History VideoGame / TalesOfXillia2

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TalesOfXillia2_3283.jpg]]

** There also exists values for [[NonPlayableCharacter Elle, Julius, and Bisley]], boosted solely through dialogue choices. Maxing those out gives Ludger special weapons just before the endgame, as well as a short letter from each character. Unlike the party members', these values are hidden and the dialogue choices won't tell you if you've picked the right one. Also, it's impossible to max out Elle's values without a second playthrough.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted when the party discovers the Genesis Sage Kresnik's given name: [[spoiler:Milla, due to [[DeadGuyJunior Maxwell naming Milla Maxwell after her]]]].

* SituationalSword: Ludger's Chromatus lance can be used as an ordinary weapon by others, as demonstrated when Fractured Muzét knocks it out of his hand and Milla stabs her with it instead, but it cannot destroy the Divergence Catalyst unless wielded by him.

* OneSteveLimit:
** Averted for middle names, which appear to be inherited through one's mother. Julius and Ludger have the same middle name "Will", a combination of both their mothers' names, "Wi" and "Il" respectively. [[spoiler:Julius was born as "Wi", and either altered Ludger's middle name when he adopted him, or Claudia had already named him "Will" and Julius changed his name to match]].
** Averted when the party discovers the Genesis Sage Kresnik's given name: [[spoiler:Milla, due to [[DeadGuyJunior Maxwell naming Milla Maxwell after her]]]].

** Elympion characters have last names related to Slavic mythology, though several of those names are AllInTheManual and don't appear in the game proper. The previously established Kresnik comes from the name of a fire and sun god, Rugievit (Rideaux's last name) is a god depicted with eight swords, and Leshy (Vera's last name) is a pagan plant god. The corrupt businessman who attacks Leia in the ''Before Episode'' short story is named Domovoy, after the Slavic house spirit.

In the aftermath, [[HealthcareMotivation Ludger racks up a staggering twenty million gald medical bill]], and his brother goes missing after being accused of working with Exodus, with Ludger himself also a possible suspect. Together with Jude, Elle, and [[TeamPet his cat Rollo]], he reluctantly aids the Spirius Corporation in tracking down Julius, recruiting Jude's friends from the first game, and running into strange [[AlternateUniverse parallel worlds]] along the way. After a warrant comes out for Ludger's arrest, Spirius' CEO Bisley Bakur offers Ludger a job as the agent of Spirius' Department of Dimensional Affairs, previously headed by Julius himself. The worlds the party have been running into are known as Fractured Dimensions, offshoots of the [[PrimeTimeline Prime Dimension]], powered by a Divergence Catalyst. Ludger is hence tasked with destroying these dimensions in order to restore soul energy to the Prime Dimension, as well as collecting [[PlotCoupon the five Waymarkers needed to reach the Land of Canaan]] and stop the threat of Fractured Dimensions once and for all.

* TangledFamilyTree: Downplayed. Ludger and Julius, who share the same father, had mothers who were sisters, making the two of them half-cousins in addition to half-brothers. By extension, [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture Elle]] is both Julius' niece ''and'' first cousin once-removed]]. Add that the Kresnik clan has [[KissingCousins branches that have intermarried]]--Bisley himself married the Key of Kresnik from a long-lost branch of the family, and Elle's mother was from the known Marta branch and married [[spoiler:a Fractured version of Ludger]]--and you end up with every immediate relation of Ludger's being related to each other in at least two different ways, albeit some more distantly than others.

* BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting: The Kresnik clan is known for backstabbing and exploiting their own family members in order to advance Origin's Trial and be granted their wish, and has been so kneecapped by this infighting that they've made no progress on actually collecting the Waymarkers in the past two thousand years, [[HumansAreBastards just as Chronos predicted]]. After Julius' father, [[spoiler:Bisley Bakur]], makes it clear he'll use anyone in his family to complete the Trial, including his wife and their son, Julius sets out to avoid being used as a pawn by using Ludger in turn, stealing his Chromatus pocketwatch to boost his own power, specifically saying that [[TheChainOfHarm he must do just as the rest of his family has done]]. However, [[ChildrenRaiseYou Ludger's kindness towards him causes Julius to change his mind]], and Julius ends up doing everything he can to ensure Ludger is not involved with the rest of the Kresnik clan. His overt support and concern for Ludger inspires Ludger's own BigBrotherInstinct towards Elle, and indirectly leads towards Ludger and Elle being able to complete Origin's Trial together, ending the source of their family's strife.

* RiddleForTheAges: There is never an explanation for Ludger's nightmare of Julius lecturing him about Origin's Trial.

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Julius does this once at the start of the game after Ludger laughs at Julius' pep talk, causing Ludger to duck away from him. In the manga, it instead occurs when Ludger is devastated by [[spoiler:the prospect of sacrificing Julius for the Soul Bridge]], and he allows Julius to hug him.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Spirius appears to run on this trope, justifying many characters' {{Improbable Age}}s due to their abilities, be that their ability to use the Chromatus, or sheer skill. Bisley simply gives [[spoiler:Ludger]] the position of Vice President [[HeroismEqualsJobQualification despite not being remotely qualified]] just because he [[spoiler:helped complete Origin's Trial]]. Then in the [[spoiler:Ludger Ending]], he becomes CEO himself.

* BulletCatch: The Great Spirit Chronos does this in his introductory cutscene, catching three successive shots between his fingers. Justified, naturally, as he isn't human and has time manipulation powers.

* CombatParkour: Both Ludger and the first Exodus agent he fights on the Striborg line demonstrate this, jumping and flipping over the train seats around each other trying to land a hit.

* CrushTheKeepsake: In the final chapter of the manga, [[spoiler:Bisley stomps on Ludger's [[TransformationTrinket pocketwatch]] in order to prevent him from using his Chromatus. He then attempts to do this to Julius' watch, causing Ludger to throw his body over it and take the blow instead.]]

* DoorClosesEnding: The Ludger Ending ends on this shot, with [[spoiler:Ludger meeting Lara Mel Marta in the CEO of Spirius office]], and the door closing on the two of them.

* FightingYourFriend: Fractured Dimensions that feature fights with alternate versions of the cast tend to turn into this, but most notable is the Bad Ending, where [[spoiler:Ludger takes on the entire party to stop Julius from being sacrificed.]]

* ForWantOfANail: This initially appears to be played straight, with the implication that Fractured Dimensions diverge from the Prime Dimension when one event changes, such as Fractured Milla's world being one where Gilland and Alvin weren't on the Zenethra, causing Exodus to be easily defeated before they became militant, and another world where Jude's father was never on the Zenethra and remained in Elympios, so Jude was never born. However, it's eventually revealed to be a subversion, Fractured Dimensions are created when [[spoiler:a Chromatus user overuses their powers, transforming them into a Divergence Catalyst and creating a world based on [[YourHeartsDesire what they wanted most]], allowing anything from Milla Kresnik seeing a world where Maxwell still believed in her and her clan didn't devolve into infighting, to Julius' Fractured Dimension being outright impossible.]]

