Adol Christin (アドル・クリスティン), mistakenly known as Aron in the Master System version of Ys I, is the main protagonist of the Ys series. He is an adventurer and a swordsman who has a knack for arriving at the right place at the wrong time. Despite being a silent protagonist throughout the entire series, he is shown to be the type of person who can never leave those in trouble and will try to help him or her in any way he can. Known to many as a master swordsman, he also carries the nickname "Adol the Red" due to his fiery-red hair; a rather unique trait among those he visits during his travels, thus earning him that title. Being a man of adventure and of few words, he never stays in the same place for long and always expresses himself through motivation and his will to fight and help those in need.
History
Edit
Not much is known about Adol's past, except that he was born in a small nameless mountain village, thought to be somewhere in the Garman region of Europa (around present-day Germany, presumably in the regions near the real-world Black Forest). Adol came from a humble background, born to a peasant family, but still managed to live a normal daily life. It's shown in the intro of Ys I that sometime in his childhood, he was taught the basics of swordsmanship by his father, a skill that he excelled in and made his own. Sometime later, an elderly traveling merchant came to his village. His stories of far off lands captured Adol's imagination early on. Between this, and his father's bedtime stories of dragon-slaying heroes, Adol decided to one day become an adventurer. He continued to dream of far-off lands, and when he was 16, left his home village to begin his own adventures.
The first destination he had in mind was the largely unexplored continent of Afroca. However, fate threw a spanner into his plans. While resting in a tavern halfway to Promalock, Adol overheard local merchants talking. He learned that war had broken out between the Mercantile Kingdom of Altago and the Romun Empire. Having absolutely no desire to be caught in the middle of a war, he made an abrupt change of plans and headed west instead. Upon the arrival at the port town of Promalock, he heard about the island of Esteria. Once a peaceful hub of trade, a veil of storms suddenly appeared out of nowhere, cutting off all shipping. Rumors were starting to spread that Esteria had become overrun by monsters. This motivated Adol to go to the island of Esteria to investigate. After working some odd jobs to obtain a ship of his own, Adol set out on a small boat for Esteria on a clear day. However, the weather changed when he hit the Stormveil, and he was shipwrecked on the shores of Esteria. This shipwreck started his first real adventure that would go on to reveal what happened to the ancient kingdom of Ys.
After the first adventure in Esteria, Adol would go to Celceta in the following year. There, he meets Eldeel, the last of the mythical Eldeen civilization. Even though Eldeel offers Adol the knowledge of the world, Adol refuses and insteads explore the world for himself. Thus, it is at this point that Adol would start calling himself an adventurer and get recognized by the world as such.
Adol would go onto many adventures, bringing hope and revelation to wherever he visited. Many of his adventures would be related to the Eldeen civilization but not all of them as some, like the Five Dragons of Altago, would be completely unrelated to the Eldeen civilization.
Sometime past his fifties, Adol went back to his village and started making records of his adventures. At one point, he tried to reach the north pole but failed. He is said to have disappeared or died at the age of 65.
Even a long time after his death, the records of his adventures motivated many people to start exploring the world, giving rise to the Age of Discovery.
In GamesEdit
Ys I: Ancient Ys VanishedEdit
As the story of his adventures in Esteria begins, Adol drifted ashore, unconscious, in the Land of Esteria due to the Stormwall. He is found on the Whitefoam Sands beach, and is saved by a young man named Slaff. Slaff took Adol to the Clinic in the Port Town of Barbado for care. Adol later wakes up in the clinic and introduces himself to Dr. Bludo, the owner of the clinic, and finds out that Slaff is in fact his son. After several days of resting, Adol fully recovered from his injuries, and thus his adventure began.
When Adol reached the Town of Minea, he is called upon by Sara Tovah, a fortuneteller who rather bluntly states that Adol is the one that she's been looking for. After telling Adol of a great evil that is sweeping the land. Sara informs him that he must seek out the six Books of Ys, each book named for one of the six priests that governed Ys: Hadal, Dabby, Tovah, Messa, Gemma, and Fact. These books contain the history of the ancient land of Ys, and will give him the knowledge he needs to defeat the evil forces. Sara gives Adol a Crystal for identification and instructs him to find her aunt Jeba in Zepik Village, who holds the key to retrieving one of the Books. With that, his quest begins. On the way out of town, Adol also meets a mysterious poet named Reah, who is searching for her missing Silver Harmonica.
Adol journeyed to Zepik Village and showed Jeba the Crystal that he received from Sara. Jeba gave him the Shrine Key, and Adol set out to Solomon Shrine to search for the Book. Inside the Shrine, Adol faced a dangerous wizard named Jenocres, and after defeating him, met a young amnesiac woman named Feena imprisoned in a dank prison cell. Adol swore that he'll bring Feena out of the cell. Pausing his quest for the Book, he escorted her back to Zepik Village; upon arrival, Feena collapsed with a fever. Fortunately, they were near Jeba's house. Adol lent his back and brought her to Jeba's house.
