Crimson Wizard

Crimson Wizard
Trials of Mana HD artwork Trials of Mana artwork Echoes of Mana artwork Rise of Mana artwork Echoes of Mana screenshot
First appearance	Trials of Mana (1995)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Japanese name	紅蓮の魔道師; フランマEoM
Title(s)	Crimson Wizard
Faction	The Dragon Lord
Role	Antagonist
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Status	Dead
Voice actor(s)	Jpn: Riki Kitazawa, Yuuichi NakamuraToM HD Eng: Jay PrestonToM HD

This article is about The Crimson Wizard as a character. For the Crimson Wizard as a boss of Trials of Mana, see Crimson Wizard (Trials of Mana).

“Very well. You will soon understand how defenseless you are in the face of the power of darkness! I will show you myself!”

—Trials of Mana in-game dialogue

The Crimson Wizard is a secondary antagonist and boss in Trials of Mana. He also appears in other games in the series.

Background

Born with the name Framaus, the boy who would become the Crimson Wizard was an Altenish warlock-in-training who, mocked by his peers, could not adequately wield magic. For this, he was eventually driven out of the kingdom. One day, however, he came upon the body of a dying Dragon Lord, who enticed him with the promise of infinite power in exchange for rendering his aid. The boy complied, and rendered unto the Dragon Lord half of his own life force, thus becoming the mightiest mage and one of the most feared men in the world. Now driven to madness, he seeks even more power to put an end to any who tormented him, even going as far as to manipulate his own queen.

History

Trials of Mana

“A TALENTED MAGICIAN WITH UNTOLD DARK POWER -- As the True Queen's right-hand man, the Crimson Wizard orders the forces of Altena, the Kingdom of Magicians, to attack Valsena. He seeks to release the energy of the Mana Stones for an unknown, wicked purpose.”

—Square Enix Official Website

The Crimson Wizard returned to Altena, using his newfound power to quickly rise in rank. He was named prime advisor of the Altenish ruler, Valda the True Queen, and supreme commander of the Altenish army. He brainwashed Valda and started ruling Altena through her, ensuring she would take all blame.

The Crimson Wizard inflitrated Castle Valsena at night during Duran's opening gambit, where he killed and wounded several soldier during their guard duty. Alerted by the sound, Duran tracked the trespasser and tried to stop him, but the young trainee was no match for the powerful spellcaster. The Crimson Wizard was about to defeat him when reinforcement was call in the area, prompting him to exit the castle. He left not before mocking Duran and the Hero King for their incompetence, leaving a severe blow to the young soldier's ego. Duran vowed to travel and not to return to Valsena before settling scores with the sorcerer.

During Angela's opening gambit, the Crimson Wizard rallied the Altenish troops to wage war against the other nations in order to activate the Mana Stones, pretexing the danger caused by the waning power of Mana, which threatened Valda from keeping the polar country temperate. By releasing the energy of the Stones, the portal to the Sanctuary of Mana would open and allow Altena to seize the fabled Sword of Mana and gain immense magical powers and make the proud country of magicians regain his lost luster. He also made the True Queen summon Angela, daughter and heir to the throne, to inform her of their intention to start releasing the energy of the Waterstone near Altena. To do so, they needed to sacrifice her life in order to use an outlawed forbidden spell needed to activate the Mana Stones. He made it appear as a decision of Queen Valda herself, whose approval Angela craved. Distraught, Angela fled the palace, using magic for the first time of her life. Without delay, the Crimson Wizard ordered to print and spread wanted posters in Alrant, the nearest town, to capture the princess by force and frame her for treason.

After scouting the Valsenan territory, the Crimson Wizard planned the invasion of Valsena and sent troops all over Fa'Diel to unseal the Mana Stones. During his siege in Valsena, he sent altenish mages guarding the bridge in Stonesplit Gap to create a blockade. The chosen and their party members are confronted here and the mages end up using machine golems to blow up the bridge. A while later, the invasion of the city successfully overpowered Valsena's military force. The wizard casted a paralyzing spell on the Hero King and was about to kill him, but was ultimately forced to retreat because of the heroes rushing to the throne room at the last minute.

Searching for the Stones with the Darkshine Knight, the Wizard has Valda sacrifice the soul of fallen mage warriors to break the seal on the Mana Stone of Water. They eventually manage to unseal the eight Mana Stones, while the heroes are battling their armies and gathering the Mana Spirits to reach the Mana Goddess. He also attempted to break into Ferolian territory by releasing the energy of the Moonstone, but the deployment failed and the Altenish mages were consumed by Goremand instead.

