Light Spear

Light Spear (閃空裂破) is a classic technique of the Tales series. This is one of the most well-recognized swordsman skills of the series, despite the changes to skill effects in nearly every game.

Skill description and history
Light Spear has appeared as a swordsman skill many times throughout the series, but the skill has had many variations in both effect and appearance. In addition to these frequent changes, the skill itself has had a pronounciation change in the original Japanese reading of the kanji name. In the original Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom, this skill is read as Senkuuretsuha, but in all games after this, the reading Senkuureppa is used. Both forms use the same kanji characters.

In all versions of Tales of Phantasia, Cless Alvein lifts the enemy with an upward slash, calling forth a blast of fire in front of him as he follows through by spinning around once, finishing with a powerful thrust. The GBA version replaces the blast of fire with a blast of light, changing the elemental property of this skill, but the execution of movement is identical to the other versions.

In the original Tales of Destiny, Stahn Aileron's weapon becomes a long spear of light, which he thrusts at the enemy several times, raising his weapon to a higher angle with every strike to push the enemy upward. In the remake versions, Stahn's Senkuureppa (Light Spear) allows him to spiral upwards and around the enemy, followed by a downward strike onto the ground, which causes light to shoot upwards at the enemy. But Stahn also obtains the new skill Senkoureppa (Light Spear Blast), which is identical to his Senkuureppa from the original game, in which he does several rising thrusts to the target with a spear of light.

For Tales of Eternia, Reid Hershel does a horizontal spin that leaves a spiraling trail of light from his weapon, while he jumps into the air, followed by a strong downward-diagonal thrust into the ground. This effect seems to be the current standard for the skill, since similar character movements are used in every new original game for this skill and its more powerful forms. Additionally, if this skill is used at the precise moment that the Cyclone spell is cast, both skills combine to form Earth Divide (Severing Wind), one of four combination artes that are executed by two characters in this game.

As it appears in Tales of Symphonia, Light Spear is executed with the same movements from Tales of Eternia. But in addition to this, in the Japan-only PS2 version of this game, a Wind elemental property can be added to Zelos Wilder's attack through the use of the Opal accessory, the S. Seal: Wind skill, a Wind elemental weapon, or the Green Quartz item, to replace Senkuureppa (Light Spear) with the more powerful Wind-based skill Dankuuken (Severing Wind, if Senkuureppa has been used over 200 times. This elemental variant can be used only by Zelos, despite the nearly identical moveset he shares with Kratos Aurion.

Super Famicom (DeJap Translations)
Translated Skill Name: Magma Rift In-Game Description: Open a hole from the center of the earth, creating a sudden lava sprout. Obtained: Cless Alvein, level 41 Requirements: 9 TP Skill Type: Base Arte, Fire Element, short range

Playstation
Obtained: Cless Alvein Requirements: 10 TP Skill Type: Base Arte, Fire Element

Game Boy Advance
Localized Skill Name: Light Spear In-Game Description: Spinning thrust that lifts attack power high into the air. Obtained: Cless Alvein, level 45 Requirements: 10 TP Skill Type: Base Arte, Light Element

Playstation
Localized Skill Name: Light Spear In-Game Description: Fires off repeated bursts of piercing, spear-like light. Obtained: Stahn Aileron, level 40 Requirements: 20 TP Skill Type: Base Arte, Light Element

Playstation 2
Obtained: Stahn Aileron, level 65 Requirements: 3 CC Skill Type: Fire Element, slash type, ground skill, 5 hits

Tales of Eternia
Localized Skill Name: Spiral Attack In-Game Description: The enemy is sucked into a violent spin and thrashed. Obtained: Reid Hershel, Slash level 9, Thrust level 16 Requirements: 10 TP Skill Type: Base Arte, Light Element

Tales of Symphonia
Localized Skill Name: Light Spear Obtained: Kratos Aurion, level 23 Requirements: 18 TP Skill Type: Master Arte, 4 hits

Localized Skill Name: Light Spear Obtained: Zelos Wilder, level 23 Requirements: 18 TP Skill Type: Master Arte, 4 hits