List of Golden Sun characters

Camelot Software Planning's Golden Sun series of console role-playing games, consisting of 2001's Golden Sun for Game Boy Advance and its 2003 Game Boy Advance follow-up, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, deals with the efforts of opposing groups of magic-wielding warriors concerning the restoration of the omnipotent force of Alchemy to the fictional world of Weyard. Classified as Adepts of Weyard's four base elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, these characters possess the ability to employ a chi-like form of magic named Psynergy. Adepts among the common populace are few and far between the settlements of the game's world. The game's characters were created and illustrated by Camelot's Shin Yamanouchi.

Main playable characters

Isaac

File:Isaac Move Assist.JPG

Isaac, appearing for the first time in a 3D console game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Isaac (ロビン, Robin in Japanese language versions) is the 17 year old silent protagonist of the first Golden Sun and may be considered the main character of the Golden Sun series as a whole. A Venus Adept, an individual with the ability to manipulate earth-based forces of nature such as ground and plants through a sorcerous craft called Psynergy, Isaac is virtuous and caring, yet not to a fault, as he can also be critical and confrontational towards those in opposition to the task his group has been assigned. He hails from the town of Vale at the foot of Mt. Aleph. When he and his friends Garet and Jenna join the scholar Kraden in exploring the mountain's Sol Sanctum, circumstances see the group led by Saturos and Menardi pilfer the Sanctum of its four Elemental Star jewels so that they can restore Alchemy to the world by activating the four Elemental Lighthouses across Weyard. The guardian of Alchemy's seal, the Wise One, explains that the restoration and subsequent abuse of Alchemy by the citizenry can have potentially disastrous consequences for all, so Isaac receives the great task to pursue and defeat Saturos' band. Thus does Isaac set out on an epic journey across Weyard as the leader of a group of friends that include Garet, Ivan, and Mia. Although he pursues his objective valiantly, and in fact is able to ultimately slay Saturos and Menardi in a climactic confrontation atop the aerie of Venus Lighthouse, two of the Elemental Lighthouses are nonetheless activated, and he must now continue pursuing the remaining members of Saturos' group - his former friend Felix and the Water Adept Alex - who continue their quest in Saturos' stead.

Isaac's continued effort through Golden Sun: The Lost Age to prevent the restoration of Alchemy sees his group locked in mortal combat with Karst and Agatio, warriors bent on avenging the deaths of their clanmates Saturos and Menardi, and Felix steps in to battle the pair and save Isaac. Afterwards, Isaac learns startling truths about Alchemy from Felix about how it is actually necessary for the world to survive, so he makes the decision to defy the Wise One's command and join Felix in restoring Alchemy to Weyard. He, along with the rest of his companions, fight against the Wise One's Doom Dragon at the top of Mars Lighthouse. Upon defeating the dragon, however, the large group realizes they have killed Felix and Jenna's parents and Issac's father. At the end of the game, after having restored Alchemy to the world (and the parents are miraculously revived), Isaac's body unwittingly gains a portion of the power of a sphere of Alchemy called the Golden Sun, and he finds that what the Wise One had put him and his friends through was a test of their resolve; his restoring of Alchemy against the Wise One's command, and his ability to withstand the temporary trauma of the revelation that he murdered his own father, demonstrates that Isaac is capable to handle the great responsibility of ensuring that Alchemy be not used for evil by people across Weyard.

Isaac was recently confirmed as an unlockable assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When he appears, Isaac conjures three large hands by using his 'Move' psynergy to shove his opponents off the stage.

Garet

Garet (ジェラルド, Jerarudo, Gerald in Japanese language versions) is Isaac’s close friend and confidant. He is a Mars Adept, an individual who can employ Psynergy to magically manipulate powers of fire, heat, and lava. The second of the Mayor of Vale’s three grandchildren, he has a flower-loving elder sister (her name is implied to be Kay) and a spunky kid brother (his name is equally implied as Aaron). Garet generally fits the bill of a typical “gung-ho” counterpart to Isaac in the story. He is often brash and hot tempered, oafish, clumsy, and carries a general lack of focus on important matters at hand, and is at times a source of comic relief, the first example being when Garet climbs onto Isaac's roof to meet him and accidentally pokes holes in it with his clumsy footing. Nevertheless, Garet shares complete trust between himself and Isaac as though they are brothers, and his support and loyalty to the party are without question.

Garet, having been present in Mt. Aleph's Sol Sanctum with Isaac when Saturos pilfered the Sanctum's Elemental Star jewels, is tasked by the Wise One to accompany Isaac in his endeavor to stop Saturos from activating the Elemental Lighthouses and restoring Alchemy to the world, to which Garet stays true. Late in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Garet displays selfless bravery when Mia falls into a trap at Jupiter Lighthouse and he risks death to save her, though he ends up the one in the most danger as he hang off the tower's edge with just one arm, and his left arm injured. At the end of the game, the town of Vale is quite literally erased by the return of Alchemy, and Garet momentarily undergoes grief under the belief that all of the townspeople, including his family, are gone forever, but that is before it is revealed that the Wise One evacuated everyone out of Vale prior to its destruction.

