I’m already back with another Café Enchanté post and this time it’s on our beloved flame-throwing werewolf, Ignis. I say “appreciation” post but just like Il’s, this will also cover my thoughts and feelings on his route which means…this will be a longer post than my usual appreciation posts. Buckle up, kids.
If you’re interested in my other Café Enchanté posts, just click the name you want (WIP):
Il Fado de Rie I Canus I Rindo I Misyr
[Note: Major spoilers ahead. Proceed with extreme caution!]
But first, some basic info on this puppy wolf:
His Seiyuu – Ono Yuuki
Ugh, how to start? The first sentence doesn’t bode well but I swear I really do like Ono Yuuki as a seiyuu but it’s kind of hard to admit as some of my friends would say I’m something of a tsundere myself. (I’m not trying to be cringe, that’s just me being honest). I recently did an otometwt profile and admitted I’m pretty shy with broadcasting I really like this seiyuu or that seiyuu but for the sake of this post, I can’t very well ignore Ignis’ seiyuu can I?
But, it’s truly something. I really started paying attention to this dude when I was bingeing Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and got to Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable (Watch it, by the way! All of Jojo, I mean!). Each part has a different “Jojo” it follows and Part 4’s Jojo is Josuke Higashikata voiced by Ono Yuuki.
Then follow this with me getting my first ever otome game on the Switch, Collar x Malice, where he voices Saeki Yuzuru who has quite a few fans himself and well… it tells you how far I’ve gotten when it comes to his characters.
I honestly don’t know what it is about his voice I like so much but I do and I guess I have to live with it, but as I’m in the middle of rewatching Jojo, I can already tell I can’t quite look, or really, hear Josuke the same way again.
He’s a Puppy (Fight Me)
Okay, I know he’s really a wolf or werewolf to be more precise in terms of the game but puppy sounds a bit cuter. As someone who loves their wolves, even over vampires back in the day, I gotta say I find Ignis’ more wolf/puppy-like habits to be adorable in its own way. Rather it be his big appetite or his aggressiveness, I find myself really enjoying his character.
Although, I find Kotone’s cracks at him to be so funny, if not terrible in their own way.
His Personality and Looks
As you can somewhat guess, he is the tsundere of the group who is rather aggressive, says hurtful things sometimes but has a genuine heart of gold. He can be quite harsh and blunt when it comes to showing his care, but he definitely cares. I felt this when I was doing Il’s route especially. For instance, when he finds out about Il’s past and sees Il after he is reset to being emotionless, Ignis shows hostility and frustrating admits he doesn’t know much about Il like Canus and Misyr since he is newer to Café Enchanté. He concludes with telling Kotone to leave with Il saying he doesn’t know who that is, but he’s not Il. As a side note, you only see this scene if you choose to go to Ignis over the others when trying to help Il recover.
Perhaps because he comes from Bestia where it’s every beast for themselves and there isn’t a day that goes by where blood isn’t spilled, but I can see why Ignis may have difficulty expressing emotions especially the more intimate they are. It may seem as if he dislikes Il, but he definitely cares for the fallen angel. In the scene described before, on paper it may seem Ignis is callous to Il’s plight but when you see it for yourself, it’s clear Ignis is more frustrated with himself for not being able to do anything much for Il. He’s just that kind of guy that airs out his anger and frustration in a way that it seems he’s more mad at you than himself.
On the other hand, we have Kororo (not Kokoro!) who Ignis takes in momentarily in order to find the little sea beasts’ parents. Sadly, it ends tragically when it’s clear that Kororo’s family was slain by another beast. Still, as sad as I felt for Kororo at the time, I’m happy the little ball of cuteness can find a new family in Ignis, Kotone, and the others. Kororo seems particularly found of Ignis by the amount of affectionate headbutts the latter receives even if they hurt like hell.
On another note, I really like Ignis’ causal wear. I mean, he’s original beast form is good too, but that “nyan” shirt is really where it’s at. I like his head bandana as well. Just is real causal fit is something I like for some reason.
