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Mortification (band)

Mortification is an Australian Christian death metal band which was formed in 1987 as a heavy metal group, Lightforce, by mainstay Steve Rowe on bass guitar and vocals. By 1990, in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin, they were renamed as Mortification with the line-up of Rowe, Michael Carlisle on guitar and Jayson Sherlock on drums. Mortification has released fourteen studio albums, three compilation albums, three extended plays, six live discs, one demo album, one box set, and several videos on major record labels such as Nuclear Blast. As one of the earliest internationally successful Christian death metal bands from Australia, they served as an inspiration for later similar groups.

During the early 1990s, Mortification played death and thrash metal. After the departure of Sherlock, Mortification began experimenting with groove metal, hardcore punk and power metal. They achieved commercial success with Blood World in 1994 and received critical acclaim for 1996's EnVision EvAngelene. Despite the lack of subsequent commercial success or mainstream critical recognition, "the band, in spite of their extreme sound, are some kind of superstars in the 'White Metal' scene", and have been described as "a legend in the death metal scene."

In late 1996, Rowe was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukaemia and took 18 months to recover. Mortification issued their tenth album, Triumph of Mercy in August 1998 and accompanied it with a tour of North America. By August 1999, the band had sold a total of a quarter of a million albums across Europe and the US. They returned to their death/thrash roots for the 2004 album, Brain Cleaner.

Original line-up
In 1987, bass guitarist and vocalist Steve Rowe formed the Australian power metal band LightForce with Murray Adams on guitar, Steve Johnson on vocals and Errol Willenberg on drums. The group played on the local metal scene and signed with United States label, Pure Metal Records to release their debut album, Mystical Thieves in May 1989. They supported US Christian glam metallers Stryper on their 1989 tour of Australia. In 1990, Rowe, was determined to play heavy music with a Christian message, and was joined by drummer Jayson Sherlock and guitarist Cameron Hall under the LightForce name to record the demo Break the Curse. The group had changed musically towards thrash metal with a death metal influence and when Michael Carlisle replaced Hall on guitar, they were renamed Mortification. According to Rowe, the name comes from the King James Bible, "Mortify therefore the deeds of the flesh." Break the Curse was released in 1991 as Mortification's second album.

In early 1991, they released their self-titled debut album on the US Christian label Intense Records. The direction of the music had changed once again. A lot of the songs were taken from their demo Break the Curse, but the band tuned their guitars down, and the feel to the songs was a lot more heavy and doomy than on previous material. Also, Rowe proved to be an excellent death metal vocalist, presenting his "Grind Baritone vocals of extreme reality" throughout the album. According to AllMusic, the band "sought to provide a positive alternative to traditional death metal acts such as Carcass, Death and Obituary. On the strength of their self-titled 1990 debut, Mortification quickly gained a reputation in their native Australia for being one of the loudest and fastest bands around."

In 1992, the band signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records in Germany, which had many European death metal groups on their roster. Mortification released their third album, Scrolls of the Megilloth, which had great success and, in the Christian metal scene, is considered a classic as well as a piece of Australian metal history. The line-up had outdone themselves, playing some fast death metal with a few doom metal influences on a couple of tracks. According to AllMusic, the album contains "some of the most frightening vocals ever recorded." A video-compilation titled Grind Planets which featured eight Mortification music-videos shot by film maker Neil Johnson was also released. Grind Planets, the title is a word play of the term 'Rock Star'. It presented a more humorous side of Mortification with the "On the Road" material in contrast with their serious message about spiritual warfare – a common theme among Christian extreme metal bands during the early 1990s when anti-Christian bands such as Deicide and Morbid Angel gained popularity.

The band conquered new ground with their 1993 release Post Momentary Affliction. Most notably, the vocal style shifted, adding some thrash-like screams to the already-familiar metal growls. The band also experimented with the industrial style. The album also featured one of Mortification's most popular songs, "Grind Planetarium". Jayson Sherlock had his last concert with the band at the Black Stump Festival '93, and the concert was released both on CD and also VHS under the name Live Planetarium. A big US major magazine cited the Live Planetarium video as the best live album and video they have ever seen and heard. Jayson joined Paramaecium, and Phil Gibson replaced him as Mortification's drummer.

Commercial success
The band released a new album in 1994 called Blood World. They leaned more towards modern groove/thrash with classic metal and hardcore punk influence rather than death metal, and Steve mainly used his shouts rather than growling. Phil and Michael left the band, and Steve stood by himself. The strange combination of extreme styles began setting Mortification apart from the crowd of same sounding bands and widened the band's audience as they became quickly recognised as innovators and not imitators. Blood World received rave reviews in America and Europe. Horror Infernal Magazine gave the album 13 out of 13 points. Blood World eventually became their best selling album.

1994 also saw the birth of Steve's own record label, "Rowe Productions". Also, Break the Curse was remixed and re-released by Nuclear Blast Records with a bonus track called "Butchered Mutilation".

Together with numerous friends, Steve recorded the album Primitive Rhythm Machine which was released in 1995. The sound of the album is really nasty and messy with a tribal-percussion to it. Musically, Steve mixed all the styles Mortification had played in the past, death metal, thrash metal and groove metal.

Also, Mortification's The Best of Five Years were released. A compilation album of older material. Two songs from each previous release made a good introduction to new fans, and showed the bands innovation. This was the last album to be released by Mortification through Intense Records.

In 1996, Steve Rowe started his search for a new drummer and guitarist. The drum position was filled by longtime roadie Keith Bannister, who had become a Christian during the first Mortification tour back in 1990. He learned how to play the drums while Mortification was on tour, and when they came back, Steve saw that he had been practising, and was amazed at his progress, and instantly chose him to fill the spot as the drummer of the band. The guitar position was filled by guitarist Lincoln Bowen. Together, they recorded the album EnVision EvAngelene. This disc mixed elements of classic metal, thrash metal and added a punk feel to some of the songs. The first cut is an epic 18+ minute about Christ's crucifixion from the angels' point of view.

Two live EPs were also released, Noah Sat Down and Listened to the Mortification Live EP While Having a Coffee and Live without Fear. Unlike their first live album Live Planetarium from the Black Stump Music and Arts Festival, this was recorded at a small club, with a raw sound.

A video compilation called EnVidion was released, containing numerous music-videos and interviews. Also released this year was a novel by Steve Rowe titled "Minstrel".

In 2006, their song "Livin like a Zombie" was played in the background of the BME Pain Olympics:Final Round.

Rowe diagnosed with leukaemia
In late 1996, Steve Rowe was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukaemia, and after 18 months he was in remission despite a seemingly failed bone marrow transplant. Soon after, Mortification recorded their tenth album, Triumph of Mercy, and released it in August 1998. It was issued by Rowe Productions in the US and Nuclear Blast Germany in Europe. Lyrically, the album focused on the experiences of Rowe and the band during the previous two-years. The style of the album was a mixture of groove and thrash. They followed with a North American tour.

1999 saw the release of Hammer of God, also a mix of thrash and groove. The death metal elements had vanished, but the religious message of the lyrics remained. The band's line-up was Rowe, with Keith Bannister on drums and Lincoln Bowen on guitar. They undertook another European tour to promote Hammer of God. By August that year, the group had sold a total of a quarter of a million albums across Europe and the US.

In 2000, Mortification released another live album, recorded at Black Stump Festival in 1999, called 10 Years Live Not Dead, which mainly featured material from their newer albums plus a new song called "Dead Man Walking". Keith Bannister left the band, and a replacement was found in the very young drummer Adam Zaffarese.

The new line-up released the album The Silver Cord is Severed in 2000 and the band went on its first world tour. The music continued to be thrash and groove. While many fans thought the album was the weakest effort in the band's career, The Silver Cord is Severed sold well like its precessors. This was due to the fact that – like Nuclear Blast founder Markus Staiger stated in a newsletter – had become "some kind of superstars in the Christian metal scene". At the end of 2000 Lincoln Bowen left, and the band was split, which seemed like it was the end of Mortification.

A collection of Mortification songs was released in 2002 on the compilation-album Ten Years 1990–2000 Power, Pain, and Passion.

However, things changed when the guitarists Jeff Lewis (Sympathy) and Mick Jelinic (Terraphobia) joined the band, and in 2002 they released Relentless. The band went in a slightly more heavy direction with a good dose of thrash and classic metal. The band played live as a 4-piece only a couple of times, as Jeff Lewis left the band.

Return to death/thrash roots
2004 saw the released of Brain Cleaner, now with ex-Cybergrind and current Martyrs Shrine drummer Mike Forsberg. This was the heaviest release from the band in ten years, and fast thrash dominates the album with many groove and death metal influences.

In 2006, Mortification released a new album. It was originally titled Impaling the Goblin, but after many complaints that in some cultures this term had a sexual connotation to it, they changed the name to Erasing the Goblin. The album, with a cover which features a warrior throwing a sword into a goblin sitting on a rocking chair in a cave, is said to be a take on their older death/thrash sound around the time of their first 2-3 albums.

In early 2008, the band's nine early records were re-released by Polish Metal Mind Productions. In July 2008 Steve Rowe announced on his website that drummer Damien Percy was leaving after three years in the band and has been replaced by Dave Kilgallon, who is also the drummer for Australian Christian metal bands Grave Forsaken and Scourged Flesh.

On 6 June, it was announced that Mortification will record a new album in 2009. On 5 August, the band stated that they would record a demo for the new album. On 4 February, Rowe announced that the album titled The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine was partially completed, and it was released early June. Confusing many fans, Steve Rowe has reportedly called the new musical direction "easy-listening thrash". Rowe noted in a message for The Metal Resource about the reception of The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine: "With all new Mort releases there have been mixed response; pretty black and white. Some Really Like It and some really Don't Like It. But I knew with presenting the band in a reinvented way it was an excitingly dangerous move!"

