Characters / Xenoblade Chronicles X - Team Elma

Click here to return to the main Character page.

---

Team Elma

Rook

"Rook" (Avatar/Cross)

Default Male!Rook

Default Female!Rook

Class: Drifter (starter), player dependent afterwards
Division: Player dependent
Voiced by:
Japanese, male: Shintarō Asanuma (Protagonist), Kōki Uchiyama (Rival), Eiji Miyashita (Hot-blooded), Shinnosuke Tachibana (Honor student), Tetsuya Kakihara (Romantic), Soichiro Hoshi (Know-it-all), Daisuke Namikawa (Soldier), Toshihiko Seki (Big brother), Masaya Onosaka (Kansai dialect) and Hideyuki Tanaka (Samurai)
Japanese, female: Ai Maeda (Protagonist), Rina Sato (Fickle), Yui Ogura (Soft-spoken), Shiori Katsuta (Upper class), Maaya Uchida (Flirtatious), Sumire Uesaka (Clumsy), Atsuko Tanaka (Soldier), Ami Koshimizu (Sultry), Ryōko Shiraishi (Kansai dialect) and Mariko Suzuki (Cultured)
English, male: Yuri Lowenthal (Heroic), Bryce Papenbrook (Rookie), Keith Silverstein (Rebel), Robbie Daymond (Studious), Ben Diskin (Joker), Adam Howden (Classic) and Dan Woren (Warrior)
English, female: Tara Platt (Heroic), Kira Buckland (Independent), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Mature), Cristina Valenzuela (Peppy), Kate Higgins (Joker), Carina Reeves (Classic), and Erin Fitzgerald (Soldier)

The Player Character of the game, whose stasis pod is discovered by Elma during the game's opening.

---

• The Ace: In both the gameplay and narrative. Rook can master any and all weapons in the game by mastering the final classes. In the story, Nagi and Elma are just the first to observe that Rook is exceptionally skilled. By the end Rook is famous, and finding the Lifehold Core is just ONE of their achievements.
• All-Loving Hero: Potentially. Through the story and side missions, Rook is the person directly responsible for New L.A.'s growing xenoform diversity.
• Amnesiac Hero:
  • Justified due to being in cryogenic stasis for prolonged period. After being awakened by Elma, Rook could recall little besides his/her own name.
  • Actually justified by Rook being awoken after the destruction of the consciousnesses inside the Core - which raises something of a different question entirely. Either way, Rook is amnesiac because they have nothing to remember.
• An Adventurer Is You: You can spec your Rook to fill the role of most traditional role-play characters, whether that's boosting HP and resistances, and giving yourself taunts to be The Tank, loading up on max TP, TP-gain and Buffs to work effectively as The Medic, stacking a lot of damage with combos, backstabs, and other multipliers to be The Rogue, or some other variation or combination therein.
• Animal Lover: In one of Lin's heart-to-hearts, she mentions that they take great care of the team's pet dog.
• Big Brother Instinct: Toward Lin, first seen when L appears. Rook is given the choice to either use Lin as a shield, or protect her by standing in front of her.
• Big Sister Mentor: If female, Lin says she sees Rook as a big sister.
• Book Ends: Rise of the Blood Lobster, one of the last side-missions that Rook is able to complete in the game, is a follow up to one of the very first missions that Rook is potentially assigned, A Hero's Ride.
• Bus Crash: Rook was awakened a bit after the Lifehold was destroyed, meaning the person that created the mim is long dead.
• Can't Drop the Hero: Rook cannot be removed from the party.
• Character Customization: Can have everything from their gender to their skin color customized, and some of the customization options get rather wild. Given that you're a robot, this makes some sense.
• Chick Magnet:
  • Invoked if you destroy Fortun in the Definian Downfall mission, in which the follow-up mission would be Definian Love instead of Fortun and Glory. Lyvia, a good Definian who would've been helping Fortun in Fortun and Glory, is seeking a suitor and you would first help her out in finding a suitable one for her. However, she ends up rejecting who you choose and wants Rook instead. In addition, Erio, the Definian that originally sent you to retrieve Fortun in the first place, will also be falling for Rook.
  • This happens whether Rook is male or female; if female it's a case of Even the Girls Want Her and the Definians disguise themselves as human males for her affection.
• Cloudcuckoolander: While his personality is entirely up to the player, some of his/her responses to in-game events can be... Interesting, to say the least. One such memorable example is when a Nopon tricks you to gather materials so she can make a patchy Nopon doll in an attempt to a pull The Baby Trap on another Nopon to get away from her over-protective husband. Rook's responses either are to point out how ridiculous it is or to stand in awe at the miracle of childbirth! And that honestly isn't one of the weirder things s/he can do in response to certain characters and quests.
• Cool Big Sis: Toward Lin, if the player character is female.
• Crazy Is Cool: In-Universe. Vandham states that Rook is one of his best agents because s/he'll take on dangerous missions no one else is crazy enough to do—and succeed.
• Deuteragonist: Of the main story, as both the Player Character and The Lancer to Elma.
• Double Standard: A male rook has an exclusive face option called "Old Man", whereas a Female Rook only have the "Young Girl", "Girl" and, "Woman" (oldest is around late '30s to '40s), and that's ignoring the fact that the male Rook generally looks older than a female Rook (the "young boy" face option looks like he's an older teenager, while the female can look almost as young as Lin.)
• Dude Magnet: If female, several male NPCs around NLA will make note of her looks.
  • Robert tells her he's glad to have such a looker join the division. Justin also takes an immediate liking to her and says he hopes to prove himself worthy of being by her side.
  • During Irina's first heart-to-heart, she tells female Rook that she's so cute that she was certain Rook must've had men all over her. H.B. makes the same assumption during his third heart-to-heart.
    H.B.: (at Rook) "As a fellow elite, you must be beset upon by the majority of the gentlemen of NLA."
• Featureless Protagonist: It's a given due to able to have everything from their gender to their skin color customize.
• Fearless Fool: A common trait stated by other characters is that Rook is either fearless, or too stupid to know when to be afraid.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: In terms of gameplay, the costs of all the team's equipment (including their Skells) comes directly out of Rook's pocket. However, the in-game cinematics makes it clear that they already have their own. For example, regardless what type of Skell you purchase for Irina, she'll be shown using a generic grey model instead during cutscenes.
• Gender Bender: The eventual reward of a sidequest chain allows Rook to re-customize their Mimiosome whenever they want, including changing their gender.
• Good Is Not Nice: One way to play Rook. You can make them out to be someone who does the job only for the money, a massive jerk with no filter, or even a rather xenophobic individual who only helps them because they're not bad enough to leave for dead.
• Hello, [Insert Name Here]: You can name your own character. In the English versions, after a little while, your teammates will give you the nickname "Rook" and will refer to you as that in voiced cutscenes.
