(reposting this from my RP blog bc I think Engage deserves more character analysis in the community <3)
On Diamant and his objectivity. There's one line describing Diamant's character that sticks so persistently in my mind, especially in the face of certain criticisms I've seen in the fandom. That he's too "generically nice", for one; forced to be for the sake of the plot, or to uphold the more lighthearted nature of Engage's army.
And while I have thoughts on that, I do think Diamant's levelheadedness is intentionally built into his character, especially when put into contrast with characters such as Alcryst.
And, going back to that line I mentioned? His support with Nel highlights that wonderfully.
Nel: You possess great strength, both of body and mind. Your will and resolve are indomitable.
Nel: And you have the ability to remain objective, even when placed under terrible stress. That is my assessment. Your kingdom will prosper during your reign.
Objective, even under great stress. The line stood out to me when I first saw it because you literally see this in play during the main story, particularly after the events of Destinea Cathedral, when Ivy joins the group. Ivy had previously stalled the group at the Elusia border after Morion was taken by Hyacinth, thus preventing Diamant and the others from getting to the church to save him in time.
Alcryst? Is rightfully angry and lashes out over this. Diamant? Takes more of a step back, acknowledges the things Ivy did do to ultimately help them, and how she even (quite brutally) lost her own father in the process, who was truly to blame.
Alcryst is, naturally, not happy with this.
Genuinely one of my favorite scenes in the game. Because not only does it telegraph the difference in the brothers and their emotional expression, the levels of maturity reflecting their ages, and sets up their respective dynamics with Ivy... it perfectly demonstrates what Nel observed about Diamant: objectivity, under great stress.
During this series of chapters, Diamant is an emotional wreck. Diamant, who is usually so calm and measured, nearly breaks down in tears fighting his father. He yells BACK at Alcryst during their fight after the church. He's frantic and desperate during the initial search for Morion (even suggesting they leave Veyle, a seeming young girl, to her own devices out in Elusia tundra), and in the church itself? Filled with rage.
He's one of the few people in Engage to drop "bastard", and his delivery is DEFINITELY the most striking of them. (Holy SHIT, just listen to the JPN version especially. Junichi Suwabe, the actor you are.) All this to say that, Diamant lets these emotions slip in a way he normally wouldn't. As crown prince, he has an image to uphold. A certain level of decorum. Goes completely out of the window when someone he loves—someone whose death he has feared since childhood—is in trouble.
(What sucks is that a LOT of this is lost in the English voiceover. Diamant's vocal performance is a lot more measured in the Morion convo and post-church scenes, so you don't hear his tears, or his yelling at Alcryst, like in the JPN.)
But that he's experiencing this storm of emotions, and chooses to forgive and work with Ivy, anyway? That's not "generically nice". If it was forced, Alcryst wouldn't have been there to give him resistance in a way that falls in line with his character. No. It's an intentional part of Diamant's character.
A man who is looking at the larger picture, as a leader; he sees Ivy's efforts to do good, and acknowledges that. He was also there when Hyacinth left her to stall at the border, condemning his own daughter to die. He saw how she fought for a cause she didn't necessarily believe in, but for the love of her father.
For Diamant, he would relate. It would hit very close to home.
So whatever feelings Diamant might have about it (and he DOES hold bitterness, going by his Emblem Lyn supports), he suppresses them all for the greater good. Alcryst even points this out in Chapter 15, after they run into Veyle (a BIG factor of what happened at the church) again:
Alcryst: I’m worried about my brother’s state of mind. He can’t keep bottling his feelings up like this…
And then two chapters later? Diamant does it again. He had a dislike and distrust of Veyle established prior. But after learning more about Veyle's situation, and seeing Alear's turmoil over it, he's the first of the group to suggest this:
Diamant: Should we try to rescue her?
After the events with Ivy, this shows a pattern: Diamant judges a person by what he sees. Ivy was an enemy Diamant was perfectly prepared to fight and kill when she invaded Brodia Castle, but after getting more context on her, he changes his view.
The same thing happens with Veyle. She was the hated Fell Princess, but as it turns out, there's more going on with her. Something more complex and tragic. Something that's not entirely her choice.
This demonstrates a flexibility of opinion, and an open-mindedness that is also shown in his approach to the longstanding Brodia-Elusia war. Diamant doesn't fall into the propaganda and fearful/hateful narratives (another contrast with Alcryst), instead working to stop the war entirely, even against the interests of his father and the Brodian aristocracy.
But this exact mentality is also laid out in his support with Nel, in response to her telling him about his good reputation with the Brodian people:
Diamant: It’s nice to hear I have a good reputation, but imagine for argument’s sake that I don’t. Suppose that all you heard in your time at the castle was what a terrible king I’d make.
Diamant: If that was what everyone was saying, would you accept the rumor without question?
Nel: Certainly not. And I suppose you intend to say that such rumors cannot be assumed true.
Diamant: Exactly. If you want to judge whether I’d be a good king, you should do it with your own eyes.
Diamant isn't one to follow the popular opinion. He doesn't take the views of another at face value—his thoughts are his own, formed by his observations and experiences, and he wants others to approach life in that way as well. But it also makes me wonder: HOW did he become this way?
And then I think of everything he probably had to deal with growing up.
Not only the crushing weight of expectation that was put on him since he was a boy, pressuring him to be the perfect prince... but also the rumors about Alcryst, and the constant negative comparisons to Diamant, that absolutely shattered the boy's sense of self-worth. The views born of hate and fear Brodians and Elusians perpetuate about each other, further fueling the animosity between the two countries, and a war that should have never happened.
(Brodia's aggression pushed Hyacinth to the point of bringing back Sombron for Elusia's salvation, only for it to ultimately ruin Elusia instead.)
When going along with the crowd mentality, one loses perspective, nuance, and the ability to form views of their own. That hurts people. Diamant has SEEN how it hurts people, and limits progress. And I think that's why he's so adamant about not falling into that.
There's also the concept of second chances.
He gives Ivy another chance. He gives Veyle one. Diamant's goal as king is to stop Brodia's invasions, become a land of peace, and reform the views Brodians and Elusians have about each other. He wants a second chance for his own nation to change its warmongering ways, and reputation throughout Elyos.
And so, he feels it is important to allow that same grace to others.
