Eizen

Eizen
Official Artwork Game Model
Information
Appearance	•Tales of Zestiria •Tales of Berseria
Age	•1,000 (chronologically) •30 (physically)
Height	187 cm
Race	•Malak (ToB) •Dragon (ToZ)
Occupation	First Mate of Aifread's Pirates
Weapon	Bracelet
Japanese Voice Actor	Toshiyuki Morikawa
English Voice Actor	Taliesin Jaffe
Character Designer	Minoru Iwamoto

Eizen (アイゼン, Aizen^?) is a minor antagonist in Tales of Zestiria and a major protagonist in Tales of Berseria. He is the older brother of Edna. He is constantly referred to as the "Reaper". His true name is Ufemew Wexub (ウフェミュー＝ウエクスブ, Ufemiyuu Uekusubu^?), meaning "Eizen the Explorer".

History

Past

Eizen was born from the earthpulse of a sacred mountain a thousand years prior to the events of Tales of Berseria. Then, several centuries later, Edna was born from the same earthpulse. There were other malakhim before Edna, but she and Eizen developed a sibling bond with each other. However, after Edna became older and started fixing meals, a continuous streak of unfortunate events began to happen around them. Eventually, Eizen realized that his domain causes misfortunes to those near him. Thus, he decided to leave Edna behind to not get her involved in his "curse", and went on a journey to find a way to lift it. Unable to find a single thread to follow on Midgand, Eizen turned his eyes to the other side of the ocean and wound up stowing away on the Van Eltia, taking the ship as his vessel.

Eizen's curse caused a string of mysterious accidents that took the lives of the captain, then the second, and then the third in command. People thought the ship was bad luck, and the Van Eltia was about to be scrapped when Van Aifread came and snatched her for himself. Aifread, who could see Eizen thanks to his strong resonance, helped Eizen up on his feet and encouraged him to live his life in spite of his curse. Touched, Eizen officially joined Aifread's pirate crew as Aifread's first mate.

By the time the Aifread Pirates reached the far continent, Eizen had abandoned his original goal of looking for a way to lift the Reaper's curse. Though Eizen is aware that he has chosen a selfish way to live, and that it makes his beloved sister lonely and sad, he considers this the only way that he can live. He keeps her in the dark about it however until, eventually, Phoenix's actions during Tales of Berseria prompt Eizen to finally explain himself to Edna through a letter.

Tales of Berseria

By the events of Tales of Berseria, Aifread went to fight a mysterious opponent. By the time the crew arrived, Aifread was gone, and the only evidence was a pendulum. Along the way, the crew encounters Velvet Crowe, Rokurou Rangetsu, Number Two, Magilou, and Dyle, who torched Hellawes's port before escaping. The crew stop the party just short of sailing into Vortigern, and welcome them to fight their common enemy, the Abbey. His knowledge and experience in the underworld greatly help Velvet in her quest for revenge.

According to the Q&A section of Tales of Berseria Official World Guidance, Eizen returned to the Van Eltia after Velvet sealed Innominat, something that can briefly be noted in the after credits scene. He stayed with Aifread's pirates and their descendants for the next 800 years. During the period known as the Death Age (called "Unprecedented Cataclysm" in Tales of Zestiria), Eizen faced the Lord of Calamity of the time. Having readied himself for a fierce battle that he expected would end with both of them dead, Eizen did not pay attention to his possible transformation into a dragon, and ended up turning into one during it. He then devoured the Lord of Calamity and saved the world from disaster. Zaveid, who had made a promise with Eizen that he would kill him once he became a dragon so that Edna would not have to suffer, or be trapped by something that would no longer be him, was present at the time. Afterward, Eizen fled away and disappeared for a time, but eventually returned to Rayfalke Spiritcrest, where Edna was.

Tales of Zestiria

By the events of Tales of Zestiria, Eizen is shown effectively having lost all traces of his original self, and as nothing else but a mindless beast that devours countless humans and seraphim. Now a dragon, Eizen is no longer able to even recognize his own sister. Edna, having saved Sorey, Mikleo, and Lailah from Eizen, joins them on their journey after Sorey promises her to find a way to save Eizen. Zaveid, on the other hand, had tracked Eizen down to fulfill his promise to kill him; he only stops when he runs out of bullets to fire the gun, Siegfried, that both empowers him and protects him from malevolence, then allows Sorey to try and find another path.

