Considering a good deal of characterization of the Rosenkreuzstilette characters, a Character Sheet has been made. This, of course, still Needs Your Love.
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Rosenkreuzstilette, the "Blades of the Rose Cross"
[RKS-001] Eins. The Heroine of the first game. She's a straightforward and honest young lady as well as a training instructor, treated with deep respect and admiration by even the imperial soldiers. She's naive and kind of a klutz and sinks like a brick in water, but at least her fighting instincts are strong and her moral convictions are second to none. Her RKS friends call her "Tia" for short. She may be the other reincarnation of Rosenkreuz other than Iris, known as the "Blade of Rosenkreuz", born with the ability that defined him most as an individual: His ability to tap into the strength of his friends.Her ability is called Seelegewehr, which gathers magical energy from the immediate vicinity and releases it in the form of round magical bullets, which become stronger the more they are charged. They can be used without restraint since they don't tap into her mana supply. She can also copy the abilities of any Magus she defeats and use them in combat, because she may have Rosenkreuz's ability to use the powers of others.
Tropes related with Spiritia:
And That's Terrible: Her reaction to Iris revealing herself to be the mastermind behind RKS's rebellion.
"I don't get it... I just... don't. You're not the kind of kid who would do something like this!"
Berserk Button: Do not speak of killing Iris in front of her.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's pretty much a nice girl. But when her friends start a war against the Empire to build their new world and start it all off by burning the forest, she immediately fights to stop them.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Part of the final battle in Freudenstachel involves Freu fighting Tia, who has been brainwashed by Iris.
Calling Your Attacks: She says the names of the weapons she uses when she unleashes them after fully charging them.
Defeat Means Friendship: In her case, defeating her friends in combat means that she is able to convince them that the rebellion is going to be less than worth it. She ends up being right for different reasons than she initially thought.
Determinator: She never gives up, no matter what. And it's all part of her unrivaled sense of justice gig.
Distressed Damsel: Gets captured by the Schwarzkreuz at the beginning of Freudenstachel.
Good Is Not Soft: She's rather kind and straightforward, but that doesn't mean she won't resort to violence when it's needed. She does always try the "soft" way first, though.
Heroic BSOD: She gets this when Iris attacks and fatally injures her after killing her father and afterwards reveals the whole, terrible truth behind the war. Things calm down a little when Freu comes just in time to save her, and even more so when she reassures her that both #1: she will be alright despite having overdone the room-freezing attack a bit, and #2: she'll release Karl and sort out and take care of every other problem left behind by Iris.
I Am Not Left-Handed: As a boss in Grollschwert, her attack pattern is somewhat easy to avoid. When her health goes low, however, Lilli will give her a Cross Tank and then Spiritia will whip up several more powerful attacks.
I Am What I Am: Even if she really were the Blade of Rosenkreuz, Lilli says that she'll always be herself.
Idiot Hero: Not only did she actually trust Iris and take it upon herself to stop the war (by Swiper, No Swiping! method no less — though fortunately she's strong enough to fight them if it fails) without knowing that she started it for laughs, her profile even says that she's kind of a klutz and sinks like a brick in water.
To be fair, Spiritia's friends and even Count Zeppelin (the Magi leader, who starts the whole coup) also don't know that Iris has planned it all. The only one knowing this is Grolla. Iris being "kidnapped" doesn't help.
Kaleidoscope Hair: As part of her Power Copying shtick, her hair color will change to that of the Magi whose power she is currently wielding.
Leitmotif: "AM Fight No. 1" by AM3 (RKS title theme (later used as Luste's talk theme in RKSF)), "The Ground Which Can Shine" by Silver Chaos (RKS Opening Stage theme), "Vampire Revoluion" by Unlimited Hellest (talk theme), "Fighting Spirits" by Silver Chaos (Boss theme), "Scarlet Moon Castle" by Unlimited Hellest (RKSF Final Stage talk theme (shared with Iris)), "Awakening the Profound Evil" by Wingless Seraph (RKSF Final Boss Battle (also shared with Iris)).
Oh Crap: Quite often done when she sees that her friends are participating in the war; her expressions in seeing and realizing that are quite priceless.
Take this particular set of dialogues for example:
Spiritia: "Trau, not you too!? Why!?" Trauare: "Oh? What exactly did you take me for? A pacifist? Hardly. I just don't like wasting effort. And that's exactly what you're doing right now, Tia." Spiritia: "That's not true...!"
Oh, No... Not Again!: As the Imperial Training Hall starts shaking for the second time after Talos flies off with Iris in tow and Lilli follows...
Power Copying: She has the special ability to copy others' abilities. This is a trait she may inherited from Rosenkreuz.
Power Dyes Your Hair: Using different weapons from the other RKS members she'd fought will change her hair color corresponding to the hair color of the original user.
Power Gives You Wings: She has her Silberflügel "Eins" and Silberflügel "Zwei", both which are abilities to create platforms with wings.
Rapunzel Hair: If she didn't wear her hair in a ponytail (her huge one still reaches significantly down her back regardless).
Right for the Wrong Reasons: She ends up as this when she finds out that Iris had caused the events of the game to happen for her amusement, instead of her initial assumption that Count Zeppelin was behind it all.
Super Not Drowning Skills: She swims like a brick, but she never drowns no matter how much time she spends in water.
Swiper, No Swiping!: She does this deal with her friends as well as Count Zeppelin.
Tennis Boss: As a boss in Grollschwert, she occasionally sics Lilli to attack you. You (as Grolla) can smack Lilli back to Tia with her sword.
This Cannot Be!: "I can't believe it...! The Count is even using the forbidden arts!?"
This Is Unforgivable: She and Lilli say two variations of this trope to Iris before they fight her Iris Machine at the end of the third Iris Stage because they blame her for everything she did up to then.
Thou Shalt Not Kill: She said this at one point after beating Grolla in the main game after already having defeated Sichte before her, states that she never wanted to kill her in the first place.
Then again, she spends her time not killing any of her colleagues after defeating them anyway.
Freudia: (about Spiritia's refusal to kill her) "You possess so much power, yet you cannot do something so simple? Are your ideals truly that important to you?" Spiritia: "This has nothing to do with ideals, Freu. I just want to protect the people from RKS as much as I want to protect the people of RKS, that's all..."
Iris: "I think I might just start believing in fate now. Ahhh, the feeling of hating another with every fiber of your being... It's such an amazing rush...! Oh, I'm so anxious to rip you apart! What about you?You have the power of the world's finest magician coursing through your veins. How does it feel? Exhilarating? Intoxicating? Exuberant? Or perhaps such a puny vessel can't fully comprehend the magnificence of it all?" Lilli: "Tia will always be Tia!So there!" Spiritia: "Thanks, Lilli. I don't really know if I possess Rosenkreuz's spirit... Or if I'm his other incarnation or whatnot... Or if I inherited his ability to tap into the strength of others'... But none of that matters when it comes to magic. Freu... Zorne... Trau... Luste... Grolla... Sichte... Liebea... Schwer... and Lilli... It's because they support me that I have the will to fight. They're the source of my power. That much, I know for sure!"
Turns Red: Interestingly, when using Grolla's weapon, Grollschwert.
Worthy Opponent: Iris amused herself with watching Tia give it her all, thus thinking of her as one.
