- This page is about the character in Phantasy Star. For the antagonist in Phantasy Star Online 2, see Lutz Cero Rey Cuento.
- "...Our duty is clear; We must protect the planets of the Algol System from evil."
- — Lutz agrees to join Alis' party
Lutz (Japanese: ルツ), called Noah in the English version of Phantasy Star, is a powerful Wizard who is playable in Phantasy Star and appears in Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium. He is an Esper who originally lived on Motavia.
Lutz has an androgynous character design and thus was mistaken as being female for the US version of Phantasy Star. However, the brief animation of a shirtless Lutz awakening in Phantasy Star II, the updated PS2 animation, the official concept art and various other sources confirms that Lutz is indeed male.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Lutz is a tall, frail man with a delicate face commonly depicted in an almost bishounen style. He has long blue hair commonly hidden beneath his white, hooded mantle.
His esper wardrobe is usually depicted either blue or purple with gold trimmings and a matching gold priestly crown that wraps around his forehead. His footwear varies between closed toe shoes colored black or brown open toe leather sandals.
Personality[]
Lutz has a very self-centered, serious personality. Despite this, if his stern exterior is broken and someone manages to gain his trust, as Alis Landale once did, Lutz becomes a very motivated and loyal companion.
He initially refused anyone that attempted to speak to him during his self-imposed isolation in Maharu Cave so that he could continue his strict esper training. It was not until Alis Landale presented a letter from the Governor did he stop what he was doing. After reading the contents of the note, he agreed that it was their duty to save Algol from destruction.
Full Name[]
Lutz' full name was revealed in a short comic, Phantasy Star: Out Side Saga, and in text from Phantasy Star Generation 2. Roughly translated, his full name is either Mizerith Lutz Iysa Lanai or Mizerith Lutz Ether Lanai (Japanese: ミゼリス・ルツ・イーサ・ラナイ), although the second translation is less likely since イーサ is commonly only found in the Japanese word for Ethernet. エーテル is the Japanese word for ether, however, it could be possible that part of his name is a play on the word ether due to his magical heritage.
When Alis revealed his full name in the comic, the esper preferred simply being called Lutz.
Biography[]
Phantasy Star[]
Lutz in Phantasy Star.
Lutz was training in Naula Cave at the time of the game's events. He is arrogant, and will refuse to have anything to do with the player if they do not have the request from the Governor of Motavia. Once the player presents the note to him, however, he joins the group without hesitation. While Lutz is the weakest in terms of defense, he boosts powerful magic abilities, making him a vital part of the team.
Further into the game, the group meets Lutz's master, a man by the name of Tarimal. Upon hearing of his intention to challenge Lassic, he faces Lutz in a one-on-one duel, calling it the final test. When beaten, he declares that Lutz is ready to face Lassic and gives him a Frad Mantle as a gift.
Lutz, along with Alis, Myau, and Odin, eventually succeed in killing Lassic and toppling his government. Subsequently, he and the others face and defeat Dark Force, who was attempting to possess the governor of Motavia.
Phantasy Star II[]
Lutz in Phantasy Star II.
Following the events of the first game, Lutz, along with other Espers, emigrated to Dezolis, where they established the Esper Mansion. Realizing that the world would need him again someday, he went into Cryogenic Sleep for one thousand years. He emerged from sleep briefly ten years prior to the game's events in order to save Rolf from a devastating spaceship crash from which no one else survived.
Lutz awakening in Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
When Rolf and company find the Esper Mansion, they are taken to Lutz, who has just awakened from sleep. He reveals that Rolf is the last descendant of Alis Landale and as such is the only hope for Algo. He then tasks the party with finding the eight Nei Weapons, giving them the Aero-Prism in order to make the dungeons within which the weapons lie dormant visible.
Once the weapons are found, he then explains his theory of Mother Brain as a Devil's Trap. He then gives Rolf the Neisword and transports the group to Noah, the spaceship where Mother Brain is located. At anytime, the player can return to Lutz, who will heal the player.
Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium[]
Rune, Lutz's reincarnation.
Lutz, as he appears in Phantasy Star IV.
- Main Article: Rune Walsh
By the games events, the original Lutz had died. Before his death, he had discovered a way to pass memories and abilities to others. In this way, Lutz was able to ensure that long after he died, someone would always be able to watch over Algo. Rune Walsh is the fifth-generation Lutz, tasked with protecting the galaxy. Like Lutz in the first Phantasy Star, he is arrogant, having a tendency to argue a lot with Chaz. Despite this, it is Chaz that he chooses to become the next protector, and by the end of the game has developed some respect for him.
