Throughout the saga, I've had my opinions of many things locked down with some that shifted from time to time as more games came out, sometimes after replaying one of the games. However, there has always been one certain aspect of the game that I couldn't really solidify my opinion on, and even after finishing the game it took my some time to really flesh out my opinion of. It's the man who was the center of the entire conflict of the saga, one Chancellor Osborne. 

Many years ago on the Xseed forum I lamented the fact that Osborne did not get much screen time, for someone who is so integral to Erebonia politics and was going to be the main bad to take down. However, I was able to concede that he was more a force of nature character, one who would be rarely seen but when around, his presence dominated the room. Having played Sky Third and the Crossbell games, it really solidified the fact this is what they were going for. When he came on screen the atmosphere changed immensely, as this was someone who demanded respect and fear from just a glance. Much like Weissman, he didn't need to be around much and be super developed to be a interesting and formidable foe.

On a side note, it is quite interesting how much my thoughts of him changed after playing the Crossbell games, and how it really changes how you view certain events of the first two Cold Steel games. Since we never got the Crossbell games officially released and the first two Cold Steel games came out after Sky SC, we went in extremely blind. When Osborne was shot and a Civil War ensued from the chaos, it was a shock, and then Osborne ended up not being dead (though him being alive was a bit more telegraphed in II with the mention of his body disappearing). However, Ao no Kiseki spells out both of these events, so for those who had played everything before that wasn't shocking at all. The events of CS I and II just showed that for all the power the nobles had, they were still nothing but puppets being played by Osborne. Really quite effective.

Of course, there was another aspect in CS II that was the twist that Crossbell couldn't spoil, and that was the reveal that Osborne was Rean's father. This particular revelation was indeed a shock, but my reaction towards it was neutral at the time. I didn't hate it or love it, I just needed to see how it would play out in the rest of the saga before I could make my judgement. However, in hindsight, the revelation was huge in a different way. While we had the Ironbloods who were connected to Osborne, the way they were presented Osborne still felt like a distant figure unattached to them, even if they had some respect for the man. Now though, he is related to the main character, and at some point we were going to have to have more of Osborne and his backstory, and delve more into why he abandoned Rean and so much more. 

So with that in mind after the saga is completed, on the side of being a force of nature Osborne still works out well. He orchestrates events in order to plunge the entire continent into war, his moves and motives unknown until the moment the events happen. He hid the fact he had a divine knight, and how he had allies in unlikely places. He was the biggest threat that had been faced yet. However, when it came to other developments that were needed on his relationship to Rean, it was severely lacking. On Rean's side we had time to see how he had to react to the news, and how he had to come to terms with it. However, we get quick revelations at the end of III and in parts of IV that feel more like moments that the team remembered they needed to add in to make some sort of sense of Osborne's character, and less organic interwoven in the narrative. 

Then of course we have the part where Osborne is shown to have good intentions all along. I am not against making a character who was/is unlikable to making them human. Even terrible people have a human side to them and their situation can make you feel for them in a way even if they've done horrible things. Indeed, my thought was that this was going to be a situation where he discarded his humanity and became someone different, with his last good act being saving his son. However, we get the idea that this was all to take down Ishmelga, who ended up being the actual big bag. 

As for Osborne having good intentions, we had so many games where he seemed to take a sort of small pleasure in the things he did. Heck, at the beginning of CS III he called Rean his worthless son, a line that when trying to make him seem like a decent guy in the end takes away from that. One could point out to Osborne's remorse in Olivert and Co. dying at the end of CS III as well as Millium, but even then it felt less like foreshadowing he was a good guy deep down and more he's not a complete monster, and as for Olivert had respect for him. As for his relationship to Rean, the scene where he called Osborne dad was one that was supposed to be touching, but once again, that point was so underutilized and with everything else with Osborne it just does not work. With Fie calling Rutger dad, it worked well for multiple reasons, one of them being despite being a Jaeger, his personality made him likable, and Fie had a positive relationship before with him. You had neither of that with Osborne. 

As with Ishmelga being the big bad, that took out the wind of Osborne's force of nature aspect for me. You get a cool showdown with Osborne, but after beating him he's quickly swept aside for something that was brought up so late into the saga with little fanfare, but gets so much fanfare in its battle and defeat compared to Osborne. With everything added together, for a character who was named in the second game in this franchise and introduced in the third game with lot's of build up even before the CS saga started, the end of Osborne was so underwhelming. CS III and IV just really dropped the ball in building up certain aspects needed for him, and the Ishmelga stuff was so poorly introduced and with the way Osborne was defeated, it undermined the stuff that had been built up well. 

When the credits started rolling, this was the first time I was unenthusiastic at the end of one of these games. Many of the other games had their lows, but was able to stick their landing. CS IV had it's highs that worked well, but the final act really undermined a lot of good will, with the Osborne stuff being a lot of what made me just feel empty in a bad way as the credits rolled. I know many like to harp of the one review where they said Cold Steel was a mistake, and while I don't believe that the way Osborne ended up being handled makes me understand how someone could come out of the game feeling that way. 

The concept of Class VII is interesting, and does provide some interesting ideas and clashes of personalities. There are two facets of this group that I need to talk about. For this post, I will be discussing the characters specifically, their arcs and how they individually work in the story. Next post will be more the group as a whole and their impact on the overarching narrative.

One of the jokes I see in some places is how certain characters can be grinded down to one word. The most common ones I see is music, wind, and swords for the characters Elliot, Gaius, and Laura respectively. There is definitely a split between more complex characters who get longer arcs compared to other characters and those who have simple development or seemingly none at all. This isn't a bad thing, with such a large cast that continues to grow over each game you don't want to be over burdened with having to have long continuous character arcs. In the case of Laura (which I will get to later), there can be depth in the simple nature we are given. I'd also point out, at least in the case of the Sky games, you had the same where only some characters had arcs that played out over multiple games, so it's not something new.

