Ashton Anchors

Ashton Anchors is a wandering swordsman from an unnamed village near Cross. The player first encounters Ashton in the Salva Drift, as both parties follow a rumor that dangerous dragons have taken residence in the mines. Ashton is perhaps the most visually noteworthy character in the game, as the two dragons from the Salva mines become magically attached to his back early in the game.

Ashton is one of three "secret" characters included by the developers, along with Opera Vectra and Ernest Raviede. Unlike other possible party members, the methods to acquire Ashton, Opera, and Ernest are especially opaque. Acquiring Ashton will permanently preclude Opera and Ernest from joining the party, while acquiring Opera and Ernest will preclude Ashton. Thus a player must choose Ashton or the other two, or none at all.

Acquiring Ashton
See Side Quests: Ashton Anchors: Exorcism.

The opportunity to acquire Ashton is triggered in a Private Action in Herlie by speaking to two men by the docks. Listening to their conversation, one man tells the other that dangerous dragons inhabit the mines of Salva, the same mines where Claude and Rena battled Alan-Tax. The player can start this Private Action any time following the return of the kidnapped children of Mars and before the Lacour Tournament of Arms.

Venturing to Salva and into the mines, the party finds Ashton already engaged in battle with blue and red dragons. The party cheers for Ashton in encouragement, but inadvertently distract the swordsman at a crucial moment. The dragons lunge at Ashton when his back is turned, followed by a flash of light. When the characters regain their senses, the two dragons somehow magically fused to Ashton's back. Ashton is furious that the party distracted him in the midst of battle, and compels them to "take responsibility for what [they've] done" by searching for a way to separate the serpents from his back. If the player agrees to help him, Ashton joins the party.

Technically, Ashton is not a "permanent" party member unless the player completes the quest for a solution. Yet whether the party actually searches for a solution is up to the player. A solution is not necessary to progress with the story, and Ashton will not leave the party despite not finding a "cure." The player's decision will not alter or exclude any of the multiple possible endings.

Character
Ashton suffers from profound sadness or even depression, presumably sparked by his unfortunate mishap with the dragons in the Salva mines. In a humorous commentary on Ashton's misfortune with the dragons,  Ashton's luck stat is set to a very low 18, which does not increase upon levelling up, making Ashton without a doubt the least-lucky character in the game. (However, there is a bevy of items that artificially raise Ashton's abysmal score when equipped, such as the Melufa). Because Ashton's backstory was left incomplete, it is unclear if Ashton's bad luck and depression began when he fused with the dragons, or if his merger was merely another chapter in a long history of troubles.

Ashton is the only playable character to wield two weapons, a pair of swords, starting with Twin Swords. In addition, at level 64 Gyoro and Ururun may attack using the Killer Move Dragon Breath, breathing a cloud of flames at the enemy.

Gyoro and Ururun
The dragons on Ashton's back are named Gyoro and Ururun by Rena Lanford, and have personalities of their own, though they only infrequently speak to anyone but Ashton. Their names reflect their distinct personalities and elemental types. Gyoro, whose name means "fiery countenance" in Japanese, is red and attacks with fire-elemental damage; Ururun, meaning "sad eyes," is blue and attacks with ice-elemental damage. Outside of the game -- such as in sequels -- Gyoro and Ururun are regarded as a single two-headed dragon, while within Star Ocean 2 they are identified as two dragons.

From a conversation between the dragons and the fell bird, Xine, it is implied that Gyoro and Ururun had intentionally fused themselves to Ashton in order to survive. It is not known if their survival was threatened by Ashton; but because Xine remarked that Ashton is an uncharacteristically weak host for the dragons to possess, it seems odd that Ashton could legitimately threaten their lives. Despite Ashton's initial rejection of the serpents, he learns to love them and often speaks to them in battle.

