| 1 | [[quoteright:287:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Wikixenosmall.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:287:From left to right: Jin, Shion, KOS-MOS, Jr, MOMO and Ziggy]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | ->''[[AGodAmI Ye Shall Be As Gods.]]'' |
| 5 | |
| 6 | In the distant future, mankind has colonized space, but planet Earth (referred to in-game as Lost Jerusalem) has [[EarthThatWas disappeared from the map]]. The protagonist, Shion, is the head of the first R&D division of Vector Industries, and her team is developing an android superweapon called KOS-MOS. |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Disaster strikes when the Gnosis, intangible (but deadly) beings from another dimension attack the ship. The rest of the story involves the Gnosis, the search for their source and the events that passed fourteen years prior on the planet Miltia -- which has close ties to Shion's past. |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ''[=Xenosaga=]'' is a series of {{Eastern RPG}}s created by Japanese developer Creator/MonolithSoft, a studio composed by ex-members of Creator/SquareEnix who worked in many of the company's greatest hits of the 1990s, most notably ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. To be precise, the original creators of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the married couple Tetsuya Takahashi and Kaori Tanaka (known under her pen name, Soraya Saga), wanted to turn ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' into a big franchise, telling a story divided in multiple episodes, ''Franchise/StarWars'' style. However, Creator/SquareEnix wasn't interested in the idea, so they, along with some of their team mates, and after partnering with Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment (or rather just Creator/{{Namco}}, before they merged), decided to create their own studio to tell a whole new story using their ideas for ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' as a starting point. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | All main entries have subtitles that reference books written by Creator/FriedrichNietzsche, a philosopher from which the series as a whole takes many of its central themes from: |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | * ''Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht'' (2002) [[Platform/PlayStation2 PS2]] -- "The Will to Power" |
| 16 | * ''Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse'' (2004) [=PS2=] -- "Beyond Good and Evil" ([[VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil No, not that one.]]) |
| 17 | * ''Episode III: Literature/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' (2006) [=PS2=] -- "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" |
| 18 | |
| 19 | The franchise also managed to create a few side games: |
| 20 | |
| 21 | * ''Pied Piper'' (2004) [[CellPhone Java ME]] -- A prequel set 100 years before the first game. |
| 22 | * ''Xenosaga Freaks'' (2004) [=PS2=] -- A fan service game that mostly shows the characters from Ep. I in comedic situations. |
| 23 | * ''A Missing Year'' (2005) [[UsefulNotes/AdobeFlash Flash]] -- A visual novel that describes events between episodes II and III. |
| 24 | * ''Xenosaga I & II'' (2005) [=NDS=] -- A remake of ''Episode I'' and ''Episode II'' that tries to unify both stories in one single arc, while including story beats that couldn't be implemented in the original games for various reasons. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | Unlike the main trilogy, the other games have [[NoExportForYou not been released outside of Japan]]. As a matter of fact, Europe only received Episode 2 out of the entire franchise, meaning that it only reached a very niche audience. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | There's also a 2005 [[AnimatedAdaptation anime adaptation]] of ''Episode I'' titled ''Xenosaga: The Animation''. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | Known for throwing around heavy amounts of religious symbolism, literary references, and TechnoBabble, as well as an enormous JigsawPuzzlePlot that demands the player's full attention just to know what's going on. And even then, due to the large amount of long-term mysteries, many scenes won't make complete sense until much later in the game, if not until the end of the trilogy itself. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | The series was supposed to expand no less than 6 main episodes, but due to the series' TroubledProduction and declining sales, the story had to be reduced to just 3 games that tells just a mere fraction of the story that was originally planned. Albeit they managed to keep the trilogy more or less self-contained and end on a positive note. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | ''Xenosaga'' also has its own successor in the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' series, which was created after Creator/MonolithSoft ended its partnership with Creator/BandaiNamco and became a first party Creator/{{Nintendo}} studio. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | A few of the characters, (mainly KOS-MOS), have [[TheCameo made appearances]] in other games, including ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'', ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom'', ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', and ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries SoulCalibur III]]''. KOS-MOS, as well as T-elos in a later update, even appear as Blades in ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2''. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | ---- |
| 39 | !!This video-game series provides examples of: |
| 40 | |
| 41 | * AbortedArc: ''Episode I'', which has more than '''50%''' of the original Ep. I draft aborted. |
| 42 | ** Episode I also forshadowed the possibility of KOS-MOS being used as a weapon against U-DO, which needed to be stopped because the clash would destroy dozens of galaxies. |
| 43 | * AbsentAliens: Though there are many non-human intelligences in the galaxy, it eventually turns out that they all have some connection to humanity [[spoiler: and in the case of the Gnosis, technically ''are'' humans]]. |
| 44 | * AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: One of the most ridiculous in Video Game history when it comes to the Tech Attacks in episode 1. With the exception of a few non-damaging techs, every tech attack in the game can be leveled all the way up to a max of level 50. Getting even ONE tech attack that high requires somewhere around 50,000 Tech points, and each character has six or seven damaging tech attacks to level. The regular character level cap is also the usual 99, whereas the average player will probably finish the game somewhere in the high 30s or early 40s with their character levels. |
| 45 | * AbsurdlySharpBlade: Jin and Margulis are seen slicing through various objects (like A.M.W.S.'s) with ordinary swords. [[spoiler:Kevin]]'s ES, Judah, is equipped with several bladed protrusions, which the ''Episode III'' database says [[AbsurdCuttingPower can attack targets across the universe]] thanks to phase-transfer technology and the UMN. Thankfully, [[TheUnfought you never have to fight it]]. |
| 46 | * ActionGirl: Despite being an android, KOS-MOS definitely fits this. To a lesser degree, so do the other two female playable characters. |
| 47 | * AgonyBeam: [[spoiler:Wilhelm]] whips this out within seconds of Shion telling him to go to hell. |
| 48 | * AllThereInTheManual: The story of ''Xenosaga'' can be much better understood after reading the [[http://web.archive.org/web/20130111073224/http://translations.xenotensei.com/Xeno3/PerfectGuide.html Xenosaga Perfect Guide]]. |
| 49 | * TheAlternet: The UMN is a {{hyperspace}} Internet that spans the entire universe. [[spoiler:It is also physically keeping the universe together.]] The network serves as a SubspaceAnsible, as well as allows for instant material teleportation and materialization. Attempts to send humans and other biological matter through the UMN results in pretty horrific outcomes. ''IF'' the person even rematerializes in his previous form, he will almost certainly suffer from mental degradation and go psychotically insane. |
| 50 | * AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: One appears during the FinalBoss fight in ''Episode I''. |
| 51 | %%* AncientConspiracy |
| 52 | * AndTheAdventureContinues: ''Episode III'' ends with [[spoiler:Shion, Allen, Jr., the Elsa crew & the Godwin sisters setting out to find Lost Jerusalem (Earth) and prevent the destruction of the universe]]. This was probably the SequelHook for ''Episode IV''. |
| 53 | * AndYourRewardIsClothes: Swimsuits, in all three games. Very useful swimsuits, though, in the first two games, which increase the amount of skill points you earn. |
| 54 | * AnimatedAdaptation: The [[SarcasmMode cleverly titled]] ''Xenosaga: The Animation''. |
| 55 | * AnimationBump: There are certain scenes in ''Episode I'' that are supposed to look better than the rest of the game (such as the prologue, whenever KOS-MOS uses her powers, and when you first see the Kukai Foundation, just for example). However it's not a horribly jarring transition and isn't completely noticeable at times either. In ''Episode III'', the use of CG cutscenes become this, being used mostly for action sequences in place of the in-game engine which handles conversations. |
| 56 | ** In-game engine cutscenes are also present in ''Episode I'' and ''Episode II'', but are rarely used in comparison. |
| 57 | * ArbitraryHeadcountLimit: Obvious, since it's a Role-Playing game. At least ''Episode II'' and ''Episode III'' let you switch out the characters at will [[LazyBackup (but not when characters die)]]. |
| 58 | ** Also, ES battles could only have two of the craft on the field during ''Episode II'', while the A.G.W.S. in ''Episode I'' and the ES battles in ''Episode III'' were kept at three. |
| 59 | * ArtificialHuman: the [=URTVs=], KOS-MOS, and Realians. |
| 60 | * ArtShift: Goes from "anime-esque" in ''Episode I'' to semi-realistic in ''Episode II'' then to a hybridization in ''Episode III''. |
| 61 | ** The characters in the Episode I prologue look super-realistic compared to the rest of the characters. |
| 62 | * AscendedExtra: |
| 63 | ** The Professor from Episode I to Episode III. |
| 64 | ** Also Miyuki. |
| 65 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: Albedo,]] but he's too meddlesome to stay. Also, [[spoiler:Febronia and Virgil]] |
| 66 | * AsTheGoodBookSays: Albedo in ''Episode I''. Joachim Mizrahi also tends to quote the Bible several times through the series. [[spoiler: First time around, it made him look like a raving lunatic and that impression didn't change until we got to see more of his backstory]]. MOMO just reads the inscription that was on a stone right before their fight with [[spoiler: Virgil]] in ''Episode III''. |
| 67 | * AutomatedAutomobiles: They have them but they're just for normal driving. |
| 68 | * AwfulTruth: What Shion's initial reaction to her parent's death was and what it did was kept secret from her for fifteen years for a good reason. |
| 69 | ** There's even a track in Xenosaga III fitting called "The Harsh Truth." |
| 70 | * BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Albedo pulls this no less than ''three'' separate times in ''Episode II'', though this mostly because his U.R.T.V. ability makes it ''physically impossible for him to die''.]] Also, [[spoiler: Kevin Winnicot]] and [[spoiler: Virgil]]. |
| 71 | * BackStab: In ''Episode III'', attacking a surprised enemy has a greater chance of critical damage. Some characters also get skills that spin the enemies around for their attack. |
| 72 | * BadassNormal: [[spoiler: Allen]] also qualifies at the end of ''Episode III'', he ''stands up'' after taking three blasts that would have killed any normal person, and in the ending sequence kills a Gnosis single-handedly. He kills it with a gun, but not by shooting it. ''He bludgeons it to death using the butt of the rifle'', and ''then'' shoots it in the face. ''For emphasis.'' |
| 73 | * BaldOfAuthority: Representative Helmer is the leader of Second Militia. |
| 74 | * BarehandedBladeBlock: Jin, during the fight with Margulis in ''Episode II''. |
| 75 | * BarrierChangeBoss: The FinalBoss of ''Episode III'' has one element that he's weak to that keeps changing. |
| 76 | %%* BecauseDestinySaysSo |
| 77 | * BatmanGambit: Despite being one of the most unstable characters, Albedo has proven to be one of the most clever characters in the entire game. [[spoiler: First he puts a trap in MOMO during her mind rape in Episode I since the only way to retrieve the Y-Data was to use the UMN center on Seconds Miltia. When MOMO shut down her mind, he had another trap set up in case Shion and the others dived into her subconscious. To put the icing on the cake, he fought Jr. and got him angry because he KNEW MOMO would take the bait and reactivate her emotions, allowing him to steal the Y-Data and open the path into Old Miltia. He even chides Joachim on his choice to put emotions in MOMO while giving her the Y-Data to guard.]] |