The simpler characters help add flavor and make the world feel more real. While a in-depth character arc has its own reward for seeing it through to the end (Renne as the biggest example), not everyone in the world has problems that weigh them down constantly. When young there can be things that are disappointing and can be a downer, but it's not something that needs to be explored deeply. Elliot as an example wanted to join the music academy but had to go to Thors due to his dad being strict about what Erebonian men must do. There are small hints of his disappointment, but it's not something that needs to be a huge crisis. Overall his character works well because it's a simple story of how we don't always get what we want, or sometimes the road leading to where we want to go/be isn't straightforward. I really like when he talks about how he was glad to come to Thors, because he learned to appreciate what he got and not focus of what he didn't get. As for Gaius, he is definitely the least complex of the class, where he is quite mature and doesn't have some sort of problem that he is dealing with. I still like him because he is reliable and like characters who are wise beyond their age and went to Thors due to seeing how Nord won't always be safe from strife.

Laura is far from my favorite character, where I like her enough but overall she doesn't elicit much of a response one way or the other. However, there is one part of Cold Steel which I think her character hits it out of the park and that's when she starts having her issues with Fie. When I first played the game it felt out of nowhere and I wasn't too keen on it. However, it's the subtlety of it that makes it so good and feel so real. Some may not think about it too much but Laura is pretty sheltered, and on top of that has a strict code of honor. Put that together and she can have a narrow view on life and anything outside of that can be perceived as bad. Fie is the exact opposite, living most of her life on the battlefield as a Jaeger, which from all the previous games we have been told to see them as bad people, or at the very least as dirty people when compared to the noble bracer guild.

So we learn Fie is a Jaeger and as the player we are fine with that. Sure, Jaegers have been presented as bad but Fie's skills helped out the class and saved Machias. Outside her ways of getting things done, she's a good person. However, Laura is confronted with the fact that Fie is an anomaly, someone who by all rights is in stark contrast to a noble warrior, and how one would look as a strong fighter. There's also the contrast of Laura's nature of giving it her all where Fie is content on putting in the least amount of effort. At the end of the day, after fighting with her and hearing her story, Laura is able to open her mind more, and ends up becoming best friends, something that also happens with Monica from the swimming club. While her character never gets as interesting as that afterwards, it shows how well a more simple character can be elevated when the writers know what they are doing.

Outside of Rean, when it comes to the OG Class VII there are 4 characters I would consider complex. For my definition, complex mainly comes down to arcs that don't wrap up mostly in one game and go on for most of the entire saga. Those 4 would be Fie, Jusis, Emma, and Alisa. I suppose there is arguments that could be done for Millium and Crow, and perhaps others, but these 4 are the ones that stick out most and more easily for me. Emma will be a little harder for me to explain, especially since her actual character arc doesn't really present itself until the second game, but bear with me here.

So as mentioned earlier, complex characters a lot of times can end up more memorable due to the journey and the emotional moments that come with it. Fie is hands down my favorite of all Class VII, old and new. While not getting as much screen time compared to others, her being more distant at the beginning and slowly opening up, to finding new family after losing her Jaeger family gets me quite good. The voice actress also does a stand up job with the very emotional scenes to add that extra force to the gut punches. 

In the first game, minus Emma, we get an idea of what each of these characters main struggle is. Alisa lost her father and has become extremely distant with her mother, where things can get downright toxic with how Irina focuses on expanding Reinford damn the ethical consequences where Alisa hates the destruction that many of their new products bring. Jusis is a bastard child of one of the four great houses, with a abusive father and nobles who will suck up to him in front of him but talk badly about him when not around. Fie is as stated before someone who had an upbringing on the battlefield and was abandoned by her family once Rutger passed away. Then Emma as we find out later went to Thors as a travelling witch to watch Rean to see if he became an awakener, which she struggled with being duplicitous in that and has problems believing in her capabilities for various reasons. As we go through each game we see these characters go through their arcs and grow, eventually growing into who they want to be and able to face their problems.

Unlike the more simple characters, we need to have a complete arc where everything is laid out and connects everything from start to finish. This is where I feel the saga fails and these characters suffer from a result. The first major problem does come from this saga being four games long, so even if everything connected well it can be extremely difficult to keep people invested in 300+ hours of story to see it finished. Then there's the fact that the screen time these characters get can be extremely inconsistent, which depending on the character causes them to suffer more compared to others.

I mentioned Fie as my favorite and while I do feel there could've been some more done here and there, her arc works well even if her character moments come in only from time to time. Her arc was more becoming open towards her classmates in the first half, and the second half it was confronting her boss and showing how that even with having to confront her old family and the emotions that come with it, she has grown and still finds herself comfortable as a member of class VII. Jusis works overall well, with him confronting his father in CS II, becoming the acting head, and at the end of CS IV being straightforward with Rufus. Though with Rufus after the events of CS II it never felt like he had the screen time to really make that moment where he punches Rufus feel like a satisfying wrap up of that part. Still, it works overall well.

Alisa is in the middle, where she has her moments but ultimately her character arc gets shafted quite a bit. When it comes to Sharon and what happens in CS III and IV, it really falls flat. My biggest problem is how we learn about Sharon's backstory with her telling Rean and not Alisa. Considering the full context of the backstory isn't explained until IV, things could've been done better to allow us to learn about Sharon's backstory when Alisa does. It also suffers because despite her bickering towards Sharon, you can tell she cares deeply about Sharon and they're like sisters. So when in CS IV her interactions with Sharon can be missed in Act I by not bringing her along, and a brief dialogue at the end of Act II, there is a lot missing in seeing her deal with Sharon going back.

As for her dealing with her mother, that is a very complicated situation that for those who haven't dealt with that kind of situation will have a hard time understanding her head space. The game does a good enough job showing that despite her frustration with Irina she still cares about her. However, the complex nature of the relationship means that with so many other things going on the type of depth you need to really explore that is sorely lacking. Also, on the flip side Irina doesn't seem quite as concerned towards Alisa. Yes, with the passing of her husband and using work to fill the void made her more emotionally distant, but there's something missing that she comes more off of uncaring rather than showing love in a less than desirable way. Once again, it's a complicated subject that the game does not have time to really delve into deep unless you have experience with that kind of relationship or understand the psychology of it.

