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Protagonists

L'Arc Bright Lagoon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc1_9084.jpg

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (JP), Brett Coleman (EN)

A mercenary for hire working for the empire. L'Arc is a stubborn swordsman who does what he wants to do. And once he is revealed to be a Child of Eesa, L'Arc has a hard time dealing with everything that's being forced on his shoulders. L'Arc's encounter with Ryfia is the first event that changes everything he has stood for.

Always Someone Better: Alf's perception of him.
All of the Other Reindeer: Slightly. Despite L'Arc being hardworking and competent, he receives some scorn from people who don't think well of mercenaries, and if one goes around talking to the soldier NPCs in the beginning of the game, it's clear that some don't like him because of his friendship with Alf as well.
Anger Born of Worry: Prone to this. One good example is when Ryfia runs off on her own to Dragon Prison and L'Arc immediately rips into her, before Alf scolds him; that said, Ryfia knows he means well by it.
Anti-Hero: He's a good guy, but scoffs at the more heroic and squeaky-clean attitude of those like Alf.
Apologetic Attacker: If he's in your party when you defeat Weiss, the end-battle quote will be him apologizing to Weiss.
Arbitrary Skepticism: He lives in a world full of magic, monsters, pollution-filled dragons and giant summon-able creatures but apparently gods are too much for him to believe in despite the fact that he is explicitly their Chosen One. Weiss even calls him out on it.
Auto-Revive: His Eesa Factor Excel Acts grants him the Blessed status effect, which allows him to automatically revive once while the effect is active.
Badass Normal: Before the start of the game, aside from not having unlocked Excel Acts or bonded with any Rogress, he didn't use magic either but still made for a competent soldier.
BFS: His weapon is one.
Chastity Couple: He and Ryfia never do anything more than hug, unless you count the non-romantic forehead kiss Ryfia did when it was revealed that he was the Child of Eesa. Leslie even pokes fun at it in a skit, commenting that Ryfia might not need the Talk for a while considering who her potential partner is...
Child Soldiers: He's a legionnaire at age seventeen, and has likely been working for the Imperial army for a while by the present.
Childhood Friends: With Alf and Adele.
The Chosen One: Of something, though everyone is initially very vague on what being the Child of Eesa means. And to everyone's surprise, he's one of the two.
The Comically Serious: Being a rather straight-laced Tsundere, he tends to make for a good recipient for teasing from other members of the party.
Deadpan Snarker: He often has some kind of sarcastic commentary to make on the situation.
Designated Hero: In-Universe, L'Arc makes a deadpan comment on this when he and the others are busting out of prison and Cecille talks about beating the bad guys, to which L'Arc points out that "what with that declaration of war I brought along, I'm kind of the only real bad guy here..."
Determinator: More stoic than the standard example, but you have to give credit to the guy: no matter what happens, he never suffers from a Heroic BSoD, and instead does his best to focus on what he needs to do.
Serge: "[L'Arc] must be pushing himself hard, probably not even realizing it."
Disappeared Dad: He died when L'Arc was still an infant.
The Dulcinea Effect: Averted, surprisingly. L'Arc initially refuses to take Ryfia to Jada as she's a stranger from the enemy country, despite it being her mother's dying wish. It's Alf who has to convince him.
Elemental Powers: Namely Dishing Out Dirt, Playing with Fire, Light 'em Up and Blow You Away.
Empowered Badass Normal: Alf and Ryfia essentially pressure him to start using magic too—not to mention his later-gained ability to summon Rogress.
Et Tu, Brute?: A mild example, but L'Arc admits that what bothers him most regarding the whole Weiss issue, more so than Weiss being a Jerkass or firing him, is that he thought Weiss had more respect for him than that, particularly as someone L'Arc respects so much in turn.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As abrasive as L'Arc usually is, even he'll knock it down a notch when around Elena.
Everyone Can See It: Just about the entire party has accepted him and Ryfia as a thing.
The Exile: As he knows that Weiss wants him dead, he understands that he's no longer able to return to Diamant or his old life.
Extreme Doormat: A slight case, as he does do as he pleases—it's knowing what that is that he sometimes struggles with. Part of his Character Development is about him deciding for himself what he wants to do, rather than simply follow whatever Ryfia says regarding the Child of Eesa business or take orders from the military as he's used to.
Flaming Sword: His Ignis Beat Excel Act.
Flat-Earth Atheist: Though he eventually relents.
Heroes Prefer Swords: His weapon is a BFS.
Heroic Safe Mode: A healthier version than Ryfia's extreme: after Adele and Niko's deaths, L'Arc acknowledges that he can't mourn them just yet, as stopping Alf takes priority, and instead vows to do it later.
Hero with Bad Publicity: After he unintentionally helps to destroy Antrax, the world hates him. Later on, when Alf makes him a wanted criminal, he's not welcome even in the Empire.
Heroic Sacrifice: In order to purify the Hozone, the party needs the power of the Singing Stone, but they also have to destroy the core as a result. But without the core, their objective would be pretty much impossible to achieve. Therefore, L'Arc is secretly instructed by Dr. Sonia to become the new core (as he's the only person left with the Eesa Factor), meaning he has to say goodbye. Don't worry though, he's only going to sleep. He wakes up 500 years later, his goal achieved, in the epilogue.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Alf. Until the events of the game, anyway.
Idiot Hero: Mostly averted, as shown from the Wise Beyond Their Years trope below. L'Arc's not stupid by any means. Just a tad ignorant.
Ineffectual Loner: At the beginning of the story.
Irony: In one skit, where Cecille asks what it means to be a hero and Rastan lists self-sacrifice, L'Arc and Niko express disapproval over the notion. Guess which characters end up pulling off a Heroic Sacrifice?
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: He remains level-headed about it all, but Weiss treats him like dirt for it, and it makes him the intended pawn of the church. Once he starts to break free, Hosea and Ignacy try to brainwash him and then later decide to just kill him and wait for a new Chosen One to be born.
It's All My Fault: What he tells Ryfia regarding the mess with Adele and how she hates them both.
Jack of All Stats: Depending on how you customize his equipment, he'll likely end up either as a Lightning Bruiser or this.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's rough, cynical, and sarcastic, but a compassionate and forgiving person. Others frequently comment on him being a rather nice guy despite his moody personality.
Just Following Orders: He has some of this mindset while carrying out his mission to deactivate the Skywalk in Antrax, compared to Alf's moral dilemma, and for the same reasons, he tells Alf that if Alf orders him to stop, he will. That said, once he realizes that the mission led to the destruction of Antrax, he makes no attempt to justify his actions.
Kid Hero: He's seventeen, even if he sometimes acts older.
Knight in Sour Armor: His mini-rant to Cecille (while stressed out, mind you) about how the world isn't a just place gives him shades of this.
Lightning Bruiser: In terms of gameplay, he's got one of the highest ATK stats (and, with certain equipment, can take the top position there), one of the higher DEF stats, and the highest SPD stat of the non-mages/gun users.
Like Brother and Sister: This is how he explicitly sees his and Adele's relationship. Too bad the feeling isn't mutual.
Like Father, Unlike Son: When L'Arc asks if he was that much like his father to a friend of the man's, he's told that he's a lot not like him for the most part, as Rex was refined, intellectual and had good taste (but they do have the same meddlesome quality!).
Living Emotional Crutch: He becomes somewhat of one for Ryfia, seeing as how she admits that after all the strife, what makes her happy is the fact that she met him, to the point where she chooses to leave behind all of her other friends to reunite with him in the future.
Living Legend: Of the negative variety. L'Arc becomes a symbol of the Empire's warmonger nature, despite the fact that L'Arc himself is against that attitude.
Locked Out of the Loop: Part of why he tends to be ignorant about what's going on. People keep telling him that he doesn't truly understand—and then, for whatever reason, decide not to enlighten him, leaving him confused.
Messianic Archetype: He's The Chosen One, suffers from persecution, has an Excel Act that involves rising into the air in a Crucified Hero Shot as feathers and holy light shine down on him, sacrifices himself to save the world, etc...
Momma's Boy: Before the events of the game, his priority in life is essentially to provide for her.
Morality Pet: A bit of a weird one for Weiss, who largely uses him as his Unwitting Pawn to the point of indirectly sending L'Arc to his execution, but apparently cared for him more than he was allowed to show (with it being implied that he had faith in L'Arc's ability to get through things).
My Country, Right or Wrong: Ultimately subverted. Though he's done a few questionable things in the Empire's name, such as infiltrating Antrax, he ends up fighting against it without any real difficulties when it goes too far. That said, he's still shown to be uneasy when the Republic members of the party actively speak badly about his home country, even as they point out that to them, the Empire is the enemy.
My God, What Have I Done?: He has a brief moment when he and Ryfia have a falling out, leading to Ryfia running off and heading out to the dangerous road on her own. While not the sole one to blame, L'Arc chases after her, worried for her safety and berating himself for losing his temper the way he did.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Nice job accidentally absorbing your country's primary energy source, L'Arc! Oh, and later, helping to destroy Antrax! And the world does NOT let him forget that last one.
Noble Male, Roguish Male: The Roguish Male to Alf's Noble Male. L'Arc is an "oaf" of a mercenary who wields a BFS; Alf is a gentle-mannered prince who wields a Royal Rapier.
Not the Fall That Kills You…: In the beginning of the game, he falls off of a Lightship but miraculously survives by grabbing onto the Feldragon falling with him.
Oblivious to Love: Primarily to Adele's. More excusable with Ryfia, where he chalks up her affection to him being the Child of Eesa, since that was initially the reason for it.
Once Done, Never Forgotten: His role in the destruction of Antrax. While awful, he wasn't even the one who invaded, and as Ryfia points out, he wasn't even the only one involved! But he's the only one who's remembered for it, to the point of his name becoming notorious around the world, and it takes a long time before people start forgiving him for it (namely, Shelly: the moment she's warmed up to him can be marked by her no longer calling him Lagoon the Cursed).
One-Handed Zweihänder: On occasion.
Order Versus Chaos: On the Order side, having chosen Imaginal's Law. Eventually shifts to Chaos, with him deciding to destroy the gods and let people decide things for themselves.
Overshadowed by Awesome: In-Universe, L'Arc worries about this being the case, feeling that he can't live up to the achievements of his late, famous father. Rastan reassures him that not only were the Lord Knights not always as impressive as stories make them out to be, but that L'Arc and Rex are not the same people and L'Arc shouldn't feel obliged to follow a similar path.
Power Gives You Wings: His Buster Lore Excel Act.
Private Military Contractors: Initially a legionnaire working for the Empire.
Protectorate: Rastan's, as a part of Rastan's redemption. It's finally at the end of the game that the man tells L'Arc that he no longer needs his protection, as Rastan won't be following him into the future.
Rage Against the Heavens: What his motivations eventually shift to, when he realizes that none of the gods' goals will end well for humanity.
Really 700 Years Old: At the end of the epilogue, he's now 517 years old.
Red Is Heroic: His default outfit is predominantly red, in contrast to the blue uniforms of the Meridian Empire.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the red oni to Alf's blue. Eventually, the roles seem to get reversed, with L'Arc being the one to think things through more near the end of the game. This can be seen from the blue traits that L'Arc starts off with versus the red traits that Alf has: while L'Arc is louder and more ill-tempered in general, he tends to be more professional and emotionally detached when it really counts. As it happens, it starts to count more and more often as the game goes on.
Refusal of the Call: He's pretty reluctant into doing his Child of Eesa job at first and still struggles to understand it fully till the end.
Resigned to the Call: When it becomes clear that refusing isn't working.
Rousing Speech: He gives one to Ryfia to bring her out of her Angst Coma.
L'Arc: "If Imaginal's Law and Real's Law destroy the Common Race, then I'll make a new Law! I don't need Eesa! I'll put the future of the people back in the hands of the people. [...] We can make this world beautiful. We can do that! Shouldn't that be our responsibility?"
Shout-Out: His name is basically a shortened form of the Luminous Arc game titles and one of this game's many references to them.
Shrouded in Myth: After the events at Antrax, his name becomes one of notoriety and, relative to his part in Antrax's fall, blown out of proportion.
Status Buff: His Accelerate Excel Act.
The Stoic: It's telling that he's one of the few characters whose default portrait doesn't have him smiling, and temper aside, he tends to be remain professional, such as after the events at Antrax: Niko and Ryfia are obviously affected, while L'Arc simply states that because he's completed his mission, he has to report to Weiss.
Summon Magic: Thanks to being a Child of Eesa.
Sword Beam: His Gae Bolg Excel Act.
Take a Third Option: He ultimately decides to screw both Imaginal and Real, as both will doom humanity.
That Came Out Wrong: In an official short story, he ponders what he'll be doing once everything is over, and as this takes place while he's The Exile, he concludes out loud that he'll probably be living in the Republic. Cecille immediately interprets this as him wanting to live with Ryfia.
Trauma Conga Line: While L'Arc handles it remarkably well and so it's easy to overlook, consider the events of the game: someone he respected uses him as his Unwitting Pawn, his Childhood Friends betray him and attempt to kill him on numerous occasions, he discovers that he has a half-brother only for the man to die that same day, one of the aforementioned Childhood Friends dies as well as another good friend of his, and within the next few days (if not on the same day), he's told that he has to pull off a Heroic Sacrifice and leave behind everyone and everything he's known. Ouch.
Tsundere: And very, very bad at hiding his dere side.
Turn the Other Cheek: He rarely holds a real grudge, despite the number of people who betray him/screw him over. Particularly notable with Weiss, whom L'Arc admits that he can't bring himself to hate, because even though he didn't know, L'Arc is Weiss's half-brother.
The Unchosen One: He's The Chosen One, but he's helping the world more because it's the right thing to do than because it's supposedly his role, which he doesn't care much about. Thus, he has no real qualms about forgoing the gods entirely, and so him being a Child of Eesa becomes almost meaningless. In a different way, Luze is surprised by his decision to Rage Against the Heavens, as he's not descended from the Meridian bloodline. ^note
Unwitting Pawn: Weiss's. Unintentionally allowing Weiss to invade and destroy Antrax, being used to deliver a declaration of war to the Republic, etc.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With... a number of characters, really, given his personality. Notable examples include Alf and Adele, and a variant with Niko in which there's no vitriol on Niko's part, but plenty on L'Arc's.
Wise Beyond Their Years: When offered the chance to take revenge on Rastan, the man who killed his father, he refuses because he states it will only continue the cycle of revenge.
You Monster!: What he says to Ignacy after the man reveals that he's abducted Niko.

