I rank the Trails series characters (from Sky until Reverie) (spoilers)

197. Helmut Albarea
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/39ec7d35.jpg
It hurts to watch when a midboss doesn't know their place

Did anyone know his name is Helmut? I just saw it on the wiki, don't think it came up during the game. Anyway, Jusis and Rufus's dad. As you can imagine, not a very good person! Rufus wasn't actually his son, but he raised him as his own because he was a full blooded noble. Sounds good on paper, but it was solely to protect his family's reputation. Jusis was his son, but was born by a commoner woman, so Jusis was the red-headed stepchild and shunned by his father, in favor of Rufus. The point being, he cares less for his own son than his nephew, because of the amount of noble blood that each son has. Kind of fucked up, right?

He served as a midboss to the Noble faction behind Cayenne for the first two games, ultimately losing favor due to his actions in Celdic and being arrested and replaced as the head of house Albarea by Jusis himself. A fitting ending! The storyline is a pretty good one as far as the first two CS games goes, but daddy Albarea is shown to be a self serving ass who doesn't care about his family members, just their social standing. Not a very likeable character, and forgettable as soon as his arc ends. It gave Jusis the chance to grow and start accepting Machias though, so it was a necessary plotline. It would've been nice to have seen him again later in the series, experience some redemption or something. Would've raised him a bit on the list probably, really he just falls low due to being completely discarded after his arc ends.

My favorite NPC that didn't make the list is Bennet. Patiry is also great, for sure.

Not much to say on any of these honestly. They are all pretty whatever, or worse (looking at you Gideon). Machias is the only one of the last several I like, and even then it isn't exactly like he's at the top of my ranking lists or anything.

Jusis and Rufus definitely much better than the dad even if I do appreciate the role he plays.

pyresword posted...

My favorite NPC that didn't make the list is Bennet. Patiry is also great, for sure.

Not much to say on any of these honestly. They are all pretty whatever, or worse (looking at you Gideon). Machias is the only one of the last several I like, and even then it isn't exactly like he's at the top of my ranking lists or anything.

Jusis and Rufus definitely much better than the dad even if I do appreciate the role he plays.

Oscar and Bennet are pretty cool. A better off-to-the-side relationship than Sky's Armand & Ellie (or Arium & Aria in the new version... gag me with a spoon).

Oscar and bennet are pretty cool. Maybe I should rank them too

_stingers_ posted...

Oscar and bennet are pretty cool. Maybe I should rank them too

Maybe do a side ranking later of a bunch of Crossbell peeps you like/remember. Less pressure to slot them in and easier time ranking against each as a category. You could get Ryu, Anri, Mimi, Momo, Coppe, Bond, Drake, Shanshan, Zhang Hui, Reins, Wendy, Southwark, Janetta, Pete, Officer Kate, etc.

I wouldn't mind in general but yeah something tells me it's not worth just opening the can of worms and throwing every Crossbell NPC along for the ride.

Needs more Emma, the hotel maid from Zeiss

Leonhart4 posted...

Needs more Emma, the hotel maid from Zeiss

*Mana thinks, "Who?"*

Emma | Maid | F | Young Adult | Liberl - FC, SC, 3rd | Zeiss, Moon Door 1 | Zahnrad Hotel |Pale rose hair under maid bonnet

Afraid of earthquakes

*continues to think... "Who?"*

You didn't really experience Sky FC then

She was in all 3 sky games apparently. She must be important

_stingers_ posted...

She was in all 3 sky games apparently. She must be important

Not necessarily................

....

Mana Badly Ranks Maids (Based solely on vibes & notes from years ago)

1. Sharon Kreuger - Reinford Family's personal maid (CSI/II/III/IV/Reverie) - A Main Character

2. Lila/Raini - Mayor Maybelle's personal maid (FC/SC/3rd) - "Star Door 3+9, Mayor Maybelle's Maid & Confidante, feels maids in play could be much better, parents killed in 100 Days War"

3. Hilda - Head Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - "Star Door 1+3+8, Queen Alicia II's Head Maid, known Phillip a long time"

4. Citrine - Florald family maid (CSIII/IV) - "A servant from a noble manor filling in for a clothing salesperson poached by Kleist Mall, nervous running Rubens Luxury Boutique but does sell Musse brown hair, Florald maid who still wonders why she's working Court, tries to calm everyone down as curse riles everyone up | Wonders why Imperial army is in Ordis instead of provinical army"

5. Karin - Temporary maid at Grancel Castle (FC) - "A pretty Joshua in disguise"

6. Purple - Maid at Phoenix Wings in Ymir (CSII/Reverie) - "Empathic, taking turns with Maple helping cook, self-conscious about her large bust, hears dripping noise from around the outside bath at night | Says a customer at Phoenix Wings confessed to her romantically, suited multiple times, waiting for Maple to finish praying so they can chat"

