Ivan

Ivan is a Jupiter Adept and a playable character in Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. As a party member, he is a mage-style Jupiter Adept who has an extremely similar successor in Sheba in the second game.

=As a playable character=



Ivan is a character that becomes a permanent part of Isaac's traveling party shortly after leaving Vale to begin the quest in Golden Sun, temporarily joining in the town Vault and very shortly afterwards becoming a permanent party member at the entrance to Goma Cave. He is the party's resident Jupiter Adept, and his default class series is the Wind Seer class series. When the player first recruits him into the party he is level 4 and is initially equipped with a Wooden Stick, Travel Vest, Leather Armlet, Circlet, and an Herb.

Ivan is just like Mia in that he does not possess the attack power to strike with physical attacks anywhere near as hard as Isaac and Garet, for his default class, which players would often play the whole game with due to playing each Adept in their respective mono-elemental Class series, does not have a high Attack modifier. In addition, Ivan has almost notoriously low initial HP, which prompts players to use any HP-boosting Power Bread items on him. While he doesn't easily possess healing Psynergy like Mia, Ivan does, however, have a repitoire of strong Jupiter Psynergy attacks like the Ray Psynergy series and the Plasma Psynergy series. While at the endgame these Psynergies are merely for "softening up" the opposition, earlier on they can be very good at inflicting strong damage to multiple targets. Ivan also typically has good group buffing spells like High Impact.

Ivan, like the rest of his party, is absent from your own party as led by Felix for much of Golden Sun: The Lost Age. At a late point in the game, Isaac's party joins Felix's as additional party members, and the statistics and inventory of Ivan as well as his companions Isaac, Garet, and Mia are directly dependent on whether you're using data transfer, what level of data transfer you're using, and the actions and levels of progress Isaac's party committed in the previous game. If there is no data transfer used at all, Ivan will join at level 28, with five of the original game's 28 Djinn (instead of seven) Set onto him, and he will be equipped with a Master Rapier, Silver Vest, Silver Circlet, and Silver Armlet. In The Lost Age, Ivan is extremely similar to Sheba in that she is also a Jupiter Adept and thus has the same default class series; the main difference between them is that Ivan can equip light blades while Sheba can equip maces. This is arguably a point in Ivan's favor, as this allows him to equip the extremely powerful light blades with damage-multiplying Unleash effects, Tisiphone Edge and Masamune.

=Biography=

Background
Ivan's background is initially shrouded in mystery and is comparatively storied. He and his elder sister Hama were born in Contigo on the continent Atteka to their mother, and lived in the large house on the hill in the town. They were recognized by the Contigans as inheritors of the powers of the ancient Anemos tribe that lived far back in the ancient past at the city where Contigo now stands, for they both had Adeptness to Jupiter Psynergy and the specific Jupiter-based abilities of cognition and prediction. This, somehow, led to a "life of suffering" for the family that was brought about by a "terrible misfortune" that fell upon them. Meanwhile, the traveling merchant Hammet, who was then struggling in economic terms, was exploring Weyard's general southwestern area seeking a new source of business, and suddenly was the victim of life-threatening circumstances from which he was only saved when Contigans discovered him and brought him back to their town.

The people of Contigo, over the generations, had been handed down accounts of Contigo as it was many generations ago when it used to be part of the culture of Anemos: Long ago in the ancient past, Contigo's tribe was at war with the Shaman tribe to the continent of Hesperia up north, with the greatest clashes waged between each tribe's respective hero, Yegelos of Contigo/Anemos and Hoabna of Shaman. The conflict ceased when the Anemos suffered a great disaster that was connected to the act of putting out the Lighthouse Beacons of the four Elemental Lighthouses throughout Weyard (including the Jupiter Lighthouse near Contigo), which had ultimately sealed away the force of Alchemy. To signify their newfound truce and friendship, the two heroes and their respective settlements exchanged national treasures for mutual safekeeping: The Shamans gave what remained of Contigo the Shaman's Rod, while Contigo gave Shaman the Hover Jade, an artifact laced with the Psynergy power of the Anemos that allowed them to fly through the air. The agreement was made that should a modern descendant of Contigo/the Anemos return the Shaman's Rod to the Shamans, they will receive the Hover Jade back. (The fact that Contigo's Hover Jade was given to the culture of Shaman appears to be one aspect of the ancient accounts that became lost on the Contigans over the ages; the only thing they now remember is that the Shaman's Rod is somehow needed to get it.)

