Magus, a Dark Mage, from the Kingdom of Zeal, began as a fiend lord who waged war in 600 A.D. However, his story contains perhaps the darkest twists and turns of anyone in Chrono Trigger. Despite his selfish intent, he thinks only of rescuing his long-missing sister, Schala.
Whether one has played Chrono Trigger once or a dozen times, they may learn things they never knew about the magic lord. These ten pieces of trivia may even allude the experts who claim to know everything about the Zeal Kingdom's scion in one of history's greatest JRPGs.
Updated April 17, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest JRPGs ever made. Squaresoft knocked it so far out of the park while developing this classic JRPG that fans still look back fondly on it to this day. The mind-bending story involved heaps of time travel and plot twists that kept things engaging all the way to the very end, with the simple yet refined turn-based combat system being an absolute blast. One of the characters in this game who's extremely memorable is Magus, and here are some things about him that most people might not be aware of.
15 Magus' Cat Follows Him In The Last Village Commons
Most people have forgotten about Magus' pet cat Alfador, an adorable feline who absolutely loved him in his previous life as Janus. In fact, players can actually find this cat and make him chase Magus too!
If Magus is in the party when the player goes to the Last Village Commons, then Alfador can be found roaming about here. If he recognizes Magus, then he'll start following the party!
14 His Statue Is Replaced With That Of Ozzie's After His Defeat
The Cathedral and Medina Village have statues of Magus to commemorate his greatness and his many victories. Of course, these statues disappear after the player defeats Magus... but not in a traditional sense.
Instead, the statues will be replaced by ones of his subordinate, Ozzie. It's pretty hilarious, although this gag doesn't last for too long, as the party will soon take care of Ozzie as well.
13 He Can't Bear The Shine Of Frog's Masamune
Frog's quest leads to a moment where his Masamune shines bright for the entire party to behold. For the most part, everyone reacts in a pretty muted fashion... aside from Magus, that is.
While the Masamune is shining bright, Magus can be seen cowering behind his cape as the glare of this powerful sword overpowers him. It's a small change that adds more complexity to the dynamic of the relationship between Frog and Magus.
12 His Name Has Many Meanings
The name Magus itself has several meanings aside from the obvious allegories to magic. It's the singular word for the term "Magi," which lends further weight to his allure and proficiency as a spellcaster.
Magus' Japanese name, Mao, is far more sinister. It effectively means "Demon King," which was pretty much Magus' identity before Crono and his friends have the chance to rope him into their quest to save the world.
11 His Original Identity Also Holds Several Secrets Of Its Own
Before becoming the evil Magus, there was a time when this character led a simple life as the young boy Janus. This name itself has several hidden meanings of its own too.
Janus may refer to the Roman deity of gateways and beginnings, which signifies Magus' start as this peaceful character before turning into a rather vengeful one. This god also inspired the name for the month of January, which is a perfect match for Magus' frigid personality.
10 He's a Culmination of Several Akira Toriyama Designs
Dragon Ball creator and Dragon Quest character designer, Akira Toriyama, designed the characters for Square-Enix's ambitious Chrono Trigger. This title's characters share common themes among Toriyama's designs. Crono's resemblance to Goku marks only one instance.
Magus' eyes, at a first glance, look like Vegeta's. But notice his bluish skin tone and his hair. Now take a look at the Supreme Kai, from Dragon Ball, after fusing with Kibito. As Kibito Kai, he gains Kibito's long hair and retains his bluish skin color. This is the first thing one might note when one sees Magus.
9 His Identity is Janus Zeal
While Magus is first known as a fiend lord from 600 A.D., his true story dates much further back in time. In the year 12,000 B.C., he lived in the Kingdom of Zeal. Along with his sister, Schala, and their mother, Queen Zeal, Janus was once a kingdom prince.
This becomes revealed later in the game as players confront Magus at the top of the Mountain of Woe. However, the clues may have been laid about while they journeyed through Zeal.
