Ho Yay / Tales Series

aka: Tales Of Symphonia

Ristelle, as coined by Yuri himself.

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Series Ho Yay articles:

• Tales of Berseria
• Tales of Vesperia
• Tales of Zestiria

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Other examples:

Tales of Destiny

• Stahn and Leon in Tales of Destiny, at least in the remake. Leon starts out as a Jerkass who becomes a Defrosting Ice King after spending time around Stahn eventually admitting they are "friends" right before he makes a Heroic Sacrifice for him... well, okay, and the rest of the party. Stahn really loves to say Leon's name.
  • This adds a very interesting piece of subtext to a skit in Tales of Destiny 2 where Loni asks about a possible love triangle between Stahn, Rutee, and Leon. Of course, Leon seems disgusted at the idea, but that's mainly because Loni assumed Rutee was at the center.
  • To go along with the above, a lot of Leon's lines towards Stahn sound like the kind typical 90s/early 2000s Tsundere Love Interests use towards the Idiot Hero. Repeated denials and all.
• There's also a case with Leon and Chaltier, as Leon acts like a Clingy Jealous Guy when Chal asks to be loaned out (to repay a debt he feels he has to Johnny for protecting Leon), Leon utterly depends on Chaltier to the point of the sword being a Living Emotional Crutch, and the two are inseparable... Even when Leon takes baths.
  • Chaltier also makes it a point to constantly praise Leon, babbling about how handsome he'd look with glasses or how he's a better swordsman than Stahn or Rutee.

Tales of Eternia

• Even Tales of Eternia is not immune, at least when it comes to the anime. Farah and Meredy both get a lot of shipping moments with Canon Foreigners Marone and Corena respectively.

Tales Of Symphonia

• Tales of Symphonia has plenty subtext between Lloyd and Zelos, despite the latter's womanizing.
  • In the Japanese version, Zelos calls Lloyd "hunny," a term he otherwise reserves for females. In the English version, it's changed to "bud" except in two obscure scenes the censorship squad apparently missed. (Yes, his butler also calls Lloyd Sir Hunny.) There was also a world map skit that was apparently too gay for America.
    • Also, one skit in which they missed the "hunny" might not have been such a mistake after all. It's called "Combo! Lloyd and Zelos," and it only occurs if Zelos is your top-rated character by Relationship Values. Perhaps that was intentional...?
    • Oh yeah, and now that the PS3 HD Rerelease has happened, they've translated the theme park date in Altamira and the scene in the deluxe suite afterwards. Zelos not only calls Lloyd "hunny" all the way through both of these events, but also offers to stay up all night teaching Lloyd how to be seductive. To which Lloyd says "I can't remember the last time I was this excited to study." As one amused tumblr comment put it, "I've read enough fanfic to know where this is going."
    • You could also say Zelos is hiding behind a Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today? facade and Lloyd never shows much interest towards the female sex in THAT way... due to being a Chaste Hero or something else? The game has pretty much given you everything you need to ship it.
    • One good example of a specific scene is when the party is in the sewers trying to sneak their way back into Meltokyo. Just as they're almost through, Regal makes his entrance by taking Zelos hostage. Presea chases Regal off of him and the first thing he does once he's up is to go to hide behind Lloyd, latching onto him from behind. That's not the last time he glomps Lloyd either.
    • It's even more blatant and serious if you make Zelos Lloyd's most important person and get the bonding scenes with him - of course, you get romantic subtext with anyone you decide to pair up with Lloyd, but in Zelos' case Lloyd becomes basically the only reason he bothers keeping alive.
    • And then there's the cutscene where Lloyd finds out that Kratos is his father. Normally it's Collete who delivers the Get A Hold Of Yourself Man speech to Lloyd to snap him out of his Heroic BSoD, but if you manage to get Zelos' Relationship Values high enough before this point in the game Zelos does it instead. He's the only one who can do this other than Collete.
    • Zelos is also the only person, besides Colette and Kratos, but he's a different kind of special case, who will give Lloyd a trinket of some kind after their scene in Flanoir - the trinket that will later save Lloyd's life from a trap. That makes two optional scenes in which Zelos is explicitly set up in parallel with the official love interest, to say nothing of the fact that he's actively Colette's mirror through the rest of the game.
    • Also with Zelos's relationship values maxed out, when entering the coliseum as Lloyd, Zelos will demand you "put on a show that will make me fall in love." To which Lloyd responds not with Squick or snark, but with "Okay!"
    • The sequel reveals Zelos has Undying Loyalty to Lloyd. While even Colette has her doubts due to Lloyd's recent actions, Zelos refuses to see Lloyd as a Rogue Protagonist. He's right too.
  • And more between Kratos and Yuan, the latter of whom winds up cradling the former in his arms at one point.
  • Can't forget Mithos and Genis, either - they even get a sidequest together for bonding.
  • Speaking of Genis, his admiration and more specifically, his comments towards Lloyd can make their friendship seem... like slightly more than just a friendship. "That's why I like you, Lloyd!" "That's why you're special to me!" "I'm still a little angry at you for leaving without so much as a goodbye."
  • And in the sequel, after Emil learns that Regal was forced to kill someone he loved, there's a skit where Emil wonders if he'd be able to fight Richter if the time came. Followed by the fact that he doesn't like Richter "like that". In his own internal monologue.
    • The way Emil babbles on about how much he admires Richter despite the latter declaring himself to be Emil's enemy sure makes it sound like somebody has a man-crush. Not to mention, they're practically pitch-perfect for the seme and uke roles.
    • Emil also has slightly less blatant but still noticeable moments with Regal and Lloyd. Also he thinks Zelos worships Lloyd, and if you get Genis' conversation with Lloyd in Flanoir you'll see he still hasn't got over Mithos.
    • In Flanoir where you first meet Decus, with his whole "You must have a crush on me too!" thing. He basically called dibs on Emil if things didn't work out with Alice...
  • Some people have started shipping Kratos and Lloyd only to find out Kratos is Lloyd's daddy.
    • And some still ship them, regardless of incestuous complications.