** The original Maxwell is implied to have had this relationship with [[spoiler:the Genesis Sage, [[SamusIsAGirl Milla Kresnik]], especially since two thousand years after she died, he still cared enough to give her name to Milla Maxwell.]]

** The first dialogue choice where Ludger has to choose between calling Julius by his name or "brother" seems like nothing more than a throwaway interaction in the international version of the game. However, in the original Japanese, this dialogue choice actually decides how Ludger refers to Julius ''for the entire game'', either as [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseSiblingTerminology "nii-san" or "Julius"]], including alternate voice clips for both forms of address in dialogue options. This distinction is omitted in the English dub, making Ludger calling Julius "brother" a one-off occurrence.

** Any job that asks for a rare item that can only be obtained through kitty dispatch [[note]] though the get-rate for rare items increases the more cats you have [[/note]]. Collecting all the cats is this as well, as kitty dispatch is the only way to find some of them.

** During his later Character Episodes, Jude has this tendency around Milla, especially after ShipTease moments like when he falls on top of her protecting her from an arte, and later when she fusses over his injuries in a way that looks rather intimate, and Balan walks in on them. In both cases, Jude gets back up with a blush on his face while resuming conversation with Ludger.
** Fractured Aska in one of Jude's Character Episodes, of the ThroughAFaceFullOfFur variety... Yes, ''[[GiantFlyer Aska]]''. It goes with his inexplicably CampGay mannerisms and extreme affection towards Jude.

** In the manga adaptation, Ludger is instead subject to this, with Elle addressing him as such while passing him her father's swords, leading to him taking down an Exodus terrorist while retorting that he's only 20 years old.
** Elle seems to do this with everyone in spinoff material. In the "Destroy the Popular Suit" Drama CD, she addresses a young Spirius agent as "oji-san", causing the agent to do a double take before humoring her.

* MistakenForPedophile: Elle invokes this trope on Ludger by telling the station manager Ludger tried to lure her out of the station, in order to distract security and skip paying fare. She does apologize for doing it, though.

* {{Nerf}}: Several skills get this treatment, by raising their SP cost and/or weakening their effects. HP/TP Surge for example, used to completely fill their respective meters upon a resurrection. Now they only add 30% more health to whatever you were going to get.

* PanUpToTheSkyEnding: The Elle Ending ends on this note, featuring [[spoiler:an adult Elle walking off humming the Hymn of Proof with Pollo following her]], silhouetted by the bright blue sky.

** The Official World Guidance short story featuring a teenaged Rideaux and Julius has this twofold. Their Fractured Dimension mission is one, the other is Rideaux's drive to revive Julius' penchant for violence, which he's been gradually suppressing due to [[LoveRedeems Ludger's influence]]. Unfortunately, the Divergence Catalyst is a child [[spoiler:Ludger, who wasn't discovered by Julius like he was in the Prime Dimension]], and who is protected by his mother. Although Rideaux succeeds in proving that Julius is still just as capable of violence as Rideaux is, Julius killing the Catalyst sends him into a HeroicBSOD. While Rideaux mocks Julius for his desire for forgiveness, saying that they're the ones who should be apologized to for having to bear the fate of the Trial, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Rideaux himself is crying, too]].

* SoProudOfYou: Bisley says this towards Ludger at the end of Chapter 13, which Ludger can either accept or ignore in favor of Elle. [[spoiler:Of course, he is actually Ludger's biological father, though it's unlikely Ludger himself is aware of it at this point in the game.]]

* TeamPet: Rollo, Ludger's extremely fat cat, who's mostly usurped this role from Teepo. He accompanies him almost everywhere, only staying behind for [[spoiler: the final battle]] due to Ludger's concern for his safety. Even then, he shows up in the aftermath.

* ThanksForTheMammary: When Jude, Elle, Ludger, and Milla go through a volcano, Milla trips and nearly falls in. Ludger can save her after a [[DialogueTree dialogue choice]]... which results in this. Naturally, [[PervertRevengeMode Milla slaps him for it.]]

** In a rare protagonist example, the party and the Spirius Corporation are essentially this for trying to wipe out every fractured dimension (and their inhabitants) in order to survive Origin's trial. [[spoiler: Though Bisley takes the extremism up a notch by trying to enslave spiritkind, putting him at odds with the party.]]
** Chronos could also count as this, with him stacking the odds against humanity in Origin's trial, but merely doing so because he knows that the soul purification process causes immense pain to Origin and he wants to kill all humans, so Origin won't have to suffer anymore.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Subverted. At the end of Chapter 13, Bisley informs Ludger that he has no further need for his Chromatus, to which Muzét will namedrop this trope, only for Bisley to clarify that Ludger has simply completed his duties.

* RippleEffectProofMemory: A variation concerning Fractured Dimensions, [[spoiler:the Chromatus bearer who creates that world will forget their life in their original world, even if they had been murdered there, believing their new idealized life without question. However, when Julius becomes a Divergence Catalyst and creates a Fractured Dimension, he remembers everything about the Prime Dimension upon seeing Prime Ludger]]. Supplementary material also reveals that [[spoiler:Milla Kresnik also the true timeline in the Prime Dimension when she was dying in her Fractured Dimension as a sacrifice]].

[[folder:Tropes A-C]]

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[[folder:Tropes D-L]]

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[[folder:Tropes M-Z]]

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Julius does this once at the start of the game after Ludger laughs at Julius' pep talk, causing Ludger to duck away from him. In the manga, it instead occurs [[spoiler:when Ludger is devastated by the prospect of sacrificing Julius for the Soul Bridge]], and he allows Julius to hug him instead.

* TheCorruption: Divergence catalysts, which empower their hosts but eventually consume them. [[spoiler:It is later revealed that the use of Chromatus causes one to become a divergence catalyst, and the only way to avoid this is for a Key of Kresnik to act as a conduit... in which case, ''they'' become a divergence catalyst instead]].

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Xillia 2'' is much less optimistic than contemporary titles in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', leaning more towards a [[CrapsackWorld Half-Empty]] CrapsaccharineWorld, topped off by every single canon ending being [[spoiler:a BittersweetEnding]].

** Julius shares the same [[IcyBlueEyes grey-blue eyes]] as his and Ludger's father, [[spoiler:Bisley Bakur]]]].

** At the end of Chapter 11, it's impossible to cross dimensions due to [[spoiler:Milla disrupting the [[VoidBetweenTheWorlds dimensional abyss]] when she created her physical form using its mana]], and so Ludger is prevented from progressing in the main story until it settles. However, Character Episodes that feature the characters entering Fractured Dimensions can still occur.