Then there is Emma, the character who I see people absolutely love but am befuddled by it. On paper, I get her character. A kind person who was sent to Thors who's mission was to make sure the trials happened and keep an eye on Rean since he was an awakener. She also is uncertain of herself due to losing her mother and with Vita leaving the village, with the former causing a inferiority complex in a way. By the end of CS IV she's confident in herself as a witch and is a proud member of Class VII. Unfortunately, a lot of where her big story stuff is locked behind the bonding events, and as a result if you aren't following those her arc can come to sudden conclusion where the build up was nowhere to be seen.

CS II is where this is the biggest problem. First of all is the part where she doesn't feel like she belongs with class VII after what she did, so much so she's ready for a yelling from Rean after reuniting. We pretty much get a no problem from Rean and everything seems okay. Then near the end when about to face Grianos she gives a speech to Vita where she is past what she did, and is taking a step towards getting out of Vita's shadow. When it comes to actual main story scenes with Emma between these two, I can't remember any other scenes between these two focusing on her struggle and getting past it. When everyone is congratulating her I can't get into it because the connecting scenes to build that moment never happen, unless you were interested in her and decided to do her bonding events, which there were so many other characters I wanted to do instead. Add in Celine doing all the Witch exposition stuff in CS II and III instead of Emma, she gets sidelined the hardest in the main game. I don't hate her, but there's so much lacking that I just don't have a strong reaction either way towards her.

As for the new class VII, while I don't think they are complex outside of Altina, the smaller group size and the dynamic of everyone makes me like to watch them. Heck, while Musse is grating with her constant harassment towards Rean, in IV she has more going for her and I ended up enjoying her overall as well. By the end of CS IV, I felt like with having only two games and getting ample screen time, they each held their own and were satisfying. With Altina, seeing her go from antagonist to friend and like Fie opening up and becoming a true member of Class VII was heartwarming. 

There are certainly problems with execution of certain character arcs, and even the simpler characters can fall a bit too much on their defining trait. All that said, all of them get to have their moments and the dynamics of certain characters can become quite amusing. Those faults cause what could be an amazing saga to be knocked down a good bit as it feels weaker from previous arcs. There is also the problem of current anime tropes that can bog down stuff as well. It will vary from person to person, but there are a number of tropes that I don't like that also soured the experience.

@trailsofpersona

Looking at all these nice Cold Steel posts finally motivated me to put down my thoughts on the other half of Rean's more esoteric character aspects, namely his Ogre Form and Spirit Unification. Though it did took me quite a while to arrange the information into something coherent.

Before I begin, a word of warning: this post is practically a Crack Theory because the CS games are simply that obtuse in giving us concrete information about the topic. I also won't overly tie this to Rean's character arc, because following the breadcrumbs that is Spirit Unification (abbr. SU) reveals far more about the world of Zemuria than Rean's psyche. My final conclusion about Rean himself is that he was mixed into something way, way beyond what any individual should be burdened with. And coming out of this mix-up as well as he did (in the True Ending) necessitated no small amount of support, luck and mucking with fate itself.

But that is something CS4 conveyed pretty well in my opinion. This post will instead delve into just how much trouble Rean really has been the moment daddy Osborne transplanted his heart and that meeting Yun Ka-Fai might've been one of the luckiest breaks in his life.

And let me also say that this post should be Hajimari compliant. I'll obviously not use any spoilers in my reasoning, but I also want to stress that we as players continue to learn more about SU in the subsequent game and without the knowledge that I have now, I wouldn't be half as confident in presenting some of my conclusions here. As such, I fear the dearth of hard information about SU is most likely by design and if my suspicions are correct, even Hajimari is far from telling us what Spirit Unification is truly about.

Spirit Unification and Ogre Mode, the more or less hard facts

1. The few times Rean went into Ogre Mode in CS1, it was most likely not Spirit Unification. He gains a boost in HP and a hidden boost in Str/Def/Spd as well as heightened aggression, which is all in line with what Ishmelga typically grants, but there are key differences to his Ogre Mode beginning with CS2. In CS2, the buffs to Str/Def/Spd/Adf are now visible(but no HP buff) and Rean receives a status buff that is completely unique to him called 'awakened', which grants complete immunity to all ailments and stat downs and upgrades all his Crafts. He also seems more in control of his emotions in CS2 compared to CS1 during cutscenes.
2. It's repeatedly stated that Rean took up his ELOB training to control the dark power within him.
3. While I don't have a link, I'm very sure that Kondo stated in one of his CS4 interviews that Spirit Unification is a technique that specifically belongs to the Void form of the ELOB.
4. Cassius Bright, the only other Void user we met on-screen doesn't use Spirit Unification, which implies that he doesn't know it. His self-buff in Sky 3rd is Qilingong, a technique that is also used by Yin in Zero/Ao and Vandyck in CS2.
5. The letter Rean receives in CS3 by Master Yun says that the Void form is harder to master than the other forms and that Rean, not Cassius or Arios, is the one in whom Ka-Fai placed his hopes of 'completing the Eight Leaves'.
6. When Rean gained a deeper understanding of himself in CS2 after his 'pep talk' with Alfin at the Pantagruel, he mentions that he 'finally understood what Master Ka-Fai was talking about, when the latter tried to teach him about the Laws of Nature'.
7. During CS2 Divertissement, when Rean is in the middle of unleashing his Ogre Mode after the boss fight, Rixia comments this with the words: 'such negative Ki...'
8. Rean's Ogre Mode becomes harder to control with each subsequent game until we reach the point in CS4 when he's permanently locked in white-hair mode and goes into Ogre rampage after three turns of SU.
9. During the CS4 True End, a lot of factors converge which allows Rean to expel Ishmelga from his soul. Franz gaining the upper hand so he can dispense some sage advice, the Earth Cage handed out by Agres, all the bonding power Rean received through the ARCUS connections, getting encouragement from Rutger, Lianne and his blood father, but the action that actually separated him from the Curse was him using a new ability that NISA localized as "Enlightened Spirit Unification". While the regular SU is written as 神氣合一, the 'upgraded' form of SU is written 無想 神氣合一. '無' is the Kanji for Void and 想 usually means thought. Rean also states before the usage of Enlightened Spirit Unification that this is indeed from the ELOB Void form.

