Heroes of the Exodus Manga



For information about the manga itself and other Japanese comics set in the Ultima universe, see Ultima Manga.

The Heroes of the Exodus Manga includes four protagonists destined to fight the Exodus, the god of evil, for the sake of saving the world of Sosaria within Seiji Tanaka's re-imagining of Ultima III.

Genji [ゲンジ]
Genji, the male protagonist of the Exodus manga, is a human space pilot living in the colonized asteroid belt of Earth's future. While responding to a mayday signal from a local archeological expedition in mining expedition, Genji falls victim to a strange seeming gravitational collapse of space which transposes him into the land of Sosaria. His forehead etched with the prophetic Mark of the Dragon, Genji is soon drawn into the quest to save the realm from the threat of Exodus, fulfilling his destiny as one of the four foretold warriors.

Having lived most of his life in the overpopulated colonies of the Terran Solar System, Genji is deeply moved by Sosaria's verdant landscape and by the numerous animals which come to settle in the holy city of Yew - not understanding why the natives of the realm don't assign them more importance. Direct and often tactless, Genji often seems out of place within the high fantasy setting into which he has been thrust, although his loyalty to the other heroes and to the quest he is tasked with becomes quite deep over the course of the story.

Genji shares a deep connection with the cleric Aida, whom he has dreamed of for many years prior to meeting her. It is eventually revealed that Minax, resurrected by Exodus' power, will send Aida into the Terran's past through her own sorcery, causing the woman to encounter Genji throughout his lifetime at varying points. While Genji reveals to Aida at the point of her near death that there is much he wishes to tell her and it is evident that they care for one another deeply, it is unclear if the two warriors will pursue a romantic future together at the novel's end.

Genji's "seal," bestowed upon him in Ambrosia, takes the form of his magic sword, which he uses to slay the revived Mondain and to eventually help to banish the freed Exodus.



Aida [アイダ]
Aida, the female protagonist, is an exceptionally gifted magician and psychic. Marked by tragedy early in the narrative, Aida witnesses the death of her father, Lord Sattava, soon after Exodus' first attack upon Britain. Placed by the dying Lycaeum head under the protection of the bard, Lennon, the young woman quickly ascends to a position of spiritual leadership within the group of heroes, helping to direct the often confused Genji through Sosaria and often demonstrating a keen intelligence in tackling obstacles.

Aida is a compassionate and talented woman, exhibiting such powers as psychic empathy, animal psi and telepathy throughout the manga. She shares a deep bond with Genji, and it is eventually revealed that Minax's time magics allow her to contact him throughout various points in his childhood and youth. When she quite nearly dies in the final confrontation with Exodus, the young man becomes overwrought as he cradles her form, obviously hurt that he may not be able to make the full extent of his feelings known. It is ultimately her own fervent prayers, however, which shake the daemon-machine's hold on the Great Earth Serpent - allowing Genji and the others at last to seal the dark being away.

Aida's "seal," bestowed upon her in Ambrosia, takes the form of a magical sphere which she attempts to use to lock out Exodus as it attempts to reenter the world through Mondain's dead body. Her Mark of the Dragon appears above her left breast, and is revealed as such in a rather gratuitous bathing scene.



Lennon [レノン]
The bard of the group.

Lennon, a bard, was tasked by the dying Lord Sattava with watching over Aida - a mission which he takes very seriously. Frequently chiding her for the danger which the young mystic places herself in, Lennon is constantly worried that his charge will come to harm, and often butts heads with the far more impetuous Genji over his actions regarding her. Comically, the musician more often than not finds himself in the company of the machine, Bigelow, rather than that of the woman he has vowed to protect.

Thinking himself destined for a supporting role in the unfolding quest, Lennon is surprised to find that he bears the Mark of the Dragon upon his hand and is destined to fight as one of the four warriors of prophecy.

Lennon's "seal," bestowed upon him in Ambrosia, takes the form of a Silver Horn which he sounds at the Devil's Gate, that the passage to Castle Death might be laid open.



5994 Bigelow [5994 ビガロ]
An strange sight in the medieval lands of Sosaria, Bigelow is a sentient machine whose origin and creators remain unknown throughout the comic. Alien even to the Earth-born Genji, Bigelow displays a number of high-technology powers throughout the adventure - including missile launchers, explosive sonic beams, communications amplifiers, shield generation, environment sensors and lasers. In spite of his synthetic form, Bigelow curiously proves to be the most philosophical of the four heroes - making meditative observations about the spiritual reality of the Sosarian world.

After Lennon summons the crimson serpent through his use of the Silver Horn, Bigelow is dramatically caught in the jaws of the beast, allowing the others to escape. As a last resort, Bigelow activates his "seal" in an explosion which rends the Dragon Mark from his chest, killing the serpent and allowing him to escape its clutches.

At the end of the manga, when the world of Sosaria is renewed following its own destruction, Bigelow is reborn in the paradisaical new realm as a human male, fulfilling the visions imparted to him by the prophet Nagaraja.

Trivia

 * Genji may be named for the famous protagonist of Murasaki Shikibu's classic  The Tale of Genji, although his personality differs greatly from the emotional courtier of the novel.
 * Aida's may be a subtle pun on the word/particle "Ai" - which in Japanese means love or affection.