Voiced by: Sou Raika Introduced in: Rosenkreuzstilette / Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert
[RKS-002] Zwei. A close friend of Spiritia in RKS, despite her dislike for being close to others. A lone wolf by nature, she's cool and collected and she prefers to work alone and is capable of getting things done without anyone's assistance thanks to her many talents. Her friends call her "Freu" for short. In the sequel, she's game's heroine.Her ability is called Freudenstachel, which allows her to gather water vapor and unleash it frozen into icicles, which become sharper in a colder area. She can also implement the abilities of her friends into learnable abilities, three of which she uses in her boss battle.
Anti-Heroine: She dislikes being close to others besides Spiritia.
Apologetic Attacker: Even though she's perfectly willing to beat Spiritia down, that doesn't mean she enjoys it.
Freudia: "I'm sorry, Tia..."
Big Damn Heroes: As she saved Tia from Iris' attack after the latter kills her own father.
Bullet Time: Her Weißteufel that she acquires from Sichte.
Berserk Button: Simply put, seeing her friend Spiritia being controlled by Iris did not help improve her already very bad opinion of Iris.
Calling Your Attacks: In Freudenstachel, she calls out the names of both her signature Freudenstachel attack and her learnable abilities.
Charged Attack: Only of few of her special attack can charged up in Freudenstachel.
Did You Actually Believe?: "Do you honestly believe you can stand against the entirety of RKS on your own?"
Disappointed In You: In the original game, she'll say this to Spiritia once when she responds to her "Did You Actually Believe?" quote above with her resolve to do what she asked her if she thought she could, and again if Tia uses up her last life against her.
Expy: To Roll (considering her hairstyle, hair decorations and having the same number in their own lines) and Proto Man (considering her personality and her Big Damn Heroes moment above). Her main weapon Freudenstachel is one to Needle Man's weapon.
Frickin' Laser Beams: She's rather fond of these, and they can be acquired in Freudenstachel.
Fuuma Shuriken: Her Frostklinge ability, which she learns from Dolis.
Good Is Not Nice: She prefers not to be close to others despite her strong relationship with Tia.
Hair Decorations: Her big red hair ribbon, which in the sequel can change color depending on the ability she chooses.
Heroic Sacrifice: She makes one to save Tia from being killed by one last attack from Iris, which uses up a bit of her energy. At least the sacrifice isn't fatal.
Idiot Hair: Though just like Lilli, she's clearly not an idiot.
Kuudere: Cold in the outside and prefers being alone. Warm in the inside, especially when Spiritia is involved.
The Lancer: She's Spiritia's greatest rival and closest friend in RKS.
Leitmotif: "Pegasus" by Extra Ocean (RKS stage theme), "07" by AM3 (Talk theme), "22" by AM3 (Main/boss theme), "Fate" (RKSF Opening Stage theme), and "Winter Waltz" by Sky God Corridor (Talk theme) (shared with Eifer).
More Dakka: Her main weapon, Freudenstachel, is the only one which can't be charged by Tia when she acquires it - instead, holding the button will make it rapidfire. It also works similarly in the sequel.
Non-Indicative Name: Freudia is taken from the German word for "joy". She's anything but joyful.
Olympic Swimmer: Freu doesn't have the same problem as Tia has in swimming capability.
Turns Red: Subverted. She's the only boss that doesn't do this. Despite having a flash and a battle quote when her life is cut in half in both of her fights—indicating that she has just done this — her pattern remains exactly the same as before.
Warm Up Boss: In the Opening Stage of the first game.
[RKS-003] Drei. A short-tempered, impulsive, and moody young wannabe daddy's girl who's quite a pyromaniac and a terrible cook with cooking skills nothing short of disastrous, and she doesn't even know the meaning of the word "restraint". She looks up to Count Zeppelin a lot for saving her life once, and, despite the absence of blood ties, regards him as her real father. And she takes high pride of it. Not to mention, she also refuses to get along with Iris.Her ability is called Zornesbombe, which allows her to create bombs that explode in a cross-like fashion and can demolish brick walls.
Tropes related with Zorne:
Berserk Button: She'll go berserk on anyone who calls her an "idjot", messes with Father, or even "brainwashes" her friend Trau.
Big "Shut Up!": If already having defeated Trauare, she would tell Tia, "Shut up *shut up* SHUT UP!!" when Spiritia desperately tried to talk her into calming down and listening to her.
Green-Eyed Monster: In the first game, some parts of her pre-boss dialogue suggest that she's violently jealous towards Spiritia because her stepfather liked her for being strong. Zorne wanted to show everybody that she could be the most useful to her adoptive father himself. She blew it, of course.
Heroic BSOD: In Freudenstachel, it's revealed that Zorne had been a "walking puppet" according to Trau during the few months that passed since her adoptive daddy's death, and she tried many times to drive herself to suicide, all attempts which were stopped by Trau herself. It was her eventual anger that she got towards the army of the church that booted her back up again.
Mood Whiplash: She gets bonus points for this as she easily has "Sinner" by Unlimited Hellest as one of the darkest talk themes in the franchise. There's a reason why said talk theme is Darker and Edgier than her stage theme in the original game, "SHINING MAN" by Maru no IE, after all.
Oh Crap: In the hilarious manga Doujinshi Zorne's Birthday by Kiora, when Trau enters while Zorne is trying on the new dress provided to her by her adoptive dad, she obviously doesn't like the look in her friend's eyes. Cue Big "NO!" from her.
Say My Name: (After defeat) "Oto-samaaaaaaaaa!" ("Fatheeeeerrrrrrrr!")
Shout Out: When she Turns Red, the background will start filling up with gray blocks, and if the entire background is completely filled with these blocks, it's instant death for both the player and Zorne.
In Freudenstachel, players are also treated to a Non Standard Game Over with an image of Freudia and Zorne losing the game in a draw.
Her claw-like left hand is inspired by the one used by Bomberman in Bomberman Act Zero.
Spell My Name with an S: In the original Japanese version, her surname is "Sepperin". In the Fan Translation, it was changed to "Zeppelin"; See Count Michael Zeppelin's folder to see why this change is justified.
Tempting Fate: She does this before her boss battle.
Zorne: "Tia, Father might like you because you're strong... but I'll show you all that I'm the most useful to him!" Zorne: (after getting bested by Spiritia) "Ugh... does this mean I'm completely useless!?"
Alternatively:
Zorne: "I have faith in Father! And I will NOT lose to you!" Zorne: (After getting bested by Spiritia) "Ugh... Why can't I do anything when it really counts!?"
This Is Unforgivable: In her intro dialogue against Spiritia and Grolla, both times after Trauare has been defeated.
Took a Level in Badass: She's significantly tougher in Freudenstachel than in the first game.
Tsundere: She's more exceptionally violent than other examples.
Violence is the Only Option: She doesn't even understand the meaning of "restraint" anyway. Only if she proves to be a Butt Monkey by getting humiliated both physically and emotionally does she tend to listen to reason. Poor thing.
You Killed My Father: Iris kills off Count Zeppelin not only because he outlived his usefulness to her, but also to make Zorne suffer knowing she strived and yearned for him to accept her as his biological daughter. In the DoujinshiTearis (a.k.a. Rosenkreuzstilette After-Story) created by Kiora, she vows to eliminate her for murdering him.
Zorne: "I... I know what you did to Father... if you think everything will turn out alright if you just suppress her power you're wrong..."
Trauare Wrede
"You're better off forgetting what you can't change. Sorry, but this is the end of the line for you!"
