#mr. ending

First, I should probably go over what is said during the contamination sidequest, as that seems to be the main clue we have towards what happened (as confusing and ambiguous it already is). And mind you, I have also seen people interpret these scenes waaaaay differently than what I think is meant, but I'll be attempting to interpret this at face value and using the least amount of speculation as much as possible. So there's four scenes, and each scene kind of goes over what happens in a typical 'contamination effect' between perfect isofons. The first scene has Jade demonstrating this ability in his arm, saying that it's a dangerous technique and he has only mastered it after years and years of acquired skill. Now, the second scene is pivotal -- apparently the contamination effect happened to two 'perfect isofon' cheagles in Ortion Cavern. And the one that the party brought back with them -- Star (who also says that he's an "original") -- claims that when he "died", he "felt something warm flow into him," and then the other cheagle was apparently gone. What this seems to imply is that when the original "dies," it is brought back to life with the replica flowing back into the original, which ultimately revives it. The replica then becomes no more. I know that a lot of people start getting worried at this point, but don't worry, I'm not finished. ;) Next, the third scene -- here is where Jade questions Spinoza about his encounter with Asch. Spinoza tells him that Asch came to see him about his recent symptoms (severe headaches, sudden pangs of pain, etc.) Spinoza simply told him that it meant that he was approaching the time of the "Big Bang;" however, Asch leaves without hearing the rest. Jade then tells him, "I fear that he may have misunderstood." Jade goes outside and tells Luke something rather significant: he tells him that of all the years he has been in research, his theories have never once been wrong. However, this is the only time when he hopes that Luke will prove him wrong, and that Luke has already done things beyond what he would have expected from a replica. Now, let's go over the first part of this scene. From Jade's comments, it appears that Spinoza didn't fully explain to Asch what he was actually going to go through. And if you recall during the main story, Asch kept saying that he had "no time left" and that he was going to disappear soon. Jade saying that Asch "misunderstood" implies that Asch really WASN'T going to die and that he had been acting impulsively and prematurely all this time. So, what we can deduce here is that Asch really didn't have anything to worry about, and if he had just let things naturally run its course, he would have eventually came out alive in the end from the Big Bang, as what happened to Star and his replica. However, Jade's comments to Luke afterwards is what I think speaks volumes: here he is hoping beyond hope that Luke will somehow be able to overcome his fate of death implied by the cheagles. Aka, Foreshadowing 101, but we'll discuss that in a bit. Finally we have the fourth scene that takes place after Asch's death in Eldrant. Jade simply tells Dist that Asch has died and Dist implies from his reaction that Asch was approaching the time of his Big Bang. Dist also says that "regardless of the cause of death, the Big Bang has begun," but Jade objects. Dist scolds him and says that he knows very well that the Big Bang cannot be prevented and that Jade of all people should know that, being the father of fomicry. Jade reluctantly acknowledges and they both state that nothing of the replica will remain besides his memories. Jade goes back outside, clearly upset but he hides his true feelings from the rest of the party. What this scene basically implies is that in a Big Bang, the original isofon absorbs the replica isofon to stay alive, and nothing else remains of the replica apart from his memories, which assumingly now reside within the original, in addition to his own. Now this final scene is what many "Asch-supporters" use to argue that Asch was the one that came back. HOWEVER, there are a number of significant factors that are purposely overlooked by the game. One is the fact that Dist doesn't know what exactly happened in Eldrant after Asch died. Although he claims that the cause of death is not important, there's a few things we need to address. One is the fact that Asch's fonons/hyperresonance "flowed" INTO Luke when he died, and if you recall in a skit, Luke tells Jade that he felt something warm flow into him. This is exactly what Star had told Jade before. So despite what he said to Jade, Dist doesn't know that A) what Star felt, and B) Luke experienced the same effect to himself as Star did, despite NOT being an original. So this mere fact already shows that Luke was NOT going through the same process as Star's replica supposedly went through. Next, I'd like to address Van's words to Luke before the final battle. When Van hears that Asch "is inside" Luke, he realizes right then that the second-order hyperresonance was involved, actually congratulates him and goes so far to say that Luke is now a true human being. And he even says this TWICE, after Luke admits that he wanted Van to acknowledge him all this time. Now, mind you, this is the same person who kept calling Luke trash because he was considered a defect, something worthless. And he doesn't even KNOW what or how it happened, all he heard was that Asch was now "inside" his replica. And now here is Van, calling Luke now a TRUE human being?? Why on earth would he change his stance like that? Yes, he did say a while before that he 'underestimated' Luke and asked him to come over to his side, but this is the first time in the game that he graciously welcomes Luke because he's supposedly NOT what he was before. So what exactly happened here? Let's first recall that given that Van was behind the whole Hod/Eldrant project and the creation of Luke in the first place, it is not a far reach to say that Van had already done extensive research on replicas and isofons before the game takes place, thus it would not be premature to think that he knows quite a bit about what the second-order hyperresonance can actually do. And given his comments, Luke's physical nature as a replica must have somehow