ARM Backup/Settei book 2 translation/Characters section

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Chapter 2: Characters

Characters

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Croix Bartel

Croix (VA: Yusa Kouji)

[Chroah_Vatel]
Croix Bartel

The story's protagonist. He is part of the Grand Bell Knights and has IPD containment as his main labor.
He was taken in and raised by Luca's mother Reisha because he lost his parents at an early age.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Spearmanship, Oden
Age:	18	Dislikes:	IPD Containment
Height:	1,72 M	Dream:	Lost
Weight:	58 KG	Hobby:	Looking after Cocona
Birthplace:	Mint Block	Motto:	Never forget your beliefs.
Occupation:	Low Rank Grand Bell Knight

I will become a knight at the Grand Bell. Croix's dream was clear ever since he was very young. He excelled in martial arts as well, and at the abnormally young age of 14 years old he managed to make his dream a reality. However, the knightly duties that befell upon Croix, whose eyes shone with hope back then, were solely containment orders for Reyvateils that had become IPD-infected. Of course, he understood that berserk IPDs were extremely dangerous and that it was an important duty. However, having to apprehend these berserk Reyvateils by force and getting screamed at by the families whose daughters he took away casued deep wounds in Croix's heart. These miserable days caused Croix to lose his dream.
The only reason Croix had to continue living despite all of this was a person that was like a little sister to him: Cocona. After he joined the knights, Croix sortied to supress an IPD outbreak that had taken place in a Pastalia lower-class neighborhood, and once he realized Cocona had been the only survivor in that tragic situation, he took Cocona under his protection. Between having their meals together and treating each other's wounds, they created a familial-like bond between them both. Now Cocona had no relatives, she started living in Croix's house with him. Although Croix had a naturally stubborn and serious personality, the fact he allowed a girl to live with him despite already having a fiancee may also hint to the fact that he's dense and can't read well the mood.

Original Draft

Director's Voice

We stuck to the stance of him being somebody who supports the heroines through their trials and tribulations from the shadows. In other words, he has being an unsung hero as his role, huh? That's why we've heard that he [doesn't seem like a protagonist], but I just replied that it's fine having a protagonist like him too.

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Cocona Bartel

Cocona (VA: Shimura Yumi)

[Cocona_Vatel]
Cocona Bartel

She lost both of her parents during an IPD outbreak. After she was picked up by the one that became her savior, Croix, they both ended up living as a family. She is a lively girl possessing combat abilities that go well beyond the average.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Croix, Spicy Things
Age:	11	Hobby:	Doing Exercise
Height:	1,30 M	Dislikes:	Sticky Things, Croix's Enemies,
Weight:	30 KG		Suspicious-looking People
Birthplace:	Pastalia - Old Town	Dream	Becoming a bride.
Occupation:	Satellite Girl	Hobby:	Helping Croix
		Motto:	Cro's enemies are my enemies.

When Croix was 16 and Cocona was 9, a large-scale IPD outbreak occurred in a Pastalia lower-class neighborhood. It was an incident that resulted in many casualties and of which Cocona was the sole survivor.
The area where Cocona was born and raised was a place known as the Slums, where poor families huddled together and where public safety was quite lacking. As it was a land where even getting food and sleep was difficult, it was an everyday occurrence that people there would resort to violence. As Cocona was raised in that violent place, she naturally learned techniques to defend herself. When the IPD outbreak that ended up becoming a tragedy happened, the fact that a mere little girl like her narrowly escaped death wasn't just due to her having good luck. It could be said it was a consequence of her having naturally good reflexes and being endowed with "fighting prowess" despite her youth.
She felt she was lucky about the fact she ended up living with Croix shortly after and became family to the knight. Her self-taught battle techniques were further polished thanks to the guidance she received from the first-rate knight, and after a short time, her skills had improved to the point they were even acknowledged by Knight Captain Leglius. Cocona is the only minor who is allowed to work by accompanying and assisting the Knights (Satellite Girl), but this in an exception among exceptions in Pastalia. That is the extent of how much skill she has demonstrated.

Director's Voice

Nagi-san couldn't quite put together the image he wanted for her inside his head, so he needed quite a bit work before he finally settled on this design. The setting for her using hair ornaments that become a weapon was born when we were deciding on the kinds of attacks each character would have.

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Leglius Branchesca

Leglius (VA: Terasoma Masaki)

[Legris_Branchesca]
Leglius Branchesca

The Captain of the Grand Bell Knights. As he has a reliable personality, while he sometimes can be strict, he is quite good at taking care of others as well, which has earned him a great popularity from his subordinates.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Strong ones, distinctive people
Age:	38	Dislikes:	Sweet things
Height:	1,91 M	Dream:	A warm family
Weight:	93 KG	Hobby:	Training his subordinates
Birthplace:	Lower-class Pastalia residential area	Motto:	Be strict!
Occupation:	Captain of the Grand Bell Knights

Although the Grand Bell Knights have a wide variety of duties, the most frequent one they must carry out is the containment of IPDs. As for Leglius, he is known to become a strangely harsh knight only when it concerns these IPDs. This is because he knows quite well that if the IPDs are left to do whatever they please, it will result in a large number of victims, not to mention that countless families that cover and abet relatives that have succumbed to an outbreak have lost their lives in the process. And he himself suffered from such a hard experience too. Leglius was married once to a woman called Kasha and had a daughter called Arisha, but he lost them both to an IPD outbreak. And the squad that was charged with the duty of dealing with that incident was the one under Leglius' direct supervision. To him it was as if he had killed his own wife and daughter with his own hands.
Of course, Leglius is fully aware that the Grand Bell is carrying out a plan to intentionally increase the IPD infection rate. Although the fact that he killed his own family stings his heart, he tells himself that his duty is a necessary evil while he keeps working toward Metafalica's realization.

