History Characters / Sunrider

** The fourth game starts with Kayto disheveled with shoulder-length hair and PermaStubble, reflecting the drunken depression he's fallen into in the six years since ''Liberation Day''.

-->'''Kayto:''' But if all our shields are generated by cruisers, a fleet of smaller craft can… Relay a message to the Alliance fleet. Prepare for Anti-[[AMechByAnyOtherName ryder]] combat.\\
'''Ava:''' Sir?\\
'''Kayto:''' Do it now. (...) Form a defensive line in front of the shield cruisers! [[ZergRush The prototypes intend to sacrifice all their ryders to take them out]]!

* IJustWantToBeNormal: A downplayed example. Chigara is both a skilled Ryder pilot and a brilliant scientist whose inventions could be worth a fortune if she sold them, but all she really wants is to open a bakery and raise a family.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: She becomes this for Kayto toward the end of ''Mask of Arcadius'', giving him the emotional support he needs to keep going after the Legion's latest attack brings him to the brink of despair.

* HomoeroticSubtext: With Kryska. The two of them quickly form a close friendship, leading some members of the crew to speculate that their relationship isn't strictly platonic. They shower together after the intro to ''Liberation Day'', for example. Icari denies the idea that there's anything between them vociferously, much like she denies her attraction to Kayto. There's even an achievement (called "What are you implying?", appropriately enough) unlocked by having the two of them end their turns next to each other every turn for a mission.

* AlternateSelf: In her ''Sunrider 4'' ending, [[spoiler:she states that there are countless other versions of herself running around throughout time and space, pursuing their own agendas. She implies that the Claude who orchestrated the ''[RE]Turn'' scenario was one of these alternate Claudes]].

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:She was working with Alpha and the prototypes up until the Liberation Day Massacre, when the slaughter convinces her to cut ties with them and work only for Kayto]].

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:Her true name is Canon, and she represents the {{Railroading}} of the series. The only reason the story exists is because of her intervention -- whether direct or indirect -- on multiple occasions, including the return of Crow Harbor. Without her, the universe would be nothing more than a bunch of what-if scenarios, so she's making sure there can be only one route the player can go despite the options.]]

* ShipperOnDeck: For Kayto and Icari in ''[RE]turn'', once she gets past her initial shock of learning they're even a thing.

* AscendedMeme: Her character sprite in the first two games often faced away from the player, which often emphasized her rear - especially when in her pilot suit. Every game after ''Mask of Arcadius'' not only ran with continuing this, but had spin-offs like ''Sunrider Academy'' describe her as having a [[HartmanHips rather ample backside]] that Kayto wonders if she's showing off deliberately or not.

* BigBad: Collectively they are this.

The leader of PACT, a masked former revolutionary who aspires to conquer the galaxy.

* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Tries to force [[spoiler:Asaga]] to marry him to gain control of the secrets of ancient Ryuvia.
* ArtificialHuman: [[spoiler:The current Arcadius is one of the Prototypes.]]

* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler:The real Arcadius has been dead since the end of the PACT Revolution that had toppled the New Empire. The "Arcadius" that you fight is actually Alice Ashada and her proxies.]]

* EvilOverlord: As the leader of PACT.

* GalacticConqueror: Plots to conquer all Alliance worlds and other worlds under the guise of “liberation”.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: When unmasked, he’s the only character in the game to have facial scars, and is unquestionably a villain.

* TheHeavy: He’s the one who leads the enemy force of PACT. [[spoiler:And even though she’s technically working for Alpha, she’s the one who actively antagonizes the heroes. She also betrays her cohorts to destroy humanity.]]
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: He was once a heroic revolutionary fighting against the [[TheEmpire New Empire]], and wants to free the galaxy from the evils of imperialism [[spoiler:and [[HumansAreBastards humanity]]]]. But by the time of the game, he’s become a tyrannical, bloodthirsty EvilOverlord GalacticConqueror.

* IAmLegion: [[spoiler:She has an army of {{Expendable Clone}}s of herself, all of whom [[HiveMind share a single mind]].]]
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: [[spoiler:When she discovers her true nature, her response is to ''blow up her home planet of Diode.'']]

* LegacyCharacter: [[spoiler:The original Arcadius died some time before the story begins, with Alice (and her proxies) having taken up his mantle.]]

* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:"He" is revealed to be a woman under that mask. Specifically, Chigara’s “sister” of sorts.]]

* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:To Alpha.]]

* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:The ''[RE]turn'' scenario and ''Sunrider: Veniczar'' suggests that Alice was raised to believe she was an ordinary human and the daughter of Project Paradox’s director. When she discovered the truth (and learned that she was going to be replaced), [[SanitySlippage she lost her mind]] [[SelfMadeOrphan and killed her “father” with her bare hands]].]]

* WalkingSpoiler: Difficult to discuss without revealing a whole number of spoilers related to Arcadius’ true identity.

Due to the length of the series and the amount of time that has passed between installments, '''Spoilers for ''Mask of Arcadius'' will be unmarked. You Have Been Warmed.'''

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: He can adopt this attitude near the end of ''Mask Of Arcadius'' [[spoiler: refusing to let Ava sacrifice herself to take down the Legion, outright declaring that he doesn't care if he dooms humanity, he will ''not'' lose her. His eventual failure to save Chigara in ''Liberation Day'' severely worsen this need and, well into ''The Captian's Return'', he outright descends into rabid desperation by attempting a nanite-infusion that would kill him in order to save his crew from Crow Harbor]].

* IAmTheNoun: Inverted, as it's another character's describing of Kayto. [[spoiler: In the endgame of ''The Captian's Return'', Kayto has the Maray outrun the shockwave of a newly-born star after launching a bomb into it that devastates a huge chunk of the PACT fleet. In the wake of his defeat, Fontana bitterly notes that Kayto "rode the sun to victory" and has ''become'' "the Sunrider" - shifting the title of the game from being the name of Kayto's ship to his own personal epithet]].
* IHatePastMe: In ''[RE]turn'', a temporally-displaced Kayto quickly grows exasperated with how his past self refuses to even consider the possibility that [[spoiler:Chigara is a Prototype spy]], and apologizes to Ava for his past bullheadedness.[[spoiler:His mainstream self likewise grows into this mindset during ''The Captian's Return'', apologizing to his crew over where his need for validation led them all]].

** In ''The Captian's Return'', Lynn accuses Kayto of being a selfish glory hound who's endangering the lives of his crew on a foolhardy hunt for [[spoiler:Crow Harbor]] because punching out the big bad warlord will restore his tattered reputation - both in other's eyes and his own. He ends up affirming as much in a moment of weakness when backed into a corner, [[spoiler:preparing to take a dangerous nanite injection while ranting that he's going to take Crow down and show his detractors that ''he'' is the savior of humanity. While Ava does manage to pull him back from the edge, owning up to it ultimately takes Asaga nearly killing herself to rescue Kayto from his back-to-back captures by Fontana and the Prototypes, with Kayto confessing to a bedridden Asaga that he'd used them all as a means of rebuilding his own pedestal]].

* TheStrategist: An understated example, but his tactical acumen ends up saving the day more than once in cutscenes; of course, whether his tactics are as brilliant during gameplay will depend on the player's skill.
** [[spoiler:He practically saves the Alliance during the battle of Far Port, realizing that Cullen is used to relying on overwhelming force and unprepared to deal with a decapitating strike. He then does it again at the battle of Cera, cluing in to the enemy fleet's plan to destroy the shield generators using a wave of ryders.]]

* TookALevelInJerkass: In ''[RE]turn'', where his past self refuses to believe the increasingly obvious truth of [[spoiler:Chigara]] being a spy and antagonizes any crew members who confront him about it, instead accusing [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong future Kayto]] of being the [[spoiler:Prototype]] spy. ''The Captian's Return'' has him also dip into moments of this, the game itself starting with Kayto as a bitter alcoholic miner on a backwater world who feels everyone has abandoned him.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In ''Sunrider 4'', [[spoiler:after the Prototypes free Kayto from PACT's clutches, Omega offers him everything he's ever wanted: the most powerful starship in the galaxy, the slavish adoration of herself and the other Prototypes, and the chance to defeat all his enemies, save all his friends, and fix all his past mistakes. All of this can be his, if only he gives the word]]. Kayto is sorely tempted by this offer after everything he's been through, but he refuses.