• Hero of Another Story: Elma is the lead character of the main quest. Side missions that require her see Elma in the lead role as well. Every other (non-affinity) mission puts Rook as the hero. These side missions are how Rook develops their reputation as one of the Elite Blades.
• Heroic Mime: Zigzagged. Aside from calling his/her attack names and a few lines during battle, Rook is a silent protagonist. Cutscenes, conversations and heart-to-hearts occasionally offer a prompt containing multiple (unvoiced) responses.
• Humanoid Abomination: Potentially, since Rook's consciousness was destroyed with the Lifehold right before they were taken out of stasis. It's never explained exactly what is controlling Rook's mim, and how it's being controlled.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: While Elma herself is an ace BLADE and would be even without Rook, Rook excels in a number of areas that directly aid the team. Elma is a natural leader and is great at combat, to her own admission. Rook is much, much better at building allegiances and playing society's games.
• Idiot Hair: The default male avatar's hairstyle features a cowlick.
• Jack of All Stats: As a Drifter, Rook is able to eventually use the Skills and Abilities of every other class, as well as use any combination of Melee and Ranged Weaponry. Furthermore, the Drifter trades the stats bonuses that other classes grant in favor of allowing the player to equip a fifth passive skill.
• Kavorka Man: For both male and female with character customization you can make Rook look all sorts of ugly and s/he will still wind up with a harem.
• The Lancer: While Rook is the player's character, they're more like Elma's second. And this goes all the way, too - including standing up to Elma alongside Lin when Elma is about to make a few bad decisions.
• I Am Who?: On two levels. First, the reveal that you're a mimeosome, rather than a biological human. And the second level? It hasn't truly been answered yet. Rook is the one mimeosome who was awoken after the Lifehold Core Mainframe was taken offline... but not only is that why Rook has no memories (they don't exist), but there shouldn't even be a consciousness animating them to start with, because there wasn't even one for Mira to "catch" or whatever it did when the other crew members survived. So what consciousness is actually animating Rook's body and "who are you, really" has yet to be answered and will hopefully be addressed in a sequel.
• I Have Many Names: The character is referred to as "Avatar" in the game's credits, concept◊ art◊ and on the official site, "Cross" in a majority of Japanese trailers, "Rook" by Elma's team in the English version, "Chief" by Mia, "Pard" by Yelv, and whatever the name the character receives.
• In-Series Nickname: Rook by the team, Chief by Mia, Pard by Yelv.
• Instant Expert: Despite being one of BLADE's newest recruits, it's established early on that Rook is a naturally at combat.
• Magnetic Hero: All of the side characters who don't join the main party because of Elma do it because of Rook.
• The Matchmaker: Rook can take on normal missions that can make (or break) potential couples, such as helping a BLADE girl find a gift for a guy she's in love with or even pairing a male BLADE with a female Tree Clan Prone.
• Meaningful Name: Elma assigns him/her the nickname "Rook" (short for rookie) since they're the newest addition to her unit.
• No Name Given: Of a sort as the character doesn't have or doesn't remember their real name and characters, concept arts, and trailers gives them a variety of names instead.
• Only One Name: Only goes by their first name, whatever the player inputs. Justices given they are an Amnesiac Hero.
• Parental Substitute: At a heart-to-heart moment with Lin, she will admit that she sees Rook like a father, if male.
• Player Character: Serves as this for Xenoblade Chronicles X.
• Pragmatic Hero: Rook can be played ths way, as someone who believes Violence Really Is the Answer, and won't take any chances on putting down potential risks. Due to the main themes of the story, this can sometimes be the right choice. However—there is a line between being pragmatic, and being an asshole or a dangerous sociopath.
• Power Copying: By completing the Affinity Missions of party members, Rook is able to learn their exclusive abilities. With the DLC party members, Rook gains access to schematics of their Skells.
• The Quiet One: While Rook speaks in battle, they typically only interject in conversations. As lampshaded by Vandham:
  Vandham: ...Not much for conversation, are ya?
• Robotic Reveal: At the end of Chapter 5, when he/she loses an arm while saving Tatsu.
• Rookie Red Ranger: Played with; Elma leads the team but allows Rook to outfit them. And handle finances. Probably Gameplay and Story Segregation, though.
• Secondary Character Title: The Japanese name for the game is read as "Xenoblade Cross", and the default name for the character is Cross in preview footage of the game. The game is played from Rook's point of view as they join Elma's team.
• Signature Move: Surprisingly, they too have their own set of arts exclusive to only them (3 more than the other party members). These are Slit Edge, Chrome Armor, Recuperate, Infuriate, and Flame Grenade, the arts learned by their exclusive Drifter class.
• Skill Gate Characters: Since Rook can't be removed from the party, this character's level will eventually tower over everyone else's, invoking this trope. While this enables more powerful equipment and Skells to be available at earlier times, Rook can't win the battle without everyone else in the party pitching in.
• Small Steps Hero: Rook can be portrayed however the player sees fit, whether that's merciful, cruel, or somewhere in between. Often, being nice or merciful in the short term turns out to be the wrong choice, but sometimes not. The game doesn't often make judgments about how things turn out. It ultimately boils down to doing what you believe is right, and whether you can live with the consequences of your decision.
• Suddenly Voiced: During battles, Rook will fire off Soul Voices just like their party members. The type of "personality" you choose during Character Customization will also be reflected here.
• Supporting Protagonist: While Rook is the point of view character, Elma is the heroine. The sidequests and side missions hardly focus on Rook either; most of them are focused on interactions between side characters, and the goings-on of the world around you.
• The Team Benefactor: All of the team's equipment come out of Rook's pocket.
• Vague Age: The character's age is never specified besides the appearances of the character in concept◊ art◊. There is an option for the Avatar to claim to be underage if Frye invites them to drink even if they appear older than Frye.
• Warrior Therapist: Considering Rook can talk the racism out of Bozé.
• World's Best Warrior: The Wrothians, Prone, and even most BLADEs think this way of Rook. While the main story makes it unclear whether or not Team Elma is the best BLADE team because of Elma, Rook, or a team effort, the side quests invoke this trope without question. To most of the species/factions Rook helps along the way, s/he is indisputably the biggest badass on Mira.