Tales of Rebirth

• Tales of Rebirth: Whenever Veigue's upset about something (usually Claire), it's always Tytree who comes to cheer him up or comfort him. Veigue's in general a more reserved character unless his Berserk Button is pushed, but he gradually admits he finds Tytree to be a good friend of his.
  • When Veigue starts really angsting about Claire, Tytree gets fed up and gets into a fistfight with him in a scene famous in the fandom for its Belligerent Sexual Tension to force him to resolve his issues. And it actually works. In the end, before the final battle, the pair talk about what awesome friends they are, they both admit to being afraid they'd dislike each other, and they resolve to stay friends forever.
  • After the punching scene, in an optional skit Tytree is almost crying tears of joy at having finally gotten Veigue to open up to him and brags about how close they now are. Right...
  • When they go into stop the berserk Tytree in the factory, Veigue goes from being reluctant to help (since it delays rescuing Claire) to "he's like me" all worried and frantic sounding. They haven't even been properly introduced and yet...
  • Veigue considers Tytree dependable. Proof!

Tales of Legendia

• Tales of Legendia has, on the Ho Yay side, Jay and Moses, who eventually become quite close - Jay (who's generally emotionally distant) even hugs Moses in the end. It also has quite a bit of Les Yay, especially between Grune and Norma; Norma seems to quite enjoy cuddling up against Grune's chest, though she might have been doing that to taunt everyone. Grune, for her part, seems bisexual given that she seems fine doing, that, with anybody.
  • Shirley and Fenimore. Fenimore's death is even the thing that pushes Shirley into a world-destroying rage.
  • And then there's Elsa. At one point, you encounter her walking around town with Chloe, and she insists they're on a date, to Chloe's embarrassment. In a later scene, Elsa falls asleep on Chloe's lap and repeatedly says her name in her sleep, then, upon waking, proclaims Chloe to be "the best".
    Norma: It's love! True love!
  • Pick two characters in Legendia. Any two. Oh look, you have found a couple with a lot of subtext!
  • He's not just being sarcastic. Take, for example, the scenes Shirley and Chloe get together following the latter's day in the limelight episode (especially once Norma gets in on the fun, claiming Chloe is "hogging Shirl". The girl even has a segment where she starts fawning over Grune's breast size.) And of course:
  Senel: Moses!
  Moses: All us baby, it's all us!" *faintly homoerotic hand clasp*

