Riviera: The Promised Land/Characters

The cast of Riviera: The Promised Land. Contains massive spoilers.

Ein / Ecthel


The main character of the game. He is sent to Riviera by Hector to actuate the Retribution, and many of the other characters remark on how naive and hopeless he is; nevertheless, he is an extremely powerful Grim Angel (he manages to keep up with Ledah with a little help from his Exposition Fairy, despite the fact that he's as new to his job as new gets!). He traded his wings for his Diviner, Einherjar. Ein is separated from his companions Ledah and Rose by Riviera's guardian, Ursula; she gives him Laser-Guided Amnesia and deposits him in a Sprite village so that he can better consider their point of view. After she gives him his memories back, he becomes her Laser Guided Spanner in the Works.

Much of Ein's personality is up to the player's direction and dialogue choices, but his default demeanor is innocent and friendly; he believes the best of everyone around him, even (to a point) his enemies. His age and surname are not given by Sting. Some fans hold his birthday to be July 10, the release date of the PSP version in America.

He is voiced by Kugimiya Rie in Japan and Yuri Lowenthal in the PSP release.


 * Accidental Pervert: On the whole, although depending on the player's actions there can be a handful of intentional incidents.
 * That Came Out Wrong: Countless times, both in player-chosen dialogue and during events.
 * Angel Unaware: During chapter 2.
 * But Now I Must Go: According to the official timeline, he and Rose leave Riviera for good sometime after the final battle.
 * I Choose to Stay: In the non-canon endings for the other girls.
 * Chick Magnet: All the party member girls, as well as most unattached girls in Elendia, express interest in him.
 * Even the Guys Want Him: As does Reiche. He also gets a fair amount of Ship Tease with Ledah.
 * The Chosen One
 * Cross-Dressing Voices
 * The Cutie
 * Dub Name Change: His name in the Japanese version is Ecthel; his Diviner is called Ecthelion.
 * Dub Induced Plot Hole: There's a character in Gungnir named Einherjar, which could cause problems if we ever get that game, as both Gungnir's Einherjar and Ein have Meaningful Names.
 * Epileptic Trees: Ein is the only known Grim Angel who isn't leucistic, a condition where a person has unnaturally pale skin (even Malice and, who are artificial and wingless respectively, have leucism). No one knows why. There are some guesses.
 * The Fool: At the beginning of the game, at least.
 * Heroic Resolve
 * Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Which allows him to survive Ursula's torture between chapters 1 and 2.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia
 * Laser Guided Tykebomb: The reason Ursula gave him Laser-Guided Amnesia was essentially to brainwash him into wanting to support Riviera instead of Asgard. It worked.
 * Light'Em Up
 * The Messiah
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Naive Newcomer: And how.
 * The One Guy
 * Our Angels Are Different
 * Phlebotinum Rebel
 * Rie Kugimiya
 * Playing Against Type
 * Skilled but Naive
 * Spanner in the Works
 * Tareme Eyes
 * This Loser Is You
 * Virginity Makes You Stupid: Sort of.
 * Weapon of Choice
 * Primary: Einherjar, Cool Sword
 * Secondary: Royal Rapier, Blade on a Stick
 * Tertiary: Sinister Scythe, Simple Staff, Bow

Fia


Granddaughter of Elendia's elder and one of the first girls to join forces with Ein. Fia took care of Ein while he was an amnesiac, and invited him to live with her and her friend Lina. She is well-read and responsible, and explains a great deal about the world to Ein when he still can't remember very much (including several battle mechanics not gone over by Ledah and Rose). She starts out apparently infatuated with Ein, assigning him the suffix -sama in the Japanese version; depending on the choices of the player, she may actually fall in love with him by the end of the game.

Gossiping with the house fairy Coco reveals that Fia has a sweet tooth and is insecure about her weight, and is less mature than she likes to act. Her age and surname are not given by Sting. Some fans hold her birthday to be July 12, the release date of the WSC version of the game.

She is voiced by Yanase Natsumi in Japan and Wendee Lee in the PSP release.


