Characters / Tales of Fate: Team AZ

aka: Tales Of Fate Drake Aurion

Back to main page.

Characters Index

The Leading team of the story and the only Two-Man team at Beacon Academy. Both Drake and Zelos have been best friends since childhood and are currently working together to hunt down Lloyd's killer.

BEWARE OF UNMARKED SPOILERS

Team AZ in General

Associated Trope

---

• Bash Brothers: Drake and Zelos can raise a lot of hell for their enemies when working together.
• Brains and Brawn: Drake is more cunning and strategic, Zelos is stronger in terms of combat.
• The Charmer: Zelos.
• Childhood Friends: Drake and Zelos have known each other since they were kids.
• Foil: Drake presents himself as aloof, moody and serious; he takes no interest in dating and prefers to keep to himself. Zelos, appears extroverted, flirtatious and carefree; he flirts with almost any beauty he comes across and enjoys having a good time.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners / Vitriolic Best Buds: They may not have much in common and usually spend a lot of time annoying one another, but they have been close friends since they were young and make an effective team.
• The Strategist: Drake.

Drake Aurion

Drake Aurion

Experienced Protagonist of Tales of Fate and an Original Character. Living alone in the streets as a child, he was eventually found by a young Noble Lloyd Aurion, who took pity on Drake and decided to take him in. Soon afterwards, Lloyd's father, Kratos, decided to adopt him into the household, taking Drake in as a son and training him in the art of combat when he was six years old.

At the start of the story, Drake is on a personal mission, seeking to find the one responsible for murdering Lloyd over a year ago. During his search for answers, Drake starts to uncover clues regarding his mysterious past and family history that could be linked to his fate as well as the fate of Remnant as a whole.

It's later revealed that Drake's father was the original vessel for Shadow, the Envoy of the Dark Abyss. Drake was the next in line to serve as Shadow's vessel in a fight to the death against Rem, the spirit of light, who had her own personal vessel: his own brother Lloyd.