Original Draft

Director's Voice

We wanted to try making a type of character that wasn't in the previous game: a taciturn but straight-laced person. And as we also wanted to represent [families], which is an important theme for this game, we depicted him while keeping in mind that he was also supposed to have the image of a fatherly role placed upon him.

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Amarie Gelade

Amarie (VA: Gotou Saori)

[Amarie_Jerhad]
Amarie Gelade

A ranger that spends most of her life out in the fields. Playing the lyre is her strong suit, so she sometimes stops at the cities to earn a modest income by strumming its strings for the people.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Playing the lyre, Soope
Age:	20	Dislikes:	Indecisive people
Height:	1,68 M	Dream:	A love similar to dancing flowers
Weight:	48	Hobbies:	Falling in love
Measurements:	83-63-92	Motto:	Live free and without ties!
Birthplace:	Kanakana Pier
Occupation:	Wandering Ranger

A girl that was born and raised in Kanakana Pier, the land located at the very ends of the Rim, and a half-breed of humans and Teru. Although Amarie herself doesn't know it, her family belongs to a lineage that was sealed away 400 years ago, who were associated to the [Maiden of Mio] and who had the role of making preparations to bring an end to the current world.
When Amarie was 11 years old, Kanakana Pier suffered an attack from a large-scale IPD outbreak and was devastated. Amarie's parents both died by berserk, IPD-infected Reyvateils. Now she had no relatives to depend on, she was accepted into the family of her neighbor Chester and was raised with him. Although Amarie held some warm feelings for him, Chester excelled in academics and left for Pastalia when Amarie turned 13.
After Chest left Kanakana Pier, Amarie ended up with the role of the [village's big sister] and cared for the children in it. However, the village's extreme poverty caused her to start making a living as a lyre player and little by little, she left the village. And although she managed to meet again with Chester when she turned 19, she learned that the one leading the Sacred Army was no other than her [big brother], Chester himself. Amarie declared she would help him, and while Chester rejected the idea immediately, her valuable skills have led to her participate in their battles in an unofficial way.

Director's Voice

She is a fairly old character that I made around 2004 or so. The setting we made for her was a woman that expresses utterly platonic feelings like, someone who wants to express her deep affection and isn't picky about the methods she uses to fulfill her long-cherished desires.

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Shun

Shun (VA: Hayami Shou)

[Shun]
Shun

The Envoy of the Goddess. While he has descended upon the surface of this land as a collaborator of the Sacred Army, he joined Croix and his friends after several fighting them in several fierce battles. He lives eternally alongside Frelia.

Profile

Gender:	Male (Blue Wolf)	Likes:	Frelia
Age:	746	Dislikes:	Being treated like a dog
Height:	Unknown	Dream:	Become human again.
Weight:	Unknown	Hobby:	Protecting Frelia
Birthplace:	Digital Life Form	Motto:	Don't treat me like a dog.
Occupation:	Guardian

The being that was the first and closest friend Frelia had during the First Era. Back when he was still human, he was called Enja.
Long ago, when Metafalss barely escaped being destroyed by the Grathnode Inferia, Enja was a shrine priest that served as personal attendant to the Goddess (Frelia), and he stepped into Sol Marta desiring to save her. However, the tables turned on him when he was faced by the Guardian of the Goddess, Rhaki and sustained wounds serious enough to be left on the verge of death. It was then that Enja made a deal with Rhaki. In exchange for having his life spared, he would lose his physical body. He would then go on living as a digital life form that would eternally protect Frelia as one of her Guardians. Enja didn't hesitate before replying he accepted the deal, and thus was the "Envoy of the Goddess" born.
Upon realizing how quickly Frelia's power had been dwindling these past years, Shun considered the plans of the Alfman regime to wage a War Against the Goddess as a danger. It was then he decided to aid the Sacred Army to try and weaken the Grand Bell's power. Just like 700 years ago, Shun's actions and thoughts are only about protecting Frelia. If war broke out now, it's possible the weakened Frelia may sustain irreversible damage... That as all that there is to Shun's motives.

Director's Voice

Like it's shown in the setting illustrations above, he's a character that went through all sorts of changes. Regarding the fact he was given a wolf shape, that is because Rhaki decided that it would be the most efficient form for him after examining his quick wits and battle prowess.

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Batz Trulywaath

Batz
(VA: Yamaguchi Kappei)

[Batz_Truelywaath]
Batz Trulywaath

Reisha's husband. When his daughter Reika had an IPD outbreak, he lost his life protecting her from the Grand Bell as they tried to capture her. He had a grandiose and caring personality, which made a knight that was pretty popular among the squads.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Reisha, His Daughters,
Age:	28 (at the time of his death)		Enthusiastic Guys
Height:	1,77 M	Dislikes:	Depressive guys
Weight:	62 Kg	Dream:	Become a sky pirate
Birthplace:	Unknown	Hobby:	Raising his children
Occupation:	Former Grand Bell Knight	Motto:	Make happy the people you love!

He was a famous swordsman even among the Grand Bell Knights when he was alive. Leglius considers him a veteran and an older partner worthy of respect. However, his short-temper and personality that tended to pick fights made him catastrophic to handle, making him the type to never receive promotions.
It was because he became so known for this sort of reputation that he was given the important position of protecting Maiden Arshe. One of the good points Batz had to him was that he [was always faithful to fulfilling his duty]. This was why he managed to gain a deep trust from Arshe, and why he was given such an important role as the Maiden's attendant. It was these same ties that led Arshe to entrust Cloche (who later became known as Luca) to him when the coup d'etat toppled the Grand Bell later on. Although his time as a [father] was sadly short, the family Batz built was happy and warm.

