| Shionne Imeris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| Appearance | Tales of Arise |
| Hometown | Lenegis |
| Age | 19 |
| Height | 165 cm |
| Race | Renan |
| Occupation | Maiden |
| Weapon | Rifle |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Shino Shimoji |
| English Voice Actor | Erica Lindbeck[1] |
Shionne Vymer Imeris Daymore (シオン・ヴィメル・アイメリス・ダイモ, Shion Vimeru Aimerisu Daimo?), Shionne Imeris for short, is the deuteragonist of Tales of Arise. She is a Renan woman who is cursed with "thorns" (＜茨＞?) that shock whoever touches her.
Story
Early life
Shionne is a descendant of Naori Imeris, the maiden from 300 years before the beginning of the game. When Naori used her powers to contain the power unleashed in a failed Spirit Channeling Ceremony, she received the thorns, which would be passed down through her descendants. When Shionne was born, she had the thorns like all her ancestors before her. However, she is completely unaware that she also has the power of the maiden.
As a child, Shionne spent all her life in isolation because of her thorns and also as a research subject. With no friends and a desire to not hurt anyone with her thorns, she became a reclusive and emotionally awkward woman. But in reality, she longed companionship with others. During this time, Shionne had visions about her thorns destroying everything. Not wanting this to happen, she began to find a way to be rid of her thorns, even if she would have to die to do so. However, the thorns prevented her from dying from anything except old age, and she didn't want to wait that long.
Hunting the Lords
At nineteen-years-old, Shionne somehow learned of a possible way to rid herself from her thorns: the Renas Alma, the grand prize of the Crown Contest awarded to the Lord of Rena, who manages to collect the most astral energy from Dahna. To create the Renas Alma, Shionne would need all five Master Cores to assemble it, and each Lord carried one. Shionne escaped Lenegis to Dahna and managed to steal the Fire Master Core from Lord Balseph of Calaglia, but she was declared a traitor to Rena and was captured. The Renans transported her in a train through Calaglia, when it came under attack by the Crimson Crows, a Calaglian resistance group. They took Shionne and tried to interrogate her, but her thorns prevented any attempts at that. The Zionne Mines, where she was, came under attack, but she managed to free herself and an amnesiac man known only as Iron Mask. While Shionne wanted to go alone, Iron Mask decided to stand with her and, unlike everyone else, he was able to touch her without even flinching. This shocked Shionne to her very core: she had finally met someone, who can touch her physically. Shionne's master core also activates and Iron Mask pulls the Blazing Sword from it and defeats the Renans with it, leaving him with severe burns, but no pain. After healing him, Shionne then decides to partner up with him, since the Sword can give her an edge against the Lords.
With the assistance of the Crimson Crows, Shionne and Iron Mask infiltrate Lord Balseph's castle and manage to defeat him. Balseph's final blow causes Iron Mask's mask to break and he remembers his real name: Alphen. A week later, a girl from neighboring realm of Cyslodia named Rinwell collapses at the gate to Calaglia, seeking help from the Crimson Crows. Zephyr, the leader of the Crows, and Alphen offer to help her, with Shionne agreeing too, since it gives her the opportunity to defeat Ganabelt, the Lord of Cyslodia. Rinwell is appalled a Renan would agree to help her, due to her own hatred towards the Renans.
In Cyslodia, they encounter Zephyr's estranged son, Law, who sells them out. Zephyr is captured, but not before Shionne witnesses Rinwell using astral artes. After retreating, Shionne demands answers from Rinwell and is surprised that Rinwell is a Dahnan mage; until now, Shionne had only heard stories about them. They travel to Cysloden, where they learn that Law regrets capturing Zephyr and everyone witnesses Ganabelt executing Zephyr. Even Shionne is furious about this. All four of them assault Ganabelt's tower and defeat him, liberating Cyslodia. Together, the four companions travel to Elde Menancia to challenge the next Lord.
Inside the palace of Viscint, the four meet with Lord Dohalim, who claims has no interest in the Crown Contest, as he is seeking to unite both Dahnans and Renans in harmony. Shionne refuses to believe him and tries to attack him, but Dohalim stops her attack effortlessly and Alphen jumps in between them, shocking Shionne even further. Dohalim invites them to dinner, where he explains himself and asks that they leave Menancia in peace.
The four are approached by Migal, the leader of the Menancian resistance, who claims that a conspiracy is happening under Dohalim's nose. Kisara, Migal's sister, tries to arrest him, but Migal manages to convince all five of them to come with him to prove his claims. The following night, Shionne is alone thinking when Alphen approaches her. Conflicted about her recent experiences and the fact that there are people around her helping her, despite her thorns, she asks Alphen why he put himself between her and Dohalim. Alphen first says they are partners, but he then says the biggest reason is because he couldn't let her die. Shionne tries to touch Alphen, but is interrupted.
The next day, Migal arranges to meet Dohalim inside a quarry, where he reveals a lake of hollowing, full of a reflective substance that is left behind when a living being is fully drained of its astral energy. Migal then eats a Fruit of Helgan, which fully hollows him, leaving Kisara heartbroken and her screams cause Dohalim to recall a painful experience from his past, which causes his Master Core go out of control. The party manages to calm him down and he takes his leave.
Soon after, Viscint descends into chaos and the party agrees to help restore order. Eventually, the culprit of the conspiracy is Dohalim's advisor, Kelzalik. The party corners him in the palace and Dohalim exiles him and also renounces his position as a lord. He joins the party.