Ryfia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc2_6258.jpg

Voiced by: Yui Makino (JP), Kunimi Andrea (EN)

A very naive young girl whom L'Arc finds wandering in the forest. Ryfia pretty much behaves like a young child as she has no idea what her words mean to others like saying she likes L'Arc a lot. She happens to be a Diva meant to direct the Child of Eesa to offer Imaginal's Law to Eesa to help the world and its people.

Action Girl: While she's geared more towards healing, she's still one of the best mages in the party.
All-Loving Hero: Despite knowing that Olquina was behind the attack on the Singing Ministry, she mourns their loss of the Real Diva all the same, as grief is grief, no matter who you are. That said, she has her limits: she admits that she can't really condone Dynos becoming a Karma Houdini, until she can understand why he attacked them.
Angst Coma: After getting hit with Ignacy's code conversion, the reason she stays unconscious seems to be because of this.
Badass Adorable: A very cute girl who can use her magic to obliterate the enemy.
Betty and Veronica: She's Veronica, being a newcomer from the enemy country next to Adele's status as L'Arc's Childhood Friend.
Brutal Honesty: Being Innocently Insensitive means that she tends to speak her mind without being aware that it might offend some.
Chastity Couple: With L'Arc.
Child of Two Worlds: She was born as a child of the Divine Race, unbeknownst to her, but raised among the Common Race. This gives her some conflict later on, as she remembers her father's Heroic Sacrifice, and despite realizing that the Divine Race is in the wrong, she can't bring herself to forsake them as it would render her father's actions meaningless.
The Chooser of the One: As a Diva, she can reveal who the Child of Eesa is.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: She doesn't believe in abandoning anyone in need. Her first reaction, along with Alf's, upon seeing Luze and Saura in trouble is basically, "Quick, we have to help them!"
Cutscene Power to the Max: More so in the early stages of the game, where her hymns easily defeat several of Dynos's undead, while her only equivalent Excel Act at the time can do damage to only one (and is unlikely to kill the monster at that point).
Death from Above: Her Luminoso Excel Trinity, which summons a gigantic holy meteor-esque object from the sky.
Elemental Powers: Making a Splash and Light 'em Up.
Everyone Can See It: Ryfia realizes her feelings before L'Arc does, but until then, some of the party member's hints still go over her head.
Good Is Not Soft: One of the sweetest people you'll ever meet, but that won't save you if you're her enemy, even if she's known you all her life.
Heroic Sacrifice: A non-fatal version: she pushes L'Arc away from Ignacy's code conversion meant to brainwash him, thus falling comatose.
Heroic Safe Mode: Goes into one for a while once she begins doubting herself, where she becomes impatient and insistently tries to rush to their next destination in an attempt to convince herself she knows what she's doing. It nearly gets the party killed.
I Will Wait for You: Tells L'Arc this as he performs his Heroic Sacrifice, with her choosing to similarly go to sleep for hundreds of years to be with him in the future.
The Ingenue: She's incredibly clueless about how the outside world works, all the while remaining earnest about learning and good-natured in her intentions. Being extremely sheltered made her all too easy of an Unwitting Pawn for Hosea and Ignacy.
Innocently Insensitive: She has a few minor moments, such as unintentionally treating Niko like a little kid. She also fails to pick up on how her attitude about L'Arc is driving Adele insane with jealousy, which ends up escalating horribly.
It's All My Fault: Says this word for word after Weiss fires L'Arc, and overall blames herself for what the others went through once she realizes that the law she believed in isn't so just after all.
Kind Hearted Cat Lover: One skit has L'Arc conclude (and Ryfia agree) that she likes cats, as she considers the idea of being surrounded by "cute little kitties" (in Niko's words) to be Cuteness Overload.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light Feminine to Adele's Dark Feminine.
Light Is Good: No surprise that the character most affiliated with light-based Excel Acts is the pure-hearted Ryfia.
Literal-Minded: So much that she doesn't know full well what she says when her destiny is to be with L'Arc.
Magic Music: As a Diva, she can sing hymns for offensive/healing purposes. In gameplay, this translates to a few of her Excel Acts.
Mini Dress Of Power: She doesn't hold back with her staff when attacking, so she still fits this trope.
Missing Mom: She died in Dynos's attack, just before the events of the game. Ryfia's father, however, is still alive—in the form of Simmah.
My God, What Have I Done?: Once the party discovers what Imaginal's Law truly means, she realizes how much damage she's caused to others—particularly L'Arc, Alf, and Adele.
Mysterious Waif: A bit less mysterious than the usual example, as she's fairly forthright about herself, but in the beginning of the game, she's a very bizarre girl who, to L'Arc, appears out of nowhere with strange abilities and customs and happens to be The Chooser of the One.
Naïve Everygirl: Seeing as how she never even left the building she was raised in until Dynos attacked.
Nerves of Steel: It's hard to especially ruffle her. Alf even comments on how he wishes he could be as calm as she always is.
Nice Girl: She's a sweet girl without a malicious bone in her body.
No Name Given: If she has a last name, we never learn it.
No Social Skills: Due to her very limited interactions with others, she has a tenuous understanding of basic slang and what's 'normal' behaviour.
Really 700 Years Old: Like all of the Divine Race. Even more so at the game's end, after waiting for 500 years for L'Arc to wake up.
Red Mage: Her Excel Acts are split about half and half between offensive and healing/support. In particular, her first is a healing one, but her second is offensive and, being the only light-elemental attack you'll get for a while, potentially incredibly useful.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Child of Eesa business aside, her frequent comments about how nice L'Arc is underneath his rough exterior presumably point to this.
Status Buff: Her Floral Coat Excel Act.
Squishy Wizard: One of the primary mages alongside Serge, but horrid defence.
Symbol Motif Clothing: She has mystical-looking symbols adorning the hem of her dress and sleeves, befitting her role as a mage.
Taking the Bullet: Non-fatally, she protects Maria from Gula's attack.
That Came Out Wrong: She's prone to this, much to others' chagrin, though Ryfia herself never really catches on. Subverted when she confesses to L'Arc—she does, in fact, mean exactly what it sounds like.
To Be Lawful or Good: Forms the basis of her Character Development.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Girly Girl to Adele's Tomboy.
Unwitting Pawn: Hosea and Ignacy's.
White Magician Girl: She initially has a level one water orb, and the only spells that provides are a healing spell and a water resist buff. Her first excel act is also used for healing. Plus, she equips staves.
Worth Living For: At one point, she admits that before leaving the building in which she grew up, she'd been under the impression that the world was a cold and cruel place and thus, despite being raised as a Diva, she couldn't understand why everyone was so desperate to prevent its destruction. It was only after leaving and seeing the world for herself that she realized how warm and amazing it really was, and that's why she'll do everything she can to protect it.

Niko Bennex

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc4_7740.jpg

Voiced by: Wataru Hatano (JP), Samuel Rose (EN)

The most cowardly soldier of the entire empire, Niko is quick to flee during most dangerous situations though he still manages to be a loyal friend to L'Arc and company, having some undying admiration to L'Arc. It's beyond many people how he still works for the empire to these days.

Because You Were Nice to Me: Spoofed with regards to L'Arc. In a skit, Niko goes on about how L'Arc defended him from soldiers who were badmouthing him and how L'Arc saved him from a Feldragon... except, respectively, L'Arc notes that he wasn't doing it for Niko (the soldiers had every right to rag on him) and he was less than pleased when Niko then abandoned him.
Bumbling Sidekick: He tries hard to do L'Arc well, but suffice to say there's a reason why everyone questions L'Arc's decision to appoint Niko as a scout, to the point where L'Arc starts doubting his own decision as well.
Butt-Monkey: The other characters don't have a whole lot of respect for him, with even Ryfia occasionally making fun of him unintentionally. That's not even getting into his horrid luck in general.
Chekhov's Skill: In a small skit, Cecille teaches Niko to fly a lightship. 20 hours later he uses this skill for his Heroic Sacrifice.
Chivalrous Pervert: In his own words, "No man can resist a... beautiful woman". When Leslie's Ms. Fanservice, we don't blame you.
Cowardly Lion: He considers himself a coward to the very end, as he's still terrified of death... all the while pulling a Heroic Sacrifice.
Cowardly Sidekick: Ayup. He sticks to L'Arc's side like glue... until actual danger enters the scene, at which point he often flees.
Distressed Dude: When Ignacy captures him. It's actually an impressive moment on Niko's part, as Ignacy had meant to go after Elena instead, but Niko apparently protected her and so was abducted in her place.
Fiery Redhead: He can be one of the louder members of the party alongside Cecille.
Guest-Star Party Member: In Allwise.
The Gunslinger: One of two gun users.
Hero-Worshipper: To L'Arc.
Heroic Sacrifice: He dies preventing the White Spear from destroying Diamant, by flying a Lightship into the turret as it fires.
Hidden Depths: Subverted. He and L'Arc talk about the Empire's invasion of the Republic, with Niko admitting that he hadn't grasped that being a soldier meant doing that kind of thing as he joined the army to protect Jada and the Royal City, thus surprising L'Arc... before Niko adds that there were other benefits "like money, supplies, good food, coupons, honor" at which point L'Arc realizes that nope, same old Niko.
I Owe You My Life: Played for Laughs—see Because You Were Nice to Me above. L'Arc hadn't even distracted the Feldragon for Niko's sake, but to get it away from the town so that it wouldn't release Hozone there when it died, but Niko has his own way of interpreting things.
Innocently Insensitive: He's got a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome, leading others to scold him. One notable case where Niko himself catches onto it is with Maria: Niko was a bit rough with her at first as he tends to be, but privately admits later to Ryfia in a skit that he feels bad in hindsight, now knowing about her circumstances.
Irony: As with L'Arc, despite Niko scoffing at the idea of self-sacrifice, he ultimately gives up his own life to protect something else.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be abrasive at times, such as his near Running Gag of walking into people and immediately acting like it's their fault—not to mention his bad habit of constantly ditching the party.
Killed Off for Real: After his Heroic Sacrifice.
La Résistance: Joins up with them after leaving the party.
The Load: While he can be useful in battle due to his long-range attacks and high AP gain, his cowardly acts during cutscenes often end up with one of the team members getting hurt. L'Arc is pretty much at the end of his rope about it by the time he leaves the party.
Lovable Coward: More so at the beginning. As the game goes on, the practical implications of his cowardice and tendency to ditch the party are played straighter.
Manchild: If the game didn't tell you, the player might not realize that he's actually older than L'Arc.
The Mole: His special pardon from the stockade involved him following L'Arc and telling Weiss and Freya what is going on. Overcome with guilt (which the team just assumed was him being a coward all the time), he left the team and joined the resistance.
Older Sidekick: Lampshaded when Alf comments that Niko's somewhat of a sidekick to L'Arc, who points out that Niko is older than he is.
Opt Out: After the events of Carbunculus and Leslie's sister Angie, Niko asks to go to the lightship, apologizing. The group is wary that he is ashamed of being a coward all the time though that might have been only part of it. By the time they get back, he leaves a letter saying he isn't cut out to help the group fighting Rogress and saving the world, and has returned to Diamant.
Paper-Thin Disguise: With his alternate pilgrim outfit, his military uniform is still visible.
Playing with Fire: One of his Excel Acts has a Fire component to it.
Satellite Character: Downplayed. He still has plenty of personality and interactions with others on his own, but up until he leaves the party, his motivations revolve mostly around following L'Arc around with him having no real stake in things otherwise.
Undying Loyalty: Towards L'Arc. Or at least he tries.
Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Cecille argue constantly, and it only makes them closer, if anything.
What the Hell, Hero?: His cowardice tends to prompt this. Notably, L'Arc gives him a good punch for ditching Ryfia in the Olquina sub-shrine, and then gives him another one and a quieter rebuke after saving Angie (or rather, after Niko ran away and then everyone else saved Angie).