-->'''Kayto:''' I wanted to win... I wanted to win! Against Crow! Against Fontana! Against Canon! I felt... so weak! So... useless! Then I thought... if only I had power! Then I wouldn't be like this! I wouldn't be weak! I wanted power. Power to change everything! Because there's so much I want to change! So much... so much that needs... to change. But...! I can't! I... I just... can't! ...! ... ... ... I want to return home. Let me go. If you truly serve me, release me.

* HeroicSacrifice: Depending on her choices, [[spoiler:you can inspire her to do this to allow the Sunrider to destroy the Legion]].

* ArrangedMarriage: In two different universes no less! [[spoiler: In the main series her father attempts to pursuade Arcadius not to attack Ryuvia by marrying off Asaga to him. The ''Academy'' version of him arranges a marriage to his old friend, that universe's version of Cullen, although in that case he may not have been all that serious about it.]]

* KingIncognito: [[spoiler:This freelance Ryder pilot and self-proclaimed hero of justice is really the crown princess of Ryuvia.]]

* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Subverted; While initially framed as a Jekyll-and-Hyde dymanic with Asaga talking to a colder-sounding reflection, [RE]turn reveals abusing her Awakening power so soon after first getting it was eroding Asaga's sanity to the point she started hallucinating]].

* MagicalEye: [[spoiler:Just like Sola, Asaga's eyes begin to glow when she taps into her Sharr powers.]]

* RebelliousPrincess: [[spoiler:Runs away to avoid ArrangedMarriage with the BigBad.]]
* RescueRomance: She develops feelings for Kayto after he rescues her from [[spoiler:her wedding ceremony to]] [[BigBad Arcadius]].

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: The above ability erodes Asaga's sanity and leads to her becoming increasingly jealous and violent, twisting her into a KnightTemplar.

* WhatTheHellHero: Downplayed, but she really isn't cool with [[spoiler: letting the children on the Agamemnon die]], since she signed up to ''protect'' people, not just fight PACT.

* YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord: [[spoiler:She's the Sharr of Ryuvia.]]

* DarkAndTroubledPast: She suffered [[spoiler:Ongessite poisoning]] that stunted her growth, and was [[spoiler:forcibly prostituted by her mother]].

* OlderThanTheyLook: It's not clear how old she really is, but [[spoiler:Ongessite poisoning]] has stunted her growth to the point that she basically stopped aging when she was 11 years old. [[''The Captain's Return'' later implies this was deliberately done alongside operations to change her appearance]].
* OptionalPartyMember: Depending on choices made in the first game, she can be captured and pressganged into the Sunrider’s crew during ''Liberation Day''.

* StarterVillain: She’s the first major antagonist you fight, though more competent than the later [[SmugSnake Cullen]].

* RevengeBeforeReason: When posed with a chance for revenge [[spoiler:against the Alliance, Cosette is more than willing to let Grey detonate Ongess and kill millions]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has a very soft one if you let the [[spoiler:alliance diplomats and the children die.]] Though she rationalizes it pretty quickly, it's telling that calling off the mission once you learn about the [[spoiler:children]] earns you an affection point with her.

* DoAnythingSoldier: Kryska has shades of this, being both an elite gunnery pilot and [[spoiler:a special operations soldier who excels in espionage, martial arts, and escape techniques.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist[=/=]UnscrupulousHero: Grey may be your ally, but he’s aware war is a DirtyBusiness and will do anything to secure victory.
** Even though he's willing to [[spoiler:cover up the deaths of civilians in the rescue of Kayto Shields]], if Kayto presses him about it, he admits that doing so is against everything he and his family stands for and will open a public investigation.
** [[spoiler:Whether it was a bluff or not, he took an entire planet hostage to save his fleet during Battle of Ongess. Ongess was a neutral, not a PACT affiliated planet, mind you, and currently occupied by Alliance forces.]]
** [[spoiler: He had ordered the creation of a planet killer missile, as a contingency. His final order was to use it on Cera, after what he'd perceived to be PACT treachery.]]

* CharacterDeath: He's killed halfway into Mask of Arcadius when [[spoiler:Asaga]] vaporizes his flagship.

