Theming in Xenoblade Art Names

Riki is angry

In the case of Melia I think some of her voice lines when using the elements tell a lot more than their names. "Star searing flames of absolution!"

"A nerd who got the good sword". I think I need to make a list of your best quotes in each video comments section, for your delight and for continuity.

A lot of Rex's arts also have to do a lot with smashing/destroying things which represents that he's a stubborn and hot-blooded teenager

7:55 "Colonies 6 and 9 — heh — have..."

ELECTRIC NUTBUSTER

You forgot about Sharla’s Head Shaker. She’s the straight-man in most comedy situations.

Nia has a GREAT animal pun in her Shield Hammer Arts- Hammerhead.

17:35 Fun detail, one of nias arts with the twin rings is called Gemini loop which is the name of the constellation of "the twins." Plus the fact that they're on the TWIN circle weapon type alludes to the fact that she is kinda 2 people combined with her sister and whatnot

As of Xenoblade DE, more specifically, Future Connected, the Light and Shadow motif you mentioned in Melia's section with Shadowstitch and Starlight Kick could be considered a nod to her relationship with Tyrea. Melia being a royal princess and daughter to the Emperor who was quite literally, in the lime-light. Then Tyrea being a rather unloved child who was raised from birth to be a heartless assassin. Throughout Future Connected they touch on Melia and Tyrea's slowly improving relationship and theres even a quiet moment / Heart to Heart actually called "Light and Shadow" Shadowstitch obviously seems out of place in her moveset looking at her character and the fact that she pretty much starts with it, but you could take it as foreshadowing to a dark foil to Melia's character.

I wish we coulda got some name stuff for other, not necessarily “main playable cast” characters, even enemies. Jin’s names like “Heavenly Disrupt”, “Stunned Swallow”, “Empty Moment” really reflect his character well. Showing off his power that is even above the Aegises to the point where he can “disrupt the heavens”, no longer having meaning in his life which has now become full of “empty moments”, and I think Stunned Swallow is in reference to the actual bird. Swallows are everywhere around the world, and I think it’s supposed to be something like him being able to affect the entire world at once, hence the name. I don’t really care for Malos’ Arts he has with Sever, but I do think his Monado Arts bring something special to the table. This is kinda going away from the names and more into a comparison between the two games, but I think there’s a lot to say. Shulk has Buster, Enchant, Shield, Speed, Purge, Cyclone, Armor, and Eater. Malos has Buster, Cyclone, Armor, Eater, and his own Jail. Both the Arts they share and the ones that differ are very interesting. You have Buster, Cyclone, Armor, and Eater between the two. Now how does Shulk learn those Arts? Well Buster kinda “came” with the Monado, or you could say Dunban was the one who came up with it, along with Enchant. A bit on that topic, Purge was really an Art he learned from Alvis, so that one isn’t Shulk’s either. Back on the common ones, Cyclone was sort of happenstance. Due to Shulk having to exert himself so much for use of the Monado while those “waves” Egil was emmiting were in effect, once those waves turned off he was able to tap into some extra power. Imagine it like this, he lifted weights at 20 pounds when using the Monado normally. When the waves kicked in, it went up to 80. He eventually forced himself to learn how to lift that 80, so when the waves turned off(the Monado went back down to 20), those 20 pounds from previous were child’s play, he could fling them around like it was nothing. He didn’t “come up with” a new power really, it just kinda happened. With Armor and Eater, both of those were learned from Art books, he didn’t create those either. So these Arts don’t say anything about Shulk, they kinda aren’t his. And further credence to that is the fact that Malos has them too. But looking at their unique Arts for their Monados makes things even more interesting. Shulk on his own creates the Arts Shield and Speed. Both of which aren’t attacks, but instead are used to prevent people’s deaths. This fits with Shulk’s personality. When he creates his Arts, they aren’t to hurt people, they’re to help people. He truly is a good person, evident in his desire to not kill the person that has taken Homs away from Bionis to be used against it, or a person who betrayed the people of Bionis for his own gain. Meanwhile you look at Malos, who developed the unique Jail, which in stark contrast to Shulk’s Arts is used to debilitate those who would stand against him. Now this can kind of represent a lot. Could be a move he naturally developed as he felt “improsoned” by Amalthus for giving him this mindset. Following on that, it might also be to force Blades and Drivers to no longer have a connection, which is part of Jin’s ultimate goal, again kind of not his own, still “imprisoned” by other people, but he’s a lot more keen of Jin than he is Amalthus. And the final one I’ll touch on, it could represent a sort of hesitation. It’s not a move that actually does damage, it only debilitates. I think this might mean he’s teetering on the edge of what he truly wants. If he truly were malicious, wouldn’t a move that can kill work better? But he came up with one that just prevents others from fighting. That’s kinda my take on the whole thing, along with a bit of a suggestion. I’ve been really enjoying your videos, keep up the quality content man

some names are so iconic such as Back Slash! Air Slash! Slit Edge! Stream Edge! Shaker Edge! Shadow Eye Hammerrr Beat! Dive Sobat! Wild Down! Last Stand! Lariat! Sword Drive! Worldly Slash! Electric Gutbuster! Gale Slash! Roly-Poly! Bitey Bitey! Starlight Kick! Final Cross! Headshot!

Truly spectacular naming like: Backslash Spinning edge Heal Headshot Anchor shot Sheild Sideslash And my favorite, BLOSSOM DANCE.....which is just dunban slicing an enemy 6 times Truly the greatest names in the universe.

Vandahm: Ya gotta have muscles Ya gotta have muscles on yer muscles

I think with Sharla it's just a matter of her professionalism. Reyn is young, hot headed, and crude. Sharla is young but very experienced and had a sense of professionalism drilled into her from day one. So her arts don't have unique names, every colony 6 medic likely has these art names, and it's very standardized and professional.

You can say that flower theme doesn't fit Morag, but the base form of Bridgid's weapon has a blue rose on each blade though. Btw, I think it's kinda cute that the game hinted at Morag's feminine side like that.

What's Shulk's favorite character? BACKSLASH!!!

butterfly step makes me think it sounds like a type of dance, maybe has something to do with matching themes with dunban

Speaking of arts: Fiora's Final Cross is just a callback to KOS-MOS' X-Buster, which may or may not have a similar art in Xenogears but if you go all the way back to Squaresoft's Einhander game, you can find a very similar attack as well from two bosses in stage 6. That attack has been around quite a long time and is pretty much indicative that Monolith has had some hand in the game it shows up in.

love how the music changes when you talk about Zeke