** Generally speaking, Spirius doesn't seem to care much about age or qualifications when recruiting talent, Chromatus users or not. However, even if Julius had been destroying Fractured Dimensions since he was 11, he still became ''Director'' of the Department of Dimensional Affairs at only 20.
** Ludger himself, in the Ludger Ending, where [[spoiler:he becomes [=CEO=] after Bisley's death]], also at only 20. After being [[spoiler:Vice President for at best a few ''days''.]]
** Vera may be YoungerThanTheyLook, but she is also only 20 years old and yet has immediate access to details concerning Fractured Dimensions as Bisley's ''head'' secretary.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: A familial variation for all parties. Julius is the (or at least one of the) first to realize [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture who]] and [[MacGuffinSuperPerson what]]]] Elle is, and openly states his intent to take her away from Ludger in order to use her. They nearly come to blows over this, only for Elle to wind up in mortal danger and for Julius to see just how much Ludger cares about her, causing him to change his mind and tell Ludger to protect her instead.

** Jude is a lot more distant to Fractured Milla in Japanese, marked by his referral of her as Milla-san instead of simply Milla, which is how he refers to Prime Milla.

** In the manga, Ludger has a nightmare about having killed Julius. [[CatapultNightmare He wakes up screaming]] and accidentally headbutts Elle--who had been trying to wake him up--in the face. She yells at him, then immediately demanding he brush her hair for him, giving him little time to linger on his dream.
* MoreHeroThanThou: In the manga adaptation, Ludger attempts [[spoiler:to become the Soul Bridge instead of Julius, so that Julius and Elle can live, but he's talked out of it by Julius.]]

** After Chapter 12 reveals [[spoiler:Elle is turning into a Divergence Catalyst due to being the conduit for Ludger's Chromatus]], Ludger is given the choice not to use his Chromatus anymore. However, even if he doesn't, [[spoiler:Elle's transformation continues to accelerate when the party reunites with her in Canaan]]. It could be GameplayAndStorySegregation, but the Perfect Guide explains it's because [[spoiler:Keys of Kresnik can become Catalysts just by using their powers]].

''Tales of Xillia 2'' is the fourteenth mainline entry in the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', and a direct sequel to ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. The game was released on November 1st, exclusively on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3. It received an international release on August 19th, 2014 in North America and August 22nd, 2014 in Europe.

The direct sequel to Namco Bandai's ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. {{Late Arrival Spoiler}}s abound!

The game released in November 2012 in Japan, and internationally in August 2014, both exclusive to the UsefulNotes/Playstation3. It received a [[CompressedAdaptation shortened but largely faithful]] manga adaptation by Ryu Naitou, which began serialization in Dengeki Maoh the same month as the game's Japanese release.

** The calm tune that plays in scenes involving Julius is translated by the ''Tales'' [=YouTube=] channel as [[https://youtu.be/uVqri7PIgdE?t=2821 "Peaceful Evidence"]]. It's a valid translation, but misses out on the fact that the word for "evidence" ("akashi") is supposed to refer to "proof", as in the [[{{Leitmotif}} Hymn of Proof]], which is referenced in all songs derived from that theme, including what the same channel translates as "For The Sake Of Mutual Proof".

In the aftermath, [[HealthcareMotivation Ludger racks up a staggering twenty million gald medical bill]], and his brother goes missing after being accused of working with Exodus, with Ludger himself also a possible suspect. Together with Jude, Elle, and [[TeamPet his cat Rollo]], he reluctantly aids the Spirius Corporation in tracking down Julius, recruiting Jude's friends from the first game, and running into strange [[AlternateUniverse parallel worlds]] along the way. After a warrant comes out for Ludger's arrest, Spirius' CEO Bisley Bakur offers Ludger a job as the agent of Spirius' Department of Dimensional Affairs, previously headed by Julius himself. The worlds the party have been running into are known as Fractured Dimensions, offshoots of the Prime Dimension, powered by a Divergence Catalyst. Ludger is hence tasked with destroying these dimensions in order to restore soul energy to the Prime Dimension, as well as collecting [[PlotCoupon the five Waymarkers needed to reach the Land of Canaan]] and stop the threat of Fractured Dimensions once and for all.

* {{Irony}}:
** There's a skit in the first game where you find out that almost everyone in the party prefers dogs to cats [[note]]the sole exceptions being Alvin (a cat person) and Milla ([[ComicallyMissingThePoint whose favorite animal of all time are humans]])[[/note]]. Guess what kind of animal serves as the mascot for ''this'' game, and guess what species of animal you have to track down 100 of in order to help you complete a sidequest and utilize a game mechanic based around the animal? (hint: [[CuteKitten they're not dogs]]).
** Despite Ludger's SupremeChef skills being outright plot-significant and defining several of his relationships through the story, the game lacks the series' staple cooking mechanic and all the food is obtained through buying them at inns or [[InexplicablyPreservedDungeonMeat finding them in dungeons]].

* TangledFamilyTree: Downplayed. Ludger and Julius, who share the same father, had mothers who were sisters, making the two of them half-cousins in addition to half-brothers. By extension, [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture Elle]] is both Julius' niece ''and'' second cousin once-removed]]. Add that the Kresnik clan has [[KissingCousins branches that have intermarried]]--Bisley himself married the Key of Kresnik from a long-lost branch of the family, and Elle's mother was from the known Marta branch and married [[spoiler:a Fractured version of Ludger]]--and you end up with every immediate relation of Ludger's being related to each other in at least two different ways, albeit some more distantly than others.