Elma (spoilers)

Elma

Click ^here to see her true form

Class: Full Metal Jaguar
Division: Reclaimer
Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese) and Caitlin Glass (English)

The main protagonist of Xenoblade Chronicles X and the team leader of a private military organization called BLADE.

---

• The Ace: She piloted the lone Skell that allowed the White Whale to escape Earth. Also, all of her superiors acknowledge her and her team, as their best.
• Ace Pilot: She piloted the original Ares that allowed the White Whale to escape Earth.
• Affectionate Nickname: Irina and Gwin continues to refer to her as "Colonel" after not being part of the military anymore.
• Alien Among Us: On Earth she came to warn humanity about the war that was going on in space, knowing that eventually said war would spread to Earth. And that she provided them with technology from elsewhere to help them but her motivations for doing so is unknown.
• Alien Hair: Even though it's a bit more human-like than most examples of the trope, the hair on Elma's true form has a crystalline texture to it.
• Aliens Speaking English: She knows how to speak English but it isn't specified if she learned to speak before arriving on Earth or after.
• Batman Gambit: In chapter 9 Ga Jiarg ambushes Team Elma and has them dead to rights to capture and hand them over to the Ganglion. Elma manages to convince them to give her team to fight their way to freedom by appealing to his Warrior Code.
• Big Good: The last chapter of the game reveals that Elma was the one responsible for supplying earth with the technology to give them a fighting chance against the Ganglion. She also played a major role in the creation of the White Whale.
• Bizarre Alien Biology: If you look closely at her true form her hair appears to be made of glowing crystal
• Book Ends: The prologue shows Elma entering New Los Angeles for the first time from the player's point of view through the West Gate Corridor overlooking the city, the ending shows her doing the same thing again. Besides the Avatar and the Epilogue, she is also the first character to appear on screen in the beginning of the game and the last one to appear in the ending.
• Breakout Character: Even though she isn't the main player character, Elma has effectively become the face character of Xenoblade Chronicles X in the years following its release. While original Xenoblade Chronicles 1 lead, Shulk became both a fighter in the Super Smash Bros. series and a DLC Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Elma too became a DLC Blade in the latter game over Rook.
• But Thou Must!: Elma and Lin have to accompany you for every story mission and for the majority of the affinity missions too. The game will not allow you to proceed until you put them in your party.
• Character Title: Symbolically, the "X" represents alien life or the unknown. Fitting, since she's both. Similarly, the Xenoblade part of the title is also fits her: non-human aliens are referred to as "Xenos" and she's eventually revealed to be one... who is also a member of BLADE.
• Colonel Badass: It's revealed early on that she used to be a Col. in the Skell Corp. back on Earth. But Nagi eventually explains that she was also the one who devised Project Exodus^note the mass evacuation of Earth in order to save humanity from Earth's impending destruction and was the Ares pilot who fought the Ganglion off when they attacked the White Whale, two years later.
• Cool Big Sis: With Lin, and possibly Rook as well.
• Composite Character: Not by her personality but by her actions that makes her a combination of other Xeno characters.
• Crippling Overspecialization: By her own admission, she is an ace at combat—and not much else. She laments this fact, and says one of her priorities once NLA is secure is to become good at other things besides BLADE work.
• Didn't Think This Through: Seen during the "The Nopon Heir" affinity mission, which requires her team to get a scale from Telethia: The Endbringer, also known as "the Planet's Guardian". As team leader, you'd think Elma would at least make sure the story checked, instead of going off halfcocked based on some kid's story. L warns her that trying it would be foolhardy, but Elma insists on seeing the mission through. After their inevitable curbstomping, L reminds her why he said it was a bad idea.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You: Zigzagged at the end of chapter 11, when Lin stands between her and Lao to prevent Elma from shooting him. Elma warns Lin to stand aside and prepares to fire when she doesn't comply. But when Rook stands beside Lin, Elma is overcome with disbelief, causing her resolve to waiver. The second time Lin tries this, though, Elma tells her straight away that it will not work, and Lin does move when Lao convinces her it's the only way.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: She acts as one toward Gwin in one sidequest as part of his training. Party Banter implies that she may have also been this to Yelv in the past.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Aptly sums up Elma's reaction to Rook siding with Lin against her decision to shoot Lao, at the end of chapter 11. It's the first and only time Elma ever appears hurt by anything.
  Elma: (in disbelief) Rook...? Not you too....
• Even the Girls Want Her: Many people remark she's beautiful to the degree even girls want her, in-universe and out. In particular, Irina implied to be in love with her, and a female Cross has the same option as the male to want Elma as a pet in one of her heart to hearts.
• Expy: Elma shares a lot of similarities with several of Tetsuya Takahashi's previous characters.
  • Xenogears:
    • Emeralda Kasim. Similar dark skin, similar red and black outfit, similar names, both pretending to be human.
    • She is similar to Miang as a character who appears to be a subordinate but knows more than almost everyone else and as "mother being" (who split herself into two bodies) who recreates human life on an alien planet after the crash of an ark ship. Her color scheme, however, is more reminiscent of that of Elly van Houten, herself one half of the "mother being".
  • Xenosaga: She is also similar to KOS-MOS as in one of the short stories, Elma says that there was a man (possible partner) who sacrificed himself to save her, and in turn all of the humans stored in what became known as NLA. That man could be considered to represent Jesus (sacrificed himself to save mankind), making Elma the equivalent of Mary Magdalene who was later reincarnated into KOS-MOS. The pale skin and long blue hair reinforce it.
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 1: She can also be compared to Alvis as a mysterious character who is not what he appears to be and is later revealed to be the Big Good.
• Gatling Good: Originally wielded a portable minigun in tandem with a ballistic shield in the first trailer but later switched to two SMGs and two swords in development. Curiously, this is the default Shield Trooper kit, and Lin ended up with it instead.
• Good Is Not Soft: During the last two chapters Elma grows considerably colder when it comes to protecting humanity, even threatening to pull the trigger on Lin after she tries to shield a traitorous Lao.
• Guest-Star Party Member: She cameos as an Optional Boss battle in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as part of the expansion pass' Challenge Mode. You have to defeat her, but the challenge forces you to use Shulk and Fiora as a prerequisite to unlock her as a permanent addition to your party.
• Guns Akimbo: Her weapons of choice, as typical of her class.
• First Contact: She made contact with humans on Earth 30 years ago and met Maurice and Nagi.
  Maurice: "Mmm. 'We don't need to be from the same species to be able to recognize our common ground.' Someone told me that once."
• Harbinger of Impending Doom: She came to Earth to warn humanity about the war that was going on in space, knowing that eventually said war would spread to Earth.
• Head-Turning Beauty: Many people remark she's beautiful to the degree even girls want her. L's reaction to her true form is to say its even more beautiful than before.
• Humble Hero: Elma doesn't like to brag about her previous exploits, even insisting that Irina and Gwin stop referring to her as Colonel. If recruited by Rook for side quests, she makes it known that she will defer to their authority despite the main story making it clear the Elma is the superior.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Elma was intimately involved with Project Exodus, and does not at all regret the means which led to her ends.
• I Just Want to Have Friends: One of her reasons for disguising herself as a human as she was worried that if she walks around on Earth as herself, most people wouldn't listen and cooperate with her. It would also risk being captured by Absolute Xenophobe humans and receiving a free vacation to Area 51 where she would suffer a ghastly fate.
• Image Song: NEMOUSU秘OUS which translates to "Mysterious" is regarded as her theme as it plays when Elma reveals her true form reflecting on how mysterious Elma is.
• I Work Alone: She sometimes does this such as the time she came to Earth to save humanity by herself and the time she awakened the Avatar from a stasis pod during the game's opening without anyone accompanying her.
• Jerkass Ball: She sometimes does this such as calling Ga Jiarg a "coward", letting down Maxim harshly stating that she "could never return the love of so hallow a man", and if the Avatar refers to Elma as their favorite pet, she recommends that they should get their skull cracked open to check for brain damage.
• Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Had a Siamese back on Earth and still has a soft spot for cats.
• Male Gaze: Whenever she's left at the BLADE barracks, she can be found bending over the table in the conference room. The camera can be adjusted to focus on her backside. This is especially true when her true form is revealed. The camera wastes no time showing off her real body, both front and back.
• Meaningful Name: In German, the meaning of the name Elma is "God's protection".
• Meta Twist: Elma at the end of the launch trailer stating "I haven't died" as she reveals her true form which bears a striking resemblance to KOS-MOS hearkens back to KOS-MOS's fate at the end of Xenosaga Episode III: floating in space and severely damaged - her right arm and both legs dismembered.
• Mysterious Past: Her past prior to arriving on Earth is unclear such as who she really is, where is she from, why does she care about humanity, what is her history, etc.
• Non P.O.V. Protagonist: Elma's actions are central to the plot of the game and she makes most of the important decisions; Rook, despite being the player character, is merely a bystander.
• Oh, Crap!: Discovering that the database in Lifehold Core that housed the consciousness of humans was destroyed upon landing was an unpleasant surprise for her as well as Nagi, Maurice, and Vandham.
• Older Than They Look: While her initial bio lists her age as 29, she later reveals that she initially came to earth in the 2020s, bringing advanced technology with her, indicating that it does not actually reflect her real age. Her new profile lists her age as "???".
• One-Man Army: Her character bio mentions that only a "few operatives can match her in combat, either in or out of a Skell".
• Parts Unknown: The name of her alien race, where she's from, and everything regarding her race is shrouded in mystery.
• Pointy Ears: She naturally has these being a Space Elf.
• Pragmatic Hero: Elma is focused entirely on the survival of the human race. She accomplishes her mission objectives, and performs all tasks associated with them, with cold logical precision whenever she must. For example, when confronted with the fact that Lao has data for finding the Lifehold Core on his person, she is prepared to just shoot him, as opposed to Lin, who stands in her way to prevent it. (Along with Rook.) When the situation reappears later, Elma tells Lin that this time standing in her way will not work. She gives Lin two warnings to move out of her way, but she was prepared to fire anyway.
• Replacement Goldfish: Serve as one to KOS-MOS toward Monolith Soft in a meta-sense.
• Robot Me: Inverted, Elma is an organic alien version of KOS-MOS.
• Screw You, Elves!: Elma is on the receiving end of this. Lao's argument with Elma is this in Chapter 11. Lao argues that the Awful Truth of Project Exodus justifies his actions and he wants to explain more of it to the party, Elma doesn't want to hear any of it and Lao agrees and decides to fight them instead of giving them the data to the location of the Lifehold Core.
  Lao: "You wouldn't wanna hear this, would you? Or have them hear it. Fair enough. Let's go."
• Signature Move: Shadowstrike and Ghost Factory.
• Space Elves: Her true form.
• The Leader: A levelheaded and charismatic one.
• The Only One: She's the only one who is capable of operating the Lifehold. Either that or other people whom have the highest clearance level to operate the Lifehold weren't able to come to the Lifehold at the time.
• Tough Love: A practitioner. Dialog options like this tend to gain her approval.
• Walking Spoiler:Especially in the ending.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Elma receives one from Lao when he is confronted by the party after he breaks into the restricted hangar and prepares to steal the Ares, along with the Lifehold data since she knew he was a Ganglion spy and chose not to tell the others.
• World's Best Warrior: One of, if not the, best warrior amongst humanity, to the degree that some cynical BLADES members believe Rook was just "riding on Elma's coattails".