Cecille Garcia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc5_6619.jpg

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu (JP), Carolyn Miller (EN)

A very energetic girl who is a very skilled fighter despite her age. Cecille thinks of herself as a Hero of Justice, and she idolizes anyone in the world recognized as a master.

Abusive Parents: While Cecille avoided the trauma that Dynos faced, it's implied that she was still neglected or dealt with some kind of emotional abuse, as one has to wonder what the situation was like that Cecille considered herself useless to the family and, after Dynos's death, suspects that her father saw her as no good.
Action Girl: Barring equipment customization, she's the hardest hitter of the party.
Badass Adorable: A twelve-year-old and, in her own words, a "veteran warrior".
The Big Girl: Again, she's the strong(wo)man of the team.
Blood Knight: As Serge notes, she sometimes sounds more like a supervillain than a superhero, what with how enthusiastic she is about beating things up.
Boisterous Bruiser: She really likes to use violence to solve things.
Cain and Abel: She's the Abel to Dynos' Cain.
Calling Your Attacks: "CECILLE PUNCH!", "Garcia Kick!".
Chronic Hero Syndrome: As part of her Heroic Wannabe image.
Companion Cube: She certainly likes the team's lightship.
Cute Bruiser: She's a preteen girl who likes to settle things with her fists. Niko makes the mistake of focusing on the "cute" part and not realizing the "bruiser" part at first.
Elemental Powers: Shock and Awe, Light 'em Up and Casting a Shadow.
Establishing Character Moment: Refuting the party thinking she's Just a Kid by declaring herself a veteran warrior and delivering a Megaton Punch to Niko.
The Fettered: More than anyone, she clings to the idea of being heroic and idealistic (causing her to clash with Serge in Opalus). When she falls into a Heroic BSoD, it's L'Arc reminding her of what she fights for that brings her spirits back up.
The Gadfly: She loves to take advantage of Ryfia's cluelessness to fluster L'Arc.
Genki Girl: Cecille really doesn't do things half-heartedly.
Glass Cannon: She's very strong, but has the second worst DEF stat in the game.
Heartbroken Badass: See Heroic BSoD below.
Heroic BSoD: She begins to doubt her "justice" after being forced to kill her brother, though L'Arc is able to snap her out of it soon afterwards.
Hot-Blooded: Just listen to her battle quotes! Even outside of combat, she's got a lot of energy.
Hypocritical Humor: She rags on Niko for being intimidated by Grantz instead of just being glad that he can solve their Lightship problem... before L'Arc pipes up with, "If I recall correctly... Weren't both of you hiding behind Rastan because you were scared?"
I Call Her "Vera": Yep, she named the 1000 year old lightship after herself: Cecille the Brave. That's even the name highlighted just before you click to get on making it official, replacing Old Lightship.
Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Rastan.
Justice Will Prevail: Ayup. She even quotes it verbatim during the final battle. She sounds like she's channeling Bang Shishigami half the time she's with you.
Kamehame Hadoken: Light and Dark, her strongest Limit Break, is a Yin-Yang Bomb of light and darkness combined into a huge beam.
Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Her default outfit is a frilly blue dress.
Kill Steal: Every so often, she'll accuse another party member of doing this in battle when they defeat an enemy.
Kill the Ones You Love: Rather than let Rastan do it, she decides to end Dynos's life herself.
Kung-Fu Wizard: Her main point is her physical strength, but for a physical fighter, she's a decent mage as well.
Little Miss Badass: The youngest party member and, in terms of sheer physical strength, the most powerful.
Mercy Kill: Does this to Dynos, when he begins his transformation into a Feldragon with no way to reverse it.
Mini Dress Of Power: She combines this with Kicking Ass in All Her Finery with her dress.
Parental Abandonment: Her mother is only mentioned once in a skit but is otherwise inexplicably absent in the present, and Cecille doesn't know where her father is. Presumably, he died after failing to assassinate Rafil.
Plucky Girl: Goes between this and Stepford Smiler. At the end of the day, she's remained impressively optimistic in the face of what she's gone through, but she's not always as okay as she seems.
Polar Opposite Twins: With Dynos—both as children, from what Cecille mentions about him, and in the present.
Really 700 Years Old: Same story as Ryfia.
Shipper on Deck: Seems to be one for L'Arc and Ryfia.
Status Buff: Her Cecille Boost and Here I Come! Excel Acts.
Stepford Smiler: Tries to keep on smiling and pretending she's okay no matter what, despite the obvious stress that comes with Dynos being an enemy—and then having to kill him.
Third-Person Person: Occasionally.
Token Mini-Moe: The only party member still in her preteen years.
Tsundere: A minor one towards L'Arc at times, considering that her opinion of him over the game has at random ranged from "likable only when he keeps his mouth shut" to "a million times better than Serge" to "a great guy even if he's moody", depending on her own mood at any given moment.
The Un-Favourite: Sees herself as this. See Dynos's section for more info.
Vitriolic Best Buds: She and Niko bicker every opportunity they get, but at the end of the day, they evidently still care for one another.
Wise Beyond Their Years: 'Heroic' antics aside, she can be absurdly mature for her age.
Yin-Yang Bomb: Her strongest Excel Act merges equal masses of Light and Dark in a "forbidden combo" that creates a beam of immense power.

Serge

Serge Leonhart

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc6_3524.jpg

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (JP), Josh Keller (EN)

A mysterious man that helps the party to escape death. Serge is a man who only follows those who hire him to do anything regardless what the job might be. He has an ill sister that he loves with all his heart.

Anti-Villain: While with Alf's party. He has no real grudge towards L'Arc and co. and is merely working with Alf for his own goals.
Beware the Silly Ones: A Chivalrous Pervert and occasional Butt-Monkey he may be, but he's no less dangerous for it. He's also a contender for being the most pragmatic out of the main cast, or at least the one who's most open about it.
Big Brother Instinct: Towards Maria.
Big Brother Mentor: A bit of one for L'Arc as he was once a mercenary like him.
Black Mage: In contrast to Ryfia, most of his Excel Acts are offensive, and he has the widest elemental variety out of everyone.
Broken Pedestal: A light-hearted version for L'Arc, regarding Serge's identity as Leon.
Butt-Monkey: If it's not Niko holding this position, it's probably Serge.
Chivalrous Pervert: He tends to be a little flirty with the female party members.
Commonality Connection: Jokingly, he and Leslie bond over being the only adults in a party full of Kid Heroes (and Niko).
Death from Above: His Earthen Crush Excel Act and Million Regret Excel Triniy.
Determinator: Like L'Arc, he's a more subtle example of this, as he has every reason to give up on life, but chose to throw away any despair a long, long time ago and refuses to give up on his goals. Considering that he's L'Arc's idol, Leon, it's fitting.
Dual Wielding: He wields two daggers.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Respect for him from the other heroes doesn't go up after they learn that he's Leon. If anything, it only seems to make it go down, in a joking manner.
Elemental Powers: Playing with Fire, Making a Splash, Dishing Out Dirt, Blow You Away and An Ice Person.
Faking the Dead: Hence why he let the identity of Leon go to rest, as Ignacy believes that he's dead.
Feeling Their Age: Played for Laughs should you upgrade the Lightship and obtain the Summon feature, at which point Leslie comments that the older members must be happy and Serge agrees, claiming that it's been hard going up and down the stairs lately. Note that Serge is only thirty-three (and that the older Rastan does not agree, apparently).
Flaming Sword: Or rather, Flaming Dagger, aka his Flaming Throw Excel Act.
The Gadfly: He tends to be Cecille's partner in crime when it comes to teasing L'Arc over his relationship with Ryfia.
Gentleman Thief: One of his alternate outfits. It's even called "Gentleman Thief".
Good Is Not Soft: He's one of the more pragmatic members of the party, particularly in the Gula Church ruins and in Opalus.
Handicapped Badass: He may never use a sword like he use to, but that doesn't stop him from being a badass mage fighter.
Headbutting Heroes: He and Rastan at first, due to a bad past together.
Heartbroken Badass: He hides it well, but he essentially had to lose the girl he loved twice.
Hero of Another Story: His time as the Living Legend Leon would probably make for an interesting story in itself, considering that it's at least grand enough that Serge mentions how he'll probably be buried in the annals of history.
It Has Been an Honor: Implied in his last message to L'Arc, where he concludes their time together with telling L'Arc that he was the greatest friend Serge ever had.
Kid Hero: As Lightning Leon, he was leader of the Lord Knights... at the age of fourteen.
Kill the Ones You Love: The girl he loved and believed to be dead actually turned into a Tragic Monster. You can guess what happened next.
Living Legend: As "Leon, the phenomenal swordsman they call 'Godspeed' ", to quote Cecille. Notably, though, most people don't actually know what Leon looks like or even how old he is, making it easy for Serge to slip past the radar without even a disguise.
Magic Knight: Similar to Malik, he's a mage who can defend himself with weapons rather than a fighter who can cast magic.
- Although he might have fought a bit more like Zelos when he was younger, for he used a sword before Ignacy crippled him.
Master Swordsman: What he used to be, before Ignacy damaged his arm. Though it still functions, he notes that his "lightning" reflexes of the past are gone.
The Mole: When he first joins the party, he's actually working under orders to bring Adele to Antrax, so that she can become the Real Diva.
The Nicknamer: Refers to Cecille as "Minimal Lady" and Leslie as "Violent Femme".
- These nicknames even appear in the game's "Mercs" menu (equivalent of a glossary).
Obfuscating Stupidity: He knows a lot more than he lets on.
Older Than They Look: He's thirty-three.
Paper-Thin Disguise: Averted and justified. He's really "Lightning" Leon of the Lord Knights, but since you can count the number of people who know this on one hand he doesn't feel the need to conceal his identity.
Pragmatic Hero: He suggests taking advantage of Adele's weakened state to take the Rogress from Alf—noting that Adele's weakened because she's helping to save Opalus, much like the heroes—given that collecting the Rogress is one of their goals, much to the horror of L'Arc, Ryfia, Cecille, and Niko. Rastan, however, backs him up on this.
Red Baron: Lightning Leon.
Retired Badass: It's implied that he may have become this after the game, claiming that if no records are written about him in the future, he probably ended up living a peaceful life, plus the fact that he likely returned to Maria in Ebur after everything.
Ship Tease: He offers to escort personally Leslie back home once everything is over regarding her worries about doing so, even prompting her to ask if he's flirting with her. Her attitude suggests that it's not unwelcome.
Sixth Ranger: To Alf's party.
Sole Survivor: He's the only surviving member of the Lord Knights by the end of the game, as well as, with Maria, the only orphan left from the Gula Church.
Spectacular Spinning: Part of his movements while using his Tornado Gear Excel Act.
Squishy Wizard: His defence is slightly better than Ryfia's, at least, but that's not saying much, considering hers is the worst in the game.
Status Buff: His Brave Halo Excel Act.
Stepford Smiler: Shows some signs of this, as he comments about how he needs more training when Ryfia points out how sad he looks after having to kill Selena.
Storm of Blades: His Million Regret Excel Trinity, which involves throwing countless daggers of ice from above.
Tornado Move: His Tornado Gear Excel Act.
Trauma Conga Line: His backstory, courtesy of a very bitter history with Ignacy, to the point where Serge chose to let the man think he's dead as it meant Ignacy didn't bother to try and ruin his life further.
Welcome Back, Traitor: When he rejoins, after having betrayed them for Alf's group.
What the Hell, Hero?: The others' reaction to him suggesting they fight dirty and take advantage of Adele's weakened state to attack Alf and steal the Rogress, even if it means essentially punishing them for doing good, though Rastan backs him up.