* MythologyGag: By the dozens. Beyond the obvious callbacks to the first ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'', there are plenty more:
** The [[RunningGag poorly]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia drawn]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia wanted]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfXillia posters]] return.
** The art for the cooking items is lifted directly from ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces''. You can also find the ice pop win sticks.
*** One of Elle's victory poses matches Pascal's almost completely, random confetti and all. She also references the Strahtan Beach Brigade by name.
** Having save files for ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' and ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' will net you attachments of Sophie and [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia Yuri]] plushies and plushies of Jude and Milla in their Xillia clothes.
** Some of the requests are also obvious references; [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces a mysterious Richard asks for a sample of Gaius dumplings]] and calls them "competition". For completing these, you'll get an item named after the game they're referencing.
*** One girl asks for some Torbalan [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Jade]] from the Highroad specifically because the "necromancers" don't believe it can be found there.
*** [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Zelos]] asks for ''five'' pieces of Torbalan Jade....for his [[ChivalrousPervert hunnies.]]
*** A man named [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Dhaos]] asks for his signature item (an Earth Cape)
*** [[VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth Veigue]] asks you to bring him a diamond for his childhood friend. Awww.
*** [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheTempest Caius]] asks for five salmon and mentions he's from a place called Ramorn.
*** [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheWorld Kannono]] requests Fruit Yakisoba
*** [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Meredy]] wants an aqua ribbon
*** A person listed as "Champion" asks for a model windmill and offers to help Ludger "get pumped up like never before" as a reward. It's obviously [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny Kongman]].
*** ...and then the game just shatters all pretense of the fourth wall by having Hideo Baba request a sword to trim his beard with.
** The fact that Elle, Ludger and Julius all have very strong opinions on tomatoes might be a sneaky reference to ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', where the fact that both Kratos and Lloyd hate tomatoes is [[spoiler: a sneaky hint they're related.]]
** A whole bunch of the cats are references as well, as a good chunk of them are named after previous characters, including [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Malik]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Suzu]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia Zagi]] and [[VideoGame/TalesOfHearts Lithia]]. Some are also coloured to look like the characters they're based on, including [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny Woodrow]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Keele]], and [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld Emil.]] There's also [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Tartaros]], which may be a mistranslated reference to Jade's CoolShip, and [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Natalina]], which is likely a mistranslation of Natalia (given that the cat shares her colour palette right down to her hairband.) Some even go the extra mile and put references in their requests; the request to find [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Luke]] mentions that he's [[IdiotHero kind of slow]] and that his [[ImportantHaircut hair needs a trim.]]
** Ludger's ringtone of all things is one. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4BMYMMAFto Sound familiar?]] Yep, it's the return of [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Eternal]] [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Mind]].
*** On that note, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN2lYMiU-zA Leia's ringtone]] is also a CallBack to a previous Tales song. In this case, [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Pascal's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xgWBzeOBRc theme]]. [[GenkiGirl How]] [[CloudCuckooLander fitting]]...
** The glowing pillars in Epsilla Ruins' red passage play music from previous Tales games when you inspect them. Including the [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Grand Chokmah town music]], Chance for a Big Reversal (The ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' "things are about to get awesome" music), [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Sophie's Theme]], and the ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'' title screen music.
** The Epsilla ruins also look a lot like [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Welgaia]], which is made doubly hilarious in the English version because Odin is voiced by Creator/CamClarke...who also voiced Kratos.
** The Epsilla ruins are flat out referred to as Thor at times, which was an ancient civilization beneath the ocean in ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia''.
** The poker minigame uses the casino tune from ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''
** Characters earn titles for spending a certain amount of time linked together, and several of them reference the titles of other games: Ludger and Gaius are [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Ultimate Abyss]], Ludger and Muzet are [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Human and Spirit Phantasia]], Milla and Elize get [[VideoGame/TalesOfGraces Champions of Graces]], Milla and Rowen are [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Amazing Symphonia]], Milla and Leia are [[VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia Shining Vesperia]], the [[VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth Warriors of Rebirth]] are Alvin and Rowen, the [[VideoGame/TalesOfEternia Allies of Eternia]] are Alvin and Leia, [[VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence the Heroines of Innocence]] are Leia and Elize, Jude and Gaius make the [[VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny Fighters of Destiny]], Gaius and Milla are the [[VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia Kings of Legendia]], and Leia and Muzet are the [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheTempest Tempest Twins.]] Phew!
** The technologically advanced ancient civilization that collapsed in the Epsilla Ruins is called [[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia Thor.]]
** The English localization of ''Xillia 2'' gives Elle the last name of [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphoniaDawnOfTheNewWorld Marta]]. With [[http://aselia.wikia.com/wiki/Marta their similar eye and hair colors]], this ends up making Elle resemble a younger version of ''Dawn''[='s=] Marta, at least appearance wise.[[note]]In the Japanese version, Elle's last name is translated to "Maata", roughly. Marta's name is different, and translates to "Maruta" instead, so this particular MythologyGag appears to be the result of the localization alone.[[/note]]
** One pair of pistols for Ludger are the Spirius Model-[[VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia 4304.]]

* AdaptationalExplanation: In the game, little concern is shown for bringing an eight year old child along on the journey, whereas the manga makes it an explicit point that the Key of Kresnik is needed to move Waymarkers into the Prime Dimension, and so Ludger refuses to take Elle with him to destroy Fractured Dimensions. Elle objects to this, and Ludger eventually concedes upon realizing that he's [[LockedOutOfTheLoop keeping her in the dark]], the same thing he resents Julius for doing to him.

** Exaggerated with his Fractured counterpart during the Striborg hijacking. Due to being [[BrainwashedAndCrazy corrupted by the Divergence Catalyst]], he reacts to [[GreenEyedMonster Ludger getting close to Bisley and admiring him]] by trying to assassinate Bisley and kill Ludger.

** Elle and her father's story [[spoiler:is explained in more depth in the guidebooks. Victor travelled with a purple-eyed version of Elle, completing the same journey that Ludger does in the Prime Dimension, but his version of Elle dies during the acquisition of the final Waymarker, implied by the manga to be due to Victor's use of the Chromatus ultimately turning Elle into a Catalyst. He meets Lara, Elle's mother, and falls in love with her, and she gives birth to the green-eyed Elle. However, Bisley convinces the ''Xillia'' party, as well as Julius, to convince Victor to turn over the newborn Elle, with the goal of using her abilities as the Key of Kresnik to reach the Prime Dimension, and launches a surprise attack on Victor's family, during which Victor kills Bisley, Julius, and the rest of the party with the exception of Gaius. Lara witnesses all of this and eventually falls ill and dies, leaving Victor with Elle.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: The divergence catalysts do this to the characters that they have infected.

* TheClan: The Kresnik Clan [[spoiler:was once a group of humans who believed in spirits and sought coexistence with them, lead by the Progenitor Kresnik, also known as the Genesis Sage, Milla Kresnik. They]] were given the power of the Chromatus as part of Origin's Trial. They founded Spirius as a way to find the Waymarkers, and after two thousand years, the clan has broken off into numerous branches, including the Bakurs and the Martas. Despite their number, the most influential members are those who possess the rare Chromatus ability.

** Victor's love for his daughter, Elle. [[spoiler:He's a Fractured version of Ludger, whose dimension runs ten years ahead of the Prime. He murdered [[SiblingMurder Julius]], [[{{Patricide}} Bisley]], and ''the entire party'' ([[SoleSurvivor except for Gaius]]) to protect Elle, and then uses Elle to lure the Prime Dimension Ludger into their Fractured one, where he intends to kill Ludger and complete Origin's Trial in the Prime Dimension, using his wish to request he and Elle be reincarnated again.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan: Spirius are retroactively revealed to be the main supporter of the Otherworld Reactor Project from the first game, though it's heavily implied they only wanted the Schism dispelled to reach the Waymarkers that were isolated on Rieze Maxia, rather than using the country as an energy source; once Jude and Milla took down the Schism themselves, Spirius abandoned the project entirely and instead pushed for peace between the countries.