Lin

Lin Lee Koo (Lynlee Ku)

Class: Shield Trooper
Division: Outfitter
Voiced by: Mariya Ise (Japanese) and Cassandra Lee Morris (English)

A mechanic and a member of the private military organization BLADE.

---

• Anime Chinese Girl: Downplayed. She's pretty adorable, and Lynlee (Linli) and Ku (Gu) are Chinese names, but beyond that she has no distinctly Chinese characteristics. Given the fact that the White Whale was apparently an American ship, her being a descendant of Chinese immigrants isn't very far-fetched.
• Badass Adorable: That cute looking pint-sized girl that gushes about mecha...? She's the same one that routinely mows down Indigens more than twice her size, with a big ass gatling gun.
• BFG: Gatling guns are her weapon of choice since she's with the Shield Gunner class.
• Birds of a Feather: She and Alexa are fellow Skell fanatics, which is why they're both with the Outfitters division. Guess what happens if you put them both in your party?
  Alexa: [excitedly] Lin, did you order a ticket for the Skell exhibition?
  Lin: [surprised] They went on sale? Oh man... I gotta get on that once we're home!
• Book Ends: The beginning and ending of the game are narrated by her.
• But Thou Must!:
  • Better get used to having her and Elma around, because the game makes it so you have to include them for every story chapter and for most of the affinity missions.
  • Rook will agree with her and move to defend Lao on his/her own, regardless of the player's beliefs on the matter.
• Character Narrator: She narrates the beginning and the ending of the game.
• The Cutie: Particularly with her doe eyes and diminutive stature, plus her schoolgirl obsession with Skells. Rook takes a shine to her and protects her. Lin has also attracted a group of female admires due to being a combination of this and Little Miss Badass.
• Dub Name Change: Spelling change from "Lynlee Ku" to "Lin Lee Koo".
• Fangirl: Big time when it comes to Skells, going so far as to write fanfiction about them. Her obsession nearly rivals Noa Izumi's love for Labors.
• Gatling Good: Wields a portable minigun in tandem with a ballistic shield.
• Glacier Waif: Lin may be small, but she fills in for Reyn as the party tank. She has the HP to soak damage and learns several support skills to help mitigate it.
• Go Through Me: Done at the end of chapter 11 by her and Rook, to prevent Elma from shooting Lao.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: One of her quotes is her hoping she doesn't get in the way of the party. That said, as a tank, she's naturally useful as a party member.
• Little Miss Badass: Lin Lee is a Decon-Recon Switch. Lin is way more capable at any of her fields (engineering, combat and cooking) than most 13-year-olds would be. However, in the two that really stretch Improbable Age (engineering and combat) she makes major mistakes. For example, she screwed up a flight check for the Flight Module twice and very nearly caused the project to be scrapped permanently. Several times, she feels either too scared or too depressed to fight. However, in each of these cases, support from others is all she needs to regain her composure.
• Macross Missile Massacre: In addition to the standard Micro-Missiles used by other Gatling wielders, Lin has Fire Carnival as her signature attack.
• Morality Pet: She serves as one to Lao, with upsetting her being the reason why he didn't tell anyone that their original bodies died with Earth. Also one to Elma, when she makes cold-hearted decisions as a soldier.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: Lin is physically strong enough to handle gatling guns without difficulty; which is impressive for a girl her age. But during the "To Serve Nopon" affinity mission, she punched a Tersqual with enough force to send it flying; causing it to regurgitate Tatsu!
• Signature Move: Drum Roll and Fire Carnival.
• Superior Successor: The Skell Flight Module was actually her parents' idea. That said, she's the one who got it working.
• Team Chef: Most of the story missions begin with Lin cooking dinner, and she's extremely talented for a 13 year-old engineer.
• Teen Genius: She's one of BLADE's top engineers and their go to "fix it gal", all at only 13 years old. She mainly does spot checks and diagnostics around the habitat, and is the one who developed the flight system for the Skells. Elma mentions that she started as a full-time engineer. Combat came later, for better or worse.
• Token Mini-Moe: She's one of the younger protagonists, being 13 years old◊. As the only person in New LA under the age of eighteen (not counting the Orphe), she's this for BLADE as a whole.
• Tritagonist: The story missions require her along with Elma, after all.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: While she gets exasperated with Tatsu's antics a lot, she truly cares about him, as best shown in "To Serve Nopon", where Tatsu nearly gets eaten by an indigen, and Lin rushes over and flips the monster over using only her shield in order to make it spit him up.

Tatsu

Tatsu

Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi (Japanese) and Chris Cason (English)

A Nopon from the planet Mira.

