This is the character page for Evolution, a pair of Eastern RPGs released in 1999. For the characters of the 2001 film, see Alienators: Evolution Continues.
open/close all folders
Playable Characters
Mag Launcher
Mag as he appears in Far Off Promise
The son of Asroc Launcher and the youngest member of the Launcher Family, Mag takes after his parents when it comes to exploring ruins. He strives to pay off his family debt and is accompanied by faithful butler Gre and his best friend Linear. He uses the Airacomet; A hand based cyframe.- Anime Hair: He wears a band that makes his hair even more spiky than it actually is. Both a single piece of artwork and the Dreamcast Magazine comics show his hair is naturally spiky, just less exaggerated.
- Badass Bookworm: It's acknowledged In-Universe that exploring ruins requires quite a lot of planning and know-how. That said, Nina does not have the most faith in him and he quickly finds the books on adventuring in his father's room to be too daunting to read.
- Badass Driver: He's able to pilot the family seaplane to each of the dungeons in the first game, effectively making him this.
- Berserk Button: Messing with Linear or even simply telling Mag to stop seeing Linear is the quickest way to make Mag angry.
- BFS: Rare concept art for the first game depicts the Airacomet wielding a giant sword. Averted in the game proper where, in spite of all the parts it can get, a sword is not one of them.
- Bowled Over: The Bowling parts allow Mag to to strike opponents with explosive bowling balls.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S":
- The weapons the Airacomet uses have an "M" on them. The M is also embossed on the wings of the Sea Otter.
- Mag also has his family name underneath the logo on his jacket (though it's hard to see
during normal gameplay).
- Cool Helmet: The only time Mag is seen without his headgear is when he goes to sleep (and in Evolution Worlds, not even then).
- Costume Evolution: In Evolution 2, Mag adds a jacket to his adventurer outfit.
- Coordinated Clothes: With Linear in Evolution 2.
- Darkest Hour: Mag hits his when he accidentally allows Eugene's forces to kidnap Linear and learns that the Cruiser is gone. It takes Gre giving him a pep talk for him to snap out of it and mount a rescue mission.
- Determinator: As Gre points out, Mag is the type of person who refuses to give up (aside from his Darkest Hour of course). This is verified when he faces down the army and an ancient superweapon to rescue Linear.
- Dance Battler: The description for the "Magna Rave" in the first game calls it a "intense special dance/weaving attack".
- Disappeared Dad: His parents went missing while exploring one day. The only communication he's had with them since is a note from his father telling him to protect Linear.
- Dishing Out Dirt:
- The Rock Parts allow the Cyframe to pick up boulders to throw them at enemies. Additionally, some of the Hand Parts attacks such as the Dive Punch and the Magna Reverse involve Mag using the ground to attack the enemy.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: For most of the first game, Mag is shown to be embarrassed of his family's debt. However, he only gets really annoyed after Eugene dismisses him and refuses to believe that he's actually the "Mag Launcher" he was looking for.
- Empathic Weapon: Downplayed.
- The Airacomet shows few, if any, signs of being sentient but seems to correlate to Mag's arm movements rather than being controlled directly. Even then, the Airacomet can seemingly be commanded even without the movements as some of Mag's skills have it move independently of him and he's able to make it punch Eugene even as he's lying down after having been shot.
- The Dreamcast Magazine comic plays it straighter, with the Airacomet occasionally showing signs of being sentient, such as walking on its fingers. One comic even seems to directly acknowledge it, complete with Mag tearfully reuniting with it.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: The Flaming, Freezing and Lightning Hand parts in the first game give Mag the respective properties. Outside of the element in question, they all have the same moves.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Played straight in the first game, but averted in the second and the remake where he wears the goggles during some of his attacks.
- Ground Punch: Mag does this for the Magna Reverse and the Dive Punch in the second game/Worlds. It's also how he dispatches the 8th Imperial Army tanks as they try to capture Linear.
- Ground-Shattering Landing: The Dive Punch in the both games:
- In the first game, Mag leaps into the air and lands in the middle of the enemy field, creating an explosion.
- In the second game, Mag jumps and slams the Airacomet's fist in front of the enemy field, exploding the ground under the enemy.
- Hair Color Dissonance: Mag's hair color is intended to be brown, but can be orange-ish depending on the depiction.
- Inconsistent Dub: Mag's Cyframe is known as the Airacomet in the first game, but is referred to as "the Magic Hand" in the manual for the second game. Evolution Worlds reverts it back to Airacomet.
- In the Blood: The Launcher clan is said to have been a long line of adventurersnote , and Mag is latest. Eternal Dungeons reveals in a coversation with Grant note that the Launcher clan is responsible for calling The Society to Pannam Town, meaning the town's current state is due to them.
- Jack of All Trades: Part of what makes Mag so powerful is the sheer amount of abilities he has. Depending on the parts equipped to his Cyframe, Mag can heal the party, debuff enemies and do large amounts of damage.
- Killer Yoyo: The Yoyo Parts give the Airacomet a Yoyo for a weapon. It's useful for hitting multiple targets.
- Light 'em Up: Downplayed. The Light Parts allow Mag to buff the party, but he cannot use it to attack directly.