Bestia and Ignis’ Backstory
At the time I type up to this point, I have finished with Ignis’ chapter 2 and boy, what a chapter it was. See, during Ignis’ route, Minotaurs have been showing up at an alarming rate around the town Enchanté is situated in. Ignis has subdued a couple but soon it’s apparent that they aren’t coincidentally showing up through wormholes from Bestia. Thus, Ignis and his “best boy” Dromi, have to go back to Bestia to find out the cause. Unfortunately, despite staying behind, Kotone and Kororo are both forcibly dragged into the gate back to Bestia where they are thankfully found by a young fox beast who takes Kotone back to his village while Kororo goes to fetch Ignis.
One thing leads to another and we’re suddenly arriving at Ignis’ home village where soon a dark truth will be revealed. After a rather intimate moment between Ignis and Kotone where the former reveals how in the past he went on a blind rampage to protect his village from invaders which ended tragically as he couldn’t protect everyone included a close friend of his, more Minotaurs show up except this time one is intelligent enough to reveal to Ignis memories buried deep within his mind.
Ignis was the one to kill some of his fellow Firewolves and not just the invaders. It’s important to note here that Ignis has always vowed to never kill anyone even as he makes his way to be the top fighter in Bestia. He hoped that it would inspire other beasts to be less violent and bring a more peaceful Bestia but sadly, seemed to have backfired. Beasts were more violent than ever and it turns out Ignis was a hypocrite, a fake to some since he has killed before even if the memories are repressed.
I honestly felt so bad for Ignis has the truth unraveled before him. He really sounded like the world has he knew it was crumbling and they just kept kicking him when he was already down. The “uncle” who was the only other Firewolf he was close to revealed rather coldly that in truth, he along with the other remaining Fire Wolves were scared of him, this monster (what!?) who killed their friends and family, and they only kept him around basically for insurance against other beast who may come to invade their village.
Poor Ignis. Poor poor Ignis. Words honestly can’t describe how upset I felt for him. So many emotions from sadness to frustration to nausea filled me as I listened to the Minotaur and that old man speak to a rapidly crumbling despondent Ignis. He honestly deserved to be held at that moment but Kotone holding his hand afterwards I think was also enough for the moment. He felt so fragile then, that I worried the wrong word or action would set him off in a spiral.
Side note: Ignis and His Rampage Instinct
Another dark truth revealed was about how beasts can lose control of themselves and go on a rampage if they fight to much for a prolonged period of time. That apparently only applies to Ignis. Why? Perhaps because he is denying his very nature of being a beast. I worry that he will fall into that state again and when he does, I can only wonder what may happen.
His Route was Really Well Done
I write this section and the following ones now having finished Ignis’ route and Lord, give me strength…it was quite the ride. My worries were confirmed in that Ignis rampage instinct takes over and within the Firewolf Stronghold no less.
I won’t go into too many details since if you don’t have this game or have done his route yet then I implore you to do so.
Anyways, while the Enchanté crew were in Bestia trying to figure out how to curb Ignis’ rampage instinct, Kororo led them to a cave of sorts that housed an ominous looking mural. There, the sea beast actually did his best to recount a tale it had overhead a shadowy figure mumble a while back inside that very cave. Although the others pieced together some of what Kororo said based on his limited vocabulary it wasn’t until a voice belonging to that same shadowy figure emerged to fill in the blanks for them. And guess who it was?
Yeah, I felt so stupid for not realizing he was the antagonist of the route but everything quickly fell into place when it was revealed to be him. Also, his whole personality and character really takes a turn for the worse after the big reveal. Regardless, Dromi is the one to fill in the blanks and reveal that Ignis is “The World Devourer, Vanar.” Vanar was a huge firewolf who was said to be the strongest beast in Bestia thousands of years ago. Vanar had an insatiable hunger causing him to consume anyone in sight. This is why he was put into a deep slumber until humans came to Bestia and woke him up setting off another bout of hunger rampages. In the end, humans and beasts alike had to combine forces to defeat him but his blood lived on in Ignis. Dromi’s whole goal is to unleash Vanar onto the world again to bring chaos and destruction. Sickeningly, he wants to watch beasts and humans be devoured by Ignis before being eaten himself. The dude is messed up, real messed up.
