Which Chrono character has the least character development and why?

[TheMage]

I'm generally curious what other people think. Who out of the seven playable character's stories are a bit lacking. I often hear Ayla for an answer but in my opinion it's Crono. I know he's the silent protagonist but he doesn't seem to change, you know, except when he died, but that seemed to show us more about Marle and the others than Crono himself. What do ya think?

[Manly Man]

I say Ayla. Even though you make a valid point with Crono, it's that he's always so involved with everything. Up until the point that he dies, he's always the main focus when it comes to making decisions, being the target of both the affection and malice of others, and that you're given so many choices with him, you develop him more than the game itself does.

Ayla, on the other hand, is given little opportunity to actually let her character blossom except for a few choice scenes during her era, most notably during the events of the Tyrano Lair. After that, she has little involvement with the plot, much like Magus when he finally joins your party. The both of them just make some offhand comments when they're in the active party, and that's about it.

[Mr Bekkler]

One thing the game did absolutely beautifully was its use of the sprites it had available. Crono didn't talk but he had a lot of personality. Think of all the times he pulls out his sword in front of an enemy, no doubt staring them down without even blinking, and he's supposed to be around 15 or 16 in CT. I don't know how well this is going to convey what I'm thinking but based on the choices the player makes through the game as Crono, and through his actions and the way the other characters reacted to him, I'd argue that not only does he have plenty of character development, but that he's actually a little more bad-ass than even Magus. *ducks projectiles*

I think Lucca lacked a lot of development. She was pretty much "smart nerd who is okay with her situation" for the entire game. The only real development we got was the red gate, and that didn't even change her attitude afterward. The game is the same whether you save her mom or not. The only difference is her mom is sitting or walking.

Ayla has little involvement with the plot, yes, but in our short time with her we grow to really know her and she overcomes a huge obstacle in her life, defeating the Reptites and saving her people, declaring her love for the strong and sticking to her ideals the whole way while coming to terms with the fact that in her own future she won't always be so strong. I think that's wonderful character development.

[Synchronization]

I can say it is almost certainly not Crono although no one anywhere besides this forum will believe me when I tell them that.  I'll tentatively agree that Lucca seems to develop the least since she keeps her objective scientific view of things throughout the game.  I'd like to see what everyone else has to say before voting though.

[Kodokami]

Speaking strictly of Chrono Trigger, it's true that Lucca receives very little character development outside of the red gate side quest. However, in Chrono Cross, her letter to Kid makes it clear that she has come to terms with her consequences as a time traveler. I think that's important, as none of the other characters appear to accept such responsibility. Let's also not forget that she essentially became a parent in this time, adopting Kid and taking on an entire orphanage.

To be honest, I think Janus is lacking in development, as his story is never given a clear resolution.

[TheMage]

You make some good points maybe Crono is more developed than I originally thought. He is after all the main character. I think its just the whole silent protagonist thing that got me. But he does go through the most changes and shows a lot of emotion.

All the characters don't really seem to notice the consequences of their actions well Lucca does in Cross, but she seems to be it.

Magus has some great history but his story does just kind of stop after he joins the team, thats true, though I did enjoy his side quest.

Frog probably changes the most through out Chrono Trigger i'd even go so far as saying maybe he has the most character development.

Robo has some good development too especially when you learn of motherbrain and Atropos.

Marle doesn't really change through out the game but she does go through some emotional changes I believe such as the relationship with her father and when she saves Crono she has some touching scenes.

Ayla never does come off very deep because she has such innocence about her in a sense. her intentions are clear she's confident and never seems to doubt herself or doubt that she is right and the reptites wrong. She does go through struggles though- hmmm

[utunnels]

I think it is Magus (or Janus if you treat them as the same person) from original Chrono Trigger.

But less developed =/= poorly developed, there are always characters that are there to make the storyline complete, nothing less and nothing more.

Due to the story setting, sometimes you can't take about a character without considering others. For example, Lucca & Robo, Magus & Frog, etc.

[Lord J Esq]

This is somewhat a subjective question because it depends on people's ability to perceive character development, which will vary from person to person. In terms of least plotline and mandatory screen-time, it's Ayla. But...