Becoming One with the World and all the problems it entails

In Chinese Martial Arts, there are some esoteric branches that deal with the concept of 'Qi'. In Japanese it's romanized as 'Ki', Kanji is 氣(which is also part of Spirit Unification). I'm not going to elaborate too much about it, especially because it's kind of hard to separate pop culture from historical tradition, but Qi is thought as a form of life force that is channeled through proper breathing techniques and which allows a skilled Qi-channeller to connect his body and spirit to the world, aka the entire planet. Certain Asian schools of would-be enlightenment are built on this principle and there are some mystic theories (mostly found in fiction) that ties the channeling of Qi to the harnessing of energies from the Dragon Stream, which is the East Asian version of leylines.

Zemuria also has leylines of course. They are called Spirit Veins.

Now what does all this have to do with poor Rean? Let's tackle his Ogre Mode first, which seems to be a symptom of his status as a Sacrifice of the Great Twilight. In CS4, there are several instances that make it clear that Rean as an individual is somehow connected to the condition of the entire Erebonian Empire. When he regains his sanity in the first CS4 intermission, he's immediately cognizant of the current situation despite being out of commission for two weeks. When the conflict grows bigger and bigger in the face of Operation Jormungand, he as an Awakener and Sacrifice is increasingly beckoned by the call of the Rivalry of the Seven. And there is also that nice little purification Sidequest in Eryn, when Witch Dallier uses Rean's body (and a partner of your choice) as a medium to purify the contaminated hot springs all across Erebonia. Witch Dallier mentions the Microcosm of the individual and the Macrocosm of the world, which is an important principle in hermeticism and quite some ancient philosophies in general. Think voodoo dolls and how effects inflicted on the proxy also influences the actual person the doll is a representation of.

Rean's Ogre Mode is a direct consequence of his connection with Ishmelga that was established by being implanted with the heart of Ishmelga's Awakener, Giliath Osborne. But we also learn in CS4 that for most of history, Ishmelga's...well, let's call it 'core being' didn't reside in the Zemurian layer of reality. (Otherwise, why go through all the trouble of reforming the Great One so Ishy can then be screwed over during the True End?). This on the other hand begs the following question: how did Ishmelga manage to influence so much of Erebonia's dark history as detailed in the Black Records? How did it manage to "plant these twisted, black seeds in people and society", as Black Alberich so nicely put it? And how does Ishmelga maintain its connection with Osborne, Rean and all the people it cursed who all reside on a layer of reality different from itself?

While this question isn't explicitly answered in the Cold Steel Saga, I'm 99% sure that it was done through the Spirit Veins.

When Zoro Agruga almost returned to full power in CS3, the Spirit Veins were agitated, as stated by Emma. Hamel is a site of considerable Spirit Vein activity. Black Pleroma Grass bloomed there, it was one of the test sites for Ouroboros' Aion experiment, plus one of the Singularities. Finally it also manifested the entrance to the Draco Sanctuary where Rutger is battled during the Rivalry of the Seven. Taking all these bits into account makes it more clear why Rean has a harder time with each subsequent CS game to control his Ogre Mode. In CS2, the agitation of the Spirit Veins were under the controlled direction of Vita Clotilde who specifically didn't want any kind of activity akin to the Great Twilight. Here, the undulation of the Spirit Veins in Erebonia was caused as a side effect by the formation of the Septerrion of Zero which served as 'activation energy' to use an analogy from the natural sciences. This modest Spirit Vein activity served as the backdrop to summon the Infernal Castle, so that Vita could conduct her Pseudo Rivalry. That plan went out the window followed by Osborne taking over the Phantasmal Blaze plan.

In CS3, the annexation of Crossbell plus North Ambria coupled with Erebonia's military build-up continues to feed on Ishmelga's influence. Crossbell as a spiritually charged land provided a lot of energy, while the military build-up fed on Ishmelga's hunger for conflict. Then there was also the energy built-up during the CS2 civil war which wasn't discharged/extracted as was originally planned by Vita. These factors combined most likely caused the almost return of Zoro-Agruga in CS3 chapter 4, but then Osborne erected the Gral of Erebos. We got the CS3 ending, when another big portion of the curse was released out of the Nameless One and this time, the Spirit Vein activity goes into complete overdrive. During CS4, the entire Erebonian Empire has been spiritually charged (and not in a good way) which is even reflected in gameplay by the fact that every area has Higher Element activity. This high energy state of the Spirit Veins also gave Ishmelga's influence an unprecedented reach. People were agitated into war-like behavior en masse and without any subtlety. Compare that with Ishy's previous actions like Hamel which was  more akin to a surgical strike.

So to sum it up, Rean's increasingly uncontrollable Ogre Mode is in direct relation to Ishmelga's growing influence which is transmitted through and reflected on the Spirit Veins and their condition, which is also a reflection of the political and social landscape of Erebonia. Now, what does Spirit Unification (SU) has to do with everything? Given the facts we know, Rean was taught the basics of this technique by Master Yun with the stated intention of controlling his Ogre Mode. We also know that Rean cut his training short due to 'fear of his hidden power' which blocked his advancement. Given that Rixia felt negative Ki from Rean when he evoked his Ogre Mode, I consider it highly likely that Master Yun had a clear idea about certain aspects of Rean's Ogre Mode from the beginning (as both are high level Eastern martial artists). Then there is the interesting bit that Master Yun saw the potential in Rean to master the Void even when he was a young boy, a potential greater than what he saw in people like Arios and Cassius. I also posit that mastery of Spirit Unification is the true pinnacle of the ELOB Void form, not that fancy S-Craft Rean gets during his Divine Blade examination. If I finally add the bits from real life Chinese Martial-Art and Qi/Ki into the equation, I arrive at the conclusion that the empowerment of Spirit Unification and the empowerment through Osborne's heart both utilize the same mechanism: a form of synchronization between the individual and the World with the Spirit/Septium Veins as a mediator/transmitter of power.