[RKS-004] Vier. She's a composed and pragmatic young lady capable of concealing her immature tendencies, making a point of what needs to be done and finishing whatever's asked of her, but carries a disinterested look on her face the whole time. She's even tougher to control than her friend Zorne when she's angry, she's quite vindictive and will stop at nothing to exact revenge once she's angry, so you wouldn't like her when she is so. She loves to swim and will often invite Zorne to join her at a nearby ravine in her spare time. Her friends call her "Trau" for short and she uses the Chaos Spear Leviathan as her weapon of choice.Her ability is Klageharnisch, which generates miniature tornadoes of water and can launch them in different directions at once.
Doppelgänger Attack: When she charges after Turning Red, she can produce illusional copies of herself generated from Leviathan that charge seconds after she does so.
Expy: Appearance-wise, she's one to Fairy Leviathan, from her hairstyle resembling Leviathan's helmet, to using a spear that's also named after her. In hindsight, she's also one to Splash Woman.
Don't let her looks fool you! In the first game, she is actually Airman!
Humans Are Bastards: This is what she thought at first when she took part in RKS' rebellion. She eventually changed her mind when Spiritia (and Grolla) bested her.
Trauare: (After she loses) "When this is all over, let's have another match." Spiritia: "...Sure. If it's a fair fight you want, I'll take you on anytime! "
Leitmotif: "28" by AM3 (RKS stage theme), "Inferiority" by Unlimited Hellest (Talk theme), "Frozen Air" by Wingless Seraph (RKSF stage theme).
Let's Get Dangerous: She almost never takes things seriously... unless when her friend Zorne is defeated, causing her Berserk Button to be pressed.
Trauare: It looks like Zorne was no match for you. I'll have to take this seriously, then.
[RKS-005] Funf. RKS's resident Cloud Cuckoo Lander. A cute devil girl who's cheerful, simple-minded and optimistic and always lives in the present. She's easygoing and treats everything like a game, and pictures herself as a hero of justice. She's so attached to Tia that she often plays games with her, with her as the "bad guy". She's nonetheless self-centered and loves tomato juice.Her ability is Lustatem, which is capable of launching pressurized blades of wind through the air in any direction. She can even launch even bigger ones, especially when she Turns Red.
Cool Shades: In one of the screenies from the FreudenstachelApril Fool's site, she had these alongside her Scarf of Asskicking. Later, when the game was confirmed to be in development, she was eventually revealed to have a visor to replace those April Fool's shades of hers.
Get Back Here Boss: If you get too close to her, she'll jump to the other side of the stage. Oddly, while this would mean in theory that fighting her with Grolla would become much harder, due to Grolla's dash ability, chasing Luste becomes easier, and if played right, Luste can be trapped into only jumping around the arena, and at the same time allowing Grolla to freely attack her while she's still in midair.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: According to her profile, she likes smashing everything in sight due to treating everything as a game despite believing herself to be a hero of justice, which gives her an emphasis on CRAZY.
Leitmotif: "26" by AM3 (RKS stage theme), and "11" by AM3 (RKS talk theme), "Kaede" by Rengoku Teien (RKSF stage theme), "AM Fight No. 1" (RKSF talk theme (previously used as the RKS title theme and one of Tia's leitmotifs).
Meaningful Name: Her name means "desire" in German. It can also a delightful or an energetic nature, which more than describes her sunny personality. It may also derived from that otherLust, which might explain why she's so scantily-clad.
Ms. Fanservice: Aside from being a scantily-clad loli, [erka:es]' 2013 April Fools' Day RosenkreuzStilette Lustatem shows Luste as a fully-grown Ms. Fanservice, as seen here◊. It makes her name all the more meaningful.
Scarf of Asskicking: Acquires one of these in Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel.
Shout Out: In her Game Over screen for Spiritia, Luste parodies Flandre Scarlet from the cover-art of Touhou 06 ~ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. She also lets Grolla know why she's "The Str⑤ngest" if she loses her final life to her.
[RKS-006] Sechs. Born with the spirit of a warrior, she's calm, collected, and every bit as strict with her colleagues as she is with herself. She's willing to protect them at any cost - but should her Berserk Button be pushed in any way, she'll stop at nothing to exact revenge. A gifted swords(wo)man, she's feared and respected by many, and is the granddaughter of Raimund Seyfarth, better known as the legendary Thanatos. She prefers to let her blade do the talking over sharing her feelings with others and is a subordinate and bodyguard of Sichte. She may not look like it, but she's actually damn proud of her job. She's The Heroine of her own side-game, Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert.Her ability is Grollschwert, which utilizes the power of her weapon, the Demon Sword of the same name. Using it as a conduit, she can unleash her inner power in the form of multidirectional slashes. Grollschwert's blade becomes sharper and gets farther reach the closer its user is to death.
Badass Boast: She gives one (that doubles as a Shout Out) before fighting the Cross Wall above. And another to Count Zeppelin: "Then I shall become a demon slayer and crush you where you stand!"
Grolla: (After the Opening Stage battle) "Master, I am still inexperienced. Before you left us, you told me that the Demon Sword Grollschwert would clear a path for me. Now you are no longer with us... still, I have this sword. As long as I wield it, I shall press onward! I WILL find you, Iris!"
Badass Normal: She appears to have less obvious magical abilities but is capable of fighting on par with any of the other Magi in RKS. It really depends on whether her dashes qualify as Super Speed or not. Her sword swings may also qualify for Sword Beam or Full-Contact Magic.
Berserk Button: While many things has made her angry, the one thing that sticks the most is that her grandfather had to be awaken from his peaceful slumber by Count Zeppelin.
The Big Girl: Her strength is a significant asset to RKS.
Blood Knight: She qualifies because she prefers to fight first and ask questions later.
Bloody Murder: She naturally gets this when she takes up her granddaddy's Grollschwert in Freudenstachel, even when she already has enough magic to turn the sky and moon blood red in the first game.
Grolla: "Dead, you are useful to no one. I want you to stand by me against Iris."
The Comically Serious: Even though she's the kind of girl who's every bit as strict with her colleagues as she is with herself, there are some times that she just can't get out of a funny situation. Like this part, for example:
Luste: "Hey, it's Grolla! What're you doing here?" Grolla: "That doesn't matter. Stop what you're doing." Luste: "No way! I wanna play some more!" Grolla: "...Ugh. I hate dealing with idiots." Luste: "Ah! It takes one to know one!" Grolla: "It seems you could use some discipline...!"
And another example:
(After an awkward scilence) Zeppy: "Kwui-kwui..." Schwer-Muta: "...Scary." Grolla: (As usual, she makes no sense.)
Charged Smash: In Grollschwert, part of the Zero expy gig.
Critical Status Buff: Her attacks become more powerful when her vitality goes below half.
Darker and Edgier: Her stage in Freudenstachel. With several scenes of Nightmare Fuel, especially the bloody rainstorm near the end, her Freudenstachel stage is considered darker than her stage in the original game.
Dark Is Not Evil: As she gets two stages in the form of a graveyard and a dungeon with bones and blood and even a bloody rainstorm, was taught by a legendary war hero who was brought Back from the Dead as The Grim Reaper and is her grandfather, and is willing to protect her colleagues at any cost.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: She didn't care if Iris was a god, a human, or even an insect, she was willing to punch her out anyway.
Expy: Of Zero, right down to the play style. Appearance-wise, she's also one to Rider, complete with purple hair and eyes, as well as the thigh-highs, only minus the blindfold and Medusa powers.