** In the manga, Ludger has a nightmare about having killed Julius. [[CatapultNightmare He wakes up screaming]] and accidentally headbutts Elle in the face, causing her to yell at him, then immediately demanding he brush her hair for him, giving him little time to linger on his dream.

* PoweredByAForsakenChild: [[spoiler:Elle is (accidentally) used as a conduit for Ludger's Chromatus, which means that she will suffer the consequence of turning into a divergence catalyst instead of him. This method also caused the death of Bisley's wife, which is how his Chromatus ability got so advanced. Subverted in the Elle/Ludger Ending when Ludger makes a ''proper'' contract with the watches that empower Chromatus, unleashing the full power of his Chromatus and freeing Elle from the equation]].

** The Official World Guidance short story featuring a teenaged Rideaux and Julius has this twofold. Their Fractured Dimension mission is one, the other is Rideaux's drive to revive Julius' penchant for violence, which he's been gradually suppressing due to [[LoveRedeems Ludger's influence]]. Unfortunately, the Divergence Catalyst is a child [[spoiler:Ludger, who wasn't discovered by Julius like he was in the Prime Dimension]], and who is protected by his mother. Although Rideaux succeeds in proving that Julius is still just as capable of violence as Rideaux is, Julius killing the Catalyst sends him into a HeroicBSOD. While Rideaux mocks Julius for his desire for forgiveness, [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Rideaux himself is crying, too]].

** Ludger's default outfit is a rather casually done dress shirt and tie, but his [[spoiler:Vice President of Spirius]] outfit gives him a simple and elegant black suit.

* SocialCircleFiller: Justified. Ludger's interactions with Nova imply that he didn't really stay in touch with anyone from high school after graduating, leaving him reliant on Jude and the original ''Xillia'' cast for friendship after Julius goes missing. And while Nova tries her hardest to be present despite being LockedOutOfTheLoop, his only other named classmate, Aaron, states in a sidequest that he doesn't want to associate with him due to his brother being branded a terrorist and Ludger himself a suspect.
* SocialServicesDoesNotExist: Potentially justified in that Bisley [[spoiler:knows that Elle is the true Key of Kresnik]], and may be exercising his powers as Spirius CEO to keep her with Ludger, but no one really keeps tabs on the eight year old girl who just survived a terrorist attack and just lets a total stranger take care of her instead. Nor does anyone try tracking down her father through the official channels.

* TransformationTrinket: The pocketwatches Chromatus users are born with are needed to trigger their transformation, though it is possible to [[AmplifierArtifact boost one's Chromatus level]] by using someone else's.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Spirius appears to run on this trope, justifying many characters' {{Improbable Age}}s due to their abilities. It's implied that the CEO of Spirius is simply whoever has the strongest Chromatus, so Bisley simply gives [[spoiler:Ludger]] the position of Vice President [[HeroismEqualsJobQualification despite not being remotely qualified]] just because he's a powerful Chromatus user [[spoiler:who helped complete Origin's Trial]]. Then in the [[spoiler:Ludger Ending]], he becomes CEO himself.

* BarelyChangedDubName: The English dub omits Ludger, Julius, and Bisley's middle names.

* ThemeNaming: Elympion characters have last names related to Slavic mythology, though several of those names are AllInTheManual and don't appear in the game proper. The previously established Kresnik comes from the name of a fire and sun god, Rugievit (Rideaux's last name) is a god depicted with eight swords, and Leshy (Vera's last name) is a pagan plant god.

** The Bad Ending, [[spoiler:occurs in Chapter 15 if Ludger refuses to kill Julius, but in defending him [[KillEmAll must kill the rest of the party]] and doom the world. And even though the brothers find solace in each other, Julius is still infected by his divergence catalyst, and Bisley will either complete the Trial, enslaving all spirits, or fail, resulting in miasma flooding the world and turning all humanity into {{Empty Shell}}s. Either way, Elle will die and one of the two races will suffer immeasurably.]]

* DarkIsNotEvil: ZigZagged with Chromatus users, whose color palettes skew towards black armor with colored accents, but whose powers are not inherently evil besides having the ability to destroy Divergence Catalysts. However, of the four depicted users, Bisley will do anything in order to protect humanity, including [[AbusiveParent raising his own son as a child soldier]] and potential human sacrifice, Rideaux is simply [[{{Jerkass}} unrepentant and mean-spirited]] to everyone, and while Julius ultimately turns out to be an AntiHero, he had quite the penchant for violence until his HeelFaceTurn, and even in the present day he's still willing to [[WouldHurtAChild use Elle]] to complete the Trial. Finally, Ludger is TheHero but [[spoiler:has the possibility of [[LoveMakesYouEvil committing mass murder to protect someone he loves]]... ''[[BadFuture twice]]'']].

** Inverted with Ludger if, [[spoiler:after being told that Julius needs (and ''wants'' to, as he's [[ConvenientTerminalIllness already dying]]) to sacrifice his life to create the Soul Bridge the party needs to save the world, Ludger refuses to let him die. Gaius proceeds to state that he'll do the deed himself, and things [[KillEmAll get ugly from there]].]]

One year after the fall of the Schism, the newly unified Rieze Maxia and country of Elympios are working towards peace and harmony, and research into the newly-developed [[GreenAesop Spyrite technology]] promises to one day end Elympios' dependence on the environmentally-degrading Spyrix, allowing the barren land to recover. But not all is well: the terrorist group Exodus continues to stir tensions between the two countries, the denizens of which struggle to accept each other, and a new conflict threatens both worlds...

* AffectionateGestureToTheHead: Julius does this once at the start of the game after Ludger laughs at Julius' pep talk, causing Ludger to duck away from him. In the manga, it instead occurs [[spoiler:when Ludger is devastated by the prospect of sacrificing Julius for the Soul Bridge.]]

** In the manga adaptation, [[spoiler:Ludger's final moments has him seeing apparitions of Fractured Milla and Julius standing behind Elle]].

** The Bad Ending, [[spoiler:with Julius even saying so directly, as not only is the path to Canaan locked off, Ludger has murdered all his friends to save his brother and Julius is ''still'' transforming into a Divergence Catalyst. The event summary even acknowledges that they won't have long together.]]

** [[spoiler:Fractured Dimensions that manage to gather the five Waymarkers will find themselves faced with the revelation that their attempt was pointless, as Canaan only exists in the Prime Dimension. Victor, for one, [[SanitySlippage starts losing it]] when Bisley's attempt to salvage their efforts is to use Victor's newborn daughter to pass along the Waymarkers to the Prime Dimension and allow them to complete the Trial.]]