Rastan Oigen

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc7_5575.png

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (JP), Jonathan Sherr (EN)

Rastan is a skilled swordsman who wanders the land. For some reason, he travels with L'Arc.

The Ace: More than one member of the party basically thinks he's the coolest. Granted, it's because they think he's Leon, which he isn't, but his stoic demeanour still commands respect.
The Atoner: After having betrayed the Lord Knights to Ignacy, he's dedicated his life to making up for it, both in terms of hunting Ignacy down and serving L'Arc.
Badass Longcoat: It goes with his lone mercenary image.
Barrier Warrior: Comes with two Excel Acts that provide self protection status. He also starts out with Earth Magic (primary defensive buffs) and some of the weapons skills he unlocks in his swords lean towards this.
Big Brother Mentor: To L'Arc, to some extent, but particularly towards Cecille, who often goes to him for 'hero' advice.
BFS: His Excel Trinity, Shadow Slash, temporarily turns his sword into this.
Broken Ace: For all of his competence, he's one of the more weary members of the party, seeing as how all he's looking to do is die by L'Arc's hands.
Cassandra Truth: Nobody believes him when he says he isn't the legendary Leon. He really, really isn't.
Cool Old Guy: He's the oldest of the party, and everyone—even L'Arc—looks up to him.
Dark Is Not Evil: His first Excel Act and his Excel Trinity are dark-elemental, but he's undeniably one of the good guys. Heck, he's even one of the only party members that never betrays L'Arc!
Death Equals Redemption: He plans to let L'Arc kill him to atone for him killing his father Rex. L'Arc, however, isn't having any of it since he knows the one who created that circumstance was Ignacy.
Dual Wielding: He wields two swords: one long, one short.
Elemental Powers: Casting a Shadow, Shock and Awe, An Ice Person and Light 'em Up.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Inverted. As L'Arc tells him, though he may never be able to forgive Rastan for his part in the murder of his father, he is willing to trust him, as Rastan has proved himself to be utterly repentant and a trustworthy ally. Regardless, by the end of the game, L'Arc admits that he's forgiven him and has since long ago, without even really realizing it.
The Friends Who Never Hang: Out of the main party, he and Leslie tend to interact the least, which she lampshades in a skit where he asks her a personal question and she's caught off-guard for this reason.
Genius Bruiser: While he's known for being a skilled swordsman and presented as The Ace in that department, he's also quite intelligent due to his age and experience.
Go and Sin No More: In the words of L'Arc, contrasting Rastan's belief that Death Equals Redemption: "I'm letting you live. You need to live so you can face up to what you did."
Good Is Not Soft: Like Serge, he tends to provide the more pragmatic advice to L'Arc.
Headbutting Heroes: With Serge, initially. Rastan outright admits that Serge isn't the kind of person he sees himself getting along with, and though they get better, there's still a degree of exasperation in his battle quotes regarding him.
Heartbroken Badass: His wife and children are dead, with seeking revenge for them being part of the reason he's hunting down Ignacy.
Hitman with a Heart: He used to be an assassin for the Aion Unit.
I Choose to Stay: He decides to live his life out in this generation, rather than go back to sleep like Cecille.
Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Cecille.
Interrupted Suicide: Of sorts. He believes that L'Arc's hesitation to kill him in revenge for Rex is because he should do it himself, and is about to when L'Arc stops him.
It Has Been an Honor: His last words to L'Arc in his message recording are that he'll always be proud of the time he spent with him.
Last-Name Basis: In the Japanese version, he's one of the few characters who's referred to primarily by his last name.
Master Swordsman: He's introduced as a badass at the sword (and indeed lives up as party member). It's also heavily implied that Cecille has him become a teacher at Zamuel's swordsmanship school.
Mighty Glacier: He has the highest DEF and second highest ATK (though L'Arc can easily surpass him in this regard with the right equipment), but abysmal SPD.
Mistaken Identity: Yeah, he's not Leon.
My Greatest Failure: In his own words, betraying the trust of a friend. In other words, leading Rex to his death, all to save his family... who end up dead anyway.
No Hero to His Valet: Having been an associate of the Lord Knights, he got to see the non-romanticized side of them, such as them doing menial tasks while rescuing a cat or how Rex and Zamuel had to look after the so-called legendary (Kid Hero) Leon.
The Philosopher: Being the oldest member of the party, he sometimes likes to make meaningful comments on aspects of life, which Cecille refers to as his "fancy talk".
Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: L'Arc says no.
Pragmatic Hero: See Serge's section. Rastan is notably the only other party member to agree with his ruthlessness.
Really 700 Years Old: He's part of the Divine Race as well.
The Smart Guy: Mostly due to his age and experience.
Status Buff: His Jasper Wall Excel Act.
The Stoic: He's one of the most level-headed of the party members.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He can be gruff and aloof, but he's a caring person underneath, which especially tends to come up around L'Arc and Cecille.
Undying Loyalty: Not as severe a case as other examples on this page, but he feels sworn to protect L'Arc to atone for his part in Rex's death.
Unwitting Pawn: Ignacy's, in the past.
What the Hell, Hero?: See Serge's section. The others express this towards Rastan as well for supporting Serge, with L'Arc even commenting that that's just the kind of idea he'd expect from someone who betrayed his friend, though it's worth noting that L'Arc later apologizes and takes it back, feeling that he went too far.

Leslie Ferrati

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc8_9343.jpg

Voiced by: Masumi Asano (JP), Anna Kunnecke (EN)

A woman with lots of intel about many things.

Action Girl: Bonus points for also having been formally trained in an army, unlike the others, which L'Arc picks up on immediately.
Anti-Villain: Like Serge above, she travels with Alf and co. for her own gain—namely, to investigate what's going on with the Senate and the Church—and leaves them for L'Arc's group when it serves her better.
Big Damn Heroes: She's the one that saves the party after Ignacy's Hopeless Boss Fight.
Blood Knight: To a degree, she seems to enjoy her fighting, and when giving Cecille and Ryfia love advice, she uses nothing but combat metaphors, leaving Ryfia to wonder if she's actually advising them on how to become great warriors.
Cat Girl: Dressed like one in one of her alternate outfits.
Cleavage Window: Two of them in her default outfit.
Commonality Connection: The first time they meet, she and Serge jokingly bond over being the sole Kid Hero aversions (... plus Niko).
Cool Big Sis: To the other girls of the party. That is, Adele while with Alf and co., as revealed in a short story, and then to Ryfia and Cecille while with L'Arc and co.
Dark Action Girl: While with Alf's party.
Death from Above: Her Photon Line, which brings about beams of light, and the aptly named Aerial Assault Excel Acts.
Elemental Powers: Playing with Fire, Shock and Awe and Light 'em Up.
Fashionable Asymmetry: Her leggings act as pants for her left leg and shorts for her right.
The Friends Who Never Hang: She and Rastan don't speak to each other much, which she lampshades in a skit where she's surprised that Rastan's talking to her personally, rather than another member of the party.
Girly Bruiser: She's quite proud of her femininity and equally proud of her ability to kick ass.
Guns Akimbo: She wields two guns.
Healing Shiv: One of her Excel Acts: Healing Bullet.
Heartbroken Badass: Not only did the guy she like love her sister, but he also died under Leslie's watch. She's hoping to eventually get over him, but she doesn't seem to have entirely just yet.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Shelly.
Internal Reformist: She intends to uncover the corruption within the Republic, especially using her connection to Shelly, who's of a like mind. Before L'Arc makes his Heroic Sacrifice, she tells him that she'll keep on working to change the Republic for the better... with Shelly, of course.
Kick Chick: If we've got Cecille with her fists, then Leslie likes to use her legs, as seen in her Crescent Edge and Sonic Rage Excel Acts.
Ms. Fanservice: Even without her Underboobs she still provides this role. Just look at the other tropes under her section!
My Country, Right or Wrong: Subverted. She's very loyal to the Republic, but knows that there's something wrong with it and takes it upon herself to investigate.
My Greatest Failure: Failing to protect her sister's husband/the man she was in love with.
Navel-Deep Neckline: In her Rosy Dress alternate outfits her neckline it's so deep it exposes part of her stomach.
No Guy Wants an Amazon: Serge jokes about this, suggesting that he doesn't consider Leslie a viable option because of her aggressive attitude. It's clearly meant in jest, though, and considering their amount of Ship Tease...
Noodle Incident: Nothing's ever stated clearly, but there is a serious dominatrix vibe to some of her conversations with Serge that makes one wonder just what they were doing during their time in Alf's party.
Nothing Personal: As she tells Ryfia, her being with Alf has nothing to do with religious matters, which are what Ryfia cares about most, but as a member of the Republic, she hates the Empire and so will gladly side with someone who's fighting against it.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Not quite to Serge's extent, but she has her moments, such as feigning defencelessness before L'Arc promptly points out that he can tell she moves like a trained soldier.
Pink Means Feminine: Very girly, with a pink colour scheme.
Sexy Backless Outfit: Her default outfit exposes her back.
Ship Tease: Her flirting with Serge has led to this.
Sibling Triangle: In her backstory. She and her younger sister both fell in love with the same man.
Sixth Ranger: To both groups.
Something about a Rose: One of her alternate outfits involves a rose in her mouth.
Status Buff: Her Blitz Boost Excel Act.
Stepford Smiler: To an extent. She's fairly upbeat, and thus not someone you'd expect to be essentially avoiding her home (and sister) out of guilt. Towards the end of the game, as seen in skits, she decides that it finally might be time to get over it.
Stripperiffic: With an outfit that skimpy, she might as well just not bother with clothes.
The Tease: Case in point, her skit with L'Arc in the Ebur Ruins:
Leslie: Well, think about it. Here you are, waking up in the warm morning light and there I am at your bedside. Oh, L'Arc... Time to get up... Sleepyhead...
L'Arc: ...
Leslie: Did you picture it?
L'Arc: Of course I did, you made me! What do you want?
Leslie: Just toying with a young man's emotions.
This Is Unforgivable!: She swears to Ignacy that she'll never forgive him after he claims that his subordinate killed Shelly.
Too Many Belts: She wears two around her waist, and a few more in other areas.
Vigilante Man: She's investigating the Republic's corruption as a civilian rather than as a soldier now, and is willing to go as far as to join Alf and co. for those ends. She admits to Ryfia that while she doesn't agree with Weiss's means, she sometimes wonders whether she should be more like him or to be more like L'Arc and Ryfia, who are more easygoing in their methods.
Welcome Back, Traitor: Like Serge, the party accepts her even after she betrayed them for Alf and co.

