Yuri Lowell

Yuri Lowell (ユーリ・ローウェル) is the main character of Tales of Vesperia, the tenth major release in the Tales Series. A young man from the imperial capital, Zaphias, Yuri is forced to leave his life in the Lower Quarter behind to pursue the thief who stole the blastia core required for regulating the area's water supply. His pursuit of the thief eventually leads to him being imprisoned in the castle dungeons. After making his escape, he continues his journey with Estelle and his faithful dog Repede for the sake of the common people. His journeys have him crossing paths with many new people, places and thrilling adventures, eventually escalating into a quest to save the planet.

Personality
Personality-wise, Yuri comes across as sarcastic and cynical, possibly due to the way the nobility treated the people of the Lower Quarter. He seems to enjoy teasing others, especially Karol and Rita, although he does develop a strong bond of friendship with the former, becoming something of an older brother figure. Unlike many main characters in the Tales series, Yuri's has a more fully-formed personality. He is an empathic young man who prefers to solve smaller problems from individuals rather than the larger, more political ones. Yuri grew up in the Lower Quarter of Zaphias with Flynn. According to many of the residents there, such as Ted, Yuri and Flynn were the best of friends and shared everything, such as the first sword that they bought together. Growing up as a commoner caused Yuri to develop a dislike for the empire's nobility, due to their haughty nature towards anyone less fortunate and their tendency to turn a blind eye to suffering. Thus, throughout his adventure Yuri takes the side of normal, average people over nobility.

What sets Yuri apart from many other RPG protagonists, particularly those in the Tales series, is the fact that as the second-oldest member of the party, he already has some awareness and knowledge of the world around him. Also, unlike other protagonists, whom usually grow up over the course of their story, Yuri is quite comfortable with the person he is, already having an established mindset and personality that changes and develops very little over the course of the story. This manifests mostly as mocking quips directed at Boccos and Adecor during tutorials, but is also apparent during discussions about the nobles and their treatment of the lower classes. This also makes Yuri less prone to depression and hesitation. He is not afraid to take difficult matters into his own hands, and throughout his travels comes to decide that taking the law into his own hands is the only way to ensure that the villains of the world are punished. However, as shown by his conversation with Flynn in Mantaic, he is fully aware, and to some extent even worried, that in doing so he risks becoming a person that, in a sense, is just as bad as those whom he despises.

Fighting Style
Yuri is capable of using both swords and axes in battle, though axes usually reduce his attack speed while providing more damage. He uses his fists and feet in combination with his weapons, often punching the enemy with his gauntlets instead of using his main weapon. His attacks and artes range from stylish and flashy to brutal and powerful. When compared to other swordsman in the game, Yuri does not have as much technicality and he tends to do more tricks with his sword such as flipping it around him and spinning it during attacks. He has a good balance of speed and power in his attacks, with artes like Tiger Blade or Shining Fang reflecting his speed, whilst artes like Raging Blast and Wailing Havoc reflecting his power. His Fell Arm is Blazor Edge Abyssion, and the sword he is seen with in official art is Second Star, the sword received after the battle with Estelle.

Joining the Knights
Yuri and Flynn joined the imperial knights together, but Yuri left by his own account after "a few months" because he could not stand their corruption. His short time as a knight allowed him to travel outside of the capital, but he was unable to do so as regularly as Flynn.

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike
A major part in his time in the imperial knights is with the Niren Corps often arguing with Flynn Scifo, Hisca Aiheap and his captain Niren Fedrock, though he admires Niren's ideals. His personality during the movie is much more impulsive often doing things on his own but holds ideals in the highest regard. After returning from a mission to destroy a large pack of monsters from attacking a town due to the increase of aer, Yuri starts a bar fight with a local guild though gains the respect of the guild leader. After Niren and Chastel go to investigate the aer and Flynn to attend a gathering in his place, Yuri and Hisca help to quell another monster attack. During the attack, Niren's dog Lambert is taken control of by a monster comprised of pure aer forcing Yuri to kill him. Disheartened, Yuri decides to take care of Repede, Lambert's son, and clashes with Flynn who failed to acquire reinforcements. Niren decides that he must take matters into his own hands as Yuri, Flynn and the rest of the Niren Corps go to investigate a fortress which is the center of all of the aer. Yuri, more than ever, tries to save everyone but after successfully stopping the device causing the overflow of aer, the fortress collapses and Yuri fails to save Niren who was caught in a sinking sinkhole. Flynn informs him that Garista Luodur was probably involved in the device as they confront him. When he reveals his plans, he attacks Yuri and Flynn. Yuri, using the blastia that Niren gave to him before he died, catches Garista off guard and kills him. In the aftermath of this, Yuri, who is seen in his familiar black clothes from the game, leaves the knights with Repede, who now has Niren's pipe. The experiences Yuri had in the movie carries on with him throughout the game.

