211:
where femininity is presented with too much simplicity, wanted to write
Asellus to be a character who was able to thrive without men and who women would fall for. However, not all of these aspects made it through the planning stage, so she made her story a coming-of-age one. Shoda wrote her to desire a familial relationship due to losing her parents at a young age, but rejected such a thing with Orlouge, as it was not the kind she wanted. Shoda commented that Asellus easily gets swept up in the flow while being able to fight the current, feeling that it sets her apart from others. Asellus' manner of speaking changes from masculine when talking to women and feminine when talking to men; Shoda worried that this may confuse people, and interpreted it as a manifestation of her Mystic side. She hoped that players would think about her interactions with characters like White Rose, Gina, and Orlouge, wanting players to interpret her relationships.
152:
White Rose, a princess, both having romantic tension with her. Asellus has been generally well received, particularly praised as an early example of an LGBTQ+ character in video games. Her relationship with other characters, such as White Rose and
Orlouge, has also been discussed, and she has been recognized as a standout character in
351:
did not consider
Asellus' story "was a LGBTQ+ one", he expected that it would be interpreted that way, appreciating that those in and out of the LGBTQ+ community enjoyed it, giving validity to such interpretations of the character. Her further stated he was grateful for how well the character's story
151:
She was intended to be a character who was able to thrive without men and whom women would fall for, though some of these aspects were not able to get past the planning stages, so Shoda instead made it a coming-of-age story. Asellus associates with two women in particular, namely Gina, a tailor, and
267:
writer Crazy
Kawachi also preferred her to the other protagonists, attributing such to their enjoyment of monsters and half-demons in stories, and enjoyed both of her character routes. He further attributed some of her appeal to her manner of speech changing between masculine and feminine depending
328:
writer Kyle Seeley noted
Asellus as an LGBT character created before such representation became common in video games, feeling that she had more "care and purpose" put into her story, character development, and identity than others. Seeley discussed how Asellus' rejection of her half-Mystic status
284:
staff felt that her character's half-human, half-demon setting had universal appeal, and that her interactions with demon characters enhanced this aspect further, they cited that players had been moved by her dignified appearance, and that her gender-defying strength and beauty helped elevate her
210:
Asellus' story was based on a dream Shoda had, where she nearly died from being hit by a carriage, only to be saved by a person in the carriage who gave her their blood. This was used as inspiration for
Asellus becoming Half-Mystic. Shoda, not liking stories where female characters rely on men or
335:
writer Laine Yuhas identified
Asellus as her childhood "bisexual video game crush," discussing how she felt like an escape in a world where queer representation was actively fought against, and appreciating that Asellus' story revolves around self-acceptance. She appreciated that characters in
297:, finding her "self-discovery" of whether she is human, Mystic, or both interesting, and felt that even though some of the narrative was cut from the final game her quest represented a "standout examples of the potential" of the game's approach to storytelling.
44:
132:, and one of its seven main characters. She is a human who became half-Mystic, a vampire-like race, after nearly dying after being struck by a carriage and saved by being given blood from a Mystic named Orlouge. Her design was created by character artist
262:
s David McBurney praised her as one of the game's more fleshed-out protagonists, finding her story compelling and one of the game's "standout sections", adding that her Half-Mystic status helped set her apart from the other characters.
184:. Kobayashi worked on her before other characters due to wanting to see Facinaturu, the region in which Asellus resides. Asellus left an impression on Kobayashi due to her not usually designing characters like her.
300:
She has been recognized as a popular character both as queer representation and as appealing to the LGBTQ+ community, and described as one of the first examples of a lesbian character in video games by journalist
199:, and others, though Shoda noted that she wanted to avoid copying a specific manga. She stated that she wanted to make a maiden game in a world of demons. Certain content was originally planned to be included in
170:, and is a woman who is originally a human who becomes half-Mystic, a vampire-like race, after being struck by a carriage and being given blood from another Mystic named Orlouge. She was designed by
276:, having beaten the game with her multiple times, though lamented that unlike other protagonists she could not be recruited in most other routes for the title. A fan of her character artist
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mirrored that of a "young queer woman coming to terms with her sexuality," and how her later accepting she can't change who she is is a "meaningful message" for anyone.
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148:, with Asellus' Mystic origins inspired by a dream with the same premise as Asellus'. Asellus speaks masculine when talking to women and feminine when talking to men.
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324:
writer
Georgina Young called the relationship "touching", both outlets attributing some of the game's enduring success to how well players took to the character.
217:
writer-director identified
Asellus' scenario as his favorite part of the series, particularly a scene where Asellus orders the gate to Chateau Aiguille open.
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187:
Her scenario in the game was written by Miwa Shoda, who was given freedom to do what she wanted to do. The scenario had multiple influences, including
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180:. When designing her concept art, she interpreted from the game materials that Orlouge was obsessed with her, intending the concept art to resemble a
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that expanded
Asellus' story further, but it had to be cut due to development constraints. This content was later added in the 2021 remaster of
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136:, and her scenario was written by Miwa Shoda. Shoda was inspired to write a maiden game in a world of demons by multiple sources, including
688:
433:"アセルス編は宝塚のイメージでした＾＾ 開発現場は男性が多いので女性視点の意見を求められることはあります。でも原作でもない特定の漫画を勝手に再現をしようとは思いません。 QT @IvanPetorosky: 作り手としては少女マンガをモデルにしているわけではないのですか？"
496:
711:
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387:"アセルス編も、宝石泥棒編も、私のやりたいことをさせてもらったし、変な横やりが入った時に、同僚や先輩たちが守ってくれたから、やりきれたのだと思います。その経験もあって、他の人が担当しているものを、「まず潰そう！」「書き換えてしまえ！」という発想にはなりません。"
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on who she was talking to, something they felt gave Asellus a broad appeal with both male and female players.
