Kingdom of Liberl: Estelle's Party | Liberl Royalty and Military | Liberl Civilians
Crossbell State: Crossbell Government and Influential Groups | Crossbell Police and Military | Special Support Section | Crossbell Civilians
Erebonian Empire: Erebonia Imperial Family and Four Great Houses | The Ironbloods | Erebonia Military | Thors' Staff and Instructors | Thors Class VII (Rean Schwarzer | Original Class VII (Part One, Part Two) | New Class VII) | Main Campus Classes | Branch Campus | Erebonian Civilians and Major Groups | Imperial Liberation Front
Republic of Calvard: Calvard Miscellaneous | Arkride Solutions Office
Other Nations: Remiferia Miscellaneous | Elsaim Miscellaneous
Notable Groups: The Bracer Guild | Ouroboros (The Seven Anguis | Enforcers) | Jaeger Corps | Septian Church
Others: Ancient Zemurian Civilization | The Sept-Terrions and the Holy Beasts | Posthumous Characters
The country covers a large area and due to its policy of accepting immigrants from the east, is home to many cultures. However, this also makes racism the country's greatest internal threat, and like Erebonia's anti-Osborne terrorism, Calvard's far-right terrorism once spilled over into Crossbell due to the then-president Samuel Rocksmith attending the West Zemuria Trade Conference.
Calvard has a long-standing rivalry with Erebonia that led to many clashes for supremacy over the other, may they be intelligence warfare or armed conflicts, particularly over the ownership of Crossbell. This is also reflected with Heiyue, the republic's largest underground syndicate, creating a branch in the city-state and coming into conflict with local mafia group Revache & Co., which has ties to the empire.
As of S.1207, its new president is Roy Gramheart.
The country takes a backseat during the first half of the Trails Series, as the focus was on Liberl, Crossbell and Erebonia. However, the second half begins with the Daybreak arc that focuses on Calvard, allowing it to finally take the spotlight, as the conclusion of Cold Steel brought an unprecedented economic boom to Calvard.
Warning: As most of the content of this page is linked to Trails through Daybreak, all tropes concerning its pre-release news are left unmarked.
Tropes applying to the country itself:
- Americasia: Is the Fantasy Counterpart Culture to the United States, however several prominent characters with Eastern Zemurian ancestry such as Yun Ka-Fai, Killika Rouran, and Heiyue come from here due to people of the East forming the largest immigrant group, which shows in certain areas such as Langport and Longlai being rife with Asian styled architecture and attractions.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: To the United States of America and France:
- Like the USA, it is a very large country with a strong military and economic base, it's one of the few democratic nations while so many other nations in the setting are some type of monarchy, the Head of State is known as the President, and has a long history of immigration which also has some interior problems with certain groups in the country resulting in some cases of ethnic strife. In this regard, it could be regarded as a Type 3 Eagleland; despite its positives, there is an alarming shady side (including a Verne Company firearm designed to defeat metal detectors) and a worryingly prominent far-right. On the topic of immigration, the largest immigration populace being the settings equivalent to East Asians (usually with Chinese or some Japanese names) with most characters of the ethnicity having come from the nation gives it some elements of Wutai.
- To France as it was stated to have previously been a kingdom prior to a populist revolution in the previous century that ended with the death of the former aristocracy and royal families, though without any Napoleon or Bourbon analogues to try and reinstate the monarchy. It also ties into its frequently conflicted history with Erebonia which is based on Germany. The country's flag also bears some similarity to the Fleur-de-lis, several of its provinces and localities are named after French places, while its capital city, Edith is named after a name found fairly frequently in France (famous french Ediths include singer Edith Piaf and former prime minister Edith Cresson).
- Good Republic, Evil Empire:
- Played With and ultimately subverted, while opposed to Erebonia, it's less in opposition of Erebonian Imperialism and more because it impedes their Imperialism, especially when it comes to the topic of Crossbell. Ultimately, both countries have their own problems. Ironically, Reverie offers the closest thing to an inversion in the series thus far, as Erebonia is trying to reform its government, while Calvard's shadier side is becoming more apparent, thanks to its new president.
- The first Daybreak game zigzags this trope; Roy Gramheart, the new president of Calvard, is an ally for most of the game, but seems to be involved in shady business.
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Political Figures
Presidents
Samuel Rocksmith
Rocksmith as depicted in Azure
Rocksmith as of Daybreak
- Voiced by: Hirohiko Kakegawa (Japanese), Derek Stephen Prince (English)
The Republic of Calvard's 22nd president.
- Affably Evil: Though "evil" is stretching it a bit, he is still a ruthless, cunning politician behind his cheerful, friendly mannerisms.
- Animal Motifs: He's often compared to a tanuki in the Japanese script.
- First-Name Basis: When Agnès talks to him in private, Rocksmith calls his opponent in the elections by his first name, Roy. It's because they used to be friends with Rocksmith even telling Agnès that he and Agnès' mom used to be very close and Rocksmith even saw Agnès as an infant.
- Graceful Loser: He takes his loss in the election against Gramheart rather well all things considering. He even tells Agnès that ultimately, it's all about politics in the end.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: From President of the Calvard Republic...to being a simple farmer on the countryside after losing to Gramheart in the S.1207 elections. Not that he seems to mind all that much.
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: In Azure, Rocksmith actually uses an assassination attempt on his person in order to undermine Crossbell's self-governance.
- Nice Guy: He's shown to be a rather jovial character when met in person. Still, he makes it just as clear that he's a politician first and foremost and is not to be underestimated.
- Put on a Bus: He doesn't physically appear in Kuro II.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Assists Mille Mirage, acknowledging that the whole of Erebonia is not responsible for the war and was willing to be lenient until pressure forced him to demand high reparations.
-
Unexpected Character: Played With, since as Cold Steel IV dealt with a war between Erebonia and Calvard so him playing a role was expected. Him assisting Mille Mirage though, was a shock to many characters in and out-of-universe.
Roy Gramheart
- Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Brent Mukai (English)
The 23rd president of Calvard.
- Action Politician: It's shown in Kuro II that he will fight alongside his bodyguards when a coup d'etat takes place during Chapter 3E led by a brainwashed Cody, Zin and Kilika who had their souls bound to a Simulcra version of themselves.
- Age-Gap Romance: Kuro II reveals that he was 8 years older than his wife Sophie.
- Big Damn Heroes: Shows up piloting an Assault Frame near the end of the first Daybreak game.
- Connected All Along: Daybreak revealed that he's Agnès' father.
- Face Death with Dignity: He isn't intimidated when a brainwashed Cody, who accuses Roy of having his father killed and that Samuel isn't the president of Calvard, aims a gun at him.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: In Act 3 Route E of Kuro II, he can throw a flashbang and shoot it mid-air.
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: He isn't above using great losses or tragedies to further his goals:
- In the epilogue of Cold Steel IV, he pressured Rocksmith into making Erebonia pay hefty reparations for the war which helped sway public opinion in his favor and gave extra funding for his plans.
- Near the climax of Reverie he tries to send some Repubic troops to Crossbel to assist them in dealing with the Retributive Tower in a thinly veiled attempt to try and take the city and it's wealth for Calvard.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted; an NPC living on Crossbell's East Street is also named Roy.
- President Evil: Rumors about his behavior in office are concerning at best, and Elie remarks in Reverie that he's even worse than she's heard. He's implied to be trying to consolidate power, which bodes terribly for Calvard's democracy given the political capital the Great War gave him, and his threat to invade Crossbell to "assist" them with Reverse Babel gives an alarming definitive parallel with Chancellor Osborne, who did the same to Liberl during the Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon. Played With for now as he isn't shown as a villain as of Kuro II, even supporting his daughter by giving her one of the stolen Octo-Genesis.
- Villain Has a Point:
- The epilogue of Cold Steel IV reveals he's the one who pressured Rocksmith into making Erebonia pay reparations. While this was mostly done to gain extra mira to fund his plans and to sway public opinion in his favor, there's also a point to be made about holding the empire accountable for their actions. Erebonia almost dragged the entire continent into a war and blamed Calvard for instigating it. Doing nothing to punish Erebonia would make it seem like they faced no consequences for their war mongering. The epilogue also points out that the citizens of Calvard were furious with Erebonia for their actions, and shared the same sentiment.
- During the climax of Reverie he announces to Speaker MacDowell and Chancellor Regnitz his plans to send some Republic troops at Crossbell to aid them in dealing with the Retributive tower. While this is a thinly veiled attempt to try and take the city for Calvard in violation of them only recently acknowledging it's independence, he brings up that as a Head of State, it'd be highly irresponsible of him to not retaliate when an enemy has shown to be in possession of a deadly weapon of mass destruction which has already destroyed one military base and has outright declared will be targeting a military base in his own country next. While unhappy with the decision, neither Speaker MacDowell or Chancellor Regnitz could refute his point.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Despite the worrying-at-best rumors, he's very, very popular with Calvardians, thanks to the unique circumstances of his presidential transition - namely, an Erebonian invasion happening during his predecessor's lame duck period then being immediately abandoned due to the chancellor dying and the Hate Plague driving the invasion disappearing - allowing him to gain credibility during post-war negotiations and blame any concessions to Erebonia - such as the pledge not to invade a post-occupation Crossbell - on Rocksmith. Cements himself as such when in the final chapter of Daybreak, he unveils a brand new model of battleships and Assault Frames on a national holiday with the crowd cheering for him.
- We Used to Be Friends: When he first started in politics, he was actually in the same party as Samuel and were actually pretty close with one another until they finally faced off in the elections.
Other Politicians
Ryan Connery
- Voiced by: Akira YamamotoAppearances: Kuro II
The father of Elie MacDowell, he had previously attempted to improve Crossbell's political situation, but failed to get the support he needed. Disillusioned, he divorced his wife Diana and returned to the Republic.
- No Full Name Given: His original surname wasn't mentioned until Daybreak.
- Took the Wife's Name: He took up the "MacDowell" surname back when he married Diana.
- Unseen No More: He's first mentioned in Zero and is later brought during the final chapter of Daybreak. He would make first full appearance in Kuro II.
Republic Army of Calvard
Rocksmith Agency/Central Intelligence Division
In General
The Rocksmith Agency is an intelligence agency established by the then-President Samuel Rocksmith. Its purpose was to gather intel on growing foreign powers, as well as terrorist and extremist groups within the Republic.
It was eventually succeeded by the Central Intelligence Division, or "CID," in S.1205. Upon the inauguration of Roy Gramheart as president, it was divided into 3 departments, all of which are coordinated by the Integrated Analysis Department led by Kilika Rouran.
Kilika Rouran
Kilika as of Daybreak
Kilia in her normal attire, as seen in the Sky series
Kilika in formal clothes, as seen in Zero and Azure
Presidential Aide Kilika, as seen in Zero and Azure
- Voiced by: Chizu Yonemoto (Japanese, The 3rd-Daybreak), Haruka Michii (Japanese, Kuro II)
The daughter of former Taito master Ryuga, and Zin's childhood friend. While searching herself, she acted as the receptionist at the Bracer Guild's Zeiss Branch in Liberl. She eventually returned to her homeland of Calvard and joined the newly formed Central Intelligence Division.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She has long black hair, and is pretty much always in control, never failing to snark at Zin's expense.
- Almighty Janitor: Usually, guild receptionist are Non-Action Guy. She is a Taito style master and one of Zin's co-disciples. Invoked by Kilika herself, who specifically choose a field non-related to combat in order to search how her father's ideology can apply without fighting.
- Big Damn Heroes: In Zero, she saves Wazy, KeA and the SSS from a bunch of Revache thugs during the Black Auction.
- The Bus Came Back: After being absent for all 4 Cold Steel games, as well as Reverie, a pre-release screenshot for the first Daybreak game confirms her return.
- Classy Cravat: In Zero.
- Connected All Along: It's confirmed in Cold Steel IV that Kilika is the woman who taught Angelica the Taito fighting style.
- Forced into Evil: Though it's less Brainwashed and Crazy and more like "soul got displaced to a Simulcra body and is forced to act evil" in Kuro II.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: A capable Lady of War, and majority of her outfits include a purple color scheme.
- Lady of War: A stoic and capable master martial artist.
- Limit Break: As a boss in The 3rd, her S-Craft is Dual Dragon Helix.
- No Badass to His Valet: In Daybreak, despite the fact that both Zin and Walter were flaring their Battle Aura to the point that it was causing an earthquake at Dark-light Town, she just needs to show up and tell them to knock it off with both Zin and Walter claiming that the other person wanted to start a fight. Even after all these years, the A-Ranked Bracer with the qualifications for S-Rank and Enforcer No.8 are still no match for Kilika.
- Red Baron: "The Flying Swallow."
- Rings of Death: She wields a pair of chakrams
◊ in battle. - The Stoic: She rarely lose control of her emotions, even when telling Zin about how she feels she hasn't made any progress in life since her father's death.
- Trophy Wife: One of the reasons for her falling out with Walter was that part of him viewed her as his master's daughter instead of her own person.
- Two Guys and a Girl: With Zin and Walter.
- The Unfought: Played With; she technically fights the party alongside Zin and Cody near the end of Kuro II Chapter 3E, but she always stays at a distance where she can't be reached, spending her turns either throwing her Chakram, buffing her allies, or casting an Art. As such, the battle ends once the other two are defeated.
- You Killed My Father: Averted; as the deathmatch was something her father agreed to, she doesn't really hold her former boyfriend Walter accountable for the former's death. And it turns out that her father was actually terminally ill when they did that duel.
- Walking the Earth: Following her school fall out after her father's death, she wandered Zemuria while pondering about the meaning of her Living Fist philosophy. She notably took Angelica as a disciple during this period.
René Kincaid
- Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese, adult), Hikaru Yuuki (Japanese, child), Ben Lepley (English)
A capable agent and assistant working for the Integrated Analysis Office of the CID. He's well-acquainted with both Elaine Auclair, the rising star of the Republic's Guild Branch, and Van Arkride, a Spriggan operating within the capital.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: He's rarely seen wearing anything besides his signature purple suit, even during combat.
- Big Brother Instinct: He's a year older than both Van and Elaine, and he looks out for them like they were his own younger siblings.
- Childhood Friends: He befriended Van and Elaine as kids, coming to see them as a little brother and sister. He's more or less come to terms with the former's profession of choice, and he was among the few who supported the latter when she chose to become a Bracer.
- Cool Car: His Connect Event from Kuro II's Final Chapter reveals that he drives a ETWS sports car, leaving Van shocked upon seeing it.
- Death from Above: His Exceed Rain Craft has him throw bullets above the enemy, then fire at the bullets to make them to rain on said enemy.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": In an attempt appear more professional, he often has to tell Van not to call him by his first name. However, he never corrects Elaine when she calls him "René."
- Early-Bird Cameo: He first appears in Elaine's short-story from Reverie where he reveals the location of the missing children to her.
- Energy Weapon: His gun fires blasts of orbal energy, with his Ark Dominator Craft involving a particularly powerful shot.
- The Gadfly: Contrasting his professional appearance, he enjoys getting under Van's skin, such as offering to tell the latter's part-timers embarrassing stories from his and Van's youth.
- Guest-Star Party Member: He's only playable for a few sections of Daybreak's Final Chapter. Kuro II, however, has him more readily available, more-or-less becoming a main party member once Chapter 3D rolls around.
- Guns Akimbo: Kuro II sees him using a gun in each hand during his S-Craft.
- The Gunslinger: He uses a military gun in combat.
- Hidden Depths: He played bass in a rock band back in high school, and even by the time of Kuro II, he has some sessions with other enthusiasts whenever they have free-time.
- Informed Attribute: His page on Daybreak's official website claims that he's popular with his female co-workers, but this was never shown in said game or its sequel.
- Last-Name Basis: The only people who refer to him by his given name are Van and Elaine; to everyone else, it's Kincaid. Likewise, he refers to most of the party members by their last names. The exceptions to this are Van and Elaine (due to them being his Childhood Friends), Risette and Judith (whom he refers to as "Miss Risette" and "Miss Judith"note ), as well as Agnès (who he refers to as "Young Missnote ).
