Like most Tales of heroes, Yuri Lowell is the sort of character who seems basic enough on the outside, but is actually quite complex under the surface. At first glance, he just seems like some cold, uncaring, mouthy guy with a high tendency for recklessness. That first glance isn't completely far off, though -- Yuri can be rather cold, can make some very uncaring comments, and he certainly does like to run his mouth. Really, he doesn't sound like the "hero" type of person at all.
Surprisingly enough, he actually is.
Before going into that, let's touch on the basics, first. Yuri's basic personality can be summed up in five words: teasing, sarcastic, cold, cynical, liar (and also a positive thinker when it comes to The Situation At Hand and making everyone around him feel better only -- past that, no). It's the side of him he shows more often than not, preferring to tease, lie, make snarky comments, or just be cold in general to get himself out of situations he'd rather not be in or face at the moment. If he notices a weakness in someone, he will exploit it for his own personal fun (like he did to Karol after they defeated an Eggbear). Thankfully, he won't laugh in your face for it, but if he teases you enough and you're giving reactions he's hoping for, he just might. He knows when to stop, though, and isn't one to push his luck when it comes to teasing people he actually likes being around. The man also lies more than an area rug, doing so many times in his canon to get information without others interfering, to cover up something he did, or just to get away from everyone and do something on his own. If he gets caught up in his lies, he won't back down and admit it all, either -- he'll just switch gears, as if he never lied in the first place, and never address the lie again. His cynical attitude is one that doesn't get brought out too often, as he's usually just an easy-going guy. For the most part, he's cynical about situations he's absolutely frustrated with. In the canon itself, most of his cynical commentary stems from any mention of the government, which he's extremely frustrated with. So, if there's lots of things piling up all at once that's not being taken care of, and Mr. Lowell can't handle it himself and knows this, he's going to be damn cynical about the whole deal. And if the guy just met you and sees no reason to be friendly or treat you with respect, he can easily come off as cold and apathetic.
Deep down, however, Yuri has that "protective older brother" personality. Aside from all the teasing, snarking, and lying he'll do, if he likes you, you'll know it. He'll protect you if he's near and the situation calls for it, check in on you when he's able, and offer help when he feels you might need it. If he really cares, then he'll be a little harsh at times as well, making blunt statements about your actions and seemingly getting upset. Really, he's not angry -- he's just worried, and he's not one to express that very well. Sometimes he'll flat out say "You had me worried", but his words and his actions tend to be different. Usually, if he's worried enough to say that he's worried, you probably scared the shit out of him. Even when it seems he doesn't care much about something that's going on, he's got it on his mind in some form or another.
There's one part of Yuri's lying side that eventually becomes obvious, when someone gets to know him long enough and sees it enough times: If something bad happens and he seems alright the next day, more than likely smiling away or snarking out of nowhere with a grin, then that's a huge red flag that whatever just happened is seriously bothering him. Yuri seems to hate attention drawn to him in the form of praise or worry, so he'll shrug off any praise and decline being rewarded for good actions he's done, and he'll smile away and joke around to ward off any worries people might have for him. The only praise he'll really take is praise or rewards for his fighting skills. Sadly, he doesn't make his "pretending to be happy" side glaringly obvious by flat out saying "No one worry, I'm totally okay" or anything like that. He'll just stay quiet or talk normally, and if anyone says "Oh, are you all right?" he'll put up a lie immediately and try to cut things short to get away. While Yuri does have the cold aspect going on for him often, he's really very easy-going (and even gives off the slacker vibe at times) if he's got no reason to be cold/knows you well enough. This is a bit tough to see in the main game without looking at skits, but Yuri is actually a very encouraging, "be happy about this/it could be worse" kind of guy about a lot of things ... well, not things that involve more serious aspects of life, like a town's people being tortured or a crappy government or something. He's not some kind of cheerleader, but he will come out with encouragement when it's necessary, and a "be happy!" when he feels it's needed.
