Kai no Kiseki Official Visual Collection Interview

President Kondo

Starting with what was received well– Agnes’ story and the introduction of the Sept-Terrion of Time, Laegjarn’s Chest. We had some concerns about how to depict the moment when the Sept-Terrion of Time appears given the international scale of its impact across Zemuria. However, through our time spent developing the Trails through Daybreak series and Ys X, our in-house 3D capability had improved significantly allowing us to portray it properly. What was unexpected, however, was the story distribution itself. We fully intend to properly conclude the Republic of Calvard arc. Before transitioning into full production of Trails Beyond the Horizon, we organized all details that had been ongoing since Trails in the Sky, identifying all the elements we “absolutely had to address” and determining what we wanted to resolve with this work. However, once we did that we realized we couldn’t fit it all into a single work (laughs). We fully understood this approach would be divisive but decided to present it in this form as a temporary stopping point. We’ve received many comments from players asking, “When will the sequel come out?” With the opportunity provided from splitting the story, we will make sure to properly cross the finish line of the Republic arc in a way that satisfies everyone.

President Kondo

It’s accurate to say many of the factions appearing in the story were aware that the Sept-Terrion of Time would trigger the phenomenon known as the “Grand Reset”, a temporal event which rewinds time. In fact, Ouroboros, a faction whose name is based on that same motif of a cyclical self-devouring serpent, was a group deeply involved in this event. However, the specific events that had unfolded at the end of Trails Beyond the Horizon was completely unforeseen by all factions, including Ouroboros.

President Kondo

No, rather it was President Gramheart’s response to the Sept-Terrion of Time. He had prepared 24 missiles, and by the time 8 of them had hit, the Sept-Terrion was already half-destroyed. Up until that moment, everything was within expectations… however, everything that followed was outside of them. It’s entirely possible Ouroboros themselves may have thought, “Calvard’s Space Force might actually succeed.” and other factions likely thought the same. But that hope was completely overturned in a singular moment. That would be the truly unforeseen event.

President Kondo

That’s a rather difficult question. When it comes to characters, Rean’s route gave off the strongest impression to players. As a story centered on Calvard, Agnes played a major role especially in the second half of the narrative where she takes on a significant responsibility. The ultimate development of Van’s route felt rewarding. As for Kevin, we were finally able to reveal details behind concepts we had been setting up since Trails in the Sky the 3rd. Players who had been waiting for Kevin’s return seemed to be satisfied as well.

President Kondo

This isn’t something we had decided in advance but both Kevin and Rean were characters we had planned to bring back in the Calvard arc. We had already begun to lay the groundwork for Rean’s return with Trails of Cold Steel IV. There were aspects of the story we were writing that just couldn’t be told from Van’s perspective alone so we used this as an opportunity to depict them from the perspectives of Kevin and Rean as well since they ultimately belong to differing factions. That’s why we had chosen to develop Trails Beyond the Horizon with the structure of three separate routes.

President Kondo

Agnes ended up becoming so much more popular than we expected. Her pivotal role in the arc hadn’t yet been unveiled in Trails through Daybreak II. However, in Trails Beyond the Horizon it was finally revealed she would play the role of Tuner, an individual involved with the very fate of the continent of Zemuria itself. Though she was rejected by Van in the main scenario, we made a conscious effort to convey her initiative and strength of will. This may have contributed unilaterally to the support she received from players. Another way to say it is, in our so-called “heroine race”, it seems the Agnes faction made a pretty significant comeback. As for others, Rean and Shizuna remain as popular as ever… Sword-wielding characters are incredibly strong..

President Kondo

We’ve also begun to explore elements surrounding Shizuna’s relationships with others. We intend on diving more into these aspects in the future.

President Kondo

He just seems to be enjoying himself in all sorts of ways now. It kind of feels like he’s established his own unique, personal sense of style… kind of like a certain phantom thief (laughs). Even just looking at his choice of clothing and mannerisms, he has completely moved on from the heavy burdens he shouldered in Trails of Cold Steel and Trails into Reverie. And as a result we were able to portray him as a character with a greater sense of roguish freedom than anyone else. It should also be said that the staff member responsible for writing Rufus’ sections had a ton of fun working on them, as well!

President Kondo

Actually, the production of the action-centric Ys X served as the staff’s training ground. There’s a strong confidence internally that this experience has paid off which resulted in the direction you see within Trails Beyond the Horizon.