- Limited Wardrobe: Played straight in the games where Mag is never seen wearing any other clothes; Even when he goes to bed, he merely takes off his gloves and helmet. Averted in the Dreamcast Magazine comic where he has proper night clothes, dress clothes and swim trunks.
- Magitek: The Evolution Worlds instruction booklet describes the Airacomet as "a magic hand-held Cyframe".
- Super-Scream: The Megaphone parts give the Airacomet a megaphone, which Mag uses to shout at opponents, usually inflicting them with a status ailment.
- Older Than They Look:
- As mentioned below, Mag's growth stopped when he was 10. Now look at this [1]◊ and keep in mind that Mag is 16.
- Mag's height is partially the reason an NPC in the second game compares Mag to his son. His 8 year old son.
- As mentioned below, Mag's growth stopped when he was 10. Now look at this [1]
- Platonic Life-Partners: Mag may not show an interest in romance, but it's pretty clear that Linear is very important to him. That said, they've got a heck of a lot of Ship Tease.
- Pride Before a Fall: Mag's arrogance after beating one of the 8th Imperial Army's tanks comes back to bite him when he accidentally ends up allowing them to take Linear. He even admits he was being too arrogant.
- Power Fist: The Airacomet by default, but doubly so when equipped with the Hand Parts.
- Pungeon Master: Inspecting things around the airfield will usually have Mag make some lame pun. Mag seems to have self-awareness at least, as he gets annoyed at himself and even questions if he's feeling alright to the point of wondering if he should lie down.
- Punny Name: The Airacomet's Hand Parts (the default parts in both games) have the word MAG-na in of its skills.
- Sheathe Your Sword: When Mag confronts the fully powered Ulticannon, he pulls out and plays the ocarina to get through to Linear.
- Swiss-Army Weapon: The Airacomet can pull out a wide variety of weapons from Hammerspace including hammers, aerosol cans, Yoyos and more. The green and red part of it even resembles a Swiss army knife.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: His jacket has both a personal logo and his family name on it.
- Unflinching Walk: In Far Off Promise and the remake, Mag does this after performing a Dive Punch.
- Unnamed Parent: Downplayed: While Asroc is mentioned extensively in the game's narrative, his wife is not, with most of her mentions being via Mag, who simply calls her "mother". .
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He seems to have this relationship with Chain, especially considering their Talent.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Twice in the Dreamcast magazine comics: in one, Mag dresses up as a flower girl to sell flowers while in another, Pepper's third disguise for an unconscious Mag is a princess' outfit, complete with wig.
Linear Cannon
Linear as she appears in Far Off Promise
A mysterious girl who appeared on the Launcher's doorstep one winter night with a letter from Asroc telling Mag to look out for her. Since then she has accompanied Mag wherever he goes. Oh, and she's also Evolutia, the legendary cyframe (or half of it at least).- Ambiguously Human: Considering what she really is, it's a bit unclear whether she's a human imbued with such abilities or an Artificial Human. The implication that she's been around for a while raises further questions. The second game implies that she is an artificial human
- Costume Evolution: Much like Mag, she gets a jacket to go with her original outfit in Evolution 2.
- Coordinated Clothes: She gets a similar jacket to match Mag's in Far Off Promise. Averted in Evolution Worlds where her appearance is based on The World of Sacred Device and stays that way in part two.
- Cryptic Background Reference: If used to inspect the Society Museum exhibits relating to the ancient civilization, Linear will mention that she finds them familiarnote . This is the closest to any explicit sign of Linear remembering the ancient civilization.
- Cute Mute: Linear only grunts and little else until the end of the first game. Averted in Eternal Dungeons where she will respond to Mag if he talks to her using the "talk" command (though Mag is still the one to provide the hint).
- Damsel in Distress: Played straight in the first game where she is kidnapped by the 8th Imperial Army after Eugene realizes her true nature but subverted in the second where she's convinced by Yurka to leave Mag to protect him. Notably, as a result of these incidents, She cannot be used against either final boss.
- Evil Knockoff: In the Dreamcast Magazine comic, the 8th Empire creates a robot version of Linear to trick Mag, complete with laser eyes. Though "evil" may or may not be accurate.
- Friend to All Living Things: As the regenerative part of Evolutia she shows a great deal of care for all life, to the point where her talent is convincing an enemy to flee the battle. As long as they are lower leveled than her, they will always flee. Even after he intends to wipe out humanity and goes insane, she still begs Mag to save Yurka.
- Frying Pan of Doom: Unlike the other characters, Linear's choice of weapon is a simple frying pan.
- Leitmotif: "Linear's Theme", an ocarina song which is heavily implied to have been taught to Linear by Mag. This becomes important in Far Off Promise, where Mag plays the song to get through to Linear while she is in the Ulticannon.
- Gold and White Are Divine: White and yellow are prominent in her color scheme and her true form/wings are golden.
- Mysterious Waif: Even after it's revealed that she's Evolutia, it is never revealed exactly what happened to her that made her the way she is, much less how she initially reacted during her first weeks at the Launcher residence.
- Older Than They Look: In addition to similar height/appearance discrepancies as Mag and Chain her status as Evolutia implies that's she much older than she appears. The Evolution 2 site noticeably states that she's "around the age of 17", in contrast with the other characters whose ages are given more decisively. This is also played with in one of the Dreamcast Magazine comics, where Gre gives Chain and Mag pills that make them look more their actual ages. When Mag gives one to Linear, she doesn't change at all, despite his expectations.