| 78 | * BettingMiniGame: Episode I had a Casino where you could play poker and play with slot machines. In addition to all of the character portraits offered as extras to cash in your coins on, one of the prizes is also a GameBreaker, Bravesoul (and other items like it). |
| 79 | * {{BFG}}: Most of KOS-MOS's weaponry, which include a giant shoulder-mounted railgun with a barrel double to triple her height and a [[MoreDakka triple-barreled]] [[GatlingGood gatling gun]] ([[GunsAkimbo times two]]!). Even crazier is the Naglfar that the Gad/ES Joseph can summon out of literally nowhere, which has a barrel that's at least three times the mech is tall. |
| 80 | * {{BFS}}: Averted with Jin and Margulis, who use rather normal-sized swords (a katana and a straight, double-edged sword respectively). Played utterly straight with their respective ES's, which use or can use swords double their heights. |
| 81 | * BigBad: While there are many pretenders to the throne, [[spoiler:Wilhelm]] does more horrible stuff in the last few hours of ''Episode III'' than the rest of them manage in the entire trilogy. |
| 82 | * BigNo: Done by Shion both as a child and as an adult to horribly catastrophic consequences. |
| 83 | ** Albedo does one when he first finds out that, being immortal, he'll outlive his brothers and be all alone. |
| 84 | * BigScrewedUpFamily: The Yurievs. |
| 85 | ** Father Dimitri is ReallySevenHundredYearsOld and has been jumping from body to body to stave off his fear of death and is currently inhabiting the body of his "son", Nigredo/Gaignun. |
| 86 | ** [[ParentalAbandonment Mother]] nowhere to be seen, literally described by Jr. as a bunch of random surrogates with "healthy ovums". |
| 87 | ** Big brother Rubedo, aka Jr. is trapped in the body of a 12 year old boy, and if that wasn't bad enough the love of his life has been recreated as a plasticky ArtificialHuman and he has to live out his life posing as the son of his ''younger brother''. |
| 88 | ** Little brother Albedo used to be a rather happy-go-lucky child... with very mild touch of the crazy, only to go off the deep end when he realizes he is immortal while his dear brothers are not. Later he makes direct contact with U-DO, and well... You know the rest. |
| 89 | ** Little sister Citrine was raised simply to be a genetic stabilizer to prevent the URTV cell culture from degenerating with every new round of cloning. She starts out simply as a CreepyChild, then drops out of the story for 14 years and appears in ''Episode III'' as a full-blown [[LackOfEmpathy sociopath]] and acting as the point-woman for her "father" Dimitri. |
| 90 | ** Baby brother Nigredo, aka Gaignun appears to be the most normal of the bunch; he's rich, beloved, stylish, and hangs out with two beautiful female companions all day long... However, as mentioned above he constantly battles for control of his own body with his parasitic father and his actual role in the [=URTV=] project was to kill his beloved brother Rubedo should he ever go berserk. |
| 91 | ** And then there's the 665 other [=URTVs=] who between them shared a collective consciousness and were nothing but automatons. [[spoiler:They're all dead, by the way.]] |
| 92 | * AMillionIsAStatistic: For being a series that does like to go over the topics of WhatMeasureIsANonHuman and the worth of human life itself, it's odd that the game barely made us care at all for the planet Ariadne, which was one of the reasons why the Woglinde was sent out; to search for said planet. Despite a brief mention here and there, it eventually gets lost in the crowd, so to speak. An in-game quote nicely summed this up: |
| 93 | --> '''Margulis''': ''What's one and a half billion people to us?'' |
| 94 | ** To be fair, looking for Ariadne was just an excuse. [[spoiler:They were really meant to pick up the Zohar Emulator, due to the strings U-TIC pulled with their spies in the Federation.]] Lots of characters during the beginning of the game noticed their objective were shifting the moment they found the Zohar emulator. |
| 95 | ** The player party does eventually find Ariadne, when a particular [[spoiler: gigantic Gnosis known as a "Cathedral Ship"]] is found to have been [[spoiler: created from the planet Ariadne itself, thanks to a mishap during a Link Experiment with aforementioned Zohar Emulator]]. |
| 96 | *** In the third game, [[spoiler: Abel's Ark]] completely annihilates over HALF of all known planets within 72 hours of its appearance. Your party treats this news as if it was the weather forecast. |
| 97 | * BittersweetEnding: At the end of it all [[spoiler:they beat the bad guys and Allen and Shion are together at last, but it has come at a terrible price. Shion lost the only family she had left, [[TearJerker KOS-MOS was left crippled & drifting through deep space]] (though she does eventually come to rest near what appears to be Earth), a good chunk of humanity is apparently dead, the survivors have lost their only means of faster-than-light travel, and communication, and the universe itself is apparently doomed to collapse at some unspecified time in the future, as Wilhelm's machinations were the only thing keeping it alive, but they have hope that they can stop whatever will destroy the universe.]] |
| 98 | * BlockPuzzle: You'd think after a while your characters would figure out a better way to move blocks around. |
| 99 | * BodySurf: [[spoiler: Dmitri Yuriev, and later on, Gaignun Kukai and Albedo Piazzola.]] |
| 100 | * BookEnds: in ''Episode III'' E.S. Levi is both the first and last boss battle fought on board the E.S. units, not counting Omega Id. |
| 101 | * BossBanter: [[spoiler: When you face Virgil as a Testament]] is the most notable example. |
| 102 | * BossInMooksClothing: Even if you've passed through the second game without much effort previously, the Ormus Knights in the Omega System will be a real problem. They typically come in groups of four, are very fast, very strong and repeatedly spam boost, which they have in ample supply due to their attacks generating quite a lot of boost charge. |
| 103 | ** Even worse than them are the Ortu Ria enemies found later in the same area. They all have over 10000 HP and can heal themselves. At low health, they can counterboost into the devastating Apoptosis Program attack, which hits the entire party for 3000 damage, likely killing anyone it hits. The strongest attack of the ''final boss'' is far weaker by comparison. Thankfully these enemies only spawn from breakable crystals, so they can avoided. |
| 104 | * BossRemix: The theme ''Promised Pain'' for the FinalBoss in ''Episode III'' is a vocalized version of a track previously heard. |
| 105 | * {{Bowdlerized}}: |
| 106 | ** Removing the blood in ''Episode III''. Why was that so bad? [[spoiler:In the scene soon after Shion's mother gets killed, she's sitting by her bed and collecting blood in her hands, chanting that she's "got to put it back." What could've been an extremely powerful scene ended up confusing people until they realized that the blood was removed.]] |
| 107 | ** There's also scenes of Albedo menacing MOMO on The Song of Nephilim in ''Episode I'', which were made even ''more'' disturbing when they were censored. The original version has him whip out a knife and cut his arm and head off (complete with copious amounts of blood). In the censored version he ''physically tears his arm and head off his body'' (complete with various bone-crunching and flesh-tearing sounds). Also [[ZigzaggedTrope zigzagged]] as the Japanese version darkens the area around where Albedo is cutting off his own head while the western version has no such filter. And in the western version we see Albedo's head fall to the ground and see it talking on the ground, while in the Japanese version, it's blacked out. |
| 108 | ** In ''Episode II'', another scene with Albedo was altered in which he displays his newly-discovered regenerative powers to Jr. and Gaignun by blowing his own head off. In the Japanese version, he does it [[TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour with a hand gun]], while in the English version he does it with a ball of purple energy. Though it does better demonstrate Albedo's powers. A bullet wound is weaksauce. Vaporizing your entire head? That kid is powerful and crazy. |
| 109 | %%* ABoyAndHisX: According to a {{Yonkoma}}, the series can be summed up as "A Girl and Her Doll." It's actually kinda fitting. |
| 110 | * BoyMeetsGirl: Played with and subverted between Shion and Kevin: Shion meets Kevin as a child; he dislikes her simple and naive attitude, and she's too young to have an opinion of him. Eventually, Kevin learns to love Shion, and they have a budding relationship together as two scientists and two lovers. But then, Kevin dies. [[spoiler: Finally, in ''Episode III'', Shion finds Kevin again, and he's become immortal. She finds she cannot be with him anymore because of the implications it would bring and decides to go with Allen Ridgely, who has had a crush on her for the entire series but CannotSpitItOut until he tries to win her back from Kevin.]] |
| 111 | * BreakMeter: ''Episode II'' has the first direct example of this trope in an EasternRPG. |
| 112 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: The U.M.N. database in ''Episode I'' tends to do this time to time. One example is an outright apology that the player couldn't see Jin "in action" during that Episode. Also, the e-mail advertisements of other Namco games in ''Episode I'' are clearly for the player despite how much the game tries to make it an actual part of the in-game universe. |
| 113 | * BreakoutCharacter: Monolith ''loves'' KOS-MOS. She's starting to match [[{{Videogame/Darkstalkers}} Morrigan]] in crossover appearances. |
| 114 | * BrickJoke: That {{BFG}} your [[HumongousMecha E.S. Asher]] tosses away in ''Episode II'' nearly kills someone in your party in ''Episode III''. [[ContinuityNod chaos promptly apologizes for it]]. |
| 115 | * ButtMonkey: A lot of the cast. Allen and Miyuki stand out for comedic reasons; everyone else is drama. Shion and Jin especially. |
| 116 | * CallingYourAttacks |
| 117 | * TheCameo: In an e-mail Shion can get during episode 1, it’s revealed that Shion is friends with [[{{Videogame/Tekken}} Kazuya Mishima]]. |
| 118 | * ChaseScene: There were a couple throughout the series, the most notable being the car chase early on in ''Episode II'' which was one of the few highlights of the game for many. |
| 119 | * ChekhovsGun: Shion's Glasses. She doesn't actually need them for seeing, and explains in ''Episode III'' that they record and analyze visual data. Also [[spoiler:Shion's pendant.]] |
| 120 | * ChekhovsGunman: |
| 121 | ** [[spoiler: Doctus]] moves the plot along a little at the beginning, falls off the face of the story for 15~20 hours, then suddenly reenters it for one scene with vital aid for attacking [[spoiler: Abel's Ark]]. |
| 122 | ** Also, [[spoiler: T-elos]] from ''Episode III'' is first seen as [[spoiler: a set of plans on the U-TIC battleship]] in ''Episode I''. |
| 123 | * TheChessmaster: Wilhelm, and several others to a lesser degree. |
| 124 | * ChildSoldiers: The [=URTVs=]. In Jr.'s case, literally - he's physically incapable of aging beyond childhood. |
| 125 | * ChristianityIsCatholic: Ormus has Inquisitors, Cardinals, a Pope [[{{Bowdlerise}} in the Japanese version]] and very Catholic vestments. More puzzling because their theology is a mix of Gnostic or Cathar, and Zoroastrian. Considering the game is set around 4000 years in the future, this may be a case of FutureImperfect. And there is the fact that Ormus was founded by no one other than [[spoiler:Wilhelm]] as another venue of manipulation. |
| 126 | * ChurchMilitant: The Ormus religion has its own fully developed military-industrial complex. They have a Navy, an Army, weapons research facilities, covert research into exotic physics... |
| 127 | * CoinTargetingTrickshot: In one of his attacks Jr. throws a coin and ricochets a bullet off it in order to hit the enemy. There's also a stronger version in which he throws a handful of coins and shoots them, with bullets ricocheting off random coins and all striking the target from various angles. |
| 128 | * ClimaxBoss: Quite a few boss battles are this. |
| 129 | * CollectibleCardGame: An in-game example, Xenocard was a minigame in ''Episode I'' that was actually fully featured and had things like booster packs and its own set of rules. And for those very reasons, [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer it was insanely addictive]]. |
| 130 | * ColorCodedCharacters: The U.R.T.V. units are named according to the philosophic beliefs of Karl Jung but it is also reflected in their hair color. Rubedo has red hair, Nigredo has black hair, Albedo has white hair, [[spoiler: and Citrine has yellow-ish hair]] |
| 131 | * CombinationAttack: ''Episode II'' tried to play with this; it was AwesomeButImpractical and you could have easily dealt as much damage with solo attacks in the time it took to set up one Double Tech. Some of those are pretty funny, however, and some others serve as ShipTease. |