Flat "What.": She delivers this when Iris pulls off a Wounded Gazelle Gambit on her by pretending she's an innocent girl being threatened when Sichte walks in.
Fragile Speedster: In Grollschwert mode. Her dashing and wall jumping abilities break the stages in ways Tia never can, but she can't take a hit for her life. May or may not also count as Glass Cannon. Ironic, as she's the only character who wears an armor.
Good Is Not Nice: In the side-game Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert, she'll fight against her own colleagues just to get them out of her way.
Also, the fact that she would rather fight than listen to reason more than qualifies her for this trope.
Leitmotif: "Dark Purple Moonlight" by Sky God Corridor (RKS stage theme and RKS Grollschwert title theme), "Dark Purple Moon ~ Dance of the Moon ~Rebirth~" by Sky God Corridor (Talk theme, shared with her grandfather), "Acid Rain" by Sound Prison (RKSF stage theme).
Meaningful Name: "Groll" means "grudge" or "ill will" in German. Appropriately she's always in a bad mood and she also easily hold grudge towards anything that angered her.
Miss Swears-a-Lot: She in Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert is, surprisingly, quite fond of profanity, despite her speech being on a feudal tongue.
Purple Is Powerful: She's a very competent fighter, feared and respected by many, plus she has purple eyes and hair. Also, her teleportation magic gives off a purple aura, as do her Grollschwert slashes in the first game.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: She delivers this to Count Zeppelin in Grollschwert because she pities him for being manipulated by his OWN daughter.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: She had these in one of the screenshots from the Freudenstachel April Fool's site. These were absent in the trial versions as well as the upcoming full game.
The second time: She lays Raimund back to rest. Infuriated and deeply hurt afterwards, she vows to make Count Zeppelin pay for disrupting Raimund's peaceful slumber and nearly kills him. She would've finished him off if not for Iris interrupting and stealing her kill.
Say My Name: (Her defeat in Freudenstachel) "Shishooooooooo!" ("Masteeeeeerrrrrrr!")
Shoot the Dog: Grolla does this twice in Grollschwert. In one instance, she's forced to battle her own superior, Lady Sichte, because Sichte cannot bring herself to join her in stopping Iris. Even after her defeat, Sichte still refuses to abandon her cause but promises that she will no longer stand in her way, asking her to strike her down if that is unacceptable. Downplayed in that Grolla spares her out of belief that killing her would make her useful to no one.
And then after that, her second and saddest Shoot the Dog moment is when she's forced to take on the undead form of her own grandfather and mentor, Sir Raimund Seyfarth. To her, being made to slay her grandpa and lay him back to rest again is Easily Forgiven. But, in her words, the fact that Count Zeppelin interrupted his peaceful slumber by bringing him Back from the Dead... not so much.
Silence, You Fool!: She says this when Tia says that she's not siding with the Empire when she confronts her at the end of her stage in the main game.
Similarly, when she confronts Count Zeppelin:
Count Zeppelin: "...Grolla. Such a rude entrance... How ludicrously fitting for a traitor." Grolla: "Silence, demon! Know that the price for toying with the souls of the dead is high!"
Smug Super: When fighting the Cross Wall, she tells it to show her its worst as she says there's nothing her blade can't cut, and when Tia uses up her last life against her as a boss, she gets a tendency to mock her failed attempts against her. And in the final stage of her side-game, she's even willing to rip Iris apart just the same no matter whether she's a god, a human, or even an insect.
Tsundere: A certain fan of the English RKS community managed to get WOMI to spill the beans on this (scroll to the bottom of the April 23rd entry); like Freu, mostly everybody sees the cold and strict woman that she is, but she has a bit of a softer side only known to Sichte and grandfather Raimund.
Worthy Opponent: Trau would compliment her for being a pretty tough swords(wo)man after being bested by her. If Zorne has already been defeated, she even admits that she's jealous.
You Have to Believe Me: She knows that Iris is using RKS against the Empire just for fun. She tells her colleagues the truth, but they don't believe her. When the convincing fails, she goes into "Good Is Not Nice" mode and beats them up just to get them out of her way.
Grolla: I have stated my reasons. I will not repeat myself. Freudia: At the moment, you cannot be trusted. Grolla: And yet the truth remains unchanged... Freudia: We might as well cease this debate. Words shall get us nowhere. Grolla: My thoughts from the very beginning. If my words cannot persuade you, perhaps my blade can sway you instead!
You Monster!: She calls Count Zeppelin a demon or a devil (both of which come close to monster) because he meddled with the dark arts to disrupt her grandfather's peaceful slumber.
Grolla: "Any last words, Devil?"
You're Insane!: After Iris murders a priest for the lulz, we got this exchange:
Grolla: "What was that...!? Iris, what is the meaning of this!?" Iris: "...! How careless of me. I wasn't expecting an audience so soon." Grolla: "What do you think you're doing!? Iris, have you gone mad!?"
[RKS-007] Sieben. The Team Mom of RKS, Sichte is a level-headed and mature decision maker with keen judgement who is the active leader of the RKS Strike Force. She often frets about her troubled childhood since she was born and raised in the slums, thus having trouble with having faith in those older than her. Ruthless in enemy faces, she's kind and caring to others. She's Grolla's close friend and mistress. Also tends to talk about fate and the future.Her ability is Die Geplante Zukunft, which allows her to speed up, slow down, or even stop time, and unleash magical energy in the form of small green emerald shards.
Bare Your Midriff: In Freudenstachel, due to Clothing Damage to the lower half of her shirt that she somehow got sometime prior to the events of said game.
Bullet Time: Part of her Die Geplante Zukunft's powers.
Death from Above: One of her attacks when she Turns Red has her come down with a giant brick block from above after resuming time (which makes it another subtle reference to Dio).
Gag Boobs: When Strudel nestles herself into Sichte's cleavage after Freudia defeats her.
Good Is Not Soft: Sichte's generally kind and caring, but being the field leader of the rebellion, she's shown to be dense. She also will not forgive traitors.
Leitmotif: "CRASH MAN" by Extra Ocean (RKS stage theme), "Night Fire" by Unlimited Hellest (Talk theme), and "The Ancient Cry" by Wingless Seraph (RKSF stage theme).
Meaningful Name: Her full name can loosely mean "master of future sight", fitting with her powers.
Not So Stoic: She uses this expression when she's worried about Grolla after she retreats when she tries to order her to lower her weapon and not hurt Iris (despite the Wounded Gazelle Gambit pulled off by her, which she didn't know about), and when she shows sadness when Grolla uses up her last life against her, and again when the two bid farewells to one another after Grolla defeats her.
Shout Out: Her stage, powers, and boss fight are all a shout out to Dio Brando form JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; Even Spiritia's Game Over screen for that stage is drawn in the style of the manga, with Spiritia saying Jotaro's Catch Phrase.
Her emerald shard attacks are also a shout-out to Noriaki Kakyoin's Emerald Splash attack from the same series.
In Freudenstachel, she even does a move akin Dio Brando's infamous "ROAD ROLLER da!!", and the way she speeds up time a reminiscent of Enrico Pucci's Stairway to Heaven.
[RKS-008] Acht. A peaceful, compassionate young girl who adores flowers, she's currently under the care of her brother Karl. She's able to manipulate the weather, but avoids using her powers as much as possible because she has trouble controlling them. Being a pacifist, she hates violence and the notion of fighting. She's always willing to do anything for Karl's sake because she loves him THAT much.Her ability is Liebessturm, which lowers her proximity's atmospheric pressure before unleashing a heavy downpour of rain. It takes time to charge it, but the results can be devastating.
