welcome!

Outlaw Torn is a site I constructed for the Amassment One-Page, One-Month Marathon in July 2010. Many of the articles have actually been around since February 2009, though, back when I first made an attempt at building the site (and eventually gave up, obviously). I figured the event would be a fantastic opportunity to collect and refine the best of these writings for public consumption!

Now, a bit about the articles themselves. I have a deep fascination with the vigilante archetype, and it's clear that I derive far too much enjoyment from picking apart the moral gray areas of these characters. (See Against the Law, a tribute dedicated to a man who shares much of Yuri's spirit.) That said, this isn't your "typical" shrine; I'm not going to run through all the game events and relationships that apply to Yuri. I'm much more interested in how he plays his part as the hero of Vesperia, and these essays reflect that.

protagonist

Yuri is a young swordsman living in the lower quarter of the Imperial Capital, Zaphias. A born and bred commoner, he despises the upper class for their lack of concern for the poor. He is beloved by the other residents of the lower quarter and is willing to go to great lengths for their well-being.

At twenty-one years of age, Yuri is older, wiser, and more jaded than previous Tales heroes. Compared to Lloyd and Luke of Symphonia and Abyss, respectively, he is much more experienced and grounded. He realizes that as a single person, he can do little to change something as huge as the Empire. Although dedicated to finding justice for the downtrodden lower quarter, he's by no means altruistic; overall, he is more concerned with personal matters than something grand like the fate of the world.

This reflects in his fairly unique personality for a character in his role -- ironic, considering Yuri is probably among the closest a JRPG has gotten to an "everyday guy." He's relaxed and friendly, fond of mild sarcasm and teasing. Compare this to the scores of protagonists who are one of two extremes -- idealistic and naive, or angsty and tortured -- and it's easy to see why Yuri is so refreshing.

Although he's no social butterfly, Yuri gets along well with others. He emanates an inherent trustworthiness that makes him friends and allies wherever he goes; people know that they can depend on him. He's always willing to lend a hand, even if the goodness and generosity of his actions are thinly masked by his apathetic, diamond-in-the-rough personality.

As he tells Judith, though, "[He's] got a few skeletons in [his] closet too." Yuri isn't always a nice guy; ironically, his (blind?) desire for justice ends up revealing some of the uglier sides of his character. He can be cold, stubborn, and even a bit of a dick. He'll do things that might make you raise an eyebrow and question his beliefs. If you ask me, this is why Yuri has earned his rightful popularity. (Note that Tales of the Abyss' Luke fon Fabre, another excellently crafted protagonist, is also at the top of the list.) People like characters with flaws -- it makes them human.

vigilante

Every Tales game comes with its own subtitle in the Japanese version. Tales of Vesperia's is To Enforce One's "Justice" RPG (正義」を貫き通すRPG), a clear and obvious reference to Yuri's style of heroism. He fights for justice on his own terms, and enforces it when no one else is willing to pick up the slack. He's a vigilante -- a person "who takes the law into his or her own hands." Wikipedia actually does a pretty good job of explaining this:

"Vigilante justice" is sometimes spurred on by the perception that criminal punishment is insufficient ... Some people see their governments as ineffective in enforcing the law; thus, such individuals fulfill the like-minded wishes of the community.

Yuri has no patience for the limitations of bureaucracy; he's all too familiar with the way the empire ignores pleas for help, does a half-assed job when it does help, and lets corruption get off scot-free. Unlike Flynn, he isn't willing to sit around waiting while people are suffering left and right. He's simply far too impulsive -- or, as Flynn remarks, "single-minded." When the aque blastia is discovered missing, he immediately takes off to find it. He knows that he has to keep a low profile at Deidon Hold, but blows it without a second thought when he sees a young girl in danger. Acquiring the Rhybgaro's Golden Horn is the only way to peacefully meet with Ragou, but he casually gives it up to a couple in need.

This impulsiveness was also what put Yuri's career as a Knight to an early end. Bit by bit, he came to realize that at his present position, he couldn't afford the time to gain the promotions needed to make any noticeable change in the empire's workings. He was just another drone, another sword upholding the laws he hated so much in the first place. While Flynn bode his time and slowly crawled up the ranks, Yuri ditched as soon as he saw that changing things would take a lot more effort than just filling out a job application.

YURI: So ... I’m supposed to stand by while somebody feeds little kids to monsters? [...] You want me to look the other way when our people in the lower quarter are being bled dry by taxes? It’s because I can’t do those things that I quit being a knight.

It's not because he's lazy or unwilling to gather the promotions, it's because he realizes that the longer he waits, the more he lets slip by. He can't bring to look at the big picture, because his mind is so tightly focused on the smaller pieces. He sees the individual people beaten in the streets and feels their pain. To a certain extent, he's empathetic to a fault. It drives him to do something -- anything -- to put a stop to the suffering he sees around him.

YURI: I know better than anyone that nothing’s changed.