Anti-Villains

Alfonse "Alf" Zena Meridia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc3_4742.jpg

Voiced by: Akira Ishida (JP), Brian Matt-Uhl (EN)

The very good and benevolent second prince of the Empire and L'Arc's best friend. Alf worries too much about what goes with the Empire whenever it looks like it's trying to Take Over the World.

Anti-Villain: Type III at first, as he's aiming to save the world using Real, before eventually shifting to Type II after Adele's death, as the final result of being inflicted with Break the Cutie over the course of the game.
The Atoner: The epilogue suggests that he became this, with Serge mentioning how hard Alf was working and that the Empire would be a much better place by the time L'Arc woke up.
Beware the Nice Ones: Though he starts off as the resident Nice Guy, just look at all of the tropes under his section and see how well that turned out for him.
Big Bad Ensemble: Along with Ignacy. Though Luze/Eesa may be the Final Boss of the game, Alf could be seen as the Final Boss of the most personal conflict to L'Arc.
Big Brother Worship: A mild case, in that Alf's well aware of Weiss's many flaws, but still looks up to him and doesn't take kindly to people suggesting that he should be next in line over Weiss. This opinion sharply goes downhill after Antrax, however.
Break the Cutie: This happens to him over the course of the game.
Childhood Friends: With L'Arc and Adele.
The Chosen One: The other one.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: At first, he's all about helping those in need. As with most of his kinder traits, this gets killed over time.
Crazy Jealous Guy: He has been hiding his feelings for Adele for a very long time now, but he acts a bit restless whenever her romantic partner L'Arc doesn't give her much respect. In case you haven't noticed, Alf has several scenes and skits worrying about Adele the most.
Deal with the Devil: He makes a pact with Real; that if he can prove humans can live without Ray for a year, Real will stop all Hozone pollution.
Death from Above: His Real Revelation Excel Act.
Despair Event Horizon: He does not take losing Adele well.
The Dulcinea Effect: See L'Arc's section above. Alf doesn't seem too worried about letting a mysterious girl from the enemy country near their sole power source.
Elemental Powers: Light 'em Up.
Extreme Doormat: For Adele, after her Face–Heel Turn where he obviously doesn't agree with her on certain things but won't call her out on them. Eventually, it works in twisting him as much as she's become twisted herself, even reaching the point where she's appalled by his ruthlessness.
Evil Counterpart: To L'Arc.
Face–Heel Revolving Door: Whoo boy. He can easily go from working against L'Arc to working alongside L'Arc depending on the situation. By the end, he finally settles on being on L'Arc's side again.
Fallen Hero: His role in the game, for all intents and purposes, details his fall from Nice Guy to Well-Intentioned Extremist to Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds.
Foil: To L'Arc, in multiple ways. In terms of similarities, they're both swordsmen with similar stats and a Child of Eesa. In term of general differences...
- For starters, whereas L'Arc is an 'uncivilized' Jerk with a Heart of Gold who's grown up trying to make ends meet, Alf is a refined Nice Guy who happens to be a prince.
- Despite L'Arc possessing a temper and Alf typically being calmer, this gets reversed as time goes on, with L'Arc being much better at adapting and accepting trauma compared to Alf, who suffers from Break the Cutie. A short story also illustrates their differences in thinking: Alf is wary of what the future holds and so wishes for time to stop, whereas L'Arc accepts the passage of time and believes that it'll heal all wounds.
- Family-wise, Weiss likes L'Arc but hates Alf.
- Regarding what they intend to do as a Child of Eesa, they're on the reverse ends of the Order Versus Chaos spectrum. Both also choose to Take a Third Option, ironically doing the opposite of their supposed alignment.
Green-Eyed Monster: Alf admits before his final boss battle to being envious of L'Arc, who was always beloved by the people whose affection Alf also wanted, such as Weiss and Adele. Alf, as a prince whom the people never really saw, always felt alone.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: At the start, where he's, in L'Arc's words, too nice for his own good. Subverted horribly towards the end of the game, though, after he Took a Level in Jerkass.
Hammerspace: His sheath can hold swords much larger than itself. Just see that Giganto Sword fit into it!
Heartbroken Badass: After Adele dies, at which point he finally snaps.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With L'Arc. Alf ends up throwing out their friendship, though—but L'Arc never gives up on him, and so they repair it towards the end of the game.
I Just Want to Be Badass: He believes that he's the inferior one out of himself, L'Arc, and Weiss.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: He's well aware that Adele doesn't return his feelings, and so tries to support her with L'Arc. Then things get... complicated.
Irony: Despite his jealousy of L'Arc, if you actually look at their stats, Alf's are slightly superior to L'Arc's.
Karma Houdini: He's let off scott-free at the end of the game despite everything he's done. That said, his fate is a little ambiguous, as all that's known about what happened to him after his Heel–Face Turn is that he was working hard to rebuild the Empire (confirming that yes, he still got to remain as ruler even after what he did, but not much else).
Light Is Not Good: He learns Holy Blade after he becomes an antagonist.
Lord Country: Like Weiss, as royalty of the Meridian Empire, he has the last name Meridia.
Love Hurts: His life in the game would've gone much better if he weren't in love with Adele.
Love Makes You Crazy: Granted, he was also fed up with the Empire by that point, but a large part of him pulling a Face–Heel Turn was to protect Adele, and several more of the questionable things he does unhappily are for her sake.
Love Makes You Evil: ... Questionable things including taking over the Empire despite being very unhappy with the way he usurped Weiss, upon realizing that Adele set him up.
Love Makes You Stupid: Even before his Face–Heel Turn, his patience and IQ levels tended to drop whenever Adele was in danger.
Love Martyr: For Adele, after her Face–Heel Turn.
Love Redeems: A platonic example. It's his friendship with L'Arc, who never gave up on him, that ultimately brings him back.
Martial Pacifist: He'd rather avoid jumping to violence right away.
My Rules Are Not Your Rules: In the first boss fight against him, he can summon multiple Rogress over a couple of turns. Hey, why can't we do that with L'Arc!?
Nice Guy: In contrast to L'Arc. If you've read the spoiler tropes, you know that this goes horribly wrong.
Nice Guys Finish Last: He mutters about this being Adele's unintentional message in a skit, after Adele gushes about how nice he is and then criticizes L'Arc, whom she apparently thinks could take a page out of Alf's book.
Noble Male, Roguish Male: The Noble Male to L'Arc's Roguish Male. L'Arc is an "oaf" of a mercenary who wields a BFS; Alf is a gentle-mannered prince who wields a Royal Rapier.
Order Versus Chaos: Opposite to L'Arc, he's Chaos, having chosen Real's Law. Just like L'Arc, though, this gets flipped, as his way of negotiating with Real involves him being a dictator for the Empire, putting him on the Order side of things.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Somewhat subverted in that he's Blue for the most part, but has a few Red traits (namely when it comes to Adele. Eventually goes even farther into Red Oni territory, with L'Arc being more of a Blue Oni.
The Rival: He and L'Arc learned swordsmanship together, and it's mentioned that they often sparred.
Rival Turned Evil: The final boss fight is even acknowledged as them settling once and for all the rivalry they started in their childhood, except now in a darker light.
Royal Rapier: His sword is one, compared to L'Arc's BFS.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He takes an active role in military matters.
Pet the Dog: Even as a tyrant, he still honoured Weiss's contract with Elena and continued sending her money, and he also apparently visited her. Kind of awkward, seeing as how he was trying to have her son killed, but still a sign that he hadn't completely lost his humanity.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: He stabs Ignacy while he's giving his Breaking Speech. To be fair, Alf had some personal reasons for wanting to kill the bastard.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With Weiss. Where Weiss is a cruel warmonger, Alf is (at first) a pacifistic, kind-hearted individual.
Status Buff: His Multisphere Excel Act.
Stepford Smiler: Shows signs of this. His interactions with Weiss and a few skits suggest that his home life isn't very happy.
Summon Magic: Thanks to being a Child of Eesa.
Sword Beam: His Holy Blade Excel Act.
Tomato in the Mirror: A very weird subversion. He turns out to be the second Child of Eesa but he doesn't really care about it.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In conjunction with Break the Cutie.
Took a Level in Kindness: After L'Arc defeats him for the last time and the two finally sort out their issues.
Undying Loyalty: Towards Adele. No matter what Adele decides or how twisted she becomes, Alf will kill his conscience and follow her.
The Unfavorite: How he views himself.
Unwitting Pawn: Honestly, you'd think him and Suzaku were competing to be this trope's new poster boy or something.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: After his Face–Heel Turn.
Villain with Good Publicity: The 'villain' part is ambiguous here, but the people of the Republic adore him for fighting against the Empire.
Warrior Prince: Considering that he's involved with military affairs and, in the beginning of the game, goes around killing monsters with L'Arc and Ryfia? Yes.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: His harsh laws after he takes over the Empire are mostly to prove to Real that humans can live without Ray.
The Wise Prince: He takes a more pacifistic stance than Weiss and is thus rather concerned about what a war might do to the people of the Empire, contrasting to Weiss's eagerness for conflict.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: After Adele's death, he finally decides that he's had enough and to just screw it all.
You Kill It, You Bought It: Alf takes over as Emperor after offing Weiss. Mostly for Adele's wishes.

Adele Nevanlinna

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc9_2965.jpg

Voiced by: Emiri Katou (JP), Rumiko Varnes (EN)

Adele is one of L'Arc's childhood friends. She harbors shy but strong feelings for L'Arc.