This theory answers quite a few things. Why does the activation of an Eastern Martial Art technique inevitably turn Rean into his Ogre Mode? Why couldn't Rean proceed with his ELOB training with Master Yun? Because the very technique he was supposed to master directly tapped into the same well of power from where the corrupting influence of Ishmelga was being transmitted. Why did Master Yun saw so much potential in Rean? Because the heart of Ishmelga's Awakener residing inside him established a connection to the Spirit Veins from the beginning. Rean's transplant was basically a cheat code. While mundane people probably need decades to refine their connection with the World through hard, dedicated training, Rean was instead faced with the problem that his connection to the Spirit Veins was too easily established plus the fact that most of the power he received via the Spirit Veins was corruptive in nature.

Looking at this interpretation, one could come to the conclusion that Master Yun threw Rean to the wolves. But let's not be hasty here and instead look at the two key scenes of Rean's mastery of the Void Form in CS4 again. First is this passage he says during the Divine Blade examination:

Cassius: He is I and I am him.

Rean: I am him and he is I.

Cassius: Will you offer yourself to him to reach the peak of swordsmanship?

Rean: No, I will exist alongside him. We will be as one. The sword I seek is that of the void. The gleaming blade that illuminates the darkness.

Now contrast this with Rean's words during the True End, shortly before he expels Ishmelga.

He is I, and I am him.

But you are not us.

Eight Leaves One Blade Seventh Form: Void.

Enlightened Spirit Unification

And because it's fun, let's contrast the above words with two passages from Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Specifically the Book of Void:

By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void.

Until you realize the true Way, whether in Buddhism or in common sense, you may think that things are correct and in order. However, if we look at things objectively, from the viewpoint of laws of the world, we see various doctrines departing from the true Way.

I've talked at length in the previous post about Rean's swordsmanship training. That basically all his activities in the games are measures to reach a true understanding of the world. To see "the true nature of things". In case of his Ogre Problem, I think the key matter is discrimination. And I mean that in the neutral sense of the word. As I posited, both his Ogre powers and the powers of Spirit Unification are transmitted through the Spirit Veins. If Spirit Unification were properly performed, the energy harnessed originates from the laws of nature or the laws of the world Rean lives in - in case of Zemurian metaphysics, that would be the mundane  layer of reality. But due to his transplanted heart, Rean is forcibly provided with another source of energy from a being not of this layer of reality. As such, proper usage of Spirit Unification provides Rean the limited ability to discriminate one source of power over the other. And during the True End, due to a host of factors converging together, among them the fact that Ishmelga is forced to the Zemurian layer of reality as a prerequisite of becoming the Great One, Rean is finally able to truly separate himself from the curse.

A final note on the topic: one very important source of power that Rean harnesses through his Spirit Unification (clearly shown in the True End) are the bonds he established with friends and loved ones. Yun Ka-Fai himself emphasized the importance of these bonds in his letter in CS3 and during the first intermission in CS4, when Rean is dragged back from the brink of insanity and despair, the ARCUS links established are not only between friends in his immediate vicinity but also Alfin, Elise and Towa who were obviously very far away. How was the power of these bonds transmitted over the vast distance?

Say it with me: Spirit Veins.

And now for some real Crack

Looking at the Void form of the ELOB and Spirit Unification in particular, there seems to be a big emphasis put on an enlightened state of mind. "Seing the true nature of things", "understanding the laws of nature", all the allusions to Buddhism etc, etc. There's also that utterly unique status buff of Rean's which he gains through SU. The so-called 'awakened' status. Due to the fact that this status buff improves his crafts, which are all ELOB techniques, I consider it safe to assume that this is strictly a product of the Void technique instead of any Ishmelga influence.

Now here's where it gets interesting: in Japanese, the awakened status is written as 覚醒. According to the Japanese-English dictionary, translating the term is innocent enough - it stands for 'waking up', 'awakening' or 'disillusionment'. But when the above Kanjis are combined with another one, we get 覚醒剤 and that stands for 'stimulant' in the sense of psychoactive drugs that serve as performance boosters. Now where did we encounter something like that again?

Right, Gnosis.

One of the more astounding effects of the blue Gnosis pill is the fact that beside supernatural perception, knowledge and luck, which all fits the concept of Mirage, it also grants the users boosts in the physical department. In Zero no Kiseki, when Ernst fled Arc'en Ciel after his failed assassination of Mayor McDowell, he runs with a visible motion blur that is even being commented on by Dudley. Now how does this work? I mean, blue Gnosis is made from blue Pleroma Grass which are externalizations/terminals of the Septerrion of Mirage. But no matter how awesomely boosted the mind is, it shouldn't result in a straight up physical upgrade... except if we consider the blue Gnosis effect to be an artificial and probably flawed form of Spirit Unification. We know from the blue Gnosis that it served as a connection to direct the knowledge of its consumers towards KeA. And while it hasn't been explicitly stated, I'm again 99% sure that the conduit to transmit said knowledge was done via.... you guessed it, Spirit Veins. I mean, Pleroma Grass is stated to grow on areas with high Spirit Vein activity, so why shouldn't a drug fashioned from this plant use the same kind of conduit? But as we also know, Spirit Veins aren't just a means of relaying information. They also carry energy that could be harnessed by an individual's body to perform physical feats beyond them.

And if the blue Gnosis is an analogue to a properly performed Spirit Unification(without pesky Ogre mode getting in the way) the red Gnosis seems like an analogue of Ogre Mode gone out of control. In both cases, we see a form of demonization and Mcburn describes the effect of Gnosis (final encounter in CS4) as throwing off the shackles of the world. And in case of both Rean and red Gnosis consumers, I speculate that the demonization effect is a result of channeling the power of beings from beyond the mundane layer of reality. Ishmelga in Rean's case and bonafide demons in case of Ernst, Garcia or Joachim. As Church doctrine states, demons reside in Gehenna which is another layer of existence. And there's even ample evidence that Spirit Veins can once again serve as the universal mediator of everything supernatural going on in Zemuria. Cryptids are repeatedly said to be from a different layer of reality and they always manifest during times when Spirit Veins are particularly agitated. This implies to me that Spirit Veins are very likely a bridge between the various layers of reality which of course also makes them a fitting conduit to transport evil demonic power to their recipients. As such, throwing off the shackles of the world could simply mean a clearer understanding of how to utilize the seemingly neverending functions provided by the Zemurian version of leylines.