Vigilantism
For the game's first part, Yuri and his party chase the core thief across the world. After discovering that the thief in question, Dedecci, is linked to a much bigger operation by the Blood Alliance leader Barbos, one of the Five Master Guilds, and the imperial councilman and Capua Nor magistrate, Ragou, Yuri's group puts all of their efforts into foiling their scheme to control both the empire and the guilds. Along the way, they discover the horrors that Ragou has committed against his own people, which include taxing them to impoverishing levels, kidnapping and killing citizens and children, and disposing of the corpses either by feeding them to monsters or selling them for money. Following the defeat of Barbos, Ragou uses his standing in the council to reduce his charges. Unable to forgive Ragou, and knowing that the laws of the empire will never punish him, Yuri takes matters into his own hands and murders him, a secret that he keeps from the rest of the party for much of the game. Following this, Yuri marks his departure from the laws of the empire by announcing to Flynn that he will start a guild, and with Karol and Judith at his side they form Brave Vesperia, named after the brightest star in the night sky by Estelle.

During the game's second part, Yuri and his party clash with Cumore, a captain of the imperial knights who has ambitions of becoming the Commandant. Cumore's crimes are soon revealed to be just as bad as Ragou's, and include forcing people to work in slave labor camps and sending innocent citizens, and even his own soldiers, on a suicidal mission into the desert to search for Phaeroh. While the party hopes that Flynn will be able to bring Cumore's actions to an end, Raven off-handedly comments that the only cure for the stupidity for people such as Cumore is death. This unintentionally inspires Yuri to strike again, chasing Cumore out to the edge of the town, where Cumore falls into a sandpit. He begs Yuri for help, but his pleas fall on deaf ears and he slowly sinks to his death. However, the event is witnessed by Flynn, and the two become engaged in a heated argument. Flynn insists that Yuri's ways are wrong, telling him that his behaviour is that "of a common criminal", while Yuri defends himself, stating that his actions were necessary. At this point, Yuri has rejected the law entirely, stating that it is nothing more than "the tools of whoever happens to hold all the chips", and leaves Flynn with the haunting message that he understands his actions entirely, and has chosen to dirty his hands in order to destroy the villains of the world. When Yuri afterward realizes that Estelle was listening to everything, he asks her if she is afraid of him. While she knows that what he has done is against the law, Estelle says that she understands Yuri's reason and thinking, since his actions have saved the lives of others who would have been victimized by Ragou and Cumore in the future and also states that if she ever was to be taken down by him, she knows he would have his reasons, as well.

Yuri's sins are eventually revealed to the party at Nordopolica, following the death of Belius by Flynn. When Flynn crosses paths with the party, insisting that they hand over Estelle and the Entelexeia's apatheia, Yuri tells his friend that he is going down the same path as Ragou and Cumore, and that if he does not stop, he will have no choice but to dispatch him as well. Karol is the most affected by this discovery.

Resolution
Following the revelation that Alexei has been the mastermind behind Ragou, Cumore and even Barbos, and the kidnapping of Estelle and abuse of her power as a Child of the Full Moon, Yuri begins to realise that his actions have solved nothing, and that all they have done is make way for a monster even more twisted than either of his two victims. Resolved to put an end to Estelle's suffering, Yuri decides that his already dirtied hands are the only ones that have the strength to free her. However, he is stopped by his friends, who insist that Yuri's attempt to bear the burden of defeating the monsters of the world all by himself will only hurt him, and them, in the long run. Inspired by their dedication to him, Yuri agrees to travel with them to stop Estelle, only to find her under the complete control of Alexei by the time they reach Zaphias, who brings forth the Enduring Shrine of Zaude. Realising that there may be no other way, Yuri prepares himself for the worst case scenario: his original plan of killing Estelle. However, his words eventually manage to bring Estelle out of her power-fueled trance and restore her to her normal self.