Ivan

Ivan (イワン, Iwan) is a 15-year-old Jupiter Adept, an individual who has the ability to conjure through Psynergy forces of wind and electricity, as well as read the minds of people and animals alike and perceive hidden truths. He is a relatively quiet, insightful young man who is unaware of his past or his parents; he had lived with the merchant Hammet in the town of Kalay all his life, and he possesses a mysterious artifact called the Shaman's Rod. Ivan is unwittingly the central figure to a prophecy held by the people of Kalay, which is as follows: Three years after an incident at the nearby Mt. Aleph, Ivan is to join Isaac and Garet from the town of Vale on a worldwide journey. During this journey, the Shaman’s Rod that Ivan holds is to be brought to the Shaman Village and exchanged for the ability to perform the Hover Psynergy spell, a power that was characteristic to Ivan’s Anemos ancestors, and this power is then to be used to climb and eventually light the Jupiter Lighthouse, restoring Contigo morally. Afterwards, Ivan will depart with his party on a flying ship with wings constructed with materials found in the nearby Anemos Sanctum and join the effort to restore Alchemy to the world.

Initially, the events that occur when Ivan joins the warriors Isaac and Garet from Vale seem to counteract what was predicted; they are on a quest to prevent the activation of the four Lighthouses of the world and the subsequent release of Alchemy. Ivan helps Isaac fight Isaac’s opponents valiantly but is nonetheless unable to prevent the activation of the Mercury and Venus lighthouses. At the aerie of Venus Lighthouse, Ivan is forced to relinquish the Shaman’s Rod to Felix to ensure the safety of Sheba. Felix proceeds to depart on a world journey of his own to light the remaining lighthouses with Ivan and Isaac in pursuit to stop him, and Felix trades the Shaman’s Rod at Shaman village for the Hover Psynergy. After activating the Jupiter Lighthouse, Felix’s party meets Isaac’s party and the two sort out their differences when they realize their overall goal is the same. Once the combined party departs from Contigo on Felix’s flying ship (which now has the Wings of Anemos attached to it), the predictions of the prophecy are fulfilled, and Ivan helps the final effort to restore Alchemy.

Mia

Mia (メアリィ, Mearī, Mary in Japanese language versions) is a 17-year-old Mercury Adept from the wintry town of Imil, and is one of the last living descendants of the Mercury Clan. As a Mercury Adept, Mia is able to use Psynergy to conjure sorcery based on water and ice, like the rest of her mostly departed clan, including one of the other known living descendants, Alex. Mia had previously held Alex as her apprentice, and as the custodians of the Mercury clan their sworn responsibilities were to live as the healers of the populace and to ensure that the Mercury Lighthouse near town is never lit. However, Alex betrays that charge by siding with Saturos and activating the Mercury Lighthouse's beacon with him, and subsequently departing Imil with Saturos; in response, Mia joins the party of the young warrior Isaac in his objective to pursue and stop Saturos, Alex, and their group from releasing the potentially volatile force of Alchemy throughout the world. Mia becomes the designated healing figure to Isaac’s party in their journey from then on through Golden Sun and throughout most of The Lost Age.

Throughout Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Isaac and Mia do not encounter Alex again for the duration of their journey across Weyard, even as they succeed in slaying Saturos. Late in the game, however, they receive the revelation from Felix's traveling party that Alchemy's return is in all actuality necessary for the world to physically survive, so they join Felix in finishing Saturos' objective and travel to Mars Lighthouse, the last Lighthouse that needs to be lit for Alchemy to return. the Wise One reveals to them that both Isaac’s party and Saturos’ have been played for fools from the start; the entire effort of the Adepts to restore Alchemy has been taken advantage of by the Water Adept, Alex, who is now at Mt. Aleph awaiting the restoration of Alchemy to occur there so that he can gain unimaginable power for himself. Everyone is thunderstruck; Mia, in particular, feels outright sick with disgust that her own clanmate of the Mercury Clan would employ such a base tactic for self-gain, and she is later heard voicing that she will never forgive Alex for using their epic conflicts to his advantage. When the world is saved and Alex turns up missing, Mia returns to her serene disposition.

Felix

Felix (ガルシア, Garushia, Garcia in Japanese language versions) is the silent protagonist of Golden Sun: The Lost Age and may be considered the game's counterpart and rival to the prequel's main playable character, Isaac. Felix is a Venus Adept like Isaac, possessing the ability to manipulate earth-based forces of nature such as terra and flora through Psynergy. Felix lived in Vale with his younger sister Jenna, Isaac, and Garet, but the boulder disaster in Golden Sun's prologue nearly killed him. He and his parents were rescued by Saturos and Menardi of Prox, and they were separated from Jenna and the others when brought up to Prox to live there for three years under Saturos' tutelage. Felix becomes indebted to serve and assist Saturos in his objective to restore Alchemy to the world; circumstances in the present set Isaac's objective to prevent Alchemy's return, so the two young warriors, alongside their respective parties, are set up to be rivals-in-conflict throughout all of Golden Sun and most of The Lost Age. All throughout this time period, Felix is not presented a proper opportunity to explain to Isaac his motivation for assisting Saturos' objective.

At the end of Golden Sun, Isaac's party is able to slay Saturos in battle after the latter activates two of the four Elemental Lighthouses that are to be lit to initiate Alchemy's return, and Felix must carry on Saturos' quest to light the remaining two Lighthouses, under the watchful eyes and pressure of Alex and Prox's Karst and Agatio. During the duration of his journey across Weyard in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, with his party of Jenna, Sheba, Piers, and Kraden, Felix does not encounter Isaac's group, and he comes to learn a shocking truth about Alchemy and how it is actually what sustains Weyard's life force, so restoring Alchemy is an absolute necessity. Karst and Agatio, bent on exacting revenge upon Isaac for the deaths of Saturos and Menardi, eventually make their move, and despite their warnings to him and the fact that Felix and Isaac are at odds, Felix saves Isaac's life from Karst and Agatio and battles his "comrades" off. Felix is finally able to tell Isaac afterwards about the importance of Alchemy's return, and that his original motivation for assisting Saturos' quest was to win the freedom of his parents in Prox. Having come to this invaluable understanding, Felix and Isaac and their respective parties join forces and set out to restore Alchemy to the world with the activation of the last Lighthouse, Mars Lighthouse.

