History BaseBreakingCharacter / TrailsSeries

* Claire Rieveldt fell into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. One side of the fandom considers her a compelling, morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and a legitimate reason to stick by Osborne. This same side also tends to like her dynamic with Rean, wishing she'd become an official romance option. The other side, however, hates her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale coming across as wearing thin and ultimately unsympathetic[[note]]especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context[[/note]]. As such, these fans feel that she, like Lechter, was let off the hook too easily and should've been given comeuppance instead. There is also some debate as to whether she is well-written in her own right or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] due to {{Creator/Falcom}} both underutilizing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

!!VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesKuroNoKiseki
* After ''Kuro II'' came out in Japan, Swin fell here thanks to him [[spoiler:suddenly [[FaceHeelTurn betraying the group]] by stealing the fragments of the final Oct-Genesis from Van, gives them to Garden-Master who has the final piece, and steals all but the first Oct-Genesis from Agnes due to the final piece calling out to the rest of the pieces and that's only because Van transforms as Grendel to snag the last one.]] While he does explain his reasons for betraying the group by [[spoiler:making sure that Garden-Master is actually Ace and not just some guy hijacking his body, it's clear that Nadia was heartbroken by the ordeal.]]

* After ''Kuro II'' came out in Japan, Swin fell here thanks to him [[spoiler:suddenly [[FaceHeelTurn betraying the group]] by stealing the fragments of the final Oct-Genesis from Van, gives them to Garden-Master who has the final piece, and steals all but the first Oct-Genesis from Agnes due to the final piece calling out to the rest of the pieces and that's only because Van transforms as Grendel to snag the last one.]] While he does explain his reasons for betraying the group by [[spoiler:making sure that Garden-Master is actually Ace and not just some guy hijacking his body, it's clear that Nadia was heartbroken by the ordeal.]] This doesn't even touch upon the fact that [[ScrappyLevel Act 3 happens]] ''because of Swin's actions'' where [[spoiler:a bunch of people were handed out the rest of the Oct-Genesis and amplify their worst traits, making Act 3 a long FetchQuest to reacquire the other Oct-Genesis.]]

With a long history, a diverse cast, and at least four arcs in the series, there are bound to be characters that fans [[BaseBreakingCharacter have a love or hate relationship towards.]]

* Crow is also very polarizing due to how EasilyForgiven he was by Rean and the others for his actions as leader of the Imperial Liberation Front. Those who hate him think the story tries to downplay his crimes which among other things, started the civil war that makes up the bulk of the second game. On the other hand, those who like him think the game makes it clear Crow is a villain, as he still helps Duke Cayenne and the Noble Alliance during the civil war after Osborne's presumed death, and instead take issue with Rean and the rest of Class VII for being so lenient with Crow. These fans think Class VII has incredibly SkewedPriorities, which Crow calls them out on when they try to bring him back. His situation has also been compared to other characters in the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' such as [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Renne and Joshua]], with people pointing out how [[FranchiseOriginalSin forgiveness has always been a theme in the franchise]] given that Estelle forgave those two for their actions as Enforcers of Ouroboros. However, there are also fans who see the comparison of Crow's situation to those two as a false equivalence due to the differences in their situations, such as how Renne and Joshua were much younger than Crow when they joined Ouroboros, and how Joshua was brainwashed by Weissman, whereas Crow's actions as C were of his own free will. One the other hand, people often site his acknowledgement of his role as a villain, his attempts to bring the war to an end as quickly as possible to "clean up the mess he created" and his willingness to atone for his actions as points in his favor. Take note that this mainly applies to the Western fanbase just like Rean because as of ''Cold Steel IV'', he's the ''second'' most popular character of the series, right behind Rean [[https://i.imgur.com/4NKTaSP.jpg according to the popularity polls]]. In fact, he has ''two times'' the number of votes compared to the character in third place (Altina) in the ''Cold Steel IV'' popularity poll.
* Juna Crawford is a unique example in that her personality and gameplay role are generally well-liked, her divisiveness comes from ''how'' she's integrated into the story and its effects on the writing. Juna [[RememberTheNewGuy is established as not only a die-hard fan of Crossbell's Special Support Section, but someone they consider a trusted friend and ally, despite not appearing in Zero or Azure at all]]. (Until remakes added a cameo) To detractors, this spits in the face of the series' focus on WorldBuilding and they feel Falcom should've instead had an actual recurring Crossbell NPC be PromotedToPlayable. Others don't mind, and point out that the series has used retcons before, that there was plenty of time for the SSS to meet her during one of Azure's many time-skips, or believe her character makes up for these aspects. There's a third camp who meet in the middle: feeling Juna simply being a FanGirl of the SSS would make sense, but that the SSS treating her as an HonoraryTrueCompanion is too much. Ash gets similar reactions for being a hitherto unknown Hamel survivor, though not to the same extent.
* Claire fell into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. One side of the fandom considers her to be a compelling morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and a legitimate reason to stick by Osborne. This side also tends to like her dynamic with Rean, to the point of wishing that she'd been made an official romance option. The other side, however, hates her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale being seen as wearing thin and ultimately unsympathetic[[note]]especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context[[/note]]. As such, these fans feel as though she, like Lechter, was let off the hook too easily, and should've been given comeuppance instead. There is also some debate as to whether she is well-written in her own right or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] due to {{Creator/Falcom}} both underutilizing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