- Platonic Life-Partners: With Mag. This is exploited by Eugene to get her to touch the Cyframe detecting device (accidentally revealing that she is Evolutia) by telling her that helping him will allow her to pay back the Launcher family and especially by Yurka where he convinces Linear to join him by telling her that she's only putting Mag at risk.
- Required Party Member: She cannot be dropped from the party until the final dungeon, when she's forced out. After the final boss in both games, she's no longer required. Justified, as Mag's father told him to look out for her.
- The Reveal: She is actually the Legendary Cyframe Evolutia. The reason nobody found it for so long was because they assumed it was a machine.
- Shrinking Violet: Becomes this by the second game. She rarely speaks in complete sentences and, unless she's reading a sign, her flavor text rarely contains more than a few words.
- Suddenly Voiced: At the end of the first game. This is actually more noticeable in Evolution Worlds as, aside from grunts, she only uses her speaking voice clips during the Far Off Promise half.
- Super Mode: Her true form, as seen during the ending of The World Of Sacred Device.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Even as Yurka begins to show off his true nature, Linear still follows and hopes to rescue him.
- Time Abyss: In an implied fashion. The guide in the Society headquarters in Evolution 2 states that it is thought that the prehistoric civilization existed 50,000 years ago. As part of the Ulticannon, the thing that caused the ancient civilization's destruction, that would make Linear around that many years old, if the estimate is accurate.
- Walking Spoiler: It is hard to talk about her in the second game without spoiling the reveal that she's Evolutia. The manual practically puts it into Late-Arrival Spoiler territory.
- White Mage: Linear fits neatly into this. She can use magic to heal or buff the party and her ocarina to cause different effects with the enemies. On the other hand, she doesn't have too many attacks that harm the opponents and you lose her by the final dungeon in both games.
- Winged Humanoid: The second game shows that, even in her normal form, she has wings.
Gre Nade
The butler of the Launcher Family, Gre looked after Mag, and later Linear, after the disappearance of the Launcher parents. Gre takes a parental role to Mag, pushing him to do his best to repay the family debt while supporting him in different ways.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Gre has a tendency of bringing up old anecdotes from when Mag was younger or acting overly dramatic during his lectures, much to Mag's horror. Thankfully he rarely does it in public.
- Battle Butler: Joins Mag and Linear in the dungeons and can hold his own.
- Badass Driver: He mentions that he's a better pilot than Mag and backs those words up by piloting the seaplane onto an attacking military cruiser.
- Badass Normal: Gre is the only member of the party aside from Linear (kinda) to not use any sort of Cyframe, instead relying on his own skills.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S": Gre's drill has a G embossed on it.
- Charge Attack: Gre's "Store Up" skill allows him to store power for a certain number of turns before unleashing it on the enemy.
- Classy Cane: He has a cane in artwork for the first game, but not in the game itself.
- Cool Old Guy: He's just as effective as the rest of the party despite being 58.
- Doting Parent: Gre is prone to going on tangents about how Mag is living up to his parents legacy, much to Mag's embarrassment and annoyance.
- The Engineer: One of his skill sets allows him to perform work on a Cyframe, buffing it either for a turn or for the rest of the fight.
- Eyes Always Shut: Gre's eyes are always closed, unless he's shocked, hurt or meditating.
- Fighting Spirit: "Spirited Peak" has him create an after-image of himself that sends shockwaves at the enemy.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man:
- One of his abilities is to use this on various members of the party, to varying effect depending on the skill. Additionally, some of his Mag specific moves has him do this, complete with unique voice clips in the remake.
- When Mag is feeling discouraged after Linear is kidnapped by the 8th Imperial Army, Gre convinces him to chase after them.
- Hostage Situation: Eugene and his forces hold Gre hostage as part of their trap.
- Jack of All Trades: Skillwise, he covers a wide array of support skills and his offensive skills help him be more well rounded, if not as good as Mag.
- Leitmotif: Gre is closely associated with the game's comedy theme, a ragtime-styled piece. While he isn't in every scene featuring the music, it crops up most of the time with him.
- Lethal Chef: One of his skills is to use his cooking skills to debuff and attack monsters. Averted in the usual game if Flavor Text and one of his support moves are to be believed.
- Parental Substitute: Ever since Asroc and his wife vanished, Gre has been fulfilling this role for Mag.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: His primary weapon of choice is a standard shotgun.
- Thinking Out Loud: Gre pauses during his initial lecture to discuss with himself whether or not Mag can live up to his family's heritage. He doesn't seem to notice that Mag can hear everything he's saying.
- Tears of Joy: If Mag manages to pay off the infamous Launcher family debt, he cries out of sheer happiness.
Chain Gun
The latest member of the Gun family, another family of adventurers, Chain is the self-professed rival of Mag. In-spite of this, she still expects him to take her along on adventures and is hinted to have a crush on him. She uses the Flamingo: A sword Cyframe.
- Ambiguous Situation: Chain's living situation: She lives in a mobile home with two 'henchmen' Easter and Kashim. It's made clear that her parents are abroad and send her stuff, but one of her lines in the original gamenote suggests that Chain wasn't born in Pannam Town and that is she is the one traveling abroad.