After that, Adol headed out to the Solomon Shrine again to find the Book. While searching for the book, Adol found a few useful Items (a Treasure Box Key, which Adol presumably kept on his person ever since, and the Mask of Eyes particularly), as well as the keys needed to enter the Shrine's Depths: the Ivory Key and the Marble Key. Entering the deepest part of the Shrine, Adol discovered the Book, guarded by a monster named Nygtilger. After defeating Nygtilger and recovering the Volume Hadal, Adol headed back to Minea, to show the book to Sara.
Sadly, misfortune befell Sara as she was murdered by a "man in a black cape". One of the Town Elders, in her stead, gave Adol the 2nd Book of Ys, Volume Tovah, and hints of what is next, Adol heads into the Abandoned Mine, inside he found the Silver Harmonica which belongs to Reah, the Roda Tree's Seed ( a seed that allows him to converse with the Roda Tree, which prompted him for obtaining the Silver Sword), and the 3rd Book of Ys, Volume Dabbie, that is guarded by Vagullion. Afterwards Adol returned the Silver Harmonica to Reah, and let Jeba read the books for him. She told Adol that there are 3 Books remaining, and the three of them are located in Darm Tower, and to go there he need to ask her son Goban. He did so and entered the Darm Tower; before he entered, Goban warned him that Adol is limited for one day inside and couldn't go back again before the time limit. He also told him that his follower Dogi are still trapped inside the Tower.
Inside the Darm Tower, Adol climbed it floor by floor fighting hoards of monsters. On the sixth floor, Adol then ran into a trap which knocked him out. When he came to, he was in a cell with another man named Luta Gemma. Adol also noticed all his Silver Equipment was gone. Adol looked for a way to escape the cell, but lacked any means to escape. Suddenly, the cell wall was destroyed by none other then Dogi (this was Adol's first meeting with Dogi). Dogi then helps Adol escape and gave him an idol to give to an old man named Raba. Adol then continues exploring Darm tower and runs into this old man who goes by pProfessor Raba. Raba has been studying various lores and is knowledgeable about Ys. After a brief conversation, Adol trades the statue for a Blue Necklace which allows him to pass through various traps within Darm Tower unharmed.
Adol then continues exploring the tower and now with the ability to travel through the traps unharmed is able to get higher up in the tower and find his Silver Sword as well as his Silver Shield. Soon afterwords Adol ends up squaring off against a gigantic monster known as Pictimos, whom Adol defeats and collects a 4th Book of Ys (Volume Gemma) from as well as a hammer. As he climbs higher up into the Tower, he manages to defeat another gigantic monster known as Khonsclard and obtains the 5th Book of Ys (Volume Messa).
Adol eventually arrives at the maze of mirrors. He retrieves his Silver Armor and learns from Raba that a young girl is trapped in the section of the tower called Rado's Annex. Adol proceeds to go there and finds that the girl trapped in Rado's Annex is none other than Reah the poet. Reah reveals to Adol that the man responsible for her kidnapping and monsters' appearance in Esteria is none other than Dark Fact. She also tells that Dark Fact's cloak is made of the special metal called Cleria so unless Adol uses the equipment made of Cleria, Adol would have no chance of defeating Dark Fact. Lastly, she gives him a Monocle, which allows Adol to read the Books of Ys.
Finding out from the book that he needs the blue amulet in order to get to the top of the tower, he goes back to find Luta. Luta reveals that he is a descendant of the priest Gemma and gives him the Blue Amulet. Adol manages to go through various mazes filled with monsters and defeats a pair of gigantic demons called Yogleks & Omulgun.
Reaching the top of the tower, Adol finally meets Dark Fact, a descendant of the Priest Cain Fact (the traitor among the Six Priests who fell from grace and became an evil demon), the man responsible for the disasters that befell Esteria. Dark Fact congratulates Adol in arriving at the top of the tower with the Books of Ys but tells Adol that he has no idea about the power contained in those books and that he will have to die in order for Dark Fact's plan to go to the ancient land of Ys to succeed. With no further words, the unrelenting battle between Dark Fact and Adol ensues.
After the grueling battle, Adol comes out the victor. He finds the final Book of Ys, Volume Fact, in Dark Fact's cloak. With all six Books of Ys gathered, the books begin to glow and gather around Adol. Suddenly, Adol finds himself getting shot upwards. He starts losing consciousness as he approaches a floating island in the sky...
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final ChapterEdit
After achieving victory over Dark Fact, Adol is transported to the floating island of Ys. He is found by a young woman named Lilia, who takes him to her home in Lance Village. After recuperating and learning he is indeed in Ys, Adol purchases some basic equipment and heads into the Moondoria Ruins. While in the Ruins, Adol stumbles across a statue of the Twin Goddesses of Ys. Approaching it with a certain wooden staff in hand, the Goddesses speak to him and grant him the power of magic. As he journeys into the Noble Sanctuary of Toal, Adol finds the Tombs of the Six Priests of Ys. Each Book of Ys is returned to its Priest, who imparts wisdom to Adol.
