Asellus (SaGa Frontier)

Concept and creation

Asellus was created for the video game SaGa Frontier, and is a woman who is half-human half-Mystic. She was designed by SaGa Frontier character artist Tomomi Kobayashi. When designing her concept art, she interpreted from the game materials that Orlouge was obsessed with her, intending the concept art to resemble a harem. Kobayashi worked on her before other characters due to wanting to see Facinaturu, the region in which Asellus resides. Her scenario in the game was written by Miwa Shoda, who was given freedom to do what she wanted to do. The scenario had multiple influences, including Takarazuka Revue, Otome games, Shōjo manga, and others, though Shoda noted that she wanted to avoid copying a specific manga. She stated that she wanted to make a maiden game in a world of demons. Asellus' story was based on a dream Shoda had, where she nearly died from being hit by a carriage, only to be saved by a person in the carriage who gave her their blood. This was used as inspiration for Asellus becoming Half-Mystic. Shoda, not liking stories where female characters rely on men or where femininity is presented with too much simplicity, wanted to write Asellus to be a character who was able to thrive without men and who women would fall for. However, not all of these aspects made it through the planning stage, so she made her story a coming-of-age one. Shoda wrote her to desire a familial relationship due to losing her parents at a young age, but rejected such a thing with Orlouge, as it was not the kind she wanted. Shoda commented that Asellus easily gets swept up in the flow while being able to fight the current, feeling that it sets her apart from others. Asellus' manner of speaking changes from masculine when talking to women and feminine when talking to men; Shoda worried that this may confuse people, and interpreted it as a manifestation of her Mystic side. She hoped that players would think about her interactions with characters like White Rose, Gina, and Orlouge, wanting players to interpret her relationships. SaGa Frontier writer-director identified Asellus' scenario as his favorite part of the series, particularly a scene where Asellus orders the gate to Chateau Aiguille open.

Appearances

Asellus appeared in the gacha game Romasaga.

Reception

Asellus has been generally well-received by critics and fans, and received various promotional accessories, including a long coat, wristwatch, bag, and wallet. RPGamer writer David McBurney discussed why playing as Asellus is more interesting for him than the other protagonists, citing her intro and the fact that her being half-Mystic was something that was unique to her. Gamer writer Crazy Kawachi also preferred Asellus to the others, attributing this to their enjoyment of monsters and half-demons. They originally preferred her half-demon ending, though later in life found themselves preferring their human ending. Kawachi speculated that the way her speech changes from masculine to feminine depending on who she's speaking to was why she had broad appeal with both men and women. They appreciated that it introduced them to the yuri genre, commenting that people who don't recognize it as yuri would still enjoy it. Dengeki writer Go identified her as their favorite character in SaGa Frontier, speaking of how they beat the game with her seven times. They were a fan of character Tomomi Kobayashi, and felt that Asellus was the perfect Kobayashi character design. They disliked the fact that she could not be recruited in most other routes. Inside Games staff identified her as a popular character due to her story in SaGa Frontier, feeling that the half-human, half-demon setting had universal appeal, and that her interactions with demon characters enhanced her appeal. They described her and White Rose as resembling a knight and princess, saying some have been moved by her dignified appearance. They noted that her gender-defying strength and beauty helped elevate her above other popular SaGa series characters.

She has been recognized as a popular character both as queer representation and as appealing to the LGBTQ+ community. RPGFan writer Kyle Seeley noted Asellus as an LGBT character created before such representation became common in video games, feeling that she had more "care and purpose" put into her story, character development, and identity than others. Seeley discussed how Asellus' rejection of her half-Mystic status mirrored that of a "young queer woman coming to terms with her sexuality," and how her later accepting she can't change who she is is a "meaningful message" for anyone. Wired writer Laine Yuhas identified Asellus as her childhood "bisexual video game crush," discussing how she felt like an escape in a world where queer representation was actively fought against, and appreciating that Asellus' story revolves around self-acceptance. She appreciated that characters in SaGa Frontier rather than disliking that she was in love with another woman, disliked that she wouldn't admit it. While Akitoshi Kawazu did not consider Asellus' story LGBTQ+, he expected that it would be interpreted that way, appreciating that those in and out of the LGBTQ+ community enjoyed it, giving validity to such interpretations of the character.