Archetypes
Those in Dart's lifeThe Sage - Rose
The guide.
Rose, the Dark Vessel Dragoon, helps Dart through his journey. She is very knowledgeable about Dragoons and Dragons. In fact, she saves our lovable little hero from Feyrbrand and later Kongol in Hoax. She awakens Dart’s Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit thus making him a Dragoon. Rose will even give out history lessons but will never say how she knows everything. She’s also very touchy about the "Black Monster". Rose is always there to guide Dart and tell him what to do. I think she enjoys ordering him around.
The Trusty Sidekick (Trusted Helper) – Meru
Right hand man, support, and ear for the hero.
Meru is always willing to help. She cons the party into letting her come along to the Valley of Corrupted Gravity to save Lynn. She refuses to leave the party because she feels natural with Dart and friends. Meru is always willing to help Dart with anything, from fighting to dancing and love. She does do what Dart says because she likes him. She is quite happy when she becomes the Blue Sea Dragoon and gets to stay with everyone.
The Nemesis (and the Nemesi) – Melbu Frahm/God of Desrtuction
The antagonist and those who stand in the way of the hero.
Melbu is the wingly that fought 11,000 years ago in the Dragoon Campaign against the first set of Dragoons. Zieg is unable to beat him and both get petrified. Later Melbu awakens in Neet while the Black Monster is attacking. The God of Destruction is the Moon Child that the Black Monster travels around and kills every 108 years. Unfortunately the 108th time was unsuccessful. Melbu generally has his flunkies to go after Dart and friends though. Melbu does wish to merge with the God of Destruction to become an ultimate being.
The Love Interest – Rose
Devoted to the hero but unable to be together.
Oh Rose, dearest Rose can't catch a break when it comes to men. While she helps (and sometime belittles) Dart, I think she does love him. He also in turn loves her. When the Phantom Ship is sinking Dart doesn't quite make it onboard the Queen Fury and Rose tries to save him and both fall into the ocean as she yells "I won't lose you again." That is reference to Dart looking like her fiancée, Zieg Feld. Dart later saves Rose, she is the Black Monster, the very one that destroyed his home. He refuses to strike her down saying "The Black Monster is already dead." They cannot be together mainly because their love is nonromantic, Rose is still in love with Zieg (later revealed as Dart’s father but Rose is NOT his mother), Dart is an idiot when it comes to love and Rose is over 10,000 years old.
The Adoptive Family – Shana
A place to call home, and usually the reason for the journey.
After the destruction of Neet by the Black Monster; it caused Dart to lose both his parents, Zieg and Claire, at the young age of 5. At 13 Dart is in Seles with the Mayor’s family which includes Shana. She attaches herself to Dart and Dart always protects her. She is his little sister as far as he is concerned. But at 18, Dart leaves in search of the Black Monster, returns at 23 to save Shana from her imprisonment at Helena Prison. He really would go through hell to save his little sister, Shana.
The Warrior – Laviyz Slambert
Right or wrong, hell or high water, he will fight for the hero.
Lavitz is first met in Helena Prison when Dart is trying to save Shana. Lavitz was in there because the First Knighthood of Basil was being held there. There is a small scene where the two men meet and decide to fight the Helena Guards together, after that they are very close friends, almost brothers. They get along very well and Lavitz agrees to help Dart save his sister. And later introduces them to his mother and lets them stay at his house. He travels with them as far as he can until the King of Serido gets king-napped and Lavitz dies trying to save Albert from being executed. He later helps Dart and friends in Mayfil, the city of the Dead.
The Temptress – Shirley
Tries to lead the hero astray.
You meet Shirley the first White Silver Dragoon at the Temple of the White Silver Dragon; she is an old friend of Rose's. Dart needs Dragoni Plant to save Shana from Dragon Poison but Shirley doesn't have any. However, she does have the White Silver Dragoon Spirit that will save Shana but refuses to give it to Dart unless he shows her his heart. She uses Shana's image against Dart, trying to confuse him and derail him from the path he chose. It doesn't work because Dart obtains the Dragoon Spirit and saves Shana deciding he will fight the black monster when he gets the chance anyways. Shirley tried so hard. She even tried to tempt Lavitz away.
The Innocents – Shana Citizens
Who the Hero fights for.
Everything Dart does is for Shana and later the citizens of Endiness. He travels to the Valley of Corrupted Gravity to save Lynn, did multiple things for Shana, defeats Kongol and is later saved by him (he joins up); He helps Princess Lisa find her missing sister who later marries Albert, Dart helped the previous Dragoons find rest (it's a side quest but still fun to do) and liberates Kazas from Emperor Doel.
The Nightmare Creature – Black Monster
Creatures representive of the hero's flaws and insecurities.
This is Dart’s whole reason for traveling until Shana gets captured and thrown into Helena Prison. The Black Monster destroyed Neet and killed Dart’s parents, Zieg and Claire. Once Dart was old enough he went on a search to find this monster only to end up traveling with her. It pains him to find out who it is but he lets her explain her case. Later the two fight and Dart proclaims “The Black Monster is dead” as he refuses to strike Rose down. It’s a way for him to forgive her and move on. The Black Monster’s job is to destroy the Moon Child before the God of Destruction is born, it happens every 108 years. Unfortunately Rose failed the last time because Princess Louvia had a twin sister.
The Traitor – Shana
Pretends to be for the hero but is really against them.
Whether she knows it or not Shana betrays the party. The party comes across things called Virages, the wingly equivalent of a Dragon. Most are frozen asleep but Shana's presence wakes them up and they go into a rage and try to kill Dart and his companions. She has a weird power that the party doesn't understand. While on the Phantom Ship the ghost mistake Shana for Princess Louvia, just a baby at the time she was killed. Later it's realized that Rose failed at killing the Moon Child because Louvia wasn't it and it was her twin sister, Shana. Shana is in fact the Moon Child, the very embryo for the God of Destruction.
The Dreamer – Meru
A reminder of why the hero fights.
Meru is very supportive of Dart. When she thinks Dart needs cheering up she tries to make him happy. She reminds him that it's for Shana that he needs to do things. Meru tries extra hard at everything she does because she is a wingly and doesn't want to be hated. She is very cheerful and pretty easy to get along with even if she does annoy Rose. Since she likes Dart so much and has learned a lot from him she wants to be able to return that to him by helping out.
The Fool – Haschel
Comic relief, also reminds the hero the journey can be accomplished and that it’s for the innocents.
Haschel, Master of the Rouge School of Martial Arts in Rouge. He travels with Dart previous to the game's events while Dart is searching for the Black Monster. Hascel is looking for his run away daughter Claire. Haschel meets Dart again in the coliseum in Lohan. Haschel is very fond of women and hits on both Rose and Shana (much to Dart and Rose’s dismay). Haschel knocks out a reckless Lavitz when Basil gets attacked. Haschel generally teams up with Meru and causes mischief and says that Meru reminds him of his daughter. It is later found out that his daughter, Claire, is Dart’s mother who died in Neet.
The Rebel – Lloyd
Knowledgable, skilled, huge ego. In any other story, he'd be the hero.
Lloyd is a total hack. Dart meets him in Lohan during the tournament (where Dart is reunited with Haschel). It's impossible to take first place because of this jerk. He is always one step ahead of Dart. He kidnapps Shana and Albert, kills Lavitz, saved Sacred Sister Wink, gives Dragoon Spirits to Greham, Doel, and Lenus, and steals the Divine Dragoon Spirit that Dart worked so hard to get. But by the end when Dart is still trying to save Shana from Melbu, Lloyd comes in to help.