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[ Character's Name ] : Ellis
[ Character's Age ] : 18
[ Series ] : Battle Arena Toshinden
[ Canon Point ] : The beginning of the third game, after she meets David, but before entering the tournament.
[ History ] :
There's not a lot to say about Ellis--her history isn't too far in-depth, and between the three games, certain aspects (mostly her outfit), and what she's doing/has done changes. Therefore, I'll say now I won't be counting any of the remakes regarding her, only the first editions of Toshinden 1 through 3.
That said, her page at the Toshinden wiki is here, and more is here. ... And for the further curious, TVTropes has a page for her game here.
Some A lot of this is headcanon to fill in the gaps left by the games from what the mun knows sob she only owned the original PSX game. Obviously, with her being from a fighting game, there's only so much to go on, after all, so it's a bit touch and go from after here.
Ellis grew up, raised by a troupe of traveling minstrels in Turkey, though beyond that, much of her past is an enigma--even to herself. What the game tells us is that her family died in a car crash, and that Ellis, the sole survivor, was taken in by the troupe and adopted. Not much is known about her circus or troupe in general; the game is not very descriptive about them, but it can be assumed that many other orphaned children, much younger than Ellis were also in it, and she acted as a surrogate second mother to these children, even at a young age. As she grew up, she gained an interest in becoming an acrobat and dancer, not only enthralled by the idea of being a sort of star, but also wanting to help provide for her 'family'. She would quickly pick up the business of dancing and enticing crowds, the skills to entertain others coming to her as easily as breathing. This was, first and foremost, to help take care of the other orphaned children and people in her group, but secondarily, for Ellis, it was also a way to bring herself confidence and let herself out of her shell, quickly making her become the outgoing, entertainer and performer that she is today. Although they were a motley crew of sorts, the traveling circus was her family, and to Ellis, a sweet and caring girl, they were her entire reason for being. As she got older, she eventually became the star attraction of the show, becoming the kind of performer the younger girls in her circus looked up to, and the type of girl many men wanted to date. Ellis was, of course, oblivious to the latter of this, and they never stayed long enough in one place for her to ever develop a relationship with anyone.
And so, she danced to earn her keep, but also for enjoyment. Eventually, it would become her one true passion, as there was nothing more that made her happy in the world than to dance in front of crowds and crowds of people. Although, for a long time, she wondered about what her real family was like, she was kept in the dark, unaware of much.
Eventually, the people from the orphanage came to her. Ellis honestly didn't remember much about her days as a infant in the orphanage: all she knew was that she had started out there before the minstrels found her and some of the other orphaned children, and decided to be kind enough to take them in. For this, she forever felt indebted to them. However, the people at the orphanage knew some interesting facts about her family and how she came to be there. Intrigued, she went back there, and decided to speak with them. Although it wasn't as much as she had hoped, she did learn a little bit about her past: that her parents had died in a car crash, and she had been brought to the orphanage in Turkey because of this. This meant she could possibly not be Turkish by birth, but her true origins would remain unknown until at least a year from then, when she would later learn from her real father that she was, in fact, Japanese by birth.
Although this might stop many, or perhaps make them want to dig into their origins further, Ellis wasn't very deterred in her career options, nor her way of life by learning this. In fact, being the positive, kindly girl she was, her troupe meant more to her now than her past, and she decided to stay with them versus trying to learn more at that point in time. ... However, after a time there, she felt somewhat incomplete; that she needed a change, and would later be encouraged by those whom she traveled at the circus with to go and move to a more permanent residence and take a break from her life as a traveling star. All this constant moving around had gotten to her, and since the troupe had currently settled into Asia, close to Japan, Ellis decided for a time she would rent a home there and make a permanent residence, if only for a little while. She was relieved to know that her adoptive family encouraged her, and felt it best she left to make her fortunes elsewhere, if that was what would make her happy. Glad for the change of pace, Ellis promised them, of course, she'd come back, and set off to stay in Japan, where her life would change more than she'd ever have imagined, and where she'd meet the boy she'd become obsessed with.