In the present, as a result of the supposed misfortunes that were falling upon baby Ivan and his sister Hama and their mother, the people of Contigo and Hammet agreed along with the mother on several ideas. Contigo, in addition to accounts from the past, had also passed down prophecies from the Anemos, which includes the clauses that the Anemos siblings would leave their home and, after a great period of time, would both eventually return to Contigo to "light Jupiter Lighthouse against darkness". Based on this, Hammet swore an oath to Ivan's mother that he would take Ivan in as his own son. The Contigans then gave Hammet a somewhat lengthy series of instructions, resources, and extremely good business advice for the purpose of raising Ivan in a better life outside of Contigo. After Hammet was allowed to take the stockpile of gold doubloons currently residing in the nearby Anemos Sanctum, he departed Contigo for his homeland of Angara with the baby Ivan and the Shaman's Rod in his possession. Ivan's mother was wracked with grief over the departure of her son, and soon died afterwards. Hama, in the meantime, left Contigo as well to settle elsewhere in Angara.

Hammet redeemed his gold doubloons to settle a town in southwest Angara named Kalay. Then he put into effect the business advice he received from the Contigans: He was to buy silk in the town of Xian, located in Angara's eastern region, and sell it in the city of Tolbi, located in the northern region of the continent Gondowan which is conjoined with Angara's southwest area. The result was miraculous for Hammet, for the silk sold incredibly well. Hammet immediately established the trade route known as Silk Road, which is the road traveled by merchant caravans connecting Xian to the east, Kalay in the center, and Tolbi to the west, and over the years Kalay flourished into a prosperous town and Hammet's reputation flourished as the greatest merchant the world's ever known. With an extravagant palace constructed as the capitol of Kalay and as essentially Ivan's new home, Hammet and his wife Layana lived with their adopted son over the next many years.

In Golden Sun
Ivan can arguably be considered much closer to the role of one of the series' main characters than most other characters because the overall plot and its accompanying backstory material partially revolve around him.

The Shaman's Rod
Over the years, Ivan has grown into a mild-mannered and sentimental young man (of rather diminuitive stature) who is unaware of any details about his past other than that he has lived in Kalay his whole life, and that he has strange powers based on wind and the ability to read people's minds. Hammet and Layana, in the meantime, sought out any sort of information and clues about the whereabouts of the Hover Jade. They soon came to consider their remaining time "limited", though, as the Contigans had given Hammet one more prophetic prediction: three years after a mountain named Mt. Aleph would be subjected to a terrible thunderstorm that would affect only it, Ivan would accompany warriors from the village of Vale on a journey. By the present day it has almost been three years since this event occurred at Mt. Aleph. But then Hammet "unearthed a clue just in time" concerning the Hover Jade (what exactly this clue was is never explained), and in pursuit of this clue he and a group of his merchant caravans traveled up north, taking Ivan and the Shaman's Rod with him. They reached the town of Vault, the town closest to Vale and Mt. Aleph geographically, and stayed there briefly.

It is during this short stay in Vault that Mt. Aleph cataclysmically erupts, showering Psynergy stones across the world and changing many things and sowing chaos. In the chaos at Vault, a small group of thieves in the town at the time pilfer several treasures, including what else but the Shaman's Rod. Hammet is none too happy that his rod has been stolen, and thus forces Ivan to remain in Vault in search of the Rod while he leaves the dangerous area to try to head back to Kalay. (Hammet reasons that he can count on Ivan using his strange powers to aid him in search of the rod.) Hammet's caravan finds, however, that the bridge they took to cross from Kalay to Vault has been destroyed by the shower of rocks, so Hammet decides to head north to the region occupied by Lunpa.

