Today’s post is not exactly a localization comparison. Rather, it’s just a brief curiosity post in regards to something that remains in both versions of the game. Namely, why is Selena the only one of the three “expies” (from Awakening) who can actually die? [In Classic Mode].
There may be some minor spoilers to some DLC that is still unreleased in North America (as of this writing). There are also very minor spoilers for Conquest and Revelation.
Let’s take a look at their death quotes in English:
[Selena]: Way to go, Selena…getting yourself killed here. Now you’ll never see them again…
[Laslow] I…could close my eyes and be at peace…But I want to go home someday…Sorry, everyone, I need to fall back…
[Odin] Blast…I promised I’d return someday, so I can’t die here… Sorry, everyone I have to retreat…
For reference, all these lines about “meeting them again” and “going home” are references to being Awakening expies.
As one can see from the above, Selena is the only one of these three to not get a clear “sorry, I have to retreat/fall back” sort of line. Earlier games in the series that had perma-death still had quotes like this sometimes when the character would play a role later on in the main story. It simply meant they would be unavailable as a playable character until then.
So is that the case with Laslow and Odin? Selena, in both Conquest and Revelation is recruited alongside her Lady Camilla (alongside Beruka). So she has nobody to “wait for.” What I mean by this is, Odin and Laslow are recruited before you recruit their respective Lords (Leo and Xander) in Conquest. They have a small scene to welcome them back if around later on. But in Revelation, you get them along with their lords.
However, even if they die after their story relevance has ended, they still say the above quotes. So, it is not a matter of a different death quote after falling back. The two will clearly retreat no matter what, while Selena is left to die.
It’s odd, because she does reference “seeing them again” (same reason as the other two), but also clearly mentions “getting killed here,” while the other two leave. So, is she just being sarcastic and self-loathing? Not actually dying and just speaking hypothetically?
That could be it, considering the game uses the vague “Retired” for when a character dies in the Epilogue. (However, this could be for convenience due to ability to change game modes midway through among other things).
Just to double check, I took a look at the original Japanese quotes to see if there’s any difference:
[Selena / Luna] 馬鹿みたい…ここで…死んじゃうなんて…あたし…もう、みんなに…会えな……
I’m such an idiot… dying here…now I won’t…be able …to meet them again…
[Laslow / Lazward] 僕の負け…かあ…このまま…目を閉じたら、楽になれる…でも…それでも、もう一度帰りたい…こんなところで…死ねないよ…ごめん…みんな。 僕は退かせてもらうね…
I lost…huh? If I close my eyes… I’ll be at peace… B…but, I want to…go home… so I can’t die here. Sorry…everyone. I have to retreat…
[Odin] くそ…今までずっと…闘ってきた…のに、ここで終わり…かよ……でも俺は…約束したんだ。必ず戻る、って。だから、ここでは死ねない…悪いが、撤退するぜ…
Dammit…I need to keep fighting…but…this looks like the end… no…I made a promise. I said I will definitely return… so…I can’t die here. Sorry guys, I have to withdraw…
As you can see, the localization didn’t change these death quotes much (aside from condensing the text, likely to save for space, I suppose). Selena still lacks a retreat, and more of a final sounding statement compared to the other two.
For reference, the Japanese used for an epilogue death translates to “Retired” as well, so that will not be helpful in determining whether that confirms it or not. Earlier games differentiated between “Retreat” and “Death/Killed” in their epilogues, but it seems it is not the case here.
So, the question is: Why Selena? Is it because she lacks a child attached to her this time through? After all, the children are determined by the male characters in this game, so all she contributes are modifiers rather than any actual children. Is she less significant than the other two? Perhaps she didn’t want to return home? But she clearly does, if she’s regretting being unable to see them again, and judging by her support conversations.
UPDATE: Strangely enough, Hinata (who is needed to produce Hisame), says this in English:
Hinata: I’ll never turn my back…to an enemy…I will fight…’til the en—
That sounds like a clear cut death to me… which is odd because we just discussed how the other two may survive due to being male, and so produce children…
However, this is likely a localization oversight, as his quite in Japanese clearly states he is retreating:
Hinata: 敵に背中を見せるのは…恥だ…それでも、俺はタクミ様の臣下として…あの方を置いては…死ねないんだ…ここは、撤退するしか…ねぇな…
Turning my back on the enemy…is embarrassing… but as Lord Takumi’s retainer…I can’t just die…and leave him behind… I have no choice…I’ve gotta retreat…
It’s a strange thing I wondered each time she died in my play through. As usual, this is another super nitpick of a post. I hope to go through everyone’s death quotes eventually (seeing how Nyx’s was significantly changed).
What do you think? Why is Selena the only one to (probably) die? Many (including myself) figure it is likely due to not really leading to any children (like the women did in Awakening), but what…is that grounds to really ignore why she can’t live to fulfill that promise to return like the other two can?