changed when he received the hyperresonance. So if we are to take his words at face value, that means that from the time that Luke received the hyperresonance, he no longer was bound to the conditions of a replica. Another thing to note here -- when Luke used the hyperresonance to deactivate the trap set up by Sync, he says something very insightful: he says that, unlike when he pulled off the hyperresonance at Akzeriuth, he now feels like he can actually control it. And note that prior to this event in the game, Jade was always saying that Luke's state as a replica was one of the reasons why he didn't have full control of his hyperresonance, in contrast to Asch. Based on these two scenes alone, I can't really conclude anything else other than the very plausible theory that Luke's possession of the second-order hyperresonance enabled him to become a complete human being -- although he was still on his way to his death by fonon separation... ...But of course, I'm not finished! This is where it gets a bit technical but I want to talk about the kind of 'death' that supposedly happens before the original is brought back to life from his replica through the Big Bang. Asch kept saying that was "going to disappear" soon -- meaning that his death was going to happen by his fonons separating. Based on Star's testimony, the way that originals came back to life was by the replica's fonons flowing back into the original, essentially giving up their life/fonons to save the original (albeit unintentionally). And while Star doesn't state this explicitly (claiming that he already "died"), I think that's a bit misleading because he had to be somewhat conscious to feel something "flow" into him, so he basically was going through the final stages of fonon separation when his Big Bang occurs. However, as we know from what happened, Asch didn't die from that -- instead, he became a pin cushion and never actually disappeared. But as we remember, Luke was the one who, while he wasn't born an original isofon (at least initially), he now was going through -- *GASP* -- actual fonon separation (from the events at the Tower of Rem)! Hmm hmm HMMMM... But one final thing before I reach my conclusion...and I'll first put a disclaimer that this one part is the one thing I'm not 100% sure about, but after you read the rest, I hope it will at least make some sense. Right before the credits roll, you remember Asch's hand 'twitching' right before that big flash of light happens, correct? Now of course, people take this to mean that OMIGOD IT'S ASCH IT'S ASCH OMIGOD YAY HE'S ALIVE but umm...I have to say 'no' to that. You see, he MAY have come back alive for a VERY brief moment -- or his body at the very least, but it was only that -- very, VERY brief. Well how and why did it happen? Well, do note that right at that moment, Luke's fonons were separating -- and what do we know about Luke's fonons in particular? Well, he also shared the properties of Lorelei, correct? Aka, the manifestation of the SEVENTH FONON? And what do we know about that? It has HEALING properties. Recall that when Van fell into the core, he used Lorelei to bring a dead Sync back to life. So to me, it is not farfetched to think that Luke may have inadvertently started bringing Asch back to life (also considering that Lorelei had just greeted them as well and like swirled around the both of them and whatnot, so he may have contributed a bit too but I'm actually not putting too much weight on that as I am on Luke), and so Asch actually does come back to life physically for a moment -- however, it's precisely at THAT moment that the conditions of A Big Bang to take place are finally fulfilled...why? Because as Star needed to absorb his LIVE replica isofon body to prevent his fonons separating, Luke ALSO needed to do so with his own isofon in order to prevent his fonons from separating completely. And well, it really all comes down to this: Luke's new (unbeknownst) state as a human being after receiving Asch's hyperresonance basically helps him overturn the contamination effect -- instead, reversing the Big Bang so that he absorbs Asch's body into himself, which ultimately prevents him from dying completely and enables him to come back alive at the end. What we see in the epilogue is a STRICTLY physically-fused Luke and Asch, as shown in the fact that the colors of the hair is now completely blended to a dark orange. However, Luke is the one who is consciously alive and in control of the body, has inherited Asch's memories, and Asch himself is dead for all intents and purposes. Now as for other issues as to why it took two years for Luke to come back...honestly, all I can say is that that was probably the amount of time his body needed to fully heal itself. After reading up on virtually everything related on the game, there's really no logical explanation as to why it would take him two years and not more or less, but they probably wanted him to come back during his Coming of Age Ceremony to bring the story full circle metaphorically, as that is when Luke would be considered a mature man by societal standards and would be able to live freely outside his mansion, something that he had desired from the very beginning of the game. And boy, what a journey to finally become the person he wanted to be and earn his freedom in the process. :) In regards to Tear's Grand Fonic Hymn and whether it played any role in bringing him back...all I can say is that they probably put that in there to make the scene more emotional given Tear's relationship with Luke, and also to bring the story full circle as well (since Luke's first encounter with Tear happens when he hears her sing). Actually now that I think about it, one thing that does happen in the anime is that while Tear is singing, they show various events happening around the world and one of the scenes is of his ceremony happening in front of his grave. His parents are mourning but then they seem to sense something and look up at the fonic belt above, briefly catching a blink of light shining. This may imply that Luke was actually on his way of coming down once Tear started singing. Still, doesn't really explain whether her song really had anything to do with it. If anything, it basically "guided" him to where she was waiting for him.