7. Eclair - Lord Quinn's family maid (CSIII/IV/Reverie) - "Enables her lady's shopping habits, tells Luna Aidios likes the color blue for sea & sky colors, not good at answering Lady Luna's questions, excited she could answer Luna's lighthouse question, watches Valimar flyover with Luna | With Luna at Noce Rest Lodge | Accompanying Luna on her Ymir shopping trip"

8. Lottie - Maid at Hotel Delphinia at Mishelam Resort (Zero/Azure/CSIV) - "Boy-crazy, crushing hard on Wazy, extremely sad she's not cleaning VIP rooms during vacation wanting to be Wazy's hotel maid | Doesn't have enthusiasm for the job anymore, inspired to work harder by Angelica telling her how beautiful she is, total crush on Rogner saying 'Wazy is wonderful, but Angelica is just amazing. <3'"

9. Elma - Lord Stanley's family maid in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Cares after Stanley's ailing wife and hyperactive child and her own eager brother, taken in by Lord Stanley & Lady Roxanne as a civil war refugee, works hard to repay them for all they've done for her and her brother | Mother & father got swept up in the war, thanks Richie for talking with and helping Timothy"

10. Doris - Maid at Hotel Millennium in Crossbell (Zero/Azure/CSIV/Reverie) - "Used to have magenta hair, working harder to not be upstaged by Dario's work"

11. Izzy - Maid for Krista's family in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Preparing Krista's birthday party, wants to make Lady Krista's favorite fish dish with Red Perch, not the best in the kitchen, birthday party went off amazingly and has sincerest gratitude for our help | Trouble finishing work, cursed to be clumsy and aggravated by things going wrong"

12. Luka - Maid at Der Ziegel Inn in Mainz (Zero/Azure) - "One of the most unsociable people Norma's ever seen, but her smile is amazing, got drunk and Marlow fell in love with her"

13. Setsuna - Maid at Count Egret's Residence (CSIII/IV) - "Uses VM Witch Master... hmm? | Contacts Musse as part of plan to rescue Hyarms & Egret, gifts us 7 Golden Drops"

14. Sariffa - Vincent Florald's personal maid (CSI/II) - "Noble maid to Vincent | Member of Order of the Lions, was enjoying the Margarita/Vincent silliness"

15. Lita (now Rita) - Maid at Mayor's residence in Rolent (FC/SC) - "Maid for Mayor Klaus, one of the first to fall asleep, dreamt of tea brewed when she first came to Mayor"

16. Lotte - Maid for the Noble Dormitory at Thors (CSI/II) - "Noble dormitory maid, hopes for unique dishes to improve her own cooking, rewards with Balms, the 'poltergeist' of the Upper Dorms is just noble girls trying to cook, all twenty nets Rean a Seraph quartz | Asks Class VII to take care of Order of the Lion for her, teaches Tomato Hotpot recipe, says Trista is great because it is a town of pride and striving forward"

17. Papri - Maid at Hotel Lagrange in Roer (CSI/II) - "Listens to her own radio while working, so happy there are no patrons so she can just listen to music all day long, thinks Anton is a bummer, tries to cheer him up with the radio"

18. Dina - Maid at Frieden Hotel in Bose (FC/SC) - "Interested in fashion, tries to make reservations for Anterose and keeps getting new shifts"

19. Estelle - Temporary maid at Grancel Castle (FC) - "Too brash to work at Grancel for long"

20. Maple - Maid at Phoenix Wings in Ymir (CS2/Reverie) - "Annoyed that Rean's had more life experience than her, goal to work at a high-class hotel, wishes she had boobs as big as Purple's, feels like something is watching her at night, wishes she got a full view of the women's bath like Rean did | Welcomes Rean and New Class VII home very professionally before teasing Rean and co. like her usual self, worked at a fancy hotel in Roer for a year but missed the personal touch of Phoenix Wings, thinks something happened to Purple while she was away as she seems more somber now, over-the-top angry hearing about the proposals Purple and her giant knockers got while she was away, thinks Purple's going to leave and go to the big city, prays to Aidios for forgiveness about how mean she was"

21. Dominique - Maid at Mayor's residence in Ruan (FC/SC) - "Mother of Flora, thinks Gilbert is spineless, planning to work in tourism or bartending depending on election outcome"

22. Dalia - Maid at General Morgan's house in Grancel (FC/SC/3rd) - "Lost parents in 100 Days War"

23. Sarah - Maid at Mayor's residence in Bose (FC/SC) - "Maid for Mayor Maybelle, scared of Lila, cooks for Mayor, often shopping"

