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Team ACE-2049-11
MC: Tristan Spade
The protagonist. An exchange student from the United States who applies to ACE Academy after the death of his parents. An aspiring Mech Pilot, he discovers a mysterious upgrade within his mech that could be the secret to what happened to his parents.
- The Ace: Was considered one of the top pilots back at his old school, NYCU, and can rise through the ranks along with his team as the best team ACE Academy has to offer.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: In the original game, "Kendo Crush!", Tristan actually had black hair. However, since his younger sister remained blonde, it's possible that he dyed it black in that game.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: In Kendo Crush!, Tristan soon earns the status of the school delinquent after picking a fight with the school's biggest bully. In ACE Academy, he's presented as more approachable and easygoing.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- "Broseph" by Shou.
- "Senpai" albeit briefly by Ken.
- "Meatball" by his father.
- Amazon Chaser: He lists Kaori's ability to kick his ass as one of her attractive qualities in her sequel. Presumably averted if he dates one of the other girls.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Inverted. He can actually be more annoying than Nikki, often playfully teasing her and being slightly more childish.
- Badass Normal: Not only does he kick ass with his GEAR, but he can kick ass outside it too, being able to hold his own against students taller than him.
- BFS: Eagle's primary melee weapon is a mechanized buster sword. Cloud Strife would approve.
- Big Brother Instinct: Tristan is extremely protective and caring towards his little sister, Nikki. Justified seeing she's all he has left after both of their parents were killed in a car crash.
- Bilingual Bonus: It's more apparent in Yuuna's route that, but Tristan is fluent in both Japanese and English.
- Blue Is Heroic: Eagle's color scheme is white with blue accents.
- But Not Too Foreign: He and his sister, are both half-Japanese and half-American
- Canon Name: Tristan Spade, deciding not to name him will result as this becoming your name.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: Can be played this way, with the player choosing confused responses to even very obvious come-ons.
- Cool Big Bro: To Nikki.
- Cool Bike: If anyone had to guess what his most prized possession is besides his GEAR, it's his bike. It gets Parodied when Nikki pranks him by giving it an girlish makeover.I reluctantly ease onto my bike. It roars to life, and glitter flutters behind me in a rainbow trail of happiness.
- Chick Magnet: All of the female lead cast (Yuuna, Kaori, Valerie and Mayu) can be romanced. Even some of Nikki's friends from school have crushes on him.
- Chivalrous Pervert: While it's mostly up to the player's choice, Tristan isn't above admiring the female body, but does so in an appropriate manner.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It becomes no surprise that something bad happened to both of his parents prior to the events of the game, which is why he and Nikki moved to Japan. It's later revealed that before the events of the game, his father was working on a new kind of CORE that could be utilized in many ways, even in nuclear warfare. His partner grew jealous of his success and killed both him and his wife in a drunk driving accident.
- Deus ex Machina: During team tryouts, Tristan is nearly overwhelmed by practice mechs, only for his GEAR's core to suddenly gain a surge of emergency power that helps him overpower the mechs with ease. This ends up becoming a pivotal part of the final act.
- Don't Split Us Up: Transferred to ACE Academy so Nikki wouldn't have be alone when she moved to Japan.
- The Gadfly: Depending on the choices made, he can become this.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Gets a bit like this on Kaori's route over Etio making a mild pass at her. Thankfully resolved without much trouble as Kaori understands his feelings and Etio backs off upon realising Tristan and Kaori are an item.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Since he's supposed to be you, might as well name him something, right?
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Shou.
- If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: He makes this threat to Ken upon their first meeting.
- Incest Subtext: Played for Laughs with Nikki.
- Knight Templar Big Brother: He has one moment when Nikki is at home studying with Ken. He leaves him with a single warning before watching carefully from his room. This can be subverted after Ken saves Nikki from a group of freaks.
- Lethal Chef: It's been stated by Nikki that Tristan cannot cook for his life.
