Tressa’s hidden loneliness: a comparative character analysis
Tressa’s character arc is flatter than most of the story paths in Octopath, being focused more on her journey across the land rather than a central plot thread (like Primrose’s vengeance) or in her character development (like Alfyn’s journey), with the only other character who comes close being Cyrus, whose journey is about reaffirming his beliefs and showing us a glimpse of the lore regarding magic and the pantheon of Orsterra as a preparation for what we would find in the Gate of Finis.
Cyrus also is 30, while Tressa is 18: their storylines naturally would have to be very different.
While Cyrus’ character arc is about being an adult, with his already established worldview and principles, Tressa’s character arc is about becoming an adult, leaving home and her parents to get to know the world and learn what she treasures, maturing in the process.
However, the lack of a central antagonist in Tressa’s journey while Cyrus has a rival in the form of Lucia makes it seem like there’s no conflict in Tressa’s route — but her main conflict during it might be with her own loneliness rather than being nonexistent, making it also a story about forging connections as well.
This interpretation is largely dependent on comparing her to Therion, who’s Tressa’s rogue foil and her narrative foil to a degree as well. We know a lot about Therion: his fears and anxieties are in full display through most of his plotline and his banter conversations, and the fact that he’s the only unreliable narrator in Octopath also tells us things based on what he does and does not show, giving us a glimpse of his thought process that’s absent with the other travelers. He also is notably one of the loneliest characters in Octopath, not having a peer like the other travelers.
All the travelers have someone in their profession who they have a lovingly and respectful relationship with, except Therion. Most of these relationships are also between a pair of people of the same age, although there are exceptions to the rule such as Cyrus and Odette (Odette being ten years older than Cyrus, possibly indicating that Cyrus’ peer and foil might be or might have been Lucia, if she turns out to be 30), Tressa and Ali (Ali being two years older than Tressa, possibly indicating that her peer is Noa, another 18 year old girl who inherits the journal. We shall come back to Ali later.), and H’aanit and Z’aanta (H’aanit’s partner in her hunt for Redeye being Eliza, another 26 year old woman). You can see this post for more regarding ages.
Thus, same the same profession pairs in Octopath stand as the following:
Meanwhile Therions relationship with the other thieves in Octopath is a violent one, a far cry from love and respect; his only interaction with Gareth consists of them trying to kill each other, while Darius and Heathcote are both verbally and (possibly) physically abusive[1] towards him.
[1] Therion mentions in Olberic’s ch4 banter that he was beaten up by those seeking to control him, which lines up with Darius manipulating and using him to further his own goals, but this isn’t confirmed. Meanwhile Heathcote violates Therion’s bodily autonomy by chaining him with the Fool’s Bangle, putting himself in a position of power where he can abuse and blackmail Therion as he wishes.
Therion: [So this is how Werner rules…] He thinks he can intimidate people into obedience. And he’s not wrong, either. [But it doesn’t work on everyone. Some people don’t scare easy.]
Olberic: [Like you, for example.]
Therion: Yeah, like me. When I was a kid, I had my share of beatings from people who thought they could break me. [But I’d shrug it off, and vowed no one would ever tell me what to do.]
(My personal interpretation is that Therion’s “match” was supposed to be Gareth, considering how much they’re pitched as mirror images of each other, from their design to they way they talk, occupying similar positions as the ones closest to Darius, similar to how Olberic and Erhardt are the Blades of Hornburg. But we all know how well that turned out in the end.)
However, Therion has something that Tressa lacks, which is his connection to Darius. Even if said connection is unhealthy, their relationship is both 1) present since before his plotline started and 2) plot relevant in some way, shape or form. Even if Ali is Tressa’s peer and Leon her mentor [2] both of Tressa’s meaningful connections are bonds she forged during her journey rather than being something pre-existing, while all the travelers already had said connection with others way before the story even started.