Adol soon learns that Rance's village physician, Dr. Flair, has gone missing. Adol entered the dangerous, monster-infested Rasteenie Mine (which, according to his own diaries, is connected to the mine of the same name on the surface below), and rescues Dr. Flair with a Mattock he finds along the way. Dr. Flair informs Adol that Lilia is very ill, and will soon die without medicine. He begs Adol to find a Celceta Flower and Roda Nut to create the medicine. While searching for the ingredients, Adol finds two ornate magic staffs: the Fire Magic (Priest Tovah's power), and the Light Magic (Priest Dabbie's power). On the second level of the mine, Adol faces one of the demons terrorizing Ys: Velagunder. After slaying the demon and completing the medicine, Adol returned to Lance.
Lilia's mother Banoa was eternally grateful to Adol for saving her daughter, gifting him the Return Magic passed down from Priest Hadal. Adol cleared the monsters from Zirah's basement, returned the final Book of Ys, and then left the village, bound for the Solomon Shrine at the very summit of Ys. First, Adol had to cross the massive Ice Ridge of Noltia. Adol found many useful items while scaling it (such as the Stone Shoes, Spirit Cape, Hawk Idol, and Transform Magic (Priest Gemma's power). Upon summiting the glacier, Adol faces off against another demon: Tyalmath. Adol defeated it easily, and moved along to the Moat of Burnedbless.
Burnedbless turned out to be one of the most difficult legs of Adol's journey, as his progress was blocked by a passage filled with toxic volcanic gases. Backtracking into a hidden area, Adol stumbled onto the Roos' Nest, home to the surviving population of Ys' sacred animals. There Adol found a Roda Leaf, which he used as a filter to breathe in the toxic atmosphere. After making his way to Colony of Lava, Adol learned that the bridgeman Ruba's son, Tarf, had been kidnapped by the demons. Adol vowed to save him, gaining the Whisper Earrings as a gift. Adol succeeded in rescuing Tarf, and escorted him home. After making his way to the exit of Burnedbless, Adol confronted a third demon: Gelaldy. Adol succeeded in defeating it, and entered Ramia Village.
After upgrading his equipment, Adol met Gort Dabbie, the guard to the gate leading to Solomon Shrine. After being directed to old man Hadat, and being given a Lila Shell to communicate, Adol transforms into a Roo, and using his own equipment as "proof" of his "death", is granted entrance to the demons' stronghold. Adol navigates about the vast Shrine, stumbling across many useful treasures (such as the Silver Pendant, the Sacred Cup, and the Time Magic (Priestess Messa's power)) in the process. Using his Transform Magic, Adol not only learns the password to access other parts of the Shrine, but overhears the demons in a meeting. After making his way through half the Shrine, Adol attempts to enter the Subterranean Canal. His progress, however, is blocked by the wizard Dalles, second in command of the demons besieging Ys. After offering clemency to Adol, he places a powerful transformative curse on him that only Holy Water can cure. Fortunately, Adol had already recovered the Sacred Cup.
Returning to Ramia Village, Adol sought out Elder Reggs, and used his well to draw water into the Sacred Cup. Drinking the Holy Water, the curse was lifted, and Adol resumed his journey into the labyrinthine Subterranean Canal. Adol found the escaped villagers in a corner of the Canal, including Lilia, who gifted Adol the Shrine's Master Key. Dalles, however, had used Adol to find the runaways and cast a powerful petrification curse on them. For the first time in his life, Adol was angered to the point of desiring revenge. Adol returned to the center of the Shrine and confronted the demon spider Druegar, cutting him down easily. Touching the Goddess Statue behind him, Adol entered the Shrine's Inner Sanctum.
Adol's explorations of the central sectors revealed more treasure (namely the Battle Shield). Here, Adol met a friendly demon named Keith, who was once a human until he was cursed by a powerful demon. Keith gave Adol the Floodgate Key, so he could access more of the Canals. After draining the water, Adol explored and recovered two more powerful pieces of equipment: the Battle Armor and Battle Sword. Decked out from head to toe in gold-plated armor, Adol continued to storm the Canals, and found the Falcon Idol (the upgraded Hawk Idol). Adol soon left the Canals and entered the West Wing, making his way to the Goddesses' Palace. Finally face to face with the twin Goddesses of Ys, Adol found their looks and voices to be vaguely familiar to him. The Goddesses instructed Adol to retrieve the Dreaming Idol to break the petrification curse and directed him to the Campanile of Lane.
The minute he entered the Campanile, Adol faced off against the third-in-command of the demons, Zava. After defeating her, Adol met Maria Messa, the latest prisoner to be sacrificed. Despite Maria's warnings, Adol was determined to stop the sacrifices. He scaled the Campanile, recovering the Dreaming Idol in the process. As Adol reached the summit of the Campanile, he found Dalles was the one tolling the bell. After explaining to an astonished Adol that the Priests' descendants still lived, and that the sacrifices were meant to eradicate them, Dalles rings the final bell, signaling Maria's death. Returning dejected to the Goddesses, Adol presented the Dreaming Idol, only to find it had a missing eye. The Black Pearl was once part of its eyes, and Adol was sent to retrieve it. After scouring the Shrine, Adol recovered it and set it in the empty socket. During his travels about the Shrine, Adol noticed the clouds were getting closer.