Director's Voice

Since we were representing family bonds, we couldn't leave the father figure out. As Reisha was the calm type, we decided to make the father hot-blooded. The fact Cloche sometimes has a short temper must come from her father's blood. He initally had blonde hair, but as that would make the setting for the family too easily guessed, we changed it to black.

Reisha Trulywaath

Reisya
Reisha (VA: Shioyama Yuka)

[Reisya_Truelywaath]
Reisha Trulywaath

Luca's mother. When she lost Luca's little sister, Reika to an IPD infection, her husband Batz died at the same time too. This cooled down her relationship with Luca, to the point even talking to each other has become awkward.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Her Daughters, Her Husband, Singing, Cooking
Age:	37	Dislikes:	Being hurt
Height:	1,70 M	Dream:	Having a happy family.
Weight:	49 KG	Hobby:	Singing lullabies
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Living in peace is happiness itself.
Occupation:	Home gardener

She was one of the many attendants who served Maiden Arshe. She also was the fiancée of Batz, Arshe's favorite knight, meaning the Maiden herself greated favored her as well. When the coup d'etat happened and Arshe entrusted her own child to Batz and Reisha, she also entrusted a lullaby to Reisha alongside the baby. Arshe told her [This is a song that mustn't be forgotten, so please always continue singing it to my child]. Reisha would faithfully continue obeying her wishes, and it is possible to hear this lullaby under the name [Reisha's Lullaby] multiple times throughout the game. There is also that Reisha came down with a light illness during her time as an attendant, and received treatment from Loude. She was injected with a Reyvateil quality activator at that time, which was what led her to getting pregnant with the child that would become the Maiden of Mio in the future.

Director's Voice

As she was an essential part for depicting Luca's family environment, she was the first character we finished if we exclude the heroines. He initial design had more wrinkles on her face, but we removed them because we felt it made her look to old. The large size of her breasts is the proof that she's Cloche's birth mother, not Luca's, huh? (*laughs*).

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Cynthia

Cynthia (VA: Itou Kanami)

[Sincere]
Cynthia

The shop manager of the Pastalia weapon shop, the [Crane Shop], which serves as the official weapons supplier for the Grand Bell. As Croix has learned from knowing her for several years, her knowledge about weapons and her skills at forging them are second to none.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Strong weapons, Croix
Age:	16 years	Dislikes:	Weak weapons, cockroaches
Height:	1,48 M	Dream:	Becoming a florist
Weight:	47 KG	Hobby:	Confessing to Croix her love
Measurements:	76-57-82
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Pack love tight into it!
Occupation:	Weapon Shop Manager

Although she is knowledgeable about weapons and is quite skilled at making them, she really has not much love for her job as a weapon shop manager. Her true dream is becoming a florist. However, she ended up setting aside her dream ever since Croix became a regular customer of hers after having he got admitted into the Knights, all because she became smitten with the young knight.
Although it would be easy to think she has an honest personality due to the way she behaves and talks, she actually only acts that way to hide her embarrassment. Her obsession with Croix's equipment comes from the fact that his life would be in danger in the off-chance she gave him a defective weapon. She also pours a sizable amount of enthusiasm into the development of strong weapons, but that's no more than her way of ensuring that Croix can charge into battle safely. Under the shadows of her usual joke love proposals one can occasionally see glimpses of her pure feelings.

Director's Voice

She has the feeling of a shopkeep that's fun to talk with due to her tendency to show reckless expressions of love. She was created when we thought... What kind of girl that doesn't have a heroine spot would allow Croix to demonstrate his personality in a way that didn't break character?

Skycat (Lelina)

Lelina (VA: Shouji Umeka)

Soraneko　[Rerena] Skycat (Lelina)

The poster girl for the restaurant in Rakshek at which Luca used to work part-time long ago, [Bon Beltan]. While they never worked together, she calls Luca [Milady] as a term of endearment.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Hard workers, sweets
Age:	19 years	Dislikes:	Lazy people, trivial work
Height:	1,70 M	Dream:	Living a wild merrymaking life
Weight:	50 KG	Hobby:	Being lovey-dovey with Luca.
Measurements:	90-60-88
Birthplace:	Rakshek	Motto:	Feign innocence!
Occupation:	Waitress

As she was every bit of a klutz as Luca, she got fired from every single part-time work she tried. To her, Luca was a symbol of envy due to the fact that she had gotten fired for being even clumsier than Skycat, but ended up becoming super-popular after she found her life's calling. However, Skycat put all her effort into overcoming her clumsiness and ultimately became the poster girl for the restaurant, and around that time she realized that Luca had also put all her efforts into her work and had become a first-rate Therapist as a result. This sequence of events led into Skycat wanting to become friends with Luca. She realized faster than anybody that Luca's true feelings were [not wanting to be hated by anybody], which is why started passionately insisting on becoming friends with her. This strategy consisted of unilaterally courting her and it had a tremendous effect on Luca due to her being unable to reject receiving favor from others, which led them to quickly becoming friends for real.

Director's Voice

The character on which my opinion weighted the least. (*laughs*) She fully displays the tones Tomimatsu-kun gave to the project, huh? Although she looks cute, she has a pretty poisonous nature and is quite proficient at feigning innocence. That's her character setting. She has a common point with Luca in that they both come from similar backgrounds.

