Tuaparang

Tuaparang (ツァパラン Tsaparang) is a nation that appears and figures in the events of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. It is described as a mysterious country that excels in both science and military power and is conducting secretive maneuvers. Two commanders from the nation, Blados and Chalis, serve as antagonists of the game, along with Arcanus and Volechek.

The nation's Japanese name Tsaparang is derived from the real-world capital of the ancient Guge kingdom in Tibet that has been theorized to be the inspiration for the legends of Shangri-La, a mythical paradise.

As of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, many plot details about Tuaparang are left unresolved, and as such the nation is only vaguely described at best. However, several facts are revealed. Firstly, the nation both knows about and wields great technological power, such as the flying ship that is seen in the game's prologue and ending sequences, and using items like Psy Grenades in battle. Their knowledge of ancient technology is shown as Blados and Chalis use Matthew's group (as well as Volechek) to power-up the Apollo Lens, giving them access to the greatest weapon from Weyard's ancient past. They are ruled by a monarch called the High Empyror (who is mentioned, but never seen). Alex's relation to the Tuaparang is unclear, as he works with them for much of the game, but betrays them in the finale. It is also unclear how the Tauparang got their knowledge, as they did not always live aboard the flying ship, as a book in Sana states that they were once an actual nation, which was wiped from the face of Weyard, only for them to re-emerge on the ship, renaming themselves the "Zenith Tribe". Zenith is a term used when describing the direction above a given point.

One last, but highly noteworthy fact, is that Tuaparang are mentioned to be descendants of the Umbra Clan, whom Alex describes as Dark Adepts. Thus, they are capable of using Dark Psynergy, though details are scarce. Strangely, while Alex seems knowledgeable about Dark Adepts, he asks Blados and Chalis if their reinforcements arriving on the airship are actually Tuaparang soldiers at all, as they utilize "strange powers unlike normal Psynergy... just like you two". His meaning here is somewhat unclear; it is possible Dark Adepts do not normally use Psynergy in the same manner as Blados, Chalis and their team have been shown to, or that while Alex appreciates the existence of Dark Adepts, he had strangely only then deduced the extended possibility of actual Dark Psynergy. Alternatively, Tuaparang soldiers may not normally be Dark Adepts, and indeed Adepts may be rare in the nation, as they are in most of Weyard. Also, Alex's questioning of the troop's identity may be explained by his suggestion that Blados and Chalis may have been attempting some kind of coup or other military act against supposedly their own nation; he notes that the Apollo lens was pointing on a trajectory towards either the area around Sol Sanctum or Tuarapang itself (i.e. the soldiers were loyal to Blados and Chalis, not Tuaparang). If Tuaparang lies on a trajectory from mid-Angara to Sol Sanctum, this would suggest that the nation is in the far West by Northwest of Weyard, likely in an area that was previously cut off from the main world due to the expansion of Gaia Falls prior to the Golden Sun event, considering the Sana book reference.