If you have not read part 1 or part 2, read them before continuing on.
Welcome to the finale of this edition of Building Character. Lunar: Eternal Blue takes place 1000 years after the events of Lunar: The Silver Star. The Sega CD and Saturn/PlayStation Versions are the same game with only a few minor differences. Only a couple of characters from the previous game make a return. Spoilers! One of the returning characters is Ghaleon. Ghaleon made a surprising appearance in Lunar Eternal Blue. John Truitt returns as the voice of Ghaleon and he once again did a fantastic job with his performance. Ghaleon is not the main villain in the game, but he is the primary antagonist against Hiro and company……or is he an anti-hero?
Ghaleon is not revealed until Hiro and his party arrives at the Mystic Ruins. After Lucia reveals old records summarizing the events of Lunar: The Silver Star/Silver Star Story, Ghaleon introduces himself to the group as the keeper of said records. There is no foreshadowing prior to this scene. When I played Eternal Blue for the first time, I was shocked to see him alive when he was defeated in the previous game. This was a double whammy for Hiro and his party. They not only had to deal with Zophar, but now Ghaleon has returned. He has returned to set out his conquest of Lunar and take revenge on the people who disgraced him…..or does he have a different motive? As soon as Hiro and his party leave the Mystic Ruins, they are cornered by White Knight Leo. Ghaleon secretly saves them by electrocuting Leo and his men. One minute, Ghaleon is confronting Hiro. In the next minute, Ghaleon is helping Hiro. So is he good or bad? This is one of the main themes in Eternal Blue. It is revealed Ghaleon was brought back to life by Zophar, the true villain of Eternal Blue, to help aid his revival and to lead the Cult of Althena as the Dragonmaster. He serves alongside “Althena” and “The Four Heroes of Lunar”. He steals the essences of the four dragons and seals away their power. He delays Hiro not only to buy time for Zophar, but to also motivate Hiro and his party to stop Zophar by believing in their own power and fighting spirit.
Ghaleon tests Hiro and Lucia a few times. Ghaleon fights Hiro at Pentagulia and emerges victorious. He decides to spare Hiro’s life by having him imprisoned. As Lucia is about to destroy Pentagulia with the power of the four dragons, Ghaleon once again challenges them to a fight. In the PS1 version, Ghaleon gets ready to attack Hiro and company before deciding to spare their lives. In the Sega CD version, Ghaleon freezes Hiro in a crystal. This is a big moment in the Sega CD version because Lucia is forced to make a tough decision. Does she continue on without Hiro and destroy Pentagulia while she has the chance or does she take a detour and revive Hiro back at the Blue Spire? She decides to go to the Blue Spire and revive Hiro before destroying Pentagulia for good. After Zophar’s revival, Ghaleon takes on the party one last time in a showdown. Ghaleon awakens the human spirit inside Hiro and his friends. Ghaleon is able to accomplish this task while holding back and letting Hiro defeat him. Hiro asks Ghaleon to join them. Unfortunately, Ghaleon is not able to do so as Zophar takes back the power keeping Ghaleon alive as soon as Zophar realize he was betrayed. Before he perishes, Ghaleon gives Hiro his sword. Ghaleon’s Sword was eventually used to defeat Zophar and restore peace to Lunar.
Ghaleon arguably was the true hero of Lunar after all. He went from being a despised villain to a man who redeemed himself by wanting to atone for his own sins. Ghaleon’s intelligence, persuasive speaking, and charisma manipulated Zophar to believe Ghaleon was on his side. To fool a dark god to believe he had an ally is a monumental achievement. Although Zophar eventually realized Ghaleon was working against him and took his power away from Dyne’s old friend, Ghaleon could finally rest in peace as a good man.