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Spica Neal

Spica (VA: Miruno Jun)

Spica_Neel
Spica Neal

The owner of [Skytop Tenba] shop, a pharmacy whose shelves are filled with rows of suspicious medicines. Her way of speaking is notable because of being filled with double-entendres, and she greatly enjoys making fun both of Jakuri and Croix.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Secret information, organizations
Age:	26 years	Dislikes:	Unforeseen events
Height:	Unknown	Dream:	Becoming the Queen of the Underworld
Weight:	Unknown	Hobby:	Developing new drugss.
Birthplace:	Sol Ciel - Firefly Alley	Motto:	Necessary evils are a must for ruling the world.
Occupation:	Pharmacist

The self-titled [Queen of the Dark World] that came from Sol Ciel alongside Jakuri. She also has a hidden side in which she acts as an information broker that deals in the trade of suspicious information from unknown origin. Although she had no interest in the legends of Metafalss, she ended up accompanying Jakuri only because Jakuri took a shine to her. Although they parted ways shortly after arriving at Metafalss, it seems deep inside they both realize that are the same in the fact that both have tasted what loneliness feels like. Jakuri occasionally drops by Spica's shop, and Spica also has a hunch for whenever Jakuri is about to come for a visit. It could be said that the fact that Spica had grasped Jakuri's "greatest weakness" was actually what played a role in bridging the gap between them.

Director's Voice

As she appeared in the previous game already, Spica is a character that was already completed in a manner of speaking. We made the shop events under the idea that we'd delve a bit deeper into Spica herself this time around. As she's so important (*laughs*), we paid special care into depicting her true feelings and giving support to her actions.

Sasha

Sasha (VA: Yasuda Saki)

[Sasya]
Sasha

She works at the general store [Nyanya Store], which is lodged in a run-down house located at the border of the land. Even though she is just ten years old, she is a hard-working girl who manages the store all by herself due to her grandmother being hospitalized.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Grandma, working at the store
Age:	10 years	Dislikes:	Being poor
Height:	1,27 M	Dream:	A store capable of having sucursals.
Weight:	26 Kg	Hobby:	Reading books.
Birthplace:	General Store	Motto:	Always serve with a smile.
Occupation:	General Store

As she lost her parents very early in her life, she now lives just with her grandmother, who has a frail health. As it can be imagined from how old and worn-out the exterior looks, she is poor. As she doesn't get many customers, she isn't able to sell much. However, Sasha loves her grandmother and the general store dearly, so she keeps working without uttering even a single word of complaint. Her intense involvement in her work leaves her with little chance to interact with other people, and as she doesn't go to school either, she has no friends. Even though she is so perserverant and keeps struggling in spite of her difficult circumstances, it seems the loneliness she experiences in her daily life is also taking its toll on her. And while this might be because she manages a general store that is supposed to stock all sorts of items, her pastime is reading lots of mysterious books from end to end. This is why the amount of knowledge she has stocked has risen far beyond the level a normal person would have, and why she sometimes shows glimpses of being a genius.

Director's Voice

She was born as the result of the brainstorming session we had on what kind of character would conflict Cloche the most. We kept in mind that not only she would have an environment that was the polar opposite of Cloche's, but also would have a personality that would serve to correct the lack of experience Cloche has when it comes to opening her heart to others.

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Alfman Uranos

(VA: Koyasu Takehito)

[Alfman_Uranous]
Alfman Uranos

The most powerful man in the Grand Bell Board. Possessing both excellent political skills and the drive to act, he was the man who successfully instigated a coup d'etat after killing the previous Pope. The perpetrator that started the new War Against the Goddess.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Political studies, politics, economics,
Age:	43		lollipops
Height:	1,82 M	Dislikes:	Sacred Army
Weight:	76 Kg	Dream:	The Realization of the Utopia
Birthplace:	High-Class Pastalia Residential District	Hobby:	Threatening people with lollipops.
Occupation:	Grand Bell Chancellor	Motto:	Men create their own Heaven and their own Goddess!

An overzealous Metafalica believer. This was the reason why he found intolerable to avert his eyes from the apparent lack of policies the previous Grand Bell had. The day his dissastifaction reached the breeking point was when he saw an outline of the [Treaty with the Goddess] (Spiritual Transmigration) in Kanakana Pier. Shocked from having learned this truth, he assassinated the Imperial family's crown prince (Targana's father) and seized power through a coup d'etat. "Had things continued like this, the people would surely become prey for the Goddess and the Grand Bell. I want to save the people in my own way, through whatever I can do myself." His actions have consistently been "for the people."

Director's Voice

Our starting point for him was "let's make a politician". And from there, we set him as a character that has the feeling of an evil bastard that you couldn't bring yourself, and as enthusiastic as a character from a shonen manga series. We also tried to make him pretty active, to the point he'd come back to life even after you thought he was dead.

Loude

(VA: Ginga Banjou)

[Dr. Roudness]
Dr. Loude

An accomplished researcher and physician that works as advisor for Alfman. Although he has an important position in the government, he is a man of many mysteries that barely appears under the spotlight.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Reyvateil studies, Wave Science
Age:	51		Hymmnos
Height:	1,65 M	Dislikes:	Meddlers
Weight:	66 Kg	Dream:	Returning home.
Birthplace:	???	Hobby:	Beard grooming.
Occupation:	Grand Bell Advisor	Motto:	Protect this world.

The man who revived the IPD Spectrum Gene Transcription Cellophane in modern times. Furthermore, he also increases the Reyvateil awakening rate using a Reyvateil quality activator drug.
Loude's goal is having the large number of IPDs he produced this way craft Metafalica and have that create a new Heart of the Land. Loude is a resident of the Third Tower of Ar tonelico: the Tower of Tilia, and he desires to obtain a Heart of the Land and triumphantly return to Archia, his hometown with it in hand. Although his goal in itself coincides with the wishes of the people, the fact that his methods will result in a large number of victims indicated he was sorely lacking in ethics.

