( Personality ) : When playing the game, the first impression you will likely get of Yuan is that he’s arrogant and quick to jump to the defensive. Both of these things are true, the latter moreso than the first. Yuan is an extremely introverted person, refusing to place his trust in others or rely on them. If something needs to be done, he will try it himself, only asking for help when he has no other options left. Even when he does finally decide to ally himself with others, he makes it perfectly clear that this is ‘just business’. When he joins Mithos’ group, he insists the only reason he did so was to see Mithos fail for himself. When he finally decides to help Lloyd’s group, he promptly states that this doesn’t mean they’re “friends”. On the flipside, he’s also reluctant to give help to people he doesn’t know. Take the matter with the Fandalia flowers, for instance. He doesn’t understand why they should go out of their way to help a village of humans who’ve been nothing but unpleasant to them.
He believes that the end justifies the means and will easily sacrifice others (if necessary) to reach his goals. On that note, he won’t hesitate to sink to the level of blackmail, even drugging innocent people. Yuan is a pessimist and even now, he bears a bit of a grudge towards humans. This is likely due to the high level of half-elf discrimination that has been reigning the world for over 5000 years. He refuses to admit his mistakes or apologize for anything, likely seeing this as a sign of weakness. He will easily lose his temper when challenged or teased. He’s also a very sore loser, though this is something mostly seen in Tales of Fandom 2.
Despite his cold personality, there are two people who have truly managed to get close to Yuan and earn his trust. The first is his late fiancée, Martel Yggdrasill. Whenever she was near, Yuan would turn into a stuttering, blushing mess, thus making him an easy target of mockery for her younger brother and their human companion, Kratos Aurion. Unable to disagree with anything Martel said, Yuan could be easily wrapped around her finger and forced to take on a bit more of a warm attitude. It seems the only one who was oblivious to his infatuation was Martel herself. Even after her death, Yuan remains loyal to his fiancée and her ideals, doing whatever he can to respect her final wishes. Their engagement ring, which remains on his hand after all these years, is the symbol of his undying love.
The other individual who managed to reach Yuan’s compassionate side is Kratos Aurion. Though the human was his greatest enemy on the battlefield during the Kharlan War, Kratos is the one who introduced him to the Yggdrasill siblings. The man’s apathetic attitude towards others is something that aggravated Yuan greatly. Though claiming to be companions, the two hardly ever acted as true friends. Even so, their relationship is one of mutual respect. Despite Mithos’ influence, Yuan tried to gain Kratos’ alliance on several occasions, only to fail. After the incident with Anna, he had no choice but to consider Kratos ‘dead’ and from that point on, he didn’t hesitate to blackmail his old friend, or even attempt to take his life. It’s a harsh action, yes, but in the end he endangered his own life to save the human’s, by means of a mana transfer. This suggests that he never truly intended for Kratos to die.
The relationship between Yuan and Mithos Yggdrasill is a complicated one. Though they likely never had any real fights during the Kharlan war, Yuan only saw the boy as Martel’s irritating younger brother. He believed that Mithos was nothing but a hopeless idealist and had vowed to reveal his hypocrisy. Mithos found this attitude amusing and seemed quite fond of teasing Yuan whenever he could. Apparently, the two enjoyed playing games of Jan-Ken-Pon (rock – paper – scissors), in which Mithos always came out victorious. After Martel’s death, Yuan agreed to follow the boy’s ideals, though there is a chance he knew from the very start the boy was mistaken. As madness kicked in and Mithos turned into the ruthless leader known as Yggdrasill, their relationship only worsened, until the point where Yuan had nothing but scorn for his former companion.
Not much is known at the relationship between Yuan and his lieutenant, Botta. The Renegade leader placed his faith in Botta’s capabilities during harsh times, trusting that the man would take care of things accordingly. Likely, Botta had to work hard to earn this kind of respect, but it seems even then, Yuan never truly got close to him. Of course, even if he did mourn the loss of his lieutenant, there’s no way he would show such ‘weak emotions’ in front of Lloyd and his friends.
