The Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ending contained a series of twists, turns and revelations. Amongst these were references to other Ys games and some slight ambiguities.
With obvious SPOILERS, here is a full dissection of everything notable that happened in the Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ending.
How do you unlock the true ending?
Rest assured, there is nothing to worry about here – Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has only one ending.
If you’re wondering about that question, then this is likely not your first Falcom experience. They typically throw in a few alternative conclusions, and did this last time around in Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana which had three different endings.
What exactly happened in the Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ending?
When the Monstrums confronted Zola, he explained that using alchemy he was able to extract tremendous power from Adol’s soul. His many encounters with omnipotent individuals somehow enabled Zola to imbue Atra with incredible God-like abilities.
His intentions were not impure – he wished to utilise Atra to take the Monstrums’ place, freeing them from the curse confining them to Grimwald Nox. As usual, it’s too good to be true. Atra decided the homunculi needed to be executed before stabbing Zola in the back. He turned on the Monstrums next, but the heroes manages to defeat him.
It appeared to be back to business as usual, but the collection of souls from Adol’s past were able to summon the Egg of Draupnir. This single relic stored the enmity of the people which was used to manifest Lemures and the Grimwald Nox itself. Adol was then presented with a choice of whether to destroy the egg, which would in turn obliterate the Grimwald Nox.
The choice wasn’t straightforward. If the Grimwald Nox was left in place, this would condemn the Monstrums to a fate of endless battles but at least contain humanity’s evil inside this dimension. Alternatively, the destruction of the Grimwald Nox would free the Monstrums but leave the future uncertain, whereby the enmity of humans could manifest into war and destruction.
Adol opted for the latter option, leading him to hack away until the Egg of Draupnir exploded in light. This was really quite touching, as the voices of his past encouraged him to follow his heart.
In taking this decision, Adol saved the Monstrums from any future obligation to battle and defeat the Lemures. With that, fireworks from the Victory Day Festival exploded into the night and the people of Balduq were left with their fate in their own hands.
The Monstrums lost their Gifts, but were no longer shackled by the curse that kept them in the city.
Were all of the Monstrums restored to their original bodies?
I was a little surprised by this one, but yes – with the exception of Doll who never had a real body to begin with. Presumably this involved Doctor Noah performing the same procedure Adol underwent before the final chapter, where the consciousness of the Crimson King merged with the real Adol. This would be the inference from Krysha’s comment that her memories were getting mixed up, but otherwise everything is normal. This was all glossed over fairly quickly, but was quite a significant event for the characters.
Once we found out the main characters were homunculi, I was actually convinced the real versions would end up sacrificing themselves to save the homunculus versions. I thought this would convey a tried-and-tested message along the lines of ‘As long as they have real feelings, they are real people’.
Who were the six spirits of light who spoke to Adol?
Atra was comprised of souls from Adol’s memories, and six of these turned up to offer words of wisdom and kindness. These are all cameos from previous games, and although their actual bodies did not appear, the voices are identified as follows:
Serene Woman’s Voice (white light) – Reah from Ys I
Kind Woman’s Voice (white light) – Feena from Ys I
Soothing Man’s Voice (purple light) – Dark Fact from Ys I
Gentle Girl’s Voice (blue light) – Tia from Ys Seven
Tranquil Man’s Voice (yellow light) – Eldeel from Ys: Memories of Celceta
Sincere Girl’s Voice (light blue light) – Dana from Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
If you were collecting Azure Petals and giving these to Marguerite, this wouldn’t be the first time these souls showed up. They also took turns briefly possessing her and giving cryptic messages to Adol.
What happened to Doll?
It was a little strange and disappointing that Doll didn’t show up during the ending to see Adol off. Instead, Jules passed along a simple message of thanks. She didn’t even appear at the gate to wave him goodbye!
