God-Generals

The God-Generals (六神将) are the six highest-ranking members of the Oracle Knights in Tales of the Abyss, operating directly under the command of Commandant Van Grants.

Members

 * Largo the Black Lion, the alias of Badaq Oakland, and also known as the "Lion of the Desert".
 * Asch the Bloody, the alias of the original Luke fon Fabre.
 * Legretta the Quick, the alias of Giselle Oslo, a former Oracle soldier who trained Tear Grants.
 * Dist the Reaper, the alias of Dr. Saphir Ortion Gneiss, a fugitive scientist from the Malkuth Empire.
 * Arietta the Wild, a former Fon Master Guardian and survivor from the destroyed Isle of Feres.
 * Sync the Tempest, one of the seven replicas of the original Fon Master Ion.

Motives
Each God-General, apart from Dist, has lost something dear because of the Score. The death of Largo's wife, Sylvia Oakland, was the direct result of the Score. Due to the fact that the real Natalia was stillborn, their daughter, Meryl Oakland, was taken and used as a substitute. Sylvia subsequently threw herself in Baticul's harbor while Largo was away, and drowned. Legretta lost her brother, Marcel Oslo, due to his knowledge of the Closed Score. Arietta lost her family when the tidal wave from the destruction of Hod hit the Isle of Feres, which was predetermined by the Score, resulting in her being raised by monsters. Sync considers himself to be an imperfect replacement of the original Fon Master Ion, having been thrown into the mouth of the Mt. Zaleho volcano and left to survive on his own. Motivated by the hatred each member shared because of the Score, they followed Van's ideals to destroy Lorelei and the Score, enabling them to create a new world inhabited by replicated beings.

Trivia

 * Dist is the only God-General to survive the events of the story.
 * All of the God-Generals, apart from Arietta, operate under assumed names to avoid their respective pasts.
 * Each God-General, including their Commandant, may be seen as a trival to a party member. Largo opposes Natalia, Asch opposes Luke, Legretta opposes Tear, Dist opposes Jade Curtiss, Arietta opposes Anise Tatlin, Sync opposes Ion, and Van opposes Guy Cecil.
 * In addition to this, each God-General, with the exception of Dist, who is not directly confronted in battle, is aesthetically associated with a specific element: Largo with Fire, Legretta with Light, Arietta with Darkness, Sync with Wind, and Asch with Sound. However, these associations are not limitations on their abilities, as all of the God-Generals have access to strike and fonic artes of multiple elements.
 * According to one library text in Daath, another character named Cantabile is listed as one of the God-Generals. Though she is not present in the game, developers have stated that she was designed in the original storyboarding process to be the instructor for Tear, as well as the foil for Guy instead of Van. Her whereabouts are unknown during the game, but her position is succeeded by Asch by the time the events of the game begin. She is featured in Tales of Fandom Vol.2 as part of Tear's quest.
 * Prior to this, Asch was a Special Operations officer within the Oracle Knights, and not counted among the God-Generals. In the same library text, the positions of each God-General reveal that Largo is 1st division commander, Dist is 2nd, Arietta is 3rd, Legretta is 4th, Sync is 5th, and Cantabile is 6th.
 * Most of the God-Generals assumed names derive from musical terms: Largo, Alegretto, Dissonance, Aria, and Syncopation. Cantabile would be counted among these terms despite her absence, resulting in all six of the original God-Generals following this theme. Asch's name is the result of a different reasoning, as explained within the game.