24. Alice - Maid at Count Altheim's Mansion in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Accompanying Altheim & Eleanor for their Ordis' trip to Imperial Provincial Council meeting | Admires the determination of their houseguest, praying for all of us including Vincent and Kairi"

25. Joanna - Maid at MacDowell Estate in Crossbell (Zero/Azure/Reverie) - "Worries over Elie, 18 years old, helps out with charity beauty pageant"

Camilla - Maid at Erebonian Embassy in Grancel (SC) - "All for Olivier+Mueller 4-ever"

Beltia - Tourist at Tangram Gate (Zero) - "Got lost yet still wants to clean"

Prana - Maid at Viscount Arseid's Mansion in Legram (CSI/II) - "Been hearing whispers after the heavy fog, prays to St. Sandlot for Laura's safety"

Citrus - Maid at Hotel Delphinia at Mishelam Resort (Zero/Azure/CSIV) - no notes

Chelsea - Maid at Hyarms' Mansion in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Requests Class VII to investigate the underground tunnels, happy IDF has left the manor alone again"

Flora - Maid at Mayor's residence in Roan (FC/SC) - "Daughter of Dominque, crushing on Agate, then on Joshua"

Kathy - Maid at Foresta Tavern & Inn in Heimdallr (CSIII) - "Concerned about Bennet, competing with Lafite Bakery by... acting like a cat, watches broadcast on Vesta Street"

Nadia - Maid at Albarea Family Mansion in Bareahard (Azure) - "Tells Scarlet not to strain herself whilst telling Rean her story"

Letina - Felicia's personal maid (Zero) - "Serves Felicia"

Sheena - Maid at Hotel Ortensia in Ordis (CSIII/IV) - "From a small fishing village and happy to work at such a fancy hotel, father and brother both consripted to be by Roer"

Cornelia - Lord Manfred's maid in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Works in farthest mansion from center of Saint-Arkh, husband loves to garden, husband is a descendant of Astorius | Worries that her master is polishing his guns every day"

Marone - Maid at Le Lectier Inn at St. Ursula's (Zero/Azure/CSIV) - "Cleans LeLectier at St. Ursula's, captured by Revache with other bus passengers"

Pamela - Maid from Ordis (CSIII/IV) - "Still shops at Court Riviera despite Kleist Mall's cheaper prices, husband doesn't care for capital-made products, heard a lot of bad rumors about Riviera Court's quality but still thinks everything is top-notch, employer doesn't want her shopping at Kleist but after whatever happened at Riviera and how expensive everything everywhere else has gotten..."

Nora - Count Gorti's personal maid (CSI/II/IV) - "Recognizes Dryad's Tear"

Kisela - Maid at Hotel Augusta in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - "Talks about how the 'Sunbeam Leaves' painting was once stolen by Bleublanc | Feeling anxious about unpleasant customers and nearby art robberies"

Panna - Maid at Grancel Castle (3rd) - "Serving guests in Star Door 3, wandering Grancel East Block in Moon Door 2"

Emma - Maid at Zahnrad Hotel in Zeiss (FC/SC/3rd) - "Afraid of earthquakes"

Electra - Maid for Bareahard nobleman (CSI/II) - "Finds chores easier with her master off in the military"

Laurier - Maid at Hotel Delphinia at Mishelam Resort (CSIV) - "Worked at hotel for a month, still nervous, originally from Liberl, so excited to see a Liberl Bracer here at Mishelam"

Simone - Maid aboard the Pantagruel (CSII) - "Notes that Princess Alfin in guest of honor's room is still depressed"

Saffron - Maid in Bareahard (CSI/II) - "Thinks Rufus is wonderful yet Duke Albarea is terrible, moved to Bareahard 3 years ago"

Reni - Maid for Count Florald's family (CSIII) - "Asked to be in charge of Riviera Court while Ferris does something with Thors"

Lequi - Maid at Der Himmel in Heimdallr (CSI/Reverie) - no notes

Kara - Maid at Count Florald's Mansion in Ordis (CSIII/IV) - "Worrying over her master"

Rurie - Maid at Albarea Family Mansion in Bareahard (CSII) - "Directs us to Lady Scarlett's room"

Maeve - Maid at the Racecourse Plaza in Heimdallr (CSIII) - "Can't sleep at night due to growling noise underneath racetrack"

Nena - Maid at Erbe Royal Villa (SC) - no notes

Sandy - Maid at Calvardian Embassy in Grancel (SC) - no notes

Marsha - Maid for Representative Campbell & Carla (Zero) - no notes

Rifa - Maid at Hyarms Mansion in Saint-Arkh (CSIII/IV) - no notes

Laurel - Fictional maid in the 'Madrigal of the White Magnolia' (FC) - "Portrayed by ???"

Rainey - Fictional maid in 'Madrigal of the White Magnolia' (FC) - "Portrayed by ???"