---

• Butt-Monkey: Tatsu is usually on the receiving end for food-related jabs. A lot. His introduction has him trapped in a Prone food ration container. Outside the food jabs, his brothers and sisters are constantly mistaking him for their father, giving them a pretense to make demands out of him.
• Disappeared Dad: During a personal affinity mission for him that reunites him with his caravan and his mother, Tatsu reveals that his father is gone and doesn't want to talk about it, initially leaving the rest of the party with the implication that his father died. At the end of the mission, his mother tells the party that his father is still alive and is just playing the role of this year's Heropon to pay off his debts.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Despite being The Load the vast majority of the time, he does contribute a few bits of wisdom here or there. In Chapter 11, when the party is trying to invade the Ganglion base, they find the large doors locked; Tatsu notices the smaller door that is open, even though it means they have to leave their Skells behind. Later, when they fight an enemy Skell that drops a piece of metal, it's Tatsu that notices it's the key to the large door from before, which is just to their right, so they can open it and get their Skells.
• Fake Ultimate Hero: Various Nopon around NLA all credit Tatsu as the one who single-handedly accomplishes everything that Team Elma does. Tatsu has no idea about these rumors.
• Just You and Me and My GUARDS!: Tatsu talks big throughout throughout the game, but expects Elma's team to do all the work. So he repeatedly volunteers them for duty without a second thought.
  Tatsu:: [shields his mom from Caceaus] Anyone who mess with Tatsu's mamapon will have to deal with—
  "dramatic" pause
  Tatsu: [points at Elma's team] —Tatsu's reliable friends!
  Lin: [deadpan] ...aaannd there it is.
  Elma: [rolls eyes] Yep. Saw that one coming.
• Little Boy Seeks Big Girl: Played with between him and Lin.
  • She's short by human standards, but she still towers over him despite both being about the same age. The conclusion of the "BFFs" affinity mission implies he has a crush on her, when Lin jokes about possibly joining the Nopon caravan, since they're all so cute:
    Tatsu: Meh, MEH?? Lin Lee already dump Tatsu for younger, cuter model?
    [droops head dejectedly]
  • And when she cooks a feast for him to celebrate his birthday^note at the end of the "To Serve Nopon" affinity mission, he asks if it means he and Lin are family. When she answers "yes," Tatsu assumes it means she's now his wife and says he can't wait to tell his mom. Lin quickly objects.
• The Load: Tatsu ends up being more of a hindrance than a help to Elma and the others. At two points, his impulsive behavior and lack of forethought ends up endangering them:
  • The first being at the end of chapter 5, when he rushes into an ongoing battle and starts dancing around, believing that the fight was over. Which nearly got him killed had Rook not spotted him in time to save him, which is how they lost their arm and finally realized they were a Mimeosome.
  • Lin made it a point to leave Tatsu back at the barracks when she and the others went with Lao into Dead Man's Gulch in Noctilum, since the Tainted would be drawn to living beings. Guess who decided to show up at the worst possible time? Causing Lin to call Tatsu out on his stupidity.
    Lin: You IDIOT!! You were supposed to stay back at the base! You have to get outta here before—
    [cue snarling and approaching footsteps from just offscreen]
    Lao: Too late. Looks like we got company.
• Nerd Glasses: Usually wears a pair of glasses with swirls in them.
  • He ends up inheriting a pair of Cool Shades from his father, but outside of one particular cutscene he never actually wears them.
• The Nicknamer: Has a habit of referring to some characters by nicknames he ordains them instead of their actual names. Vandham is "Mustache Man," Nagi is "Secretary" and Celica is "Pretty Lady."
• Non-Action Guy: He repeatedly says in the combat showcase that he doesn't fight. Just goes to show that Riki's Heropon title isn't for show.^note Although Tatsu has Soul Voices in the Japanese version implying he was intended to be a playable party member similar to Riki.
• Punny Name: Many jokes about Tatsu's resemblance to a potato are made at his expense.
• Purely Aesthetic Glasses: One of his siblings claims that he wears glasses not because his vision is actually poor but because he seeks to emulate his father. Unfortunately, since Tatsu's sense of fashion is way off, he ended up picking a ridiculous pair of Nerd Glasses.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: As a Nopon, he's an adorable ball of fluff.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He insists on tagging along with the team wherever they go, but once the fighting starts, he hightails it.
• Small Name, Big Ego: To say he's so small and does little to help Elma's team, he certainly knows how to talk big. He treats them as if they're his entourage, referring to them as "Team Tatsu," instead. And he's just as quick to volunteer them to fight his battles, while he sits on the sidelines.
• Tag Along Kid: You find out he's the same age as Lin during the "Ties That Bind" affinity mission.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: He's rivals with a Nopon named Tora. In Japanese, "Tatsu" means Dragon and "Tora" means Tiger.
• Triangle Shades: At the end of an affinity mission that reunites him with his mother, he tries on his father's glasses (which are revealed at the end to be a pair of these) as part of a coming of age ritual.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Lin.
• Younger Than They Look: He's 13 years old. During an affinity mission that reunites him with his family, his younger siblings mistake him for their father, to the point that Lin initially thinks that he's the opposite trope and that he's an irresponsible parent. Partially justified in that 13 is the starting age of adulthood for Nopon.

Irina

Irina Akulov

Class: Psycorruptor+
Division: Interceptor
Voiced by: Nao Takamori (Japanese) and Carrie Keranen (English)

A member of BLADE. She served under Elma on Earth and still admires her greatly.

---

• Ace Pilot: Speak to Tika after completing Alexa's "Rapid Misfire" affinity mision and she tells you that Irina was Elma's co-pilot and jointly responsible for defending the White Whale when it came under attack. Tika goes onto say she was so awed by their piloting skills, that it inspired her to want to become a better mechanic, in hopes of optimizing a Skell that can match their ability!
• Ambiguously Bi: Her admiration of Elma seems to go beyond their working relationship at times:
  • There's her insistence of addressing her as, "Colonel," even though Elma keeps telling her she no longer has to. And anytime you draft Irina for your party, she says she agrees to it because you're part of Elma's team. In her final heart to heart, suggesting that she buy something less pathetic for Gwin causes her to flat out refuse and gush about how she would like to buy expensive presents for Elma.
  • The only other she seems to take interest in is Rook regardless of sex though if the player character happens to be female Irina will eventually warm up to her and note that she's cuter than herself^note during the "Maneater" heart-to-heart and says she probably has men all over her. If Rook replies that Irina's just as cute, Irina will blush and stammer that she doesn't know what Rook is talking about.
  • She does show interest in a male Rook. That said though, though he's the only guy she shows any interest in.
• Animals Hate Her: One of her Heart-to-hearts has her getting threatened by Rook's dog. Which is a robot.
• Combat Medic: As a member of the Psycorruptor class she knows the 'Repair' ability, but has the more powerful 'Smooth Recovery' as her unique Art. A knife wielding player character can learn it through the Renewed Will affinity mission.
• Death Seeker: According to Gwin she's been taking more and more dangerous missions due to guilt over her brother's death. Elma confronts Vandham about her possibly suicidal tendencies at the end of Chapter 11.
• Does Not Like Men: Because they either treat her as a sex object or take issue with her rank because she's a woman.
  • Her "Renewed Will" affinity mission has a pair of male grunts mocking her.
  • The "Maneater" heart-to-heart has her bemoaning how few female officers there are in BLADE and how the men typically treat them as Eye Candy. While she notes Gwin as an exception, it isn't enough to change her opinion of men in general, particularly with how his perverted tendencies make her avoid him frequently. If Rook is female, Irina comments she's glad another woman is onboard.
  • Can potentially be subverted with Rook (if male). If the player responds respectfully during certain heart-to-heart moments with her, it can ultimately lead to Irina saying she'd take him out for a drink some time.
• Dude Magnet: She may not like men, but they definitely love her:
  • Gwin is in love with her, but if you ask Irina what she thinks of him during her final heart-to-heart, she tells you Gwin's like a little brother to her.
  • If you speak to Marcus at the Interceptor hangar, he tells you about a nameless grunt who nurses a crush on Irina, but says the guy's too intimidated by her to say so. Though if you speak to Marcus again, after a certain point in the game, he tells the grunt finally plucked up the nerve to invite her out for a drink.
  • There's another female NPC in Deliverance Park, who'll tell you that Irina is popular despite her contempt towards men. And says it's a shame, since there many who would like to make her happy.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: Her distinction as one of BLADE's best has fostered derision among some of the outfit's male officers. Two of whom directly insulted her, which nearly earned them an ass kicking had Vandham not been there to keep her in check by reprimanding them.
• If It's You, It's Okay: Potentially between her and (male) Rook. Depending on his affinity level with her and how he responds during her heart-to-hearts, it can lead to her offering to invite him out for a drink.
• Informed Attribute: Her achievements call her "fiery", but she's a cool customer.
• Insistent Terminology: Irina refers to Elma strictly as, "Colonel," regardless of the fact that Elma's told her it's no longer necessary.
• Iron Lady: She's wholly committed to BLADE and will do whatever it takes to carry out an objective, so long as it's within their guidelines. She expects the same from those who serve with her.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Most men hit on her or dismiss her because she's a woman. She'll still save their bacon, though she admits she's tempted not to sometimes.
• Lethal Chef: Implied by post-battle dialogue. If she and Gwin are in the party, she can mention she'll be on dinner duty tonight. Gwin mutters in a less than enthusiastic tone over it and asks Rook for a reminder to drink a lot of water before dinner.
• Like Brother and Sister: She views Gwin as a younger brother.
• Missing Mom: She rebuts to Murderess at the beginning of the My Dream affinity mission that she didn't have a mom.
• The Needs of the Many: She constantly maintains her guns because she sees them as tools that protect her comrades. She doesn't give her armor the same attention because the only one who gets hurt is herself.
• Never Be Hurt Again: She says in her Heart-to-Heart conversations that she will do whatever it takes to avoid helplessly standing by while those she cares about are lost, because she felt that way before and never wants to again.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Lin explains to Vandham that Irina is in the same position as Lao, both hurting over the loss of family members back on Earth. The only difference is how they chose to deal with their loss.
• Not So Stoic: The only times she expresses any emotion is either when she's speaking with Elma, or if anyone's pissed her off.
• Oblivious to Love: Though it's unknown if she does recognize Gwin's feelings for her, her final heart-to-heart reveals that she was planning to buy a new pair of goggles for him out of appreciation and that she also mentions seeing him as another younger brother due to him having been her dead younger brother, Leon's, best friend and thus seeing a lot of him in her subordinate. That said, taking one of the options revels that she does know he's sexually attracted to her and finds it uncomfortable, and in one of the others she refuses waste the money to buy him anything with real value and would much rather shower Elma with expensive gifts instead.
• Ship Tease:
  • A downplayed and easily-missable example occurs in her first Heart-to-Heart. If a male Rook agrees with her about the behavior of Casanova Wannabe that hit on her, Irina will beam and say that male Rook is the type of guy she'd ask out for a drink.
  • An NPC near the BLADE mission terminal will mention how Irina tends to smile a lot whenever she's talking with Rook.^note As verification, the dialogue changes depending on Rook's gender
• Signature Move: Smooth Recovery and Quick Cannon.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: With male Rook being the only man she says she'd theoretically date, as he is one of the few who was kind to her and treated her equally.
• Small Steps Hero: She would rather act immediately, without thinking of consequences, than fail to act at all. She would prefer this even if her rashness leads to mistakes.
  "Actions taken with the best intentions sometimes have unexpected consequences. But no one can predict what action will lead to which consequence. You just have to accept that it won't always work out like you hope. If you ask me, all that really matters is whether you made the best choice possible for yourself and the people you care about. Maybe you'll still regret the outcome, but if you know you gave it everything you had, it softens the blow. That's the way I live my life."
• The Stoic: Aside from her hot-blooded nature, she's a model soldier and the ideal of self-discipline.
• Strictly Professional Relationship: As much as Gwin may wish otherwise, Irina only regards him and Marcus as valued subordinates.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She's defined by her strict no-nonsense attitude, so it's rare to see her lighten up. Her softer side only comes across in some of her post fight banter with Elma - such as asking if she'd like to go shopping with her later as well as with Rook.
• Tsundere: At least one of her lines towards Rook is stylized this way.

