Tohma

Tohma (トーマ) is a major antagonist and member of the Four Stars in Tales of Rebirth. He is a brutal, Minotaur-like Gajuma man who has past connections with Hilda Rhambling and Militsa. Tohma is one of the two Gajuma members of the Four Stars—the other being Walto, as Saleh is Huma, and Militsa is a Half.

Huma Girl Abductions
Tohma is introduced in Sulz, where he terrorizes its residents, beckoning for them to bring him the most beautiful Huma girl in the village. As one of the top officers of the Royal Shield, Tohma acts superior and hasty, commanding his soldiers and the village's residents as his patience runs thin. When Tohma instructs a young Huma girl, Monica, to fetch him the most beautiful Huma girl in the village, Monica accidentally makes direct eye contact with Claire Bennett, and Tohma accepts this gesture as Claire being considered the most beautiful of Huma girls. Although Monica attempts to convince Tohma otherwise, Tohma commands his soldiers to seize Claire, prompting Veigue Lungberg to use his Force. Intrigued, Tohma demonstrates his Force of Magnet to Veigue, Mao, and Eugene Gallardo, who fail to overcome Tohma in combat. After the fight, Saleh appears and berates Tohma before acting himself. Eugene forces Veigue to withdraw his hostility, knowing Saleh is too great an adversary for them to defeat in their current state, which leaves Tohma and Saleh to depart with the Huma girls of the village—Claire included.

Tohma is again seen with Saleh in Petnadjanka, where the group is successful in their pursuit of finding the two Four Stars members. Prior to the group's arrival in the city, Tohma and Saleh continued their expedition of gathering Huma girls in Petnadjanka, where the local factory's manager promised them Selena Crowe in exchange for his own daughter's safety. The abduction of Selena forced her brother, Tytree Crowe, to lose control of his Force of Wood and engulf the factory in overgrowth. When the group approaches the factory, the manager hysterically attempts to explain the current chaos. Tohma and Saleh appear and expose the manager of his desperate deal that led to Tytree's Force going "berserk". Saleh then uses his Force of Storm to allow himself and Tohma to escape with a group of Huma girls from the city, leaving the group to deal with Tytree inside the factory.

Deception Near Sannytown
Tohma does not appear again until the group travels to the Toyohose Hostel near the city of Sannytown in order to rescue who they believe is the Huma daughter of a resident in the city. At the hostel, they find Hilda, who deceives them into believing she is the abducted Huma girl. Outside the hostel, Tohma appears, and the group is attacked from behind by Hilda, who is revealed to be a member of the Royal Shield. After the elaborate scheme comes to light, the group discovers that Hilda works for Tohma and has been ordered to kill them. The group is forced into a fight with Hilda, who loses, leaving Tohma to scorn her for breaking off her horns and forfeiting a portion of her power as a result.

Confused, the group remains at a standstill while Tohma barks at Hilda for being an "impurity" before using his Force to remove her hat, revealing broken horns. Hilda falls to the ground in despair while Tohma reveals her Half nature, which surprises the group. Tohma then berates Hilda with phrases such as "accursed body" and ultimately reveals that her pursuit of a perfect body is nothing more than a deception on his part. Hilda is in disbelief at Tohma, who acknowledges that he merely wished to witness the potential of a Half's power, prompting Hilda's Force to go "berserk" and another battle with the group to ensue. Having nothing to do with Hilda any longer, Tohma leaves prior to the battle.

Karegia Castle and After
Later in the story, Tohma appears with Saleh at Karegia Castle, where they confront the group in one of the hallways that leads to the dais at the top of the castle. Tohma focuses his attention of Hilda's decision to join the group, taking every opportunity to remind her of how unfit Halfs are in the world. Refusing to move out of the group's way, Tohma and Saleh engage the group in battle but lose, leaving them stunned and immobile, which allows the group to pass. After the events at Karegia Castle, the world undergoes a drastic change in its racial relationships, causing strife across the country. In Razilda, Tohma makes an appearance with Saleh and Milhaust Selkirk, who have come to settle a dispute between the Huma and Gajuma residents of the village. Although Tohma and Saleh attempt to deal with the situation through brute force, Milhaust commands them to stand down, which prompts them to leave.

