Warning! Some spoilers after Act V are left unmarked. Read at your own risk
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Player Character
Player Character/Cricket
The highly-customizable Player Character, as standard of an MMORPG. You start out as the student of the Hongmoon Clan, led by a wizened Old Master Hong, who preaches compassion, justice, and self-sacrifice as tenets of martial arts. Not long after you are introduced to your school; your de facto family, an event occurs that changes your life forever.
- An Adventurer Is You: This is a given, considering the genre. Interestingly enough, Blade & Soul isn't as strict with roles as other MMORPG's, with a flexible skill tree that can be altered at any time outside of combat, and a stat and armor system that allows for an impressive amount of build variety. For example, whilst Blade Master is Exactly What It Says on the Tin, it also throws in some semblance of being the Jack of All Trades (mixed with Mitigation and Avoidance), whilst Destroyer is the Tank with lots of Area of Effect.
- Action Fashionista: With so many fashionable clothes available, the Player can fight bosses while decked in a swimsuit or a ballgown.
- All Your Powers Combined: By the final confrontation with Jinsoyun, Cricket is essentially harboring a huge amount of power gained over the various Acts from some of the strongest fighters/beings in the world, from the Eight Masters and the Sacred Beasts to his old Master Hong himself.
- Anti-Villain: A Designated Villain by Act II, a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Noble Demon by Act IV.
- The Ace: According to little details given in the game, the PC was this. Despite only being in Hongmoon for 3 years, they had already received the Martial Tome, meaning they were ready for the full scope of the Hongmoon way.
- Badass Adorable: Whilst Lyn are the most likely candidates, any character with the right looks and outfit can pull it off.
- Badass Teacher: By Act VI, you become master of the newly rebuilt Hongmoon school, with Ryu, Jinbin, Bunyan, Bunchan, and now-child aged Jinsoyun as your apprentices.
- The Beastmaster: The Summoner class gets a permanent cat familiar to protect them, whilst Warlocks have a temporary Thrall they can also sacrifice for a Soulburn buff.
- Broken Ace: Acts I-III are not kind to you. Culminating in a full-blown He Who Fights Monsters Face–Heel Turn. You reconstruct yourself at the tail-end of Act IV, though. Only to be absolutely shattered after the end of Act IX.
- Close-Range Combatant: The melee classes are this, obviously.
- The Chosen One: As Madun the Mistwalker himself prophesized. Even Iksanun knew you were coming and had been preparing for your arrival for a long time. It takes a while for it to really stick, though.
- Easily Forgiven: All the characters forgive Cricket's actions during the time they are under the thrall of the Dark Chi. It helps that the player was able to defeat Jinsoyun, who was the cause of nearly everyone's problems
- Famed In-Story: After you defeat Jinsoyun at Zaiwei, you become renowned as the Hongmoon Hero and later on the Master of the New Hongmoon school.
- Good Is Not Nice: What they ultimately become, as a combination of both their desire to do good as well as their worldly understanding. Just like Master Hong himself, they are fully willing to bring down merciless justice upon those who would do evil, so long as they can protect the innocent. This is most prominently represented when the Blackram pirate Poharan tries to convince Cricket to save her grandfather from being turned into a demon, with Cricket dismissing her plight as 'divine retribution' for all of the pain and loss that the Blackram has caused throughout the Viridian Coast.
- Handicapped Badass: For much of the game, Cricket is pretty much weakened by the Mark of the Black Rose, an infection of Dark Chi that threatens to kill them if they do not find a cure soon. It is reckoned by most that they would become more powerful, or at least master the Hongmoon Arts faster if they could somehow purify the Mark.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: A surprisingly complex example as Cricket rotates on both doors further in the story:
- Act I has you start out as the typical martial arts movie hero, concerned with saving the world and defeating the Big Bad.
- Act II has you turn into a Pragmatic Hero mixed with Designated Villain as you work for Yonkai in exchange for him sparing the villagers of Sandstone Refuge. Throughout it all, however, one might notice that the responses towards quest givers are becoming more and more impolite, showing the PC taking a level in cynicism, and becoming a Knight in Sour Armor with some Unscrupulous Hero tendencies as revenge becomes your only goal. Saving Yunwa in exchange for losing Mushin's Legacy, however, acts as your Face Realization, returning you into hero territory.
- The end of Act III pretty much throws that out the window as the failure of the Skyhaven Resistance, the death of Iksanun at the hands of his own son, and your repeated defeats persuade you to become Mushin's student, become a Fallen Hero in the process.
- Act IV has you acting out as a Nominal Hero, only helping because it will bring you to Zaiwei, and, consequently, Jinsoyun. Your redemption after the Eight Masters save you, however, signifies a return into Ideal Hero territory by Act V onwards.
- Heroic Second Wind: When Cricket decides to forgo preserving their energy for their last fight with Jinsoyun and instead use it to help their allies in their Darkest Hour, Master Hongmoon reappears before them, praising their understanding that they should always pursue good over personal goals. Stating that this is the key to mastering the Hongmoon Arts, he presents to Cricket his legacy, the Five Hongmoon Truths, empowering Cricket to the level of the Four Guardians.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Cricket's downfall at the end of Act III as Mushin's student and Fallen Hero is most definitely this.
- Jerkass with a Heart of Gold: The heart of gold is without question (at least most of the time), but as Cricket grows more experienced with the world, they start to become a lot more brash and abrasive to those they do not regard as allies. Even after getting out of their Anti-Hero phase, a remnant of that hostility is still ingrained within them.
- Lightning Bruiser: Blade Masters, more agile Destroyers, and more durable Kung Fu Masters are this.
- Naïve Newcomer: In Act 1, Cricket is overly idealistic, taking things at face value and very incapable of seeing through the simplest deceptions. Even through Act 2, where they become more worldly due to becoming the lackey of a cruel general and witnessing the acts people would go through for greed, they are still pretty dense and tend to trust people who make a good impression on them. Only by the end of Act 3 do they break out of this shell, in line with their Face–Heel Turn.
- Rage Breaking Point: After Empress Tayhu insults the character's legacy and praises her own, they remember all the Hongmoon student's deaths and decides to end her life via choking and letting her body disappear into Chi.
- Redemption Earns Life: The Eight Masters sacrifice themselves to save you, becoming Taken for Granite in the process, and the climactic battle between you and Jinsoyun lead to reports of you being dead. According to your caretaker, you were out for quite a long time. Long enough, at least, for you to become a living legend, for Yunma Fei to be coronated, and for Jinsoyun's actions to be disavowed.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: After you defeat Jinsoyun at Zaiwei and your chi is purified by the Eight Masters' sacrifice, you return to the cities to find everyone believes that the Hongmoon Hero died in the fight.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Cricket does this several times in the story, especially when Child!Jinsoyun is kidnapped by Julia and the new Eight Masters.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Everyone calls you either Cricket or Jyan and then later on Jyansei or the Hongmoon Hero, but never by the player's given name.
- Squishy Wizard: Summoner, Force Master, Gunner, and Warlock fall under this.
- Trauma Conga Line: Literally the whole of the game. Whenever something is going well for Cricket you can be sure it won't last long. To begin with:
- The death of Master Hong and almost all the other Hongmoon students, not to mention Master Hong dying to Jinsoyun because Cricket was being held hostage by her, followed by Cricket being infected with the Mark of the Black Rose. Brother Hajoon turns out to have survived the massacre at Heaven's Reach and guides Cricket along for a while before he succumbs to the Mark of the Black Rose as well.
- n Act III, Jinsoyun's plan to kill Iksanun the Realmwalker and the whole of Brightstone village is successful despite all of Cricket's efforts. Cricket as a result commits a Face–Heel Turn after Mushin's persuasion. Cricket later on then successfully defeats Jinsoyun, only to be fatally wounded. Cricket is then about to commit suicide before the Mark turns them into a demon before the Eight Masters sacrifice their lives to purify Cricket's chi.
- Act V: The Hongmoon school is rebuilt and Cricket takes in a child Jinsoyun and other disciples, with Cricket being the master of the rebuilt school. The school is shortly attacked by Zulia who causes Ryu to fall off a cliff protecting Cricket, exactly how Jinsoyun and Cricket fell before as well as kidnapping Jinsoyun. Then when Cricket confronts Zulia, Jinsoyun's soul is sent to the In-Between in the conflict afterward.
- Finally in Act VIII, when Cricket manages to get back Jinsoyun's soul, all of them rejoice before Act IX reveals that Ryu was a spy all along and who then kills Bunyang. Bunah and Jinbin is eventually being killed by Mushin to protect Jinsoyun. The end of Act IX has Cricket and Jinsoyun the only surviving members of the New Hongmoon School crying in front of the graves and dressed in mourning clothes while the spirits of Jinbin, Bunyang, and Bunah appear and comfort them from behind.
- Walking Spoiler: Notice how many tags are spoiler-marked? Impressive, on account of being the Player Character.
Allies and Friends
Master Hong
Master Hong Sokyun
The Earthbreaker
The Master of the Hongmoon School of martial arts, and mentor to the Player Character. He sees great potential in 'Cricket' and is gently guiding him along the path of martial arts. In the anime, he is Alka's master, and was murdered by Jin Varrel.- Incurable Cough of Death: Has a particularly nasty one, to the point that he can only teach a few students at a time. He's taking medicine for it but for some reason, it is still persisting...
- Kamehame Hadoken: His signature move is a blue energy ball fired in this manner, with enough destructive power to destroy mountains.
- Master of All: While his original class is unknown, Master Hong is so well-versed in nearly all styles of martial arts that his Hongmoon Arts encompass every single class in the game.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Puts up a hell of a fight against Jinsoyun and her cronies, but eventually gives up his life in exchange for Cricket's.
- Old Master: The wizened Master of the Hongmoon School.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: Not that he stays pint-sized while fighting, but Hong is considered the most powerful of the Four Guardians.
- Red Baron: The Earthbreaker.
- Sleep-Mode Size: Being a Lyn, he's naturally this small. However, when the last of his students is threatened (the player), he literally hulks out.