Primrose - Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - no notes

Shea - Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - no notes

Simone - Maid at Erbe Royal Villa (SC) - no notes

Ekle - Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - no notes

Kisella - Maid at Albarea Family Mansion in Bareahard (CSII) - no notes

Roxanne - Maid at Speaker Hartmann's Manor in Crossbell (Zero) - no notes

Judy - Maid at Speaker Hartmann's Manor in Crossbell (Zero) - no notes

Brenda - Maid at Speaker Hartmann's Manor in Crossbell (Zero) - no notes

Pamela - Maid at Speaker Hartmann's Manor in Crossbell (Zero) - no notes

Tamia - Maid at Hotel Esmerelda in Bareahard (CSI/II) - no notes

Sorella - Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - no notes

Nage - Maid at Grancel Castle (FC/SC/3rd) - no notes

Edit: Just realized a mis-typed Lequi as a merchant. Yay for Reverie! Yay for 69 Maids!

Who knew there were so many maids

Somehow I'm not even surprised there's a Trails fan that keeps a list of every maid in the series

Panthera posted...

Somehow I'm not even surprised there's a Trails fan that keeps a list of every maid in the series

Hey! That's just a subset of every character in the series thankyouverymuch!

196. Valimar
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a45fba57.jpg
IT'S-NOT-WHAT-IT-LOOKS-LIKE-REAN

Okay, look. Normally I fucking love giant robots. I can't get enough of them. Xenogears and Saga are two of my favorite video games period. Neon Genesis Evangelion? Top tier art! I never really watched Gundam seriously but from the bits I've seen, I'm a fan. But when it comes to this game, the mechs just do not do it for me. In battle, they are just not fun. If a turn based RPG can generally be called a puzzle to solve, then the mech combat in Trails is this:
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8f7f1f7f.png
I just can't get into it. The lack of any real customization means that they have to be trivial to beat, since you are just stuck with what the game gives you. This doesn't feel good. It feels like a complete waste of time. Valimar, as the main mech in the franchise, embodies this failure of game design to me. It doesn't help that as a "character" (in quotes) he has less personality than Elliot. I'm not sure what Hibelle's personality was, but it was probably more than Valimar. He doesn't have any. They act like he becomes 'more human' over the course of the franchise, but he doesn't. He just talks with less of a "robotic accent", but behaves the same. You can give a robot personality! Basically every other game does it. To bring up Xenosaga again, KOS-MOS at her core was one of the most tried and true, by the books robots they've got, but she kept things interesting. They would use her for humor from time to time, just because of how blunt and straightforward her responses to things would be. And of course, there was mystery in her backstory.

Valimar doesn't get any of that that! For the most part, since there's definitely some layer of mystery behind him at first, but...not really? They don't go anywhere with it that isn't immediately obvious, no twists to speak of. He was made by the only two ancient groups that we know about, I think that's the most reasonable thing you could ever expect. They ultimately combine to summon some ancient power, wow, I've never heard a plotline quite like that before, have you? Nothing interesting was done with how they were given their own wills (of course Valimar's will is entirely nonexistent, he is subservient and obedient and his only action he takes independently is to lore dump), nothing was done with them having any kind of culture or structure (they say that there is some sort of tier system to how powerful they all are but of course whichever one Rean gets just beats everyone anyway even though he was like middle of the tier list I believe?), they're just an excuse to have robots (literally anything could have been the 'vessel for the great one' or what have you) but then they half-assed their execution and completely butchered the gameplay elements. Ultimately, he ranks low for the wasted potential.

195. Sidney
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/0298e088.jpg
If he's been playing for the other team this whole time, that may explain a few things...

Sidney is another student NPC who has a one-note personality. His is that he's obsessed with women. There are stranger things to obsess over, but I don't think I've ever met someone like this in real life. I mean, it's really all he talks about. Everyone wants to get laid, but he is a bit too overt about it. Maybe that's your problem, buddy? Just like...chill. I think everyone will appreciate it. He seems to strike up some sort of almost-relationship possibility with Ada at some point. I think she agrees to go on a date with him? I really hope it works out, but I can't imagine what they could talk about. Will he just tell stories about all of his failed attempts to get with every other woman on campus? I don't know if that's a great strategy, but he's not got a lot of material to work with. Neither do I, for that matter. That's really all I have to say about him. He's another character with a gimmick that got old, fast. He ranks higher for being mildly entertaining sometimes. I mean he used 'Chad' as an adjective, that's worth a few points.

194. Kurt (Sky)
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/85543a58.jpg
I just wanted an excuse to use a picture from the remake. I guess I started this topic at the right time!