| 132 | * CommonplaceRare: Since ''Episode II'' doesn't have shops or a money system at all it could take hours of LevelGrinding just to find something like a Bio Sphere. |
| 133 | * CompensatingForSomething: Shelley Godwin implies that this is precisely why Jr. is so fond of his gunslinger heroics. |
| 134 | * ContinuityNod: During ''Episode III'', a throw away cutscene happens when the characters are escaping Laybrinthos [[spoiler: during the part of the game where they travel back to Milita during the Third Descent Operation.]] As they're escaping, the remains of a robot come tumbling down to earth, almost hitting the party. It turns out to be one of the robots that chaos and Canaan shot down during the opening cutscenes of ''Episode II''. Especially made obvious, since chaos apologizes for it when it crashes. |
| 135 | ** If you look closely at the overworld map on Miltia in Episode III, you can see areas you travel through during the Old Miltia of 14 years ago sequence of Episode II, specifically the Toys Universe store and the area where you fight Margulis. [[spoiler:Here's a hint, it's where you find the Prayer Beads.]] |
| 136 | * ConvergingStreamWeapon: The Rhine Maiden, a converging wave-motion gun comprising the Dämmerung and three smaller vessels in formation. |
| 137 | * CorruptChurch: Ormus, though the moral outlook on the series does provide them a defensible case. |
| 138 | * CounterAttack: Jin has an entire section of his skill tree supposedly devoted to it. |
| 139 | * CreepyChild: |
| 140 | ** They don't get any creepier than Kid Albedo. |
| 141 | ** Plus there are the other 665 standard-unit [=URTVs=]. Especially [[spoiler:when you're given the chance to dispatch all the ones who were contaminated by U-DO in random battles during a certain sequence of ''Episode III''.]] |
| 142 | * CrucifiedHeroShot: [[spoiler: KOS-MOS]] during ''Episode I'' has one of these, albeit it briefly. |
| 143 | * CrypticConversation: Several characters resort to this, worst offender being [[OracularUrchin Nephilim]]. She gets called out on it at one point. |
| 144 | * {{Cutscene}}: So many, that [=DVDs=] which show all the cutscenes that all span more than 3 hours per game are available. |
| 145 | * CutsceneIncompetence: Everyone loves standing around while they watch some of their comrades getting badly beaten or MindRaped. Particularly prominent in the first KOS-MOS vs. T-elos fight in ''Episode III'', though in the rest of the casts' defense, T-elos had already [[NoSell proved impervious to everything they threw at her]]. Also, chaos, who's supposed to [[spoiler: be the guy behind Jesus' miracles and has powers equal to BigBad Wilhelm himself.]] |
| 146 | * CutscenePowerToTheMax: Deals it out in spades, almost all of the characters are infinitely more powerful in cutscenes than actual gameplay. This applies to any story related bosses as well. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:the bosses tend to be twice as infinitely more powerful in cutscenes, and have the annoying tendency to kick your ass after every one of your "victories".]] |
| 147 | * DamageSpongeBoss: In ''Episode III'', not as present in the other games. |
| 148 | * DatingCatwoman: Jin and Pellegri. |
| 149 | * DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Albedo.]] |
| 150 | * DefinitelyJustACold: Shion tries to pass off her fainting spells as "nothing" and just fatigue. [[spoiler: It's really due to contact with U-DO, the same condition as her mother had.]] |
| 151 | * DidntSeeThatComing: BigBad [[spoiler: Wilhelm]] is about to win! Everyone is where they need to be! The MacGuffin is within reach! [[spoiler: Too bad he didn't see Allen ruining his plans by taking Shion back and then not comprehending that KOS-MOS/Mary might just break the MacGuffin needed to restart time!]] |
| 152 | * DieChairDie: Used quite a bit in the series. Items, chests, and even enemies can pop out of what you can destroy. |
| 153 | * DisabilitySuperpower: Abel, an autistic boy in the care of Juli Mizrahi and the SCOCE, [[spoiler:who just happens to be the [[PhysicalGod physical incarnation of "God"]].]] |
| 154 | * DiscOneNuke: In episode 3 you can obtain Erde Kaiser at the start of chapter 3. It's not the game destroying spell it was in episode 1, but it's still very useful. It does very good area of effect damage, as well as break damage, and will gain you boost, but the best thing about it is unlike the previous two games EVERYONE can cast it, and at only 40 EP a cast, at a time when most of the characters will have twice that. |
| 155 | * DitzyGenius: Shion, in contrast to [[GeniusDitz Miyuki]]. Shion is a talented robotics engineer with a Masters degree in engineering, who was hand-picked by the brightest mind in the galaxy to be his right hand (and eventually his fiancée). Her skills are unparalleled when it comes to mechanics and complex computer sciences. However, she also has the social skills of a brick in mid-flight. She psychologically torments her subordinates, hypocritically moralizes to others, broaches touchy subjects in the most inapt ways imaginable, manipulates others to further her own goals, treats her only surviving family like shit, and willfully glosses over flaws in her DomesticAbuser boyfriend to the point of [[FaceHeelTurn Face-Heel Turning]] over the vocal objections of ''the entire party''. |
| 156 | * DoAndroidsDream: Shion wonders this about KOS-MOS. Ziggy ''does'' get to have a dream in Xenosaga Freaks, though. |
| 157 | * DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: |
| 158 | ** The ''Durandal'' boards the U-TIC cruiser by ramming it in the rear. |
| 159 | ** Albedo is creepily fixated with MOMO to the point that he has a special pet name for her, and when he captures her for her copy of the Y-Data, he forces his hand inside her chest as she squirms in pain. The parallels to a StalkerWithACrush [[PaedoHunt abusing a child]] parallels were blatant enough that the scene was modified for the Western release to reduce the sexual undertones, though the vibes are still present in the censored version. |
| 160 | ** The enemies Striborg/Svarozic/Perun which appear in all three games have a giant crotch-bulb-thing. Which it thrusts at you when it's casting a spell. |
| 161 | * DoppelgangerLink: |
| 162 | ** The URTV units are child clones of [[MadScientist Dr. Dmitri Yuriev]] and can telepathically communicate with each other. [[spoiler:This bond is particularly strong between Albedo and Jr. who were initially conjoined twins, to the point that Jr. can sense when Albedo is reduced to particles.]] |
| 163 | ** The blond-haired blue-eyed standard U.R.T.V. Units 001 – 665 are a HiveMind. They regard units 666 – 669 as "monsters", due to the latter possessing emotions and individual consciousnesses. |
| 164 | * DressingAsTheEnemy: Shion and Allen do this to infiltrate Labrynthos during ''Episode III''. |
| 165 | * DrillSergeantNasty: ''Episode I'' had one of these, complete with him physically abusing his men for "''slacking off''". He also appeared briefly in ''Episode II'' when you fight the Naglfar Cannons in the Sunken City. |
| 166 | * DualBoss: The Richard and Hermann battles. |
| 167 | * DualWielding: Jin does this briefly during ''Episode III'' in the Florentine style. [[spoiler: One of the swords is one he had just gotten stabbed with, along with his regular katana. The fight with the Gnosis who stabbed him ended in a fatal draw.]] Also, one of the Gnosis types can do this with two {{BFS}}'s. |
| 168 | ** Orgulla does this as well, wielding both a regular sword and a LaserBlade. |
| 169 | * DuelBoss: The final battle between Albedo and Jr. in ''Episode II'' is a one-on-one fight, but [[spoiler: it's subverted since Albedo barely fights back, if at all.]] |
| 170 | * DwindlingParty: Played with somewhat in that the deaths are by no means peppered throughout the whole series; in the ending sequence of ''Episode III'', almost half of your party winds up dying; both Jin and KOS-MOS perish in an attempt to stave off the Gnosis for long enough to protect chaos, Nephilim!Mary, and Abel from shifting the area to Lost Jerusalem space. chaos does shortly thereafter. |
| 171 | * DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Both Jin and Canaan have this during the final chapters of ''Episode III''. Canaan tricks Voyager into killing himself, and Jin puts up an admirable defense against the Gnosis before succumbing to his wounds]]. |
| 172 | * EarlyBirdBoss: The battle with Margulis on Pleroma in ''Episode I'' is this to the point where it's considered a HopelessBossFight by the game itself. He's still very beatable though. |
| 173 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Tech Points, Ether Points, and Skill Points were limited in scope from their appearance in ''Episode I''. The fully featured card game, mech fighter, casino games and drilling game never returned either. The score was composed entirely by Yasunori Mitsuda, and the story of the game (due to DevelopmentHell and ExecutiveMeddling) had closer resemblance to the original script than the other two games (look at the entry on the WhatCouldHaveBeen page for more info) |
| 174 | * EarthThatWas - Humanity abandoned Earth some 4,000 years prior to the start of the plot after it and the rest of the Milky Way galaxy disappeared from known space. It has since become known as "Lost Jerusalem", and [[spoiler:Shion and her party set out to find it, setting up the plot for [[FranchiseKiller a sequel that will never be made]]]]. |
| 175 | * EldritchAbomination: The Gnosis. These creatures defy physical laws almost as a matter of course, have a terrifying appearance, and, until the discovery of the Hilbert effect (which pulls them into our dimension fully, allowing us to attack them) ''were completely incapable of being harmed but could kill us at their whim''. [[spoiler: It gets even worse when you learn that the Gnosis are the spirits of humans who are so terrified of living humans, they're willing to kill us. ''They're '''us'''''.]] |
| 176 | * EnemyScan: The "Analyze" spell in ''Episode II'' and the Analyze Ball in ''Episode III''. |
| 177 | * EverythingIsOnline: Through the UMN, ''all of reality'' is online and hackable, and bodies, souls, and data are somewhat interchangeable. |
| 178 | * EvilLaugh: Almost every villain has one, but Albedo's takes the cake... |
| 179 | * ExactTimeToFailure: The TimedMission to escape the Ormus Stronghold in ''Episode II''. If you don't complete it within the time limit, you will ''die''! |
| 180 | * FaintInShock: When Albedo [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mwIi8lVHQ intimidates the young Momo]]. |
| 181 | * FanDisservice: Albedo plays MrFanservice to the hilt... usually for the benefit of [[NoYay preteen-looking]] [[ArtificialHuman Realians]] and [[{{Twincest}} his own brother]], all while crossing one MoralEventHorizon after another. In a sillier example, in the latter two games, everyone, not just the more-or-less humans, gets an optional [[BeachEpisode swimsuit]]. Including [[HollywoodCyborg Ziggy]]. It's an unflattering Speedo and ridiculous man-bra of a rebreather harness. In purple. With swim fins. Less justifiably, some gamers, apparently fearful of {{Wardrobe Malfunction}}s, would list Jin's fundoshi as well. Allen's 20's style single piece swimsuit could almost count, and there's chaos'...bulge in the first game. He lost it in the subsequent games, thankfully. |
| 182 | ** To be fair, Ziggy only has that hideous eyesore of a swimsuit in the third game. His second game's swimsuit is much better, looking for the most part like his normal outfit but green and he has a snorkeling mask. |
| 183 | * FanService: The girls' swimsuits. There's also Xenosaga Freaks, a whole disc full of it. |
| 184 | * FantasticVoyagePlot: The interior of Abel's Ark and the Cathedral Ship. |
| 185 | * FantasyKeepsake: The Encephalon is supposed to be a virtual reality taken from your mind, but you can go into it, gain levels, come back with items, and even go into places that were behind locked doors when you visited the places in reality and couldn't have been taken from your mind. This has no implications at all and is at best a version of GameplayAndStorySegregation. |
| 186 | %%* FasterThanLightTravel |
| 187 | * FetchQuest: |
| 188 | ** Several in Episode II. |
| 189 | ** [[spoiler:The whole series can be looked at as a series of {{Fetch Quest}}s that are actually relevant to the plot. For example, take KOS-MOS to Second Milita to get an upgrade, collect and deliver MOMO and bring her to Second Milita, and, perhaps the biggest one of all: Shion's pendant, which is the literal key to start up a machine that can return time to the beginning, passed down by Wilhelm through different people, (such as Kevin's mom giving it to Kevin, and him giving it to Shion) only to have it returned to him when the time is right. This is just to name a few.]] |
| 190 | * FightingYourFriend: [[spoiler: Shion was so devoted to Kevin that she ''turned against the entire party'' because they didn't trust him.]] |