Though all this makes Yuan sound very intense and unpleasant, he really is just a big softy inside. He’s a romantic at heart and it took him forever to confess his love to Martel, out of sheer fear of being rejected. He became visibly upset when he lost her old engagement ring and searched high and low for it. … Literally. His need to get it back from Lloyd was so strong, it finally forced him to ask nicely- even beg for it. While constantly battling for survival, he seems to have no real fear of death. After Yuan had finished evacuating the Renegades in Triet Base to save them from Mithos’ wrath, he himself remained in his office, knowing perfectly well he would be an easy target there. He later risked his life to save Kratos because, as he says, they’ve lived too long already.
As Colette Brunel says in Dawn of the New World: “He always looks a bit cross, but he’s really doing all he can to find happiness.” Zelos adds: “You could also say the guy’s got no luck.” Emil then sums it up perfectly by saying: “Sounds like a pretty complicated guy.”
( Strengths/Weaknesses ) : Strengths: Being who he is, Yuan has exceptional experience in battles. He was raised to be a soldier and continued fighting long, long after he should’ve retired. His High-Exsphere, also known as Cruxis Crystal, enhances his senses and gives him strength above that of the average human and half-elf. It also allows him to manipulate his own mana, so that he may create functional wings and halt his metabolism. Yuan is a proficient lightning mage and wields a large, double-bladed saber that allows for a wide attack range and great damage to opponents.
Yuan is strong-willed and can put on an excellent pokerface when necessary, making him the ideal leader for the Renegades. He spent 800 years lying to his closest companions, all the while gaining access to Cruxis’ most valuable information and resources. Somehow, he managed to juggle both his duties to Cruxis and his tasks as leader of a large underground organization. While it’s never outright stated, one can assume that he’s knowledgeable about magitechnology and perhaps even designed the Rheairds himself.
While it’s hard to gain Yuan’s alliance, he can be a very valuable companion once you succeed. He’s strong and stubborn, always refusing to forfeit no matter how dire the situation gets. His tendency to stick to facts and reality can make him a much-needed voice of reason when you, say, get a crazy idea to revive your dead sister. He may deny that he cares, but when push comes to shove, Yuan’s the kind of guy who would throw his life on the line for his allies.
Weaknesses: True physical weaknesses are hard to find. One might say that, despite being a self-proclaimed angel, he’s still nothing more than a half-elf with extraordinary power. Kratos can still land a mean blow on him when his guard’s down, he can still be defeated when outnumbered by Lloyd’s group and ultimately, he can still die. While he’s an excellent lightning mage and his Cruxis Crystal granted him a few ‘angel skills’, he cannot cast spells of any other element. If he gets hurt, he needs to rely on other healers and medicinal gels to recover.
Yuan is the kind of guy who will dash into battle without a second thought and remain on the frontlines. It’s a kind of recklessness that could get him in trouble if he’s not careful. It isn’t something that only shows in battle, either. The reason the Great Seed went out of control and destroyed Palmacosta, among other locations, is because Yuan didn’t do proper research on the Mana Links and their purpose. He had a plan and immediately assumed it would work, so he allied himself with Lloyd and his friends, who were the only ones who could make this plan a reality.
And of course, Yuan has horrid people skills. He has trouble speaking his mind and often comes across as uptight, or even irritable. He doesn’t respond well to teasing and his pessimistic nature may have him rain on other people’s proverbial parades. He can be pleasant if he wants to, but that won’t happen until he knows just what sort of person he’s talking to. Even then, he doesn’t like to waste time on small talk or share too much information about his personal life. There will always be a wall there that not even Kratos managed to break down entirely. The only one who might’ve succeeded in getting Yuan to fully open up was Martel, but after losing her, that wall only became twice as high for everyone else.