* DirtyOldMan: He's not above trying to molest [[spoiler:Asaga]] when he has her at his mercy, even though she's betrothed to his boss.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's not too blind over his obedience to Arcadius. Knowing [[spoiler:the true Arcadius]], he is disheartened over PACT's path of bloodshed and [[spoiler:the current]] Arcadius's SanitySlippage. [[spoiler:When Arcadius goes too far, he exposes the one behind the mask and seizes control PACT.]]

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Starts out as TheDragon [[spoiler:before betraying Arcadius, but is tricked into starting war with the Alliance, but is still trying not to descend into Arcadius’ insanity]].

* NobleTopEnforcer: He believes quite strongly in PACT's communist creed, and privately expresses concern at how brutal towards civilians/commoners it has been, as well as Arcadius' increasing megalomania.
** [[spoiler:During the Battle of Ongess, he breaks off the attack to spare the population of Ongess. Again, he threw away an opportunity to end the Alliance military to spare some random [[CrapsackWorld hellhole]] of a planet that he or his faction has no connection to whatsoever.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Her harshly rejecting Kayto's love confession caused the heartbreak that made him accept Chigara's affections - with him becoming so reliant on her emotional validation that he refused to accept she could be a Prototype until she was [[DemonicPossession taken over by Alice]] to cause the Liberation Day Massacre. She herself seems to recognize this by the end of ''Liberation Day'']].

* StudentCouncilPresident: She was this in high school. She wanted to bring about change for the student body, but her strict and uncompromising leadership only alienated the rest of the council (except for Kayto) and she failed to achieve anything during her tenure. The experience made her realize that she's not cut out for leadership.

* TookALevelInKindness: The early games present Ava as being such an uptight workaholic and disciplinarian that she had a small breakdown when the crew took some well-earned shore leave because everyone was goofing off and nothing was getting done. Come ''Sunrider 4'', Ava has mellowed out considerably. She encourages the crew to stop and enjoy themselves at an Astrium bar, telling a stunned Kayto that they've earned some downtime after their actions in the Denari Expanse. Later, she admits to Kayto that her time as Cera's prime minister taught her that being a hard-ass 24/7 doesn't make for effective leadership.

* SplitPersonalityMerge: At the end of ''Liberation Day'', [[spoiler:Chigara's personality merges with Alice's inside the Hive Mind, with her statement of "CHIGARA'S COMING FOR YOU!" indicating Alice's hatred of humanity has twisted Chigara into a yandere]].

* LiteralSplitPersonality: Subverted; While initially framed as a Jekyll-and-Hyde dymanic with Asaga talking to a colder-sounding reflection, [RE]turn reveals abusing her Awakening power so soon after first getting it was eroding Asaga's sanity to the point she started hallucinating.

* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Seemingly develops one as a consequence of overusing her SuperMode in ''Liberation Day''. While the normal Asaga is a cheerful GenkiGirl, this new personality is a merciless KnightTemplar obsessed with meting out “justice” to the entire galaxy, and when not in control it will push Asaga to kill anyone it considers to be evil. ''Liberation Day'' and ''[RE]turn'' later elaborate that it's less a traditional split and more a sort of psychosis, brought about by the mental and physical stress of her initial awakenings}].

* AscendedMeme: Her character sprite in the first two games often faced away from the player, which often emphasized her rear - especially when in her pilot suit. Every game after ''Mask of Arcadius'' not only ran with continuing this but had spin-offs like ''Sunrider Academy'' describe her as having a [[HartmanHips rather ample backside]].

* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Develops one as a consequence of overusing her SuperMode in ''Liberation Day''. While the normal Asaga is a cheerful GenkiGirl, this new personality is a merciless KnightTemplar obsessed with meting out “justice” to the entire galaxy, and when not in control it will push Asaga to kill anyone it considers to be evil.]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare: One bad day turned her from the child of freelance explorers to a mercenary who'll [[TheUnfetted do just about anything for revenge on her parent's killers]].

* NoFourthWall: [[spoiler:Enters this territory in ''The Captain's Return' following her reveal to Shields during his capture by Fontana.]]

* NoFourthWall: [[spoiler:Enters this territory in ''Sunrider 4'' following her reveal to Shields during his capture by Fontana.]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Claude may act like an airheaded bimbo most of the time, but she's a lot smarter and craftier than she lets on. [[spoiler:She drops most of her quirks when revealing her true nature to Kayto in ''Sunrider 4''.]]

