Rainbow
The Ultimate Weapon
Full Name: Rainbow Katana
Symbolic Identity: The Rainbow that Succeeded the Flood
*****The Rainbow Katana, the most powerful weapon in the entire game of Chrono Trigger that only Crono can weild, is similar to the rainbow that appeared as a symbol of God stopping the Great Flood and restoring order.
*****I should first note that most of the Rainbow parallels were discovered by Shawn Williamson (CloudSW@aol.com). He initially brought this to my attention.
*****In the Bible, it is said that God used his power to stop the Great Flood that was terrorizing the world, and afterward, a rainbow appeared as a sign of order and peace. Similarly, the Rainbow Katana, the ultimate weapon in Chrono Trigger, is the designated weapon with which to end the worldwide catastrophe of Lavos, restoring peace and order.
*****The rainbow that ended the Great Flood was a symbol of an act of God. Similarly, the Rainbow Katana is a weapon that only Crono (Jesus, the son of God) can weild.
*****Thanks to Sephiroth for pointing out that the Biblical rainbow was not actually used to stop the flood, but rather appeared after the flood was already stopped.
*****It has been brought to my attention by The Joiner that the Rainbow Shell and the Sun Stone, the two materials needed to create the Rainbow Katana, hold great significance in it's parallel to the Rainbow that Appeared After the Flood. The Joiner points out that these two items further the weapon's conncetion to its Biblical counterpart in that both the Sun Stone and the Rainbow Shell do not actually appear until after two tragic events that destroy the world in one way or another commence (just as the Rainbow of the Bible does not appear until after the world-wrecking flood). The Rainbow Shell appears in the Giant's Claw Cave, which is really the remains of the Tyrano Lair from 65 million B.C. after Lavos (instrument of the world's destruction, similar to the flood) crashes into it. After Lavos crashes there, the world falls into a period of frozen wasteland, and is thus destroyed. The Sun Stone appears in the Sun Palace, but not until 2300 A.D., which is long after Lavos destroyed the world for the second time in 1999 A.D. Therefore, the Sun Stone is also an item that does not appear until after a great calamity, like the Biblical flood.
Robo
The Lost Robot
Full Name: Prometheus (a.k.a. R66-Y, Robo)
Symbolic Identities: Lazarus, Prometheus
*****Robo, the futuristic robot of Chrono Trigger, has parallels in both Greek and Biblical mythology. As his name suggests, he is based on Prometheus, a Greek titan who rebelled against the gods so to bring knowledge to humans. Robo also has a number of striking similarities to Lazarus, the Biblical character who Jesus Christ raised from the dead.
*****Christ raised Lazarus from the dead after he had passed away from an illness. Similarly, Crono and friends raise Robo from his disfunctional state not only in the Proto Dome in 2300 A.D., but many other times as well. He is resurrected after being destroyed by his fellow R-Series robots, and after he stops working from farming Fiona's desert for so many centuries. He's sort of a super-Lazarus character.
*****Lazarus was the close brother of Martha of Bethany (Lucca). Notice that Lucca and Robo immediately hit it off and become close friends, which they remain throughout the entire game. It's almost as if they are siblings.
*****In his later years, Lazarus became a bishop and travelled to a remote region that was plagued with crime, famine, and poverty. There he spent the last thirty years of his life working to develop the region into a peaceful, safe area--which he succeeded in doing. This is just like Robo breaking away from the main group in 600 A.D. to stay with Fiona and Marco to help nurture their monster-infested desert back to a healthy forest. This he succeeds in doing before he becomes disfunctional after so many centuries.
*****Centuries after the death of Lazarus (his permanent death, that is), Constantine Emperor Leo decided to build a massive cathedral around Lazarus's tomb to honor the work that he did in his life. When the main party travels to 1000 A.D., they find that a massive cathedral has been built around the remains of Robo to honor him. Coincidence? Hmm...
*****Concerning Robo's element as an indicator of his true identity, Robo has no defined element. However, as Spekkio says, his lasers inflict shadow type damage. Consider what Lazarus is the most famous for--his death. Death, darkness, and shadow certainly have a similar likeness.
*****Moving on to Robo being Prometheus, Prometheus was a titan who joined the gods during their battle with the other titans, and eventually betrayed the chief of the gods, Zeus, by stealing the Fire of Knowledge from Mt. Olympus and giving it to the humans. Prometheus is known as a symbol of strength in the face of oppression and a champion of humanity for this deed. Well, Robo is similar in that he betrays his God (Mother Brain, parallel to Zeus) and his kind to use their technology (the fire of knowledge) to help his human friends.
Guardia
The Kingdom
Full Name: Guardia Kingdom
Symbolic Identity: Rome
*****Guardia Kingdom, the region in which many vital elements of the game take place, is similar to Ancient Rome, both during its Golden Age and after its fall, when it adopted Christianity as its main religion. Being brief, yet point-for-point, I'd say the probability is high that this parallel was intended.
*****Let us consider Rome's attitude towards Christ throughout history. At first, they wanted nothing to do with him and refused to even acknowledge that he was a problem. This is similar to Guardia Kingdom wanting to have nothing to do with Crono (Jesus) early in the game, before the Millenial Fair. After the Pharisees pushed and pushed, Christ was indeed tried and sentenced to death by Pontious Pilate, the Roman senator. This is similar to Yakra (the Pharisees) bringing Crono (Jesus) to trial in Guardia, where he is sentenced to death regardless of what the outcome is. Many years after the death of Christ, Rome eventually adopted Christianity as its main religion, and in fact became the center of Chrisianity. This is similar to Guardia eventually accepting Crono (Jesus) as an honorary guest later in the game.