---

• Affectionate Nickname: Bud and Drakey. The only person to call him "Bud", much to his annoyance, is Zelos. "Drakey" is only used by his close friends, the only exception being Yang.
• Aloof Ally: To Team RWBY, JNPR and pretty much everyone else at Beacon. Drake doesn't try to connect with them and remains selective over who he can trust. He does, however, admit that RWBY and JNPR are pretty much the only people at Beacon he doesn't hate.
• Animal Motifs: Dragons, seeing how his name means "Dragon" and his personal emblem on his jacket depicts a dragon.
• An Arm and a Leg: During his fight against Mithos, Drake has his arm cut clean off. Miraculously, he has it reattached when the fight is over.
• The Antichrist: Drake is destined to become “The Seeker of Darkness”, the living embodiment of chaos and destruction. While Drake resents the idea of his life being chosen for him, we have yet to see if he’ll accept his fate in the end.
• Anti-Hero: Played straight and bordering on exaggerated at times. Drake does not consider himself a hero nor does he want to be one. He's cold, reserved, sarcastic, and doesn't trust anyone at face value. His sole motivations boil down to killing anyone who was involved in the murder of his brother, and damn the expense on his well-being. His methods range from pragmatic and risky to outright harmful and destructive towards his adversaries, and killing is something he has no problems with. Despite this, Drake does have a set of principles he closely follows. He stands as a stark contrast to Blake Belladonna, who is a more morally polished example of an Anti-Hero.
• Arch-Enemy: Ozpin. The Headmaster of Beacon Academy is probably the only person Drake hates to the core.
• Badass Family: Drake's adoptive father is considered a legend among Huntsmen. As for his biological family? It turns out they've been fighting Grimm and protecting Remnant for 4000 thousand years, at least and his paternal uncle is Mithos, the legendary hero of Remnant from 4000 years ago.
• Badass Normal: Even when he has his semblance deactivated, Drake has proven to be a formidable fighter. ^note It should be noted that while Drake is still capable of casting artes, they are fueled by aura, which is an essential asset for any fighter and are not necessarily considered powers.
• Bare-Fisted Monk: Drake has proven to be just as competent in a fight without his weapon, even capable of beating Yang Xiao Long in unarmed combat.
• Bash Brothers: With Lloyd during his childhood. Nowadays he pretty much kicks ass with Zelos and the rest of his closest friends.
• Battle Aura: Whenever Drake is ready for a fight, becomes angered or just tries to intimidate his opponents, he leaks black and purple aura.
• Beautiful Dreamer: Lampshaded by Yang.
  Yang: "You should go to sleep... I have to admit it, you do look cute when you're at peace. You really need to relax more."
• Beneath the Mask: A big example. During the first arc of the story, Drake wears a fake persona mimicking his deceased older brother; acting carefree and easygoing. However, Drake soon casts aside his fake persona and acts more like his original self: cold, reserved, slightly sarcastic. But even under that, Drake is still suffering from the loss of his brother and is tormented by his past.
• Berserk Button:
  • Played Straight, Justified, even Exaggerated at times regarding his friends. Threaten, hurt, or harm them in any way, you will die.
  • The White Fang also count as one, especially when Blake tries to defend them.
• Big Brother Instinct: Inverted. Even if he was the younger of the two of them and Lloyd was always going the extra mile for his sake, Drake was devoted to Lloyd, especially during times of peril and trouble.
  • This is also the case with Colette, whom he was particularly protective over and was devastated by her death.
• Big Brother Worship: As much as the two tended to butt heads, Drake clearly looked up to his brother Lloyd and had a strong sense of admiration and worship of him. Shortly after he was adopted, Drake was still bothered by his lack of knowledge regarding his biological family, so Lloyd took it upon himself to look after Drake; helping him feel like a welcomed addition to the family, further increasing Drake's worship of him. However, as they grew older, the two began to butt-heads over their different philosophies, with Lloyd's Optimism and Drake's Cynicism. Despite it all, Drake still loves and admires Lloyd and misses his brother dearly.
• Birds of a Feather: With Yang, even though he doesn't realize it yet. Despite their obvious differences at first, Drake's conviction to find his brother's killer is very similar to Yang's obsession with finding her mother. However, both of them are smart enough to not let their desire control them. They've also had their pasts kept in the shadows from them, deal with Parental Abandonment, and lost people who played important roles in their lives; With Yang, it was her stepmother, Summer. With Drake, it was his adoptive brother, Lloyd.
• Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: The Brooding Boy to Yang's Gentle Girl. Drake is the cynical Jerk with a Heart of Gold, while Yang is the more upbeat and cheerful Genki Girl. While Yang has proven to be the more hot-headed of the two, she is very patient with Drake and tries to be someone he can trust at Beacon. She has also gotten him to smile and even laugh on occasion.
• Blessed with Suck: As powerful and useful as his semblance is, Drake has stated that he hates it and that it's caused him nothing but trouble in the past. Seeing how his semblance is linked to a spirit that's been trying to take over his body since he was a child, it makes sense that he hates it.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Drake is the blonde, Lloyd is the brunette, and Zelos is the redhead.
• Brain Washed And Crazy: When he's possessed by Shadow during the climax of his fights against Mithos, the result is absolutely terrifying.
• Brought Down to Badass: Even after having his semblance disabled, Drake has proven to be a capable fighter.
• Broken Ace: Drake may be a tough, capable and badass fighter, but his personal life is a mixture of pain, loss, grief and tragedy: His earliest memories were of him living as a lowly street-rat, constantly being tormented by Shadow. He was then adopted and turned into a living weapon by his father, the brother he loves more than anything is destined to fight him to the death, and one of his most cherished childhood friends was murdered by the White Fang. Nearly everyone in his family has either died or gone missing.
• Byronic Hero: Downplayed. Drake is cynical, cunning, has an incredibly Dark and Troubled Past and fairly moody. However, his dark exterior bellies a more caring and selfless personality and the other students get used to him.
• Cain and Abel: Chapter 20 revealed that Drake's rivalry with Lloyd is more than a simple sibling rivalry; it's part of a centuries-long prophecy where the spirits Shadow and Rem would each take possession of a mortal vessel in a fight to the death. The descendants of their original vessels would be Drake and Lloyd respectively.
• Casting a Shadow: Drake's semblance is called Shadow Mastery, which grants him the ability to use the shadows as dimensional portals to move from place to place and store his belongings. He can also manipulate the shadow of anything that has an aura (including his own) as long as he or his shadow is touching it.
• Consummate Liar: Downplayed. Drake actually tries to avoid lying when he can. But when he does, he's extraordinarily competent at making up plausible and believable excuses in a split second and excels at evading questions and withholding information.
• Cool Sword: Drake’s personal weapon, Yin, was a gift from Lloyd. Made from Dust Crystals, it’s a one-of-a-kind weapon.
• Celibate Hero: Downplayed. Drake has little to no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with any girl. Still, he admits there are girls he thinks are “hot”.
• Character Tic: His gets twitchy in his right eye whenever he's annoyed.
• Chick Magnet: Downplayed. While not as big as Zelos, Drake is very attractive to the opposite sex; Yang Xiao Long, Cinder Fall, and Coco Adel have shown some level of attraction to him.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Downplayed. Drake always puts the well-being of his FRIENDS above his own, even if it costs him his life. He wants to solve his brother’s murder alone due to his fear of his friends dying on his behalf. Despite this, he’s always willing to risk his life if one of his friends needs help with something.
• Combat Pragmatist: Drake will exploit any weakness and use anything to his advantage if it means winning. This includes using dust-infused grenades and turning someone's weapons and abilities against them.
• The Cynic: Drake shows no guilt in doing what's necessary, is a Deadpan Snarker, follows logic and practicality, disregards rules at Beacon Academy, and is both book smart and street smart.
• Cynicism Catalyst: Collette's death at the hands of the White Fang made Drake even more cynical and ruthless than he already was, seeing how any semblance of his childhood and innocence died with her.
• Dark and Troubled Past: As a child, Drake was forced to flee his hometown of Mountain Glenn when it was overrun by the Grimm. During his escape, Drake was attacked by a Sword Dancer, leaving a curse mark on his shoulder that would glow and bleed, plaguing him with childhood insomnia. His earliest memories were of him living in the streets, being forced to steal to survive. He was then found by Lloyd Aurion, who took pity on him and decided to take him in before being adopted by Lloyd's father, Kratos. Kratos then raised Drake as one of his while training him in the art of combat alongside Lloyd, who became Drake's first taste of true camaraderie and friendship. Just when things were looking up for Drake, his childhood friend and adopted sister, Colette, was murdered during a White Fang raid, and Drake couldn’t do anything but watch her get gunned down. If that’s not bad enough, several years later, Drake’s home was attacked and Lloyd was murdered, leaving Drake scarred both physically and psychologically.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Just because his semblance is darkness-based and wears black doesn't mean he’s a complete jerk.
