#Dohalim and Kisara are literally the Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye of Tales don’t you see

[olivesandwax]

I am nearly finished with Arise and feel the need to desperately sort out my feelings on the beloved Lord Dohalim because he is giving me a severe case of brainrot.

I am so in love with this character ;_; He is truly the most complete character in Arise... maybe in the Tales series? Out of the Tales games I have played, only Luke or Emil come close to Dohalim's amount of growth. I will be the first to admit that Arise is not perfect--great game overall, probably a mediocre Tales game against the other titles. I stuck around for so long because Alphen and Shionne are so dear to me. However, it's with certainty that I can say I will be replaying it for 50+ more hours solely due to Dohalim. 

Where do I even start?! Dohalim is best consumed if you consider him like a fine wine. Aside from his stunning design and introduction, he is fairly unremarkable and low key until quite late in the game where he receives a series of absolutely beautiful development. That he earns so much of his growth in the final portions is absolutely criminal! But honestly, I get it, because Dohalim makes the most sense in retrospect, looking backwards on his upbringing and through the lens of trauma. Glorious trauma.

This man is chock full of contradictions. He can spout off the wisest observations of ordinary things, but his outsider-looking-in philosophical approach causes him to appear callously inconsiderate for people's feelings in doing so. He has immeasurable musical talent and a thirst for knowledge... and yet he is a manchild who cannot even dress himself without assistance. He has an astonishing amount of empathy for the common man and woman, and yet makes the most oblivious comments about Dahnans, completely out of touch with the enslaved lives they have led. (The etiquette skit encapsulates this.) He maintained a peaceful realm for 7 years without systemic slavery, but only because hearing the cries of those same slaves would cause him to repeatedly relive the worst day of his life. That last one… what selfishness! When I say this man has flaws, he has them in droves.

And yet I find all those flaws and contradictions so enriching and real. Fantasy elements aside, Dohalim is one of the few Tales characters who actually feels like a real person with believable motivations and complexities. It’s incredible to me that I missed a lot of his nuance. The pain he carries from being forced into public service; the unforgiving critical eye he turns towards himself; the need for him to constantly raise the bar on any perceived successes; purposely blinding himself to the truth right under his rule; creating a fairytale realm just to hide from his past. That sort of self-loathing character hits just right every time lmao. So much responsibility and pressure crammed into a sweet boy who just wanted to play his violin... Literally tears me apart lol ;(

By the end of Arise, he is 100% a better person. He takes all of Rinwell’s, Law’s, and especially Kisara’s criticisms, LISTENS to them, and transforms into the individual he could only pretend to be at first. He truly finally gets it—what people need from a leader and how he can use his privileges to accomplish it. Honestly, Kisara’s frustration with Dohalim is completely understandable. She put all her chips on the table for Dohalim and he destroyed her worldview. But just like the player, she watches and guides him to the point where he finally can stand confidently on his own. The skit where she sadly reflects on all his accomplishes in Lenegis is one of my favorites. You can see the love she has for him as a lord and how much she still wants to remain in his life even if he’s outgrown her as a guide.

The point is, Dohalim’s transformation is some of the best stuff Tales has done recently, and I’m so sad I’m nearing the end of Arise ;_;