outlook

Tio looks like a teenage girl and except for her antennas and tiny wings on her back (which might be part of her outfit, anyway) is not easily identified as an automata or weapon, so to speak. The question occurs now is that why a robot made for fighting is designed with the outlook of a little girl.

My theory (apart from that Game Arts just wanted another cute little girl to appear and the general manifesto that ultimate weapons have to be cute *cough*) is that it was not only in order to give her the ability of fast movement (which she definitely has) but also to cause the enemy to underestimate or mistake her as a child rather than a machine.

Although Tio might be an android weapon, she's definitely not built for strength but for speed; not only proven by her battle abilities in-game, but by her figure, overall appearance and weaponry as well.

As for her look itself, she looks quite "special". First off, her eyes are yellow - not the most natural eye color indeed; marking her as "not normal" as well. Her hair is violet, which is not uncommon for anime characters in general, but I think there's no other character in Grandia 2 having that hair color (although some other have, for example, green hair which is not common either).

Usually, violet hair is meant to be somewhat outstanding (even in anime, as it is used rather seldomly), spreading a "mysterious" aura of unknown power or an enigmatic/unusual background. It is not necessarily a hair color of quiet persons, though. However, it's usually used on characters who are more than meets the eye.

Other characters with violet hair include Liete (Grandia), Misato Katsuragi (Neon Genesis Evangelion), Shampoo (Ranma ½), Ayeka (Tenchi Muyo!), Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena), Shiina Tamai (Naru Taru) and Bulma (Dragonball) - although the latter has turquoise hair in the TV series, she is pictured with violet hair in some illustrations.

Her complexion is very light, which is at least unusual for japanese people. Characters with an outstandingly pale skin are usually more silent and reserved, remaining calm even in difficult situations. The nearly white color makes them also appear a little "cold", because white is a colder tone than, for example, beige or brown.

Tio fits perfectly into that picture as she's VERY sedate, you rarely ever see her smile, laugh or shout/cry (except for the end). Nonetheless it's also used for characters which aren't neccessarily "silent", but maybe elegant or special in another way.

Another note-worthy thing might be that she has two red marks on her forehead, which don't seem to serve any purpose. I have no idea what they could be for, but they're probably just decoration.