II. Themes and the epilogue

Another take on the ending comes from a post written by a user a long time ago from GameFAQs. He/she basically takes a more symbolic approach, which I also think is equally important to consider when trying to justify what really happened in the end. Darkness334: Looking at the board, I'm shocked re: the debate on whether or not Luke survived in the end, and met Tear and co. at the Valley. I thought that was apparent, given the symbolism that permeated the entire story, and the overall arc for Luke. But since there is a debate, I thought it would be a good idea to focus on the story from a literary perspective (since it was written ostensibly by a group relatively well-versed in literature, no?) and point out why there is little doubt that Luke returned.

Many are focusing on the appearance of Luke as proof of a 'new' Luke - a fusion between Asch and Luke following Lorelei being free. And I think that's a valid point. But I think the imagery suggested is a metaphorical growth on the part of Luke, not an actual physical 'fusion' of Luke and Asch. When Asch died, Luke mentioned that he 'felt' Asch, and that Asch was with him in the final sequence. Luke was furthermore able to use the second degree hyperresonance during the fight with Sync - something that is implied by Jade to be outside the realm of the abilities of a replica. So 'Luke" was well on the way to becoming a new, complete being before the ending proper. As Asch faded away, Luke grew closer and closer to a 'complete' being (metaphorical sense, but literal). It's also important to look at what Asch represented - Luke's past, his self-loathing...etc. From a literary standpoint Asch is Luke's foil: the 'obstacle' that Luke has to overcome to be a complete being. That's why it was crucial for Luke to fight Asch at Hod: he had to overcome his own insecurities and fears. Luke only grows (relatively speaking) as a character when Asch is present. First when he doubts the core of his existence: Asch is a large part of the motivation for his change. Then when he accepts the burdern of his power: his major sacrifice comes as a result of his trying to make a choice; that's why Tear's decision to allow Luke to decide on his own is important, and Luke's fear of dying even more so. Finally, the last 'growth' for Luke comes in the fight with Asch - this is where Luke's resolve to defeat Van is really born. It's the attitude that is shown in the conversation during the final fight, and the reason why Luke *outright says how he's found value...etc. defining his life*. You can get even more detailed at this point and talk about Guy's comments re: life and the thematic significance of the dialgue between Tear and Luke right before the final anime cut-scence.... but I'm draggin this out. Last point: the BGM title for the music during the fight is "meaning of birth" in the English V. If the title is similar in the JAP version, then this pretty much solidifies the thematic importance of Asch: as an aspect of Luke's persona, crucial to the birth of the new luke. Luke's conflict with being a replica, Asch's comments about Luke 'replacing' him, all of it falls under this theme of self-discovery. To end finish up the talk re: apperance, it's important to adress the hair. Asch has long hair - that is part of Luke's past. Hair is actually a pretty crucial symbol re: character growth. But Luke's present involves his snazzy short haircut. In the cut-scence, his bangs ( think that's the word - the front of his hair) is the same as it was - roughly - when it was short. Thus, 'new' Luke is born - the mature version of the old Luke, who has accepted himself and his failures, burdens...etc. Most importantly: Luke promised Tear he would change. And he did, and his convenant was made by cutting his hair. It's very Elizabethan to have the hair grow again at the end, to show that Luke is both the same and different. It's important though to understand that while Luke is in appearance 'new' this is superficial and symbolic, not representative of a physical change. Next, and this is very important re: the ending: the setting and the *conversation* about the setting. Guy and the others talk about the coming of age ceremony for "Luke fon Fabre" at the mansion. But they aren't there, as they're not fully part of that aspect of Luke's life, of his past. It's important to see what the Fabre manor is associated with in this game: first with a lack of freedom (opening sequence, obviously), then with a lack of peace (following Van's first defeat). Luke returned to the manor once, but that was not 'home' to him - which is why the events re: the letters and his trip to see Tear are crucial to the plot. This rejection coupled with self-discovery is apparent when he brings in Asch to see Duke Fabre - Luke rejects the manor as his own consciously and tries to supplant that relationship with Asch, and Asch (again representing an aspect of Luke's psyche) rejects the manor as part of who he is. So it's important for Luke not to be at the manor in the ending sequence, because he is in essence rejecting the "Luke fon Fabre" and Asch personas. Both are part of who he is (hence the new apperance) but neither define what he is. Which is why the Tartaroo Valley is so important: because it is 'home' for Luke. It's where he met Tear, where he began his growth. He came back at night, too - and that's significant, because he was there with Tear at Night. I wouldn't be surprised if both glanced at the moon at that point (haven't replayed yet) but it would be very symmetrical with the type of ending cut-scene. The Selenia flowers were present during Luke's transformation, too: (1) when he left the manor, and began his journey; (2) when he cut his hair, and began to reject "Luke fon Fabre"; and (3) when he left his 'home' to meet Tear following Van's first defeat, he met Tear in Yulia city amidst the Selenia. Pretty important parallels - every seperation/meeting between Tear and Luke is unified with the flowers. This leads to the comment of "please, come home." Since Luke became something new, and reject his old persona, the Fabre mansion is not his home. Asch is dead - that's the part of him that he left behind at Hod. So his 'home' is more of an ethereal place, where his heart belongs. This is why the conversation re: the manor is crucial prior to his appearance, as is Tear's question of "Why are you here?" Because it draws attention to the fact that he's not at the manor. When Luke responds with the "I made a promise," line, he's pretty much implying that he came home, and that the manor was not his home. So the new apperance, the setting...etc. all essentially exist to show that Luke has grown, that he's become a whole being. Tear crying just solidifies the point.

