Chaz Ashley

Do you find him to be a memorable archetype game hero, or just plain annoying and forgettable?


Chaz is only a sixteen year old kid -- therefore supposed to be immature -- so of course it's only typical, let alone understandable, that he is so irritating. On the other hand, I do like that Chaz is so flawed and imperfect, and considering his backround story from the compendium, his story is the story of the underdog - the unlikely hero who would come to save the world.

Despite this, though, he is my least favorite soldier-hero in the game series; he is too threatened by Rune (well, initally, anyway... but the "Quit trying to take control all the time, Rune!" became annoying, and I was really irritated at his treatment of Raja (finding it amusing that the guy was stricken and floored by a tremendous fever is pretty jerky, to say the least).

Opinions? Thoughts?

Chaz...ahh, Chaz. I wouldn't say he's my least favorite character in PSIV, but he is towards the bottom, and at some points he was just downright being a jerk. But I levy that charge against Rune sometimes too. That being said, I actually find redeeming qualities in just how flawed Chaz is. To me, this makes him believable. Especially on Rykros when he at first refuses to dance to the tune of the Great Light, as he put it. He's 16 years old...he's still a kid, really, so I can't hold some of this stuff against him. Part of the story of PSIV, to me, is Chaz growing up and in some ways I can't help but compare this to Mother 3 and Lucas. Thus, I voted the second option. There are certain things I don't like about him, but these same things, in some ways, make me like him. For me, he's a very human main protagonist.

Chaz is okay, He does have to do a lot of maturing during the course of the game. I'd hate to see what he was like when Alys first took him under her wing. As insensitive and annoying as he can be in the game, he must have been much worse back then.

I agree with you both.

As we all know, Chaz was a thief before Alys picked him up, and he even admitted this fact to Rune in the game after Alys died. Chaz is irritating at times - even an arrogant jerk, but it is amazing how much he really does learn from Alys, and even Rune.

I'd like to think that Rika's optimism and intelligence also had a great influence on him.

So... yeah. While Chaz is my least favorite in PSIV, he is at least a believable hero of a character.

When ever I think of PSIV characters in general Chaz rarely crosses my mind I usually think of characters suh as Rika, Wren and Rune. So Chaz never made a big impact on me but I don't hate him thats for sure but I don't like him all that much either so...I dunno, I'd say Chaz is a what ever kinda character in my opinion.

I chose the 2nd option. I wouldn't say he's a "meh" character, but he isn't a favorite either. I never really found him annoying, as I found him likable, really. He does grow up throughout the course of the game and, with many influences, I think the ending result of Chaz Ashley is a good one. ^^

But, worst lead character in the Phantasy Star series? I dunno... I like him a good deal more than Rolf, even if he was clearly based off him in appearance.

I give Chaz the benefit of the doubt as CW already said, he's 16 so he's going to be arrogant. He reminds me of how Anakin Skywalker was, he was a good warrior and he knew it so he flaunted it. Not to mention I feel bad for Chaz since the only family he had was Alys and she died so you know that messed him up a lot, but he does redeem himself and is very trustworthy. But anytime I think if PSIV I think of Alys, Rika, Rune & Raja[lol] more so than Chaz.

Chaz is an okay character (though I have his picture in my avatar ) and as others have already mentioned, he's young and has his flaws. Yet he slowly matures throughout the game (at least in my opinion) and becomes a capable person - with the help of his teammates and friends. He's far from perfect and his annoyance at being told what to do gets annoying, but this makes him a believable character to me.

I actually like Chaz. Not my favourite character in PS4, but not meh-ish either. Unlike the typical RPG-protagonist, who is usually quite young and very mature at the same time, Chaz acts exactly like you'd expect a typical teenager to act. He rebels against authority (he doesn't talk back to Alys, but then again, neither does anybody else on Motavia) and he gets offended when people treat him like a kid. Unlike a lot of brooding RPG protagonists with skeletons in the closet, Chaz is open, honest in his opinions of things and people and straight-forward. His maturing process is done fairly well too and near the end of the game, he has developed from a somewhat immature youth to a person who has learned to control his passionate nature and look his responsibilities in the eye.

I didn't have a problem with any of the Phantasy Star IV characters. I liked seeing Chaz as immature because you see how much he really grows up through the course of the game. He goes from following, to taking the lead, to thinking that it's all for nothing, to finally realizing that he has a job to do and that is to protect the inhabitants of the Algo Solar System. Most characters these days don't seem to grow up in the fashion that he did. You mostly see them after the horrible event has happened and therefore, there isn't too much more they can actually grow.