- Like Brother and Sister: He describes Elaine as being like a little sister to him while preemptively dismissing the idea of seeing her in a romantic light.
- Limit Break: Averted in Daybreak, where he was the only playable character to not have an S-Craft. The second game fixes this by giving him "Lethal Operation."
- Power Trio: Formed one with Van and Elaine back in the day, and the dynamic never fully disappeared even after being separated from Van for years.
- Secret-Keeper: He knows that Agnès is President Gramheart's daughter. It is a part of his job after all.
- Shipper on Deck: He's the biggest supporter of Van and Elaine becoming a couple. He was quite satisfied when they actually got together during high school, but was left baffled when Van suddenly broke up with her after graduation, and ever Van returned to Edith years later, René has been trying to help mend the relationship between his old friends.
- Status Buff: His Dualizer Craft has the added bonus of boosting the Strength, ATS, and Speed of the affected character.
- Stoic Spectacles: He's worn glasses since his youth, and he remains calm and in-control.
- Student Council President: He served as this during his second year at Aramis High School, before giving the reins over to Elaine, the effective-Vice President, during his third and final year.
- Time Master: The main purpose of Dualizer is to move himself or an ally up to the top of the turn count.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He frequently likes to mess with Van, but still looks out for him.
Hercules
In General
A special forces unit within the Calvardian military, acting as the CID's task force. They use the fifth-generation combat orbment "RAMDA."
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: While the armor for most Hercules members is orange, the Alpha squadron's is primarily colored silver.
- Elite Mooks: The Alpha squadron introduced in Kuro II are shown to be significantly more competent than any other squad, as they go the entire game without being subjected to The Worf Effect
- Praetorian Guard: The Alpha squadron answers directly to the President.
- The Worf Effect: Ever since their introduction in Cold Steel III, their general role in the plot is that of the national elite force that gets constantly defeated to highlight how dangerous whoever beat them is.
Kaela McMillan
Kaela as of Daybreak
Kaela during Cold Steel IV
- Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (Japanese, Cold Steel IV), Mayuko Kazama (Japanese, Daybreak)
A special ensign in Hercules.
- Big Sister Instinct: One of the reasons she took part in the Mille Mirage meetings was to ensure that her younger brother could return to the Republic safely.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Kuro II Chapter 3E, she falls under the influence of the 8th Gensis, causing her to assist with the coup against President Gramhart.
- Costume Evolution: She adds a red tie to her look in Daybreak.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Was rather harsh and standoffish when first meeting the New Class VII, but warmed up over time throughout the lead up to Mille Mirage. In Daybreak, she's a straight-up nice girl to Van aside from the moments she gets brainwashed in Kuro II.
- Elite Mook: When battling her and Alvis in Kuro II, she's essentially a stronger version of other pistol-wielding enemies, complete with the same animations.
- Military Brat: Her father was a Republican soldier who died in combat during the skirmishes over Crossbell.
- Only One Name: Her last name was unknown before for the first Daybreak game.
- Undying Loyalty: To Rocksmith; even when he's no longer the president, Kaela still believes that he's somebody Calvard needs, and continues to work on his behalf, even if she risks coming into conflict with her fellow CID agents.
- You Killed My Father: Her father died in battle against the Empire during the disputes over Crossbell, hence her initial harsh attitude.
Cody McMillan
Cody as of Daybreak
Cody during Cold Steel III and IV
- Voiced by: Masaya Nakashima (Japanese)
A warrant officier in Hercules and the younger brother of Kaela.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3E of Kuro II, he falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing him to join with a coup against President Gramheart.
- Costume Evolution: As of Daybreak, his default outfit is a brown coat over a blue shirt.
- Custom Uniform: While he wore the standard orange Hercules battle suit during the Cold Steel games, Kuro II shows him in a black variant.
- Disappeared Dad: His father was an officer in Calvard's military who died in the war over Crossbell in S. 1205.
- Driven to Suicide: After being freed from his brainwashing in Kuro II, he tries to shoot himself in shame for helping start a coup. It fails due to President Gramhart pulling the gun away at the last moment.
- Dual Boss: The battle against him and Zin in Kuro II Chapter 3E is effectively this; while Kilika is also present, she stands out of reach for the duration of the fight.
- Elite Mook: When battling him in Kuro II, he's essentially a stronger version of other BFS-wielding enemies, complete with the same animations.
- Everyone Has Standards: While he has a bone to pick with the Empire over his father's death, he draws the line at injuring its civilians, coming to blows against his superior officer Cold Steel IV, as the latter planned to target civilians while under the effects of the Curse.
- Fake Memories: In Kuro II Chapter 3E, the 8th Genesis rewrites his memories to make him believe that Gramheart is responsible for the deaths of both his father and former-president Rocksmith.
- Improbable Age: The party trying to track him down in Heimdallr during Cold Steel III are shocked to learn an 18 year-old is part of an elite task force who infiltrated the Imperial Capital.
- Innocently Insensitive: During Daybreak's Intermission, he badmouths President Gramheart's "underhanded methods," unaware that said president's daughter is in the same room. Thankfully, Rocksmith is aware, and gets the young man to calm down.
- Military Brat: His father was a Republic soldier who died in battle.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Once his brainwashing in undone in Kuro II, he remarks that he can't face his father or former-Preseident Rocksmith, and apologizes to his sister Kaela before attempting to shoot himself in the head.
- Only One Name: Like his sister, his last name wasn't revealed before the first Daybreak game.
- Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Comes into conflict with his superior officer when the latter comes up with a plan to hurt the Empire that has a high chance of causing civilian casualties.
- Undying Loyalty: To Rocksmith; even when he's no longer the president, Cody still believes that he's somebody Calvard needs, and continues to work on his behalf as a member of Hercules's Secret Service.
- You Killed My Father: His main reason for joining the army and accepting the deep cover mission in Heimdallr was out of a desire to avenge his father's death in the disputes against Erebonnia for Crossbell.
Marduk Total Security Company
In General
Often abbreviated as "MTSC" or the "MK Company", they are a security and private military company based in Ored. Their combat capabilities are on par with high-ranking Jaeger corps, but they have the edge in technology.
- Hidden Eyes: When in battle, the Mooks wear specialized goggles that obscure their eyes.
- Private Military Contractors: They are specifically referred to as a "PMC" during Chapter 3 of Daybreak, and again in Kuro II 2A.
Gilliam Thorndyke
- Voiced by: Ken Narita (Japanese)
A general manager for the Marduk Company.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Played with; his eyes are quite narrow, and most people tend to be suspicious of him. However, the first two Daybreak games show him to be a reliable ally to the party.
Kasim Al-Fayed
- Voiced by: Yuichiro Umehara (Japanese)
Feri's older brother and a former member of the Warriors of Kruga. He has since cut ties with his former profession and now works as the Marduk Company's Head of Security.
- Ascended Extra: He gets to participate in gameplay during Kuro II.
- Battle Aura: His Khamsin Craft has him create a fiery aura around him.
- Bifurcated Weapon: That weapon he's holding? It's a Buster Lancer, which is both a BFS and a BFG railgun.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3D of Kuro II, he falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, forcing the Arkride Solutions Office to fight against him.
- Cutscene Boss: Players never get to fight Kasim in the first Daybreak game. Instead, a cutscene plays with Van going toe to toe against him. Van loses the battle, but ends up winning the war, as Judith distracts Kasim long enough for Feri to grab the keys from Kasim.
- Dual Boss: He faces the party alongside Risette during Chapter 3D of Kuro II.
- Fake Memories: In Kuro II Chapter 3D, the 8th Genesis rewrites his memories to make him think that the Arkride Solutions Office were allies of Almata.
- Guest-Star Party Member: He's a non-playable ally in Chapter 2A of Kuro II.
- The Mentor: Back when Van first got his Stun-Calibur, Kasim served as his combat instructor.
- No-Sell: As seen in the opening, he easily block what appears to be Van' Souha Houken.
- Practically Different Generations: He's a good 14 years older than Feri. And given that she's the second oldest in their family, there's an even bigger difference between him and his other two siblings.
- Red Baron: He is sometimes referred to by the nickname "Khamsin."
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: He's the ultra-serious guy to Mirabel's upbeat girl.
- Ship Tease: Upon seeing him and Mirabel going through Aramis's school festival together during Kuro II's Final Chapter, Risette becomes curious about their relationship, as does Judith when she spots them coming out of the movie theatre together.
- The Stoic: He is a no-nonsense guy who rarely raises his voice. He doesn't even bother to humor Van's attempts to quip during their battle in Chapter 5 of Daybreak.
- Sword Beam: The first part of his Barbatos Raid Craft has him shoot slash-esque beams at the target.
- Wave-Motion Gun: His Shergard Strike Craft has him shoot a large and powerful beam from his Buster Lancer.
- World's Strongest Man: The first Daybreak game has Van claim that Kasim is the "strongest Jaeger on the continent." Whether or not this means he's even stronger than Rutger Claussell or the Orlando brothers is unknown.
Risette Twinings
See here
Mirabel Aalton
- Voiced by: Tsugumi SakuragiAppearances: Kuro II
A 22-year-old "Service Concierge" working for the Marduk Total Security Company and a close friend of Risette. She's involved with managing the "Marchen Garten," a virtual space created by the company.
- Early-Bird Cameo: She made a brief appearance◊ (with her eyes out of sight) during the ending credits of Daybreak before making her proper debut in the sequel.
- Meido: As with Risette, her uniform is very reminiscent of a maid outfit.
- Odd Friendship: She gets along well with her co-worker Risette, despite the two having polar opposite personalities.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: She's the upbeat girl to Kasim's ultra-serious guy.
- Ship Tease: Upon seeing her and Kasim going through Aramis's school festival together during Kuro II's Final Chapter, Risette becomes curious about their relationship, as does Judith when she spots them coming out of the movie theatre together.
Zect-Arms
In General
A weapons development company.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3E of Kuro II, they fall under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing them to join the coup against President Gramheart.
- Butt-Monkey: Nothing goes their way, and they're generally treated like a joke.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The group was mentioned as one of the participating forces for the battle royale at Oracion City in Daybreak.
Rosaly
- Voiced by: Megu SakuragawaAppearances: Kuro II
Zect-Arm's development chief.
- Blue with Shock: Played for Laughs during Kuro II Chapter 2; the top half of her face turns blue when she sees Dominique pull out a rocket launcher.
- Distaff Counterpart: As the resident Butt-Monkey whose ego never seems to shrink no matter how many times they fail, she is essentially a female version of Gilbert Stein.
- Leitmotif: "Elegy of the Shady" serves as her theme music during Kuro II.
- Never My Fault: Any time her plans fail, she'll always put the blame on her underlings.
- No Full Name Given: Her surname isn't shown to the player.
- Not Brainwashed: Unlike her underlings, she was explicitly not put under the influence of the 8th Genesis during Kuro II Chapter 3E; she's just trying to take advantage of the chaos.
- Small Name, Big Ego: She has a very high opinion of the technology she makes, no matter how ineffective it ends up being.
- Smug Snake: She is confident that her technology is unstoppable, even though the party thwarts her attempts every single time.
Edith
Aramis High School
In General
A prestigious high school located in Edith, the Capital of Calvard, founded by Aramis Gainsbourg, an important figure from in the revolution a century prior. Its purpose is to cultivate a wide range of human resources to lead a new nation.
- Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Agnès, Odette, Albert, and the rest of their classmates wear red ties with their uniforms, in contrast to the blue one worn by Renne, and the purple one worn by Frederica. The Final Chapter of Kuro II also shows yellow ties worn by students who will be entering Aramis once the new school year starts.
Ronald Griffith
Ronald, depicted in Renne's short story in Reverie
Ronald in Daybreak
Ronald in Kuro II
- Voiced by: Yu Kanda
A former student at Aramis who aimed to become the new Student Council President through underhanded means, his ambitions were thwarted by Renne and he ultimately dropped out.
- All Elections Are Serious Business: Saw being Student Council President his first step into politics, and went to considerable efforts to rig the election.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He initially tries to convince Renne to join his faction by claiming that doing so would help her, all while making thinly veiled threats if she refuses. In reality, he just wants to put a potential rival under his thumb, and he drops the act once she calls him out on it.
- Bullying a Dragon:
- While there's no way he could've known Renne was a former Enforcer of Ouroboros, it doesn't change the fact that messing with her did not end well for him. His attempt to harm Agnès, which finally prompted Renne to take action against him, was also this in retrospect, as she's the daughter of Roy Gramhart, who could have done far worse to Ronald.
- His return during Renne's first Connect Event in Daybreak shows that he learned nothing. Having joined the mafia, he tried to get back at Renne, only to fail once again. Renne rightfully points out that, for all his talk about darkness, he "hasn't even caught a glimpse of the abyss."
- Evil Is Petty: Tries a lot of potentially lethal pranks on Renne because she won't even implicitly endorse him for student council president. He doesn't even care if other students get hurt as collateral damage.
- Like Father, Like Son: His father is a Corrupt Politician who also used underworld connections, bribery, and intimidation to get his way.
- Nepotism: Got away with a lot because his father was a Senator. At least until Renne arranged for him to be removed from office for corruption as part of the Humiliation Conga she inflicted on Ronald.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: In Kuro II Chapter 2B, he secretly planted a bomb in Aramis's science room, which lead to the deaths of multiple students, including Albert and Odette, and triggering a Time Leap. When he's stopped in the new timeline, a flashback to his interrogation by Nate shows that Ronald apparently had no idea that the bomb would be powerful enough to blow up the school building.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Subverted. He initially seems to have the biggest clique in school and no one stands up to him, but most of the student body that isn't part of that clique fear and resent him. Once Renne presents solid evidence of his dirty deeds, the student body shouts him off the stage.
Renne Bright
See here.
Agnès Claudel
See here.
Albert
- Voiced by: Soma Saito (Japanese)
A first-year student at Aramis serving as the treasurer of the student council. He's known Agnès and Odette since they were kids.
- Affectionate Nickname: Nadia calls him "Be-kun."note
- Childhood Friend Romance: He has a one-sided crush on Agnès, who only sees him as a childhood friend.
- Covert Pervert: R-17 movies being listed among his interests hint that he's not as strait-laced as his appearance would imply.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: While his initial dislike of Van was mostly out of worry of Agnès getting caught up in shady business, it later just devolves into him being jealous of her obvious affection towards the Spriggan.
- Death Is Cheap: He gets killed in a bomb explosion caused by Ronald during Chapter 2B of Kuro II, but a Time Leap allows Agnès, Swin, and Nadia to prevent it.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Given that he's confirmed to be in the student council during Daybreak, it's likely that he's one of the students from Renne's short story in Reverie.
- Hopeless Suitor: Even if Agnès were to find out about his feelings for her, her fixation on Van makes it unlikely that she'd reciprocate his affections.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted in English; the Father of the Orbal Revolution and the Grand Prince of Remiferia are also named Albert. However, their names are pronounced differently from his.
- No Full Name Given: His surname is unknown.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: He takes himself very seriously, in contrast to the more playful Odette.
- Secret-Keeper: Being a longtime friend of Agnès, he starts the Calvard arc as one of the few people who knows that she's the president's daughter.
Odette
- Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto (Japanese)
A first-year student at Aramis serving as the secretary of the student council. She's known Agnès and Albert since they were kids.
- Affectionate Nickname: Nadia calls her "O-chan."
- Death Is Cheap: She gets killed in a bomb explosion caused by Ronald during Chapter 2B of Kuro II, but a Time Leap allows Agnès, Swin, and Nadia to prevent it.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Given that she's confirmed to be in the student council during Daybreak, it's likely that she's one of the students from Renne's short story in Reverie.
- The Gadfly: She loves to tease others for fun, such as whenever she comments on Agnès crush on Van.