As this player shows, the epilogue alone speaks volumes on why it can only be Luke who returned. A few more things to note (as if it wasn't obvious already but still needs to be brought up as this post is meant to be a comprehensive guide to what happened).

1) The position of the sword: If you take away every other single thing pertaining to the ending and just keep this factor in, this alone should speak for who it was that really came back. However, while most people seem to focus on the fact that the sword is positioned for a left-handed person, I don't think that should be as significant as the fact of HOW it's positioned. There was no other person in the game who held the sword horizontally across the back like Luke did, and the fact that he was left-handed wasn't his reason for doing that. If you look at Jozette Cecille's character model in the Character Disk, she clearly wields her sword from her left hand--and not only that, but she wears her sword on her hip like every other person in the game. There was apparently some kind of interview soon after the game's release that said that Asch was initially left-handed, but switched dominant hands after his kidnapping to separate himself from his replica. While I think the interview is a bunch of BS for other reasons beyond the scope of this argument, for the sake of this post I'll just pretend for now that it's true. But the fact that Asch may also be left-handed would not disprove that the sword's position is still in Luke's favor, for the very reasons I mentioned above. Asch is never seen holding the sword behind his back--and probably never would have wanted to, given that he didn't want to be associated with Luke for a large portion of the game.

2) The location and the Selenia flowers: Well in my opinion this should also be a dead giveaway as much as #1. Tataroo Valley was always associated with Luke and, given the presence of the Selenia flowers, perhaps with Tear collectively as well. Luke's journey officially starts in the valley, and he's also seen amongst a bed of Selenias, even though we don't realize what the flowers actually are before they're introduced to us.

I've debated with someone who INSISTS that the valley and flowers are only there "to make the scene look pretty" but I don't buy that at all. For one thing, the name of the flowers are revealed to the player and are later actually POINTED OUT by Luke and Tear when they go to the valley the second time. If you go near the location that Luke and Tear had met, Luke points out that the flowers are present and Tear adds that they only bloom at night. Luke THEN adds that he's standing in the same place, but he's different from before. I-I mean...you can't get any more obvious than that that the valley and flowers ACTUALLY HOLD MEANING to Luke and Tear. And we never see any of this type of symbolic association with Asch.

3) Tear's reaction to Mr. Ending: Now I thought this was mind-numbingly obvious the first time I saw this, but...clearly there are others who don't feel the same way or we wouldn't have this wonderful debate to begin with, so I guess this still needs to be addressed.