[2] You can argue that Heathcote was supposed to be a (albeit unhealthy) mentor figure to Therion, mirroring Leon — which fits well, considering how Heathcote chained Therion while Leon gave Tressa the diary, the thing that allowed her to start her journey. Heathcote also feeds into Therion’s most dangerous internalized precepts, berating his skills at every turn, similarly to Darius, while Leon is the one who encourages Tressa to see the world.
Like Therion, Tressa doesn’t have a specific sort of bond that alienates her from the other travelers. They’re both lacking — they’re both lonely.
Sure, Tressa has her parents, but… all the relationships the other travelers have tie in with their plot somehow. Ophilia’s entire plot revolves around her family; Cyrus aids and is aided by Odette and his students; Olberic is charging after Erhardt, seeking redemption for the death of his king and finding it in protecting the people of Cobbleston; Primrose’s whole journey revolves around avenging the death of her father; Alfyn’s mom death probably is what caused his deep depression and alienation, while Zeph’s letter is what allows him to move on; Therion’s former relationship with Darius color his entire worldview; and H’aanit is trying to save Z’aanta, who’s like a father to her.
Meanwhile Tressa’s parents aren’t even referred by name — if she was an orphan, not much would change narratively-wise (although if you buy into my separation from the parents reading of Octopath, it would impact Tressa’s story thematically somehow); her journey would still be basically the same, with her traveling the world and meeting new people.
Tressa’s arc has her overcoming her loneliness. None of the relationships she had prior to her storyline affect it in any meaningful way, but the ones she forge during it do: Leon’s gift allows her to see the world, Ali’s promise guides her to Grandport and her meeting with Noa is what allows Tressa to realize what really matters to her — this one journey, where she came to embrace adulthood and forge the meaningful relationships (with both the other travelers and her NPCs) that she needs to keep moving forward.
Therion is severing his connections to his abusers in order to gain freedom. Tressa, his noble foil, is forging new bonds in order to find out what she treasures the most. It’s through this destructive and constructive process that they grow and mature, and by the end of their fourth chapter, they finally reach their apotheosis: For Freedom, For Treasure.
Live well, and live strong.
Tressa and Therion are lonely (albeit in different ways), making them opposites to Primrose and Alfyn: while Primrose and Alfyn are characters moved by filial love and grief in the face of the death of their parents, Therion and Tressa are characters moved by loneliness. I think this also sets this four apart from Cyrus, H’aanit, Olberic and Ophilia: Primrose, Alfyn, Tressa and Therion are motivated by the bonds they have or that they lack, Primrose and Alfyn by their grief at lost and Therion and Tressa by their desire of belonging.
Meanwhile Cyrus, H’aanit, Olberic and Ophilia are motivated by duty: H’aanit and Ophilia’s duty is to their families, while Cyrus and Olberic have a duty to their communities in the form of Cyrus’ students and the population of Cobbleston who Olberic protects.
Tressa’s loneliness also makes Ali’s two promises to her incredibly important, both plot and character-wise: he first promises to meet her in the Merchants’ Fair while in Quarrycrest, giving her plotline a direction it previously didn’t have, and then he not only fulfills said in Grandport, but also renews it when he says he’ll see her again while trying to confess his love for her.
Tressa: Sharing a connection with someone new – for however brief a time – is unforgettable.
Tressa is a girl from a small port town. She’s probably used to people coming and going all the time, without being able to truly connect with anyone, and she isn’t particularly close to her parents either. Unlike Alfyn, who had his perceived duty to Clearbrook stopping him from going on a journey, there’s nothing holding her back when she departs. For her, relationships are always a meeting — a precious treasure, but fleeting, momentary, never a fully fledged connection — but Ali makes her a promise, the promise that something can finally last.
Tressa was lonely, but she doesn’t need to be anymore, and she passes on that torch to Noa, another lonely girl, just like her.
Tressa: What’s truly precious to me… is this journey.
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