- He's Not My Boyfriend: When prodded by Nadia, she claims that Albert is just her Childhood Friend and nothing more, though the former isn't fully convinced.
- No Full Name Given: Her surname is not revealed.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: She's shown to be quite playful, in contrast to the overly serious Albert.
- Secret-Keeper: Like Albert, she's one of the only people to know that Agnès is the daughter of the Republic's president at the start of the Calvard arc.
- Shipper on Deck: She does her best to help Agnès get closer to Van.
Julian
- Voiced by: Makoto Minami (Japanese, Daybreak), Seiji Maeda (Kuro II)
A first-year student at Aramis, revealed to be an Erebonian exchange student from Thors Military Academy.
- Connected All Along:
- To Fie where it's revealed that the two of them are already well acquainted with each other as it turns out that Julian is actually a member of the current Class VII being taught by Rean.
- He's also apparently the grandson of former-principal Vandyck.
- Chick Magnet: Noted to be popular with the girls much to his friend Lyall's envy.
- Foreign Exchange Student: His original school was Thors Military Academy, with him being a member of the latest iteration of Class VII.
- Nice Guy: He's quite friendly with his Calvardian classmates at Aramis, and seeks to be helpful whenever possible.
Lyall
- Voiced by: Riku Iwata
A first-year student at Aramis in Agnès's class.
- Casanova Wannabe: Anytime he tries to ask a girl out on a date, he keeps getting turned down.
- She's Not My Girlfriend: When his mother mistakes Chignon for his girlfriend during Kuro II's Final Chapter, he says that they're Just Friends.
Chignon
- Voiced by: Sana Miyazaki
A first-year student at Aramis in Agnès's class.
- Death Is Cheap: She and Towa are fatally shot by a Garden puppet disguised as an anti-immigration terrorist during Kuro II Chapter 2B, but Agnès's Genesis pulls a Time Leap to prevent said deaths from sticking.
- Ship Tease: While she was startled when Lyall's mother mistook her for his girlfriend during Kuro II's Final Chapter, she notes that she feels strangely okay with said mistake.
- What Is This Feeling?: She doesn't appear to be fully aware of why she's okay with being mistaken for Lyall's girlfriend.
Frederica
- Appearances: Kuro II
A third-year student at Aramis.
- Student Council President: She held this position until it was given to Renne prior to the events of Daybreak.
Swin Abel and Nadia Rayne
Due to receiving a mysterious message, the two former-assassins decide to investigate Aramis under the guise of being Foreign Exchange Students from Remiferia.
For more details, see their entries here.
Towa Herschel
A graduate of Thors Military Academy's Main Campus and the Head Instructor of the Branch Campus, she ends up becoming a teacher at Aramis.
For more details, see her entry here.
Monmarte
In General
A family-owned bistro located in the old parts of Edith.
- Leitmotif: "Welcome to Montmart" from the first Daybreak game.
- No Full Name Given: The family's surname is never mentioned.
Victor
- Voiced by: Yuki Okada (Japanese)
Owner of the "Monmarte" bistro. He is Paulette's father and, by extension, Yumé's grandfather.
- Connected All Along: He got to know Dominique back when he worked at a restaurant she used to go to. He's also acquainted with her daughter Chloe.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted in English; the Viscount in charge of Legram in Erebonia is also named Victor. However, their names are pronounced differently in Japanese.
- Papa Wolf: Very protective and caring towards his daughter and granddaughter, and as a result was NOT happy to have Maxim hanging around after the intermission in Daybreak, being strongly tempted to beat the man senseless after learning of him from Paulette.
Paulette
- Voiced by: Yumi Hara (Japanese)
Victor's daughter who manages the building where Van's office is.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: Despite being shown to live with her father, there's no mention of her having a mother.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: As Aaron is happy to point out, Paulette has very glamourous proportions.
- Hospital Hottie: Paulette is an attactive woman who formerly worked as a nurse prior to helping manage her father's bistro. She resigned some time after she left Maxim, likely to help better care of Yumé.
- Team Mom: Acts as a caring mother figure to the Arkride Solutions Office, packing lunch for them before they go out on jobs. Being an actual mother probably helps.
- Nice Girl: She's consistently shown to be sweet and hospitable to just about everyone. The worst thing she does is pretend to not know who Maxim is when they meet again for the first time in six years, which isn't surprising given the way he left her. And even then, she still lets him try and atone for his past actions without giving him much grief, in stark contrast to her father.
- Old Flame: While her exact feelings towards Maxim were left ambiguous in the first Daybreak game, the second game heavily hints that she may be open to rekindling their old romance.
Yumé
- Voiced by: Maria Naganawa (Japanese)
Paulette's 6 year-old daughter.
- Cheerful Child: As expected of a 6 year-old, Yumé is quite friendly and energetic.
- Demonic Possession: Gets possessed by Mare due to the Genesis' influence during the first Daybreak game's Intermission.
- Disappeared Dad: She doesn't know who her father is, nor what happened to him. Her father is revealed to be Maxim, who let his fame get to his head and abandoned Paulette, unaware that she was pregnant with his daughter at the time.
- Everyone's Baby Sister: Towards the members of the Arkride Solution Office, as nearly everyone dotes on her. They even take her along to go on a hot springs trip to Longlai and proceed to panic when she goes missing.
- Fake Memories: In Chapter 3B or 3C of Kuro II, the 8th Genesis rewrites her memories to make her believe that 1. Asuran is Paulette's new boyfriend, 2. he was committing domestic violence against Paulette, and 3. he threatened Yumé into keeping quiet about the whole thing. This leads her to ask Maxim for help, causing him to become Brainwashed and Crazy.
- The Glomp: She likes to run up and give people hugs, especially Van.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Towards her mother, essentially looking like a child version of Paulette in all but eye color, which she inherited from her father Maxim.
Calvard Police Department
In General
- Jurisdiction Friction: They frequently quarrel with the CID and Bracer Guild when dealing with cases, and it gets even worse when Spriggans get involved.
Daswani
- Voiced by: Ryo Sugisaki (Japanese)
An inspector working for the Edith Capital Police Department, frequently paired with Nate.
- Ambiguously Brown: His skin is darker than just about any other character in the Calvard arc, even Middle-Eastern characters like his wife Latifa. The only other person who comes close is his daughter Gigi.
- Expy Coexistence: He draws inspiration from Donovan, being the serious senior police officer who frequently has to keep his younger partner in-line. They even hold the same rank.
- Inspector Javert: Briefly during Daybreak's prologue, where he's immediately suspicious upon finding Van at the scene of Giacomo's murder and moves to arrest him and Agnès. He has every intention of pressing charges and is only stopped thanks to René Kincaid and Kaela McMillan's intervention, who use their positions at the CID to overrule him. His eagerness to go after Van is strongly implied to be a result of his contempt for the Spriggan profession and their tendency to skirt the boundaries of the law.
- No Full Name Given: He's never presented with more than one name.
- Perpetual Frowner: Whenever he's not with his wife and/or daughter, he tends to have a scowl as his default expression.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the more stoic blue to Nate's red.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: He sincerely loves his family but his duty as an inspector often results in this.
Nate
- Voiced by: Masayuki Sato (Japanese)
A detective working for the Edith Capital Police Department, frequently paired with Daswani.
- Expy Coexistence: He draws inspiration from Raymond, being the flirty junior police officer who often gets verbally reprimanded by their senior partner. They even hold the same rank.
- Handsome Lech: He frequently hits on attractive ladies around him, which is one of the reasons why his romances tend to be short.
- No Full Name Given: Like Daswani, only one part of his name is shown.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: He's the more hyper red to Daswani's blue.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After sulking about his girlfriend dumping him in the earlier parts of Kuro II, the game's Final Chapter shows her wanting to get back together with him, to his delight.
Other Edith Citizens
Dingo Brad
Dingo, depicted in Renne's short story in Reverie
- Voiced by: Tarusuke Shingaki (Japanese)
A writer for the gossip magazine Meld, acquainted with Grace Lynn.
- Blinding Camera Flash: During the first chapter of Daybreak, he formally makes his introduction to Agnès (as Van has already known him for a few years), after taking a flash photo to blind some enemy bats in the sewers below Edith.
- But Not Too Foreign: According to an off-hand comment by Van, Dingo is half-Middle Eastern, which is likely the reason for his darker skin tone.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Before he starts taking his final photos, he verbally flips off Gerard, telling him to fall into Gehenna.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: Rather than trying to run from impending death, he instead takes a bunch of pictures to expose Gerard nuking Creil Village. Only his camera survives.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He first appears in Renne's short story in Reverie, which can be read after completing the True Reverie Corridor, but makes his proper debut in the first Daybreak game.
- Face Death with Dignity: Man went out with style with him just closing eyes, remembering his two friends before his death.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Rather than run away in vain or be paralyzed in fear of what Gerard's about to do, he instead elects to take a bunch of pictures to expose Almata's crimes with his camera connected to the Orbal Net.
- Killed Off for Real: He was at ground zero when Gerard nuked Creil Village at the start of Daybreak Chapter 5.
- Oblivious to Love: It's never occurred to him that Mariel might have deeper feelings towards him.
- The Real Heroes: In the grand scheme of things, he's just a regular journalist with no martial arts skill nor any kind of fighting abilities. And yet, he's also the reason why every single active organization in Calvard wants to take down Almata, because the photos he gave his life to take exposed the tragedy of Creil Village.
- Too Many Belts: Downplayed but he wears a few belts on his shoes. Justified with his two pouches on his left arm and the one on his right leg are straps holding the pouch.
- Tragic Keepsake: His camera survives the explosion, with Ellroy giving the camera to Van after he found it in the wreckage.
Mariel Aimee
- Voiced by: Kaede Hondo (Japanese)
A journalist working for the Tyrell News Service.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Her biggest regret following Dingo's death at Creil Village, which is why she took the only chance she could ever have at getting closure by going to the man himself, even if he was just a copy, while he was about to Disappears into Light at the end of Kuro II's main story.
- Older Than They Look: Aaron initially thought she was younger than him, only to find out out she's already in her 20's.
- Ship Tease: It's all but stated that she's crushing on Dingo.
- Unknown Rival: She always trying to outdo Dingo in the scoop department, but he's not interested in competing.
Bermotti
- Voiced by: Taishi Murata (Japanese)
A bartender who also serves as an informant in Edith.
- Affectionate Nickname: Nadia calls him "Ber-chan."
- Camp Gay: He speaks with feminine speech patterns and is quick to take note of handsome men.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He's the bartender/informant that Elaine chats to in the "Forward, Sword in Hand" Daydream episode of the "Beyond the Reverie" in Reverie.
- Knowledge Broker: His other specialty in addition to being a bartender.
- No Full Name Given: Whatever his full name is supposed to be, it's never revealed to the player.
- Shipper on Deck: Was overjoyed to see Van and Elaine having drinks together during the first Daybreak game's Intermission, a reaction that reappears when he mistakes the two as being on a date in the second game's prologue.
Giacomo Conte
- Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
An informant residing in Edith.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: After getting introduced with his name onscreen, he dies within around 20 minutes.
Nina Fenly
SPOILER
- Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese)
An idol and up-coming young actress in the Orbal Cinema Industry, having recently played a starring role as Michelle in Director Lesly Ram's "Requiem of the Wolves." After a chance meeting with Van at Dirke Memorial Park, she hires his Office for a request in Tharbad.
- But Not Too Foreign: She's half-Eastern, though Aaron claims that she "downplays the Eastern half" while acting.
- Cleavage Window: The red qipao she wears as Michelle has an opening in the chest area.
- Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo: She's calm and humble, while Judith is loud and boastful.
- Fanservice: When the Solutions Office make their report at the end of their first day in Tharbad, they find her and Judith in bikinis.
- Food as Bribe: Having taken advice from Dingo, she coerces Van into accepting her request in Daybreak Chapter 3 by going into great detail about the desserts at Hotel Aljumeirah.
- Foreshadowing: During the Final Chapter of Daybreak, the party stumbles upon her having a phone conversation with someone about monitoring what is happening, and she immediately changes the subject upon realizing that she's being overheard. While nothing is made of it in said game, the fact that this was happening during Pandemonium, coupled with a discussion between Renne and Van during their Nightime Event, hint at Nina being more than just Judith's junior coworker. Kuro II finally reveals that she's been secretly leading the Papal Guard in the absence of an actual Captain.
- Friendly Rivalry: She respects Judith as both a friend and a rival.
- Glowing Eyes: The Final Chapter of Kuro II shows her eyes glowing white.
- Heroic Bystander: Subverted on a technicality; her and Gotch assisting Van and Leon in evading Celis and Iscario is definitely heroic, but given how Iscario is supposed to answer to her, she doesn't qualify as a bystander.
- Joshikousei: If Van watches a certain movie at night during Daybreak Chapter 2, he'll find Nina in an Aramis High School uniform.
- Nice Girl: She's shown to be kind, polite, and looking to help whenever she can.
- Red Baron: While she doesn't have an official title, the Pope of the Septian Church, as well as First Dominion Ein Selnate, refer to her as the "Saint of the End."
- The Reveal: Kuro II confirms that she's been acting as the de-facto leader of the Papal Guard for the past 3 years, in place of an actual Captain.
- Secret Message Wink: At the end of Kuro II, she and Van look at each other with her winking and Van scratching his head in response.
- Shy Blue-Haired Girl: Her long, blue hair goes well with her reserved personality. It also serves a good contrast with Judith.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: On the receiving end of this; she frequently claims to be somebody who, unlike Judith, can only get lost in the roles she was given due to her "lack of real self." Whenever Van hears this, he assures her that her way of acting is in no way inferior to Judith's, and that she should have more confidence in herself.
Gin
- Voiced by: Tomomi Yamakawa (Japanese, Daybreak), Marie Oi (Kuro II)
An old lady running a tobacco shop near Monmarte.
- Connected All Along: It's revealed late into Daybreak that she's well-acquainted with Magisa, with Gin chastising the latter for always getting into trouble.
- Running Gag: Whenever Van asks her for the latest candy, she'll get irritated as she reminds him that she runs a tobacco shop; if he's buying something from her, it should be tobacco.
Magisa
Magisa in Reverie
Magisa during the Daybreak games
An elderly woman from Calvard who encounters the Special Support Section in Crossbell.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She poses as a sweet old lady, but is actually a ruthless, foul-mouthed swindler.
- Connected All Along: The lategame of Daybreak reveals that she's got history with Gin.
- No Name Given: Zero, Azure and Reverie refer to her as simply "Counterfeit Dealer," with her name remaining unknown until Daybreak.
- Only Six Faces: Her character model in Daybreak and II is also used by other elderly ladies.
Hermes
- Voiced by: Chiaki Omigawa (Japanese)
A woman serving as a carrier in Calvard.
- Ace Pilot: Shows off her chops in Kuro II, where she manages to get behind an enemy aircraft.
- The Faceless: She's only seen during Daybreak and II with her helmet on.
Giordano
- Voiced by: Yusuke Kondo (Japanese)
A taxi driver in Edith.
- Gratuitous English: He sometimes dips into English when he speaks, most frequently when calling Van "Brother."
- Heroic Bystander: During Chapter 3B or 3C of Kuro II, he saves Van and gives him a ride while the latter was on the run from Celis and Iscario.
Jefferey
- Voiced by: Kantaro Hayashi
Leader of the delinquent group "Desire."
- Ascended Extra: He was exclusive to a single side-quest during Daybreak, but plays a part in the prologue of Kuro II, even participating in a battle.
- Blue with Shock: During Kuro II, he's always seen with the top of his face blue◊, as he's still terrified from nearly getting killed by Grendel-Zolga.
- Elite Mook: When he's fought during Kuro II, he's essentially a slightly stronger version of other pistol-wielding enemies, complete with the same animations.
- Sole Survivor: He survived being attacked by Grendel-Zolga, and was the only one to do so during said attack.