For someone who has a decently big supporting role in the Sky arc, I'm a bit surprised they never brought Kurt back in any future games (that I could recall/find online). He wasn't the most important character, butimportant enough to get a small cameo, right? I guess not. Maybe that's because others feel the same way I do? Plainly, this character sucks. They don't give him much of a backstory, his design is generic (if he didn't have green hair he would actually just blend into the background), and his role in the plot can basically be summarized as "professional jobber". How many times can one man get hypnotized and fight against his friends before it does permanent damage to his psyche? I can't imagine the therapy it'll take to come back from hypnosis and attempted murder #3. You'd think the Bracer guild would eventually wisen up and fire him for the liability he is. Or at least develop some anti-hypnosis training videos. You know, with how fast technology advances in Zemuria, I think it's a real possibility that they have sanitized corporate training videos for new recruits at least by the middle/end of the Erebonia arc. That's a terrifying thought. Capitalism has gone too far this time...

I did briefly get fooled at the start of SC when they set up the fake ambush to serve as training for Estelle and Analace, but I do remember figuring it out before the end. That's about the only thing he does right throughout the story. The rest is him fighting you because he has switched sides and briefly serving as a generic, slightly more senior bracer guidance figure when he does have control over his brain. That latter part is not offensive enough to merit any real backlash, but it's not interesting, either. It's a role that is basically required to exist however, so it's enough to get him slightly up the list.

By my arts, Kurt is too low

Leonhart4 posted...

By my arts, Kurt is too low

Agreed, though I do appreciate Carna and Grant not even getting ranked in this case. Weissman did a number on so many people, and Kurt never had an Estelle to break him out of things. Also, replaying FC and knowing what you know about Weissman and the Black Materia, Kurt excited me to talk to him whenever I could again. He was key at helping Cassius get the Black Materia back to Liberl, his feelings of ill ease at the arena make so much more sense, and he was fairly fun to use in 3rd. He's not a big character, but he's a great local. Also, IMO, one of the hardest bosses in the series, or at least most memorably frustrating... which sucked at the time but can respect so much more with how otherwise breezily Zero/Azure/Cold Steel can feel in comparison much of the time.

Speaking of Grant, He's one of the main four secondary Liberl bracers with Anelace, Kurt, and Carna, right? Dude never got a portrait in the old games. With recognition for his genericness, I made a personal 'Grant Tier of Relevance' for all those characters who got those close-ups when you speak to them in CSIII & IV & Reverie but none of those name introductions.

Mana's Grant Tier of Relevance!
[Bracer] Aeolia (R)
Anton
Ashleigh
Bennet
[Branch Manager] Cerdan (IV)
Chiruru (IV)
[Inspector] Donovan (R)
Herman (IV)
[Count] Hohen Altheim
Imelda (IV)
[Captain] Kate (IV)
Katerina (IV)
Kopan (R)
Lakelord II (IV)
Lau
[Bracer] Lynn (R)
Oscar
Patiry
Peter (IV)
[Vice Commissioner] Pierre (R)
[Detective] Raymond (R)
Reiner
Reins (IV)
[Section Chief] Roberts
[Bracer] Scott (R)
[Doctor] Seiland
Setsuna
Shanshan
Wendy
Zhang Hui

Skies Remake Close-Up-grade
Elissa
Tio Perzel

193. Cedric Arnor
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/302e874f.jpg
Trust me, you can't handle her, lil bro. Settle for less.

The youngest prince of Erebonia has some big shoes to fill, and boy does he do a terrible job. There is a part of me that empathizes with Cedric, given how youngest princes have been treated throughout actual history (they don't get to do very much) and his less-than-ideal upbringing. I don't think the "being kept political prisoner into death machine pilot" pipeline is one known for turning out well adjusted men. My ability to empathize with him pretty much dies there though, because the rest of his decision making and characterization are not endearing to me.

For starters, his role in CS3 split into two parts. The first is largely to be an arrogant noble that looks down on the main cast for *insert reason here*. That was a plotline that was done to death in general over the first two games, getting to experience it again didn't add anything interesting to the franchise for me. The latter was to be a pawn of the Ironbloods in helping them woo the general populace to their side with propaganda. If he were actually a power player like Rufus I would respect that, but the game gives no indication that he's influencing events with his own will, he's pretty clearly just a royal pawn for Osborne. He does play the part pretty well from what I remember, so pity points for that, but I hate to see someone with so much inherent political power bend the knee to a third party willingly. What did he get out of it? I'm sure there was something but I don't remember. Was he just grateful for being given the divine knight so he helped them, and wanted more power like that? Or was there some other reason? Did he think he would be given a position of power in their new world order government if Osborne's plans ended up succeeding? I guess that's as good of a reason as any, but I don't recall his motivations that well.