Jenna

Jenna (ジャスミン, Jasumin, Jasmine in Japanese language versions), a 17-year-old red haired, female Mars Adept from Vale, is the younger sister of Felix. It is also hinted by Sheba that she and Isaac are "an item". A more outgoing, tomboyish girl than others, Jenna travels the full spectrum of depression and joy through the course of the two games in the Golden Sun series. She lived in Vale with her brother and their friends Isaac and Garet, but three years she was emotionally traumatized by the Mt. Aleph boulder disaster which appeared to cause the deaths of all her immediate family, including Felix. Early in Golden Sun, however, Saturos and Menardi pilfer Mt. Aleph of three of the four Elemental Stars necessary to activate the four Elemental Lighthouses situated across Weyard which would cause Alchemy to be returned to the world. Saturos' group, which includes a very alive Felix, takes Jenna hostage and forces her into their company for Isaac to follow so that she could later on be used as a bargaining chip for Isaac to give them the fourth Star which he now holds. In being the hostage that Isaac and Garet hope to free, Jenna becomes the conventional "Damsel in Distress" throughout Golden Sun.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, after the deaths of Saturos and Menardi, Felix is to lead the remaining members of the group out on the rest of their quest to restore Alchemy, and Jenna becomes a playable party member. By this time she has learned the amazing truth from Felix: that their parents are alive and well in the colony of Prox, and they will be set free by Prox once Saturos' quest has been completed, so Jenna is more than willing to participate in the objective of her hostage-takers. After a long and dramatic quest across Weyard, Isaac and Felix sort out their differences and join forces, much to Jenna's delight, and they set out to activate the one remaining Lighthouse. The Wise One stands in their way, however, intent on stopping them from disobeying his command to Isaac to keep Alchemy sealed, and he forces them to battle a creation called the Doom Dragon. After the Adepts slay the beast, they tragically realize that they have slain an amalgam of Jenna parents; she undergoes outward grief that prompts her friends to lash out and curse the Wise One’s name for his cruel deceit. However, she sees the resolve of Isaac and Felix in their lighting of the Mars Lighthouse, and finds the strength to agree with them that this was the price necessary to save all the inhabitants of Weyard, a price worth paying. But when Alchemy is restored, their parents are revived and nursed back to health, per the Wise One's plan, and Jenna is completely uplifted.

Sheba

Sheba (シバ, Shiba) is a 14-year-old Jupiter Adept much like Ivan in that they can both employ Psynergy forces of wind and electricity, as well as read the minds of both people and animals and perceive hidden truths. Her past is intentionally kept an enigmatic secret from both the other characters and the player, with only hints and indications of her origins provided throughout the two games in the series. In Golden Sun as a baby, Sheba is described as having fallen from the sky and landing north of her would-be hometown of Lalivero with the force of a meteorite, miraculously surviving without so much as a bruise. Her adoptive family in Lalivero, alongside the rest of the town, would dub Sheba “Child of the Gods” for this and would raise her with nearly divine reverence.

In Golden Sun in the present, Sheba is kidnapped by Babi, lord of Tolbi, to persuade the Laliverans to build him Babi Lighthouse north of Lalivero, but she is later released when Babi enlists the aid of Isaac and his party for his purpose. But Sheba is subsequently captured by Saturos and Menardi, looking for a Jupiter Adept to help them on their quest to restore Alchemy. This groups Sheba along with Jenna as a typical “Damsel in Distress” that Isaac and friends try to rescue in Golden Sun. At the end of the game, when Saturos and Menardi are defeated in battle by Isaac’s party at the top of the recently activated Venus Lighthouse , the Lighthouse triggers an earthquake that causes Sheba to slip and fall off the towering structure, and Felix, Saturos’ companion, jumps after her. It may not have been due to luck that both survived the long fall; the sea is described as having risen up to the lighthouse just as they fell and caught both of them.

Afterwards in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Sheba willingly becomes part of a traveling party led by Felix to restore Alchemy to the world by activating the remaining Elemental Lighthouses, and Sheba explains that she hopes she can unravel her destiny through this quest. Throughout the journey, however, she never finds her family, though the player learns of the myth of the ancient Anemos tribe of Jupiter Adepts, who are said to have once lifted a great city off the ground and placed it in the sky to become what is known as the Moon. It would not be out of the question, then, for Sheba to have originated from this floating city and have fallen off it in the past, though this is not explicitly stated in the game, and this therefore remains a central point of contention among the game's fanbase.

Piers

Piers (ピカード, Pikādo, Picard in Japanese language versions) is a Mercury Adept hailing from the secluded, Atlantis-like society of Lemuria, located in the center of the Great Eastern Sea and shrouded by an impenetrable fog and maze of oceanic crags. As a Lemurian, his appearance is characterized by his bold yellow eyes and his bluish hair, but though he appears to be in his twenties, it is implied that he could be centuries old. All Lemurians have uncannily extended lifespans thanks to a mystical influence that hangs over Lemuria that prevents its inhabitants from aging at the standard rate. As a result, Piers sometimes comes off as high-and-mighty, but he carries a strong sense of honor. Piers lived with his mother and uncle for a long time (his father passed away when he was young), until in Golden Sun: The Lost Age, when the return of a demigod named Poseidon causes a tidal wave that assaults much of Weyard's eastern half, and Piers is inadvertently driven out of Lemuria on his ship by this. When Felix and his party go out of their way to help Piers out of a certain predicament, Piers is impressed and lets Felix commandeer his ship with him. Their objectives are twofold: Piers aims to return to his home while Felix aims to continue his quest to restore Alchemy to the world by activating the remaining Elemental Lighthouses.