* AmplifierArtifact: Using someone else's [[TransformationTrinket Chromatus watch]] in addition to one's own temporarily increases the power of their Chromatus by one level, first demonstrated by [[spoiler:Julius, who adopted Ludger as a child partially to use his watch and boost his powers to a Level 3 Chromatus]]. Later, [[spoiler:Victor]] reveals he has a Complete Chromatus via [[spoiler:killing Julius and Bisley]], and [[spoiler:Ludger himself hits Level 3 through either taking Julius' watch in the [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]], or being gifted it by him after Julius turns into a Divergence Catalyst.]]

* AntiMagic: Rideaux and Spirius Corporation create [[spoiler:a portable version of the Spear of Kresnik from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia'', which they equip their shocktroopers with like rifles]], that can dispel spirit artes.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: In the manga, [[BrattyHalfPint Elle]] punches Ludger in the stomach after he tries to renege on their promise to find Canaan together.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: Spirius appears to run on this trope, justifying many characters' {{Improbable Age}}s due to their abilities. It's implied that the CEO of Spirius is simply whoever has the strongest Chromatus, so Bisley simply gives [[spoiler:Ludger]] the position of Vice President [[HeroismEqualsJobQualification despite not being remotely qualified]] just because [[spoiler:he's a powerful Chromatus user who helped complete Origin's Trial]]. Then in the [[spoiler:Ludger Ending]], he becomes CEO himself.

* BackToBackBadasses: Jude and Milla in the opening animation face off against a crowd of Exodus terrorists together.

* BadFuture: PlayedWith, with regards to Chapter 12's Fractured Dimension: [[spoiler:ten years into the future, spyrite technology has been perfected, allowing nature to fully recover, and peace has been achieved between Rieze Maxia and Elympios, making it seem like a rather ideal future. Then it's revealed that this world's [[FallenHero Ludger]], who had gathered the Waymarkers with another Fractured version of Elle but lost her in gaining the final Waymarker, had killed the entire ''Xillia'' cast (sans Gaius), Julius, and Bisley, after the latter convinced everyone to use Victor's daughter, Elle, to bargain with the Prime Dimension. He now seeks to kill Prime Ludger so he can complete the Trial and wish to be reborn with Elle, without the fear of their world being destroyed for being Fractured.]]

* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:Chronos and Bisley Bakur directly oppose each other, with Chronos attempting to sabotage humanity into failing Origin's Trial to enslave all humanity, while Bisley seeks to complete the trial and use his wish to enslave all spirits, including Origin and Chronos. Since the party composes of both humans and spirits, both of their goals pose an equal threat.]]

* BlessedWithSuck: On paper the Chromatus sounds like a awesome ability. [[spoiler: However, continued usage risks turning the user into a Divergence Catalyst, which in turn causes them to turn into a Fractured Dimension. Oh and powering it up to further stages does it even faster.]]
* BloodierAndGorier: In a significant departure from the usual ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' policy of BloodlessCarnage, ''Xillia 2'' includes frequent blood splatters and BloodFromTheMouth, mostly when [[spoiler:Ludger stabs someone to destroy their divergence catalyst]]. This was probably a significant factor in the "C" rating[[labelnote:*]]15yrs and up[[/labelnote]] given to the game, as the Japanese rating system is ''much'' harsher on visible blood than other territories.

** Many of the dialog choices themselves are the same idea expressed two different ways, and very few drastically affect the game, besides missing out on raising RelationshipValues or slightly changing a cutscene, even if they're phrased antithetical to each other. For instance, Ludger attempting to force his way past Fractured Milla in Chapter 7 will result in Alvin and Leia refusing to help him fight her and instead follow the same dialogue as if Ludger had chosen to reason with her, and opting to wait out the Exodus agents in Chapter 10 will result in Fractured Milla charging in the same way if Ludger had made the call first. However, in Chapter 15, [[spoiler:continuously refusing to sacrifice Julius will eventually turn both dialogue options into the same response, leading to the [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]].]]

** Due to {{Alternate Universe}}s, lot of the callbacks amount to FridgeHorror. For example, the scene in which [[spoiler: a fractured version of Alvin accidentally shoots Presa is disturbingly similar to the scene from the first game where Alvin shot Leia. He even utters the same MyGodWhatHaveIDone line in the exact same tone]].

** Chapter 15's Fractured Dimension has many [[spoiler:echoes to Chapter 1, namely recreating the nightmare sequence from the very beginning of the game, except here Ludger counters and overpowers Julius' Mystic Arte with his own, and before Ludger's Mystic Arte lands, Julius resigns himself to his fate and closes his eyes the same way his Chapter 1 Fractured counterpart does if Ludger doesn't hesitate to kill him. Finally, there's also Julius' interactions with Fractured Ludger, where he fixes Ludger's tie and remarks that Ludger is bribing him with tomatoes, which is what he does at the start of the game.]]

* CantDropTheHero: Until you clear the game, Ludger can't be removed from your party.

* CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: What's that? You want the Platinum Trophy? [[spoiler: Be prepared to have to kill off the entire gang from ''Xillia'' if you want it that badly.]]

* DarkIsNotEvil: ZigZagged with Chromatus users, whose color palettes skew towards black armor with colored accents, but whose powers are not inherently evil besides having the ability to destroy Divergence Catalysts. However, of the four depicted users, [[spoiler:Bisley [[WellIntentionedExtremist intends to enslave all spirits]] in order to protect humanity and will do anything to accomplish that, including [[AbusiveParent raising his own son as a child soldier]] and potential human sacrifice, Rideaux is [[{{Jerkass}} unrepentant and mean-spirited]] to everyone, and while Julius ultimately turns out to be an AntiHero, he was willing to use [[WouldHurtAChild Ludger as a pawn]] until his HeelFaceTurn, and it's implied he would have done the same to Elle. Finally, Ludger is TheHero but has the possibility of [[LoveMakesYouEvil committing mass murder to protect someone he loves]]... ''[[BadFuture twice]]'']].

* DiedInYourArmsTonight: [[spoiler:A Fractured Presa dies in Prime Alvin's arms during one of his Character Episodes, after Fractured Alvin accidentally shoots her.]]

* TheDulcineaEffect: After Elle frames him for kidnapping, Ludger nevertheless rushes to her aid in the middle of a terrorist attack and risks his life protecting her, even though she's somewhat abrasive towards him. {{Justified}}, naturally, since she's [[BrattyHalfPint eight years old]].

* EmpathicEnvironment: When confronting Julius on the Striborg line the second time, the train will conveniently go through a tunnel, something that didn't happen the first time, before it's revealed he's not quite Julius.

