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Gaius
Information
Appearance Tales of Xillia
Tales of Xillia 2
Age •32 (ToX)
•33 (ToX2)
Height 6'1" / 185 cm
Race Human
Occupation •King of Auj Oule
(ToX)
•King of Rieze Maxia
(ToX2)
Weapon Katana
Japanese Voice Actor Ryoutarou Okiayu
English Voice Actor Travis Willingham[1]
Character Designer Mutsumi Inomata

Gaius (ガイアス Gaiasu?), birth name Erston Outway (アースト・アウトウェイ Aasuto Autouei?, "Arst Outway"), is a major character and a major antagonist in Tales of Xillia. He is the powerful and charismatic king of Auj Oule, and while his intentions are good, Gaius clashes with the party over the methods with which he intends to save the people of Rieze Maxia. One year later, in Tales of Xillia 2, Gaius is the king of all of Rieze Maxia, working alongside Prime Minister Rowen J. Ilbert, and is a playable character.

History[]

Erston was born the son of the patriarch of the small Outway Tribe. During his youth, strife between tribes was common, and the Outway Tribe was under the control of the Long Dau Tribe, one of the larger tribes close to the king. Erston showed his potential from a young age, being unofficially the youngest person to win in the coliseum at the age of 12, doing so even without a Lilium Orb. As his victory in the finals was against the son of an influential tribe chief, it was not properly recognized as his win.

When King Milan Fenn's death threw Rashugal into turmoil, King Merad took the opportunity to invade Rashugal. The two countries clashed on the Fezebel Marsh, in what would later be known as the Battle of Fezebel. Erston's father was frail and sickly, so Erston led troops out of Outway in his stead under the service of the Long Dau. Their patriarch underestimated Erston due to his age, still being 12 at the time, and did not expect much of him. Despite this, Erston proved to be an excellent leader and soldier, and with his unit, he was able to take out one of the Rashugal army's regiments. Trouble began when Erston sensed a tsunami that had the potential to wipe out both armies. He attempted to warn the patriarch, but was ignored due to the counsel of his sister's fiance, a Long Dau insider. The tsunami came, as he had warned, and wiped out the majority of both armies, ending the war.

Gaius (ToAsteria)

Artwork for Tales of Asteria.

This left Erston angry with the current way of things in Auj Oule. It was a system of command that gave power to the people born into the influential tribes, not the people who were worthy of running the country. He envisioned a new Auj Oule, one that would be united under a single, strong, and just leader, who would protect the weak rather than sacrifice them. When his father died of illness, Erston left home, throwing away his name and becoming known as "Gaius". By doing this, he sought to protect his sister, Karla Outway, so that she would not be harmed by his future ambitions. He formed the group Taurus, separate from the tribe system. He gained followers quickly, who soon began to call him "The Dawn King".

Gaius (ToLink)

Artwork for Tales of Link.

Gaius clashed with the larger tribes, in particular the Long Dau, marking his first major victory when he slew Lars Long Dau, the current patriarch of the tribe, at the age of 17. Taurus and the Long Dau continued to feud, the Long Dau wishing to avenge Lars's death, and the conflict between the two came to a climax at the Battle of Mon Highlands. Once again, Gaius sensed an impending natural disaster: an avalanche that would bury both armies. He personally met with the new tribe chief, Lars's 13-year-old son, Li Ying, suggesting both armies withdraw. When asked by the boy why he did not simply take advantage of the avalanche to wipe out the Long Dau army, Gaius told him that though they were enemies, when he became king, they would be the warriors who would support his country, and he did not wish to throw their lives away. Gaius's words greatly inspired the young Li Ying, and he not only withdrew his troops, but surrendered and joined Gaius, and later became his right-hand man, Wingul.

Four years later, when Gaius was 22-years-old, Taurus finally seized Kanbalar, an incredible feat given the city's natural defenses. The ousted King Merad attempted to retake his throne, but he was summarily defeated at the Battle of Arklund.

Appearance and Personality[]

Gaius Status (ToX2)

Status image in Tales of Xillia 2.

Gaius has tan skin, magenta eyes, and black hair reaching down below the shoulders.