* Machias can be considered this. Some love his [[{{Tsundere}} tsundere-like antics]] and his [[HoYay banter with Jusis]] while others hate him for ''the same reason'', calling him a massive whiner. Do note that his whole feud with Jusis started because of his out-of-nowhere rambling on how he hated nobles and Jusis playing the typical noble role quite aggressively, which aggravated Machias on several occasions. However, his meltdown in Chapter 2, his justified reasons for hating nobles, and his usefulness combat-wise (if played right) gained him quite a few fans -- though he still has detractors due to how forced and rushed the resolution at the end of Chapter 2 feels for some.

* Josette Capua. Story-wise, she starts as an antagonist and still acts abrasive even after her HeelFaceTurn, is mostly a {{Tsundere}} who's in "Tsun" mode 90% of the time, and has a petty rivalry with Estelle over Joshua. (Contrast with Kloe, who also likes Joshua [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy but is far less obnoxious about it and doesn't hate Estelle]]) That being said, many fans sympathize with her circumstances and find her dynamic with Estelle entertaining. Gameplay-wise, she's the biggest LowTierLetdown of the second game, joining very under-leveled halfway through the final dungeon, [[MasterOfNone being outclassed at everything she can do]], and not having an S-Craft until you complete an annoying mini-dungeon that she's mandatory for. In ''The 3rd'', she receives [[GameBreaker a ridiculously useful Remote Ability]], but Remote Abilities only work when characters aren't in your party to begin with.
* Ries Argent. While most fans warmed up to her and fondly recall the character, fans are split on her CharacterDevelopment or lack thereof. While she's the co-protagonist of ''The 3rd'', her withdrawn, somewhat stoic personality traits can make it harder to like her. It doesn't help she's a case of RememberTheNewGuy, and in a game all about celebrating the returning cast and their dynamics, she makes a point of keeping away from the group for about half the game. Compared to Kevin and his thoroughly-explored issues and backstory, Ries gets far less character focus. The characterization we do get is generally liked, but it's still debated if what's there is enough to flesh her out beyond her role as Kevin's best friend.
* In terms of antagonists, Luciola. In a game where every other Enforcer either has a deep backstory or falls under EvilIsCool or LoveToHate, many find her overall motivation ([[spoiler:she fell in love with her adoptive father figure, and when he understandably rejected her, she killed him]]) a bit of a letdown after all the buildup to it, and find her sympathetic treatment by the party [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic unjustified]]. It doesn't help that she re-uses [[FlunkyBoss Jubokko and Zaqqum]] for ''all'' her encounters, with neither of them changing much. On the other hand, she has her fans for the development and backstory she gives Schera, along with her MsFanservice design.

* Lloyd is either one of the most normal characters of the series that fans can relate to or a hypocrite who makes a ton of choices, and the games actually try to paint him as that everything he says and does is always correct even though logically what he proposes doesn't work.
* The Wellspring Alchemist, the ultimate BigBad of ''Azure'', is a contentious character. Many love them for their plans, abilities, surprise reveal [[spoiler: as Mariabell Crois and sexy EvilCostumeSwitch]], while others find their ultimate motives weak despite the build up and feel [[spoiler: Dieter]], who had much clearer ideological reasons for their actions, should have been the sole BigBad. And that isn't even getting into [[spoiler: their relationship with Elie, which has some fans appreciating the LesYay while others finding it creepily one-sided and non-consensual]]. Their appearance in ''Cold Steel IV'' is even more contentious, with some feeling their actions as an antagonist don't amount to much more than [[MotiveDecay messing with the SSS for fun]]. It doesn't help that they inherited the position in Ouroboros formerly held by [[LoveToHate fan-favorite villain]] Weissman, and are frequently compared to him in later arcs in a manner some feel is undue CharacterShilling.