President Kondo

Those particular scenes had the boldest direction and it seems players were just as taken aback by it. I personally feel it turned out to be something quite unexpected from a Falcom work in the best way possible.

President Kondo

To put it bluntly, the very tragedy Epstein had been warning of has now come to pass. One of the most significant factors influencing this outcome were the actions taken by Hamilton. At its core her actions attempted to carry on Epstein’s will. She devised the “Alter Core” in the hopes of guiding the world to a better dawn in her own way. Various different people gathered around such a hope, and she made use of those relationships as her plans came to fruition. But one singular event had occurred at this critical juncture: the defeat of the Calvard Republic’s Space Force. As a result, Agnes cast aside her Humanity and, for the time being, halted the “Grand Reset”... this is where her story currently ends. As for why things turned out this way, we plan to reveal all of this within the next work.

President Kondo

Kincaid has his own stance on these events. We’ll be exploring that, including what motivated him to transform into Grendel=Shaddai, as the story continues to unfold.

President Kondo

There’s a lot to consider here. For example, we know Risette came from the future of a previous loop but we don’t yet know which loop’s future she had come from. Considerations like these should be thought of as major mysteries going forward.

President Kondo

Actually, the number 7 is incredibly important to the overarching narrative but, at this moment of time in the story, I cannot share why. I will also decline to comment on why the loop count was set to as high a number as 20,000. However, what I can share is that the number 7 has been a key value since the very initial conceptualization of this series long ago. In fact, even as early as Trails in the Sky, we already had an idea of what this value truly means. However, in keeping with how our production tends to work, we flesh out the finer details as we develop, work on and produce the ongoing narrative. Of course, this means there may be elements that have yet to be fully realized.

President Kondo

It’s already been mentioned and hinted at throughout the series that there are concepts existing beyond the closed world of the Zemurian continent… For example, McBurn, who was once a Demon King from another world. As for whether the phenomenon known as the Grand Reset in Zemuria can interfere with concepts like that… I’ll have to refrain from commenting just yet.

President Kondo

Agnes’ actions align with the course of events Epstein had foreseen. Though it treads a very fine line, it is permissible within the purview of the Septian Church. Hamilton, however, has taken Epstein’s will and added an extraneous element to it. Nina has unequivocally rejected this action on the merit of it violating the natural order of the Zemurian continent. This distinction will be a significantly important point going forward.

President Kondo

Hamilton was essentially trying to “hack” the Sept-Terrion of Time and the means to that end was throwing “impossibilities” at it. That’s why the members of the “Vestiges” are all entities that shouldn’t fundamentally exist, they are "impossibilities".

President Kondo

“Good fight” is a severe understatement, she actually cornered it quite perfectly. Moreover, Gramheart and Calvard had thoroughly prepared enough military strength to respond to what they assumed as the most unforeseen situations. Other factions acknowledged the Republic’s operation and continued to make their own preparations but for the most part were observing from the sidelines. The fact that this was overturned means that something truly extraordinary had emerged. It indicates that something happened to the Sept-Terrion of Time that was powerful enough to overturn that difference in military strength. This will be important going forward.

President Kondo

Thinking logically, one would arrive at that conclusion. However… is that really the case here?

President Kondo

This actually goes quite far back. The time element had already existed as early as Trails in the Sky and we had decided then that its Sept-Terrion would be related to the concept of Time. Coincidentally, during the Crossbell arc it was initially proposed to name the first game, Koku no Kiseki. However, the idea was rejected as we had already decided the Sept-Terrion of Time would debut in the Calvard arc. And so the game became Zero no Kiseki (Trails from Zero).

President Kondo

We had broadly established the background and lore surrounding each of the Sept-Terrion back during Trails in the Sky, however, we hadn’t decided the specific events that would depict them until we had entered their respective arcs. Within the Crossbell arc that resulted in a stand-in for the already lost Sept-Terrion of Mirage and then, in the Erebonia arc, the Sept-Terrion of Fire and Sept-Terrion of Earth had been fused.

President Kondo

Earlier. We had started conceptualizing the depiction of the Sept-Terrion of Time while we were working on Trails to Azure, it was tied intimately to the depiction of the Azure Tree. From there, it started taking on a more concrete form as we progressed through the Erebonia arc until we knew exactly how to portray it in the Calvard arc. And we became increasingly confident in our depiction as the Normal and Good endings of Trails of Cold Steel IV took form. By the time production of Trails through Daybreak I was going full-force we had all the details sorted out.