As Ivan stands idly in the Mayor's manor, having been unable to locate and take back the rod by himself, he is soon encountered by the traveling warriors from Vale, Isaac and Garet, who he immediately Mind Reads and discerns their names from without them able to say anything. The warriors are unnerved, but Ivan appeals his case to them about how he is searching for the Shaman's Rod in Vault. The three agree to join up, and eventually they retrieve the rod from their suspected thieves by force. Ivan is distressed to learn that Hammet has traveled up north to Lunpa, though, as the empire of bandits that have taken hold of the town as dictated by the nefarious Dodonpa would surely have taken the opportunity to capture him. After Ivan thanks Isaac and Garet for their help, he leaves Vault and rushes to Lunpa, only to find that he is completely unable to enter the town beyond its sealed gates. Helpless to accomplish anything that could help his master, and with no way back to Kalay, Ivan reflects on the quest the warriors are on; he had learned about everything that happened to Isaac and Garet at Vale and Mt. Aleph recently when he read their minds. Thus, he immediately follows and rejoins Isaac and Garet, declaring he wants to travel with them on their quest so that he can help prevent more terrible things from happening. Ivan becomes a permanent member of Isaac's group from that point onward.

Journey across two continents
Isaac and Garet are pursuing a group of Adepts who have recently invaded Mt. Aleph and stolen a quartet of sacred jewels known as the Elemental Stars, triggering the volcanic eruption of Mt. Aleph in the process. Using these stars, the Adepts, led by the pair Saturos and Menardi, plan to travel across the world and activate the Elemental Lighthouses situated across the land, which will restore the ancient and powerful force of Alchemy to the world. The guardian of Alchemy's seal, the Wise One, has tasked Isaac and Garet to stop them, explaining that Alchemy can be a dangerous power if misused, and as such, should be kept out of mankind's reach. As such, the warriors believe the fate of the world's welfare rests on their shoulders, and Ivan accompanies and assists them on their quest under the same belief. However, even after their group expands with the addition of a fourth companion by the name of Mia, they are unable to prevent the activation of Mercury Lighthouse at the hands of Saturos. But they stay true to their convictions even after that failure, and pursue Saturos' band across Angara in hopes of stopping them for good.

The course that Isaac's full party takes in their pursuit of Saturos' band leads them along Silk Road from the eastern end and passes by a settlement named Lama Temple. It is here where Hama, Ivan's sister, has lived since her departure from Contigo, and has made a living tutoring people from the nearby town of Xian. She has foreseen Ivan's arrival with the group of warriors he joined to accompany, and has prepared in advance some information and gifts to assist Ivan's party in their pursuit of Saturos: She tells Ivan that as a Jupiter Adept, he has the same power of prediction and foresight she possesses and merely has not realized its usability yet. Hama then uses her powers to "unlock" Ivan's other ability to cast the Reveal Psynergy, which will allow him to perceive hidden truths within the environment. Hama intentionally keeps it a secret from the party about her true relation with Ivan, though as the party leaves to resume their quest Ivan notes that Hama somehow does not seem like a stranger, for some odd reason.

Ivan travels with Isaac, Garet, and Mia in their continued pursuit of Saturos' band across Angara, traveling along Silk Road from east to west. Their path eventually leads them back to Kalay, Ivan's perceived hometown, and Ivan returns to Hammet's palace with his partners to reunite with his adoptive "mother", Layana. Ivan reports that Hammet has been kidnapped by Dodonpa's empire of thieves at Lunpa, and that even if Layana pays them ransom, they will not release Hammet back to Kalay. Layana is troubled, but then decides to take that opportunity to reveal to Ivan for the first time that he actually hails from a continent in the southwestern area of the world, not Kalay, as well as why Hammet was searching for "an object" on Angara and how the Shaman's Rod is needed to obtain it. Layana also tells Ivan about how the people who entrusted Ivan to Hammet and Layana's care gave them a prophecy that Ivan would depart on a journey with warriors from Vale three years after Mt. Aleph's eruption. After Layana hears about the journey Ivan is currently on with the other Adepts, she urges them to continue their quest while she and Kalay's resources try to resolve the Hammet issue on their own.