After a great period of time exploring the Great Eastern Sea, Felix and Piers make a successful attempt to reenter Lemuria, defeating Poseidon along the way, and Piers is allowed back in with his newfound friends, where he soon finds that his mother has died due to sadness and a weak heart. Piers finds the time to pay his last respects to his mother before going with Felix to convene with the Lemurian king Hydros. Their lengthy discussion reveals to Felix the true nature of the effects of Alchemy’s absence on the world of Weyard over the ages; its return effectively means saving the world from collapse. Hydros knows this full well, so he therefore tasks Piers to accompany Felix on the rest of the latter's quest to restore Alchemy to the world. However, Hydros’ lord advisor, Conservato, has always viewed Alchemy as nothing but a destructive threat, and objects to letting Piers endanger the world in his eyes. Therefore, Conservato assures Piers that he will be banished from Lemuria if he leaves to accompany Felix, but Piers accepts this consequence and leaves Lemuria with Felix as they head out on the final stages of Felix’s journey in the Great Western Sea.

Antagonists

Alex

Alex (アレクス, Arekusu) is a Mercury Adept who along with Mia is one of the last living members of the Mercury clan of Adepts. As such, he possesses the ability to conjure sorcerous powers of water and ice. Among Adepts, Alex possesses a particularly powerful command of the Psynergy arts and is able to do things most others can't, including teleportation and levitation. In Golden Sun, he was formerly Mia's fellow apprentice in the wintry town of Imil, and together they shared the responsibility to act as healers and protectors of the populace, as well as prevent the nearby Mercury Lighthouse from activation. To Mia's great horror, Alex betrays his charge and allies with Saturos and Menardi in their objective to restore Alchemy to the world by activating the Elemental Lighthouses, and Alex helps him light Mercury. When Mia accompanied by Isaac confronts him over it, Alex simply states that there is great power to be had if Alchemy is unleashed throughout the world. Throughout the rest of the game, Alex assists Saturos' effort as Mia and Isaac's party pursues with the intention to stop them, but Alex's real motivation behind his actions are not revealed at this point.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Saturos and Menardi are defeated by Isaac and his companions for good, and it falls to their companion Felix to continue Saturos' quest. Alex decides to leave his group and act more as a neutral party. He meets Karst and Agatio and brings them over to Felix so they can threaten Felix's party to complete its objective to activate the remaining Lighthouses soon; after all, Alex had explained that his one desire is to see the powerful force of Alchemy returned to Weyard, so he will take whatever measures necessary to facilitate this process. Likewise, when Karst and Agatio make an attempt on Isaac's life, Alex gives Felix some assistance in confronting the pair to save Isaac because Alex knows that Felix would not bring himself to activate the Lighthouses otherwise, citing how Felix lacks Alex's ability to "discard" those who are no longer "of use" to him.

The finale of The Lost Age exposes as a dramatic revelation the truly Machiavellian motive behind Alex's assistance toward the effort to restore Alchemy; his plan is to be at the peak of Mt. Aleph, at the site where Alchemy will be returned to Weyard once the final Lighthouse is lit, so that he can absorb untold amounts of Alchemy-based power for himself, power from the sphere of golden light that forms when the four Lighthouses are lit and their beacons merge in the airspace above Mt. Aleph, the Golden Sun. This goes as planned, and triumphant over his gain, Alex throws mercy to the wind and attempts to summon a storm to assault Vale to test his power. But the storm does not manifest, and Alex is confronted by the Wise One, who explains that because of a precaution the Wise One took long ago, Alex has not gained the entirety of the Sun's power; the portion he lacks is in the possession of Isaac. Enraged by the Wise One's ploy, Alex attempts to attack him with the power he has, but the Wise One magically renders Alex's body immobile. Then the mountain and the landscape surrounding it mutate and collapse after Alchemy has returned, and the Wise One states that Alex may not survive what he is about to experience: being drawn into the heart of the earth forever. Alex's fate is open to interpretation. Alex can be considered the overall antagonist of the series, because although the player never actually fights him, he is the puppet master behind most of the antagonistic forces throughout the series.

Saturos and Menardi

Saturos (サテュロス, Satyurosu) and Menardi (メナーディ, Menādi) are the main antagonists of Golden Sun. A pair of immensely powerful and talented Mars Adepts with aptitude in swordplay and fire-based spellcraft, the pair are of a unique humanlike race with dragon-like scales and spikes on their forearms and shoulders. The race hails from and is primarily settled in the colony of Prox in Weyard's northernmost polar reaches, and because every member of the race is an Adept aligned with the fiery Mars element (hence why Prox's denizens are collectively known as the Mars Clan), every member has a natural resistance and immunity to extreme cold. In Golden Sun, Saturos and Menardi, as two of Prox's foremost warriors, set out on an objective to restore the force of Alchemy to the world by activating the four Elemental Lighthouses situated throughout Weyard with the four corresponding jewels known as the Elemental Stars. Their motives for doing so are not apparent to the player until the end of The Lost Age.