@wuolong77

Sorry for not responding sooner, life stuff just has gotten me to not be able to do big posts. As for your stuff, interesting read, thank you for all of that. I wish I had more to add to the conversation, but it's a dense post involving a lot of stuff that for a lack of a better way to put it, even after reading multiple times a lot of it still flies over my head. Though once I get to my post about Rean perhaps some of what you put down will come up. 

One question though, I was under the impression with the ELOB school that Ka Fai had mastered all forms, and for his disciples they focused on one specific style, minus 8 since that is the unarmed one everyone seems to learn. Or perhaps each one learns a few styles but due to their personality and mindset gravitate towards a specific style that they end up mastering? This is a very specific world detail I have practically no information on so any little detail helps.

Ok, so last time I discussed my feelings on the individuals that made up Class VII. Individually they are each unique, bringing something different to table, some who had arcs spanning the entire game to those who had arcs that ended quickly or came and went in different games. All in all, the characters are solid in their own ways, but certain characters unfortunately didn't get the proper execution they needed to make their arc work as well as it could of. However, there is another aspect that I need to discuss, which is the idea of class VII as a whole.

The Crossbell games and the Cold Steel games share a similar idea of having a group of individuals that was made for a particular purpose. In Crossbell, it was a way to get the police to have better public PR, which then the SSS evolved to represent something more, becoming the pride and hope of Crossbell. Of course, the initial reason for the SSS is given right off the bat, and we see how that changes overtime. Class VII we get more about what their purpose is around midgame of CS I. In this case, it's something much more ambitious, with Prince Olivert making the class in hopes that this little seed he planted will bloom into something to become the foundation of the future. With the Nobles and the Reformists at each others throats, conflict is inevitable and neither side is right for what needs to be done. With a group of people from various walks of life and have various connections to people/groups in the empire, it has great potential. 

Crossbell worked extremely well in what it set out to do. At the start we see how both the police and the general populace view them. Outside a select group of people, they are seen as either glorified Bracers or because of the reputation of the police any time they introduce themselves people have extreme doubt about their ability. As the first game goes on people warm up to them and by the end of the second game they are heroes that have made a name for themselves, becoming equal to Arios in the eyes of the public, perhaps even more. The game combines the use of Crossbell City as a hub and how each chapter is structured to highlight the changes the people start to view the SSS, so by the end of the game there is a clear line from start to finish with a satisfying arc.

Unfortunately, the way the concept of Class VII is executed leaves a lot to be desired. Cold Steel 1 works well enough, where we are introduced to places as Class VII learns to work together and begins to make connections with various people. We also learn with them what kind of hurdles they will eventually have to overcome and see what each of the two factions are like. There are traces of someone coming to bail them out that becomes a staple in the series, such as Rufus stopping the guards from arresting you to Lechter stopping a war from happening with Clavard. However, the context makes sense and Class VII is just starting so it doesn't stand out.

Then comes Cold Steel II, where my big problems always seem to start to stem from. In setting up how much growing Class VII has to do and just how insignificant they currently are works pretty well. However, it doesn't excuse the fact that the game fails to make them start becoming their own faction that will start to grow until they can compete with the others. Part of the problem is that when they finally get their wings, having access to the courageous, there is never the sense that they come up with their own identity. They fly around, help out, then a story beat occurs. They never have to make a difficult decision that puts them on the bad side of one of the factions, and the answer of what can they do never really materializes in that game. They definitely are too weak to be as bold as to put themselves between the two factions, but there is never anything concrete said about what they decided they themselves could do. Taking back Thor's is a goal, but it doesn't answer what they bring to the table in the overall conflict

What makes things worse is how Act II constantly stops Class VII from showing any ability to do things for themselves. It always felt like when the story sections happened, such as saving Fiora or Alisa's mother being held hostage, someone else is coming in to give them the information about the situation, never them learning it themselves. Those can be handwaved to a degree, but then there is the last part to take back Thor's, which was their main objective at the start of the act. Instead of them gathering info from sources they have made since the start of CS I, you have the army tell them their plan and then somehow allow them to have a chance to take it back before they do. Then when it comes to the showdown with Patrick and his cohorts, there was no need to convince them, they had already make their decision before the battle. In my head, the reasoning can be inferred but the way the game plays out doesn't let it play out in a satisfying way. 

So by the end of the game you see how small they are and that they are going to need to grow a lot to take on the force that is Osborne. We find out that Class VII is splitting up, or at least while they are still a group everyone but Rean will no longer be at Thors. There are those that say it wasn't necessary for everyone to state their reasons for leaving, it was implied why. However, having time to learn what they hoped to accomplish by leaving Thor's could at least help plant the seed in how they hope to expand the influence of Class VII. It would also show how the events of the Civil War affected each of them which would be a great way to have us interested in seeing their return in the next game. 

By the end of CS III, the lack of set up really starts to show that perhaps Class VII doesn't have what it takes to be the force that leads Erebonia to a better future. Before, when it came to the reunion of all of Class VII, I thought it felt lacking since at that point we had seen everyone. That is part of it, but it's more that by the end of the reunion there is a lack of substance to the group. This seems like a time in which everyone would have the opportunity to show what they were able to learn about the current situation using their unique connections. Instead, it's more a recap of everything that has happened in the game, with no one having any idea of anything that could potentially happen, and certain questions like why Gaius was MIA for a while being saved for later. 

There is only one thing that we really see from Class VII, and that is they are more battle ready since they can take on top level enforcers and other characters and not get obliterated completely. Seeing a progression in strength is all well and good, but the lack of preparedness and once again no real clear identity of Class VII outside of being friends does not bode well for how things play out in the final game. So with CS IV we have the lowest point of the group, but surely once they are able to get Rean back they will be stronger for it and there will be hidden aces up their sleave. After all, by the time Rean is saved all of Osborne's major cards have been played, so perhaps Class VII was holding back so they could play their cards more effectively, right?