 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * The Chick
 * Clingy Jealous Girl
 * Covert Pervert: Maybe.
 * Feminine Women Can Cook
 * Giant Poofy Sleeves
 * Godiva Hair: In a bathing scene.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Lina.
 * Katanas Are Just Better: She can use two famous Japanese swords, the Zantetsu and Kikuichimonji.
 * Keigo / Japanese Honorifics: She uses them with everyone but Lina.
 * I Found You Like This: Not only is this how she introduces herself to Ein, but this was how she met Lina, as the latter was delivered to her by Ladie and Graham after she was found collapsed outside in a snowstorm.
 * Light'Em Up
 * The Medic
 * Miss Exposition
 * Odd Couple: With Lina.
 * The Ojou
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Sure you didn't peek, Fia. We believe you.
 * Tareme Eyes
 * Theme Naming: Her Overskills are all named after musical terminology.
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Primary: Royal Rapier
 * Secondary: Bow, Magic Wand
 * Tertiary: Spell Book, Cool Sword, Blade on a Stick
 * White Magician Girl: Although her main weapons are rapiers, Fia is the only character to consistently learn healing techniques, and her stats make her more appropriate for using magic than physical attacks.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko: Or so she would seem...

Lina / Lyuri
"A single arrow can pierce through the sky and summon terrifying lightning. She grips a tiny ray of hope with those small hands of hers."

- Calendar disc flavor text

A Sprite girl who's lived with Fia since she moved to Elendia two years ago. Lina joins up with Ein at the same time as Fia. Lina is cheerful, whimsical, and extremely immature--most of the time. She shows her occasional moments of brilliance and good judgment of character, and helps to cheer Ein up in his Darkest Hour. She doesn't know much about everyday mundane things (like what kinds of wood are used to light her and Fia's own stove), but brings energy and drive to Ein's quest like no other. She doesn't have much affection for Ein initially, but depending on the actions of the player, she can fall in love with him by the end of the game.

Lina is actually quite a bit older than she looks, and her childishness is implied to be just an act to make her look more cutesy. In one scene, she claims to be a year older than Fia (who neither confirms nor denies it). Her surname is not given by Sting. Some fans hold her birthday to be November 22, the release date of the PSP version in Japan.

She is voiced by Konno Hiromi in Japan and Stephanie Sheh in the PSP release


 * All There in the Manual: Her circumstances are explained in one of the Precious Chapter voice dramas.
 * Baleful Polymorph: In one of the dramas.
 * Big Eater: Complained about by Coco, a lot.
 * Bokukko: Although she only uses it while introducing herself.
 * Deliberately Cute Child
 * Dojikko
 * Dub Name Change: Her name is Lyuri in the Japanese version.
 * Fragile Speedster
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Godiva Hair: In a bathing scene.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Fia.
 * Hostile Show Takeover: Lina's pretty much the main character in the voiced dramas, and she features in both cellphone games.
 * Improbable Weapon User: She learns special moves with FRUIT.
 * Kawaiiko
 * Not Helping Your Case: Gets angry that her friends won't believe what she says about her age, but won't drop her affected-cutesy behavior and speech.
 * Odd Couple: With Fia.
 * Older Than They Look
 * Pettanko
 * Shock and Awe
 * Tareme Eyes
 * Third Person Person
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Primary: Bow
 * Secondary: Throw the Book At Them, Wolverine Claws
 * Tertiary: Sinister Scythe, Whip It Good, Blade on a Stick

Serene


A native of Rosalina and a member of the Arcs, a race of Sprite. Serene's village was wiped out by Malice towards the beginning of the game when she was ordered by Hector to gather a thousand Sprites' souls. Ein, Fia, and Lina rescued her from Malice while exploring Lacrima Castle, and she joined up with them afterwards. Serene is the most boyish and rough-natured of the four Sprite girls accompanying Ein, and is friendly with Lina; the two tease each other back and forth over the course of the game. Serene secretly harbors considerable survivor's guilt about being the only Arc to live through the Rosalina massacre. Depending on the player's actions, she can fall in love with Ein by the end of the game.

