Fates of the Chrono Trigger Team

by the Chrono Compendium
2003-2006

with direct quotations from

ZeaLitY

and contributing discussion from many others

Introduction

Ever since the first few recipients of Chrono Trigger finished the game and viewed the cheery Moonlight Parade, fans have wondered what became of the original team that saved the world from Lavos and changed history for the better. The NPCs of the Chrono universe also became a subject of ponderance, as many wondered what happened to Schala and the others. When Chrono Cross appeared on the horizon, debate and theory intensified; while Cross did illuminate a few topics, it only deepened the enigma of others. As the Fall of Guardia, the corruption of the Masamune, and the creation of El Nido were inducted to the Chrono series mythos, the future lives of the original crew intertwined with the new history following 1000 A.D. and the other eras. The facts about their fates remain unclear; though general ideas, implications, and suggestions are present in hints about history or thematic presentation, the definite actions of the heroes of time past Chrono Trigger have never been directly revealed. In presenting this article, the Chrono Compendium aims to explore what befell the original team, and how their fates relate to the events of the world following their home eras.

The article will begin by covering NPCs with mysterious ends or direct appearances in later games. It will then proceed to the player characters in order of uncertainty, starting with Ayla and ending with Magus.

I. NPCs
A. Dalton
B. Doan
C. Gato
D. Gurus
E. Johnny
F. Mother Brain
G. Mystic Warriors
H. Schala
I. Toma
II. Ayla
III. Frog
A. Frog's Life
B. The Masamune
IV. Robo
V. Lucca
VI. Crono and Marle
A. The Fall of Guardia
B. The Ghost Children
VII. Magus

NPCs

NPC stands for "non-player character," and is a term used to designate the various people who occupy the world of an RPG. While most Chrono Trigger NPCs presumably settled down and lived out their lives after the game closed, a few have interesting or unresolved ends.

Dalton

Dalton arrived on the scene with a maniacal flourish in Zeal, and exited the stage in a wacky fashion. He is clearly last seen falling into the spatial Gate used to summon Golems atop the Epoch near the Blackbird; though this neatly ends his presence, what happened to Dalton? He probably ended up wherever the Golems originate. This could be a rocky area around 12000 B.C., a Pocket Dimension, anything -- the intended effect is that he is never seen or heard from again. However, the presence of a long-haired man at the Fall of Guardia and Masato Kato's statement that Porre had assistance from "outside the normal flow of time" lead some to believe that Dalton made his way to the modern era and was responsible for the destruction of Guardia. The Rise of Porre article details this idea further; please see that article for more.

Doan

Doan's future is an interesting one. On the surface, he seems to simply return to 2300 A.D., would would be fine, save for a paradox involving this case and the question of his continued existence. The Doan paradox is a troublesome problem that forms one of the four main issues of time with Chrono Trigger's conceptual framework. After Lavos is defeated, the future should instantly become pretty and beautiful, and the ruined future timeline should disappear. Yet Doan is brought by Lucca after Lavos is defeated to 1000 A.D. for the Moonlight Parade. How did Lucca pull this off if Doan should no longer exist in his old form? One theory holds that Lucca took Doan back in time before defeating Lavos, but like other attempts at explanation, it is somewhat tenuous since Lucca can be in the party at all times. Regardless of how it was done, another point of speculation will arise once Doan returns to the future. Specifically, Time Traveler's Immunity and Time Bastard (as outlined in Principles of Time and Dimensional Travel) suggests that since Doan has time traveled, he will replace the version of him native to the bright and happy future. His existence in the future may be moot anyway, as the Fall of Guardia might spell the Arris Dome's preclusion from ever existing. Nonetheless, with the theories above considered, the old Doan would still return to the future, regardless of whether a person named "Doan" even exists in the new timeline.

Gato

Sadly, Gato meets his end circa 1015 A.D., when Lynx raided Lucca's orphanage to abduct her and have her undo the Prometheus Circuit. Gato was presently stored in the living room of the house; he was dispatched when it was set ablaze and cowered in the corner before ceasing to function. When Serge went back in time to ease Kid's memories, Gato briefly conversed with him.