Beware the Nice Ones: She's generally a kind, innocent girl, but if you hurt her feelings in any way, she won't stop crying until she beats you down completely, either by rain, wind, or any other kind of weather manipulation.
Big Brother Worship: Holds her brother Karl in high regard, and she is willing to do anything for his sake.
Emotionless Girl: In Freudenstachel, she appears to be this when Freu fights her... until she defeats her and not only rips off all her clothing, but also sees that the Liebea she fought is a fake!
Smart Bomb: Her Liebessturm can hit any enemy on screen.
Technical Pacifist: She hates violence but has trouble controlling her powers.
When She Smiles: Telling from some official artwork as well as some of her Freudenstachel mugshots, Liebea actually gets happy and even smiling expressions on rare occasions.
Warmup Boss: See Willfully Weak below. She's arguably the easiest boss in the first game. Even without Freudenstachel, she still leaves herself wide open when charging her Liebessturm and can even be knocked out of it with a few normal shots, leaving her to attack only with easily dodgeable magic projectiles.
"The bonds that tie people together... are just an illusion...!"
Voiced by: Alice Ichitsuki Introduced in: Rosenkreuzstilette / Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert
[RKS-009] Neun. Schwer's a reclusive young girl who dislikes interacting with others, having been forced to subside in a barren, bestial environment before being placed in RKS's care. Because of this trauma that burdens her to this day, she's generally suspicious of everyone she meets. She feels that her only friend is her pet squid Zeppy.Her ability is Geisterwand, which generates a circle of mace/cross-like objects around her, forming a barrier. While it's primarily a defensive ability, it can also be used for offensive purposes.
Tropes related with Schwer-Muta:
Animal Motifs: Her outfit seems to resemble either a cat or a wolf.
Catchphrase / Verbal Tic: Zeppy's "Kwui-kwui", which is pretty much the only thing he ever says.
Creepy Child: Mostly because of her anti-social nature.
Schwer-Muta: "The bonds that tie people together... are just an illusion...!"
The Eeyore: She's always so depressed plus she often uses a low voice and always a soft voice. Not to mention she's very shy.
Interesting to note is that she often attacks anyone who comes near out of distrust towards everyone she comes across. In the first game, she attacked like that because everybody missed her birthday. As Tia puts it, "We've all been pretty busy... Everything's been hectic lately."
Freudian Excuse: The reason she attacks others is just out of distrust, due to the fact that she was forced into attempting to survive a barren, bestial environment before being placed under RKS's care, a trauma that burdens her to today. In the first game, she attacked Tia because nobody came to her birthday party.
Offscreen Start Bonus: More like Offscreen Start Requirement in her stage. You have to go left to enter the stage, because on the right is a death trap where the start would normally be.
In Freudenstachel, starting the stage by going either way will actually take you out of the stage and back to the stage select screen. You have to continue by falling into a death pit.
Painting the Medium: Zeppy spits out ink that covers the screen for a short time.
The Unintelligible: As Grolla would say, "As usual, she makes no sense".
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She has shades of this; though unlike most examples she isn't actively hostile towards everyone, as she only wanted to be alone.
It may also be because she feels betrayed and forgotten, since no one came to her birthday party. When Tia wishes her happy birthday, she's moved.
[RKS-013] Dreizehn. She's the head of the RKS Special Ops division who's a hard worker and hates to lose. She's calm in the heat of battle as well as a formidable warrior, but can also sometimes be careless and make mistakes at crucial times. She's very intelligent but knows very little about the outside world, and can also easily become jealous. She's incredibly strong despite her age and carries a huge shuriken-like boomerang called Fesselspirale around with her all by herself.Her ability of the same name as her weapon revolves around said weapon itself, which she can gather wind power from the solar objects around her and use it to hurl in a fashion normally impossible.
Liebea's older brother. He's a member of the RKS intelligence division who places Liebea under his care. He saw through Iris' facade and attempted to dispose of her but she arranged for him to be imprisoned because He Knows Too Much, by Count Zeppelin, and the latter lied to Liebea about him being held captive by the Empire. Thankfully, he was freed by Freu when she sorted out all the problems left behind by Iris. He was "planned" to be a playable character in Freudenstachel's side-game in a Castlevania-like fashion according to [erka:es]'s 2011 April Fool's joke.He makes a surprise appearance as the boss of Pamela's stage in Rosenkreuzstilette Weißsilber.
Creepy Cool Crosses: As a part of Simon expy gig (below), he's also depicted with the cross boomerang.
Expy: He's depicted as an expy of Simon Belmont of Castlevania fame on the [erka:es] blog, and he would've been playable if not for the 2011 April Fool's joke.
Unexpected Character: While he is not a playable character in Freudenstachel, he does appear as a boss in Weißsilber, taking Pamela's place in her own stage.
Vampire Hunter: According to the 2011 April Fool's update, he was "planned" to play similarly to most of the heroes of Castlevania fame, plus his side-game was "planned" to be a Castlevania-clone as well. Had it not been an April Fool's Joke, Karl would've become the first playable character not to be based on one from Mega Man.
However, many of his attacks as a boss in Pamela's side story are call-backs to Castlevania, such as his whip and cross boomerang.
Grolla's deceased grandfather and mentor who died four years prior to the story of the first game. He's the legendary wielder of the Demon Sword Grollschwert and the Devil Scythe Grassense — there's not a single man who doesn't know his name. He's strict and stubborn and shows an unforgiving nature, and never gives up on his job even if dishonor may befall his title. He's willing to kill anyone he feels like killing but follows a code of honor. Being a Blood Knight, he craves battle alone. He was brought Back from the Dead by Count Zeppelin to guard his castle bridge.
I Am Not Left-Handed: After half of his health is gone, one of his quotes is "I will not hold back!"
Leitmotif: "Meteor Strike" by The Chair Hideout (Zeppelin Stage 3 theme), "Dark Purple Moon ~ Dance of the Moon ~Rebirth~" by Sky God Corridor (Talk theme, also shared with Grolla).
Off with His Head!: When you defeat him at the end of Zeppelin Stage III, both his Grollschwert and Grassense fall off his hands and the screen, cutting off his head before disappearing off the screen itself right before the rest of his body starts to explode.
The (former) commander of RKS and Iris' father. An imperial nobleman, he's an authority on magic research and a powerful Magus. He's looked up to like a father to all the other RKS members, especially his adopted daughter Zorne, who, despite the lack of blood ties, even regards him as her real father for saving her life once. He made a Deal with the Devil and launched a coup against the Empire to (supposedly) protect Iris and help the Magi build a world just for them, and was ultimately killed in the end by Iris.In Freudenstachel, he is revived by Iris and brainwashed into believing that Tia was the one who killed him, serving as the first boss of the Iris Palace. He is killed once again by Freudia.
Brainwashed and Crazy: In Freudensatchel, by Iris. She brainwashed him into thinking that Tia murdered him and that Iris brought him back through her prayers, as well as becoming an Omnicidal Maniac.
Dark Is Not Evil: He made a Deal with the Devil and therefore became a vampire. Despite that, he cares for his own fellow magi very much, and he did so just to build a world where magi can live in peace and ensure the safety of his daughter Iris, who he didn't know was just pitting them against the Empire for her enjoyment.