* ArmorPiercingAttack: If you increase Sola's affection level enough in ''Sunrider 4'', you'll unlock a passive trait which lets the Archangel's shots ignore enemy armor.

* HeroicBSOD: In ''Sunrider 4'', the party retrieves a datacrystal containing a historical account of the Ryuvian Civil War. In it, the author claims that Crow Harbor was the rightful heir to the Imperial throne and that Sola's father was an illegitimate pretender who committed patricide to take the throne for himself. Hearing this account shatters Sola's worldview.

* SuperMode: Her Awaken skill, which increases Sola's accuracy and damage output for three turns [[CastFromHitPoints at the cost of a few hit points]] (in ''Mask of Arcadius'' and ''Liberation Day'') or a full bar of Energy (''Sunrider 4'').

* DaChief : She even firmly reprimands Kayto on several occasions, despite him outranking her. The others get even less consideration.

* TheAllegedBoss: In ''Sunrider 4'', [[spoiler:Asaga dubs Kayto an honorary Ryuvian count. In theory, this makes Asaga both his queen and his commander-in-chief, and she should be giving Kayto his marching orders. In practice, she leaves all the military planning and decision-making to Kayto, who she admits is much better suited for that stuff anyway]].

* AxCrazy: As the story progresses and she keeps racking up defeats at the hands of ''Sunrider'', she grows increasingly unhinged.

* ChronicallyCrashedCar: The Calamity gets destroyed every time she fights Kayto in ''Sunrider 4''. Eventually she stops numbering them and [[{{Angrish}} names the final model]] Calamity Mk [=FUCK3q2u84h3q9r=].
* CompensatingForSomething: Her Ryder, Havoc, is bigger and more heavily armored than any of the player's, and all of its weapons are noticeably larger than those of most other Ryders.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In her ending for ''Sunrider 4'', [[spoiler:she is seen drinking, with the bonus missions featuring her coming from her provocations upon drinking alcohol. Kayto sends a message to her, with her replying that she has finally given up trying to fight him, finding him no longer worth the effort.]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: It's not clear how old she really is, but the [[spoiler:Ongessite poisoning]] has stunted her growth to the point that she basically stopped aging when she was 11 years old.

* UnexplainedRecovery: Depending on the player's choices, Cosette may have been blown to smithereens at the start of ''Liberation Day''. She turns up alive in ''Sunrider 4'' with no explanation for how she survived, much to Kayto's bewilderment.
* VillainDecay: Pirates are dangerous at the start of the game, but her crew is quickly eclipsed by your other enemies. Especially pronounced in ''Sunrider 4'', due to the number of times you cross paths - by your final encounter Ava notes that she's barely an obstacle at that point.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Apart from her close friendship with Icari, Kryska mentions at one point that she previously served in an all-female crew, as the Solar Alliance believes that segregating their soldiers into single-sex crews will prevent fraternization. When asked if these measures actually worked, Kryska responds with a smirk and a brief chuckle. Tellingly, she's the only member of the crew[[note]]apart from Chigara[[/note]] who ''can't'' be romanced by Kayto in the ''[RE]turn'' scenario.
* AutoRevive: One of Kryska's relationship perks in ''Sunrider 4'' gives the Paladin the ability to revive itself with 50% of its maximum HP when it gets shot down.

* CharClone: [[spoiler:Becomes one ''Sunrider 4'' of the DarkMessiah type as the Paladin, while wearing a helmet like [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamF91 Iron Mask]].]]

* HomoeroticSubtext: Her close friendship with Icari leads several members of the crew to speculate that something more may be going on between them. They shower together after the intro to Liberation Day, for example. Kryska neither confirms nor denies the idea that she and Icari are a couple. There's even an achievement (called "What are you implying?") unlocked by having the two of them end their turns next to each other every turn for a mission.

