The Insane Lore of Rivals of Aether (2024)

[@sennahoj9332]

Kragg lore: Fix the wall, get interrupted, fight the one that interrupted, repeat

[@sweetac3217]

One must assume kragg is happy

[@CrimtanrBar]

@@sweetac3217 ***********************imagine

[@carrillmunnings525]

As the creator of Pomme, I've always had a lot imagined for her but we just haven't seen any of it happen yet. Her vague description on the official website makes it seem like they're keeping their options very open for her.

[@BowlerSSF2]

I think she has a ton of potential and I'm really excited to see what they do with her! But like you mentioned, she definitely has one of the least detailed bio's on the website.

[@Trashley652]

I think a rivalry between Pomme and Mollo would make a lot of sense, Mollo being the incredibly cool anarchist hero trying to tear down the establishment, vs Pomme who seems to have quite a lot of stake in the status quo of the future being maintained

[@Trashley652]

Ok I thought Mollo was based but after actually watching that part of the video, his alignment seems... unclear. Is Mollo good? Does anyone know? Doesn't matter. I support trans rights _and_ trans wrongs.

[@Maxi-Gonz.]

I'm thinking Pomme works with or for Loxodont to keep Neo Julesvale and Neo Fire Capital people "entertained" and not question his ruling based off her stage background where Lox appears and even his name is spelled. Pomme sells people a *_SMOKE_* curtain and Lox keeps her famous and relevant.

[@bruhudumb]

You did a great job making pomme

[@Fazuchi24]

Rivals lore is punch first, then ask questions while punching. Realise they dont need to fight then running off to help eachother. I love it

[@punkypony5165]

Vi

[@kujimelon7771]

Orcane's new Rivals 2 trailer seems to confirm his connection to deities lol

[@acemcwolf5445]

Connection? It confirms he's a goddamn *Demi-god!* Can't say I saw THAT coming.

[@Couch_Banana]

@@acemcwolf5445 I think he's more of a minor god. Demi-Gods are the offsprings of mortals and gods, but Orcane's mother conceived him all on her own.

[@47northm]

true

[@proximaeon]

I wouldn't completely say that he's a Minor God, it would be fine to just consider him as a deity with importance. In many Mythologies there are times that even the children of deities become more important, like the three illuminated children in Shinto, as Amaterasu is the chief goddess and Izanagi is just the creator deity, but isn't present in many of the matters of the Takamagahara.

[@NorwayEnjoyer]

as a player that has never really cared much about the lore and only the competitive aspect, this is a lovely video, summarizes everything up super nicely, newfound appreciation for the lore, wondering how they'll expand it in the future title.

[@sakarain]

Sorry to rivals 1 but you can feel how well the story is planned out in dungeons of aether in comparison. Although it did surprise me how interesting the story was over all. Hoping Rivals 2 is fully realized and can expand upon it.

[@RushWheeler]

Seeing what's been shown of the story mode so far, we're probably getting something of Subspace Emissary levels

[@IntoTheFrayy]

THE RETURN OF THE GOAT

[@FieryAnubis]

This is my fourth time watching this video, and I have to say, it's super well done and easy to follow. There is so much potential in these characters and this universe. This lore is like 200 times better than even big shots like Mortal Kombat, Tekken or Street Fighter can do, and that's all from like 1 game and 3 side games. That's impressive! I look forward to seeing more in the following years.

[@cothrone3651]

Im REALLY hoping Mollo reunites with Claren. He has so much plot potential, being against Loxodont while also having a possible connection to Clarens mother’s death.

[@geovaughan8261]

Something to note about Hodan is that his main element is still water, and he can only command variations of water that combine with the other three elements. So while he can mix water and fire to make steam, or water and earth to make mud, he cannot control pure fire or pure earth. He still needs to stay in his element, so to speak.

[@dall7020]

Where has this video been all my life, as someone who isn't too into fighting games but is really into rivals of aether, I liked this whole rundown of the lore.