The Gurus of Zeal

After Chrono Trigger, the Gurus presumably went separate ways. Belthasar's history is best known; in the new and happy future, he constructed Chronopolis, learned of the Time Devourer's fusing, and orchestrated Project Kid, an elaborate plan to free her by splitting the universe in two and engineering the creation of an archipelago and its culture over thousands of years. Though his plan smacked of megalomania and a tendency to play god, he ultimate achieved his goal, traveling to the modern era in the Neo Epoch to watch it unfold personally. After the resolution, Belthasar departed in the Neo Epoch for an unknown era. He may have returned to the future, or have gone elsewhere to maintain a close watch over time to ensure a being such as the Time Devourer never arose again. His destination was never revealed.

Melchior and Gaspar, on the other hand, have uncertain ends. Once Lavos was defeated, the Gates at the End of Time closed; in one ending without Crono, Gaspar simply remained there. This strongly suggests that after the events of Chrono Trigger drew to a close, Gaspar remained at the End of Time to watch over the eras and act as a guide to lost time travelers. A more interesting implication is found in Chrono Cross. The Bend of Time, an area appearing much like the End of Time and featuring portals connecting to enemy battles, features two resident Octo monsters. One acts with the authority of the God of War, suggesting it is Spekkio. The other refers to Janice with the title of "young lady," which is reminiscent of the speaking tone of an old man. While the idea that the End of Time became the Bend of Time is tenuous, at the very least these appearances can be considered a cameo. The nature of the Bend of Time is fully addressed in the article Beyond Time, along with the identity of its inhabitants. This leaves Melchior, the Guru of Life of the modern era. Since Melchior lived near Medina, it is possible that he avoided the uproar surrounding the Fall of Guardia in 1005 A.D. Nonetheless, the Masamune's corruption to 1020 A.D. subtly suggests that he may not be around to fix it. In any event, Melchior was alive to attend the wedding of Crono and Marle (which will be discussed in their section later in the article).

Johnny

You might wonder why Johnny is here. After all, he only appeared for a short while as the hot headed street racer of the ruined future. Johnny makes a cameo in Chrono Cross; not many people know about it, since it is easily missed in the Dead Sea. Specifically, in the first set of city ruins, Johnny (his apparent corpse, rather) can be seen lying on the roadway beneath the Highwayman. Defeating the Highwayman makes him easier to see. His presence in the Dead Sea (which, if you recall, is a future in which Lavos destroys the world) seems to confirm that he was made before the apocalypse in Chrono Trigger. However, unlike his counterpart in Chrono Cross's Home World, Johnny survived the Day of Lavos and lived to race the mean streets with his Proto friends. Johnny presumably lives to see a new day after Chrono Cross wraps up and the future is restored.

Mother Brain

In the new future, Mother Brain operated on the "Mother Brain" circuit, and presumably computed normally until 2300 A.D., when Chronopolis was constructed. Belthasar integrated the Mother Brain circuit in his designs to create the supercomputer FATE, an important part of Project Kid. FATE never achieved the insanity and corruption of Mother Brain in the ruined future, although FATE was spoken of as aspiring to one day reincarnate itself into a new species. Powered by the Frozen Flame, FATE defeated Dinopolis after the Time Crash and then oversaw the development and maintenance of El Nido for thousands of years. When Serge, Miguel, and Wazuki came the night of Serge's panther encounter, FATE restrained Miguel and also took advantage of Wazuki, whose mind had been damaged by contact with the Flame. The Prometheus Circuit was also engaged that night, locking FATE out of its power source. FATE later shaped Wazuki into Lynx, the supercomputer's personal agent on the outside world. Lynx tried several times to unlock the Prometheus Circuit; he attempted to murder Serge, abducted Lucca and set fire to her orphanage, and lastly successfully switched bodies with the dimension crossing boy. The victory was short lived, as Serge soon traveled to Chronopolis and defeated the computer.