Director's Voice

As he was imagined to be a mad scientist, making him was pretty straightforward. He's always opposing the main characters, isn't he?
But he is also doing all he can to protect the world. As for why it was impossible for him and the main characters to be in the same side, we will leave that to your imagination.

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Prince Targana

(VA: Midorikawa Hikaru)

[Targana]
Prince Targana

The successor to the Pastalia Imperial Family. It can be said that he is the symbol of the Sacred Army. He is a rival to Croix, given they both apprenticed under the same fencing master during their childhoods.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Formalities and traditions of the Imperial Family
Age:	20	Dislikes:	The current government
Height:	1,83 M	Dream:	Winning against Croix.
Weight:	66 Kg	Hobby:	Taking care of his sword.
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Everything for the house.
Occupation:	Member of the Sacred Army

Although he is of noble birth, he was narrowly saved from being killed at the coup d'etat that occured before he even was aware of his surroundings thanks to his wet nurse, and spent the larger part of his life as if he were just another normal person. However, he was raised while being educated about the Imperial Family and kingcraft, which endowed him with the majesty and knowledge needed to govern a large organization. Still, although he does respect tradition, he also hates it. The Hibernation the Imperial Family has been trying to realize isn't something Targana himself wants to make a reality, and it's instead just something that has been passed down the generations in the Imperial Family as part of its traditions for 400 years. It seems he is just blindly trying to make it a reality though, as he himself doesn't understand the particulars behind it.

Director's Voice

The rival character to the protagonist, who can discuss things with Croix under the same viewpoint. Nagi-san truly put an abnormal amount of energy into his design. He changed all by himself and gradually took on a pretty beautiful form, huh? (*laughs*)

Chester Lu Whinoah

(VA: Suwabe Jun'ichi)

[Chestar_Lu_Whinoah]
Chester Lu Whinoah

The man who stands at the very top of the Sacred Army's line troops. Rejecting head-on the current regime that points their blades toward the Goddess, he works to bring back the previous government that valued their coexistence with Her.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Wave Science
Age:	34 (looks 24)	Dislikes:	The current government, Alfman
Height:	1,76 M	Dream:	Ascension
Weight:	60 Kg	Hobby:	Talking with Sonia
Birthplace:	Kanakana Pier	Motto:	Be calm, collected, and emotionless
Occupation:	Sacred Army Leader

After his lover Sonia went missing in the IPD Outbreak that devastated Kanakana Pier, he devoted himself to studying to find a solution to the frequent IPD incidents. He passed the eligibility tests for the Grand Bell laboratories and became a foremost figure at the IPD Labs. However, when he researched the place that was considered to be top-secret in there, he learned about Lakra's existence and discovered that its true form was Sonia, leaving him in a shock. Chester soon learned that the main culprit behind the IPD Outbreaks was no other than the Grand Bell itself, making him stand in open revolt against them. Even though he managed to obtain Lakra's cooperation, he was alone in this fight until he met Targana and this rekindled his hopes.
Gathering the memebers of the Imperial faction that were scattered throughout the world, he founded the Sacred Army with the goal of toppling the Grand Bell that was promoting the triggering of the IPD Outbreaks.

Director's Voice

For some reason the setting for him was [Coolame] from the very beginning (*laughs*). While we ultimately settled on a near-future design for him, the "coolame" name from back then ended up remaining in the Cosmosphere. We had prepared an expression that gave him a nosebleed, so it seems he somehow ended up being the butt of many a joke, huh?

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Lakra

(VA: Watanabe Sayano)

[Reionsetsu_Rakura]
Nonsyllable Lakra

A woman who exists as the [IPD Detection System] located in the innermost depths of the Grand Bell Hall. Her mind was transferred into Infel Phira and she has the role of leading the IPDs.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Chester, reading
Age:	32 years (looks 15)	Dislikes:	Fishy things, Loude
Height:	1,54 M	Dream:	Having a normal life
Weight:	44 Kg	Hobby:	Memory refreshes
Birthplace:	Kanakana Pier	Motto:	I want to quit this job
Occupation:	IPD monitoring

Her real name is Sonia Ray Laqua. Her genealogy can be traced back to 400 years, when Infel Phira was completed, and she is a half-breed between the IPDs that were made alongside it and the Teru.
She belongs to the [Nino] Teru school. Her mind has been integrated into Infel Phira, allowing her to live forever as part of the system that can detect the IPDs' locations. This is because she possesses the special trait of the Nino school [Voice Listening]. Voice Listening refers to the technique of sharpening one's own senses and specializing them in the acquistion of information that cannot be perceived with the eyes. Due to the fact she was integrated into the system, she can narrow down the characteristic Dynamic D-Waves Infel Phira emits to detect the places where an IPD Outbreak reaction is occurring.

Director's Voice

She was born from the concept of a [person integrated into a system], which we supposed would be decadent or sick. We aimed to make her a mysterious character whose existence in itself is a secret and who symbolizes the dark side of the world that must never be exposed.

Soope (Infelsphere Platomine)

(VA: Komatsu Rika)

[Soup]
Soope (Infelsphere Platomine)

A mysterious life form that traveled alongside Amarie. He is treated like a mascot that can become a pillow or backpack, but he is actually the Infelsphere's guide.

Profile

Gender:	None	Likes:	Becoming a pillow
Age:	???	Dislikes:	Narrow places
Height:	???	Dream:	Becoming a charismatic pillow
Weight:	???	Hobby:	Trying to become the longest pillow I can!
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Pulapulappuu...
Occupation:	???