Eizen's defeat is an optional sub-event that can only be triggered after Sorey has fought Tiamat, and the party has reflected on their answers in Lastonbell afterwards. Trying to kill Eizen before will make Edna leave the party in anger, and she will only rejoin after fleeing the battle. The power of the dragon's self-healing arte, Luminous Gain, is also only offset with the Dragon Reincarnation Orb obtained through Tiamat's defeat, otherwise making Eizen mechanically impossible to defeat. In this sub-event, Sorey accepts that the only way to save Eizen is to kill him, just like he will kill Heldalf next: though there is a small chance to get rid of the malevolence and return Eizen to normal by using Siegfried, they would need more than one bullet, and the Lord of Calamity won't be simply waiting for them in the meanwhile. By this point of the story the party is also aware that fighting Heldalf is a mission that they might not return alive from.

Once Edna and the others kill Eizen, Edna finally allows herself to move on after having watched over his dragon self for hundreds of years. Eizen's grave is placed on Rayfalke Spiritcrest's summit, where Edna and the others fought him, and where the two used to watch shooting stars together more than a thousand years before the game.

Appearance and Personality

Status image in Tales of Berseria.

Eizen is a tall, built man, though he is noted to be less muscular and more slender than characters like Rokurou. His blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin are similar to those of his sister, Edna. Eizen dresses roughly and in black, reinforcing the "Reaper" epithet. Other people often find him intimidating, such as when he teams up with Magilou for a comedy skit and the public is too afraid of him to laugh. The underlying theme of Eizen's outfit is that of a groom's suit, and the sleeves of the coat in particular are inspired by landsknecht.

His personality is that of a cool and controlled individual, though he is passionate about artwork and antiques that runs counter to that aloofness. Likewise, his protectiveness of Edna is something that sometimes characters like Magilou use to pull his leg and make him lose said coolness. As an older malak, he also acts as a mentor to the young malak Laphicet. While he does kill, Eizen promotes the idea of free will and honors others for taking up their own path. Eizen fully believes that someone who is not steering the ship that is their life is not truly alive. Thus, Eizen despises those who would try to take control of someone else's life or tarnish their legacy, such as when the Abbey robbed most malakhim of their free will and tried to bend Aifread to their will, or when Melchior coerced Bienfu into being a spy, and resorted to illusions to fight.

On his own sense of justice, Eizen promises to right the wrongs against those he cares for. That said, he cares for his sister, Edna, deeply, so much so that he ran away to protect her from his Reaper's Curse and had Zaveid promise to kill him if he became a dragon to prevent him from hurting her. In addition, after defeating Phoenix, Eizen asks him to watch over Edna and protect her from any threat.

Fighting Style

Cut-in image for Tales of Berseria.

Eizen fights up close using martial artes involving mana-boosted punches which can cover up to mid-range, though he can also use malak artes to strike from a distance that are centered on Wind and Earth as opposed to Magilou's focus on Fire and Water elements.

His Break Soul is Draconic Drive, which sprouts dark wings that allow him to fly and release energy provided that one of the enemies within the Break Soul's range is afflicted with the Stun status ailment or is downed. The appearance and name foreshadow his eventual fate as a dragon. His mystic artes are Perfect Mayhem, Howling Dragon, and Venom Strike. He also shares a dual mystic arte with Rokurou Rangetsu known as Last Laugh. As a dragon, Eizen throws his large draconic body around with physical strikes as well as uses Fire-elemental breaths and some seraphic artes.

Other Appearances

Tales of Zestiria the X

Eizen as he appears in Tales of Zestiria the X.

In Tales of Zestiria the X, Eizen first appears in the episode Rayfalke Spiritcrest, where he attacks the heroes as a dragon. Zaveid arrives to slay him, but Edna interferes in his attempts to do so. Edna is forced to watch as Eizen batters both Sorey and Zaveid, and she begins pleading for Eizen to stop. The dragon turns on his sister, but stops himself before he can kill her, choosing to fly away instead. Zaveid, in recognition of the dragon's humane action, decides to leave him for the time being, saying that it's not yet time to put Eizen down.