- This can be Subverted should he join Yuuna for a cooking club activity and nail the assignment.
- Like Father, Like Son: He has been told he is like his father in ways beyond his looks.
- The Matchmaker: Tristan can at various points try to set up Shou and Mayu or Hitomi, Kaori and her co-worker Etio, Uncle Kaito and Aunt Yuki and even come to support his sister's relationship with Ken.
- The Musketeer: While most pilots seem to specialize in melee or ranged Tristan has Eagle set up to alternate between the above mentioned BFS and a rapid fire rifle.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: He makes this very clear with Shou and Ken. It can be subverted later with Ken. In one of the choices, he even says this to Shou at the beach about Nikki, to which she chews him out for it.Tristan: Not if you want to keep breathing.
Shou: That's... pretty intense.
Nikki: (to Tristan) Oh my god, you're so embarrassing! - Parental Substitute: To Nikki. His protective and caring nature towards her feels very paternal at times.
Yuuna Misaki
Yuuna Misaki
Voiced by: Samantha Chan
- Bilingual Dialogue: She has scenes like this with Tristan, as he helps her get a better understanding of English should he pursue her route.
- Birds of a Feather: With Tristan, if you pursue her route. Yuuna's brother died during a ACE Arena Fight due to cardiac arrest. Tristan's parents were killed in a car accident. Both of them understand the feeling of losing someone close to them that helped them realize what they wanted to do with their lives.
- At the same time, it's also an inversion seeing how Yunna lost her brother but still has her parents, while Tristan lost both of his parents and is left with his sister.
- The City vs. the Country: Yuuna grew up more in the countrysides instead of Isokaze and enjoys nature. However, she says she's well adjusted to both lifestyles.
- Cute Sports Club Manager: She becomes the manager to Tristan's team, a fellow student and very cute.
- Cute Witch: Her Halloween costume.
- Crusading Lawyer: Not exactly a lawyer, but she's very passionate and sympathetic as a team manager. She cares about equal treatment for GEAR pilots and is not motivated by money or popularity.
- D-Cup Distress: Is probably the most well-endowed among Tristan's female friends and doesn't like it when people draw attention to them.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Her brother, Yuudai, had the makings of being one of the best pilots ACE Academy had to offer. However, he also suffered from a heart condition that required prescribed medication that were a violation of Pilot Health and Physio Therapy rules. Desperate to fulfill his dream, Yuudai neglected his medication, only to die from a heart attack in the middle of a match. It's her brother's death that gave her the motivation to study Pilot Health and Physio Therapy.
- First Girl Wins: If you take the bus to school on the first day and take Yuuna's route.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: Loves all things American, but especially hamburgers.
- Hidden Buxom: Everyone, even Kaori, is left speechless at the sight of her during their trip to the beach.
- Hidden Depths: As it turns out, Yuuna used to study piloting alongside her brother, Yuudai. She switched to studying Pilot Health and Physio Therapy after her brother died from neglecting his medication to pass a Pilot Drug test. Seeing how strict some rules were the restricted pilots from pursuing their dreams, Yuuna chose to study PHPT in hopes of making a difference.
- Hot-Blooded: She may not look it, but Yuuna is very passionate about a lot of things, mainly sports and PHPT.
- I Gave My Word: If Yuuna says she's going to do something, she's going to do it. This is most clearly shown in the length she goes to in order to get the team a sponsor.
- Nature Lover: Justified, seeing how Yuuna grew up in the countryside before moving to Isokaze. In her route, Yuuna takes Tristan out on a camping trip.
- Nice Girl: Almost exaggerated. She's outwardly kind, soft-spoken and cares about equal treatment between Mech Teams and their sponsors. She also has never broken the rules before.
- Passionate Sports Girl: She enjoys sports like tennis and swimming and can get pretty competitive.
- Reluctant Fanservice Girl: During a camping trip with Tristan, the two of them end up getting soaking wet during a rainstorm and are forced to strip down to their underwear.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Yuuna loves American food. Especially burgers.