| 191 | * FilmingForEasyDub: Used more often in ''Episode II'' than anywhere else. At least one cutscene on each disk has a lot of monologue or scenes (such as flashbacks) that don't need animated mouths. |
| 192 | ** This is in direct contrast to ''Episode III'' and even more to ''Episode I'' where the camera would often be focused directly on the character's face when they were thinking or [[spoiler: communicating with each other via telepathy.]] |
| 193 | * FinalBoss: One in each Episode. |
| 194 | * FinishingMove: Xenosaga 3 shells out extra experience and gold for killing any enemy with a special attack. This is pretty necessary if you hope to keep up with the level curve. |
| 195 | * FissionMailed: [[spoiler: Actually ''inverted'' with the fight against Patriarch Sergius. Halfway through the fight, he is knocked down as if he was defeated, and the screen cuts to the usual post-battle experience gain screen. Once it gets you to think you've beaten Sergius, the screen turns red and shatters, returning you to the battle as Sergius re-initiates the fight through sheer force of will.]] |
| 196 | * FlunkyBoss: Different types of them too. |
| 197 | * FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: Shion and Jin alternate back and forth on this, with Shion often criticizing her brother for ping-ponging between professions, while Jin wishes that his sister wouldn't be so impulsive. This dynamic creates some distance between them from time to time, but it's clear that they still care about each other underneath it all. |
| 198 | * ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler:Wilhelm]] forces Shion to watch KOS-MOS turn against her while at the same time forcing [[spoiler:Kevin]] to watch as he tortures Shion. |
| 199 | * ForeignLanguageTitle: All three games have German subtitles that draw on Creator/FriedrichNietzsche. |
| 200 | * ForgottenFallenFriend: Jr.'s cat, Gaignun, died posthumously but was never mentioned again even in the in-game encyclopedia; even though the cat was the inspiration behind his alias. |
| 201 | * FunWithAcronyms: A few, including MOMO (Multiple Observative Mimetic Organicus) and KOS-MOS (Kosmos Obey Strategic Multiple Operation Systems) |
| 202 | * GambitPileup: The number of plots and counterplots is simply staggering. [[spoiler: Most of them were [[TheChessmaster orchestrated, planned and/or anticipated]] by Wilhelm: The main villains of Episode I are U-TIC, who are actually part of Ormus. The Gnosis are also a major threat, and responsible for most of the plot. The party are helped by the Galaxy Federation (sometimes through S.O.C.E.) and the Kukai Foundation, except the Kukai Foundation is secretly being controlled by Dmitri Yuriev, who wants to destroy U-DO, who wants to learn more about humanity. Vector Industries has a rivalry with Hyams, but both are controlled by Wilhelm, who actually orchestrated most of the events and is also Heinlein, second-in-command of Ormus. However, the Testaments (who Wilhelm controls) all have their own motives, and Albedo, the White Testament, used to be part of U-TIC. And, of course, Sellers, who manages to betray ''everyone''.]] |
| 203 | * GambitRoulette: [[spoiler: Most of the various conspiracies are orchestrated or influenced by Wilhelm with the aid of a prophetic device.]] He is a veritable Gambit Croupier. |
| 204 | * GameplayAndStorySegregation: In ''Xenosaga III'', Shion becomes the main pilot of E.S. Dinnah, but Gameplay proceeds to ignore this and has KOS-MOS the main pilot and Shion the co-pilot. Even more strangely, one cutscene in Michtam actually shows Alan co-piloting with Shion, which raises the question of where KOS-MOS even was. |
| 205 | ** A cutscene in Episode II shows that KOS-MOS sits in a different part of Dinah than Shion and Allen do. |
| 206 | ** The Gnosis in Episode I are made out to be nigh-unstoppable killing machines, and until KOS-MOS starts fighting them, they, story wise. In actual gameplay, Shion is fully capable of killing them on Woglinde, while story wise she's helpless against them. |
| 207 | * GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: U-Do, Realians (including [=MOMO=]), and the [=URTVs=] (including Jr. and Albedo) are all Geneically Engineered lifeforms. |
| 208 | * GeniusCripple: Dr. Sellers. It's not readily apparent that he's a paraplegic until he's seen in person in ''Episode II''. ''Episode III'' reveals he's in a wheelchair because [[spoiler:he screwed over Joachim Mizrahi, and Mizrahi responded by shooting his kneecaps off]]. |
| 209 | * GeniusDitz: Miyuki, in contrast to [[DitzyGenius Shion]] is this. She designs Shion's weapons and they're incredibly powerful and well-made. She's also a dribbling absent-minded airhead. However, this may just be due to {{Flanderization}}; her nature to make mistakes and screw up constantly is shoved into the light in ''Episode III''. |
| 210 | * GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: The FinalBoss of ''Episode I''. After a boss fight with Albedo, he makes a VillainExitStageLeft and merges a Gnosis with the core of Proto-Merkabah and leaves it to take the role instead. |
| 211 | * GlobalCurrency: [[spoiler: Apparently the economy hasn't changed at all in 15 years.]] Except in ''Episode II'', which doesn't have a money system at all. |
| 212 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: |
| 213 | ** This is the reason transporting organic matter across the UMN is banned by the Federation: every human test subject that rematerialized on the other side (most didn't) came back as a basket case (if not also physically deformed). [[spoiler:This is the reason why Yuriev was so obsessed with destroying U-DO]]. |
| 214 | ** Hearing the Song of Nephilim also causes certain Realians to go mad with homicidal rage. |
| 215 | ** Albedo also went crazy(er) when he made contact with U-DO. |
| 216 | * GodInHumanForm: [[spoiler: Basically, the boy Abel is U-DO, who is God himself (he's also shown as an Ark as well). He is portrayed as a mentally disabled child, despite being able to pilot a HumongousMecha that drives normal pilots insane, before TheReveal. Other than this, the only power he has that is really mentioned in the series is that he hasn't aged since he appeared during the Lost Jerusalem Era.]] |
| 217 | * GodIsEvil: [[CrystalDragonJesus U-DO]] is believed by Dmitri Yuriev to be the eventual destroyer of the universe. [[spoiler: But it turns out that Yuriev is nothing more than a deluded KnightTemplar who was wrong or lying from the very beginning]]. |
| 218 | * GodMode: |
| 219 | ** Good luck ever damaging Shion or Jr. again once they have Phantom Fly! |
| 220 | ** If the bosses can survive longer than the 3 rounds KOS-MOS can keep Blood Dancer activated, then you're doing it wrong. |
| 221 | * GodWasMyCopilot: [[spoiler:Taken literally with chaos, being the Jesus who actually made the miracles happen and all. He literally served as the copilot for Canaan in the beginning of Episode II and then with Jr. from then on.]] |
| 222 | * GoldfishPoopGang: Richard and Hermann are played up as this. |
| 223 | * GoodRepublicEvilEmpire: "Foundation" and "Organization" in this case, but similar principle. While good might be [[AntiHero a bit of a stretch]], the Kukai Foundation aids the party multiple times and are certainly nicer than the [[ChurchMilitant U-TIC Organization]]. |
| 224 | * GoodSamaritan: This is the basis for a series of small sidequests, most involving some sort of FetchQuest or {{Minigame}}, in Episode II. It's [[LampshadeHanging even called The Global Samaritan Organization]]. |
| 225 | * GratuitousEnglish: CAUTION! I AM A BOOZER! BANZAI! BANZAI! |
| 226 | * GratuitousForeignLanguage: Doctus, and her Latin interjections. See also ForeignLanguageTitle. |
| 227 | * GratuitousFrench: Three words: ''"Ma belle peche!"'' |
| 228 | * GratuitousGerman: Quite a bit of German words appear in the script; especially when Wilhelm is involved. Also, the titles of Episodes I, II, and III as well. |
| 229 | * GreyAndGreyMorality: At the beginning of Episode III, Shion and Miyuki are working for [[spoiler: an anti-Vector terrorist organization and participating in illegal activities to expose Vector.]] [[spoiler: BigBad Wilhelm was keeping the universe and all life in it from dissipating.]] |
| 230 | * GuestStarPartyMember: Virgil, Canaan, Miyuki, and Allen. Also, Mary Godwin and a random soldier (called Soldier) in their A.G.W.S. for one part of ''Episode I''. |
| 231 | * HallOfMirrors: Combined with TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf and MirrorMonster. During Jr.'s face off with [[spoiler: Child Albedo]], he finds himself in a HallOfMirrors. At first, the mirrors shows the reflection of Jr.'s telling him to kill the other guy. Then, the [[MirrorMonster reflections change]] to show the other guy, telling Jr. the same thing. Then, Jr. shoots a mirror, to no real effect, since the other guy was never even in the room to begin with. |
| 232 | * HammerSpace: Weaponry (and other similar items) have been converted from matter to information and are stored on the UMN until they're needed, at which point they're rematerialized in normal space. |
| 233 | * HardLevelsEasyBosses: In episode 1 regular enemies can devastate your party if you are not prepared or properly leveled; even if they aren't doing much damage they can wear you down with numbers, often have enemies protected in the back row where they can't be easily damaged, and most late game enemies will spam area of effect attacks. Bosses, in contrast, are almost always a single enemy, which limits overall damage, and AGWS do not depend on character stats, so you can usually power through regardless of your levels. |
| 234 | * HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Since many of the bosses can't be defeated by just fighting them and you get a game over every time you lose, a good portion of boss battles turn out to be this. |
| 235 | * TheHeartless: [[spoiler: Gnosis. They are made of people filled with nihilism and reject the universe. If a person is touched by a Gnosis and doesn't die of "whitening", the victim becomes infected with the Gnosis' fear and anger. Over time, the victim will begin to reject everything, thus becoming a Gnosis himself/herself. Only those with "shining wills" can stop the infection. Shion survived a near-whitening in Episode I because of this (her devotion and love for Kevin), and her status as the Maiden of Mary. The other protagonists also bear shining wills, and thus are not affected by Gnosis.]] |
| 236 | * HeroesGoneFishing: |
| 237 | ** In Episode I, there is indeed a sequence where Shion goes fishing on the Kukai Foundation. |
| 238 | ** Ditto in Episode II. Made particularly aggravating because how many times you fish in this game will end up determining which "kind" of Erde Kaiser you get in the game (read: GuideDangIt). |
| 239 | * HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Shion, after finding out that she actually unleashed the Gnosis on the universe. The effect is so great that she ''then summons Abel's Ark''. NiceJobBreakingItHero]]. |
| 240 | * HeroicSacrifice: Several. |
| 241 | ** Twice in the anime adaptation. One is played so straight, it may qualify as the most powerfully staged one in the history of anime; the other one is subverted just as powerfully. |
| 242 | ** [[spoiler: Jin and KOS-MOS in the ending. She survives hers, as she has several before, being literally MadeOfIron.]] |
| 243 | ** [[spoiler: Gaignun pulled a fast one on Albedo, forcing him to reunite with Jr. while they were subduing an U-DO contaminated Yuriev, at the cost of his own life.]] |
| 244 | * HomeworldEvacuation: Earth, or Lost Jerusalem as it's called, is referred to often. Humans had to leave it because of a mysterious space-time disturbance. Its location has been long lost. At the end of the third game [[spoiler:a chunk of the party goes off searching for it, and we're left wanting another sequel.]] |
| 245 | * HopelessBossFight: The boss battle with Margulius on Pleroma is supposed to be this, but it's very possible to win against him if you know what you're doing. [[spoiler: Hint: put MOMO behind Ziggy.]] |
| 246 | * HotBlooded: Jr. and Albedo, especially when it's about fighting each other. |
| 247 | * HotterAndSexier: ''Episode III'' stands out as this, especially in comparison to ''Episode II.'' There's significantly more fanservice, certain characters have markedly more revealing outfits (e.g. Shion and even KOS-MOS), MOMO went up a couple cup sizes since the first two games (one could dismiss it as aging, but she's a Realian, and no other one has been shown to do so). |
| 248 | * HPToOne: Citrine, the number is 666 instead, but it's immediately followed up by an attack that ''does'' 666. |
| 249 | * HumanAllAlong: [[spoiler: The Gnosis are humans who died and refused to join the Collective Unconscious.]] |
| 250 | * HumongousMecha: No surprise there. |
| 251 | * HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: U-DO and Gnosis lurk in the depths of the do-everything network. |