President Kondo

In regards to various historical events that have occurred across the Zemurian continent, we will stay true to what we’ve previously stated: “The Calvard arc will depict various different eras across time.” There is certainly, absolutely, no reason for us not to follow-up on this in the sequel to Trails Beyond the Horizon. Calvard’s own history will be explored as well throughout that work– whether that’s the appearance of storied towns with an abundance of history or by casting a spotlight on prominent historical figures. Both elements will serve as key focal points of the next work.

President Kondo

Well, it’s reasonable to expect more characters to appear in the future and so we’ll need a setting where players can interact freely with their favorite characters. However, we’ve done formats like Grim Garten quite often and so we’d like to try something new next time. How that takes form is something we’re working on, please look forward to it.

President Kondo

That’s right. Well, as far as Campanella is concerned, Calvard’s defeat and Agnes’ sacrifice were entirely unexpected. And their plan has not yet been brought to completion. And we still don’t know what the ultimate objective of this plan is… but that will be unveiled in the next work.

President Kondo

Yes, there is meaning behind it. Looking back, there’s several characters whose name includes an initial. Laura S. Arseid from Trails of Cold Steel where the “S” came from Lianne Sandlot whom the Arseid family once served.

President Kondo

For now you can just think of it as something like a variable. Though Novartis did bring something special to the table this time around.

President Kondo

He really did lay his heart bare. This doesn’t necessarily mean his reputation has improved much, of course he’s still a bad guy, but we did see that he is someone controlled by a sense of desperation.

President Kondo

This was an important episode to showcase just how human each of them were in respect to where they were standing. That said, recent members like Ulrika, are also just as colorful. It seems like quite a challenge having so many people around that are a handful (laughs).

President Kondo

It doesn’t matter how you look at it, that’s almost certainly the case, isn’t it? (laughs) These are new models, prepared for this particular moment, by factions that knew the Grand Reset was imminent. You should think of it as units specifically engineered to counter whatever comes next.

President Kondo

As of now we have three distinct schools: Taito, Gekka and Kunlun. It might be a style that belongs to one of these three schools or it might be a school that has yet to appear in the series.

President Kondo

Walter originally walked the path of Taito but ultimately took the best aspects of various martial arts based on that foundation and turned it into something akin to his own style. He’s taken on a somewhat flexible approach to mastery. It’s possible that he has some connection to the Enforcer who uses a fist-based martial art. However, since Taito has been explored in sufficient detail up until this point, it’s reasonable to assume that Enforcer No. XII belongs to a different school.

President Kondo

The Dominion Wazy and his squire Abbas are also practitioners. However, it’s not entirely clear yet whether the previously mentioned Enforcer has a connection to the Kunlun school.

President Kondo

We had already decided on their inclusion by the time production on Trails through Daybreak I began.

President Kondo

That’s right. Actually we had designed some characters by working backwards from the idea of them joining the Vestiges.

President Kondo

Other examples include Melchior. We had decided right from the very beginning that he would have to make a return appearance, and designed his character with that detail specifically in mind.

President Kondo

There were three: Melchior, the Tyrant and, though their identity has yet to be revealed, the masked swordsman. The remaining members, however, were decided later. We knew from the outset that they would be attempting to “hack” the Grand Reset so our selection process was defined by asking: “Who would be the kind of person for whom that level of ‘impossibility’ would be ‘possible’?” As of this moment, there are currently 10 members. Quite a substantial lineup, wouldn’t you say?

President Kondo

That is correct. Fundamentally, these are figures from the past. However, given that Risette herself comes from a past future, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible for there to be characters among the Vestiges who have come from a similar future.

President Kondo

It’s possible that there are members Van and the others haven’t met in person. As for who they might be.. I’ll just say there have been a considerable amount of hints up until this point. I think some fans who’ve been closely following the series may have already figured out the identities of the remaining members.

President Kondo

It appears that the Executor is another entity that had arrived from a particular future though it isn’t explicitly stated whether or not it’s from the same loop as Risette. This will be an important point in future works.

President Kondo

That is correct. Artifacts fall into that category as well. Powerful relics operating on principles and phenomena that remain entirely unknown. Among these are those that were brought here from a future of a previous loop.

