| “ | Awaken, Genesis Tree! Recall the instant that the heavens and the earth were born! | ” |
| Meta | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| メータ, Mēta (Maetah) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Meta (メータ) is Vahn's Fire Ra-Seru in Legend of Legaia. Chronologically, she is the first Ra-Seru the player will encounter. She is a kind, yet firm and intelligent being who helps guide Vahn throughout his adventure.
Appearance
Meta appears as a small, stone figure. Her body vertically shaped and crimson in color, with a large green jewel in the center. As Meta grows stronger with each Genesis Tree revival, her body grows to cover more of Vahn's right arm. Eventually she grows a set of horns that portrude backward and a long sword that elongates and retracts from the top of her body. When in her true form, Meta resembles a floating samurai armor, and wields a gigantic red sword.
Personality
Meta is a firm yet kind Ra-Seru who takes her mission of saving the world very seriously. She is drawn to those with hope in their hearts, a reason why she chose Vahn as her wielder. She is very knowledgeable and willing to share important information when the need arises. Despite her good nature, she can become very stern toward Vahn whenever he jokes at inappropriate times or needlessly places himself in danger.
Story
Early Life
Meta was one of a chosen few Seru created by Tieg that was endowed with special power that turned her into a Ra-Seru. Tieg gave a select few Seru the power of Ra-Seru so they could govern the Seru-kai. After Rogue's rebellion that allowed the Seru to enter the human world and the subsequent banishment of Rogue and its followers, Tieg sealed each Ra-Seru into a separate Genesis Tree on Legaia and ordered them to remain there until they were needed in a time of great crisis.
Meta slept inside Rim Elm's Genesis Tree for 1,000 years, until Zeto's attack on Rim Elm brought the Mist into the village. The attack caused Meta to awaken and her power caused the Genesis Tree to pulsate with energy, attracting a young boy named Vahn to arrive there. When Vahn reached the Genesis Tree, Meta revealed herself and asked Vahn to join her in saving humanity from the Mist's chaos. With Vahn accepting and leading the other villagers to the Genesis Tree, Meta used the power of their prayers to revive it and drive the Mist and the Seru away, saving the villagers. Thus began Meta's and Vahn's journey to eradicate the Mist.
Legend of Legaia
- "I have read your thoughts. I am speaking to your mind. I am Meta, a Ra-Seru. I have been waiting inside this Genesis Tree for someone like you. I ask you, Vahn. Do you wish to save your people from the Mist?"
- —Meta speaks to Vahn's mind for the first time.
Once Vahn obtains Meta at the Genesis Tree of Rim Elm, Meta acts as his guide and reveals to him the history of the Seru and of her special powers. When Vahn arrives at the dungeon of Drake Castle, Meta points out the Seru monsters behind the cages and tells him that they were once human. Though Meta tries to read the mind of one of the Seru monsters she is too weak at that point and tells Vahn that the Seru controlling the person's mind is too strong.
When Vahn finds King Drake inside the castle, Meta tells Vahn that he is wearing the key to the Water Gate, preventing him from proceeding to Biron Monastery. If Vahn sleeps in the bedroom next to the throne room of the castle, Meta will guard the area with her power. However, Meta will interrupt Vahn's dream and reveal to him that she can absorb the power of other Seru.
Power and Abilities
As a Ra-Seru, Meta has amazing powers that are not possessed by normal Seru. These powers come from the homeworld of the Seru - the Seru-kai. Though this power is immense, if the Seru-kai is destroyed, then Meta ceases to exist. Because she is a Ra-Seru, Meta can revive the ancient Genesis Trees that have the power to drive away the Mist. In order to revive the Genesis Trees, Meta uses the power of human prayers and transfers this power into the Genesis Tree itself.
One of the most important of Meta's powers is her imperviousness to the maddening effects of the Mist. Meta also allows Vahn to use Hyper Arts and can absorb and summon Seru in battle. She can communicate with other Ra-Seru using their native language, but her primary method of communication is through telepathy. Though it is not in her Ra-Seru nature to do so, Meta is capable of controlling the minds of others.
Meta can levitate, teleport to other areas (within limits) and has complete control over the element of Fire. Her power causes the strength, speed, quickness and other stats of her host to raise dramatically above normal levels. An example of this boost in strength is seen in Legend of Legaia's opening FMV when Vahn kills a deadly Viguro with a single Tornado Flame.
Ultimate Attack
- Inferno - Meta reveals her true form and destroys enemies with a flaming kitana.
Hyper Art Attacks
Speed and movement techniques
- Levitation - Meta can use her psychic powers to levitate in the air
- Teleportation - Meta can teleport to other areas (within limits)
Supportive techniques
- Seru Summoning - Meta can call out the power of a Seru to attack an enemy for him
- Energy Shield - Meta can create a barrier of energy around a small radius that blocks her host from harm
Other abilities
- Telepathy - Enables Meta to communicate with others' minds as well as potentially control them
Evolutions
Each time a Genesis Tree is revived the Ra-Seru that takes part in the revival levels up and becomes more powerful. Not only does it add to the Ra-Seru's attack power, but it also changes its outer appearance. Meta starts at Lv1 and can go all the way up to LV9.
Trivia
- Though it is unclear in the NTSC and PAL versions of Legend of Legaia, the NTSC-J release of the game makes it obvious that Meta is female due to its manner of speech. This is also supported in the Legend of Legaia novel, which states that Vahn hears a woman's voice in his head when Meta speaks to him.
- Meta comes from the Greek preposition meta-, which meant "after," "beside," "among," and "with." This is a very fitting name.