- Anime Hair: Subverted: Unlike Mag, Chain's hair as seen in-game is entirely due to the mask she wears. Artwork of her outside of her cyframe gear shows her having a more normal, eggshell-esque haircut.
- Anger Born of Worry: She lashes out at Linear because she's afraid that Mag will get killed trying to protect her.
- Badass Cape: Chain wears a cape with her Adventurer outfit.
- Battle Boomerang: The Boomerang parts allow the Flamingo's blade to shoot boomerangs at the enemy.
- Bratty Half-Pint:
- This is Chain's usual attitude, which drives Easter and Kashim up the wall.
- Her Talent with Mag in Far Off Promise involves her taunting him, with Mag telling her to shut up in response.
- BFS: Chain's Flamingo is a sword or axe, going off of several of the parts Chain can find for it. While the bladed portion can move or split into different parts, its status as a jetpack means that Chain wields it by launching herself at enemies.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Shows shades of this. She occasionally shows enjoyment out of violent things (such as the possibility of the country going to war) and uses her Cyframe for trivial reasons (such as trying to bake a potato with it and nearly breaking it). It's more apparent in Evolution 2 when you get to see her thought process.
- Does Not Like Spam: Inspecting a certain crate with her in the lead in Far Off Promise reveals that she hates carrots about as much as Mag hates bell peppers. Mag and Linear, at the very least, don't seem to notice.
- Enmity with an Object: In addition to the above, Chain reacts negatively to the desks in the hotel, muttering that they bring up bad memories. Memories of what are unclear, but it's possible she's referring to the paperwork involved with getting clearance for ruins (which is part of the reason why she usually demands that Mag take her along).
- Establishing Character Moment: Chain's first appearance in the story has her beat Mag and Linear to the dungeon's treasure thanks to her Flamingo Cyframe, taunt and chew out Mag for his lack of ability as an Adventurer, get embarrassed when Mag says that she can (potentially) be cute and finally offer to help Mag (while playing up her usefulness). Mag even nods to the fact that Chain's temper makes people mistake her for a man.
- The Ghost: Her parents are said to not be missing, but merely elsewhere yet are only mentioned. They occasionally send her stuff, even when it's stuff she doesn't particularly want. Her father does show up in the Dreamcast Maganize comics, on occasion.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Averted In Far Off Promise and Worlds where Chain occasionally wears her goggles for some of her attacks.
- Height Angst: It's implied that, unlike Mag, Chain is not very secure about her height.
- Improbable Weapon User: Downplayed and inverted at the same time. It's downplayed as unlike Mag and Pepper, Chain's Cyframe seems more suited towards mobility, despite having some offensive capabilities. In particular, some moves simply have her fly at high speeds towards the opponents and ram them with the bladed portion. It's inverted in that she occasionally uses her Cyframe for more mundane reasons.
- Jetpack: The Flamingo doubles as a jetpack which Chain uses to her advantage in the intro and for several of her skills.
- Kindness Button: Much to Easter and Kashim's relief, Chain treats them much nicer whenever she expects something from her parents to arrive.
- Lady Looks Like a Dude:
- Chain's appearance in the original game did not making it completely clear that she was a girl (which may have been intentional to a degree). This is toned down in concept art (where you see her without her Cyframe and headwear) and in the sequel/remake. Lampshaded by Mag during the opening of the first game and again in the second game, where talking to one of Carcano's men with her in the lead prompts the bandit to say that he's not interested in boys.
- Leitmotif: Chain has one that plays in her introduction in both games and when talking to her in Eternal Dungeons.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Not in the game itself but in the Dreamcast Magazine comic and concept art, Chain is without her helmet and with her hair down.
- The Napoleon: She has a temper and she's the shortest party member, complete with implied Height Angst.
- Thumbtack on the Chair: Inspecting the chairs in the hotel reveals that she does this to her friends. The fact that she can give a different name for the chair in each room, along with the fact that Mag's name never comes up in said list implies that she's fond of that trick.
- Rage Breaking Point: Her personal talent has her get frustrated with the battle, causing her attack stat to increase.
- The Rival: Her family to the Launcher family in general and herself to Mag in particular.
- Tiny Tyrannical Girl: Easter and Kashim make it clear that she's a terror when at home. In fact, according to the schedule in her mobile home the only chore she has is cooking... 2 times a week.
- Tomboy with a Girly Streak: As a result of her upbringing, Chain generally acts masculine to the point that Mag implies that people mistake her for a man. Despite this, her Flavor Text in Far Off Promise hints at more "traditional" girl interests such as a fondness for the color pink.
- Tsundere: All it takes is for Mag to call her cute to make her flustered and call off their conversation.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: She and Mag may be friends, but she's not above chewing him out or boasting about being better than him.
Pepper Box
A fellow adventurer, Pepper is the only party member in the original game to not hail from Panam Town, instead traveling the world. Unfortunately, her drinking habits have landed her a large tab with the bar, which leads to her taking a rather sizable chunk of Mag's reward money if he takes her along. In spite of her rather impractical clothing and more tomboyish job, she wishes to write romance novels when she decides to retire. She uses the Moranna Solnier: A bazooka Cyframe.
- Big Damn Heroes: Her first appearance in Far Off Promise is saving Mag and Linear from the boss of the Blaze Ruins.