Once atop the Campanile, Adol held the Idol aloft, and its bright glow shattered Dalles' curse. Meeting up with Bohtz, Adol was given the Golden Pendant as a thank you. He also met the young man Sada, who gave Adol his family's Cleria Sword, stating he would need it more than Sada did. Adol also received the Cleria Armor from a grateful Hadat. Adol finally noticed the ground approaching, and as Ys settled into the Bagyu Ba'dead crater, realized that Ys had descended to the surface below. Realizing that evil was going to win, Adol took to the Canals, and entered the Underpass of Ys, where he confronted Dalles for the final time. The battle was fierce, but Adol's new Cleria equipment gave him an edge over the wizard. Vanquishing Dalles, Adol entered the Core of Ancient Ys, finding the Shield Magic (Priest Cain Fact's power). Adol finally reached the center of Ys, where he found the Goddesses imprisoned! The ancient Demon King, Darm, had awoken from a 700-year-long slumber, and sought to once again conquer the world. Before he could, Goban and Luta arrived to aid Adol. Goban gave Adol the Silver Harmonica, and Luta gave Adol his family's Cleria Shield. Armed with these, Adol played the harmonica, awakening the Goddesses. To his shock, the Goddesses were revealed to be Feena and Reah. The twin sisters blessed Adol's sword with their full divine power, and armed with the Goddess' Ring given to him by Lilia, Adol set out to destroy Darm.
Entering the core of Ys, Adol found Darm to be a powerful adversary. Drawing on all his strength, Adol fought the Demon King with all he had, and succeeded in shattering the Black Pearl containing Darm's consciousness. As the ancient gemstone crumbled to dust, all the magic of Ys left Adol, forever destroyed along with the Black Pearl. Afterwards, Adol was congratulated heartily by all his friends, who left one by one. Feena revealed to Adol that the Goddesses would need to seal themselves away, to prevent the Black Pearl from ever being misused by anyone again. With tears in her eyes, she begged Adol to remember her not as a Goddess, but as the girl he knew. She never had the courage to confess her feelings to him, and left with Reah shortly after. Even after the Goddesses sealed away the Black Pearl, Dogi met up with Adol again, and after enjoying the celebrations in Lance and Minea, Adol set out with Dr. Flair and Dogi for the port town of Promalock, bound for the southern land of Celceta.
Ys: Memories of CelcetaEdit
Adol starts off alone in Celceta, wandering around the Town of Casnan with no recollection as to who he is. In the bar, he meets Duren, an information broker who seems to recognize Adol. Adol is telling Duren of his plight when the miner bursts into the bar and says that some miners are trapped due to the monsters. Adol, with the help of Duren, manages to rescue the miners. This act of heroism draws the attention of Vicereine Griselda, who commissions Adol to explore and make the map of Celceta. Duren uses this as an opportunity to strike up a partnership with Adol, stating that they can explore Celceta and search for Adol's lost memories in the process. Seeing as there is no other option, Adol accepts. The following day, the duo decide to set two destinations, the giant tree and the large river, and start their adventure.
Ys: The Oath in FelghanaEdit
One year after his adventures in Celceta, Adol and Dogi have begun traveling together. Passing through a town, they find a gypsy caravan and Dogi goads Adol into having his fortune told. Upon gazing at Adol, the fortune teller's crystal ball explodes. The fortune teller utters one word: "GALBALAN!", and mentions Felghana. On the spur of the moment, both Adol and Dogi decide to go to Dogi's hometown of Redmont.
Shortly after landing on the shores of Felghana, the pair chance upon a shattered ancient monument. While Dogi examines it, they both hear a scream, and Adol bolts off ahead of Dogi. Adol discovers a group of wolf-like monsters that are cornering a young woman. Being the heroic sort that he is, Adol attacks them, saving the young woman. Dogi happens to catch up shortly after the incident and discovers the young woman, who instantly recognizes Dogi on sight. She is revealed to be Dogi's childhood friend, Elena Stoddart. Upon arriving in the Trading City of Redmont, they learn that the townspeople are being threatened by men from nearby Valestein Castle. Always ready for adventure, Adol decides to assume the task of helping them out.
After a commotion in the town square, Adol learns that the town Mayor, Edgar, is trapped in to Tigray Quarry. Adol volunteers to spearhead a single-handed rescue. While there, Adol discovers that there has been a cave in, and monsters have taken over the quarry. Adol travels deep inside the quarry to rescue Edgar, encountering a mysterious sorcerer named Dularn (AKA "The Creeping Shadow") in the process. After defeating Dularn, Adol finds an artifact called the Ignis Bracelet, that gives him the ability to shoot fireballs. Adol penetrates deeper, and encounters the boss of the Quarry: The Azure Queen of Death, Ellefale. After her defeat, Adol receives a strange idol called the Moonstar Statue. Shortly after exiting the Boss' chambers, Adol finds a young knight threatening Edgar. Adol decides to intervene, and it is revealed the knight is in fact Chester Stoddart, Elena's older brother. After a sharp rebuke from Chester, Adol pulls Edgar back out to the entrance of the quarry and goes back to Redmont.