Nevertheless, he does have his doubts at first. After Flynn cautions him against being reckless, he storms outside and admits to himself that leaving the Knights hasn't accomplished much. He's managed to tackle individual problems, but hasn't done anything that would stop those problems in the first place; he's trying to catch the water instead of plugging the leak. However, with Don Whitehorse's help, he realizes that yes -- he can do something.

The interesting thing here is just how badly Yuri wants to see his goals through. He doesn't care if he has to beat up tax collectors, or kill a man in cold blood. He calmly accepts his criminal status and sits out the appropriate jail time, acting it was like all part of his job; he realizes there are consequences for his actions. At the same time, though, he can't stop to consider those consequences when knows there is suffering. He believes that if no one else is willing to dirty their hands, then he must step up to the job to see it through.

ideals and beliefs

Yuri's ideal world isn't necessarily a world where everyone lives happily. He only focuses on matters he is immediately aware of; for instance, if he hadn't stepped out of Zaphias, his whole life would have been about helping the lower quarter. As he travels across the empire, though, he begins to notice that its corruption extends to plenty of other cities, and the sight of regular people like him being abused and used as toys for the wealthy gets under his skin. He sees the suffering of his people in theirs. And he wants to protect them.

Although Yuri's goals expand from acquiring justice for the lower quarter to liberating the working class everywhere he goes, this is pretty much all he focuses on. Unlike many other heroes, he could care less about everyone; he even says outright that not everyone deserves to live. And the fate of the world? Yuri doesn't have his eyes set on such a lofty goal; he only takes action when he realizes that it could end in the death of everyone including the people he gives a damn about. He does it because he has to, not because he wants to.

Most of what Yuri does is done because of a personal vendetta, or, failing that, out of necessity. He's impulsive and hard-headed -- once he feels strongly about something, he'll work that something into the ground. And he doesn't care what he has to wreck along the way to get there.

It could even be said that Yuri is somewhat selfish, though at first glance his virtuous behavior says otherwise; he might not care about what happens to him as a person, but he isn't above putting his beliefs on a pedestal. He's much more self-righteous than righteous; the former is defined as "confident of one's own righteousness" and "exhibiting pious self-assurance", as opposed to the latter's more objective "characterized by uprightness or morality." Yuri believes he's promoting justice, requiring no validation save for his own; he doesn't care about anyone's view but his, because he's already convinced himself that it's the only right view. Even if, as Flynn warns him, it isn't always as honorable as he thinks it is.

angel of judgment

When Karol comes panicking to Yuri in the middle of the night, he just wants to get back to sleep. However, any thought of a good snooze is immediately put to rest as soon as Karol relays the news -- Ragou has gotten off the hook with nothing but a minor demotion.

After speaking briefly with Flynn, Yuri knows what he has to do. He heads to the Dahngrest bridge, where Ragou and his henchmen are conversing. He slays the cronies and silently advances on Ragou as the latter panicks, offering nothing but nervous, stammering threats -- threats Yuri has been deaf to for ages. Without so much as a hint of remorse, he slashes Ragou with his blade, leaving him to a watery grave in the river. As he returns to the inn where his companions are sleeping soundly, he acquires the "Vigilante" title.

This scene is significant, and not just because it's so fucking badass that for once, the hero disposes of the annoying evil politician like we all hoped he would. This marks the first time that Yuri is actually enforcing his personal sense of justice, instead of just cleaning up after the empire. With this action, he actually changes something.

Wisely, though, he chooses to keep quiet on the subject of his after-dark adventure. When the others comment on Ragou's "disappearance", he doesn't say anything -- even if they understand his motives, they may not see them as justification for murder. Yuri acknowledges the weight of his actions -- as he tells Flynn, "Murder is a crime." Nevertheless, he's willing to accept that weight as a necessity that saved lives.

Later down the road, the party encounters another case of power abuse in Mantaic and Heliord: Cumore has been abducting citizens under the radar, and sending them out into the desert for his own twisted amusement. Although Estelle is desperate to do something about his crimes, the rest remind her that there is little they can do -- Rita regretfully tells her that "even if [they] captured Cumore, [they] wouldn't have the authority to try him for his crimes." Raven adds, "You know what they say...the only cure for stupidity is death." As he listens on the side, Yuri quietly repeats this last phrase to himself. When everyone is asleep, he gets up and heads to Cumore's bedroom.

YURI: I'll guess I'll have to play by my own rules...

Yuri wakes Cumore up, disarms him, then chases him to the edge of a quicksand pit, where he's defenseless. Cumore tries to bribe his way out, but Yuri won't have any of it. He turns Cumore's pleas for his life against him, reminding him of all the times he failed to have mercy for the people he tormented. Then he advances, driving Cumore backwards to his sandy death.

This time, though, Yuri's actions don't go unnoticed -- Flynn catches wind of what he's doing and demands an explanation. The resulting conversation reveals just how different the two have become.

friend & foil

Yuri and Flynn are the classic male best-friends-slash-rivals who have chosen different paths, requisite fangirl yaoi included. It's a tried and true trope in storytelling, down to Yuri's dark hair and Flynn's blonde. Only this time, we're put in the perspective of the rebel, the one who rejected the "light."