Ivan continues to accompany Isaac on his quest into Gondowan, eventually arriving at the city of Tolbi, and taking part in Isaac's competition in the Colosso tournament and Isaac's interactions with Babi, the lord of Tolbi. Following Tolbi, the group has an opportunity to return to Angara, and may decide to travel back to Lunpa to rescue Hammet themselves, for they now have the means to sneak into the thieves' fortress that presides over the hapless town by means of a Psynergy they recently acquired from Babi. The party comes to the chamber that Hammet is locked up in, and he and Ivan have a heartfelt reunion. Hammet, noticing the friends Ivan has joined up with, says that Ivan has indeed begun his journey that the prophecy foretold.

Right then, the evil ruler of the Lunpa thieves, Dodonpa, steps in to announce that Ivan and the others are not taking Hammet anywhere, and that Dodonpa won't be releasing Hammet even after ransom is paid. Dodonpa then lets loose upon the party a massive monster he named Toadonpa to crush them all, but Ivan and the others slay it in battle even with Dodonpa making an underhanded attempt to sabotage them from the sidelines. After they lock up Dodonpa in a cell and escape Lunpa Fortress with the help of Dodonpa's own father Donpa, Ivan the Adepts return to Kalay to bring Hammet back to Layana and their palace, bringing Ivan and his parents much needed peace of mind. Though obviously grateful to Isaac and his friends that she and Hammet are reunited, Layana remembers that Isaac and Ivan have their own pressing quest to attend to and somewhat harshly tells them that they shouldn't have taken this major detour to fix a matter Layana and Kalay's military could have handled themselves. Ivan and Isaac's group leaves Kalay on this note to resume the rest of their journey towards Venus Lighthouse on Gondowan.

The party of Adepts complete their remaining journey to Venus Lighthouse and make it to the Venus Lighthouse Aerie, whereupon they find that Saturos and Menardi, in front of the Lighthouse's unlit beacon, have a falling out with Felix over the involvement of a girl named Sheba in their quest, who is up there with them. Isaac's party confronts Saturos and Felix, and a tense standoff ensues where Saturos threatens to harm Sheba unless he receives none other than the Shaman's Rod he suspects is in the party's possession. Ivan agrees to Saturos' terms and gives him the rod that Hammet handed down to Ivan, assuming that Saturos means he would free Sheba from his hold once they have the rod, but Saturos clarifies afterwards that he only said he wouldn't let harm come to her; he won't be letting her go. Sheba, after all, is actually a Jupiter Adept just like Ivan, and Saturos' group needs both her and the Shaman's Rod in order to properly scale the next lighthouse in the future, the Jupiter Lighthouse.

The events that ensue are among the most harrowing Isaac's party has yet faced, as Saturos and Menardi then decide it is time for Isaac's party to die and launch an all-out offensive against his group. After they are defeated by Isaac in a fierce battle, Saturos activates the Venus Lighthouse with the Venus Star, and the flowing energy recharges the master Mars Adepts and allows them to merge and transform into an immense two-headed dragon, but Isaac, Ivan, Garet, and Mia manage to slay the beast and the pair for good. Then the Lighthouse generates an earthquake, causing Sheba to fall off the Lighthouse to what appears to be certain doom and prompting Felix to jump after her. After the chaos subsides, Ivan and the others return from the Lighthouse to search for Jenna and Kraden, but are unsuccessful because it turns out Felix and Sheba miraculously survived their fall and are now off journeying somewhere on Weyard with the others. Ivan and Isaac's party boards a Lemurian Ship they were recently lent by Babi and sails out into the Great Eastern Sea in pursuit of their objectives.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Like the other three party members from the original game, Ivan is not seen and does not play a significant role in the plot until late into the game when the party first appears at Jupiter Lighthouse. Once at that point in the game, however, Ivan again takes a role that is somewhat more central to the story in comparison to others, as his mysterious past is revealed to the others. Ivan accompanies Isaac as he sails across the Great Eastern Sea in search of Felix, Alex, and their captives Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden so as to rescue the latter three and prevent the former two from breaking the rest of Alchemy's seal. After a great period of time (lasting for well over half of The Lost Age), Isaac and his company sail into the Great Western Sea, and head toward the continent of Atteka, the location of Jupiter Lighthouse, to prevent Felix's party from lighting it. After landing onshore somewhere on Atteka, they travel to Contigo, the town along their way to Jupiter Lighthouse. It is during their brief stay in the town that Ivan and his friends learn from the populace the truth about Ivan's history - that Contigo is his true hometown, and that he had a family, with his sister being none other than Hama whom Ivan and Isaac met back in Angara. Ivan is very excited to hear about all this, but for now they can't afford to waste any time and head out to Jupiter Lighthouse. When they enter Jupiter Lighthouse, it may or may not occur to them that the reason the lighthouse is open and can freely be explored is that Felix and his party had made use of the Shaman's Rod that Ivan handed over to them previously, to acquire the the object which Hammet was searching for and which endows the user with the Psynergy power of the ancient Anemos needed to open up the lighthouse's aerie. Felix and his party are thus in the lighthouse right now.