Action Girl: She's really determined to prove she's one of these, and she does indeed hold up as a Guest-Star Party Member.
Alas, Poor Villain: Peacefully sacrifices her life for Alf, while lamenting over how twisted she became. More than a few other characters—namely Alf, Dynos, and L'Arc—were upset over her death.
Anti-Villain: Eventually shifts to a Type II towards the end of the game, when her Ax-Crazy tendencies die down somewhat and her pitiful side becomes more apparent.
Awesome, but Impractical: The dress she wears as the Real Diva. Seriously, how does she even sit down in that thing?
Ax-Crazy: And how! The fact she has a few nice moments with L'Arc (like saving him from being crushed by a boulder) post Face–Heel Turn don't balance the rest of her bitchyness as the story progresses.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Inverted. She started falling for L'Arc because he was rude to her, as everyone else treated her like she was fragile.
- Downplayed with Alf. She could never love him because she'd already been in love with L'arc, but Alf's never leaving her side after what she'd done warmed her heart enough to swear her loyalty and life to him, as proven by her transferring her hozone to Alf in order to save him when Ignacy extracts his Eesa factor.
Betty and Veronica: She's the Betty.
Break the Cutie: Over the course of the game.
Broken Bird: Not obvious at first, but she's got some deep-rooted issues. Which become much more obvious later on.
Childhood Friends: With Alf and L'Arc.
The Chooser of the One: As the Real Diva.
Damsel in Distress: Although, ironically, she takes her level in badass after it happens. Emphasis on bad.
Dark Action Girl: Post-Face–Heel Turn.
Death from Above: Her Excel Trinity.
Despair Event Horizon: She crosses this at some point, given her attitude by the time of her death.
Elemental Powers: An Ice Person and Casting a Shadow.
Evil Counterpart: To Ryfia.
Evil Sounds Deep: Her voice becomes a bit lower after her Face–Heel Turn.
Face–Heel Turn: In a Wham Episode at Antrax.
Foil: To Ryfia. Both of them fit JRPG heroine archetypes—Ryfia as the Mysterious Waif, and Adele as the Tsundere Childhood Friend. Where Ryfia is ultimately able to handle the stress of her situation, though, Adele lacks that fundamental strength and goodness and so loses her way. Which, of course, makes Adele all the more envious of Ryfia.
Girl Next Door: She's this to Ryfia's Mysterious Waif image.
Go Out with a Smile: Her body fades away, with her smiling peacefully at Alf all the while.
Guest-Star Party Member: She serves as one while on the way to Antrax, in Ebur Ruins, and in Allwise. In fact, of all heroes and anti-villains, she's the only one who can't be controlled whenever she's in the players' party.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Post-Face–Heel Turn, it's very easy to set her off.
Happily Adopted: Orphan's Ordeal aside, she loves Zamuel dearly.
Heartbroken Badass: After realizing that L'Arc will never choose her.
Heroic Sacrifice: She dies in order to save Alf's life.
If I Can't Have You…: Immediately after her Face–Heel Turn, she chooses to have L'Arc dead if he won't choose her. This attitude dies down over time, though, suggesting it was more her lashing out than her genuine desire.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: She goes batshit insane when L'Arc summons Simmah to protect ~~Ryfia~~ Weiss from Girtab, assuming that it means he doesn't care about her. In her viewpoint, L'Arc would save Ryfia from an army of undead, but could care less if she got hit by a Rogress attack.
Killed Off for Real: After her Heroic Sacrifice.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark Feminine to Ryfia's Light Feminine, especially after Adele's Face–Heel Turn.
Living Emotional Crutch: To both Alf and Dynos.
The Load: She isn't one, but some of her lines about how she can hold her own suggest that she's afraid of becoming this.
Love Hurts: Like Alf, she would've been much happier with a less complicated love life.
Love Makes You Evil: Of the Highest degree! How? simple. A) she becomes a Yandere vampy. B) high priestess of a Religion of Evil C) she's the hero's Unlucky Childhood Friend.
Manipulative Bitch: Sure, it was for revenge on Weiss for what happened at Antrax, but if she never had Dynos stir up confusion by having Undead Meridian Soldiers attacking Batrachites, the treaty would have gotten off without a hitch and the Meridian citizens wouldn't have the need to raise a rebellion.
Magic Music: Par on course for a Diva, she can use hymns.
Oblivious to Love: She doesn't seem to be aware of Alf's feelings for her (at first, at least).
Orphan's Ordeal: Zamuel isn't related to her by blood, and it's noted that the lack of biological family has left her feeling rather lonely. It's part of the reason why she ends up Jumping Off the Slippery Slope.
Orphan's Plot Trinket: Her pendant, which used to belong to her unknown mother.
Parental Abandonment: Her father is never mentioned but presumably dead, and all Adele knows of her mother is that she's dead.
Pet the Dog: Despite technically not being friends anymore and knowing that it was a trap, she chooses to go and save Niko, even seeming shocked when Alf, without hesitation, initially rejects the idea. Of course, not that she admits to this.
Pimped-Out Dress: After her kidnapping.
Pretty in Mink: Her gloves and shoes.
Raised by Grandparents: Kind of. Zamuel is considered her grandfather, though they're not related by blood.
Redemption Equals Death: By the time of her sacrifice, it's strongly implied that she was just about to ready to be friends with L'Arc again.
The Resenter: She tries not to be, and certain scenes suggest that, in a way, she does get along with Ryfia, who's probably her first female friend—but Adele still can't stand how easily the other girl waltzed in L'Arc's life. Post-Face–Heel Turn, she's fed up with being nice about it.
Sanity Slippage: Post Face–Heel Turn.
Sanity Strengthening: That said, she gradually mellows out after the initial freak out. By the time of her death, she and Alf have mostly switched places.
Secret Legacy: She inherits the position of Real Diva from her late mother.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Later on, where she begins acting abrasive to cover up how lonely and conflicted she feels.
Squishy Wizard: Like Ryfia, she's a good mage, but her defence is lacking.
Status Buff: Her Concentration Excel Act.
Token Evil Teammate: Taken to nightmarish levels.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Ryfia's Girly Girl. While Ryfia and others defend Adele and claim that she's very cute, L'Arc thinks that Adele could stand to be more lady-like.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Like other tropes, post-Heel–Face Turn. Just as she loses it earlier than Alf, she also starts taking her level in kindness earlier, but her death prevents her from going all the way.
Toxic Friend Influence: For Alf. At the time of her death, she reveals that she actually wanted him to leave her because of this.
Tsundere: Type B, as she's generally a sweet person, but L'Arc presses her buttons sometimes. Eventually becomes a full-fledged Yandere, though she begins returning to her Tsundere roots towards the end, as seen when she denies having come to Lascarde Skywalk for Niko's sake, even though it's obvious that she has.
Unlucky Childhood Friend: She takes it extraordinarily well.
Walking Spoiler: She spends more time in the game as the Real Diva than not, so her being this is unavoidable.
Weapon Twirling: Her post-battle animation as the Real Diva involves this.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She supports Alf in his actions, and as Ax-Crazy as she is, as she tells L'Arc, she wants to save the world too, just like Ryfia.
Yandere: Towards L'Arc, post-Face–Heel Turn.

Clyde

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc10_2733.jpg

Voiced by: Toru Ohkawa (JP), ??? (EN)

A retired general in the Empire who is very fond of L'Arc and Alf. He is in charge of Jada.

Anti-Villain: He's not malicious towards the heroes, and merely serves Alf out of a sense of loyalty.
Apologetic Attacker: One of his potential lines when using Volthorn is, "Anything for Sir Alf... Forgive me!"
The Brute: For Alf's party.
Conflicting Loyalty: See My Master, Right or Wrong. When you face him for the final time, he admits that it's like there are two Clydes inside of him: one that wants to support L'Arc's cause, and the other one that wants to support Alf.
Cool Old Guy: A Reasonable Authority Figure who's on the older side, compared to the rest of the cast.
Elemental Powers: Blow You Away & Shock and Awe.
Energy Weapon: His Volthorn special move can one-shot the entire party if you don't SPLIT THE HELL UP.
- Granted, the party CAN survive the blow if they can take out the soldiers using Mighty Charge on Clyde.
Failure Is the Only Option: What he believes in regards to Alf's plan. However, he still follows them out of loyalty.
Graceful Loser: When you beat him for the final time, he backs down as promised and let's L'Arc and co. pass so they can stop Alf.
My Master, Right or Wrong: A very maddening example. It's obvious he wants L'Arc to snap Alf out of his senses...but at the same time, he fights them all for Alf's misguided honor.
Reasonable Authority Figure: The soldiers at Jada greatly admire him judging how they can't take their new leader seriously after Clyde leaves without saying anything behind their backs.
Satellite Character: To Alf.
Status Buff: His High Accelerate Excel Act.
Token Good Teammate: Much saner and less issue-ridden than the rest of Alf's party towards the end of the game, where Alf is no longer the person he used to be.
Undying Loyalty: Yeah... See where we're going with this one?
Weapon Across the Shoulder: See the above picture.
What Happened to the Mouse?: His fate remains unclear by the end of the game. The last we see of him is him helping to defeat Real with Alf.

Dynos

Dynos Garcia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc11_8408.jpg

Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (JP), Tom Clark (EN)

AKA Deathchanter, Dynos roams the world looking for Real's Diva.

Abusive Parents: His dad tried to get him to be an assassin despite his pacifistic nature and then tried to kill him, so... yeah, he probably qualifies.
Alas, Poor Villain: The only reason the heroes—or, specifically, Cecille—kill him is out of mercy, with no one being happy that he's dead, especially after learning why he was so against them. Cecille, understandly, is heartbroken and regrets that she discovered all this too late.
Animate Dead: It's part of Real's magic, according to him.
Anti-Villain: After Adele's death, once you learn about his backstory.
Bare-Fisted Monk: Worth mentioning is that he can't initiate combo attacks. This is balanced with the fact that he is equipped with some of the deadliest Arm Forces.
Big Brother Instinct: The 'big' part is debatable, given the age confusion, and he definitely doesn't have this while alive, but his record in Allwise displays this towards Cecille, expressly asking the others to look after her.
Big Little Brother: Chronologically, he's Cecille's younger twin brother, but as he resumed his aging before her, he's physically older and thus bigger.
Break the Cutie: His backstory, given that he Used to Be a Sweet Kid, according to Cecille.
Cain and Abel: He's the Cain to Cecile's Abel.
Cynicism Catalyst: See Offing the Offspring. If that wasn't what pushed him to becoming the person he is now, then Rafil's death was.
Dark Is Evil: His outfit and Animate Dead powers mark him as Obviously Evil, and sure enough, he's the first antagonist of the game.
Death Seeker: Implied by Clyde, after Dynos's death, who says that Dynos was always looking for a place to die.
Despair Event Horizon: As with Alf, Adele's death is the final straw for him.
Elemental Powers: Casting a Shadow and Light 'em Up.
Emo Teen: A rare version where his angst is actually justified and Played for Drama rather than just being the subject of ridicule. See "Offing the Offspring" for further details.
Failure Knight: It's heavily implied that the reason Dynos is so loyal to Adele is because he failed to prevent the assassination of Rafil, Adele's mother and the previous Real Diva.
Freudian Excuse: He'll drop hints about it over the course of the game. The final boss fight against him is where his Trauma Conga Line is finally laid out.
Guest-Star Party Member: In Allwise.
Hair Color Spoiler: While Dynos's hair is a darker shade in their in-game sprites, the fact that he and Cecille both have purple hair and the same eye colour is your first hint that they're related.
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: The first boss fight against him. Turns out that, when you win, he was just holding back and is still in good shape.
Heir Club for Men: Possibly the case, as Cecille was the older twin, probably more suited for the art than the crybaby pacifist that Dynos used to be, and apparently better liked given that she wasn't the victim of the Offing the Offspring attempt later on, and yet Dynos was still inexplicably the heir to the dojo.
I Owe You My Life: The basis of his loyalty to the former Real Diva.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite being quite the Jerkass, especially in the beginning, he does have some positive traits that mean Alf keeps him around in his party. The main one is his loyalty to Adele.
Killed Off for Real: After Cecille kills him, in order to put him out of his mistery during his Painful Transformation.
Kung-Fu Wizard: Again, a mage who can defend himself rather than a magic-using fighter.
Last Stand: Tries to pull one off, though Cecille kills him before he can go through with it. Notably, though, out of all the antagonists that stood a chance at redemption, he's the only one who fights the heroes to the bitter end.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: His hair reaches his waist.
Loving a Shadow: Not quite love, but a short story found on the official website addresses how his loyalty towards Adele isn't for Adele herself, but a projection of his devotion towards her mother.
Magical Gesture: He's shown to perform a ninja-esque hand seals when summoning undeads and performing Death in the Dark Excel Act.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Initially, he's the only one of the Divine Race to fully reject Imaginal. Considering his father's devotion to it almost killed him, it's no wonder.
Necromancer: Or Deathchanter, to use game terminology. Either way, he reanimates the dead.
Obviously Evil: Everything about Dynos's design and powers just scream, "I'm a bad guy!" In-Universe, after Alf takes over the Meridian Empire, one NPC admits that they find Dynos the scariest of the group.
Offing the Offspring: His father tried to get him to be an assassin. That didn't work out, so his dad tried to take his Dragon Gem. If a member of the Divine Race loses that particular stone, then they turn into a Feldragon while being totally unable to stop the change from happening. When that didn't work, his dad turned himself into a Feldragon just so he could kill Dynos for his failure. Yeah, Dynos' dad was kind of a douche.
Painful Transformation: He's killed partway through it, but transforming into a Feldragon seems rather painful.
Parental Abandonment: See Cecille's section for the details.
Polar Opposite Twins: With Cecille.
Really 700 Years Old: Being Cecille's brother and all.
Recurring Boss: You'll fight him 3 times, excluding boss fights against his summons.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: He has brown-ish red eyes and is Obviously Evil.
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: His Jerkass demeanour belies a kid with a lot of issues.
Summon Magic: It's how he summons his undead when you fight him.
Token Evil Teammate: Played with. He is one, but his evil is overshadowed by Adele after she goes Ax-Crazy.
Too Many Belts: He wears them everywhere except for, you know, his waist.
Trauma Conga Line: See Offing the Offspring and Failure Knight. Is it any wonder this guy turned out as messed up as he did?
Undying Loyalty: To the Real Diva. Dynos literally does not care about anything else other than serving her, as he's lost everything else in life.
The Un-Favourite: He and Cecille argue over which one of them was this, but given what happened to Dynos, he probably wins that argument.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: If you can believe it, he was once a crybaby pacifist.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Namely, he's the first boss. Chances are that you've been dealing with the regular monsters easily enough—and then you discover why this game is Nintendo Hard.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Dynos did not have a good relationship with his father.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: After Adele's death, in his own words: "If the world wants to keep betraying me, then now it's my turn to betray the world!"
Yin-Yang Bomb: His "Doubly Dark" Excel Act has him merge a mass of Dark magic with a mass of Light magic into a beam of mixed power. Wait, this sounds familiar...
- To be fair, Dynos learned his technique before Cecille learned hers. You could use it during the Ruins of Ebur where you controlled Alf's party for a portion of the stage.

