Yuri Lowell

Yuri's American voice actor, Troy Baker, considered voicing him a "rarity" due to starting the dub near the same time of the original

Yuri Lowell was designed for Tales of Vesperia by regular series designer Kōsuke Fujishima.[1] Compared to other characters like Flynn, Fujisaka found designing Yuri a challenge, as he was a type of protagonist that the series had not featured previously.[2] Yuri was created to be different from previous protagonists in the series such as Kyle Dunamis from Tales of Destiny 2 and Luke fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss. While the stories of previous games focused on revealing and developing these characters' personalities, Yuri was given a more adult personality. As such, Yuri was in a position to aid in the growth of the main cast. The game's theme of justice came partially from this portrayal.[3] His deep friendship with Flynn also formed the core theme of Bonnie Pink's theme song "Ring a Bell".[2][4]

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike was affected by Yuri and Flynn's younger ages. Niren Fedrock was created to serve as a mentor figure as well as the possible future of the two's careers. Since Yuri was surer of his interest, the coming of age story was more focused on Flynn. The friendship between Yuri and Flynn was seen as "priceless" by director Kenta Kamei due to the mutual respect each other share as well as the occasion each gets angry.[5] Kamei's favorite scene is when Yuri looks up at the sky of Ceazontania the night before the Knights expedition to the old ruins. It meant to emphasize the importance of Yuri's decision in regards to his future.[6]

In Japanese, Yuri has been voiced by Kosuke Toriumi.[7][8] Yuri has been voiced in the English version of the game by Troy Baker.[7] Baker wanted to pay a homage to the original Japanese version, and while working with the script, Baker started understanding the character, considering sometimes what Yuri would say in the game.[9] When he was brought into the project, the script was at a very early stage of development, meaning that he and the rest of the localization team were able to get right into Yuri's personality: Troy stated that this kind of feeling was a relative rarity in the profession.[10] During announcements from the rerelease of Tales of Vesperia, Baker commented that he would have liked doing all of Yuri's new lines again but was never approached by the localization team. This resulted in Yuri being voiced by actor Grant George for his new lines.[11][12]

Yuri has been well received by the gaming audience and publications for video games. GamesRadar listed him as the thirty-sixth best character from his generation praising his unusual traits rarely seen in other Tales protagonists.[24] Similarly, Eliot Gay from Japanator said Yuri "was also something of a revelation. At 21, he was one of the older Tales main characters and far more mature than most JRPG fans are probably used to."[25] In a Famitsu poll from 2010, he was voted seventh best video game character.[26] In a Dengeki poll, he was voted fourth as a character readers wanted to befriend.[27] Ever since his debut, Yuri has also been voted as the most popular Tales character in official polls, reaching the same spot three times.[28][29][30] In another poll, Estelle and him were voted as the fifth best duo within the series.[31] In addition, Yuri and Flynn ranked first in the "Best/Ideal Partners" poll 3 years in a row.[32]

According to RPGamer, "Yuri is a compelling protagonist and even something of an anti-hero."[33] Jared Prewitt from the same site commented that Yuri "breaks the mold of previous Tales games by being more in control with his destiny and willing to eliminate the foes that are a threat to society."[34] In a Tales of Graces review, the reviewer commented "There are prevailing opinions that the story doesn't quite match up to that of Tales of Vesperia's, possibility heavily influenced by the absence of Yuri Lowell."[35] GameTrailers commented on how Yuri's actions later on in the game "will test the threshold of some player's morals."[36] 1UP.com's Andrew Fitch credited Yuri for most of the plot's enjoyment calling him "badass, charismatic ex-knight." They also compared him with Luke fon Fabre from Tales of the Abyss, finding Yuri more relatable and relevant than him, also adding that Yuri was "the embodiment of that vigilante spirit."[37]

Eurogamer's Simon Parkin called Yuri a "strong protagonist" as he is "Old enough to be appealing to any player past their teens, yet flawed enough to be believable, he remains heroic enough to provide the leadership his role requires." Parkin also gave praise to the character's voice acting for making his character more engaging.[38] GameSpot's Kevin VanOrd praised the interactions between Yuri and Estelle as "heartfelt" as one of the scenes that helps to further characterize them.[39] Reviewing Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike, John Rose from the Fandom Post praised both Yuri and Flynn's characters as "neither character is simply some cardboard cutout incapable of growth or prevented from having another aspect to their personality and it is in these moments where the characters are able to show off their differences and complexities that the two really shine."[40] Eliot Gay said both "Yuri and Flynn receive full arcs of development that get them to where they need to be by the start of the game. The film doesn't assume you know who either of these two men are and does an impressive job of defining their relationship and opposing views of the Imperial Guard."[25] Anime News Network's Rebecca Silverman commented that both of Yuri's voice actors do a good job at "capturing his character" even though Troy Baker makes it "a little too masculine for his slightly feminine design."[41]

Siliconera's Spencer spoke with Tales producer Hideo Baba, commenting how Yuri was quite popular in the west due to how well developed he is as a character. He added "He knows who he is rather than searching for himself like the young "gung ho" JRPG hero archetype." In response Baba commented: "There is a possibility to have another Yuri-style character again, but I think it’s important to listen to the fan’s voices," Baba responded. "The development team is always creating new worlds and characters, so it’s possible to see different kinds of leading characters."[42]