In 2016, Rowe spoke in an interview about a re-pressing of Post Momentary Affliction on vinyl. He stated that former drummer Jayson Sherlock redesigned the artwork. On 1 January 2018, Rowe announced that he had reunited with Mick Jelinic and that they were jamming some of their old material, with possible new material to be written. The Intense Years: 30th Anniversary Box Set was released on Soundmass Records in 2020 and contained reissues of Mortification's first five studio albums and Live Planetarium, with each of them having extra material. An exclusive disc, Live 1996, is included with the box set.

Reception and legacy
Mortification was described by Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane in his Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop in 1999: "During the early 1990s, Mortification became internationally known as Australia's foremost Christian-inspired death metal band. Christian death metal: surely a contradiction in terms; but only for the uninitiated. Mortification successfully infused the down-tuned, sledgehammer riffs and gruff vocal style usually associated with the death/thrash metal genre with positive and spiritually uplifting lyric themes."

Records released after Steve Rowe's leukaemia have received poor reviews from critics, though they kept selling well. A critic wrote that "The weakest link of current Mortification are the lyrics. They are just somewhat naive and cheesy. On the old albums sinners screamed in pain in the fiery pits of hell, Satan was slaughtered; the rhetorics fit the spirit of the brutal music better. Apparently the fatherhood and going through the disease has calmed Rowe down too much, although on the early records the previous members Jayson Sherlock and Mick Carlisle wrote a lot of the lyrics." The different singing style Rowe did for many years after Post Momentary Affliction was another target for criticism, being called "poor screaming".

According to Australian writers Gary Garson and Peter Schultz, Mortification is the world's most successful Christian extreme metal band. Their first three albums are respected efforts of death metal. Blood World was a commercial hit and EnVision EvAngelene gained some respect for its music. During the tour for Blood World they played with Napalm Death, Sick of It All and Entombed for audiences consisting of thousands of people, and sold more merchandise than the other bands in the venues.

In Raised by Wolves, author John J. Thompson pointed out that upon forming Mortification, Rowe "suddenly had one of the most credible Christian death metal bands in the world on his hands." Thompson defined Mortification as "one of the heaviest bands ever to hit the Christian scene" and described its albums as "a blatantly evangelistic work of shredding death metal."

Discussing the social aspects of the extreme metal scene, author Keith Kahn-Harris wrote that overt Christian bands like Mortification are often "strongly criticized if their commitment to music is perceived to be subordinate to their commitment to politics." Kahn-Harris observed that "with a very few exceptions, overt Christian bands tend to be confined to their own, largely autonomous scenes." But he acknowledges that "music and scene can never be detached from flows of power and capital and hence a non-political scene is an impossibility. [...] The scene is enmeshed in relations of power and capital, despite its relative autonomy as a field."

Band members
Current members
 * Steve Rowe – vocals, bass (1990–present)
 * Lincoln Bowen – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals (1996–2001, 2011–present)
 * Andrew Esnouf – drums (2011–present)
 * Michael Jelinic – Lead Guitars, Rhythm Guitars (2002–2011, 2018-present)

Former members
 * Cameron Hall – rhythm guitars (1990)
 * Jayson Sherlock – drums, backing vocals (1990–1993)
 * Michael Carlisle – lead guitars, backing vocals (1991–1994)
 * Phil Curlis–Gibson – drums (1993–1994)
 * George Ochoa – rhythm guitars, keyboards (1994–1996)
 * Keith Bannister – drums, backing vocals (1996–1999)
 * Adam Zaffarese – drums (2000–2003, 2008–2011)
 * Jeff Lewis – rhythm guitars (2002)
 * Mike Forsberg – drums (2003–2005)
 * Damien Percy – drums (2005–2008) (died 2018)
 * Dave Kilgallon – drums (2008)
 * Troy Dixon – guitars (2011)
 * Jason Campbell – rhythm guitars, vocals (1995)
 * Dave Kellogg – lead guitars (1995)
 * Josh Rivero – guitar (1995)
 * Bill Rice – drums (1995)

Touring musicians
 * Johnny Vasquez – drums (1993)

Session musicians
 * Derek Sean – lead guitars (1991)

Timeline

Discography

 * Studio albums
 * Mortification (1991)
 * Scrolls of the Megilloth (1992)
 * Post Momentary Affliction (1993)
 * Blood World (1994)
 * Primitive Rhythm Machine (1995)
 * EnVision EvAngelene (1996)
 * Triumph of Mercy (1998)
 * Hammer of God (1999)
 * The Silver Cord is Severed (2001)
 * Relentless (2002)
 * Brain Cleaner (2004)
 * Erasing the Goblin (2006)
 * The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine (2009)
 * Realm of the Skelataur (2015)

 * Demo albums
 * Break the Curse (1990)

 * EPs
 * Scribe of the Pentateuch (2012)
 * Ancient Prophecy/Overseer (2017)

 * Live albums
 * Live Planetarium (1993)
 * Live Without Fear (1996)
 * Noah Sat Down and Listened to the Mortification Live E.P. While Having a Coffee (1996, EP)
 * 10 Years Live Not Dead (2000)
 * Live Humanitarian (2006)
 * Live 1996 (2020)

 * Compilation albums
 * The Best of Five Years (1996)
 * Ten Years 1990–2000 Power, Pain, and Passion (2002)
 * Twenty Years in the Underground (2010)

 * Box sets
 * The Intense Years: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2020)

 * Bootlegs
 * Australia Live (1992)
 * Distarnished Priest (1995)
 * Live Planetarium 2 (1995)
 * Triumph of Mercy (1998)
 * Conquer The Stump (2003)
 * Total Thrashing Death (2004)

Scrolls of the Megilloth – Mortification (previously unreleased)
 * Other appearances
 * ''Death Is Just The Beginning Vol. 2 1993
 * Nuclear Blast Presents! Summer Blast 1994
 * Hot Metal V: Screaming Truth
 * Track 7- An interview with Mortification
 * Track 8- Distarnish Priest

 * Godspeed: Australian Metal Compilation- Time Crusaders (Studio Demo Version)
 * Tourniquet/Mortification collector's edition CD single
 * Track 9- Your Life
 * Track 10- J.G.S.H.
 * Track 11- Love Song
 * Track 12- A Short Interview with Steve Rowe on the History of Mortification

 * Videos
 * Metal Missionaries (1991, video)
 * Grind Planets (1993, video, 55 minutes)
 * The History of Mortification (1994, video)
 * Live Planetarium (1994, video, 60 minutes)
 * EnVidion (1996, video, 60 minutes)
 * Conquer The World (2002, DVD, 95 minutes)
 * Grind Planets Reissue (2005, DVD, 89 minutes)
 * Live Planetarium (2006, DVD, 90 minutes)

title: Mortification (band)


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Tales of Symphonia

Tales of Symphonia (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア) is an action role-playing video game developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco for the GameCube. The fifth main installment of the Tales series, it was released in Japan on August 29, 2003, in North America on July 13, 2004 and in Europe on November 19, 2004. In Japan, the game was ported for the PlayStation 2 with additional content and was released on September 22, 2004.

The game takes place in a fictional world called Sylvarant and follows Lloyd Irving. Lloyd accompanies his childhood friend, Colette Brunel, who is destined to go on a journey to save their world. As their journey progresses, they learn that saving Sylvarant endangers Tethe'alla, a world parallel to their own. The game's central theme is an "RPG that resonates with you" (君と響きあうRPG).

Tales of Symphonia received generally positive reviews upon release. Critics praised the battle system, art direction, voice acting and character development, but had mixed reactions to the music and narrative, and criticized some graphical shortcomings. The game received a Japan Game Awards in 2003 and had received re-releases under the Player's Choice and PlayStation 2 the Best labels. In the United States, over 100 thousand copies were sold during the first two weeks and has sold 2.4 million copies worldwide across all platforms, making it the best-selling title in the franchise. The game has been adapted into seven manga collections, two novel series, seven drama CDs, and an OVA anime series. A sequel entitled Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World was released for the Wii in 2008. Tales of Symphonia and its sequel were collected as a PlayStation 3 high definition release in Tales of Symphonia Chronicles in 2013. A Steam version was released on February 2, 2016. A remastered version was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 17, 2023.

Gameplay
Like previous installments in the Tales series, Tales of Symphonia consists primarily of three major areas: an overworld field map, town and dungeon maps, and a battle screen. The overworld map is a 3D model, featuring a scaled-down version of the game's fictional world which the player travels through to reach the game's locations. As with preceding games in the series, the world map can be traversed by foot, on the party's quadrupedal pet Noishe, and on flying vehicles known as Rheairds. On field maps, characters are directed across realistically scaled environments. The battle screen is a 3D representation of an area, in which the player commands the characters in battles against CPU-controlled enemies.

On the overworld and field maps, various skits between the characters can be viewed. They involve animated character portraits, subtitles, and, in the Japanese version, full voice acting. Skits concern anything from character development to side details. Overworld map skits affect Lloyd's relationships with other party members. The player will be able to make certain decisions that imperceptibly affect how the other characters think of Lloyd. Some of these choices have minor ramifications for the game's storyline.