Langport
Heiyue
In General
One of the largest criminal syndicates in the Eastern Quarter of Langport, the Vice-Capital of Calvard. It was originally created in order to help immigrants from the east, but has since gained control of the Republic's underworld. Outside of Calvard, it also has branches in both Crossbell and Ored.
- Fantastic Fighting Style: It's pointed out in Chapter 2 of Daybreak that a large number of Heiyue employees are practitioners of the GekkaTranslation style of martial arts, to the point where the style has almost become synonymous with the organization.
- Leitmotif:
- "Heiyue Trade Company" from Zero. It's even used during their appearances in the latter half of the Cold Steel series.
- "Heiyue Rebellion" plays during combat situations involving them in Kuro II.
- "Heiyue Trade Company
- The Syndicate: One of the largest criminal organizations not just in Calvard, but in all of Zemuria with some higher echelons even having their fingers in politics as shown by their involvement in Crossbell during the Azure Duology.
- The Triads and the Tongs: Based on this, being an organized crime syndicate whose members have Chinese style names and are renowned in the use of unique Eastern Style martial arts, similar to the Triad's connections to the Southern Shaolin Temple. They also started out as an institution to assist Eastern immigrants similar to how Tongs started as community groups to assist Chinese immigrants in America.
Gien Lu
Gien in uniform
Gien out of uniform
- Voiced by: Itaru Yamamoto (Japanese)
Head of the Lu family and one of the Elders of Heiyue. He's known Aaron Wei since the latter was a young boy, acting as his surrogate grandfather.
- Broken Pedestal: Aaron had always been grateful towards Gien for being nice to him and his mom, so it really hurt to hear that the elder man planned on using him for his own designs.
Fan Lu
- Voiced by: Takashi Okubo (Japanese)
Gien's son and the father of Ashen and Xin, he serves as the vice-president of the Kowloon Bank, the second largest bank in Calvard and one of the largest in Zemuria.
- Honorary Uncle: While normally referred to by Aaron as "Old Man Fan," he does call him "Uncle Fan" a few times during Kuro II, showing that the young man has a similar relationship with him as he does with Gien (his surrogate grandfather) and Ashen (his little sister figure).
Ashen Lu
- Voiced by: Fairouz Ai (Japanese)
Fan's daughter and the older sister of Xin.
- Arranged Marriage: Heiyue has talked about getting Ashen married to Aaron, but neither seem interested, as they have their own preferences that the other doesn't fall under.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Back when she was 5, she ended up getting lost at the Longlai waterfall. Then Cao, 17 at the time, found her and, to soothe her crying, showed around the area before taking her back to her family. This became one of her most treasured memories and formed the foundation of her crush on him.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3A of Kuro II, she falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing her to try and kill Van and Aaron.
- Childhood Friends: She and Aaron have been as close as family since they were kids, and despite being the younger one, she does her best to look out for him, as she feels that he's more fragile than his cocky demeanor would suggest.
- Fake Memories: In Kuro II Chapter 3A, the 8th Genesis rewrites her memories to make her think that Van and Aaron killed Cao during the Intermission. Needless to say, Cao later showing up causes her to become dumbfounded.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: She'll occasionally use Chinese in her speech, whether it's greeting Van with "Nihao" or referring to her grandfather Gien as "Yéyé."
- Like Brother and Sister: Despite the talks of them getting potentially engaged, Ashen states that she and Aaron care about each other more like siblings.
- Likes Older Men: Implied; she's 17, explicitly has a crush on the 29 year-old Cao, and also seemingly finds the 24 year-old Van attractive.
- The Unfought: As she's a non-combatant, the confrontation with her in Chapter 3A of the second Daybreak game has the player battle the Yakou no Nue she summons, which fights alongside Kurogane (both the real one and two clones).
- Vocal Evolution: Her voice was rather high-pitched in the first Daybreak game, but is noticeably lower in the second.
Xin Lu
Xin, as of Cold Steel III
- Voiced by: Mai Aizawa (Japanese, Cold Steel III onwards)
Fan's son and Ashen Lu's younger brother. He often stays at Heiyue's Crossbell branch, leaving him in the care of Cao.
- Bratty Half-Pint: He comes across as a pretty stuck-up kid a lot of the time.
- The Bus Came Back: He makes a reappearance in Cold Steel III alongside Lau.
- Childhood Friends: Like his sister, he's known Aaron since their youth.
- Continuity Cameo: Appears in the ending credits of Daybreak, visiting the Eastern Quarter.
- Male Gaze: In Cold Steel III, his first meeting with Alisa and Emma has him staring in awe at their well-endowed chests. He then drops his stuck-up attitude for a bit and orders Lau to prepare their best tea and snacks, only to be downhearted when a confused Alisa and Emma tell him that they're kind of busy at the moment.
- Precocious Crush: On Elie, even by the time of Cold Steel III.
Cao Lee
Cao in Zero and Azure
Cao in Reverie
Cao as of Daybreak
- Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese)
A servant of the Lu family and the young head of Heiyue's Crossbell branch. He and his men operate under the disguise of the "Heiyue Trade Company" with the intent of wresting control of its lucrative underworld from Revache.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Cao end up deducting Yin's identity by observing that Yin always refused request on the days of Arc en Ciel shows, leading Cao to suspect Yin worked there and making the obvious connection with the Calvardian new hire.
- Badass Bookworm: He's head of Heiyue's Crossbell branch and is known mainly for his scheming abilities and cunning, but is also a capable martial artist in his own right.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: As the head of a Chinese-inspired criminal organization, of course he knows martial arts.
- Broken Pedestal: Cao's been the target of Ashen's affections since her childhood, and Aaron also looked up to him to an extent. As such, his betrayal of the Lu family ended up absolutely crushing Ashen while also earning him Aaron's ire.
- Continuity Cameo: Makes a small appearance in Cold Steel II, talking to both Lloyd and Rixia.
- Curtains Match the Window: His hair and eyes are both colored fuchsia.
- Dual Boss:
- In Reverie, he fights alongside Garcia in Chapter 2 of Lloyd's route.
- In Daybreak, he fights alongside Yin (Rixia) during Chapter 5.
- Enemy Mine: Despite being on opposite sides of the law, he and the SSS have worked together at times when dealing with a common foe, such as the Red Constellation or the Erebonian occupation of Crossbell.
- Evil Knockoff: In Reverie, he has a Hollow copy that serves as a boss in the True Reverie Corridor, most notably when it fights alongside Hollow copies of Lau and 2 other Heiyue employees.
- Exact Words: Late in Azure following the attack on Crossbell by the Red Constellation and after Rixia re-enter Heiyue' services to enact revenge on them, she tell Cao that she want to forget about the event to focus on her mission. Cao complies, allowing him to conveniently holding information about Ilya's well being in order to keep Rixia focused on Heiyue's war. She is quite unhappy when Lloyd tell her this when they meet
- Fantastic Fighting Style: Daybreak confirms that he fights using the "Gekka" style.
- Friendly Enemy: He tries to cultivate this situation with the SSS. He also cultivates this with Class VII in Cold Steel IV, first as an enemy because Lechter hired them and then ends up becoming allies when Heiyue found both McBurn and Victor, who has a mask that is brainwashing him to help the Osborne faction, at Crossbell.
- The Gadfly: He occasionally jerks the SSS around for his own amusement.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Downplayed; his eyes are somewhat narrow, and he tends to be viewed by others in a suspicious light.
- Guest-Star Party Member: He's a non-playable ally in the Final Chapter of the first Daybreak game. He can also play the same role in the proceeding chapter should the player choose the Heiyue route.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Has no problem running from Sigmund and Red Constellation when the odds are against him.
- The Man Behind the Man: He claims in Kuro II to prefer leading from the shadows, hence why he wants Gouran to be the head of the Lee Family on the surface, with Cao acting as The Dragon.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: As expected of a triad boss, he's always shown dressed in sharp purple eastern-style suits.
- Oblivious to Love: His first scene in Daybreak implies that he's unaware of Ashen's crush on him.
- Pragmatic Villainy: His bread and butter tactic. Cao made clear since day 1 that Heiyue is gunning for total dominion over Crossbell's underworld. However, he is sly enough to recognize other threats during the Crossbell arc and is perfectly fine with biding his time and cooperating with the SSS on multiple occassions :
- He is shown to take major care when interacting with Rixia, notably foregoing the opportunity to blackmail her when he learn her true identity and agreeing to drop her current contract after Lloyd persuade her to stop seeking revenge during Azure despite being quite infuriated by this turn of event. Cao made clear that Heiyue was likely going to need Yin' services in the future and as such, he endeavor to stay on her good side. This one pays off, as Heiyue is able to call on her even after she decide to focus on Arc en Ciel, most notably when dealing with Almata during Daybreak.
- He doesn't think twice about helping Lloyd and the Crossbellan Resistance during Cold Steel II because he knows that when the occupation is over, it will make him look positively and allow him to further his goals by giving him leverage in negotiations between Crossbell and Calvard.
- Red Baron: He's referred to as the "White Orchid Dragon".
- The Reveal: Kuro II brings the truth about his past and his motivations to light: he was from the now-forgotten ninth house of Heiyue, the Lee family, who were destroyed by the Lai family when he was a kid. He ended up being taken in by Gien and the Lu family, but he planned to one day reinstate his family into the hierarchy of the syndicate. He manages to do just that in Kuro II, taking the place of the now-disgraced Lai family and making his long-thought dead brother Fen (aka Gouran) the "official" leader, with Cao himself operating from beneath the surface.
- Smug Smiler: The number of times where he doesn't have an infuriatingly smug smile on his face can be counted on one hand.
- The Unfought: Despite his role in the Crossbell games, he isn't fought until Reverie.
- Wild Card: Has his own agendas, and to see them through has shifted between allying and opposing the heroes at different points in time.
Lau
- Voiced by: Kenji Akabane (Japanese, Evolution games), Reigo Yamaguchi (Japanese, Cold Steel IV)
Cao's secretary at the Heiyue Trade Company.
- The Bus Came Back: He makes a reappearance in Cold Steel III.
- Evil Knockoff: In Reverie, he has a Hollow copy that serves as a boss in the True Reverie Corridor, most notably when it fights alongside Hollow copies of Cao and two other Heiyue employees.
- Number Two: He's Cao's right-hand man.
- The Stoic: He's generally very calm and speaks in a monotonous tone.
- The Unfought: Much like his boss, he isn't fought until Reverie.
Yin (Spoilers for Trails from Zero)
Yin during Daybreak (SPOILERS)
- Voiced by: Rina Sato (Japanese)
A legendary assassin from the East who wears a mask and concealing outfit, hired to help Heiyue crush the Revache crime syndicate.
For tropes involving this character's true identity, see Rixia Mao.
- Actually a Doombot: In the battle against them in Zero Chapter 2, they're revealed to be a doppelganger. Unlike the ones created via the Body-Split craft, this doppelganger seems to be formed from a talisman and leaves the talisman behind when defeated.
- BFS: Their signature weapon is Yatagarasu, a massive black sword.
- Bullying a Dragon: Tries to pick a fight with Arianrhod which instigates the SSS into arresting her by force for the actions caused by Ouroboros. A few hundred lance thrusts later, the entire group is down and her real identity as Rixia Mao is blown along with her disguise.
- Doppelgänger Attack: Not only is the Yin fought in Chapter 2 a doppelganger, but they also have access to the Body-Split Craft, meaning it's creating doppelgangers of a doppelganger.
- Full-Body Disguise: Yin's initial look utilizes an overlapping cloak and mask ensemble. This is no longer the case after Azure, with the mask becoming the only thing remaining of the alias's previous outfit.
- Glass Cannon: As a guest character, they have the highest base STR, SPD, DEX, and AGI out of all playable characters, including other guests. They also have the lowest DEF.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Acts as a temporary party-member during Zero and Azure.
- Invisibility: Gains Stealth through the Moonlight Butterfly Craft.
- Legacy Character:The mantle of Yin has been passed down the Mao family for generations, with Rixia being the latest to hold the title.
- Limit Break: Has the S-Craft Paraselene Dancenote .
- Meaningful Name: Yin (銀) can be translated as "Silver". Guess which element Yin's orbment slot is restricted to.
- Paper Talisman: Bakuraifu which explodes on contact and has a very high chance of inflicting Death.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: Hougetsurin, which does this with a sword.
- Professional Killer: They're a professional assassin under a contract with Heiyue.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Works for Heiyue in Zero, Azure, and Daybreak because they have a contract.
- Really 700 Years Old: Subverted. There are rumors claiming that Yin is actually over a hundred years old, but the reality is that Yin's identity is passed down to heirs, all of whom have normal human lifespans.
- Red Baron: "Yin, the Legendary Xiongshou."
- Secret Test of Character: Combined with Criminal Mind Games. In chapter 2, they challenge the SSS to find them. Yin wants to see if they'll be useful allies in uncovering the culprit behind the threat letter to Ilya, which was written by a fake Yin.
- Variable-Length Chain: Many of them, combined with claws. Used in Ryuusouzan and Gengetsu no Mai.
Gouran
- Voiced by: Shinichirou KamioAppearances: Kuro II
A practioneer of the Gekka style of martial arts, he previously worked for Heiyue's Lai family before their fall.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Fight exclusively with his fists and martial arts skills. With how skilled he is, they are more than enough.
- Baritone of Strength: He's a powerful martial artist, with an appropriately deep voice courtesy of Shinichirou Kamio.
- Blood Knight: His one true desire is to satisfy his "thirst," and fighting strong opponents like Kasim is shown to quench said thirst.
- The Dragon: Zigzagged; he decided early into Kuro II that he'd follow Cao, only for the latter to later reveal that he wants Gouran to become the head of the Lee Family, with Cao as his right-hand man. However, Cao also makes it clear that he prefers to lead from the shadows, which would still make Gouran the underling in practice.
- Dual Boss: He fights alongside Shizuna in Chapter 2A of Kuro II.
- Fantastic Fighting Style: He's said to be the strongest user of the Gekka style.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: Wears his robe halfway undone to keep his right arm and the tattoo on it exposed.
- Given Name Reveal: His birth name is "Fen Lee."
- Long-Lost Relative: He's Cao's biological younger brother.
- One-Man Army: Is capable of fending off Van, Feri, Aaron, and Risette on his own.
- Purple Is Powerful: His irises and gi are purple, and he is the strongest user of the Gekka style.
- Tattooed Crook: A member of the Heiyue Crime Syndicate, and has a long elaborate dragon tattoo going down his right arm.
Other Langport residents
Jack Trevor
Jack as of Daybreak
Jack during The 3rd
- Voiced by: Masakazu Morita (The 3rd), Kentaro Tone (Japanese, Daybreak onwards)
A well-known gambler often found in a bar in Calvard's Eastern Quarter.
- Costume Evolution: His shirt in Daybreak is a bit nicer-looking than the one he had in The 3rd, and his pants are white instead of brown.
- Early-Bird Cameo: We get to see him in one of Sky the 3rd's mini-games, long before we meet him in-person during the first Kuro game.
- Intergenerational Friendship: He's 33 as of the first Daybreak game, making Halle more than 10 years his junior.
- No Full Name Given: His last name was unknown until Daybreak.
- Red Baron: He's known by the moniker of "Victory Jack."
Halle Coleman
Halle as of Daybreak
Halle during The 3rd
- Voiced by: Miku Yoshikawa (The 3rd), Yua Nagae (Japanese, Daybreak)
A girl often seen with Jack, she works at the bar he's often seen in.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3D of Kuro II, she falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing her to try and kill Van and his friends.
- Costume Evolution: Her skirt in Daybreak is brown instead of blue, and she now wears a vest over her sleaveless shirt.
- Early-Bird Cameo: As with Jack, she has a minor appearance during a mini-game Sky the 3rd, but isn't seen in-person until the first Daybreak game.
- Fake Memories: In Kuro II Chapter 3D, the 8th Genesis rewrites her memories to make her think that Van is responsible for her father's death. As such, Jack claiming responsibility for the deed causes her great turmoil.