[@jeibeparamo2374]

9:25 so we named him after the cloud on yoshis story

[@chococroc5298]

Randal does give a breath of life with the clutch saves…

[@ethanpritt542]

I like how Wrastor doesn't ask orcane questions just immediately gets to ass whooping. Pure instinct. Man I love Wrastor!

[@gregvs.theworld451]

It does seem like the air armada are pretty militaristic. We saw how they treated Elliana, I'm not surprised they'd immediately resort to smack downs if they see something that doesn't fly on their airships. I'm curious to see if Swiftwing gets some character development. Atm he doesn't seem as bad as Loxodont, but he also doesn't seem that much better either. He gives me prideful leader vibes being prejudiced towards flying creatures when he could have had an incredibly intelligent, creative, and dedicated soldier in Elliana among his ranks.

[@THE_TOAST]

not just militaristic, downright nasty, raiding merchant port supplies and attacking flake scouts.

[@itsrottweiler9545]

My appreciation for this video knows no bounds

[@Heavy_Orbital]

Same, not a video I expected ever.

[@MarkiplierMeatMuncher8]

I wanted someone to make a video like this ever since I played the story mode of ROA! I'm glad it's you who did it!

[@HoshiNoKaabii]

Holy shit! An hour long video about Rivals of Aether's lore! That's crazy how much effort and time you put into this!

[@HelpfulArtifact]

Super happy to see this video exist!! Rivals has the mechanics and gameplay down but it has the ability to really establish itself as its own IP with its characters and world! Most other platform fighters cheat their way into endearing you to their cast by being crossover games. I’d love to see the team work on really fleshing out the world and more to draw more than just the hyper technical competitive crowd. I’m only half way through the video at this point, but I recall Rivals 2’s story mode director comparing it to subspace with a particular focus in detailing the dynamics, strengths, and weakness of the individual rivals. That and collectibles which likely have even more lore attached. Extremely interested to see how Aether Studio chooses to move forward with it!

[@vicmothgod]

THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS!!!! I've been in love with the world of Aether before I even reached my teens, it makes me so happy to see someone finally compress it all into a video, with some additional details even I didn't know about.

[@TheCayDawg]

wait.....why is Rivals of Aether lore so awesome?!?

[@cardboardleaf7971]

Absolutely *PHENOMENAL* video my guy holy wow

[@koopakape]

Man, i LOVE this and love what you went through to make it but I hate that you have to preface it all by saying "YEAH, I KNOW NO ONE CARES..." like no, people *SHOULD* care about lore, ESPECIALLY when it involves a brand new completely original IP like this that's about to EXPLODE with Rivals 2. Like no, I'm not gonna grill people at tournaments for not knowing some deep lore fact but... people definitely SHOULD care about the work and passion that goes into projects like these more than they do, and you shouldn't assume that they wouldn't or shouldn't.

[@Irapa7]

This makes playing Rivals 2 even more fun! Great Vid!

[@know_the_nme788]

It’s so refreshing to have a coherent resource that puts everything into one place. Here’s to Rivals 2!!! (Also ty for letting me preview & discuss the lore. I care WAY too much about the lore lmao)

[@brawlmasterjoelstudios]

What does Frame Data mean?

[@know_the_nme788]

How fast an attack starts/ends while also being how active the attack is

[@brawlmasterjoelstudios]

@@know_the_nme788 I know lol

[@ein-moriaston2427]

@@brawlmasterjoelstudios?

[@gregvs.theworld451]

Wow, Rivals has much deeper lore than I gave it credit for. I think I kind of love this series now, and it's exactly the kind of lore building I think most fighting games* (recognizing of course that the Aether series goes beyond just platform fighters now) neglect. I'm excited to how these plots develop in the next game and beyond, and I love how many side characters have perfect set ups to be playable in Rivals 2. Seriously while I'm sure they will make some more completely original newcomers, I think there's enough side characters to pull from to become playable in the mainline Rivals platformer fighter series that they straight up wouldn't have to make new characters if they didn't want to. I'm hoping some of these guys join fleet in becoming officially playable in Rivals some day. I know it would probably be non-canon, but Randall's necromancer design slaps so hard and I kind of want to see him throw hands with Loxodont in Rivals 2. I feel like Ayala has high potential as a technology based engineer fighter too.