Well let's take this one step at a time. When Mr. Ending shows up in the valley, Tear asks him, "Why are you here?" People have claimed that, if it was really Luke, Tear would have no need to ask that question. Umm, are people forgetting that the guy has been long gone for two years and someone popping out in the middle of nowhere wouldn't make someone wonder whether that person was REALLY him or not? I don't think it was a question of whether it was Luke or Asch, as everyone has already accepted that Asch was dead (and something which I will cover in more detail later). Rather, she had a feeling it was Luke, given the hair, but she was remaining cautiously optimistic in case it wasn't him. So I thought it was an absolutely appropriate question given the circumstances. In addition, she asks him why he's HERE--meaning, why would he be in the valley and not in any other place. So, that was another way of herself verifying whether the person was really Luke or not.

Now we will discuss what Mr. Ending says to Tear--HOWEVER, the official English translation differs quite a bit from what was originally said in Japanese. Furthermore, English dubs usually require that the lip syncing matches what is being said on screen which can cause some transition loss in the true meaning, so I honestly don't think the English translation should be used as an accurate source in this case. So instead, I will go with what the Japanese actually says (thanks to hikari318).

Mr. Ending: This place has a nice view of Hod. Besides, I promised, didn't I?

Now the meaning may largely be the same, but the difference of implication in the second part is rather significant. Unlike the official translation in English where he simply and vaguely says, "And also, I promised someone" -- here, he is actually ASKING Tear to DIRECTLY RECALL the promise that he made. That is a very different statement than just merely saying that he made a promise and heavily tilts the argument in Luke's favor, given that we already know Tear was promised by Luke that he would return.

Now, after Tears hears this...she starts crying. I thought it was PAINFULLY OBVIOUS that she is crying OUT OF SHEER HAPPINESS and NOT from being SAD, but others seem to think differently. Please note the fact that, if the person was anyone other than Luke, she would not try to go to him. She does this in the game and in the anime. Hell, include the official manga and with tears in her eyes, she is actually SMILING and she's practically about to glomp him. Just look at the damn page if you don't believe me (I'll try to edit it in this post later if I get the chance). It is obvious that the party is HAPPY and they whole-heartedly believe that Luke returned to them. They are not...I don't know, morose-but-trying-to-feign-happiness in some twisted way that wouldn't even happen in a Tales game in the first place. Just...UGH. People. It's asinine to think that Tear would be sad in a moment where the scene is obviously TRYING to be happy from all the music and atmosphere and whatnot.

And just for kicks, I'm going to include what Bandai's subbed translation from the anime says (not dub since there isn't one and I wouldn't have used the English anyway because of what I explained above):

Tear: What are you doing here?

Mr. Ending: There's a nice view of Hod from here. Besides...I gave you my word, didn't I?

...Well uhh, peeps...I doubt Bandai could've gotten away with that kind of wording if it wasn't what Namco was thinking or intending. And you can't get any more obvious than that.

4) Jade's ambivalent and ambiguous reaction: Okay so this is the most controversial of the others and honestly I'm not going to go much into it because this really is pretty subjective. But based on what I mentioned before regarding the contamination effect, what I can see is that Jade basically shows an "Ah-hah!" moment when he realizes what actually happened. As he thought that Luke would probably not survive, he realizes how Luke managed to overcome his fate by the "reversed" Big Bang. And why is it better that Jade not tell anyone about it? Because as I noted, Asch had to have been "alive" for Luke to fuse with him, and well, it would be a bitter thing for everyone to think about and some things are just better left unknown.

III. In official supplementary materials

A. Tales of the Abyss Character Episode Bible

So this was basically a guide that covered the scenario and the main characters' stories.

What's interesting to note is what they put in Luke's bio page. They put in...*drumroll*...the anime shot of Mr. Ending. In Luke's page. Yes, you read that right. This is not even present in Asch's page. Again, will try to edit in pictures of the pages when I can. Now...given that Namco has been extremely tight-lipped about directly answering the "Who is it that came back?" question...why the hell would they put that in there? It doesn't make any damn sense...UNLESS, UHHH...that's secretly what they have in mind?? I mean, really, they didn't have to put in that picture at all if they were really trying to be cryptic. Or hell, put it in Asch's page too. But they intentionally put the shot in Luke, the main character's, biography page and NOWHERE in Asch's page. Now if they were REALLY not trying to reveal who they intended to come back, and if they REALLY wanted people to come up with their own conclusion for the ending, then please explain that one to me. Because I mean, really, you can't.

B. 3DS Official Perfect Guide

Now if the above was supposed to be a random thing, here is another event similar to what happened in the bible thingy. In a row of anime pictures that are placed across the bottom of the character bio pages...Mr. Ending's shot is included with all the other shots of Luke. Again, nothing in Asch's. I-I mean...is it not obvious enough at this point? Why would those things BE THERE if Luke was not intended to be Mr. Ending?