Yuan Ka-Fai | Tales of Symphonia | Reserved 2/2
When playing the game, the first impression you will likely get of Yuan is that he’s arrogant and quick to jump to the defensive. Both of these things are true, the latter moreso than the first. Yuan is an extremely introverted person, refusing to place his trust in others or rely on them. If something needs to be done, he will try it himself, only asking for help when he has no other options left. Even when he does finally decide to ally himself with others, he makes it perfectly clear that this is ‘just business’. When he joins Mithos’ group, he insists the only reason he did so was to see Mithos fail for himself. When he finally decides to help Lloyd’s group, he promptly states that this doesn’t mean they’re “friends”. On the flipside, he’s also reluctant to give help to people he doesn’t know. Take the matter with the Fandalia flowers, for instance. He doesn’t understand why they should go out of their way to help a village of humans who’ve been nothing but unpleasant to them.
He believes that the end justifies the means and will easily sacrifice others (if necessary) to reach his goals. On that note, he won’t hesitate to sink to the level of blackmail, even drugging innocent people. Yuan is a pessimist and even now, he bears a bit of a grudge towards humans. This is likely due to the high level of half-elf discrimination that has been reigning the world for over 5000 years. He refuses to admit his mistakes or apologize for anything, likely seeing this as a sign of weakness. He will easily lose his temper when challenged or teased. He’s also a very sore loser, though this is something mostly seen in Tales of Fandom 2.
Despite his cold personality, there are two people who have truly managed to get close to Yuan and earn his trust. The first is his late fiancée, Martel Yggdrasill. Whenever she was near, Yuan would turn into a stuttering, blushing mess, thus making him an easy target of mockery for her younger brother and their human companion, Kratos Aurion. Unable to disagree with anything Martel said, Yuan could be easily wrapped around her finger and forced to take on a bit more of a warm attitude. It seems the only one who was oblivious to his infatuation was Martel herself. Even after her death, Yuan remains loyal to his fiancée and her ideals, doing whatever he can to respect her final wishes. Their engagement ring, which remains on his hand after all these years, is the symbol of his undying love.
The other individual who managed to reach Yuan’s compassionate side is Kratos Aurion. Though the human was his greatest enemy on the battlefield during the Kharlan War, Kratos is the one who introduced him to the Yggdrasill siblings. The man’s apathetic attitude towards others is something that aggravated Yuan greatly. Though claiming to be companions, the two hardly ever acted as true friends. Even so, their relationship is one of mutual respect. Despite Mithos’ influence, Yuan tried to gain Kratos’ alliance on several occasions, only to fail. After the incident with Anna, he had no choice but to consider Kratos ‘dead’ and from that point on, he didn’t hesitate to blackmail his old friend, or even attempt to take his life. It’s a harsh action, yes, but in the end he endangered his own life to save the human’s, by means of a mana transfer. This suggests that he never truly intended for Kratos to die.
The relationship between Yuan and Mithos Yggdrasill is a complicated one. Though they likely never had any real fights during the Kharlan war, Yuan only saw the boy as Martel’s irritating younger brother. He believed that Mithos was nothing but a hopeless idealist and had vowed to reveal his hypocrisy. Mithos found this attitude amusing and seemed quite fond of teasing Yuan whenever he could. Apparently, the two enjoyed playing games of Jan-Ken-Pon (rock – paper – scissors), in which Mithos always came out victorious. After Martel’s death, Yuan agreed to follow the boy’s ideals, though there is a chance he knew from the very start the boy was mistaken. As madness kicked in and Mithos turned into the ruthless leader known as Yggdrasill, their relationship only worsened, until the point where Yuan had nothing but scorn for his former companion.
Not much is known at the relationship between Yuan and his lieutenant, Botta. The Renegade leader placed his faith in Botta’s capabilities during harsh times, trusting that the man would take care of things accordingly. Likely, Botta had to work hard to earn this kind of respect, but it seems even then, Yuan never truly got close to him. Of course, even if he did mourn the loss of his lieutenant, there’s no way he would show such ‘weak emotions’ in front of Lloyd and his friends.