[@patroka]

Ooh, thanks for the recap! I haven’t looked into Dungeons of Aether at all because it’s not really my kind of game, but I’m glad I learned what happens in it! There are some really good character designs in there. They’ve came a long way since the original Rivals story mode lol

[@MultiGEEKguy]

Thanks for a really good video! I'm entering the universe via Rivals 2, so this was a great way to get into it

[@Averagebasementman]

45:25 yup orcane is the tear of joy from Slade’s island. How he ended up in aether is unclear but yeah Etalus isn’t the only foreigner in the roster.

[@sundraUnmatched]

The statue of Orcane in Merchant Port is just a product of creative liberties from the artist that designed the stage for Rivals 2, and Dan really liked it

[@thatpikminguy5885]

Great video! I didn’t realize that the characters actually got trapped in the abyss after the first game. Should make rivals 2 story interesting!

[@BuckBlaziken]

I feel so joyful and happy when I see Orcane. His updated appearance in Rivals 2 makes me more happy. No wonder why he’s most likely the god colloquially named “Joy”

[@Mozilla999]

amazing video, super well put together Rivals of Aether absolutely didn't need to have this engaging of a story but as someone who adores the gameplay and character designs in it, I am incredibly glad that it does. I knew a good bit of the story, played Dungeons of Aether for example, but I had no idea how deep it all went and how surprisingly well every aspect was intertwined. And it all started with the first game's story which is incredibly impressive considering how I don't imagine the writers really had much of a plan with it I am very much looking forward to Rivals 2, both gameplay and story-wise. Coming here after the release date/Forsburn trailer because it put me back in the mood, I think this could go super hard, ESPECIALLY cuz my goat Ian Flynn is writing it kind of a yap session comment, but I think this video deserved it, fantastic job, I'm super glad Rivals got a video like this

[@Car5yn]

Good movie. I was really waiting for someone to make a video like this. Editing was really well done and it helped me understand this wacky, furry world a lot more.

[@elemangell2981]

Yoooo someone finally made a Rivals lore video! Didn't expect it to be you though haha. Well definitely have this on hand as a lore nerd for any friends interested on the topic!

[@rept7]

I'm now pretty convinced that the plan is for Clairen to have to somehow get involved in saving the champions from the abyss. Which just sounds pretty rad, but will need properly explained in Rivals 2. Personally, I think it'd be pretty cool for her to gather the heroes not in the abyss (Absa for example) and team up with them to get the other champions out, all while the other half of the story is the champions surviving and uncovering more about the abyss.

[@discord5238]

My threory: lovers of aether is a pocket dimension created by the sin of lust to trap the champions of aether

[@starsavior506]

Lovers of Aether is what's at the bottom of the Abyss

[@Osabi]

i didnt even know RoA had lore, much less that Aether itself was a world with different games being a part of it lol this is actually sick. thank you for the video, friend

[@FerretyZebra]

Really glad I found this video, lol. The main reason I was even interested in the aether-verse was the lore... So thanks a lot!

[@duckycolors]

amazingly crafted video, as someone who is new to the lore I was very invested the whole video and the quality editing helped tons. i'm very excited to see where the story goes in rivals 2!!!

[@amoineau]

Amazing work, very well edited. Thank you for that!

[@calebrobinson6406]

Getting me hyped even more for Rivals 2. Thank you sir!

[@SoftwareNeos]

Yeah.... This is Peak

[@endoskel9262]

Seriously, at first I was just drawn in by all the spectacular mods for rivals of aether but now I find myself actually invested in the lore

[@gregvs.theworld451]

@@endoskel9262 As of yesterday I'm an all in fan of this series now invested in its' lore and characters.

[@Imjustindigo]

As someone who doesn't have a way to play Rivals 2 but is seriously getting really into the characters.. i know this video is gonna go crazy

[@superdotnsw]

after playing her for 5 years, i now know who tf clairen is. thanks bowler

[@ramirogallo6484]

Amazing! thanks a lot for doing this!

