Ares (Rune Factory 5)

Ares (アレス, Aresu) is the hero of Rune Factory 5. An affable young man with no memories who joins the Rangers in Rigbarth, and who can't ignore anyone in need. If someone asks him to help, he won't complain much. A slight airhead sometimes.

Trivia
Each Japanese voice actor has provided commentary on their characters and on Rune Factory 5 as a whole. The following is the English translation of Toshiyuki Toyonaga's commentary: (The audio can be accessed in-game by clicking "Voice Actor Commentary" on the main menu.) "Thank you for not only playing Rune Factory 5... ...but also taking the time to listen to the voice commentary as well. We really appreciate it. Hi everyone! My name is Toshiyuki Toyonaga, and I play the part of Ares. Thank you very much for listening to my voice commentary. So, how's it going? Are you enjoying the game first? Or are you listening to this right off the bat? I can only wonder. If you decided to listen to this straightaway, thanks so much! I'll do my best to avoid mentioning spoilers. Unfortunately for me... ...I have no idea what the other cast members did for their commentary. Which means mine might end up sounding a little different compared to theirs. So...! I'm gonna do this Toshiyuki Toyonaga-style, and hopefully you'll stick with me until the end. I asked the director about how long I could talk... ...and was told to go on for as long as I liked! So get ready, 'cause I'm gonna talk until there's no room left in the game for anything else! Don't worry, I'm just kidding. Anyway... Let's get started, shall we? I actually finished recording for Ares only a few minutes ago. If you haven't started playing yet, then I hope you eventually give it a go and hear how he sounds. He's thrown right into this game's world and takes on the mantle of a SEED ranger, which is all well and good... I wonder if this is all public knowledge? According to the materials I got... He's a bit of an airhead, but also kind with a strong sense of justice. He helps out those in need, and is curious about everything, and takes the initiative, and has a positive attitude, and... Aw c'mon, he's pretty much a perfect human being! So he's a nice guy, but also a bit of a goofball. How should I put this...? They told me to focus on portraying him as a kind, gentle soul. I went over the details with the staff before recording started. I'm actually quite the gamer myself, I'll have you know. I've played all sorts of games... ...and that includes Rune Factory, of course! I started playing it back when it first came out. So besides Rune Factory, what do you think of the protagonists' voices in other games you've played? I wonder if I should really be asking that question when I'm playing a protagonist myself. But in all seriousness, what do you guys think? Personally, I'm the kind of person who, while recording stuff like this, wants the listener to feel as little stress as possible while playing. So that's why I avoid emphasizing character quirks while acting. That might just be my ego talking, though. This means I gave a neutral delivery during the neutral parts, and stuff like that. I wanted to make sure that while playing the game... ...my performance would make it as easy as possible for you, the players, to empathize with him. Sometimes that meant I had to keep my emotions under control. There's also Ares' personality to think about. I didn't want his mood to constantly fluctuate or anything like that. I discussed all this stuff with the director during our recording sessions. So I had plenty of things to consider... But at times I stuck with the usual system we use for this stuff. That's just how it goes. I know I mentioned this already, but we literally just finishing recording. I bet you've all at least had a chance to play the game by now, right? I still haven't. Honestly, I can't wait. I wish you could buy it today! That's my mood right now. And again, I'm so grateful that I was cast as this game's protagonist. On the subject of Rune Factory, I've received a question to answer for voice commentary track. 'What would you do if you had to farm for a living in a world full of monsters?' I'm gonna set aside the farming part of this question for a second to discuss something else real quick. I love the idea of pursuing a 'survivalist' lifestyle. I've never actually done it myself. But living that kind of totally self-sufficient life has always sounded amazing to me. It just seems so cool. I think that kind of experience would change your perspective about so many things we take for granted. That's why I'd probably be psyched to live in and adapt to a world like that. The only part that worries me is the monsters. A lot depends on that. I mean, the game has a huge variety of monsters, right? It's like, hmm... How should I put this... I'm pausing as if I'm talking to someone, but nobody's here. All right, think of it this way. Consider the world we live in right now. We've got tigers and bears and stuff, right? You go out into the forest or whatever and bam, there they are. Isn't that scary to think about? I think it is. You gotta make sure you're prepared for anything, people! So, going back to the original question... That farming lifestyle sounds pretty good to me. Everything tastes best when it's fresh, especially if you've just harvested it. Vegetables, milk, you name it. Every time I get a chance to eat something that fresh, I always think about just how great it tastes. I could really go for some fresh veggies right about now... Like some tomatoes picked right off the vine... Ooh, or some corn. That would hit the spot. I'm not the biggest fan of cilantro or other herbs... But I think that living a life where I could eat fresh stuff all the time would help me learn to like them more. I wouldn't mind the chance to deal with my weaknesses. Maybe I should try eating freshly picked cilantro sometime. But, you know... You can actually pursue that kind of lifestyle in Rune Factory 5! Cool, right? And you get to meet all sorts of fascinating people! Really cool, right? The game gives you a lot of freedom to do what you want, I'll say that much. And it's up to you to decide how to take advantage of that freedom. I hope you all have a chance to experience it for yourself! I think I've been talking for way too long now. The director just told me I should start wrapping things up... So I shall! I don't know when exactly during your playthrough you decided to listen to this... ...but I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to listen to my commentary track! I hope it served as a nice break from your adventures. Let's end this in Ares' voice. Leave it me, everyone! And thanks for listening."