During battle sequences, the game uses the Multi-Line Linear Motion Battle System. Four characters from the party are chosen to battle; those not controlled by a player are guided by artificial intelligence with instructions set by the player beforehand. Damage dealt to the opponent fills a "Unison Gauge". When this is full, a "Unison Attack" can be triggered, allowing the party to use techniques simultaneously on a single enemy. When certain techniques are combined, a special attack results in additional damage.
 * Battle system

After battle, a currency called Grade is awarded or subtracted based on specific criteria that are fulfilled in battle. It is used to purchase bonuses during New Game Plus. Players are also prompted to cook food after battles if they have the materials. Cooking recipes determine the benefits received such as health recovery. The degree of the benefit is determined by which character is chosen to cook.

Tales of Symphonia's skill system is built around the use of "EX Gems", which come in four ranks. Each character can equip up to four EX Gems and set abilities to those gems. The abilities determine if the characters will learn Strike or Technical techniques and spells. Combinations of EX Gem abilities can also grant additional abilities called "EX-Skills". The development of a character's attributes is determined by their equipped "Title". Titles are earned through story progression, side quests, or completion of miscellaneous criteria.

Setting
The initial setting of Tales of Symphonia is Sylvarant, a world in a state of decline due to the depletion of mana, a force essential to life and the use of magic. 4000 years prior, a war was waged by an evil race known as the Desians, who were sealed away by the legendary hero Mithos via a pact with the world's goddess Martel. Due to Sylvarant's weakening mana, the Desians have reemerged and are terrorizing humanity, conducting biological experiments on abducted humans in facilities known as "human ranches", which further consumes mana. During this time, humanity puts his hopes upon the descendant of Martel's angels, the "Chosen", who must undertake a pilgrimage and awaken the "Summon Spirits" who protect Sylvarant. This will in turn awaken Martel, who will reseal the Desians and restore the world's mana, and the Chosen will be reborn as an angel. The Chosen's pilgrimage is complicated by the presence of the Renegades, a group that deliberately dresses in Desian garb and has assassinated Sylvarant's Chosen for the past 800 years, preventing Martel's awakening. Later, the existence of a parallel world named Tethe'alla comes to light. The two worlds are separated by a dimensional barrier that can only be passed through using magical technology (or "magitech"). They share a single source of mana and are caught in a precarious equilibrium in which mana is unevenly distributed; as one world prospers, the other declines.

Sylvarant and Tethe'alla are inhabited by humans as well as elves, a race of long-lived humanoid extraterrestrials who originated from the giant comet Derris-Kharlan and can manipulate mana to cast magic. Although normally only those of elven blood can cast magic, humans such as Kratos and Zelos can gain the same ability by ingesting the powdered ore "Aionis". Offspring born between humans and elves are half-elves, who bear both the fighting spirit and curiosity of humans and the longevity and magical capabilities of elves. Because of this, they are discriminated against by condescending elves and jealous humans, and in Tethe'alla they are deprived of civil rights. The Desians are composed entirely of half-elves who act out of vengeance for this discrimination.

Several characters bear an "Exsphere", a small jewel that enhances the wearer's natural abilities when implanted onto the skin, and is also used as a power source for machinery. However, an Exsphere's amplifying capability can only be awakened at the cost of a human life, and the Exsphere parasitically feeds off the user's mana unless a suppressant named a "Key Crest" is installed. An evolved form of Exsphere known as a "Cruxis Crystal" grants its user immortality, a pair of angel-like wings, and a relinquished need for human functions such as eating or sleeping, but eventually erases the user's ego if worn without a Key Crest. The Chosen is said to be born holding a Cruxis Crystal, though it is actually granted by its namesake organization Cruxis, the central body of the religion surrounding Martel. Cruxis' duty is to ensure the perpetuation of the Chosen's genetic lineage in the prospering world and to guide the Chosen's pilgrimage via an oracle in the declining world.

Characters
The main protagonist is Lloyd Irving, a young swordsman who joins the Chosen's pilgrimage as a means of protecting his childhood friend Colette Brunel. He also seeks to defeat the Desians and avenge his mother, who was said to be killed protecting the Exsphere on the back of Lloyd's hand. The other members of the pilgrimage include Lloyd and Colette's mutual friend Genis Sage, their village schoolteacher and Genis's older sister Raine Sage, and the traveling mercenary Kratos Aurion, who is hired by the village church to escort Colette. The group is later joined by Sheena Fujibayashi, a ninja from Tethe'alla who initially tries to assassinate Colette; Zelos Wilder, the arrogant and womanizing Chosen of Tethe'alla; Presea Combatir, a young lumberjack with superhuman strength as a result of Cruxis Crystal-related experiments; and Regal Bryant, an ex-convict who wishes to avenge his lover, whom he was forced to kill.

The organization Cruxis is led by Yggdrasill, a half-elf whose ultimate goal is to turn all people into lifeless beings in order to bring about an age free of discrimination. Yggdrasill's secret identity is that of the legendary hero Mithos, an ageless half-elven boy who seeks to revive his older sister Martel, whom he propped up as a goddess following her death in the ancient war. Prior to Yggdrasill's appearance, the oracle Remiel, who promotes Colette's transformation into an angel, serves as the primary representative of Cruxis. The Renegades, a group attempting to thwart Cruxis' goals, are led by Yuan, a half-elf who aided Mithos in ending the ancient war and was engaged to Martel.

Story
Colette is summoned to her village's church to receive the oracle who will initiate her pilgrimage to regenerate Sylvarant. She is protected from an apparent Desian attack by her friends Lloyd and Genis, as well as the traveling mercenary Kratos. Lloyd and Genis are initially denied the opportunity to accompany Colette on her pilgrimage, and Colette, hoping to protect them, secretly leaves early with Raine and Kratos. However, Lloyd and Genis's intervention to rescue a friend of Genis at a nearby human ranch results in their village's retaliatory decimation and their subsequent exile, leaving them no other option but to join Colette's pilgrimage. During the journey, the process of the Chosen's transformation into an angel is revealed to entail the gradual loss of Colette's humanity. They also encounter and eventually make peace with the assassin Sheena, who comes from the parallel world of Tethe'alla. From her, they learn how the two worlds vie for each other's mana through the journey of regeneration. Within a human ranch, the group discovers that Exspheres are cultivated within humans, with Lloyd's Exsphere having came from within his mother. Hoping to find answers from the oracle Remiel, the party meets him at the Chosen's final destination and are betrayed by Remiel and Kratos; both are revealed to be members of Cruxis, an organization that seeks to use the Chosen's body as Martel's vessel.

The party is rescued by the Renegades, a group that poses as Desians and aims to prevent Martel's resurrection. The Renegades' leader, Yuan, explains that the Desians are servants of Cruxis and act to terrorize the population of the declining world and stimulate the growth of the Chosen's Cruxis Crystal. When Yuan declares his intent to secure Lloyd to further the Renegades' purpose, the party escapes for Tethe'alla, where they restore Colette's humanity after crafting a Key Crest for her Cruxis Crystal. In search for a way to save both worlds, the party determines that awakening the Summon Spirits in both worlds will sever the mana tie between them. Believing that to be the answer, they successfully sever all mana ties between the two worlds. Their actions instead destabilize the Great Seed, the supplier of mana to both worlds, causing it to grow and engulf Sylvarant at an exponential rate. After the party re-stabilizes the seed, they learn from Yuan about the origins of Sylvarant and Tethe'alla and how they used to be one world but was split by Cruxis' leader Mithos with the Eternal Sword; the party realizes they can save the world if they wield the Eternal Sword, merge the worlds, and germinate the Great Seed. They decide to confront and defeat Mithos before seeking the Eternal Sword.

At Mithos' stronghold, Zelos allows Colette to be kidnapped in a genuine or feigned betrayal of the party (depending on the player's choices), and Mithos uses Colette's body to reawaken Martel. However, Martel rejects Mithos' actions and twisted vision, and before vanishing back into the Great Seed, she laments that the elves should never have left Derris-Kharlan. Mithos misinterprets this sentiment as a wish to leave the two worlds for Derris-Kharlan, but is seemingly killed by the party before carrying out his seizure of the Great Seed, and Genis keeps his Cruxis Crystal as a memento of his sole half-elven friend. Kratos reveals that he has been gathering materials to forge a ring that will allow Lloyd to use the Eternal Sword. Mithos' spirit, having survived within his Cruxis Crystal, emerges and possesses a member from the party before fleeing to Derris-Kharlan. Mithos attempts to take the Great Seed with him, but is foiled and killed by Lloyd. Using the Eternal Sword, Lloyd merges Sylvarant and Tethe'alla together and germinates the Great Seed into a Giant Kharlan Tree to supply the world with mana.

Development and release
On May 8, 2002, Namco and Nintendo announced at a Tokyo press conference that they would collaborate on a number of titles for the GameCube, including a new installment in the Tales series slated for a July 2003 release. Originally developed under the title Tales of Phantasia, its final title was revealed to be Tales of Symphonia in February 2003. An April 2003 edition of Famitsu revealed the game had been in development for two years, most of the development staff previously worked on Tales of Eternia, the game would have the most main characters in a Tales game to date, and would be the first 3D game in the series. A North American localization was confirmed at E3 2003. A conference by Namco on June 9, 2003 revealed the game would be on two disks and its theme song would be "Starry Heavens" by J-pop group Day After Tomorrow. To celebrate its release in Japan, the game was bundled with a symphonic green GameCube. To increase the North American version's appeal to Western audiences, localization producer Nao Higo replaced "Starry Heavens" with an orchestral anthem by composer Motoi Sakuraba, and focused on hiring experienced voice actors such as Scott Menville, Tara Strong, and Cam Clarke for the English voice-acting. The game was released in Japan on August 29, 2003, and was localized in North America, Australia, and Europe on July 13, 2004, November 18, 2004, and November 19, 2004, respectively. The game was re-released in North America under the Player's Choice label on July 19, 2004.