* TheAtoner: ''Sunrider 4'' is about this trope, combined with HesBack. Apart from stopping [[spoiler:Crow Harbor]], the whole game is about him getting his team back together, cleaning up the mess he left behind following [[spoiler:the Liberation Day Massacre]], and slowly pulling him out of his drunken stupor and RevengeBeforeReason that have consumed him.
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Leans into this trope as the war against PACT raged, further reinforced after [[spoiler:Fontana kills Chigara, having him swear revenge against the Veniczar]], where he sees PACT as always evil and those opposing them to be good. In ''Sunrider 4'', has him force to acknowledge the flaw of this mindset as to why the galaxy has started to favor PACT despite its past crimes. [[spoiler:After his brutal interrogation by Fontana and seeing what has become of Chigara and the Prototypes, he has let go of this mindset, only wanting to liberate Cera and stop Fontana from ruling the galaxy.]]

* CosmicPlaything: He starts to feel this way in ''The Captain's Return'' after everything he's been through, and some scenes imply he started feeling this way as early-on as ''Mask of Arcadius''. [[spoiler:It only gets worse when he finds out he ''literally was'' a plaything at the hands of Claude, who is a PhysicalGod that took an interest in him - and who made a secret alliance with the Prototypes, actively manipulating events on the Sunrider to push him and Chigara into their ill-fated relationship at the Alpha Prototype's behest. A severe hallucinatory episode near the endgame sees him openly vent about this, angry and afraid at the idea that he has no real agency of his own and any choices he makes will inevitably lead to the same end. By the end of the fourth game, he seems to make an effort at coming to terms with this after accepting that he can't live the rest of his life always fearing the outcome]].

* GodzillaThreshold: In Chapter 7 of ''Sunrider 4'', [[spoiler:the battle against Crow Harbor goes so badly that Kayto becomes desperate enough to inject himself with Ryuvian nanomachines. He knows that the nanomachines will drive him insane and kill him, but he also knows that they'll give him the Awakening power, which he hopes will be enough to pull off a miracle and save the lives of his crew. Ava stops him before he can go through with it]].

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:At the end of ''Liberation Day'', he [[RammingAlwaysWorks rams the Sunrider]] into an enemy superweapon to save his homeworld. He survives.]]

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: In ''Sunrider 4'', Kayto and his crew are getting their asses kicked by [[spoiler:Crow Harbor's dreadnought]] when Fontana suddenly warps in with the ''entire PACT navy''. The tens of thousands of ships open fire en masse, blowing [[spoiler:Crow]] away. They then point their guns at the Maray. Kayto, knowing his people couldn't fight off this many ships even if they were at full strength, sighs in resignation and asks Fontana to name the terms for his surrender, asking only that his crew be allowed to go free.

* LoveConfession: In her ending of ''Sunrider 4'', [[spoiler:Asaga all but asks Kayto to marry her when she tells him her plans to establish the Holy Ryuvian Alliance, asking him to lead it alongside her as Empress and Emperor. She tells him that he doesn't have to answer right now, since they have a long way to go before these plans can become reality, but he promises that he'll take her up on that once peace has been restored to the galaxy.]]
* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Her sanity faces a major test in ''Liberation Day'', thanks to her unrequited feelings for Shields. What makes it worse is that [[spoiler:her paranoia is [[ProperlyParanoid not entirely unfounded...]]]]
* LoveTriangle: During Liberation Day, she and Chigara both end up falling for Kayto, but Kayto only has eyes for Chigara. This puts strain on both the two girls' friendship and Asaga's sanity.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: In the good endings of ''[RE]turn'' [[spoiler: Chigara survives but revelations of her nature as a Prototype and the chance she'll be controlled by Alpha ruin her position as chief engineer and her relationship with Kayto, the captain having instead fallen for Ava, Asaga, Icari or Sola. However she's still on board the Sunrider as an intelligence asset and is content to see Kayto happy with his chosen love interest.]]

* MotiveDecay: Through much of the fourth game, it gradually becomes apparent that Fontana's [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil slowly slipping]] into a lighter shade of what Alice was; a trauma-fueled zealot obsessed with getting back at those he felt betrayed his trust. While he retains enough of a moral compass to only hate the Solar Alliance and Kayto for the damage they cased as opposed to all of humanity, the depths his hatred go are eerily similar to his predecessor. [[spoiler:The most blatant show of this is when he has a captured Kayto brutally tortured to try and make him sign a confession to war-crimes, sporting a look of manic glee and ranting how he'll break Kayto into being little more than a loyal dog to him. After Kayto escapes and costs him the World Fountain along with a chunk of the PACT fleet, TheStinger shows him preparing to do the [[{{Hypocrite}} very same thing he vilified Kayto for]] in his pursuit of "justice"; collaborating with a Prototype - in his case, the captive Alpha]].