Meeting Elena again, Adol learns more about Chester from her, and that the feudal lord of Felghana, Count McGuire, is seeking four statues, much like the one Adol found. The town priest, Father Jean Pierre, went to the Illburns Ruins to investigate another statue potentially being found there. The town's nun, Sister Nell, requests that Adol rescue the Father. Traversing the ruins, Adol gets to an altar of sorts, where he overhears Chester talking with Pierre. After Chester discovers him, Adol realizes that there is no way to talk sense into Chester, and both men draw their blades. Surprisingly, Chester proves to be Adol's equal in skill, easily defeating him. Losing the duel, Adol is caught, and tells Chester that Elena is worried about him. With Lord McGuire watching, Chester rebuffs Adol and kicks him down into a pit of lava. Battling through monsters, Adol finds a fire dragon, Guilen, and defeats him. The reward, the Ventus Bracelet, helps Adol to glide after double jumping. After escaping from the pit, he stumbles upon a large bridge, and fights the monstrous Lord of the Blazing Prison, Gyalva, claiming the Sunset Statue.
Upon coming back to the town, Adol meets up with Dogi, who informs him that he is heading off to the Eldarm Mountains to meet his Master, Berhardt. Adol meets with Edgar, who informs him that men from Valestein Castle are actively seeking the statues. He informs Adol of a mural found deep in Tigray Quarry. Adol approaches the mural and a voice enters his head as he touches the ancient Mission Tablet: the voice of the heroic Eldeen, Genos. He tells of the ancient demon Galbalan, an Ash Emelas creation of the Clan of Darkness. Roughly 3000 years ago, Galbalan broke from his creators' control after gaining sentience and went on a rampage. Genos was sent by the Eldeen to slay the beast. Though he succeeded in defeating the demon, Genos could not kill Galbalan and was instead forced to seal him using the four statues. As Adol left the mine, he encountered the Crystalline Entity, Isterisiva. The fight was tough, but Adol managed to defeat it and claim the Darkness Statue.
Adol then departs for the Eldarm Mountains to chat with Dogi's Master. Adol travels up the mountain to the peak and defeats Ligaty, a trio of harpies summoned by Dularn, removing the last obstacle blocking the way to Berhardt's cabin. Adol finds Dogi chatting with Berhardt in his home. After Dogi and Adol are separated by a recent cave-in, Dogi tosses Adol the Terra Bracelet. Entering the Icebound Cave, deep in the mountains, Adol encounters Gildias, Guardian of the Icy Depths. The brutally intense battle nets Adol the Light Statue, with all four now in his possession.
Chester reveals himself, trying to force Adol to hand the status over. Fortunately, Dogi decides to step in, leading Chester to stab Dogi in rage. A horrified Adol is forced to exchange the statues for Dogi's life. Dogi is taken to Berhardt's cabin to recuperate, and Adol heads back to town, only to find zombified soldiers attacking the townsfolk. Adol defeats them, and learns that Valestein attacked Redmont after the statues were placed somewhere in the castle. Adol, suspecting something is off about the attack, departs to storm Valestein Castle.
Adol doesn't even bother trying to sneak in, and storms right through the front gate, finding the castle full of zombified soldiers and maids. Realizing something more sinister than Chester had planned is afoot, Adol fights through the castle to find that Elizabetha, Alice and Christof, Count McGuire's wife and children (whom Adol had the opportunity to meet earlier) are safe. Urging them to evacuate to Redmont, he fights his way to the dungeons and finds several townspeople, including Elena, held captive. Along the way he faces three terrifyingly powerful opponents: Death Faleon, The Ever-Whirling Assassin (one of McGuire's hired thugs); Zellfel Zam Schultiger, The Savage Mongrel (a wild creature native to Garman that fell victim to the zombie mist); and Zirduros, The Clockwork Cannon (the guard of the Valestein dungeon). After reaching the Clock Tower, Adol scales the massive machine and makes his way to the roof, where he finds Chester holding McGuire at swordpoint, about to kill him.
Adol draws his blade, knowing that Chester will not tolerate interference. Surprisingly, Chester now wields two swords: his own, and the very weapon used by Genos to seal Galbalan: the Brave Sword. The two lock blades for the second and final time, in what Adol later recounted as the single most intense sword duel of his life, barely emerging victorious. Count McGuire uses the opportunity to flee to the roof of the keep, where Chester corners him. Just as the fatal blow is about to be struck, Elena begs him to stop. Chester barely relents, as McGuire reveals he was but a pawn in the larger scheme of Bishop Nikolas Garland, the true mastermind behind the disasters in Felghana...all in an effort to revive Galbalan. Chester draws his blade, but Garland strikes him down easily, telling him that even Adol is no match for his new powers.
