Masa & Mune
| Masa & Mune | |
|---|---|
 Official artwork of Masa & Mune by Akira Toriyama. | |
| Home Time | 12000 BC |
| Home Area | Kingdom of Zeal |
| Age | Unknown |
| Weapon Type | None |
| Magic Element | Wind |
Masa & Mune are beings of unknown species who appear in both Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. In both games, they are brothers who are associated with the legendary weapon Masamune. Mune is Masa's younger brother. Their names in the Japanese version are Gran (グラン) and Leon (リオン) to match the sword's original name.
Chrono Trigger
In Chrono Trigger, Masa and Mune are first encountered in the Denadoro Mountains, during the quest to find the Masamune. Initially appearing as children, Masa and Mune chide the party for seeking the blade, pointing out that humans never seem to understand the sword's true purpose, and generally see the Masamune as a prestigious or powerful weapon. Masa is a slightly more childlike personality, whereas Mune is more philosophical and even slightly cynical. The children transform into their natural forms (cloaked figures with pointed ears and yellow skin) and engage Crono and his allies as a test of their mettle. Masa and Mune use the X-Strike dual-tech throughout the battle.
When one of the twins has taken enough damage to fall, the battle stops. Masa and Mune observe that Crono and his companions are serious about their convictions, and that only Cyrus had ever made it this far in their test. They then fuse into a single, massively muscled creature and attack once more, making extensive use of wind techniques during the battle. During the fight, the creature will periodically charge up a vortex attack that can be dissipated by Crono's Slash Tech.
Upon the defeat of the fused creature, Masa and Mune once more separate and transform into two children, and submit themselves to the party. Mune's cynical attitude shifts slightly in defeat, and he asks Masa if Crono will 'fix us'. Masa reassures him, and the two vanish into the Masamune, which the party discovers is broken and must be repaired.
Later in the game (though, due to the time-traveling nature of Chrono Trigger, much before this first encounter), the party meets Masa and Mune in the magical Kingdom of Zeal. They live there as mystics, along with their sister Doreen. This is before their spirits are bound to the Masamune (because it predates the creation of the Masamune).
It is unknown how exactly Masa and Mune became the living spirits of the Masamune, as the twins predate the creation of the sword. One possible explination centers around Enhasa, the Zeal city of Dreams. When Crono plunges the Red Knife into the Mammon Machine (the event that creates the Masamune), Mune whispers to Crono that they (Masa and Mune) embody Melchior's dreams. It is possible that Mune was not speaking figuratively; instead, he was explaining that, as a Guru of Zeal, Masa and Mune were literally manifestations of Melchior's powerful desire to help humanity.
Chrono Cross
In Chrono Cross, the brothers (along with their sister Doreen) return as avatars of the Masamune. Though less central to the game's storyline, the Masamune remains a powerful, though corrupt, weapon. After defeating Dario during a sidequest, Masa and Mune will appear and reveal that the evil power which corrupts the weapon was allowed to enter because they were sleeping. Their big sister Doreen appears and, after chastising the boys for allowing this to happen, she fuses herself into the blade, along with the brothers and Serge's original weapon, the Sea Swallow. This creates the Mastermune, the most powerful weapon in the game.