Bring on the originals! These are the greats who inspired three seasons, novels, manga, and several movies. Aren't they cute in chibi form? Kawaii! ^_^ Oh, I'm going to skim over possible couplings; I totally disregard anything in Try about couple development because it wasn't written by the show's creator, Hajime Kanzaka.
Lina
Inverse
Age: 16 at the beginning of the series, probably 19 by the end of Try
Height: taller than Amelia, shorter than Zelgadis
Family: Luna Inverse
First Appearance: attacking a bandit gang in the first episode.
Favorite Spell: Dragon Slave
Information: Lina is the main character of the series. She's a badass, red-headed sorceress with a short temper, especially when you call her flat-chested or Dragon Spooker. There are three things that scare her in this world, and they are slugs, werewolves, and her sister, Luna. The mere mention of Luna's name and Lina - well, it's quite humorous. Lina has saved the world three times, killed a Dark Lord or two, and even died. She is the creator of the ultimate spell, the Giga Slave.
Couplings: Gourry, Zelgadis, and Xelloss.
Gourry Gabriev - The main thing going for this coupling
is that it's canon. Get over it. The second thing would be the fact that she
gave up her life and risked the world for Gourry - something she wouldn't do for
anyone else. They may fight, and she may call Gourry an idiot all the time, but
they work well as a team. They've even gotten to the point where they can read
each other's minds in battle. Often cited against this coupling is the fact that
Lina isn't the kind of girl who would be shy about her feelings, but it's kind
of hard to show your feelings when you're not sure about them (Auntie Aqua and
Martina had to point it out to her). There's also the fact that she doesn't
remember a whole lot about the event that led to Phibrizzo's death.
Zelgadis Greywers - I admit they would make a good coupling because they balance each other. Where Lina is hot-headed, Zel is cool and calm. Their sorcery and sword skills complement each other. They both are intelligent and oftentimes stubborn. Lina also made Zel laugh in the first season. However, this coupling has two things going against it - it's not canon and the events at the end of Next. Lina didn't move when Zel "died" during his attack on Phibrizzo; she only acted when she truly thought Gourry was going to die.
Xelloss - If you go around the fact that Xel loves to annoy Lina for her emotions and he uses her for his own purposes, I think you'd also find that he actually likes her. Maybe respect is a better word. If they were a couple, Xelloss would have plenty of negative emotions to eat, either from Lina or the destruction in her wake. They work together well, but this relationship wouldn't be without its problems. Xel never tells the whole truth and he always has his own hidden agenda regarding Lina. Plus, there's the major fact that he is a Mazoku and therefore cannot love.
Gourry
Gabriev
Age: 18-22
Height: tallest out of the party
Family: Rowdy Gabriev
First Appearance: "rescuing" Lina from bandits in the first episode
Favorite Costume: Jellyfish
Information: Gourry's weapon of choice is Hikari no Ken (the Sword of Light), and he's quite adept at wielding it; he is quite possibly the best swordsman in the series. He is fiercely protective of Lina, and he has declared himself her guardian. He's a rival to her appetite, and he constantly forgets important events that he had a part in. This doesn't mean he's stupid, just absent-minded; in the novels, he was only ignorant of world history to make it easier to explain it to the readers. He can be amazingly observant at times and dense at others. While it is rumored that he is part elf (Mellyroon and Rowdy in The Motion Picture), he isn't; Mellyroon is an elf and she would still have been a child when Rowdy was an adult.
Couplings: Lina, Amelia, and Sylphiel.
Lina Inverse - As I said above, the main thing going for this is canon. He may have treated her like a child when they first met, but he has come to respect and even be in awe of her. They work very well together as a team, and it is obvious that he is in love with Lina even if she doesn't love him; he was the only one to chase after Lina into the Sea of Chaos. I believe that he does remember what happened in there, but he is wise enough to let Lina tell him in her own time. One problem is that he isn't exactly Lina's intellectual equal, but Lina always has Zel to turn to if she really wants to have an in-depth talk.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun - They don't balance each other out as well as Lina and Zel would, but it is a relationship that could work. Amelia hates weapons so while she uses her magic, Gourry can protect her with his sword. They both can be pretty dense. However, this coupling really doesn't work out that well. Not only is Amelia in love with Zelgadis, but Gourry seemed to be pretty miserable when he was stuck with Amelia in Try. Okay, I said I wouldn't cite Try sources, but would you be happy if you were stuck with the Justice Princess?!!