- Intergenerational Friendship: She's become a well-known duo with Jack, who's over a decade older than her.
- No Full Name Given: Her last name was not given until Daybreak.
- The Unfought: As she's a non-combatant, the confrontation with her in Chapter 3D of the second Daybreak game has the player battle the Demi-Grendels she summons.
Tharbad
Vegasfilm
In General
A company in the Orbal cinema industry located in Tharbad.
Gaspar Dylan
- Voiced by: Zenki Kitajima (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
President of Vegasfilm.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Like Giacomo, he's dead partway through the chapter that introduced him.
Salvatore Gotch
- Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese)
A well-known director affiliated with Vegasfilm, he's the man behind the movie "Golden Blood" that Judith starred in.
- Dirty Old Man: He does little to hide his appreciation for the female figure, frequently wanting Judith to pose in scenes as "erotically" as possible. He'll also sometimes take the opportunity to ask women if they'd like to take part in his "foxy parades."
- Establishing Character Moment: Right from his introduction, his statement of how "sex and violence" are what make a movie tells you what you generally expect from the man.
- Heroic Bystander: During Chapter 3B or 3C of Kuro II, he and Nina help Van and Leon evade the pursuit of Celis and Iscario.
Other Tharbad residents
Sarah
Sarah in her dancer outfit
Sala in her normal attire
- Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese)
The older of two dancing sisters living in Tharbad, she ends up meeting and befriending the Arkride Solutions Office sometime after being scouted for Director Gotch's "Foxy Parade."
- Buxom Beauty Standard: She has a bust rivaling Agnès's, getting Aaron's stamp of approval during the sauna scene in Chapter 3 of Daybreak.
- Cool Big Sis: Her sister Shahina absolutely adores her.
- Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo: Compare her calm demeanor to her sister's cheerful attitude.
- Leitmotif: "Girl Dancing in an Oasis", which she shares with her sister Shahina.
- Ms. Fanservice: She has quite the notable figure, and already dresses in a somewhat exposing dancer outfit whenever she performs. However, even it has nothing on the outfit she wears when Van and Aaron catch her working as an exotic dancer at the nightclub they visit.
- Nice Girl: She's a warm-hearted and considerate young woman who works hard to provide for her little sister.
- No Full Name Given: Her surname is not revealed to the player.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted; the original Class VII's instructor has the same given name as her. However, the former's name is spelled Sara, and the Japanese script pronounces both names slightly differently.
- Promoted to Parent: With both of their parents gone, she became Shaina's de-facto guardian.
- Ship Tease: It's hinted that she's developed feelings for Van by the end of Daybreak Chapter 3.
- Work Off the Debt: She is forced to work as an exotic dancer in order to pay off her parents' debts.
Shahina
Shahina in her dancing outfit
Shahina in her normal attire
- Voiced by: Nozomi Yamamoto (Japanese)
The younger of two dancing sisters living in Tharbad, she's an avid fan of Orbal films, as well as actresses like Judith Ranster and Nina Fenly.
- A-Cup Angst: She has a hard time believing that Agnès's is only a year older than her, given the huge difference in their respective figures, causing her to ask Anges what she ate to get that body.
- Ascended Fangirl: Kuro II confirms that she and Sarah have already made their movie debuts, with Shahina getting to co-star with Judith in one.
- Big Sister Worship: She frequently talks about how amazing her sister is.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Gerard puts a mask on her to make her perform a dance during Tharbad's Foxy Parade that can potentially mess with the minds of the people who see it.
- Energetic and Soft-Spoken Duo: She's happy-go-lucky, while her sister is more on the quite side.
- Genki Girl: She's outspoken and determined, with enthusiasm to spare.
- Innocently Insensitive: She initially refers to Van as "Oji-san"Translation, and is oblivious when Sarah tells her she's being rude.
- Leitmotif: "Girl Dancing in an Oasis", which she shares with her sister Sarah.
- No Full Name Given: As with her sister, her surname is unknown.
- Shipper on Deck: She claims that Van would be a good match for her sister, much to said sister's embarrassment.
Basel
Verne Company
In General
A massive corporation in the Basel region, best known for their develpment of Orbal vehicles.
Bill Tausend
- Voiced by: Toshishige Araki (Japanese)
The CEO of the Verne Company.
- Butt-Monkey: He spends much of Daybreak getting pushed around by other influential people in Basel. It doesn't get better for him in Kuro II, as he's revealed to have lost his job.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Throughout his appearances in Daybreak when Arkride Solutions Office attempt to investigate both the Verne Company under request from Prince Sherid as well as strange phenomenon happening in Basel regarding David Callaghan, Tausend does the bare minimum to help in their investigation, grants them only the bare minimum of clearance to move around Basel as well as acts condescending throughout the whole investigation towards them. After the whole incident becomes much more problematic and eventually results in Callaghan's death, Renne confronts him about it and his refusal to have the Verne Company join the West Zemuria Tech Union. Near the end of the game, even President Gramheart starts questioning if Tausend is even fit to run the Verne Company anymore. By the time of Kuro II, Tausend has lost his job as CEO due to his refusal to help.
Basel Institute of Science
In General
A well-known science college in Basel.
David Callaghan
SPOILER
- Voiced by: Kenichi Mine (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
A professor working at the Basel Institute of Science.
- Bad Boss: While he apparently wasn't one before, by the time Daybreak starts, he's become so obsessed with surpassing Professor Hamilton and Yang that he starts treating his assistants quite poorly.
- Brain Uploading: He manages to do this with the power of one of the Octo-Genesis artifacts.
- Death Equals Redemption: It's only as he's on death's door that he realizes the foolishness of his actions. In his final moments, he expresses his wish for Quatre, Professor Hamilton, and others to use his research for the betterment of humanity.
- Humongous Mecha: He uploads his mind into the Assault Frame Zaycress to fight against the Arkride Solutions Office.
- Unwitting Pawn: To Almata, as his attempts to control the orbal network through Brain Uploading would result in massive chaos, which is what the organization is after.
- Would Hurt a Child: He slaps Quatre so hard the boy falls to the floor.
Yang Kronkaite
- Voiced by: Taishi Murata (Japanese)
A professor at Basel Institute of Science, and one of Professor Hamilton's disciples.
- Aloof Big Brother: Both Quatre and Esmeray think of him like an older brother, to the point of respectively attaching "nii/niisan" to his name, and while he does tend to be cold and blunt, there are a few signs that Yang does care about Quatre in a similar fashion.
- Insufferable Genius: In a similar manner to Professor Schmidt, Yang has little interest in anything that doesn't pertain to his research.
Esmeray Archette
- Voiced by: Kaede Hondo (Japanese)
An associate professor at the Basel Institute of Science, and another one of Professor Hamilton's disciples.
- Affectionate Nickname: In the Japanese version, Quatre refers to her as "Eray-nee."
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3E of Kuro II, she falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing her to kidnap Professor Hamilton.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Her large chest does not go unnoticed by Aaron.
- Can't Hold Her Liquor: Quatre complains that she always drinks far more than she can actually handle.
- Cool Big Sis: She outright refers to herself as Quatre's "big sister."
- Cuteness Proximity: She took one look at Feri and wasted no time in hugging her.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Once her brainwashing is undone in Kuro II, she breaks down into tears and remarks that she doesn't deserve to call herself Professor Hamilton's disciple.
- The Unfought: As she's a non-combatant, the confrontation with her in Chapter 3E of the second Daybreak game has the player battle the monster she summons, Cuberion-Telos, which fights alongside Verethragna.
Giscard
- Voiced by: Takahiro Shimura (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
Head of the Giscard Factory.
- No Full Name Given: Only one part of his name is shown.
Professor Latoya Hamilton
Professor Hamilton in her younger days
- Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese)
The "Mother of Orbal Revolution" and one of Professor C. Epstein's 3 disciples.
- Ambiguously Brown: She has dark skin similar to Feri and Sherid.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Is briefly seen from behind in Renne's short story in Reverie.
- I Was Quite a Looker: She was quite a headturner in her youth.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only woman among Epstein's renowned disciples.
- Only Sane Woman: Of Professor Epstein's three disciples, she’s definitely the most well-adjusted, being less eccentric than Russell and far kinder than Schmidt.
- Like a Son to Me: She cares for her students as if they are her children.
- Sequel Hook: The secret ending of Kuro II, obtained by defeating the Final Boss of Marchen Garden, has her thanking Dingo after she picks up his hat when the party is running back to Aramis and claiming that "they'll be able to reach it".
- Unseen No More: While referenced in prior games, she never made a physical appearance. The first Daybreak game marks her official appearance.
Oracion
Quincy Company
In General
A popular sweets-making corporation located in Oracion, the capital of the former Kingdom of Calvard.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The company itself wouldn't appear until the first Daybreak game, but it was first mentioned during a sidequest in Azure, in which Minneth claims to be working for one of the company's subsidiaries, the "Armorican Honey Company."
Edmond Auclair
- Voiced by: Ryo Sugisaki (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
The CEO of the Quincy Company and Elaine's father.
- Blue Blood: The Auclair family is descended from nobility dating back to the time Calvard was still a kingdom. Edmond himself believes that the revolution that turned the nation into a republic was a mistake, and he seeks to give his family their old status back.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being one of the sponsors for Almata and financing many terrorist attacks against immigrants, he genuinely loves his daughter Elaine and is willing to endanger himself to protect her.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even though he financially supports Almata, Edmond is horrified by their nuking the Creil Village.
- Laser-Guided Karma: His role as one of the sponsors of Almata results in one branch of the Septian Church declaring him to be a heretic and actively hunting him down after Almata nukes the Creil village.
- Love-Obstructing Parents: He tried to separate Van from Elaine when they were young by sending the former off to be adopted elsewhere.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He hates immigrants, going as far as financing terrorism against them. Bringing him to justice is one of the reasons why Elaine became a Bracer. He's also very classist, as can be seen by his disapproval of his daughter's relationship with Van (a lower-class orphan) and belief that the revolution that stripped his family of their noble status was a mistake.
- Taking the Bullet: He shields his daughter from Melchior's attack during Chapter 5 of Daybreak. Whether the attack connects or not depends on the players choices beforehand and the second choice only appears if players have been doing sidequests.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The above attempt to separate Van from his daughter resulted in Van's getting kidnapped by the D∴G Cult and Gerard's extracting the Ultimate Fear core from him.
Other Oracion residents
Jacobin
- Voiced by: Masato Yanagida
An anti-immigration sentimentalist from Oracion.
- Ascended Extra: He was only seen in a side-quest during Daybreak, but is featured during the main story of Kuro II.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: During his time on-screen, he's shown to target those who immigrated from the Middle East:
- In Daybreak Chapter 5, he sends an anonymous threat letter to Nelly, a waitress, telling her not to sing at the local opera house.
- In Kuro II Chapter 3B or 3C, he plants a bomb in Asuran's racing car.
Messeldam
Kisara
A young girl committing acts of graffiti in Messeldam.
- Doomed Hometown: She's another refugee from North Ambria.
Robin Glasgow
- Voiced by: Akira YamamotoAppearances: Kuro II
A smuggler in Messeldam.
- The Atoner: He's a former member of Almata who wants to make up for all the crimes he's committed while under them.
- Only Six Faces: He uses the same character model as some other adult men.
Other Civilians
Lanster Family
In General
Grimcat emblem
A family that has made a name for themselves in the entertainment business in the past few decades. Underneath that, however, the past three generations have taken the role of "Grimcat, Cat of the Illusory Night," a righteous thief who targets the corrupt.
- Legacy Character: Dominique served as the first holder of the Grimcat title, who then passed the role to her daughter Chloe, who would later do the same to her daughter Judith.
Dominique Lanster
Dominique during her singer days
- Voiced by: Kimiko SaitoAppearances: Kuro II
A legendary Chanson singer and Judith's grandmother, she was the original Grimcat. She has since retired from both jobs, relinquishing the mantle of the Grimcat to her daughter, but still holds a strong presence in the entertainment industry.
- Connected All Along: During her days as an active singer, she was quite the fan of Victor's food, and her advice apparently came in handy with helping him establish Monmarte. Judith is shocked to find out that the two know each other.
- Early-Bird Cameo: She was first shown during the ending credits for Daybreak.
- Guns Akimbo: She has no problem showing up with a gun on each hand to aid Van's party.
- I Was Quite a Looker: She was just as pretty as Judith during her youth as a legendary Chanson singer.
- Never Mess with Granny: Even though she no longer possesses the Grimcat power, she still knows how to handle herself in a fight as Chapter 1A in Kuro II shows.
- Retired Badass: She is no longer active as Grimcat. However, she does sometimes act as a producer or advisor.
Chloe Lanster
Dominque's daughter and a movie actress. She took on the role of Grimcat from her mother before passing it on to her own daughter Judith at some point.
- Connected All Along: Kuro II reveals that she's acquainted with Victor.
Zenith-1 Grand Prix
In General
A popular racing event within Calvard, often shortened as "Z1."
Maxim Rogan
Maxim in his normal attire
- Voiced by: Ken Narita (Japanese)
The current champion of the Z1 Grand Prix, he's initially shown to be arrogant, a shameless flirt, and not too bright, but not without redeeming qualities. He meets the Arkride Solutions Office on their way to Langport, and would have more encounters with them later down the line.
- The Atoner: He wants to atone for abandoning Paulette, and subsequently Yumé, when he started becoming a famous racer and developed a big ego; granted he did not find out about Yumé until he went to the hospital Paulette used to work at two years later and had been searching for them ever since then. Paulette gives him a chance to redeem himself after finding her, despite trying to shoo him off the first time around.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: During Chapter 3B or 3C of Kuro II, he falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis, causing him to attempt murder against his fellow racer Asuran.
- Disappeared Dad: He's Yumé's father.
- Graceful Loser: Despite his race with Van being cut short due to him wrecking his car to avoid some foxes in the road, he claims that these kinds of accidents aren't unusual in his type of career, and declares that Van and his Ingert are the winners.
- Handsome Lech: He's frequently seen hitting on attractive females with varying success. He mostly stops after finding out about Yumé.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He can be self-absorbed at times, but is not a bad person overall, and is willing to step up to help when there's trouble.
- My Greatest Failure: By the time he makes a request to the Solutions Office during Daybreak's Intermission, he's realized just how terrible he was for abandoning Paulette while she was having his kid, even if he had no idea about the pregnancy at the time. Once he finds them, he's determined to make up for his mistake as best he can.
- Old Flame: It's pretty obvious that he wants a second chance with Paulette, and Kuro II hints that it might still be possible.
- Palette Swap: Da'at-Jillias uses the same model as Amdo-Jilliasnote and Damia-Gilliannote . It has a red body like the latter, but the head is darker.
- Papa Wolf: He moves in front of Paulette and Yumé to protect them when the three encounter Melchior brandishing his dagger in front of them during the Final Chapter. He also tries to get a punch in, but fails.
- Horribly deconstructed in Kuro II: upon hearing from Yumé that Asuran is Paulette's abusive new boyfriend, Maxim falls under the influence of the 8th Genesis and attempts to kill Asuran in order to protect the two, even if it cost him his own life.
- Red Baron: His prowess on the track has given him the nickname of "Red Shooting Star."
- The Unfought: As he's a non-combatant, the confrontation with him in Chapter 3B or 3C of the second Daybreak game has the player battle the devil he summons, Da'at-Jillias.
Asuran
Almata
In General
A mafia syndicate rapidly gaining prominence in Calvard. It's known to utilize Jaeger dropouts and other serious criminals.
- Disappears into Light: Any deaths within their ranks happening in Daybreak's Final Chapter will lead to them fading away among bright sparkles.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The first time both Almata and it's former boss Enrique was referenced was during the first Gambler Jack book series from Trails in the Sky SC with the organization being unnamed at the time. Later it was mentioned in Reverie during Elaine's short-story, where they were simply known as "A."
