TV-Series
Description
Ashton Anchors is a young swordsman from the planet Expel who serves as a key member of the main party in the anime Star Ocean EX. He is a man of twenty years, standing at 180 centimeters in height, with brown hair and green eyes. His life is defined by a singular, bizarre misfortune: a two-headed dragon is fused to his back. This accident occurs during his first encounter with the protagonists Claude C. Kenny and Rena Lanford. Ashton is initially found fighting the dragon in the narrow Salva Mines, but he becomes distracted by the cheers of Claude and Rena, who are watching from the sidelines. The dragon uses this opening to attack, but instead of harming Ashton, the two heads magically merge onto his body, leaving them permanently attached over his shoulders.
Ashton blames Claude and Rena for his predicament and forcibly joins their group, demanding they take responsibility and help him find a way to remove the dragons. Despite his gruff complaints about his situation, his personality is actually quite gentle, modest, and timid. He is often perceived as a bit of a goof and is not particularly brave, frequently showing fear towards the monsters the party encounters, which provides a continuous source of comic relief. He is also a genuinely unlucky individual, a trait that affects many aspects of his life. One of his most peculiar quirks is an unexplained and intense fascination with barrels, to the point where he can identify a barrel's origin by touching and smelling it.
In the story, Ashton acts as both a comic foil and a capable warrior. While his cowardice and clumsiness are played for laughs, his swordsmanship skills are first class. He is a practitioner of Symbological Fencing, a unique style that blends traditional swordsmanship with symbology, or heraldic magic, allowing him to imbue his twin blades with magical power. His primary motivation shifts over time. While he initially seeks to be rid of the dragons at any cost, his resolve changes when the party discovers a ritual to separate them. Upon learning that the exorcism would kill the two dragon heads, named Creepy and Weepy, he refuses to go through with it and instead decides to find a way to remove them without causing their deaths.
His key relationships are primarily with the party members who feel responsible for his plight. He shares a close bond with Claude and Rena, who vow to help him. He also has a one-sided affection for the young inventor Precis F. Neumann, though his personality often places him firmly in the "friend zone" with women. A significant part of his character dynamic involves the dragons themselves, Creepy (the red head) and Weepy (the blue head). Ashton can communicate with them and understand their growls and hisses. The dragons have distinct personalities and can even take full possession of Ashton's body; when this happens, his eyes change color to red for Creepy or blue for Weepy, and he retains no memory of the events afterwards.
Ashton’s development is subtle but significant. He begins as a mercenary seeking glory but ends up as a loyal friend who accepts his strange burden. His most notable abilities in combat are his fast, powerful physical attacks using his twin swords. He has access to several special techniques, including the ability to teleport to an enemy with Vanishing Swords, unleash a barrage of strikes with Hurricane Slash, and combine his power with the dragons to unleash elemental attacks like Dragon Breath, where Creepy and Weepy breathe fire and ice. Despite his low agility and terrible luck, which affect his running speed and critical hit rate, his offensive capabilities make him a formidable fighter.
Ashton blames Claude and Rena for his predicament and forcibly joins their group, demanding they take responsibility and help him find a way to remove the dragons. Despite his gruff complaints about his situation, his personality is actually quite gentle, modest, and timid. He is often perceived as a bit of a goof and is not particularly brave, frequently showing fear towards the monsters the party encounters, which provides a continuous source of comic relief. He is also a genuinely unlucky individual, a trait that affects many aspects of his life. One of his most peculiar quirks is an unexplained and intense fascination with barrels, to the point where he can identify a barrel's origin by touching and smelling it.
In the story, Ashton acts as both a comic foil and a capable warrior. While his cowardice and clumsiness are played for laughs, his swordsmanship skills are first class. He is a practitioner of Symbological Fencing, a unique style that blends traditional swordsmanship with symbology, or heraldic magic, allowing him to imbue his twin blades with magical power. His primary motivation shifts over time. While he initially seeks to be rid of the dragons at any cost, his resolve changes when the party discovers a ritual to separate them. Upon learning that the exorcism would kill the two dragon heads, named Creepy and Weepy, he refuses to go through with it and instead decides to find a way to remove them without causing their deaths.
His key relationships are primarily with the party members who feel responsible for his plight. He shares a close bond with Claude and Rena, who vow to help him. He also has a one-sided affection for the young inventor Precis F. Neumann, though his personality often places him firmly in the "friend zone" with women. A significant part of his character dynamic involves the dragons themselves, Creepy (the red head) and Weepy (the blue head). Ashton can communicate with them and understand their growls and hisses. The dragons have distinct personalities and can even take full possession of Ashton's body; when this happens, his eyes change color to red for Creepy or blue for Weepy, and he retains no memory of the events afterwards.
Ashton’s development is subtle but significant. He begins as a mercenary seeking glory but ends up as a loyal friend who accepts his strange burden. His most notable abilities in combat are his fast, powerful physical attacks using his twin swords. He has access to several special techniques, including the ability to teleport to an enemy with Vanishing Swords, unleash a barrage of strikes with Hurricane Slash, and combine his power with the dragons to unleash elemental attacks like Dragon Breath, where Creepy and Weepy breathe fire and ice. Despite his low agility and terrible luck, which affect his running speed and critical hit rate, his offensive capabilities make him a formidable fighter.