[@frankunodostres473]

as someone who only played rivals 1, I am amazed by the magnitude of this story! a few things I found interesting: - sylvanos is the only playable "god", with orcane possibly being one too. does this mean we could get more >.> - fleet and olimpia seem a bit OP in the story, with them engaging in 3 fights in a row - the stories of eliana and zetterburn/forsburn and clairen are so good, they deserve their own movie - if fleet is in rivals 2, could this mean we get slade and the other 3 "thieves" too? that's be cool. also I hope etalus and eliana make it to the sequel and get a bit more to story relevance - mollo and pomme are from the future. I hope they find a way to rivals 2 somehow. maybe they followed clairen... somehow? lol

[@gregvs.theworld451]

I wonder if Clairen will run into Forsburn and if that will cause some tension since she knows she's his ancestor but might want to keep that a secret less she risks altering time. I definitely love the three "thieves" and would be down to see them be playable. I'm hoping we se Eliana's development too, her plight is completely understandable and I'm hoping she gets a happy ending. I wonder if the prejudice against non flying creatures is something the entire air armada holds, or if Swiftwing is just a prejudiced leader. If someone more open minded took his place or perhaps he opened his mind a bit he could see how Eliana would be a powerful ally for the Armada to have if she still wanted to join them, or maybe Wrastor could see her potential and they could be allies, even if she is officially over the Armada because of how they treated her.

[@AranOcean]

I've recently been getting back into Rivals of Aether lore after playing the Rivals 2 betas and Dungeons of Aether, and this is EXACTLY the video I needed! Thank you 😭

[@Thinepickles]

5:49 DID I HEAR A ROCK AND STONE!?

[@mateuszstoduka3655]

ROCK AND STONE

[@Microne-s6n]

ROCK AND STONE

[@tronsonic812]

It's so awesome that some of the workshop characters became part of the Aether canon. It really shows that Rivals is a game franchise that values its community.

[@Jacobro02]

I’m sure you have seen it but really cool that Orcane was confirmed to be Joy in the most recent trailer

[@ethanpritt542]

Great video, the editing is amazing!

[@SaturnStikGaming]

words cannot describe how much this video was needed

[@Carpetdrowner]

I knew nothing of roa lore before this and now im really into it because of this video. Watchedi the whole thing this is great work man.

[@TheRealGrimPrime]

As a man who just switched to rivals content I really thank you for this video keep up the good work👍

[@EyeZee]

Orcane got his city burnt down, but it came from a misunderstanding, so he cool wit it. I’d be throwing hands, personally 😤

[@Pokeball35]

I've been a Rivals of Aether fan since the beginning, but as big of a fan as I was of the game, I was also a very casual player who never played the story mode or the spin offs. I always felt like I was missing crucial details. With Rivals of Aether 2 releasing in just a few days, I really wanted to find out if there was any videos documenting the lore of the series. Low and behold, this video exists! This was very well put together and I FINALLY understand all the missing pieces. I can't wait to sink my teeth into Rivals 2 and actually understand what's going on!

[@sakarain]

Not a video I expected from you but clearly a lot of effort went into this. Enjoying it so far good work

[@bendyplays115]

No way the chosen had all these cool names and then their was just Randal

[@punkypony5165]

Awesome video thanks for making this

[@pkchiptune]

really glad someone made this! i'm trying to get into rivals & the lore seems pretty interesting 👍

[@_Gemkas_]

Thank youuuuuu for this video I've been SEARCHING for something like this 🔥🔥🔥‼️

[@frifripsychic5890]

Great video!!! The editing was great and your able to lay out the confusing stories in a nice comprehensive way. I have one dumb nitpick tho, it’s about the aetherian forest fire. The world of aether was always a massive forest, but because of the fire nations battling for power (as stated in the LOA test 😭) they started an immense forest fire that enraged Sylvanos. Sylvanos was also enraged by the merchants cutting down the trees BEFORE the war happened. So once Sylvanos awoken the fire nation and the earth… people started fighting. The war continued but eventually the Earth People realized that Sylvanos was too powerful and greedy, and decided to end the war by making a pact with the wall runners. Also I think Kragg is the only character who has control of the earth, Im pretty sure but I can’t remember why I know that. Also your right about Ranno going to the Hodojo, they talk about that in one of their stage showcases when the kickstarter was happening. Either way, great video and Im glad someone finally made a lore video

[@andynelson323]

Wow, this is a really good video! The editing was good all throughout and the pacing was tight. I can't imagine how long it took to make this...