- Bouncer: She basically works as one while staying at the bar in Pannam Town.
- Cool Big Sis: The official site confirms that she acts like one to Mag.
- Cryptic Background Reference: A conversation with her in World of Sacred Device reveals that she has been traveling for 7 years prior to the start of the game. Her descriptions on the Far Off Promise and Evolutia websites also state that she is from the "3rd Country"note .
- Energy Weapon: One of the projectiles the Moranna Solnier can shoot is blue lasers.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: Her jeans have one pant leg.
- Girls with Guns: Pepper's a girl and her cyframe is a multi-ammo gun.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Averted, Pepper puts down her visor during some of her attacks and she's initially seen wearing it. It's hinted to be either a targeting device of some sort or simply a way to protect her eyes from debris created by using Moranna Solnier.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: She hangs around bars in both games and makes it quite clear that she's fond of drinking. Lightly deconstructed in the first game: Part of the reason she's staying at the bar during the first game is because she ran a huge tab.
- Leitmotif: Pepper's introductions in both The World of Sacred Device and Far Off Promise are accompanied by a jazzy theme which doubles as the bar theme in the first game.
- Ms. Fanservice: Half ripped jeans, curled blond hair, jacket ripped open showing a black bra, and her theme music which is saxophone music.
- Punny Name: Not just her, but her Cyframe: "Moranna Solnier" is very close to "Morane-Saulnier", a French aircraft manufacturing company (fitting the naming scheme of the Airacomet by being aircraft related). The artwork for her cyframe makes it even more obvious by calling it the "Moran Saulnier".
- Red Mage: Pepper isn't quite as versatile as Mag and Gre, but with the right parts, she can dish out damage and function as a healer.
- Signature Move: Pepper Flash. While originalyl the final skill of her Bullet Parts, it was upgraded to her talent in Far Off Promise.
- Spread Shot: A unique variation: Some of her moves have her throw a metallic ball which she uses to refract the Moranna Solnier's laser to hit multiple targets.
- Swiss-Army Gun: The Moranna Solnier, depending on the parts, can fire bullets, lasers and even Naolin.
- There's No Kill like Overkill: Her Talent "Pepper Flash/Pepper Crash" has her punching, kicking and unloading her cyframe's ammo on the opponent for massive damage... or no damage.
- Trigger-Happy: One of her specials; using the skill causes Pepper to unleash a barrage until she runs out of FP. Bonus Points for being literally named "Trigger Happy".
- Walk the Earth: She's a traveling adventurer and is passing by Pannam Town and Museville at the time of the respective games.
Carcano
The leader of the Red Wolves, a group of thieves who have attacking Museville, Carcano is exclusive to the second game. He first appears leading his men in a train robbery, making off with several appraisal items. Mag and Linear eventually track him down after he steals the keys Professor Whitehead sent them after. He later joins Mag after Linear leaves with Yurka, making him the only new party member in Evolution 2.
- Arm Cannon: His Cyframe can function as a Bazooka.
- Artificial Limbs: We never see his left arm without the Cyframe during the course of the game, but supplementry material implies that he lost it; The "Millennium Special" telephone card shows Carcano with an empty left sleeve while concept art in the Japanese strategy guide depicts him with an artificial arm note .
- Battle Theme Music: He has a unique battle theme during his battle in Pine Village.
- Climax Boss: His defeat and returning of the appraisal items sets the stage for Yurka to make his move.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: After being beaten in battle, he doesn't hold anything against the party and allows them to spend the night and use the shop at the Pine Village. He even helps Mag break into the Society and can accompany him to rescue Linear.
- Disk-One Final Boss: You didn't honestly think the game would end after getting back the appraisal items, did you?
- Flunky Boss: Both times, he's fought alongside two goons.
- Gentleman Thief: He and his fellow thieves primarily rob the Society and take great pains not to kill anyone. Even throwing Mag's party into their dungeon is more of a test than anything.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: More like a Grappling Hook Cannon, but his Cyframe can function as this.
- Insistent Terminology: He constantly has to remind his henchmen to call him "chief" instead of "boss".
- Honor Among Thieves: For the leader of a gang of rough looking thieves, he's a pretty honorable guy. While he does throw Mag and co. into the Bandit's Trap in the basement, his orders to his men make it clear that he fully expected them to return alive. Likewise, after being beaten, he bears no ill will and hands over the appraisal items.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: His single arm is almost entirely uncovered.
- Lovable Rogue: He warms up to Mag very quickly (even if he is a bit prickly about it) and vice-versa. Even before then, its stated that he's stolen the hearts of many women around Museville.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: His response to Mag saying that he can get Carcano off easy with the Society is to call him naive.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: His cyframe (and the jersey he wears in an Evolution 2 promotional art) has a symbol representing the Red Wolves: A stylized R in the shape of a wolf and a W.
- This Is a Drill: One of the parts for his Cyframe is a drill. He also uses it during his boss fight.
- Too Many Belts: He has around 12 belts on him, almost all of which are completely unnecessary.
- Warmup Boss: In Evolution 2, considering he's the opening boss. Also subverted since he was merely distracting everyone while his men looted the train. When fought later at his hideout, he is much tougher.
Non Playable Characters
Nina
A secretary working for The Society, a institute devoted to researching the ancient civilizations, Nina helps Mag by giving him assignments and allowing him to pay off the Launcher Family debt. She also appears in the sequel, where she represents the Pannam Town branch of The Society.