Robo is the character with the least connection to timelines outside his own and the fewest interpersonal relationships with other characters (both PC and NPC; he's pretty much just got Lucca and Atropos).

Crono has no dialogue whatsoever and is left deliberately vague.

I'd be inclined to vote for one of those two, but I'm withholding my vote for the time being, pending further consideration.

[maggiekarp]

It's a pretty difficult question to answer since everyone's experiences are different and it's all open to interpretation, especially with the different translations. One person can consider Magus the most complex by picking and choosing the best lines from Woolsey, DS, and the unofficial translation, and his involvement in Radical Dreamers (and utunnels' trans of that) but it can easily be argued he's incredibly 2-dimensional if you stick to one game, one translation, and just what is presented to the player, withholding what WE project onto the characters.

The best default answer would probably be Crono, who is meant to be an avatar for the player, but you can't ignore the impact his/your death had in the game. It can be interpreted as the character being insignificant, or as a thematic device to show the entire team's/humanity's/YOUR insignificance in the face of death. All open to interpretation.

Then there's characters that seem to leave the story exactly how they entered it. They don't change or develop, you just find out more things about their core character as they go through the adventure. That doesn't make them flat, but they still qualify for the answer.

In the end I think the characters in this game were meant to be painted with very broad strokes so that we as players can fill in the details ourselves, even if we misinterpret a lot of actions.


Also I'm super glad Marle hasn't been everyone's answer so far yaaaaaaaay

[Mr Bekkler]

Well Marle comes a long way in the game from a stereotypical tomboy runaway little princess to an action-hero woman who leaps through a giant window into the courtroom to stand up for what she believes in and save her father. That's a cool character, I'm not gonna lie.

[Meushell]

I'd say Ayla. I believe she changed the least out of the group. By the time you meet her, she's already figured herself out. How she is, and how she wants to be.

Crono could be the least. It depends how you play and interpret his actions.

[Tactless]

At the expense of voting outside of the choices, Belthasar is a stubborn, one-dimensional dick. Quit doing so much goddamned science man, you're screwing reality up. You think he would've learned his lesson the first time he got sent to the future.

[maggiekarp]

Submitting Lucca for nothing but science vote

[CelestialPhantasm]

While a valid point has been made about Lucca- she is still not less developed than Ayla. In the case of both, we seem to have an already fully developed character whose attributes are revealed to us through various scenes in the game. Lucca has the advantage of more screen-time, a stronger connection to the other protagonists (Crono, Marle, Prometheus and to a lesser extent Glenn), and post Chrono-Trigger development (actual development). She therefore, at the very least, contributes more to the development of the others and of the plot itself.

The only seeming development on the part of Ayla is in the form of a contradiction- She affirms that the law of nature is: Strong live, weak die. (no change law).  She nonetheless extends a helping hand to the defeated Azala who, according to this law, has lost the right to live.  At the very least this makes Ayla a normal human, contradictory and prone to compassion (or sentimentality if you prefer)

However, it is also often difficult to distinguish between character exposition and character development. Perhaps Ayla always had this contradictory tendency. We don't know.

Anyway, I voted for Ayla rather hastily before reading your arguments,    but I don't necessarily regret it...

[Samopoznanie]

I would have to say Ayla. Not because of her lack of central involvement with the plot (a fair point), but because her primitive language doesn't doesn't have the same flexibility as the other characters'. The rest of the cast's dialogue is more or less plain english with subtle stylistic quirks (Frog's occasional medieval-isms, Marle's enthusiasm, Magus's brooding reflections). Which works great, as you can capture different moods and humour easily and still give them individual voices. Ayla, you're more restricted in how well you can express things as it has to be in cave[wo]man speak.

Interesting to see Crono as the runner up -- I guess silent protagonists are going out of fashion these days?  He was always a favourite of mine (after Frog), precisely because so much of his personality was left to your own imagination. The amount of creative license you had as far as what Crono was thinking or saying, combined with the clever use of sprites that Bekkler mentioned... I thought it worked great.