Unfortunately, Dromi is a sly one and points out that the Enchanté group shouldn’t have left the Firewolf Stronghold defenseless because he may have let slip to the Minotaurs that the place was unguarded. The little devil.
Ignis charges ahead which doesn’t bode well as once he arrives, he witnesses that he was a step too late and the remaining Firewolves have been murdered by the merciless Minotaurs. At this grisly sight, Ignis falls to his instincts and sets out to slaughter the rest of the Minotaurs. This is already pretty disastrous, but then Kotone and a weakened Il who had been sent ahead were the first to arrive to the Firewolf Stronghold as the others were busy also fighting against Minotaurs that Dromi had brought with him. Despite their best efforts, a little sound of distress from Kotone attracts the already far gone Ignis to seek them out. And boy, is he a sight to behold.
Il can’t do much because the climate of Bestia isn’t suited for the fallen angel and Ignis easily bests him. That leaves Kotone who in the midst of defending Il from Ignis, gets her arm chomped on by Ignis who attempts to eat her.
I’m not going to lie, I really was wondering if Kotone was going to die here. Unlike in Il’s route where Il came to his senses in the middle of strangling Kotone, Ignis was truly just too far gone. I have no doubt that he didn’t even recognize her or Il and just saw them as his next meal as sickeningly awful as that sounds. But as soon as he bit into Kotone’s arm, all I could worry about was Kotone’s well-being and how contrite Ignis was going to be when he came back to his senses which he does thankfully when the others finally arrive to subdue him.
Still, he had to be sealed away back in the cave with the murals as the others figured out what to do with him. Meanwhile, Dromi willingly went along with Rindo to the GPM headquarters and faced interrogation after interrogation which brought nothing but frustration to Rindo, Mikado, Mikado’s assistant (probably), and the player aka me but I’m sure I’m not alone.
Dromi is just…he’s so awful. At first I was as mad as I rightfully should be towards Dromi for what he did to Ignis and the Firewolf Stronghold. Poor Ignis. The guy finds out that his kin only kept him around as insurance and thought of him only as a monstrous weapon they could use to their advantage and then his closest friend in Bestia turns against him and sets out to finally awaken a world-threatening beast inside of him. Ignis has been lied and used all his life, if you can’t sympathize with that then I’m speechless.
Thankfully, despite Dromi’s efforts which included offering Kotone as Ignis’ last meal before he turned into Vanar, Kotone along with the Enchanté crew with the help of some of the other beasts (included two familiar ones) manage to subdue Ignis even after he transforms into Vanar. Ugh, the feels were electrifying in this route, too. I didn’t quite cry but it was a tearful one.
Plus, seeing Ignis cry both in his wolf form and his regular form was really stirring. My heart was stirring like crazy.
This Route also made me Appreciate Kotone More
I already grew to love Kotone throughout the prologue but so far in each individual route, she’s been a darling. She’s quickly growing to be my favourites among favourites when it comes to otome heroines. She isn’t perfect but of course, having a Mary Sue of a protagonist wouldn’t be fun or interesting. Indeed, Kotone shows great vulnerability in this route especially. Despite learning about Ignis killing both enemies and allies alike years ago when he tried to protect the stronghold, she still reaches out to him and is adamant about keeping him at Enchanté even though he wants to leave. He also grows physically distant in fear that his instincts may take over and unwillingly find himself turning his fangs on Kotone. Still, the girl stands her ground and just like a petulant child, clings to him in a plea for him to understand her feelings.
After she Ignis tries to eat her, she admits that while she still loves Ignis, she’s scared of him, too. Kotone even admits this to his face when she is dragged into Bestia again by Dromi to be Ignis’ last meal before transformation into Vanar. I felt that this raw display of emotions from Kotone where she tearfully confesses to Ignis her actual feelings was tangible, real, and commendable. It felt human. Once again, I felt a bit amazed by the writing presented in otome games.