- Demoted to Extra: Due to Professor Whitehead taking over as Mission Control, Nina doesn't have much of a role in Evolution 2.
- Mission Control: She's the one to talk to to get assignments and clearance to enter ruins.
Professor Whitehead
The head of the Society office in Museville. He summons Mag to the city to find 4 treasures in the regional dungeons.
- Deal with the Devil: He was tempted by Yurka's offer of prehistoric knowledge into opening the way to the Society Dungeon.
- Manipulative Bastard: He hides the true nature of the treasures Mag collects, due to his desire gain knowledge of the ancient civilization.
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: In spite of working with Yurka, he really just wanted to be the first to learn exclusive things about the ancient civilization. Unfortunately, his hubris clouded him from realizing just how bad of an idea that was.
- Mission Control: He acts as this throughout Evolution 2: While he leaves the order of giving Mag clearance to explore the dungeons to the receptionist, he is the one to give Mag assignments.
- Meaningful Name: His name is Professor Whitebeard and, sure enough, he has a white beard.
- Unwitting Pawn: He plays right into Yurka's hands.
- Walking Spoiler: the game makes it clear early on that He's involved with Yurka.
Asroc Launcher
Mag's father and the former head of the Launcher family. He went on an expedition 3 years prior to the start of the game, with his only communication since being a letter that he sent a month after he left... along with the mysterious Linear.
- Disappeared Dad: To Mag; Since sending Linear to the Launcher residence one month after he left, he hasn't been heard or seen from. Mag, Linear and Gre firmly believe that he's still alive, however.
- The Ghost: Due to his absence, most of his character must be inferred from the anecdotes of the Pannam Town residents and Mag himself.
- Greater-Scope Paragon: As the prior leader of the Launcher family, Asroc is well-regarded around Pannam Town. Mag himself is implied to strive to live up to Asroc while Gre holds Asroc in high esteem.
- Punny Name: Like the majority of the cast, Asroc gets his name from weaponry. In this case, he's named after the RUR-5 ASROC. The Japanese strategy guide naming his father/Mag's grandfather Subroc (after the UUM-44 SUBROC) drives the point further home.
- Riddle for the Ages: What happened to him and his wife. The only clue as to what happened to him in the 3 years since his disappearance is that a rumor that he found something incredibly important to Evolutia started and persisted long enough for the 8th Empire to catch wind of it. The fact that he realized that Linear was Evolutia and chose to send her to Mag raises further questions about what happened to him.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The 8th Empire reaches out to Mag due to a rumor that Asroc found something incredibly important to Evolutia. Additionally, he sent Linear to Mag, which eventually caused the 8th Empire to target them. But this is Evolutia we're talking.
- Walking Spoiler: While Asroc doesn't physically appear in the game, the fact that he found Linear, realized that she was the legendary Cyframe Evolutia, and sent her to Mag as a means of protecting her is key to the game's twist and climax.
Antagonists
Eugene Leopold
The Crown Prince of the Eighth Imperial Army who comes to Pannam Town after the Cyframe detectors onboard his ship detect a large amount of energy. He is one of the many seeking Evolutia.
- Aerith and Bob: The exotic last name of Leopold aside, Eugene is very much a mundane name for an antagonist, much less when compared the rest of the main cast. However, it may be a Stealth Pun referencing the HMS Prince Eugene.
- A God Am I: Briefly slips into this at the end of the game where, after shooting Mag, he proclaims that he is the only one who can wield the ancient civilization's power and that he will create a paradise, which he shall rule over. An explosion courtesy of his self-destructing ship snaps him out of it.
- All There in the Manual: The Evolution Worlds manual reveals that his father is "Commandant Erich of the 8th Empire" and also says he is the "eldest son", implying he has brothers.
- Ambition Is Evil: He has ambitious plans for Evolutia and, surprise surprise, he's the Big Bad.
- Badass Normal: He is the heir to the Imperial Army after all. He puts up a fight for someone who doesn't have a Cyframe and that's before bringing up the giant mecha.
- The Bad Guy Wins: One of the Dreamcast Magazine comics opens with him having married Linear and leaving for their honeymoon. Mag does not take it well. Thankfully, it was just a nightmare Gre was having.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Initially, he's an arrogant, spoiled prince with an unhealthy obsession with Linear. Then he figures out Linear is Evolutia and well...
- Big Bad: Of Evolution: World of Sacred Device, but he is demoted to Arc Villain in the port.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Granted, he wasn't trying too hard at it, but the moment he learns that Mag has no useful information, Eugene drops all pretenses of being polite and only stops Mag to ask if he can keep Linear.
- Establishing Character Moment: His first scene is one long one: First, he appears courtesy of his descending Cool Chair and formally introduces himself. Then, he sees Linear, assumes that she is a gift to him and insults Mag when he tries to interfere, believing Mag to be a servant. Upon realizing that Mag is, in fact, Asroc Launcher's son, he immediately apologizes and puts back on his façade. It is worth mentioning that this scene was cut from the Gamecube port, leaving the following scene to establish Eugene's nature.