• Dead Person Impersonation: During the first Volume of RWBY, Drake essentially acted like his deceased brother, Lloyd. He later
• Deadpan Snarker: Sometimes. While Drake does have a sense of humor, he usually shares it when he's with friends or antagonizing his adversaries. He's also not above annoying Yang with his cynical wit.
• Death Seeker: A more subtle example. Due to his risky, often suicidal, battle strategies, Drake doesn't seem to care if he lives or dies. However, it's understandable, given how dysfunctional and messed up his life has been.
• Demonic Possession: Drake serves as the vessel of Shadow, the Spirit of Darkness, who has been trying to take possession of Drake's body since he was young for the sole purpose of fighting Rem to the death. Needless to say, it's a very antagonistic relationship.
• Determinator: If there is one thing Drake is best known for, it's that he never quits.
  Magnius: "Don't know when to give up, do you?"
  Drake: "No, I actually do know when to give up. It's just that I'm so pissed off, that I don't want to."
• Disappeared Dad: Drake's biological father, Zu, disappeared after helping his son escape Mountain Glenn. He hasn't been seen since.
  • The same can be said for his adoptive father, Kratos, seeing how he goes missing on a private mission in chapter 45.
• Dumb Blonde: Inverted. He may be blonde, but Drake is probably one of the smartest and most cunning characters in the entire story.
• Experienced Protagonist: Drake probably has more experience in fighting than anyone else at Beacon by the start of the story.
• Fatal Flaw: Drake never picks sides when conflict arises, especially between friends.
• Foil: To several characters actually.
  • Yang Xiao Long. Both grew up with dysfunctional families, had their backgrounds kept in secret, and had siblings they looked up to and supported. However, Yang manages to cover up any angst she has with her cheerful, outgoing attitude and penchant for puns. Drake, however, hides his inner pain by presenting a more cold and sarcastic demeanor.
  • Blake Belladonna. Ironic, seeing how the two appear to be very similar. However, Blake believes that the White Fang are capable of redemption, seeing how she was a former member. Drake, on the other hand, holds no sympathy for them due to their actions and believes they're too far gone to be saved.
• The Gadfly: Drake seems to have a habit of annoying people just for the sake of it. It's even Lampshaded in a 4th Wall-Break Omake.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: When Drake's eyes start to glow, you know something is either wrong or about to get serious.
• Good is Not Nice/Good Is Not Soft: He can be cold, callous and ruthless, but Drake does care about helping other people, is fiercely loyal to those he calls his friends and has a strong moral code.
• Go Through Me: Drake is more than willing to put himself through harm's way for the sake of those he values the most.
• Guile Hero: Drake is one of the sharpest and most cunning students at Beacon Academy, combining his skills and talents with his wits and smarts. However, Drake makes a strict rule to never manipulate his friends or innocent bystanders.
• Has a Type: While dating has never been a big aspect of Drake's life, many of his friends have suspected Drake has a thing for dangerous women. Probably because it fits well with his dark Anti-Hero lifestyle.
• Headbutting Heroes: Drake and Ruby have a difficult time getting along, mostly due to how different they are. Ruby is a kind, Wide-Eyed Idealist who wants to be a hero; Drake is a dark, cynical, Knight in Sour Armor. There's also the matter of Ruby's idolization of Professor Ozpin, while Drake actively hates his guts.
• Hearing Voices: Drake will occasionally have silent conversations with Shadow, hearing his voice in his head. Its in the Job description when your body serves as the vessel for a Spirit.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Lloyd back when he was alive. Nowadays he's this with Zelos.
• I Can't Dance: Subverted. Drake can dance and is actually fairly decent. He just doesn't like dancing because Zelos had to teach him how.
• I Work Alone: Downplayed and Justified. Drake will work with friends when the situation demands it, but usually prefers to work alone. He also has trust issues, not wanting to accept any help from the other students at Beacon. And given how dangerous his line of work is, Drake is also afraid of losing anyone close to him.
• In the Hood: One of his favorite articles of clothing are black hoodies, which he uses with his scarf to hide his identity.
• Ineffectual Loner: Subverted. At first, Drake appears to be the type of person who is capable on their own, but is hindered by his lack of allies. However, it's later revealed that Drake does indeed have friendships that are built on trust. If he can't trust them, he can't call them his friend.
• Insufferable Genius: Drake tends to be right on many subjects and has a habit of making everyone aware of it.
• It's Personal: If you hurt anyone he cares about, Drake will kill you.
  • This is especially obvious with Lloyd's death.