And so, since she was more determined than ever, she eventually left Turkey and moved to Japan for a short time, where she would meet the younger brother of a swordsman of great clout, rumored to be his pupil and star student: Eiji Shinjo. Eiji was trained by Sho, and his strength, endurance, and overall personality had completely captivated Ellis when they met. There, she also met Eiji's friend, Kayin Amoh, who would later become the bounty hunter known by the alias 'Storm'. After living in Japan for a time, she became fairly close to the two of them, and developed a large (and sadly unreturned) crush on Eiji. In fact, she attended school in Japan for a few months, going to bed dreaming of one person: Eiji Shinjo. He had completely "stolen her heart," as Ellis put it. When she described Eiji to her friends back at the circus, there was a lot of laughter and teasing in good-nature, but they encouraged her to try and go after the boy she loved.
Although she struggled and did attempt to confess to him at one point, Eiji was too embittered by the disappearance of his mentor and his older brother, Sho, to really notice her feelings for him, or completely listen to her. It's most likely from Eiji and Kayin that Ellis learned of the Toshinden tournament being held, and also when she began learning how to fight--probably to try and impress him. But Eiji was obsessed with the tournament and finding his brother, convinced Sho would be fighting in it as well, and Ellis decided she, too, would hone her fighting skills and enter it with him, to help him find his brother, and possibly just to follow the boy she was so obsessed with.
While her initial reason for doing so was to, of course, make Eiji return her affections, she would later learn of a rumor that her father was still alive and would be competing in the Toshinden tournament as well, which drove her to the decision that she, too, would compete in this tournament more than ever.
... In actuality, Ellis had no idea that her father, Gaia, was the member of a seedy, underground society operating behind the eyes of the law, known simply as the "Secret Society," and had been the host of the Toshinden fighting tournament illegally, in order to start an uprising against the very organization he worked for. His reasoning was to help bring down the killer of his wife, Uranus. Sadly, for Ellis, anyway, nothing would come of her venture into the initial tournament except her learning that this Gaia person had hosted it illegally, and saddened for a short time, Ellis returned to her troupe, who welcomed her with open arms, consoling the girl. Fortunately for her, Ellis was surrounded by the children she cared for almost like a second mother, and wouldn't remain down for very long--she went back to dancing and performing as she had done before, but also honing her fighting skills, hoping to improve and become as strong as the boy she continued to think about every night when she went to sleep.
Around a year or so after her initial venture into the Toshinden tournament to find her father, Ellis learned that Gaia had, in fact, been her father. How this is discovered by her is never really said, but it's assumed that when he contacted her to ask her for her help, Gaia likely informed Ellis of this shocking fact. Although she was shocked and even somewhat hurt that the so-called mysterious man she fought later in the first tournament would lay eyes on his daughter and not even speak to her, Ellis decided to enter the second Toshinden tournament in order to help Gaia, even if her father and her were somewhat estranged, and she had no feelings for her at the time. In truth, her feelings were slightly mixed: between distrust and a small amount of hate, although she didn't want to admit it, Ellis also believed in justice and peace, and although she didn't feel much for Gaia, she wanted to save him nonetheless, because she believed he didn't deserve to die, and hoped that maybe, just maybe, she could reconnect with the only remaining family she had left.
With encouragement from her adoptive family, she set off for the second tournament, and in the end would reunite with Gaia. Later, both Ellis and Gaia, along with the help of Eiji Shinjo and several of the other fighters, would finally see the woman behind her mother's suspected murder brought down (although Ellis is unaware that this happened to be the truth), along with the Secret Society she was entrenched in, and finally, Gaia and Ellis could live together in peace, with the chance to become closer, and even reconcile. Returning to Turkey with Gaia, Ellis was now at peace with herself, having helped stop the corrupt society and saving her father. Most of all, reconnecting with him made her the happiest she had been in a very long time. Even if she still had feelings for Eiji that he didn't even know about, she had come to accept that. At that point, things seemed better than she could have ever expected . She had family that was still alive, and her past was finally unveiled. Not only that, but her troupe was waiting for her... and she was finally able to return to them with her father.