The original Lutz makes two cameos in the game. The first is right after Kyra Tierney is rescued, and the second is when Chaz sees the spirits of all the former protectors of Algo.
Gameplay Data[]
Weapons[]
Since he is focused more on spell-casting, Lutz' choice of weaponry is limited to lightweight equipment.
| Image | Name | Stats | Price | Acquisition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Wood Cane ウッドケイン |
+3 ATK | 25 
|
Abion |
|
Short Sword ショートソード |
+4 ATK | 30
|
Paseo |
|
Wand サイコウォンド (Psycho Wand) |
+10 ATK | 1,200
|
Skure |
Armor[]
Lutz' primary choice of defensive garments mostly include flowing mantles, but he can also wield a laser shield into combat.
| Image | Name | Stats | Price | Acquisition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
White Mantle ホワイトマント |
+5 DEF | 78
|
Loar |
|
Frade Mantle フラードマント |
+40 DEF | — | Tarzimal's Cave |
|
Laser Shield レーザーバリア (Laser Barrier) |
+30 DEF | 4,800
|
Abion |
Magic[]
Lutz casting a magic spell on a dragon.
Lutz primarily focuses on powerful offensive spells in the original classic and its remake in contrast to Myau's defensive abilities. However, he is also capable of supporting the group with his party-wide curative magic and status inflicting abilities.
| Phantasy Star | Generation 1 | ||
| Magic | Level Learned | Magic | Level Learned |
| Cure | Level 1 | Hewn | Level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Level 1 | Flaeli | Level 1 |
| Exit | Level 6 | Tandle | Level 1 |
| Tele | Level 8 | Doheal | Level 1 |
| Wind | Level 12 | Hypnose | Level 1 |
| Prot | Level 14 | Exit | Level 1 |
| Open | Level 17 | Rebirth | Level 1 |
| Thun | Level 18 | Giflaeli | Level 22 |
| Rise | Level 20 | Silence | Level 22 |
| Raheal | Level 26 | ||
| Gihewn | Level 28 | ||
| Gitandle | Level 32 | ||
| Open | Eppi Village Chief | ||
Other Appearances[]
Phantasy Star gamebook
Phantasy Star Adventure Book[]
Of the three adventure titles published by Futabasha for the Phantasy Star original classics, one of them was a choose your own adventure story about Phantasy Star. Featured on the cover is Alis and her friends in slightly modified costumes.
Depending on the reader's choices, the ending and situations Lutz finds himself in could change drastically from the events of the video game. The game books were only published in Japan.
Segagaga[]
Lutz in Segagaga
One of the main characters from the video game Segagaga is a blonde woman with glasses named Alis that works as a secretary for the Segagaga project.
Near the end of the game, she abandons her secretary disguise and arms herself with a suit of armor, sword, and shield in order to fight against Dogma alongside other Sega members. Her agents, Odin and Lutz, do the same with their secret service suits and replace them with their traditional wardrobe from the original game.
Phantasy Star Online 2[]
Lutz brandishing the demonic Ephemeral flower
A counterpart of Lutz, under the full name Lutz Cero Ray Cuent, appears in Phantasy Star Online 2. In this game, he is the ruler of Cuent, a kingdom situated within the alternate dimension of Omega that exists parallel to that of Oracle.
Trivia[]
- According to the official Phantasy Star Collection, Lutz is 184cm tall, or about 6′-0″.[1]
- Lutz was originally going to be the main character of Phantasy Star II,[2] however, this was changed in the final product.
- In a 1993 developer interview published in the World of Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star I and II character designer Rieko Kodama revealed that the original story drafts had planned on making Lutz a hermaphrodite.[2]
- Lutz's full name was coined by Rieko Kodama for Yasushi Yamauchi's manga sequel, Phantasy Star: Outside Saga.[3]
Gallery[]
- The Phantasy Star wiki has an extensive image gallery for this character.
References & Notes[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Phantasy Star Collection page 6
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Speaking of the memorable characters in Phantasy Star, Lutz had quite an impact with players, didn’t he?
Kodama: Actually, when I created the first draft of the characters for Phantasy Star II, I made Lutz the main character. By the way, since so many people have asked whether Lutz is male or female, let me say a little about that. In the original story drafts of Phantasy Star, Lutz was a hermaphrodite, and as Alisa grew up, Lutz could become male or female. I thought that was interesting so I depicted Lutz that way."
—Phantasy Star 1993 Developer Interview From the “World of Phantasy Star.” Translation provided by shmuplations. - ↑ Judy Totoya on Twitter