Tales of the Abyss

Tales of the Abyss does not lack for subtext:

• Luke might as well be the resident Launcher of a Thousand Ships considering how happily the fandom ships him with people. This comes hand in hand with a lot of Ho Yay with various characters...
  • Luke learned Sonic Thrust from Guy. At night.
    • Guy is terrified of women, and acknowledged in one sidequest to have basically raised Luke as they were growing up together. As a result, Luke depends on him emotionally to a great degree. Add to that the fact that Guy is Luke's servant and therefore technically has to follow his orders.
    • It's noted explicitly that Guy goes out of his way to return to Luke after The Reveal and him being responsible for destroying Akzeriuth and even flat out says he's "the only Luke for him". It's also implied that Luke witnessing this through Asch's eyes is part of the reason Luke finally gets out of his Heroic BSoD.
  • Luke and Asch have a great deal of aggressive tension between them, plus Luke's struggle to have Asch acknowledge his right to exist, and Asch's Tsundere way of looking after him.
    • Some people are a little put off by the implications of Screw Yourself, because of the whole replica thing. Others say that just makes it hotter.
  • Ion is the first person in the game that Luke is openly nice to, and they have some shared angst over being replicas.
    • Some of their dialogue in the Cheagle Woods (particularly on Ion's side) comes across as shameless flirting.
    • Ion is the first person to have faith in Luke as a good person and even flat out says Luke was always kind, refuting the others about how Luke has changed post Important Haircut. Luke is obviously very embarrassed by it, blushing quite vibrantly in response to Ion's words.
    • At Fubras, when the miasma shows up, Luke goes and clings to Ion from behind. Not Guy, but Ion. As if the frail little Fon Master can protect him. Or, alternatively, Luke is ready to grab Ion and get the hell out of there to safety. Both interpretations are valid and thought provoking.
    • Ion's entire Heroic Sacrifice comes for Luke's sake entirely, finding hope for him and curing his Love Interest of her life threatening disease in his final moments.
  • Master Badtouch.
    • Luke definitely looks up to and admires Van very much. He's the only authority figure he listens to pre Character Development. And he has a poster of him in his room.
    • On the creepier side, Van's interactions with Luke sometimes lean towards how sexual predators deal with their victims, what with the grooming and making them feel "special" at least before The Reveal and Wham Episode has him discarding Luke.
  • Despite having a massive amount of subtext with Jade, Peony also gets in on the Ho Yay train with Luke. He pays a bit more attention to him than the rest of the group (outside of Jade) and, while all the other rappigs are named for Childhood Friends and people he's been close to for longer, he names a new rappig after Luke not long after he first meets him. And then there is this panel◊ in Reminisces of Jade.
  • Jade and Luke have quite a prominent friendship that grows over the course of the story and even has Jade of all people admitting he does care for Luke (and makes Luke give a very happy smile in response). There's an analysis of their progressing friendship here that hits the high points.
    • Bit where Luke notices Jade's cologne in a skit.
    • Luke is quick to go You Are Better Than You Think You Are towards Jade. Jade, meanwhile, is noted to care for Luke early on by those who know him.
• Not to mention Jade, Emperor Peony, and Dist.
  • Dist is openly obsessed with Jade, only avoids Camp Gay because his sexuality never actually comes up, and generally acts like a Stalker with a Crush. Meanwhile, Jade tries to ignore him, but they were childhood friends, and the party actually speculates that Jade likes Dist more than he lets on. The interrogation scene with Jade and Dist was particularly...questionable. Dist also hates Peony and basically treats him like a rival love interest, which leads to the next point...
  • Peony refers to Jade as "his", and gives him privileges well above his rank and station purely because they're so close, and since he's the Emperor he can do that sort of thing. While Jade trolls everyone in the game, Peony is the only one who can get Jade back just as well, or even better. Jade is The Stoic, so he doesn't show as much affection as Peony does, but he does undertake dangerous missions as Peony's most trusted adviser, which speaks volumes. And then there's a scene in Tales of Fandom 2 where it looks like Peony has been assassinated, and Jade actually shouts his name. His real name.
  • Jade and Guy also have a bit of a bromance going, at the very least. Jade's got at least a little respect for him, as shown when he tracks Guy down at the Aramis Spring to ask for his help, even after the party has semi-disbanded, thanks to Luke. On a more heartwarming note, when Guy remembers what happened to his sister, it's Jade who's standing with him in the chapel. Oh, and then, of course, there's the skit in which Guy is tickle-tortured, which ends with Jade nibbling on him. ^note The nibbling was a mistranslation. In the original Japanese, it was just the onomatopoeia for Jade pushing his glasses back into place.