* ExpendableAlternateUniverse:
** Deconstructed in true ''Tales'' fashion. To a certain extent, the parallel worlds ''are'' reality to those who inhabit it. [[spoiler:Milla is very angry when it's explained to her that Ludger has just destroyed her world]].
** Elle gets ''very'' upset after [[spoiler:the alternate Milla is sacrificed so that Milla Maxwell can return. To her, the former is the "real" Milla and she is upset by both her loss and the party's diminished reaction to it. Learning to accept Milla Maxwell as a person in her own right is one of the focal points of Elle's character arc]].
** Chapter 10 drives this home with the Epsilla Ruins and the divergence catalyst, Odin. One which ''knows'' it is one, due to having defeated all attempts to destroy it. The reason? [[spoiler:It has been waiting for over 90,000 ''years'' so that the people who have been digitized in its data banks can be revived. Before you fight it, Odin asks you to talk to some of the recorded memories before events force the fight. After it, the everyone feels just how hollow the victory was, and the price of it.]]
** And this point is underscored by TheReveal that [[spoiler:Elle herself is from one of these parallel worlds. Her father's view of the two of them being "not real" causes her to believe she's just a fake version of Elle, and that Ludger will prefer the "real" Elle he's meant to father over her, leading her to sacrifice herself instead]].
** The game ultimately {{Double Subvert|ed}}s this trope, as [[spoiler:either Ludger or Elle will wish for the destruction of all Fractured Dimensions.]]

* FearfulSymmetry: In Chapter 12, [[spoiler:when Ludger faces off with [[AlternateSelf Victor]], they match each other's moves perfectly, from clashing swords and hammers to dodging each other's bullets in complete sync, though Victor ultimately gains the upper hand before Elle distracts him.]]

* ForWantOfANail: This initially appears to be played straight, with the implication that Divergence Catalysts infect a person whose actions have diverged from the Prime Dimension. [[spoiler:However, it's eventually revealed to be a subversion, Divergence Catalysts are created when a Chromatus user overuses their powers, killing them and creating a Fractured Dimension, sometimes an ideal world of the person who died, other times merely creating a monster. The Catalyst will then move hosts if its current one dies or another, more divergent item or being, appears.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: With a surprisingly awful dash of CallBack. Chapter 11's premise is nearly identical to the S.S. Zenethra level from ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia''. Exodus has taken over a ship and, at least partially at King Gaius's behest, you infiltrate the ship to stop them. The music is the same, and the characters even [[LampshadeHanging point out that the two ships have the same design.]] It's no surprise, then, that the whole chapter ends once again with [[spoiler: Milla's HeroicSacrifice.]]

** The manga is even more overt with the parallels. Ludger attempting to [[LockedOutOfTheLoop keep Elle away from danger]] culminates in realizing (with Milla's [[ArmorPiercingSlap help]]) that he's just done to Elle what Julius has been doing to him, and he explicitly highlights that his protection of Elle is something he learned from Julius. In the final battle [[spoiler:he throws himself over Julius' pocketwatch to protect it from Bisley, in the exact same way that Elle does when Julius tries to take her father's watch.]]

* GroupieBrigade: In Trigleph, you can find fangirls of Julius and Rideaux arguing over which top agent is better. After Julius is framed for the Oscore attack, Julius' fangirls will express shock, while Rideaux's will feel vindicated in their choice of favorite. In the Japanese text of an early-game sidequest, Ludger's landlady will reminisce that Julius' fangirls used to hang around Frères Apartments, and in Chapter 15 [[spoiler:she can be found complaining about them stalking the apartment in the latter's Fractured Dimension.]]

* HealthcareMotivation: A variation, where Ludger and Elle are only healed once by Rideaux, but it incurs a massive bill that forces Ludger to work for Spirius to pay it off.
* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: A divergence catalyst in the process of forming manifests on its host as black patches on their skin and possibly red eyes if it spreads to their face before the host becomes a full-fledged catalyst. Once the transformation begins, the only way to stop it is to kill the host.]]

* HumanityOnTrial: [[spoiler:The three Prime Spirits set up the events of the game to test whether humans were inherently selfish or selfless. Unfortunately, because one of them ''really'' hates humanity, [[UnwinnableByDesign the test is unfairly stacked against humanity's success]]]].

* InternalRetcon: In ''Xillia'', Kresnik was merely a notable follower of Maxwell who joined him in Rieze Maxia and became the ancestor of the Nia Khera villagers. ''Xillia 2'' [[spoiler:establishes she was a woman and was important to Maxwell, but she actually lived in ''Elympios'' and is the ancestor of all Chromatus users]] and that this information was intentionally purged from history.

** [[spoiler:The original Maxwell is implied to have had this relationship with the Genesis Sage, [[SamusIsAGirl Milla Kresnik]], especially since two thousand years after she died, he still cared enough to give her name to Milla Maxwell.]]
** [[spoiler:Dr. Howe, the man who developed spirit artes, turns out to have done so because of his attempts to woo Celsius. This discovery gives Jude the epiphany he needs to perfect spyrite technology.]]

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: A familial variation for all parties. Julius is the (or at least one of the) first to realize [[spoiler:[[KidFromTheFuture who]] and [[MacGuffinSuperPerson what Elle is]], and openly states his intent to take her away from Ludger, presumably for either her PowerOfTheVoid that is effective against Chronos, as well as being a viable sacrifice for the creation of the Soul Bridge needed to reach Canaan]]. They nearly come to blows over this, only for Elle to wind up in mortal danger and for Julius to see just how much Ludger cares about her, causing him to change his mind and [[spoiler:sacrifice his own life to create the Soul Bridge instead.]]

* KilledOffForReal: The body count by the end of the game [[AnyoneCanDie is surprisingly high]], with the parallel universes allowing for plenty of carnage. Of the main characters though: [[spoiler:Fractured Milla dies no matter what you do. The entire party is killed by Ludger if you choose to save Julius. Julius has to die for the party to be able to go to Canaan. And either Elle or Ludger have to sacrifice themselves to complete Origin's trial. Pretty much the only main character who survives no matter what is [[TeamPet Rollo]].]]

* LickingTheBlade: Implied, if, in the Fractured Dimension on the Striborg train, [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter Ludger chooses to trust Julius instead of asking what's going on]], [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Fractured Julius]] will stab a nearby corpse and then appear to lick his sword afterwards.

** Victor's love for his daughter, Elle, exacerbated by [[spoiler:his possession by his dimension's Divergence Catalyst. He's a Fractured version of Ludger, whose dimension runs ten years ahead of the Prime. He murdered [[SiblingMurder Julius]], [[{{Patricide}} Bisley]], and ''the entire party'' ([[SoleSurvivor except for Gaius]]) to protect Elle, and then uses Elle to lure the Prime Dimension Ludger into their Fractured one, where he intends to kill Ludger and complete Origin's Trial in the Prime Dimension, using his wish to request he and Elle be reincarnated again.]]

