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" (死神, Shinigami^?, "Death God"). His true name is Ufemew Wexub (ウフェミュー＝ウエクスブ, Ufemiyuu Uekusubu^?), meaning "Eizen the Explorer".

History

In Tales of Berseria, Eizen is the first mate of the Aifread pirate group. Living by his own belief, he searches for his missing captain Van Aifread. Along the way, he meets Velvet Crowe and joins her to fight their common enemy, the Abbey. His knowledge and experience in the underworld greatly helps Velvet in her quest for revenge. Before his departure to become a pirate, he lived with Edna, but after a continuous streak of unfortunate events, Eizen realized that his domain causes misfortunes to those near him. Thus, he decided to go on a journey so Edna would not get involved in his "curse".

After Velvet seals Innominat, Eizen returns to the Van Eltia and continues to journey with Aifread's Pirates for the next 800 years. During the period known as the "Unprecedented Cataclysm", he clashed with the Lord of Calamity of that time. During their battle, he turns into a dragon and devours the Lord of Calamity, saving the world from disaster, an event that Zaveid witnesses. Sometime before this battle, Eizen, knowing what would happen to him, makes Zaveid promise that he will kill him if he becomes a dragon, so that Edna would not have to suffer. Afterwards, Eizen flies away disappearing for a time, but returns to Rayfalke Spiritcrest, where he lives in isolation. Eizen loses all traces of his original self and becomes a mindless dragon, devouring countless humans and seraphim and is no longer able to recognize his own sister.

Tales of Zestiria

During the events of Tales of Zestiria, Edna, having saved Sorey, Mikleo, and Lailah from Eizen, joins them on their journey, hoping to find a way to save Eizen. Zaveid, on the other hand, tracks him down to fulfill his promise to kill him; he only stops when he runs out of bullets to fire the gun that empowers him and then allows Sorey to try and find another path. Eizen's defeat is optional and only possible once Sorey has fought Tiamat and fully accepts that the only way to save a seraph that has fully turned into a dragon is to kill them. Once Edna and the others kill him, she allows herself to move on. His grave is placed on Rayfalke Spiritcrest's summit, where Edna and the others fought him.

Appearance and Personality

Status image in Tales of Berseria.

Eizen is a tall, built man dressed in dark clothing. His blond hair and pale skin are similar to those of his sister, Edna. He dresses roughly and in black, reinforcing the "Reaper" epithet.

His personality is that of cool and controlled individual, though he is passionate about artwork and antiques that runs counter to that aloofness. As an older malak, he also acts as a mentor to Laphicet. While he does kill, Eizen promotes the idea of free will and honors others for taking up their own path. He also 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

Break Soul render in Tales of Berseria.

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, which unleashes a flurry of punches in the time it takes for a coin to drop, Howling Dragon, and Venom Strike. He also shares a dual mystic arte with Rokurou Rangetsu known as Last Laugh.

Other Appearances

Tales of Zestiria the X

Edna remembers Eizen 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.

Eizen in the epilogue of 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 is hinted by Edna 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.

Tales of the Rays

Joyful Nor Doll

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 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 malaks 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 and that she's been tasked with making the dessert for their next meeting. Since she does not 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 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 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

Artwork for Tales of Asteria.

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.

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.

Trivia

Artwork for Tales of Link.

• Eizen keeps a pendant with Edna's picture inside, which shows her smiling.
• Despite not wearing them all the time, Eizen wears glasses during the skits in which he reads the letters he received from Edna, which could indicate that his vision's too poor to read.
• Eizen could not swim prior to meeting Aifread. After training and overcoming the disasters, he is able to swim, but sometimes still needs a life buoy.
• 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.
• 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.
• His name is an altered form of the German word Eisen, meaning "iron". It fits his personality and his martial fighting style.