C. Official Abyss anime "fanbook" guide from Tales of Magazine

Okay well, I got the definitive stuff out of the way finally so here's something a little different. From an official fanbook based on the anime, they have an illustration that comes from the epilogue and this is what they say in regards to those scenes: "'That person' came back after two years, to fulfill the promise he made at his parting... The moonlight is shining on Tataroo valley, and the Selenia flowers are dancing in the wind. A man with red hair slowly comes into view before his friends, as if blessed with a miracle that wasn't supposed to occur." And it shows Mr. Ending's back and Tear, Natalia, and Anise all being happy and Jade and Mieu looking on and Guy looking relieved and relaxed. Basically I wanted to point this out because...if Luke did NOT overturn the contamination effect...that would NOT be considered a miracle. Asch was the one who was SUPPOSED to come back given all the science and theories, but he did not. It only makes sense if it's Luke who returns. It obviously doesn't explain much, but it does seem to greatly support my theory as to how exactly Luke was able to come back, given that it wasn't something that people expected--aka, a miracle.

D. Other stuff not as concrete but I find it worth mentioning

1) Tear and Natalia's words from the anime "Last episode" Drama CD

I found this rather insightful when I first heard it. If you don't know what this is, this Drama CD takes place right after the final battle with Van and right before the epilogue. It's based off of the anime but it's obviously based off of the game so I think this is also something that should be considered. Again, thanks to hikari318 for the translation.

There's one track in the CD where Guy comes to visit Natalia and Natalia reminisces a little about Asch.

Guy: I see... It must be hard for you, Natalia. If there is anything we can do, please ask us. We'll be glad to help. Well, you have the backing of all Kimlasca, too. I think you'll become a wonderful queen.

Natalia: I wonder... I would like to. That is also part of my promise to Asch.

Guy: To Asch?

Natalia: Yes. "So than that no one has to be poor. So that war never happens." We wanted to build such a country. I believe that making that ideal come true is a way to show that Asch once lived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natalia: By the way... I have heard that you sometimes helped with the search of Eldrant. Guy: Yes. I know it's useless to search there, but... I couldn't bear simply waiting without doing anything. So I find myself going there from time to time. Natalia: I understand. I sometimes want to shout: "What are you doing? Hurry up and come back!" Guy: Yeah. When Luke comes back, we'll scold him for being late. And we'll tell him all the great things we did while he wasn't there. Let's do what we can. Natalia: Yes. Guy: (Come back quick, Luke. We're all waiting for you.)

Then there are two tracks where Tear reminisces about Luke to Mieu (I've divided them up to just focus on the relevant parts).

Tear: Since that day, both Kimlasca's and Malkuth's armies have been searching the fallen Eldrant, but... They haven't found any clue.

Mieu: Mieu.

Tear: The search itself has been reduced... Besides... I don't think we'll find Luke there.

Mieu: Tear?

Tear: It's not like I've given up. It's just... I don't feel Luke's presence there... It's just my intuition, but...

Besides, he's promised to come home no matter what. I believe in that. Always will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luke: I'm going to disappear soon, but... Like that pendant, I wish to stay in your... in everyone's memory. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tear: I won't let you become a memory. I know we will meet again, Luke.

What I find interesting is that Natalia has long accepted and acknowledged that Asch has died. And she feels that doing what they promised to each other is a way to honor his memory, to show that he "once lived." While she may obviously miss him, she's not expecting him to come back--however, she and Guy are still waiting for Luke and are convinced that he's alive.

Tear on the other hand, is not accepting Luke to just be a "memory." She still feels in her heart that he will return, much different than Natalia's expectation of Asch. Another thing I find interesting is her comment about how she doesn't sense Luke's "presence" from Eldrant. If you recall from the anime, Tear gets up from where she was sitting, was about to walk away until she seems to suddenly "sense" something. It's then she turns around and sees Mr. Ending walking towards them. I feel that her comment would actually make a lot more sense if that's what really happened.

Overall, I just feel that those tracks have a lot more foreshadowing for Luke than it ever did for Asch or anyone/anything else.

2) Why did they never make a figure for Asch?

Now I'll admit that this is entirely just my opinion, but if Asch was truly supposed to be a significant character--as much if not equal to the other party members--then why did they never make a Kotobukiya figure of him? I mean, I think everyone agrees that they were ALL expecting him to be the seventh "secret" figure considering that he IS the seventh playable party member. Yet, that figure turned out to be Ion who's not even playable. (And many tears were shed by many an Asch fangirl...mwahaha, erm, ahem, just ignore that part...anyway...)