Adol knows the only way to stop Galbalan's revival is to go to Genos Island himself. Dogi, still gravely injured, volunteers to ferry Adol there. Before departing, Chester hands him the Brave Sword, telling him to use it against Galbalan in his stead. On landing, Dogi's injuries opened up, and he was forced to rest. On entering the Genos ruins, Dularn was revealed to be Sister Nell. A fierce fight ensued, with Nell's wound proving fatal. She revealed she was in love with Garland, and served him out of both loyalty and implied sexual attraction. After acquiring Raval Armor and a Raval Shield, Adol confronts and kills Garland in single combat, before descending into the core of the island to meet Galbalan. The demon proves to be one of the toughest opponents Adol has ever faced in his life, pressing his every skill to its limit. Though he manages to criticially wound Galbalan, it begins to regenerate. Chester then offers himself as a sacrifice, knowing the only way to destroy Galbalan for good is to self-destruct Genos Island. He tells Adol to take care of Elena for him, before sacrificing himself to destroy the island. The island then disappears for good.
Shortly after, Dogi decides to stay in Felghana for a time and help rebuild, so Adol departs solo for parts unknown. He would not see Dogi again until after his adventures in Xandria. An interesting prophecy at the end of the revamped version of Ys III (JP) for PS2 is revealed when Adol chooses to talk to an old woman as he's saying goodbye to everyone before leaving. Her words, loosely translated were: "You are the one who will bring together everyone's happiness in all your travels around the world."
Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand'Edit
Adol continued his adventures, traveling through new lands to the South in Afroca (which resembles historical Africa). Hearing of the vanished desert city of Kefin, he set out to investigate this ancient city's disappearance. Arriving in the city of Xandria, he is accosted by local soldiers. Their captain, Rizze, quickly relieves her guard. While resting at the local pub, he learns of the mysterious "Phantom City". Not minutes after learning of this, he is summoned by Xandria's most powerful merchant, Dorman. Dorman requests Adol recover six mysterious crystals, a task once attempted by the Xandrian adventurer Stein.
Adol departs for Foresta Village, where he learns of a local legend stating a "red-haired swordsman" is an omen of disaster. During his investigations, he meets a young girl named Niena, and a mysterious wizard named Stoker. Along the way, Adol learns more about the Phantom City and its connection to the collapsed kingdom of Kefin. While collecting the Water Crystal, Adol becomes acquainted with the "thieves of brotherhood", the Ibur Gang, who attempt to obstruct Adol repeatedly at Dorman's instructions. As he progresses in his quest, however, Adol also begins to realize that opening the path to the Phantom City may not be as beneficial as it first seems. After collecting the last of the crystals, however, Niena is kidnapped by Dorman and Rizze. Pursuing them to a hidden island, Dorman reveals two facts: that the Phantom City is in fact Kefin, and his intention to use Kefin's alchemy for his own ends. Not about to let hidden powers be misused, Adol engages Dorman in a titanic battle that pits alchemy against alchemy.
Adol manages to defeat the merchant but the real mastermind turns out to be Rizze, Dorman's partner. A shocking truth is then made plain: Rizze is in fact Crown Princess regnant of Kefin. Rizze reveals that the ancient city of Kefin was sealed 500 years ago by the alchemists when the city's leaders attempted to conquer the world with Kefin's alchemy. Holding Niena hostage, she takes all the crystals from Adol and breaks the seal on Kefin, causing the ancient city to appear once again and accelerate the desertification of Xandria.
In order to rescue Niena and prevent Kefin from destroying rest of the world, Adol travels to Kefin. Unlike the legend, Kefin turns out to be a fake paradise where its citizens are sacrificed periodically to power the Philosopher's Stone, the source of Kefin's alchemy. Unfortunately, the Ibur Gang, along with Niena, are caught by Kefin's soldiers and get locked up in prison.
Once Adol finds out, he joins the Partisans, the resistance that opposes Kefin's oppressive regime. As Adol rushes to her rescue, Niena regains her memories; she was in fact a denizen of Kefin, and an alchemist herself. It is also revealed they are about to be sacrificed by Rizze in the ritual to maintain the power of the Philosopher's Stone. With the Partisans' help, Adol manages to evacuate all the innocent citizens of Kefin to the outside world and defeats Jabir, the alchemist who was controlling Kefin from shadows with the Philosopher's Stone. It was a tough fight but he succeeded. After Jabir's defeat, Adol shatters the Philosopher's Stone to prevent its misuse ever again. The destruction of the Philosopher's Stone causes Kefin to disappear and Adol and his allies, along with the citizens of Kefin, manage to escape from Kefin successfully.
As Adol prepares to leave Xandria in search of a new adventure, he runs into Niena one last time. Although Niena wants him to stay in Xandria, she knows that there are many people out there who need Adol's help, just as she once did. She bids him farewell after telling him that she will look forward to the day when he visits Xandria again. Even as he left, Terra screamed he better wait up for her. Adol, however, simply wanted to continue his journey.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DanaEdit
Adol and Dogi have boarded the passenger ship Lombardia crossing the Gaete Sea to reach Eresia. They pass the Isle of Seiren, an island said to be cursed as every ship trying to reach it yet has sunk, the Lombardia is attacked by a giant sea monster. Despite his efforts to defeat the monster, the ship is destroyed and Adol is washed ashore on the Isle of Seiren.