As mentioned earlier, on most normal occasions, Yuri has a tendency to be cold and almost dismissive with people if he's in the middle of something or isn't getting a good first impression of them/thinks talking to them is a waste of time. The cold attitude can also come up when he's explaining things, stating his opinion (if it's about a serious topic), or when the group (or just one person in it) is doing something silly or says something stupid. "Don't be stupid." "I'm not getting involved in that." "We have other things we need to be doing." So on. It's doubtful he does that to be nasty or make everyone look stupid, but more to make them think a little more before talking, or to stay focused. ... Or he's just blunt, which is much more likely the case. This is Mr. "I will say what I want, when I want, however I want" Lowell, after all. Most of what he says can come across as cold or otherwise uninterested, even around friends, but that's just the way he talks. He's only warm and actually friendly when he's in a good mood, or when he's talking one on one with someone (this is usually reserved to someone he cares about, though). However, Yuri's not perfect and can get distracted from the Goal of the Day sometimes, but as long as some voice of reason clues him into that, he'll get back on track quickly.
Getting back to what I said about Yuri and how "obvious" he makes it when something's bothering him. In general, Yuri is what could be called "a non-expressive brick", particularly from the beginning of the game up to the point of Estelle's capture. If he's upset, depressed, angry, happy -- he barely shows it. Early-Game!Yuri's "happiness" came off more like amusement, anger came off as silent aggravation, and forget "upset" and "depressed" -- that wasn't even shown, not around everyone else. For example -- it takes Estelle from the first visit to Capua Nor to the first mention of Yuri and Karol creating a guild (in part 2/3 of the game, that is) to figure out that something Flynn said to Yuri back during that first visit to Nor had upset him. Even then, Yuri flat out denies it, saying "Nothing that guy says could get to me" while wandering off somewhere. Judith says "He doesn't like to admit his feelings, does he?", which just ... well, rubs the evidence of Yuri being a brick about his feelings in your face. The game definitely makes sure you realize how locked in Yuri is, that's for certain.
no subject
Like most Tales of heroes, Yuri Lowell is the sort of character who seems basic enough on the outside, but is actually quite complex under the surface. At first glance, he just seems like some cold, uncaring, mouthy guy with a high tendency for recklessness. That first glance isn't completely far off, though -- Yuri can be rather cold, can make some very uncaring comments, and he certainly does like to run his mouth. Really, he doesn't sound like the "hero" type of person at all.
Surprisingly enough, he actually is.
Before going into that, let's touch on the basics, first. Yuri's basic personality can be summed up in five words: teasing, sarcastic, cold, cynical, liar (and also a positive thinker when it comes to The Situation At Hand and making everyone around him feel better only -- past that, no). It's the side of him he shows more often than not, preferring to tease, lie, make snarky comments, or just be cold in general to get himself out of situations he'd rather not be in or face at the moment. If he notices a weakness in someone, he will exploit it for his own personal fun (like he did to Karol after they defeated an Eggbear). Thankfully, he won't laugh in your face for it, but if he teases you enough and you're giving reactions he's hoping for, he just might. He knows when to stop, though, and isn't one to push his luck when it comes to teasing people he actually likes being around. The man also lies more than an area rug, doing so many times in his canon to get information without others interfering, to cover up something he did, or just to get away from everyone and do something on his own. If he gets caught up in his lies, he won't back down and admit it all, either -- he'll just switch gears, as if he never lied in the first place, and never address the lie again. His cynical attitude is one that doesn't get brought out too often, as he's usually just an easy-going guy. For the most part, he's cynical about situations he's absolutely frustrated with. In the canon itself, most of his cynical commentary stems from any mention of the government, which he's extremely frustrated with. So, if there's lots of things piling up all at once that's not being taken care of, and Mr. Lowell can't handle it himself and knows this, he's going to be damn cynical about the whole deal. And if the guy just met you and sees no reason to be friendly or treat you with respect, he can easily come off as cold and apathetic.