In Golden Sun's prologue three years before the present, Saturos and Menardi, as part of a larger group sent by the people of Prox, first attempt to acquire the Elemental Stars by invading and raiding Sol Sanctum within Mt. Aleph, near the town of Vale. However, in disturbing the sanctum, they trigger a magic thunderstorm around Mt. Aleph that drives the two of them out, and also leaves them the only members of the group alive, while a giant boulder falls down the mountain and crashes through Vale. Their first attempt at Sol Sanctum failed, Saturos and Menardi must return to Prox, but not before finding four people assaulted by the boulder—Felix, his two parents, and Isaac’s father Kyle—and deciding to bring them back with them to Prox, in effect saving their lives. Over the next three years, Saturos and Menardi prepare for another raid attempt at Sol Sanctum. They know that they will require an Adept in their ranks for each element of Lighthouse in order to enter and activate that Lighthouse, so they train Felix into a capable Venus Adept warrior, and they accept the aid of the Mercury Adept Alex as well. Saturos, Menardi, Felix, and Alex eventually set out again on their great objective to unleash Alchemy on the world.

When Saturos' group raids Sol Sanctum a second time, they chance upon Isaac, Garet, Jenna, and Kraden investigating the shrine as well. They are able to pilfer three of the Elemental Stars, but the volcano begins erupting and they must flee with the fourth Mars Star in Isaac's possession; they therefore take Jenna and Kraden as hostages for Isaac to follow. With the group numbering six, Saturos' band must now rush to complete their quest. They first activate Mercury Lighthouse with Alex's help, then on their way to Venus Lighthouse they chance upon the Jupiter Adept Sheba and force her into their ranks so that they can be able to enter Jupiter Lighthouse in the future. When they reach Venus Lighthouse at the end of Golden Sun and successfully activate that as well, Saturos and Menardi are confronted by Isaac's party, and the pair engage Isaac's side in mortal combat to end their meddling and take the Mars Star from them, but even after the pair of Mars Adepts perform their ultimate power - the merging and transforming of their bodies into a single, gigantic, two-headed dragon -, they are ultimately defeated by Isaac's determined and powerful group of warriors and friends. Stunned at their defeat, the two topple into the well of the emerging Venus beacon to their deaths. It now falls to the rest of Saturos' group, now led by Felix, to continue Saturos and Menardi's quest in The Lost Age.

Karst and Agatio

Karst (カースト, Kāsuto) and Agatio (アガティオ, Agatio) are the main antagonists of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, and are both literal and spiritual counterparts to the previous game's Saturos and Menardi in that they are another pair of powerful, scale-skinned, fire-conjuring warriors from the colony of Prox. Karst is the younger, nimbler sister of Menardi, and Agatio is perhaps Prox's most powerful warrior. In The Lost Age, the pair depart from Prox to look for their two comrades, but Karst learns that they were killed in battle by a warrior named Isaac. Led by bitter rage and vengeance, Karst vows to avenge her sister's death by searching for Isaac to kill him. Saturos' former group companion Alex finds the pair and updates them on how Felix is now the one leading Saturos' original effort to return Alchemy to the world. Alex leads Karst and Agatio to Felix's traveling party, and Karst threatens Felix with retribution should the latter falter in carrying out the quest in Saturos' name, and also for if he should attempt to protect his rival-yet-former-friend Isaac from Karst's wrath in the future. Karst, Agatio, and Alex on their own ship keep a watchful eye on Felix's party as they proceed with their oceanic journeys through much of The Lost Age.

When Felix’s party reaches and proceeds to climb Jupiter Lighthouse, Isaac's party follows and pursues them to stop their objective to activate the Lighthouse, but they are divided and ambushed by Karst and Agatio. But Felix steps in to save Isaac, against Karst’s threat to him earlier, and Karst is forced to agree to let Felix take the Mars Star from Isaac and activate the Jupiter Lighthouse with the Jupiter Star in exchange for sparing Isaac’s life. Deciding that Felix can no longer be trusted because of his defiance, Karst and Agatio steal the Mars Star from Felix and immediately attempt to kill him, but the other members of his party join in the fight and a fierce confrontational battle ensures. Alex, however, steps in and prevents one side from slaying the other because, now that Karst and Agatio are the ones with the Mars Star, it is up to them to activate the final Lighthouse, the Mars Lighthouse to the north, and Isaac's party has recuperated and is coming after them. The pair leaves with Alex to accomplish the rest of Saturos' objective to restore Alchemy, and Karst is forced to indefinitely abandon her vow to exterminate Isaac.

Karst and Agatio return to their hometown of Prox with the Mars Star in hand and proceed to enter the nearby Mars Lighthouse to climb and activate it and complete Prox's objective, but the Wise One appears before them, gauges their souls, and determines that they lack the will to go any farther, and the entity transforms the pair into mindless, hulking Flame Dragons. Meanwhile, Felix and Isaac's unified party passes through Prox, and they and the player learn why Saturos and Menardi were sent out by Prox to revive the force of Alchemy: the edge of the world up north is expanding and creeping closer to the colony, and only with Alchemy's return can both the town and the rest of the world be saved. This effectively means that Saturos and Menardi were woefully misunderstood heroes in Golden Sun, even if demonstrably embittered. The clan of Adepts decide to honor Saturos' objective by entering the Lighthouse to light it themselves. They encounter the Flame Dragons, and when they smite them the dragons are revealed as the dying forms of Karst and Agatio. The pair, recognizing the circumstances and the consequent valiancy of Isaac and Felix, entrust the Mars Star to them before their untimely deaths, and Isaac and Felix proceed to the aerie of the Lighthouse with the intent of activating it and saving the world from eventual physical collapse. In having taken it upon themselves to revive the world with the force of Alchemy, yet having lost their lives to the hands of the playable "protagonists", Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio all fulfill the role of the tragic hero in the Golden Sun series.