Adol finds other survivors on the island, Laxia von Roswell, a Garman noblewoman and Captain Barbaros, the Lombardia's captain who begins establishing a base camp called Castaway Village. Adol and Laxia are tasked with the search for other survivors and exploration and mapping of Seiren Island. They soon encounter the Greshun fisherman Sahad Nautilus, who is fleeing from a giant beast called Avalodragil. With united efforts the three of them manage to drive the monster away, unable to actually harm it, and Sahad joins Adols party. The three of them explore the island and manage to find more castaways, Dogi among others, who join Castaway Village and defend it from monster attacks while trying to find a way off the island.
Adol starts experiencing strange dreams of a woman called Dana from an unknown civilization. They encounter a mysterious person called Hummel Trabaldo, who calls himself a transporter and roams the island on his own and periodically joins Adol's party if their goals happen to align. One day, Captain Barbaros is attacked by a person calling themselves Nemo, Romun language for Nameless. Euron, a Romun military officer explains he boarded the Lombardia in order to catch a Romun serial killer known as the Nameless Ripper. After searching the village for clues, Euron and Adols party begin to suspect the villages doctor, Kiergaard. Once confronted, Kiergaard reveals himself to be the Nameless Ripper but escapes. While pursuing him, Captain Barbaros walks into one of Nameless' steelwire traps which inflicts a fatal wound. Adol and his party catch up with Nameless and fight him until the Avalodragil turns up again and kills Nameless. Captain Barbaros asks Adol to get everyone off the island safely before succumbing to his wounds.
Laxia reveals her theory that the Avalodragil and other beasts they encountered are types of Primordials, ancient beings believed to be long extinct by researchers like her father. While they are climbing the great mountain range named Gendarme Mountain spanning across the Island, they meet Ricotta, a young girl native to the island, who owns darts made from Orichalcum which are able to damage Primordials unlike normal weaponry. She joins Adols party to look for her father on the northern half of the island. They manage to obtain Orichalcum to equip themselves to fight against Primordials. Once they reach the top of Gendarme Mountain, they are surprised to see ruins of an ancient civilization on the northern part of Seiren Island. At this point Hummel rejoins Adols party permanently.
Meanwhile, Adols dreams of Dana become increasingly mysterious as the tree saplings Dana plants in the dreams turn into fully grown trees that open paths for Adol to advance towards the ruins. In front of the giant Tree of Origins near the ancient ruins, Adol finds Dana in a deep sleep. She was the Maiden of the Great Tree of the Kingdom of Eternia which was the flourishing civilization that built those ruins long ago. She joins Adol as she is missing most of her memories and tries to figure out what happened to her people. Adol and his party are able to view fragments of her past using crystals found all over the island.
The castaways are starting to worry about a ghost ship which was repeatedly seen along the coasts near Castaway Village. Adols party begins to investigate and finds out that it was the Eleftheria, the Ship of the feared pirate Captain Reed. Adol manages to lay his troubled spirit to rest and obtained a chart of the sea around Seiren Isle, which allows them to escape the island once they finish their ship and defeat the sea monster that sunk the Lombardia, which they found out is a Primordial called Oceanus. They manage to lure it into a trap and Adolfs party finishes it off.
Dana regains more of her memories as they view the fragments of her past with the crystals. The Kingdom of Eternia was destroyed by a meteor shower and its meteorological consequences. Dana encounters a group of mysterious individuals calling themselves Wardens of Evolution. The number of Primordials and their attacks on Castaway Village is continuously growing, and they seem to be coming from the Great Tree of Origins. As they investigate the tree, Adols party learns of Great Trees purpose: to foster Evolution in the world by periodically wiping out all but one species with a great cataclysm called Lacrimosa. The meteor shower that wiped out the Kingdom of Eternia was but one such Lacrimosa, and the Primordials overrunning the world was to be the next. Adol was to become the Warden of Evolution of his era, the one brightest soul of his time which would become immortal and observe the process of evolution. Adol refuses to accept this however, and fights against this fate, even though the other Wardens tell him of the futility of his actions. The Wardens tell him how he may be able to stop the Lacrimosa with the power of the Tree of Psyches found inside Seren Garden, which collects the psyches of all beings since the last Lacrimosa. He manages to free the psyches of the previous eras, which lets the Tree of Psyches grow enough to grant him the power he needs by turning his sword into Mistilteinn. He enters the Selection Sphere inside the great Tree to fight the Providence of Evolution, Theos de Endrogram. Defeating it destroys the world and awakens the Earth Goddess Maia, who reconstructs the whole world. The Great Tree of Origin is no more and instead Dana has offered herself to become the Goddess of Evolution and oversee the process of Evolution herself, together with the other Wardens. Dana now only exists as a concept and within the memories of Adol and his party.
Adol returns to Castaway Village. A week later all the preparations are done and the castaways leave the Isle of Seiren to return to their daily lives. After parting from the other castaways, he stayed in Greek for a while before continuing westwards.