Ultimately he ends up joining Ouroboros because he had nowhere else to go, which I guess makes sense to some degree. I don't like his daydream in Reverie where he becomes an Enforcer however. I guess any royal would have some degree of military training but Cedric was never shown to be a particularly skilled combatant at any other point in the franchise from what I recall. Him just kind of willpowering his way through Shirley's test felt cheap to me. I know they just want to give every portrait and voice acted character some title worthy of them, but Cedric really feels like more of a Gilbert to me than a Shirley or Sharon or what have you. It just felt unearned.

Oh and his personality sucks. I talked about it a little bit before but arrogant noble hiding insecurity has been done to death, and it doesn't make me like you. He never really has his 'come to Jesus' moment given that he becomes an Enforcer and all. Ultimately, I never felt any sense of payoff from his story.

Cedric could be interesting if they actually had the guts to make him go full heel. Like if he really was like a jealous and cruel mirror image of Olivert. But he's not actually But as it is, he's just kind of like... a whiny guy who gets to be part of Ouroboros now? He's certainly the worst Enforcer. He's basically a step above Gilbert level

I'm interested in they're doing with Cedric and keep hoping he's actually going to do something cool. He hasn't really delivered yet but he has to be coming back at some point right?

Cedric should be bottom 10. Possibly bottom 5. Utterly boring character.

192. Black Alberich
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b4dcc48c.jpg
Wrong franchise, buddy. Monokuma is over there

The other half of the gnome subplot is the next to fall. I had him lower at first, but ended up moving him up a few slots because I like the idea, I just think they butchered the execution. The whole M. Bison moving bodies after death to be an immortal evil force is kinda cool, though how a story comes up with a method for resolving it is usually the make or break. In Trails case I'd say it's done okay, I mean him getting his power from the demonic big bad and then dying once that big bad is defeated is pretty by-the-books.

I already aired my grievances with the gnome subplot when talking about George, but I think the real failure is in the wasted potential with expanding on that whole faction in the actual plot. You can write up all the backstory you want but if it's not in-game, it doesn't matter. I'm sure there is some master document with some really interesting ideas about the gnomes buried somewhere at Falcom HQ, but they just didn't have the budget to get it in the game. Ultimately, that's what we have to judge off of, so Alberich is a victim of that poor planning.

I did think it was really obvious who he was when they were trying to introduce him in CS3. Not like, 100% obvious exactly who he was, but you could tell he was some kind of villain. They already pulled this exact bait-and-switch with Weissman, reusing it in basically the exact same manner is pretty lazy. Honestly, Trails in general tends to have a lot of similarities in each arc (haven't started Daybreak yet though so maybe they stray from this) but the whole 'every main party ends up acting exactly like the bracers' thing is the obvious one. I still have a personal theory that each region having a different group undergoing more or less the same arc is actually part of the larger plotline that is intentional, that they'll end up tying together saying some shit about history repeating itself to bring about a larger outcome or what have you. That's my hope at least, I'm not sure how much evidence there is to support it but I think it would be pretty neat. Anyway, the whole professor thing was stupid. Most of the stuff the Gnomes do is stupid. I don't mind some supernatural shit in my JRPGs but nothing involved with the gnomes felt like it had proper setup to have a dramatic payoff like it seems like they intended. In a different world this plotline would feel more complete, but in this one they stay firmly in bottom tier.

Too high for Black Alberich imo, but whatever we can all just agree the Gnomes suck and move on.

By my arts, Cedric and Black Alberich are both too high

Especially to be above Kurt

They have slightly more interesting things going on than useless Kurt!

By my arts, generically evil and whiny entitled brat aren't interesting

colliding posted...

Cedric could be interesting if they actually had the guts to make him go full heel. Like if he really was like a jealous and cruel mirror image of Olivert. But he's not actually But as it is, he's just kind of like... a whiny guy who gets to be part of Ouroboros now? He's certainly the worst Enforcer. He's basically a step above Gilbert level

Yeah, it sucks how little agency or story Cedric gets. "Young kind prince gets infected by Testa-Rossa and is now a jerk growing more and more jerkier. He stays a jerk with or without the curse and shows no real growth, reflection, or reasin fir his choices besides 'this half-naked chick likes my company, of course I'll join the baddies.'"

Black Alberich and the Gnomes are such letdowns.

By my Arts, Kurt is such a fraud. He's A-rank IIRC but you're telling me Estelle and Joshua still aren't there as of yet? How is this guy ranked above every other Bracer in Liberl minus Cassius and Zin (who was only there on a personal favor)

Cedric... I know his very first intro in CS1 has Olivier basically nervously trying to ignore how Cedric has chosen Osborne as one of his positive role models but not knowing how to explain to him why Osborne is not someone to look up to... and I want to say we're told somewhere in CS3/4 that Osborne played some critical role in his recovery during the timeskip between CS2 and CS3 as possible motives for why he was so attached to Osborne.