Taken to literal extremes when he Turns Red in Freudenstachel as he will rain down instant death beams from above.
Dub Name Change: He's named Graf Michael Sepperin in the Japanese version ("Graf" being used here means "Count" in German), but in the Fan Translation, his name was corrected to Count Michael Zeppelin. This change was justified as [erka:es] intended to name him after someone famous but the spelling threw it off a bit.
Evil Albino: At the first glance at least (the "evil" part, that is).
Rosenkreuzstilette: "What are you saying? Iris had been here the whole time..."
Grollschwert: "Try as you will, descendant of Seyfarth!"
Fatal Flaw: He loved his biological daughter so much that he trusted her too much to see the monster within her...
Glowing Eyes of Doom: When he's charging as bats and transforming and in his demon form.
Killed Off for Real: He gets obliterated into a burst of flames when Iris killed him after his defeat in the first game.
Back from the Dead: He returns in Freudenstachel as the first Iris Stage boss! And then he gets killed again courtesy of Freu (or Pamela).
Laser-Guided Karma: He becomes a Necromancer and controls the dead Raimund Seyfarth as a guardian boss in the first game, before he dies. Then he's summoned by Iris as a guardian boss in the second game. Way to go.
Leitmotif: "Party of Ghost" by God Melospi (Zeppelin Stage IV theme), "Cathedral2nd" by in the Ruins of Memories (RKS talk theme), "Fighting Eternally" by Unlimited Hellest (Boss theme), "The Linking Blaze" by Sky God Corridor (RKSF talk theme)
Mr. Exposition: Especially in Spiritia's story, before the boss fight, he gives her (and the player) many infos about the history of the RKS world as well as why they're rebelling in the first place.
Necromancer: In making a pact with the devil, he got the ability to use the forbidden arts, allowing him to command monsters and demons, and even allowing him the necrotic ability to raise and control the dead. He even brought Sir Raimund Back from the Dead as a Grim Reaper-like wraith.
Secret Keeper: He states that he shared Iris' secret with only the select few he felt he could trust, one among them is Karl. Then, as Iris told him, (she's lying, of course) Karl is in fact a spy for the Empire, thus he gets Karl imprisoned.
Shockwave Stomp: In his second form, he causes tremors whenever he lands after he jumps, temporarily stunning the player.
He also shouts "Grant me power...!" before going One-Winged Angel.
He also sometimes shouts "I'm the Devil...!" instead before doing so, similarly to Dr. Weil from Mega Man Zeronote (Although he says "Owaranu akumu da...!", whereas Dr. Weil said "Ware ga akuma da!", although the meaning is still similar here). Unlike Dr. Weil, however, Count Zeppelin himself is not a monster whatsoever.
Role-wise, he's also one to Dr. Cossack from Mega Man 4; Count Zeppelin has a young daughter, like Dr. Cossack, his stage select and castle animations are also similar to his, and the password to the Zeppelin Stages for Story Mode is the exact same password to the final stages of Mega Man 4 given the game uses the same password save system. Oh, and he's also a Disc One Final Boss.
Considering that he tries to rebel against the Empire because he thought they're going to persecute him and that he's trying to make an utopia for his kind, his motives are similar to Sigma. Which makes his appearance in the second game all the more amusing.
Tempting Fate: He does a similar thing to Spiritia before his own boss battle.
Zeppelin: "Empty platitudes. If you are so certain of yourself, then show me the true extent of your power!" (Gets beaten by Spiritia) Zeppelin: "Gah... I had not expected such an outcome...!"
The legendary Magus who dedicated his life to the Magi and helped them each live lives free of fear and persecution. Ultimately, he and his eight disciples took a stand against the Holy Empire and the Orthodox Church in a long and grueling war that ultimately ended with his Heroic Sacrifice having the Empire accept the Magi as their subordinates. A few decades later, he was reincarnated into two separate beings: Iris, with his absolute power and unparalelled brains, and Tia, with his soul as well as his strongest ability: the ability to tap into the strength of others'.
Tropes related with Rosenkreuz:
Guile Hero: Implied; He pulled off a Thanatos Gambit to make sure that the Magi can coexist and be accepted by normal people, though the extent of it is not shown.
Heroic Sacrifice: At the end of the war, he offered up his life to have the Empire accept Magi as part of its military. That made them what they are today: Rosenkreuzstilette, the "Blades of the Rose Cross".
Invincible Hero: According to Count Zeppelin, the Church, whom the Empire's reins of power lay within, feared him because he was the most powerful Magus in history.
Posthumous Character: Many of the infos we got about him came from Count Zeppelin and Iris.
Power Copying: He's able to tap onto the strength of his close companions. This power is later inherited by Tia as "the Blade of Rosenkreuz".
Reincarnation: Two of them: Iris got his immense magical prowess and the abundance of knowledge he acquired over the course of his life, while Spiritia got his ultimate power: Power Copying.
[SK-001] Eins. The captain of the Schwarzkreuz organization. Born of nobility, she's a fairly straightforward and sensible girl as a result of her noble upbringing that she got from her secret training as a royal knight. Her existence is best kept secret, so very little is known about her. She never doubts her views of justice and will convict anyone who doesn't share them. Pamela becomes The Heroine of her own side-game to Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel, Rosenkreuzstilette Weißsilber.Her ability is Weißsilber, which utilizes her magical sword of the same name as the ability. She can draw a magic circle in the air with it and manipulate the space within it, using many attacks available for her use as a result.
Alas, Poor Villain: In Freudenstachel, you can't help but feel sorry for her when Eifer betrays her with an Eiferstachel attack that brutally pummels her to the point of eventually causing her loss of consciousness.
Another Side, Another Story: Pamela is playable in her own side-game for Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel, RKS Weißsilber, similarly to how Grolla became playable in hers in the original game.
Anti-Villain: Type-I and III, like Count Zeppelin (at least, in the main game). She's a villainess born to nobility who's straightforward and sensible and never doubts her views of justice.
Even Evil Has Standards: Not only does she not like the idea of being vilified upon learning that she's been branded a traitor by the pope and the rest of the Schwarzkreuz, she doesn't approve of Count Zeppelin's idea of destroying the old world and creating a new one. Oh, and she's also disgusted by Iris' brainwashing of Tia.
Gonk: Her Game Over screen is meant to be a Shout Out to Adol Christin from Ys III: Wanderers from Ys, but it only succeeds in making her look extremely creepy.
Leitmotif: "Earn the experience value" by Nine Gates (Stage theme), "B55" by RP-MUSIC (Talk theme), "Virgin's Battle in Dark Light" (Weißsilber Options & Replay theme)
Noble Demoness: While devoting herself to hunting the "witches" as she calls the members of RKS, when she resolves to do something heroic, she always keeps her word. This is especially shown in her side-game when she frees Tia from Iris' influence by defeating both of them before reuniting Tia with Freu.
Pet the Dog: Reuniting Tia with Freu at the end of her side-game after beating up Iris and smashing her palace to rubble? This hints that she might not be so bad after all!
Shout Out: Surprisingly, she might be one to Ky Kiske of Guilty Gear. She and her organization even share the same symbol with him and his Sacred Order of Holy Knights!
She can also be a Shout Out to Angela Victoire Bledin from Princess Waltz, right down to appearance.
