Genis Sage

Genis Sage (ジーニアス・セイジ) is a character from the video game Tales of Symphonia from Namco. Genis is the twelve-year old friend of the game's main characters, Lloyd Irving and Colette Brunel. He is the brother of Raine Sage and is a master of magic. In the beginning of the game, he has the basic weak spell, Fire Ball, but develops to become a great mage when he gains powerful spells such as Indignation, Prism Sword, and the mighty Meteor Storm. However, the spells he learns depend upon his Type; whether he is T-Type (Technical Type) or S-Type (Strike Type); so that, for example, Genis can only use either Eruption or Flame Lance, not both.

His main weapon is the Kendama, a traditional Japanese toy that is nonetheless dangerous only in the hands of Genis and other half-elves. His Devil's Arm is Disaster, which can be found in Altamira from a man wishing to turn his life around from gambling. Genis is somewhat off-putting and cynical, and his extensive knowledge causes him to be egocentric.

Though he is often portrayed as a coward, he is actually a very strong boy. Genis is also a half-elf and was banned from Heimdall, along with the rest of his family, when he was only an infant. Eventually Genis and his older sister Raine were abandoned at the Otherworldly Gate by their mother in a last-ditch effort to save them from half-elf persecution by transporting them to Sylvarant. The two later came to reside in the village of Iselia, passing themselves off as pure elves. As a result of the heavy prosecution forced onto half-elves such as himself, Genis announces his dislike of humans much later into the game. He is very intelligent like his sister, but unlike Raine, is a superb cook and his skills are only rivaled by Regal's.

When Mithos infiltrates the party, he and Genis become fast friends. Mithos is Genis' first half-elf friend, and the two possess many similarities, like a prejudice against the humans who have wronged them. Both were raised by their sisters and are incredibly intelligent. In fact, it is possible to maintain that Mithos and Genis once were the same half-elf who was forced to choose one of two paths, one of hatred to a world that had wronged him and one of forgiving said world. Mithos chose one, and Genis chose the other.

Early life
Genis was born in the hidden elven village of Heimdall, in Tethe'alla. His mother was an elf named Virginia and his father was a human named Kloitz who went to Heimdall to do research. The strict elves of Heimdall were unwilling to accept a half-elf such as Genis in the village (after Mithos split the world in two, he betrayed Origin, who resided in the nearby Torent Forest. The Elves of Heimdall carried a prejudice against half-elves ever since). As such, Genis and Raine, his older sister, were ostracized from the village, and their parents were forced to flee with them.

Soon, the Imperial Research Academy at Sybak heard about Raine's extraordinary intelligence. Genis and his family were forced to flee from one part of Tethe'alla to another. Eventually, Virginia was forced to abandon Genis and Raine at the Otherworldly Gate, which she hoped would take her children to the legendary land of Sylvarant. It is likely that, as she tried to do this, members of the Imperial Research Academy arrived to take Raine away. Virginia was forced to put her infant son and child daughter through the chaotic vortex and into Sylvarant.

The two arrived somewhere close to Iselia. Raine, though young, must have remembered the prejudice she suffered from being a half-elf, for she told the members of the village that she was a pure-blood elf. Raine and Genis were accepted into the village.

At some time in his young life, Genis attended the Iselia schoolhouse, where he met Lloyd Irving. The two became fast friends, despite the large age and even larger academic differences. Genis always looked up to Lloyd; he was strong, bold, and brave, an ideal role model for Genis. The half-elf likely always knew that he was physically weak (and might have felt a bit inferior to Lloyd), so he understandably looked up to someone with those qualities he himself was lacking. His possible inferiority complex caused him to attempt to overcompensate, and he would cynically ridicule Lloyd whenever his friend made an academic mistake.

At some point, Genis went to the Iselia Human Ranch. It is unknown why he decided to go there. Upon his arrival at the Ranch, he met a kindly old woman named Marble. Genis took an instant liking to the prisoner, who thought of him as a grandson. Genis would subsequently return to the Ranch to bring Marble his lunches, which he would save for her. Little did he expect that his visits to the Ranch would later doom the village of Iselia.

The Oracle Arrives
The day the Oracle of Cruxis arrives, Genis, Lloyd, and Colette decide to sneak out of school to go to the Martel Temple. Upon their arrival, they encounter a group of supposed Desians who are attacking the Temple. The party, with the aid of the mysterious Kratos, defeat the "Desians" and the Oracle of Cruxis is conveyed. The group then returns to the village.

Knowing that Lloyd's home lies on the other side of the dangerous Iselia Forest, Genis asks if he can accompany Lloyd halfway. Lloyd agrees, and the two set out. As they pass the Iselia Human Ranch, Genis tells Lloyd that this is where he was going. Lloyd protests and tries to stop Genis, but the half-elf mentions that the Desians already attacked Iselia and violated the non-aggression treaty the village had with them. Lloyd reluctantly agrees and the two visit the Ranch.

When he gets there, Genis instantly sees Marble. He tells her about the Oracle that was conveyed earlier that day. As they speak, however, the Desian guards notice that Marble is slacking off. Genis and Lloyd climb to the top of a nearby cliff, where they watch the guards inflict corporal punishment on the old woman. Unable to simply stand by and watch, Genis attacks them with his magic. The Desians attack, and Lloyd and Genis flee from the Ranch.

The next day, Genis sees Colette off on her Journey of Regeneration before racing to chastise Lloyd for missing it. The two hurry back to the village, only to find it in flames. The Desians are attacking to exact revenge for Genis and Lloyd's actions the day before at the Ranch. The two friends are forced to fight and kill a hideous monster, only to learn that the monster is in fact Marble. The Desians then leave. The mayor of the devastated village decides to exile Lloyd and Genis for causing the Desians to attack, and the two go out on their journey together.

Hopes for Regeneration
As Genis and Lloyd continue their journey, they meet up with the Chosen's guardians, Kratos and Raine. The two groups become one. Genis' incredible intelligence is demonstrated more than once on the trip, from an incident on the Ossa Trail to the Palmacosta Academy. As he is a half-elf, he is incredibly sensitive to the amount of mana in the air, and as such is able to gauge how much of it there is.

When the party journeys to Tethe'alla, the parallel world, Genis is amazed at the technology there. He also develops an immediate crush on Presea when the group visits the city of Meltokio. However, when he meets Zelos Wilder, the Chosen of Mana, he takes an instant dislike to him. As the party progresses through the second world and Genis is exposed to the incredible level of half-elf prejudice, he begins to dislike humans. Near the end of the game, he acknowledges this, and admits that, by hating humans, they will only hate him even more, and thus more hate will be spawned. He also admits that he likes the humans who he has travelled with, but sometimes he is unable to help the feeling of anger he experiences when a human is prejudiced against him. By regenerating the world, he hopes to create a place where elves, half-elves, and humans can all live in harmony, a place where he can live happily without any fear of prejudice, a place that he knows Lloyd can create.