_stingers_ posted...

What did he get out of it? I'm sure there was something but I don't remember. Was he just grateful for being given the divine knight so he helped them, and wanted more power like that? Or was there some other reason? Did he think he would be given a position of power in their new world order government if Osborne's plans ended up succeeding? I guess that's as good of a reason as any, but I don't recall his motivations that well.

This, though, I think the answer is literally "bro didn't think that far ahead." Literally the truthbomb that other-Kurt drops on him in the final confrontation in their last fight in CS4 at the final dungeon is basically, "...So, let's say you beat us here. What exactly is your plan? You realize the rivalry means you have to fight Osborne to the death, right? And if you don't, he sure will." and he just has no answer to the party.

Black Alberich bottom-tier character

191. Fritz
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/4c3e7f1e.jpg
...completely irrelevant.

Half of the main campus duo. They're lackeys for Cedric though they eventually split off from him the crazier he gets. That ability to reason scores them higher than Cedric himself, but besides that, they're pretty boring. This one happens to like chess.

190. Ada
The other half of the main campus duo. They're lackeys for Cedric though they eventually split off from him the crazier he gets. That ability to reason scores them higher than Cedric himself, but besides that, they're pretty boring. This one agrees to date Sidney, which is funny enough to score above Fritz.

189. Xin Lu
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d6a956b8.jpg
We were all 13 once, kid. I get it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/4/40bf8237.jpg
(Actual pic)

Xin is the grandson of the leader of Heiyue, who are basically the Calvardian yakuza. We first learn of their presence in Crossbell via their branch office, where they interact with Lloyd and co. They seem to be a generally competent bunch, easily out-maneuvering the mafia syndicates that existed in Crossbell proper while they were there. From what I remember, Xin contributed basically nothing to those efforts. He is a child, so I get there's only so much he can do in the way of strategic planning, but we do have other genius children in this series so they could've had him do something if they wanted to. Instead, he largely functions as a spoiled brat, which, to his credit is much more realistic than the general approach they take to child characters in this franchise.

He does seem somewhat intelligent (or perhaps educated is more accurate), but he doesn't seem to do anything with it. Besides bossing people around and trying to act tougher than he is, his main character trait/reoccurring gimmick is that he's obssessed with Elie. I mean look lil dude I don't blame you for that one, but similar to all the other overly horny characters that we've seen at the bottom of this list, it's not a gimmick that I find particularly entertaining. If they aged him up to young adult and had him seriously pursue Elie romantically that would've been a more intriguing plotline, but with his age and how he goes about it, it just comes off as desperate. I'm assuming he'll be back in Daybreak so if they age him up a few years like they did for Renne in the final daydream in Reverie for that arc I can see him move up my list a good bit.

man I hate Alisa's post CS3 design so much

fair rankings for a lot of characters I didn't bother to even rank

What don't you like about it? It looks cool imo

too many snaps, too many belts, too much booba, skirt's too short, colors are boring

188. Franz Reinford
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/b/b659ee5a.jpg
Just gotta go get some milk from the store real quick, I'll be right back...

Franz Reinford is another character that we don't really get to see much. Alisa thinks that he's dead for awhile IIRC. I vaugely recall something about Sharon killing him on a mission before she became the Reinford maid, though of course that's not true because 1) nobody dies in Trails and 2) Black Alberich took over his body. He shows up briefly at random through sheer willpower overpowering Black Alberich's body takeover, which seems out of character for some random scientist but I guess they wanted to give him some kind of cool moment. And then at the end of CS4, after the big bad dies he shows up in the true ending to give Alisa a proper goodbye which was nice. He chooses to use the god powers he got from the rivalries finishing to bring Crow back to life though, which is definitely a waste of collecting every Dragon Ball. Why not bring yourself back to life and raise your daughter? I'd say he mainly just ranks low for 1) that, 2) being associated with the whole gnome subplot, 3) Not having much screentime of his own, and 4) Deciding to marry Irina. God only knows how drunk they were when they met for that to have seemed like a good decision. Maybe Irina was cooler back in the day though, I don't know. Hopefully she had a better haircut.

187. Carl Regnitz
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e244ca99.jpg
...hothead? Were you raising Ash by mistake?

Machias Sr. proves the old adage that the apple does not stray far from the tree. He has evolved from bureaucrat to politician, but aside from that they're pretty much sporting the same coat of paint. He scores a few positions higher than his son due to being more tolerable, though it is not hard to imagine his personality was much the same as Machias in his youth. The benefits of age (and needing to be tolerable to get votes I suppose). He seems like a generally competent guy, always having been shown to be capable of assisting Heimdallr in any of the various crises that occur during the course of the games. He seems like a generally good guy too, never having been shown to do anything that would negatively impact his city. He really ranks low for being Machias Sr (clearly didn't raise the kid well enough to give him a real personality) and not being particularly any more interesting than his son is.