* Machias can be considered this. Some love his [[{{Tsundere}} tsundere-like antics]] and his [[HoYay banter with Jusis]] while others hate him for ''the exact same reason'', calling him massive whiner. Do note that his whole feud with Jusis started because of his rather out-of-nowhere rambling on how he hated nobles and Jusis playing the typical noble role quite aggressively, which aggravated Machias on several occasions. However, his meltdown in chapter 2, his rather justifed reasons for hating nobles and his usefulness combat-wise (if played right) gained him quite a few fans -- although he still has some detractors due to how forced and rushed the resolution at the end of chapter 2 feels for some, though.
* Some people love Jusis' cool and detached attitude and his massive CharacterDevelopment throughout the series. Others dislike him for being haughty, arrogant, and his amounts of angst throughout the second game.
* Possibly the most polarizing character among Class VII is Alisa. Her detractors point to her as an overly-cliched anime girl whose {{Tsundere}} tendencies and PervertRevengeMode reaction to Rean's clearly accidental FunbagAirbag moment at the start of the first game make her wholly unlikable (the fact that Rean/Alisa tends to be pushed as the closest thing to an OfficialCouple the game has doesn't help). Her defenders will typically point out that her {{Tsundere}} actions get toned way down after the first chapter of the first game and that she does admit to an overreaction and apologizes for her slap. However, despite all this, Alisa herself actually does well in popularity polls and is especially popular in Japan as seen with the ''Cold Steel III'' popularity poll where she came in at 3rd place right behind Rean and Altina respectively.
* As for protagonists, Rean is a general base breaker for the ''Trails'' fans among the Western fanbase. Either his entire character arc is interesting, complex, and his angst are thoroughly justified, or he's a whiny, {{Wangst}} driven teenager whose past compared to the other characters in the ''Trails'' franchise comes off as dull and uninspired. The sheer number of women in love with him is another major point of contention, some love it for all the {{Shipping}} potential, while others find it unrealistic and feel it relegates potentially interesting characters to [[SatelliteLoveInterest Satellite Love Interests]]. Then there's his insistence in wanting [[spoiler: Crow back to the academy, never mind the latter assassinating the highest official of the empire.]] Is it thoroughly justified for Rean to wanting to bring him back to atone for the crimes that he's committed just like the other protagonists before him[[note]]Estelle adopting Joshua and Renne as siblings, never mind both being former Ouroboros members, Kevin abandoning Ries in her time of need after he accidentally kills her older sister, or Lloyd forgiving Ian for shooting his brother.[[/note]] or are his reasons to bringing Crow back to the academy very flimsy and can come off as forceful, never mind the other guy being very insistent that he's doing all this on his own accord. The fact that he's the protagonist for a total of four games compared to his predecessors doesn't help his case. There's also the constant debate over whether Rean's writing flaws are the fault of or exasperated by the Bonding Point system, or whether he was a flawed concept from the start regardless of its existence. Though many fans now do think that Rean's angst are justifiable at the end of ''Cold Steel II'' and '''especially''' ''Cold Steel III''. Although, keep in mind this is mostly for the Western fanbase. Rean is '''very''' popular on Japan, ranking third place in a post ''Cold Steel II'' poll with the characters of the ''entire franchise'', only being beaten by Olivier and Estelle. He is also comes in at '''first''' place in the ''Cold Steel III'' and ''Cold Steel IV'' popularity polls.

With a long history, a diverse cast, and at least four arcs in the series, there's bound to be characters that fans [[BaseBreakingCharacter have a love or hate relationship towards.]]