Kaori Itami
Kaori Itami
Voiced by: Sydney "sydsnap" Poniewaz
- Absurd Phobia: Bunnies. She can barely even look at them.
- Action Girl: Not to be messed with, both in and out of a GEAR.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Gets a bit...odd when drunk, including developing a very physical fondness for Tristan's hair.
- Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: As seen in the Kaori focused sequel her mother is very enthusiastic about Kaori and Tristan's relationship. She even breaks out the baby pictures.
- Ambiguously Bi: She's romanceable, but also gets caught staring Yuuna in a swimsuit and blushes watching Valerie's photoshoot.
- Kaori: "Stop being a pervert!"
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: With Tristan during her route. He always seems to find some way to annoy her but she's attracted to him regardless. Thankfully it mostly evolves out of this into a stable relationship.
- Breakout Character: She did get her own After-Story, after all...
- But Not Too Foreign: Her uncle is Spanish.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Should you pursue her, Kaori will have difficulty sharing her real feelings directly when their relationship reaches it's tipping point.
- Crash-Into Hello: If Tristan decides to take his bike over on the first day of school and run a red light, this is how he meets Kaori.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She becomes noticeably more patient and friendly with Tristan over the course of the game. More so if you romance her.
- The sequel game set a few months after her ending increases this as she has become much more comfortable in her relationship with Tristan, particularly with receiving displays of affection.
- Fiery Redhead: Short-tempered, competitive and kind of intimidating; she's probably the most hot-headed character in the game.
- First Girl Wins: If choose the bike on your first day, run the red light and then take Kaori's route.
- Flirtatious Smack on the Ass: One frat boy gives her this at a party. She responds by knocking the daylights out of him.
- Friend to All Children: She works at the local daycare with her Uncle, Miguel Vasquez, and is very close with many of the children. Turns out it's also not just because she enjoys it, but also because she feels like she needs to to give the children the kind of guidance and attention they need.
- Hidden Depths: She may seem competitive and bit snappy, but she has a love of anime and a fondness for children.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: As much as she pretends not to care, Kaori is actually a very caring person. She just doesn't like to admit it.
- Hot-Blooded: She takes GEAR piloting very seriously and is the most competitive of the team.
- Humanizing Tears: After being shamed by her friends, she runs away in tears and can be comforted by Tristan should he choose to follow her.
- It's Personal: At least from her perspective with her old friend, Mei. Back in middle school, she and Mei were friends with a geek named Saota, who eventually grew up to be quite the stud. When Mei realized that Kaori secretly liked him, she tried to be the wing-man in telling him so. Instead, Saota turned down Kaori, and drove a rift between her and Mei. Since then, Kaori has held a bit of a grudge against Mei, but with a little help from Tristan, can eventually bury the hatchet.
- Like an Old Married Couple: With Tristan during her route. A random computer store employee and her uncle Miguel mistake them for a couple.
- Otaku: She's a big fan of anime and isn't ashamed to admit it. She even named her Mech after one of her favorite anime.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Despite her frequent irritation with him she seems to have this relationship with Shou.
- Shamed by a Mob: After her team's match against Onna Bugeisha, everyone confronts her for recklessly jeopardizing the plan just so she could settle a one-sided rivalry with Mei. Feeling betrayed and overwhelmed, Kaori can only run away in tears. The team doesn't feel good about themselves at all.
- Tsundere: Oh, absolutely. Kaori is a clear cut Type A with a forceful, fiery personality topped with a short-temper. However, she is also easily embarrassed and has a soft spot for children and her teammates, even Shou. It even gets Lampshaded in her route.Kaori: "I'm NOT a tsundere!"Tristan: "That's a very tsundere thing to say..."
Shou Shinjirou
Shou Shinjirou
Voiced by: Kim Morton
- Affectionate Nickname: He tends to refer to Tristan as "Broseph". So much so that he almost forgets his real name.