- Evil Counterpart: All three of its executives, as well as one of their collaborators, can be seen as darker reflections of other characters previously seen in the Trails series.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Under the leadership of its previous boss Enrique, the group wasn't much to write home about. Then Gerard killed him 8 years prior to the events of Daybreak, and they became one of the most dangerous crime syndicates in Calvard.
Gerard Dantès
SPOILER
SPOILER
- Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Jason Marnocha (English)
The 34 year-old boss of the Almata mafia syndicate. He is a man who wishes to control everything through fear.
- Ambiguous Situation: While Kuro II established that he had kids, it doesn't specify how much he knows about them, or if he even knew who they were. At most, it's known that they've never met him face-to-face.
- Ancestral Weapon: Apeiron is a "holy demonic sword" passed down through Calvard's old royal family line. The fact the Gerard possesses it is proof of his heritage.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: His wears a stylish business suit, and is capable of performing a Blade Lock against Grendel Van.
- Badass Longcoat: He wears a longcoat as a cape, even in battle without impedement.
- Baritone of Strength: He has a very deep voice and is a deadly Master Swordsman capable of fending off the likes of Elaine or Van.
- BFS: He wields Apeiron, a large Zweihänder that doubles as an artifact.
- Big Bad: As the don of Almata, he serves as the main villain of Daybreak.
- Blade Lock: Does one against Grendel Van in the cutscene following his initial boss battle.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Makes zero effort to hide how much of an evil bastard he is.
- Casting a Shadow: In his Demon God form, he gains the Calvary Onyx Craft, which has him surround the target in a sphere of darkness that quickly shrinks around them.
- Climax Boss: He's the last opponent fought at the end of Daybreak's final dungeon, and his defeat wraps up most of the game's story, but there's still another battle the party have to fight before the ending is reached.
- Coat Cape: Wears his longcoat as a cape.
- Connected All Along: Kuro II reveales that, at the insistence of the D∴G Cult, he conceived children with one of the other members in order to preserve the Eldarion bloodline. Those very children are Ixs and Jolda.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
- Unlike every main antagonist in Trails that came before him, Gerard actively flaunts his evilness.
- Of said antagonists, he has the most notable contrast with Joachim Guenter. Both are former high-ranking members of the D∴G Cult that serve as the first major antagonist of their respective arcs, but Joachim was a magic-user who continued towards the cult's original objective, while Gerard is a physical attacker who abandoned the cult in pursuit of his own goal.
- Cross Attack: His Dominant Bringer Craft has him launch two Sword Beams in the shape of a cross.
- Death Glare: His Cruel Eyes Craft summons a giant eye, similar to the Evil Eye Craft used by Joshua, Weissman, and Joachim, that does damage to anybody close to him.
- Death Is Cheap: He dies in Chapter 5 of the first Daybreak game, but seemingly comes back to life in the Final Chapter. Subverted as he really does die after he’s defeated, but since he's an Immortal with his life tied to the Ultimate Fear Core, he can’t die permanently as long he has it.
- The Don: He's the patriarch of a criminal syndicate.
- Dual Boss: He and Melchior fight together in their demon forms during part of Kuro II's final battle.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Chapter 2 of Daybreak confirms that he's the man Elaine fought during her short-story in Reverie.
- Establishing Character Moment: He first appears in Elaine's Daydream in Reverie by brutally slaughtering the mafia grunts she had knocked unconscious before killing their boss, then blowing off Elaine's outraged response by comparing it to disposing of trash and then easily fending off her attempted assault, before going on a tangent about fear. In short order, he demonstrated his Lack of Empathy, utter cruelty, motives, and his deadly combat ability.
- Evil Laugh: Gets this down to a science after nuking Creil Village.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Inevitable when you're a villain voiced by Tomokazu Seki.
- Fight Like a Normal: Even after using Van's Core to assume a demonic form similar to McBurn's, he uses the same fighting style as before.
- Freudian Excuse Denial: Van claims that Gerard wasn't that twisted to begin with, only becoming the monster he is now after finding the core inside Van. Gerard, however, tells Van not to get full of himself; everything Gerard has done was done of his own free will, without any influence from anybody else.
- Given Name Reveal: His birth name is "Gerard Eldarion," making him a descendant of the Old Calvardian Royal Family.
- Hands in Pockets: His official artwork has his hands in his pocket.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How he dies by Van's hand, by Van reverting back to his own self, drawing his Stun Caliber, parrying Gerard's attack, and then stabbing him. Then he got better in the next chapter.
- Interface Spoiler: The fact that "Rise of the Grendel" is playing when players first fight him makes it clear that this wouldn't be the only time players would fight Gerard. This is despite the fact that Van stabs him in the heart after their first fight.
- Killed Off for Real: Double subverted. Despite getting stabbed and his body blown off by Melchior at the end of Daybreak Chapter 5, he's revealed to be alive in the next chapter with no scratch. However, after he's defeated as a demon and Van takes the Ultimate Fear Core from his heart, he completely dissipates.
- Klingon Promotion: He managed to become the boss of Almata by killing his previous boss, Enrique.
- Lack of Empathy: He is utterly uncaring of those hurt by his plans. His first appearance has him brutally slaughtering a few disposable mafia grunts he used as a proxy when they were caught and blowing off Elaine's complaints by comparing it to taking out garbage.
- Leitmotif: "Unmitigated Evil" serves as the theme of Demon God Gerard.
- Limit Break: His S-Craft is Pandemonium Ruler. He doesn't have it Kuro II, though.
- Master Swordsman: He is very skilled at using his BFS. During his Early-Bird Cameo in Reverie, he effortlessly fended off Elaine (a skilled swordswoman in her own right) and can fend off Van in his Grendel form while wielding his BFS singlehandedly in Daybreak.
- Nuke 'em: He uses the Reactor Weapon designed by Professor Callaghan to wipe Creil Village and its population off the map. He uses another one to threaten the various groups trying to stop him into playing his Death Game; if they don't comply or break any of the game's rules, Oración, Calvard's former royal capital, will suffer the same fate.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: Is capable of wielding his BFS singlehandedly even while fending off Van in his Grendel form.
- One-Winged Angel: His final battle has him transform into a "demon god" similar in appearance to McBurn's true form.
- Purple Is Powerful: His prominent hair and the long scarf he's wearing are purple and he's the head boss of Almata. And as far as combat is concerned, he's more than a match for Van as Grendel.
- Really Royalty Reveal:Reveals in Chapter 5 of Daybreak that his real name is Gerard Eldarion, and that he's descended from Calvard's former Royal Family.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: Despite the fact that Van stabs him at the climax of Daybreak Chapter 5, he comes back no worse for wear.
- Storm of Blades: His Abaddon Nail Craft has him shoot energy swords straight at his opponents.
- Super Mob Boss: Aside from being the Don of his syndicate, he's also dangerously capable in a fight.
- Super Mode: He has a demon form inspired by McBurn's.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: As with McBurn, his demon form combines golden eyes with pitch black sclera.
- Sword Beam: His Dominant Bringer Craft has him create two energy shockwaves in the shape of a cross.
- Sword Plant: He sticks is BFS into the ground in both his "Lord of Doom" Craft and at the beginning of his S-Craft.
- Villain Respect: Gerard is so impressed with Dingo's Last Stand that he's willing to let him get the "scoop of a lifetime," completely uncaring of how it'll expose Almata's deeds to the public.
- Would Hurt a Child: Nuking an entire village definitely counts, as does being a former D∴G Cultist.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Horribly subverted when he nukes Creil Village with Dingo even pleading to at least have the children run away from what Gerard's about to do.
Melchior
SPOILER
- Voiced by: Shouta Aoi (Japanese), Kyle McCarley (English)
A 21 year-old Almata executive. He originally belonged to another organization, but was given a high position in the syndicate due to the Boss taking a liking to him.
- Ambiguously Gay: Dingo's notes list him as "Gerard's lover(?)," showing in-universe ambiguity.
- Ax-Crazy: He is by far the most bloodthirsty of Daybreak's antagonists.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When he makes his first onscreen appearance in Chapter 1 of the first Daybreak, he pretends to be a laidback and friendly "bohemian." By the end of said chapter, he's fully dropped the facade.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Like his boss, Melchior is pretty open about being a complete scumbag.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: During Chapter 3 of Daybreak, he uses the blood of his victim to write a warning.
- Doppel Ganger Attack: Later boss fights give him the Phantom Vision Craft that lets him use his Xipha to summon a transparent clone.
- Dual Boss:
- He fights alongside Olympia in Chapter 4 of Daybreak.
- He and Gerard fight together in their demon forms during part of Kuro II's final battle.
- Evil Counterpart: To Sharon. They were both raised to be killers by the Order of the Moonlight Horse since childhood. However, while Sharon followed Ellroy and Lucrezia to join Ouroboros, eventually found the people who genuinely care for her (the Reinfords), and gave up her assassin career to work as a maid, Melchior joined up with the remnants of the D∴G Cult to create the Garden and remained being a bloodthirsty assassin.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: After Melchior reveals how the nuking of Creil Village was his idea, Van outright says that it doesn't matter what kind of messed up past Melchior had as a child assassin; Melchior is a monster that needs to be put down. This is especially notable due to Melchior being the only character Van gives this treatment too; even Gerard got a bit of sympathy from the Spriggan.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: He often dips into other languages when saying hello and goodbye: "bonjour," "adieu," "au revoir," ect.
- The Heavy: For majority of the first Daybreak game, he's the one running around committing evil deeds and confronting the party on behalf of his boss Gerard.
- Limit Break: His S-Craft is Trillion Burst, which becomes Beelzebul Burst in his Demon form. However, like Gerard, he no longer has an S-Craft in Kuro II.
- Mad Bomber: In addition to his knife, he also uses an Artifact that lets infinitely spawn a variety of specialized bombs.
- Number Two: Described as being the "right-hand man" of Almata's Boss.
- Psycho Knife Nut: An Ax-Crazy mafia dude and assassin that uses a large knife as his primary weapon.
- Recurring Boss: Of Almata's executives and associates, he is the one who most frequently fought by the party during the first Daybreak game.
- Red Baron: He's known as "Melchior of the the Thorns."
- The Reveal: In addition to being an executive for Almata, he's also a high-ranking member of Garden. Specifically, he's the Warden of the Thorn Garden.
- Super Mode: Like his boss, he too has a demon form resembling McBurn's.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: His demon form, just like Gerard's, combines this trope with Black Eyes of Crazy.
- Sword Beam: One of his Crafts has him shoot multiple shockwaves of energy at the opponent from his knife, not to hit the opponent directly, but to activate some bombs.
- Taking You with Me: Not him, but his clones have a Craft simply called "The End" that does this: if they get low in health, the clone will stab itself to erupt in blue flames, hurting any opponent near it.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: He has 3 variations of a Craft that all involve him throwing his knife at his opponent.
Viola
- Voiced by: Nozomi Yamamoto (Japanese), Anairis Quiñones (English)Appearances: Daybreak
A 26 year-old Almata executive and major sadist. She isn't happy with a newcomer like Melchior gaining favor with the Boss.
- Abnormal Ammo: In this case, her gun shoots needles.
- Character Death: In Daybreak, after defeating her in Chapter 5, she'll try to take one last shot on Van, who is unable to dodge because Agnès is standing behind him. If you take the Chaos option and didn't side with the Bracers, Van cuts her down where she stands.
- Death from Above: Her Calamity Rain Craft has her shoot several needles into the air that all come down on the opponents.
- Dual Boss: In Daybreak, she fights alongside Alexandre in Chapter 2 and Olympia in the Final Chapter.
- Disappears into Light: Should she be killed during Chapter 5 of Daybreak, she dies for good this way in the Final Chapter.
- Energy Ball: Her Violet Pierce Craft shoots a energy sphere at the target.
- Evil Counterpart: Viola shows how messed up Scherazard could have become had she not met a loving family (the Harvey circus troupe) and a caring mentor (Cassius Bright).
- Green-Eyed Monster: After learning that Schera, who was born poor and lived off the streets, ended up getting married to Olivert, she ends up being jealous at how unfair life is.
- The Gunslinger: She wields a Needle Gun in battle, with her Venom Needle Craft having her shooting across a wide area.
- Klingon Promotion: She took over a criminal syndicate by murdering its previous boss. Given that the said boss used her as a Sex Slave, it is hard to feel any sympathy for him.
- Limit Break: Her S-Craft is Mefisto Stinger.
- Made a Slave: She became this after her country was taken over.
- Ms. Fanservice: She has a large bust, and her outfit shows a lot of cleavage.
- Peaceful in Death: She'll have a satisfied look on her face if she passes on in the Final Chapter, which will rub Aaron the wrong way.
- Riches to Rags: Born as an aristocrat from the east, her family fell, and she ended up in the streets.
- Sadist: Openly enjoys inflicting pain on others, to the point where Aaron even refers to her as "Sadist Girl."
- Status Buff: Her Hysteric Rage Craft boosts her Strength and Speed.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only female member of Almata's 3 executives.
- Token Minority: She's the only major member of Almata, and of Daybreak's antagonist group as a whole, that explicitly hails from the Middle East, hence her darker skin tone.
Alexandre
- Voiced by: Tarusuke Shingaki (Japanese)Appearances: Daybreak
A 35 year-old Almata executive who used to work as an official in another country before being recruited into the syndicate by the Boss.
- The Brute: He shares the position of Almata's muscle with Arioch.
- Character Death: In Daybreak, after defeating him in Chapter 5, he attack Aaron to goad Van into killing him. If you take the Chaos option and didn't sided with the Bracers, Van grant him his wish.
- Dash Attack: His Maximum Blow Craft has him perform a charging punch at the opponent.
- Death Seeker: He's looking for a place to die, and even tries to take a cheap shot at Aaron to goad Van into doing the deed.
- Disappears into Light: Should he be killed during Chapter 5 of Daybreak, he dies for good this way in the Final Chapter.
- Doomed Hometown: Alexandere is revealed to be another former citizen of North Ambria, being the son of Prince Balmund's bodyguard.
- Dual Boss: In Daybreak, he fights alongside Viola in Chapter 2 and Arioch in the Final Chapter.
- Evil Counterpart: To Sara Valestein, as both are citizens from North Ambria who took up professions in other countries after leaving. In Sara's case, she became a Bracer and also served as an Instructor at Thors Military Academy for a few years before resigning, whereas Alexandre became a member of the criminal organization Almata. Whereas Sara's father died saving the former's life, Alexandre ended up killing his father in a duel after refusing to kill innocent civilians and abandoned his protectorate. Finally, while Sara found a new purpose in life as a Bracer after losing her father-figure, Alexandre's been looking for a place to die.
- Ground Punch: His Gaia Crusher Craft involves him punching the floor beneath him twice.
- Limit Break: His S-Craft is Vortex Breaker.
- No-Sell: Once he uses his Diamond Guard Craft, he becomes impervious to the next few attacks.
- Not So Stoic: Described as such on Daybreak's official website: "silent and logical" at first glance, but that flies out the window whenever he enters battle.
- Power Fist: His weapons are a large pair of fist-mounted gauntlets.
- Private Military Contractor: He tagged along with various Jaeger Corps before being recruited into Almata.
- Spectacular Spinning: His Adamant Bash involves him slamming his gauntlets into his opponents while spinning.
Garden
In General
An organization of assassins active in Central and East Zemuria. A few of its highest ranking-members assist Almata during the events of Daybreak.
- Deceptively Human Robots: Kuro II shows that Garden had created robot assassins, disguised as Aramis students, that are modified variations of the Joshua copies that Weissman made.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The organization was first mentioned in "Three & Nine," a book series obtainable in Cold Steel IV, with Reverie expanding on it through the continued story of the books' protagonists, Swin and Nadia. However, it's the first Daybreak game where they begin coming to the forefront.
- Four Is Death: The group's full name is Four Garden.
- Murder, Inc.: Swin and Nadia's pasts reveal them to be this.
