Riviera: The Promised Land/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The cast of Riviera: The Promised Land.

WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

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 Rie Kugimiya in Japan and Yuri Lowenthal in the PSP release.

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.

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

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 Ai Nonaka in Japan and Paula Tiso in the PSP release.

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 Yūko Gotō 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!"

"What are you doing to my cute little Millefeuille?! Hell Fire!"

  • Black Magician Girl: Fire, ice or holy magic needed? Just ask her.
  • Hard-Drinking Party Girl
  • Cloudcuckoolander: She gets easily distracted or lost in thoughts. This got the team into peril at least once.
  • Cool Big Sis: While sometimes a bit off, she's still a responsible and intelligent person and always someone who hears people out about their problems.
  • Crash Into Hello: With Ein.
  • Crazy Cat Lady: Well, more crazy about cats. Especially when they have bat wings.
    • Kindhearted Cat Lover: Again, she's a good person and this is emphasized when it comes to caring about Rose (even though she messed up her latter's voice with a potion by accident).
  • Cute Witch: Also a Hot Witch.
  • Feminine Women Can Cook: The girliest of the group and excellent when it comes to any kind of cooking.
  • Genius Ditz: She sometimes gets lost in thought, but she's highly proficient in magic, cooking and helping others about their problems.
  • Kill It with Fire: Her element of choice is fire, but ice and holy also work.
  • Magic Misfire: She's known to mess up spells she doesn't know. Thankfully, this doesn't happen in actual battles.
  • 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: As a witch, she has a witch hat.
  • No Sense of Direction: Gets the team lost into the Four Seasons Forest, a horrible area for characters and players alike. Also tends to wander around aimlessly at times.
  • 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: Like for most of the girls, these emphasize her gentleness.
  • Weapon of Choice:
  • Zettai Ryouiki: Grade B at least.

Rose R. Crawford

In both feline and humanoid flavors.

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.

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 Masakazu Morita.

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.

  • All There in the Manual: Her full name and backstory, among others.
  • An Axe to Grind: Her fake Diviner, Skadi.
  • An Ice Person: Her element of choice is ice, with some darkness thrown in.
  • Broken Bird: The reason she throws in her lot with Hector, who gave her a new purpose in life. Too bad he's a total jerkass.
  • A Day in The Spotlight: The sole serious voiced drama Malice, Leaving Her Past which focuses exclusively on Malice's backstory.
  • Demoted to Extra: Malice is completely absent in the Precious Chapter drama 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: She isn't even one to begin with: she's been lied to the entire time in that she is neither a Grim Angel, nor a Living Weapon hence, nor did she receive a real Diviner (this also explains how she could sacrifice her future, an abstract concept, compared to something real like emotions or wings; namely she didn't).
  • Princess in Rags: In her backstory, she's the daughter of a noble house whose life was destroyed by the war between Asgard and Utgard.
  • 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: Unlike Ledah or Selene, these empasize her hatred.
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: She had a truly horrible life and winds up as a Tragic Monster.

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: Her background and purpose.
  • 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: She's the protector of Riviera and adored by the sprites and fairies for that and her gentleness. On the other hand, she's a dangerous foe and not against manipulation.
  • 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
  • God's Hands Are Tied: She can't fight against Seth because she's busy holding Riviera together. Hector knows that.
  • 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: She has some of the longest hairs you'll ever see.
  • Stripperiffic: Much like the fairies (and incidentially the demon siblings Fool and Sage), she's only dressed in bandages.
  • Tareme Eyes: ...yet another one.
  • Winged Humanoid: She has unique butterfly-esque wings.

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 (the Royal Army 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 Noriaki Sugiyama.

  • All There in the Manual: Turns out he commited so many atrocities in the past, nobody will ever miss him.
  • The Chessmaster: Just about everything that happens in the series is part of Hector's plan. Ein is the only loose end, and he manages to unravel the whole thing.
  • 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: Unusual in that he doesn't use evil magic or evil forces. He's just a very powerful mage who also happens to be very evil.
  • A God Am I: His ultimate goal. He succeeds, but not for very long.
  • Hidden Eyes: It's one of many signs that he's more than what he seems.
  • In the Hood: It covers his entire face. The only time it comes off is when he fuses with Seth.
  • 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: He's an absolute jackass. His actor is a cool guy.
  • Mind Rape: Oh, so you just lost your home and don't know what to do? Come Hector, and you'll forget who you were, then get turned into his puppet.
  • 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: His ego is immense. Unlike most examples, he can actually back it up.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Twice.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Or so he thinks: he IS one of the 7 Magi who are generally respected. Any one who knows him personally (except Malice) hates him with a passion.
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