Dark Secrets Revealed
During the Sacred Beast trials, Tohma pursues the group to Mocrado Village, where he informs them that he is acting under Lady Zilva Madigan's orders. In a coincidental turn of events, Naira appears and demands that Tohma leave, though Tohma does not initially recall who the woman is. When Naira claims Tohma murdered her husband and robbed her of her daughter, Tohma scoffs at his tainted past and acknowledges it. Hilda discovers that her parents did not abandon her—rather, Tohma killed her father, Amgil, and abducted Hilda from her mother, Naira. Tohma's story of Hilda having been cast aside as a pitiful Half was nothing more than a deception that led to Hilda being raised by him and acting on his behalf in the Royal Shield. In a dramatic moment, Naira jumps in the path of Tohma's attack directed at Hilda, resulting in her death. Hilda's Force grows extraordinarily powerful, and the group engages Tohma in a battle, which he quickly loses. After the battle, realizing he cannot defeat Hilda, Tohma begs for mercy and manages to retreat. During Hilda's Sacred Beast trial, the flashback of Tohma killing Amgil and taking Hilda from Naira is shown, as well as Tohma's training of Hilda to witness the power of her Force.

Showdown at Mount Sovereign
Although Tohma appears in a few hallucinations during the Sacred Beast trials, he is not encountered again until the group ventures to Mount Sovereign. There, he joins Saleh, Walto, and Militsa for a final showdown against the group. Upon defeat, the Four Stars are in disbelief at their loss. While the group manages to convince Walto and Militsa to abandon their cause, Tohma and Saleh remain hostile. After the group proceeds into Mount Sovereign, Saleh beckons for them to kill him before being stabbed by Tohma, who claims to be acting under Lady Zilva's orders. Returning the favor, Saleh stabs Tohma, and the two die at the mouth of Mount Sovereign. Their bodies later dissipate after Zilva's defeat and Yuris's ascension.

Appearance and Personality
Tohma is a Gajuma and therefore bears the striking resemblance to an animal, which in his case is a bull. However, due to standing upright, he bears more of a resemblance to a Minotaur—a creature in Greek mythology with the head of a bull and body of a man. Tohma has horns, light-violet hair, and beady black eyes that contribute to his unpleasant scowl. He wears a gold earring in his right ear, and his build is overwhelmingly muscular. His attire is taut against his bulging body and consists of a red top, khaki legs, and a blue belt-sash that extends from his waist. He wears brawling gloves on his large, powerful hands and armored boots on his feet. Like many Gajuma, he also possesses a tail.

Tohma is a brute of a man, disregarding others and acting accordingly to his own desires—even if such a course of action violates protocol. His actions nearly devastate Hilda into abandoning all hope, and it is because of him that Hilda grew up feeling alone and discarded by her parents. Due to Tohma's influence, Hilda's father, Amgil, was killed and she was left unaware of her parent's love for her—how they went through great lengths in order to save her when she was a baby. Tohma is also highly racist against Huma, claiming to not distinguish qualities of beauty among them and making degrading remarks of what he perceives to be their inferiority. Alternatively, Tohma hails the Gajuma race, referring to them as beautiful and even sparing Hilda's mother, Naira, due to her being a fellow Gajuma.

Fighting Style
In battle, Tohma fights with his fists and uses special moves through the use of his Force of Magnet. Rough and sluggish in combat, Tohma becomes more of a threat when in close proximity to his targets. His hard-hitting moves can usually be avoided if careful but are devastating when executed. Although Tohma arbitrarily decided to accompany Saleh in order to place him under observation, the two form what they both understand is a powerful alliance, which, applied in combat, makes them "incredibly powerful", as Mao states. Tohma is fought a total of four times throughout the course of the main story: an impossible-to-win battle in Sulz, alongside Saleh at Karegia Castle, by himself in Mocrado Village, and a final time at Mount Sovereign alongside all members of the Four Stars. In Cyglorg's Chambers, the game's bonus dungeon, Tohma can be fought alongside the other Four Stars, as well as cloned versions of themselves—for a total of eight enemies—on the 60th floor of the dungeon.