
Zelos Wilder is a key protagonist in the video game Tales of Symphonia. Zelos is the Chosen One from Tethe'alla. He is rarely serious and acts as a comic relief for the group, always ready to cheer the party up at heavy-hearted moments. Quite the ladies' man (one of his possible titles is called Gigolo, which he gets by speaking to every female character in the world, while another, Casanova, can be received by his being in a party with three female characters), he has the ability to charm every woman he sees, who in turn give him gifts (the player will be able to take this advantage in the game). Zelos is quite handsome, and approaches most situations hoping to meet or impress any pretty girls nearby. He takes almost every opportunity to hit on his female team members, much to their annoyance, especially given the nicknames he gives them. He gets along poorly with Genis, whom he considers a brat.
However, he is actually quite perceptive, and can be surprisingly sensitive at times. After Corrine sacrifices himself to save Sheena at the Temple of Lightning, Sheena becomes depressed. In one of the optional Z-Skits, the player sees that Zelos is still acting lighthearted, as if Corrine had not just died. He is then chastised by the other members of the party for his lighthearted approach. When they leave, Zelos remarks to himself that, if the party members continue being visibly upset, Sheena will only get more depressed, and will not move on with her life; the only way to help her get over the loss is for them to move on.
Contrary to what one might assume, Zelos is actually very similar to Colette in some aspects. Both of them tend to bottle up any worries or insecurities they might be feeling and mask them with cheery personalities so that they don't have to deal with others in the party asking them if something is wrong. Both of them also have to deal with the consequences of hoarding such feelings, in that they suffer alone and they ultimately end up causing others in the party to feel guilt for not noticing that something was bothering them sooner.
He is voiced by Masaya Onosaka in the Japanese version of the game, and by Shiloh Strong in the English version of the game.
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