As the heroes use the Spirits' power to access the Mana Sanctuary, the Crimson Wizard adds the released Mana Stones power to that of the Elementals', forcing open an access. He now invades the Sanctuary on the Altenish flying battleship the Gigantress and blasts the heroes with its warp cannon, followed by the other evil armies. As the three evil factions of the world collide, the Crimson Wizard, under the rule of the Dragon Lord, finds himself warring for the control of the Sword of Mana. What follows next depends on who is the main character of the story:

• If Duran or Angela is the main character of the story, then the Dragon Lord kills the Masked Mage, and destroys the remains of the Dark Majesty, making his revival impossible.
• If Kevin or Charlotte is the main character of the story, the Masked Mage kills the Dragon Lord and the Crimson Wizard while the Darkshine Knight fades away along with his master's magic.
• If Hawkeye or Riesz is the main character of the story, the Prince of Mavolia kills the Dragon Lord and the Crimson Wizard while the Darkshine Knight fades away along with his master's magic.

In the event that Duran or Angela are the chosen, they obtain the fabled holy sword at the foot of the Tree of Mana, but the Crimson Wizard kidnaps Faerie and and demands the Sword in exchange for her life, forcing them to comply. They meet in Altena, where the exchange is dealt with. The wizard tries to wield the Sword at first, but its holy powers are no match for him to withstand. The Darkshine Knight corrupts the sword with his dark magic, turning the blade into reflecting the heart of its new owner. The Crimson Wizard teleports the unconscious True Queen's body to Dragonsmaw before departing himself to use the Sword to free the Benevodons inside each Mana Stone.

The heroes kill the Benevodons one by one and reach Dragonsmaw, the Dragon Lord's lair in the Glass Desert. The Crimson Wizard sarcastically greets them, sending a group of powerful monsters against them. Later, the heroes defeat the Darkshine Knight. The heroes confront the Crimson Wizard and his fully revived liege. In fact, the Dragon Lord wanted them to kill the Benevodons, which channels their power in the Sword of Mana for him to absorb and surpass the Goddess. However, the Goddess thwarts his scheme with her last strength. Irked, the Dragon Lord teleports to the Mana Sanctuary, intending to destroy the Mana Tree, while the Crimson Wizard stays here to get rid of the heroes.

After a difficult battle, the heroes defeat the Wizard, who comes back to his senses and tells them his story. Disgusted with what he has become, he thanks the hero for talking him out of it and kills himself. After an unexpected moment of grieving, the heroes end the Dragon Lord's threat once and for all.

In the HD remake, the party can obtain the Ignition Chain Ability upon defeating the wizard in Duran and/or Angela's storyline.

Rise of Mana

The villain trio

The Crimson Wizard, with Belladonna and Goremand, makes cameo appearances in the mobile phone game Rise of Mana. They serve as bosses and allies, even when against them as bosses. They can be faced individually or all together.

Two heroes of warring tribes from the Spirit Realm, the divine Rasta and demonic Daruka, are sent into the Physical Planes sharing a body and forced to cooperate. In fact, it was a plan of the Mana Goddess to bring peace between their tribes.

When fought as a boss, the Crimson Wizard hovers over the ground flanked by two machine monsters. He is fast, resilient, and casts deadly spells. The heroes must dodge his spells and pummel him at close range, but can also use magic.

The two machines are quite tough. They land whirling blows and can turn their head into cannons. The Crimson Wizard uses Fire Magic to conjure two fireballs on each side that blast purple beams, or to conjure from the sky a fireball that causes a huge explosion. He uses Water/Ice Magic to conjure blue circles on the ground, causing huge icicles to erupt from them before they vanish in a circle of blue vapour. He uses Wind/Thunder Magic to conjure many thunderbolts at once.

The three together form a formidable team that unleash long-range and close-range combos. Be very careful and dodge and counterattack rather than rushing blindly.