[SK-002] Zwei. Possibly the creepiest of the Schwarzkreuz bunch. She's always wearing heavy clothes due to chronic hypothermia, and despite her age she's actually cool-headed and mature. However, her emotions and mood can violently fluctuate, making her sometimes act out of character. For some unknown reasons, she seems to carry strong emotions towards Freu.Later, after the Schwarzkreuz is defeated, Eifer is revealed to be The Mole, working with Iris Zeppelin and having manipulated the Schwarzkreuz all along.Her ability is Eiferstachel, which lets her manipulate the location, density, and hardness of any object around her and use them to attack. She can turn any earthly metal or flora she finds into dangerous weapons in an instant.
Bloody Tears: When Eifer returns to her normal form after the Dark Devil is defeated, her eyes cry tears of blood.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Just before fighting her in her Dark Devil form, her eyes change color from blue to red.
The Chessmaster: She, alongside Iris, planned to have the Schwarzkreuz attack the Empire and kidnap Spiritia, all while making them believe the Church was witch-hunting Magi.
Cloning Blues: She is an homunculus crafted by Iris, using Freudia as a base.
Easily Forgiven: In Weißsilber, Pamela invites her back into the Schwarzkreuz after defeating the Dark Devil.
Emotionless Girl: She appears to be this, but this is actually subverted, as her emotions actually violently fluctuate, making her sometimes act out of character.
Evil Is Deathly Cold: She's on the bad guy side, plus, besides her plant manipulation, she likes choosing cold places as her stages and she has her own variation of Freu's Freudenstachel.
Exposed to the Elements: Her lower half, that is - the upper half is appropriately dressed for the cold climate of the Opening Stage.
Expy: Her design quite resembles Ilyasviel von Einzbern from Fate/stay night. Meanwhile, her Dark Devil form resembles Shadow Devil from Mega Man X5.
Green Thumb: Subverted in that she actually manipulates density and location of an object. It's just that flora seems to be the more obvious choice for her.
Idiot Hair: She has one beneath her hat. It's not a sign of idiocy, though. Instead, it is meant to be a hint of her connection to Freudia.
Kick the Dog: Her betrayal against the Schwarzkreuz, especially when she badly injures Pamela with an Eiferstachel attack.
Killed Off for Real: In Freudenstachel, as confirmed by WOMI in a response to a comment in his diary. However, he didn't shoot down the possibility of her being resurrected in a future installment.
Leitmotif: "Castle of Eternal Night" by Sky God Corridor (Stage theme), "Winter Waltz" by Sky God Corridor (Talk theme) (shared with Freu)
Manipulative Bitch: Manipulated the Schwarzkreuz into launching their own coup against the Empire alongside Iris all along.
The Mole: She reveals herself to be working with Iris after the Schwarzkreuz is defeated, having manipulated the rest of the Schwarzkreuz all along.
Interestingly, this is subverted, as she doesn't actually pretend to be a good girl. What she does pretend to be, however, is an ally of the Schwarzkreuz.
[SK-003] Drei. A former member of RKS, Schirach is a fairly mysterious woman who was reported missing a few years ago. She loves fighting so much to the point of obsession that she's simply excited to participate in any fight - and she doesn't care whether she wins or loses. Being The Brute of the Schwarzkreuz, she's incredibly strong and can carry her hammer, Lichtfaust, with ease.Her ability of the same name as her hammer allows her to carry and swing it around with great speed and strength. Her abilities far outclass the limitations of regular humans.
Tropes related with Schirach:
Affably Evil: You really have to admit how great of a woman she is to be around, with her words of encouragement and all that, even if she's on the bad guy side. And Dolis really looks up to her as well!
Expy: She has some similarities to Guts Man, due to creating earthquakes when she lands and throwing huge boulders at you. Unlike Guts Man, however, she is not slow and immobile.
Face Heel Turn: She was a former RKS member and was reported missing a few years ago. And now she's in the Schwarzkreuz.
[SK-004] Vier and [SK-005] Funf. Twin sisters who're always seen together, rarely apart. Lecht, the older of the two, is a very introverted Hikikomori who dislikes interacting with others but loves to read books. She wears an eyepatch because for some unknown reason she's blind in one eye. Rink, the younger of the two, is lively and outgoing and keeps her sister so foremost in her thoughts that she'll stop at nothing to remove any threat to Lecht herself.Their shared ability is Falschegestalt, which lets them generate a magical shield that reflects special attacks.
Puzzle Boss: Only one of them takes damage. The other will absorb your shots and heal. There's a reason for this. Fortunately, they share a lifebar. Aim for Lecht.
Voiced by: Alice Ichitsuki Introduced in: Rosenkreuzstilette / Rosenkreuzstilette Grollschwert
Tia's little green Fairy Companion. Lilli's a curious and inquisitive fairy who's interested in learning about humans, Magi, and the outside world. Kind of a mischief maker, she'll also pout whenever things don't go her way. As a great friend to Tia herself, she can always be counted on in times of need.Finding the Black Forest's Treasure in Trauare's stage allows Tia to use Lilli to attack.
Tropes related with Lilli:
And That's Terrible: When she sees what Iris turns out to be after Count Zeppelin's defeat, she feels just as horrified as Tia.
Lilli: (about Iris) She's awful!
Armor-Piercing Question: She gives one to Count Zeppelin after listening to his explanation as to why he started the war, which makes both Tia and the Count realize something is off.
"...Let me get this straight: The church wanted Iris dead. You found out about Karl. And that's the whole reason you started this war, right? If that's the case, why was Iris at the Training Hall when all this started?"
Zorne: Tia, I'm taking you down! Right here, right now!! Lilli: Whoa. She's pissed...
Properly Paranoid: More like "Properly Angered", but she's shown to be like this when Iris is mentioned. And then you see what Iris turned out to be...
Freu's little blue Fairy Companion. Not having quite fit in with the rest of the forest inhabitants, Strudel's a carefree fairy who knows nothing of hatred. She's the type who lazes about and only sees what pleases her and has no general goal but doesn't show any resentment to what needs to be done. Strangely enough, she also likes rubbing smooth objects.
Expy: Functionally, to Rush from Mega Man. She actually creates ice sculptures that look just like him that help Freu in similar manners to Rush himself.
A young girl placed under the care of RKS. Iris appears to be a kind, innocent, and mature-for-her-age girl who's much loved and trusted by everyone. However, that's just a facade: underneath her so-called "innocent demeanor" lies an utterly cruel Magnificent Bastard who's willing to do everything in her power for her own personal gain. She likes to sing as she talks, as evidenced by the eighth note (♪) placed at the end of her sentences. Everything she does, no matter how cruel or hurtful, is all done strictly For the Evulz. She's also a reincarnation of the legendary Magus Rosenkreuz, blessed with absolute power and unparalelled brains, and with that, she seeks to usurp God himself.She's back to her deplorable ways in Rosenkreuzstilette Freudenstachel, where she is revealed to be the one who manipulated the Schwarzkreuz through Eifer Skute, an homunculus she crafted using Freudia's genes as a base. Unlike in the original, however, she finally gets her comeuppance from Freudia, who uses her powers to freeze her and then sends her frozen body to some remote place, just to be sure. Oh, and in Pamela's story, she explodes.Her ability is Blitzstrahl, which lets her unleash electric sphere attacks and even generate bolts of lightning in different directions at once.
Tropes related with Iris:
Affably Evil: She never stops behaving like an elegant little girl, even while beating down others. Also seems to alternate between this and...
Faux Affably Evil: Didn't think her innocent demeanor was anything but a mask worn to hide her vileness? Think again! Also seems to alternate between this and her genuinely Affably Evil side above.