- World's Best Warrior: Was considered the most powerful out of the already supreme Four Guardians.
- The Reveal: He's Hong the Earthbreaker, one of the legendary Four Guardians - beings that defeated the Dark Lord over 1,000 years ago.
Old Man Cho
Old Man Cho
Windstride Master
A silly old man who retired from the martial arts world to Jadestone Village. He becomes a Windwalking mentor to the player.- Eccentric Mentor: From telling the player to fetch water from a well to holding his lessons hostage in exchange for seemingly random items such as a fan or a bell, Old Man Cho loves to portray himself as a cranky old geezer that takes advantage of the students who wish to learn his windwalking techniques.
- Le Parkour: He teaches Cricket how to harness a mystical version of this through currents of chi called Dragon Pulses, allowing the player to reach areas that normal locomotion cannot reach through a high-speed animation cutscene.
- Old Master: Not surprising that there are quite a few of these in a world of martial arts.
- Random Drop: Being the crank that he is, the old master will usually demand the player to collect a certain item before they can receive his lesson. Said item can be a random drop from a certain type of mob or a reward gained from spinning Fate wheels.
- Sprint Meter: Essentially his role in the game is to teach the player new ways of utilizing their Stamina through 'Windwalking', be it teaching them how to fly, how to reach new places through Dragon Pulses or increasing their Stamina bar outright.
The Eight Masters
The Eight Masters: (from left to right) Gunma, Taywong, Onmyung
Leerok, Madun, Myo, and Jinwong.
A group of eight powerful martial artists, each representing the pinnacle in their respective discipline, culture, and clan. Formed after the disappearance of the Four Guardians, they were tasked with searching for them and joining forces with them in preparation for the inevitable return of the Dark Lord.- Flat Character: Unfortunately, since there are so many of them, a few of the Masters get shafted in terms of characterization.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When Cricket's Mark of the Black Rose finally threatens to kill them, the Eight Masters give their lives to power enough pure Chi to purify the Mark, transforming into lifeless statues in the process.
- Madun the Mistwalker
- The Corruption: Madun was struck with the Mark of Black Rose when he ran into Jinsoyun in her attack on his hometown years ago. He was able to purify himself of the Dark Chi through a lengthy process known as the Way of Enlightenment spanning over many years.
- Doomed Hometown: Lost his hometown, Brightstone Village, to an attack by the Talus Dominion, led by the emissary Jinsoyun. While the Village still stands due to its mayor surrendering to the Dominion, the villagers are essentially enslaved, mainly to work in the Soulstone Mines.
- The Prophecy: Madun is capable of seeing visions of the future through divination. It is implied by the other Masters that his gift is unreliable and has a tendency to send them on a wild goose chase.
- Leerok the True Shot
- The Alcoholic: Just like his sister, though to a lesser extent as Soha can outdrink him when they are having a drinking contest.
- Attack Hello: When Cricket arrives in Zaiwei, the home of the Ironsights Academy, Leerok greets him with a sniper bullet to the face. He reasons that since Cricket is the Chosen One, he should easily be able to deflect the shot.
- Big Damn Heroes: For some reason, when Madun summons the Eight Masters to help Cricket stop a demonic summoning ritual in Zaiwei, Leerok failed to arrive at first, despite being the closest. When the other Masters get frozen over the course of the fight, he shows up at the last moment to help Cricket defeat the demon boss. Apparently, he had been held up dealing with the fallout from Cricket thrashing the House of Pleasures in their search for Jinsoyun's spies.
- The Gunslinger: The best shot in the Earthly Realm. In truth, he's the second-best, losing out to his sister Soha.
- Gunma the Starblade
- Hidden Depths: Even when Jinsoyun was the one believed to have killed her master Jiwan for the Twilight's Edge and destroyed the Hongmoon School, Gunma still believed she could become a good person.
- Master Swordsman: He is stated to be one of the best swordsmen in the story, and his students even respect him after his death.
- Taywong the Southern Tiger
- Bare-Fisted Monk: He is a Kung Fu Master specialist and can hold on his own against a horde of enemies.
- Determinator: Is the first of the Eight to expend his lifeforce to purify Cricket of their Dark Chi, triggering the rest to follow his example soon after.
- Old Master: Looks to be the oldest and most experienced of the Eight Masters.
- Onmyung the Celestial Force Master
- The Ace: Oh the Dohyun Clan. Her successor Namgun Sunjay even feels that he cannot step in her shoes.
- Myo the Scarlet Shadow
- Ninja: She is one of the best ninjas in the Twisted Serpent Clan, although the story never expands on her backstory or achievements.
- Poisonous Person: Uses poison as one of her attacks.
- Jinwong the Tempest
- Axe-Crazy: Pun aside, Jinwong is constantly looking for something to slam his axehead into.
- Hulkspeak: Refers himself to the third person and combines this manner of speech with a constantly excited voice.
- Sanzu the Grand Enchantress
- Bratty Half-Pint: She was certainly bratty when she was a little kid as shown in her side quest to the point many caretakers quit taking care of her after a day or two.
- Break the Cutie: She saw her father die in the hands of Jinsoyun.
- Came Back Wrong: Her dead body was taken by the Ebondrake Cult and used as a sacrifice to the Dark Lord, which resurrected her.
- Combat Hand Fan: Her weapons are oversized fans, and she uses this to summon huge gusts of wind or adjust her windwalking.
- Heroic Sacrifice: In the Warlock backstory comic, She stalled Jinsoyun so that the other masters can escape her, knowing they will die if they won't.
- In the Back: How she was killed by Jinsoyun.
- Take Up My Sword: In the Warlock backstory comic, she was able to pass her powers to a Herbside service rep who was looking for her sister. Master Hong was able to find him and adopted him to his Hongmoon school, which kinda explains how the Warlock class came to be.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: She was revealed to be alive in Act 7. Turns out she was Julia all along.
The New Eight Masters
Following the deaths of the original Eight Masters, their clans select new successors. When rumors circulate about missing children and the sudden resurgence of the Ebondrake Cult activity all across the continents, the successors go to investigate.
- Big Damn Heroes: Certainly saved Cricket a lot of times in the story.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Julia uses a Mind Melding technique to control them into doing her bidding and convinces them to kidnap Jinsoyun alive. The only one to escape this was Ku Yang, who refused to participate.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Some of them appeared as challengers in the Silverfrost martial arts tournament.
- Flat Character: Unfortunately, since there are so many of them, most of the new Eight Masters get the shaft in terms of characterization except for Ku Yang, Chundoon and Soha.
- Inadequate Inheritor: After the death of the original masters, most of them (except Soha and Chundoon) tried to make a name of themselves and joined the Royal Martial Arts Championship, but all failed as Cricket steamrolled their way to the finals. They even accept it and call themselves the losers.
- Ku Yang
- Deadpan Snarker: He's quite snarky at times in the story.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Disguises as a beggar named Nokku in order to know if Cricket is trustworthy. Cricket isn't fooled one bit.
- Token Good Teammate: Is the only one who does not approve of Zulia and the other new Eight Masters' actions in getting revenge on Child!Jinsoyun. This actually lets him escape Julia's mind melding technique that brainwashed the other members.
- Tranquil Fury: When the Ebondrake Cult burns down his hometown and killing the townspeople in Gunwon looking for him.
- Unak
- Tayjin
- Like Father, Like Son: He's pretty much a clone of his father, even have the same character models. Albeit he is a bit smaller than his father.
- Namgun Sunjay
- Magical Flutist: Knows how to play the flute, which helped in tracking down the missing children.
- The Unfavorite: His father, head of the Dohyun Clan, deemed his son unfit to take a position among the Eight Masters and selected Onmyung for the job instead. He was quite aware of his father's disappointment and often skipped his training in order to pursue his passions in music and poetry.
- Wolyong
- Pungeon Master: Says a lot of axe jokes. Unak or anyone else listening is not amused.
- Soha
Loose Cannon
Known as Jin Kazuki to anime fans, she's an expert sharpshooter/bounty hunter who owes a debt to Master Hong. She meets up with the player and works together with him/her to obtain Mushin's Legacy. After her brother's death, she takes up the position of Headmaster of the Ironsights Academy and becomes one of the Eight Masters.- The Alcoholic: Loves drinking alcohol so much that she's inebriated when Cricket came to say goodbye to her. She can even outdrink her brother in drinking contests.
- Cool Big Sis: Tries to act like one to the player, hoping to ensure that they stay true to Master Hong's teachings.
- Costume Evolution: When she returns in Act 4, she's changed into a new outfit with a long winter jacket, a short skirt, and a more covering blue bra.
- Establishing Character Moment: Her intro animation has her humming to herself as she lines up a shot at a Yes Man bandit, sniping him with a Boom, Headshot! from a great distance. Almost immediately after, she pulls out her gourd of beer and starts chugging it down.
- The Gunslinger: Highly accurate shots combined with Gun Fu make her one of the most well-known bounty hunters in the Cinderlands and beyond.
- The Heart: Recognizes Cricket's desire for vengeance that may come at the cost of their morals and tries to get them to understand that Master Hong imparted them with the Hongmoon Arts to save and protect people, rather than for their own personal vendettas.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Of the ricochet variety. She is considered the best shot in the entire Earthly Realm.
- The Lancer: Accompanies Cricket on their journey to the Cinderlands for almost all of Act 2.
- Ms. Fanservice: As is the standard in Blade And Soul. Slightly justified in that she works in a desert.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: She wears a fur bra that really shows off her cleavage. Her second outfit is much more conservative, but her wool jacket doesn't cover her breasts and stomach.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis: Is constantly butting heads with Juwol of the Yes Men bandits, due to the other holding a grudge against her for killing some of her men.
- Chundoon
Thorntail Master
The Thorntail School Master and the replacement of Madun the Mistwalker. He helps the player character to investigate the links between the Ebondrake Cult and Empress Tayhu.- Not So Stoic: He's quite shaken after witnessing the brutal murders of Bunah and Jinbin by Mushin. He's also distressed when he and the player character learns that the verity pills given to the commoners are actually eyes plucked from old men and children.
