# The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War is a 2023 Japanese anime miniseries based on the Trails video game series by Nihon Falcom. The series follows a conflict between the Erebonian Empire and the North Ambria State and is set during the ellipsis between the video games Trails of Cold Steel II and III. It follows Lavian Winslet, who leads a small platoon of Martin Robinson, Iseria Frost, and Talion Drake within the Northern Jaegers mercenary corps.
Northern War was produced by Tatsunoko Production and had twelve episodes aired weekly from early January to late March 2023. The series was licensed and dubbed in English by Crunchyroll. A spin-off mobile gacha game by UserJoy Technology was released in Japan in December 2023 and worldwide in May 2024.

## Premise

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel – Northern War depicts the Northern War, a conflict between the Erebonian Empire and the North Ambria State, and placed during the ellipsis between the video games Trails of Cold Steel II and III. It follows Lavian Winslet, a girl born in North Ambria, a poor country in the northwest of Zemurian continent. She enlists in the Northern Jaegers, the largest mercenary corps in Zemuria to protect her hometown, while distinguishing herself from her grandfather, Vlad, the renounced hero who betrayed their country. Prior to the start of the anime, Lavian assembles a platoon with Martin S. Robinson, Iseria Frost and Talion Drake for a secret mission to Erebonia, an imperialistic country to the south, to gather information about an Erebonian hero that spells a threat to their country.

## Characters

Characters and voice cast :
| Character | Japanese actor | English actor |
| Lavian Winslet | Makoto Koichi | Sarah Roach |
| Martin S. Robinson | Yuichi Nakamura | Ben Balmaceda |
| Iseria Frost | Sarah Emi Bridcutt | Anjali Kunapaneni |
| Talion Drake | Yūki Ono | Chris Niosi |
| Grak Gromash | Haruhiko Jō | Un­known |
| Jeina Storm | Mie Sonozaki | Monica Rial |
| Logan Mugart | Takayuki Kondo | Un­known |
| Rean Schwarzer | Koki Uchiyama | Un­known |
| Valimar | Un­known | Un­known |
| Altina Orion | Inori Minase | Un­known |
| Ivano | Jun Fukushima | Ryan Colt Levy |
| Tack | Ryuichi Kijima | Nazeeh Tarsha |
| Millium Orion | Un­known | Un­known |
| Lechter Arundel | Un­known | Matt Shipman |
| Giliath Osborne | Un­known | Michael Sorich |
| Rufus Albarea | Un­known | D. C. Douglas |
| Wallace Bardias | Un­known | Alan Lee |
| Aurelia Le Guin | Un­known | Valerie Arem |
| Campanella | Un­known | Zach Aguilar |
| Sara Valestein | Un­known | Un­known |

## Episode list

| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Appears He… the Hero in Twilight" (Japanese: 誰そ彼は...... 黄昏の英雄) | Yusaku Saotome | Chika Suzumura | January 6, 2023 (2023-01-06) |
| 2 | "Gathers the Unpleasant Darkness" (Japanese: 集いし不快な漆黒) | Kazuki Yokouchi | Chika Suzumura | January 13, 2023 (2023-01-13) |
| 3 | "An Invitation to the Port City Engulfed In Darkness" (Japanese: 闇に覆われた紺碧への招待) | Fumihiro Ueno | Shinsuke Ohnishi | January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) |
| 4 | "Breaking the Blue Crystal Ice" (Japanese: 青い結晶の打ち解け) | Makoto Sokuza | Masaki Hiramatsu | January 27, 2023 (2023-01-27) |
| 5 | "At the End of an Ashen Journey" (Japanese: 灰色の旅の果てに) | Yusaku Saotome | Chika Shizumura | February 3, 2023 (2023-02-03) |
| 6 | "Memories Burning Crimson" (Japanese: 紅蓮に燃えさかりし記憶) | Kazuki Yokouchi | Shinsuke Ohnishi | February 10, 2023 (2023-02-10) |
| 7 | "The Truth Coated in Lead" (Japanese: 重ね塗られた鉛色の真実) | Hidehiko Kadota | Masaki Hiramatsu | February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17) |
| 8 | "Pale White Castle at a Crossroads" (Japanese: 決意の間、白茶けた城下) | Shigeki Awai | Mao Emura | February 24, 2023 (2023-02-24) |
| 9 | "The Ashy Curse Continues Past a Sealed Fate" (Japanese: 命運尽きて尚果てぬ蒼白な呪い) | Hidekazu Sato, Yano Takanori | Shinsuke Ohnishi | March 3, 2023 (2023-03-03) |
| 10 | "The Scent of Wheat Ears and the Silver of Revival" (Japanese: 穗の香が導く再起の銀) | Fumihiro Ueno | Masaki Hiramatsu | March 10, 2023 (2023-03-10) |
| 11 | "The Divine Knight Arrives at the Gray" (Japanese: 騎神、鈍色へ降り立つ) | Yusaku Saotome | Mao Emura | March 17, 2023 (2023-03-17) |
| 12 | "Dyed in Pure White" (Japanese: 真白に染まる) | Ken Ando | Mao Emura | March 24, 2023 (2023-03-24) |