Xine hints that Gyoro and Ururun are extremely ancient beings, perhaps on the order of thousands of years like Xine himself. In Star Ocean 3, Maria Traydor mentions that a two-headed dragon lives on the planet Expel. If this is Gyoro and Ururun, then the dragons survive another 400 years after the events of Star Ocean 2.

History
Ashton is a partially-completed character. Despite having a robust number of private interactions with Claude Kenni and Rena, Ashton's personal history prior to meeting the party, and his motivation to face the dragons, are never stated. He also displays a peculiar obsession with barrels of all shapes and sizes that is never explained.

In a 1998 interview published in Star Ocean 2's official Japanese-language strategy guide, the Lead Programmer and Writer, Yoshiharu Gotanda, stated that Ashton's intended backstory was not included due to time constraints.

His hometown was never added into the game, and its name is unknown, though the creators did finish the location for the town on the World Map. To find the location, a hidden pathway to the intended location running along Lasguss Mountain can be taken by the player, leading to an empty desert and beachhead where Ashton's town was to be placed. Because the hidden pathway runs along the same mountain as Xine's perch, where one acquires Tears of the King, it is presumed that the player was supposed to find the town either shortly before or shortly after acquiring the tears.

Artistic Themes
Ashton embodies fate and ill fortune. A painting of Ashton, Portrait G, reads: "The time for choosing has come. He stands up with light in both hands to answer to his fate." The philosophical idea that Ashton is a swordsman inexorably bound by a destructive fate is expressed through his terrible luck in life. With a base luck score of 18, which will not change unless modified by items, Ashton has the worst luck of any character or boss in the game. Ashton believes in his own free will but is tragically forced into terrible outcomes by the acts of others. When Ashton battles Gyoro and Ururun, the dragons forcibly possess Ashton.

Ashton's philosophical counterpart is Eleanor, an equally luckless girl who can only be healed of her terminal illness through the free will of Ashton. While Ashton was forcibly possessed by dragons through the malevolence of the dragons, Ashton's benevolence to find the special herb Metox will save Eleanor.

Eleanor and Ashton are emotionally opposite. Ashton is chronically depressed about his luckless current life, while Eleanor has accepted death and hopes in a better afterlife. In theatrical irony, only Ashton is able to exercise his free will to save Eleanor. Together, Ashton and Eleanor explore the subtle nuances between free will, determinism, and the will of the gods. If the player chooses to exorcise Ashton's dragons, Ashton will exercise his own free will to allow the dragons to remain; he accepts his fate much like Eleanor and grows stronger as a person, able to face problems of tomorrow with new resolve.

Ashton's personal growth in Star Ocean 2 allows him to challenge fate in Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. Ashton becomes a central protagonist, accompanying Precis Neumann on a quest to rescue Opera and Ernest. The group also tries to find a cure for a mysterious illness contracted by Claude, mirroring the story of Eleanor and Ashton.

Strategy
See Combat strategy: Ashton Anchors.

Private Actions
See Private Actions: Ashton Anchors.

Items
See Items: Ashton Anchors.

Ashton's items, especially his weapons, explore the themes of determinism and free will mentioned above. Indeed, the fact that Ashton's swords acquired late-game greatly enhance his luck underscores the idea that a strong-willed person can change their destiny. Ashton imbues his blades with Heraldry, in order to enhance the weapon's power and artificially improve his luck.

Ashton is able to wield dual swords, the only character able to do so. Additionally, Ashton is able to equip a small variety of single swords, such as the useful All-Purpose Knife and the Funny Slayer, though they appear as two swords in battle.

There are two unique accessories, the Salamander's Helmet and the Sacknoth Helmet, special helms for Ashton's dragons. While the meaning of "salamander" is a clear reference to dragons, the meaning of "Sacknoth" is unknown.

Trivia

 * Ashton's ultimate Killer Move, tri-Ace, is named after the company behind Star Ocean 2.
 * Ashton is essential in order for Precis to learn the Killer Move Holo-Holograph.