- The Prophecy: He can also see divinations the same way as Madun, only this time his prophecies are more accurate than the latter. Although there are still some things that he can't predict such as the death of Cricket's students
Antagonists and Enemies
Jinsoyun
Jinsoyun
Twilight's Edge
Voiced by: Aoi Yūki (anime)
A mysterious Blade Master who wields corrupting Dark Chi and slaughters the Hongmoon School to claim the Twilight's Edge, a divine blade of incredible power. She is the main antagonist of Blade and Soul. Jin Varrel, the Big Bad of the anime, is based on her.- Arc Villain: Of Acts 1-5 as she is the reason of everything bad happening.
- Cool Sword: Her massacre of the Hongmoon School was to claim the Twilight's Edge, a divine sword that even the legendary Four Guardians fear.
- The Corruption: Jinsoyun's trademark power is her mastery over Dark Chi, a malevolent, poisonous version of Chi that allows her to corrupt normal people into ghoulish fiends and demons, as well as poison the land to the point that she can weaken the gods that protect said lands. Even accomplished martial artists that can resist the Dark Chi can only do so with a limited time, suffering and eventually dying from the condition known as the Mark of the Black Rose.
- Dark and Troubled Past: As to be expected. 30 years before the start of the game, when she was a child, Jinsoyun lived in the thriving hub city of Highland Central. She was thus caught in the demonic invasion that occurred when a jealous Stratus Prince accidentally opened a gate to the Dark Realm in his attempt to receive a divine mandate to rule. Her family lost, herself poisoned with Dark Chi, Jinsoyun was on the brink of death when Jiwan of the Four Guardians found her. Due to her pity and her curiosity over why the Twilight's Edge was reacting to Jinsoyun, Jiwan healed her and took her in as her first pupil.
- The Dreaded: While most people don't know her, the top martial artists around the world do and fear her prowess and The Corruption she brings. It is theorized (and shown) that only a martial artist on the level of the Four Guardians can stand up to her.
- Hellgate: Her main goal is to open up the Dark Gate, the boundary between the Earthly Realm and the Dark Realm, so that she can bring about the The End of the World as We Know It by flooding the world with demons and corrupting Dark Chi.
- Knight of Cerebus: While Cricket encounters many enemies throughout their journey in Blade & Soul, everytime Jinsoyun appears, she will completely wipe the floor of anyone in her way and create a path of utter destruction in her wake, annihilating armies with a simple gesture. Whatever mortal threat Cricket is facing will literally melt before her might, constantly reminding the player that she is the main antagonist.
- Ms. Fanservice: To a lesser extent than other examples in Blade and Soul, but her skintight outfit shows off her curves very well, emphasized with her Supermodel Strut.
- No One Could Survive That!: Played straight when she sends Cricket off a cliff with a slash of the Twilight's Edge, believing that the Mark of the Black Rose would eventually kill them. The fact that they survive for so long intrigues her to the point she willingly lets them live. Ironically, she also experienced the same thing when Mushin threw her off Jiwan's Peak after accusing her of killing Jiwan. She survived the fall and was saved by child Julia.
- Perpetual Molt: Sheds black feathers whenever she appears onscreen or attacks.
- Redemption Equals Life: Jiwan brings her back to Cricket as a little child for an unknown reason, insisting that she must be taken cared of. It pays off in act 10 when Jinsoyun remembers her past life and how Cricket took care of her, saving Cricket from Ryu and thanking them for taking care of her.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Her backstory reveals that she had an almost timid personality even after Mushin's betrayal. It took Zulia's father to push her over the edge and finally accept the Dark Lord's offer of power. Once she's aged down, she becomes one again.
- Was Once a Man:Jinsoyun was actually once a normal girl who had the bad luck of getting infected by Dark Chi in a demonic invasion. She maintained her humanity thanks to the healing from Jiwan, but the subsequent loss of her mentor and her despair at the world meant that she accepted the Dark Lord's offer of power, reviving her into a demonic hybrid as his herald.
Jinsoyun's Subordinates
Yura
The Scorpion
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (anime)
An assassin who works under Jinsoyun, but seems to have her own goals. Her anime counterpart is Yu Ran.- Animal Motifs: The scorpion, from her looks to her attacks. She even transforms into a giant scorpion to fight Cricket.
- Double Agent: She is actually working for Mushin, acting as his spy on Jinsoyun.
- Enigmatic Minion: Clearly has her own agenda. It's shown that she is working for Mushin, and abandons Jinsoyun once she outlived her usefulness.
- Femme Fatale: 30 years ago, she had used her beauty and charm to have the second prince of the Stratus Empire fall in love with her, so that she can manipulate him to perform an improper Divine Mandate Ritual and open a gate to the Dark Realm.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: Subverted in that while she wears very visible red, she can actually turn herself invisible and uses it liberally in her stealth.
- Ms. Fanservice: Shows a lot more skin than her boss and acts quite flirtatious.
- Navel-Deep Neckline: Wears a really sexy leather suit that has wide cleavage going from her breasts to her lower stomach.
- Older Than They Look: It is eventually revealed that she has been operating in the shadows for a very long time. Even back when Jinsoyun was still a child.
- Our Demons Are Different: Unlike Gubong and Jinsoyun who have human origins, Yura is a pure scorpion demon from the Dark Realm.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Wears a red snazzy dress when she's in disguise.
- Smug Snake: When she's not being seriously threatened, Yura treats everything around her with a sarcastic tongue and a vicious smirk.
- Supermodel Strut: Strides with so much hip-swaying that it can only be deliberate.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Pretends to be Chol Mugo's wife Jisu when he rescues her in the In-Between as part of Mushin's plan to start a war in Zaiwei.
Gubong
Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (anime)
A scarred giant, even amongst the Gon, who wields a similarly sized axe. His anime counterpart is Ga Gante.- Blood Knight: While he does not speak much, Gubong clearly loves fighting, laughing through Cricket's battle with him.
- Stout Strength: Has a unique character model that makes him fatter than anything that can be made with the character creator. He also wields a massive axe with ease and martial mastery. He gets even larger when he turns into his demonic Devourer form.
- Was Once a Man: Used to be a celebrated general of the Stratus Army, being the pride of Clear Sky Village. However, his meteoric rise attracted envy and he was eventually betrayed and framed for treason. After his execution, Jinsoyun revived him through Dark Chi to do her bidding. It is not known what exactly he is now, but his demonic form and Resurrective Immortality show that he is clearly no longer human.
Lusung
Hongmoon Traitor
A male Jin Kung Fu practioner who was one of the older students at the Hongmoon school. He eventually betrayed them to join up with Jinsoyun in a relentless search for power.- Aloof Big Brother: Has shades of this with his interactions with Cricket and the other students.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His family was killed by a rogue army officer because his older sister refused to marry him and committed suicide.
- Deceptive Disciple: He betrays Master Hong to Jinsoyun in hopes of getting his hands on the Hongmoon Arts through force. He tries it again to Jinsoyun herself by seeking out Mushin's Legacy for himself. He fails.
- Demonic Possession: Is capable of using Dark Chi to put people into a trance and act through them. He does this on Yunwa to catch Cricket off-guard when they reach Mushin's Tomb, nearly killing them with a well-placed dagger.
- Heel–Face Turn: He regrets his actions after you defeat him at the Skybreak Spire and his sister talking sense into him.
- One-Winged Angel: He sports one black wing after being resurrected by the Dark Lord as its servant. Then he invokes this trope and turns into a monster in his Raid.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Not really tall next to a Gon (or even a Yun), but he has dark hair and can be considered very handsome.
- The Starscream: He tried to betray Jinsoyun in hopes of obtaining Mushin's Legacy for himself. He gets rewarded for his failure by being turned into a raven demon courtesy of Dark Chi.
- Was Once a Man: Cracks across his body and face show that Dark Chi is doing something to him and his humanity. He becomes a demonic hybrid thanks to Jinsoyun accelerating his transformation. He returns back to normal after defeating his form, only to make a pact with the Demon Lord and transform to a monstrous raven.
The Dark Lord
The ruler of the Dark Realm. Not much is known about him yet, but it is clear that he desires to conquer the Earthern Realm, staining it in Dark Chi and demonic corruption.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Not much is known yet about the Dark Lord, other than corrupting Mushin and Jinsoyun for his plans.
Ebondrake Cult
A cult in Silverfrost mountains that is interested in using the Dark Chi for their own plans. They are working behind the scenes of the Stratus Empire, with Empress Tayhu acting as their leader.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: Most of their members are this, as they are ordinary citizens kidnapped and tortured until they break from the mental torture.
- Apocalypse Cult: They have been responsible for summoning demons all around the continents, with their belief that they will be able to create a new world to their liking.
- The Corruption: The cult has been experimenting with ways in order to reach enlightenment, and has been responsible for many demonic invasions in Silverfrost Mountains, the Talus Dominion, and Solak.
- Cult: It's in their name.
- Religion of Evil: Their members worship the Dark Lord and Mushin to some extent.
- Would Hurt a Child: Those black pillars that corrupted Grimhorn Wilds and Hae Mujin's fleet? Those were the kidnapped children whose bodies were converted as the pillars until the Player Character releases their spirits. Recently, they have also been kidnapping elders and children, plucking out their eyes to turn them to Verity pills, and kept them locked in cages protected by fiends.
Zulia
Zulia
- Ax-Crazy: Thanks to the Dark Chi corrupting her mind when she was resurrected, she's now more sociopathic and willing to get innocent people involved in her plans.
- Combat Hand Fan: Her weapon of choice. Which is a clue on who she actually is before.
- Dub Name Change: She was called Julia in the Korean translation, yet changed to Zulia for some reason for the North American translation. A later patch changed it back to Julia then back to Zulia again, even lampshading it in-game.Blackram Marauder: Wait a minute, her name was Zulia? I've been calling her Julia! Why didn't someone tell me?
- Early-Bird Cameo: She appeared in Sogun's Lament (Snow Jade Palace) before her story arc was even released.
- Friendless Background: In her sidestory, she didn't have any friends her age and she's always constantly cared for by bodyguards, which she didn't like. This was also the reason why she became quickly attached to Jinsoyun, wanting to play with her even if her father forbade it.
