Arche Klein

Arche Klein (アーチェ・クライン) is a protagonist in Tales of Phantasia, the first game in the Tales series. She is also the star of the Groovy Arche and Let's Go Arche minigames. As a seventeen-year-old half-elf, Arche has the ability to use magic and is a powerful magic user in her own right, though due to her half-blood status she is an outcast to the elves.

Past Timeline
Arche lives with her father Bart at a house near Lone Valley. After Dhaos's minion Demitel attacks Hamel and kills her friend Rhea Scarlet, Arche uses her skills to allow Rhea's spirit to posses her body and have her revenge. During this time, Bart has no clue as to her whereabouts and asks Cress Albane, Mint Adenade, and Claus F. Lester to find her. After helping Rhea avenge her parents and hometown, Arche joins Cress, Mint, and Claus on their quest. On the boat to Alvanista, Arche passes out from drinking in an all-you-can eat buffet but has some interesting dreams about Cress. Due to that night however, Arche is incapacitated in the morning when Meia becomes controlled by one of Dhaos's minions, so Cress has to strike him down alone.

At Alvanista, Claus directs them to the inn rather than directly confronting the Prince, where they hatch a plan to sneak in on Arche's broom during the moonless night. There, Claus discovers that the parrot has been controlling the Prince, and the party fights it in its true demon form, only to be mistaken as thieves and thrown in prison afterward. Upon explaining the situation to the king with the aid of Lundgrom, Alvanista's Court Magic User, the party receives a pass to the Morlia Mineshaft, where Luna's pact ring is to be found.

The party then traverses the world, making pacts with Undine, Efreet, and Gnome. When passing by the ruins of Hamel, Arche stops for a moment to grieve for her friend and makes a grave for Rhea. At the Morlia Mineshaft, the group comes across a stone slab which only Arche can read due to the fact that it is written in Primal Elven Lore. With it, she discovers that they need the four Elemental Spirits to open the door, and so with the Spirits Claus made pacts with, they encounter and befriend Maxwell. Doing so, they gain access to the treasure room, only to find that the pact rings are broken. They need to travel to the Elf Colony in Ymir Forest to get them fixed, only they do not accept half-elves, so Arche leaves the party. After fixing the rings, Elf Sentries catch Arche trying to sneak the Colony. With the punishment of trespassing half-elves being death, a woman steps in and pleads for Arche's life. Arche is spared but reveals that that woman may be her mother.

Afterward, Cress decides to ask how to fix Chester's bow, as the method used to fix the pact rings would have instead returned it to being a shaft of wood. They are directed to Arsia the Woodcutter home. She promises to fix the bow on the condition that they bring Brambert to her and attempts to turn Mint to stone as collateral. Arche shoves Mint out of the way and is turned to stone herself. They bring Brambert back, who reveals that he and Arsia were in love but due to the fact that she is a half-elf, he cannot stay. In repentance, Brambert offers himself in Arche's place, and she is released.

On the way back to Alvanista, the party is stopped by a fairy who steals the Crest they need to enter Midgards Castle. The fairy, Artemis, says he will not let the party into the Tower of the Zodiac without Arche kissing someone, so she moves toward Cress only for Luna to put a stop to it. As an apology, Artemis gives Arche the spell book for Ray. The party returns to Midgards where Reisen shows them the Magitech Lab. Arche begins to question Dhaos's motives, suggesting that there may be a greater reason behind his actions, and Claus agrees with her, but Cress harshly shuts them down to the point where Mint reprimands him. Arche has the party return to Lone Valley in order to ask her father as to why he lied about her mother's death. Bart explains that once the isolationist stance of the Elves began, he and Arche's mother Luti were split apart, and that Luti never believed they'd meet again so she asked Bart to see her as dead. After returning to Midgards once more, they discover that Dhaos has sent a minion to declare war on the world. To save a child, Edward D. Morrison disappears with Dhaos's minion using time travel.

The group leads an offensive on Dhaos' army at Valhalla Plains, succeeding in taking out his commander. They return to Midgards, where Claus receives a hefty sum as reward, only to find that Dhaos has launched an aerial assault. While Midgards fires the Mana Cannon, Cress disappears in a gate summoned by Valkyrie to bring the Pegasus for aerial battle, and Arche, whose broom is empowered by the Pegasus, joins Cress in the air. Once the force is repelled, the party strikes for Dhaos, who they manage to defeat in a long battle only for him to disappear into time. Because Dhaos escapes into time, the party needs to make sure that Yggdrasill, the source of mana, will survive in the future. With the help of the Unicorn, whom Arche refuses to be around due to the fact that she does not see herself as a pure maiden due to events with a boyfriend, Mint manages to heal the tree.