Circle of Mana

The Crimson Wizard makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. He appears in 8 set of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
UR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「見下すなよ、小僧！ ああ、その眼だ。その眼が憎い！」 "Don't look down on me, kid! Ah, those eyes. I hate those eyes!"
SUR	力	デュラン [決戦]	ファイター	ナイト	[光]パラディン	[闇]ウォーロード	フォルセナに現れた紅蓮の魔導師にやぶれ、自信を失いかけたデュラン。いつか魔導師に打ち勝つためにと、たった一人で旅に出る…。 Duran is defeated by the Crimson Wizard who appears in Valsena and begins to lose his confidence. He sets out on a journey all by himself, hoping to one day defeat the magician.
SUR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「…フフフ、無駄なあがきを……。邪悪な力の前に、自分が如何に無力であるか思い知るがいい！」 "..Hehehe, struggle in vain... Realize how powerless you are in the face of evil power!"
SUR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師[陽炎]	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「そしてお前に、ずっと謝りたかった。闇に堕ちた事を詫び、またリリアと三人でアルテナに戻りたいと…」 "And I've always wanted to apologize to you. I apologize for falling into darkness, and I want to return to Altena with Lilia..."
SUR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師[紅焔]	マジシャン	ソーサラー	[光]グランディヴィナ	[闇]アークメイジ	「人は、より大きな存在の掌の上で遊ばれている存在に過ぎぬ。私はその駒で終わるつもりはない。」 "Humans are nothing more than beings being played with in the palm of a greater being. I have no intention of ending up as a pawn."
SSUR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「フフフ…相変わらず口だけは達者だな。まあいい、全ては終わった。ムダなあがきはやめて、そこで世界が滅んで行くのを見物していろ。」 "Hehehe... You're still a good talker. Well, it's all over. Stop struggling in vain and watch the world go to ruin."
SSUR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師[気焔]	マジシャン	デルヴァー	[光]ルーンマスター	[闇]メイガス	「この私も見くびられたものだな、身の程知らずを思い知るがいい…」 "I was also looked down upon. You should realize how ignorant you are..."
SLGR	魔	紅蓮の魔導師	放浪の魔導師	竜帝の右腕	[光]邪竜	[闇]世界の王	「理由か。いまだ貴様らは人である。それだけで充分だ。」 "Why? You're still humans. That's enough."

Echoes of Mana

Spark of Future Flames

“As the True Queen's right-hand man, the Crimson Wizard orders the forces of Altena, the Kingdom of Magicians, to attack Valsena. He seeks to release the energy of the Mana Stones for an unknown, wicked purpose.”

—Square Enix Official Website

The Crimson Wizard was a character, a boss and obtainable unit. He had only one variant.

See also: Crimson Wizard (Flaming Dark Magic)

He also appears in two memory gems.

• An Enchanting Dissent
• Spark of Future Flames

Story

The Crimson Wizard appears during Chapter 2 of the second season: Mistlefig: Reign of Magic, which takes place in a time-shifted Altena that further expands upon his origins. Here, the player learns of a young man named Framaus who develops a kinship with Angela as both struggle with magic.

Framaus is constantly bullied by his peers and also studies with José as the heroes arrive to search for the missing Honeycomb and continue their quest to thwart the False Goddess Dema's plot to erase existence. Unfortunately, Dema's corruption is already creeping in, prompting the heroes to find and neutralize the source of some strange fiery fiends. Although they manage to deal with the threat, the original Crimson Wizard enters the fray, warning the boy of his possible future.

As a boss, the Crimson Wizard is a very powerful enemy who casts all his spells from the original game. He calls forth powerful knight monsters and flies high gathering power to cast Ancient Curse, lest he is prevented by hitting him enough. He is weak to Water.

When playable, the Crimson Wizard can buffer himself with his Fire Boost and Initial ST Gauge Boost, buffer his mind stats at the cost of defence using his Mystic Torrent skill, and can hit several foes at once with his spell Exploder. His mightiest move is the devastating Ancient Curse.

Character Bond dialogues

'Sometimes I ponder on the possibility of a life different from the one I chose. Hm...'

'I have traveled this road for so long, yet I feel no closer to the end than since I had began. Power....what am I missing?'

'I trust too deeply in the power of dark magic, is it? Hmph. How long has it been since anyone has lectured me?'

'This magic will someday... You know what, never mind.'

'You are no average minion, indeed.'

'You look almost ready to learn about the dark arts... What say you?'

'Teach you magic? Hmph. I doubt you could handle it.'

'Wicked purpose? Mere propaganda. What is wicked to some is virtue to others.'

General information

Abilities

See also: Crimson Wizard (Trials of Mana)

Non-Mana appearances

Lord of Vermilion III

The Crimson Wizard, Belladonna and Goremand make cameos in this crossover arcade strategy game. It features collectible cards and battles in open space while controlling several units, consisting in different characters from many Square Enix games. They serve as powerful units who fight with their spells from the game.

Trivia

• Among the several characters known by their titles in the original Japanese version, only the Crimson Wizard and the Darkshine Knight remain nameless in the English version; until Echoes of Mana.
• For many years, the Crimson Wizard was known as Koren ("Red Lotus" in Japanese) in Occident, his name in the unofficial fan-translation. Contrary to the others characters, it named him but also translated his title.
• The Crimson Wizard is the only second-in-command villain who doesn't have a Sword of Mana counterpart.

Gallery

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