Other major characters

The Wise One

The Wise One (ワイズマン, Waizu Man, Wise Man in Japanese language versions), a large, spherical, boulder-like entity with one single eye as his only organic feature, is the being that influences the majority of the events in the Golden Sun series. Prior to the first Golden Sun, the Wise One has laid dormant within Mt. Aleph's Sol Sanctum, in the chamber containing the four Elemental Star jewels needed to activate the four Elemental Lighthouses and thus restore the force of Alchemy to the world of Weyard. In the present, when an off-limits investigation into Sol Sanctum conducted by Kraden and Isaac coincides with a raid of Mt. Aleph by Saturos’ band, Saturos and Menardi are able to pilfer three of the Stars before the Wise One appears and they must flee. Isaac, holding the fourth Star (the Mars Star), is instructed by the Wise One to set out on a quest in pursuit of Saturos' group and prevent them from accomplishing their objective of restoring Alchemy to the world, which the Wise One explains is a dangerous power if abused and thus should be kept sealed. The Wise One sets up the scenario of Isaac and his friends that takes place throughout Golden Sun and much of The Lost Age.

Under the influence of the Wise One’s depiction of Alchemy’s destructive potential, Isaac and company valiantly pursue Saturos and Menardi, and at the end of Golden Sun they are even able to slay them in battle atop the Venus Lighthouse, but by then Saturos has activated two of the four Lighthouses and his companion, Isaac's former childhood friend Felix, insists on activating the remaining two lighthouses in Saturos' stead. So Felix's group is pursued by Isaac's group in much the same way throughout much of The Lost Age, but after a dramatic series of events at Jupiter Lighthouse that causes its eventual activation as well, Felix is able to convey to Isaac the reason why Alchemy must be returned: it is the lifeblood of the world, and without it the world will eventually erode away. Isaac joins forces with Felix and heads to the last Lighthouse to activate it against the Wise One's command.

The Wise One confronts the Adepts at the top of the Mars Lighthouse aerie, admonishing Isaac for his decision and describing how mankind may very well destroy the world with Alchemy should it be released, and he reveals that they were all used by Alex who will gain immense power at Mt. Aleph once Alchemy is restored there. Isaac insists on restoring Alchemy to prevent the world's collapse nontheless, so the Wise One summons the Doom Dragon to make them fight for the right to light Mars. After the dragon is slain in an epic battle, the Adepts tragically realize that the Wise One had turned Isaac's father and Felix's parents into this dragon, which they ended up murdering. After a session of grief and rage, the Adepts find the strength to finish the process and activate Mars Lighthouse, initiating the return of Alchemy. Energy let loose by the Mars Lighthouse suddenly miraculously revives the parents. After this event, Kraden later on discerns why the Wise One originally deceived Isaac and put all of the Adepts through the trauma at Mars Lighthouse: it was to test their emotional strength and willingness to accept sacrifices for the greater good. The Wise One wanted Alchemy returned, but only if those who return it prove capable of the great responsibility of ensuring that Alchemy is not abused by the populace across the world like it was in Weyard's ancient past.

Kraden

Kraden (スクレータ, Sukurēta, Sclater in Japanese language versions), an elderly, bespectacled scholar, acts as a consistent "guide" to the traveling party. He was born in a poor village. At the very young age of four, he was taken under the wing of Babi, mayor of Tolbi, to embark on a life of scholarship, consequently being separated from his parents. After a lifetime of studying Alchemy and the four elements of Weyard, Kraden becomes a learned enough man to gain recognition from lord Babi, and he eventually sends Kraden to live at Vale, where he is to study the four jewels known as the Elemental Stars hidden within Sol Sanctum, as well as to observe the Adepts that live at Vale. Kraden moves to Vale and becomes fast friends with the young Adepts Isaac, Garet, and Jenna, along with their parents, and he shares the young ones’ grief when the Mt. Aleph boulder disaster allegedly kills the parents.

Three years afterwards, Kraden’s pressure to fulfill Babi’s wishes merges with his own curiosity enough that he arranges for an unauthorized research expedition into Sol Sanctum consisting of himself and the three Adepts. They end up finding the chamber containing the Stars, but in a major twist of fate their expedition coincides with a raid of Sol Sanctum by the menacing strangers Saturos and Menardi, accompanied by who else but Jenna’s long-lost brother Felix, and Saturos makes Isaac hand over three of the Elemental Stars. When Isaac attempts to fetch the fourth, the area starts erupting, and the Wise One appears, who Kraden immediately recognizes as a figure from his studies. But Kraden is taken hostage with Jenna by Saturos as they flee and leave Isaac behind with the Wise One, and Kraden, of course, is initially remorseful that he ever had the idea of disturbing the sanctum.

Kraden and Jenna quickly come to understand Saturos’ motive for activating the Elemental Lighthouses. Eventually, when Saturos and Menardi are slain at Venus Lighthouse and Felix is made to lead the rest of party, which now includes the Jupiter Adept Sheba, Kraden becomes the group’s advisor from there on, giving Felix advice and insight into the workings of a situation whenever the situation calls for clarification. Of course, since he is an old man who studied books as opposed to swordsmanship, Kraden steps out of the way whenever Felix and his younger friends engage in battle. Kraden proves that his involvement in the quest does stem from his own curiosity in Alchemy more than Babi’s decree when Alex appears a great deal of time later and notifies Kraden of the passing of Babi. Though Kraden is understandably affected, he proclaims that he will continue his participation in the quest in the name of the pursuit of knowledge all the way.