The life forn that was created for the METHOD_METAFALICA/. Hymn Crystal to have a self-protection system. The Infelsphere also has the implicit meaning of serving as the trials that will determine if the two Maidens are qualified to Sing Metafalica. Soope's existence has the role of determining if the Maidens that will Sing Metafalica are suitable for the role, and also of deepening their bonds until they reach the level required for the Song.
While he was tagging along Amarie at the story's beginning, this is because Amarie is a descendant of the people that worked under the Maiden of Mio. Even though Amarie herself wasn't aware of it, Soope has always been looking for the Qualifiers. And during the course of their journeys, he finally met the Maiden of Homura, Luca, and the Maiden of Mio, Cloche.

Director's Voice

The mascot, huh? He really looks like a stuffed doll. He was born from the idea of that he'd [feel nice and ticklish from the heroines sleeping together over a single pillow]. This idea was what ultimately led to the creation of the Infelsphere project.

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Infel

(VA: Matsutani Kaya)

[Infel]
Infel

Cloche's Mind Guardian. She has a strongly and cool business-minded attitude, and while she puts a great emphasis on practicality and efficiency, for some reason she also loves making lame puns. She also has a side to her that has quite an extensive library of knowledge and an inquisitive mind.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Books, lame puns
Age:	???	Dislikes:	Slow guys
Height:	???	Dream:	A radical reform
Weight:	???	Hobby:	One pun a day
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	The Goddess of laughter is on my side
Occupation:	???

IPDs have no Mind Guardians. Infel's true identity is that of the first Reyvateil that attempted to Sing Metafalica with the purpose of crafting the continent 400 years ago. The timing when Infel [trespassed] into Cloche's Cosmosphere was right before Croix attempted the first Dive into her. It was then that Infel, who was lurking about inside Infel Phira, learned that Nenesha existed inside Luca thanks to the Proxy Dive that Luca did into Cloche. Infel has spent the last 400 years all alone, only having in mind her reunion with Nenesha.

Director's Voice

The setting for her is a young appearance that is at odds with her intellectual personality. The fact that she loves puns was something we added to her setting in a spur of the moment, but that ended up coming back to haunt us later on. We had a hard time coming up with puns for her, to the point that several of her lines were just blank placeholders until right before we had to send the game off for mastering.

Nenesha

(VA: Nogawa Sakura)

[Nenesya (Gengorou)]
Nenesha (Gengoro)

Luca's Mind Guardian. As she has a cheerful personality, she also serves as a receptionist for her Dive Therapy customers. The reason why she has the name [Gengoro] is because that's the name of a stuffed doll that holds many memories for Luca.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Discussion about insurance
Age:	???	Dislikes:	Nitpicky people
Height:	???	Dream:	Going back to normal
Weight:	???	Hobby:	Being an insurance consultant
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Always smile for customers
Occupation:	Mind Guardian, receptionist

Gengogo is the name of the stuffed penguin that Reisha spent whole nights making for Luca, and is also Luca's true Mind Guardian. However, the Maiden of Homura from 400 years ago, Nenesha ended up taking over the position of Mind Guardian inside Luca's deep psyche. It wasn't due to a takeover or anything of that sort, but because the [D-Cellophane] was Installed into Luca. This item has been passed down through the generations of the Maidens of Homura, and it could be said that it serves as the proof for the aforementioned Maiden lineage. Reisha received the D-Cellophane from Arshe, and Installed it in absolute secrecy into Luca when she was about nine years old. Incidentally, the item resembling a diamond ring that Nenesha is riding upon is a symbolization of the [Heart of the Land].

Director's Voice

Nenesha and Gengoro were originally conceived as separate characters. While they ended up becoming the same person as development continued on their setting, it was because we suddenly got the idea of having a cute girl with a strange-sounding name and we decided to keep developing them from that point.

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Ayatane Michitaka

(VA: Kibe Shota)

[Michitaka_Ayatane]
Ayatane Michitaka

Jakuri's Mind Guardian. He is a fellow with a peculiar atmosphere due to doing things such as calling Jakuri [mother] and addressing Croix in a somewhat formal manner. He appeared in the previous [Ar tonelico] game as a playable party member.

Profile

Gender:	Male	Likes:	Data world, Funbuns
Age:	???	Dislikes:	Crowds, quarrels
Height:	???	Dream:	Be relied upon
Weight:	???	Hobby:	Cooking
Birthplace:	???	Motto:	Be always faithful to your mission.
Occupation:	Mind Guardian

A digital life form that Jakuri created a long time ago, when she was still known as Mir, and her Mind Guardian as well.
Strictly speaking, the Mind Guardian isn't completely the same being as the digital life form Ayatane that Mir created. As Mir is also a Reyvateil, no matter how powerful she might be, she can't choose what her Mind Guardian will be. [Ayatane] is the name of the human Mir met when she was still in the Sylva Horn, and the sole person to which she opened her heart. This person got recorded in the depths of her heart and ultimately became her Mind Guardian.

Director's Voice

While the Ayatane from the previous game had an important mission, this time around he seems like a more easygoing character, doesn't he? His design changed significantly, but as Nagi-san asked whether [it'd be okay to have him with short hair], we gave him the OK and decided to use it as his new design.

