Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2
テイルズ オブ ゼスティリア ザ クロス 第2期 (Tales of Zestiria the Cross 2nd Season)
- Action
- Adventure
- Fantasy
- Mythology
- Super Power
- Episodes
- 13
- Duration
- 23 min per ep
- Aired
- Jan 8, 2017 to Apr 29, 2017
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
*Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2* continues the story from *Tales of Zestiria the X*, carrying forward its action-driven fantasy adventure.
Otaku Consensus
ufotable’s effects-forward direction, crisp sword-and-magic staging, and more decisive payoff pacing make Season 2 a clear improvement over the setup-heavy first cour. Its character moments and large-scale confrontations land, but the adaptation never fully escapes rushed plotting, cheesy dialogue, and the source game’s familiar fantasy framework. The result is a technically accomplished conclusion whose spectacle consistently outclasses its writing.
Why You Should Watch
Watch this if you want ufotable’s Fate-style compositing applied to a colorful JRPG world of elemental magic, dragons, gods, and swordplay. The 13-episode season functions as the payoff cour: conflicts move faster, the ensemble receives more emotional material, and the action scales up without abandoning the series’ questions about necessary evil and whether corruption can ever be eliminated. Yuuichi Terao’s photography gives spells and atmospheric effects unusual depth, while Gou Shiina and Motoi Sakuraba supply the kind of orchestral momentum expected from a major Tales production. It scratches the same audiovisual itch as Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, but with party-based fantasy dynamics rather than a battle-royale structure. The dialogue and plotting remain uneven, so it best suits viewers who prioritize polished combat direction, music, and character chemistry over intricate storytelling.
Key Characters
- AAlisha Diphda(VA: Ai Kayano)
Alisha’s tension between personal conviction and public responsibility gives the ensemble one of its most grounded emotional centers.
- DDezel(VA: Daisuke Ono)
Dezel is a severe, guarded wind seraph whose intensity adds a harder edge to the party’s otherwise idealistic chemistry.
- EEdna(VA: Misato Fukuen)
Edna became a fan favorite through her dry delivery, caustic teasing, and refusal to treat solemn fantasy conventions with automatic reverence.
- MMikleo(VA: Ryouta Oosaka)
Mikleo balances loyalty with calm competitiveness, making him an effective counterweight to the cast’s more volatile personalities.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
ufotable combines detailed 2D character animation with CGI-assisted dragons, environments, and magical effects; director of photography Yuuichi Terao unifies those layers through dense lighting and compositing.
- 2
The score pairs Tales veteran Motoi Sakuraba with Gou Shiina, producing a blend of driving orchestral battle music and more melodic fantasy themes.
- 3
Season 2 is structured as a 13-episode payoff cour rather than another long setup phase, giving its war, mythology, and supernatural conflicts a noticeably faster tempo.
- 4
Its music lineup extends beyond the background score: Minami Kuribayashi performs the opening theme, FLOW performs the ending and an insert song, and fhána also contributes an insert performance.
- 5
The production emphasizes spectacle at a scale uncommon for television game adaptations, particularly through luminous magic effects, sword choreography, and CGI-enhanced dragon imagery.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- Hikaru Kondou, a central figure at ufotable, is credited with the script, while Akira Matsushima handled the character designs.
- Fun fact 2
- Key animator Masato Nagamori contributed to episodes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11, covering nearly half of the season’s 13-episode run.
- Fun fact 3
- FLOW served two musical roles on the production, performing both the ending theme and an insert song rather than appearing only in the standard opening or ending slot.
- Fun fact 4
- The choice to adapt Zestiria was contentious before the anime’s conclusion because reviewers frequently regarded its game narrative as one of the weaker stories in the broader Tales franchise.
- Fun fact 5
- The season holds a 7.3 score from 81,028 MyAnimeList votes and a 70/100 AniList score with 291 favorites, reflecting stronger broad visibility than its divided written reception might suggest.
Studios
- ufotable