Babi

Babi was the imposing mayor of the commercially successful city of Tolbi. He had ruled Tolbi for over one hundred years, and in fact lived to 150 years of age thanks to his supply of Lemurian draught. In the context of the story, Babi can be seen as a ruler whose kingdom’s economic and military power has cast a shadow of misconception over his public image, regardless of whether or not he deserves that image. He influences events concerning Lemuria, Lalivero (Sheba’s hometown), and the Venus Lighthouse.

Babi’s lifespan was continuously extended by consumption of specialized Lemurian draught which he acquired from Lemuria on a boating expedition long ago. Since then, he has been looking for ways to regain access into Lemuria to fetch more draught because he clearly desired to avoid death. By the time Saturos’ effort to restore Alchemy was initiated, Babi had undertaken three separate alternatives in a desperate attempt to preserve his life: Sending his student Kraden to the town of Vale to study Mt. Aleph and Sol Sanctum up close, for Babi understandably took an increasing interest in Alchemy’s alleged ability to thwart death itself; Blackmailing the coastal town of Lalivero by kidnapping Sheba so that they would build upon the ruins north of the town a great watchtower that, when completed, would help orient Babi’s navy in sailing into Lemuria in the open sea; And hosting an annual tournament of warriors known as Colosso whose purpose for Babi personally was to find a warrior with Psynergy powers, and this warrior could be tasked to use Babi’s ship (stolen from Lemuria) to go into Lemuria and fetch some draught without the need for Babi Lighthouse to be completed.

As it would turn out, the third measure is the one that pays off; the young, sharp warrior Isaac competes in Colosso and employs his Psynergy powers brilliantly in Babi’s eyes. Pleased and hopeful, Babi holds an audience with Isaac and explains his situation, tasking Isaac to locate Lemuria for him and bring back more of its draught. To this end Babi lends Isaac his old Lemurian ship. Expecting Isaac to be his best chance at life, he releases Sheba back to the Gondowan citizens. What would happen next at Venus Lighthouse is history. After the Venus Lighthouse incident, Isaac uses Babi’s Lemurian ship to set out on his continuing quest to stop Felix while attempting to locate and enter Lemuria. But alas, his effort is for naught, for Babi eventually runs out of draught and passes away from old age, leaving Tolbi without its iconic sovereign. Though Babi’s end is unfortunate, it was his objective that introduced Kraden to the Valeans, and it is his gift of a ship that later allows Isaac to continue his quest on an oceanic scale.

Mars Clan

The Mars Clan is a tribe of Mars Adepts consisting of a race of imposing, scale-skinned humans situated in the colony of Prox in the farthest reaches of Weyard’s northern wastes, rather close to the edge of the world. They have lived in a harsh climate over the ages, tempering them into a hardy folk. But then the abyss up north gradually grows in size and creeps closer to the settlement, which could potentially mean doom for the town in the future. The elders of Prox know that this is the result of the absence of Alchemy over the ages, so to save their colony they instigate the effort to return Alchemy to Weyard by sending their most capable and cunning warriors, Saturos and Menardi, to raid Sol Sanctum for its Elemental stars and embark on the quest to restore Alchemy. This action ends up saving all of Weyard from eventual collapse, in spite of the conflict that ensues between their warriors and the main characters.

Minor characters

The following characters either did not have long-lived roles but remained important to the plot or were essential to the sidequests. Only the English names are given.