Deep down, however, Yuri has that "protective older brother" personality. Aside from all the teasing, snarking, and lying he'll do, if he likes you, you'll know it. He'll protect you if he's near and the situation calls for it, check in on you when he's able, and offer help when he feels you might need it. If he really cares, then he'll be a little harsh at times as well, making blunt statements about your actions and seemingly getting upset. Really, he's not angry -- he's just worried, and he's not one to express that very well. Sometimes he'll flat out say "You had me worried", but his words and his actions tend to be different. Usually, if he's worried enough to say that he's worried, you probably scared the shit out of him. Even when it seems he doesn't care much about something that's going on, he's got it on his mind in some form or another.
There's one part of Yuri's lying side that eventually becomes obvious, when someone gets to know him long enough and sees it enough times: If something bad happens and he seems alright the next day, more than likely smiling away or snarking out of nowhere with a grin, then that's a huge red flag that whatever just happened is seriously bothering him. Yuri seems to hate attention drawn to him in the form of praise or worry, so he'll shrug off any praise and decline being rewarded for good actions he's done, and he'll smile away and joke around to ward off any worries people might have for him. The only praise he'll really take is praise or rewards for his fighting skills. Sadly, he doesn't make his "pretending to be happy" side glaringly obvious by flat out saying "No one worry, I'm totally okay" or anything like that. He'll just stay quiet or talk normally, and if anyone says "Oh, are you all right?" he'll put up a lie immediately and try to cut things short to get away. While Yuri does have the cold aspect going on for him often, he's really very easy-going (and even gives off the slacker vibe at times) if he's got no reason to be cold/knows you well enough. This is a bit tough to see in the main game without looking at skits, but Yuri is actually a very encouraging, "be happy about this/it could be worse" kind of guy about a lot of things ... well, not things that involve more serious aspects of life, like a town's people being tortured or a crappy government or something. He's not some kind of cheerleader, but he will come out with encouragement when it's necessary, and a "be happy!" when he feels it's needed.
As mentioned earlier, on most normal occasions, Yuri has a tendency to be cold and almost dismissive with people if he's in the middle of something or isn't getting a good first impression of them/thinks talking to them is a waste of time. The cold attitude can also come up when he's explaining things, stating his opinion (if it's about a serious topic), or when the group (or just one person in it) is doing something silly or says something stupid. "Don't be stupid." "I'm not getting involved in that." "We have other things we need to be doing." So on. It's doubtful he does that to be nasty or make everyone look stupid, but more to make them think a little more before talking, or to stay focused. ... Or he's just blunt, which is much more likely the case. This is Mr. "I will say what I want, when I want, however I want" Lowell, after all. Most of what he says can come across as cold or otherwise uninterested, even around friends, but that's just the way he talks. He's only warm and actually friendly when he's in a good mood, or when he's talking one on one with someone (this is usually reserved to someone he cares about, though). However, Yuri's not perfect and can get distracted from the Goal of the Day sometimes, but as long as some voice of reason clues him into that, he'll get back on track quickly.
Getting back to what I said about Yuri and how "obvious" he makes it when something's bothering him. In general, Yuri is what could be called "a non-expressive brick", particularly from the beginning of the game up to the point of Estelle's capture. If he's upset, depressed, angry, happy -- he barely shows it. Early-Game!Yuri's "happiness" came off more like amusement, anger came off as silent aggravation, and forget "upset" and "depressed" -- that wasn't even shown, not around everyone else. For example -- it takes Estelle from the first visit to Capua Nor to the first mention of Yuri and Karol creating a guild (in part 2/3 of the game, that is) to figure out that something Flynn said to Yuri back during that first visit to Nor had upset him. Even then, Yuri flat out denies it, saying "Nothing that guy says could get to me" while wandering off somewhere. Judith says "He doesn't like to admit his feelings, does he?", which just ... well, rubs the evidence of Yuri being a brick about his feelings in your face. The game definitely makes sure you realize how locked in Yuri is, that's for certain.