Yuri Lowell

Yuri Lowell
File:Yuri Lowell.jpg
Information
Appearance	Tales of Vesperia
Hometown	Zaphias
Age	21
Height	5'11" / 180 cm
Race	Human
Occupation	Member of Brave Vesperia
Weapon	•Sword (main) •Axe (main) •Gloves (sub)
Japanese Voice Actor	Kosuke Toriumi
English Voice Actor	Troy Baker
Character Designer	Kousuke Fujishima

Yuri Lowell (ユーリ・ローウェル, Yuuri Rooueru^?) is the main protagonist of Tales of Vesperia, the tenth major release in the Tales series. A young man from the Imperial Capital, Zaphias, Yuri originally leaves his life in the lower quarter in order to pursue the thief who stole the blastia core required for regulating the area's water supply. After being imprisoned in the castle dungeon for trespassing, Yuri escapes 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.

History

Humble Beginnings

Yuri was born and raised in the Lower Quarter of the Capital. As an orphan, the local residents cared for him as if he were one of their own. He became Flynn Scifo's friend when Flynn moved to the Lower Quarter. The two would practice sword fighting and compete with one another, where Flynn always won. They vowed they would fight to make people happy. When an accident occurred in the Capital, Flynn's father died protecting the citizens of the Lower Quarter. This event caused Flynn and Yuri to strive for different perspectives in life. After the two reached adulthood, Flynn joined the Imperial Knights in order to change the Empire from within, while Yuri remained in the Lower Quarter. When Hanks told Yuri to "work properly", Yuri reluctantly joined the Knights, as well, but he nearly failed the recruitment exam by saving a fellow soldier from being killed by a monster. Because Yuri managed to kill the monster in one blow, his instructor decided to allow him in the Knights.

Imperial Knights

As shown in the movie prequel 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, 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 Aiheap 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 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 carry on with him throughout the story.

Vigilantism

For the story'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 Capel and Judith at his side they form Brave Vesperia, named after the brightest star in the night sky by Estelle.

During the story'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.

Cumore 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 behavior 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.

Cut-in image for Savage Wolf Fury in Tales of Vesperia.

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 Dinoia 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 realize 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. Realizing 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.

With Estelle back in the group, Yuri and his friends travel to Zaude and stop Alexei. After defeating Yeager, they confront the Commandant and they fight to stop him. However, their efforts are in vain, and Alexei activates Zaude. To everyone's surprise, Zaude was actually a barrier blastia that prevented the Adephagos from destroying the world. After Alexei's death, Yuri is stabbed by Flynn's subordinate, Sodia, and he falls to the ocean below.

Yuri then wakes up in Zaphias, and he discovers that he was saved by Duke, who takes Dein Nomos back. Reuniting with Estelle and Repede, Yuri learns that everyone was searching for him after his disappearance. After getting the group back together, they help Rita and Estelle in converting the apatheia of the Entelexeia into spirits that can stop the Adephagos. However, they learn from Sylph that Duke has lost his faith in humanity, and has decided to sacrifice everyone's lives, including his own, to use the Tarqaron and destroy the Adephagos. Realizing that they will need all of the blastia in the world to be converted into spirits, Yuri and the group call all of the world leaders and ask for their permission to go through with their plan, which is approved. During this time, Yuri confronts Sodia about her actions and fights Flynn to resolve their differences once and for all.

Arriving on the Tarqaron, the party is confronted for the final time by Zagi, an assassin who has been obsessed with fighting Yuri. Defeating him for the final time, Yuri slashes at him and causes him to fall to his death. At the top of Tarqaron, the party fights Duke to stop him from sacrificing humanity. Emerging victorious, they try to stop the Adephagos but discover that they do not have enough power. To Yuri's surprise, Duke aids them by lending Dein Nomos and they successfully stop the Adephagos. Afterward, Yuri continues his journeys with his friends.

Appearance and Personality

Status image in Tales of Vesperia.