Frelia

(VA: Morinaga Rika)

[FRELIA_ANSUL_SOL=MARTA]
Frelia

One of the three Reyvateil Origins that exist upon the world. She is the person that is called the [Goddess] in Metafalss. She actually is a pure and innocent girl. Her Install Port is located around her hips, which is also the case for the other Origins.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Enja, Jaza, Raki
Age:	739 years	Dislikes:	Scary people, machist men
Height:	1,55 M	Dream:	Being in love with Enja
Weight:	41 Kg	Hobby:	Visiondance
Birthplace:	El Elemia	Motto:	Nighty-night!
Occupation:	Preserving the world

The Reyvateil who crafted the Second Tower of Ar tonelico. She was originally supposed to have the role of boarding Sol Marta and crafting the continent in a project that lasted six years. However, nowadays her power has weakened to the point where even maintaining the current world is difficult for her. This is because while the project was supposed to last only six years, the Grathnode Inferia caused it to be interrupted and she lost access to the outside world.
She has continued maintaining Metafalss solely on her own power for over 700 years.

Director's Voice

The starting points for her design were the silhouette and wings I made as the motif for the game's logo. The wings symbolize the continent itself, and they ended up becoming the Project Metafalica logo that decorates Sol Marta.

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Raki

[Rhaki]
Raki

The manager of the land where the Goddess dwells: Sol Marta. A maintenance droid capable of dealing with tasks that go from security duties to combat duties to repel any invaders.

Profile

Gender:	Female	Likes:	Surfing, sparring
Age:	19 years (in appearance)	Dislikes:	Viruses
Height:	1,58 M	Dream:	shutdown -h now
Weight:	196 Kg	Hobby:	Defragmentation
Birthplace:	Maintenance Droid	Motto:	Never take the power of the Goddess lightly
Occupation:	Sol Marta manager

Although she is the manager that has accompanied Frelia in Sol Marta for over 700 years, the duty Raki was given was not Sol Marta's protection. The reason for which she was developed was merely to control Sol Marta following the orders issued by El Elemia. As she is ultimately a maintenance droid, she has no emotions. Her judgment depends solely on whether something is a benefit or a liability for her duties.
When Metafalica failed approximately 400 years ago, the proposal that Infel made to Raki ended up becoming the [Treaty with the Goddess] that remained until the current era. Raki agreed with this Treaty due to the fact that if Infel Phira was converted into a vessel for souls, it would lose its a capabilities as a weapon capable of killing the Goddess.

Director's Voice

One of the common points present in the world setting for the [Ar tonelico] series. And talking about the previous game, Raki would be a Ver. 2.0 for Mei Mei. Both Raki and Reki are models that were produced after her, meaning their abilities are on a different order of magnitude from Mei Mei's.

Maintenance Droids

Humanoid robots that were developed by El Elemia's advanced technologies to serve maintenance duties during the First Era. The currently known versions are three altogether: 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. You can check in the table at the right the design and models changes each of these versions had.
While their combat prowess tends to improve the higher the version number gets, this is only because their battle modes had an increase in ability, as the power itself they innately have hasn't changed at all from Ver. 1.0. Of the currently five known models, Mei Mei is the only one that has never been in a combat situation, but this is because she lacks a battle mode, not because she is lacking in power.

◆The Generations of the Maintenance Droids

(Mei Mei, Kanade and Mai are all models deployed in the First Tower)

Ver 1.0: Mei Mei

The eldest of the three Robot Sisters, who is tasked with monitoring the First Tower. She originally was a housekeeping robot when the Tower was being built.

Ver 1.5α: Kanade

The strongest Guardian Robot in Sol Ciel, who protects the First Tower's Plasma Bell. The youngest sister.

Ver 1.5β: Mai

The protector for the second Plasma Bell, separate from the one protected by Kanade. She was eliminated alongside the land she protected during Mir's Rebellion.

Ver 2.0P: Raki

The P in her model number stands for [Prototype]. She is equipped with the strongest battle mode in history and possesses an advanced AI as well.

Ver 2.0: Reki

Although her version number differs from Raki's, her AI is considerably worse. The manager of the Hot Spot.

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Cosmosphere -Frelia-

Lv. 1 The Days of Mawata Kuroaki

Lv. 2 The Melancholy of Enta Fururu

Lv. 3 The Temptations of Manabe Reisha

Lv. 4 The Invoice from the Memories

Lv. 5 The Devil who Sold his Soul to the Humans

Right before you clear the game's main story, you'll get a chance to Dive into Frelia. There you will see a slapstick drama that Jakuri prepared in a setting unrelated to the main game unfold. Here we will explain the setting for that extra scenario.
The setting is a city where chaos and peace coexist: Wackyhabara. A lively drama that depicts how the young man Kuroaki Mawata rose to protect Enta Fururu (Frelia) and bring down the great evil that secretly attacks this city. Its name is [Wackyhabara Panic -Fall in Love with a Betrayer-]!

While there are also other characters beyond the ones introduced on these pages, here you will find the majority of the main characters that participate in the setting to an absurd degree (?).

Kuroaki, I got you!!

Kuroaki

Mawata Kuroaki (Croix)

An assistant detective who works at the [Reisha Detective Agency]. As he spends his days refusing the temptations of head detective Reisha, who is a widow with an explosive sex appeal, he never has assignments related to the [We specialize in dangerous business like criminal cases] that is written on the signboard. His true identity is that of a former researcher for a secret evil organization. Between the past misdeeds he committed and the fact Enta Fururu is being treated as a hostage, he is forced into accepting an assignment from the [Syndicate]...

Manabe Ruka (Luca)

Midorino Reisu (Cloche)

Togasaki Miu (Jakuri)

The Cosmosphere's Main Characters

These three are the roles that each heroine has when they appear in the Cosmospheres, and they are almost the same in all these situations. Luca and Cloche are Grand Bell Private Academy students, but their true identities (?) are that of [Syndicate] members. Jakuri has a slightly different setting to her that makes her an enemy to the Syndicate: in other words, she is on Kuroaki's side.