Not at all. We get a retread of Act II of CS II but a bit better executed, and then when things look really bad and Class VII has a chance to show something for themselves, what happens? Prince Olivert returns to help them, then Osborne tells Cedric to stand down. Bailed out again with nothing to show for it. From there the game continues on where everyone seems to be their carriage to get them to places and help out, with none of this having been earned by class VII. I lover Olivert, my favorite characters next to Estelle in this franchise. However, his return and help constantly overshadows class VII, and while his return in IV was great, it killed any hopes for Class VII to be its own force.

Over the 4 games, it should've shown them getting those connections, and from the revelations of how weak they were in CS II, their split up needed them not to only get physically stronger, but gain allies and sources of information, which considering all of the various backgrounds they could create a pretty big network. Then with that at some point they could show the fruit of their labor with people they made connection with being on hold to help them. It never feels like that, instead it's the non class VII folks who are in the background, coming in to help and being a part of the Courageous II that nobody else knew about. 

Heck, it feels like Falcom knew this and that's why Musse was introduced and given her setup. Somehow this character that was unknown to practically everyone was able to muster up forces and get big names such as Rocksmith, Klaudia, and even Cassius to get on board with her plan. This wasn't a force that Class VII built up overtime to hold back Osborne's forces until they could beat him and stop the curse, it was entirely disconnected from them. It's cool having those 4 teams to take on the pillars to allow Class VII entrance into the fortress, but once again, it wasn't built up as Class VII having made waves that caused this, but the world bending themselves over backwards to help this group that hasn't amounted to much with only the backing of Olivert and having a Divine Knight that is needed in this conflict if it is to end.

So once Osborne is defeated and Ishmelga is no longer anymore, perhaps with their status of the ones stopping this they would have some clout and we would at least see them in action helping with the aftermath of Jorumgonder. Once again, we don't get that satisfaction as we get exposition on what others did, see Millium come back to life, then Wedding scene credits. At least Falcom is consistent in making Class VII one huge disappointment.

Between this and talking about Osborne I've come to realize just how mismanaged this arc was. Cold Steel has great moments, and has fantastic set ups in the form of CS I and III. However, unlike the other arcs which even with weak parts was able to stick the landing, this arc really dropped the ball and is the one where at the end I felt empty when the credits were rolling. I don't regret playing the games and still find them solid overall, but so much potential went to waste that could've made this the best arc yet. I really hope Falcom learns from their mistakes, because this is a series I love and want it to be the best it can be. 

I need to talk about something positive next time, don't want to be that person that only talks about the negatives.

Posted by: @trailsofpersona

One question though, I was under the impression with the ELOB school that Ka Fai had mastered all forms, and for his disciples they focused on one specific style, minus 8 since that is the unarmed one everyone seems to learn. Or perhaps each one learns a few styles but due to their personality and mindset gravitate towards a specific style that they end up mastering? This is a very specific world detail I have practically no information on so any little detail helps.

The answer is a mixture of the above. In the beginning, all ELOB practitioners are taught the fundamentals of all eight forms. Anelaces' Star Door in 3rd implies it while Cassius states this explicitly to Rean during CS4. Then, during the next step of the training each practitioner is (most likely) encouraged to gravitate towards the ELOB form that suits them best. And once they have mastered a particular form, they are granted the title of Divine Blade, something stated by Laura as early as the first Field Study in Celdic.

Now if you're extra curious, Hajimari expands a little more on the topic. (The below spoiler has zero plot relevance and zero plot reference)

To complicate issues further, I fear that there is a hierarchy among the ELOB forms. I don't know the exact ranking, but I'm fairly sure that the Seventh Form resides at the top.

As for the rest of your post about Class VII, I have to mostly agree. What the Crossbell arc did so well with the SSS is something I sorely missed in the Erebonian arc with OG Class VII. It's a topic I've pondered quite a lot due to the fact that I'm currently writing a Cold Steel fanfiction whose main thematic point is... well, giving OG Class VII exactly the kind of group development to make them a believable political 'Third' force.

One little addition to the above regarding Eight Leaves, we got the basic idea that individual practitioners can end up with a style that isn't a 'pure' version of one of the Forms in the same game that introduced the concept (and named ELOB) to begin with. After sparring with Richard, Anelace remarks that his style is taken from Morning Moon but with a few personal modifications.

Sidebar: I'm expecting Anelace to reappear in the Calvard arc and for Falcom to give her a Form to specialize in. It's been about five in-universe years that she's had to improve her swordsmanship by improving as a bracer (see the whole 'practitioner gravitates towards what suits them best' thing and her conversation in The 3rd) and it's about time we get details like this. Based on some visual similarities, I could see her specializing in Crimson (Sky) or whatever the proper name for the Sixth Form ends up being.

Has there been any official art of her post-Sky showing her with a weapon? Curious to see if she has a tachi now, or is still rocking that almost saber-like sword. Hopefully if she shows up in Calvard she'll talk about what Carna, Kurt and...um...that other fellow (Grunt? It'll come to me) are up to these days.

That guy! What was his name again? Adol- oh wait... xD

And yeah, we can see her sword in the ELOB postcard that came with the Hajimari LE and she's still rocking out the saber-esque blade. Given that Rean's tachi isn't exactly traditional either and Cassius, Richard and Arios all use swords of varying lengths, it seems the only real unifying factor among ELOB swords is that they're single-edged and slightly curved.

Because I'm something of a swordnut, I have to ask, but what about Rean's tachi isn't exactly traditional? The only thing that spontaneously comes to mind would be that fin-shaped protrusion at the swordguard. As for Arios, I think the length of his sword is pretty similar to Rean's, while Richard's is clearly a shorter blade as we see in CS4. As for Cassius, is there any depiction of him with his original blade? I mean, we get Jinu as an equipable item for Anelace in 3rd, but I'm not sure this is hard confirmation that Cassius' old blade is of the same make as what Anelace uses.

And thanks for the addition about the Richard scene in 3rd. Until now, I never sat down to think what the basis of Richard's modifications to Morning Moon were, but taking the info from later games into account implies heavily that the inspiration of said modifications are of course from the other ELOB forms.