- Blessed with Suck: Played for Laughs. During Part 3, after ending up in a relationship, Shou starts to present himself with more confidence, making him more desirable to girls. Alas, due to being in a relationship, Shou can't use his new power and is now "forbidden fruit", much to his anguish.
- Butt-Monkey: Almost every scene he shares with Kaori features her hitting or berating him. Even when Kaori isn't present, Shou usually gets the short end of the stick.
- The Cameo: Alternate universe versions of him appear in small roles in PixelFade's other visual novels Crystalline and Ethereal Enigma.
- Casanova Wannabe: He tends to be quite flirtatious with the girls, but most of the time it backfires on him.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Shou and Mayu have been friends for years, and if you don't pursue her, Shou eventually ends up dating her.
- Chivalrous Pervert: While there's no doubt that Shou's eyes can wander a bit too much, he has the utmost respect for all the girls on his team and doesn't flirt with anyone else once he's officially taken.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: While Shou admires a lot of girls, he has a hard time figuring out when a girl admires him. This is the most obvious with Mayu and with another friend of his, Hitomi.
- Subverted during the final third. If he and Mayu officially go out, he reveales that he was aware the whole time, but didn't know if he was the right guy for her.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While he may appear perverted and a little idiotic, he's still a very skilled pilot and part of one of the best teams at ACE Academy.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Double-Subverted. During one of his scenes, Shou claims that he was bullied a lot as a kid, and had a favorite GEAR action figure growing up. One day, a couple of bullies took it from him and smashed it on the sidewalk. After that, Shou only wanted to become a pilot. It turns out it was another one of Shou's jokes. But as Tristan gets closer to him, he learns that Shou's past isn't as light-hearted as it sounds...
- Deadpan Snarker: He always tries to make some kind of joke or pun.Shou: "Alright, let's 'Shou' em what we got!"Kaori: "... you said 'Shou' instead of 'show', didn't you?"Shou: "Maybe..."
- Dual Wielding: His GEAR wields two twin pistols.
- Expy: Of Yosuke Hanamura from Persona 4. Lampshaded in-game.Tristan: 'I never noticed until now, but the "real" Shou looks and acts very similarly to Yozuke Hamanura.'
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Tristan.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Is without a doubt the most perverted member of his team.
- Nice Guy: Even though he can be a perverted idiot, Shou is upbeat, friendly and energetic. He's a very likable guy and easy to get along with.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: He has a tendency to run his mouth off at times, which usually gets him into trouble more often than not.
- Plucky Comic Relief: He fits this role out better than anyone.
- The Pollyanna: No matter what, you can always find Shou trying to look on the bright side of things and always moving forward with a smile.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kaori. Even though she can be beyond frustrated by Shou's antics at times, the two of them are still close friends.
- Will They or Won't They?: With Mayu. Both have known each other for a long time and have shown to have clear signs of Unresolved Sexual Tension.
- Troll: He makes up a completely fake tragic backstory of getting bullied as a kid just to mess with Tristan.
Mayu Akemi
Mayu Akemi
Voiced by: Alexandra Boodram
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Has a very serious moment after her team's fight with Onna-Bugeisha. Even Kaori seems caught off guard by it.
- Cannot Spit It Out: Subverted. At first, she seems incapable of telling Shou how she feels. However, during time gap between part two and three, Mayu finally confesses to Shou how she feels.
- Child Hood Friend Romance: She and Shou have known each other for years and she will enter a relationship with him if Tristan doesn't pursue her.
- Cute Bookworm: Mayu is an avid reader of fantasy novels and manga and is adorable when she starts talking about them.
- Daddy's Girl: She almost never mentions her mother.
- Everyone Can See It: Practically everyone can see Mayu's unspoken feelings for Shou, except Shou himself. As it turns out he can see it but doesn't think he's worthy of her.
- Fangirl: Of several things. Manga, fantasy and Reboot Van Beethoven.
