- "I've got such mixed emotions... I'm scared, but excited, inspired even! Should I act as a scientist now? Or should I act as a hunter who is facing unknown enemies? I feel like someone's herding me somewhere... but where? To the underground... I feel like I'm being invited."
- — Rico questioning her actions in the caves
Rico Tyrell (Japanese: リコ・タイレル), famously known to the residents of Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 as Red Ring Rico (Japanese: 赤い輪のリコ), is a major character in Phantasy Star Online.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Rico is a young woman with fair skin and auburn hair. On one of her bangs is a thin stripe of green highlights. Her hair is short, reaching just to the bottom of her neck and flares outward.
She earned her famous nickname, Red Ring Rico, due to always wearing something red; her signature bright red armlet on her left hand left a significant impression to the people of Pioneer 1 and 2.[1] Her section ID is Whitill, but unlike most hunters who have their section IDs on their neck or chest, hers is located on her back.
When Rico becomes Dark Falz' host, her body grotesquely mutates into a giant purple, tentacled creature. Despite the drastic change, she retains familiar characteristics from her human form. The creature's eyes are red, much like the red glasses she wore as a human, and on her left arm is her famous red bracelet.
Personality[]
Rico is famous for not only being a scientist, but also a skilled hunter. It was because of her resourcefulness and resilience in combat that she was asked to join Pioneer 1.[2][3] Although she was capable of being self-reliant, Rico did not believe she was the great hero everyone knew her as. To herself, she felt that her presence simply filled the void left onto the terrified citizens stranded on a foreign planet.[4]
Rico used her scientific training to study the wildlife as she explored Ragol, and left helpful notes in the form of capsules for any hunter brave enough to search the mysterious planet for clues on her whereabouts.[5] The other reason for leaving messages would be a form of proof of her existence in case she, like many other before her, perished.[6] As she became more and more corrupted by Dark Falz' essence, she would begin to doubt herself, suggesting that she was not a good daughter to her father, Principal Tyrell.
Biography[]
The Pioneer Project was a plan conceived in desperation in order to save the people of Coral from a planet caught in a state of desolation from constant warring. When unmanned probes discovered the habitable planet, Ragol, preparations were immediately begun to construct the interstellar spacecraft, Pioneer I, and send it off on a maiden voyage to the new planet with an army of colonists. Rico Tyrell was among those chosen to be part of the first wave of colonists due to her science education, renowned combat abilities and determined resilience.
Upon landing on the planet, preparations to begin terraforming the environment were started, as were plans to build a main base of operations, the Central Dome. Along with the Central Dome, Pioneer I scientists were also building secret weapon facilities in the deep subterranean sections of Ragol's caves and mines.
One day, the natural wildlife surrounding Central Dome suddenly became hostile and started acting unnatural. Scientists began to presume that their work had the unfortunate side effect of damaging Ragol's ecological system before they were aware of the damage, unaware that a darkness was stirring just below Ragol's surface. With fear spreading, the government could not control the situation alone, so brave citizens took it upon themselves to form the vigilante group known as Hunters in order to secure the area and terminate hostile creatures.
Rico Tyrell was also a member of the Hunters. With her formidable combat abilities, she began to explore Ragol in order to discover its secrets. Over the course of her travels, she would leave message pods in order to both help Hunters with her discoveries and act as a form of proof for her existence, should something happen to her along the way. Her actions would make her famous to the citizens of Pioneer I and Pioneer II.
Rico noticed the strange monoliths in the forest, caves, and mines. Although the government forged a story that they were built as a commemorative figure to celebrate Pioneer I's successful voyage, upon close inspection, she discovered that the strange runes were actually an ancient language with a message. With her limited tools and her access to top secret government information, she was able to partially decode the message which seemed to be a warning. The ruins read, "Light, darkness,... a pair, no, ... exist, no exist... unlimited, seal, ... MUUT DITTS POUMN."
By activating the monoliths and uttering the incantations, Rico was able to open the ruins. To her surprise, she found many more monuments with the same type of writing on each of them. With these new discoveries, she now had this message, "Light makes darkness, a pair exists, but it doesn't always exist. Reincarnation goes forever. The rule is here. It should be sealed. MUUT DITTS POUMN."
Dark Falz is accidentally released onto Ragol.
By the time Rico discovered the true meaning of the scripture, her fate was sealed. Her mind and body began becoming corrupted by the now unleashed Dark Falz as he started trying to take over her body as his new host. In her last words as a human, she pleads with anyone that finds her message to not let the consciousness in and defeat it before it finds the perfect body.
At that moment, Dark Falz obtained a corporeal form. He used his reawakened powers in order to cause a massive explosion centered on the Central Dome just as Pioneer I was attempting to establish a communications link with Pioneer II still hovering in space. All of Central Dome's civilians and the military were absorbed by the revived Dark Falz.
Transporters to the surface are installed and Hunters on Pioneer II are sent to investigate the cause of the accident. With the assistance of Rico's messages, a brave quartet known later as the Four Heroes were able to uncover the ruins and initiate battle with the dark god.
