Sync

Sync the Tempest is a member of the six God Generals, the primary core group of antagonists from Tales of the Abyss. He is known as "Synch the Gale" in the Japanese version of the game. Sync is hailed as one of the most popular antagonists in the series, ranking among other popular enemies such as Celsius and Barbatos. Within the story of Tales of the Abyss, Sync is an accomplice of Van Grants, assisting him with his plan to break the hold of the Score on the world.

Personality
Thrown into the world around the biological age of fourteen, Sync is supposed to replace Fon Master Ion in his Score-foretold death. As a replica, he is given the impression that if he is unable to be a substantial substitute for his original, then he is not worth existing at all. Sync is not only a replacement but also a failed replacement, which causes him to curse his own existence. Out of pure hatred for the world, Sync emerges from Mt. Zaleho from which he was cosigned with a resolve to destroy whatever caused him to exist in the first place and have to face such torment. Sync sees himself as second-rate&mdash;from Fon Master to God General&mdash;and also as trash, having literally been "thrown away".

He chooses to help Commandant Van Grants with a plan to destroy the Score (the true cause of his "empty, pathetic life"), and becomes a God General for the sole purpose of helping to carry out Van's plan. Unlike the new Ion, Sync sees himself as unneeded, empty, and expendable. Sync is also very sadistic, as one can expect considering his experiences. He blames Luke fon Fabre for the fall of Akzeriuth, calling him "that replica there", and later in the game purposely shows his face and acts like Ion in order to rattle the party after Ion's death. Unlike most of the other God Generals, Sync feels no debt to Van and admits on Eldrant that he doesn't care who it is trying to destroy the Score, as long as the Seventh Fonon would no longer exist. Van may have potentially saved his life twice, but because Sync doesn't see his life worth saving, he never feels indebted to Van specifically.

Fighting Style
Sync is the only God General who does not use weapons in combat. He attacks with fists, feet, and fonic artes, and has a notably high physical attack power, exceeding that of even the final boss. His fonic attack is high as well and he is very difficult to stun despite the fact that he has no Over Limit. To contrast his high attack and speed, he has low physical and fonic defense.

Sync has several normal attacks and two physical artes, Reaper's Toll and Dragon Shot, which he can use after blocking an attack or taunting. He can also use Stone Dragon Ascent and Cyclone Blaze as normal arcane artes, which Anise Tatlin would otherwise need FOF circles to activate herself. Sync's fonic artes range most elements, but he focuses primarily on Wind-elemental spells. Sync also has the ability to cast Flare Tornado, Gravity Well, and Frigid Coffin without an FOF circle. Another of Sync's unique abilities the ability to cast Absolute simply by putting his hand to the ground. Sync has two mystic artes: Akashic Torment, which he uses after he is left with 25% HP during his second and third fights, and Harrowing Gale, which he uses after using Cyclone Blaze for the first time in his third fight.

In the optional dungeon "The Abyss", a Sync Replica is fought along with replicas of several other God Generals, which has the same attacks but is slightly weaker.

Past
Sync is a failed replica of the original Fon Master Ion of the Order of Lorelei. The Fon Master is unique not only in his political stature as a symbol of the peace after the Hod War and of the Score, but also in his ability to use Daathic Fonic Artes, which can open doors to the Sephiroth trees, attack opponents using the Seventh Fonon, use the Seventh Fonon to read the Score from Fonstones, and create curse slots to control enemies using past memories. When the original Fon Master Ion becomes deathly ill, Grand Maestro Mohs and Commandant Van Grants use fomicry to create seven replicas to replace the Fon Master. Sync can use some Daathic Fonic Artes, but he cannot read the Score or open doors to the Sephiroth, and is deemed unworthy to replace Fon Master Ion along with the five other failed replicas. They are thrown into the mouth of the Mt. Zaleho volcano and Sync alone survives. He crawls out of the volcano and is taken in as a God General by the Commandant. Van then explains why Sync was born&mdash;it was written in the Score that Fon Master Ion would die. Van gives Sync a mask to hide his identity and teaches him how to fight using martial and fonic artes.

Present
Sync's first appearance to the party is in St. Binah, where it is revealed that he is the tactical leader of the God Generals. He then joins Asch, Dist, and Arietta at Choral Castle when Asch decides to open Luke fon Fabre's fon slots so the two of them can connect. It is believed then that the Six God Generals are going against Van's orders, but it is later discovered that Sync was assigned by Legretta to keep tabs on Asch. Sync goes to Choral Castle hoping to provide Van with information on Luke's fonic signature. Fortunately, Guy Cecil stops Sync before he can escape with the fonic disc.

Later, Sync, Asch, and Largo take Fon Master Ion to the Zao Ruins to open the Sephiroth gate. Sync and Largo are defeated by the protagonists, but they threaten to bury everyone if Luke and the rest don't leave immediately with Ion. In Chesedonia, Sync attacks again and places a curse slot on Guy's right arm. Outside Grand Chokmah, Sync uses the curse slot to force Guy to attack Luke using stored memories. An earthquake reveals his presence, and Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear wounds him with one of her arrows. He and Largo retreat, having failed to defeat Luke and his companions again.

Sync is given a last chance when Van and Legretta attack Sheridan in an effort to stop the protagonists from nullifying the Planet Core's vibration. Sync sneaks on the ship and erases the fonic glyph meant to allow the party to escape from the Core. He then battles the party and loses his mask in the process. After failing to stop Luke and the others from ceasing the Core's vibration, Sync reveals his identity as a Fon Master replica and says that his usefulness has finally run its course. He drops into the Core and supposedly dies. Van eventually falls into the Core as well from the Absorption Gate, and he uses Yulia Jue's Fonic Hymns to trap Lorelei inside himself and keep his fonons from separating into the planet storm. He offers Sync some of Lorelei's power and sends Sync back to the surface while he makes an effort to compose himself despite Lorelei's pleas to be set free.

Sync is seen again without his mask, offering to read the Score for the inhabitants of Chesedonia. His survival comes as a shock to Luke and the others, who believe that since Sync is alive, Van most likely is as well. Van returns to the Absorption Gate, and Sync, Legretta, and Largo greet him in new attire fit for the glorious land. While Largo fends off Luke and the others, Sync keeps Asch from attacking Van with the Key of Lorelei, telling him to hand it over. Van, Sync, and Legretta, the last of the game's primary antagonists, return to Eldrant for the last time. Sync fights Luke and the others upon Asch's death, but only after failing to capture the group in a fonic trap. Sync realizes that second-order hyperresonance could be used to defeat Van, and tells Luke to hand over the Key of Lorelei. Luke refuses and Sync battles the protagonists one last time. Sync uses the power of Lorelei that Van gave him in order to tap into the full power of the Fon Master for his final battle. As he fights, he slowly disintegrates due to the overexertion of power on a replica body. Sync loses, and before finally dying asks Van to destroy Lorelei.

Trivia

 * Sync is one of two replicas of Ion to have a name of his own, the other being Florian.
 * Sync is the last God-General to be fought in the game.
 * In the Tales of the Abyss anime, Sync is fought for the last time along with Legretta, before Asch's death.