It wasn't until much later that she would learn that both Gaia and herself were being targeted by another organization for their role in the previous Toshinden tournaments. For fun, initially, Kayin, Ellis, and Eiji decided to reenter the new Toshinden tournament, this time hosted by an unknown organization--also the one targeting them. Unaware of this, Ellis believes she's probably safer at the tournament. Since they're being targeted for assassination now, it's around this time Ellis and Gaia part ways, on the run from the assassins sent out by the Organization after them.
Another boy on the run from the same criminal empire by the name of David would encounter Ellis later, when she was in a pinch, being chased by a group of highly skilled killers after her, and decide to help her. Even with her fighting skills, Ellis couldn't take on so many people at once. David appears, using his chainsaw and pistol to help her fight off the men sent to kill her, but more would should up, as David himself is also being targeted. It's during this the two became acquainted somewhat well. Ellis most likely learned about David's past a bit: that David was originally to be used by the shady group known only as the Organization, and managed to escape. He wants to enter the tournament to get vengeance for his parent's assassinations. Aside from that, she can see that he's a generally good person at heart, even if Ellis believes him to be a bit revenge-driven and somewhat thoughtless when it comes to jumping into battle (though she has no room to talk; she'd have done the same), she still decides to help him out as best she can. She sees a bit of herself in David: both targeted by underworld societies who murdered their family members, and both seeking revenge against them, even though Ellis had no idea about that until after the fact, she did resent Uranus for killing her mother, but she'd never want to kill for it. Though she views killing as wrong, Ellis remembers the woman who had likely been behind the conspiracy that killed her mother, and connects closely to the boy, deciding that even if what he wants to do might not be morally right, she would help him. And with that, they became friends.
With that thought in mind, even though she should be on the run, she heads for the third Toshinden tournament hoping to help both herself and her new friend David stop the nefarious Organization, unaware of the other participants, or the fact that there are several tribal assassins now after both her and her father's life also entered into this very same tournament. It is before she gets to fight there that she's pulled into Vatheon.
[ Personality ] :
As is apparent from the very start, Ellis is nothing less than a bubbly, kind, up-beat girl: she never lets anything get her down for long, and she always has a smile on her face. She enjoys shopping and entertaining others, especially making people laugh. Though at times she can be tough, she's still somewhat immature in how she handles insults, or certain more adult situations. In fact, many things tend to also go over her head (innuendo especially), which also underlines the fact that she's still just technically a kid. But at other times, she tends to be very motherly and nurturing to those younger than her, or those she empathizes with, as she's also very caring when it comes to her adoptive family, or her troupe. She's very forgiving as well, always willing to let go of the past (for the most part), as is shown in her situation with Gaia, her father. She has a big heart when it comes to others in need, and would always put the sake of another before her own life in a heartbeat, making her somewhat reckless.
Although she may not seem strong, she hates being underestimated as a "child," which she believes she's anything but, showing a bit more of her childish side. She's stubborn like this, and is more likely to pout about things at times when she's insulted or things don't go her way. She's also prone to overestimating her own skills or expectations of herself at times, believing there's nothing she can't do if she puts her heart into it, making her a little bit naive as well. In other words, she thinks too highly of her fighting skills, which are mostly self-taught and employ her own dancing techniques with a traditional fighting style. Her way of fighting was taught to her and carried for self-defense, passed down through performers circus, although mostly for performance values, it turned out to benefit Ellis in her fighting in the ring.
While she turned out to be a natural when it came to fighting in the previous tournaments she's been in, Ellis has never truly won any of them and, as is shown, most--if not all--of the cast tend to go too easy on her, simply because she's so young, and is rather unaware of the 'adult' world around her. Therefore, she tends to think her opponent can be beaten by her easily, when in fact, most of those she's fought out of the few true battles have gone easy on her, or been in an arena with rules. So she's not very good, nor very used to street fighting, as to her, fighting is similar to dancing and performing. She's immature in both her fighting style and her mindset, making many underestimate her and deem her to be "just a child".