During the second week of April 2004, Weekly Shōnen Jump announced a PlayStation 2 port of Tales of Symphonia. It received new in-game additions and its theme song is lit. "And Thus, I Can Do It" (そして僕にできるコト) by Day After Tomorrow, which is also remixed as lit. "And Thus, I Can Do It ver. 2013" (そして僕にできるコト ver.2013), which is also performed by the band's lead singer, Misono, in the PS3 version in both the Japanese and Western releases, as well as the PC and Remastered versions. It was released exclusively in Japan on September 22, 2004, and re-released under the PlayStation 2 the Best label on July 7, 2005.

Scenario
Takumi Miyajima, the game's writer, explained Tales of Symphonia was planned to create a "unique symphonia", dependent on the player's choices and the affection system. Miyajima wrote many scenarios, with the most significant events centered on Zelos Wilder. Originally, Zelos' death was supposed to be canon. His survival would have been dependent on the affection system: He would die early on if he was ranked the lowest in the affection system, would die at the end if he ranked in the middle, and would only survive if he ranked the top. However, the development staff suggested to have Kratos Aurion return to the party and the team discussed how it would work. The change in scenario had Miyajima rework Zelos' death into a non-canon path of the story. While generally a self-contained story, Symphonia apparently takes place within either the same or a similar timeline to the first Tales game, Tales of Phantasia.

Sequel and Chronicles release
A direct sequel, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, was announced on July 20, 2007, for the Wii. It was released in Japan and North America in 2008 and in Europe a year after.

Tales of Symphonia Chronicles was announced on June 1, 2013, for the PlayStation 3. It contains Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World with remastered graphics and additional content. It was released in Japan on October 10, 2013, and it was released in North America, Australia, and Europe in February 2014 as both a retail version and download release, with the option to purchase Tales of Symphonia as a standalone release.

Comics
Tales of Symphonia spawned seven manga adaptations after its release: six anthology collections and a traditional manga series.

The first anthology collection, Tales of Symphonia Comic Anthology (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア コミックアンソロジー), consists of five volumes which were released between November 25, 2003, and February 25, 2006, by Ichijinsha. The second anthology collection, Tales of Symphonia Yonkoma Kings (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア コミックア 4コマ Kings), is a four-panel comic. It consists of five volumes released between November 25, 2003, and December 25, 2006, by Ichijinsha. A third anthology collection entitled BC Anthology Collection Tales of Symphonia (BCアンソロジーコレクション テイルズ オブ シンフォニア) had two volumes published by Mag Garden in February 2005 and 2007. The fourth anthology collection is BC Anthology Collection Tales of Symphonia Yonkoma Short Comic Collection (BCアンソロジーコレクション テイルズ オブ シンフォニア ４コマ・ショートコミックセレクション) and consisted of a single volume which was released by Mag Garden on October 10, 2007. The fifth anthology collection is Super Comic Theater: Tales of Symphonia (スーパーコミック劇場 テイルズ オブ シンフォニア). It consisted of two volumes which were released by Square Enix on May 27, 2005, and September 16, 2005. The sixth anthology collection is Tales of Symphonia Comic Anthology: The Best (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア コミックアンソロジー The Best) is a single volume released on June 5, 2010, by Ichijinsha.

The manga series by Hitoshi Ichimura was titled Tales of Symphonia and was an adaptation of the game's storyline. The first four chapters were serialized between the April and July 2005 editions of Monthly Comic Blade. Future chapters were released in tankōbon volumes by Mag Garden thereafter. Six volumes were released: the first was released on August 10, 2005, and the last two were released on July 10, 2007.

Books
Tales of Symphonia has spun off two novel series adaptions, four strategy guides, a character book, an official scenario book, and an art book. The first novel series is titled Tales of Symphonia and is written by Kiyoshi Yuki. It consisted of three novels released between November 21 and December 20, 2003, by Shueisha. The second novel series is titled Tales of Symphonia: Radiance of Time (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア 久遠 の輝き) and is written by Sera Yajima. It consists of four volumes released between December 20, 2003, and June 19, 2004, by Enterbrain. An after story by the same author was released on September 18, 2004.

Two strategy guides under the V Jump Books brand were published by Shueisha: the Gamecube guide was released on August 29, 2003, and the PS2 on September 22, 2004. Namco Bandai Games released two official strategy guides on October 1, 2003, and October 27, 2004, for the Gamecube and PS2 respectively. Tales of Symphonia Illustration: Kosuke Fujishima's Character Work (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア イラストレーションズ 藤島康介のキャラクター仕事) is a book by the game's designer, Kōsuke Fujishima, and was released on January 26, 2004, by Ichijinsha. It provides details on the characters' back story and how their design came to be. Tales of Symphonia Official Scenario Book (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア 公式シナリオブック) was released on June 26, 2008, by Namco Bandai. The book details the history of the world and characters. Tales of Symphonia The Animation Visual Complete Picture Book (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア The Animation ビジュアルコンプリートブック) is an art book for the anime released on March 28, 2013, by ASCII Media Works.

Audio CDs
Seven drama CDs based on the game's plot were produced by Frontier Works. Drama CD: Tales of Symphonia (A Long Time Ago) (ドラマCD テイルズ オブ シンフォニア 〜A long time ago〜) 1, 2, and 3 are stories preceding the game. They were released between July 23, 2004, and September 24, 2004. Drama CD: Tales of Symphonia Anthology 1 (Rodeo Ride Tour) (ドラマCD テイルズ オブ シンフォニア アンソロジー1 〜ロデオライド・ツアー〜) First Part and Second Part follow Sheena Fujibayashi and Zelos Wilder as they tour the world a year after the events of the main game. The two CDs were released on May 25, 2005, and June 24, 2005. Tales of Symphonia Comic Market 78 (テイルズリング・シンフォニア　Comic Market 78) and Tales of Symphonia Comic Market 79 (テイルズリング・シンフォニア　Comic Market 79) are side stories with guest characters from Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Graces, respectively.

Tales of Symphonia Original Soundtrack (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア オリジナル・サウンドトラック) was published by DigiCube on October 1, 2003, and consists of 4 discs. It debuted at 98 on Oricon's charts. The soundtrack was re-released on October 27, 2004, by King Records (Japan) for the PS2 port of Tales of Symphonia.

Animation
Tales of Symphonia The Animation (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア The Animation) was an OVA series animated by Ufotable and produced by Geneon Universal Entertainment and Frontier Works. It consists of four episodes which were released direct-to-video on four separate DVDs on June 8, August 10, October 24, and December 21 of 2007. They were later released in a Blu-ray Disc collection on September 26, 2008. The series later rereleased on Universal Media Disc between June 25 and July 23, 2010. On May 8, 2010, the series were aired on AT-X as a promotion to the sequel of the series. The episodes used three pieces of theme music: The opening theme is "Almateria" by Eri Kawai and the two ending themes were lit."Wish" (願い) by Kaori Hikita and lit. "Let's Go Home" (うちへ帰ろう) by Nana Mizuki.

The sequel series, Tales of Symphonia the Animation: Tethe'alla Episode (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア The Animation テセアラ編), was announced during Tales of Festival 2008. It consists of four episodes which were released on March 25, May 26, September 23, 2010, and February 25, 2011. All four episodes received an early screening: The first was screened on March 13, 2010, in Fukuoka and was hosted by Music Plaza Indo; The second on May 4, 2010, in Tokushima, Tokushima by Ufotable; the third on September 17, 2010, in Yokohama by Animate; and the fourth on February 20, 2011, in Roppongi by Toho. The first two episodes were later aired on September 12, 2010, on AT-X. The episodes used the opening theme lit."Canary in the Sky" (天空のカナリア) by Nana Mizuki and the ending theme lit."Beyond the Prayers" (祈りの彼方) by Akiko Shikata. Ending theme of the 4th episode is "Tethe’alla: Tsui no Kodomo-tachi" (対の子どもたち) by Akiko Shikata.

The second sequel, Tales of Symphonia the Animation: The United World Episode (テイルズ オブ シンフォニア The Animation 世界統合編), concludes the anime's plot. It consists of three episodes released directly to DVD and Blu-ray on November 23, 2011, June 20, 2012, and October 24, 2012. All three episodes had early screenings: the first was screened between September 23 and September 25, 2011, by Cinema Sunshine in Ikebukuro; the second on May 3, 2012, in Tokushima by Ufotable; and the third is on September 29, 2012, by Cinema Sunshine in Ikebukuro. The episodes use four pieces of theme musics: an opening theme lit. "Truth and Lies" (ホ・ン・ト・ウ・ソ) by Misono and three ending themes, lit. "A World for Someone Else" (誰ガ為ノ世界), lit. "Distortion" (歪), and lit. "At the Place Where the Light Falls ~Promise~" (光降る場所で～Promesse～), all by Akiko Shikata.

A Blu-ray box set containing all three series was announced on June 1, 2013, and released on November 6, 2013.

Reception
Tales of Symphonia garnered "generally favorable" reception from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic. Alan Averill and Steve Thomason of Nintendo Power determined the game to be the GameCube's best RPG, as well as one of the best Averill had played. Jeremy Jastrzab of PALGN regarded it as a "top gameplay experience", praising the depth of its gameplay and story. Jonathan Metts of Planet GameCube said that although the game "clings to many of the well-worn RPG elements", its distinct battle system, story, and visual presentation allowed it to stand on equal footing with the most recent Final Fantasy titles. Rob Fahey of Eurogamer argued that the game was "the finest example ever made of the truly traditional Japanese RPG", but was concerned that this traditional nature might dissuade players from trying it. Benjamin Turner of GameSpy said that the lush artwork and innovative battle system characteristic of Tales games helped Symphonia stand out in the GameCube's "RPG-starved" library.