For Carl, a hothead is someone who submits a report one minute late

186. Teo Schwarzer
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9a0f3552.jpg
...kind of an odd thing to say in this situation, but go off king.

Next up on the list is Rean Sr! Well, kind of. The one that raised Rean, though not his true biological father. In my mind, he's really just the noble version of Carl. Generally good guy, only really cares about his own city, does good by them, but outside of that, pretty boring. He ranks above Carl for not being associated with Machias and also having about 5% more personality. He seems like he could be fun to be around if you get him drunk, but he spends most of his screen time just saying all the correct and proper things about how good of a son Rean is and to be safe and responsible and blah blah blah. It's not too hard to see where Rean got his personality from. I suppose that is well written in that regard, but yeah...boring. I wish we had a daydream in Reverie where some of the leaders got together after a conference and get drunk or something. It's always more fun to see the adults actually act like adults rather than parents. I liked his voice actor! That's about all I've got to say about ol' Teo.

I actually always kinda liked Carl, but I really don't know why. I can't really think of anything noteworthy he's done, but he's just kind of an unassuming character whose presence I always seem to value.

I'm also quite a bit higher on Machias than most people, I think. Not the best Cold Steel character or anything, but way above your Elliot's and your Gaius's and the like.

Bottom Tier
186 Teo Schwarzer
187 Carl Regnitz
188 Franz
189 Xin
190 Ada
191 Fritz
192 Black Alberich
193 Cedric Arnor
194 Kurt (Sky)
195 Sidney
196 Valimar
197 Helmut Albarea
198 Clara
199 Gideon
200 Margarita
201 Machias
202 Alan (Cold Steel)
203 Celine
204 Hibelle
205 Irina
206 Kairi
207 Vulcan
208 General Morgan
209 Dorothee
210 Elliot
211 Harold Hayworth
212 Georg Nome
213 Angelica

And that rounds out our bottom tier! Characters I am just bored or otherwise annoyed when they show up on screen. Next up is Low Tier, which are characters that are slightly more engaging or redeemable, or maybe they had a plotline in particular that I enjoyed but don't care for them outside of that.

185. Gerhart Rogner
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/0/07fe557d.jpg
Unfortunately for the rest of us.

Gerhart is Angelica's farther, and the head of one of the four great noble houses of Erebonia. We're really going through the parents in this last stretch. In general they're all kind of boring, but I ranked Rogner higher (and in a new tier) mainly because he has an actual personality. He's similar to Albarea Sr, where his primary motivation is in keeping his house strong, but he differs in having some actual humanity behind it. He's somewhat of an antagonist at first, but he develops over the first few games to eventually leave the Noble faction in the civil war and become a neutral party, eventually joining Olivier's side and assisting the party.

For the most part I side with the kids when the parents are trying to force their views onto them, and I probably do agree with Angelica in reality, but my disdain for Angelica makes me want to side with Gerhart here when he forces her to leave Thors early on to get married to whoever it was. And he has the balls to fight her 1-on-1 in a mech battle, that's pretty cool. He loses of course, because children are always superior soldiers to adults in the Trails universe, but props for trying, guy. Ultimately he falls pretty low since he doesn't have much screen time to shine through, but for the most part I like the cut of his jib.

_stingers_ posted...

He loses of course, because children are always superior soldiers to adults in the Trails universe, but props for trying, guy.

*Cassius has entered the chat*

In the tournament daydream in Reverie Cassius loses to children, ackshually

Wow, Gerhart doesn't go in the bottom tier? He has like 2 minutes of screen time. I guess it's a more interesting 2 minutes compared to Carl and Teo. I guess I see that. But yeah, I completely forgot he existed.

Also I don't remember the Reverie daydream in question but Cassius was clearly throwing

_stingers_ posted...

In the tournament daydream in Reverie Cassius loses to children, ackshually

I think it's interesting that they've never had Cassius be in a real fight. He only loses in fictional scenarios!

(Or when he's actively not trying to win like with Rean)

colliding posted...

Wow, Gerhart doesn't go in the bottom tier? He has like 2 minutes of screen time. I guess it's a more interesting 2 minutes compared to Carl and Teo. I guess I see that. But yeah, I completely forgot he existed.

Also I don't remember the Reverie daydream in question but Cassius was clearly throwing

Him and Zechs lost to Arios and Daddy Arseid

Which aren't children but those two then lost to children so vis-a-vis the transitive property -

_stingers_ posted...

Which aren't children but those two then lost to children so vis-a-vis the transitive property -

Calling LOL X-Stats on that one