President Kondo

Now that we’ve finished Trails Beyond the Horizon we can finally, at long last, start talking about what exactly Artifacts are (laughs). Up until now, Artifacts were treated as OOParts, mysterious and anachronistic devices that are abundant in the fantasy genre. Being able to finally say, “This is what they are..” and allowing players to speculate over them more directly is an important moment for us.

President Kondo

Correct. The decision behind the name “Artifact” was intended to imply that these aren’t just relics that predate the Dark Ages but rather, objects that may have originated from a previous looped world.

President Kondo

We’ve done our best to make sure all the details remain congruent but… there is that persistent worry where we might end up with some inconsistencies to the lore (sweats).

President Kondo

We plan to depict the coastal city-state of Valis in the next work. The Principality of Elsaim stands as the strongest nation within the Central East and Valis is poised as a power which rivals it. It’s a maritime nation with deep historical roots. While Elsaim itself is made up of a singular ethnic group of darker complexion, Valis is a country where many different ethnicities mingle together. That’s one of its defining traits and a detail that should serve as a hint for its background.

President Kondo

Good question. Ethnically speaking Valis contains a myriad of different people, those with lighter complexion, darker complexion and even those of Eastern descent. It’s not hard to imagine those that make up the Five Great Families are just as diverse– that is, people from various backgrounds.

President Kondo

Given its nature as a coastal city-state, you can reasonably deduce it flourishes as a hub for trade. And of course, narrative elements and plot points will take advantage of that premise.

President Kondo

Details surrounding Valis were finalized once Trails through Daybreak I was firmly in development. However, the existence of a Middle-Eastern inspired nation had actually been part of the background work done with Trails in the Sky. We had known from the very beginning that Calvard and the regions surrounding it would be a melting pot of various different walks of life.

President Kondo

Yes, that’s correct. There’s some dialogue about this particular topic. And in fact, back during Trails through Daybreak I, we had a yearly list ranking the assets of banks in each region, and the city-state of Valis was ranked number one. We’ve been slipping in little bits of foreshadowing like that here and there throughout the arc (laughs).

President Kondo

Honestly, even now we’re still debating internally whether or not to officially introduce them in the next work and what that would look like. Just like the Pope, an S-rank Bracer is an incredible figure especially given [Arnold’s] seniority over the former S-rank Bracer, Cassius. The timing of his introduction requires careful consideration. Right now, we’re still discussing whether he would be better introduced alongside the key figures we plan to feature in the grand finale of the Trails series, which is planned to follow the sequel to Trails Beyond the Horizon.

President Kondo

Our intent is any detail that should receive closure will be given proper follow-through. Our approach for Connect Events has always been events that only Van should know about. Events that don’t necessarily fit into the main scenario where the various members of the Solutions Office are present. This will continue to be our approach going forward when it comes to Connect Events. We often receive feedback from players asking, “Why wasn’t this included in the main scenario?” and the aforementioned reason is why. Background details present since Trails in the Sky that require addressing will also be depicted in formats like the Memento Orb episodes rather than placed within the main scenario.

President Kondo

Van’s past was incredibly emotional but at its core the event was ultimately a story about the three childhood friends: Van, Elaine and Kincaid. Having every member of the Solutions Office chime in with their own comments wouldn’t have felt appropriate. We ultimately decided this depiction through the Connect Event was an agreeable compromise.

President Kondo

Their relationship isn’t ever explicitly discussed in the main scenario yet but it plays a central role within the narrative of the Calvard arc. This is especially true for Kincaid who, without sharing why, parted ways with his two childhood friends. I hope you’ll watch over how their relationship unfolds within the next work.

President Kondo

In this work we’ve made sure all Connect Events are viewable from the very first playthrough so please, do check them out!

President Kondo

It might be intentional, just a bit of fanservice (laughs). Honestly, the word “Nayuta” is just too charming. It’s no surprise fans of the Trails series would notice it.

President Kondo

Well, if you take it literally, then yes.

President Kondo

Yun Ka-Fai spent quite a bit, if not, all his time in the East didn’t he? Wouldn’t it be possible there’s a connection between Yun Ka-Fai’s actions and the Eight Leaves?

President Kondo

At its core, this is a summery story so we brainstormed several ideas centered around the concept of capturing that important, relaxed “summer” vibe. Though with that in mind, making the designs too relaxed would have been hard to justify in combat so there was a lot of fine-tuning and refining to ensure practicality as well.

