Before the massive success ofTales of VesperiaandTales of Arise,Tales of Symphoniasucceeded in being the firstTalesgame to put the franchise’s existence into the minds of many Western audiences. Lauded by older fans for its addicting story and fast-paced action, Tales of Symphonia is nothing without its memorable characters and their diverse personalities and combat capabilities.
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The party members in Tales of Symphonia bring their various talents to the table. Some combatants excel in being the group’s heavy hitters, while others focus more on powerful offensive magic. We’ll demonstrate what each companion has to offer so that you can better decide on a team to prepare yourself for the arduous battles ahead.
9Regal Bryant
Starting on our list at number nine is the genteel convict, Regal Bryant. The martial artist of the group, Regal shows his uniqueness being a combatant who fights exclusively with his feet. This combat style stems from his staunch refusal to fight with his bare hands. While his melee moves prove to be his main arsenal, he also comes equipped with the skills to use moderate healing magic such as Grand Healer, making him a sub-healer of sorts.
With techniques that differ from the other combatants, Regal’s kicks and moderate-paced movements don’t bring much to the table that other characters don’t provide on the battlefield. Therefore, he ranks pretty low on our list.
8Presea Combatir
At number eight is the apathetic but fierce Presea Combatir. With her emotions being suppressed due to experimentation, this tiny fighter demonstrates why you should never judge a book by its cover. Presea demonstrates her raw power via utilizing axe-based weapons thrice her size. Battle-wise, Presea is the heaviest hitter within the group, as most of her attacks involve skills combined with earth magic. This makes her a great combatant to use against enemies and bosses with vast amounts of HP.
Her devastating strength, however, comes with its drawbacks. Because Presea possesses the might of being the power slugger, this sadly makes her the slowest character to maneuver on the battlefield. With speed being of the utmost importance in Symphonia’s fast-paced battles, Presea becomes a party member you may choose to not utilize to the fullest.
7Colette Brunel
Despite being the game’s main heroine, Colette unapologetically lands at number seven. On the battlefield, Colette specializes in mid and long-range attacks through the use of her chakrams and angelic abilities, making her a reasonably competent fighter in her own right. As you progress further into the game, Colette unlocks stronger Angel Skills that range from offensive to supportive. Her Judgment spell combined with her Holy Judgment mystic arte become powerful enough for her to slay most groups of enemies at long distances, making her a strong asset you’ll want to utilize once you’re near the end of the game.
Unfortunately, Colette doesn’t shine as an optimal character to use often in the earlier portions of the game. In close-range combat, she is hard to maneuver due to her slow and sluggish speed, making her not ideal to have in your main lineup until she unlocks some of her Angel Skills.
6Sheena Fujibayashi
The fast hitting summoner from Tethe’alla arrives at number six with herexcellent ninja skills. Using her ofuda-like magic seals as her weapon of choice, Sheena operates as a close-ranged, magic melee fighter. What makes Sheena genuinely stand out among the pack, however, is her ability to call upon the Summon Spirits to attack all foes within range, making her a powerful force to be reckoned with.
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Alas, Sheena’s gift for summing isn’t without its faults. In spite of her skills to conjure various spirit entities such as Efreet, Origin, and Maxwell, Sheena can’t harness their power without activating her Over Limit. This is a mechanic that can’t be activated frequently, thus, severely constraining her summoning capabilities. With these shortcomings, Sheena’s placement on our list has her sitting not quite as high as her other allies.
5Kratos Aurion
Kratos Aurion sets the serious tone of the group at number five. As a powerful companion, Kratos serves as the initial magic swordsman of the group. Possessing a unique pool of techs that showcase his skills with a blade and magic, Kratos is a combatant you’ll definitely want to keep in your main setup for the duration of the first segment of the game. Kratos also impresses with his healing artes, such as First Aid and Healing Wind, acting as the first healer of the group before you acquire Raine.
A significant disadvantage for Kratos, however, is the fact that he is only within the group for the first half of the story. Unless you make particular choices throughout the game to get him back as a permanent party member, you likely won’t be utilizing him by the end of the journey.
4Zelos Wilder
Outshining Kratos by just a hair, Zelos Wilder sits comfortably at number four. As the second magic swordsman of the group, Zelos acts as the sole replacement for Kratos in the second half of the game. While similar in combat, Zelos is shown to be a little nimbler with his blade than Kratos, giving him a slight edge in combat maneuverability. The minor differences in swordplay end there, however, as Zelos' offensive and supportive magic spells are on par with his counterpart.
What also pulls Zelos slightly ahead of Kratos is the fact that you’ll most likely keep the former around as a permanent party member by endgame. Combining this with him being a slightly faster character, and there’s no question as to why he ranks moderately high on our list.
3Raine Sage
Coming in high at number three is the overpowered healer and support caster of the group, Raine Sage. As the leading healer and Light-elemental damage caster, Raine is one of the best party members you’ll want to keep permanently in your main lineup.
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With her restoration spells like Nurse and Resurrection added with her buff skills such as Sharpness and Acuteness, this healer will more than ensure that you’ll have a much easier time getting through the most arduous of battles. As a bonus, Raine’s Compound EX Skill, Quick Spell, can potentially make her unleash her spells without casting time, making her one of the strongest mages in the game. She’s only outshone by one other mage.
2Genis Sage
Raine’s know-it-all younger brother finishes in a close second. Opposite his sister in terms of class, Genis takes the role of this game’s black mage. Whether you build him as a Strike or Technical sorcerer, Genis' offensive spells will have you shredding his foes across the field — especially by the game’s later dungeons. With his AOE artes like Tidal Wave, Ground Dasher, and Gravity Well, Genis is yet another powerful character that will carry you from beginning to end.
Though his spells are severely overpowered, it comes as no surprise they consume vast amounts of TP. Unless you equip him with the Compound EX Skill, Reducer, Genis will quickly eat up all his TP, rendering him unable to cast his most potent spells for very long. His low defense stats and slow speed make him prone to die much sooner than other characters if you don’t keep close watch on his HP.
1Lloyd Irving
Due to being the fastest and most agile combatant in the entire game, Lloyd Irving more than shows why he deserves first place. His agility, combined with his rapid damage-dealing attacks with his twin blades, make him a fighter you’ll want to main all throughout his adventure.
While he may not hit the hardest compared to Presea, Lloyd’s multi-stabbing techs like Sword Rain and Sword Rain Alpha more than make up the damage output he deals to his enemies. With aerial attacks like Tempest and Rising Falcon, Lloyd can single-handedly maneuver behind most foes to avoid their physical and heavy magical attacks. With speed being everything regarding Symphonia’s Multi-Line Linear Motion Battle System, you can see why Lloyd lands solidly at number one on our list.