| 252 | * ILetYouWin: The last battle with [[spoiler: Albedo]] in ''Episode II'' and pretty much all the battles with the Testaments in Episode III: you don't get the impression that you beat the particular Testament, so much as it got bored and decided to ''let you have'' the win, particularly since they essentially stand up and dust themselves off after you 'defeat' them. |
| 253 | * IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat: Albedo's first thoughts about his regeneration. Boy, did he go off the deep end when he found out the truth... |
| 254 | * IdleAnimation: In ''Episode III'' each playable character has one (in example, Shion jumps and KOS-MOS looks around) they perform when they're idle. ''Episode I'' also had idle animations for some of its in-game engine cutscenes where someone other than your player character is talking (for example, while Shion would talk to Luty, player character Junior would sit nearby, cross-legged and stretch). |
| 255 | * ImmediateSequel: Episode II begins no more than an hour or so after the end of Episode I. |
| 256 | * ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Happens once early on in ''Episode I''. Shion, trying to get back to the lab on the Woglinde during a Gnosis invasion, is fired upon by a squad of A.G.W.S and Realians. ''Each bullet misses her completely, despite everyone using automatic weapons.'' |
| 257 | * InASingleBound: KOS-MOS and T-elos, they even end up running on the walls and ceiling. |
| 258 | * InNameOnly: Xenosaga was originally thought to be a remake/a complete overhaul of the supposed VideoGame/{{Xenogears}} series, but aside from some {{Expies}} and some similarities, it doesn't really connect with it at all. Also, ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' was originally thought to be a continuation of Xenosaga when its name was announced. It turned out to be Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s way of honoring writer TetsuyaTakahashi, who wrote all three series. |
| 259 | * InexplicableTreasureChests: Plenty. Some even come out of the objects in the environment when you destroy them. |
| 260 | * InvulnerableCivilians: Inverted, most [=NPCs=] you encounter in populated areas will die sooner or later at some point in the game. |
| 261 | * ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: Digging up the Zohar, trying to send unprotected humans through the UMN, you name it. |
| 262 | * ItsUpToYou: Helmer just can't do anything himself. |
| 263 | * JigsawPuzzlePlot: Probably the biggest example in the entire genre... if not the entire medium. |
| 264 | ** The Miltian Conflict. You learn a whole lot about it over the course of the first two games, and it STILL takes ''over a third of the final game'' to finally piece together everything that happened. |
| 265 | ** ''Episode I'' essentially reveals no major information about anyone or anything. Jr.'s past and what happened with he and his fellow URTVs? Not told until ''Episode II''. What trauma did Shion go through that is alluded to during her time in KOS-MOS' subconscious? You get a couple of flashes but not the details until ''Episode III''. What exactly happened with Ziggy other than that he killed himself as a human? You don't find that out until ''Pied Piper'' (which no one played) or ''Episode III''. Why is chaos so weird? No answers until ''Episode III''. Essentially, only Shion, MOMO, and KOS-MOS have any sort of major backstory or development explained. As for story, just as unlucky. |
| 266 | * JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: "Diving" into the "subconscious domain" of many cast members is half the plot. Notably, Shion and co. delve into both Sakura and KOS-MOS's minds (though the latter becomes a general mindscrew-slash-flashback). [[spoiler: The Miltian 'time-travel' in the third game is revealed to be a journey to the center of Shion's mind.]] |
| 267 | * JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: [[spoiler:Wilhelm]]. |
| 268 | * KungFuJesus: [[spoiler: chaos]] is almost a textbook case. Not actually Jesus himself, but apparently he's [[TheManBehindTheMan the one behind the miracles]]. |
| 269 | * LargeHam: Many of the antagonists have the obligatory loud and dramatic speechifying on the topics of power and order in the Universe (Margulis, The Ormus Patriarch). However, Albedo takes the Large Ham cake, smears himself with the frosting, lops off body parts with the serving spatula for emphasis, and then hands it off to the protagonists demanding that they HURT HIM ''MORE''. |
| 270 | * LaserBlade: EnsembleDarkHorse Orgulla has one of these. Be sure to pay attention to it during the boss battle with her. |
| 271 | * LastMinuteHookup: [[spoiler:Shion and Allen.]] |
| 272 | * LastNameBasis: Everyone but Febronia calls Virgil either "Lt. Virgil" or "Virgil," his first name being Luis. |
| 273 | * LazyBackup: In ''Episode I'' the player could only have the three characters that they set as combatants battle. When they die, it's game over, even if the other three characters are also there with them. In ''Episode II'' and ''Episode III'', they can switch characters out, but only if they're not dead and don't have status ailments. Of course, in all three games, the player can switch them to their hearts content out of battle. |
| 274 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Quite a few characters have their own theme song and, in most cases, it's named after them. Notable examples are Albedo, Sakura, and Nephilim. Songs can be heard here: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAQGCM-IyOE Al]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da3T1CkQc7I be]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGgY5RFPz4 do]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZBT37NtNZg Sa]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJ15BSSI9M ku]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqo55irG5g0 r]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugVOWQObcoM a]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqjCT2yB3i8 Ne]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1R-UrpUzHA ph]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns23O8HpjFU il]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ082yMpGC0 im]]. |
| 275 | * LetsSplitUpGang: During the Encephalon dive in Episode I, the party splits into two to explore. Also, in Episode III, there's a [[SecretLevel Secret Dungeon]] that's just a bunch of rooms with puzzles based off of this concept. Both times they didn't have much of a choice, though. |
| 276 | * LevelGrinding: Of course, opinion varies regarding exactly when and how much is needed, but there are points where it's needed. |
| 277 | * LikableVillain: Virgil (after some CharacterDevelopment) and Pellegri. |
| 278 | * LiteraryAllusionTitle: The sub-titles of all the games are, as noted above, references to books by Nietzsche. [[GratuitousGerman In the original German.]] And then there's Pied Piper. |
| 279 | * LonersAreFreaks: [[AllThereInTheManual Lo' and behold!]] [[spoiler:Gnosis are souls who reject the AssimilationPlot, and when there are too many of them, Class-Z apocalypse ensue.]] |
| 280 | * LoreCodex: ''III'' has the Xenobible, which fills in the player with all the major characters and plot elements that happened over the course of the first two games in the series. |
| 281 | * LoveMakesYouEvil: [[spoiler: Keven could be a good example. All of the things he does: Killing himself, helping destroy Old Miltia, destroying KOS-MOS, and mentally ruining Shion just to save her life from the same thing her mom died of. Before Shion, he was willing to do it to bring back his mom.]] |
| 282 | * LuckBasedMission: ES Levi's special attack Blazing Judgement is an almost-guaranteed OneHitKill if it strikes an ES that isn't guarding. Unfortunately, it's entirely possible that the ES he is going to target will simply not get a turn between Margulis activating his Anima Awakening and unleashing the attack. |
| 283 | * MacGuffinDeliveryService: [[spoiler: ''The entire series!'']] |
| 284 | * MadeOfExplodium: Mechanical enemies generally explode and disappear when killed. In the first two games, a shower of blood accompanied any human deaths. |
| 285 | * MagicFromTechnology: Ether. |
| 286 | * {{Magitek}}: The UMN is a SubspaceAnsible network [[spoiler: literally built on the Collective Unconscious]], also responsible for many of the Ether effects mentioned above, as well as teleportation and FasterThanLightTravel. |
| 287 | * MalevolentMaskedMen: The Testaments are this; they're even referred to by the color of their robe and mask. While portrayed as just mysterious masked men in the beginning of the series, by Episode III, they're definitely antagonists. |
| 288 | * ManipulativeBastard: This game has plenty of them. [[spoiler: Kevin outdoes them all, however.]] |
| 289 | * MarathonLevel: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon of ''Episode III'' sees Shion and company traipsing through a ruined city, a church, and a series of spacious underground facilities, all while facing a grand total of ''seven'' [[ClimaxBoss Climax Bosses]] before the FinalBoss. |
| 290 | * MeaningfulName: Where does one even begin? There's KOS-MOS, chaos, and T-elos; Nephilim, as well as the name of the Zohar Emulators and the E.S.'s. Also, Gaignun's name comes from the horse in ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland''. Horses are generally used as a means of transport. What does Gaignun provide? The Durandal and, by extension, the Elsa. The characters' main means of transport throughout the series. |
| 291 | ** And as a much more direct example that reveals a character's secret: Roth Mantel [[spoiler: is GratuitousGerman for "Red Cloak" a.k.a. [[TheDragon Red Testament]]]] |
| 292 | * MementoMacGuffin: [[spoiler: Kevin giving Shion the pendant his mom gave him. It is, in fact, a cause as to why most events in the series relating to Shion happens.]] |
| 293 | * MindRape: |
| 294 | ** Albedo does this to [[spoiler: MOMO]] at the end of the first Episode to recover the Y-data. Bits of the scene were removed in the NA version because it, well, looks a lot like rape. [[spoiler: During the final MindScrew confrontation with Jr.]], Albedo says, "I bet she'd like it if you did it" to Jr., solidifying the aforementioned event as rape. |
| 295 | ** Also, the [[BrownNote usual consequences]] of contacting U-DO would qualify. |
| 296 | * MindScrew:... A big one. |
| 297 | * {{Minigame}}: Each of the three episodes has their own sets. Highlights include Xenocard from Episode I, which is a fully featured TCG and a puzzle game of sorts in Episode III, called [=HaKox=], where you move blocks to make sure the characters make it to the end of the level. Episode I also had an arcady mech shooting game. |
| 298 | * MiniBoss: It can be hard to discern these fights and actual boss fights at times. |
| 299 | * MiniMecha: In the first and third game, 4-6 m humanoid battle mecha, called A.W.G.S. are seen. In the first game, all characters except Ziggy and KOS-MOS can pilot them. One of the best depictions of the concept yet displayed in gaming. |
| 300 | * MortonsFork: Voyager offers one of these to Jan at the end of Pied Piper. He [[TakeAThirdOption takes a third option]]. |
| 301 | * TheMotherShip: The Gnosis Cathedral Ships for, you guessed it, the Gnosis. |
| 302 | * MovingAwayEnding: ''Episode III'' mixes this with AndTheAdventureContinues as it ends with Shion beginning her journey to Lost Jerusalem with Allen, Jr. and the Elsa crew accompanying her, while the rest of their friends stay behind in the [[PlanetSpaceship Dämmerung]]. |
| 303 | * MusicalNod: The soundtrack to ''Episode I'' contains a few to the soundtrack of ''Xenogears'', both of them being composed by Yasunori Mitsuda: |
| 304 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mawsXOEbne4 Prologue]]" in ''Episode I'' bears structural similarities to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhGLbYe-oDU Light from the Netherworld]]" in ''Xenogears''; each theme is played during the game's respective DistantPrologue. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM9usYQJHtI Opening]]" contains a brief paraphrase of Deus's theme at the end, and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM9usYQJHtI Awakening]]" also hints at "LftN". |
| 305 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHefq05Div0 Margulis]]" bears structural and rhythmic similarities to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN6z3jJ7ENw Grahf, Emperor of Darkness]]"; each is the theme of a major villain in its respective game. |
| 306 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzVA4tDyVXk Nephilim]]" bear structural similarities to "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIF2crvBSDU June Mermaid]]"; both are leitmotifs for mysterious little girls who are Really700YearsOld. |
| 307 | ** The opening of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWfrQEyS9A4 Last Battle]]" takes inspiration from "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19swM5L7_UQ One Who Bears Fangs at God]]". |
| 308 | ** And of course, both "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmUgU7eXeus Pain]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAVApcrgFzs Kokoro]]" recall "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmO_H4sPjJI Small of Two Pieces]]", right down to using the same vocalist. |