  • After his adopted sister, Colette, was killed by a the White Fang, Drake was filled with nothing but animosity and hatred towards them.
• Jerkass Has a Point:
  • If any members of the White Fang didn't want to be a part of the terrorism against humans, they would've left after they were taken under new management. The fact they choose to continue is enough to prove they enjoy what they're doing and can't be saved. And even if they were afraid to desert, Blake managed to do it and is considered a coward by some standards.
  • There's also a point about his methods. It's a simple fact that criminals who aren't breathing can't hurt anyone, and he makes a rule of only killing terrorists and murderers.
  • Most importantly: The most dangerous threat to humanity is themselves.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Drake has a very strong moral code, supports Faunus rights and is always willing to go the extra mile for his friends. However, he's also extremely cynical, openly contemptuous of others, and general pain to work with.
• Knight in Sour Armor: Unlike Ruby, Jaune or Blake who fight for a better world, Drake sees the world for what it is. He doesn't fight to be a hero or to make a difference. He fights because it's the right thing to do.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Drake has no memories of who his real family was or his actual origin. All he does learn is that he originally lived in Mountain Glenn, but fled after the Grimm invaded and destroyed everything. He also learns his father's name: Zu Aurion.
• The Leader: Of Team AZ.
• Like an Old Married Couple: With Yang.
• Made of Iron: Drake has been beaten, stabbed, suffered internal bleeding and aura poisoning, and has been put through the ringer more times than anyone else at Beacon. Yet he still keeps coming back more determined than before.
• Missing Mom: While Drake eventually learns about who his father is, he has no knowledge of his mother or her whereabouts. Not even his immortal uncle, Mithos knows who she is.
• Nerves of Steel: Drake is emotionally disciplined, keeps his temper in check, and is nearly fearless. He almost never shows signs of fear, even when facing impossible odds and works hard to not show his anger.
• Nominal Hero: Drake really doesn't care about becoming a Huntsman. All he wants is vengeance for his brother's death.
• Odd Friendship: With Zelos. Even though Zelos's extroverted and flirtatious attitude is a constant annoyance, Drake considers him his best friend through thick and thin.
• Parental Abandonment: Drake has no memories of his parents and only remembers living alone in the streets. Over the years he came to the conclusion they simply abandoned him. It's later revealed that his father, Zu, had instructed Shadow to take his son to Mithos, the ancient hero of the world and Drake's paternal uncle. Instead, Drake wound up in the care of Zu's adoptive brother: Kratos Aurion.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Played Straight and Exaggerated at times with regards towards the White Fang and any other serious adversary. When dealing with two White Fang guards, he slices one's arm off and stabs out the other's eyes before tying them to a tree with barbed wire. That's a lot less friendly than a clean death.
• Perpetual Frowner: Drake rarely smiles and is mostly seen brooding. On even fewer occasions has he ever laughed.
• Pint Sized Power House: Drake stands 5'10", which is actually taller than the average height for boys his age. But compared to the other boys at Beacon ^note who usually stand over 6'00" tall, Drake is actually on the shorter side, yet is still a very capable fighter.
• Please Wake Up: The night Lloyd died, Zelos found Lloyd dead in Drake's arms and Drake in a childlike state of denial.
  Drake to Lloyd: "Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd... Lloyd...!!!"
• Power of Trust: Drake will only call someone his friend unless he knows he can trust them. Everyone else is just a "good acquaintance".
• Rebellious Spirit: He has a big beef with Beacon Academy, mainly due to Ozpin being the Headmaster and hates following orders from him.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Lloyd's Red. Drake appears to be more level-headed and collected while Lloyd is more passionate and headstrong. However, the two of them had moments where they zig-zag between roles.
• Revenge: His main mission in life, ever since his brother died. But it didn't start there. After losing his sister to the White Fang, he's sworn that he'd not only wipe them all out, but also put them through more pain and suffering before giving them the privilege of dying.
• Revenge Before Reason: Averted. As determined as he is to find his brother's killer, Drake doesn't let it consume him like it has other characters in other media. While he does lack self-preservation at times, he has shown to be extremely protective over his friends, not wanting them to get involved in his search due to his fear of them dying on his behalf and is mindful of the consequences of his actions.
• Scarf of Asskicking: Drake’s trademark accessory is his white scarf that he uses to hide half of his face. Who says Blake and Ren have the ninja look down?