When Isaac and Ivan's party explores the Lighthouse in pursuit of Felix, on an exterior portion of the tower a trap is suddenly triggered, and Mia and Garet fall down to a lower level ledge and are rendered helpless as Isaac and Ivan are suddenly confronted by the culprits: Karst and Agatio, warriors from the northern colony of Prox in the same vein as the Mars Adepts Saturos and Menardi whom Isaac and company slew previously. This new pair has come to kill Isaac and his party in retaliation for the deaths of their companions, and they engage Isaac and Ivan individually, defeating them in spite of their best combat efforts. Before Isaac and Ivan can be finished off, Felix and his party of Jenna, Sheba, Piers, and Kraden suddenly arrive to stop the Mars Adepts. Felix, having dealt with Karst previously, forces her to spare Isaac and the others in exchange for Felix taking the Mars Star from Isaac's possession and activating Jupiter Lighthouse with the Jupiter Star. Karst and Agatio agree and wait for Felix to come to the top of Jupiter Lighthouse while everyone else with Felix stays behind to help Isaac and Ivan and Garet and Mia.

Shortly after Jupiter Lighthouse is lit, the rest of Felix's party members leave to check up on Felix, and once Ivan and Isaac's party has fully recuperated, they follow them to the Jupiter Lighthouse aerie to find that Felix's group has been in an intense battle with Karst and Agatio, who have fled the Lighthouse with the Mars Star stolen in their possession. Isaac and Felix and their respective sides interact with each other for the first time since Venus Lighthouse, and although the situation is tense, Ivan quickly suggests that this isn't the best place to have a confrontation; they all should parley at Contigo nearby to hold their discussion in a more orderly manner. Isaac and Felix mutually agree to this, and Isaac and Ivan's party leaves Jupiter Lighthouse on this note.

At Contigo, Isaac and Ivan and their friends stake out at an empty house on top of a hill and await the arrival of Felix and his party so they can have their meeting. Neither party seems to realize that they are currently in Ivan's old house as they discuss the circumstances of their quests up until now. Felix takes advantage of this opportunity to explain to Isaac's side the true reasons why he strives for breaking Alchemy's seal: the world has been physically waning in size because Alchemy, the world's life-fuel, has been sealed for ages, and that it will collapse into nothingness if Alchemy is not released in time. Also, Felix had been originally working with Saturos in the first place because his and Jenna's parents and Isaac's father Kyle are alive in Prox and will be set free by the Proxeans once the seal is broken. After hearing all this, Isaac is entirely willing to disregard his own former objective and rally his forces in support of Felix for the rest of the latter's quest.

At that moment, Hama herself arrives and comes in, and after she and everyone else discusses how Ivan is actually Hama's younger brother, she announces that the world is suddenly beset by a new predicament: Now that three of the four Lighthouses are lit, the element of the last Lighthouse, Mars, is being overpowered, which is quickly subjecting all of Weyard to an increasingly cold climate that could plunge the world into ice if Mars is not lit soon enough. She notifies that she has used her cognitive powers to determine that though Karst and Agatio are attempting to light Mars Lighthouse themselves with the Mars Star, they will fail in doing so because of the existence of an unnamed "powerful force" that conspires to prevent them from lighting Mars. Thus the eight Adepts must all fight together as a unified force and travel north to light Mars themselves.