Sylphiel Nels Lahda - Gourry is probably too dense to realize that she likes him, and in any case, he wouldn't leave Lina because he is her sworn protector. Sylphiel is a good match for Gourry because she is gentle and she cooks well - both good things for Gourry. She is also patient and probably won't challenge his intellect too much. However, I think Sylphiel's feelings are one-sided in this case.
Zelgadis
Greywers
Age: younger than Gourry or in his 20s
Height: taller than Lina, shorter than Gourry
Family: Rezo the Red Priest
First Appearance: checking out Lina's destruction in the first episode
Most Hated Nickname: Zelga-bunny or Bunny chan
Information: Zelgadis is a young swordsman who was turned
into a Chimera by his grandfather, Rezo, in exchange for power. After the
betrayal by his grandfather, Zel unwillingly served Rezo for a little while
searching for the Philosopher's Stone. He hates Rezo even though Lina assured
him that the evil intentions were really Shabranigdo's, who was sealed in Rezo's
eyes, and not his grandfather's. Zel is intelligent, mysterious, and talented,
though he likes to brood a lot. He is obsessed with finding a cure to his
"condition" and he can be ruthless in searching for it.
Couplings: Amelia and Lina.
Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun - Here's another canon relationship. Zel does care for Amelia, if at least as a big brother may for his little sister, as he has protected her from harm on several occasions; Amelia quite obviously cares for him. If Amelia ever grows up and calms down a little bit, her optimism and happiness maybe be good for Zelgadis. Unfortunately, she is too loud and draws too much attention for Zel to be in a relationship with her at this time.
Lina Inverse - Except for the fact that Lina has strong feelings for Gourry, she and Zel would make a good couple, as discussed above.
Amelia
Wil Tesla Seyruun
Age: 14 at the beginning of the series, probably 17 by the end of Try
Height: shorter than everyone else
Family: Prince Philionel, Gracia, Uncle Christopher, Uncle Randy, and Alfred
First Appearance: first season
True Love: Zelgadis Greywers and Justice
Information: Amelia is the princess of Seyruun, the white magic capital. She is a shrine maiden and a self-proclaimed warrior of justice. She often acts and judges people "unjust" before thinking. She is very close to her father, Prince Philionel, who taught her everything there is to know about justice. She is in love with Zelgadis and hopes he returns her feelings. Her mother was killed when she was little and her sister, Gracia, disappeared soon after. (Side note: It is heavily hinted that Naga the White Serpent is actually Gracia.) Since then, Amelia has hated weapons of any kind, and she hates wielding them; she prefers to use her fists.
Couplings: Zelgadis and Gourry.
Xelloss
Age: older than 1012 in Next
Height: taller than Lina
Family: None really. Beastmaster created him.
First Appearance: suddenly introducing himself as the "Trickster Priest" in the second episode of Next
Trademarked Phrase: "Sore wa himitsu desu!" (That's a secret!")
Information: Aw, who couldn't love Xelloss? Well, excluding those who've heard his dub voice, David Moo, anyway. He takes pride in being irritating but indispensable, and he has the greatest knack for getting Lina-tachi to do what he wants. For more information on the enigmatic and evil Xelloss, as well as couplings, go here.