8 Despite His Pointy Ears, Magus is Human
Magus' pale skin and pointy ears show that he does not possess a human bloodline. Even the timespan between 12,000 B.C. and 600 A.D. indicates that he could be immortal. However, given that he traveled through time into 600 A.D., he is very much human.
As Janus, his artwork indicates he once had rounded human ears. If players notice Schala and Queen Zeal's artwork, they not only look human but also lack Magus' bluish skin tone.
7 Magus is a Rare Breed of Mage and Fighter
Unlike Marle and Lucca, Magus has strong melee potential. Whereas most JRPGs arm mages with a staff or a rod, Magus arms himself with a scythe. This increases his melee damage input near the levels of Robo, Crono, Frog, and Ayla.
In addition to higher damage, Magus also gets a 10% base critical rate. In doing so, he indicates his physical prowess to be stronger than the average caster.
6 Players Can Choose to Kill Him or Recruit Him
After the 12,000 B.C. incident, players will enter the Mountain of Woe. In doing so, one will encounter Magus once more. Given their earlier battle, and Frog's own personal confrontation, he can choose to avenge his friend, Clyde, or leave Magus be.
If Frog declines revenge, he'll mention killing Magus will not bring Clyde back. Magus will offer his aide to the party, which Frog first declines, but eventually accepts. Magus' power truly becomes a valuable asset to the party.
5 Magus Could Match Lavos in Battle
One ending of Chrono Trigger involves Crono facing Lavos without a full party With the power of good stats and equipment, this feat becomes entirely possible. While this ending does not provide the canon outcome, players can still slay Lavos without a full party.
The same holds true for Magus. One of the endings has him attempting to rescue Schala, from Lavos, alone. If this is due to fighting Lavos alongside Crono in the main ending, then he should have a gauge on Lavos' power and would be confident enough to single-handedly destroy him as well.
4 His Henchmen are Named After Famous Musicians
Ozzy, Flea, and Slash all come from famous rock artists from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Ozzy, the lead henchman, comes from Ozzy Osbourne, while Flea is the bassist and founder of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Meanwhile, Slash was the lead guitarist of the American rock band, Guns 'n Roses.
Akira Toriyama's designs always had name references to food, clothes, or other items in real life. Dragon Ball particularly follows this trend. However, the naming of characters, after musical artists, may have started with Japan's hit shonen manga, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
3 Hates People, Loves Animals
Magus waged war on humanity. He killed Clyde, banded with monsters, and continued his selfish quest for indignation against Lavos. Plus, once players recruit him, he turns against his former henchmen.
Who is Magus' companion? In the Kingdom of Zeal, Janus was seen with a cat. While this cat later served to have an identity of its own, it was clear that this was the only being that he would ever bond with. Even when players recruit him, Magus maintains distance from the party until the end.
2 Devoted Brother
Magus' entire quest involves rescuing Schala. Aside from his cat, his only real family was his sister. In 12,000 B.C., shortly after a prominent scene, Schala sacrifices herself to rescue the party, aiding their escape from Lavos while becoming bonded with the creature.
Traveling through time, waging war, and even bonding with his former enemies, Magus stops at nothing to rescue his beloved sibling. Even standing against the world-destroyer and his own mother, Magus fights to the bitter end.
1 The Music of the Penultimate Fight Changes
As mentioned earlier, Magus would stand against his mother. Queen Zeal, boss of the Black Omen and penultimate boss fight of the game, stands against the party in one final confrontation. The madwoman wanted to seize Lavos' power for herself in order to reign supreme.
When players use normal party members, they hear the boss theme. When Magus fights her, the music changes to his theme. When they clash, Magus mentions that she was nothing more than a puppet for Lavos. Pitying his own mother before striking her down shows that he has severed ties with Zeal's despot in order to fulfill his own quest.
Chrono Trigger was released on March 11, 1995 and is available for SNES, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, PC, and Mobile.