The battle system was praised for its ease of use and fast pace,  with Jastrzab declaring it to be one of the best systems conceived for an action RPG. Metts explained that it "strikes a perfect balance between the strategy of traditional menu-based RPG battles and the fast, skill-based action found in a weapons-based fighting game like Soul Calibur". While Star Dingo of GamePro concurred that the game's individual character control was "excellent", he lamented that the computer-controlled nature of the other party members resulted in a loss of the experience of learning new skills and spells, and said that attempts to micromanage the other members made the battle system clunky and burdensome. Joe Juba of Game Informer, meanwhile, was impressed by the variable customization of the computer-controlled characters' behavior. Daryl Vassar of G4techTV cited the battles as the game's high point and claimed they were fun enough to win over non-RPG fans, though he considered the summoning system — which requires a character to take a great deal of damage before performing such an action — to be a weakness. David Smith of 1UP.com was initially aggravated by the limitations imposed on three-dimensional movement combined with the number of enemies, but later acknowledged that the limitations encouraged strategic depth by preventing the player from exploiting repetitive or unbalanced tactics. In this regard, Smith deemed the system to be an improvement over that of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time; Fahey also drew a comparison to the title, considering the computer-controlled characters in Tales to be significantly more intelligent. Shane Bettenhausen of Electronic Gaming Monthly and Mary Jane Irwin of IGN complained that the game's difficulty was imbalanced by the boss battles, which required significant grinding and were sometimes fought in a close consecutive fashion. Jastrzab also acknowledged the boss battles as "fearsome and challenging", but regarded them more admirably.

Brian Gee of GameRevolution and Irwin noted that the free-roaming gameplay made it easy for the player to wander into a dungeon with excessively strong enemies. Irwin negatively compared the amount of backtracking in the game's vast overworld to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but was thankful for the various modes of transportation that were continuously introduced. The dungeon puzzles were described as simple and easy to decipher. Irwin, comparing the puzzles to The Legend of Zelda, welcomed them as breaks from the frequent exploration and battles, as well as an expansion of the game's appeal to a broader audience. However, she regarded some of the later puzzles as fetch quests intended solely to lengthen the campaign. While Smith agreed that the quality of the puzzles was not exceptional, he considered them a decent challenge and an improvement over those in Tales of Destiny. Metts dismissed the puzzles as "more annoying than challenging and often feel out of place". Jennifer Tsao of Electronic Gaming Monthly opined that the "stingy" save system made the game "a tad too hardcore".

The visuals were commended for their cel-shading effects and anime-influenced art direction, with Jastrzab saying that the stylish characters, animations and special effects enhanced the game's battle sequences. Juba proclaimed the game's world to be "one of the most stunning [he has] ever experienced", likening the presentation to "Windwaker [sic]-meets-anime". Smith, however, disliked the lack of detail and facial expression in the character models, remarking that "the rare occasions where they do show emotion come across as disturbingly jarring". He negatively compared the character designs to Fujishima's earlier work in Tales of Phantasia, saying that Symphonia's characters lacked the personality of those in the preceding title, and claimed that "any number of cheaper artists could have delivered equally inspired designs". Smith also criticized the cel-shading style as uneven and shaky compared to that of Jet Set Radio. The settings were admired for their detail and variety, with some commenting that the background art transitioned well into a 3D format from the classic Tales titles. Jastrzab was stunned by the lack of slowdown during the game's chaotic action segments, Turner was also amazed by the consistently high framerate, which he regarded as "a great bonus in a time when most RPGs are content to chug at 30 [ fps ] ". Fahey and Jastrzab were disappointed by the game's lack of cutscenes in the vein of the traditionally-animated opening cinematic. The in-game cutscenes were described by the EGM reviewers and Jastrzab as "dull" and "a little underdone". Fahey and GameSpot's Bethany Massimilla remarked that the game's attempt at depth of field effects in some scenes resulted in the characters appearing smeared rather than out-of-focus. The overworld's presentation was criticized as underwhelming; some compared its level of detail to titles from the previous generation of consoles,  while Jastrzab argued that the quality would not have been passable even in that context. Massimilla additionally faulted the camera in these portions, explaining that it required frequent adjustment and sometimes obscured incoming enemies.

Reactions to the music were mixed; some regarded the score as unremarkable,  which was a source of disappointment for Fahey, as he felt the "beautifully constructed" world deserved a more impressive soundtrack. Jastrzab deemed the music "exceptional" and "stellar", saying that it "captures the mood of the relevant scenarios with virtual perfection while avoiding the repetitious nature of anything related to anime". Massimilla observed that the soundtrack "[held] true to the Tales' norm of combining wind instruments and bells in pleasing ways for main themes". Juba, Turner, and Irwin respectively described Sakuraba's score as "pretty mellow", "a typically fine piece of work", and "pleasantly decent", though Irwin remarked that the musical variety was relegated to dialogue-oriented events, with the battle and overworld themes taking up most of the playtime.

The voice acting was commended, with Smith remarking that the characters were "more fun to hear than they are to look at". He added that the repartee between Lloyd and Genis elevated them above their archetypes. Fahey noted that his praise of the voice acting was rare as he was not a fan of dubbing, and was slightly disappointed that the skits were not voiced as well, which he said resulted in them feeling drawn-out. Although Jastrzab approved of the voice acting's professional quality, he mentioned that some of the dialogue was not well-placed, explaining that "There is no building of feeling or creation of tension, it pretty much bursts onto the scene". Irwin considered the delivery to be flat and stilted, observing that "Emotion is often expressed at the wrong times (or not at all) and conversations rarely sound natural". Turner also deemed the voices to be "so-so", opining that while the characters' battle vocalizations were sufficient, the actors lacked the range needed for the more emotionally demanding cutscenes, which he said were held back by "generally inept" direction.

Responses to the narrative were mixed, with some considering the story to be familiar and predictable. The Nintendo Power reviewers said that the story was told with "wonderful craft", and were surprised that the player-controlled character does not carry the "chosen one" role. Jastrzab argued that the story held a "never-ending" depth underneath its surface, which he said was highlighted by the variety of plot outcomes that arose from subtle decisions by the player, though he warned of the script's excessive moralizing. Metts agreed that the plot was standard, though he remarked that the set-up was "unusually blunt, in that you are told the implications of the quest right upfront". However, he proposed that the narrative could assuage GameCube owners desiring a traditional RPG, and described the ending sequence as "beautiful and powerful". Star Dingo compared the story's combination of "heart, warmth, humor, sadness and peril" to the works of Rumiko Takahashi, and proclaimed the writing to be some of the best among console RPGs, elaborating that "the tragedies really strike home, and the characters all have distinct voices, speaking their lines with a welcome sense of subtle irony and self-awareness about RPG clichés". While Fahry acknowledged that the premise was simple and cliché, he said that the plot twists were well-employed. Irwin was unengaged to the story, which she attributed to what she deemed a flawed localization; she explained that "The dialogue is often awkward and drawn out. Word choice ranges from overly formal to random slang -- the style is all over the linguistic map with little regard to who's speaking". The Nintendo Power reviewers and Metts were satisfied with the story's pace, while Turner remarked that the narrative meandered at times.

The characters were said to be likable and well-developed. Metts compared the cast to that of The Lord of the Rings in that they "initially seem simple and stereotypical but almost feel like real people by the end of the story". Fahey singled out Lloyd's development and was thankful that the writers were "of the persuasion which says that dark revelations of the past are not a substitute for creating a proper personality for your characters". Although Juba regarded the character archetypes as cookie-cutter (apart from Raine, who he described as "seem[ing] to derive sexual pleasure from uncovering archeological artifacts"), he along with Bettenhausen and Massimilla acknowledged that the optional skits substantially contributed to the characters' depth; Juba additionally compared the skits to the Active Time Event system in Final Fantasy IX. However, Bettenhausen and Massimilla faulted the skits for their slow pace.

Remastered
Tales of Symphonia Remastered received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic. The remaster was faulted for its downgraded and inconsistent framerate, as well as frequent and long load times. Some considered it to be the game's worst version, with Noah Leiter of RPGFan describing it as an "antithetical runt" to Metroid Prime Remastered and the Game Boy emulations for Nintendo Switch Online. Paul Shkreli of RPGamer added that selling the remaster at a premium price without the addition of its sequel Dawn of the New World felt "both confounding and anti-consumer", noting that the 2016 Steam release featured everything the remaster offered at half the price. Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life agreed that the exclusion of Dawn of the New World resulted in an unclear value proposition. Glen Fox of Gamezebo, upon establishing that Tales of Symphonia is his personal favorite video game, denounced the remaster as "a complete and utter mess", and expressed bafflement as to why Bandai Namco would allow "one of its most treasured releases from yesteryear" to be released in such a state.

Kirstin Swalley of Hardcore Gamer considered the combat simplistic but enjoyable due to the small depths granted by its mechanics, though she warned that it may initially feel clunky to players more accustomed to modern Tales titles. Robert Ramsey of Push Square observed that, by modern standards, the combat was relatively basic and the controls were slightly stiff, but neverless deemed the fights satisfying because of their pace. Leiter described the combat as smooth, challenging, and rewarding to careful players, but he found the controls to be awkward and delayed. While Shkreli found the combat to be enjoyable without being overwhelming, he experienced difficulty with enemies approaching from multiple angles due to the 2D plane. Vogel cited the same difficulty, remarking that the battles felt stiff compared to similar hack 'n' slash combat featured in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana and Kingdom Hearts II. He added that the inability to cancel out of attack animations, which would incentivize careful timing and skill usage, was complicated by a fast battle pace that encourages reactive and reckless tactics. Swalley and Shkreli commended the variety of puzzles and enemies in the dungeons, with Shkreli calling them elaborate without being inordinate. Ramsey, however, found some of the dungeon designs tedious. Vogel considered the dungeons a highlight in the title's conventional gameplay loop, positively comparing their use of puzzles to Golden Sun. Jake Dekker of GameSpot described the combat as stiff and slow compared to Tales of Berseria and Tales of Arise, but noted that unlocking more skills eventually made for a more intricate and satisfying experience. He singled out the boss battles as an engaging highlight due to their relatively increased challenge. Swalley noted that the multiple playthroughs required to obtain everything in the game encouraged significant replay value. Ramsey was annoyed by the overworld map camera. Swalley and Dekker complained of frequent game crashes, which were exacerbated by the lack of an autosave feature.

