Rubens

Rubens
Legend of Mana artwork Echoes of Mana screenshot Legend of Mana artwork
First appearance	Legend of Mana (1999)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Title(s)	Jumi Knight of Ruby The Flame of Hope Ruby Knight Jumi of the Lucidia
Homeland	Bejeweled City
Faction	Jumi Knight
Role	Support
Gender	Male
Species	Jumi
Voice actor(s)	Shōgo Yano (Anime JP)

Rubens is a supporting character in Legend of Mana and a recurring character in the Mana series.

Background

Rubens is the Jumi of Ruby, and was born in the Bejeweled City along with his fellow comrades. Like all Jumi Knights, he was paired up with his undisclosed Guardian, although it is strongly hinted to be Diana. Under the command of Diana, the Jumi of Diamond, the clan waged war against the Deathbringer's army and used Florina as her tears would replenish their ranks indefinitely. Later on, following the tragic hunting of the Jumis during the search of the seventh Mana Stone, most of the jewel folk died by lessening their energy flow through their core to protect the secrets of their clan. Mages were also after the Jumi's cores due to alleged rumors about them harboring rare mystical proprieties. The remaining Jumi population left their homeland of Etancel, the Bejewled City and concealed their identities to the best of their abilities.

Concealing his identity as the Jumi of Ruby, Rubens fled to the Gatto Grottoes where he was hired as the temple's guardian of the flame. He was separated from his girlfriend during the evacuation and gave up on locating her. This event and the depleting Jumi population left him deeply depressed and nihilistic.

History

Legend of Mana

“A man who has given up everything. He is hiding the fact that he is the Jumi of Ruby.”

—In-game Encyclopedia

The Flame of Hope

The protagonist encounters Rubens at his post halfway on the path to the Temple of Healing in Gatto Grottoes. If Elazul tagged along with the hero, then Elazul raises the question for a second if Rubens was a Jumi, but Rubens dodges that by saying that Elazul must be thinking about somebody else. After watching the event with the Nun and the aching Sproutling near the cliff, Rubens asks the main character if they have spotted someone suspicious around since he has heard of a thief going after the temple's flame. He shrugs if off, however, saying Inspector Boyd must be exaggerating.

A while later, the Jumi of Ruby is seen with the same Nun and Sproutling on the aforementioned cliff. The leafy creature still begging for his Popo Bug to be removed, the Nun reveals that insects like these can cure nearly every ailments, making them a rare and expensive find. She asks Rubens if he wants to revive her petrified girlfriend but the Jumi Knight replies he doesn't want to hurt anyone, as extracting the bug from the Sproutling could be painful. The Nun scolds him for being too soft and not being able to protect anyone.

hen the Hero and Elazul speak to him again, Rubens is the one to ask if Elazul was a Jumi, to which he responds that he is not only a Jumi, but also the Jumi Knight of Lapis Lazuli, leading to Elazul guessing if Rubens was the Jumi Knight of Ruby. Rubens then chastises Elazul for revealing his identity; people would still be hunting the cores of any living Jumi. Elazul then says that he is looking for any living Jumi so he can reform the Jumi race once more. Rubens then questions Elazul's intentions, and Elazul says that it was only the natural thing to do. Rubens then calls Elazul's intentions stupid for thinking this. Elazul tries to tell Rubens that in other human's eyes, they looked like nothing more than living, breathing, balls of jewelry which is why Elazul is trying to reform the race. Rubens then grows tired of these shenanigans, and says if they had enough of the tomfoolery, to which Elazul decides not to waste his breath on a lost cause anymore. Elazul then tells the Hero/Heroine to not tell Pearl about Rubens as it would worsen her condition.

