The Master is a mighty god of light, life, and hope. He is the main protagonist in the ActRaiser series. The Master has an army of Angels who inform and guide him on his quests; though only one is seen during the events of ActRaiser, presumably more appear after the conclusion.
The Master's known enemy is Tanzra.
Appearance
ActRaiser
In ActRaiser, the Master's avatar looks like a man with yellowish skin wearing blue clothing, including shorts, a loincloth, a sleeveless shirt and a helmet. He wields a two-handed sword, which is his primary weapon.
The Master recovers his divine might with the worship of his followers; at certain numbers of total followers, he will gain a level, which results in one more maximum HP for both himself and his Angel. This will also increase his SP by 20 and max it out.
Movement
When jumping, the Master retains some ability to adjust, but momentum does play a part in the trajectory. The Master can duck to evade an incoming attack, but a ducking slash is slower than a normal one.
Melee
The Master's hilt-less two-handed sword can cut through most monsters in a single blow. He has a basic standing slash which is quick, but a ducking slash is much slower by comparison. His jump slash can delay if mis-timed; also, if the slash is initiated on the way down, the Master won't attack immediately in the air, but instead will wait until he lands into a crouch and then will slash automatically.
Magic
The Master has a small variety of Magic spells, but can only take one with him at a time. They're powered by Sources of Magic which makes for limited casting. He must stand still while the spell takes effect, but is invincible during the casting.
During Sim Mode, the Master has several Miracles he can bring to bear.
ActRaiser 2
The Master's avatar appears far more muscular than previously, and wears nothing but a loincloth and a helmet. He is equipped with a one-handed sword and a round shield, allowing him to block some attacks. This incarnation of the Master also has a set of white feathered wings, allowing him to glide and attack while doing so. The Master's shield is ready to block attacks when he's not moving.
Movement
The Master moves at a slow, plodding pace. While moving, his shield is lowered. The Master's jumps are more like large hops. However, he now has the ability to double-jump, which will be required to make many of the required leaps. Double-jumping has another function, though; it brings his wings to bear. After double-jumping, the Master can float, glide, or dive. Floating is good for precision landing, but a glide will be necessary to fly past dangerous terrain. However, the Master must screech to a halt after landing from a glide, and it's easy to skip right off a small platform.
Melee
The Master is much more adept with his sword this time around. In addition to a standing and crouching slash, he can now cut upwards and drop blade-down onto enemies (which deals double damage). He can also slash while gliding and dive-bomb enemies when diving (which deals triple damage). The Master's shield isn't protecting him while he's attacking.
Magic
Magic is cast by holding down the attack button. Magic takes a short time to charge; the Master will glow orange once, then start flashing rapidly. While flashing, the magical ability is primed. Once primed, the magic must be discharged before the Master can use his sword again. Each casting consumes 1 MP. Different spells are cast depending on the Master's exact stance when the magic is released, so careful positioning and situational awareness is needed to get the most out of his magic:
- Flamethrower: While standing still, a gout of flame pours of the the Master's sword tip, waving up and down.
- Fire Bomb: While holding up, the Master throws three fiery spheres in an arc forward. These will pierce through targets and deal decent damage; one of the most useful and powerful spells in his arsenal.
- Earth Force: While holding down, the Master creates a wave of earth-force around him, functioning as a melee-distance shock wave attack.
- Frost Sphere: While performing a single jump, four icy spheres fly off in diagonal direction from the Master.
- Energy Shot: While gliding, the Master throws shoots an ball of white energy forward.
- Lightning: While floating, the Master shoots lightning balls above and below.
- Phoenix: While diving, the Master wreathes himself in flames during the dive. Very powerful attack, but takes practice to use effectively.
Notes
- In the Japanese version of ActRaiser, the Master was called "God". To reduce religious references to Christianity, they changed this to Master in the US and PAL releases.