- Climax Boss: Due to Evolution Worlds combining both games, he is downgraded from final boss to this. Not only that, but he was nerfed heavily to make up for
the general state of the first half. His attacks were nerfed, his strongest attack comes out even more rarely and he is not longer perpetually five levels higher than Mag. That said, he's still challenging for that part of the game. - Cool Boat: His personal cruiser: the "Crown Prince" which doubles as the final dungeon of the game. Even Mag is impressed by it.
- Cool Chair: His chair on the Imperial Cruiser (The '"KronPrinz"' in the port), which actually lowers from the ceiling as seen in World of Sacred Device.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In the original game, no matter how many levels Mag is, Eugene will always be five levels higher.
- Cutscene Power to the Max: His pistol attack isn't particularly harmful in his boss battle. It takes only one shot for him to incapacitate Mag during the ending.
- Dirty Old Man:
- He does fall in love with Linear who is seemingly 17 and the Prima guide gives his age as 38. Not helped by the fact that he initially thought Linear was an offering for him.
- In the original game, a soldier implies that Linear is not the first girl that has caught his eye. Artwork in the
Jp-only official guide practically confirms it.
- Evil Is Visceral: The room containing the Cyframe detector certainly seems to be going for this, having patterns akin to veins and general aesthetic calling to mind organs mixed with the usual battleship design.
- Flunky Boss: For his initial boss fight in The World of Sacred Device, he is accompanied by several foot soldiers. Averted in Worlds where he's fought by himself.
- A Glass of Chianti: He's shown holding a glass of something in concept art.
- Gratuitous German:
- Two of his attacks between both his fights randomly have German attack names (Sternen Haufen and Endliche Waffe, meaning "Star Cluster" and "Final Weapon" respectively in German). Worlds renders the first phrase as one word and the second phrase as "Entrichwaffe".
- The spelling of "Crown Prince" in Evolution Worlds is changed to the German-esque "KronPrinz".
- Hate Sink: His introduction makes it clear that he's a detestable person long before he attacks the Launcher residence at the beginning of the endgame.
- Humongous Mecha: He uses one for the final battle in Evolution: The World Of Sacred Device, which can fire machine-gun rounds, pick up and toss opponents and drop bombs on the party.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Rude manners and pining for Linear aside, he doesn't do anything evil. Until he learns that Linear is Evolutia. Then, he holds Gre at gunpoint and gets worse from there.
- Just Shoot Him: After losing in his mecha, Eugene shoots Mag in the back just as he and Linear are about to escape.
- Large Ham: Oh, so very much, especially as he gets closer to realizing his goals and as his sanity takes a nosedive.
- Leitmotif: The anthem for the 8th Imperial army is connected to him, though a more personal one used for some of his scenes, including his introduction, is "Crown Prince Eugene".
- Royal Brat: Eugene is a military prince for the 8th Empire and is thoroughly unimpressed by sleepy Pannam Town. He mutters that he hates dealing with people from the country during his introduction scene and insulting Mag and the rest of the party by calling them bumpkins, hillbillies note and barbarians.
- Sanity Slippage: Near the end of the game, he becomes obsessed with keeping Linear due to him believing that Evolutia can grant the ability to evolve humanity into gods.
- Sequential Boss: He is fought in person the first time and in a mecha the second time. Unlike most examples, there is a grace period between phases where the party can heal up.
- Smug Snake: A smug smirk is almost always on Eugene's face.
- They Called Me Mad!: When activating the Cyframe detector, Eugene mutters that the "silly old men in the Imperial Senate" had opposed his plan and how they were about to be proven wrong.
- Walking Spoiler:
- He is not mentioned in most promo materials relating to the original game, instead being referred to vaguely as a military force. Even the Japanese site shows him as a mystery character with only his voice actor being distinctly mentioned and he is not listed in the manual. Compare this to Yurka, who is, at least, loosely described.
- Averted to the point of Late-Arrival Spoiler in Evolution Worlds as he's described in the manual, which also outright states that he opposes Mag.
Yurka
A mysterious boy who has been appearing in Linear's dreams during the six months between games. He is the second half of the legendary cyframe Evolutia and wants to use the Ulticannon to wipe out humanity.
- Ambiguously Human: As Linear's counterpart, it's unclear if he's actually a human bestowed with powers or an Artificial Human. His speech suggests that he and Linear are the latter, however.
- Battle Theme Music: His initial boss fight has unique battle music, unlike Eugene.
- Big Bad: Of Evolution 2 and consequently Evolution Worlds.
- The Cameo: He makes a brief appearance in the final Dreamcast Magazine comic.
- Casting a Shadow: "Spellbound Darkness" has him attack the party with shadow versions of his standard attack, with the added possibility of blinding them. Additionally, his "Absorb Life" attack takes place in a dark void with a purple vortex underneath the targeted party member.
- Cleavage Window: Downplayed Male example: Yurka's outfit has a small window that exposes part of his chest. Played straighter in the "Millennium Special" card where, save for a single strap connecting the halves of his vest, his chest is completely exposed.
- Cold Ham Yurka's usually soft-spoken and stoic. Doesn't stop him from hamming it up during his boss fight/plot dump.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: Eugene Leopold is a military prince who studied the ancient civilization in an effort to find Evolutia and become a god. Yurka is a mysterious boy who is heavily tied to the ancient civilization because he is Evolutia- the destructive half, in fact- and wants to reunite with his other half in order to destroy humanity.