- Friendly Sniper: Her main weapon for her GEAR is a sniper rifle.
- Hidden Depths: She is talented with the violin. If Tristan follows her route, they form a band with him playing the piano. She also prefers using notebooks rather than data-pads, loves fantasy, and is a huge fan of manga.
- Nice Girl: General shyness aside, Mayu is a real sweetheart.
- Nightmare Face: If romanced by the player then (in something of a
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment) Mayu pulls out a very creepy look to scare off another girl making a pass at Tristan. - Shrinking Violet: She's easily the shyest and most easily embarrassed of the team.
- The Quiet One: Due to her shy nature, she is usually very subdued and introverted.
- Will They or Won't They?: With Shou. It becomes obvious that Mayu has feelings for Shou, but his obliviousness seems to get in the way. Should you pursue Mayu, they don't become a thing.
Valerie Belle
Valerie Belle
Voiced by: Angela Lorenzana
- Cat Girl: Her choice of Halloween costume.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Downplayed. Given Valerie's distant relationship with her mother, it's fair to assume that her home life wasn't that great.
- Disappeared Dad: Valerie's father is never even mentioned.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Not her, but during the Halloween party she wears a Cat Girl costume. During the scene where she bends over flirtatiously to Tristan, the game mentions that two males bash heads offscreen due not watching where they were going, having been distracted by Valerie.
- Dude Magnet: Valerie gets a lot of attention from a lot of boys and she takes it in stride.
- Dumb Blonde: Completely averted. Despite being one of the only three blonde characters in the game, Valerie has proven to be much smarter than anyone could guess. Aside from being a talented engineer, she also gets Straight A's.
- Establishing Character Moment: Valerie is first introduced leaving the entire class in a daze before approaching Tristan with confidence and upping her charms with him.
- Everything Sounds Sexier in French: As she is French, Valerie has her moments of speaking her first language. And it sounds adorable.
- Europeans Are Kinky:
- Subverted. She's very flirtatious and puts on a show of having more experience than the other girls. But when they press her for details she gives a ridiculously fake description of what sex is like, casing them to realize that she's just putting on an act.
- Zigzagged in her ending, where she and Tristian imply that maybe they actually did have sex (unlike the other endings, which have no such implications) but not saying difinitevely either way.
- Good Bad Girl: Valerie uses fake IDs to get into clubs, is very flirtatious, but is a nice girl and fun to be around.
- Gorgeous Gaijin: Blonde, beautiful, and fluent in French, Valerie is quite the catch.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She can be a bit of a rebel at times and maybe a little promiscuous, but she always has her teammates best interests at heart and is very sweet when you get to know her.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: She enjoys drinking and always enjoys a good party.
- Hidden Depths: Aside from being a talented engineer, Valerie is also a good artist.
- Also, despite her generally casual attitude, she studies hard enough to get straight As.
- Last Girl Wins: Regardless of early decisions she is always the final potential Love Interest to be introduced. Romance her and it's this trope.
- Male Gaze: Constantly draws it. Especially with the way she sways her hips when she walks.
- Parental Neglect: Valerie's mother almost never seems to make time for her and seems to enjoy spending more time with whoever she happens to be seeing at the time, much to Valerie's frustration.
- Secret Test of Character: At a party she acts drunker than she is and offers to meet Tristan upstairs for sex. If he accepts he finds himself disrobing in front of the last guy Valerie sent up there. This is intended to test if guys are the type to take advantage of a drunk girl.
- Shameless Fanservice Girl: If you select her to model in the photoshoot. Turns out she showed up to it wearing her swimsuit under her clothes and is all too eager to pose for the camera. She even takes things a little too far.
- The Tease: Valerie is easily the most openly flirtatious of all the lead female cast. Especially towards Tristan. When working on an assignment together, she calls it "a date" no matter how much Tristan protests.
- Unexpected Virgin: Hinted at, during the Hot Springs scene in Part 3.
