Meet the Nopon Party members in Xenoblade Chronicles 3

The official Japanese Xenoblade account today again indulges us with some juicy details about the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Today we have a few more details about the two main Nopon characters from the game – Riku and Manana.

Nopons are adorable (or annoying, depending on who you ask) mascot characters for Xenoblade series – and they returned again for the third entry. And just like hero Riki from Xenoblade Chronicles and mechanic maid Thor from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Riku and Manana will be able to join you in battle, but instead of fighting separately, the pair team up to defeat enemies.

Information about these characters was translated by Perfectly Nintendoso let’s learn a little more about them!

Riku

Nopon from colony 9 in Keves (like Noah and his friends), who has rather bushy eyebrows. Back at the colony, he is a mechanic in charge of both creating items and maintaining the Iron Giant. He is a shrewd Nopon who always keeps his cool no matter the situation, and the advice he gives to Noah and others is worth heeding. Does the weapon need maintenance? Riku is yours Human Netpon!

Riku seems like an interesting character and a more serious take on Nopon than we might be used to. But the best thing about Riku right now is that he’s from a place called Colony 9. Fans of the first game will definitely I remember this place, but it seems that this name is somewhere else on Keves. If there are links there, we’ll find out soon. And this hairstyle? It’s simple delightful.

Manana

Nopon, originally from Agnus, companion of Mio and others. If her chef’s hat wasn’t transparent enough, she specializes in cooking. Her skills are unmatched, so it’s no wonder she was in charge of cooking in her former colony. Manana is literally obsessed with food, so if you come across something that can be used as an ingredient during your adventures, be sure to give it to Manana so she can prepare one mouth-watering meal! Manana is sure to brighten up your travels with her cheerful nature.

Ahh, here we are, a nopon with feelings we’re a little more familiar with. Peppy and talkative, with a real passion for food? Sounds like the perfect mood booster. She hails from the rival nation of Agnus. Female nopons were mostly ruled by supporting characters throughout the series – until Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition Future Connected gave us Nene.

This pair of Nopon will team up in combat to fulfill the role of Attacker. Their key skill is to weaken enemies with status effects and help deal damage. We have yet to see how this pair works in the game, or even what the seventh member of the group does – since all the other six are partners of another person in the group – so whatever it is, it’s bound to be something unique. .

However, it’s nice to see Monolith Soft doing something new with Nopon characters. They often serve as a primary source of comic relief – although Riki often lost his wisdom, and Rex and Pira’s brains and mechanical savvy often served Rex and Pira as a huge boon throughout their journey. Given that Riku and Manana are from different countries, we’re interested to see what their dynamics are like.

Nintendo also shared new official art for the couple, featuring their in-game faces. You can’t make them any less cute by making them look serious, Nintendo – you don’t have to try.

Don’t forget, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launches July 29th on Switch. You can view all pre-order options below. Unfortunately, over the weekend, Nintendo announced that the Collector’s Editions in Europe would not ship until the end of the year.

If you’re in the US, don’t forget that you can also get a $50 online store card with a 10% discount in our store using code NLIFE10:

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What do you think of these two nopons? How will they compare to others in the series? Let us know about it in the comments!