Gwin

Gwin Evans

Class: Samurai Gunner
Division: Interceptor
Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese) and Michael Sinterniklaas (English)

A member of BLADE. He served under Elma and Irina on Earth and joined BLADE because of his crush on Irina.

---

• All Love Is Unrequited: Is a hopeless suitor for Irina who views him as a younger brother...Ouch.
• BFS: Being a Samurai Gunner he specializes in two-handed blades.
• Butt-Monkey: Tends to be the source of everyone's mockery, even Tatsu's.
• Covert Pervert: Which is a huge turn-off to Irina.
  • Her third heart-to-heart is the first time she tells you about it. She says Gwin meticulously does maintenance on his rifle, but has an unsettling habit of stroking it then licking it when he thinks no one's around.
    Irina: Then, I kid you not, he actually licks it! It's probably the most disturbing thing I've ever seen. So next time you see Gwin, tell him not to be such a creepo, okay?
  • If you suggest Irina train with him during her last heart-to-heart, she flatly refuses.
    Irina: Yee~eaah.... I think I'll pass. I used to drill him sometimes, but whenever I had to be strict with him, he seemed WAY too into it. I started to think he had some sort of domination fetish.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's a bit of a goofball, but he can fight on the front lines no problem.
• Deadpan Snarker: Seen during his introduction with Irina, when the latter goes on about why she insists on addressing Elma as "Colonel," and says she's earned the distinction:
  Gwin: [making aside glance] And the award for "Best Ass Kiss" goes to...
• Declaration of Protection: He tells Team Elma that he's training to be able to protect Irina. He hasn't quite gotten around to telling her yet, but only because he wants to be able to back up his words first.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Despite his dedication on getting strong to protect Irina, she does not appear to reciprocate his feelings. It doesn't help when he's subjected to many jokes, including that of a conversation from one NPC to another remarking how Irina views him, as an annoying younger brother or as a pet.
• Everyone Can See It: It's pretty obvious to his friends that he's got a crush on Irina, which Lin and Rook both tease him about at the end of his "Boot Camp" affinity mission. Even Tatsu calls him out on it.
  Gwin: Where'd THAT come from? I mean, c'mon... what makes you think—
  Lin: Oh come on. It's written all over your face when you talk about her. You want to be strong enough to protect her like Leon did.
  Elma: If even Lin's calling you on it, maybe you should take note.
  Gwin: Guess my combat skills aren't the only thing that need work.
• Farm Boy: When having him join the party for the first time and meeting a heart-to-heart moment with him, the accomplishment calls him the Farm Boy (i.e.: The Farm Boy's Routine). His heart-to-heart moments also reveal him having lived a simple and normal past life out in the country, at least when compared to other party members' known pasts.
• Hopeless Suitor: The poor guy just can't see that he has no chance with his big sister figure Irina.
  • He joined BLADE because he has a thing for her, but all the crap she gets has effectively turned her off of men. Not only does she only think of him as a little brother, some of his habits have lead her to suspect he's a masochist.
  • It's also heavily implied that Irina is smitten with Elma in at least two of her heart-to-hearts and Irina's post fight banter with her. The only other person Irina potentially shows interest in is Rook, regardless of gender. If female, Irina will remark on her looks and assume she's a Dude Magnet. Whereas if Rook is a male, Irina says she'd like to invite him out for a drink - further diminishing Gwin's chances with her.
• New Meat: Despite having history serving under Elma back on earth, both his affinity missions and Party Banter implies that Gwin is the most inexperienced in combat of the core party members.
• Signature Move: Ultraslash and Grenade Blitz.
• Subordinate Excuse: Since he can't be with Irina on a personal level, he's content to serve under her on a professional one.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: Though his feelings for Irina are unrequited, he at least gets to have lunch with her during the game's ending. Except...
• Yank the Dog's Chain: It gets interrupted by Murderess showing up and trying to stick Irina with her bill. Irina objects and storms after her, leaving Gwin behind and stuck having to pay all three of their bills.

Lao (spoilers)

Lao Huang

Class: Partisan Eagle
Division: Pathfinder
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese) and Matthew Mercer (English)

Though outwardly calm and collected, conflicting emotions burn in Lao's heart. Hailed as BLADE's best marksman, he possesses even Elma's respect. He and Doug are war buddies with a lengthy history. Lao uses a Partisan Eagle style to engage in ranged combat while also keeping melee enemies at bay.