- Wrench Wench: She may not look it, but Valerie is a very talented engineer. This stems from the fact that her mother was very frugal with her money, so whenever something broke down, she took it upon herself to fix it.
Tristan's Family
Nikki Spade
Nikki Spade
Voiced by: Tina Kim
- A-Cup Angst: Downplayed, but she's definitely jealous of Yuuna.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: She occasionally teases and makes playful jabs at Tristan.
- Big Brother Worship: Despite everything she and Tristan go through, it's very clear that Nikki loves her older brother and gets along great with him. Almost too well... It gets to the point where her friends accuse her of outright Big Brother Attraction.
- Broken Bird: Underneath her cheery attitude, Nikki is still very much heartbroken by the loss of her parents and struggles to keep it hidden from everyone else. The only person who can really see how vulnerable she is, is Tristan.
- But Not Too Foreign: She, and her brother, are both half-Japanese and half-American.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: This is mostly seen when she and Valerie compete for Tristan's affection by offering two identical boxes of bento. Should Tristan choose Valerie over her, she is visibly hurt.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Tristan fails to reply to Nikki's texts. Nikki paints his bike and covers it in glitter right before a day out.
- Fangirl: Is pretty enthusiastic regarding the Celebrity Singer Ex Zee.
- Genki Girl: She is energetic, bubbly, cheerful, and absolutely adorable.
- Girlish Pigtails: While only about two years younger than the protagonist and his friends, they do make her look younger than she really is.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Nikki has bright yellow hair and is very sweet.
- Hate at First Sight: Watching Valerie immediately jump on Tristan didn't endear her to Nikki. This continues into Valerie's route, though the two eventually bury the hatchet.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Not for her first name but her last name. Should you give Tristan a custom last name, she will have said last name as well. If you don't give him one, Nikki's last name will be her canon one, "Spade".
- Incest Subtext: Played for Laughs with Tristan.
- It's All My Fault: She blames herself for her parent's death. She was the one who asked them to pick her up the same night they were killed in a car accident.
- Little Sister Instinct: Even though Tristan has proven to be more protective over Nikki, she too has moments of getting protective over Tristan.
- My Brother Is Off-Limits!: She's appalled at her friends flirting with Tristan.
- The Not-Love Interest: To Tristan. The two of them share some of the most heartwarming moments in the game, but there is no route for Nikki.
- Supreme Chef: She cooks nearly every household meal for the family and starts her own Cooking Club at her own school.
- Stepford Smiler: Tristan has noticed that Nikki tries to hide her sadness regarding her parents' deaths with a sunny exterior.
- Tragic Keepsake: A heart-shaped locket containing a picture of her parents.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Tristan. Even though the two of them can get on each other's nerves, there's no hiding how much they love each other. Especially seeing how they're all they have left.
Kaito Hikari
Kaito Hikari
The maternal uncle and legal guardian to both Nikki and Tristan. He is the manager of a chain of restaurants.- Amicable Exes: He and Aunt Yuki have a complicated relationship at the start. However, things eventually smooth out for them in the end. By the end of the game, they've officially gotten back together.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Kaito speaks perfect English but puts on a comedy Engrish accent to welcome the kids off the train.
- Cool Uncle: Gets along very well with Tristan and Nikki and does a good job as their new guardian.
- Married to the Job: Kaito was too focused on his career to have children, which almost ruined his marriage with Yuki.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Tristan discovers an email regarding the investigation for his parent's death, the usually lighthearted, smiling and understanding uncle becomes uncomfortably serious.Hikari Kaito: "There are some thing's your better off not knowing..."
- Parental Substitute: While Kaito claims that Tristan and Nikki are old enough to look out for themselves (which is true), there's no doubt that he makes a great parental figure to the two of them. Even his ex-wife notices what an exceptional father figure he is, which ultimately saves their marriage.
- Take Care of the Kids: Not long before the accident, Kaito got a strange phone call from his sister, asking him to look after Tristan and Nikki, should anything happen to her.