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 Mordio, 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 has a more fully-formed personality due to his matured age. He is an emphatic young man who prefers to solve smaller problems from individuals rather than the larger, more political ones. It ultimately manifests in a willingness to save others, even if it means risking his life.

Yuri grew up in the Lower Quarter of Zaphias with Flynn. According to many of the residents there, Yuri and Flynn were the best of friends who 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 protagonists in different games, 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.

While most other protagonists grow up and develop their ideals as they continue through their adventures, 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.

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 toward 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 Pantarei, although this is more of an ideological conflict than a genuine animosity between them.

Fighting Style

Cut-in image exclusive to the PlayStation 3 port of Tales of Vesperia.

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 swordsmen 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.

Other Appearances

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". When Yuri is summoned he uses Shining Fang on the enemy.

Tales of Graces

Asbel Lhant can obtain Yuri's clothing as a costume, using a code on the bonus disc that was packaged with preordered copies of the original Wii release of Tales of Graces. In the PlayStation 3 version of the game, Yuri's costume has been made available within the game by playing the "Magic Carta" minigame and winning with a 100-0 score against a player within Strahta. Yuri himself is also one of the cards collected in the game, with his quote being "Intend to? I already have."

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2

Cut-in image for Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2.

Yuri appears as a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2. Yuri and Estelle arrive on the Van Eltia after a certain amount of missions are completed. Yuri serves no actual purpose in the main story, but he can be recruited for missions. After Goede is finally defeated, Yuri and Estelle are on the Van Eltia looking at the mana spreading across the world. Due to the close release dates of Tales of Vesperia and Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2, Yuri lost almost all of his artes from the original game, keeping only eight, including his mystic arte, Savage Wolf Fury. The sword Yuri uses throughout the game is the "Compact Sword".

Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3

Cut-in image for Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3.

Yuri appears as a playable character in Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3, and to a much more playable extent than in Radiant Mythology 2. Yuri is first seen after the protagonist saves Estelle from Saleh, where he and Rita were separated from Estelle and went off to search for her. He obtains a very good portion of the artes he had in Tales of Vesperia, resulting in him having a much more complete moveset compared to Tales of VS and Radiant Mythology 2. Yuri is also able to be fought in the arena alone, or with Flynn. There is also a battle that features Yuri, Leon Magnus, and Asbel Lhant, which is a battle against the three most popular characters in the Tales series, the prize being Yuri's signature Second Star sword.

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.

Tales of The Heroes: Twin Brave

Yuri appears in this game as the protagonist of a serious scenario with Flynn being his partner. Upon hearing about an official oppressing some villagers, Yuri and his best friend Flynn, who is a knight in their country, set out to solve the problem. After successfully liberating the village, Yuri and Flynn learn that the official has been recruiting a private corps to retrieve the Eternal Sword in some guarded ruins. The sword is said to grant the owner with the power to travel through time. The two decide that such a sword should never be obtained by ordinary people, let alone someone like him.

Later, Yuri gets the information that the official was released without charge. Infuriated, he assassinates the official and goes on the run. When encountering Flynn who intends to arrest him, he states that he committed the murder because he would not forgive the officer even if the law did, and he has decided to destroy the Eternal Sword before receiving the punishment for himself. Flynn hesitates at first, but decides to help Yuri out in the end by defeating other knights who come to arrest him.

On their way to destroy the Eternal Sword, they encounter Veigue Lungberg who intends to revenge the officer for the good deeds he has done for his own village. Yuri defeats him nevertheless knowing that he can never explain himself to him as it is also a part of his crime. After the battle, Yuri and Flynn proceed to the ruins to find the Eternal Sword. In the ruins, they encounter Elraine, who offers to eliminate all the criminals in the world using the power of the Eternal Sword. Yuri declines the offer and defeats her with Flynn. Later, the two of them have a fight with each other to sort out the problems with the clashes of their respective ideals, and Flynn wins in the end by knocking the sword out of Yuri's hand.