President Kondo

Correct. We tailored each design to represent the character as best as possible. Aaron, for example, has a distinctly red image. Of the cast, the character who underwent the most significant changes throughout this process was Feri. We settled into giving her longer hair to make her seem just a bit more mature. This “young lady” vibe was intended to convey her own personal growth from her previous childlike naivety.

President Kondo

Trails through Daybreak II revealed that Quatre was an “Angel”, a gender-fluid entity capable of assuming either gender. Now that their closely held secret has been revealed, their costume was designed specifically to reflect this aspect of their writing.

President Kondo

I believe she looks even more summery now. Though Judith’s color palette differs between her casual wear and Grimcat outfit, her signature colors are definitely yellow or gold.

President Kondo

The uniform she wore in Trails through Daybreak I was the winter standard. We tried to retain the aesthetic of that uniform and adapt it into a summer-design specifically for this work.

President Kondo

I don’t think we ever agonized over any particular element too much. But we did experiment with several different variations. With the Tuner form appearing in the climax of the story, our goal was to create a distinct contrast between these two designs. We wanted to emphasize the unique state of a Tuner in that form and also the charm and personality of a girl her age with her new outfit.

President Kondo

When it comes to the pendant we wanted it to be subtle and poignant enough to make it noticeable that she’s wearing it. We decided to tone down the Bracer aesthetic and have her wear something more reflective of the influence Arkride Solutions Office had on her as compared to previous games in this arc. We wanted this design to strike a balance. An outfit that is roughly halfway between the look of a Bracer and that of an Arkride Solutions Office member.

President Kondo

Bergard did not appear in Trails through Daybreak II and given how strong his established design was from Trails through Daybreak I we felt it was fine to leave him as is. Actually, several proposals were put forth to change his design but it was ultimately decided that Bergard needed to strictly adhere to his original imagery as a “teacher”.

President Kondo

This particular work featured a lot of serious moments. If we went all-out on giving every single person a full-blown summer outfit it would contrast with the tone of the main scenario. Bergard is included in this. We actively worked with the condition to avoid overly-revealing attire, keeping the amount of exposed skin relatively modest despite the summer setting.

President Kondo

When it comes to sales, the bunny costumes were the most popular. Even now we’re thinking about what costumes to make next. We’ve tried quite a few different themes up until this point and it always ends up being a tough decision in the end. We’d love to hear suggestions from the players.

President Kondo

Agnes cast aside her human body to intervene in the Grand Reset, we wanted this design to conceptually draw upon motifs of Goddesses and angels. We ended up designing several variations based upon this very theme and are confident the final result is consistent with what we wanted to convey.

President Kondo

Honestly, we just enjoy creating a ton of different variants in the design phase (laughs). Even with all the different colors, the base color ended up remaining white.

President Kondo

That too is fundamentally based on the concept of a “transcendent being”. Comparing it to Van’s Grendel, it should evoke the feeling of, “Which one is actually the protagonist?” The ambiguity arising from this contrast serves to illustrate that point.

President Kondo

Differences like that tie directly into the very mystery behind Grendel=Shaddai.

President Kondo

That was the conceptual basis of, and one of the creative inspirations of, Grendel’s regular design. Honestly, the battle between Grendel’s in outer space ended up becoming such a spectacle as a result. It was a divine scene wher I kept thinking, “The team went all out with this!”

President Kondo

Of course there is. One of our internal rules for the Kiseki series is to not do things just because “it would look flashy”.

President Kondo

There was a proposal to have Rean wear a military uniform since he was traveling to Calvard per an official invitation but we decided that he would need to travel as inconspicuously as possible. We also felt that the aesthetic of his outfit from the “Another Hot Spring Paradise” episode in Trails into Reverie fit him best so we designed it based on that.

President Kondo

Altina left an incredibly strong impression through Trails of Cold Steel III and Trails of Cold Steel IV, and I had felt she was a remarkably well-designed character. Our goal with her appearance in this work was to surpass the Altina from then. We established a visual contrast between Altina and Millium in Trails of Cold Steel through assigning the color black to the former and white to the latter. Because Millium does not appear in this work, we took the bold decision to refine Altina’s color scheme to white.

President Kondo

She’s become a truly dependable individual having matured into her professional role a step ahead of the rest. Her design emphasizes this– her seniority or you can say her “instructor-like” quality. Unfortunately for her, her height hasn’t changed at all… (laughs).