- Workaholic: Despite how easygoing he can be, Kaito is a very hard-working man who takes his career seriously. This is later Deconstructed, as he later reveals that his need to focus on his career is what nearly ended his marriage with Aunt Yuki.
Yuki Hikari
Yuki Hikari
Kaito's ex-wife and Tristan and Nikki's aunt.- Amicable Exes: Her relationship with Kaito is strained in the beginning, but improves in due time. Eventually, they decide to give their relationship a second chance.
- Divorce Is Temporary: Initially in the process of filing for divorce, she and Kaito eventually come back together.
- Mistaken for Gay: Kaito mentions offhand that she planned a retreat with her "girlfriend." Tristan can take this to think she's a lesbian, and that's why their marriage failed. Kaito is a little...too eager to correct him on that point.
- My Biological Clock Is Ticking: One of the biggest factors in her and Kaito's separatation. Yuki wanted to have kids, Kaito wanted to focus more on his career, which caused them to go their separate ways.
- Parental Substitute: She's more than happy to act like a mother figure for Nikki and Tristan. Especially Nikki.
- The Prankster: She has a fondness for pulling pranks. Especially on Kaito.
- Sexy Coat Flashing: All but outright addressed during her first on-screen appearance. Why did she arrive at Kaito's house wearing a trench coat? And why was she so insistent in keeping it on when Nikki offered to take it? And why was she expecting Kaito to be alone...?Kaito: Oh. [Sudden Realization] OH!
Other Characters
Other ACE Academy Students
Akira Masato
One of the top pilots at ACE Academy.- The Ace: He's one of the star pilots at ACE Academy, the only rival being Tristan and his team.
- Big Damn Heroes: One possible way to meet Akira is when having to deal with a group of bullies. After being overwhelmed, Akira rushes over to help.
- Chekhov's Gun: Turns out, his GEAR has a Core overdrive the same as Tristan's.
- Covert Pervert: While obviously not as noticeable as Shou or Tristan, he has his moments. He even knows a secret spot at a local hot springs to eavesdrop on the girl's room, much to Tristan's surprise.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He's tall, has stark white hair, and his GEAR's design is pretty intimidating, but he's one of the nicest students at ACE Academy.
- Friendly Rivalry: With Tristan's team, but mostly with Tristan.
- Graceful Loser: If ACE-2049-11 ends up beating him in the finals, Akira shows absolutely no ill-will towards Tristan and congratulates him on a match well-won.
- Humble Hero: He never brags about his victories and always congratulates the winning team with a warm smile.
- Nice Guy: Akira is one of the friendliest students at ACE Academy and is very popular for it.
- Sinister Scythe: His GEAR's main weapon is a kick-ass energy scythe.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's one of the tallest students in the game, and his reputation as one of the top pilots at ACE has earned him plenty of admirers.
- Worthy Opponent: He comes to view Tristan's team as this and shows a great deal of respect towards them.
Mei Satomi
A member of Team Onna-Bugeisha and Kaori's childhood friend.- Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: It's not entirely her fault. After hearing how Kaori had a crush on their mutual friend, Ryuota, Mei took it upon herself to tell him and give them a little nudge. Unfortunately, Ryuota responded by telling Kaori he wasn't interested and Mei has been on Kaori's bad side ever since. Good news is, they soon reconcile.
- In Kaori's defense. She had told Mei not to tell anyone and to keep it a secret, yet Mei still went and told Ryota despite that.
- Childhood Friends: She's been friends with Kaori since middle school.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Like Kaori, her GEAR wields a mechanized katana.
- Male Gaze: She frequently visits the manga store, but usually to talk to the attractive employees.
- Nice Girl: She's outwardly kind and enthusiastic. Even though Kaori holds a massive grudge against her for their incident with Ryouta, Mei doesn't return any of the ill-will and continues to treat her like a friend.