Yuri and Flynn have shared the same goal since childhood; they both dreamt of changing the faulty government and putting an end to its injustice. However, the differences between them were made painfully clear when Yuri split from the Knights: while Flynn continued to pursue their dream, Yuri gave it up as "impossible", and left to do things his own way.

Flynn finds this unacceptable; as a Knight, he can't approve of the way Yuri continually toes the line. And when he finds his best friend's face printed on a Wanted poster, he's furious and worried at the same time.

FLYNN: I didn't think when you quit the Knights that you'd take up a life of crime.

Yuri shrugs off the accusation with a "it's not that simple", but Flynn isn't deterred -- to him, it is that simple. You either follow the law or suffer the appropriate consequences; there is no gray area. And the last thing he wants to do is harm his best friend -- he's well aware that should Yuri continue with infraction after infraction, he'll eventually have to do something. Yuri, on the other hand, sees Flynn's concern as naggy and accuses him of treating him "like a kid." He knows what he's doing, and this is the choice he's consciously made.

Nevertheless, they continue to tolerate each other's actions, and demonstrate an understanding of where the other is coming from. The night after Ragou's light punishment is declared, Flynn admits to Yuri that he has had his doubts in his path, and that he finds it just as hard to wait while people are suffering. Yuri assures him that he's doing the right thing, and light-heartedly warns him not to waste his efforts by "flying off the handle and smacking [Ragou] around." He asks Flynn a tricky question: How would you go about punishing the villains that the law can’t touch? Flynn has no answer -- his justice is entirely confined to the limitations of those laws. Both of them know that he can't act beyond them. However, Yuri knows that he can.

YURI: And I’ll do things my own way.

Eventually, Flynn discovers that Yuri has killed Ragou and Cumore, leading to a quiet argument in Mantaic. They're entirely unable to see eye to eye -- Flynn believes that those men should have had the right to a fair trial, and Yuri argues that their deaths saved the lives of countless innocents. There is no chance of compromise; to do so would mean giving up a part of their personal creeds. Yuri makes it clear that he intends to continue doing as he has, no matter the consequences.

YURI: I've made my choices. Murder is a crime.
FLYNN: And even knowing that, you intend to dirty your hands?
YURI: Intend to? I already have.

Yuri and Flynn are extremely similar in that they put blind faith in the righteousness of their beliefs, and are painfully stubborn in defending those beliefs -- even if, as they demonstrated before Ragou's death, that they are capable of seeing from other perspectives. Flynn thinks the law is absolute, and will uphold it under all circumstances -- he even arrested a hungry child who stole from a rich and greedy merchant. He's confident in the government's ability to change, given time. On the other hand, Yuri believes that the government will never change -- or at least, not fast enough -- and feels that breaking free of that government's confines is the only way to make any impact on it. He tells Flynn to stop attempting the "impossible", but Flynn points out that he hasn't changed anything either. Each of them represents an extreme.

ESTELLE: You really trust Flynn, don’t you?
YURI: Only because there’s no one else I can trust.

Despite this, and despite their disagreement over Yuri's murders, it's clear that the two are still firm friends. There is, thankfully, no angst between them, and they they handle any differences between them with maturity. Moreover, they know they can trust each other -- Yuri can count on Flynn to do his job, and Flynn knows he can depend on Yuri to protect Estelle. They may not see eye to eye, but they are confident in the other's righteousness, strength, and ability. There is more than just respect; they know that even though they are on opposite sides of the law, the other will always come through.

It's for that reason that I'm actually quite hesitant to apply the "rivals" label to their relationship; although Flynn and Yuri engage in the cliche one-on-one battle near the end of the game, it's done on very friendly terms. They even collapse in the field laughing afterwards, almost as if they were kids again. Unlike many stories that come out of Japan, theirs isn't centered on the bravado and conflict that inevitably will come out of a best friends/rivals relationship; it's more about the mutual trust they have for each other, despite stubbornly standing by their beliefs.

about this site

I first started writing Outlaw Torn in February 2009, but gave up due to lack of time and interest. The one-page format, as it turned out, was a great way to collect my writing from back then. The current incarnation features my five most complete and well-written essays on Yuri's vigilante habits. I tried to come up with a new one to accompany them but I haven't played Vesperia in a while, and my memory of the game's story isn't all that clear.

I kept the layout I originally made in 2009 because I still think it looks pretty cool. It uses scans from Eternal Manga Scanlations and a shitload of watercolor textures.

The name Outlaw Torn originates from a Metallica song. The lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with Yuri, but the name certainly fits with his cowboy personality.

links out

Once I scrounge up some Tales of Vesperia sites, this section will have content! In the meantime, if you have one you'd like to share, send it my way for consideration.

Here are some shitty buttons for you to use.