Antagonists

Prince Weiss Dona Meridia

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5688-457638116_6865.png

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (JP), Greg Irwin (EN)

The prince who rules over the Empire with an iron fist, brother to fellow prince Alf. He is totally obssessed with world domination.

Alas, Poor Villain: He dies by Alf's hand over a misunderstanding caused by Adele, leaving his last words to L'Arc and encouraging him to Take Up My Sword.
Aloof Big Brother: To Alf and L'Arc.
Ax-Crazy: Done very subtly. He's not completely insane, but it's still clear from his expressions and inflections during battle that he's a kill-crazy bastard.
Badass Cape: He wears a long, snazzy-looking purple cape.
Bastard Bastard: Ayup. There's quite a few people who believe that he shouldn't be on the throne because he's a concubine's son, but his response to them is pretty much "Up yours".
Blessed with Suck / Cursed with Awesome: Sure, Eesa's Curse gave him a pretty cool wing that gives him a buffing Excel Act, but it was that same curse that was used on him when he tried saving his own mother. Not to mention it made his father, the other victim of the curse, deadly sick to the point of committing suicide. Okay, sure, the Meridian Bible that cursed him had been tampered with, but it's a bit harsh.
Cain and Abel: Given the personalities, you'd think Weiss would be the one that offs Alf, he even attempts so back at Antrax. However, in the end, he dies by Alf's hand. By that point, their roles in this have been switched; Weiss the fallen Abel, and Alf the traitorous Cain.
Captain Ersatz: He's pretty much Seto Kaiba in a fantasy setting.
Casting a Shadow: His Excel Act are of Dark element.
Cool Sword: He wields one.
Death Equals Redemption: Opinion of him is higher of him after he's dead than when he was alive. Granted, it helps that he's succeeded by Alf, who's bad enough as Emperor that everyone starts missing Weiss.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: L'Arc's.
Easily Forgiven: Does the party forget that he tried to genocide the crap out of a religious order, in which there were bound to be lots of totally innocent people who didn't have ulterior motives? Apparently so.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He cares dearly for Elena, to the point where the entire mess that is his life started because he tried to save her.
Even Evil Has Standards: He agrees to a peace treaty. Considering how, until that point, he's expressed very strong imperialistic sentiments, it's something of a surprise to the party.
Faith–Heel Turn: Losing faith in Eesa is basically his Start of Darkness.
Fantastic Racism: Against religious types in general.
Freudian Excuse: His Jerkass personality stems from one incident in his past that then proceeded to screw him over for the rest of his life.
Hair Color Spoiler: He and L'Arc are two of the few characters to have brown hair or green eyes, let alone both, so...
He Who Fights Monsters: He spends a lot of time talking about how religious types are Manipulative Bastards and that he doesn't think their gods are much better. However, it's very clear to anybody who sees him that he's become exactly the kind of insane tyrant he believes himself to have been fighting against.
Hypocrite: He claims to want to "free" people from the rule of gods, but since his modus operandi comes across as nothing short of "Take Over the World" he'd really just be replacing the rule of Eesa with his own. However, this is totally in-character for Weiss.
Hypocritical Heartwarming: It's A-OK for him to insult L'Arc but when a senator of the Republic does it, Weiss is far from pleased.
Jerkass: Yeah, Weiss is kind of a douche.
Kick the Dog: Is most definitely not above this.
Killed Off for Real: After Alf kills him.
Large Ham: It's not sure whether it's intentional or not, but his English VA clearly had a lot of fun playing this guy.
"Those EXTREMISTS make MEEEE SICK!"
"Preeepaaaaarrre yourselffff...! I'LL RIP YOU IN TWO!"
"That's RIGHT! EEEEEESA'S Curse! I COULD take the time to explain it to you... BUT I WON'T!"
A Lighter Shade of Black: The guy may have been a Jerkass who went around invading other countries, but he at least wasn't a tyrant to his own people, unlike what Alf becomes after taking the throne.
Long-Lost Relative: To L'Arc.
Lord Country: Like Alf, as royalty of the Meridian Empire, he has the last name Meridia.
Manipulative Bastard: Just ask L'Arc, his Unwitting Pawn.
Moral Myopia: He considers fratricide more than once in order to fulfil his goals, yet he's outraged when his brother's decided he's had enough and turns on him.
Obviously Evil: Come on, his theme tune sounds like a Pantomime villain's! Also? His Excel Act is named Dark Flames.
Pet the Dog: While undeniably a Jerkass most of the time, he did have a bit of a soft spot for L'Arc in hindsight, in spite of what he put him through—Freya mentions that Weiss was actually worried about him the entire time, hence why he had Niko spy on him, and he may have intended to pass the torch to him all along.
Poor Communication Kills: A number of problems could have been avoided if he had just taken the time to explain things to people.
Rage Against the Heavens: He's made it his life mission to wipe out religion and kill the gods.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: His left eye, that is.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Although that "something" is more or less "conquer the world".
Secret-Keeper: As per Elena's wishes, he keeps secret the fact that he and L'Arc are half-brothers.
Self-Made Orphan: When Mahat dies, many are suspicious that Weiss was behind his death. He's not—his father committed suicide.
Sibling Yin-Yang: With Alf.
Smug Snake: Subverted, since he really can back up his threats. It comes with being a Warrior Prince.
Status Buff: His Capricious Wing Excel Act.
Take Up My Sword: He entrusts L'Arc with everything he's been working for when he dies. Even before that, he apparently told Sonia to seek L'Arc out should anything happen to him.
Troperiffic: Oh hell yes!
Well-Intentioned Extremist: With much, much more emphasis on the "Extremist" part than most examples. See He Who Fights Monsters.
Winged Humanoid: Even if he only has one wing.

Ignacy

Walter Ignacy

Voiced by: Asou Tomohisa (JP), ??? (EN)

Ignacy is a dangerous criminal.

Arch-Enemy: Zamuel considers him one, and by association, Rastan and Serge.
Battle Butler: He first appears as Ryfia's butler of sorts.
Big Bad Ensemble: Due to the story having multiple villains, it's not quite clear who's the real Big Bad of Arc Rise Fantasia. Ignacy's list of atrocities means that he's a more worthy candidate for the title than most.
Big Bad Friend: So, Ryfia, your nice and polite butler? Yeah, he's the game's Big Bad.
Casting a Shadow: His element of choice is darkness.
The Chosen One: He becomes a Child of Eesa after stealing Alf's Eesa Factor. Too bad he never gets to use it.
The Dragon: To Hosea, although it turns out he was going to backstab him once he no longer needed them.
Evil Old Folks: Again, one of the oldest characters, and the biggest douche of them all.
Faux Affably Evil: He usually speaks in a very polite and friendly manner that's quite obviously insincere.
Flash Step: In-battle only. Outside of it he has a rather goofy-looking running animation.
Hopeless Boss Fight: The first time you face him.
I Have Your Wife: It's how he made Rastan his Unwitting Pawn. To a lesser degree, he does this again in the present, when he kidnaps Niko to force L'Arc and co. to meet with them in Lascarde Skywalk.
Kick the Dog: His reasons for killing Zamuel basically amount to "because I could."
Killed Mid-Sentence: Alf chooses not to listen to Ignacy's dying rant, and instead stabs him halfway through.
Manipulative Bastard: He took Rastan's family and used them as hostages to get him to kill L'Arc's father, Rex.
Obviously Evil: See Devil in Plain Sight.
One-Winged Angel: Subverted. Alf kills him before he can do anything of the kind.
Professional Killer: As part of an assassination unit working under Hosea.
Required Secondary Powers: He steals Alf's Eesa Factor, but is unable to use it in any meaningful way in battle because he has no Rogress.
The Starscream: To Hosea, and all of the Divine Race.
Status Buff: His Black Shield Excel Act.
Straw Nihilist: His dying words have him claim that everything in life is meaningless, as a justification for all of his awful acts.
When Elders Attack: Physically the oldest character in the game and one of the most dangerous as well.

Hosea

Voiced by: Mitsuru Ogata (JP), Jeff Manning (EN)

A man who fully believes that following Imaginal's law will benefit humanity.

The Chessmaster: Attempts to invoke this trope through manipulation of the Senate and use of the Aion Unit. Things don't go so well when the heroes catch on, however.
Dead Man's Switch: He has it so that if he dies, the Lascarde Skywalk will fire a powerful cannon capable of destroying the land.
Fantastic Racism: Let's just say that he doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of the Common Race.
Fat Bastard: And, consequently, is a magic-oriented boss.
Light Is Not Good: He has Light-based Excel Acts.

Paula

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc13_55.jpg

Voiced by: Yuu Kobayashi (JP), ??? (EN)

One of Ignacy's henchwomen. Paula works alongside Luna by killing anyone who opposes Ignacy.

Brainwashed and Crazy: According to her, Ignacy put a spell on her and her sister, only recalling the faces of the people they have killed.
Faking the Dead: As per L'Arc's suggestion, she and her sister bribe a corrupt senator to let them do this.
Heel–Face Turn: Not during the actual story, but a guild quest of all things.
Hot-Blooded: According to the official site, anyway.
Playing with Fire: Her "Dance of Flames" attack.
The Rival: Forms a mercenary group with her sister that wishes to defeat the "Lagoon Mercenary Group".
Sibling Team: She and Luna are apparently sisters.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Once Ignacy is out of the picture, there's no mention of her and his other subordinates' fates unless you do the appropriate sidequests.

Luna

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arc12_644.jpg

Voiced by: Ryou Hirohashi (JP), ??? (EN)

The second person who works for Ignacy. Just like Paula, Luna is a very deadly woman.

Brainwashed and Crazy: Due to a spell put on the two by Ignacy, if they are to be believed.
Faking the Dead: Alongside Paula, after Ignacy's defeat.
Heel–Face Turn: Like her sister, during a guild quest.
The Rival: Forms a mercenary group with her sister that wishes to defeat the "Lagoon Mercenary Group".
Sibling Team: With Paula.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Unless you do the relevant guild quests.

Others

The Rogress

Simmah

The Rogress of Light that joins L'Arc. He is the one who sets L'Arc on the quest to bring peace to the world.

Heroic Sacrifice: His decision to become the Rogress Simmah, therefore leaving his human life behind.
Holy Hand Grenade
Light 'em Up
Luke, I Am Your Father: He's really Ryfia's father.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Deliverance—be freed... from your shackles!"

Girtab

The Rogress of Darkness.

Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Domination—submit yourself to these shackles!"

Absin

The Rogress of Judgment.

Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Judgement—and judge you I will!"

Gula

The Rogress of Integrity.

Brainwashed and Crazy: Due to Ignacy tampering with his code, he's gone insane by the time that you come across him.
Friend to All Children: Apparently was friends with all the children of Gula Church.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Integrity—you will not escape! Bow before me!"

Rufunga

The Rogress of Purity.