So after analyzing this a bit, I'm come to realize that--well--as good his intentions probably were, Asch was never really a "true" protagonist as much as he was an antagonist. So much that Ion, despite his mere NPC status, outweighed him. And that fact by itself, should show why Asch would never be "qualified" enough to overtake the main character in a question of who really (and should have) returned.

Feel free to disagree.

3) Interview regarding the decision to take out Tear hugging Mr. Ending

So there was one interview where it was apparently revealed that they initially had  a scene of Tear hugging Mr. Ending (translation by hikari318):

"At the end, Tear whispers "I love you" to Luke because we wanted to show how her feelings eventually turned to love. That's why we had a scene of her hugging the one who comes back at Tataroo Valley at first. But since that would go against our interpretation of the ending, we removed it. That said, we've decided to let it end without revealing our interpretation. We want the answer to be what the player thinks or wishes."

Now..."our interpretation" in this case, is the developers/scenario writers' view of the ending. And based on this interview, certain Japanese sites have speculated that:

- A scene of Tear hugging Mr. Ending was removed because it doesn't fit with the official interpretation of the ending

-In the case that the problem preventing it from fitting with that interpretation is "Mr Ending is not a person Tear would hug" -> then Mr Ending is Asch

I could see why people would think that, "Oh, that must mean the person isn't Luke!" but in some ways, I can still see why they would decide to put in the hug and THEN decide to take it out, if their intention was indeed Luke all along.

For our purposes, let's assume the fact that Luke came back with indeed Asch's memories added on top of his own. Now, while it is technically STILL Luke, his conscious, personality, etc. whatever you want to call it, he is not 100% the same person--rather he's a more matured, evolved Luke, if you will. And well, let's say they did throw in the hug. In our minds, we would immediately think, "oh hey, it's definitely the Luke we know and love lol." HOWEVER...that would also be indirectly be implying that he is 100% the same Luke we saw when we left him Eldrant -- and well, in a very strict sense, that wouldn't be completely accurate. And if he *did* inherit Asch's memories as well, then it would be a bit misleading for Tear to hug him (again I'm still emphasizing that it's still very much Luke consciously and Asch is long dead).

I think the best way to explain this also is to recall again what Luke says when he visits Tataroo Valley for the second time: "I'm standing in the same place, but I'm different than before." So, kind of like how short-haired Luke changed from long-haired Luke, this is another kind of evolution of Luke we're seeing here -- but they didn't want to "lose" that meaning if they were to show Tear hugging him--as that would denote that he never "changed."

Well I hope that made a bit of sense but I can see now why they would opt to remove the hug (among trying to keep the ending vague and stuff).

IV. Why other theories simply do not work

A. Asch returns alive and Luke is dead

Well if you've read the entire explanation of the contamination effect above, you'd see that I'm also disapproving Asch's return at the same time. All in all, there's way too many things in Luke's favor that I simply don't even see Asch's return as a possibility anymore.

The only thing that really tilts the ending towards Asch is the fact that Star's case resulted in the original living. That is the only proof the game has in regards to the contamination effect favoring the original. Yet as I have shown, there is heavy foreshadowing in Jade's comments, as well as the way the Big Bang happened with Luke and Asch, it was in no way similar to what happened with Star and his replica. Also the very plausible theory that Asch's hyperresonance made Luke a human being (according to Van) makes Asch's return over Luke very unlikely.

...Oh, but I guess we still need to address 1) Asch's promise to Natalia to change the country together and 2) Asch's (so-called) promise to Luke to survive. Well, there are problems with both that people seem to conveniently forget (usually by Asch fans and/or supporters of him coming back, not surprisingly).

1) As soon as Asch learns that he's going to disappear soon, he NEVER once brings up the promise again. Ever. Oh, and not just that, but did people forget that that's exactly the time when he started becoming reckless and just went around trying to find ways to give up his life for the miasma? Does that seem like someone still trying to hold on to a decade-long promise? Yeah, no. AND not just that...but NATALIA HERSELF admits that she was trying to "tie both [Luke and Asch] down with a promise that was no longer valid." This is directly from the script itself, right before the party faces Van if you want to look it up. So after that point, Natalia herself had already moved on and wasn't expecting Asch to suddenly show up because of a promise that...wasn't even considered one at that point.