[@demiurge2501]

this video rules, great job bowler

[@viivoid]

we *JUST* got into Rivals of Aether and then found this video ty sm I'm a HUGE fan now!!! AAAAAH it's like ATLA + DBZ/Sonic + FMA + TOH so flipping cool my god I hope there is more of a good story focus in Rivals 2!!

[@illford]

It's not really like Sonic

[@bigkebizino8970]

Wooo baby bowler be cooking! Nice job brother!

[@Xorro-0]

Took 10 months for a guaranteed good video that is 1 hour long. Worth it.

[@TwinbeeMint]

He's back.....🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

[@HyperFreak89]

Genbu! the warrior of water! Icaburn! the warrior of fire! Hemiunu! the warrior of earth! and....Randal....just Randal lmao. Idk why this cracked me up xD

[@jonathantavares4316]

As a fan of rivals for years this video has been absolutely peak!! Thank you for making it

[@FatherFox]

actually insane, nice vid o.o

[@tomasiarity]

I never played Rivals of Aether but backed Rivals 2 and I have been greatly enjoying the betas. This video was exactly what I needed to understand the lore and see what kind of characters could come later to Rivals 2 (I imagine all the Champions are a foot in so Forsburn reveal is imminent, and I hope we can get the rest of the Dungeons cast join later).

[@olivertakesover]

Truly amazing, thank you.

[@johnleecooper8520]

watching this entire fuckin thing so when a new character trailer drops i can be like "hey its that guy"

[@Yeliad]

I havent watched this yet in full, but fantastic work and effort was put into this video and I appreciate it wholeheartedly ❤

[@randyryry6656]

Great video! Never knew rivals lore could be so interesting. Could u do a video with updates from rivals2?

[@xann2681]

the eternal emperor part by far my favourite, that storyline is so peak

[@dorijandodig5189]

Finnaly a new video

[@youfoundbrooks]

Thank you for making this!

[@ShadowMikku]

Once I started this video and saw the drop of Nourishment I knew I needed to finish the story mode for Dungeons and I'm so glad I did before continuing the video. I'm loving getting immersed into the Lore of Aether now that rivals 2 is out and plays way more to my style than Rivals 1 did. Also makes me wanna play Creatures again. I hope more of the Dungeon's characters are added to Rivals 2(without it taking years to happen atleast) I love all three of the other player characters and now that I know Ayala and Eillana are connected I wanna know more about them too.

[@thattubaguy217]

Rivals lore: 📚📚📚📚📚 Rivals lore if people talked for 15 seconds instead of fighting everyone on sight: 📚

[@JuhoSprite]

33:35 dude that already was such a cool story ngl the ending was so epic. I love what they did with it

[@Taktaagic]

RIVALS VIDEO LETS GOOOOOOOOOO

[@etaquince5220]

Very nice video, thanks. They really said "we have a concept, a universe, and we're gonne use the shit out of it". I respect that.

[@MonoFlax]

In rivals 1 you can really tell that they had a bunch of ideas for cool hero characters and for the story mode they kinda had to make up a reason for them to fight each other all the time hahah, so its always some *unfortunate* misunderstanding leading to them duking it out Excited for rivals 2 story mode, especially for ranno cause he’s shaping up to be my main

[@chaos_nightshade]

Amazing video!! and really cool editing too!

[@VistyMe]

Amazing video! Deserves 1 million views!

[@Nawakooo0]

The champion of air being named "Randal" is certainly NOT a coincidence (it's very probably a reference to the little cloud that moves around the Yoshi's Story stage in Melee, whom the community called "Randall")

[@AX7520]

Super interesting video, thank you !