The Precious Chapter drama CD features an installment that focuses on Serene's Backstory and her life in Rosalina before the game.

Serene is stated to be about the same age as Ein, but her surname is not given by Sting. Some fans hold her birthday to be April 4, the release date of the PSP version in Europe.

She is voiced by Nonaka Ai in Japan and Paula Tiso in the PSP release.


 * A-Cup Angst: According to her jealous internal monologue when rescuing Cierra from falling in Chapter 3 if Ein doesn't make it in time.
 * Action Girl
 * All There in the Manual: The significance of Serene's pendant is explained in one of the voiced dramas included on the Precious Chapter CD.
 * An Ice Person: Subverted; while Serene's primary element is ice, she is outgoing and cheerful.
 * Baleful Polymorph: In one of the dramas.
 * The Big Guy
 * Delinquent: In the High School AU drama.
 * Dull Surprise: Her English voice actress, in the PSP version. Ugh.
 * Fantastic Racism: Against demons, although considering her past, this is somewhat justified.
 * Glass Cannon: She's very powerful, but cannot take a magical punch, a fire punch, or an electric punch worth anything.
 * Hollywood Tone Deaf: She says she sucks at singing, but she can do it just fine if her buddies are in peril...
 * Last of Her Kind
 * Never Learned to Read: In the Japanese version of the game, she's stated to not be completely literate; in the English version, this was changed to her hating to read instead.
 * Pettanko
 * Power Trio: The dramas establish that she used to have one with her best friends in Rosalina, Polly and Tehse.
 * The Prankster
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge
 * She Fu
 * Survivor Guilt
 * Tomboy
 * Tragic Keepsake: Her pendant.
 * Tsurime Eyes
 * Unusual Ears: She has jigokumimi and wears a hat with nekomimi.
 * Winged Humanoid
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Primary: Sinister Scythe
 * Secondary: Blade on a Stick, Wolverine Claws
 * Tertiary: Whip It Good, Cool Sword, Royal Rapier
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Isn't too impressed with Ursula's decision to unleash the Cefiro, thereby forcing Ein and company to have to kill a small number of innocent Sprites to save the rest of them.

Cierra


Known as the Scarlet Witch, Cierra is a magic researcher who normally lives in Wiese Forest. She joined Ein and the other girls while they explored the Nelde Ruins in search of one of the Accursed (which she mistook for Akurst and thought they were looking for magical herbs, at first!); she insisted on traveling with them in order to look for her "friend", Gateau--actually Ein's lost familiar, Rose. Cierra joins the party with a high level of affection for Ein, and is considered by fans to be one of the easiest characters to win over by the end of the game.

Cierra is the oldest of the girls who travel with Ein's party, and acts as an older sister to the others. Her magic, while quite powerful, sometimes tends to be of the hit-or-miss variety because Cierra herself can be quite absentminded. She gets lost easily and isn't very good at making potions, although she is an excellent chef. Although her age is not officially given, she seems to be at least 20 years old (the legal drinking age in Japan), as official and unofficial works both tend to portray her drinking wine or beer. Her surname isn't officially given, either. Some fans hold her birthday to be November 25, the release date for the GBA version in Japan.

She is voiced by Gotoh Yuko in Japan; for the English versions of the game, she is played by Vanessa Morley for the GBA release and Michelle Ruff for the PSP.

"Cierra: "Ein! D-don't look!""
 * Ahoge: Cierra has a very, very small one.
 * Big Breasts, Big Deal: Type I.

""What are you doing to my cute little Millefeuille?! Hell Fire!""
 * Big Damn Heroes: In the audio drama The Melancholy of Millefeuille-chan?!