* Josette Capua. Story-wise, she starts out as an antagonist and still acts abrasive even after her HeelFaceTurn, is mostly a {{Tsundere}} who's in "Tsun" mode 90% of the time, and has a petty rivalry with Estelle over Joshua. (Contrast with Kloe, who also likes Joshua [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy but is far less obnoxious about it and doesn't hate Estelle]]) That being said, many fans sympathize with her circumstances and find her dynamic with Estelle entertaining. Gameplay-wise she's the biggest LowTierLetdown of the second game, joining very underleveled halfway through the final dungeon, [[MasterOfNone being outclassed at everything she can do]] and not having an S-Craft until you complete an annoying mini-dungeon that she's mandatory for. In ''The 3rd'', she receives [[GameBreaker a ridiculously useful Remote Ability]], but Remote Abilities only work when characters aren't in your party to begin with.
* Reis Argent. While most fans warmed up to her and fondly recall the character, fans are split on her CharacterDevelopment, or lack there of. While she's the co-protagonist of ''The 3rd'', her withdrawn, somewhat stoic personality traits can make it harder to like her. It doesn't help she's a case of RememberTheNewGuy and in a game all about celebrating the returning cast and their dynamics, she makes a point of keeping away from the group for about half the game. Compared to Kevin and his thoroughly-explored issues and backstory, Reis gets far less character focus. The characterization we do get is generally liked, but it's still debated if what's there is enough to flesh her out beyond her role as Kevin's best friend.
* In terms of antagonists, Luciola. In a game where every other Enforcer either has a deep backstory or falls under EvilIsCool or LoveToHate, many find her overall motivation ([[spoiler: she fell in love with her adoptive father figure, and when he understandably rejected her, she killed him]]) a bit of a letdown after all the buildup to it, and find her sympathetic treatment by the party [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic unjustified]]. It doesn't help that she re-uses [[FlunkyBoss Jubokko and Zaqqum]] for ''all'' her encounters, with neither of them changing much. On the other hand, she has her fans for the development and backstory she gives Schera, as well as her MsFanservice design.
* Erika Russel's antics are seen as either hilarious, or annoying, creepy and abusive. Being part of the Tita/Agate ShipTease by proxy also doesn't help matters.

* Lloyd is either one of the most normal characters of the series that fans can relate to or a hypocrite who makes a ton of choices and the games actually try to paint him as that everything he says and does is always correct even though logically what he proposes doesn't work.

* Possibly the most polarizing character among Class VII is Alisa. Her detractors point to her as an overly-cliched anime girl whose {{Tsundere}} tendencies and PervertRevengeMode reaction to Rean's clearly accidental FunbagAirbag moment at the start of the first game make her wholly unlikable (the fact that Rean/Alisa tends to be pushed as the closest thing to an OfficialCouple the game has doesn't help). Her defenders will typically point out that her {{Tsundere}} actions get toned way down after the first chapter of the first game and that she does admit to an overreaction and apologizes for her ArmorPiercingSlap. However, despite all this, Alisa herself actually does well in popularity polls and is especially popular in Japan as seen with the ''Cold Steel III'' popularity poll where she came in at 3rd place right behind Rean and Altina respectively.

* Claire fell into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. One side of the fandom considers her to be a compelling morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and a legitimate reason to stick by Osborne. This side also tends to like her dynamic with Rean, to the point of wishing that she'd been made an official romance option. The other side, however, hates her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale being seen as wearing thin and ultimately unsympathetic[[note]]especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context[[/note]]. As such, these fans feel as though she, like Lechter, was let off the hook too easily, and should've been given comeuppance instead. There is also some debate as to whether she is well-written in her own right or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] due to {{Creator/Falcom}} both underutilizing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

* Josette Capua. Story-wise, she starts out as an antagonist and still acts abrasive even after her HeelFaceTurn, is mostly a {{Tsundere}} who's in "Tsun" mode 90% of the time, and has a petty rivalry with Estelle over Joshua. (Contrast with Kloe, who also likes Joshua [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy but is far less obnoxious about it and doesn't hate Estelle]]) That being said, many fans sympathize with her circumstances and find her dynamic with Estelle entertaining. Gameplay-wise she's the biggest TierInducedScrappy of the second game, joining very underleveled halfway through the final dungeon, [[MasterOfNone being outclassed at everything she can do]] and not having an S-Craft until you complete an annoying mini-dungeon that she's mandatory for. In ''The 3rd'', she receives [[GameBreaker a ridiculously useful Remote Ability]], but Remote Abilities only work when characters aren't in your party to begin with.