** The final chapter of the game reveals that [[spoiler:Chronos' motivations to sabotage humanity in Origin's Trial is exclusively because he can see how much purifying souls is hurting Origin. Origin notes that [[NotSoDifferentRemark Chronos' protective intentions are the most human thing about him]].]]

** Elle seems to do this with everyone, not just Julius. In the "Destroy the Popular Suit" Drama CD, she addresses a young Spirius agent as "oji-san", causing the agent to do a double take before humoring her.

* MomentOfSilence: At the end of Chapter 15, after [[spoiler:Ludger stabs Julius, Ludger is visibly screaming in grief, but everything is muted except for Julius’ humming.]]

* MrSmith: A sidequest reveals that "Kresnik" is a rather common name in Elympios, but it's {{subverted}} as [[spoiler:Julius picks the name because it's his mother and aunt's surname rather than because it's innocuous]].

* NighInvulnerability: Implied for Chromatus users, as Victor shrugs off multiple bullet wounds by transforming, Julius also does the same if he ends up protecting Elle on the train, and in the manga, Ludger also survives lethal doses of poison while transformed.

* OdeToFamily: The Hymn of Proof, a song passed down through the Kresnik clan, is stated by Julius to be a song about "longing to see someone", which he hums for Ludger, [[spoiler:causing [[AlternateSelf Victor]] to hum it for Elle]]. It's implied by an Official World Guidance short story that Julius himself learned the song from [[spoiler:either his mother, Cornelia, or his [[ParentalSubstitute aunt]], Claudia, since a Fractured version of Claudia taught it to Ludger]]. Possibly subverted, however, [[spoiler:due to the implied InterspeciesRomance between Milla Kresnik, who created the song and presented it to Maxwell, who himself admits the Hymn of Proof could also be called a love song.]]
* OlympusMons: [[spoiler:If you complete all of the Character Episodes, then you unlock an Extra Episode where Jude manages to turn Maxwell into a Spyrite, gaining control over one of the three most powerful Spirits in all of creation]].

** Averted for middle names, which appear to be inherited through one's mother. Julius and Ludger have the same middle name "Will", a combination of both their mother's names, "Wi" and "Il" respectively. [[spoiler:Julius was born as "Wi", and either altered Ludger's middle name when he adopted him, or Claudia had already named him "Will" and Julius changed his name to match]].

* OnlyOneMeAllowedRightNow: If a Fractured person or being manages to be brought into the Prime Dimension while their Prime equivalent is absent, their Prime counterpart cannot return until the Fractured version is killed or destroyed, evidenced when [[spoiler:Fractured Milla's presence prevents Prime Milla from returning to her dimension after being banished by Chronos.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: In a skit with Elize, Ludger can tell her he's also an orphan, though he never personally elaborates on what happened to his or Julius' parents. Supplementary materials reveal he doesn't know the details himself. [[spoiler:Both of their mothers are dead, Julius' was the previous Key of Kresnik who perished empowering Bisley's Chromatus, and Ludger's mother died when she attacked a teenaged Julius and he killed her in self-defense, causing Ludger's TraumaInducedAmnesia. Inverted with Julius himself, who cuts ties with Bisley after the above events and moves out to Frères Apartments at thirteen with Ludger.]]

* PlotBasedVoiceCancellation: If Ludger's RelationshipValues are high enough by Chapter 11 [[spoiler:Fractured Milla tells Ludger something just before she commits a HeroicSacrifice, though the lines are muted. The game doesn't elaborate on this, but the manga reveals she was telling him the recipe to the soup she wanted to make for Elle.]]

* PuzzleBoss: Routinely failing to stop [[spoiler:Chronos from rewinding time in the Land of Canaan]] will have the game suggest you check [[spoiler:Julius' watch, which [[PlayerNudge hints at]] using a lance, specifically, Ludger' Chromatus lance]], allowing the player to finally win the battle.

** While not exactly villainous, [[spoiler: Julius's [[FashionableAsymmetry single glove]] is hiding the divergence catalyst manifesting in his left hand.]]
** [[spoiler: Victor wears a mask to hide the right side of his face, which is being consumed by a divergence catalyst.]]

** There also exists values for [[NonPlayableCharacter Elle, Julius, and Bisley]], boosted solely through dialogue choices. Maxing those out gives Ludger special weapons just before the endgame, as well as a short letter from each character. Unlike the party members', these values are hidden and the dialogue choices won't tell you if you've picked the right one.

* SomeoneHasToDie: At the end of Chapter 14, it's revealed that [[spoiler:in order to create a portal to reach the Land of Canaan, a powerful member of the Kresnik family line has to die. By this point in the story, the only available candidates are Ludger and Julius, who offers his life since [[ConvenientTerminalIllness he's already dying from overextending his Chromatus abilities]]. Ludger can [[DefiedTrope defy]] this by murdering the rest of the party and abandoning any hope of reaching Canaan himself, whereas in the manga, he attempts [[MoreHeroThanThou to offer his own life for the Bridge first]], so that Julius and Elle can both live, but he's still talked out of it by Julius.]]

* SpoilerOpening: The opening spoils Julius' and Ludger's Level 3 [[SuperMode Chromatus]] form, [[spoiler:foreshadowing their duel much later in the game, and that there are [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet two versions of Milla who do not share scenes together]].]]

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: In the final chapter, [[spoiler:when Ludger saves Elle and unlocks his full Chromatus using Victor's watch]], a remix of the opening theme "Song 4 U" plays.

* VoidBetweenTheWorlds: The Dimensional Abyss is the space between dimensions. In Chapter 7, [[spoiler:Chronos reveals he threw Milla from the first game into it, and she remains trapped there while [[OnlyOneMeAllowedRightNow Fractured Milla exists in the Prime Dimension.]] Supplementary material also explains that this is where Fractured entities go when [[NeverTheSelvesShallMeet they're ejected from the Prime Dimension by their Prime counterparts]].]]

** In Chapter 15, [[spoiler:Julius' Fractured Dimension shows that his greatest desire is to live peacefully with Ludger like they did prior to the game.]] A comic anthology story further references this with Julius coming across a Divergence Catalyst in the form of a cursed pendant that is said [[LeaveYourQuestTest lead its wearer astray]]. Just as he's about to destroy it, he's distracted by that world's Ludger, who drags him shopping. The two spend a peaceful and fun afternoon together, but Julius eventually realizes he's fallen under the pendant's effects after he admits he'd like to stay in this world.