love with the real Emil.

* LightEmUp: Her primary offensive magic.

* TheBrute
* FalseFlagOperation: He shows up pretending to be Commandant of the Martel Knights but he's really just a member of the Vanguard in disguise.

* BigBad [[spoiler: A very unwilling one.]]
** BigBadFriend: [[spoiler:To Emil. Eventually drops the BigBad part.]]

* MeaningfulName: [[ThemeNaming Like Tenebrae]], her name is in Latin. Hers means [[CaptainObvious "water".]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: In most any other TalesSeries game or even in another Japanese RPG? She would easily be a party member, but because she never truly learns that [[spoiler: Love is not a weakness]] or that [[SitcomArchNemesis you really should get over your petty hatreds]], the closest she gets to a HeelFaceTurn is [[spoiler: a DyingMomentOfAwesome where Decus never gets to hear her say she actually did love him.]]