- The Remnant: It's revealed in Daybreak that Garden was created by surviving members of both the D∴G Cult and the Order of the Moonlight Horse.
- Would Hurt a Child: No surprise as the organization is created from The Remnant of the two organizations that excelled at this.
Emperor
Arioch
- Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese)
A large 26 year-old man in a suit of armor. He's the Warden of the Rust Garden.
- Ancestral Weapon: His armor and halberd, known collectively as the Fang of Rahu,note , is an artifact that's been passed down his family line.
- Animated Armor: After he dies in Chapter 5 of the first Daybreak game, his armor and weapon live on and attempts to fight the heroes one more time, which isn't surprising for an artifact. It does so again during Chapter 3F of Kuro II, being part of a boss battle while having access to all of Arioch's moves, including the S-Craft.
- Battle Aura: He briefly generates one when using his Tartarus Rage Craft.
- Bling of War: His suit of armor is gold.
- Blood Knight: He revels in battle, to the point it gets harder for him to contain himself the longer he has to wait to fight strong opponents.
- The Brute: His job in the narrative of Daybreak is to provide Almata with some extra muscle.
- Dash Attack: His Ancient Hazard Craft involves him slashing his opponent in the middle of a forward charge.
- Disappears into Light: Both of his deaths in the first Daybreak game end in this.
- Dissonant Serenity: Judith calls him out on saying some pretty brutal-sounding stuff with such a nice smile on his face.
- Dual Boss:
- He fights alongside Alexandre during the Final Chapter of Daybreak.
- The Fang of Rahu fights alongside Ishtanty during Chapter 3F of Kuro II.
- Fan Boy: He's a fan of Judith's and when he gets finished off by Van and Judith as Grimcat, he notices that Judith had the same pose that she did in her movie.
- Friendly Enemy: As vicious as he is in battle, he still acts pretty chummy with his opponents.
- Hidden Depths: He is a big fan of Judith and enjoys watching movies.
- Limit Break: His S-Craft is Oblivion Beast. The Fang of Rahu is also shown to use it when fought in Kuro II.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He's known in English as Arioch the Eradicator. Meanwhile, his Japanese titlenote literally translates to "massacre" or "extermination."
- Peaceful in Death: He takes his passing in stride, expressing satisfaction with having seen Judith's movie before going.
- Really 700 Years Old: Despite looking around 26, he actually lived in the Holy Empire of Iska before its collapse 130 years ago; the Fang of Rahu has been keeping him alive all this time.
- Red Baron: In addition to his normal title, he's also been referred to as the Invisible Tempest, due to leaving no witnesses behind.
- Sword Plant: His Geo Disaster Craft has him slam his halberd into the ground hard enough to break the earth beneath it.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: His Graganna Throw Craft has him throw his halberd at his opponents before coming back to his hand.
Olympia
Ishtanty
- Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese), Emi Lo (English)
A 19 year-old woman accompanied by an angelic metal figure. She's the Warden of the Aurum Garden.
- Dash Attack: Her Aurora Wing Craft has Ishtanty fly straight into the opponents.
- Death from Above: Her Death Salvation Craft rains beams of light unto her enemies.
- Deflector Shields: Her Holy Shield Craft creates a number transparent walls around her, protecting her for a set number of attacks.
- Disappears into Light: Should she be killed during Chapter 5 of Daybreak, she dies for good this way in the Final Chapter.
- Driven to Suicide: After losing to the party in Chapter 5 of the first Daybreak game, her Robot Buddy Ishtanty gets damaged, resulting in Olympia's starting to regain her emotions. Overwhelmed by sudden burst of emotions, she begs Ishtanty to end her life, which results in her death unless Van chooses to intervene.
- Dual Boss:
- During Daybreak, she fights alongside Melchior in Chapter 4 and Viola in the Final Chapter.
- Ishtanty fights alongside the Fang of Rahu during Chapter 3F of Kuro II.
- Emotionless Girl: Thanks to Ishtanty taking her emotions away from her.
- Evil Counterpart: Her past of being forced to serve as a medium for the artifact bears resemblance to Wazy Hemisphere. However, unlike Wazy who managed to destroy the artifact and joined the Gralsritter, Olympia gave all of her emotions to the doll, went on a rampage, and ended up getting taken in by the Garden.
- Light Is Not Good: She's a villain that uses an angelic artifact in battle, complete with magical light attacks.
- Limit Break: Her S-Craft is Aurum Shangri-la. Ishtanty can use the move by itself when it's fought
- Ms. Fanservice: Her outfit, consisting mostly of strategically-placed bandages, doesn't leave much to imagination, and Chapter 3 of Daybreak features her pole dancing in a nightclub.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When her emotions comes back, the subsequent Heel Realisation overwhelms her and makes her wish for death.
- Red Baron: She's known as Olympia the Aurum.Translation
- Robot Buddy: She's rarely seen far from Ishtanty, a sentient artifact that also serves as her weapon in battle. After her defeat in Chapter 5 of the first Daybreak game, it continues to move without her direct control to fight the party once more, complete with all of Olympia's Crafts. And in Chapter 3F of Kuro II, it will fight once again.
- Spectacular Spinning: Her Heavenly Rondo Craft has her and Ishtanty spin in a dance-like fashion, with the latter ramming in the opponents while doing so.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: During Daybreak Chapter 5, after defeating her, her subsequent breakdown results in a suicide attempt. The Chaos choice results in Van failing to interrupt it and chastising himself for being too slow. What set Olympia apart from the other members of Almata and Garden was that she was essentially a doll unable to be held fully accountable for her actions.
Garden-Master (Unmarked Spoilers)
Garden-Master/Auguste Ardant
Unmasked
Auguste-Dogma
- Voiced by: Atsushi TamaruAppearances: Kuro II
A mysterious young man who rose to power within Garden after Swin and Nadia's escape. He commands both Altera and Grendel-Zolga to do his bidding.
- Big Bad: He is the main antagonist of Kuro II as a whole, using the eighth Genesis to wreak havoc.
- Blow You Away: His Tempest Blade Craft has him surround his now-combined swords with wind before sending the tornado at his targets.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: On the giving end, as he uses the 8th Genesis and his command over Grendel-Zolga to warp the memories and cognition of many people throughout Kuro II to better suit his ends.
- Climax Boss: His defeat at the end of Kuro II Chapter 3 marks the end of the game's main conflict, with the Final Chapter instead focusing on cleaning up some loose ends.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist:
- There are several contrasts between him and Gerard, the main antagonist of Daybreak:
- Unike Gerard who reveled in being an evil bastard, Garden-Master is a Knight Templar who justifies his atrocities by claiming they will lead to what he believes to be the "correct" history for Zemuria. Also, Gerard accepts his final defeat with grace while Garden-Master perishes in despair as his plan of revolution comes to naught.
- Gerard is descended from the old royalty of Calvard while Auguste is one of the very revolutionaries who overthrew it.
- While both are Master Swordsmen who yield BFS, Gerard is a slow but heavy hitter while Garden-Master is noticeably more agile and acrobatic in his swordplay.
- Furthermore, he also contrasts with the Crois family, who spearheaded a similar scheme of altering history using supernatural means in in the Crossbell arc:
- While the Crois family largely abstained from directly using violence to accomplish their goals, instead using the D∴G Cult to indirectly, and the Red Constellation and KeA to, more directly, do their dirty work, the Garden-Master actively gets his own hands dirty and is perfectly willing to cause wanton mayhem to get what he wants.
- Both of them manage to manipulate the allies of the heroes into doing their bidding, with Mariabell manipulating KeA, and the Garden-Master manipulating Swin. While they both succeed to an extent, Mariabell's manipulations always have a grain of truth to them, allowing her to outwit the SSS right to the very end, while the Garden-Master is much more clear-cut in his manipulation of Swin and has nothing to fall back on once his ruse is exposed.
- Both of them are part of AncientConspiracys that have been enacting their plans for eons, but while Dieter and Mariabell are simply descendants of their dynasty and had no role in starting the conspiracy to begin with, the Garden-Master is the Really 700 Years Old Auguste Ardent who's been cheating death and masterminding his own conspiracy from the very beginning.
- Both of their plans involve altering the very fabric of reality to suit their needs, with KeA being the Reality Warper in the Crossbell arc, and the Octo-Genesis filling the role in Kuro II. However, the timeline is only changed once in Zero and Azure, with KeA undoing the SSS's death at the hands of Joachim, and this works out in the Crois family's favor as they're able to leverage this to further manipulate her. By contrast, the timeline is altered several times over in Kuro II, often by someone in the Arkride Solutions Office who's trying to undo the deaths of their comrades and the Garden-Master's imminent victory.
- There are several contrasts between him and Gerard, the main antagonist of Daybreak:
- Death from Above: His Generate Dive Craft has him leap above his opponents and slashing them during his descent.
- Demonic Possession: This is how he was able to survive for past 100 years. His current body is that of a clone of "Ace of Swords", Nadia's older brother and Swin's former partner.
- Disappears into Light: He does this after his final defeat in Chapter 3F of Kuro II.
- Dual Boss: He fights alongside Grendel-Zolga in Chapter 3F of Kuro II.
- Dual Wielding: He holds a BFS in each hand.
- Fallen Hero: He used to be ally of Sheena Dirke, who played an invaluable role in leading Calvard's Revolution to success. Unfortunately, he went full Knight Templar afterwards and his fellow revolutionaries were forced to lock him away. It got worse from there as the D∴G Cult got ahold of his soul.
- Field of Blades: He makes one during his S-Craft, as he materializes swords piecing up from the ground beneath his opponents, which is then taken further as he traps them in a tower-like structure made of swords.
- Hidden Eyes: His eyes are usually covered by a black mask.
- Light Is Not Good: He wears a white, hooded coat, and leads an evil assassin organization.
- One-Handed Zweihänder: Taken to its logical conclusion with him Dual Wielding two BFS that are each about as long as he is tall.
- One-Winged Angel: He transforms into Auguste-Dogma, a demonic-looking being not as looking similar to Demon God Gerard and Emperor-Dogma.
- The Reveal: Twofold in Kuro II:
- He announces that he was formerly "Ace of Swords," a statement Nadia intitially doubts until he removes his mask.
- Chapter 3F then shows that the above reveal was a lie the whole time; his true identity is Auguste Ardant, a former ally of Sheena Dirke during Calvard's Revolution, who ended up leeching off of the D∴G Cult, eventually getting his metaphorical hands on a matured copy of Ace's body.
- Sequential Boss: His last confrontation with the party starts with a battle against him and Grendel-Zolga, followed by a final showdown against him as Auguste-Dogma.
- Status Buff: His Mastery Aura Craft boosts his Strength and ATS.
- Sword Beam: His Burst Edge Flare Craft has him shoot blue, fiery beam shots from both of his swords.
- Technicolor Wind: The tornado he forms in his Tempest Blade Craft is normally green, but becomes purple when he uses it as Auguste-Dogma.
- Walking Spoiler: It is difficult to reveal any information about him without spoiling significant parts of Kuro 2.
SPOILER CHARACTER FOR UPDATED MARCHEN GARTEN
Metatross-Zaion
First form
Second form
- Appearances: Kuro II
A being resembling Vagrants-Zaion, one of the 5 demon kings who rule over 77 devils described in the Septian Church's scriptures. It is found at the end of Marchen Garten.
- Chain Pain: As with Vagrants, the first part of its S-Craft has it create several chains to attack its targets.
- Death from Above: Just like with Vagrants, its S-Craft ends with it crashing down on the targets below it.
- Finger Gun: Like Vagrants before it, it makes this gesture during its S-Craft.
- Leitmotif: "Bang of Metatron" plays during the battle with its second form.
- Limit Break: After turning into its second form, it gains Vagrants's S-Craft, Gadea Vi Zea Voam.
- Sequential Boss: In true Final Boss fashion, it has two forms that are fought consecutively.
- Tomato in the Mirror: It is a replica of the demon king which Garden-Master created to take over Marchen Garten.
- True Final Boss: It's the last opponent fought at the end of the extended Marchen Garten, making it the actual final boss of Kuro II.
- Turns Red: It does this in the second phase.
Other Antagonists
D∴G Cult (Unmarked Spoilers)
The Cult's emblem, as seen in the Calvard arc
The Cult's emblem, as seen in the Crossbell arc
It's already been six years since that whole mess... Those zealots left behind a lot of mysteries. But I know one thing for sure... Out of my decades of service on the force, this group were the most disgusting pieces of shit I've ever had the displeasure to encounter.
— Chief Sergei Lou
A group first mentioned in Zero, they were a devil-worshipping cult with lodges all over Zemuria that sought to reject the goddess Aidios through various means. Most of said lodges were destroyed in S.1198, but some members managed to survive.
- All for Nothing: The Crossbell arc reveals that the cult's belief was completely false from the start, meaning all their heinous crimes amounted to nothing.
- Eviler than Thou: As bad as Ouroboros and Almata are, it's the D∴G Cult that stands supreme as the most abhorrent villain group in Zemuria, with everyone from the Bracers, to the SSS, to even Ouroboros themselves, all having no problems with gunning for their lodges.
- Hated by All: Even more than Almata, with everyone that is aware of the cult's actions being absolutely disgusted with their crimes. Considering said crimes include abusing children, Human Trafficking, unethical experimentations and slavery, its for damn good reason.
- Human Traffickers: They have no qualms with kidnapping children for their crimes, whether it's to experiment on them or sell them to child brothels in order to keep the cult afloat.
- Irony: Despite their insistence that Aidios does not actually exist, the being they tried to awaken as the true god is a replica of Sept-Terrion of Mirage, which is one of the divine treasures Aidios bestowed upon humanity.
- Knight of Cerebus: Some of the most depraved villains in the series and whenever they're involved, the story takes a much Darker and Edgier turn.
- Playing with Syringes: In addition to their already horrific child trafficking, the other nasty niche they get up to is human experimentation, often with very traumatic results for their victims.
- Religion of Evil: They're a secret cult that denies the existence of Aidios, they have the knowledge of demon summoning and the creation of a Fantastic Drug. They're also known to kidnap children (mostly young girls) as young as 5 in order to experiment on them, torture them, straight up ritually mutilating and murdering them and, at least in one occasion, rent out their victims to child brothels for some extra cash. Thankfully, an international investigation took down most of their lodges and members before the start of the series, though some remnants remained. It should also be noted that the series generally doesn't go this dark, except when the Cult is involved.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Accused of being devil-worshippers because of their abhorrent rituals, they ran with the accusations as a tool to deny Aidios' existence.
- Unwitting Pawn: The cult never realized that they were used by the Crois family to revive a replica of Sept-Terrion of Mirage.
- Would Hurt a Child: They specifically aimed for children to use for their experiments, with the lodge "Paradise" on Nemeth Island being the most infamous for this. Even the children of the cult's own members like Quatre Salision weren't exempt from this.
True Warriors
The leader of one squad in Kuro II
A group of terrorists who take issue with the amount of immigrants coming into Calvard. They first made their appearance as part of the attack on the West Zemuria Trade Conference along with the Imperial Liberation Front, where they aimed to kill President Rocksmith.
- No Name Given: Unlike their Erebonian counterparts, the Imperial Liberation Front, they did not name themselves during their first appearance in Azure, simply saying that they're an "anti-immigrant group." The group's actual designation wouldn't be revealed until Kuro II Chapter 2B.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: It's made clear from their first mention in the Crossbell arc that they have racist views. At first, the games focused squarely on their beef with Eastern immigrants, but the Calvard arc later expanded on this showing that they also don't take very kindly to Middle Eastern immigrants.
- Villain Team-Up: In Azure, they joined forces with the ILF to attack the West Zemuria Trade Conference in order to kill President Rocksmith and Chancellor Osborne respectively.
Ixs
- Voiced by: Shun HorieAppearances: Kuro II
A young boy of unknown affiliation, he appears to be working for Ellroy Harwood alongside Jolda.