• Tret is one of the few Mandrakes seen within the first Golden Sun game. He resides in Kolima Forest with fellow Mandrake Laurel. The mayor of Bilibin orders the people of Kolima to cut down Kolima Forest. Tret, being controlled by his anger after exposure to a Psynergy Stone, retaliates by turning Kolima's citizens into trees.
• Hama is the older sister of Ivan and leader of the Lama Temple monks. A powerful Jupiter Adept in her own right, Hama is implied, but never outright stated, to be quite a bit older than her little brother. She apparently has the gift of foresight, as demonstrated by her correct prophesies in Contigo regarding the fate of Karst and Agatio. She gives Ivan the ability of Reveal and, in The Lost Age, gives Piers' ship wings powered by the recently obtained Hover Psynergy. Her mention of a "terrible fate" that she would "not wish on any man" for Felix when Isaac and company first meet does not seem to have been fulfilled yet, although it is possible that it was merely in relation to his parents, or his being forced to go against the teachings of Vale's elders and relight the lighthouses despite the fact that many would try to stop him, and possibly hate him for it. Hama also says (or rather thinks) that she cannot see Isaac's fate because she may somehow be involved.
• Hammet is the merchant leader of Kalay, as well as the man who raised Ivan. Hammet was traveling in Atteka when he met disaster and nearly died. A group of Adepts (assumed to be the last of the Anemos) rescued him. Upon his departure, he was given the baby Ivan, the Shaman's Rod, some doubloons from Anemos Sanctum, and the business advice that helped propel him to the title of Weyard's richest merchant. This is never confirmed, but it is possible that Hama gave him the advice, considering certain things she says if the player saved Hammet in the linked save file of Golden Sun, and the fact that she is the oracle of Contigo and would therefore be able to foretell his success if he builds a town in the middle of the Silk Road. A sidequest involves freeing him from Dodonpa's fortress in Lunpa. His wife Layana is the one who receives Ivan and the others in his stead upon their arrival in Kalay.
• Dodonpa is the grandson of the Righteous Thief Lunpa. He has forgotten his family's values, and leads a group of evil thieves who kidnap and imprison Hammet. The Hammet sidequest culminates with a battle against his "pet frog", a giant monster called Toadonpa (a rather obvious play on its master's name).
• Iodem is Babi's right-hand man. He leads Isaac to Lalivero in the first Golden Sun. Iodem is also a "Vice President" of sorts, taking the power over Tolbi when Babi is unable to. Apparently, he has his own personal group of warriors to boot (When Jenna encounters a trio of soldiers in the Idejima Cave, one of them refers to Iodem as "Master"). Whether he took over Tolbi upon Babi's death was never revealed.
• Faran is the adoptive father of Sheba. He and Iodem wait for Isaac to return from Venus Lighthouse together. Little is known about him, other than he is a loving man who raised Sheba as if she were his own and did everything in his power to keep Tolbi from taking over Lalivero.
• Mayor of Madra. This helpful young man (who is never named) leads a search party looking for Briggs at the beginning of The Lost Age. Later, he gives Felix the Cyclone Chip item, which bestows the Cyclone Psynergy. A cheerful fellow, the Mayor is well loved by the townspeople of Madra. He is the polar opposite of Alhafra's mayor, a greedy "bag of hot air", as Sheba defines him.
• Briggs is the leader of the Champan pirates, and plays quite an important role in the first half of Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Felix first meets him in Alhafra, where they fight. Briggs is imprisoned afterwards, but escapes to Champa using the recently repaired ship after Felix and his crew clear off the last of the rubble on the boat. Briggs only resorted to piracy to save the people of Champa from starvation (the soil is too rocky to farm on, and the fish populations, the primary source of food in Champa, have decreased rapidly), and is regarded as a hero in his hometown.
• Akafubu, the Witch Doctor of Kibombo, sent the Kibomban warriors to Madra, where they stole Piers' Black Orb. This event triggers the entire "Journey to Gondowan" section. Akafubu is an impatient, at times overzealous individual, but he feels deeply honored to have been selected as the new witch doctor.
• Susa is a warrior of Izumo. He is the one who tries to kill the Serpent and ultimately does the job by dealing the final blow. Originally hated for his wild nature, Susa matured over time, and after rescuing Kushinada, became a hero to the townfolk. He has a limited form of Psynergy that manifests itself as the Move technique. He is part of a reference to one of Japan's greatest Shinto myths-Susanoo, the wild storm god who calms down after being banished to earth for offending his elder sister, the sun goddess Amaterasu. The homage is furthered by Susa fighting the dragon, drugging it with dragonsbane; according to the tale, Susanoo helped an old couple save their last daughter which the eight-tailed dragon was coming for while he was on earth, and used wine to weaken it. Finally, the Storm god pulled out a sword from the serpent's last tail, which is even today supposedly kept as one of three religious artifacts at the Asuta shrine in Nagoya, Japan. Likewise, the player can find the powerful Cloud Brand sword by checking at the serpent's tail, as Susa recommends after the player helps him kill it. His elder sister, Lady Uzume, is a homage to the Goddess who lured Amaterasu out of hiding after Susanoo scared her into a cave with a trick.
• Kushinada is the young girl whom Susa was attempting to rescue by slaying the Serpent. She was to be its next sacrifice. Kushinada is a rather intelligent young girl, as stated by Kraden. She is said to have bad luck at games. Like Susa, she can perform the Move technique.
• Obaba is the grandmother of Briggs. She reforges the Trident once all the pieces have been collected and Briggs has returned to Champa. Upon Briggs' return, she initially protects him by summoning her pet, Avimander (a giant spike-tailed lizard like creature), but begins to chase and threaten Briggs after learning about the piracy.
• Lunpa is the righteous thief who was traveling with Babi when they found themselves in Lemuria. He founded the village of Lunpa, which was run by his son Donpa until he was succeeded by his son Dodonpa. Unlike Babi, however, Lunpa stayed on the island. He became King Hydros' close friend and advisor of sorts. Lunpa is a good natured man, but is not above insulting people (In a conversation with Kraden, he calls Conservato a fool) to get his point across.
• King Hydros is the ruler of Lemuria. Together with Lunpa, he gives Felix and the others information regarding the "death" of Weyard. Hydros is constantly being nagged by the Senate's leader, Conservato, for approving of the seal of Alchemy to be removed, and actually goes as far as to give Felix and the others his blessing upon their departure.
• Moapa is the leader of the Shaman Village tribesmen and the guardian of the Hover Jade. By defeating Moapa in battle atop Trial Road, Felix earns the Hover Jade. Initially, Moapa refuses to relinquish the Jade, first on the premise that none of the group is Contigo, then on the grounds that Sheba (who at this point has demonstrated her Wind Psynergy powers) is a girl. Moapa is the only Shaman villager willing to speak with Felix upon their arrival.
• Puelle is a mayor figure to the Mars Adept colony of Prox. He is certainly warmer-hearted than the Proxean warriors Saturos, Menardi, Karst, and Agatio. He is the first to notice that the edge of the world is gradually creeping closer to the settlement. He and the Elder of Prox conclude that it is the absence of Alchemy that has caused this, so together they send out Saturos and Menardi to restore the omnipotent force and save Prox and the rest of the world as well.
• Sunshine is a blacksmith who forges many valuable weapons for Felix and his friends. Initially sad because of the loss of his friend and lack of rain, he is happy to work with what the player brings to him.

External links

• The official Nintendo Golden Sun webite
• The official Camelot Golden Sun website
• Wikia has a wiki about: Golden Sun Universe