Swalley complimented the key locations as solid and said that the increased crispness and clarity of the character models enhanced their detail and expressiveness, though she felt that some textures "could have used more work". Vogel and Ramsey said that the visual improvements were negligible apart from the upgraded resolution. Both described the textures as muddy, and while they noted that the art direction was still distinct, Vogel felt that the environment designs lacked a unique visual flair. Leiter also found many textures to be stretched or glossy. Shkreli regarded the art style as timeless and vibrant despite the scaled-down cel-shading effects, but dismissed the overworld as drab and poorly modeled. Fox declared the remaster to be the game's ugliest version, citing an unpleasant sharpening effect caused by AI upscaling, missing cel-shading effects, desaturated colors, and missing visual features such as transparent menus and the "screen-shattering" battle transition effect. Dekker faulted the cutscenes as stiff and awkward and the overworld as bland and lifeless.

Swalley maintained that the soundtrack was "fantastic as it ever was", and marveled at the option to choose between the English and Japanese audio tracks. Ramsey described the soundtrack as "very catchy", and Leiter regarded Sakuraba's score as highly memorable, singling out the battle themes as highlights. However, he cited compressed voice lines as a fault. Shkreli "strongly felt" Sakuraba's presence in the battle anthems and village themes.

Ramsey said that while the story was somewhat predictable, the characters were endearing and had great chemistry given by "sharp and often comedic" writing. Leiter called the story a "banger" and enjoyed the novelty of the protagonist playing a supporting role to the "chosen one" character. However, he felt that the story's heavy themes of genocide and slavery were sometimes at odds with the light-hearted and humorous tone and mildly cutesy visuals, and considered the presentation of such themes uncarefully handled, referring to the human ranches as "Philosopher’s Stone factory/concentration camps". Dekker echoed this sentiment, remarking that some of the more emotional moments and darker themes were difficult to take seriously when played out by cutesy characters. Shkreli said that the story's "interesting and innovative" twists were still exciting, especially by the game's last third. He mentioned that the story's emotional center was grounded by the strong characterization between the party members, which he attributed to the optional skits. Vogel was impressed by the ambition in the narrative's "shocking" twists despite the initial impression of a "run-of-the-mill exercise in tired tropes". However, he deemed the "uneven" script to be stiff and unintentionally humorous, elaborating that "Some of these cutscenes cover a ridiculous range of emotions in just a minute or two, and dialogue rarely feels natural—it’s the epitome of a ‘video game script’". Dekker opined that the rareness of neat resolutions to conflicts improved the story, and he proclaimed that the game's cast is still the best in the series, although he said that some awkward localization held these elements back. He criticized the quest-tracking "synopsis" system as occasionally vague, which necessitated consultation of a walkthrough.

Sales and awards
Over 100,000 copies were sold in the United States during the first two weeks after its release. In December 2007, Namco announced that the GameCube version had sold 953,000 copies worldwide, and the PlayStation 2 port had sold 486,000 copies in Japan. The bargain reissue for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 sold almost 50,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2006. Its total worldwide sales for the GameCube and PS2 have reached 1.6 million units as of 2008, making it the best-selling Tales title to date. It was also the best-selling Tales title overseas, with more than half of its sales coming from outside Japan, having sold 600,000 units in North America and 250,000 in Europe. The 2016 PC release sold more than 250,000 copies on Steam,. The game is estimated to have sold 2.4 million copies worldwide across all platforms, making it one of the best-selling titles in the franchise. GameSpot named it the best GameCube game of July 2004, and nominated it for the year-end "Best Role-playing Game" award across all platforms. The game has appeared on many top game rankings and received a Japan Game Awards in 2003 for excellence. During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Tales of Symphonia for "Console Role-Playing Game of the Year". The January 2009 issue of Game Informer listed it at #24 in its "Top 25 GameCube Games". Nintendo Power ranked Tales of Symphonia 107th in a list of "Top 200 Nintendo Games Ever". IGN users placed it 75th in a Top 100 Games list, while GameFAQs users put it at 81st in a similar list. In 2023, Time Extension included the game on their "Best JRPGs of All Time" list.

title: Tales of Symphonia


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Watson Falls

Watson Falls is a 272 ft waterfall on Watson Creek, a tributary of the Clearwater River, in Douglas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at an elevation of 3353 ft.

title: Watson Falls


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Mary Ann Nichols

Mary Ann Nichols, known as Polly Nichols (née Walker; 26 August 1845 –31 August 1888), was the first canonical victim of the unidentified serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, who is believed to have murdered and mutilated at least five women in and around the Whitechapel district of London from late August to early November 1888.

The two previous murders linked to the Whitechapel murderer are unlikely to have been committed by Jack the Ripper. When the murder of Mary Ann Nichols was initially linked to this series, it increased both press and public interest into the criminal activity and general living conditions of the inhabitants of the East End of London.

Early life
Mary Ann Nichols was born Mary Ann Walker on 26 August 1845 in either Dean Street, off Fetter Lane in London, or Dawes Court, Shoe Lane (off Fleet Street), London. She was the second of three children born to Edward Walker, a locksmith (later a blacksmith), and Caroline (née Webb), a laundress. Little is known of her early life, although she is known to have been christened by the year 1851.

At age 18, Walker married a printer's machinist named William Nichols. The ceremony was conducted on 16 January 1864 at Saint Bride's Parish Church in the City of London and was witnessed by two individuals named Seth George Havelly and Sarah Good. Following their marriage, the couple briefly lodged at 30–31 Bouverie Street before residing with Mary Ann's father at 131 Trafalgar Street. Between 1866 and 1879, the couple had five children: Edward John (b. 1866), Percy George (b. 1868), Alice Esther (b. 1870), Eliza Sarah (b. 1877), and Henry Alfred (b. 1879). Nichols was 5 feet 2 inches tall, had brown eyes, high cheekbones and, at the time of her death, greying dark brown hair.

Separation
On 6 September 1880, the couple moved into their own home at 6 D-Block, Peabody Buildings, Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, paying a weekly rent of 5s. 9d. Shortly thereafter, the couple separated due to disputed causes, with William later relocating with four of his children to an address near Old Kent Road.

Nichols's father accused William of leaving his daughter after he had conducted an affair with the nurse who had attended the birth of their final child, though William Nichols claimed to have proof that their marriage had continued for at least three years after the date of this alleged affair, claiming their marital troubles had been caused by his wife's heavy drinking, and that he had embarked upon an affair only after Nichols had left him. He later maintained to authorities that his wife had deserted him and was practising prostitution.

Over the following years, Nichols amassed a lengthy police record, although all of her arrests were for minor offences such as drunkenness, disorderly conduct, and prostitution.

1881–1887
By 1881, Nichols is known to have resided at Lambeth Workhouse, where she described herself as a charwoman. She left this workhouse on 31 May. Her movements over much of the following year are unknown, although on 24 April 1882, she again returned to the Lambeth Workhouse. She is known to have lived with her father in Walworth for several months in 1883 before leaving his residence following a quarrel.

Legally required to support his estranged wife, William Nichols initially paid her a weekly allowance of five shillings until the spring of 1882, when he received word that she was working as a prostitute. Upon hearing this news, he ceased making these payments, causing Nichols to send summons via the Lambeth Union requesting the continuance of this weekly allowance. When parish authorities attempted to collect the maintenance money, William explained his wife had deserted her family, leaving their children in his care, and was living with another man, earning money through prostitution. As he was not legally required to support his wife if she was earning money through illicit means, Nichols no longer received any maintenance payments from her husband.

Nichols spent the majority of her remaining years in workhouses and boarding houses, living off charitable handouts and her meagre earnings as a prostitute, although she frequently spent her earnings on alcohol. By 1887, she had formed a relationship with a widower and father of three named Thomas Stuart Drew, although the couple separated on 24 October. By December 1887, Nichols had begun sleeping rough in Trafalgar Square, although a clearance of the area on 19 December resulted in her returning to Lambeth Workhouse. On this occasion, she remained at this workhouse for less than two weeks.

1888
In April 1888, the matron of Lambeth Workhouse, a Mrs Fielder, found Nichols employment as a domestic servant to a Mr and Mrs Cowdry in Wandsworth. Shortly after taking this employment, Nichols is known to have written a letter to her father describing her general contentment with the position, stating: "I just write to say you will be glad to know that I am settled in my new place, and going on all right up to now. My people went out yesterday, and have not returned, so I am in charge. It's a grand place inside, with trees and gardens back and front. All has been newly done up. They are teetotallers, and religious, so I ought to get on. They are very nice people, and I have not too much to do. I hope you are all right and the boy has work. So goodbye for the present. From yours truly, Polly."

Possibly because Nichols was an alcoholic and her employers were teetotallers, she left this employment after three months of service, stealing clothing worth £3 10s. and absconding from the premises. Her father was informed of this fact via postcard on 12 July, in response to his attempted return correspondence with his daughter.