- We Used to Be Friends: Defied. No matter how mad Kaori gets at her, Mei has and always will see Kaori as her friend.
Tatsuo Kimura
Team leader of Claw of the Wild whom Kaori claims is more annoying than Shou.- Boisterous Bruiser: Tatsuo is full of energy and wields a pair of claws as his GEAR weapons.
- CAPS LOCK: HE ALWAYS TALKS LIKE THIS! FOR! EVERY! SINGLE! WORD!
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Just listen to the things he says. Clearly he's got a few screws loose.Tatsuo: "RAYS OF JUSTICE ILLUMINATE THE BATTLEFIELD. TWO WORTHY PREDATORS ENTER, BUT A SINGLE PHOENIX SHALL RISE FROM THE ASHES."
- Graceful Loser: He accepts his Team's defeat with dignity and assures ACE-2049-11 that they'll be back for more again.
- The Ghost: Never seen outside his GEAR.
- Large Ham: That's putting it mildly. Tatsuo practically bellows his lines and speaks in metaphors.
- No Indoor Voice: Everything he says is always in Capital font. That should be enough proof.
- Worthy Opponent: He comes to see ACE-2049-11 as this after beating him in their match.
Other Characters
Ken
Nikki's classmate and potential Love Interest.- Adaptational Nice Guy: In "Kendo Crush", Ken was the biggest bully in the school. Here, he's humble, slightly awkward, Nice Guy.
- Big Damn Heroes: He manages to save Nikki from a group of creeps while she's waiting for the bus.
- Demoted to Extra: In the original release "Kendo Crush", Ken was the closest thing to an Arch-Enemy for Tristan as the school's biggest bully. Here, his involvement is reduced to two scenes and being mentioned by Nikki.
- Underestimating Badassery: He may not look it, but Ken is actually very skilled with Martial Arts, able to take on multiple assailants at once.
- Will They or Won't They?: With Nikki, much to Tristan's displeasure. Depending on the player's choice, Tristan can either approve of their relationship, or continue to act against it.
Ivan Podubbny
A professional war gamer who is a three-time world champion and won the MVP award two consecutive years. He grants Team ACE-2049-11 a special coaching session.- Badass Biker: This is the image he gives off in public. He seldom removes his trademark helmet, and he regularly wears a black leather jacket. This has led to a rumor that he suffered burns on his face after falling off a bike during a race.
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: He's huge and generally physically imposing, but inside he's just a big softie.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's nothing like anyone on the team thought he'd be, and he's very out there, but his knowledge of GEARs and combat is second to none. Not only is he able to advise the pilots, he's also able to help Valerie improve the GEARs. There's a reason why he's won the MVP Award two years running.
- CAPS LOCK: LIKE TATSUO, HE ALWAYS TALKS LIKE THIS!
- Expy: Of Alex Louis Armstrong. He's tall, muscular, and imposing, extremely badass, but also highly sentimental and cares about his charges. They even have the same face and mustache, and even their voices sound similar.
- First-Name Basis: He absolutely insists that his charges address him by his first name.
- Genius Bruiser: You wouldn't expect a guy like him to be a tactical mastermind or have knowledge of the mechanical side of GEARs, but he has both traits.
- Hammerspace: The narration states that Ivan's helmet "magically appears" in his hand at the end of their coaching session.
- Large Ham: Dear God, is he ever. All of his dialogue is written in all-caps, and he speaks in grandiose fashion. He spends the first part of his lesson describing improvement in piloting using plant biology. Fitting, as he's Tatsuo's uncle.
- One-Scene Wonder: He only appears for the coaching session, and it's late into the story, but he's one of the most memorable parts of it, as well.
- The Quiet One: His public persona. In private, he's anything but.
- Red Baron: The Strong-Arm GEAR.
- Strong Family Resemblance: At least in terms of behavior. Remember Tatsuo, the similarly hammy captain of Claw of the Wild? Turns out he's Ivan's nephew.