However, this may be explainable. Since Zola had recently performed a procedure on her, it may simply be that she was recovering and not ready to emerge in public yet. The procedure in question transferred her soul into a brand new body. Though this happened to the other Monstrums, it would be more complicated in Doll’s case, who was not returning to an original body.
The credits showed her working at Rijndael Antiques shop. From the picture alone, it’s unclear to me whether she was in one of Aprilis’ spare homunculus bodies or in a unique body of her own. I’m leaning towards it being her own individual body, which would likely be a homunculus made in the image of her Monstrum form.
What happened to Credo?
Credo was never one for sentiment and didn’t bid Adol farewell in person, but he was undoubtedly inspired by the free-spirited, traveller lifestyle. Credo left Balduq to become a mercenary, and was last seen sat at a camp near a man holding a halberd. It’s been confirmed by Falcom president Toshihiro Kondo that this character is Geis from Ys VI and Ys Seven.
What happened to Jules?
Jules got the roughest deal with the destruction of the Grimwald Nox and the loss of his Gift. He needed this to walk, and despite being restored to his original body he was still wheelchair-bound as Adol left Balduq.
On a positive note, the clear final suggestion is that Jules was at the very least on the road to recovery. Doctor Noah states they found a lead in Zola’s research that could slow the progression of the disease, and the images in the credits show Jules standing up carrying books with his father looking very pleased in the background.
What happened to Yufa and Krysha?
The fate of the other two Monstrums was less ambiguous. Yufa was seen getting married to Felix, looking very much like a ‘happily ever after’ for the Raging Bull. Krysha returned to her flower shop in Shantytown, where she continued to spread colour and joy.
What happened to Aprilis?
Unlike the Monstrums, Aprilis could not be returned to her original body since Saint Rosvita was executed some 500 years before the events of the game. We saw many spare homunculus copies of her, but given the days of the Grimwald Nox are over it seems she won’t be needing them anytime soon.
Since it is the first time Aprilis has not been beholden to a fate of battling Lemures in the Grimwald Nox, her next move is left open to interpretation. The last we see of her is in the credits pushing a man in a wheelchair.
Did Zola survive?
Speaking of the man in the wheelchair, this is Zola. He survived the wound inflicted by Atra just before the final boss, which is also confirmed by Doctor Noah’s comment that he performed a final procedure on Doll.
He is a homunculus himself, so it seems the boundless power of Alchemy was probably used to help with his wounds.
What was the inspiration for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox?
Though not strictly related to the ending, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox has some interesting trivia. It clearly borrowed some ideas from the superhero genre with Gifts and secret identities, but the majority of its real-life inspiration comes from French history.
Saint Rosvita, who later became cloned as the homunculus Aprilis, is based on the legendary French heroine Joan of Arc. The Maid of Orleans led the French to many inspiration victories before being captured and burnt at the stake in 1431. Meanwhile, Zola has been confirmed to be inspired by Joan of Arc’s real-life companion Gilles de Rais, who was executed himself nearly a decade later.
Balduq prison is based on the Bastille, the fortress-come-prison that was famously stormed during the French Revolution in 1789. Bastille Day is still celebrated in France on 14th July. The real Bastille had a reputation for housing wealthy aristocrats, just like the Balduq prison’s luxury wing.
The Hundred Years War between Gllia and Britai is frequently mentioned throughout Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. This had a huge knock-on effect on the events of the game, and is based on the real Hundred Years War between Great Britain and France – where Joan of Arc fought. Ironically, this actually lasted 116 years.
Finally, Balduq Cathedral and its Gothic-style architecture pays homage to the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Where does Adol go next?
The events of the Ys games don’t occur in chronological order, but Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is actually the furthest we’ve reached in Adol’s journey. At the ripe age of 24, this is the oldest he’s been in an Ys game and in the final exchange with Dogi there are no clues as to where he’s heading next.
Therefore, the answer is we don’t know – but we’re excited to find out.
Let us know in the comments if there is anything else you want to know about the Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ending.
Check out our Ys IX: Monstrum Nox review here.