 * Black Magician Girl
 * Bottle Fairy
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Cool Big Sis
 * Crash Into Hello: With Ein.
 * Crazy Cat Lady
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover
 * Cute Witch
 * The Ditz / Genius Ditz
 * Feminine Women Can Cook
 * Kill It with Fire
 * Magic Misfire
 * Mighty Glacier / Squishy Wizard: A combination of both. Due to having the highest base HP value and a lot of Overskills, Cierra has the highest possible HP total. Her MGC score is so high that you can cast magic at her all day and she won't even feel it--but poke her with a physical attack and half that giant HP bar is gone.
 * Nice Hat
 * No Sense of Direction
 * Obfuscating Stupidity: Cierra sure knows a lot of factoids for someone who can seem so empty-headed...
 * Onee-Sama: Of the smother-you-with-boobsquish-hugs variety.
 * Tareme Eyes
 * Weapon of Choice:
 * Primary: Magic Wand
 * Secondary: Spell Book, Whip It Good
 * Tertiary: Bow, Royal Rapier, Cool Sword
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Rose R. Crawford


Ein's familiar and Exposition Fairy in the first chapter. Rose was assigned to Ein to help him cope with being sent out right after being made a Grim Angel, and is often frustrated with his lack of knowledge about things she believes to be obvious. Although she teases Ein relentlessly, she does care for him deeply, and considers him to be her friend, not just her master. She is shown to have an interest in history, and is very respectful towards Ledah. If none of the heroines care about Ein enough, he returns to Asgard with Rose at the end of the game; all versions from the original GBA release on, however, do include a special ending for her (referred to by fans as her Good Ending or True Ending) that requires a base amount of Cierra's affection.

Rose doesn't like being equated with a cat because of her appearance, and is highly unamused when one of Cierra's potions robs her of her voice. While her age is not given, she is one of three characters from Riviera whose full name was revealed by Sting (and the only one whose full name is revealed in-game). Some fans hold her birthday to be October 18, the release date for the Special Edition of the PSP version in Japan.

She is voiced by Komatsu Rika.


 * Badass Bookworm: Go on, get her Overskill. She really is badass.
 * Bokukko
 * Catgirl: In her good ending.
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Although she's voiced by a woman, Rose has a very deep voice for a female character, and is often mistaken to be male (even by Ein).
 * Demoted to Extra: Rose is often conspicuously absent in scenes from the voiced dramas, although she's in The Precious Chapter more than she was in the Epilogue Disc.
 * Dub Name Change: In the Japanese script, Cierra nicknames her Millefeuille. Probably to save space, Atlus changed this to "Gateau", a generic French word for cake instead of a specific French dessert.
 * Exposition Fairy
 * Familiar
 * First Girl Wins: In her endings.
 * Kill It with Fire: Her Overskill.
 * Official Couple: With Ein, according to the official timeline and Word of God.
 * Only Sane Man
 * Pettanko
 * Samus Is a Girl
 * Talking Animal
 * Tareme Eyes
 * Team Pet: Or at least the girls think so.
 * Tsundere
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Doesn't like the dark. Often gets sent out to investigate small dark spaces.

Ledah Rozwelli


A second Grim Angel, dispatched along with Ein. He is much more experienced than Ein, and much more professional in his dealings with demons and traveling. He and Ein were separated at the end of the first chapter, after which Ledah continued to follow Hector's orders and prepare for the destruction of Riviera. His devotion to the gods' will (which he believes Hector to be the spokesperson of) leads to his confrontation with Ein, subsequent Heel Face Turn, and final Heroic Sacrifice. It is revealed at the end of chapter 6 that Ledah had to sacrifice his emotions to become a Grim Angel, although he does seem to retain some emotional capacity.

Not much of Ledah's background has been released, although his surname and Grim Angel registration number and class were given out with the Prologue Disc. His age is not given, but judging by his voice, he seems to be older than Ein at the very least. Some fans hold his birthday to be June 28, the release date for the GBA version in America.

He is voiced by Morita Masakazu.