| 309 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Pretty much how Shion reacts when she realizes that [[spoiler: she was the one who summoned the Gnosis to Old Militia when she was a child by performing a BigNo. This leads her to do another BigNo, which causes [[NiceJobBreakingItHero ''more'' bad things to happen]], leading to her suffering a HeroicBSOD.]] |
| 310 | * MyRulesAreNotYourRules: In regards to boosting, at least, because the enemies can boost over you, no matter what. Did you boost first? Too bad! The computer decided to override you and boost itself! And you cannot override the computer! This naturally includes bosses too, where boosting could be very crucial. This can lead to the boss attacking three times and leaving you almost dead with sometimes only one chance to heal yourself between turns. It's especially egregious in ''Episode II'' where the enemy party's boost meter is visible, and yet in some cases they can still boost even if they have no charges available. |
| 311 | * MythologyGag: Being intended as a successor series to ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', the series references it quite a bit: |
| 312 | ** Jin Uzuki is quite an obvious {{Expy}} of Citan Uzuki (nee Hyuga Rikudou), sharing his surname, design, aspects of his personality, and even [[Creator/HideyukiTanaka voice actor]]. On the other hand, he's also somewhat of a subversion, as whereas Citan was hyper-competent with a beautiful wife & daughter & successful practice as a town doctor, Jin is a layabout who washed out of the medical profession, had a lousy relationship with his family, and the only woman he ever loved wound up trying to kill him. |
| 313 | ** Junior is a CompositeCharacter of Billy Lee Black and Bart Fatima, drawing upon the former's design, religious imagery, and [[TheGunslinger gun-focused gameplay]], and the latter's personality and status (for example also being addressed as "Little Master" and being in charge of his own red-colored ship). |
| 314 | ** Nephilim is Elly's {{Expy}}, sharing her design and voice. Likewise, Abel is Fei's {{Expy}}, and while he does not share his voice actor Creator/HikaruMidorikawa due to being a child, U-DO, which is this game's version of the Existence, and which uses Abel as an avatar, does. |
| 315 | ** Vanderkam and Hammer are direct {{Expies}} of their namesakes, except this time Hammer is a human. |
| 316 | ** The ArcWords "You shall be as gods" appear several times in ''Xenosaga''. |
| 317 | ** Proto Merkabah is a clear reference to ''Xenogears''' Merkava, even sharing the same general design. |
| 318 | ** Omega being a superweapon powered by the Zohar makes it the analogue of Deus. Omega Metempsychosis, the proper final boss of the game, looks almost identical to Deus's final stage, and just as Final Deus had two angels growing out of its hands, Omega Metempsychosis has lookalikes of Weltall and Vierge tethered to its hands to boot. Likewise, Omega's variants, Universitas, and its more powerful transformation Omega-Id, are more or less direct copies of Fei's gear, the Weltall, right down to the fighting style. |
| 319 | * Hyams Corporation takes its name from the same root Hebrew word "Hayyim" that makes up half of Elly's real name (Elehayym) in ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. |
| 320 | * {{Nanotechnology}}: A background element to the story. It's the go-to explanation for everything from every from how Ethers/Techs work to how come there are so many habitable planets in the universe to why does everyone have such [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes Impossibly Clean Clothes]]? |
| 321 | * NewNeoCity: The series employs a variation of this when it comes to naming places after other places. A numerical designation is attached to the new settlement. Examples include Second Miltia and Fifth Jerusalem. EarthThatWas is know in-universe as Lost Jerusalem. |
| 322 | ** It's never explained what happened to Second Jerusalem through Fourth Jerusalem. |
| 323 | * NoodleIncident: |
| 324 | ** What happened between Margulis, Jin and their master (who was also Jin and Shion's grandfather). Jin states that Margulis "betrayed" their master, but it's never stated if he meant betraying his principles, he killed him or otherwise. |
| 325 | ** What happened at Miltia starts off as this, but we eventually learn what occurred there. |
| 326 | * NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: |
| 327 | ** Kevin took the plans for KOS-MOS to his grave, so in order to continue his work, Shion had to reverse-engineer the prototype [[spoiler:that killed him.]] |
| 328 | *** However, [[spoiler: Kevin, when he was made a Testament, used his plans to create T-elos so she could destroy KOS-MOS.]] |
| 329 | ** The Federation, meanwhile, has most of Joachim Mizrahi's works on file (except for the Y-Data) and produces several Ω's and Merkabahs, even making some improvements between versions. |
| 330 | * NotNowWereTooBusyCryingOverYou: Something similar happens in the end of the anime: Everyone (particularly Shion) is very busy crying for [[spoiler:KOS-MOS]], who has seemingly pulled off a HeroicSacrifice, when a communications officer spots her walking calmly on the ship's hull. He tries telling the others but TheCaptain orders him to shut up and not ruin the moment at first. |
| 331 | * NumberedSequel: ''Episode I'', ''Episode II'', and ''Episode III'' all have numbers in their titles. |
| 332 | * OldSaveBonus: Xenosaga II gives the player bonus skill points and KOS-MOS and Ziggy's swimsuits, all excellent incentives. Xenosaga III, however, just gives you a Vector Uniform that changes Shion's appearance. |
| 333 | * OminousLatinChanting: Some feature Latin that's more upbeat and action-y, but other songs in the series fit this trope better; for example, the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAF3k7ak55U Testament]] |
| 334 | ** Episode I uses real Latin text from several Psalms, and a truncated version of the Gloria Patri. Episodes II and III use the Latin-ish sounding invented language "kajiuran." |
| 335 | * OneGameForThePriceOfTwo: The series consists of three separate games, of which only Episodes I and III are long enough to qualify as full-length [=RPGs=]. Episodes I and II were originally intended to be a single game which was subsequently split in two. The so-called "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXDk8ufe7I8 8 Minutes and 8 Seconds]]" trailer for Episode I showcased events such as Jin and Margulis's sword duel and the activation of Proto-Ω--two events which occur near the climax of Episode II. The combined Episodes I&II were later released as a Platform/NintendoDS game, [[NoExportForYou which never made it out of Japan]]. |
| 336 | * OneSteveLimit: Averted with Mary Godwin [[spoiler:and Mary Magdalene]]. |
| 337 | * OncePerEpisode: Quite a few. |
| 338 | ** KOS-MOS gets a frame upgrade. |
| 339 | ** The Elsa has a dramatic escape sequence. |
| 340 | ** KOS-MOS stays behind to save everyone, who has conveniently forgot that she's a robot and can be rebuilt. |
| 341 | ** Finding and unlocking Segment Addresses, usually related to... |
| 342 | ** Building Erde Kaiser (first two episodes; in the 3rd, you just find all three previous robots) or fighting Erde Kaiser (last two episodes). |
| 343 | ** Wilhelm makes [[VaguenessIsComing vaguely prophetic proclamations]]. |
| 344 | ** One or more members of the party put on a swimsuit. |
| 345 | ** The party explores someone's subconscious through Encephalon dive, which is a mild example of a MarathonLevel (they have save points, but they're pretty long levels for a main game segment). |
| 346 | ** Fight against Margulis. |
| 347 | ** Albedo dies. |
| 348 | * TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Between Jin and Margulis, as well as between Rubedo and Albedo. In Rubedo (Jr.)'s case, due to his power, he IS the only person who can kill Albedo for good. |
| 349 | * OnlyOneName: chaos ([[spoiler:Yeshua]]), Margulis, Pelegri, Sergius, Heinlein, and Sellers. Meanwhile KOS-MOS and T-elos are simply product designations, and MOMO's legal name is MOMO Mizrahi. |
| 350 | * OutOfFocus: Unfortunately, it seems every party member aside from Shion, Jr., and KOS-MOS is gradually forced out of the spotlight, especially in Episode III. |
| 351 | * PalmtreePanic: Pedea Island in the beginning of the third game, which really contrasts with the whole futuristic outerspace setting of the series. |
| 352 | * PalsWithJesus: [[spoiler: Every playable character and Wilhelm, since chaos is Jesus (the one who did the miracles, not the public figure who everyone thought did the miracles). Also, Shion was the Maiden of Mary (Magdelene) in one of her past lives. Furthermore, since Mary Magdelene's consciousness was reborn within KOS-MOS, it happens ''twice''.]] |
| 353 | * PlanetSpaceship: The ''Dammerung'' is described in the accompanying Perfect Works manual as an artificial planet the size of Lebanon. It's the headquarters for {{Fiction 500}} company Vector, and contains at least one megalopolis in an area large enough to have a real weather system. |
| 354 | * PlayerHeadquarters: The Elsa is how the MainCharacters move around the setting so it is present for many scenes. It has save points, shops, [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TraumaInn Trauma Inns]], and other features like a café. |
| 355 | * PlotRelevantAgeUp: This was supposed to happen to Jr. at some time in the series, but eventually got scrapped. [[spoiler:(Although it happens briefly in Episode III, when Nigredo shows Rubedo (Rubedo's) true form.).]] |
| 356 | * PreexistingEncounters |
| 357 | * PuppyLove: Jr. and MOMO make up something of a BetaCouple. It should be noted that MOMO is an artificial human and Jr. is actually in his twenties but stopped his aging long before then but they ''look'' the same age and Jr doesn't act his age. |
| 358 | * PuzzleBoss: Most of the bosses in ''Episode I'' and ''Episode II''. Plus, they were pretty damn original too. |
| 359 | * PuzzleReset: Most of the puzzles in each dungeon have a reset button if you mess up. |
| 360 | * QuadDamage: Quite literal in Episode III's Blood Dancer ability. |
| 361 | * RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Your party consists of an android, a SuperPrototype artificial human, a cyborg, a different type of artificial human clone, a samurai, a GeniusBruiser martial artist scientist, and [[spoiler: Jesus, or at least, the guy who performed Jesus' miracles on his behalf]]. |
| 362 | * ReactorBoss: The FinalBoss of ''Episode I'' is ''born'' from the reactor thanks to [[spoiler: Albedo's hand in it]]. |
| 363 | * ReadTheFinePrint: How Ziggy found himself a resurrected cyborg in an age of cloned Realians and MagicFromTechnology. He volunteered to become an organ donor, forgot about the paperwork, [[spoiler:took his own life after his son was murdered by Voyager]] and found himself in a futuristic robo-body as a scientific toy. |
| 364 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: |
| 365 | ** Jr., and as later revealed, [[spoiler: chaos and Wilhelm]] |
| 366 | ** According to the ingame encyclopedia, medicine has advanced to the point where everyone lives for hundreds of years. [[spoiler: This makes the ending to Episode III where some of the characters travel on a journey that could be hundreds of years long possible.]] |
| 367 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Helmer and Juli. |
| 368 | * RecurringBoss: Albedo, Margulis, and Pellegri. You're guaranteed to fight them at least once per game. |
| 369 | * RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler: Albedo does this '''three times''' and every time it looks like he's gone for good,]] however, [[spoiler: he just won't stay dead-- He's molecularly reassembled by the Testaments, killed again by Jr., brought back as a Testament himself and dies again when his mind is absorbed by Jr. and his body is obliterated]]. |
| 370 | * ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: The entire series, and even moreso its predecessor ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'', are heavily influenced by Gnosticism. Proper names and even the overall mythology of the series reflects Gnostic cosmology. |
| 371 | * RememberTheNewGuy: Doctus. In all fairness, the web-based side story that properly introduces her in advance of ''Episode III'' [[NoExportForYou was never released state-side]]... officially. |
| 372 | ** The E.S. robots in Episode II. They are relevant to the plot, but they appeared out of nowhere. Albedo's E.S. Simeon is featured prominently throughout ''Episode I'', and while the game's onboard encyclopedia hints that there's ''something'' out of the ordinary with it (and it's clearly shown to not be an ordinary machine given that it does better against the Gnosis than an entire Federation fleet), it's not confirmed to be an E.S. until ''Episode II''. |
| 373 | * RemoteBody: Doctus, again. It's revealed in ''A Missing Year'' that she constantly uses android doubles. |