PlayStation 3 Differences
While the PlayStation 3 port for Tales of Vesperia does not change Yuri as much as other characters such as Flynn and Patty Fleur, Yuri is able to acquire a Tales cameo costume of Judas from Tales of Destiny 2. In a skit, this costume will also be the reason to Estelle to comment that Yuri is acting colder than usual. If the port is pre-ordered, he will also receive the costume of Asch from Tales of the Abyss. The costume for Yuri can also be downloaded, but Yuri's hair will turn red like Asch's, if the title is equipped, unlike the pre-order costume, which retains Yuri's hair color.

Friends
Estellise Sidos Heurassein - Unusually for a Tales main character, Yuri does not show any obvious romantic feelings for any of the females in the party beyond some casual flirting with Judith which is still more friendly in nature than anything else. In fact, when asked by Duke about his reasons for wanting to rescue Estelle, he simply responds that she is "one of ours". This may be because, as stated by Flynn and quoted by Estelle, he has "no understanding of female psychology". Yuri has proven on several occasions that he cares for Estelle very much and looks out for her well being. He is always willing to offer an attentive ear should Estelle have a need to talk to someone about her worries, and as if in return Estelle trusts Yuri to never judge or harm her. Yuri was also resolute in his desire to rescue Estelle. When Estelle was, under Alexei's control, forced to fight Yuri, he refused to kill her despite her pleas for him to do so, and she was ultimately saved. At the end of the game, she states that she looks forward to staying with everyone, especially Yuri, and he tells her that he "feels the same way." During the end credits, it is shown that Yuri and Estelle still travel together from time to time.

Karol Capel - Although Yuri kept teasing Karol throughout their travels, Yuri eventually becomes some sort of brother figure to Karol. Karol also admires Yuri, and becomes hurt when he finds out about Yuri's crimes. Throughout the game Yuri serves as a sort of support for Karol, encouraging the younger boy to be brave and take leadership should the situation present a chance for him to do so, for example he always considers Karol to be the "captain" of Brave Vesperia because he was the one who had the idea to start the guild, despite the fact that Yuri in general takes more command. Eventually Yuri's somewhat subtle efforts pay off and Karol does become a stronger person.

Rita Mordio - Because of the problem between him and Rita, they do not have many interactions. Like with everyone else, Yuri is normally sarcastic with Rita. However, as the game goes on, Yuri and Rita seem to form relatively strong friendship. Later in the game, when Yuri is injured and goes missing, Rita claims to have "looked all over" for him. Even Estelle and Judith notice that Rita is happy that Yuri is safe.

Raven - Although Yuri didn't seem to like Raven because of the latter's perverted personality and stupid behavior, he seems to trust him to some degree. When Raven, as Schwann, seemingly resigns himself to death, Yuri tells him to get a hold on himself and to not throw his life away. When Raven returns to the group and requests that Yuri kill him as punishment for his betrayal, Yuri instead declares that whether or not Raven dies will be dictated by Brave Vesperia, indicating that Yuri didn't hold hard feelings toward the betrayal and wanted Raven to keep on living. The two of them can also hold some insightful conversation, partly because both of them understand the harsher aspects of life.

Judith - Yuri and Judith began working together even while Judith was viewed as the party's enemy. Because they are relatively close in age, it seems like they are fond of flirting with each other, though due to their similar personalities it comes off more like friendly banter. The both of them act very similar to one another as they love to tease the other party members, though ironically, they rarely tease each other as they catch on to the other's witty remarks really quickly.

Flynn Scifo - Flynn, having grown up together with Yuri in the lower quarter's of Zaphias, is Yuri's oldest and best friend. Both of them aspired to become knights in order for the chance to help others, but while Flynn stuck with it, Yuri dropped out. Flynn has a starkly different attitude and personality compared to Yuri; Where Flynn is methodical and polite, Yuri is impulsive and arrogant. While Flynn is more willing to stick to regulations in hopes that he will eventually gain enough influence to change things, Yuri is impatient and is not afraid to resort to, and will do, whatever he wants in order see an injustice rectified. Because of these differences, they tend to frustrate each other, but despite this the two of them remain good friends. Yuri has stated that Flynn had a knack for swordplay when they were children and had always been the noble one; Flynn would always win when they sparred, and then go on to irritate Yuri further by asking him "are you alright?" after the match.