[@ruzma3927]

As a fellow Æther loremaster, I must salute all the work and research that went into making this video, it was awesome! 👌 If I could add some bits, it'd be, and correct me if I'm wrong: wasn't it stated that Ranno cleans the waters of pollution coming down from Merchant Port? And aren't Zetter and Fors half-brothers (The latter being illegitimate, if not unloved)? Also, shoutouts to the irony of Neo Julesvale being nicknamed the City of Greed, considering the 'message™' of Dungeons 😛 There are also misc. facts, like Mollo being apparently pronounced [MO-YO] and that he's canonically trans, but that's really the gist of it (:3) Once again, awesome bloody good work mates! Here's to Rivals 2 retconning and adding to what's been established~

[@_Gemkas_]

Man this video deserves so many more views 🔥🔥🔥

[@Inari_YT]

YOU DID NOT...

[@Spiitz]

GOAT

[@SunGodRokkan]

Damn man, I just need MORE, the lore is too damn good and fresh.

[@Bearinguard]

Loxodont NEEEDS his Cybernetic form in Rivals 2! It would be so SICK!

[@ssbm_fang]

This was a banger video

[@hillairicats5262]

I do have a theory regarding. Mollo and pomme as they come from the same time frame as clairen, there is a possibility that there is a lot more behind their characters then what's been shown. Like on mollos stage, it is shown that the future day fire imperium is burning to the ground. Does this mean Mollo staged a revolt? Mollo seems to not be associated with loxodont and rather did his terroristic deeds out of his own intrest, he also is shown to reside in less then good living conditions, but if he was talking with loxodont it would make sense that he had a better home. So back to my theory, since every character is planned to return to rivals 2, would Mollo and pomme stumble upon the last 2 time machines to continue the lore with clairen and the rest of the champions? This is a very far fetched theory but I just feel like the lack of pomme and Mollo lore, in combination with mollos stage, showing the flame imperium burning down, just may have a lot planned.

[@BowlerSSF2]

You make some good points, I actually skipped over some extra lore for Mollo that's written on the Rivals of Aether official website character bios. According to Mollos Bio, after Clairen is presumed dead (executed by Loxodont), Riots break out across Neo Fire Capital and Mollo hopes to destroy the Fire Capital in one last final fight, so it's likely that his stage is taking place during a large scale revolution / war in the Fire Capital partially by Mollo. I do think it's possible we seem him leave the "doomed timeline" (as according to the bio), but i'm not 100% sure on it. It definitley seems like he is not working with loxodont, so he would likely have to steal a time machine, perhaps loxodont creates more to try and hunt down clairen in the past? As for Pomme, we really don't have much material at all to work with. The original creator wrote Pomme as morally good character who somewhat was connected to loxodont through her agency in Neo Julesvale. Honestly i'd love to see her written as more of a villian character working with Loxodont, and perhaps being sent to the past with Vince (her bodyguard) to find and stop clairen.

[@swiddhi]

38:07 Welp, Etalus's Rivals of Aether II trailer more or less confirms that the Ice Barren continent is the one bordering Hodan's mountain range, as we get to see a full pan across the entire world of Aether (and it goes from the Fire Capital to the Ice Barrens north)!

[@BowlerSSF2]

Definitley! Glad to see the confirmation, it lines up well with the most recent information. Likely the old Etalus Bio on the website that gave contradictions to that was just made before any version of the map was created (notably his bio claims that west was deeper into the tundras, but it seems more likely that it would be east on the new map).

[@Averagebasementman]

If it were me all of the playable cast in rivals would be at the battle. Even Slyvanos, angry at the abyss he tracks it down. Give Maypul and Kragg more incentive to hustle and get Slyvanos under control before he deals serious damage to aether.

[@thomas1pharma]

fyi the standard galactic alphabet at 27:02 roughly translates to "the rot maypul this shit is evil. probably. Ima leave the forest and i will look for"

[@RiahGreen]

Great vid. Now i want to read tales of aether