Tales of Graces/Characters

Asbel Lhant
Asbel Lhant (アスベル・ラント) is the eldest son of the Lhant family and therefore the rightful heir to the village's throne. Lhant is a small and peaceful village situated in the kingdom of Windor, but Asbel has a greater dream against his father's wishes: to go to Windor's capital, Barona, and train at the Knight Academy. The adventurous and impulsive boy pushes the responsibility of lordship onto his intelligent younger brother Hubert, and although he achieves his dream seven years later, it comes at a cost.
 * Age: 11 (Chapter 1), 18 (Chapter 2 onward)
 * Weapon: Sword

In battle, Asbel uses a sword. As a child, he simply hits enemies with his sheathed sword, but as he becomes older, he becomes skilled in using the blade. Still, he's prone to using attacks that do not require a blade at all; this is reflected in his A-Artes (normal attacks in which he primarily uses his sheathed sword alongside well-placed kicks) and B-Artes (special attacks that Asbel must unsheathe his sword to use, often involving blasts of energy and elemental attributes). Asbel cannot cast any magic, and his moves are quick and purely offensive; his balanced stats are supportive of this, as he has a high capacity for damage in his physical attacks and high defense as well, allowing him to get up close to the enemy when need be.

Sophie
Sophie (ソフィ) is the name given to a girl that Asbel and Hubert find lying in a flower meadow on Lhant Hill. The girl has no recollection of her past, where she came from, or even her name, but because she shows such a fascination for the Sopheria flower, Asbel decides that a fitting name for her is "Sophie." Sophie's existence itself is a mystery, as she's lost to a threat far stronger than the children but reappears seven years later, seemingly out of nowhere but with the same lack of memory. Still, whatever her origins, Sophie proves to be a powerful ally for Asbel, who takes her under his wing as a child and as an adult.
 * Age: ??
 * Weapon: Bracers

In battle, Sophie attacks using impressive martial arts, punching and kicking her opponents with acrobatic feats and dizzying speed. Her A-Artes in particular show off her fighting prowess, moving across the field and even into the air with each combo. Her B-Artes give her access to powerful photon attacks and healing artes, allowing her to take on more of a supportive role as opposed to her aggressive A-Artes. Her ability to keep up in strength and defense with the other fighters such as Asbel and Hubert but also heal the party whenever necessary makes her the most balanced playable character in the game, though her max health isn't on par with the men and she doesn't have access to the same amount of healing artes as Cheria.

Hubert Oswell
Hubert Oswell (ヒューバート･オズウェル) is the younger brother of Asbel Lhant, intelligent but much more timid in childhood. At seventeen, he becomes skilled enough in combat to achieve the rank of Major in the Strahtan military, accompanied by a knack for diplomacy that lands him a good relationship with the president of Strahta. While Hubert was born in Lhant and shared a close relationship with his brother, who he looked up to for his bold and adventurous nature, their relationship became strained when the two parted ways, with Asbel choosing to pursue knighthood in Barona and Hubert being adopted into the Oswell family. He harbors resentment for his parents, who gave him up, and Asbel, due to his belief that Asbel selfishly ignored his responsibilities despite Hubert's sacrifice.
 * Age: 10 (Chapter 1), 17 (Chapter 2 onward)
 * Weapon: Dual-bladed spear and dual pistols

In battle, Hubert uses his dual-bladed spear when up close and his pistols when at a distance. He uses both weapons with a great amount of speed and efficiency, doing major damage in a short amount of time. His dual-blade attacks are assigned to his A-Artes, and his pistols are assigned to his B-Artes; while he has a good amount of strength to execute his A-Artes effectively, he has lower defense than some of the other fighters, and so his B-Artes allow him to keep doing damage from a safe distance. He also has two healing artes, Healing Wind and Antidote, though they should only be used in case of emergency; Antidote may come in handy to quickly rid the party of pesky status effects, but Healing Wind is much weaker than the healing artes available to Sophie and Cheria.