| 374 | ** [[spoiler:Joshua, Wilhelm's personal mecha, is also an extension of his body]]. |
| 375 | * ReplacementGoldfish: A few of them. |
| 376 | ** [[spoiler:MOMO (and the Kirschwassers to an extent) are made into this for Sakura by Jr., Albedo, Joachim, and Juli. She's also made into a replacement goldfish for Ziggy's dead son Joaquin.]] |
| 377 | ** Meanwhile, [[spoiler:T-elos is created as a replacement goldfish for KOS-MOS after she "fails" whatever arbitrary requirements Wilhelm placed on her. KOS-MOS and T-elos together are simultaneously replacement goldfishes for Mary Magdalene and Kevin's mother]]. |
| 378 | ** [[spoiler:One of the major stumbling blocks to [[SpannerInTheWorks Allen]]'s courtship of Shion is his fear of coming off as/being made into a replacement goldfish for Kevin. Kevin [[UnexplainedRecovery turning up alive and well]] and turning out to be a [[JerkAss complete douchebag]] helped his case a bit, though]]. |
| 379 | ** Another example is at the end of Episode II when [[spoiler: Albedo dies, causing Jr. to get Alby, a little ''white'' dog.]] |
| 380 | * ReTool: Due to ''Episode I'' not selling exactly how Namco wanted it and many staff changes, as well as the desire to make ''Episode II'' more mainstream, that ''Episode'' had a retooled battle system, new script writers, a new composer, and only told a fraction of a story (Disc 1 can be completed in 6 hours without skipping a cutscene), compared to ''Episode I'' which had a lot of plot (and was on one disc). Strangely, they still managed to keep the StoryToGameplayRatio about the same. |
| 381 | * ReviveKillsZombie: The most common way people kill the Larva Doll and Larva Face monsters is by healing them, however you can also use KOS-MOS's Gate Ether on them as well, which is actually more helpful because when used on the Larva Doll, they get killed instead of turning into Larva Face. |
| 382 | * RewardingVandalism: All kinds of goodies pop out of destructibles, including entire treasure chests. {{Lampshaded}} by a police officer NPC in Episode I, who states she's investigating the destruction of vending machines in the area. |
| 383 | * RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Shion's preferred avatar when using the UMN is cute white bunnie character who shows up in numerous parts of the games. It generally doesn't serve any terribly important purposes, but it does represent the Save-states on the [=PS2=]'s memory card. |
| 384 | * RidiculouslyHumanRobots: |
| 385 | ** The Realians. They range from emotionally vacant servants (The Kirschwassers, Canaan, and most "Weapons-Grade Realians") to being nearly indistinguishable from humans (MOMO, Febronia). |
| 386 | ** KOS-MOS also falls into this trope. [[spoiler:She was designed to be as human as possible in order to be the host body for the resurrected consciousness of Mary Magdalene]]. |
| 387 | * RoboFamily: MOMO's relationship with the Kirschwassers who preceded her is akin to sisterhood. |
| 388 | * SadBattleMusic: The battle between KOS-MOS and T-elos in the third installment. While their previous battles were accompanied by intense music, their final confrontation has the melancholic "Hepatica" playing. |
| 389 | * SatanIsGood: TheAntiChrist's sole purpose is to ensure the survival of our universe. [[spoiler: Still doesn't stop him from being the WellIntentionedExtremist BigBad.]] |
| 390 | * SayMyName: |
| 391 | ** '''UZUKIIIIIIIIII'''!!! |
| 392 | ** ALBEDOOOOOOOOO!!!! |
| 393 | ** KOOOS-MOOOS!! |
| 394 | ** U-DOOOOOO... |
| 395 | ** VOYAGEEEEEEEEERRRR!! |
| 396 | * ScrewDestiny: The final, decision of the characters--to find their ''own'' way to save the universe. |
| 397 | * SealedEvilInACan: Proto Omega, once under Ormus control. |
| 398 | * SecretIdentity: [[spoiler: The Testaments]] have these. Even though each identity is eventually made known to the heroes, everyone else has no idea who they are. Also, [[spoiler: The Red Testament]] disguises himself as a scientist named [[spoiler: Roth Mantel, however this has its own reveal separate from the Red Testament revealing that he's, in fact, Kevin Winnicott.]] |
| 399 | * SerialEscalation: How many more religious references can get thrown in the game? How much more is there to learn about the main characters? How much more epic can the space battles get? How much more big and powerful can the robots get? [[spoiler: Try one that destroys an entire planet upon awakening!]] This series does a lot of this. |
| 400 | * ShatteredWorld: The Floating Landmass/Rennes le Chateau from Episode III is thought to be a broken piece of [[spoiler: Lost Jerusalem]]. However, no one seems to live on it. |
| 401 | * ShirtlessScene: Kevin, of all people, had one of these in a oh-so-suggestive scene with Shion, and that shirt seems to be the only thing that ''Shion'' is wearing other than panties. |
| 402 | * ShootingSuperman: Many mooks and red shirts keep shooting at gnosis even when it's clear that they are MadeOfAir. |
| 403 | ** Somewhat justified since Gnosis bodies do make sporadic contact with our universe without the Hilbert Effect. The odds of hitting anything are absurdly low, but not impossible. This is what A.G.W.S. units have DSSS sensors for: to predict where these exposed spots will appear. |
| 404 | * ShoutOut: |
| 405 | ** ShoutOutToShakespeare: Jr and Albedo. |
| 406 | ** In a flashback Ziggy has early in Episode I, there's an artificial dog whose model number is [[Film/BladeRunner Nexus 6]]. |
| 407 | ** ShoutOut to ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'': In Episode I's database, it's mentioned that, in the official records, Gaignun is listed as the heir to the industrialist Soze Kukai. [[spoiler: It, along with Gaignun taking up the name Kukai, is just part of the charade set up to make the Kukai Foundation look better during its inception. So, Soze didn't really exist.]] |
| 408 | ** Also, Jr.'s first lines in Episode I are a direct quotation of ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz''. |
| 409 | ** The Bakery Smile on the Kukai Foundation uses Pac-Man on their bakery sign as a sort of border. |
| 410 | ** There's a ShoutOut for ''Theatre/{{Antigone}}''/ the ''Theatre/{{Oedipus|Rex}}'' cycle: One type of Mooks (Vive II Prototype) has two beam attacks. One's called Antigone, the other is Ismene. Interestingly, you find this type in the [[KnightTemplar Ormus Stronghold]] in Episode II. |
| 411 | ** The hand grenades used by Margulis' HumongousMecha are identical to those used by the Zaku II in the original Franchise/{{Gundam}} series. |
| 412 | ** Mai Magus and Leupold in Episode III are a homage to Maria and Seibzehn from Xenogears. |
| 413 | ** Proto Merkabah and the incomplete Merkabah are reminiscent of the Death Star and Death Star II. |
| 414 | ** Professor Haksheen White is like Dr. Light/Right from VideoGame/MegaManClassic. |
| 415 | ** The Zohar is a giant [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey monolith]]. This reference is shared with Xenogears. |
| 416 | ** Sellers is a dead ringer for Dr. Strangelove (the character), portrayed by, whaddayaknow, Peter Sellers. |
| 417 | ** MOMO's bow in Episode II is labeled (in the official renders) as being made by [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Legolas]] Manufacturers. |
| 418 | ** One of the guns you can buy for Jr. in Episode III is called the [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Legacy of Zara]]. |
| 419 | ** Yuriev's takeover of the Durandal in ''Episode III'' seems to reference the sequence in which JSSDF forces take over NERV headquarters in ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion The End of Evangelion]]''. |
| 420 | ** Several significant players in the plot, such as Ormus and Rennes-les-Chateaux, are named for concepts from "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail]]", the pseudohistory which inspired ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode''. |
| 421 | ** In addition to being a reference to ''Literature/TheSongOfRoland'', Gaignun's name also homages the mentorly Guinan from ''Franchise/StarTrek'', whose name is spelled the same in Japanese. |
| 422 | * SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer: Xenocard. And Hakox. |
| 423 | ** An in-game example. Remember when MOMO and Ziggy were being chased and Shion saved them in the Elsa? That's all from the experience she gained from the crane mini-game. |
| 424 | * SmokingIsCool: Captain Matthew's cigarettes spew a LOT of smoke for no adequately explained reason. Maybe they're the opposite of smokeless cigarettes? |
| 425 | * SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Their durability increases much faster than their levels too. |
| 426 | * TheWorldIsJustAwesome: The scene where Nephilim takes you through space and shows you [[spoiler: KOS-MOS destroying a planet in the future]] is just full of this. Complete with the characters literally standing on nothing yet still attached to the ground and the background detail showing many planets, cosmos, and stars compared to the rest of the space scenes in the game, which just show some stars. It looks, well, awesome. |
| 427 | * SpaceIsNoisy: Played straight, but subverted occasionally [[spoiler:in Episode 1 when blue-eyed KOS-MOS asks Shion if feeling pain would make her "complete," Shion can't hear her. There's also the case with chaos' talk with Wilhelm at the end of Episode 2, though chaos and Wilhelm aren't normal in the first place.]] |
| 428 | * SpaceWhale: The Gnosis Cathedral Ships. |
| 429 | * SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: Allen, who barely qualifies as a MauveShirt, manages to completely ruin a centuries long scheme, by getting the beating of a lifetime. Stopping Shion's FaceHeelTurn, as mentioned before, and allowing the others to stop the BigBad as well as pound Kevin's face in.]] [[spoiler:''Maybe''. Wilhelm's plan may have been to have things Recur until such Spanner revealed itself though the evolution of the Collective Unconscious. If that's the case, it really isn't a Spanner as Wilhelm was ''expecting'' it. However, the one thing that Wilhelm could not expect was U-DO's intervention. While everything resets during recurrence, U-DO doesn't. Therefore, U-DO behaves differently with each iteration.]] |
| 430 | ** [[spoiler:[[AllThereInTheManual The Perfect Works]] states outright that since Wilhelm himself is part of the "lower domain" that gets reset, he can't remember previous iterations, either. Therefore, he can't ''plan'' anything beyond the reset, although he can certainly hope...]] |
| 431 | * SplitPersonality: |
| 432 | ** Orgulla shows this. Too bad she was a OneSceneWonder boss, though. |
| 433 | ** Also, [[spoiler: KOS-MOS]] has this, but it's not exactly the same... |
| 434 | * StableTimeLoop: According to supplemental material in the third game, [[spoiler: Wilhelm has forged ''the entire history of the universe'' into one]]. |
| 435 | ** [[spoiler:Although since the only connection between the different iterations is through U-DO how 'stable' the loops actually ''are'' is debatable.]] |
| 436 | * StalkerWithACrush: Albedo to Jr., again. Boy, is it obsessive! |
| 437 | ** Also with Kevin in regard to Shion. When she goes somewhere, there's a good chance he'll be somewhere nearby... |
| 438 | * StarfishAliens: The Gnosis appear to be this when they are first introduced. [[spoiler: They are later revealed to be [[WasOnceAMan humans]] warped through their consciousness losing its connection to the Collective Subconscious.]] |
| 439 | * StarshipLuxurious: Most of the ships, especially those owned by the Kukai Foundation, are very guilty of this. In-game information on the ''Elsa'' says it was converted from a luxury cruise ship. The ''Durandal'', meanwhile, is not only the Kukai Foundation's flagship, but when docked it's also the Foundation's ''home office and engine''. As for the ''Dämmerung'', it's Vector's company HQ, and Vector pimps out '''everything''' they make. [- (See: [[SwissArmyWeapon the MWS]], Miyuki's answer to a can of mace and a rape-whistle.) -] It's also of a size that it legally qualifies as an [[ThatsNoMoon artificial planet]]. Considering the ''Dämmerung'' has a graveyard and a thriving metropolis in it, it probably wouldn't be a far stretch to say that it also has a farm somewhere in it to make it more self-sufficient. Well, when your ship is about 1000 square km--about the size of the nation of Lebanon--I'm sure you can fit a farm or two in there. An entire dungeon mid-way through ''Episode II'' consists of a trip through the ''Dämmerung'''s interior. |
| 440 | * StockSoundEffects: Definitely noticable in ''Episode II'', which includes the ''WOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH'' of a spaceship flying by that's been heard in a million places before. |