Mystic Warriors

The Mystic Warriors is the name given to Ozzie, Slash, and Flea. While the bungling three appeared to be dispatched during the sidequest concerning Ozzie's fort, they appear in Chrono Cross at the Bend of Time to challenge Serge. The Slasher, Flea Bra, and Ozzie's Pants all make an appearance too. Once beaten, the formidable foes retreat to another time. Interestingly, Sprigg can doppelgang the three; when in Slash's form, she can do a triple tech with Kid and Serge called the Z-Slash.

Schala

Schala had the hardest time of any Chrono Trigger key player after the adventure wrapped. During the Ocean Palace Incident with Crono present, she fell into a dimensional distortion with the Mammon Machine, ending up in the Darkness Beyond Time. There, presumably after its defeat at the hands of the heroes, Lavos found her and fused with her, creating a new being called the Time Devourer. Once evolved, this abomination would have the capacity to devour all space-time. Things were quiet until Project Kid, the plan to save Schala, was well under way. Through Belthasar's probably machinations, Schala cloned herself and sent a copy of the baby into the world to be found by Lucca. Her mind, at this point, was teetering on desiring to destroy everything as desired by the Time Devourer and wanting to save the world. Later, Serge was wounded by a panther demon; Schala heard his crying across the veil, and somehow caused a raging magnetic storm that blew Wazuki and the boy to Chronopolis. The storm also brought down Chronopolis's defense systems, exposing the Frozen Flame to heal Serge, who became its Arbiter as designated by the Prometheus Circuit. Schala then lay dormant until much later, when Serge ventured to the Darkness Beyond Time and used the Chrono Cross to free her.

At this point, Schala's fate becomes cloudy. Did she merge with Kid? What did she mean in that she would search for Serge? These questions are addressed in the article Chrono Cross Resolutions.

Toma

Toma's importance to the future lies not in his actions, but in his progeny. Toma XIII was his descendant in 1000 A.D., and this man later fathered Toma XIV, part of the Explorer Corps that delved into El Nido's mysteries and enigmatic regions. Toma XIV turned out to nearly be a doppelganger of Toma in speech and action, retaining his ancestor's flaky ways and penchant for misadventure. Toma XIV and his assistant Ash oversaw research at Marbule in Home World, which had been plagued by the Lagoonate dreams of the Black Dragon. Toma XIV gave Serge some advice before high-tailing it out when the Magical Dreamers arrived and the nightmares became real monsters. He later returned to help rebuild the village, and soon settled down with a Mermaid demi-human, apparently following in the footsteps of Fargo.

Ayla

We begin analysis of player character fates with Ayla. After the events of Chrono Trigger, Ayla is depicted as returning to 65000000 B.C., and in the cutscenes of the Playstation version, marrying Kino and settling down in Ioka. It is likely that Ayla then had to face the threat of the coming Ice Age, which could entail relocating the village to the caves. The possibility exists that her adventures through time were not concluded with her return to prehistory, evidenced (with many other things, which come later) by the kid's sketch of her face in Lucca's orphanage. In any event, Ayla factually proceeded to give birth to the future line of Guardia. She most likely died peacefully of old age in prehistory, as the Reptites were presumably long wiped out by the freezing cold.

Frog

Frog most likely enjoyed the same fortunes as Ayla. After returning to 600 A.D., he may or may not have reverted to human form. This tenet of his future is problematic, as he is never shown as being human in any ending in which Magus lives. Notwithstanding, the possibility exists that he was able to reverse the curse and become human. Like Ayla, he probably afterwards lived a good life and died an honorable man; he too might have traveled to the future to visit Lucca, but no picture of him in the orphanage acn be clearly viewed (although there does appear to be a sketch with a green blob on it behind heavy fire during the orphanage burning sequence in Chrono Cross). Frog apparently had the Masamune passed down within Guardia Castle's halls; during the Fall of Guardia in 1005 A.D., it was stolen and used in the battle. It later became corrupt, only to reform after Masa and Mune (the dream spirits within the blade) woke up and transformed it into the Mastermune.