Traveling to Mahag Saar, the party is ambushed by a Mysterious Swordsman. He practically toys with the party and even manages to knock Alphen back. As he is about to strike the final blow to Alphen, Shionne manages to shoot him, causing a small wound near his eye. He then attacks Alphen again, but Shionne jumps in between them and the Swordsman's blade impales Shionne in the abdomen. This causes Alphen to scream in horror, unleashing a mysterious light in his right eye and empowering him. The Swordsman retreats and the party worryingly looks after Shionne. To everyone's surprise, she is none the worse for wear; the stab didn't even leave a wound behind. The party believes that there's no way Shionne could have survived that, but she is unwilling to explain anything. But as Alphen continues to pressure her, Shionne relents and admits her ultimate goal to defeat the lords is get rid of her thorns by claiming all the five master cores and assembling the Renas Alma, a master core that is supposedly the grand prize of the Crown Contest, gifted to the winner. According to what Shionne has learned, with it, she can get rid of her thorns. This gives Alphen and the party new vigor, yet Shionne isn't that enthusiastic.
When the party arrives in Niez, the capital of Mahag Saar, the city is badly damaged and its resistance force, the Dark Wings, claim to have risen up and defeated the lord Almeidrea Kaineris, although she was able to escape. The leader, Dedyme, is very antagonistic towards the party, especially since they have Shionne and Dohalim along. Dedyme calls Alphen a traitor to Dahna, which makes Shionne angry and Alphen defends her again and openly calls Shionne and Dohalim his friends, leaving Shionne particularly shocked as she never had any friends. Dedyme sends the party to Este Luvah Forest to chase Almeidrea, but when they arrive at their destination, the party realizes that Dedyme sent them on a witch hunt. In truth, Dedyme was all set to execute Almeidrea in public in Niez. As the party arrives, Dedyme incites the people to agree to burning Almeidria, but this has just the effect Almeidrea was looking for; the people's hatred towards her serves as a catalyst to allow Almeidrea to drain all of their astral energy, hollowing them and allowing her to claim the energy in her master core. Even Shionne is appalled by the scene.
Appearance and Personality
Shionne has long strawberry blonde hair that she keeps in a ponytail and blue eyes. She wears several outfits during her journey with Alphen. Her initial outfit consists of a sleeveless white dress and white heels. Shionne's second, more combat-style outfit, which she finds in the Fagan Ruins, includes a white dress that reveals her legs in front, but covers them in the back with white lace sleeves and leggings, while wearing metal heels. She also wears bronze pauldrons on her arms, a bronze chestpiece, a black choker, and a black garter with bullets in it on her left leg. This looks is completed with a red, spiky tiara.
Shionne is a headstrong woman who aims to overthrow the five Renan lords of Dahna. Despite these goals, Shionne initially cares little for the plight of the Dahnans, viewing them as nothing more than a means to an end and treating them with much the same disdain that the other Renans do. Her coldness also stems in large part from her "thorns", a curse that inflicts physical harm on anyone who touches her. As a result, she has spent most of her life in isolation and has a hard time conveying her emotions. This comes from the fact that she doesn't really want to hurt anyone.
As the story develops, Shionne opens her heart to the party members and begins to empathize genuinely with the Dahnan people. Alphen, the only party member capable of withstanding her thorns due to his inability to feel pain, eventually falls in love with her.
Fighting Style
Shionne specializes in gun-based long range strikes and astral artes, allowing her to hit enemies from a safe distance, and use healing artes on allies with low HP. As a Renan, her martial, arcane artes, and Sniper Blasts have Latin-based names, but that aspect is partially lost in the localization. If the player holds an arte button equipped with a bomb, Shionne's perk, Sniper Blast, will allow her to fire special ammo at a bomb after releasing it, making it detonate more strongly. Shionne can earn arte profiency in Gun Strike (銃撃?), Blast Strike (爆撃, Bakugeki?, "Bombing"), and Astral Arte (星霊術, Seireijutsu?, "Star Spirit Arte"). When Auto Mode is enabled, Shionne will primarily _target flying and astral arte-wielding enemies, as well as foes with lower HP during combat. Despite being a Renan, she can use Light-elemental artes, mainly in form of Sniper Blasts.
Other Appearances
Tales of the Rays
In Tales of the Rays, Shionne appears as a nexus of Dahna alongside Alphen, summoned by events orchestrated by Artorius Collbrande as part of his plan to gather another world's energy and use it to awaken Innominat in Tir Na Nog. Wandering a strange version of their world where Dahnan and Renan civilians coexist peacefully, the two eventually find themselves in Cysloden. However, they quickly get pulled into another conflict, joining the local resistance movement in defending the city from siege by Renan military forces now under the command of the Asgard Empire. Later while on patrol, Alphen encounters Ix Nieves and the rest of his group who finally explain their situation. Not wanting to abandon people in need, Alphen agrees to join the global resistance effort with other factions against the Empire.
After thwarting the Empire's attempt at conquering Cysloden, the party turns its attention towards reconstruction efforts and preparations for the local Halloween festival. During the celebration, Alphen discusses his plans to remain in the city and continue protecting it from the Empire's looming threat. However, he assures Ix that he and Shionne will be on call if they ever need help. In exchange, Ix promises to relay any useful information, particularly any details regarding the whereabouts for the rest of their missing friends.
Gallery
Trivia
- A running gag with Shionne is her appetite. She likes food that is mostly filling and she is able to hork it down like no other, like she can never have enough. Adding to this, she also never seems to gain any weight, always remaining slender. It is speculated by Dohalim in a skit that Shionne's endless appetite may be due to her master core.
- In her promotional image from Tales of Arise Liberators, Shionne uses the "Noble Rose", which appears as her default equipment in her crossover appearances.
- This promotional image also appears as her cut-in image in those same appearances.
References
- ↑ Thank you, @BandaiNamcoUS , for giving me the opportunity to work on this beautiful series once again. (...) • Twitter (2020-09-10) Retrieved 2021-09-26.