Edna remembering Eizen in Tales of Zestiria the X.

Eizen appears once more in the show's epilogue. With the world gradually healing from the over saturation of malevolence, Eizen, in dragon form, appears gently before Edna. He speaks his sister's name before flying off, and she teases him not to frighten anyone. It's hinted by Edna, and later confirmed by the scriptwriter Hikaru Kondo during an event in Japan shortly after the episode first aired, that Eizen will eventually return to his true form.

Tales of Arise

In Tales of Arise, Eizen makes a cameo appearance as an optional boss, originally appearing in the Dragon Slumber Mountain of The Otherworld, an area that highly resembles Rayfalke Spiritcrest from Tales of Zestiria. Eizen asks who Alphen and the others are, and the group realizes that he must be the brother Edna was looking for due to the family resemblance. Eizen asks this time how do they know Edna, and Shionne informs him that she's nearby. Due to the Reaper's curse, and so Edna doesn't get caught up by it, Eizen comments that it's best that he leaves. Besides, his ship is waiting for him. Law slips and mentions that they just fought Edna, which angers Eizen and prompts him to attack the group for daring to touch his sister.

Only after the group defeats Eizen does he listen to their explanation about how Edna was the one who started the fight, though he repeats that they're still not off the hook for hurting her. Eizen wonders if this is his fault, and if he's caught her up in the Reaper's curse, which Dohalim denies, telling him that said curse shouldn't have any meaningful influence in this convergence of worlds. Eizen wonders if this means that he could see Edna for a while before he shuts down his own idea, and then gives the group the Scarlet Night Key.

The next area that the party find Eizen is in the Volcano of Renewal, at the summit, an area that resembles Mount Killaraus from Tales of Berseria. He's not alone this time, as Edna is accompanying him. Eizen recalls that he never let Alphen's group off the hook, but says that he will hear them out if they can withstand the power of his and Edna's bond as siblings.

After the battle, the two siblings accept their defeat, with Dohalim conceding that the result could have been different had they fought them on their realm. Edna thanks the group for giving her this time with her brother. Kisara guesses correctly that the two of them come from the same world, but from different times. Eizen doesn't understand how or why this could have happened, but says that he's grateful that he got the chance to see Edna again. Likewise, Edna says that, even though the might not even keep their memories from visiting this place, she's glad that she could see Eizen. Alphen offers the siblings to join them, but Eizen tells him that they got business back home to take care of, so they need to go back. Before that, however, he has some catching up to do with Edna.

Tales of Asteria

Artwork for Tales of Asteria.

Eizen appears in Asteria's fifth arc, "The Crystal That Sleeps in Avalon", as one of the main characters. He is attracted to the recently appeared Avalon Island after hearing rumors of a miraculous gemstone that can grant any wish hidden within it. Though he initially doesn't think much of it, Aifread convinces Eizen to give it a try, and so Eizen temporarily leaves him and the other pirates to go on the gemstone's search, thinking it could help him dispel the Reaper's curse.

Eizen soon learns that, unlike in the mainland, everyone can see him in Avalon despite being a malak. Though he initially avoids contact with others, especially after the Reaper's curse causes an incident while Patty and Chat follow him, he eventually joins Alisha, Ruca Milda, Pascal, and the rest of the research group on his journey through Avalon.

Tales of the Rays

In the "Joyful Nor Doll" chapter of Tales of the Rays, Eizen appears as a stray nexus created from the mysterious non-sanctioned exoflection of his world, with he and his companions being exoflected before their final battle against Artorius and Innominat. At some point after being exoflected, he reunites with Velvet and Laphicet after getting in a trap, with Laphicet having known he had been exoflected after finding one of his gloves earlier. After being updated about what has happened, including how malevolence does not affects malakhim like it does in their world and he does not have to worry about turning into a dragon, Laphicet then reveals that they have encountered people who have been exoflected from a thousand years in their world's future and that one of them is Edna. Hearing this, Eizen decides to part ways with Velvet and Laphicet and tells them that they cannot tell Edna that they found him. Unfortunately, they are interrupted by Ix Nieves and Mileena Weiss, who arrive at their location along with Edna, Sorey, Mikleo, and Alisha Diphda while investigating bandit activities. After asking Edna if she is doing well, Eizen then takes his leave, worried that if he stays with them, the Reaper's curse will affect them.