Reunion
The party returns to the present through the power of the ancient civilization Thor. There, they return to the Catacombs with Trinicus D. Morrison and Chester Burklight still battling Dhaos, managing to defeat him this time. With his body lost amid the ruins, the party believes they can rest, only for Harrisson to come from the future to call for aid, because Dhaos is wrecking havoc there. The party, with Chester in tow, head for the future. After meeting Chester, however, Arche is unimpressed.

Future Timeline
In the future, in the town of Miguel, the future Toltus, the party rests before going to Euclid. At Euclid, when the party rests at the inn, Claus remembers about a night with Milard, who gives him a cup of tea as he reads, though Claus dismisses her. At Euclid, they find that they need the Techbirds in order to reach Alvanista through the air, and Claus offers his services as a summon to enlist the Lightning Spirit Volt's help in powering them. On the way to Volt's Cave, they meet a ninja, later revealed to Suzu Fujibayashi, in several encounters where the party forces Cress to help her.

After defeating Volt, Cress asks Arche to get some chests which can be reached, and when Chester makes a comment about her not pocketing any of the treasure, Arche gets into an argument with him which Cress breaks up. On the way back to Venezia, the party rests at the inn and Arche comes across Chester training in the middle of the night. Apologizing for calling him weak, Chester snaps at her about having his revenge taken away by Dhaos, but Arche reminds him that Cress is the same way and that Chester's frustration affects the entire group's mood. Chester asks her to go away, and Arche quietly leaves. After they return to Euclid and obtain the Techbirds, using Volt to increase Arche's broom's power for long-term flight, they proceed to Alvanista.

At Alvanista, the party is tasked with finding the Three Weapons which defeated the three ancient civilizations of Thor, Fenrir, and Odin. Along the way, they make a stop in the Ninja Village, Suzu's hometown, where they are asked to find Suzu's parent. In the Ninja Village, they relax in a hotspring, and Arche admits envy for Mint's admirable bust, and, overhearing this conversation is Chester. Chester peeps at Claus's encouragement but is discovered by Arche, who nails him with a pail. Afterward finding Suzu's parents and returning to the Ninja Village, they once again enter the hotsprings. This time, Cress admits envy for Chester's hard-won muscles, and Arche returns the favor by peeping on the boys. The party returns to Treantwood, where they subdue Origin. Origin creates the Eternal Sword from the two swords and the power of the Diamond pact ring.

The party traverses to Arlee to find Dhaos's Castle. Before making the final push, however, the party returns to visit Arsia, who has freed Brambert and taken his place in stone. In this future, the relations between elves and humans have warmed once more, but Brambert continues his silent vigil with Arsia's statue as penance for his crimes against half-elves. Arche manages to talk some sense into him about the pain she suffered, unable to see her mother, but convinces him that only staying with Arsia out of penance would hurt her more. Realizing this, Brambert finally admits that he loves Arsia, and she is freed from the curse. Arche forgives her fellow half-elf for her actions, and they part on good terms.

Afterward, using the Eternal Sword, the party breaks the time barrier that surround Dhaos's castle. Meeting him one final time, the group defeats him once and for all. Arche says her farewells the party, knowing that a long century awaits her before she can see the others. With the Eternal Sword, she returns to the past with Claus and finally meets with her mother. In the present, Cress, Mint, and Chester decide to go looking for Arche.

Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon
Arche plays an important role in this game as one of the Heroes of Eternity that guide central protagonists Mel and Dio on their quest. In Mel and Dio's present, Arche lives atop the Witch's Tower and tests the party in combat. Afterward, she asks the party what their favorite food is. When the party meets her again while she is talking with a friend, Sabrina, she has made the dish, and Sabrina all but flees at the thought of her food.

Toward the end, Arche is talking with Sabrina, and then Sabrina mentions that she had not been born with Arche since she moved into her current tower. When Arche saddens at the reminder, Sabrina tries to change the subject by commenting on Arche's long life and youthful looks, to which Arche explains despite her long life, as she has are good memories, having forgotten the bad. After Sabrina leaves, however, Arche muses on the pain of loneliness. Even though she has plenty of good memories, she outlives her friends by a good century, and she desperately misses them. She wishes she could meet and quarrel with Chester once more. Dios Bandi uses this time to comment that there is no such thing as eternity, and that friendships and relationships would inevitably end in heartbreak and separation, and he questions the point in such relationships in the first place.

Tales of the World: Summoner's Lineage
In order to defeat the Demon King Xex, Claus' descendant Fulein K. Lester and his partner Macaron bring forth Claus and his allies into the future for help. After going to Ymir Forest to search for Chester's Elven Bow, they instead discover Arche's broom in Elfy the Elf's possession. Using her broom, Macaron bring her to the future, where she is instantly subject to admiration by her fan, Elfy, who joins Fulein on his quest to be near Elfy. During this time, Arche teases Cress about his attachment to Mint and pushes them together, literally, when the latter is summoned. When Cress is impatient about the mercy Mint shows Lysis' servant Dead, Arche teases him about being jealous. Arche also continues to get into arguments with Chester, enjoying the banter between the two.