By the summer of 1888, Nichols resided in a common lodging-house at 18 Thrawl Street, Spitalfields, where she shared a bed with an elderly woman named Emily "Nelly" Holland. She relocated to an alternative common lodging-house at 56 Flower and Dean Street, Whitechapel, on 24 August.

30–31 August
At approximately 11:00 p.m. on 30 August, Nichols was seen walking along Whitechapel Road. She visited the Frying Pan public house in Brick Lane, Spitalfields, leaving at 12:30 a.m. on 31 August. By 1:20 a.m., she had returned to the kitchen of her Flower and Dean Street lodging-house. Fifty minutes later, she was seen by the deputy lodging house keeper, who asked her for the 4d required for her bed. When Nichols replied she did not have the money, she was ordered to leave the premises. Unconcerned, Nichols motioned to her new black velvet bonnet, replying: "I'll soon get my doss money. See what a jolly bonnet I've got now." She then left the lodging-house with a likely intention of earning the money to pay for a bed via prostituting herself.

Nichols was last seen alive by Emily Holland, walking alone down Osborn Street at approximately 2:30 a.m. (approximately one hour before her death). To Holland, Nichols seemed notably drunk, at one stage slumping against the wall of a grocer's shop. Holland attempted to persuade Nichols to return to her Thrawl Street lodging-house, but Nichols refused, stating: "I have had my lodging money three times today, and I have spent it." Holland noted Nichols seemed unconcerned about her prospects of earning the 4d. required to pay for her bed. The two parted company, with Nichols walking towards Whitechapel Road.

Murder
At 3:40 a.m., a carman named Charles Allen Cross (birth name Lechmere) discovered what he initially believed to be a tarpaulin lying on the ground in front of a gated stable entrance in Buck's Row (renamed Durward Street in 1892 ), Whitechapel, as he walked to his place of employment in Broad Street. The location was approximately 150 yards from the London Hospital (now renamed Royal London Hospital) and 100 yards from Blackwall Buildings.

Upon inspecting the object, Cross discovered the tarpaulin was actually the body of a woman. She lay on her back with her eyes open, her legs straight, her skirt raised above her knees and her left hand touching the gate of the stable entrance. Another passing cart driver on his way to work, Robert Paul, approached the location and observed Cross standing in the road, staring at her body. Cross called him over, and both men walked towards the body, which they examined. Cross touched the woman's face, which was still warm, then her hands, which were cold. He expressed his opinion to Paul that the woman was dead, but Paul was uncertain and thought she may simply be unconscious. The two pulled her skirt down to cover her lower body, then went in search of a policeman. Upon encountering PC Jonas Mizen at the corner of Hanbury Street and Baker's Row, Cross informed the constable of their discovery, adding: "She looks to me to be either dead or drunk, but for my part, I believe she's dead." The two men then continued on their way to work, leaving Mizen to inspect their discovery.

Shortly before Mizen reached Buck's Row, PC John Neil approached the street from the opposite direction on his beat, illuminating Nichols's body with his lantern. By flashing this lantern, Neil attracted the attention of PC John Thain, as his beat passed the entrance to Buck's Row, shouting: "Here's a woman with her throat cut. Run at once for Dr Llewellyn." Neil then inspected the crime scene to look for blood trails with his lantern. He saw none. He also examined the road, but saw no marks of wheels.

PC Thain fetched surgeon Dr Llewellyn, who arrived in Buck's Row at 4:00 a.m. Llewellyn observed that two deep knife wounds had been inflicted to the woman's throat, and quickly pronounced her life extinct, determining through the fact her body and legs were still warm that she had been dead for approximately 30 minutes. He then ordered PC Neil to remove the body to the Old Montague Street Mortuary upon a handcart Mizen had fetched, stating: "Move the woman to the mortuary; she is dead. I will make a further examination of her." As news of the murder spread, many individuals converged on the scene. Among them were three horse slaughterers from a neighbouring knacker's yard in Winthrop Street named Harry Tomkins, James Mumford and Charles Britten. Each had been informed of the murder by PC Thain as he walked past them to fetch Dr Llewellyn. All three were interrogated, with Tomkins and Britten admitting to having left their workplace at 12:20 a.m. for approximately thirty minutes, possibly for a drink at the nearby Roebuck public house. All three were eliminated as suspects. Police questioning of all tenants of Buck's Row—including the residents of the property closest to where Nichols's body was discovered—revealed that although several residents had been awake in the early hours, none had seen or heard anything amiss. All police officers patrolling along or near Buck's Row in the early hours of 31 August also reported hearing and seeing nothing suspicious before the discovery of Nichols's body.

Post-mortem
Nichols's body was moved into the Old Montague Street Mortuary at 5:20 a.m. The injuries to her abdomen were discovered by an Inspector Spratling, who immediately sent for Dr Llewellyn, who had initially returned to his home.

Upon further examination of Nichols's body, Dr Llewellyn discovered that both sides of her face had been bruised by either a fist or the pressure of a thumb before her throat wounds had been inflicted from left to right. One of these two wounds measured eight inches and the other four inches in length; both reached back to her vertebral column. Her vagina had been stabbed twice, and her abdomen had been mutilated with one deep, jagged wound two or three inches from the left side. Several incisions had also been inflicted across her abdomen, causing her bowels to protrude through the wounds, and three or four similar cuts ran down the right side of her body. These cuts had also been inflicted with the same knife, estimated to be at least 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) long, and possibly a cork-cutter or shoemaker's knife. Each wound had been inflicted in a violent and downward thrusting manner. Llewellyn further opined his belief the murderer possessed some anatomical knowledge. No organs were missing.

Llewellyn estimated the injuries would have taken four to five minutes to complete, and also expressed his surprise at the small amount of blood at the crime scene, "about enough to fill two large wine glasses, or half a pint at the outside". He believed Nichols had been facing her attacker when he had held his hand across her mouth before cutting her throat. Death would have been instantaneous, and all her abdominal injuries, which would have taken less than five minutes to perform, were made by the murderer after she was dead. Llewellyn was able to determine this fact because wounds inflicted to an individual's body after death do not result in blood spattering and may not result in an extensive amount of blood loss from the body.

Identification
An examination of Nichols's possessions revealed she carried no form of identification at the time of her death, with her sole possessions being a white pocket handkerchief, a comb, and a piece of mirror. However, her petticoats were marked 'Lambeth Workhouse P.R.' indicating she may have resided at the workhouse on Princess Road, which had only opened in 1887. Although the matron of this workhouse was unable to identify the body, a workhouse inmate named Mary Ann Monk positively identified the body as that of Mary Ann Nichols at 7:30 p.m. on 31 August. Earlier the same afternoon, Emily Holland also identified the deceased as "Polly" Nichols. This identification was later corroborated by William Nichols the following day. Reportedly, upon confirming Nichols's identity, William had exclaimed: "I forgive you, as you are, for what you have been to me."

Inquest
The official inquest into Nichols's death was opened at the Working Lads' Institute on Whitechapel Road on Saturday, 1 September. This inquest was presided over by the Middlesex coroner, Wynne Edwin Baxter. The first day of the inquest saw the jury duly sworn before being taken by the coroner's assistant to view Nichols's body at the mortuary in Pavilion Yard before reconvening at the Working Lads' Institute.

The first day of the inquest heard testimony from three witnesses. The first witness to testify was Nichols's father, who stated his daughter had been separated from her husband for "about seven or eight years", and that he had not seen his daughter since Easter, and that she had no enemies. Also to testify was PC John Neil, who testified to his discovery of Nichols's body, adding the actual location of the murder was dimly lit, adding the closest source of illumination was "a street lamp shining at the end of the row". Describing the crime scene and his summoning of assistance, Neil stated: "Deceased was lying lengthways along the street, her left hand touching the gate. I examined the body by the aid of my lamp, and noticed blood oozing from a wound in the throat. She was lying on her back, with her clothes disarranged. I felt her arm, which was quite warm from the joints upwards. Her eyes were wide open. Her bonnet was off and lying at her side, close to the left hand. I heard a constable passing Brady Street, so I called him." In response to questioning from the coroner, Neil conceded Whitechapel Road was "fairly busy" even at the time of his discovery of Nichols's body, and that her murderer could have escaped in that direction.

The final witness to testify on the first day of the inquest was Dr Llewellyn. His testimony, as reported in The Times on 3 September, is as follows:

"Five of the teeth were missing, and there was a slight laceration of the tongue. There was a bruise running along the lower part of the jaw on the right side of the face. That might have been caused by a blow from a fist or pressure from a thumb. There was a circular bruise on the left side of the face which also might have been inflicted by the pressure of the fingers. On the left side of the neck, about 1in. below the jaw, there was an incision about 4in. in length, and ran from a point immediately below the ear. On the same side, but an inch below, and commencing about 1in. in front of it, was a circular incision, which terminated at a point about 3in. below the right jaw. That incision completely severed all the tissues down to the vertebrae. The large vessels of the neck on both sides were severed. The incision was about 8in. in length. The cuts must have been caused by a long-bladed knife, moderately sharp, and used with great violence. No blood was found on the breast, either of the body or the clothes. There were no injuries about the body until just about the lower part of the abdomen. Two or three inches from the left side was a wound running in a jagged manner. The wound was a very deep one, and the tissues were cut through. There were several incisions running across the abdomen. There were three or four similar cuts running downwards, on the right side, all of which had been caused by a knife which had been used violently and downwards. The injuries were from left to right and might have been done by a left-handed person. All the injuries had been [caused] by the same instrument."

Following the testimony of Dr Llewellyn, hearings were adjourned until 3 September.