Ys VI: The Ark of NapishtimEdit
Adol, once again ends up unconscious in a shore due to being caught in the Great Vortex of Canaan. However, he was saved and nursed back to health by the Rehda Priestess, Olha, and her younger sister Isha. The villagers in their village are awkward to Adol since they don't really trust Eresians (The Rehda's term of calling human foreigners) very much.
Once again fate intervenes, as he is thrust into a battle over the Ark of Napishtim, a powerful weather-control device left behind by the ancient Eldeen civilization. Even after facing down Romun Commander Ernst (himself a member of the Clan of Darkness, the same clan whom Adol has encountered in previous adventures, and native of Danan Village in Celceta), the Ark's Control Key shattered, causing Napishtim to spiral out of control and attempt to send a tidal wave to wipe out the shoreline of Europe. Adol is forced to shut down the core of Napishtim, which causes the whole Ark to self-destruct. It is only with the intervention of Alma and the ancestral spirits of the Rehdan priestesses that Adol is saved.
Ys SevenEdit
He is the fated Dragon Warrior, and he is the only one who has ever stopped the Rite of Destruction. A master swordsman, he yields swords that are abundantly bought and forged throughout the whole country of Altago. In combat, he can wield three types of swords: a Slash type that deals extra damage to soft enemies; a Strike type heavy sword that deals extra damage to armored enemies; and Pierce type swords effective against flying opponents. Throughout the game, he cannot be switched out of the party as he is the Party leader and will encounter more allies and people in the land of Altago. Dogi jokes that Adol is unlucky with boats and that he always ends up in trouble while seeking out adventures.
AbilitiesEdit
Despite having a reputation for wielding ancient mystical powers at various times in his life, Adol does not have any innate magical power of his own. All magical abilities that he gains during his adventures come from magical artifacts (i.e. the Ignis, Ventus and Terra Bracelets in "The Oath in Felghana", the Emelas Swords in "Ys VI"), or were bestowed upon him by powerful mystical entities (The Six Priests of Ys, the Five Great Dragons of Altago). However, Adol demonstrates a nearly impeccable mastery in the utilization of these abilities.
Nevertheless, Adol's main strengths are his near-superhuman endurance, and master-level swordsmanship. This is best demonstrated in Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished where he goes through Darm Tower, a place filled with ferocious monsters, treacherous traps, and ancient demons, and reaches the top within one day. Due to his adventures, Adol is adept at crowd control, proving to be very proficient at dealing with large groups of enemies at once.
As the series goes on, his swordsmanship improves significantly. In "Ys: The Oath in Felghana" (itself a remake of "Ys III: Wanderers from Ys"), he defeats Chester Stoddart, a Felghanan knight who is a master swordsman in his own right, twice in a duel. In "Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim", he manages to critically weaken the Ash Emelas creature Demi-Galba, which can only be destroyed by weapons made of Emelas, with only a steel sword (his steel Long Sword then snaps, presumably from three years of use). Then in Ys Seven, he slays a gigantic beast in the coliseum, despite having gone through days of torture, and being given bare-bones equipment to defend himself with. He then proceeds to be the only Dragon Warrior ever to prevent the Rite of Destruction. Adol's skills, combined with his unwavering determination, have helped him overcome any obstacles in his way, earning him fame as a great adventurer and master swordsman.
TriviaEdit
- Throughout the series, Adol has been the subject of several running gags:
- Many times, he starts his adventures by drifting ashore after a mishap at sea. This is either due to his boat breaking up in a storm (Ys I), being shot at by Romun warships (Ys VI), or otherwise falling overboard (Also Ys VI). This doesn't apply in Ys Seven, Ys: Memories of Celceta, Ys V, or Ys: The Oath in Felghana, since Adol managed to get to the land safely without being drifted apart. Dogi even jokes about it in Ys Seven, mentioning Adol's rather horrible luck with boats.
- For gaming reasons, he will always begin the game with the weakest equipment, despite having obtained strong weapons, armor and accessories in the previous games. There is rarely any mention of all the equipment Adol gathered in his previous adventures, though it is implied that he loses his equipment frequently due to his maritime mishaps.
- He would always leave for another adventure after making the game's main heroine fall in love with him (Feena, Lilia, Laxia, Dana, Elena, Terra, Isha, Olha, Leeza, Karna, Niena, Tia, and Aisha) as well as other characters.
- In Ys I & II, he was infamous for being able to measure the three sizes of Feena and Tarf by pushing them into the corner, and sleeping on some girls' beds (Lilia's, Zalem's, and Maria's). To reflect this, in the Steam version of Ys The Oath in Felghana, there is an achievement for pinning Elena in the corner of the travel monument located at the outskirt of the Redmont village.
- Adol is one of the few human character in the Ys series who have red hair, which has earned him the nickname "Adol the Red".
- In the ending of Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, Adol is seen wearing the handmade bracelet given to him by Isha during the beginning of the game.
- Adol's original voice actor, Takeshi Kusao, is known for voicing at least two other adventuring swordsmen: Parn from "Record of Lodoss War", and Cless Alvein from "Tales of Phantasia".
External linkEdit
Adol Christin on the Heroes wiki.