Though this might seem to be true, Ellis is, in actuality, a fairly quick-witted girl. She's sweet, kind, and caring for children especially, but she can also suck it up and fight to the last breath if she feels the situation calls for it. Because of her prior experiences in the Toshinden tournaments, Ellis has become a skilled fighter, and although she doesn't look it, she CAN in fact kick your ass, though she would much prefer to avoid fighting if possible, and just dance in peace, one would be lying if they said she didn't enjoy sparring or fighting to test herself. She finds it very exciting, and much more so than her second passion, performing and dancing.
Seeing as Ellis grew up in a circus-like environment, dancing to her is more than an activity: it's a way of life; an expression of passion and it's who she IS. To dance, to Ellis, is to show emotions in movement, to express how she truly feels. She dances when she is happy, sad, or angry. Dancing solves everything for her. In fact, she loves dancing and acrobatics so much, it's how she celebrates things. Being a dancer, and being raised in the troupe, she's a performer at heart, and therefore, fairly immodest when it comes to how she dresses and what she does. She works to draw crowds in and entertain, so if something bores her, she's always looking for a way to spice it up.
As is shown by her meeting with David, Ellis does, however, in fact have some hidden feelings about her murky, somewhat clouded past: due to her growing up orphaned from her father, Gaia, Ellis has trouble when it comes to relating to those who have had a normal childhood, like with a mother and a father. This is something she was never fortunate enough to experience and, although at times she's envious of this fact, she would never admit it aloud: she thinks saying things like that isn't right, and would never say an unkind word to someone for it, unless she was too upset to help herself. Even if she despises a person, she'd still be kind towards them, treat them with a smile, and ask if they wanted to dance with her, because that's just the kind of person she is. She's an actor at heart, and can be good at hiding how she really feels in more serious times, trying to mask even the most severe situation with a bubbly personality and smile, even when she's miserable. Though, sometimes, she's still very childish and bad at hiding things, and can pout about them (ruined clothing, for example), usually, she's fairly mature in that sense, at least.
Being a performer, Ellis is comfortable with showing off her assets and isn't afraid to admit she's cute at all, if it'll attract attention to those around her and bring in a crowd. But that's only the performer in her: Ellis is, in reality, a bit modest, but not TOO modest. She'll happily giggle if she wins a fight, proud of her strength, and when underestimated, would gladly teach you a lesson and tell you that she's far stronger than she looks. So don't you dare ever call her a child, or underestimate her, or you'll regret it! ... Assuming, of course, she has a reason to kick your ass. If not, she'd likely just go on her way and try not to let it bug her.
All in all, Ellis is a bubbly young girl who enjoys dancing, making merry, caring for those younger than her or those who she feels needs her help, and from time to time, just for sport... or for a bit of a thrill, fighting and sparring. What she dislikes is being underestimated or being called a child... though, in reality, that's not too far from the truth. She still is a young girl, as she has yet to fully understand the world around her, or realize that she doesn't totally get everything, or understand it properly as a fully grown-up person might. She's definitely not a genius by any means--just an average girl with incredible might, and an overpowering positive nature and belief in herself and her friends, if to a stubborn extent. As she herself best puts it, she'd never give up, no matter what the cost, when it comes to her goals, like finding her father, or helping stop the evil Organization. Sure, she can be a bit naive, but that's just part of her charm: maybe she doesn't fully understand everything going on around her, but she'll do her best to make sure that things are set straight and that justice is always served to those who deserve it! Make an ally of her, and you have a friend for life. Make an enemy, and you have a girl who will never let you harm anyone else, and never stop bothering you and trying to change your values and morals if she believes you're truly a good person on the inside.
[ Strengths/Weaknesses ] :
As I've previously mentioned, Ellis is a dancer, so she's very nimble: her agility is her number one strength, here. She wields dual daggers in battle, known as dirks. But their range is short, and they don't do much damage. That said, she can attack quickly with everything from an uppercut to a flying kick, so you'd better be good at blocking or fast enough to evade her if you don't want to be slowly sliced up.