President Kondo

He was still struggling with the ramifications of his actions up through Trails into Reverie. However, those chains holding him back are now gone. His design here was a result of asking ourselves, “If Crow wore something to represent who he truly was, would it be something like this?”

President Kondo

Now that’s an idea.

President Kondo

He was 21 years old when he first appeared in Trails in the Sky SC but in this work he is now 28… well into his late twenties. We wanted to design him with a certain sense of gravitas.

President Kondo

Compared to how he appears in Trails in the Sky SC, Kevin has a darker look about him this time around (laughs). Given the story within this work, the design was intended to evoke feelings of the person he was, “Heretic Hunter”, rather than the person he had become, “Thousand-Hand Guardian”.

President Kondo

It’s to be expected, Lapis is growing up after all. And Rufus would stand out looking like an aristocrat so he’s been effectively “Republic-fied”. We already had decided upon his black suit and sunglasses early into development.

President Kondo

He’s become so much more relaxed and authentic hasn’t he? Watching Rufus grow as a character into this work I couldn’t help but think, “Maybe this is the exact kind of person he’d become had he not been born into nobility.” He’s free-spirited and sincerely enjoys constantly being in a jam, it conveys that he’s growing as a person. And as a character, he continues to have room to grow.

President Kondo

That’d come as a surprise for him, wouldn’t it? Poor Jusis, he has even more things to worry about now (laughs).

President Kondo

There aren’t very many opinions like that. In fact, we received far more requests from players asking, “Make Lapis a playable party member!”

President Kondo

When Trails Beyond the Horizon had first been announced, many people were under the assumption Emilia was the protagonist. And in the climax she really shined as a “main” character given the role she played. However, since her battle took place in outer space she was unable to bring her companions along with her. It ended up being a lonely battle to the end.

President Kondo

We wanted to convey the characteristics of a pilot and drew a lot of inspiration from her time spent as Hermes. We wanted something similar to the costumes you’d see in the movie Top Gun.

President Kondo

The one she wears would exclusively be her own as space suits themselves are quite limited.

President Kondo

The details surrounding her and her design came together gradually over time. Her face was concealed behind a helmet in Trails through Daybreak I and we introduced her with the mindset of, “We’ll figure out the specific details as we go.” The red streaks in her hair are an intentional mirror to Van, a stylistic choice designed to create a visual counterpart to him. As you can imagine, this is a character whose design and backstory we established with a specific role in mind and with nothing but the utmost care from the development staff.

President Kondo

It wouldn’t be right to just leave things the way they were in the finale. Please, look forward to what comes next.

President Kondo

General Harring is a great example of the perfect “dad figure”, the kind of father you’d expect to see in a Hollywood movie. Gramheart is like that as well, given how he’s portrayed as being deeply devoted to his daughter. Yeah, Calvard seems to be full of wonderful fathers. Erebonia, on the other hand, tends to have stricter and less approachable father figures in comparison… just look at Osborne (laughs).

President Kondo

Now was the perfect time to reveal Kuuga Ka-Fai’s true name and face. We also felt it was the right moment to start digging into Shizuna’s character and past. By the way, it turns out Kurogane is an extremely handsome guy under his mask. This sort of reveal is starting to become somewhat of a Falcom staple at this point between this and Lieutenant Lorence’s reveal way back in Trails in the Sky FC.

President Kondo

We had already planned it by that point. Shizuna isn’t a minor character after all. She plays a crucial role within Calvard’s story.

President Kondo

It was pretty easy to figure out who it was just by how he looks and speaks, right? Giacomo met his end early in Trails through Daybreak I and was a rather unusual villain by this series’ standards.. I’m sure he left some form of an impression on people.

President Kondo

There’s several people like him acting together in a group after all. There’s some clear motivation behind Gotti’s actions.

President Kondo

There’s quite a few characters among the Vestiges. We began by preparing a generic male and female base model in the design proposal phase. From there, we refined each individual design and adjusted it according to the character inhabiting each garb.

President Kondo

We already had an idea of what the numbered Enforcers appearing in this arc would look like. Ulrika’s “gyaru” concept was also planned quite a bit in advance, and as we worked on Trails Beyond the Horizon, we refined it even further to make it more distinct. When thinking about the concept of “gyaru”, there are many different types out there, aren’t there?