- Giggling Villain: One of her defining features as she's always giggling whenever she's amused.
- Impossibly-Low Neckline: So low that it seems that it looks like it may fall off anytime. NC Soft released a patch that censored her outfit to a more sensible one, albeit still sexual. Fans were not happy. For anyone curious about the change, here's a comparison of the two
- Jedi Mind Trick: How she was able to convince the new eight masters to attack the Player Character, convincing them that Jinsoyun is still dangerous and must be eliminated. Only Ku Yang was able to escape her charms.
- Light Is Not Good: Has light-based attacks even if she's supposed to be a Warlock.
- Manipulative Bastard: She revealed herself as Sanzu after the new masters are quickly chosen. Since the new masters are not ready for their roles and she was one of the original masters, the others were quick to trust her until she was revealed by the player character.
- Psychopathic Womanchild: She looks and acts like a cute girl, but she can and will kill you on a whim.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Granted, her hair was naturally black, and only transformed white after her resurrection.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: She was the daughter of the Master of the Aransu school who saved Jinsoyun after she fell from fighting Mushin. She then saw her father killed in front of her by Jinsoyun who transformed after making contact with the Dark Lord. She joined the eight masters in hopes of defeating the Black Rose Witch but was killed in an encounter with her. Her body was then resurrected by the Ebondrake Cult, which turned her Ax-Crazy and plotted for revenge.
- Would Hurt a Child: Kidnaps Jinsoyun from Heaven's Reach and just lets her float in a force field of a sort before attacking her and yanking a fragment of the Twilight's Edge from her heart which sends Jinsoyun to the In-Between.
Chol Mugo
Admiral Chol Mugo
Southern Fleet Admiral
An Admiral of the Southern Fleet, considered to be one of the strongest admirals by the Blackram. He and his crew provide Cricket with a way to the Dasari Palace and Solak after Cricket helps fix their ship. He used to be a General before defecting out of disgust from the Empress's actions.Halfway through Act VIII, he becomes somewhat an antagonist in Solak by striking a deal with Mushin to save his wife, at the cost of the almost destruction of Valindria. Later he kidnaps the Valindrian Yuns for unknown reasons, causing the once flourishing city to lose more than half their soldiers and nearly all citizens while trying to fight them back.
- Affably Evil: He's known as a ruthless admiral by many, but he actually helps out Cricket in their quest to find Jinsooyun after Cricket helps out in powering up his ship.
- Code of Honour: His fleet also has a pirate's code, the same as Hae Mujin. They will also always settle their debts and honor their agreements, even going out of their way to house Cricket and the students from the Ebondrake.
- Driven to Suicide: He kills himself to prevent transforming to a demon after being defeated by Cricket and his "wife" revealing herself as Yura.
- Et Tu, Brute?: He and Mushin make a deal to sneak into Valindria and kill the Divine Maiden in order to forge Jiwan's blade. Mushin promised him a way to go to the spirit realm to see his wife again, which is actually Yura in disguise.
- Face–Heel Turn: Left the Stratus Empire due to the mass slaughter that happened 10 years before and the fact that his wife was one of the victims of Empress' actions certainly helped. He joined the Blackram and became one of the admirals.
- The Lost Lenore: Lost his wive thanks to the Empress's actions. He joins Cricket to Solak to try to go to the spirit realm to retrieve his wife.
- Moral Event Horizon: Kidnapped and sacrificed the Valindria Yuns in order to summon the Celestial Emperor to fight the Empress in revenge. It's very telling that his crew actually isn't comfortable with the decision but have no choice but to follow his orders.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He is mortified with the realization that he willingly killed hundreds of innocent Yuns all for a lie, and that his wife is truly dead. To atone, he decides to kill himself as his body is already corrupted with the Dark Chi after transforming into the Grand Celestial Emperor.
The Empress
Empress Tayhu
Dowager of the Stratus Empire
The Empress of the Stratus Empire and the mother of Prince Subin. Long suspected to have a connection with the Ebondrake, Cricket goes to her Empire in order to investigate more of the cult. She's also revealed to be Namsooyoo's aunt and she has plans of using her blood to conduct the divine mandate ritual.- Abusive Parents: She's quite neglectful of her own son Prince Subin, forcing him to walk even if he is feeling unwell after his transformation. Said transformation was conducted by the Ebondrake Cult under her watch.
- Action Mom: She is a mother (albeit not a good one) and kicked Cricket's ass without any problems after her plans are found out.
- Affably Evil: Invites Cricket and their students to a party as a representative of Zaiwei, and acts as a proper host to her guests. But she drops the affably part after the ambush and revealing that everything is a set-up to kill Cricket.
- Body Horror: Transformed herself into a hideous monster after absorbing Dark Chi.
- The Corruption: Yunma Fei thinks that she's responsible for turning Ryu to the dark side. And she's even corrupting her own son in preparation for the divine ritual.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: After her defeat, She's killed by Cricket via choking and bombarding her body with Chi until she disappeared, which is out of character for Cricket who never directly try to kill someone.
- Evil Overlord: The closest thing on how to describe her reign, allowing her Ebondrake Cult to take over nearly every part of the Stratus Empire. Ang Hondu even remarks that even if she's gone, her influence is still strong in places where the Ebondrake Cult resides.
- Flower Motifs: She associated with red roses, from her scarlet gardens to her One-Winged Angel transformation looking like a mutated rose monstrosity.
- Impossible Hourglass Figure: She's quite a looker with her slim waist and Hartman Hips. Her appearance in the Act 9 trailer really accentuates it.
- My Beloved Smother: She basically keeps Prince Subin locked away, restricting all visits from everyone, and only has her Ebondrake officers watching over him.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Decked in a red dress and she's a master of using the Dark chi, she doesn't even try to hide how evil she actually is.
- Would Hurt a Child: She's pretty uncaring to her own son, experimenting on him and plans to sacrifice him in a divine mandate. She's also responsible for the kidnapping of children and taking away their eyes to be turned into verity pills.
The Imperator (Spoilers!)
Imperator Ryu
The Imperator
Ryu is an orphaned child taken in by the hero as a disciple of the new Hongmoon School. He starts off being a child of very few words but turns into a passionate, quick study, and he disappeared after Zulia attacks the school. In the Act IX storyline, the hero discovered that Ryu is pretty safe at Dasari Palace. He turns out to be the Imperator of the Stratus Empire and a servant of Mushin.- Deceptive Disciple: He leads Cricket and the other students to an ambush, and mercilessly kills Bunyang. Thanks to this, the hero makes it personal after they cross paths again.
- Disney Death: In Zulia's invasion of the Hongmoon School, he took an attack meant for Cricket and fell off the cliff the same way as the start of the story. It's actually staged as revealed in the act 9 trailer.
- Double Agent: He was placed as a mole in the Hongmoon Clan to monitor Cricket, later responsible for luring Cricket and the other disciples, plus Yunma Fei, into a trap.
- Drunk On Power: Act X shows him getting more unhinged the more he absorbs darkness from sacred relics.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Was shown to be one of the children rescued at the Ebondrake Citadel at the Silverfrost storyline. Also, if you look closely, he's also present in the Vortex Temple raid, watching the fight between Zulia and Cricket.
- Evil All Along: He is part of the Stratus Empire all this time and only acts as a student to spy for Empress Tayho. Along with her, both assist Mushin in his plans on conquering the Divine Realm.
- Evil Sounds Deep: His voice pitches down an octave the moment he reveals his true colors.
- Improbable Age: Revealed to be the Imperator of the Stratus Empire and he is still in his teenage years.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Seems not to remember his time being Cricket's student until Cricket beats him up. Literally. He's not, and he's only pretending not to know them to lure Cricket and Yunma Fei to a trap.
- Obviously Evil: He shows signs of being part of the Stratus Empire and he even holds a high rank. Unfortunately, Cricket doesn't see (or doesn't want to believe) the signs until they were double-crossed by him just a few feet away from their escape path.
- Psychotic Smirk: Sports a lot of smirks ever since he revealed himself to be Evil All Along.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His red eyes are noted in-universe as one of his most striking characteristics and sure enough, he's a cruel and vicious villain.
- Walking Spoiler: Everything about him is pretty much a spoiler.
- Would Hurt a Child: To firmly establish his evil credentials, he slaps Bunah when she tries to reach out to him, then fatally stabs Bunyang.
Nations and Organizations
Bamboo Guard/Village
A small village in the Viridian Coast of the Southern Continent, Bamboo Village is known for its picturesque views, respect for nature and its surrounding bamboo forests. Despite its size, its militia, the Bamboo Guard, acts as the main military force that helps to secure and defend the entire Viridian Coast from all dangers, be it bandits, angry spirits, or their main enemy, a group of pirates known as the Blackram Marauders.
Captain Dochun
Bamboo Guard Captain
Leader of the local militia, the Bamboo Guard, Dochun saves Cricket when they fall from Heaven's Reach during Jinsoyun's raid. For the first Act of the story, he is a driving force for good and helps Cricket acclimate to the state of things outside of the school. He was a former member of the Hongmoon school.- Big Damn Heroes: Pops up several times to help Cricket throughout Act 1.
- Big Good: For Act 1.
- The Captain: Of the Bamboo Guard.
- The Dreaded: Of the Blackram Marauders trying to raid Bamboo Village. They know that so long as he is near the Village, any attempted raid is almost certain to fail.
- Love Redeems: Tries to invoke a familial type. In Act 4, he leaves Bamboo Village to take part in the Grand Martial Arts Tournament, hoping to use the royal bodyguard position offered to the champion to get close to Namsoyoo and convince her to see the error of her ways.
- Old Master: Wants to act like this to Cricket after the loss of the Hongmoon School, constantly reminding them of Master Hong's teachings on justice and the purpose of the martial arts to protect people. However, he is too busy with his duties with the Bamboo Guard to really be with them for long.
- Papa Wolf: Tracked down Namsoyoo after she joined with Gwon and later the Emperor, and even joined a martial arts tournament just for him to convince her to come home.