2) In regards to Asch's promise to Luke to survive right before he died...I would not take this one seriously at all for a couple reasons. First, it was made very half-heartedly and Asch was obviously in a hurry to get Luke out of the room as quickly as possible. So he said whatever the hell he could say that would convince Luke to get out. And then as soon as Luke DOES get out, he adds, "Humph... No time left... I'm going to disappear soon..." This shows that he really doesn't think he's going to survive long enough to keep his promise. And well, we know what happens right after that.

And in the anime...Asch doesn't even make the promise to Luke at all. Luke tries to make him promise, but Asch just takes his sword and Luke just runs out of the room. Asch simply says in his head to the effect of, "I can't promise that..." So if his promise was supposed to be in any way significant to the ending, I don't see why that would be taken out. Clearly the writers didn't think it mattered enough to the conclusion of the story.

B. An equal combination of Luke and Asch (they mentally become one person)

Yeah uhh, there are so many things wrong with this but I'll try to be brief. I suppose the one great "proof" some people seem to cling to is the fact that the very last line of Karma says, "We become one," and people take this to literally mean that Luke and Asch become one singular person both in mind and body.

While I do agree that they become PHYSICALLY fused, I can't say anything else happened beyond that. To make Luke and Asch combine into one person pretty much goes against every single message the game itself strived for. Luke fought the entire game to become his own person separate from his original, and Asch himself finally realized that Luke's existence didn't mean that he himself was part of him. The entire party tells Luke that he needs to survive to live his own life, not as someone else's shadow. Hell, having them "become" one is not exactly fair to either of them, as neither can really live the life he completely wants.

I can see this happening MAYBE if the epilogue didn't take place in the setting that it did, which I have already explained just screams "Luke." If it was in a very neutral setting, like...I don't know, Chesadonia or something, maybe it would have been possible. But coupled with the fact that it's Tear who gets the spotlight (and Natalia is just standing back in the background with all the others) and well, it doesn't seem to be very neutral enough to intend "both."

And another thing...to have Asch have an "equal" chance of coming back with Luke, let alone him living over Luke at all, is to imply that he was just as significant to the story as Luke himself. And well, he wasn't. Important maybe, yes, but not to the point of Luke's involvement in the plot.

So if you seriously believe that they became one person mentally, sorry but...thanks for missing the entire message of the whole game.

C. Lorelei with Luke and Asch's memories

I guess most of this is a bit similar to B, except worse. Why...I mean, WHHHYYYY is this considered a plausible theory to begin with. I-I mean...Lorelei was nothing more than a plot device. No one seriously cared about him other than the fact that his release would alleviate the planet's problems and Van's plot of wrecking havoc and destroying the planet and whatever. So wwwhhhhyyy would it make sense for a PLOT DEVICE to come back to an obviously VERY HEART-WRENCHING SCENE that he has NO emotional connection to? I mean...yeah he's physically connected to Luke and Asch only because of their properties, and maybe connected to Tear because she's a descendant of Yulia. But he kinda just goes, "oh hai thanks for saving me, bye!" and then goes off.  What PURPOSE does Mr. Ending being Lorelei serve a story about a person trying to find the meaning of his existence? And not just that, but with Luke and Asch's memories on top of that? Well just call it a double-whammy to the gut.

There is NO, I mean NO logical explanation for it. I feel like it's something people came up with because they just don't want to favor one character coming back over the other or...something.

D. Both are alive separately, Luke just came first and Asch is waiting to make his grand entrance

Umm. Well. As much as it would make both sides "satisfied," I honestly don't think this is possible given that everything explained about the Big Bang would basically be null. And the combined hair thing wouldn't make any sense. I don't know if people just came up with it because they can't seem to accept one of them dying and just want a way for both characters to live happily ever after. Never you mind the fact that the series has already killed off and/or gave bittersweet endings to other important characters before Abyss. Nothing else I can really say about this other than that.

E. Another Luke replica created by Jade

Well this is just kind of hilarious but just thrown in here because there ARE people who actually think this happened. Basically their basis is that Jade said he would go back to researching replicas and because of Jade's mysterious smirk at the end. Again...there would be no point to discussing the Big Bang and whatnot if this really happened. And the whole shot of the sword--which was basically Luke's trademark. Like...there is just no reason for it.

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Alright wellllllllllllllll...phew! Regardless of what theory you believe in, I hope you found this worth reading through! Again, thanks so much to hikari318/Yume Hanabi for her translations, I don't know what I would do without her. <3 When I realized it was the game's 8th anniversary, I really wanted to get this out and I'm glad that I did. Also considering that my due date is tomorrow and I don't know how much time I have left till the baby's here. Well if you found this informative and insightful, I would definitely appreciate a re-blog if possible~