* VillainousRescue: He arrives at the World Fountain with PACT's entire navy, just in time to save the Maray from [[spoiler:Crow Harbor]]. Saving them is completely incidental to Fontana's goals, however, and as soon as [[spoiler:Crow Harbor]] is space dust, he declares that Kayto is under arrest.

* VillainHasAPoint: While he certainly TookALevelInJerkass in the fourth installment, and through all of the MaliciousSlander, he is not wrong about Kayto causing more harm than good to the galaxy. The most obvious example is his emotional attachment to [[spoiler:the Prototypes]], namely [[spoiler:Chigara]], which [[spoiler:blew his chance for a happy ending and true peace with PACT via the Liberation Day Massacre]]. He is also not wrong about them still being a threat to the galaxy despite losing so much influence. [[spoiler:Kayto agrees they have become unhinged after his rescue from the Prototypes, admits the Chigara he knew is long gone and that it's all his fault he didn't not realize this sooner.]]

* TookALevelInJerkass: ''The Captain's Return'' reveals that the events of ''Liberation Day'' were something of a CynicismCatalyst for him [[spoiler:between Kayto's inadvertently causing the Liberation Day Massacre with his denial over Chigara's being a Prototype and Gray's attempted use of the Paradox Core in a TakingYouWithMe attempt]]. While before he was content to have peace and negotiate, the aftermath sees him wanting nothing less than total victory over the Solar Alliance and waging six years of war to completely drive them out of the Rim. He also becomes far more malicious towards Kayto for the latter's role in in ''Liberation Day'', taking every chance he can to mock and deride him, and has grown willing to even risk his men's safety just to settle the grudge.

** In ''Liberation Day'', [[after barely surviving the Sunrider's destruction thanks to Lynn and Asaga, one of Kayto's dialogue choices can have him tearfully confess to his crew that he basically fell into a relationship with Chigara as a coping mechanism for his stress and loneliness. This infers that, while he did very much care about her and committed himself to making her happy in turn, their actual hooking-up was more out of timing and need for support than love and (as gets noted in ''The Captain's Return'') could alternatively be seen as having taken advantage of her feelings]].

* CosmicPlaything: He starts to feel this way in ''The Captain's Return'' after everything he's been through, and some scenes imply he started feeling this way as early-on as ''Mask of Arcadius''. [[spoiler:It only gets worse when he finds out he ''literally was'' a plaything at the hands of Claude, who's both a PhysicalGod that took an interest in him - and who'd made a secret alliance with the Prototypes, actively manipulating events on the Sunrider to push him and Chigara into their ill-fated relationship at the Alpha Prototype's behest. A severe hallucinatory episode near the endgame sees him openly vent about this, angry and afraid at the idea that he has no real agency of his own and any choices he makes will inevitably lead to the same end. By the end of the fourth game, he seems to make an effort at coming to terms with this after accepting that he can't live the rest of his life always fearing the outcome]].

* TheCaptain: Captains the Sunrider, and is in charge of commanding all attached forces and the [[WaveMotionGun Vanguard Cannon]].
* CluelessChickMagnet: He's not ''completely'' oblivious to the various girls crushing on him, but at the very least, he seems to underestimate the effect his kind words can have.

* SecretlySelfish: In ''Sunrider 4'', Lynn accuses Kayto of being a selfish glory hound who's endangering the lives of his crew on a foolhardy hunt for [[spoiler:Crow Harbor]] because punching out the big bad warlord will restore his tattered reputation - both in other's eyes and his own. He admits as much in a moment of weakness when [[spoiler:Crow]] has him backed into a corner, ranting that he's going to take [[spoiler:Crow]] down and show his detractors that ''he'' is the savior of humanity.

* PlaguedByNightmares: After getting captured by Cosette on Ongess and seeing Alliance soldiers gun down a little girl during his rescue, he starts having nightmares in which the child blames him for her death before morphing into his dead sister Maray. [[spoiler In ''The Captain's Return'', he's very clearly haunted by the Liberation Day Massacre and Chigara's death]].