And to add another thing, looking at the approach of the ELOB reminds me of modern MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) practices. When contrasted with the procedures of traditional martial arts, this is highly irregular. Then again, I've already speculated that Yun-Ka Fai is probably Zemurian Musashi and if Musashi lived in the modern world he would totally do MMA with swords.

Posted by: @wuolong77

Because I'm something of a swordnut, I have to ask, but what about Rean's tachi isn't exactly traditional? The only thing that spontaneously comes to mind would be that fin-shaped protrusion at the swordguard.

Yeah, it's the weird extension of the crossguard that extends up the back of the blade and down to cover part of the grip, also the decorative piece at the end of the hilt. Because parts of the grip are broken up this way Rean's hands having a bit less room to work with, which somewhat restricts what he can do vis a vis leverage.

Related to this, one nice touch on Falcom's part: Whenever Rean's scabbard is seen on his model it's arranged so the edge is facing down, which is how tachi were carried in contrast to the later katana where the edge faced up.

As for Arios, I think the length of his sword is pretty similar to Rean's, while Richard's is clearly a shorter blade as we see in CS4. As for Cassius, is there any depiction of him with his original blade? I mean, we get Jinu as an equipable item for Anelace in 3rd, but I'm not sure this is hard confirmation that Cassius' old blade is of the same make as what Anelace uses.

I found a digital version of the ELOB postcard image with good resolution so you can see (most of) the details. The Hajimari Visual Collection has clean shots of the individuals but I haven't found full scans of those, so this should do. You can see Cassius with a sword (also seen in CS4) which confirms he's a traditionalist in that respect.

Arios' sword is definitely on the longer side, almost as long as he is tall altogether (and he's a few cm taller than Rean).

And to add another thing, looking at the approach of the ELOB reminds me of modern MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) practices. When contrasted with the procedures of traditional martial arts, this is highly irregular. Then again, I've already speculated that Yun-Ka Fai is probably Zemurian Musashi and if Musashi lived in the modern world he would totally do MMA with swords.

ELOB is very Mixed Martial Arts in its style and Miyamoto Musashi would definitely go that route if he were around today. xD

Ya'll are like that group conversation near the end of CS III where the conversation devolves into talking about swords, are all of you sword practitioners?  

I really hope Anelace comes back, she was always a fun character and there was potential for some fun interactions with other characters outside her game. If Erica was put into the most recent game, then it's more a matter of when for Anelace. 

Also, you're all tripping, that red headed bracer was named Grump, get it right at the least lest people doubt your Kiseki credentials.

Posted by: @trailsofpersona

Ya'll are like that group conversation near the end of CS III where the conversation devolves into talking about swords, are all of you sword practitioners?  

Well, I trained a little in Chinese Martial Arts back in school, emphasis on a little. But most of my understanding comes from research. Sword culture is a culture like any other though having some on-hand-experience certainly helps.

And JumpyJunpei speaks the truth. That red-haired bracer is called Grunt, the perfect name to reflect how forgettable he is.

Posted by: @trailsofpersona

Ya'll are like that group conversation near the end of CS III where the conversation devolves into talking about swords, are all of you sword practitioners?

Nope, just being a neeerrrrrrrd. xD

I'd be closer to a Taito practitioner in reality having done six years of Tae Kwon Do but I never learned Zero Impact.

Posted by: @wuolong77

The decorative piece at the hilt are tassels, though I think they are only depicted in official artwork but not Rean's in-game model. It's certainly something of a cultural mish-mash, because I'm used to seeing these tassels on Chinese Jian, which btw is also the weapon of choice used by Calvadol in the upcoming Kuro no Kiseki.

Oh, it wasn't the tassels I had in mind but the part of the hilt they're attached to. You can see it in this image. It's a much larger version of what would be called the kashira on a normal tachi and breaks up the hilt so Rean has a bit less room to move his hands around compared to a conventional example.

Speaking of swords, since one of the influences Kondo mentioned for Calvard was the Middle East, I wonder if we're going to see a Zemurian equivalent to wootz/Damascus steel in the arc.

This is one sweet image. Really hope that one of the later games gives us the possibility to play a full 4 character party consisting only of ELOB practitioners.

If we ever get this and something like Sun Door 3 where team names change depending on who you're using, that team might as well be named 'Opponents, you might as well just give up now'. xD

I'll get onto a bigger post soon, but one small thing I wanted to talk about. Especially leading up to CS IV, there was a lot of talk in various places how necessary it was to play the prior games, or at least if not Sky the Crossbell games. Many made it sound like things would be much more confusing because of all the call backs and how CS IV was a also a spiritual sequel for Azure. Originally I had not planned to getting through both Crossbell games but played Azure anyways because I figured if Geofront translated it we were looking years down the line, which yeah, that was quickly proved wrong days after finishing it.

Anyways, having played all the games and at the completion of CS IV, I can say without a doubt that, no, you do not have to have played the other games to understand or appreciate the Cold Steel games. When it comes to the Crossbell stuff, any tidbits you need to know is explained and anything else like name drops or events from other games can either be for devoted fans as call backs, or for new fans an enticing way to make them interested in going back. 

Now that is not to say that there isn't something gained from playing from the previous games. My favorite moment that floored me right off the bat was just seeing the name "Renne Bright" pop up on the screen. For those who played from the beginning that is a great payoff, but hardly something that will change how you view the Cold Steel saga, or CS IV, as a whole. If there is anything that is a detriment, it's that having all those extra points from previous games can negatively affect the current game. So many characters to juggle that not having them there would give a little extra time for characters who are part of this saga. Then for people like me who have more fond memories of Sky compared to Cold Steel, you can be like "geez, having them side by side really shows just how much worse the new game is compared to the old one", just because you have that positivity to characters like Estelle and Renne comparing to characters you don't care as much about. 

End of the day, you don't have to play Sky and Crossbell to enjoy Cold Steel. It can elevate some small scenes, but anything you need to know is explained for the main plot, where it's mostly names and events that have no bearing on the story that will go over CS players only heads. Though the idea that you can start with CS III baffles me. They try to explain some background but with how integral all the games are supposed to work in tandem, even with small explanations you are leaving large chunks of character development out. So I would definitely say you should play CS I and II before III at a minimum, but you can still probably at least follow along.