 * All There in the Manual: His last name and Grim Angel license, at least...
 * Alternate Character Interpretation: As Ledah doesn't have much emotional capacity, fans can only speculate what he would be like normally. Popular opinion portrays him as either a Kuudere or a Keet.
 * Bishonen
 * Blade on a Stick
 * Crutch Character
 * Demoted to Extra: Ledah is completely absent from the Precious Chapter CD.
 * Emotionless Guy: Literally, too.
 * Guest Star Party Member: In chapter 1 and, if certain conditions are met, chapter 8.
 * Healing Factor: Recovers a small percentage of HP every turn, probably in order to make up for the way that he refuses to use all items other than Lorelei. This is much less impressive in chapter 8, where his healing rate can't always keep up with the amount of damage he takes.
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Although Ledah's true allegiance to the gods never wavers, there's a little confusion as to what the gods' will really is.
 * Heel Face Door Slam: Poor thing.
 * Heroic Sacrifice
 * Japanese Pronouns: A critical part of his characterization; he confers his attitude of others through which pronouns he uses with them. It was largely lost in translation.
 * Kill It with Fire
 * Masakazu Morita
 * Our Angels Are Different
 * Player Punch: His eventual death. Hearing an emotionless man screaming in pain is an... interesting combination of Nightmare Fuel and Tear Jerker material.
 * Ship Tease: With Ein.
 * Gay Option: Played with, especially in chapter 8, but never comes to fruition due to Ledah's Plotline Death.
 * The Stoic
 * Stoic Woobie
 * Student Council President: In the High School AU drama.
 * Tsurime Eyes
 * What Is This Feeling?: According to his voice actor, it's not that Ledah doesn't have any capacity to feel emotions, he just no longer understands how to interpret them.

Malice Ructor


A third Grim Angel, sent to tail Ein and Ledah by Hector. As compared to Ein and Ledah, Malice's loyalties lie only with Hector. She first encountered Ein directly while chasing Serene, and neither of them seemed to recognize each other; he did know who she was by their next meeting, however. Malice says that she gave up her future to become a Grim Angel, but it's eventually revealed by Hector that she failed to become a real Grim Angel and that she (like her Expy characters in Yggdra Union and Knights in The Nightmare) is an artificial Grim Angel with a fake Diviner; she was only his pawn, nothing more. Near the end of the game, she is sacrificed by Hector to resurrect Seth.

Malice's backstory and surname are revealed in one of the voiced dramas on the Epilogue Disc. Her age is never given. Some fans hold her birthday to be May 8, the release date of the PSP version in Australia.

She is voiced by Suzuki Mariko.


 * A Day in The Spotlight: The sole serious voiced drama, Malice, Leaving Her Past, which focuses exclusively on Malice's backstory.
 * All There in the Manual
 * An Axe to Grind
 * An Ice Person
 * Broken Bird
 * Demoted to Extra: Malice is completely absent in the Precious Chapter CD.
 * Expy: Malice has two--#367 (sometimes called Nana) and Primea. Their personalities are nothing like hers, but all of them wear similar clothes and wield an artificial Diviner called Skadi (Toolus in Japan).
 * Freudian Excuse: Malice has some... mommy issues.
 * Gratuitous French: All of her Overskills except Blue Sophia, and many of her basic attacks.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: While Malice is a legitimate girl's name in France, it's... kind of not anywhere else.
 * Our Angels Are Different
 * Princess in Rags
 * Stockholm Syndrome: Malice's life was already ruined by the time she ran into Hector, but he destroyed what was left of it pretty much for shits and giggles, and went on to treat her horribly when she wound up as his pawn. And Malice still all but worships him.
 * Tragic Monster: Figuratively.
 * Tsurime Eyes
 * Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds

Ursula


Defender of Riviera, Ursula is said to be the ghost of a woman who died in Ragnarok, but considering that this is claimed by Hector (and he's a lying liar who lies), her true origins remain shrouded in mystery in-game. She kidnapped Ein and gave him Laser-Guided Amnesia in order to convert him to her cause, and points him in the proper direction to start battling the Accursed. Later, after realizing that she was mistaken about Hector's views, Ursula contacts Ein via a dream to get him to protect her. She fades away at the end of the game, as her existence is linked with Seth's.