* AFatherToHisMen: Do ''not'' threaten the people under Kayto's command. It will not end well for you.
** DeconstructedTrope: It is however this very trait that [[spoiler: prevents him from accepting Chigara is a Protoype despite mounting evidence. In [RE]turn it takes his own future self literally beating some sense into him before he wises up - while in ''The Captain's Return'' his six years of stewing in bitterness takes getting the band back together, getting [[TheReasonYouSuck dressed down by]] Fontana, Lynn and Claude, and lastly a confrontation with the insane Omega Prototype and her Chigara offshoot that nearly gets Asaga killed before he finally accepts there's a difference between stubbornness and resolve]].

* OfficialCouple: Despite the above LoveTriangle, she and Kayto have become this by ''Liberation Day''. [[spoiler:[[HoneyTrap Unfortunately.]]]]

** DeconstructedTrope: It is however this very trait that [[spoiler: prevents him from accepting Chigara is a Protoype despite mounting evidence. In [RE]turn it takes his own future self literally beating some sense into him before he wises up - while in ''The Captain's Return'' his six years of stewing in bitterness takes getting the band back together, some dressing down [[TheReasonYouSuck dressed down by]] Fontana, Lynn and Claude, and lastly a confrontation with the insane Omega Prototype and her Chigara offshoot that nearly gets Asaga killed before he finally accepts there's a difference between stubbornness and resolve]].

* GodzillaThreshold: [[spoiler: He nearly crosses it in ''Sunrider 4'' when he orders his fleet to peruse Kayto through a star's flareup, doing the exact thing he betrayed Alice over; sacrificing his men in the name of destroying those he hates, even ignoring Kuushana's warnings the way Alice ignored his own advice. Only when a swath of his fleet gets slagged by the star's fluctuating corona does he snap back to his senses and order a retreat]].

* GodzillaThreshold: [[spoiler: He nearly crosses it in ''Sunrider 4'' when he orders his fleet to peruse Kayto through a collapsing star, doing the exact thing he betrayed Alice over; sacrificing his men in the name of destroying those he hates, even ignoring Kuushana's warnings the way Alice ignored his own advice. Only when a swath of his fleet gets slagged by the star's fluctuating corona does he snap back to his senses and order a retreat]].

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Villainous example

* ArchEnemy: He comes to see the [[MileLongShip Legion]] as this during ''Mask Of Arcadius'', because it has taken so much from him over the course of the game: his home, his sister, the lives of his crew, his potential victories... By the end of the game he's determined to sink that ship, no matter the cost. Come ''Liberation Day'' and he comes to see Alice as this for how she masterminded the war that devastated his homeworld - [[spoiler: and after her death, he then sees Fontana as one after he kills Chigara. Late in ''The Captain's Return'' he also comes to see Kuushana as this for her constant hounding of him and her commanding an upgraded version of the Sunrider]].

** DeconstructedTrope: It is however this very trait that [[spoiler: prevents him from accepting Chigara is a Protoype despite mounting evidence, requiring his future self to literally beat some sense into him before he'll wise up.]]

* IAmTheNoun: Inverted, as it's another character's describing of Kayto. [[spoiler: In the endgame of ''The Captian's Return'', Kayto has the Maray outrun the shockwave of a newly-born star after launching a bomb into it that devastates a huge chunk of the PACT fleet. In the wake of his defeat, Fontana bitterly notes that Kayto has "rode the sun to victory" and has ''become'' "the Sunrider" - shifting the title of the game from being the name of Kayto's ship to his own personal epithet]].

* ArchEnemy: He comes to see the [[MileLongShip Legion]] as this during ''Mask Of Arcadius'', because it has taken so much from him over the course of the game: his home, his sister, the lives of his crew, his potential victories... By the end of the game he's determined to sink that ship, no matter the cost. Come ''Liberation Day'' and he comes to see Alice as this for how she masterminded the war that devastated his homeworld - [[spoler: and after her death, he then sees Fontana as one after he kills Chigara. Late in ''The Captain's Return'' he also comes to see Kuushana as this for her constant hounding of him and her commanding an upgraded version of the Sunrider]].