- Dishing Out Dirt:
- One of his attacks, "Natural Disaster" involves him summoning four rock pillars to fall on the party.
- The Ulticannon can lift the ground underneath the party and drop it to the ground.
- Evil Is Visceral: After Linear escapes the Ulticannon, leaving a heartbroken Yurka, the weapon's angelic appearance gives way to a grotesque, organic design. Parts of it even pulsate!
- Foil:
- Linear is a pretty shy girl who likes flowers, people along with Mag and is associated with light while Yurka is merciless, hates humans with a passion and is associated with darkness. Best exemplified during a scene where Yurka takes a flower's life away right in front of Linear, who then gives life back to it and more flowers. This cements how Linear is related to regeneration while Yurka is related to destruction.
- Yurka also has similarities with Eugene; They are both infatuated with Linear (though Yurka is only implied), both later use her for their own nefarious ends, they are both fought by themselves in the first fight and in a mecha in the second and they both suffer Sanity Slippage. The major differences is that Yurka is played seriously whereas Eugene had something of a comical air to him and that Linear genuinely sees Yurka as a friend and is outright convinced to leave Mag rather than getting kidnapped. Eugene also stops caring about Linear as a person (relatively speaking) and focuses more on her being Evolutia while Yurka initially comes off as appearing to manipulate Linear because they are both Evolutia, only to reveal that he does care about her (perhaps a bit too much).
- Go-Karting with Bowser: A promotional art piece depicts the aftermath of a game of Basketball between him, Mag, Linear and Carcano.
- Heavenly Blue: Yurka's wings are blue and he's half of Evolutia: a godly machine. Unlike most examples of this trope, however, he's more evil than good.
- Humongous Mecha: He is one of the main components of the Ulticannon alongside Linear. When she breaks out of it, he uses the incomplete Ulticannon to attack the party
- Knight of Cerebus: Unlike Eugene, Yurka has no comic relief and has a more serious and somber air to him. He especially becomes this as he becomes more directly involved with the plot and his true nature becomes clearer.
- Leitmotif: His self-titled theme, a calm, melody befitting his mysterious nature. He also has a creepier theme during his more sinister moments.
- Life Drain: "Absorb Life" allows him to steal life from a party member.
- Man Behind the Man: Turns out, Yurka was the one who convinced Professor Whitehead to invite Mag to Museville.
- Manipulative Bastard: He manipulates Linear, Professor Whitehead and even Mag into allowing him to get to the Ulticannon.
- Morality Pet: Considering that Yurka hates humanity, Linear may be one of few things he actually likes. When Linear chooses Mag over him though, he doesn't take it well.
- Murder the Hypotenuse:
- Mag encounters him outside of Pine Village where he tells Mag to stay away from Linear and attacks him. However, Linear arrives and calls him off.
- When Linear chooses Mag over him and escapes the Ulticannon, he promptly goes insane and attempts to murder the party.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Ulticannon has wonderful attack names such as "Sublimation of Humanity" or "Return To Nothingness".
- Odd Name Out: Unlike the rest of the cast or even Eugene (who, at the very least has a normal name), Yurka's name doesn't have a clear connotation to anything aside from the in-universe reference of it being the same name as Linear's favorite type of flower.
- Power Floats: He floats throughout the game, but does so most blatantly during his boss fight.
- Power Tattoo: In the original Evolution 2, the prehistoric civilization's sigilnote appears on Yurka's forehead as he begins the boss fight
- Recurring Boss: He's fought twice: once halfway through the Society Dungeon by himself and again at the end of it, piloting the Ulticannon. Unlike Eugene, who was a fought twice in succession, there is still several floors of the dungeon between Yurka's fights.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Much like Linear, he has red eyes. Unlike Linear, Yurka is actually very dangerous, being the destructive half of Evolutia and all.
- Sad Battle Music: The Ulticannon's theme has a more perilous theme than most tracks in either game.
- Time Abyss: In a similar vein as Linear, Yurka is implied to be around 50,000 years old (assuming the guide in the Society is correct) due to being a component of the Ulticannon. Unlike Linear, however, Yurka seems to remember the prehistoric civilization more clearly.
- Time Master: Based on his lines and the name of the attack, "Time To Freeze Solid" allows him to slow down time.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: This trope is part of the reason why Yurka hates humanity: The ancient civilization came to the conclusion that the key to new evolution is through destruction and regeneration. As the destructive counterpart of Evolutia, Yurka is basically programmed to want to annihilate the (in his eyes) inferior humans.
- Villainous Breakdown: He's actually pretty calm for most of the game. When Linear choses Mag over him at the final battle, however, he ends up swallowed by his own jealousy, to the point of even corrupting the Ulticannon.
- Villain's Dying Grace: As he dies, Yurka comes to regret his actions and promises, if he ever returns, to be friends with Mag and Linear.
- Walking Spoiler: Everything about him, from his nature to his true role in the story, is a spoiler. Even the fact that he's also Evolutia is not said in advertisements, despite the player learning it very early on.
- Winged Humanoid: He has blue wings, as seen during his boss battle.
- White Hair, Black Heart: He's one of two major characters to have white hair and he's the big bad.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Attempts this on Whitehead after unlocking the portal to the Society Dungeon but thankfully fails.