Enemies
Yuri claims to be an enemy of the Empire, as he hates their system and the corruption in the world. However, his real animosity is directed towards individuals who abuse their power to hurt others, and his opposition of the Empire mainly stems from the fact that many nobles, like Ragou or Cumore, will gladly torment the common people just because they can.

Yuri also makes an enemy in Zagi, who sees him as a worthy opponent for making him bleed in their first battle. Yuri dislikes Zagi's bloodthirsty attitude, single-minded persistence, and tendency to challenge him to battle when the heroes have more important things to do, such as chasing Ragou or hunting for Estelle.

Yuri also comes into conflict with Duke, although this is more of an ideological conflict than a genuine animosity between them.

Tales of Hearts
Yuri appears as a support cameo in Tales of Hearts. Yuri can only be summoned if the player has obtained the Vesperia Bangle item. When Yuri is summoned he uses Shining Fang on the enemy.

Tales of Graces
Asbel Lhant can dress up as Yuri with the pre-order bonus disc that was available with Tales of Graces when reserved in Japan.

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2
Together with Estelle, Yuri appears in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2. However, he has lost almost all of his artes from the original game, keeping only eight, including his mystic arte Savage Wolf Fury. This may be because of the close release dates for the original Tales of Vesperia and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. Although keeping slightly more artes than Yuri, the same goes for Estelle.

Tales of VS.
Yuri appears in Tales of VS. as playable character. During his story mode he is paired up with Farah Oersted from Tales of Eternia, who coincidentally also is alone without her counterpart from same game. Yuri's ultimate Weapon in this game is Dein Nomos, but can obtain the even stronger Vesperia 2nd through DLC battle 33.

Etymology
"Yuri" is a common given name for males in Russia meaning "George" (Юрий), sometimes referring to a farmboy. In Japan, it is a traditional female name meaning "lily" (百合/ゆり/ユリ). In Korea, it is also a female name meaning "glass" (유리). Lowell is often a prominent English and American surname. Lowell is also Old French for "young wolf", which corresponds with some of Yuri's artes having a "wolf" theme, such as Wolf Strike and Savage Wolf Fury.

Trivia

 * Yuri is so far the oldest main character in the Tales Series' history.
 * Yuri is currently considered the most popular Tales character based on the recent polls, and he was rated number 7 in Famitsu for best video game character.
 * Yuri wields swords and hand axes in battle. However, many prefer to equip him with swords due to their superior speed.
 * Yuri is the first protagonist in the Tales series who is truly ambidextrous; by default, he carries his sword in his left hand. This means that he can fight with his weapon in either hand, although he never fights with a weapon in both hands at the same time, like Lloyd Irving. In a skit, Judith even suggests to use a sword in one hand and an axe in the other when discussing which to use, similar to the fighting style used by Richter Abend, but Yuri refuses.
 * Yuri was mistaken by many to be female when he was first unveiled. This is lampooned in the Lower Quarter when one of the NPC's mistakes him for a woman before going on to criticize that keeping his hair long is "unmanly".
 * In the PlayStation 3 port of the game, Yuri can wear Asch's costume from Tales of the Abyss. This is possibly in reference to how Asch was always willing to kill his enemies as he believes that it is the only way, whereas Luke would always try and find an alternate way of dealing with them. As expected, Flynn's costume is therefore that of Luke.
 * Yuri is a very good cook apparently learning his cooking skills from the lady who ran the inn Yuri lived in. When discussing a secret ingredient for Yuri's croquettes, he states that he put "love" in it, causing a hilariously awkward reaction from the others.
 * Two costumes Yuri receives in the PlayStation 3 version are that of Judas and Asch, both of whom have taken antihero roles in their respective worlds. In addition, Flynn gains the main character costumes of Cress Albane and Luke fon Fabre. This is more of a reflection of the differences between Yuri and Flynn as Flynn is more noble and does things by the book, much like a stereotypical hero would, and Yuri is more rebellious and does things his own way despite the consequences.
 * In the Playstation 3 version, there is one skit where the party celebrate Yuri's birthday. In this case, Yuri would turn 22 at the time of the skit.
 * In recent polls, Yuri was listed in first place as the "ideal character to have as an older sibling," and he appeared within the the listing for "ideal combinations" five separate times, paired with Flynn, Estelle, Repede, Luke and Asbel, with Yuri and Flynn at first place.
 * In one of the skits in this game, it is implied by Rita that it is very hard to believe that Yuri was once a knight, mostly because of his behavior.