* Claire falls into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. One side of the fandom considers her to be a compelling morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and a legitimate reason to stick by Osborne. This side also tends to like her dynamic with Rean, to the point of wishing that she'd been made an official romance option. The other side, however, hates her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale being seen as wearing thin and ultimately unsympathetic[[note]]especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context[[/note]]. As such, these fans feel as though she, like Lechter, was let off the hook too easily, and should've been given comeuppance instead. There is also some debate as to whether she is well-written in her own right or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] due to {{Creator/Falcom}} both underutilizing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

* Claire falls into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. Fans either find her a compelling morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and legitimate reason to stick by Osborne or like her dynamic with Rean, with some wishing that she'd be made a romance option, or they hate her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale being seen as ultimately wearing thin and unsympathetic[[note]]especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context[[/note]], and wish that she got some comeuppance for her actions rather than be let off the hook along with Lechter. There is also the debate whether she is a well-written character on her own right or ultimately a [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] characterization wise due to Falcom both underusing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

* Claire falls into this following ''Cold Steel III'' and her betrayal of the heroes. Fans either find her a compelling morally gray antagonist with a sympathetic backstory and legitimate reason to stick by Osborne or like her dynamic with Rean, with some wishing that she'd be made a romance option, or they hate her for sticking by Osborne even against all reason, with her justifications and rationale being seen as ultimately wearing thin and unsympathetic[[note: especially with Duvalie making a different and better choice under the same context]], and wish that she got some comeuppance for her actions rather than be let off the hook along with Lechter. There is also the debate whether she is a well-written character on her own right or ultimately a [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasted potential]] characterization wise due to Falcom both underusing her and not having her either fully commit to Osborne and the other Ironbloods or turn against him.

* Crow is also very polarizing due to how EasilyForgiven he was by Rean and the others for his actions as leader of the Imperial Liberation Front. Those who hate him think the story tries to downplay his crimes which among other things, started the civil war that makes up the bulk of the second game. On the other hand, those who like him think the game makes it clear Crow is a villain, as he still helps Duke Cayenne and the Noble Alliance during the civil war after Osborne's presumed death, and instead take issue with Rean and the rest of Class VII for being so lenient with Crow. These fans think Class VII has incredibly SkewedPriorities, which Crow calls them out on when they try to bring him back. His situation has also been compared to other characters in the ''VideoGame/TrailsSeries'' such as [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Renne and Joshua]], with people pointing out how [[FranchiseOriginalSin forgiveness has always been a theme in the franchise]] given that Estelle forgave those two for their actions as Enforcers of Ouroboros. However, there are also fans who see the comparison of Crow's situation to those two as a false equivalence due to the differences in their situations, such as how Renne and Joshua were much younger than Crow when they joined Ouroboros, and how Joshua was brainwashed by Weissman, whereas Crow's actions as C were of his own free will. One the other hand, people often site his acknowledgement of his role as a villain, his attempts to bring the war to an end as quickly as possible to "clean up the mess he created" and his willingness to atone for his actions as points in his favor. Take note that this mainly applies to the Western fanbase just like Rean because as of ''Cold Steel IV'', he's the ''second'' most popular character of the series, right behind Rean [[https://i.imgur.com/4NKTaSP.jpg according to the popularity polls]]. In fact, he has ''two times'' the number of votes compared to the character in third place (Altina) in the ''Cold Steel IV'' popularity poll.

* As for protagonists, Rean is a general base breaker for the ''Trails'' fans among the Western fanbase. Either his entire character arc is interesting, complex, and his angst are thoroughly justified, or he's a whiny, {{Wangst}} driven teenager whose past compared to the other characters in the ''Trails'' franchise comes off as dull and uninspired. Then there's his insistence in wanting [[spoiler: Crow back to the academy, never mind the latter assassinating the highest official of the empire.]] Is it thoroughly justified for Rean to wanting to bring him back to atone for the crimes that he's committed just like the other protagonists before him[[note]]Estelle adopting Joshua and Renne as siblings, never mind both being former Ouroboros members, Kevin abandoning Ries in her time of need after he accidentally kills her older sister, or Lloyd forgiving Ian for shooting his brother.[[/note]] or are his reasons to bringing Crow back to the academy very flimsy and can come off as forceful, never mind the other guy being very insistent that he's doing all this on his own accord. The fact that he's the protagonist for a total of four games compared to his predecessors doesn't help his case. Though many fans now do think that Rean's angst are justifiable at the end of ''Cold Steel II'' and '''especially''' ''Cold Steel III''. Although, keep in mind this is mostly for the Western fanbase. Rean is '''very''' popular on Japan, ranking third place in a post ''Cold Steel II'' poll with the characters of the ''entire franchise'', only being beaten by Olivier and Estelle. He is also comes in at '''first''' place in the ''Cold Steel III'' and ''Cold Steel IV'' popularity polls.

With a long history, a diverse cast, and at least four arcs in the series, there's bound to be characters that fans have a love or hate relationship towards.