Cool Crown: She gets a tiara on her forehead in the first game's climax.
Cry Cute: During her Wounded Gazelle Gambits as well as her defeated mugshot when she gets bested by Tia in the final battle.
Cute and Psycho: Oh, yes, definitely. Shows at the end of the first game in both modes, of course. At first, in both stories, she's definitely cute, but she gets the Psycho part even more when she gets her Villainous Breakdown just before the final battle, as she starts laughing maniacally and very quickly changes her prim and proper attitude to insane motormouthed arrogance. Even so, she still has the cute part, of course.
Evil Plan: She manipulates the RKS into enacting a coup by telling her father that Karl is a spy of the Empire and that he may have told the Empire Iris' secrets, and things just got worse from there. All for the heck of it.
Expy: Of Kalinka from Mega Man 4, to her father being the Dr. Cossack expy and the Damsel in Distress of the first game; when she reveals her true nature, it turns out she's namely one to Dr. Wily and Lumine.
Fate Worse Than Death: Depending on how you interpret the ending of Freudenstachel, either Freu freezes her to death or keeps her trapped in ice as a Human Popsicle for all of eternity, which definitely qualifies as this.
For the Evulz: She made RKS fight against the Empire for laughs and even amuses herself with other people's, especially Zorne's and Grolla's, suffering.
Green-Eyed Monster: She becomes this towards Spiritia during her breakdown upon realizing that Tia is Rosenkreuz's other incarnation and that she's going to eliminate her for the right of being the sole ruler of the world.
I Surrender, Suckers: Just like good ol' Wily, she grovels upon surrendering to Tia after she loses... and then she activates the self-destruct mechanism of the castle, traying to take Tia down with her.
Kick the Dog: She does this quite a lot throughout the first game, such as killing a priest in the beginning of Grollschwert just for laughs. Oh, and the "killing your own dad for being no longer useful" blurb.
Kill It With Ice: She ends up on the receiving end of it at the end of Freudenstachel when an extremely pissed off Freudia decides to freeze her to death.
Large Ham: She just loves to chew the scenery everytime she talks.
Leitmotif: Lots, to be exact. "Power of God, Human Heart" by Unlimited Hellest (RKS main theme), "18" by AM3 (RKS Iris Stage III theme), "Heavy Snake" by Unlimited Hellest (RKS Iris Stage III talk theme), "Pray to Muse For..." by Song! Cat Room: Unkolyn (RKS Iris Stage III boss theme), "The Devil Loves a Fallen Angel" by Unlimited Hellest (RKS Final Stage talk theme), "Last Battle ~Requiem for Myself~" by Song! Cat Room: Unkolyn (RKS Final Boss Battle), "B38" by RP-MUSIC (RKSF main theme), "Mad Darkness" by DEAD END WONDER (RKSF Iris Stage III theme), "B7" by RP-MUSIC (RKSF Iris Stage III talk theme), "the end of last age final destination" by Kamo King (RKSF Iris Stage III boss theme), "Scarlet Moon Castle" by Unlimited Hellest (RKSF Final Stage talk theme (shared with Tia)), "Awakening the Profound Evil" by Wingless Seraph (RKSF Final Boss Battle (also shared with Tia))
Manipulative Bastard: She manipulated RKS into launching the coup against the Empire just for kicks. Oh, and she did the same thing in the second game, this time with the SK.
Meaningful Name: She seems to be named after (and be similarly) to Iris, the rainbow goddess, and Eris, the goddess of chaos. Like the rainbow goddess of the same name (only with a different pronounication), her One-Winged Angel transformation appears to be a beautiful maiden with wings, and like Eris, she delights in causing as much mayhem as possible just for fun, mainly by manipulating others into attacking one another. Iris herself claims to be a god anyway, so this makes perfect sense.
Oh Crap: She uses this expression when Grolla overhears her plot to have RKS fight against the Empire for kicks in the beginning of Grollschwert. She also uses this expression right before Freudia Kills Her With Ice at the end of Freudenstachel.
One-Winged Angel: In the final battle, she turns into a seraphic version of herself.
Princess Classic: She seems to have shades of this. She's very intellectual, as much as Rosenkreuz himself, plus in the first game, she's very well-dressed in elegant clothing, similar to that of a real princess. Of course, this is then inverted, as she's more of an evil and malicious Magnificent Bastard than expected.
Seven Deadly Sins: She pretty much embodies a lot, if not all, of the deadly sins. Here's a list below:
Pride: She definitely takes pride of being basically a "god's reincarnation" and sees others as commoners. She also can't accept defeat.
Lust: The lust for pleasure and excitement... over other people's misery, that is.
Envy: She becomes jealous of Tia at the end of the main game upon learning that she's the other incarnation of Rosenkreuz and that "the world needs only one Rosenkreuz".
Greed: This is linked to her Ambition. She will not let anyone else standing in the way to godhood, manipulating them all to ensure that.
Shout Out: One of her quotes, "Oh, I'm so anxious to rip you apart!", is one to Double from Mega Man X4 (fittingly, both him and Iris are shown to be a well-mannered people in the good guys' side before being revealed as evil and sadistic).
And one to Vile from Mega Man X when she witnesses Spiritia wrecking her floating fortress.
Another, "Grovel in the dirt like an insect, and the insect I know you are", is one to Dracula's victory quote from Castlevania Judgment.
Smug Super: She believes herself to be incomparable to everyone else since she claims to be a god, and always boasts about it.
Teleport Spam: against her capsule and then against her seraphic form.
This Cannot Be!: She says many variations of this whenever she is defeated.
This Is the Final Battle: "I would kill you here and now, but I have a better idea. I'll let you prepare yourselves for a final showdown. You had better get ready!"
The Trickster: Her innocent demeanor fooled everyone into not knowing that she started the war for her entertainment.
Troll: In Grollschwert, she's clearly amusing herself with pissing off Grolla as much as possible, and as Grolla continues her quest to get her revenge, Iris conjures up more ways to piss her off again - just to have fun at her expense.
And in Freudenstachel, she manages to do it again, this time with Freu; she uses a brainwashed Tia to attack her just to have even more fun at Freu's own expense (see Freu's Berserk Button above). And what better punishment for her being a Troll than being sealed in ice after the battle...
Verbal Tic: The eighth note (♪) is often placed at the end of a lot of her sentences.
Villainous Breakdown: She gets this on both stories, one each. One when she laughs madly as she realized that Tia is the other half of Rosenkreuz's reincarnation, another when Grolla said that she doesn't care who the heck she is and she wants to kill her.
A dragon who appears in the beginning of the game to kidnap Iris. In truth he was actually enslaved by her until Tia (and Grolla) freed him by shattering the red orb. He gladly returns the favor by taking them to her and saving Tia when Iris self-destructs her palace.
Tropes related with Talos:
Androcles Lion: In return for being freed from slavery, he helps Spiritia/Grolla cross the chasm to Iris's chamber and rescues the former upon the destruction of Iris's fortress.
Captain Ersatz: Resembles Wyverns from Castlevania games, sprite-wise.
Leitmotif: "ys008 ~The Final Duel~" by Oo39 Dot Com (RKS Final Stage theme)
Nice Dragon: According to Spiritia, from what Freudia said to her, dragons are kind, gentle creatures. Talos is no exception, he was just slaving away at Iris' whelms, and he wasn't enjoying it.