| 441 | * StoryToGameplayRatio: ''Very'' high. Cutscenes can run upwards of twenty minutes, then lead straight into ''another'' one. As a pre-order bonus for the second game, a DVD of the first game's cut scenes was offered to get new players up to speed on the plot. The disc runs ''upwards of four hours''. Impressive enough-- until you realize that it omits a hefty chunk of the 'non-essential' scenes. Left in, it probably would have become a (prohibitively expensive) DVD ''set''. When you reach the last dungeon in Episode I and are able to revisit all the areas you had been to, it's surprising to find out that you had only been to two ships, two resting areas, and about a handful of dungeons. |
| 442 | ** A Website/YouTube user decided to put up every cutscene and compile them into a long movie. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvbXiOvWFp0 Episode 1]] is seven hours and nine minutes long. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPWCJ-ybDro Episode 2]] is just under four and a half hours. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4xGqTk_h5s Episode 3]] is almost NINE HOURS. |
| 443 | ** One gets the impression that somebody remembered how well the cutscene-and-dialogue second disk of Xenogears worked out when they were running short of money and time, and decided to make a series entirely in that style. |
| 444 | * {{Stripperific}}: |
| 445 | ** Both androids turn up the sex appeal in Episode 3. |
| 446 | ** Shion's outfit gets more stripperific with each installment sans Episode II where her outfit is more business casual. |
| 447 | * SuddenlyVoiced: The Professor and Scott, his assistant, are suddenly voiced and given decent roles in Episode III, when they were only present mostly in the Erde Kaiser sidequests (and spoke through text boxes) in the previous games. |
| 448 | * SuicideByCop: [[spoiler: Albedo's real goal is to provoke Jr. into [[WhoWantsToLiveForever finally]] [[DeathSeeker killing him]].]] If you really want to get down to technicalities, then [[spoiler: KOS-MOS and T-elos]]. |
| 449 | * SummonMagic: This is how you call the Erde Kaiser(s) into battle. |
| 450 | * SuperPrototype: MOMO is this for 100-series Realians, having stronger and unique abilities, including [[spoiler:being able to have children]]. |
| 451 | * SuperRobot / CombiningMecha: Erde Kaiser, gained via a subquest presented in episodes full of bizarre dialogue, and completely at odds with the entire rest of the universe. |
| 452 | * SuperSoldier: Combat Realians, the [=URTVs=], and [[spoiler: Commander Cherenkov]] count. |
| 453 | * SwissArmyGun: Shion's weapon does about everything but make breakfast for her. |
| 454 | * TakeYourTime: Well, duh. It's a JRPG. |
| 455 | %% (Administrivia/ZeroContextExample) * TechnoBabble |
| 456 | * TemporaryPartyMemberToVillain: It goes the extra mile by making this trope span multiple games. Lt. Virgil joins the team briefly before getting killed by a party member. He is next run into in another game as The Blue Testament after one of the big bad plotters revived him with and gave him a super power boost. |
| 457 | * ThemeNaming: |
| 458 | ** Albedo, Rubedo, Nigredo and Citrine (feminized from Citrinitas) are all stages in the psychological process of alchemy described by philosopher C.J. Jung. |
| 459 | ** The E.S. units are all named after Jacob's children (from book 1 of Literature/TheBible). Or the Twelve Tribes of Israel, which is the same difference. |
| 460 | ** Mary and Shelley Godwin, Gaignun's aides and former science guinea pigs, are both named for the author of Frankenstein. |
| 461 | ** KOS-MOS and T-elos, named for the Greek words meaning "order" (as in structure) and "purpose." Further theme naming between KOS-MOS and chaos. |
| 462 | ** Yet more -- most of the female characters are named after flowers/plants. Shion (a type of daisy), KOS-MOS (Well, cosmos, a type of aster), MOMO (peach), Sakura (cherry blossom), Juli (a Germanised version of "Yuri", Japanese for lily). Aoi (Shion's mother) is hollyhock/alcea. |
| 463 | ** The Zohar Replicas are named after the twelve apostles of Jesus. |
| 464 | * ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Almost played straight by a Gnosis at the end of Episode III [[spoiler: while it DOES go cleanly through Jin, who manages to pull it out and fight back with it, it takes a jab with the Gnosis's second sword to kill him.]] |
| 465 | * TimeAbyss: [[spoiler:chaos, Wilhelm and U-DO are not only immortal, and not only live through the entire lifespan of the universe, but they're the only ones who come out the other end of Wilhelm's StableTimeLoop cognizant of everything that's happened in the previous cycle]]. |
| 466 | * TimedMission: One: The escape from the Ormus Stronghold in ''Episode II'' is timed, since it was just rigged to blow. |
| 467 | * ToBecomeHuman: |
| 468 | ** Inverted with Ziggy. Ziggurat 8 ("Ziggy" for short) wants to ''remove'' what is left of his humanity by replacing all of his organic parts with mechanical ones. |
| 469 | ** MOMO counts as this. In a flashback, Joachim Mizrahi is heard telling her that if she does good deeds she could become human (or, in his words, "become my Sakura"). |
| 470 | * TokenMinority: |
| 471 | ** Helmer and chaos. Helmer is probably of African American descent and chaos is most likely Jewish. Makes sense for the latter since [[spoiler: he's the guy behind Jesus]] |
| 472 | ** Shion and Jin Uzuki, and Juli Mizrahi are Japanese, while Joachim Mizrahi is AmbiguouslyJewish, and Mary Godwin is southern American. How these nationalities/ethnicities are still around and distinct 5,000 years into the future is anybody's guess, but nobody in-universe seems to notice or care. |
| 473 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: Shion and Jin apparently ''love'' curry. In fact, they both cook it, and most food scenes in the series involve curry, be it a regular dinner or a YourFavorite type of scene. |
| 474 | * TragicKeepsake: The pendant Kevin's mom gave to him. His glasses and pendant to Shion as well. |
| 475 | * TragicMonster: [[spoiler: Cherenkov, after transforming into a Gnosis.]] Also doubles as ThatOneBoss for many players. |
| 476 | * {{Tuckerization}}: Tony is named and based on a personal friend of creator Tetsuya Takahashi. |
| 477 | * TurnsRed: All Bosses in Episode III become more powerful as their health bars decrease. It's usually accompanied by some verbal cue from the enemy as well. Secret uber-boss Ω Universitas literally turns red when it becomes Ω ID. |
| 478 | * TheUnfought: |
| 479 | ** Out of the ''many'' antagonists in the series, only [[spoiler: Sellers and Wilhelm]] are not fought in battle. Yes, even the MadScientist and the Evil Priest are fought... outside of any A.G.W.S. or E.S., for that matter. |
| 480 | ** You also never encounter two of the E.S. in battle, [[spoiler: Judah (which is supposed to be insanely powerful) and the remolded Simeon. You also never fight Joshua (which is an extension of Wilhelm's physical body) so Wilhelm dodges a fight on both fronts]]. |
| 481 | ** A minor example, but you never fight the giant whale-shaped Gnosis which are seen in cutscenes, unlike all the other species that do appear as regular enemies. |
| 482 | * UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The kid gunslinger and the samurai cosplayer (or, in III, the guy in Chinese robes still carrying a katana) really should inspire more comment. You'd also think ''someone'' should comment on the 100-series with the non-standard palette. |
| 483 | * UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Pretty much everyone under Wilhelm's GambitRoulette, though he has a [[XanatosGambit win-win situation]] in that Roulette.]] |
| 484 | * UsedToBeASweetKid: Subverted to hell and back: [[spoiler:Kevin]] was a rotten, duplicitous little bastard even as a kid. Heck, [[UsedToBeASweetKid he used to be a bad kid]] by comparison because at least he was a lot better at hiding it as an adult. |
| 485 | ** Albedo! Granted, he hated Sakura Mizrahi with a passion, but that was only because he had the hots for Jr. He really was a sweet, lovable kid, minus the touch of crazy, of course. Said statement is especially proven true in his scene with Jr. when he finds out not everyone can blow off their own heads for fun like he could. |
| 486 | * ViewersAreGeniuses: You need either multiple degrees in physics, religion, philosophy and psychology or access to the internet to decipher some of the game's symbolism. Alleviated ''somewhat'' by including an in-game database (which they removed in Episode II for no real reason) that explains a lot of the facts and also keeps profiles of characters. |
| 487 | * VictoryPose: At the end of every battle the heroes win, they do a victory pose. Often accompanied by a line of some sort by the character who gave the last hit. |
| 488 | * VisualInitiativeQueue: In ''III'' |
| 489 | * WaveMotionGun: Richard summons one during a boss fight with him while you're inside mech suits within a massive space station. His partner tries to get him to stop, but he unleashes its full power and fully blows a hole straight through the station's bulkhead. |
| 490 | * WhamLine: Setup at the end of ''Episode I'', then payed off spectacularly at the end of ''Episode II''. |
| 491 | -->'''Episode I Epilogue''': |
| 492 | --->'''Wilhelm''': It's a shame to relegate him [[[spoiler:Albedo]]] to such a minor role, don't you think? |
| 493 | -->'''Episode II Epilogue''': |
| 494 | --->'''Virgil''': So, what do you plan to do with him [[[spoiler:Albedo]]]? |
| 495 | --->'''Wilhelm''': I said it was a ''shame'', didn't I? |
| 496 | --->''A spotlight lights up over his shoulder revealing the White Testament''. |
| 497 | ** THE One for the entire series: |
| 498 | --->[[spoiler: '''Shion''': I called... I called the Gnosis?]] |
| 499 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to everybody in the prologue of ''Episode I''? |
| 500 | ** The third game kept database entries for nearly all the characters in the series but left out Gaignun (Junior's cat). Considering he was the inspiration for Junior's alias, you would think he would have gotten a mention. |
| 501 | * WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: This is mulled over repeatedly, both by the characters and in the game Database, suggesting that Realians and androids may have individuality, and perhaps even souls, but are still largely and legally regarded as company property. Some combat types are given backdoor programs designed to incur explosive self-destruction, or trigger large waves of violent ZombieApocalypse-like berserker riots. This causes much angst and flashback trauma on the part of protagonists and antagonists alike. |
| 502 | * WickedCultured: Albedo may be insane, but he's also one of the most learned characters in the series. Wilhelm also falls into this trope. |
| 503 | * WombLevel: The Cathedral Ship is an odd example. It has some very organic looking parts mixed in with buildings and crates. |
| 504 | * WorldLimitedToThePlot: ''Episode I'' unintentionally invokes this in its ''physical'' world. It doesn't do a very good job of selling its scale. The ''story'' is a rich environment with large organizations with a developed culture and history, but the actual environments one plays within feel very constricted, most of the game lacks background music or dynamic ambiance, and the virtual reality recreations of every game area (complete with unopened chests) really brings this trope to mind. |
| 505 | * WorthyOpponent: Margulis, to Jin. |
| 506 | * XanatosGambit: [[spoiler: Wilhelm's ultimate plan. Either the Universe resets, staving off its destruction, or humanity finally grows up this iteration and prevents the Universe's destruction themselves.]] |
| 507 | * YouAreNotAlone: Subverted in Episode III. Everyone keeps ''trying'' to tell Shion that they're there for her, but she keeps rejecting it. Where's [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Bright]] when you need him? |
| 508 | * YouAreNumberSix: There are 669 [=URTVs=] that are all named by production number, including the variants, with Rubedo being number 666. Also, the 100 Series Realians. |
| 509 | * YouCantFightFate: During Episode III, Shion tries to change her parent's death while time traveling. [[spoiler: She doesn't succeed, as it all took place in Shion's mind.]] |
| 510 | * YourMindMakesItReal: Used as a plot device to explain [[spoiler: why, while playing in Shion's consciousness during Episode III, Abel's Ark had to be summoned by adult Shion right after kid Shion summoned the Gnosis.]] Also used for (or at least implied) why KOS-MOS stayed repaired once the characters returned to the real world after the spoiler happened. Considering that the UMN and Encephelon dives actually [[spoiler: connect you the collective unconscious and brush against higher planes of existance where time and space start to lose meaning]], this may be justified in part or in whole. |
| 511 | ** It may also explain why items obtained in the Encephelon carry over to the real world, but that's probably just grasping at straws. |
| 512 | * YourSizeMayVary: The E.S.s. When we first see them, they're the a few stories tall. But other times they're much bigger, especially during the battle around the Floating Landmass, where they're as big as the Elsa, while in later scenes they're small enough to be transported in it. |
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