Blazing Souls Accelate/Characters

Zelos
""The world is far more complicated than you obviously realize, and there is no black or white, only shades of grey.""

""Oh really? And who created the boundary that separates the creatures that can be killed from those that can't? Humans are ignorant, self-serving creatures. They make the world conform to them, consequences be damned. If you want to try to rationalize with the contradictions of humanity, by all means, be my guest. But me, I have my own rules that I live by. And I would rather die than ever betray what I think is right. You're in no position to tell me what's wrong or what's right.""

A mercenary known to never fail his job, Zelos has a list of enemies and is extremely detached when it comes to people. He has no issues killing people if the money payout is good enough. Both of his arms are mechanical prosthetics that give him an edge on the battlefield, especially if an Elemental Core is contained within them. His weapon of choice are guns and, in some cases, swords.

"Zelos: Who knows? I've killed so many people that not one person stands out." "Zelos: I think, therefore I am... To be or not to be, is that really the question...? Oh God, this is just stupid." "Zelos: Death and killing was all I knew at the time. I didn't know there were other ways. I did everything I thought I had to in order to survive. Everything... Ironic, isn't it? This, coming from someone who claims to not value life."
 * Anti-Hero: His view towards life makes that almost an Understatement. His moral code doesn't help; he'll only help people if he's either paid for that or taunted into doing so, he has no qualms about killing people, and he won't trust anyone if he's not given a good reason to. He grows better from this, however.
 * Artificial Human:
 * Artificial Limbs: Both of his arms are prosthetical, and he has no idea of how he got those in the first place.
 * Assassin Outclassin':
 * It's said that many people tried to get their hands on his prosthetical arms and none lived to tell the story.
 * At Least I Admit It: Zelos has no fear of admitting he is a ruthless killer.
 * Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work:
 * Because I'm Good At It: Because of conditioning himself to not giving much value for human life, Zelos does his job like it's the only thing he has ever done in his life or will ever do.
 * Beware the Honest Ones: If Zelos tells you he'll kill you next time you try to do some bad shit, you better believe him. He's one to make good on those words.
 * BFG: His main weapon is a gun as big as his arms.
 * Blood Knight: He will definitely NOT run away from a challenge, and has a soft spot for others of this type, which includes Lydia.
 * Bounty Hunter: One with a reputation. He will take any job, from killing monsters to people, and do it flawlessly.
 * Bring It: His normal behavior towards anything he's pointing his gun at.
 * Brutal Honesty: Zelos has nothing to hide about his views of the world. This makes for a huge Berserk Button for Adelle.
 * But for Me It Was Tuesday: Zelos has a huge killcount, to the point he doesn't make a point to remember names.
 * But for Me It Was Tuesday: Zelos has a huge killcount, to the point he doesn't make a point to remember names.
 * Bystander Syndrome: Zelos will rarely, if ever, move a finger to help people, unless he's the target, or he's provoked to do so.
 * Character Development: Goes from an unrepentant Bounty Hunter at the start of the game, to a completely dependable person at the end, learning his own impact upon others' lives.
 * Cloning Blues:
 * Code of Honor: One to which Zelos sticks so strictly that, as he tells Adelle, he would rather die than violating it. He kills only if he needs to, trusts no one unless they prove to be worthy of it, and does his best to rely on no one.
 * Cold Sniper: Zelos is usually contracted as a hitman with high efficiency and zero consideration for the lives he ends.
 * Color-Coded for Your Convenience: His color scheme changes in accord to the Elemental Core he's using.
 * Critical Status Buff: Zelos has various among the Cores, but his unique flavor is definitely Unleash Hell from the Infini Core, which doubles his attack power and defense and can stack with Overdrive.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: Zelos is constantly on the giving end of these,
 * Cynicism Catalyst: Whatever happened under his last caretaker, it scarred Zelos mentally and ingrained into him his current Humans Are the Real Monsters behavior.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life: What Isaac believes to be Zelos' motivation: to find a reason to exist. Predictably, Zelos mocks the idea.
 * Do Not Taunt Cthulhu: It's a rare protagonist example: Zelos is so powerful that he could count himself as a Cthulhu of sorts, . He will not take well to whoever pisses him off.
 * Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Zelos gives a disgusted reaction to Bridgette after noticing she feels sorry for his prosthetic arms and warns her against feeling pity for people.
 * Easily Forgiven:
 * Easy Amnesia: He's missing quite a bit of his memory, but doesn't give a single damn for this.
 * Elemental Powers: The main schtick to Zelos' Elemental Core mechanic is that his powers and abilities depend on which Elemental Core is embedded on his arms:
 * Playing with Fire: Ignis Core
 * Shock and Awe: Astral Core
 * Making a Splash/An Ice Person: Aqueous Core
 * Dishing Out Dirt: Peirous Core
 * Blow You Away: Anemos Core
 * Light'Em Up: Helios Core
 * Casting a Shadow: Vesper Core
 * Pure Energy/Power of the Void: Infini Core
 * Everyone Has Standards: Zelos may be amoral, but he has his limits. He won't kill anyone who isn't a target for a contract, but will kill bandits on the spot if given a chance. He also doesn't take well to wanton killing, much less to monsters like Brumeia or Sauber.
 * Gun Fu: Whatever you saw in Cross Edge, it started on Blazing Souls.
 * The Gunslinger: He loves waving his massive hand cannon around.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Nguyen finds a way into becoming this with him. Crosses into Vitriolic Best Buds.
 * Hidden Heart of Gold: While Zelos refuses to admit it, he's still a good person deep inside.
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters: Zelos has no faith in Mankind, claiming having seen the worst of them.
 * I Did What I Had to Do: Zelos sees his usual violence like this, as he believes the world has a "dog-eat-dog" methodology. He explains as much to Lydia.