Cheria Barnes
Cheria Barnes (シェリア･バーンズ) is the sickly friend of Asbel and Hubert in childhood, and the granddaughter of their butler. She attempts to keep up with the boys on their adventures, but has trouble due to her illness, and is therefore excluded from the trip to the forbidden Lhant Hill, where the brothers meet Sophie. She has an obvious romantic interest in Asbel from a young age, and grows jealous of Sophie due to Asbel's fascination with her. However, in adulthood she shows her maturation, becoming protective of Sophie and even acting as a mother figure. Due to her bad health as a child, Cheria does whatever she can to aid the sick as an adult, spearheading a relief organization and becoming proficient in healing artes.
 * Age: 11 (Chapter 1), 18 (Chapter 2 onward)
 * Weapon: Daggers

In battle, Cheria attacks using daggers, and while she certainly isn't as physically strong as the other playable characters, her A-Artes are sufficient in keeping enemies away from her, allowing her to get critical hits from a distance. Her defense is also low, so maintaining a distance in battle is crucial for Cheria's survival (and for the rest of the party's if she's the designated healer). Fortunately, both her A-Artes and B-Artes accommodate this, with her aforementioned daggers pushing enemies back from a distance and her offensive spells allowing her to do major damage despite the time they take to cast. Sophie can be considered the only other strong healer in the game, but her healing artes lack the power of Cheria's, healing party members on an individual basis rather than healing the whole field as Cheria becomes capable of doing.

Malik Caesar
Malik Caesar (マリク・シザース) is the instructor of Asbel at Barona's Knight Academy, and is himself a royal knight. While he has a mysterious past, to Asbel, Malik is a symbol of strength and nobility, wise and proficient in battle on a level that the young knight-in-training hopes to reach. His mysterious and manly nature makes him popular with women, though he tends to ignore any advances. As the eldest party member, he tends to act as something of a father figure for the group, looking after them and giving them advice when needed.
 * Age: 40
 * Weapon: Bladerang

In battle, Malik wields a bladerang, a versatile weapon that allows him to attack up close and from afar. His A-Artes have him utilize the bladerang, striking at enemies and throwing it great distances. His B-Artes consist entirely of powerful offensive spells, usually powered by traditional elements such as earth and ice, and covering a wide range. This makes him the primary offensive caster of the game, especially in his utilization of classic spells, such as Air Pressure (which crushes enemies by increasing the pressure in the air) and Burning Strike (in which meteors are summoned from the sky, crashing down on enemies). While his health is incredibly high, this belies his exceptionally low defense; Malik must keep a distance from enemies in order to maintain his effectiveness, and he must also be cautious with the nature of his weapon itself, as he is left vulnerable to attacks from up close when he throws it far.

Pascal
Pascal (パスカル) is, like Malik, a mysterious party member met in adulthood. However, her bubbly personality is in stark contrast to Malik's cool and quiet one. She has some strange quirks, such as making up words and becoming interested in Sophie to the point of obsession, and even joins the party on a whim. However, she is much more intelligent than she lets on, handling ancient technology and building advanced machinery with ease, making her a valuable member of the group.
 * Age: 22
 * Weapon: Shotstaff

In battle, Pascal uses her shotstaff, which allows her to cast magic, shoot bright energy-based projectiles, and even summon powerful spirits. Her A-Artes allow her to shoot combos at enemies with moves that gradually escalate in power, and her B-Artes allow her to cast purely offensive spells. While her weapon and capabilities as a caster would appear to accommodate a play style that would entail keeping a great distance from enemies, Pascal's spells are most effective for dealing with enemies that surround her. As such, their casting time is short in comparison to some of Malik's and Cheria's powerful spells, with the exception of the most powerful, which take a while to cast but cover a long range (such as Bloodflamme).

Richard
Richard (リチャード) is the prince of the kingdom of Windor, where the village of Lhant can be found. He lives in the castle at the top of the kingdom's capital, Barona, but met Asbel as a child during a visit to Lhant. Together with Sophie, the children made a friendship pact at the tree on Lhant Hill after surviving a near-death experience, seemingly bonding them for life. They meet again for the first time seven years later, though Richard seems to have taken on an edge in their time apart. Still, he remains friendly with Asbel, Sophie, and their companions, and is set on wiping out all evil from his kingdom in order to bring peace.
 * Age: 12 (Chapter 1), 19 (Chapter 2 onward)
 * Weapon: Rapier

In battle, Richard uses a rapier, a weapon similar to Asbel's sword. However, his fighting style differs, as Asbel's reflects a Japanese style with quick slashes and Richard's more representative of a western style with rapid thrusts. His swordsmanship is mostly shown in his A-Artes, with his B-Artes giving him access to a wide variety of dark and powerful spells. Unlike all other party members, there is a point where Richard becomes unplayable, making his time with the party rather limited. However, the PlayStation 3 version of the game adds the F arc, in which Richard becomes an extra playable character.