Reig

Reig (レーグ) is an optional playable character in Zill O'll who can be recruited by the protagonist. He returns in the prequel as an ally NPC for Areus's party.

Reputed for his strength and masterful swordplay, he is known as the "Sword Saint" (剣聖) by his admirers. He is 25 years old at the start of Zill O'll.

Role in Games
Reig is a member of the Boldan, a race of tall, muscular humanoids who are reputed for their strength. Reig in particular is famous for his masterful dual sword wielding. His two swords, Vigor and Brandish, are the same ones once wielded by Igzaks, Liberdam's reputed hero of yore.

Adhering only to the strong, he is known as an undefeated legend in the yearly arena tournaments in Liberdam. He became acquainted with Areus when they were both gladiators, seeing promise in the younger man's skill. Sometime after Areus enlists within the military, Reig challenged Nemea to a match. The powerful warriors fought and their bout ended in a draw. Impressed by Nemea's spirit he accompanies the hero and is one of Nemea's three companions who joined him in his fight against Balor. Later, when Areus offers his allegiances to Nemea, Reig recognizes and approaches him. He personally inspects the half elf's sword, complements its structure, and sheathes it. The lone exchange is all it takes for the Boldan to place his absolute trust in Areus.

Balor dies and Nemea is heralded as a hero. Reig decides to return to the arena and reigns as the undisputed champion for five years. Before one of the tournaments, Reig spots and converses with his promising challenger for the title. His initial impressions of the youth aren't high, as he believes they cannot hope to dethrone him with their current strength. Should he lose his title, however, Reig is genuinely impressed. He promises to meet his rival again the same time next year.

Even if the continental war completely ruins Liberdam's arena, Reig will stay true to his oath by going to its remains. If the protagonist decides to honor his wish for a rematch, they will fight once more. Losing the match has Reig compliment their progress. Winning the match earns his immediate respect and he joins the protagonist's party. In either scenario, he offers them the dual sword wielding ability.

If the protagonist chooses to build their ties with Reig, he will continue to marvel over the protagonist's strength and desires to learn their impressions for battle. His ending with the protagonist has them return to the ruined Liberdam arena. Reig confesses to have no other passion in life besides fighting and welcomes his rival to another showdown.

In infinite's ending with the entire playable cast, Reig attends the group gathering in Rostorl's pub. He is mostly silent during the group's chatter, though he does throw in an occasional witty comeback. He agrees to travel with them with hopes of crossing swords with the protagonist once more.

Personality
Although the Boldan are widely known to be a jolly and extroverted folk, Reig is a stark contrast to them: he is a quiet and calculating stoic who rarely speaks his thoughts aloud. Uninterested in popularity and riches, he doesn't boast about his abilities and considers himself a learner of his craft. Nothing can pique his interests aside from the feeling of battle and the will of the strong. As such, he tends to judge people based on their integrity during duels rather than their spoken words. Reig speaks in an archaic dialect befitting a warrior without honorifics.

Voice Actors

 * Mark Gibbon - English voice
 * Kazuya Nakai - Japanese voice

Fighting Style
If the player decides to initiate their first duel with Reig early in Zill O'll, it may be one of the hardest battles the player has had in their playthrough. He will always be quicker than the protagonist, and his dual swords can easily chop most if not all of their health if they don't have a high VIT stat. Even if they can survive his blows, the protagonist may struggle against his punishing Sol Counters and possible Double Actions. He also has a high STR and VIT, so he will be quite durable.

If the protagonist cannot win with physical attacks, they will need to rely on magic. Reig is weak to status afflicting magic so abuse it if needed. The player can also rely on any instant kill techniques, if they have them learned at this point.

As a party member, Reig is arguably the strongest and fastest fighter the player could ever hope to recruit. He will likely have high STR, VIT, and AGI and may even have them maxed out by the time he joins. His dual swords and his high health continue to be a devastating addition for the party's offense. He will not be able to equip heavy armor so he may continue to be frail against magic. Try to be mindful of his magical weaknesses by altering his accessories.

The special Soul Igzaks can be unlocked for him if he is recruited.

Trivia

 * The fandom term "Reig's curse" (レーグの呪い, reigu no noroi) is a reference to how easy it was to obtain his ending in Zill O'll. Even if the player didn't pay attention to him after his recruitment, his ending would likely override all other characters. This has been fixed in the re-released revamps, but it still holds up.