- Ax-Crazy: Thanks to essentially being raised by Melchior, he's become a trigger-happy little punk. While reminiscing about killing all the other Garden members with Jolda, he's smiling with joy, claiming that his only regret is not getting to kill Melchior himself. He calls the Reactor Weapon the strongest firework, has a slasher smirk when plying his trade, and generally just loves shooting people.
- BFG: He uses a rifle that's longer than he is tall, best seen in his full portrait◊.
- Berserk Button: Knocking him down a peg or embarrassing him are a surefire way to hear all kinds of juvenile curses. He also has nothing but disrespect and contempt for anyone he thinks is running away from their past, such as Swin, Nadia, and Renne.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Pretends to be a nervous, but polite boy named "Luca" searching for his father Robin Glasgow. He reveals the truth right after fatally shooting Glasgow right as the latter was saying that the Arkride Solutions Office that Ixs couldn't have been his son.
- Bizarre and Improbable Ballistics: When he shows his marksmanship for the first time during Kuro II Chapter 1A, Celis notes that the angle he uses to fatally wound Glasgow should be very difficult to accomplish. Justified in that he has an actual superpower to change his bullets' trajectory even after the shot has been fired, such as during his Freikugel Craft.
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: In Chapter 1A of Kuro II, he shoots a fragment of the 8th Genesis out Glasgow's hand.
- Brother–Sister Team: He fights together with Jolda, his younger twin sister.
- Co-Dragons: He and Jolda both work as Ellroy's right hands during Kuro II.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Averted. Despite all the messed-up stuff he's has gone through since birth, he has zero remorse, zero sadness, and zero doubts about his life. He's just a jolly kid.
- Dual Boss: Fights alongside Jolda during Kuro II's Intermission.
- Evil Counterpart: He and Jolda serve as evil reflections of Swin and Nadia: both pairs are former Garden assassins wearing similar color-schemes; Ixs also happens to be the more physically-capable member of his side, just like Swin. The difference is that the former kids enjoyed their time killing, while the latter duo swore to never do it again (even if Nadia isn't above leveraging the intimidation factor her past gives her).
- Finger Gun: He likes to make this gesture, as shown in multiple instances:
- During his Golgotha Integma Craft, to direct his multiple floating rifles to surround and fire on the targets.
- During Kuro II's Intermission to taunt the heroes into following him.
- During his and Jolda's joint S-Craft cut-in, as well as the during said S-Craft's animation.
- Firing One-Handed: He shoots his rifle with just one hand, both in his normal attacks and in his Freikugel Craft.
- Given Name Reveal: His full name is revealed to be "Ixs Eldarion."
- Guest-Star Party Member: He'll serve as a non-playable ally for the fight with Cao, Gouran, and the Heiyue and Zect-Arms Mooks during Kuro II's Intermission.
- Gun Twirling: See up there how big his rifle is? He's still gonna give it a spin by the trigger guard before lining up his shots.
- Hidden Depths: Invoked; he becomes contemplative and listens once Jolda mentions that she wants more out of life than just killing.
- Hot-Blooded: He's loud, hot-headed, and is generally much more enthusiastic about the jobs he accepts than his sister is.
- Instant Runes: His Ixion Bullet Craft creates a few magic circles for him to shoot through.
- In the Hood: His jacket has a hood, which he keeps up until the battle against him and Jolda near the end of Kuro II's Intermission.
- Limit Break: His S-Craft is Pandemonium Bringer, though he seemingly can only use it when fighting alongside his sister.
- Mage Marksman: Despite the clear usage of physical ammo, his rifle and bullets are magically enhanced. This is further reflected in how his self-buff Craft, DROP-01 X, enhances his magic stats, how his Freikugel Craft has his bullet change trajectory as if it ricochets on air, and how his Golgotha Integma Craft has him telekinetically commands a bunch of riffles to surround his targets and rapidly shoot at them like Musse's Galaxia Volley.
- Not in This for Your Revolution: He's not at all interested in whatever Harwood is trying to accomplish, he doesn't care about the specifics of Ouroboros's internal feud, and doesn't hesitate to insult anyone from Ouroboros if he feels like they’re doing something stupid and pointless. He just wants to have fun with his sister, and his reward from Harwood will let them do just that.
- Phlebotinum Pills: His DROP-01 X Craft has him bite into a spherical pill, restoring some of his HP and boosting his magic stats.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: With Jolda; the stipes on his jacket are blue, while his hair is blue with pink highlights.
- Really Royalty Reveal: By virtue of being Gerard Dantes' biological children, this makes him and his sister some of the last known descendants of Calvard's previous royal family.
- Red Baron: His titlenote literally translates to "Light Bullet." Likewise, rather than receive a number like most Garden assassins, he and Jolda had the collective title of "ExE,"Pronounced as referring to their shared surname of "Eldarion."
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Despite what the color schemes might suggest, he's the provocative red to Jolda's blue.
- The Reveal: He was previously an assassin for the Thorn Garden, and is the biological son of Gerard Dantès.
- Unorthodox Reload: When using his Ixion Bullet Craft, he thumb-flips a bullet like a coin into his gun's chamber.
- Villain Respect: He readily decides to provide extra support to Van during Kuro II's Intermission after being shown that he has the guts to defy Harwood despite being threatened. He even agrees not to kill anyone while providing sniper support during that section.
Jolda
Ixs's twin sister. Like him, she seems to be working for Ellroy, but her true allegiance is unconfirmed.
- Ax-Crazy: She might be more subdued than Ixs, but it's clear that being under raised under Melchior's supervision has left her just as messed-up as her brother. When she thinks back to when they killed all the other Garden assassins, she's smiling as she talks about how exciting the whole thing was.
- Berserk Button: It doesn’t matter who it is or how people were involved, she will fight anyone who hurt Ixs. If she is not defeated at the same time as Ixs is during Kuro II's Intermission, she activates the Reactor Weapon on the party in revenge.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Downplayed; she's just as talented a combatant as her brother, but she's noticeably less motivated than he is. Even when she's committed to doing a job, her deadpan tone all-but-states that she'd rather be doing anything else.
- Brother–Sister Team: She fights together with Ixs, her older twin brother.
- Casting a Shadow: Pretty much all of her attacks involve darkness of some kind, contrasting with her brother Ixs who's associated with light.
- Co-Dragons: She and Ixs both work as Ellroy's right hands during Kuro II.
- Dual Boss: Fights alongside Ixs during Kuro II's intermission.
- Evil Counterpart: She and Ixs serve as evil reflections of Swin and Nadia: both pairs are former Garden assassins wearing similar color-schemes; Jolda also seems to the less motivated member of her side, just like Nadia. The difference is that the former kids enjoyed their time killing, while the latter duo swore to never do it again.
- Finger Gun: Performs the gesture in her and Ixs's joint S-Craft cut-in, as well as the during said S-Craft's animation.
- Given Name Reveal: Her full name is revealed to be "Jolda Eldarion."
- Guest-Star Party Member: She'll serve as a non-playable ally for the fight with Kasim and the Marduk Mooks during Kuro II's Intermission.
- Hidden Depths: There's an optional scene during Kuro II Chapter 3 where she mentions how, even though she genuinely enjoyed all the killing and assassin work, she still wants more out of life. She’s not against submitting a request to Van in order to find good sweets in Edith, and she genuinely desires absolute freedom alongside Ixs. And to that end, she is willing to do whatever it takes to become an Enforcer with him.
- In the Hood: Her jacket has a hood, which she keeps up until the battle against her and Ixs near the end of Kuro II's Intermission.
- Limit Break: Her S-Craft is Pandemonium Bringer,"though she seemingly can only use it when fighting alongside her brother.
- Phlebotinum Pills: Her DROP-02 Y Craft has her bite into a spherical pill, restoring some of her HP and boosting her physical stats.
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: With Ixs: the stripes on her jacket are pink, while her hair is pink with blue highlights.
- Powers Do the Fighting: She makes up for her lack of physical ability with her "Shadow Hand," a large arm manifesting from her shadow that can easily defeat the average Jaeger.
- Really Royalty Reveal: By virtue of being Gerard Dantes' biological children, this makes her and her brother some of the last known descendants of Calvard's previous royal family.
- Red Baron: Her titlenote literally translates to "Shadow Eater." Likewise, rather than receive a number like most Garden assassins, she and Ixs had the collective title of "ExE,"Pronounced as referring to their shared surname of "Eldarion."
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: In contrast to what the color schemes might suggest, she's the taciturn blue to Ixs's red.
- The Reveal: She was previously an assassin of the Thorn Garden, and is the biological daughter of Gerard Dantès.
- Shadow Walker: Her Helter Onyx Craft has her use multiple Shadow Hands to drag her targets into the shadows beneath them.
- Shaping Your Attacks: Her Dirge Blade"Craft has her reshape her Shadow Hand into a sword, then motion for it to slash her opponents.
- The Stoic: She rarely deviates from her usual monotone voice.
- Sweet Tooth: A optional conversation has her note that Van also likes sweets, and she seems interested when he offers to show her Edith's various sweet stores.
- Tendrils of Darkness: Her primary weapon, the Shadow Hand, counts as this, and both her Satanael Hands and Helter Onyx Crafts has it move to grab her opponents in different ways.note
- Where I Was Born and Razed: Kuro II reveals that she and her brother were the only survivors from when Melchior ordered all remaining Garden members to kill each after Gerard's first death. As they were raised almost from birth in the Garden, she feels that she and her brother destroyed their own home, something both of them had a lot of fun doing.
- Villain Teleportation: She's the one responsible for teleporting herself and/or her allies away. Given the dark aura involved, the process may involve disappearing into the shadows, though it isn't specified.
Grendel-Zolga (Unmarked Spoilers)
Untransformed
True Identity
Grendel-Zolga SiN
- Voiced by: Tarusuke ShingakiAppearances: Kuro II
A monstrous figure resembling Van's Grendel transformation, it ruthlessly murders anyone who stands in its way.
- Absurdly Sharp Claws: Vice Claw has it slash its opponent with its long, blade-like nails.
- Beware My Stinger Tail: Its long tail has a blade at the end, and it uses it to slash the opponent in its Killing Tail Craft. Another Craft, Fatal Stinger, has it stick its tail into the ground so that it can pop up from beneath the target and impale them through the gut, an attack that Elaine is on the receiving end of in one of the most infamous scenes from Kuro II's Long Trailer.
- Breath Weapon: Its Carnage Roar Craft has it fire a red energy beam from its mouth.
- Conspicuous Trenchcoat: When not transformed, the user is seen wearing a black trenchcoat and a fedora.
- The Dragon: It serves as the closest thing Garden-Master has to a right-hand man.
- Disappears into Light: His ultimate fate after his defeat at the hands of the Arkride Solutions Office in Kuro II, with the magic that was keeping him "alive" taken by Agnès' Oct-Genesis.
- Dragon Their Feet: Its final defeat happens in the second Daybreak game's Final Chapter, while Garden-Master's was in Chapter 3.
- Dual Boss: It fights alongside Garden-Master during Chapter 3F of Kuro II.
- Evil Is Bigger: It's noted to have a larger build than Van's Grendel form.
- Final Boss: It serves as the last opponent fought during the main story of Kuro II.
- Final Boss Preview: Grendel-Zolga's S-Craft features a silhouette of Grendel-Zolga SiN, the form it will take for the final showdown.
- Forced into Evil: As Garden-Master's puppet and an observer of humanity's sin chosen by the eighth Oct-Genesis, he has no choice but to antagonize the party.
- HP to One: For the Final Boss fight, his HP will always stay at 1 even if the players have piled on a ton of EX Shard Skills that would just outright kill off any enemy. This is because a special cutscene occurs on his turn when he uses his S-Craft on Van-Grendel, only for Van to counter with his own S-Craft.
- Hero Killer: He easily kills both Elaine and Van during Kuro II's prologue, requiring the game's first Time Leap to fix things.
- Leitmotif:
- "Infinite Ferocity" serves as the theme of the "Demi-Grendels" during Kuro II.
- "Where to Join the Chorus" plays during the battle against "Grendel-Zolga SiN."
- Marathon Boss: The final fight against Grendel-Zolga can take a while, partially due to the usual Sequential Boss formula, and partially due to the sudden reappearance of previous bosses from Daybreak and II:
- It starts the battle as "Grendel-Zolga SiN."
- The second part has it return to its usual form.
- Once the party deplete its HP to certain threshold, it changes the location to the base from Kuro II's prologue, with Van and Elaine as the only available party members.
- After that, the scene switches again, with Van, Agnès, Feri, and Aaron fighting against Aida-Ghoula and Demon Taikun.
- Following that, the scene changes to the top of Genesis Tower, with Van, Risette, Quatre, and Judith fighting against the demon forms of Gerard and Melchior.
- Finally, the last showdown is yet another battle against regular Grendel-Zolga.
- Mook Maker: It has the ability to create monsters called "Demi-Grendels," both during the story and in-battle using its Crimson Servant Craft.
- Limit Break:
- Its S-Craft is Zoldiable Beast.
- In its "SiN" form, it has L'éclat Vu Dermo as its S-Craft.
- One-Winged Angel: The final showdown of Kuro II starts with its transformation into Grendel-Zolga SiN, a larger and even more bestial form. Played with, though, in that subsequent phases have it actually revert back to its normal form.
- Post-Climax Confrontation: While it serves as Kuro II's Final Boss, the battle only happens after the game's primiary conflict has been resolved.
- Primal Stance: It goes down on all fours when using Carnage Roar.
- Recurring Boss: The party fights it 5 times throughout Kuro II, 8 if you include the different phases during the final confrontation.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Trading in the blue from Van's transformation for blood-red serves as a good visual indication of its role as an antagonistic force.
- The Reveal: He's a copy of Dingo, based on a copy of his soul that was obtained by the 8th Genesis following his death at Creil Village's bombing, similar to what happened to Dr. Callaghan in Daybreak. He was also the <C> that warned Van and party of Almata's plan during Daybreak's finale.
- Sealed Good in a Can: Dingo initially remained within the 8th Genesis and even helped Van and party from inside the device during Daybreak's finale with his warning message as <C>, but he ended up getting Forced into Evil after being found by the Garden-Master and used as Grendel-Zolga's core.
- Secret-Keeper: Kuro II's post-game ending reveals that he was in contact with Professor Hamilton during the whole run of the game, documenting Van and party's various deaths, demises, and time leaping for unknown reasons. He kept said secret to his grave, never telling Van and the others about it.
- Spam Attack: Its Criminal Burst Craft has it slash the target multiple times before finishing with a energy blast from its palm.
- Spectacular Spinning: Its Belial Cyclone Craft has it essentially become a tornado, coming down on its opponents before landing and performing a rotating slash with its tail-blade.
- Status Buff: Its Dread Howl Craft boosts its Strength and ATS.
- Walking Spoiler: Revealing any detail about its true identity and role spoils a massive chunk of Kuro II's plot.
Crimson Altera (Unmarked Spoilers)
- Voiced by: Azumi WakiAppearances: Kuro II
A fairy-like being with an uncanny resemblance to Mare, she serves as the personal Holo Core for Grendel-Zolga.
For tropes involving her true identity, see Lapis Rosenberg.
- Evil Counterpart: To Mare, who might've been a bit haughty, but never outright looked down on humans like Altera does. Subverted since Lapis is hardly in control of her actions as Garden-Master's puppet.
- Hypocrite: Calls Walter "inhumane" for beating up her possessed thugs so badly they can't even get up. While this statement isn't incorrect, Walter points out that she's the one who turned said thugs into mindless monsters, so she's not in any position to point fingers.
- Reforged into a Minion: Lapis's soul is forcibly ripped out of her body by Garden-Master to serve as the Holo Core for Grendel-Zolga.
- The Reveal: She's actually Lapis, having been removed from her doll body and reworked into a Holo Core as its AI.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Just like the case with Grendel-Zolga and Grendel, her color-scheme is the blood-red version of Mare. It changes to that of Lapis' once she regains control.