• Scars Are Forever: Drake has several scars on his arms, but his most prominent one is located on his neck, which he keeps hidden under his scarf. The day he earned that scar was the day his brother died.
• Ship Tease: Quite a few, actually.
  • Yang is definitely the most Implied Love Interest. They both have similar troubled pasts and dysfunctional families, and appear to have Belligerent Sexual Tension. They even Almost Kiss.
  • Drake shares moments with Cinder Fall that make is look like he'll go rogue.
  • Even Coco Adel ups her charms when she's around him.
• Sociopathic Hero: He shows shades of this when dealing with the White Fang, although most of it seems to stem from his grief over the loss of his sister.
  "My sister can't come back from the dead. That's the harsh reality of the world we live in. But that doesn't change the fact that the people responsible are still breathing... but the thing is... death is too easy as a punishment. The person just dies and... that's it. Why end it when they can be put through more pain and suffering than a simple death...?"
• The Strategist: As a leader, Drake has proven to be extremely cunning and manipulative, combining his talents and abilities with tactical intelligence to get out of sticky situations.
• Sympathy for the Devil: Very downplayed. Drake hates the White Fang entirely and wants to see them all hang. However, he fully acknowledges that none of them would have gone to such extremes if the Faunus weren't subjected to Human prejudice.
• Tragic Keepsake: His fashionable, badass scarf that he's almost never seen without? It belonged to his brother.
• Tranquil Fury: Drake has plenty of moments where he's obviously angered, but has rarely lost his composure or gone out of control.
• Trauma Conga Line: Basically his life. When he was a child, he was forced to flee from his home in Mountain Glenn when the Grimm invaded, and was attacked by a Sword Dancer, leaving him with a curse mark on his shoulder. He was left with no memories of his life except for his name, and was forced to live in the streets alone, until he was found by Lloyd Aurion who became Drake's first taste of camaraderie and friendship. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when Drake's childhood friend and adopted sister, Colette, was gunned down during a White Fang raid, while all he could do was watch her die in Lloyd's arms. Things only got worse when Lloyd, the one person who stood by Drake's side and looked out for him for nearly all his life, was murdered during an attack on their house, scarring Drake by physically and psychologically. It's bad enough that his father, Kratos Aurion, has gone missing after going off on a personal mission.
• Thicker Than Water: With Lloyd. The two have consistently watched each other's backs and have been through thick and thin despite not being siblings by blood.
• Tiger Versus Dragon: The Dragon to Lloyd's tiger. And it's a lot deeper than you realize...
• Troubled, but Cute: He wears all black and has a lot of issues, but is very handsome and ultimately has a good heart.
• Tsundere: Drake is definitely a Type A (the "Tsun" type). Normally, Drake's default mood is acting cold, cynical and aloof. However, there are moments when Drake shows a more caring and selfless side.
• Undying Loyalty: Towards Lloyd during his childhood and anyone else he considers a friend.
• Unscrupulous Hero: Drake can be cold, unforgiving and even ruthless towards other people, and is willing to lie, steal, infiltrate and kill in order to win. His attitude, however, is forgivable, seeing how messed up his life has been; moreover, it's shown that he does care about helping others and is a very selfless person. His methods, while less defensible, are actually more justified when taken into account of who he's up against. To top it off, Drake has his own moral code given to him by his brother and never kills unless he has a good reason.
• Vitriolic Best Buds:
  • He and Lloyd are foster brothers with Undying Loyalty to one another and habitually butt heads.
  • Even though Drake has called him a consistent pain in the ass, he considers Zelos his best friend through thick and thin.
• The Worf Effect: Drake has proven time and time again to be more than your average student at Beacon. Despite this, he has chalked up more losses than wins, proving that he's got a long way to go before he's ready to take on the forces he's up against.
• Would Hit a Girl: Try hitting an old lady. Granted she was threatening him with a shotgun at point-blank range.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: While being alone has been Drake's biggest fear, clowns are definitely a close second.
• Wrath: Let's face it, Drake is an angry person which makes him extremely dangerous, especially given how good he is at keeping a clear head. He is also very vindictive, willing to put himself in harm's way and drag himself through multiple layers of hell in order to avenge his brother's death.
• You Can Barely Stand: After suffering from aura poisoning, Drake stood his ground during the Breach of Vale and managed to hold his own for some time until his friends intervened.