"Sexton: Excuse me...? Were you making a comment about my appearance?" "Zelos: I don't see anyone else here that looks like they're on fire, devil." "Zelos: Now do you understand? This is how the world really works." "Zelos: Yeah, they're dead. Get over it! It's not the end of the world! As you are now, you're less than useless to us! If this is how you're going to react to something like this, just get the hell away from me now!!" "Snow: Actually, it's you that I'm interested in. The reason that I have been following you is because you are very much like someone I've been searching for. Tactless, unfriendly, perpetually angry and totally unapproachable. But under his abrasive exterior, he's really a very sweet person who just doesn't know how to relate to people. Like I said, you are almost exactly like the one I'm looking for." "Zelos: Bullshit, all of it! I could give a rat's ass about gods, Human Genomes, or fate! I'm going to make them pay for screwing around with my world!" "Zelos: Oh dear God in heaven, NO! I have nothing to do with her." "Zelos: Someday, this is going to come back and bite you in the ass."
 * I Gave My Word: Zelos sticks to his word and makes good on it.
 * Ignore the Fanservice: It tells that he pays no attention to someone as provocative as Fairuza.
 * I Let You Win:
 * Incriminating Indifference: Zelos' apathy is very visible, and many people take him for a big Jerkass, but it's shown that he still has his standards.
 * Infinity+1 Sword: Back in Spectral Souls II, his Revolver Cannon wouldn't be much to write home about, being quite inferior in power to the Musoufugaku, the game's most powerful weapon. In Blazing Souls? It's a damn beast with over 2800 ATK that only he can use.
 * In the End You Are on Your Own:
 * I Shall Taunt You: He'll push Sexton's Berserk Button for the hell of it if given an opportunity.
 * It Amused Me:
 * Mainly subverted, as Zelos doesn't kill unless he has to. His attitude however transmits to people such an impression,
 * Played straight, however, when it comes to taunting people, especially if the victim is Sexton.
 * I Work Alone: Zelos is heavily insistent on being well on his own and dislikes almost every addition his party gets.
 * Jack of All Stats: Lower cap on his LUK aside, Zelos' stat growth is completely even, he can use four out of five types of physical attack, and can play any role he needs to, as his stats depend actually on which Elemental Core he's equipped with. Coreless Zelos also can use General attacks with a gun, something Lisa can't do as guns never possess General slots.
 * Jerkass: He's amoral and will do anything for money. Zelos even thinks this of himself and is sure that his team thinks the same.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: According to the other characters. Lydia proves them right.
 * Jerkass Has a Point: In one occasion, Adelle forces Zelos to let a thief go after dealing with him, and he calls her out for letting a criminal live.
 * Lack of Empathy: Zelos' standard emotion set, said to be elevated to "a form of art". Demonstrated during Noel's Heroic BSOD:
 * The Leader: He's thrown into this role against his will, but ends up accepting it.
 * Leave Me Alone: Zelos' constant message at anyone, as he has no trust or sympathy for people. He becomes better from this as the story progresses.
 * Megaton Punch: His Heaven's Drive is basically a few shots from his BFG, followed by a punch overcharged with energy from an Elemental Core.
 * Moral Myopia: Zelos sees no wrong with killing thugs or whatever appears on his contracts.
 * My God, What Have I Done?:
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: One of the biggest Combination Attacks in the game, Harem Night, has Bridgette, Kaye, Fairuza and Sciorra cornering Zelos in an awkward situation and causing him to unload a violent barrage of attacks on his target to vent his rage off. 63 hits much?
 * No Sell:
 * No Social Skills: Subverted; he does have those skills, but doesn't give a shit for people anyways, so he feels no need to make use of those.
 * No Sympathy: It's a very rare sight to see Zelos giving a damn for someone.
 * Not So Different: Snow thinks as such of Zelos, comparing him to Jadore. Zelos replies that he is nothing like that "spineless milquetoast".
 * One-Man Army: If he's not a Person of Mass Destruction, he's certainly this.