Eizen ends up reuniting with the group in a nearby town due to the road being blocked by a landslide, with Eizen believing that it may have been caused by his Reaper's curse. After explaining the Reaper's curse to Sorey and Mikleo and knowing there is no way out of town for the time being, he agrees to remain in town with them until the road is fixed, but will remain separate from the group for their own safety. That night, while Velvet and Laphicet try to convince him to speak with Edna, Velvet tells him to at least do something for Edna, revealing that she's part of a club whose mission is to make Edna sweets to make her smile and that she's been tasked with making the dessert for their next meeting. Since she does not have the interest or time to make sweets, she asks Eizen to do it in her place, with Laphicet remembering that Eizen used to make palmiers for Edna. Hearing this, Eizen agrees to make palmiers for Edna. The next morning, the three of them discover that the town is out of of the ingredients needed to make them. They then learn from the others that the road has been fixed, but they need to be ready to protect the merchants from bandits. Unfortunately, just as Eizen feared, the bandits are revealed to have infiltrated the town while disguised as merchants and are attacking the merchants.

After defeating the bandits and getting back some of the ingredients he needed, Eizen, Velvet, and Laphicet reunite with Magilou, who is searching through the recovered cargo for Bienfu, who had been mistaken for a nor doll and packed as freight. Seeing the amount of nor dolls, Eizen is shocked to discover that there are more nor dolls in this world than there were in his world. While they are talking, Alisha arrives and reveals that the remaining bandits are fighting the palace knights.

Tales of Crestoria

Break Soul render in Tales of Berseria.

Years ago, Eizen and his little sister, Edna, found a strange coin. It became Eizen's personal treasure, due to the simple fact that the pair found it together, and whenever Edna became upset, Eizen would let her hold it. One day, Eizen's coin disappeared and he was unable to find it. He returned home one day to find that his parents had taken Edna and left him, but the coin remained behind. Eizen began searching for his family, and, during his travels, he began noticing that fortune was always on his side, as he could always win absurd bets, and misfortunes would always befall those who tried to harm him. To test the extent of his amazing luck, Eizen walked across an active battlefield and, after coming out unscathed, earned the nickname "the Reaper." Eventually, he learned of a pirate named Aifread, whose story of freedom inspired Eizen to become a pirate.

Sweet Lies and Bitter Truths

Ten years later, Eizen catches wind of a rumor that Aifread's legendary treasure was in Centerport. He heads there and finds a small group holding off several pirate crews, one of them being Vicious the Great Transgressor. Learning that the rumor was false, Eizen fights Vicious for mocking Aifread's legacy. Eizen's strength is enough to impress Kanata Hjuger, but Eizen and Vicious know that the other is holding back. Vicious urges Eizen to throw everything at him, saying that killing an enemy who is holding back is no fun. Eizen throws the Great Transgressor's words right back at him, and calls it a draw, considering the false rumor forgiven.

Side Story: Eizen

Eizen is approached by Patty Fleur in Roka, who is well-versed in the rumors his powers have spread. Patty is especially intrigued by his coin that always comes up heads, considering it his invaluable treasure, though Eizen dismisses it as just a lucky charm he and his sister found ten years ago. After he explains how he found the coin, Patty tells him of a rumor that there is another "Reaper" cursed with bad luck. So much so, that they had to move to a remote snowy mountain. Patty leads Eizen through a field to a mountain in the south.

They eventually come a cross a house on the mountain. Inside, they meet Edna, to Eizen's surprise. Edna explains that their parents died recently, and she wants nothing to do with him. Understanding, Eizen insists that he stay by her side to make up for the time he was not there. Attempting to reform their bond, Eizen shows how his luck can counter hers, but she just chalks it up to blind optimism. Wondering if his family has a dark secret relating to unnatural luck, Eizen asks Patty to learn more about the rumors circulating Edna as "the Reaper."