Hama and the Adepts come to Atteka Inlet where Felix beached his own Lemurian Ship, and she showcases a major new modification that the people of Contigo had constructed and installed onto the ship while its owners were off at Jupiter Lighthouse: The Wings of Anemos, a pair of giant wing-like attachments, which was constructed and was attached to the ship per the clauses and instructions of yet another prophecy of the Anemos. Using the hovering power of the Anemos that Felix's side of the party obtained in exchange for the Shaman's Rod prior to the events at Jupiter Lighthouse, the Adepts can now power the wings through their Psynergy to give their ship a degree of flight, which will assist them in navigating their journey up north. If Ivan and Isaac's party had rescued Hammet from Dodonpa's fortress at Lunpa previously on their quest, then right before the Adepts can set off on their newly modified sailing vessel a delivery man will arrive with a package containing a useful gift for Isaac's party, stating Hammet requested this be delivered to Isaac. As Hama explains, on her way to Contigo, she stopped in Kalay briefly to speak with Hammet, who was quite upset that Ivan and Isaac's party hadn't returned once since his rescue to visit so he could thank them more properly.

As the combined force of Adepts sets sail to the frozen northlands wherein lies their final destination, the Mars Lighthouse, the end results of all the known prophecies of the Anemos have been achieved; the Jupiter Lighthouse has been lit, and though it wasn't Ivan himself who directly caused this, he and his sister Hama had indeed returned to Contigo to be involved in the events surrounding its activation. Following their departure from Contigo, if for any reason Ivan and the rest of the Adepts return to Contigo, they will find that Hama has since moved into the house on the hill. When they meet up with her again, Ivan then learns that this house is indeed the one he and his sister and mother lived in back when Ivan was a baby. Ivan then asks why Hama didn't reveal the truth about their relation and their true hometown in Contigo back in their first encounter in Lama Temple, but Hama responds by sternly telling Ivan that he is too sentimental; had he found out about everything that early, he would have given up his participation in Isaac's all-important quest so that he would seek out Contigo. This would have badly affected the course of how events throughout the Golden Sun series would have been fated to have transpired otherwise as they have now. Hama finally tells her younger brother to refrain from viewing her as his "sister" and "family" until Ivan has fulfilled his destiny to assist the rest of the Adepts in lighting Mars Lighthouse and saving the world from eventual ruin.

With Ivan's moderately important plotline role in the Golden Sun series complete, Ivan accompanies Felix and Isaac's combined party for the rest of The Lost Age, taking part in their last journey into the north through Prox and into Mars Lighthouse itself. Once the party retrieves the Mars Star and scales the structure to Mars Lighthouse Aerie, they and their objective are confronted by the Wise One himself, who is intent on keeping them from unleashing the dangerous force of Alchemy onto the world. The Wise One pits the immensely powerful Doom Dragon against them, and the Adepts conduct their final epic battle and eventually slay the beast, but soon tragically discover that they were tricked into slaying an amalgam of none other than Isaac's father Kyle and Felix and Jenna's parents. The Adepts exhibit grief over this tragedy, but eventually come around to agree to activate the Mars Lighthouse. As the Mars Beacon is formed, Ivan notes the irony in how he originally joined Isaac's quest to prevent exactly this from happening. He and the rest of the Adepts then receive telepathic communication from Hama at Jupiter Lighthouse, who instructs them about the danger of what is about to happen with all the Lighthouses now that they are all lit.

As it would turn out, once the Mars Lighthouse is lit and all four lighthouses are activated, the energy let loose by the four lighthouses as part of the process that restores Alchemy to the world revives the parents; the Wise One's seemingly cruel plot was in fact a test of the Adept's resolve and ability to handle the great new responsibility of ensuring that throughout the world Alchemy is not used for evil. When the Adepts and the parents return to Isaac, Garet, Jenna, and Felix's hometown of Vale, however, they find it has been erased off the map by Alchemy's unleash, and for a moment everyone is grief-stricken, assuming everyone formerly living in the town, including Isaac's mother all of Garet's family, has been erased. Everyone soon discovers, however, that Garet's family, Dora, and everyone else has survived the town's destruction, having been evacuated out of Vale by the Wise One before it got destroyed. The Lost Age ends as everyone celebrates the good news that is the survival of the townspeople.