Tales of Innocence

• One should not forget Tales of Innocence with Spada and Ruca, which is amped up even further in R.
  • In the original DS version, Spada hugs Luca◊ twice (and attempted the third) in succession after Ruca survived the stab wound from Hasta. In R? Spada hugs Ruca way earlier not long after they meet upon finding out that he is Asura's reincarnation, while saying that he (as Durandal) truly misses Ruca/Asura.
  • Spada being protective of Ruca in general. In the remake, this is taken further to the point his Declaration of Protection becomes one of his victory quotes, which Luca appreciates in return.
  • Again from the remake, Spada and Ruca are now upgraded to Bash Brothers, with several of their victory poses have them cross their swords onto the air together.

Tales of Graces

• Tales of Graces...oh boy. Richard's crush on Asbel seems to have started when they were kids, 7 years ago. And not to mention that in the demo for Tales of Graces F, when Asbel jumps for the ship it's Richard that catches him. First scene. Then there's Pascal and Sophie, and Hubert who seems to be some sort of backwards tsundere for his brother. And then Lambda. Lambda is....well, let's just say he spends most of his time residing in either Richard or Asbel and has yandere tendencies.
  • Not to mention, him giving Richard some yandere-ness as well. Just listen to the voice clips of him screaming Asbel's name like a betrayed lover. And then there is the line where he says that Asbel's kindness is what he loves most about him.
  • There is a skit where Pascal says that Sophie's strange behaviour around Richard is due to the 'hanky panky mwah mwah mwah' between him and Asbel and that Sophie is jealous of their relationship. Make of that what you will.
  • The Future arc takes all the Ho Yay to eleven. Before the final dungeon, Asbel gets a chance to talk to each party member separately. Each person makes physical contact with Asbel, somehow, so they also get a chance to talk to Lambda. Most of them are platonic claps on the shoulder. Cheria, the official love interest, gets a pinky swear. Richard touches Asbel's face like he's about to kiss him. And then he tries to tell Lambda something else, and we don't hear what he says. Given the situation, if it's not some variation on "protect Asbel, please," I'll eat my controller. Also, this scene, unlike all the Ho Yay-tastic skits? Utterly mandatory.