Though all this makes Yuan sound very intense and unpleasant, he really is just a big softy inside. He’s a romantic at heart and it took him forever to confess his love to Martel, out of sheer fear of being rejected. He became visibly upset when he lost her old engagement ring and searched high and low for it. … Literally. His need to get it back from Lloyd was so strong, it finally forced him to ask nicely- even beg for it. While constantly battling for survival, he seems to have no real fear of death. After Yuan had finished evacuating the Renegades in Triet Base to save them from Mithos’ wrath, he himself remained in his office, knowing perfectly well he would be an easy target there. He later risked his life to save Kratos because, as he says, they’ve lived too long already.
As Colette Brunel says in Dawn of the New World: “He always looks a bit cross, but he’s really doing all he can to find happiness.” Zelos adds: “You could also say the guy’s got no luck.” Emil then sums it up perfectly by saying: “Sounds like a pretty complicated guy.”
( Strengths/Weaknesses ) :
Strengths:
Being who he is, Yuan has exceptional experience in battles. He was raised to be a soldier and continued fighting long, long after he should’ve retired. His High-Exsphere, also known as Cruxis Crystal, enhances his senses and gives him strength above that of the average human and half-elf. It also allows him to manipulate his own mana, so that he may create functional wings and halt his metabolism. Yuan is a proficient lightning mage and wields a large, double-bladed saber that allows for a wide attack range and great damage to opponents.
Yuan is strong-willed and can put on an excellent pokerface when necessary, making him the ideal leader for the Renegades. He spent 800 years lying to his closest companions, all the while gaining access to Cruxis’ most valuable information and resources. Somehow, he managed to juggle both his duties to Cruxis and his tasks as leader of a large underground organization. While it’s never outright stated, one can assume that he’s knowledgeable about magitechnology and perhaps even designed the Rheairds himself.
While it’s hard to gain Yuan’s alliance, he can be a very valuable companion once you succeed. He’s strong and stubborn, always refusing to forfeit no matter how dire the situation gets. His tendency to stick to facts and reality can make him a much-needed voice of reason when you, say, get a crazy idea to revive your dead sister. He may deny that he cares, but when push comes to shove, Yuan’s the kind of guy who would throw his life on the line for his allies.
Weaknesses:
True physical weaknesses are hard to find. One might say that, despite being a self-proclaimed angel, he’s still nothing more than a half-elf with extraordinary power. Kratos can still land a mean blow on him when his guard’s down, he can still be defeated when outnumbered by Lloyd’s group and ultimately, he can still die. While he’s an excellent lightning mage and his Cruxis Crystal granted him a few ‘angel skills’, he cannot cast spells of any other element. If he gets hurt, he needs to rely on other healers and medicinal gels to recover.
Yuan is the kind of guy who will dash into battle without a second thought and remain on the frontlines. It’s a kind of recklessness that could get him in trouble if he’s not careful. It isn’t something that only shows in battle, either. The reason the Great Seed went out of control and destroyed Palmacosta, among other locations, is because Yuan didn’t do proper research on the Mana Links and their purpose. He had a plan and immediately assumed it would work, so he allied himself with Lloyd and his friends, who were the only ones who could make this plan a reality.
And of course, Yuan has horrid people skills. He has trouble speaking his mind and often comes across as uptight, or even irritable. He doesn’t respond well to teasing and his pessimistic nature may have him rain on other people’s proverbial parades. He can be pleasant if he wants to, but that won’t happen until he knows just what sort of person he’s talking to. Even then, he doesn’t like to waste time on small talk or share too much information about his personal life. There will always be a wall there that not even Kratos managed to break down entirely. The only one who might’ve succeeded in getting Yuan to fully open up was Martel, but after losing her, that wall only became twice as high for everyone else.
( Other Important Facts ) :
N/A.
( Sample ) :
Yuan discovers the wonders of Tetris at Luceti
Yuan has a little breakdown at Luceti