---

• And I Must Scream: After falling into the Lifehold's protoplasm pool with Luxaar, his DNA and consciousness gets mixed up with that of other animals and Luxaar's. Unfortunately, while he is able to speak, he is not in control of his body due to multiple consciousnesses fighting over it, forcing you to kill him not only to keep him from destroying what's left of the Lifehold, but put him out of his suffering.
• Bad Boss: Lead his own team to their deaths in chapter 9. Made worse by the fact that he his heart-to-hearts showed him training Shingo to survive and was the one who personally got each of them a spot on the White Whale.
• Blessed with Suck: His One-Winged Angel. He's a giant monster who can't control his own body.
• Body Horror: The chimera he gets turned into after falling into the protoplasm pool with Luxaar is a hideous amalgamation of several creatures, which he isn't even the dominant conscience of. For instance, not only does he have multiple animal heads all over his right arm, he's also got Luxaar's face on the palm of his left hand due to his DNA getting mixed in the protoplasm after dissolving in it.
• Cold Sniper: His weapon style and overall personality.
• Crusading Widower: Lao, a party member, became The Mole in revenge for losing his family after they were denied passage on the White Whale.
• Death Seeker: He expresses regret that he is not able to join his family. Even with the Lifehold mainframe being destroyed and being killed after being turned into a chimera, it seems that somehow, he's still not getting his wish.
• Despair Event Horizon: Poor Lao undergoes two; first when his wife and daughter are not allowed on board the White Whale and a second after learning that Erza and the Committee lied to everyone about their original bodies.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Big time. He decides to help the Ganglion wipe out what's left of humanity just because he was lied to by the higher ups at BLADE, who falsely assured him that his wife and daughter would be given passage on the White Whale.
• Easily Forgiven: Averted. Even if he's proven to be remorseful for his betrayal of humanity, the rest of BLADE says he still needs to own up to his crimes, and after his mimeosome-turned-chimera is killed, they think letting him die is getting off too easy.
• Eye Awaken: In The Stinger.
• Eyes Do Not Belong There: As a chimera, he has a giant eye on his right shoulder.
• Final Boss: Of the main story after becoming a chimeroid.
• Forced Transformation: Ends up getting fused with Luxaar, leader of the Ganglion faction (along with the DNA of several other animals), after stabbing him in the back - figuratively and literally, and falling into the Lifehold's genetic protoplasm vat when the Lifehold's security went haywire and started making chimeras.
• Heel–Face Turn: After he's spared despite revealing himself as a traitor, he backstabs Luxaar after coming to the far-less complicated conclusion that ultimately, his family would be alive if the Ganglion just didn't attack Earth, and not because his family wasn't chosen to board the White Whale. He's also willing to die after getting turned into a chimera for the sake of saving humanity's remnants.
• Heel Realization: It takes Lin directly sympathizing with his pain of being lied to but refusing to go to his extremes to make him realize that he was making his nihilistic crusade rather selfish. This eventually leads to his Heel–Face Turn.
• I Cannot Self-Terminate: After getting mutated he begs the party to kill him as he can not control his own body.
• Image Song: So nah, so fern is Lao's theme as it plays only in scenes Lao is involved in.
• It's All About Me: He betrays humanity to the Ganglion after finding out that his family was purposefully left behind on Earth. Despite the virtual guarantee that most of the other inhabitants of the White Whale also lost family and friends when Earth was destroyed (likely in the same way he did), he ignores this and prioritizes his own grief over everyone else's desire to survive.
• Javelin Thrower: Uses Javelins as his melee weapons, which he can throw at enemies.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: He somehow discovered that he was being lied to and learned that his family wasn't chosen to go aboard the White Whale, causing him to turn against humanity and join the Ganglion.
• The Mole: He's a spy for the Ganglion as he didn't take kindly to the fact that some humans were hand picked to board the ark ships leaving his family and others to die on Earth. He also didn't react so kindly to the fact that their original bodies died with Earth.
• Mutually Exclusive Party Members: To Celica and Mia, on account of Lao being lost before the two can be recruited. Further ironic as there is a discovered, but unused post-battle interaction between him and Celica.
  Celica: Lao, Rock tells me he enjoyed watching you at target practice.
  Lao: Really? I'm nothing special, but he's welcome to swing by again.
• One-Man Army: As stated by his squadmates, Lao does all the actual fighting for his Pathfinder team.
• One-Winged Angel: He is forced to mutate after falling into the Lifehold's genetic protoplasm vat when the Lifehold's security went haywire and started making chimeras and initiating the final battle for humanity's survival.
• Not Quite Dead: Despite being killed during the final battle, the ending scene shows Lao's body washed up on a beach, followed by his eye opening.
• Painful Transformation: Lao was screaming when he mutated into a Chimeroid.
  Lao: What's happening? It's like... all of the life on Earth... is flowing inside me... UWAAAARRRRRRRRGGHH!!!
• Pay Evil unto Evil: After making his Heel–Face Turn he impales Luxaar. Luxaar tries to call Lao out for his betrayal, to which Lao reminds Luxaar that since he was responsible for Earth's destruction he hates him more than anything in the universe, and that he was a fool to not expect a traitor to turn on him.
• Permanently Missable Content: He'll be rendered inaccessible once the player starts Chapter 9. Though his Affinity Missions and his Arts are mandatory to proceed through the story and thus avert this trope, his Heart to Hearts aren't (though they don't count for survey progress).
• Redemption Equals Death: He ultimately turns on Luxaar, but this ultimately results in him getting mutated into a chimera and mercy-killed by his former allies. This is subverted when it's eventually revealed that he's not permanently dead as mentioned above.
• Screw You, Elves!: Lao's argument with Elma is this in Chapter 11. Lao argues that the Awful Truth of Project Exodus justifies his actions and he wants to explain more of it to the party, Elma doesn't want to hear any of it and Lao agrees and decides to fight them instead of giving them the data that contains the location of the Lifehold Core.
  Lao: "You wouldn't wanna hear this, would you? Or have them hear it. Fair enough. Let's go."
• Signature Move: Balance Breaker and Afterburner.
• Straw Nihilist: Lao is the first BLADE member to learn the truth behind the White Whale, the fact that most humans who were chosen to board it were actually due to their financial or political connections. That fact that his wife and daughter was left behind on earth drove Lao into despair becoming a Death Seeker who wanted to kill humanity along with himself.
• Tempting Fate: One of Lao's teammates, Saiden, is aware that every human is a mimeosome and bravely boasts that he won't run from his duty even in the face of imminent danger. Saiden is unknowingly betrayed and led to a tragic death by Lao.
  Saiden: "I'm just a mimeosome, right? Why not die for BLADE?"
• Trauma Button: Mentioning family, in any context, is his. Lin accidentally brings them up once in casual conversation, causing Lao to walk off right away. He also reacts to a Ma-non who says their family will be overjoyed to feast on ten pizzas.
• Walking Spoiler:Everything about him starting after Chapter 9 is a spoiler.
• What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Another reason why Lao betrays humanity is that he learns everyone's original bodies died when the Earth was destroyed, and what's in the Lifehold Core controlling the Mimeosomes are digitized consciousnesses. This causes him to feel that no one in New LA is human, thus not "real", and thus not deserving to live. The only exception is Lin, whose innocence he feels is genuine enough, and this later causes him to reevaluate what he feels about the other Mimeosomes as well.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Lao gets it from the entire team when they confront him after he breaks into the restricted hangar and prepares to steal the Ares, along with the Lifehold data. But he evades their questioning and delivers a 'what the hell' of his own, at Elma, since she knew he was a Ganglion spy and chose not to tell the others.
• Willfully Weak: Very possibly so in the final battle. Considering he was fused with the incredible power of The Vita and the aggressive nature of the Chimera, the chimeric Lao should be far more destructive than he is. The fact that he tells Lin he doesn't want to be the final nail in humanity's coffin further suggests he is holding back so you can kill him.
• With Friends Like These...: Vandham mentions Lao is only reliable (quote): "when he gives a damn". During one of his first affinity missions, he leaves Doug to handle an assignment they were supposed to do together, by himself. Later, he bails on his own crew and in chapter 9 he sets Elma's team up to be ambushed by the Wrothians.

Doug

Doug Barrett

Class: Blast Fencer+
Division: Harrier
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese) and Patrick Seitz (English)

A member of BLADE and a skilled fighter, especially at piloting Skells. Once served in the US Army alongside Lao.