According to the side materials, Ursula was created by the gods as a defense mechanism to protect the Retribution--Seth is the embodiment of the gods' power, but to get at her one must first get past Ursula, and because they are symbiotic beings, killing Ursula would defeat the purpose. She is worshipped as a goddess by the Sprites.

Ursula is voiced by Shioyama Yuka.


 * All There in the Manual
 * Batman Gambit: Deciding to try to convert Ein in the first place, and then asking him whether or not he'll defend Riviera.
 * Big Good
 * The Chessmaster: One of the few unambiguously good one in all the Dept. Heaven games.
 * Clap Your Hands If You Believe: She and her fairies can do a lot of pretty impossible stuff as long as they're praying hard enough.
 * Enemy Without: Ursula and Seth seem to be opposite halves of the same concept.
 * Eyes of Gold
 * Fridge Logic: Okay, so she did it for a good cause, but Ursula's treatment of Ein is a little... questionable...
 * God's Hands Are Tied
 * Mind Rape: ...think about it for a minute.
 * Omniscient Morality License: Introduces herself to the player by attacking Ein and Ledah, kidnapping Ein, torturing him, and then brainwashing him. It was for a good cause, though, so nobody holds it against her.
 * Physical God: Technically demigoddess, but the Sprites don't care.
 * Rapunzel Hair
 * Stripperiffic
 * Tareme Eyes
 * Winged Humanoid

Hector


A recurring character over the Dept. Heaven series, Hector is one of the Seven Magi, and is finally the main villain of Riviera. He spent the past several millennia planning a takeover of Asgard, and set it into motion by getting Malice to revive demons in Riviera, giving him an excuse to send his Laser Guided Tykebomb trio down to actuate the Retribution and destroy Riviera, conveniently giving him the opportunity to grasp the gods' power for himself. Unfortunately for Hector, Ursula kidnapped and converted the weakest Laser Guided Tykebomb, Ein, and turned him into her own Laser Guided Spanner in the Works. Hector's grandiose and complicated Xanatos Roulette is brought to a screeching halt For Want of a Nail.

In addition to his role as main villain here, he has a cameo appearance in Knights in The Nightmare and is referenced in Yggdra Union.

As over the past two games in the series, Hector is shown having brought about the utter ruin of an innocent Wide-Eyed Idealist, narrowly avoiding a The Dog Bites Back from said Wide-Eyed Idealist-turned-Magnificent Bastard via interference by some trusty, well-meaning Unwitting Pawns ( in Yggdra Union), abusing his test subjects, and sending the gods' most devout servant on a suicide mission that ends in her fall from grace, this man has garnered a respectable amount of fan hate. Taking him down at last is kind of satisfying.

He is voiced by Sugiyama Noriaki.


 * A God Am I
 * All There in the Manual
 * The Chessmaster
 * Complete Monster
 * Evil Laugh: While this doesn't occur in-game, it's brilliantly played by his seiyuu in one of the Epilogue Disc dramas.
 * Evil Sorcerer
 * Hidden Eyes
 * In the Hood
 * Insufferable Genius: Hector is a skilled enough magician to accomplish feats thought to be impossible even in Asgard (such as creating the dimensional link between Asgard and Riviera that we know as the Maze of Shadows in-game), and he's got about twice as much ego as he does skill.
 * Karma Houdini: Up until he gets smacked in the face with Ein, at least.
 * Mean Character, Nice Actor
 * Memetic Molester: Depending on who you ask, his victims include one or more of the following--Ein, Ledah, Malice, Seth, Nessiah, #367, Marietta, and Primea. There is porn of it, and that porn is often Nightmare Fuel; the fans have a tendency to play Hector's status as unofficial series rapist horrifically straight.
 * Mind Rape
 * Noriaki Sugiyama
 * Power Perversion Potential: We're talking about a man with a confirmed god complex and incredible political power who just so happens to wield a staff called the Tentacle Rod...
 * Selfish Evil
 * Smug Snake
 * Villainous Breakdown: Twice.
 * Villain with Good Publicity