Emotionally, Ellis is still a slightly immature teenage girl: she likes all the things you'd expect from a teenage girl, she acts as you'd expect a young teenage girl to act, and thinks all the things a teenage girly-girl would think. Things such as shopping, or how she has a huge crush on a boy and how ~dreamy~ he is, and how awesome certain performers are, or how much she loves dancing and crowds and going to the big city (since she travels so much, she never stayed in one place long, after all). Basically? If it's sparkly and pink, it's for her. Which means she's not very... well, intelligent, unfortunately, and has somewhat of a one or two-track mindset when she's thinking about something.
She can be upset easily as well, but she's pretty good at not letting things get to her, and is usually, if not always, seen smiling, no matter what her true mood is, but she can be semi-transparent at times, just because her tone of voice gives it away so easily. All in all she's got average intelligence and is a bit young and uncultured, and also somewhat naive and easy enough to fool or confuse. She's no genius, after all: just your average teenage girl raised in a rather... unique setting.
Weakness wise, she'd do anything for a young kid or those she loves or cares about. If someone threatened her father or a friend, or a child she didn't even know, for example, she'd give up fighting in a heartbeat. Plus, she's not really all that strong: her endurance is good, but her defense against attacks or blows, and HP is pretty weak. She doesn't wear any kind of protective armor at all when it comes to a fight, but she CAN dodge, and she can do it well. Her fighting skills are average in the damage level, but above average, if not very good, when it comes to agility, dodging, and speed, though her overall damage output is poor.
So basically, she's weak to cute boys, clothes and shopping, new and exciting things, and those she'd feel sympathetic to and/or care for. You know, average teenage girl type stuff. Oh, and since she's from a fighting game, expect her to at least put up a decent fight, even if she has no *REAL* extra magic-like abilities and is just a normal human girl.
[ Other Important Facts ] :
- Pink is like, the best color EVER to her. Seriously, look at how she dresses! That is possibly the girliest outfit ever.
- She loves shopping.
- ... Yes, her hair is actually green. Naturally. A lot of people from her series have weird-colored hair and it's... apparently normal?
- ... She's from the 90's, so any technology newer than like, 1995? Would be REALLY WEIRD to her. So... yeah.
- ... Yes, she's really actually 18 by the end of the series. Or, technically, since each game takes place a few years apart, she starts out 16, and then is 18. They change her age a few times and it's a little inconsistent, but I'm going with she's -currently- 18.
- ... The game never really gives her or Gaia a canon last name actually, it does this to a ton of the cast, so she has none, I guess? Just Ellis.
[ Sample ] :
[ The SFC feed flickers on, clearly by accident, as it seems it's owner hasn't noticed their new communicator just yet. On it, you can see that there's a young girl with green hair, wearing what looks to be a combination of a ballerina's outfit, and something you'd see some type of circus performer or gymnast in. ... Unfortunately, since most of it happens to be made of silk and other thin materials, and it's somewhat immodest, you'll be seeing... quite a bit more of her skin than intended, since the poor girl is soaked. Though if this bothers her, she isn't showing it. In fact, her first concern seems to be something else: ]
... My outfit is ruined! Oooh, this is awful...! This was priceless for my performances! I'll never get this salt water stain out of it...
[ Sighing, she frowns, lamenting a bit. She looks pretty young, though. But after a second or two, Ellis's unease seems to turn into a smile when she notices the small, pink fairy floating next to her. In fact, she practically all but beams, giggling in a cheerful manner, spirits uplifted. ]
Oh, I didn't see you before~! Did you come to help me out? That is very kind of you! You're so cute...! I wonder if anyone would mind if I just kept you with me for just a little while~?
[ There's silence from the fairy, and Ellis tilts her head. You might notice she seems to have a slight... accent. It sounds Turkish in origin, actually. ]
Well, do you know where I could find some clean clothes? I really liked this outfit...
[ And the fairy says nothing, again. Disappointed, but undeterred, Ellis looks around, stands up, and finds her daggers nearby her own pink SFC. Picking them up and tucking them into the ribbon around her waist. ]
Hmm... I guess not. Oh, well!
[ And with that, unaware of the gadget ever having been on, the feed cuts. ]