---

• All Love Is Unrequited: Seems to have a crush on Hope, but she doesn't seem to notice.
• BFG: He uses Rayguns as his ranged weapon instead of the Blast Fencer's default Psycho Launcher.
• The Big Guy: Made apparent the moment you see him, as he's a towering wall of muscle beneath all that armor. Which Elma says is a good thing, since he's Lin's test pilot for the Skell flight system she developed.
  Elma: [to Lin] It's not like you to flub a flight check. It's a good thing you had a rugged pilot, like Doug, at the controls.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Doug takes pride in his work as a Harrier, especially when he's taking on bigger Indigens. He gets real fired up.
  Doug: I was just lookin' for a worthy opponent.
• Bruiser with a Soft Center: During the "A Girl's Wings" interlude mission, Vandam mentions that Doug has been injured during flight tests for Lin. Yet, despite his complaints, he always comes back because she has him wrapped around her little finger.
• Combat Medic: Astral Horizon is an aura that grants AoE to Astral Heal and Astral Purge, as long as it's active. Thereby allowing Doug to heal the entire party, or cleanse them of debuffs.
• Combat Pragmatist: Though he may enjoy a good fight, he isn't above stacking the odds in his favor by either using debuffs, or suggesting his teammates use them.
  Doug: [ranged draw soul voice] "Eeev~veryone knows you weaken your opponent first."
  Doug: [appendage crush soul voice] "Crush an appendage and cripple the enemy! That's Harrier style!"
• Commander Contrarian: In Chapter 12, Doug is the only member of the party who doesn't take it well that their human bodies were never brought from Earth.
• Cool Car: His Heart-to-Heart encounters eventually reveal he saved up to buy a really snazzy sports car, but wishes he could push the machine up to higher speeds than the NLA speed limits allow. BLADE members get hit with harsher fines for breaking the laws.
• Crash-Into Hello: Literally. You first meet him after he crash lands his Skell during a flight test for Lin.
• Difficult, but Awesome:
  • Doug's utility comes at a steep cost, since roughly half his skillset are TP arts that each require 1,000 apiece. So without a constant supply of TP, he's effectively stymied. However, this deficiency is easily circumvented by pairing him with a teammate who has Last Stand^note gives all allies, excluding the caster, 2,000 TP apiece.
  • TP arts also require a reasonably high potential stat to be effective. So he'll also need weapons and armor with Potential Up and Potential Boost traits + augments, to get the most out of "Starlight Duster". At that point, he'll buzzsaw through virtually any enemy you put in front of him.
• Heroic BSoD: He has temporary one after reaching the Lifehold Core and learning that all of their original human bodies died with Earth and merely had their memories and consciousness digitized and stored in a database before being given new bodies created from the protoplasm. What troubles him is that the new bodies they might get don't personally identify as their own bodies.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: To Lao, the two having been inseparable during their military days.
• Hopeless Suitor: To Hope.
• Laser Blade: Photon sabers are his melee weapon of choice.
• Nice Guy: Despite his complaints, he willing serves as Lin's Skell Pilot test-dummy because he has faith that she'll eventually get her Flight Module to work.
• Put on a Bus: Doug is frequently restricted during story missions, usually due to being called on assignment elsewhere. Such as chapter 8, when Vandham orders Doug's unit to remain on "standby" during the Ganglion's attack on NLA.
• Red Mage: Both by default as a Blast Fencer and due to having the most diverse skillset, excluding Rook. Doug can fill virtually any role the player needs - from team medic, to all-out frontline assault, or ranged support by using buffs and debuffs.
• Signature Move: Starlight Duster and Phenomenon.
• Spectacular Spinning: The "Starfall" series uses full-body spins and somersaults that can be linked to form elaborate melee combos. But Doug's signature skill ("Starlight Duster") is a 9-hit vortex of whirling blades all on its own.
• Undying Loyalty: To Lao, whom he's served with since their Army days back on Earth. Doug often covers for Lao whenever he fails to show for a mission, and maintains his loyalty to him even when Elma expresses her concerns that Lao may be a Ganglion spy.
  Doug: [to Rook] "What about you, Rook? You think he's a spy?"
  [Rook nods "yes"]
  Doug: "Even if it's true, he's still saved our bacon plenty of times. We should at least give him a chance to explain himself. We owe him that much!"
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Doug takes on extremely dangerous missions so that he can earn enough money to pay off his parents debts. He's fully aware that he doesn't have to do it, but he honors their memory by doing it anyway.

L

L (Ru) [Full Name: L'cirufe]

Class: Shield Trooper+
Division: Wanderer
Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (Japanese) and Ray Chase (English)

A native of planet Mira. Though eerily statuesque by human standards, L's looks offer a sharp contrast to his whimsical speech and folksy personality. His immense knowledge has gained him the trust of both Nagi and Vandham. L gives equal support to all comrades, no matter where they hail from. He uses a unique style based on the Shield Trooper class.

---

• Anthropomorphic Personification: Concept Art features characters similar to L and may be the same race as him whom seems to resemble the continents of Mira such as Sylvalum, Oblivia, and Primordia. It is possible L represents Noctilum.
• Amusing Alien: He's an alien who has an... odd grasp of the English language due to being Taught by Television and is a major Cloudcuckoolander.
• Blunt Metaphors Trauma: As a result of teaching himself English, he regularly mangles human sayings. He's at least close enough that everyone understands what he was trying to say.
• Cloudcuckoolander: His fascination with humans can be taken to outlandish levels.
• Dark Is Not Evil: His name "L'cirufe" is an anagram of "Lucifer" and he is one of the protagonists. This is especially noticeable of his Origin◊ Form.
• Gadgeteer Genius: The end result of one of his sub-quests is a device that allows you to add augments to your equipment. His final Heart-To-Heart has him talking with a businessman with the interest in marketing a jelly made from Miran fruits that contains no calories at all.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: L, unlike every other playable character, is not a member of BLADE and yet he is also able to pilot a Skell without any issue. Interestingly enough, he is also part of Elma's assault team in Chapter 12 as well despite not being a BLADE. He's also capable of using Overdrive despite the implications that it's a function of the Mimeosome bodies and L being flesh and blood.
• Gentle Giant: He towers over most people, but he's mostly a lovable goofball.
• Green-Skinned Space Babe: Although he's more of a bluish-green shade.
• Happy Dance: He shows off his moves after defeating Luxaar in the last chapter, by the end of the L's Conundrum affinity mission, and upon finding him at a later heart-to-heart moment.
• How Do You Say: Tends to say this before taking a crack at a human expression. He's usually "close enough".
• Large Ham: While not overly bombastic in personality, L speaks in a rather theatrical manner. This is especially evident in battle, where his Soul Voices and attack calls tend to be quite over-the-top.
  L: [using Shooting Star] Shooting Staaaaar!
  L: [Soul Voice for ranged Art] We floated like butterflies. Now you sting like bees!
• Little Bit Beastly: He's a blue goat-humanoid.
• Louis Cypher: "L'cirufe" is an anagram of "Lucifer". His name and the goat-like horns are as far as the trope goes though.
• Mysterious Stranger: Very little about him is made clear. He never elaborates on what species he is, no one knows him even though he's been on Mira for seemingly a very long time and he doesn't seem to be affected by Mira's universal translation magic, as he had to learn English/Ma-Non/Nopon/etc on his own. His name is also an anagram of Lucifer and he has a big obsession with knowledge.
• One-Letter Name: Ru in Japanese and L in English and no he is not from Death Note.
• Out of Focus: Despite being a plot-related party member, L is largely divorced from the main plot for majority of the game. In fact, his first affinity mission can't even be done until after the 10th chapter of the game, well into the third and final act. Though given that he is the one main character who isn't an actual member of BLADE, it does make sense. He's brought along for the final mission even though his participation contributes nothing to it.
• Royal "We": Makes his nature more strange and mysterious as he often refers to himself as "we" and "our," though he has used "I" and "my" at least once or twice within his spoken dialogue.
• Rubber-Forehead Aliens: Aside from the horns, hair and skin color, L has the same appearance as a human male.
• Signature Move: Mindstorm and Dual Dynamo.
• Spell My Name With An S: He's named Ru in the Japanese version, which could also be transliterated as Lu/R/L, leading to L.
• Taught by Television: Learned English and human culture from a downloaded archive of the Library of Congress.
• Vague Age: His exact age is unknown.

---