- Put on a Bus: Completely disappears after the time skip with Dodan replacing him as the captain of the Bamboo Guard.
- The Woobie: The final showdown of Act 1 was horrible for the good captain. Not only does Bamboo Village suffer substantial damage, loss of life and might have even been destroyed if not for Cricket's intervention, but his adopted daughter betrays him for the Blackram, his son is near-death and he could do nothing about all of this because the Blackram knew that he would be away.
Dodan
Dochun's son, who tries a little too hard to live up to the expectations that position puts him under.- All According to Plan: Tries to fake this when he got caught by the Blackram Pirates, saying that he intended to get caught.
- Character Development: He was able to grow out of his immature phase after the timeskip, and he's trying to prove that he has the ability to succeed his father.
- Break the Haughty: He was never truly arrogant, just insecure and trying to prove to everyone that he is worthy of being Dochan's son. However, his pride is torn to shreds when he tries to confront Captain Gwon to save his sister, only to be thoroughly beaten to an inch of his life and Namsoyoo to reveal to him that she had been the traitor all along.
- Old Shame: He is really ashamed of his skirtchasing personality after he grew out of it.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: His ultimate goal behind all of his reckless 'heroics' is to gain the respect of his father and be seen as a worthy successor as Captain of the Bamboo Guard. A few years later, he was able to grow up into a decent captain, but still feels he has a lot to learn.
- Took a Level in Badass: Succeeded his father as the captain of the guard after the time skip in Act 6. He's noticeably more mature, but still wants to prove himself in the eyes of the people.
Namsoyoo
Dochan's adopted daughter.- Beneath Suspicion: No one considers that she is the traitor, even with the huge hints that have been dropped throughout Act 1. Granted, there were multiple traitors, but Cricket clearly witnesses her flirting with the Blackram, as well as overhearing her involvement with Captain Gwon, yet they still buy her excuse that she was just doing what she was told.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Has been spying on the Bamboo Guard for Captain Gwon of the Blackram Pirates in exchange for a promised 'life of a princess'. She betrays Gwon too for Jinsoyun when she realizes that the 'filthy' life of a pirate's wife was not what she wanted.
- Damsel in Distress: She's has quite the knack of getting kidnapped in every arc that she's in. Her lineage has something to do with it.
- Human Sacrifice: She's always a target for sacrifice for the Divine Mandate as her royal blood makes her the true successor for the Stratus Empire and needed for the mandate to actually succeed. But as Act 9 shows, Mushin himself can use his own blood to open the portal, which means kidnapping her is Mushin's way of making Cricket suffer more.
- Identity Amnesia: It's shown she's lost her memories and is living a simple life with Gwon in Yurido Village after being missing for some time. [[spoilers:It's hinted she might be faking it, but her love for Gwon is real and she asks Cricket to keep her identity and location a secret from others.]]
- Ms. Fanservice: She's one of the prettiest characters in-game, and her beauty caught the attention of a Blackram captain.
- The Reveal: She is the lost daughter of Namsolyn, which makes her Yunma Fei's sister and the true successor of the Stratus Empire.
- Token Wholesome: Among all the Ms. Fanservice, Namsoyoo is notable for being one of the few beauties who wear relatively conservative clothing. She drops this once she betrays Gwon for Jinsoyun and becomes a Concubine of the Talus Royal Palace.
- The Vamp: She knows she is beautiful and exploits it for all its worth, convincing the mayor of Bamboo Village to betray his village for her, as well as make Captain Gwon be willing to do anything for her.
The Blackram Marauders
An organized group of seafaring pirates that are separated into four fleets, each delegated to one of the four continents of the Earthern Realm. Cricket's first contact with them is with the Southern Fleet, which has been targeting Bamboo Village with frequent raids.
Eastern Fleet
Admiral Hae Mujin
Eastern Fleet Admiral
The Admiral of the Eastern Fleet. A massive Gon Kung Fu Master with a sense of honour, who cares for the well-being of his crew and his granddaughter Poharan. He makes his first appearance as a boss in the Bloodshade Harbour raid.- Authority Equals Asskicking: The strongest fighter of the Blackram Eastern Fleet.
- Camera Abuse: Achieves this when he throws a cowardly crewmate into the sky and straight towards the camera lens.
- Code of Honour: Apparently his fleet has a pirate's code. They will always settle their debts and honor their agreements.
- The Corruption: Almost gets turned into a demon due to an infection of Dark Chi. Cricket saves him at the behest of Poharan.
- Doppelgänger Attack: In his raid, he is capable of summoning copies of himself wearing Lucha masks.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Before his proper story appearance in the second arc, Hae makes an appearance as a 6-player boss in the Bloodshade Harbour raid.
- Father to His Men: So long as they stick with the Eastern Fleet, don't flee from their duties and don't touch his granddaughter, his crewmates can be assured to have their well-being taken care of.
- Four-Star Badass: The Admiral of the Eastern Fleet with the size of a bear and an over-enthusiasm for wrestling.
- Going Down with the Ship: Decides to do this when black Dark Realm pillars appear out of nowhere, falling from the sky and devastating his fleet. For his attempt, he gets corrupted by Dark Chi and turns into a demon.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With his granddaughter Poharan.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Apparently left the Blackram after finding out that Chol Mugo plans on attacking the Empress
- Spin Attack: His frequently used spinning lariat.
- Wrestler in All of Us: In his raid. His stance is that of a grappler, he loves to go into spinning lariats and he even poses like Hulk Hogan. His boss arena is also a wrestling ring!
Poharan
Eastern Fleet Vice Admiral
The Vice-Admiral of the Eastern Fleet. A young girl with an itchy trigger-finger and a gatling gun, she is the darling of the crew. She makes her first appearance as the raid-boss in Blackram Supply Chain.- Badass Adorable: Elegant Gothic Lolita with a BFG.
- Berserk Button: When Cricket implies that her grandfather is too corrupted by Dark Chi to be saved, she goes berserk and tries to riddle them with bullets to shut them up.
- BFG/Gatling Good: Her weapon, which is nearly as tall as her.
- Blood Knight: Loves fighting, or at least unleashing a hailstorm of bullets in any general direction.
- Commonality Connection: What finally convinced Cricket to help her with her grandfather was that their recognition that Poharan was suffering through the same loss and fear that they had gone through when they lost Master Hong.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Before her proper story appearance in the second arc, she sends a subordinate to invite Cricket to the Blackram Supply Chain raid, showing up as the raid boss to see the hero's strength for herself.
- Enemy Mine: She tries to invoke this on purpose by helping out Cricket with demon-slaying uninvited, hoping to prove to them that if they help her, she can help them in return.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With her grandfather Hae Mujin.
- Jerkass: As a pirate, being a bad guy raiding villages and terrorizing citizens is day-to-day for her. Her way of trying to convince Cricket to help her save her grandfather involved shooting up Bamboo Village.
- Jerkass Woobie: Even with her crimes as a pirate and her general lack of empathy for other people, Poharan is still a young girl who really loves her grandfather and cannot bear to lose him to Dark Chi. Cricket understands her fear of losing the ones they love and hence agrees to help her so long as she promises to stop the Blackram's pirate activities on Viridian Coast.
- More Dakka: What else does a gatling gun do?
- Panthera Awesome: She keeps two tigers - one black, one white - as her pets, calling them into battle during her raid.
- Pirate Girl: Her job.
- Spoiled Brat: Being essentially a pirate princess, she can be really stubborn when it comes to getting what she wants. However, she will not blame her crew if they fail. She'll just get her target herself.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Cricket, especially from their side, due to their own hostility towards the Blackram and hence strongly worded reluctance to help her purify her grandfather of Dark Chi.
- Tsundere: Thanks to Cricket helping her save her grandfather, she considers them at least a close ally, though she, and Cricket, are reluctant to admit it.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: After Cricket saves her grandfather. Given that she's still a pirate and they are still a heroic martial artist, both Pohara and Cricket are still likely to shoot/punch one another on sight, just no longer to the murdering degree.
Southern Fleet
Captain Gwon
A captain of the Southern Fleet, Gwon is the leading force behind the constant raids against Bamboo Village. He and his crew are the main antagonists for Act 1.- Face–Heel Turn: Later in the story the hero finds him alive in Solak, where he is one of the Captains of the nearby refugees trying to defend themselves from the local monsters. He tells Cricket he left the Blackram for good and just wants to live a quiet life with an amnesiac Namsoyoo.
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: After his last raid on Bamboo Village and his successful abduction of Namsoyoo, it seemed like Gwon had basically gotten everything he wanted. The next time the player meets him, they find him near-death in a medical bed thanks to Jinsoyun, with his crew slaughtered, Namsoyoo betraying him, and his reputation in the Fleet in utter tatters.
- Lean and Mean: Is very tall and very thin, contrasting with his much bulkier brother Lieutenant Wungsam.
- Love Martyr: Decided that the loss of his brother and a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of the Bamboo Guards was worth the reward of having Namsoyoo at his side. Even after she betrayed him for Jinsoyun, he continues to pine for her, saying that he will forgive her for everything so long as she comes back to him.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Gwon was found out by Dokgom after Cricked save Gunwon Village and killed by Chol Mugo for defecting against the Southern Fleet.
- Secret Relationship: An evil variant. Gwon is lovers with Namsoyoo, promising her the life of a princess by his side in exchange for information on the Bamboo Guard so that he can finally finish off Bamboo Village and take her away.
- Stalker with a Crush: It is rumored that he is always raiding Bamboo Village is so that he can capture its beauty Namsoyoo for himself.
- Tempting Fate: After Yurido village is saved and Cricket agrees to ask Namsoyoo over to the nearby flower fields for Gwon to propose to, he thinks how lucky he is to be able to live a peaceful life with the woman he loves after being a Blackram Pirate. A few minutes later, Namsoyoo is kidnapped by Mushin and Yura before Gwon arrives on the scene and he dies shortly being slain as a traitor by Chol Mugo and his crew.
- Villainous Valour: You have to give the guy credit. After witnessing his entire crew get slaughtered in mere seconds, he still dares to face off against Big Bad Jinsoyun and her cronies, all because they tried to touch his girl Namsoyoo.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Summarily kills the traitorous mayor of Bamboo Village after their successful raid, having no more need of him.