The Smurfette Principle: The only apparent female Rogress, until/unless you discover Allul.
White Magic: She heals your party.

Banchu

The Rogress of Protection.

Androcles' Lion: Sort of. His dungeon involves helping out feldragons, and should L'Arc and co. free them all, Banchu will repay their kindness by granting audience with them before Alf and co.
Barrier Warrior: He grants the No Physical status effect.

Squill

The Rogress of Surging.

Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Surging!"
Time-Limit Boss: He needs to be beaten within a certain turn limit in order to obtain him.

Papirusagu

The Rogress of Omniscience.

Death Seeker: According to him, he simply wants to rest in peace, as he's tired of being alive.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Omniscience—may the spiral take you!"
Who Wants to Live Forever?: See Death Seeker.

Urgula

The Rogress of Fire.

Large Ham: His English VA certainly comes off as this.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Valor—perish in my crimson inferno!"

Kudoan

The Rogress of Wit.

My Greatest Failure: Blames himself for the creation of Eesa.

Mashgar

The Rogress of Solitude.

Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Witness the Logos of Solitude—come forth lightning, pierce them all!"

Allul

The Rogress of Ice.

Bishoujo Line: She's the leader of the Rogress and the most powerful. Her Rogress form consists of several ice crystals, but she still retains her human characteristics.
Cool Sword: Please accept our apologies.
Guide Dang It!: Finding her, for starters. Some people have a lot of difficulty fighting her, too.
Odd Name Out: All of the other Rogress are described as the "Logos of ____", whereas Allul is the "Lapis of Foresight".
Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
"Let us end this! To me, azure demise! Shatter these fools, forever."

Freya

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/8a_5203.png

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (JP), ??? (EN)

One of the generals from the Empire. Though it doesn't look like it, she worries about Niko's well-being behind all the harsh punishment she issues on him.

Improbable Age: One of the highest ranking soldiers in the country at age 24.
My Country, Right or Wrong: Averted. She'd never go as far as to desert it, but she's the one of the only ones among the Meridian Empire who's willing to go behind the ruler's back and assist a criminal like L'Arc if it's for the country's own good.
Not So Above It All: She's not quite as no-nonsense as she comes across. After Niko's death, she fondly admits that the stories she liked hearing the most from him weren't the important, serious ones, but insignificant things like flowers he saw on the roadside, etc.
Number Two: Appears to be this to Weiss.
Prim and Proper Bun: Her appearance alone, with her hairstyle, makes it clear that she's not one for frivolousness.
Reasonable Authority Figure: She's even described as such during a skit.
Secret-Keeper: She doesn't even react weirdly to seeing Weiss's mutated dragon wing, implying that she knew about it.
The Stoic: You'll rarely get to see her smile.
Stoic Spectacles: Nondescript glasses to add to her stoic image.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Rather stern, particularly with Niko, but ultimately a caring person.

Elena Lagoon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arf1_3813.png

Voiced by: Miyu Ootake (JP), Kunimi Andrea (EN)

L'Arc's mother and wife to the late Rex Lagoon. Due to her ill condition, she typically stays at home, with much of L'Arc's wages going to providing for her.

Curtains Match the Window: Green hair and eyes.
Damsel in Distress: Almost. Ignacy tries to kidnap her to use her as a hostage against L'Arc, but he settles for Niko instead.
Good Parents: It's clear that she loves L'Arc dearly, and even though he may have had to take care of her more than the other way around due to her illness, she still raised a good son.
Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She's a calm and gentle lady whose outfit of choice is a purple dress.
Hands-Off Parenting: L'Arc looks after her more, if anything, though it's justified in that Elena is sickly and incapable of actively raising her son. Nevertheless, L'Arc turned out to be responsible, and as he's been working as a legionnaire for a while, she doesn't worry too much when he's off doing his own thing.
Her Heart Will Go On: She's lost her husband, former lover, and while not addressed, her first son. And then, at the end of the game, what gives L'Arc the courage to go through with his Heroic Sacrifice is his mother assuring him that no matter what happens, he shouldn't worry about her.
Morality Pet: Not that L'Arc's heart of gold is exclusive to her, but his first and foremost redeeming trait is his love for his mother. Weiss also cares for her greatly. Furthermore, if you talk to a certain NPC after Alf's ascension to the throne, it's mentioned that despite him, well, trying to kill her son, he still honours the contract L'Arc set up with Weiss and continues to send her money regularly, indicating that even Alf still cares for Elena.
Nice Girl: Polite and friendly to everyone she speaks to.
Plucky Girl: This woman has been through a lot, but you wouldn't be able to tell from her attitude.

Zamuel

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arf2_8964.png

Voiced by: Rokurou Naya (JP), ??? (EN)

Otherwise known as Zamuel the Crimson Mist, a member of the former Lord Knights, he now teaches a swordsmanship school. As a family friend of the Lagoons, he lets them live with him. Also the foster grandfather of Adele.

Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's fabulous. And still a former legendary mercenary.
Cool Old Guy: Open-minded, dispenses some useful advice to L'Arc and co., and a tough fighter.
Cool Shades: To go with the rest of his fabulous outfit.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Suffice to say that L'Arc isn't the most respectful of students, despite Zamuel's insistence that he be called "Master". The one time that L'Arc does so is when Zamuel dies.
Eccentric Mentor: One skit has L'Arc and Niko recall some of Zamuel's rather bizarre quirks and training regimes.
Killed Off for Real: Thanks to the crystallization.
Master Swordsman: What he's famous for.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: An experienced player probably figured that he was going to bite it, by virtue of being L'Arc's teacher.
Old Master: He's former legend and Master Swordsman who now puts his skill to use by teaching swordsmanship to others, with students including L'Arc and Alf.
Papa Wolf: You shouldn't try and hurt Adele under his watch.
Parental Substitute: To Adele.
Real Men Wear Pink: Let's face it: you have to be as confident as Zamuel is to pull off a frilly pink outfit like him.
Red Baron: The Crimson Mist.
Retired Badass: His days of being a mercenary are over, and he has grey hair but he still goes around fighting people.

Shelly Greenhill

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arf3_8393.png

Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (JP), ??? (EN)

The current Director of the Republic, a position previously held by her late father.

A Child Shall Lead Them: As Niko notes, she's pretty young for being Director. Later, it's revealed that she bought the votes.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: She's got some odd quirks that make for a deadly combination with her forceful personality. Leslie is well aware, and L'Arc and co. will learn the hard way if you view the skits at her house.
Damsel in Distress: After she becomes The Leader of La Résistance, the heroes end up having to save her.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She's not too fond of L'Arc at first, considering his reputation, but warms up to him over the course of the game.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Leslie.
Hime Cut: Befitting her role as ruler, she has even bangs and long hair down her back.
Identity Amnesia: After the attack during the peace treaty signing, though she gets better.
Iron Lady: Though she had military training with Leslie, we never see her fight and we don't need to: she's enough of a badass in dealing with politics. She has enemies among the Senate, and she knows it.
Irony: She, the head of the Republic, ends up as the leader of the La Résistance... in her enemy country.
Pursuing Parental Perils: Let's just say that her father definitely didn't die of natural causes, and she very well knows this.
Rage Against the Heavens: After their attempted assassination of her, she declares war against the Church.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Not quite royalty, as the Republic is, obviously, not a monarchy, but close enough to it.
Tough Leader Façade: She has to be this, given all the corruption in the government.
You Killed My Father: Her main motivation for becoming Director is to uncover her father's murderer and arrest them.

Maria

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arf4_2995.png

Voiced by: Naoko Sugiura (JP), ??? (EN)

A mute girl living in Ebur, and Serge's foster little sister.

Break the Cutie: Her past, courtesy of Ignacy.
Damsel in Distress: In a way. Everyone ends up searching Ebur ruins for her, afraid for her safety, but she's found unharmed. Which, when you think about it, is rather implausible as that implies that she somehow avoided all of the monsters that the player likely kept running into...
Heartwarming Orphan: All of her family are dead sans Serge, and the other characters tend to treat her as something of an In-Universe Woobie and are thus happy to note that she's become more cheerful after regaining her voice.
Morality Pet: Considering that Serge is an antagonist when you meet her. He also softens up considerably to L'Arc and co. after they help her.
Nice Girl: She's a very sweet girl who does her best to be helpful to the heroes after they help her out.
Sole Survivor: Along with Serge, she's the only orphan left from Gula Church, hence why she wants Serge to stay with her.
The Speechless: At first, thanks to her past trauma.

Luze

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5688-1036202628_9286.png

Voiced by: Rina Sato (JP), ??? (EN)

A young priestess of North Noireism who travels the world, accompanied by her bodyguard Saura.

A God Am I: Justified in a very sympathetic way. She was made to be a god by people, so she's understandably upset about how they're now trying to kill her.
Anti-Magic: Prevents the use of the Rogress during the first fight with her.
Anti-Villain: She insists that L'Arc choose a law, despite knowing that either one will lead to wiping out most/all of humanity, because his law will render her useless/require her death, ultimately turning the final battle into a fight for the right to live on both sides.
Because Destiny Says So: Insists that L'Arc chooses a Law even when he starts to disagree with them.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: As L'Arc notes, she, being a god, must view everything impartially, making the loss of Hozone equivalent to the death of all humans to her.
Break the Cutie: Played with. She was broken before the story even began. The events of the game see her trying to get better. It doesn't take.
Deity of Human Origin
Designated Villain: Discussed in-universe. L'Arc actually says that there was never any choice but to kill her.
Final Boss: An interesting variant, as she's the Final Boss despite not being the Big Bad.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: Seeing as how she's really part of a rock, this isn't exactly her true body.
God Is Good: Eesa is clearly good at heart... but L'Arc pushed her way too far.
Good Shepherd: Travels around the world, helping others and spreading the teachings of Eesa.
Light 'em Up: Her element of choice.
Not-So-Small Role: At first, she just seems to be a minor character. You meet her while she and Saura are being harassed by some bandits in Diamant.
Physical God: It comes with being the real Eesa.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Personality-wise, she's a very benevolent Red Oni to Saura. Oddly enough, both are clad in blue.
To Be Lawful or Good: She eventually chooses "Lawful" because the "Good" guys are trying to kill her.
Trauma Conga Line; As you'll find out in her backstory, Luze just can't catch a break.
True Blue Femininity: Her mysterious and gentle air is only emphasized by her all-blue clothing.
Walking Spoiler: She spends most of the game as a mysterious shepherd, and though L'Arc suspects it before their final encounter, it's only revealed at endgame that she's Eesa.

Saura

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5688-1750919104_4868.png

Voiced by: Yukana (JP), ??? (EN)

Luze's bodyguard. Though she mostly goes along with Luze's wishes, she appears to take a more proactive desire to see the land kept clean.

Bodyguarding a Badass: Technically, what with Luze being Eesa, she's not in any real danger. However, she obviously can't reveal that among humans, and so Saura is presumably there so that Luze can have a plausible means of protection.
Cool Crown: Wears a small tiara on her head.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: Considering she's Allul and all, but that's obviously not a form she can waltz around in.
Heartbroken Badass: She was evidently close with the Thirteenth Hero of Noire, who ended up becoming a Feldragon.
Immortality: Implied. Possibly The Ageless.
Kill the Ones You Love: Or rather, she has L'Arc and co. kill him, in Allwise.
Lady of War: Everything about her reeks of elegance, and she's a badass in battle.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: She acknowledges that turning the Singing Stone into a god didn't turn out as well as she hoped it would, a thousand years ago.
Not-So-Small Role: Along with Luze, she seems to just be a minor character at first, but her role is tied in with the history of the story and the events that led to the current conflict.
Really 700 Years Old: Seeing as how she's been around since before the Divine Race went to sleep.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue Oni to Luze and possibly Simmah as well while he was still human.
Ship Tease: It's not stated exactly what her relationship with the Thirteenth Hero of Noire was, but lovers is a good guess.
The Stoic: She doesn't have much in the way of facial variety.
Walking Spoiler: Much like Luze, she's more than what she appears to be at first.

Characters / Arc Rise Fantasia

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