Days later, Eizen invites Edna to a joyride on his ship, which she accepts cautiously. Sensing her unease, Eizen once more hands her his coin, reminding her of the times he'd given it to her in the past. Edna protests to carrying it, worried she will lose his treasure, but, as Eizen is certain, she relents. The pair take Eizen's ship out to sea, but things quickly become bad when monsters begin attacking the ship, and a violent storm hits. Despite Eizen's insistence that he can protect his sister, Edna understands her fault. She tells Eizen that, despite how inhospitable she's been, she's actually very happy to have had the chance to see him once more, and that she had been trying to push him away to keep him safe. Edna jumps from the ship in order to protect Eizen, only for a wave to knock him out.

Eizen wakes up on the beach of Ednack, and discovers some of his sister's belongings washed up on the shore. Within her bag, Eizen finds a letter left behind from their mother, detailing the family's curse. It turned out that, as a child, Eizen was often beset with misfortune and eventually became fatally ill. His parents pleaded with the Spirits to help him, and so they bestowed Eizen with amazing luck, but, in exchange, his then-living family would have to bear all his misfortunes for him. Eizen recovered almost immediately, becoming much stronger and bigger than he had been. A few months later, Edna was born, but, much to her parents' sadness, Edna had been in her mother's womb at the time that the deal was made, forcing the curse upon her.

Patty arrives to tell Eizen that a girl called the Reaper has been captured, and brought to the local Vision Central. Desperate, Eizen and Patty rush to the town, fighting through the guards that try to impede them. When they finally reach Edna, the villagers have already started the broadcast. She, however, avoids condemnation due to the village's ridiculous accusations. Unable to accept this, the villagers drag Edna off to feed her to the Lake Beast. When the monster appears, Eizen breaks Edna free of her shackles and defeats it. Knowing the truth of his luck, Eizen convinces Edna to join him as he searches for a way to break both of their curses.

Gallery

Character icon in Tales of Berseria.

Artwork for Tales of Link.

Trivia

• Eizen's name is an altered form of the German word Eisen, meaning "iron". It fits his personality and his martial fighting style.
• Eizen's "Reaper's curse" is, much like it happened to Symonne and Dezel being "Angels of death" in Tales of Zestiria, actually his malak blessing.
• As seen in the Matching Charms skit, Eizen keeps a pendant made from a stone on the sacred mountain he and Edna were born from with Edna's picture inside, which was drawn by her and shows her smiling. Edna has a matching pendant too, but Eizen didn't draw himself on it due to a lack of artistic skill. While Edna wears hers as a necklace, Eizen's can be seen hanging from one of his outfit's buttons, and kept inside a pocket of his vest.
• Despite not wearing them all the time, Eizen wears glasses during skits in which he reads the letters he receives, which could indicate that his vision's too poor to read. In the other hand, the in-game's description of the accessory "Eizen's Glasses" calls him short-sighted in the Japanese version.
• Eizen sinks like stone due to his elemental affinity to earth, making Aifread laugh at him once for being a pirate unable to swim. He underwent tough training to overcome it to no avail, and needs to use a portable life preserver.
• According to a special skit that comes with a pre-ordered copy of Tales of Berseria, Eizen's favorite past Tales series character is Ricardo Soldato from Tales of Innocence. Eizen believes they both have an air of death around them; however, Rokurou Rangetsu believes he chose Ricardo because they both wear black coats.
• Eizen uses the Wristlet as his default weapon, which also appears as his default weapon in his crossover appearances. He chose this type of weapon due to the Reaper's curse. According to him, fighting using only his own body means one less thing that can go wrong.
• This is the first time Eizen's Japanese voice actor, Toshiyuki Morikawa, has voiced a main party character in the series. He has voiced both Dhaos in Tales of Phantasia and Yuan Ka-Fai in Tales of Symphonia.
• Eizen only dies in the original Tales of Zestiria video game, once his dragon self is finally put to rest by Sorey's group. He is otherwise still alive, albeit as a dragon, by the end of the anime, novel, and manga adaptations. This happens through different ways, from inaction that makes his future ambiguous, to lore changes that will make him eventually turn back to the way he was. As for mobile games such as Tales of Asteria, Tales of Crestoria, or Tales of the Rays, Eizen never actually becomes a dragon, and thus lives normally.