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AURICA

ORICA
AURICA (Aurica Nestmile)

One of the heroines from [Ar tonelico 1], Aurica makes a guest appearance. She is the Boss that commands the evil Syndicate from the shadows, and she is making all (?) her efforts to bring Kuroaki, who used to be her underling long ago, back into the Syndicate due to him possessing hard-to-find skills. She fights wearing a power suit patterned after Don Leon. Her Install Port is located on her nape.

Misha

MISYA
Misha Artsellec Lune

One of the heroines from the previous game. In Wackyhabara Panic, she has the role of one of the upper brass members of the evil Syndicate. While her natural serious personality is maintained even in Wackyhabara, she was given theatrical lines befitting the [female manager of the evil Syndicate], which her fans from the previous game will find as a novel role for her. Her Install Port is located slightly above the center of her chest.

Leila

Reira
Togasaki Leila (Shurelia)

One of the heroines from the previous game, and the Administrator of the First Tower of Ar tonelico. While she appears as a genius technician working for the evil Syndicate, her hardcore lack of a sense of direction remains as bad as it is on reality. Her Install Port is located around her hips.

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The Song Magics

-The Song Magics-

These are the Song Magics the heroines can craft in the Cosmospheres or the Infelsphere. Both their illustrations and names show glimpses of each heroine's personality.

Page 75:

Side-Characters

The world of [Ar tonelico] is dotted with strangely impressive side-characters. Here we will shine a spotlight on the side-characters whose individuality shines the strongest.

Reine

A girl that was cured from an IPD Outbreak thanks to Luca's Dive Therapy. While she feels that she owes her life to Luca, she was moved upon seeing how the Maiden that despised Therapy so much agreed to help them, and she ended up forming the Cloche Fan Club. This a fan club that is known by IPD Reyvateils all over and which forms a network of ardent fans throughout Metafalss. Although it ended up being known as a [fan club], many of its members are quite willing to participate and have great combat prowess, making it more similar to an elite Reyvateil battalion.

Nana

Luca's colleague and a Dive Therapist in Rakhsek. Quite a popular Therapist that is willing to even [do adult stuff]. Due to an experience in which she almost died from fumbling a Proxy Dive she attempted when she was barely starting, she is terrified of Proxy Dives. However, when she heard that Luca's life was in danger, she decided to risk her life into attempting another Proxy Dive. Even though this once again placed her in mortal danger, she ultimately managed to accomplish her goal.

Lelen

The Dive Operator that sings [Dives are full of dreams~] as she tends to her shop. She has a no-nonsense personality that hates problems, but she still broke the greatest taboo of allowing a Dive into someone younger than 15 years old in the city of Pastalia, where even Therapy is forbidden, and saved Cocona in doing so.

Gen

A heavy-drinking, easy-going man who works at the Rakshek Dive Shop. As he seems to favor Luca over all other Therapists, it seems he also enjoys teasing her every now and then. Although his skills are beyond first-rate, he is always saying he is [always giving a super-explosive discount] on them. However, he still charges the normal price.

Pepen

Animals similar to penguins that are found mainly in Pastalia. Even though they have a nastily sharp tongue and aren't amicable, their cute appearance has earned them a great popularity. They especially love [Pepencuits].

Kou and Nyo

A lovey-dovey couple from the Waterfall Hill Park. While Nyo is part of the elite due to being born in an affluent household and working at the Grand Bell, it seems she puts on a cutesy mask and utters lovey-dovey phrases for Kou. However, it seems her dream is for them both to live separately after having gotten married.

Penpepe

A Pepen living on Deathlandia. While he seems to have a sloppy personality, he is the leader of the village that calls himself [the village's living dictionary]. He actually lacks knowledge about a lot of things. He ends his phrases with [-yan].

Mrs. Lahr

The owner of the Therapist Association that groups all Dive Therapists. Her calling is serving as the mediator between the Therapists and their customers. While she's well-known for having the loudest voice in town, it seems her extreme tone-deafness causes her significant worry, as she even went off-key when everyone was Singing together for Metafalica.

ELMA-DSRX

A digital life form that serves as a watchdog for Jakuri. While it has a great power in combat, it seems it loves napping and pet food is what it enjoys the most, making it a dog from every possible angle.

Fancy Shop Clerk

The Fancy Shop's clerk. As he tends to let go the items that are currently in fashion easily from the product lineup due to his inability to properly appraise them, he has earned Cloche's ire. His definining feature is the melody he sings to attract customers: [Gergo~ Give a treat to yourself~ or to the person you love~].

Soopli

A resident of Deathlandia, who works as a visitor guide. Although his appearance and nature are completely identical to those of Soope, their bodies differ in hardness, making him unable to turn into a backpack.

Nattie

A girl who lives in the Slums and that is a good friend of Reine. While she is just 11 years old, she is in charge of distributing food throughout the Slums. When Croix and his friends where in the Slums and found their path blocked by the Divine Army, she ran off to bring help for them.

Lecita

A girl that fell into a coma due to Hibernation's effects. Although she was awakened by Implanta, it didn't seem to have had much impact due to her having sleeping as her hobby...

Jean

An energetic boy who lives in Enna. He was saved by Cloche's Song when he got hurt in the Enna Underground. Small frontier cities like Enna rarely allow for chances to get close to the Maiden, so this episode may have become worthy of bragging rights for him.

Page 76:

SD Character Illustrations

These pages contain a compilation of the chibi character illustrations drawn by Mr. Yagumo Kengou. Although they don't appear in the game proper, cuts of them appear in the manual and in related merchandise.