Sylphiel
Nels Lahda
Age: I'd say about the same age as Lina or slightly younger
Height: taller than Lina
Family: Eruk
First Appearance: first season
Hidden Talent: She can cast Dragon Slave but the best she can manage otherwise is "Flare Carrot"
Information: Admittedly, I don't know that much about Sylphiel because she was only in a few episodes of Next. She is in love with Gourry, she cooks well, and she's almost a god of casting white magic; she saved Lina's life with Resurrection. Her ability in other magic varies: she can cast the most powerful black magic spell, Dragon Slave, but all other magic is lost to her; her attempt at casting Flare Arrow ended up being a dart. Her goal in life is to be the perfect housewife. Her home used to be Sairaag before it was destroyed in the battle with Zanaffar; her beloved father, Eruk, died in that battle, too.
Coupling: Gourry.
Martina
Xoana Mel Navratilova
Age: probably the same age as the other girls
Height: shorter than Xelloss
Family: her father and Zangulus
First Appearance: using Zelgadis against Amelia in the first episode of Next
Worships: the Monster Zoamelgustar - a name she made up herself!
Information: Martina is a story unto herself. After Lina destroyed her kingdom of Xoana (it really wasn't her fault either), Martina swears vengeance and follows Lina everywhere. She has a bad habit of showing up at the wrong time. Though her power comes from the imaginary Zoamelgustar, she manages to curse Lina a few times. She has also fallen in love with practically every man in Next - Zelgadis, Gourry, Xelloss, Phibrizzo (well, maybe not), and finally Zangulus. She encourages Lina to do something before Phibrizzo kills them all and succeeds in getting her out of her shock. She marries Zangulus at the end of Next.
Coupling: This could've been a headache, but thankfully canon solved that with Zangulus. They're both scary-obsessive, and Zangulus seems to meet all of Martina's requirements for a king of Xoana.
Filia Ul Copt
Age: young in comparison to other dragons
Height: taller than Lina and shorter than Xelloss
Family: Valgaav
First Appearance: the letter-sender in the first episode of Try
Favorite Discipline: her mace
Information: Filia is the last of the golden dragons who
serve the Fire Dragon King. She was a priestess at his temple before she
resigned. She brought Lina-tachi outside the barrier because of a prophecy, and
she turned out to be the "brilliance beyond the dawn" that it talked
about. She now cares for baby Valgaav and runs a shop that sells maces and
antique potty with Jiras and Grabos.
Couplings: Valgaav and Xelloss.
Valgaav - Filia seems to care very much about Valgaav and what he's gone through, but he doesn't seem to return her feelings until around the time when he returns as Dark Star. There's also the fact that she's a gold dragon, the race that killed the Ancient Dragons, and Valgaav bears them a lot of hatred. There's also the fact that Valgaav is a baby again, so there's not much hope for this coupling right now. A lot of Try artwork has them as a couple, so apparently this is canon, and it may work in the future if Valtier (Valgaav) doesn't mind dating his surrogate mother.
Xelloss - see Xelloss' couplings.
Naga the White Serpent
Age: older than Amelia and Lina, maybe 18 in the OAVs
Height: as tall as Gourry
Family: Prince Philionel and Amelia
First Appearance: bursting in on Lina and Diol in "The Li-mera Project" in Slayers Excellent (Book of Spells DVD)
Most Valuable Asset: her annoying laugh
Information: Naga traveled with Lina in her early days and left some time before Lina met Gourry. Naga is loud, obnoxious, arrogant, and a drunkard. She has an annoying laugh, but she can get stuff for free just by threatening to laugh. She has a lust for gold that surprisingly exceeds Lina's. She faints at the sight of blood, so she uses spells like Freeze Arrow, which do not draw blood. She's also very good in white magic, which is unexplainable for a magic user who specializes in curses. As arrogant and proud as she is, she surprisingly doesn't talk about her family. Ever.
Naga is actually Seyruun's long-lost Princess Gracia. There was an attempt on her life, but her mother was murdered instead. Naga managed to kill the murderers with her mother's spell, Chaos String, and then fled, taking her present costume from her mother's closet (why would she have that?!!). To this day, she can't stand the sight of blood. I don't know who made the attempt on Naga's life, but the way she acts now is how she copes with her mother's murder.
Couplings: I don't know of any.
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