Tales of Xillia

• Tales of Xillia subtly combines this with a Precocious Crush. At multiple points, and as a possible post-victory skit, Elize's living doll, Teepo, latches onto Milla and starts motorboating her. It's revealed later in the game that the things Teepo says and does are really Elize's innermost thoughts.
• And then there's Alvin and Jude. Alvin just loves putting his arm around Jude's shoulder and Jude can say things like "I'd like to think Alvin knows how I feel" right it front of him and his ex-girlfriend (Alvin's even double takes after hearing that). Jude's also always the first to allow Alvin back on the team after his betrayals. He also asks Jude if he swings both ways without much prompting - which Jude doesn't exactly deny.
  • Later on there's a skit where Jude accidentally reveals that he knows what a "pitcher" and a "catcher" are, but then he refuses to admit how exactly he knows that.
• There's also Rowen and Nachtigal. The two had grown close while in the military together, and Rowen admired the fact that despite being a prince he was down and fighting with the rest of them. Blames himself as the reason Nachital strayed from his path because he was no longer around to give him counsel. Before you had to fight him, Nachitgal had called out to Rowen to join him- that despite the years apart, he still wanted Rowen by his side, and up until that moment Rowen hadn't even known if he could have fought his dear old friend. After the fight, and before Nachtigal died, Rowen and him had nearly patched things up between them. Rowen was going to return to his side to help steer him to the right path again, and that he would share in his crimes (which astonishes Nachtigal) and they would together both bring the country back to peace.
• After the first boss battle with him and the arrival of Exodus Gaius claims that Jude will survive and come back to serve him. Why he thinks that so early on is...eyebrow raising at the least. He even starts directing his attention to Jude quite a bit afterwards, seeming to be intent to get the measure of him. And, of course, by the end Gaius recognizes him as a Worthy Opponent (something he never did with Wingul) and puts his faith in Jude's research on spyrites to save the world and create a good future.
  • Wingul, meanwhile, seems to be crushing hard on Gaius enough to try to Murder the Hypotenuse in regards to the protagonists. His main target also seems to be Jude...hm.
  • Jude certainly seems to admire and respect Gaius a lot too. The comparisons drawn between him and Jude's canon Love Interest most likely don't help either. For example, after they get their hands on one of Exodus's airships, we have Gaius going over to Milla and Jude, and Jude is just sitting down and smiling happily at Gaius.

Tales of Xillia 2

• Tales of Xillia 2 has it everywhere, mostly because Jude and Ludger are launchers of a thousand ships:
• Jude, for one, might be canonically bisexual, as alluded to in the last game - one of his alternate universe counterparts has a "tethering" relationship with a Camp Gay spirit, Aska.
• Jude and Ludger get caught in a "blush-flattery-feedback-loop" when complimenting each other during a skit. Also, when Ludger's brokenhearted after his encounter with Victor, Jude offers him a pep talk that ends with a tender hand on Ludger's shoulder. There's also a skit where he says that he feels a strong connection with Ludger even though they've just met.
• Jude and Alvin are still going strong, of course - when Alvin makes fun of Jude's tethering with Muzet he comes out with the line "oh, Jude, hold me tight and let's tether all night long." In a post-battle scene he'll lament how lonely he feels when someone breaks a link with him, and when Jude offers to be his link partner he comes up with, "You mean... You'd hook up with a guy like me?"
  • And when Jude withdraws his offer, Alvin's response is "Ah, the familiar cold shoulder."
• If you select the option for Ludger to tell the group that he's technically naked in his Chromatus form, you get approval points from Gaius and Jude ostensibly because they were happy to be off the subject of Muzet technically being naked.
• Gaius invites Ludger to his igloo of solitude for some...character building...
• As your Relationship Values climb, you'll get short skits with each character telling you how much they appreciate Ludger. Alvin, Jude, and even Gaius can get very blushy and affectionate.
  Gaius: Whatever my guise, be it commoner or king, I feel that you're somehow able to bring out the true me.
• Ludger and Julius, to varying degrees depending on what dialogue choices the player makes. The entire scene before Julius and Ludger fight is rife with it, and then we get the cut-off line where Julius admits◊ that Ludger's stubbornness is what he loves about him.
  • In the bad end Ludger kills the rest of the party and forsakes the entire world to save Julius, even though Julius is close to dying and doesn't have much longer to live. The entire thing is topped off by Julius revealing that maybe this is the world he wanted too.
  Julius: You... You threw away everything for me?

Other/Crossover

• And for some Crossover Ship, Emil and Ruca are now shipped together, thanks to a scene in Radiant Mythology 3's opening where they HUG each other. Yeah, REAL subtle, Namco. Seen here at 1:11
• Tales of Theater gives us more crossover fun with Yuri and Guy, seen here at 2:06.
• After Radiant Mythology 3, some people began to ship Caius and Mao together after they spend the whole game in each other's company.
• In Tales Of The Rays Mileena and anyone female. She spends a lot of time cooing over girls being cute and more than once makes some...questionable comments in that regard as well.

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