=Trivia=
 * Ivan's eyebrows are purple, which seems a little odd when noting that the rest of his hair is blond. There is possible significance behind this aesthetic detail in that Sheba, the party member in The Lost Age with an origin even more mysterious than Ivan's, is blonde and has purple eyebrows as well. Since Ivan is confirmed as a descendant of the ancient Anemos culture, a fan may be excused for using this as a basis for the speculative assumption that Sheba is an Anemos as well. Assuming this were the truth, it would have many implications for Sheba.

=Quotes=
 * In Vault:
 * Ivan: (Casts Mind Read to read the mind of Isaac) "Yes. I...I do possess strange powers." (Casts Mind Read) "You have them, too, don't you?" (Reads Isaac's mind again) "What? My power... It's called Psynergy? I had no idea! We have so much in common... I feel I can trust you with this. I am quite troubled--Master Hammet's rod was stolen. Would you please help me get my master's rod back?" (If Isaac says yes) "Thank you. With your help, I believe we can recover the rod. Your names are..." (Casts Mind Read) "Isaac and Garet. I am Ivan. Pleased to meet you. My ability to read people's minds frightens you, doesn't it? Am I really... Is my Mind Read so frightening?"


 * In front of Goma Cave:
 * Ivan: "I couldn't get into Lunpa... Don't get me wrong! I didn't come here to ask for your help. Your quest has been on my mind ever since I left Vault. Remember? I read everything that happened in your minds. I couldn't just leave, not with all these terrible things happening. If I can't rescue Master Hammet, then I want to help you... Please, allow me to join your quest."


 * In McCoy's Palace in Bilibin:
 * Lord McCoy: "So, yeh've decided to accept our little job?"
 * Garet: "Hey, Ivan! You... You don't look too enthusiastic."
 * Ivan: "That curse can turn a man into a tree! You think we stand a chance?"
 * Garet: "What? Yeah, of course we do! You know we do, right, Isaac?"
 * Ivan: (If Isaac says yes) "Well, if Isaac's going, I guess I'm in, too."


 * In Kolima:
 * Garet: "What can we do? Do you have any idea?" (If Isaac says no) "You're right, Isaac... There isn't much we can do now."
 * Ivan: "So the people of Kolima will just remain trees until they wither and die?" (If Isaac says yes) "I'm disappointed in you, Isaac... How can you give up so easily?"


 * On Mercury Lighthouse:
 * Mia: "I don't deserve to be a healer... We couldn't stop them from lighting the beacon. I've failed my clan, failed in my duty..."
 * Ivan: "That's not true! We can still beat them, right, Isaac?" (If Isaac says no) "You're not helping here! We're fine as long as the lighthouses aren't all lit!"


 * In Altin Peak:
 * Ivan: "I wonder why Altin's guardian statues turned into monsters. Isn't it strange?" (If Isaac says no) "Oh, I'm sure you get that sort of thing all the time."


 * In Lama Temple:
 * Hama: "Use Reveal to cross the desert. But your Reveal may not be that strong yet... The oases may not appear. The rest is up to Ivan's abilities. Ivan, I am very glad to see you have grown to be such a strong man." (Hama leaves with Feizhi)
 * Mia: "Ivan, do you and Master Hama... know each other?"
 * Ivan: "No... But she doesn't feel like a stranger..."


 * Ivan: "Thank you, everyone... but it is better that we leave now."
 * Mia: "What do you mean?"
 * Ivan: "Master Hama hasn't looked me in the eye since she said those words."
 * Garet: "Well, that just makes me even more curious!"
 * Ivan: "Don't worry about it. I doubt she would even tell me if I asked."
 * Mia: "Well, that's just..."
 * Ivan: "Master Hama will tell me when we have completed our mission. I have to believe that..."


 * At Kalay Palace:
 * Guard 1: "Ivan...? I didn't recognize you--You're so tan! But it really is you, Ivan!"
 * Guard 2: "Oh, it's Ivan! You've grown so much in such a short time, Ivan!"
 * Ivan: "Have I really changed that much?" (If Isaac says yes) "Really? I'm surprised... It doesn't feel like it's been that long..."


