Zelos

Zelos appears in Dimension Clash as a playable character.
Name 	Zelos Wilder
Affiliation 	Hero
First Appearance	Tales of Symphinia (2003)
Voiced By 	
Christopher Corey Smith (ENG)
Masaya Onosaka (JPN)
==Backstory==
The first impression Zelos gives is that of a skirt-chasing, irresponsible, and immature man. However, he has more internal conflicts and emotional pain. As he reveals to Llyod Irving in Flanoir, his mother, Mylene Wilder, was told to marry his father, the Chosen at the time, by the "Oracle" of ruxis, even though she loved someone else. Growing up in Meltoko, his home life was less-than-comforting. Neither his mother nor his father cared much for him; his father was already in a relationship with another woman, and his mother would only rarely pay any real maternal attention to him. As such, his main caretaker was Sebastian, the family butler. It is highly likely most of his narcissist-like behavior stems from the fact that he was neglected and unappreciated throughout his childhood. When Zelos was a child, his father's mistress, a half-bot, gave birth to Seles Wilder, Zelos' half-sister. As children, he and Seles got along well with each other; Seles, in particular, enjoyed getting time to play with her big brother, but their relationship became strained following the death of their father. Wanting a better quality of life for herself and her daughter, Seles' mother attempted to kill Zelos, knowing that if he died, Seles, being the last relative of the half-siblings' father, would become the Chosen of Mana by default.
The incident occurred on a snowy day, supposedly the first day Zelos saw snow. Mylene had taken Zelos outside, and was building a snowman with him when the half-elf unleashed a barrage of magic aimed at Zelos; Mylene was caught in the crossfire. Her last words to Zelos were a condemnation that he should have never been born. He grew to dislike snow, to the point he would vacation in the farthest place away from Meltokio during its winters, as snow was a constant reminder of that traumatic event. The image of snow stained red with Mylene's blood is one of the defining memories he has of the incident. After Mylene's death, Seles' mother was executed for her crime. Seles herself was sentenced to house arrest in an abbey for life. Following his mother's death, Zelos began to develop a loathing for both himself and his status as a Chosen, blaming himself for his mother's death and cursing the Chosen system for causing his mother's misery in the first place. He grew up under the impression that he was worthless, a pathetic Chosen who could never save the world. This impression was further nurtured by the knowledge that Seles would have been a far more capable Chosen than he.
Zelos lived in the knowledge that, had he died that snowy day in Meltokio, Seles would have possibly become the greatest Chosen that Tethe'alla had seen in decades. Both this and the knowledge that he could not live up to the expectations set upon him as Chosen further deepened his lack of self-worth. Growing up in Meltokio's uncaring society, he was forced to lock his emotions away and adopt a mask of confidence, self-assurance, and superficiality. This "mask" allowed him to differentiate between those who merely had a passing interest in him and those who truly wished to know and befriend him; it also allowed him to defend himself from further emotional trauma. Zelos is also somewhat prejudiced against half-elves, likely due to Mylene's murderess being half-elven, as well as being taught from birth that half-elves were "disgusting, filthy creatures". Despite this apparent prejudice, he is actually more sympathetic to half-elves than his peers, exerting his influence to stop some of the Pope's radical anti-half-elf legislation from becoming law even before he meets Lloyd.
Upon meeting Genis and Raine Sage, he eventually learns to accept them, despite his conflicts with Genis, at one point commenting on how they are nothing like the half-elf stereotypes he had been taught about, but remarking that he is not quite able to rid himself of feelings of prejudice. His slightly more sympathetic view on them is due to the fact he feels he can relate to them in some aspect, saying that "nobody wanted us to be born". When Zelos was six, he met a young Regal Bryant at the Princess' birthday party; thus, he is somehow able to recognize Regal when he joins their group. He repeatedly implies that Regal is the President of Lezareno, but the party fails to realize this until it is made apparent by Regal himself.