Having seen Flynn's determination to change the law for the sake of a better country, Yuri admits his defeat and hands himself over to Flynn, ready to receive his punishment. Yuri is also the partner of Flynn in a comical scenario, in which he reluctantly follows an impulsive Flynn around trying to stop the misbehaviors of some other Tales characters. Flynn's efforts are to no avail, however, as Yuri keeps behaving inappropriately right beside him, causing him to lose his own credibility. In the end, Flynn becomes aware that it is his friend's misbehavior that needs correction most and starts a fight with him. Nevertheless, Yuri still shows no intention to change himself for anybody else's sake, and Flynn admits that he should not have brought him along in the first place.

Project X Zone

Yuri appears in the crossover game, Project X Zone, a collaboration between Capcom, Sega, and Bandai Namco Games, alongside Estelle and Flynn. Estelle is his partner character, who assists in his combos directly, while Flynn is an assist character, who can be called upon at any time to increase damage and combo potential. Yuri retains his mystic arte as his finishing move. Yuri and Estelle's introduction level is inside the Fujisakura in Kaguya Nanbu's hometown of Kagura Amahara, immediately after being warped from Halure's tree. They have a brief battle with Sanger Zonvolt from Super Robot Wars: Original Generations to prove themselves "worthy" in his eyes before the rest of the X Zone team shows up to help them deal with a massive monster ambush.

Project X Zone 2

Yuri appears in the sequel, with Flynn as his partner instead of Estelle. Yuri's introduction is during the game's final prologue, in which he and Flynn team up with Valkyrie from Valkyrie no Bouken and Chrom and Lucina from Fire Emblem Awakening to defeat Valkyrie's longtime nemesis, Kamuz the demon ogre.

Gallery

Status image in Tales of VS.  Cut-in image for Tales of VS.  Artwork for Tales of Asteria. Artwork for Tales of Asteria.  Cut-in image for Tales of the World: Reve Unitia.

Trivia

• Yuri is a common given name for males in Russia, meaning "George" (Юрий), sometimes referring to a farm boy. 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. It is also Old French for "young wolf", which corresponds with some of Yuri's artes possessing a wolf theme, such as Wolf Strike and Savage Wolf Fury.
• 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 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 from Tales of Symphonia.
• In the PlayStation 3 port of the game, Yuri can wear the clothing of Asch from Tales of the Abyss. In contrast, Flynn gains a costume of Luke fon Fabre from the same game, emphasizing the opposing relationships of both pair of characters in their respective games.
• There is a skit in the PlayStation 3 version of the game in which Karol questions why Yuri and Flynn possess some of the same artes, yet the two perform them very differently, such as Dragon Swarm and Tiger Blade. Flynn states those were artes they learned while in the Knights, but Yuri decided to add his own twist to the artes by implementing a few kicks or a punch to them, fitting his style.
• Yuri's default attire appears as a pre-order costume for Jude Mathis in Tales of Xillia 2.
• In Tales of Festival 2013, Kosuke Toriumi, Yuri's Japanese voice actor, explained that Yuri's charm point is unlike that of any other protagonists in the series, who tend to maintain a normal sense of justice. Yuri's sense of justice is different and much darker. He also has a mature personality and anti-hero qualities.
• A plushie resembling Yuri appears in Tales of Xillia 2. The Japanese version requires a save from Tales of Vesperia in order to obtain it, while the international version requires a save file from Tales of Graces ƒ. Another plushie resembling Yuri appears in Tales of Zestiria. A save file is required on the system for the Japanese release in order to obtain it.
• Yuri's outfit appears as a DLC costume for Sorey in Tales of Zestiria.
• In July 2015, Yuri appeared as a part of the collaboration between Tales of Asteria and Granblue Fantasy, in the latter. He retains Zankou Roueijin as his special attack.
• In Tales of Zestiria, Yuri appears as a doll inside a Teepo matryoshka.
• In Tales of Berseria, Yuri's blastia bracelet can be obtained as a treasure stored on the Van Eltia.