Rate the Chrono Trigger Characters! (Page Two)
...3. Crono
Hadriel: 2) Well, he's the main protagonist behind the story. Crono's an interesting exercise in character analysis, not to mention a great fighter with a kick-ass sword. Crono doesn't talk much, so we're left to glean his personality through his actions and the few instances in which he does speak on his own. It's odd, because SE allows most of their other protagonists to speak, including Fei, Squall, Cloud, etc. When analyzing Crono's actions, and his later reflections on them, we are left with an adventurous man possessing a soft spot for Marle. The righteous fury with which he draws his sword in the final battle with Lavos says as much as anyone else's words -- one could safely assume that either he says stuff that the player doesn't hear because it's unimportant to plot progression, other than his dialogue choices, or that he's simply too stunned for words. Crono is a nexus of possibilities, not just for us but for the entire world.
Radical_Dreamer: Ah, Crono, the archtypical silent protaganist. While we learn nothing about Crono through his speech, we learn a great deal about his character through his actions. Crono exmplifies the selflessness of the hero, needing no reason to help people; friends, strangers, anyone, Crono is willing to lend a helping hand (or sword). At any point, Crono could have turned back and gone home. The girl he dove into the unknown to save was a stranger he met minutes before, and the only thing he knew about her was a lie. The apocalypse he fought to avert would come a millenium after his life and death. While some of the battles he fought in were ultimately inconsequencial to history, he fought anyway, because he couldn't abandon people in need of his help.
ZeaLitY: One of my biggest problems with Crono, and partly the reason he's at third is the lack of personality that comes with Square's tendency to have mute protagonists. While Crono certainly isn't mute as a fact of the series, and nor do I dislike that decision by Square, it nonetheless hurts Crono by denying him a voice. However, there are still plenty of actions to infer his disposition from, and his sacrifice to Lavos seals that he's an exceptional courageous person who rocks with swords and never passes up the chance for adventure or a change of pace. This and his raw power in-game land him third on my list.
My life retain'eth its own will!2. Frog
Radical_Dreamer: For me, the toughest call was between Frog and Magus, because, at a deeper level, there isn't a whole lot of difference between the two. I think this makes their relationship all the more interesting. Both of them lost someone important to them because they were too weak to protect them. Both were changed fundamentally after that encounter. Janus became Magus, and Glenn became Frog. In the end, I deffered to Frog, because he seemed to grow from his experiences more. Frog does not let his hatred of Magus harm others, and that is an important difference between the two. Frog trys to not create more victims, Magus creates thousands. Frog gains redemption because he regains himself, wether or not he regains his old body. This is shown when he takes the Masamune, and before carving out the path to Magus' castle, he declares "Mine name is Glenn!" Janus, however is dead. Magus is all that remains. Magus himself acknowledges this at North Cape: "I lived there once, but I was a different person then." He has no chance at redemption, only vengence, which, while not dishonorable in of itself, he takes to such an extreme degree that it destroys what ever chance of a happy life he had after the Ocean Palace disaster.
ZeaLitY: I placed Frog in second in my tally due to his amazing background and character; Frog is one of, if not the most interesting and fleshed-out party member of the game, sporting a rich history of chivalry and knighthood stained by the tragic war against the Mystics and the lost of his friend and mentor, Cyrus. While this alone would provide an excellent backdrop, his story is further enhanced as its sorrows and difficulties are resolved in-game with the restoration of the Hero's Grave, the paying of final respects to Cyrus, and the peacemaking between Frog and Magus. These are the qualities that make audiences come to love a character, and qualify Frog in such a high position in my ranking.
Symmetry: The first time Frog lept onto the screen to save Crono & Lucca from the monsters in Manoria Cathedral, I knew I liked him. Frog has class. He has skill. His mastery of the sword is rivaled by none. He is the legendary hero of the Middle Ages - yet in spite of all this, Frog lives a solitary, humble existence, most of it spent in remorse that he could not save the life of his closest friend and disgraced his King and Queen in the process. I believe that's why I like Frog - he commands all of this amazing potential, yet fails to recognize his own talent - he needs the support of his friends and allies to realize this talent - and in the end, he uses the skills he has learned to avenge those whom he failed before. Despite everything being taken from him, Frog rises to his feet and returns to slug it out once more. Better than most any character in an RPG, I believe Frog defines what it is to be a hero or heroine.
Hadriel: 4) Glenn's a valiant knight in the vein of King Arthur and other legendary heroes. With that, he carries a certain charm about him that's hard to ignore as he busts it up with the Masamune and delivers some of the most stirring dialogue in the game.
The Black Wind begins to howl...Okay...Give
me your best shot!
1. THE MAGUS
ZeaLitY: Though it was difficult, Magus was my obvious choice for the top spot. Rarely does a game feature a memorable character so worshipped and revered as Magus; he receives the royal treatment in fanfictions, often being the topic of such stories, and is the epitome of bad, dangerous, and dashingly cool character. What distinguishes Magus from mere goths, emos, or other personalities who exist solely to be Byronic heroes or satisfaction to action-loving audiences is the fact that he's supplemented with a truly tragic history and clearly-defined purposes for living. The destruction of Lavos as revenge and the location of Schala are his top priorities, and are always present in his mannerisms and actions. Dealt a critical blow by not being included in Chrono Cross, Magus regardless does get a chance at seeing his dream fulfilled in Radical Dreamers.
Hadriel: 1) I spent a long time flip-flopping between Crono and Janus, but eventually I had to give in to the bad-assness. I mean, jeez...just...wow. He has so many fangirls that rave over him (gotta be the hair), incredible mess-your-shit-up-class magical power, some of the best dialogue in all of gaming history, and a story that manages to resonate on an extraordinarily deep level. No way I could avoid giving him the top spot.
Symmetry: There's really not much to say here that hasn't been already said. Magus is likeable because he's not a hero; he's a villian with motives that happen to coincide with Crono & Co's. Who wasn't shocked (and completely thrilled) when they were offered the chance to have the Zealian wizard join their party on the North Cape? The complexity of his motives and feelings have left us with a character that just screams for fanfiction to be written about him.
There you have it. Will opinions change as time progresses, or is Magus doomed to be swamped by fanboys and fangirls for the rest of his life? Will Ayla ever get her deserved break? Time will tell! Thanks for reading.