Appearance and Personality
Arche wears a short-sleeved white top and baggy purple pants. She wears two bracelets, one gold and the other rainbow, white and purple boots, a green scarf around her neck, and a purple belt with a gold, crescent moon buckle. She has long, pink hair, adorned in a large ponytail, and rides around on a witch-like broom. Arche has a very energetic and playful personality, acting as if she is without a care many times. She can be mischievous and teasing, though cares for all those she considers a friend. Her playful exterior also masks a surprisingly thoughtful and sharp mind, though she can also be quick to anger.

Fighting Style
Arche is a magic user, one of the two mages capable of attacking. Through the use of "magic" (魔術), Arche can marshal magical forces into a wide variety of spells, often of elemental persuasion, and use them to attack her foes. She learns her spells through spell books she finds across Aselia. Arche also rides on a broom, preventing some enemies from attacking her by being out of range, and automatically making her immune to Tractor Beam because she is not on the ground.

In Tales of Phantasia: The Animation, Arche's spells provide a contrast to Claus F. Lester's; while he must prepare his spells in advance, often taking a long time, her spells are much faster though at times not as potent. In Tales of the World: Summoner's Lineage, Arche begins as a member of the "Shaman" class as part of the female Mage's branch of units.

Relationships
Chester Burklight - Arche and Chester have a volatile relationship. The two snipe at each other and trade insults, but at the core of it is a friendship, perhaps even a hint of romance, that neither will admit to. Far in the future with all her original friends dead, Arche laments Chester's passing the most. In Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, when Chester is depressed due to reminders of his deceased sister Ami Burklight, Arche asks the Protagonist to get some Mabo Curry, a dish Ami could cook, in order to cheer him up.

Tales of Destiny
Arche appears alongside Cress in the town of Armeida, where the two of them administer a quiz to the player.

Tales of Eternia
Arche, on Hard or higher difficulties, appears alongside Cress in special battle at Inferia Arena, dropping her Ribbon upon defeat. While Cress attacks to disrupt Reid Hershel, Arche flies around on her broom casting spells. She begins with basic spells such as Fireball and Eruption, before steadily advancing to stronger spells like Thunder Blade, Spark Wave, and Freeze Lancer, finally ending with Indignation and Ray. Either Keele or Meredy can also assume Arche's form in battle through an arte transformed from Shooting Star, in a reference to her minigame Groovy Arche.

Tales of Hearts
Arche can be summoned to battle using the Connect Command after obtaining the "Broom with a Saddle" item, which is Arche's signature broom. She performs the Groovy Arche arte, where she performs the three spells she can do in the minigame Groovy Arche.

Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 2
If Kyaro Orange dresses in a Witch costume and visits the Pub Rose to talk to Rose, eventually Rose will give she and Frio Sven a quest to find her. After they defeat her, she will join the town. Frio and Kyaro are able to recruit her to travel with them and also able to take quests from her. Kyaro can dress up as Arche by combining a female Witch costume with the Arche's Ribbon root item.

Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3
Arche joins Frio Sven and Kyaro Orange after they save her during Mission 5 at Dhaos Castle Dungeon. She is able to be used as a party member after the completion of the mission. If Arche is the leader of the party, that unit can fly over some obstacles for items or to press switches and, in one mission, is necessary to complete that mission. Kyaro can dress as Arche by combining her Witch costume with the Elven Lore root item.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
Arche is a playable member of Ailily's Ad Libitum. Classed as a Mage, her title is "Half elf". She has an awkward relationship with the game's heroine, Kanonno. While they may talk like good friends and help each other, Arche also feels a rivalry toward her because Chester gives her so much attention instead of herself. Through a Trial Quest, the player can fight against her with Chester or her, Chester, and Reid Hershel.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
Arche appears in the next Radiant Mythology-game, still as a playable character. Her role in the game is still unknown. In the opening sequence, she is seen next to Raine Sage cooking for the crew of the airship.

Tales of VS.
Arche is a playable character. During the events of the game she is paired up with Chester and they are often seen during side missions on the world map. During most of encounters with her and Chester they are often lost and end up fighting with each other. Her mystic arte is her original strongest spell Big Bang.

Trivia

 * Arche's running animation within towns and dungeons has her riding on her broom.
 * A famous mistranslation in the fan translation of Tales of Phantasia occurs after Arche passes out on the boat in Alvanista. In the dialogue, she states out loud she is dreaming of sexual intercourse with Cress. In the original, what she says is more tame, but still very suggestive.