As he reached his teenage years, Zelos found that he was considered very popular amongst Meltokio's noblewomen. It soon became apparent that these aristocrats were not interested in him for his personality, nor for his good looks; they only wished to be associated with the Chosen of Mana. He used this superficial interest to his advantage, and soon gained a world-spanning reputation as a womanizer. He was educated at the Imperial Research Academy in Sybak, where his good looks and status allowed him to manipulate his female classmates into taking notes and tests for him, despite the fact that, although he excelled at mathematics, he was less-than-proficient at most everything else. As such, he graduated at the top of his class. Sometime in the years before meeting Lloyd, Zelos was approached by Pronyma of Cruxis, and was given the offer to rid himself of the Chosen status should he become their spy in return. By this time, he had already grown bitter toward his position, as well as toward himself, and had practically given up all hope that things could get better for him or his sister; thus, he allied himself with them.
In both the manga and game, it is made apparent that Sheena Fujibayashi and Zelos knew each other before meeting in Meltokio with Lloyd's party; although how long they knew each other and how they met is never made clear. Sheena possesses some standing animosity toward him, most likely because he habitually makes unwanted passes at her. Despite this, they have been proven to have a stable, though rather dysfunctional, friendship, frequently chatting and bouncing ideas off each other. During the story, Zelos shows some concern for Sheena's well being, and Sheena has admitted that she does not doubt that deep down Zelos is a good person. Near the end of the story, there is a skit where Zelos offers to help Sheena find a place to relocate Mizuho should the event ever arise that they have to move. There are also hints that Zelos harbors genuine feelings for Sheena, such as when she was ready to sacrifice herself to let the rest of the party escape at the Otherworldly Gate, Zelos reacted vehenemently and dragged Sheena into the portal, saving her.[1]
==Gamplay==
Zelos's basic attacks are best at the range of their pokes. He has great range, but these basic attacks are slow and are not as safe on whiff or block. However, Zelos himself is a very fast and offensive character who can combo into many specials with ease. His projectile and his Grave Blade are great moves to keep foes at bay as well. However, many of his most dominant attacks leave him vulnerable if they are guarded, though this can be negated if Guardian is active.
In Ultimate Dimension Clash, Zelos's combo ability has been strenghtened with the ability to chain Overhead Slash into S. He can now also mash Divine Judgement if it hits, making Zelos's most damaging attack even better.
==Changes in Ultimate Dimension Clash==
*Hitbox on standing H tweaked
*Light Spear Cannon is now mashable for extra damage
*Can now perform Double Demon Fang
*Overhead Slash now chains into S
*Standing H now chains into crouching H
*Divine Judgement mashable for additional damage
==Moves==
(* means new move)
===Command Moves===
Move Name 	Command
Overhead Slash	F + M
Shield Bump 	
F + H
===Special Moves===
Move Name 	Command
Demon Fang (in air ok) 	QCF + atk
Double Demon Fang (in air ok)*	QCF + atk * atk
Sonic Thrust 	QCB + atk
Light Spear 	DP + atk
*Light Spear Cannon 	during Light Spear: H (can be mashed)
Grave Blade 	D (charge), U + atk
===Hyper Combos===
Move Name 	Command
Eruption (Level 1) 	QCF + atk x2
Guardian (Level 1) 	DP + atk x2
Divine Judgement (Level 3)	QCB + atk x2
==Assists==
 	Move 	Crossover Combonation
a	Demon Fang 	Eruption
B	Grave Blade	Eruption
y	First Aid 	Eruption
==X-Factor stats==
X-Factor Boosts	Damage	Speed
Level 1 	125% 	115%
Level 2 	140% 	130%
Level 3 	155% 	145%
==Theme Song==
Zelos's theme is a dance remix of his theme from Tales of Symphonia
thumb|right|335 px|original version of Zelo's theme in Dimension Clash
==Attack Overview==
Zelos/Attack Set
Category:Dimension Clash
Category:Character
Category:Playable Character
Category:Default Character
Category:Hero
Category:Tales
Category:Namco
Category:Ultimate Dimension Clash