As king, Gaius wears an attire consisting of black and fiery red, including a black piece on the left side of his head.

Gaius carries a powerful presence, noted for his stoic and inscrutable disposition. Despite how imposing he seems, Gaius is well-loved among his people for being a kind and hands-on ruler. He takes large amounts of time each day to have open audiences with anyone who wishes to speak with him, and he often looks into problems personally. Gaius lives by a philosophy that it is the duty of the strong to protect and guide the weak. He cares deeply for the well-being and happiness of his citizens, whether that be the people of Auj Oule or, later, all people of Rieze Maxia, and in his own words, will "crush anyone who dares to harm [his] people". He is passionate when it comes to his beliefs, going to great lengths to uphold them. Gaius lives by a mantra similar to the French phrase "noblesse oblige". Though he is a king, he states the weak should be protected so that they can become strong.

During the events of the second game, Gaius wears a predominantly black suit over a white shirt, complete with a black trench coat with dark magenta lining, and black gloves.

Fighting Style[]

Gaius Cut-in (ToX) 1

First cut-in image for Tales of Xillia.

Gaius fights using a katana, giving him plenty of reach. His artes consist of wide swings that catch anyone in front of him and are fast in execution. Despite sharing some artes with Jude Mathis and Alvin, his version of shared artes are given a wider range such as his Demon Fang which leaves trails of light that deals damage after the projectile or Beast which has an increased size.

In Tales of Xillia 2, his characteristic ability is Retribution (リベンジャー Ribenjaa?, "Revenger"), which allows him to guard against attacks and perform a counterattack whose power depends of the time when the attack was guarded and when the guard began. His partner skill is Chivalry (スプレッドフォース Supureddofoosu?, "Spread Force"). If he is the support partner, he can guard the linked ally by taking the hit and enhancing their next attack with different properties. This proves useful against tough enemies since the enhanced attack is treated as if it hits the enemy's weakness and can break the enemy's Iron Stances.

Other Appearances[]

Tales of Crestoria

Gaius Cut-in (ToX2) 1

Cut-in image for Absolute Domination in Tales of Xillia 2.

In Tales of Crestoria, Gaius is the king of Koktweiss, an allied nation of Medagal. According to Yuna Azetta, Koktweiss maintained world order before the vision orbs were developed. However, Koktweiss was not pleased when the king of Medagal, Gadel, abandoned the ideals of of old in favor of the vision orb revolution.

Side Story: Farah

Gaius arrived in Nocheet under the name Erston to return an old woman's lost ring, proving that a girl named Farah did not steal it, much to the anger of a woman who lost her son to enforcers eight years ago because of Farah. The woman angrily ran away, leaving town forever. Farah thanked Erston before he leaves on official business.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Gaius (ToK)

Artwork for Tales of Kizna.

  • In the game's lore, Gaius translates to "he who pulls the world behind him", while Outway translates to "eternal flame".
  • Gaius was set to appear as a playable character in Tales of Xillia, along with Muzét, but due to time constraints, the idea was discarded. Ultimately, he becomes a party member in the game's direct sequel, Tales of Xillia 2.
  • In the English-language files of Tales of Xillia, there exist dubbed incantations for spells that Gaius does not have access to in the final version of the game. These artes are Cure and Resurrection.
  • Gaius has a high threshold when it comes to resistance against the cold weather. He states in a skit in Tales of Xillia 2 that, in his twenties, he used to walk the snowy streets of Kanbalar in short-sleeves while eating a pound of ice cream.
  • Gaius has the costume of Dymlos Timber from Tales of Destiny available as a part of the game's downloadable content. It is also interesting to note that Gaius and Dymlos share the same Japanese voice actor, Ryoutarou Okiayu.
  • Gaius appears in the mobile game Kai-Ri-Sei Million Arthur as part of the crossover event with Tales of Link.
  • In Tales of Berseria, the name of the store that is run by a travelling merchant who appears in Aball and Port Zekson is "Gaius General Store".

References[]

  1. Anime USA 2013 = Travis Willingham & Laura Bailey (2) YouTube (2013-09-15) Retrieved on 2015-08-20.

External Links[]


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