Aoba

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10

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17

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6

Aoba is a young tanuki shaman with an affinity for nature, spirits and Wind magic. Volga faces off against Aoba in his first gladiator tournament match after finishing the 'Exterminate Forest Monster' main quest. Currently, Aoba is the only romanceable companion available, with two date events implemented.

## Bio

Aoba hails from a long lineage of shamans. He wants to become stronger on his own, which was his reason to leave his grandfather and to join the tournament. Barely being an adult, Aoba can seem immature, insecure, and overemotional at times. Volga saved Aoba from bandits on their first encounter, but the latter was quick to judge him after learning about his past. However, by the time of their tournament match, the gladiators have both made up. However, underneath Aoba's meek exterior hides a mysterious hidden power that he hasn't fully mastered yet. If only there was someone who could help him become more confident and help him unleash his potential.

## Strategy

Aoba has 3 full HP bars, each with its own unique armour bonuses. His skill set is very Wind magic focused, with a random effect from his [Shikigami] gimmick. [Concentrate] makes it difficult to shut down his magic skills. Furthermore, [Vortex] and [Shikigami] gems will overwhelm you if you let the battle drag on for too long. Try taking him out hard and fast with [Freeze] gems and Glacial Strike. As usual, focus on getting 4 or more gem matches to get additional actions, and safe up your Rage meter for the final phase. Destroy the Timer gems before they can manifest as [Shikigami] gems.

### Armour Bonus

 Inner Armour
 Body
Increase Guard Gauge by 10% on end of turn.

### Skills

 Shikigami Summon
If the Timer gem is white, convert to a [Shikigami - Byakko] gem that deals  *x 2.5* physical damage on its owner's turn start.
If the Timer gem is orange, convert to a [Shikigami - Suzaku] gem that deals  *x 2.5* untyped magic damage on its owner's turn start.
If the Timer gem is green, convert to a [Shikigami - Genbu] gem that heals for  *x 2.5* on its owner's turn start.
 Wind Cutter
 Kamaitachi
Deal  *x 1.5* Wind damage. For each destroyed [Vortex] gem, deal an additional  *x 1.5* Wind damage.
 Hurricane
Create 2 friendly 3-turn [Vortex] gems.

## Romance

**Note: As of chapter 4 the devs are reworking the romance mechanism. The following information will probably change in the future.**

Dating Aoba is unlocked during the main quest 'Looking for Lambert' and can **only** be done during chapter 3. To initiate a date, talk to him in the inn in exchange for a heart token. Aoba's relationship meter, accessed through the Relationships menu, starts out with half a heart filled out of maximum 5 hearts. A heart can be increased by 1/3 for a good date, by 1/6 for an average date, or not at all for a bad date. Once a heart is completely filled, the surplus doesn't count towards the next heart, but unlocks it instead. At this point you can go on a unique date quest with Aoba, which requires an available heart token, but doesn't consume it unlike a normal date. Upon finishing his second unique date quest, you are rewarded with an Oilcloth Cloak. Currently, 8 heart tokens are available upon finishing 'Looking for Lambert', so only the first 2 date quests are available (as you cannot start the third quest).

You can take Aoba on a date to the following locations. Each location has two possible events that can happen. There is no penalty for repeatedly dating Aoba at the same location.

 Date Quest 2

## Notes

* Aoba was definitely a virgin before his defeat.
* A missable CG (currently removed from the gallery) can be found by choosing to check on Aoba and Cyrus during the group outing to the bathhouse. This happens after the 6th tournament match versus Lambert during 'A Well-Deserved Rest'.