Dark Falz has two normal forms and a final, true form. After all forms are defeated, Rico's spirit is finally free from his possession and floats up and out of his body into the skies as his body dissipates into colored light.
Due to the combined efforts of Flowen and Rico, Dark Falz and Olga Flow are defeated and Endu is born from their essence.
However, in Episode III, it is revealed that the Four Heroes have been literally defeating Dark Falz and Olga Flow countless times, causing the two to continuously reincarnate stronger than before. This pattern would have gone on until they had eventually become powerful enough to break free of their respective bonds and leave the universe in a catastrophic state, however, due to a combined effort by the now deceased Heathcliff Flowen and Rico Tyrell, the heroes managed to cause their respective predators to resonate, reincarnating the malevolent forces as one into a new entity known as Endu. This effectively put an end to Dark Falz and Olga Flow once and for all.
Phantasy Star Online 2 es[]
Rico has several obtainable chips in Phantasy Star Online 2 es. Her first appearance was during an anniversary collaboration for Phantasy Star's online series of video games. Afterward, she gained two more premium chips in the Queen of the Ferocious Forest scratch on May 2016.
| Image | Name | Rarity | Max Level | Support Type | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Rico [15th Memorial] リコ［15th メモリアル］ |
★★★★★★★★★★★ | 50 | Passive |
Ability: Strength of the Bracelet By using Just Attacks, this chip will provide supplemental damage, and greatly increases attack power based on the variety of elemental chips equipped. |
|
|
Rico [15th S Memorial] リコ［15th Sメモリアル］ |
★★★★★★★★★★★ | 70 | Passive |
Ability: Strength of the Bracelet + By using Just Attacks, this chip will provide supplemental damage, and greatly increases attack power based on the variety of elemental chips equipped. |
|
|
Rico [Premium] リコ［プレミアム］ |
★★★★★★★★★★★ | 50 | Active |
Ability: Heroine's Wisdom Upon activation, attack power is increased for a short period of time. Attack power increases slightly each time Active Chips are used during the effect. |
|
|
Rico [S Premium] リコ［Sプレミアム］ |
★★★★★★★★★★★ | 70 | Active |
Ability: Heroine's Wisdom + Upon activation, attack power is increased for a period of time. Attack power increases each time Active Chips are used during the effect. |
Other Appearances[]
Red Ring Rico makes several appearances in the comical Blue Burst manga that ran on the official website until the game's servers closed. Most of her appearances mainly are from people discussing her legendary status on Pioneer 2.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ "Rico loved the color red. She always wore something red. The red armlet on her left arm left an impression on people. So that's why we call her Red Ring Rico. - NPC on board Pioneer 2
- ↑ "Did you know that Red Ring Rico was on board Pioneer 1. They asked her to go because she's a great scientist, but she's also a famous hunter. I believe that she can deal with any emergency situation, but that explosion was HUGE... - NPC on board Pioneer 2
- ↑ "Well, she must be alive. I know how tough she is. - NPC on board Pioneer 2
- ↑ "What made the animals become so violent all of a sudden? They weren't before... There must be some cause. I'll find it. I know I'm a fool. This won't make me any richer. Perhaps that's why I'm exalted by them... Red Ring Rico, ha, ha. But I'm not really the great hunter citizens say I am. They needed a hero. And I just happened to fill that position. - Rico's message capsule in Forest 1
- ↑ "This capsule is for anyone who has come here looking for me. I hope this helps you. - Rico's message capsule in Forest 1
- ↑ "Perhaps no one will ever find this message and listen to it. Ever... Pioneer 2 will not come down when they discover that this planet is dangerous. Will somebody from Pioneer 2 still come to save us? Who knows? Regardless, I leave this message here. This is evidence of my existence. - Rico's message capsule in Ruins 2
| Character Classes | HUmar - HUnewearl - HUcast - HUcaseal - RAmar - RAmarl - RAcast - RAcaseal - FOmar - FOmarl - FOnewm - FOnewearl |
|---|---|
| Important Characters | Alicia Baz - Ash - Bernie - Calus - Elenor Camuel - Elly Person - Heathcliff Flowen - Kireek - Montague - Red Ring Rico - Rupika - Sue - Ult |
| Locations | Pioneer II - Forest - Caves - Mines - Ruins The Lab - VR Temple - VR Spaceship - Central Control Area - Seabed Crater - Subterranean Desert |
| Weapons | Sabers - Swords - Daggers - Partisans - Slicers - Handguns - Rifles - Mechguns - Shots - Canes - Wands - Rods Katanas - Claws - Double Sabers - Twin Swords - Fists - Launchers - Cards |
| Items | Weapons - Frames & Armour - Units - Barriers & Shields - Mags - Support Items |
| Techniques | Foie - Zonde - Barta - Gifoie - Gizonde - Gibarta - Rafoie - Razonde - Rabarta - Grants - Megid Resta - Anti - Reverser - Shifta - Deband - Jellen - Zalure - Ryuker |