Robo

Robo had a much larger role in the affairs of time after Chrono Trigger drew to a close. Specifically, he returned to 2300 A.D., where he and Atropos XR got together in love and enjoyed life. The ending provided a glimpse of their happiness, as they sat upon a cliff and watched a rainbow. Later, when Belthasar arrived and constructed Chronopolis, Robo apparently met with him and discussed Project Kid with the Guru of Reason. Eventually, Robo volunteered to be a part of Belthasar's plan to save time, and was integrated into Chronopolis as the Prometheus Circuit. The weight of this decision is huge; it meant leaving Atropos and subjecting himself to the whims of FATE. When Serge contacted the Flame, Robo performed his intended function by locking FATE out from its power source until Serge returned. Robo then gave words of encouragement to the boy before being defiantly terminated by the supercomputer. Many fans contest that this is not actually Robo, but instead is a memory or personality copy. However, Chrono series creator Masato Kato has officially gone on record as stating the circuit is Robo. "Anyway, if you have played Trigger, then Prometheus should be very familiar to you. I'm sure a lot of players would make a similar 'big fuss' over the death of such a much-loved friend..." In any event, Robo is probably safe and sound after Chrono Cross concludes and the dimensions are unified to form the Ideal Timeline. His future there is discussed in the Chrono Cross Resolutions article.

Lucca

Lucca figures more heavily into the events of Chrono Cross than any of her peers. Upon her return from time traveling and saving the world from Lavos, Lucca settled down and continued to pioneer new inventions. She conducted research in robotics, artificial intelligence, and time travel, eventually gaining the skill to forge a Time Egg prototype. Circa 1004 A.D., Kid came to the modern era as an infant, and Lucca found her while walking in the forest (as depicted in a Playstation version cutscene). A year later, the Fall of Guardia occurred. Lucca's involvement in this event is a mystery, as unlike her friends, she somehow survived the incident and kept her property. Once Porre assumed control of Truce, Lucca conducted business with their science section; she also started an orphanage (possibly before the fall), presumably for Kid's well-being. At some point, the heroes of time visited the orphanage, as several sketches of them exist in a particular hallway. The true importance of these sketches will be revealed in the next section. Moving on, during this period Lucca possibly contacted Belthasar in some form, though no evidence exists so substantiate this claim. She raised Kid to be a proper lady, and collaborated with Luccia, who at the time worked in Porre (presumably with her brother, who created Grobyc).

Tragedy ultimately befell Lucca when, circa 1015 A.D., Lynx and Harle raided the orphanage to kidnap Lucca and force her to release the Prometheus Circuit and allow FATE to access the Frozen Flame. During the attempt, Lynx set fire to the orphanage, presumably killing many children while destroying her scientific work. Kid escaped, leaving the only possible witness to Lucca's fate distanced. What happened afterwards is an enigma; the Ghost Children at Opassa Beach merely comment that the entire effort ended in failure. Lynx probably offed Lucca when she failed to disengage the lock, though Lucca may have escaped. At any rate, she did manage to leave a letter with Luccia for Kid to read at a later age. Kid also kept the incomplete Time Egg she fashioned, along with the Astral Amulet somehow found in Lucca's possession. Later, Serge traveled back in time to the night of the fire to ease Kid's memories; there, he saved several children who would have otherwise perished, and briefly saw Lynx and Harle in the upper storey of the house. The two brigands seemed complacent, suggesting Lucca had already died or escaped; this would imply that the two were looking out the window as they watched her flee in the distance.

After Chrono Cross concludes, Lucca is probably safe and sound, though many unknown variables exist that might affect her situation. These are addressed in the companion article, Chrono Cross Resolutions.

Crono and Marle

Crono and Marle's fates are intertwined. By the end of Chrono Trigger, they had romantically fallen in love; the Playstation version depicts their getting married soon after, with the entire town of Truce and several others in attendance for the ceremony. Because of this union, Crono apparently became the heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Guardia, with Marle as his future queen. While the future seemed bright and cheery, a dark threat lurked to the south -- the nation of Porre, which had risen as a formidable, militaristic entity.

The Fall of Guardia

I'm going to stop here until the History forum Topic Review is completed.

From: Articles