Zelos Wilder

Zelos Wilder

A noble from Atlas, Zelos transfers to Beacon Academy to help Drake in his investigation to solve Lloyd’s murder and bring the one responsible to justice. While he appears to be a handsome lech and provides most of the comedy in the story, he's actually a troubled soul and finds solace in his friendships. He is Drake’s team partner and longtime Best Friend.

---

• Abusive Parents: This is putting it mildly, seeing how he was born into an unloving family.
  • He has the classic asshole stepfather who discourages him from becoming a Huntsman and focus more on the family business.
  • He has very bitter feelings towards his mother and hates the idea of her controlling his life.
• Anti-Hero: Much like Drake, Zelos isn't the typical classic Ideal Hero. He's committed immoral acts for the greater good and is best classified as a Pragmatic Hero.
• Bash Brothers: With Drake and Lloyd when they were kids. Now, it's mostly with Drake.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Years of neglect clearly did him no favors as a child. Needless to say, he was extremely grateful towards Drake and Lloyd for being the first people to ever really accept him and treat him kindly, resulting in his Undying Loyalty towards them.
• Beneath the Mask: Zelos’s easy going attitude is mostly a facade. He is flirtatious, extroverted and suave, but it is revealed that he was extremely lonely as a child. He indicates that the overbearing control his mother and stepfather had over him led to a very difficult and unpleasant relationship with both of his parents. After becoming friends with Drake and Lloyd, he became more pleasant and considers them his true family.
• Beware the Silly Ones: He may be the Butt-Monkey, but Zelos has shown many times that he's someone you don't want to push too far.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Zelos is extroverted, fun-loving and daring.
• Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Drake is the blonde, Lloyd is the brunette, and Zelos is the redhead.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: Zelos has proven to be extremely intelligent despite appearing Book Dumb compared to Drake, who is the more tactical genius of the two.
• Broken Ace: He may be one of the top students at Beacon, but his family-life was filled with neglect and abuse, plaguing him with insecurities and other serious issues.
• Butt-Monkey: He usually tends to be the main source of comedy in the story.
• The Casanova: Zelos is the classic ladies' man and very flirtatious. He also favors one-night-stands over long-term relationships. His Establishing Character Moment alone features him surrounded by a gaggle of girls as he arrives in Vale.
• The Charmer: Zelos is cocky and charismatic. He's a womanizer and has plenty of confidence when dealing with the opposite sex.
• Chivalrous Pervert: While he will flirt with almost any pretty girl he comes across, he has standards when it comes to women.
  1. Never gets intimate with someone over a year younger than him
  2. The girl must not have a crush on someone else
  3. Never go after an innocent girl (aka a virgin)
  4. Never stick his d*ck in crazy
  5. Never do it with a Schnee.
• Cool Sword: His personal weapon, Ether.
• The Cynic: Zelos is can be pretty cynical, but has a more cheery attitude compared to Drake.
• Deadpan Snarker: Zelos always has a witty, snarky or sarcastic comment tucked up his sleeves, but isn't really very deadpan.
• Disappeared Dad: Yaun Ka-Fei, who has been absent all Zelos's life.
• Fiery Red Head: While not nearly as prone to anger as Luke, he is quite a force to be reckoned with when he reaches his breaking point.
• Handsome Lech: Zelos is a very handsome young man who will shamelessly flirt with almost any pretty girl he comes across. Apparently, he's memorized the measurements of every girl in his class.
  Yang "My eyes are up here, sweetheart."
  Zelos "Yeah, I know."
• Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: Practically any chapter featuring him has some mention of his heterosexuality or masculinity, and the story always seems to take jabs at his one-night stands and fascination with women.
• He-Man Woman Hater: Subverted. Despite his many one-night stands, Zelos has made it perfectly clear he has the utmost respect for women.
• Heroic Bastard: He was born the child of a Faunus and a Human, and never officially knew his father.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: He may act self-assured, boastful and full of himself at times, but Zelos suffers from serious self-esteem issues.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While not as bad as Drake. Zelos also has his moments of being a jerk, but balances them out with Pet The Dog Moments.
• The Lancer: To Drake in every way. Not only is he the Number Two to Drake's Leader, but he's also the Hot-Blooded Charmer to Drake's levelheaded Strategist.
• Likes Older Women: Zelos has shown no discomfort in flirting with women older than him. He's even upped his charms with Glynda Goodwitch.
• Lonely Rich Kid: As a child he had no friends and assumed everyone was just after his position. Thankfully, he soon met Drake and Lloyd who became his first taste of true camaraderie and friendship.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Oh, absolutely.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Zelos has little to no shame when it comes to flirting. Just listen to his first interaction with Yang.
  Yang: "My eyes are up here, sweetheart."
  Zelos: "Yeah, I know."
• Magic Knight: He wields a sword and shield, but his semblance grants him enhanced attributes and he has access to elemental aura attacks.
• Meaningful Name: His name, “Zelos”, means “zeal, ardor, jealousy" in Ancient Greek, which are emotions commonly associated with the color green.
• Mirror Character: With Weiss. Both have a strong hatred against the White Fang, parents who made their home lives a living hell, and friends who changed their lives.
• The Nicknamer: To several people, actually. He calls both Drake and Blake “Bud” and "Kitty" respectively, and refers to Weiss as either "Ice Queen" or "Flat Chest".
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Zelos is highly intelligent, skilled at manipulation, and deals with severe self-loathing due to years of Parental Neglect. He hides this all through the guise of being a happy-go-lucky Handsome Lech who'll hit on any pretty girl who fits his standards.
• Odd Friendship: With Drake. While Zelos' extroverted and fun-loving attitude is a constant annoyance, Drake still considers him his best friend through thick and thin.
• Parental Abandonment: His biological father, Yuan Ka-Fai, left before he was born and has never been present in his life.
• Really Gets Around: He's had plenty of one-night stands and isn't afraid to admit it.
• Sad Clown: Zelos' primary method of hiding any emotional baggage is using his sense of humor.
• Shipper on Deck: He's always encouraged Drake to go out and meet a girl, much to his exasperation.
• Spoiled Brat: Lampshaded by Drake when they were kids. Befriending Drake and Lloyd helped change that.
• Stepford Smiler: Underneath his cheery demeanor is a mess of emotional problems.
• Undying Loyalty: To his friends, but especially Drake. He’s willing to take more drastic measures for his friend’s sake, be it blackmailing, killing or even betraying. He’ll always do right by him, even if that means hurting him.
• Would Hit a Girl: Does this to Blake. He had his reasons.