Dokgom
Chol Mugo's Right-hand man.- Sissy Villain: His way of talking in the English version invokes this trope.
- Corrupt the Cutie: Almost got corrupted by the Dynamo that Cricket stole from a monster tribe. Thankfully, Cricket beat him back into his senses. Literally
- Noble Demon: He allows Cricket to assist other people while traveling to the Southern Fleet even if time is running out.
- Just Following Orders: Helps in kidnapping the helpless Valindrians and stopsCricket from saving them even if it's shown he is reluctant to do so.
Juna
- The Gunslinger: One of the best gunners in the Southern Fleet, shown in her fights where she can one-shot Cricket under the right conditions.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She stalls time for Cricket to save Ku Yang from the Ebondrakes.
- Just Following Orders: Helps in kidnapping Valindrians and stopping Cricket from saving them, even invoking the trope name.
- Scars Are Forever: She has a huge X-shaped scar over her chest which she's proud to display.
The Stratus Empire
The Stratus Empire came into prominence after the fall of the ancient Naryu Empire, arising from the Southern Continent and then spreading to all corners of the Earthern Realm. The Northern, Eastern, and Western Continents were each ruled by one of the Emperor’s sons while the Emperor himself remained upon the throne of the Southern Continent. Formerly a civilization of prosperity, a series of unfortunate events, fueled by jealousy, a newly-crowned emperor who was weak and inexperienced and machinations by dark forces, brought the Empire into a state of chaos and decay, causing it to lose control of the four continents. Now, only the Southern Continent remains in Stratus control and even then the meteoric rise of new nations bornt from the defections of their soldiers, such as the Talus Dominion in the Eastern Continent, could very well spell the end of the empire.
Emperor Wan
The current emperor of the Stratus Empire. Formerly the youngest prince, he inherited the position after the sudden death of his father, with his inexperience with rulership and the jealousy of his brothers catalyzing the decline of the Empire.- The Emperor: Of the Stratus Empire.
- The Unseen: Mentioned several times, but we never actually see him.
- Youngest Child Wins: From a certain point of view, Wan won the whole empire while his siblings had to be content with their own respective continents. However, the way the empire was structured, the jealousy of his siblings, the mass defection of his troops and his own incomplete education on rulership meant that his victory was very, very soured.
General Yonkai
A cruel, power-hungry general of the Stratus Army, Yonkai is in control of the Cinderlands, a vast wasteland where only the strong can survive. He terrorizes its citizens with his unreasonable demands, slaughtering all who dare to even whisper against him. He is the main antagonist of Act 2, holding an entire village hostage against Cricket to get them to do what he wants.- Bald of Evil: Not completely bald, but most definitely evil.
- Bodyguard Babes: Whenever you meet him, you will notice that his personal retinue is all made up of women.
- Drunk with Power: What he is clearly suffering from, though it is also clear that his cruelty and complete Lack of Empathy was always there.
- Four-Star Badass: Unlike literally every other general in the game, Yonkai averts this, with his potly body and thin arms revealing his lack of martial prowess.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: Holds the entire Sandstone Village hostage to force Cricket to search for Mushin's Legacy for him. Even when they are on the right track, he gets impatient and killed half of the village as more motivation.
- It's All About Me: Everything he does, and everything everyone should do, must benefit him. If they don't, they are a waste of space to him.
- If I Can't Have You…: When Lusung's sister refused to marry him and attempted to elope with her true love, Yonkai caught them, executed her love and after being rejected a second time, sent her to the mines to die an early death.
- Karmic Death: A most satisfying one, as he is burned alive in pure delightful agony by Jinsoyun.
- Kick the Dog: Apparently this is the only move he knows.
- Oh, Crap!: Gets this big-time when he witnesses Jinsoyun incinerate soldiers with a flick of her wrist. He orders his entire force to focus on her and goes into an even bigger one when she annihilates them effortlessly.
- Undignified Death: For all of his 'power' and his self-importance, Yonkai is killed just as Jinsoyun did to his soldiers: with a flick of her wrist and without a second look.
Choi Jina
Choi Jina is a special operative sent by the Stratus Royal Court to bring Tyrian High Cleric Gwihan to justice in the Cinderlands. She is in charge of a small group of agents working to infiltrate the Tyrian Cult and gather evidence of their illegal activities. Later, she encounters the player character in the Stratus Empire and assists in breaking them and the Hongmoon students out of the empire.- Action Girl: Excels in capturing and sneaking around, she's also a competent fighter that can take on many enemies.
- Deadpan Snarker: Quite snarky at everything happening when it comes to Cricket and their students.
- Distaff Counterpart: Looks like a female version of Junghado, complete with similar clothing, hairstyle and even have the same hat! Both are quite distinguished sword practitioners that serve an empire.
- Master Swordsman: She can hold her own in battle.
- Pint-Size Powerhouse: She's a normal human, but she notes that she was able to carry a Gon Soldier out of a hideout at a full sprint before.
Ang Hondu
A general in charge of the soldiers in the Stratus Empire. After learning of the Dowager's treachery and Namsooyoo's true heritage, he assists the player character in exposing the Empress's lies. He later becomes the new Stratus Imperator.- Reasonable Authority Figure: Was doubtful of Cricket's words but gave Namsooyoo a chance to prove herself to be Namsolyn's daughter. He even assists in getting an audience with Prince Subin even if it is against the Empress's orders.
General Jaesok
Ang Hondu's subordinate and the one in charge of fighting the blooms that plagued the Empire.- A Father to His Men: He insists on saving his men trapped in the red mist even at the cost of his own safety.
- The Corruption: He was given a dose of Verity pills, and was only able to escape turning into a crazed zombie with Chundoon's help.
Prince Subin
Empress Tayhu's son and the next ruler of the Stratus Empire. In reality, he's not of royal blood since Empress Tayhu is noted not to have it as well. And his own mother uses him as a pawn to conduct experiments with the Ebondrake.- The Corruption: He's been noted to meditate a lot with the Ebondrake and that he has been sick for a long time. By the time Cricket meets him, he transforms into a hideous monster that attacks the player character and Ang Hondu.
- Unwitting Pawn: By his own mother no less!
The Talus Dominion
The Talus Dominion was founded when the celebrated Stratus general, Yunma Kahn, decided to break off from the Empire and founded his own kingdom in the Eastern Continent, bringing with him a large portion of the Stratus enemy. With the loss of the Stratus prince in the demonic invasion of the East Continent capital, the Talus Dominion has risen rapidly in power, attaining control of the East Continent and becoming a serious enemy to the Stratus Empire.
Emperor Yunma Kahn
Click here for the true Emperor
Talus Emperor
The first and current Emperor of the Talus Dominion, Yunma was a high-ranking general who became the most powerful defector from the Stratus Empire 30 years ago, allowing him to establish his own kingdom in the East Continent.- Authority Equals Asskicking: Both an esteemed general and a powerful martial artist.
- Father to His Men: Has this reputation. It made him very well-loved by his army, especially back when he was lead them in the rebellion against the Stratus. Of course, now that he has to deal with issues of governance as Emperor, he became more detached from his military supporters. This allowed Jinsoyun coming in and taking control of the Talus military instead. Still, the loyalty he inspired was enough to trigger the former general Gubong's memories and break him out of Jinsoyun's control.
- Four-Star Badass: His former job as a Stratus general and it was this position that poised him so well for defecting from the Empire.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: He was mutually in love with Namsolyn, who was chosen to become the wife of the newly crowned Stratus Emperor Wan. At first, his loyalty meant that he was content to continue serving as a Stratus general, but when the Stratus Empire broke apart, Yunma decided to take Namsolyn with him. They eventually defied the trope and had a child together as Emperor and Empress of the Talus Dominion.
- Scary Impractical Armor: Seems to have this on whenever he appears out of the palace. It's not him.
Princess Yunma Fei
Talus Princess
The Princess of the Talus Dominion, she is a kind, courageous woman who works tirelessly to fight back against the encroaching corruption inside the nation. Yunma Fei knows her way with a sword, fights her way through numerous full-scale battles and breaks her way into the dungeon in the heart of the Talus capital itself to save you by force.- Big Damn Heroes: Together with Junghado, she personally breaks you out of the Talus Dungeon when you are captured and heavily wounded by Jinsoyun.
- The Consigliere: Offers the player this position at her side in the Talus court when she becomes Empress, wishing them to stop her if she ever showed signs of becoming a tyrant. As she had expected, they decline her offer, having to return to Heaven's Reach to continue teaching the Hongmoon Arts.
- Damsel out of Distress: Was captured thanks to a fake letter luring her to the Stratus Empire. She was able to break out of it with Cricket and Choi Jina's assistance.
- Deuteragonist: For Act 3 and Act 4, due to her many struggles to purge the Talus Empire of Jinsoyun's corruption.
- The High Queen: Becomes the Empress of the Talus Dominion after her father abdicates to live a life of peace as a monk.
- Like Brother and Sister: With Junghado and Yu Chun.
- Parental Abandonment: Part of the reason why she fought so hard against Jinsoyun. As Jinsoyun rose in power and began having the emperor's ear, the emperor became increasingly distant from his daughter, focusing on proving his right to rule, and eventually neglected her almost entirely.
- Really Royalty Reveal: She is also the founder and leader of the Skyhaven Resistance, a group dedicated to fighting back against Talus oppression.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Does a LOT! Noticing that Jinsoyun's rise to power is spreading corruption within the Talus Dominion, Yunma Fei realizes that her position as Princess is too limiting to let her do anything about it. She thus tasks Yu Chun to use his position as Captain of the Guard to manage matters in the capital, while she herself leaves with his bodyguard Junghado to setup a resistance force against the Talus oppression, hoping to wrest Jinsoyun from power with the support of the Talus civilians. When she fails and gets captured to be put into curfew, she uses her still undetected connection to Yu Chun to have him assist Cricket when they arrive at the capital. With Cricket's help, they try to weaken Jinsoyun's control over the army, as well as remove her corrupt supporters in the court. When the time seems ripe, she assigns her personal guard, the Gilded Blade, to Cricket's command to help them in their strike against Jinsoyun. When Cricket's lack of strength led to their defeat and capture by Jinsoyun, Yunma Fei personally breaks into the Talus Dungeons to break them out.