Police testimony
Inspector John Spratling gave evidence on the second day of the inquest. Spratling testified to having first heard of the murder at 4:30 a.m., by which time Nichols's body had been transferred to the mortuary, and confirmed that only PC Neil's beat required him to walk through Buck's Row. His subsequent questioning of several residents revealed none had seen or heard anything amiss. Also to testify was horse slaughterer Harry Tomkins, who testified he had not left his place of work after 1:00 a.m. on 31 August and that he and his colleagues had not heard anything untoward. Questioned as to the noise level in his workplace, Tomkins stated his workplace was "very quiet", although he conceded he had been too far from the crime scene to have heard any cries for help.

Two police officers followed Tomkins to the stand. Inspector Joseph Helson testified to his opinion the decedent had not been carried to the spot where her body was found. PC Jonas Mizen testified to having been informed of a woman lying in Buck's Row by a carman at 3:45 a.m. on Friday morning and that when he had arrived at the scene, PC Neil immediately ordered him to fetch a handcart.

Charles Cross followed PC Mizen to the stand. He testified to having discovered Nichols's body en route to his workplace, and that he had initially assumed her body to be a tarpaulin, before realising the figure was a woman. He had then heard the footsteps of Robert Paul approaching behind him, and had motioned to him, stating, "Come and look over here; there is a woman lying on the pavement." Cross testified Paul had touched Nichols's heart, stating, "I think she is breathing, but very little, if she is." As both men were late for work, they had then left the woman, resolving to report their discovery to the first policeman they encountered.

Questioned as to why neither man had noted the wounds to Nichols's throat, Cross stated Buck's Row was poorly illuminated.

Character testimony
William Nichols also testified on the second day of the inquest. He confirmed he had not seen his wife for approximately three years, and that she left him of her own accord due to her alcoholism. He further testified he had no knowledge of his wife's whereabouts or activities in the years immediately before her murder.

Two women who had known Nichols in the years following her separation from her husband then testified before the jury. Emily Holland testified she had resided at the same common lodging-house as Nichols in the summer of 1888, and had observed her to be a "quiet woman" who mostly kept to herself. She stated she had not seen Nichols for about ten days prior to encountering her by chance on Osborne Street in the early hours of 31 August, stating she would soon be back at her lodging house. Mary Ann Monk then testified to having observed Nichols entering a pub in New Kent Road at approximately 7:00 p.m. on the evening prior to her murder. Monk also testified she had no knowledge of how Nichols earned her living.

Day three
The third day of the inquest was held on Monday 17 September. Eight witnesses testified on this date, including Mrs Emma Green, a widow who lived with her three children in the cottage immediately alongside the stable entrance where Nichols's body was found. Green stated she had heard nothing unusual on the night of the murder and that, although rowdy individuals often walked along Buck's Row, all the houses were occupied by hardworking individuals. Also to testify was PC John Thain, who stated his beat typically took him past Buck's Row every thirty minutes, and that he had been signalled onto Buck's Row by PC Neil at 3:45 a.m. Thain testified he had been immediately dispatched to fetch Dr Llewellyn and that the body was taken to the mortuary as he remained in Buck's Row. He had then searched Essex Wharf, the Great Eastern Railway arches, and the District Railway for evidence, but had found nothing.

Two of the final witnesses to testify on 17 September were the keeper of the Old Montague Street Mortuary, Robert Mann, and an inmate of the Whitechapel Workhouse named James Hatfield. Mann testified to placing the body inside the mortuary at 5:00 a.m., adding her clothes were not cut before he and Hatfield cut them from her body. Hatfield then testified he and Mann—contrary to instructions given by a Sergeant Enright—had removed all Nichols's clothing in preparation for the arrival of Dr Llewellyn.

Following Hatfield's testimony, the coroner adjourned proceedings until 22 September.

Conclusion
On the final day of hearings, signalman Thomas Ede was recalled to expound upon previous testimony he had provided on the third day of hearings regarding having seen a man named Henry James walking with a knife protruding from his pocket at noon on the date of the murder of Annie Chapman.

At the conclusion of this final day of hearings, coroner Baxter informed the panel the condition of Nichols's body appeared to prove conclusively that she had been murdered at the location where her body was found. Referencing the murderer's ability to escape detection, Baxter stated: "It seems astonishing, at first thought, that the culprit should have escaped detection, for there must surely have been marks of blood about his person. If, however, blood was principally on his hands, the presence of so many slaughterhouses in the neighbourhood would make the frequenters of this spot familiar with bloodstained clothes and hands, and his appearance might in that way have failed to attract attention while he passed from Buck's Row in the twilight into Whitechapel Road, and was lost sight of in the morning's market traffic." Baxter further referenced the two earlier Whitechapel murders and the 8 September murder of Annie Chapman, informing the jury: "We cannot altogether leave unnoticed the fact that the death that you have been investigating is one of four presenting many points of similarity, all of which have occurred within the space of about five months, and all within a very short distance of the place where we are sitting. All four victims were women of middle age, all were married, and had lived apart from their husbands in consequence of intemperate habits, and were at the time of their death leading an irregular life."

Referencing the direct similarities between Nichols's murder and the murder of Annie Chapman as opposed to the earlier murders of Emma Smith and Martha Tabram, Baxter elaborated: "The similarity of the injuries in the [murders of Nichols and Chapman] is considerable. There are bruises about the face in both cases; the head is nearly severed from the body in both cases; there are other dreadful injuries in both cases; and those injuries again have in each case been performed with anatomical knowledge ... I suggest to you as a possibility that these two women may have been murdered by the same man with the same object." Baxter further dismissed the possibility of Nichols's murder being connected with the two previous Whitechapel murders, as the murder weapon used was significantly different in both cases, and neither of these victims had received slash wounds to the throat or any disembowelment.

Following a 20-minute deliberation, the jury, having been instructed to consider precisely how, when, and by what means Nichols came about her death, returned a verdict: "Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown."

Press reaction
Nichols's murder had occurred within a 300-yard radius of the previous murders of Emma Smith and Martha Tabram, and all three murders had occurred in the space of less than five months. Although the modus operandi of all three murders differed, the geographical similarities led elements of the press to link the three murders. Newspaper editors also suggested Nichols's killing may have been perpetrated by a gang, as had earlier been speculated in relation to Smith's murder.

In the days following Nichols's murder, some sections of the Radical press—in particular reporters within The Star—capitalized on the brutal nature of the murders in an effort to vilify Police Commissioner Sir Charles Warren, falsely claiming as early as 1 September that widespread dissatisfaction against Warren existed within the Metropolitan Police. A reporter for The Star newspaper named Ernest Parke also suggested in the 31 August edition that a single killer was the culprit. Other publications soon adopted this narrative.

Suspicions a serial killer may be at large in the East End led to the secondment of Detective Inspectors Frederick Abberline, Henry Moore and Walter Andrews from the Central Office at Scotland Yard.

The subsequent murders of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes the week after the inquest had closed, and that of Mary Jane Kelly on 9 November, were also linked by a similar modus operandi, and the murders were blamed by the press and public on a single serial killer, known by October 1888 as "Jack the Ripper".

Leather Apron
Local rumours that a local Jew known as "Leather Apron" may have been responsible for the murders were investigated by the police. This individual was known to have carried a knife and to have frequently intimidated local prostitutes. Imaginative descriptions of "Leather Apron", using crude Jewish stereotypes, frequently appeared in the press in the days following Nichols's murder, although some sections of the London press dismissed this theory as "a mythical outgrowth of the reporter's fancy".

John Pizer, a Polish Jew who made footwear from leather, was known by the name "Leather Apron" Despite there being no direct evidence against him, he was arrested by a Sergeant William Thicke on 10 September. Although Pizer claimed to the contrary, Thicke knew of Pizer's reputation, and that he was known locally by this name. A search of Pizer's home recovered five long-bladed knives. Nonetheless, Pizer was soon released after the confirmation of his alibis on the nights of the two most recent Whitechapel murders.

Pizer later successfully obtained monetary compensation from at least one newspaper that had named him as the murderer.

Funeral
Mary Ann Nichols was buried on the afternoon of 6 September 1888. She was laid to rest in the City of London Cemetery, located within the east London district of Manor Park. Her body was transported to the cemetery in a hearse supplied by a Hanbury Street undertaker named Henry Smith. The funeral cortège consisted of the hearse carrying her coffin and two mourning coaches, which carried her father, estranged husband, and three of her children. Several thousand people observed the cortège travel from the mortuary to the cemetery.

Nichols's coffin was of polished elm, with a brass plaque bearing the inscription, 'Mary Ann Nichols, aged 42; died August 31, 1888'. She was buried in a public grave numbered 210752 (on the edge of the current Memorial Garden).

In late 1996, the cemetery authorities decided to formally mark Nichols's unmarked grave with a plaque.

Film

 * A Study in Terror (1965). This film casts Chrisiane Mayback as Mary Ann Nichols.
 * Love Lies Bleeding (1999). A drama film directed by William Tannen. Nichols is portrayed by Nancy Bishop in this film.
 * From Hell. (2001). Directed by the Hughes Brothers, the film casts Annabelle Apsion as Mary Ann Nichols.

Television

 * The Real Jack the Ripper (2010). Directed by David Mortin, this series casts Stephne Haliburn as Mary Ann Nichols and was first broadcast on 31 August 2010.
 * Jack the Ripper: The Definitive Story (2011). A two-hour documentary which references original police reports and eyewitness accounts pertaining to the Whitechapel Murderer. Nichols is portrayed by actress Lorayne Constance in this documentary.

Drama

 * Jack, the Last Victim (2005). This musical casts Marissa Merewood as Mary Ann Nichols.

title: Mary Ann Nichols