President Kondo

It was honestly a first for me in many ways. I feel we struggled to really pull it off even just starting with the decision to characterize her as a “gyaru” (nervous sweating). As for her backstory, we’ve introduced the keyword “Power Words” but haven’t yet demonstrated the true extent of her capabilities. She’s a character with a lot of depth we still need to explore. The same can be said for Simeon as well who debuts in this work.

President Kondo

As of now, that’s true. Given that we paired her with Novartis in this work, she ends up coming across as an energetic young girl looking after the old Doctor (laughs). Throughout the work you’ll only see her upper body through the video feed but we did actually create a full-body model for her. We will be able to showcase her in her entirety in the future at some point, so please look forward to it!

President Kondo

Compared to Ulrika, Simeon needed to emphasize fantasy. Our goal was to convey a unique sense of an unsettling and grand presence fitting for the designation No. VII. The hat felt appropriate.

President Kondo

That’s right. It wasn’t just his design that we struggled with but his backstory and character concept as well. We had many design proposals, many of which felt very subdued, and took our time carefully narrowing down the perfect one. The one design element we agonized over the longest was his hat. It ended up being a crucial detail to establish his personality since removing it gave a completely different impression of the character.

President Kondo

Simeon and Bleublanc would certainly have conversations that make it seem like they get each other when in reality they actually don’t (laughs). That type of dialogue would be incredibly fun.

President Kondo

The mysteries surrounding Simeon will be revealed in future works.

President Kondo

During development Trails through Daybreak I. Conceptually, we wanted to convey two details: an anomalous foreign technology and a colossal super-structure. The biggest challenge we faced was conveying both of these ideas together. You mention that it looks “mechanical” but rather than an industrial, machine-like design we aimed to create something truly alien that made players go, “How does this even exist?”

President Kondo

Honestly, I was expecting someone to ask about this during my first interview with Dengeki but, thankfully enough, no one brought it up. I was actually relieved! (laughs)

President Kondo

Our goal was to give it a design unlike anything else in this series because this entity belongs to a classification that the Trails series has not yet seen. We applied that perspective when designing both the Sept-Terrion of Time and its Guardians. We even went so far as to create a half-destroyed design for the Sept-Terrion of Time as well. Just when we had finally finished finalizing its design, the scenario team came up and went, “We’ll need a half-destroyed version as well.” The staff member in charge was absolutely baffled! (laughs)

President Kondo

Given what it’s capable of, it seems likely to possess something like that.

President Kondo

It’s important to note that despite being destroyed to that extent, the core unit is operating just fine. There may be some lingering effects but you’ll see what that entails in the next work.

President Kondo

We really struggled with its design. The goal was to create something that surpassed both the Divine Knights and the Soldat’s that had appeared in the series up until this point. A creation that would truly stand out amongst them all. Additionally, since it debuted in the entirety of its capacity at the very end of Trails Beyond the Horizon, we were motivated to imbue it with an unyielding sense of individuality. We took great care to ensure its design wouldn’t overlap with, or be mistaken for, units from other mecha works. Given there’s a scene where Excalibur battles against Soldat’s piloted by Rean and Crow, we aimed for a design that would hold its own and look like their equal when placed side-by-side.

President Kondo

Excalibur would have simply gotten lost in the background if it fought by itself since the battle took place with the vast expanse of space acting as the background. This is why we decided to equip it with “bit” weapons. We wanted to increase its area of engagement and make it truly stand out. Once I had seen the finalized version, I finally understood why mecha designs across various works like Gundam often take on a similar form. If you want a unit to make a truly spectacular impression in the depths of space, this is the form it needs to take.

President Kondo

As we were designing Excalibur we took inspiration from our own history going as far back as to borrow elements of Trails in the Sky FC’s Reverie. We approached Excalibur by creating a numerous amount of initial variations and then collaging them together. We mixed and matched various elements going, “This head works best.” or “This shoulder piece fits better than that one.” We even went so far as to fold the paper right then and there to test out different combinations. Through this rigorous and iterative process, the quality of the final design continued to rise. We had the same approach with the Divine Knights as well which resulted in their standout level of quality. I believe this is why we were ultimately approached with the opportunity to transform them into plastic model kits. We invested the same amount of time and effort into Excalibur in order to ensure that it would surpass even the Divine Knights.

President Kondo

It means a lot to hear that. Looking back at our history, I never would have imagined that a visual spectacle such as this would actually be created by us. It’s a deeply emotional moment.