"Does being a noble or a commoner,
or even a demon or an angel really matter?"
In my Disgaea Review & Love in Disgaea posts I stated how Laharl while claiming he's an evil overlord, he does have a kindness in his heart. Recently after playing Etna mode I realized how powerful the story was in the subtle ways it showcased that.
WARNING: This post can spoil some plot points of Etna Mode!!
Etna, The Heartless Queen
Etna mode starts the same way "Main Game" starts with Etna waking the prince up, except that she accidentally kills him this time, and that changes the story route.
"Can't believe they only see the antennas of Laharl"
Like in Laharl's story, Etna's goal is still getting her memories back. Unlike when she was with him though, this time she's willing to do anything for that goal, including setting up a fake Laharl, crushing her enemies, becoming a space detective, making an angel stand still for days and overwork her prinnies (well, she always did the last one.)
Lahral's Hidden Kindness, Etna's Lack of Empathy
Laharl always seemed concerned on appearing Evil to those around him, Etna only seemed concerned on having fun and she didn't care about how she was seen.
"Especially the late overlord's portrait!!"
In the main story, Laharl was going to kill one of his enemies but he stopped when he saw that said enemy have a son and spared them. Etna when she encountered the same guy, she mercilessly made him and his son her slaves. I loved to compare what they both said when ordering their prinnies to steal his money.
Laharl:
"All right start taking the good stuff!! but make sure to leave some behind for them."
Etna:
"I really don't care whether you starve to death or not."
Flonne who witnessed both, was glad about Laharl kindness in the main game and that was the reason she stayed in the netherworld. In Etna's mode she became an enemy character just after this scene.
Lahral & Etna's Respect For Krichevskoy
While he doesn't admit it, Laharl really loved his father. Etna's loyalty to him remained intact even after her memories was stolen. In the whole netherworld there's no character that won't tell you how great the late overlord was.
To unlock Etna's mode you have to see Etna's dairy from the main game, the early entries of the dairy were about her stolen memories. But after she regains her memories, and finally she starts to remember a promise she made with the king.
King Krichevskoy was a kind man, and some of Etna's interactions with Laharl prove that she wants him to be like his father. Even though she doesn't care about kindness herself. In her mode, she didn't have Laharl and that makes her much more cruel and scheming.
One of the best things I like to see is how her treatment toward Flonne
is different between Main mode & Etna's mode.
Just because Laharl isn't there.
Conclusion
Laharl and Etna are both different types of ant-villains, with Laharl being closer to a hero and Etna is a true neutral character. And while Etna's story is more cruel, both stories have positive themes overall.
For a game that boasts hundreds of hours in gameplay
Disgaea does have interesting characters to make you care!!
Finally~
...I planned this post more than a week ago...
It seems I really like to write about Disgaea series,
Tell me if you want more!!
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