- True Companions: With Junghado and Yu Chun. She adds you into her circle after all you've done for her with both the Skyhaven Resistance and the corruption in Zaiwei.
Junghado
The Professional
Princess Yunma's lifelong bodyguard and the leader of the Order of the Gilded Blade, the Princess's personal guard and covert intelligence.- Big Damn Heroes: Accompanies Yunma Fei in her breaking into Talus Dungeon to save the player from their imprisonment. And he was able to save Yunma again after she is captured by Mushin.
- Consummate Professional: His title is 'The Professional' and he always carries himself with a stern composure no matter the obstacles in front of him.
- Like Brother and Sister: With the Princess, due to being Childhood Friends.
- Master Swordsman: He's noted to be one of the best swordsmen in the world. And proves it in his boss battle with the Player Character.
- Subordinate Excuse: Has the prowess to be offered a high-ranking position in the Talus military, but chose to remain as Princess Yunma's bodyguard so that he can watch over her.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Classic lean stature with graceful long black hair.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Princess. He will always be sure to remind you.
Yu Chun
Captain of the Guard
The Captain of the Guard of Zaiwei, the Talus capital. An up-and-coming officer with a strong sense of justice, he seeks to ensure the protection of Zaiwei and all of its citizens.- Arch-Enemy: Been chasing down Yunsang for years with no success until the Player Character helps him in catching Yunsang.
- Four-Star Badass
- Like Brother and Sister: With the Princess, due to being Childhood Friends.
- Pretty Boy: Along with being Tall, Dark, and Handsome, almost everyone calls Yu Chun a dandy or pretty boy.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While he does not approve of the hero's vigilante attempts to catch Yunsang for him at first, Yu Chun eventually accepts their assistance and even escorts them into Zaiwei after Yunsang is captured. It is eventually revealed that he has been Princess Yunma's ally all this time, helping her with affairs in the city while she went out to raise the resistance.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: When he makes his first appearance against Yunsang, Yu Chun throws his sword with such force that it turns into a spinning disk of death. Even when Yunsang caught it with his halberd, the sword kept on spinning!
The Lumang Syndicate
A vast criminal organization that is made up of many different factions across the Earthly Realm. Whenever the player runs into bandits of various groups, these groups are likely under the umbrella of the Lumang Syndicate.
Yunsang
King of Thieves
The King of Thieves and the feared leader of the Lumang Syndicate. Wielding his mighty halberd, he has warded off countless attempts to capture him from all authorities.- The Bus Came Back: He came back along with Yunma Khan to assist Grandmaster Nayul in closing up the rifts appearing across all realms.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He makes his first in-game appearance as the boss of the 20th Floor of Mushin's Tower.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Protects his former lover Juwol from Yu Chun's flying blades with his body. He survives.
- Heel–Face Turn: Went on to become one of Cricket's allies after he learned that they saved his daughter's life. He accompanied Yunma Khan to become a monk wandering the world.
- I Owe You My Life: Becomes firmly on Cricket's side once he hears about how they gave up Mushin's Legacy to save his daughter.
- Papa Wolf: Charged straight into enemy territory when he heard that Yunwa was captured by Yunsang. It was actually a trap set by Cricket.
- The Bus Came Back: He came back along with Yunma Khan in order to assist Grandmaster Nayul in stopping the rifts in the Empyrean Citadel.
- Villainous Valor: When tricked into walking into a Talus ambush, Yunsang faces it off without fear, calling himself an unstoppable tempest. He makes good on that boast by absolutely decimating the Talus soldiers, only being stopped by the player and the timely arrival of Yu Chun.
Yunwa
Princess of Thieves
The Princess of Thieves, Yunwa is the adopted daughter of the Lumang leader Yunsung. She left the Lumang Syndicate a few years ago to strike out on her own and prove to her father that she proves that she has the skills to be a capable thief. Her latest target is the fabled Mushin's Legacy, a mystical item rumored to contain Mushin's immeasurable power.- Badass Adorable: While she is not a great fighter, Yunwa is absolutely fearless and knows how to use her Syndicate connections to achieve her goals. Her absorption of Mushin's Legacy means that she has the potential to be as powerful as Mushin himself.
- Blithe Spirit: Does whatever she wants, no matter what other people say. Try to keep her inside? She'll find a way to escape. Try to hide your treasures from her? She'll steal it. Have a literal army chasing after her prize? Well, she'll just have to be faster than them.
- Damsel in Distress: Gets hit by this many, many times.
- Deuteragonist: Of Act 2, as she searches for the legendary Mushin's Legacy, without knowing she is Mushin's last descendant.
- Living MacGuffin: Being the last descendant of Mushin, she is the key to allow access to his much sought-after Legacy.
- Lovable Rogue: The adorable Princess of Thieves that is beloved by everyone in the Syndicate.
- Tom Boy: A free-spirited tomboy who is always in search for adventure and hunting for long-lost treasure.
- True Companions: Is almost never without her beleaguered caretaker Gil until he betrays her, and she also considers Cricket as her 'luck charm' after they sacrificed the power of Mushin's Legacy to save her life.
Valindria
A Yun City that is hidden on the continent of Solak. The inhabitants are mostly Lady of War Yuns that protect the country from corruption. As they are persecuted for their beauty and rarity, they have hidden themselves with their powers and only allow people with noble intentions to pass by them.
The former Divine Maiden. The player character goes to Solak in search of her to find a way to cure Jinsoyun, who's soul was separated when the Twilight's edge was removed from her.
Ayonna
The Divine Maiden
The former Divine Maiden. The player character goes to Solak in search of her to find a way to cure Jinsoyun, who's soul was separated when the Twilight's edge was removed from her.
- Barrier Maiden: Of a sort. She's this she is bound to the Divine Tree and she is able to sense every single living thing around Solak.
- Friend to All Living Things: She can be able to sense and communicate to plant life, as that is how she was able to sense Crickets intention of saving Jinsoyun.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Mushin stabs her with the Twilight's edge and lets the sword absorb her life essence in order to restore its powers.
Jyonna
The Divine Maiden
The current Divine Maiden. She is introduced as the next successor of Ayonna, who was forced to quickly inherit the position after her death to prevent the whole city from dying. After performing the ritual, she assists Cricket and friends in all their endeavors.- Barrier Maiden: Turns into this after she sealed the deal to be the next Divine Maiden.
- Friend to All Living Things: Like her predecessor, she can communicate with all plant life. She describes that she can sense nearly every breeze and movement from far away thanks to her connection with living things.
Sunyung
The Guardian Priestess
The Guardian Priestess of the Valindrian Vanguard. She's childhood friends with Jyonna and Seojin, who are shown to be close to each other ever since they were kids.- False Friend: Tries to take Jyonna away so that she won't have to be the next Divine Maiden. Thankfully she was able to come back to her senses after leaving the group for some time.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With Cricket after everything that happened with Chol Mugo and the demonic invasion in Valindria.
- Friend to All Children: Underneath her stern exterior, she's actually fond of the Hongmoon students as she always offer them sanctuary whenever they visit Valindria. She sends them regards in her letters as well.
- Heroic BSoD: She was so shocked when she discovered all the corpses of the kidnapped Valindrians that she can only beg Cricket to take revenge on Chol Mugo.
Seojin.
The Valindrian Guard Captain and a Yun blademaster. She's childhood friends with Jyonna and Sunyun.- Master Swordsman: She's quite proficient in combat.
- The Pollyanna: Always has a cheerful demeanor no matter what is happening around her.
Legendary Figures
The Four Guardians
Four legendary warriors hailing from an ancient time, who were granted immense power and immortality by the heavens to combat the Dark Lord. Ever since the battle, they have withdrawn from the world and gone into hiding. Many people, from Jinsoyun to the Eight Masters, are searching for them. Mushin is the only one left alive
Hong the Earthbreaker
See entry on Master Hong.Mushin the Divine Fist
The Divine Fist
A powerful Gon martial artist known for his unmatched martial skill, Mushin helped stave off the darkness with his fellow guardians in the fight against the Dark Lord 1000 years ago. According to the Eight Masters, he is dead. Even so, his influence in the story comes through the struggle over his descendants and the power he left behind known as Mushin's Legacy.- Bare-Fisted Monk: Unlike nearly every Kung Fu Master in the game, Mushin never uses gauntlets, prefers to use his bare fists to utterly break his enemies in quick, powerful strikes. Divine Fist indeed.
- The Corruption: Utilizes Dark Chi in his way of martial arts called the Dark Arts.
- Evil Laugh: Goes into one as Gil when Yunwa tells him that she is Mushin's descendant, laughing at how the key to his goal has been beside him all this time.
- Fallen Hero: He was a genuine hero back in the day, respected for both his might and his kindness, winning loyalty as the greatest officer in the Naryu Empire. But his father, the Emperor of Naryu, was forced to arrest him due to rumors of treason and a planned coup, spread by his brothers jealous of Mushin's success. These events planted darkness into Mushin, making him question the point of all his efforts to protect and serve the Naryu Empire and its people. This darkness was later exploited by the Dark Realm, its corrupting energies amplifying it and transforming Mushin into the cold, calculative Magnificent Bastard that he is in the game.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He was most known for being the Guardian who willingly threw themselves into the Dark Realm to seal the Gate from the other side over a thousand years ago, preventing a demonic invasion. He was presumed dead until he managed to escape 30 years before the events of the game, much to the joy of his fellow Guardians.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: In his disguise as the bumbling careless Gil.
- Posthumous Character: According to the Eight Masters, he's already dead, possibly killed by Jinsoyun. They were wrong.
- Red Baron: His title as the Divine Fist.
- Revenge: The motivation behind his Dark Arts and what he uses to draw upon the Dark Chi's power.