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s staff compared her relationship with White Rose to that of a knight and a princess respectively, while
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rather than disliking that she was in love with another woman, disliked that she wouldn't admit it.
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456:"Interview: The 2021 State of SaGa With Akitoshi Kawazu, Masanori Ichikawa and Hiroyuki Miura"
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Outside of video games, the character has appeared on multiple bits of merchandise to promote
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writer Crazy Kawachi appreciated that her story could be seen as an introduction to the
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410:"アセルス編、そういうイメージありますよね。乙女ゲーとか、少女漫画とか、宝塚とか。妖魔世界の乙女ゲーは企画していたのです。通らずで…なんどでも、チャレンジしますよ(^^)/"
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712:"Lesbian love syndrome: a history of Yuri and lesbian romance in gaming"
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as one of the seven main playable characters. She later appeared in the
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519:"「サガ フロンティア リマスター」とSuperGroupiesがコラボ！8人の主人公たちをイメージした腕時計やアウター、バッグが登場"
743:"Pride & Progress: Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Representation in RPGs"
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Asellus has been generally well-received by critics and fans.
777:"I Revisited SaGa Frontier—and My Bisexual Video Game Crush"
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writer Audra Bowling felt that her story was a standout of
280:, they felt she was a perfect example of his work. While
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writer Go identified her as their favorite character in
247:, including a long coat, wristwatch, bag, and wallet.
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584:"「サガ フロンティア リマスター」が、ちょっと神すぎたので「サガ」を愛するライター陣が緊急座談会！"
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26:
648:"The Blood is the Life: The Best Vampires in RPGs"
352:was received, including by the LGBTQ+ community.
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615:"アセルス×7。『サガ フロンティア（サガフロ）』を7回クリアした話【メモリの無駄づかい】"
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489:"『ロマサガRS』美しきアセルスに新たなスタイルが登場！その強さと魅力を徹底追及"
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1143:Video game characters introduced in 1997
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164:Asellus was created for the video game
789:from the original on December 17, 2022
753:from the original on December 10, 2023
627:from the original on December 10, 2023
594:from the original on December 10, 2023
560:from the original on December 10, 2023
529:from the original on December 10, 2023
499:from the original on December 10, 2023
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1113:Characters designed by Tetsuya Nomura
7:
722:from the original on January 1, 2024
710:Young, Georgina (January 24, 2021).
691:from the original on January 2, 2024
658:from the original on January 1, 2024
646:Bowling, Audra (October 31, 2020).
677:Schreier, Jason (August 1, 2014).
14:
225:Asellus first appeared in 1997's
1128:Orphan characters in video games
1118:Female characters in video games
679:"Let's Talk About SaGa Frontier"
466:from the original on May 2, 2023
550:"SaGa Frontier: Whom to Start?"
548:Baker, Michael (May 17, 2021).
1123:LGBT characters in video games
741:Seeley, Kyle (June 28, 2021).
454:White, Lucas (July 16, 2021).
1:
775:Yuhas, Laine (June 4, 2021).
582:Crazy Kawachi (May 7, 2021).
408:@shodamiwa (March 19, 2021).
372:The Essence of SaGa Frontier
16:Protagonist in SaGa Frontier
431:@shodamiwa (May 21, 2010).
385:@shodamiwa (July 2, 2018).
123:is a character in the 1997
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237:Romancing SaGa Re;univerSe
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1138:Square Enix protagonists
902:Final Fantasy Legend III
888:The Final Fantasy Legend
895:Final Fantasy Legend II
85:In-universe information
93:Half-human half-Mystic
613:Go (April 16, 2023).
1066:The Legend of Legacy
1001:SaGa: Emerald Beyond
880:Final Fantasy Legend
525:. October 18, 2022.
285:above other popular
160:Concept and creation
994:SaGa: Scarlet Grace
289:series characters.
75:Miwa Shoda (writer)
21:Fictional character
1073:The Alliance Alive
251:Critical reception
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495:. June 11, 2019.
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1087:Video games
1015:Other games
979:Other games
848:Square Enix
460:Prima Games
221:Appearances
197:Shōjo manga
193:Otome games
146:Shōjo manga
142:Otome games
48:Asellus in
1107:Categories
850:(formerly
793:January 1,
757:January 1,
726:January 1,
695:January 2,
662:January 1,
631:January 1,
598:January 1,
564:January 1,
533:January 1,
503:January 1,
470:January 1,
356:References
311:yuri genre
233:gacha game
125:video game
72:Created by
716:TechRadar
322:TechRadar
37:character
787:Archived
751:Archived
720:Archived
689:Archived
656:Archived
625:Archived
592:Archived
558:Archived
527:Archived
497:Archived
464:Archived
105:Japanese
80:(artist)
1051:Related
961:Asellus
554:RPGamer
441:Twitter
418:Twitter
395:Twitter
257:RPGamer
118:Aserusu
113:Hepburn
100:Asellus
90:Species
27:Asellus
1022:Mobile
852:Square
838:series
747:RPGFan
684:Kotaku
652:RPGFan
343:While
326:RPGFan
291:RPGFan
144:, and
67:(1997)
1092:Music
782:Wired
588:Gamer
523:Gamer
437:Tweet
414:Tweet
391:Tweet
332:Wired
318:'
307:Gamer
265:Gamer
260:'
182:harem
1133:SaGa
872:Main
836:SaGa
795:2024
759:2024
728:2024
697:2024
664:2024
633:2024
600:2024
566:2024
535:2024
505:2024
472:2024
345:SaGa
287:SaGa
109:アセルス
34:SaGa
846:by
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767:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