Of course, I know these games present characters in such a way that not only are they relatable but they felt just like any other human being out on the street instead of pixels behind a screen. Shame to those who write off otome games as being silly dating sims that present shallow plots with equally shallow characters. It’s more than that and Enchanté is only one such example of carefully crafted writing and storytelling.
I also wanted to add real quick that I felt like Ignis and Kotone’s really bounce off each other in a good way. Of course, I’m sure the other characters are suited to Kotone as well, but for some reason with Ignis, I felt the chemistry between the two was especially raw and open. Granted, the only other route I’ve done is Il’s so maybe another character feels even more of a match for Kotone. This is all subjective, of course, so take what I said here with a grain of salt and no hard feelings if you didn’t feel that way about their relationship.
Tsunderes Really are the Best, Eh?
Bringing it back to Ignis and more light-hearted topics on best wolf boy. The way this man is a true tsundere through and through is endearing. I know some people don’t care for tsunderes or are at the point that they feel overused, but I’m still up for a good tsundere (am I biased because I’m slightly a tsundere myself?). Anyway, just look at him and tell me the blush never gets old.
Plus, I mentioned this earlier under his personality, but I feel he has legitimate reason being a tsundere given his upbringing and the general environment of Bestia. And yes, though I mentioned it earlier, I still felt the need to make tsundere its own section because I just really wanted to share more pictures.
His CGs are…Something Else and I Hate to Admit I Love Them
I’m not going to lie when I say that I was quite caught off guard by the CGs in Ignis’ route. Why do they go kind of hard? The way my eyes went wide and my heart stirred when the CG of Ignis “tending” to Kotone’s injury had my emotions in a tizzy. I mean, I was kind of expecting him to do something with how hard he was staring at her blood but I kind of also wasn’t expecting him to lick it up either. It was a bit worrying since he seemed to do it subconsciously as well (later on I found out that was most likely due to his instincts).
Speaking of his instincts, I hate to admit this especially but when first seeing Ignis lose to his instincts at the Firewolf Stronghold, the CG that popped up at the time was also one I hate to admit I really liked. Don’t get me wrong, while he looks, well you know, I would hate to see him succumb to killing and eating anyone and anything in sight. I truly was worried for Kotone and Il there. But why does the CG look so good? I hate myself.
Then the last CG where they finally can relax and enjoy each others’ company now that everything’s been resolved, was a CG where I wasn’t expecting tongue! I was looking forward to seeing the kiss because surprisingly Ignis’ route took longer than Il’s to present a kissing CG (huh, the irony). But I keep forgetting that Ignis is a beast through and through so of course it would be like that (how could I forget though?). Well, bottom line is, his CGs were great and yes, I shall be revisiting his gallery to experience them again…I’m a little ashamed to admit.
Closing Thoughts
And that’s all from me, folks. Dear God, I felt like Ignis’ route somehow tired me out a bit more than Il’s somehow which is saying a lot. Both are similar in the fact that both lose themselves to their basic nature and reject it thanks to Kotone and the others (but mostly Kotone), but at what costs and what did it take to get there? Oh, Enchanté really is truly something else and I’m not sure I will be able to handle the other routes if I’m already crumbling. Hell, Ignis’ route made me feel more of an array of emotions than Il where sadness and despair felt raw. Ignis was a mix of that but with a bit more fiery madness, frustration, and other convoluted feelings I don’t quite have a name to.
Oh boy, oh boy. Next up is either Rindo or Canus. I can’t imagine what flavor of pain I’m set to endure after the fallen angel and fire werewolf but I’m mostly not ready, but then, when will I ever be?
Anyways, hoped you like this post of best firewolf boy. I adored him as well despite the angst and pain. I really want more Ignis though…
When is the Café Enchanté FD coming out? I need my tsundere puppy.