Crono

Crono, known as Chrono (クロノ) in Japan, is a fictional character in the Chrono series of video games, and the series' namesake.

Concept and creation
Crono's initial design was created by Chrono Trigger's story planner Masato Kato. His final design was created by Akira Toriyama. In the initial design sketches, Crono was a "bad kid" wearing goggles and a cape. While he was called Chrono in the Japanese version, this was changed in the North American version. Crono is a silent protagonist who uses facial expressions to communicate; this is never addressed by any characters. Concerning his death in the game, Kato noted that his policy has always been "to try and create games that run counter to users' expectations, surprise them".

Appearances
Crono is the spiky-haired silent protagonist of the Chrono Trigger. He never speaks, using facial expressions to communicate; this is never addressed by any of the characters. He lives in the village of Truce with his mother. A chance encounter with Marle at the fair begins a series of adventures and uncovers a pre-millennial evil. In 12,000 BC, when the party is confronted with Lavos in the Ocean Palace of the Kingdom of Zeal, Crono sacrifices himself to save his friends, resulting in his death. With time travel, the player can manage to replace Crono in the moment before he dies with a copy received from the Millennial Fair in 1000 A.D, saving his life. The PlayStation and Nintendo DS versions of Chrono Trigger include an FMV scene at the end that shows Crono and Marle getting married. A second FMV depicts the fall of Guardia Kingdom in the year AD 1005, though it is unknown what happened to Crono during this event.

Reception
Since his appearance in Chrono Trigger, Crono has received generally positive reception, and has gained a strong fan following. In a special Chrono Trigger Cross Review, Famicom Tsūshin scored Crono a 30 out of 40. GamesRadar's staff ranked Crono as the 21st best hero in video games; they claimed that while he seemed like a typical hero from a role-playing game, he makes a large impact on the characters around him. They also praised the game's narrative for Crono's quality as a lead character. RPGFan called him the greatest "classic hero" in RPGs; they wrote that despite being silent, he came to be viewed as one of gaming's "greatest RPG protagonists". They added that he "embodies the true essence of a classic hero" due to his many heroic acts. RPGFan's "Bahamut" noted that his silence did not prevent Crono from causing an "emotional response" in players. The Escapist's John Funk wrote that it would be wrong if Crono was given a voice. Crono has also been called a likable "everyman" by IGN's Jesse Schedeen and GamesRadar's Matt Bradford. Bradford claimed that while Crono did have some advantages, he took on his role of a hero without them. In his hands-on of the Nintendo DS port of Chrono Trigger, G4TV's John Manalang wrote that the scene of Crono waking up in the beginning brought back "so many nerd memories". UGO Networks staff listed him in their list of the 10 "out of luck video game characters" due to run-in with Marle that causes him to have to go across time to save her. Crono has been referenced in context with the NBC TV show Heroes; the character Hiro Nakamura, a character in Heroes would could travel through time, compared himself to Crono. Super Retro Squad developer Jay Pavlina wanted to feature a character based on Crono in the game, but never got around to it. Crono has proven a popular choice for an appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series by IGN and IGN's readers alike.

His death scene is considered one of gaming's most memorable moment by critics. IGN listed it as the 39th most memorable video game moments; they called it "unforgettable", and felt that killing off the main character of a video game was both "brave and rare". They added that anyone who experienced this felt a "sting in their heart" when they thought about it. UGO Networks' K. Thor Jensen included his death in his list of the most "shocking deaths in gaming". He felt that among a genre noteworthy for having plot twists, this was one of the most significant examples. 1UP.com's Justin Haywald called his death the most memorable element of Chrono Trigger, which he identifies as one of his favourites. 1UP.com's Charles Hartley included Crono in his list of "Duded in Distress", owing both to his death scene as well as the earlier imprisonment. 1UP.com's Scott Sharkey featured him in a list of the 10 video game deaths that "didn't stick". He commented that the scene in Chrono Trigger felt right out of gospels. Game Informer's Kyle Hilliard called his death the game's biggest surprise, due to the fact that you can beat the game without reviving him. He also expressed surprise that it had not been spoiled for him. Game Informer's Dan Rykert commented that while Crono was supposed to be "wish-fulfillment" for players due to his silence, his death contradicted that idea.