 * Only in It For the Money: The only way to get Zelos to do something is to pay him for it.
 * Pay Evil Unto Evil: Thugs, rapists,, you name it. If you're evil enough, Zelos will blow a hole through your head with his Hand Cannon and won't even bat an eye at it.
 * Power Makes Your Hair Grow: The Vesper and Helios Cores give off so much energy that it alters Zelos' body, making the hair grow to shoulder length and activating his Artificial Limbs.
 * The Power of Apathy: Zelos has indeed elevated his apathy to a form of art. And with it, his capability to defeat just about anyone he crosses paths with.
 * Professional Killer: With a big reputation. Like his apathy, he turned this into a form of art.
 * Punch-Clock Hero: The only means to make him do anything close to a good action are to either paying him to do it, or provoking him into doing it. Sometimes both.
 * Red Is Violent: Given all the listed tropes about his abilities as a killer and a Blood Knight, this should not come as a surprise.
 * Rude Hero, Nice Sidekick: The Rude Hero to Nguyen's Nice Sidekick.
 * Screw Destiny: When Carla explains to the party why the Human Genomes exist, Duja decries the idea of fate, while Zelos outright refuses the idea.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Our introduction to Sexton has Zelos denying he has anything with Fairuza.
 * Ship Tease:
 * Signature Move: Heavens' Drive, a Megaton Punch which Zelos uses in 99% of his Combination Attacks.
 * The Sociopath: Zelos comes off as this, acting like he has no conscience or guilt.
 * Super Mode: On Infini Core, we have his Overdrive Original Skill. It overclocks Zelos' Elemental Core, giving him an absurd attack and defense power for three turns. If you combine it with his Unleash Hell Potential, and use a Bloody Pearl on top of it to further buff his attack, Zelos becomes near-unstoppable.
 * Super Prototype:
 * Sword and Gun: The sword sees little use depending on which Elemental Core he's using, being mainly used to break things in Action Mode.
 * The Rival
 * Toxic Friend Influence: Zelos manages to be this.
 * Tron Lines: The Infini Core gives him lines all over his body.
 * The Unapologetic: Zelos lives completely in the present with no regret or remorse.
 * Tron Lines: The Infini Core gives him lines all over his body.
 * The Unapologetic: Zelos lives completely in the present with no regret or remorse.
 * Weirdness Magnet: Everyone, absolutely everyone, seems attracted to Zelos in some form. This includes other Bounty Hunters, adventurous kids, people from another world with absurd powers, angels, demons, and Artificial Humans bent on replacing all sentient lifeforms on Neverland.
 * What the Hell, Hero?:
 * On the giving end, when Adelle forces him to let a criminal go after they tried to "force a toll" on his party. Given what happens some time later, his words are almost prophetic:
 * On the receiving end,.
 * What You Are in the Dark: On the exterior, Zelos is an unlikable person who does his worst to distance himself from everyone and has no qualms about his actions. On the interior, he still has a conscience, feels guilty for quite a chunk of his kills, and is desperate to find a meaning for his life, if there is even any. Isaac catches up quickly to this.
 * Worthy Opponent:

Nyugen Le
A blonde adventurer that was assigned by the guild to work with Zelos on a hard mission. Like the other two given this task, Le decided to say with Zelos after the mission was over. His dream is to rescue a cute Damsel in Distress and get into a relationship. His weapon of choice is the knife.

Adelle
A purple-haired mercenary that was assigned to help Zelos rescue Aria, and decided not to part ways afterwards. Her weapon of choice is the sword.

Duja
A white-haired mercenary given the same task as Le and Adelle. His weapon of choice is the 'break', which is akin to a tomahawk.

Aria
A young, blue-haired lady that was rescued by Zelos and the other mercenaries. Upon realizing that she lost her memories, she decided to travel with Zelos and his 'friends', hoping to remember her past along the way. Her weapon of choice is the staff.

Snow
A mysterious lady with white hair that needs Zelos' help. Her weapon of choice is the staff.

Sciorra
A pink-haired catgirl that hunts in order to survive. After encountering Zelos and his party, and hearing about their jobs as jacks-of-all-trades, she joins them. Her weapon of choice is the spear.