- Taking Up the Mantle: Mushin's Legacy, an orb containing his divine power. In the event he dies, a warrior deemed worthy by the three Sages will be able to inherit it.
- Walking Spoiler: Pretty much. Other than his continued survival, Mushin is also directly responsible for a lot of the events and backstory in the game, thanks in part to his ambition and his immortality.
- Would Hurt a Child: He kills Bunah and Jinbin at the end of Act IX.
Iksanun the Realmwalker
The Realmwalker
A Lyn martial artist known for being the most laid-back of the group, as well as being the hardest to find. After Master Hong's death, he is the last living member of the Four Guardians.- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: The main reason he stayed away from his lover and Brightstone Village, even in their time of need during a Talus attack. It is a little more selfish in that his foresight allowed him to see that him staying hidden was key to letting him meet and help the future warrior Cricket stop Jinsoyun from bringing about The End of the World as We Know It. He regrets this decision when he realizes that he had a son who had been left traumatized and bitter by the death of his mother.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Is very condescending towards the player, constantly belittling them and their condition, but he is completely on the player's side in stopping Jinsoyun and makes use of his connections heavily to seek out a cure for the Mark of the Black Rose.
- Luke, You Are My Father: He has a son named Ilsim from his former lover in Brightstone Village. Unfortunately, she chose not to tell him before her death because she feared that his son would be used against him by his enemies. Sadly, his enemies figured it out before he did.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Guides Cricket throughout all of Act 3, helping him gain favour with the Sacred Beasts and receive their life force. Unfortunately, it was this focus on Cricket that made him fail to realize that there are other key parties involved, namely his son Islim. This resulted in Jinsoyun using Ilsim against him, leading to his death.
- Out-Gambitted: All of his schemes were viciously and thoroughly beaten by Jinsoyun, thanks in part to her spies in the Skyhaven Resistance. When she learned he wanted to use the Great Dragon Pulse to teleport the Skyhaven Resistance straight into the Talus capital Zaiwei, not only does she use the Great Dragon Pulse first to ambush the headquarters of the Resistance, she sets up a trap where Iksanun's own attempt backfired against him, teleporting in another Talus army on top of the Resistance once more. Finally, she figures out that Ilsim is unknowingly his son. Thus she got to the boy first, manipulating his rage against Iksanun for failing to protect Brightstone Village and his mother. She then made sure that Iksanun will figure it out soon as well by planting hints. She finishes it all off by having Ilsim uses his ability to get close to stab Iksanun with the Twilight's Edge disguised as a dagger, killing Iksanun.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: His disguises involve a simple change of clothes and calling himself 'Old Master Ik'. Yes, 'Ik'.
- Portal Network: His mastery over Dragon Pulses, to the point that he can block off other people from using them and travel all around the world.
- Red Baron: His title as the Realmwalker. It is a reference to his complete mastery of the Dragon Pulse Portal Network, allowing him allegedly to move from one side of the Realm to the next.
- Spontaneous Human Combustion: His fate at the end of Act 3, thanks to Twilight's Edge.
Jiwan the Righteous Blade
An Yun martial artist renowned for her skill with the sword. According to the Eight Masters, she is dead years ago.- Big Good: Her spirit has been watching over Cricket throughout their entire journey, helping them in times of need in hopes that they can save her former pupil Jinsoyun from the clutches of the Dark Lord.
- Cool Sword: The Twilight's Edge.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Gave her life to protect Jinsoyun from Mushin's attempt to kill her. Unfortunately, this was Mushin's intent all along, as well as triggering Jinsoyun's Start of Darkness.
- Light Is Good
- Posthumous Character: According to the Eight Masters, Jiwan's already dead, possibly killed by Jinsoyun. Jinsoyun isn't the killer. It was actually Mushin who killed her and then blamed Jinsoyun for the crime, causing her StartOfDarkness.
- Red Baron: Her title as the Righteous Blade. It's a hint that she was the original wielder of the Twilight's Edge.
The Sacred Beasts
Other Characters
In the Cinderlands
Yehara
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (anime)
The beautiful hostess of Yehara's Mirage, a popular inn that is considered the oasis of the Cinderlands desert. She is well-respected for both her knowledge and her martial prowess, the latter displayed in the rare times people dare make trouble in her establishment. In the anime, her name is Karen.- Parental Substitute: To Yunma, who is her niece. After searching for her for so long, she took her under her with Lusung's permission.
- Silk Hiding Steel: She can kick ass with a smile! Jinwong even can't believe that she's actually the hostess of the Mirage.
Juwol
Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki (anime)
The female leader of the Yes-men, a group of male bandits devoted to serving her every whim. Selfish, ill-tempered and stubborn, she uses her skill as a Blade Master to rip her opponents to shreds. Her anime counterpart is Dan Roana, who leads a similar group called the Pleasure Gang.- Drowning Her Sorrows: Once she heard that Yunsang retired from banditry to be a monk.
- Woman Scorned: Felt that Yunsang betrayed her ever since he adopted Yunwa. She held her grudge for a long time.
- Tsundere: To Yunsang. She will get angry at the guy but once she heard that he was captured she tries to save him but fails.
The Three Sages
A trio of wise men who have been watching over Mushin's Legacy for a very long time. Trusted by Mushin with his divine power, they serve as judges who are waiting for the one who will finally prove worthy of inheriting his power, all while leading normal lives under the guise of regular people.The Three Sages are: Dokdan the Healer, Podan the Vagabond and Jakdan the Drunkard/Worldly.
- Ambiguously Human: It's revealed that the three sages are messengers from the divine realm sent to look over the human realm as they revealed to Mushin thousands of years ago.
- The Atoner: They unintentionally set Mushin down to his dark path by turning him to a sacrificial lamb to seal the dark realm. Now they are trying to prevent the same happening to Cricket.
- The Alcoholic: Jakdan, its even in his title!
- Old Master: Helps out cricket in Mushins Tower, acting like mentor for each challenge Cricket does.
Hongmoon School
A renowned martial arts school created by Master Hong Sokyun many years ago. It has since fallen from the height of its popularity and houses only a handful of students due to Master Hong's failing health.
Brother Yungmuk
A student of the Hongmoon School and its assistant instructor.- Gentle Giant: Despite being a huge Gon, Master Hong trusts him to teach the newcomers.
- The Stoic: His facial expression rarely changes from serious, even when he's stunned that Cricket was accepted/promoted as a full-fledged student after only 3 years.
Brother Hajoon
A male Lyn Force Master, he's the school resident prankster but he also knows a lot about the other fighting disciplines other than his own.- Big Brother Mentor: Turns into this during Act 1 for Cricket.
- The Corruption: Gets hit with the 'Mark of the Black Rose'. It is eating his mind, body, and soul and gradually weakens him.
- The Determinator: Even being corrupted from the inside doesn't stop Hajoon from continuing to try and train Cricket in some intermediate skills of the Hongmoon School over the course of a few days.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Accepts this since he's got the Mark of the Black Rose but wants to teach Cricket as much as he can before he expires.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: The smallest member of the Hongmoon school but also one of the elder students.
Brother Gilhong
An unassuming male Jin.- We Hardly Knew Ye: Him and nearly everyone else in the Hongmoon School are killed by Jinsoyun before we even get to know him.
Sister Jinyung
The only female student of Hongmoon (unless Cricket is also female).- The Smurfette Principle: The only female student in the Hongmoon School if the Player Character is male.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: She was killed during Jinsoyun's attack in the prologue before we get to know her.
Jinbin
A kid Cricket saves in the Cinderlands. He's very enthusiastic to be their student, always jumping at the chance of joining the Hongmoon School whenever possible.- Cool Big Bro: To the younger students, especially to Jinsoyun. He always volunteers to look after them whenever Cricket needs to be somewhere else.
- Dead Person Conversation: Cricket is able to talk and fight with him one more time after they travel to the In-Between before truly passing on to the other side of The Pearly Gates.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Cricket saves a lost and hungry Jinbin in a tunnel going to Cinderlands and Sandstone Village in Act II, before becoming more prominent in act VI.
- Killed Off for Real: Is hit from an energy attack by Mushin while trying to protect Jinsoyun, which quickly kills him.
- Only Sane Man: He's the only one not enthusiastic about joining in fights, as he knows they're still younglings compared to the battle-hardened enemies.
Bunyang and Bunyang
Old Man Cho's grandson and granddaughter who teaches Cricket how to windwalk in sidequests. Later, both siblings become the disciples of the Player Character in the reformed Hongmoon School.- Badass Adorable: Both are cute Lyns and can fight their way out of trouble.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Both siblings appear in act I and sidequests as Cricket's guides in using the dragon pulses or teaching them how to wind walk.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Bunyang is the foolish one of the siblings as he causes trouble whenever accidentally or intentionally. Bunah is the responsible one of the two siblings and she tries to keep her brother out of trouble, which is easier said than done.
- Killed Off for Real: Bunyang is mercilessly cut down by Ryu after his defection while Bunah was killed by Mushin when she tries to escape from him.
- The Trickster: Bunyang loves to make trouble whenever he can, the best example is when he pretends to be disciples of the Hongmoon school and scams people into paying to be Cricket's students, which the Player Character didn't know about until going back to Hongmoon Reach.
Brightstone Village
Ilsim
Iksanun's secret son. A rash, bitter Lyn who strives to free his village from their forced enslavement by the Talus army.- Antagonistic Offspring: Of the accidental variety. He didn't know that he was actually Iksanun's son and killed him thinking that he abandoned the village and his mother.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He's certainly remorseful that he was the sole reason Iksasun was dead and the Brightstone Village was overrun with fiends. He carries this burden well to the afterlife.
- Unwitting Pawn: Jinsoyun was able to use him to kill Iksanun by using his hate against the latter.
Mayor Taywo
Brightstone Village's elderly mayor and Ilsim's caretaker ever since his mother died in the Talus attack 16 years ago.- Dying as Yourself: He stabbed his own heart in order to prevent himself from turning to a fiend.
- Secret-Keeper: He hid the secret of Islim being Iksanun's son for a long time, but this bites him hard as Islim swore to kill Iksanun for thinking he abandoned their village.