Returning to the cliff after witnessing the incident inside the Temple of Healing, the Nun discloses to Rubens her intention of taking the Popo Bug for herself. Seeing his unbothered reaction angers her, and she retorts be calling him callous for not being considerate about his girlfriend in Geo. Rubens is taken aback at the fact the Nun knows his sweetheart's whereabouts, and asks her how she knows about it. She doesn't answer, making Rubens press the question further. She replies by asking if she can take the bug is he doesn't want it and he complies. The Nun claims he doesn't care about the Sproutling dying or his girlfriend sleeping forever. The Jumi Knight replies he doesn't want to interfere on anybody's life nor does he wants to be stepped on either. It a fit of anger, the Nun knocks Rubens over, shouting she wants to see him shed tears. He replies he cannot, which makes the Nun rip his core from his chest. She is impressed to see him alive, but escapes before Inspector Boyd makes it in time. Boyd accuses the main character from wounding the Jumi but Rubens replies that it was the Nun who did it. The inspector finds out she must be Sandra in disguise and storms off. The Ruby Knight states he wanted to see Diana again in his dying breath, and passes away.

Teardrop Crystal

Rubens is revived by the protagonist's tears in the climax of the Teardrop Crystal quest along with every other slain Jumi. Together, they cry tears of crystal, summoning a great storm to undo the petrifying process on the main character. They do this with their tears, despite the unknown amount of life force it takes from their bodies. After a scene, the Hero is revived. After this, if Rubens is talked to in the Bejeweled City, Rubens merely thanks the main character. However, there is continued dialogue if the Hero keep talking to Rubens, and changes depending on whether the protagonist has Blackpearl or Elazul in their party.

Circle of Mana

Rubens makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 3 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	力	ルーベンス	珠魅の騎士	ルビーの珠魅	[光]輝石の座	[闇]断崖の炎の管理者	「最後の珠魅が砕け散るまで、俺はあきらめない。」 "I won't give up until the last charm is shattered."
SUR	力	ルーベンス[炎技師]	珠魅の騎士	ルビーの珠魅	[光]輝石座の騎士	[闇]希望の炎	「俺はルーベンス。ガトの町で炎の技師をしている。炎を絶やさないのが、俺の仕事だ。」 "I'm Rubens. I'm a flame engineer in the town of Gato. My job is to keep the flames alive."
SSUR	力	ルーベンス[炎技師]	珠魅の騎士	ルビーの珠魅	[光]輝石座の騎士	[闇]希望の炎	「幸せを望むなら、珠魅であることを忘れて生きなさい──今の私から言えるのは、それだけだ。」 "If you want happiness, forget about being a charmer and live your life - that's all I can say right now."

Echoes of Mana

Rubens appears in the third chapter of Season 2: Soulpepper: Wandering Bonds, where he is seen along with Esmeralda in the Underworld. The party comes across the deceased Jumis during their search for the elementals. Rubens is skeptical of Blainchet's motivation of calling his friends his kin, claiming people of the same tribe can be the most untrustworthy of all. He surmices that the wolfkin hasn't spent enought time with others of his clan to be so naive. He adds that his people perished due to betrayal by one of their own. He apologizes to Blainchet for being so grim and let them resume their search.

General information

Personality

Rubens in the anime

Right from the point at which he is first introduced in Legend of Mana, Rubens has been portrayed as one who cuts a figure of melancholic pessimism, completely devoid of the ability to see the light of hope in the world existing around him. In response to a nun's taunting reminder of his position as the Knight of Diana in The Flame of Hope, Rubens assumes an evasive stance, never truly addressing the matter and persisting on a desire to be "left alone".

Despite this immense negativity, however, once Rubens is without his Flame of Hope in the Underworld, he has not given up his will and has regained it. Once he is restored to life thanks to the Hero/Heroine's Teardrop Crystal, he reverts to his rather serious and non-loquacious self, but is no longer full of pessimism.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Rubens.

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  Ruben's entry
  Legend of Mana screenshot

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  Ruben's portrait
  Legend of Mana: Remastered sprite

	Randi --"Whoa! What's a Rabite doing in a place like this?"
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