Editor’s Note: This article discusses characters in Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story. It tries its best to remain spoiler-free, but some things can’t be avoided. SPOILERS have been HIDDEN; you will not be able to see them unless you highlight the hidden text. So we encourage everyone to read on with confidence whether you’ve finished the game(s) or not!

Also: Don’t ruin the fun! Discussion of SPOILERS in this article should be avoided. There’s a fine spot for that kind of talk, but it’s not here!

Welcome to ‘Character Battle’, an originally named new series of articles that we hope you enjoy and become involved with. If this article entertains you then let us know, in the comments, what ‘Character Battles’ you’d like us to do in the future… and tell ya friends.

By now you’ve all probably played both Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story. If you haven’t, what’s wrong with you? Stop reading this article now and go buy them… seriously, they’re pretty nifty.

Not only are both these games pretty nifty (awesome), they also share a lot of similarities with each other, namely the seven main characters that make up your questing party. So us at Oprainfall thought it would be cool to put the characters to battle and ask you, our lovely, loyal readers, to vote on who you think the ultimate victor should be; in what we are calling *cue explosive music* ‘Character Battle: Xenoblade Chronicles vs The Last Story!’  Needless to say this is going to cause quite a debate, but hey! It’s only a bit of fun… right?

So without further ado, let’s go to battle…

BATTLE 1: The Hero

SHULK
ZAEL

 

 

VS  

 

 

 

 

 

The protagonists of their respective games. Like many JPRG heroes, these two have the weight of the world on their shoulders, and boy do they like whining about it. Sure, it can’t be easy knowing you’re the ‘only one’ that can save the world, mankind and its cookies…but stop going on about it! We all have our own issues to deal with y’know!

Having said that, both chaps do have some remarkable character traits that are quite inspiring. Shulk’s sheer determination to never give up, even if he does come across as being quite selfish, really makes you root for the fella. Even when there’s a bigger ‘evil’ to deal with, Shulk still has that one goal in mind, and nothing’s going to stop him from accomplishing it.  He also has the power of the Monado, which allows him to see into the future, and let’s face it – that’s a pretty handy party trick to have.

Zael, on the other hand, is a conflicted soul. He has led a life working as a mercenary just to make ends meet. His dreams of becoming a Knight are presented to him, but at a cost that becomes realized over time. What’s a spikey-haired, JRPG hero to do? Like Shulk, Zael gains a mysterious ability known as the ‘Power of the Outsider’. This power is granted to those that bear the mark of the outsider, and allows Zael to use the power of ‘Gathering’. Essentially this puts all the focus on Zael, in battle; so all the enemies will attack him rather than his companions. That’s a pretty selfless act don’t you think?

So who wins? Is it Shulk’s determination or Zael’s selflessness? VOTE NOW!

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

Head to PAGE 2

David Rawlings
David Rawlings, or ‘Rawky’ as we like to call him, joined the Operation Rainfall Campaign at the beginning. He’s British and found solace with us as he was able to understand our pain about Nintendo and their localizing faux pas. He’s a big fan of the letter ‘U’ and refuses to remove them from words, even though we constantly ask him to. He also believes it’s about time Princess Daisy got kidnapped.