 * Guard 1: "I can see we'll need to fill you in on everything. This is a private matter. Would your friends please leave?"
 * Ivan: (If Isaac says yes) "No, Isaac! There are no secrets between us!" (Or if Isaac says no) "My companions and I have overcome many hardships together!"


 * Ivan: "I had no idea... So that must be why he left the rod in my care. But then--"
 * Mia: "No, Ivan... You mustn't blame yourself..."
 * Ivan: "It was my carelessness that caused the rod to be stolen. And ultimately, that's why Lord Hammet is being held in Lunpa..."


 * In Altmiller Cave:
 * Babi: "Even if I wanted to show myself... As you can see, I cannot move."
 * Ivan: "What do you mean, "as you can see"? You're invisible!"
 * Babi: "Oh... That's right."


 * At Lunpa:
 * Ivan: (To Dodonpa) "What kind of scum takes ransom money and then doesn't free his hostage?"


 * Ivan: "You dirty snake!"


 * Mia: (To Dodonpa) "Did you break your leg or something?"
 * Dodonpa: "It's not broken... I should be able to stand after a bit."
 * Ivan: "Thank goodness..."
 * Garet: "What do you mean, "thank goodness"!? Didn't he just try to kill us?"
 * Hammet: "Can't we just forgive and forget?"
 * Garet: "Dodonpa kidnapped you, remember!?"
 * Hammet: "Oh, that's right..."
 * Garet: "Get a grip, you guys!"
 * Ivan: "But Hammet is safe now, isn't he?"


 * Back at Kalay:
 * Layana: "Naturally, I'm happy that they rescued [Hammet]. But this was something that Kalay should have handled alone. You had a more pressing quest at hand, no?" (If Isaac says yes) "Yes. Your mission is to recover the Elemental Stars.
 * Hammet: "Layana, you shouldn't..."
 * Ivan: "I... I had to rescue Hammet, no matter the cost..."
 * Layana: "It's already done. There is nothing more to be said."
 * Garet: "Hold on! We all wanted to save Hammet as badly as Ivan did."
 * Ivan: "It doesn't matter, Garet. I'm the one at fault! I made a mistake. We will leave immediately on Felix's trail!"


 * On Venus Lighthouse:
 * Saturos: "If you give the Shaman's Rod, Sheba will not be harmed. Agreed?"
 * Ivan: (If Isaac says no) "He wants the Shaman's Rod. If it will save Sheba, I'll give it up."
 * Garet: "What? But Hammet gave that to you, Ivan!"


 * Ivan: (After the party kills Saturos and Menardi) "We beat them... but have we really won?" (If Isaac says no) "All our efforts were for naught."


 * In Lalivero:
 * Ivan: "It's so strange... We've been traveling for so long, and yet it feels like we've only just begun."


 * On Jupiter Lighthouse:
 * Karst: "For soon, Prox will recover its lost power..."
 * Agatio: "We shall bring Prox back from the edge, and then all the people of Weyard will kneel before us!"
 * Ivan: "You think we'd let you, after hearing all that nonsense?"
 * Karst: "See! You're a hindrance!"


 * Ivan: "Cowards! Stop playing dirty and fight fair!"


 * Ivan: (If Felix's party loses their boss encounter with Karst and Agatio, then after the latter two flee Isaac's party comes across everyone's unconscious forms) "I had a really bad feeling after Sheba left. I hate it when I'm right..."
 * Mia: "Your power of prediction must be even stronger than you'd thought, Ivan..."


 * Ivan: "Look, I don't think any of us are in any shape for another fight right now."
 * Isaac: "What do you mean, Ivan"
 * Ivan: "I'm just saying we should get ourselves back to Contigo and sort things out there."
 * Kraden: "That's a sound plan, Ivan... I fully agree."


 * In Hama's new house in Contigo, after getting the Wings of Anemos:
 * Ivan: "Hamma... You're my sister... Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why didn't you tell me when we first met?"
 * Hama: "You play an important role in all of this. If I'd told you, you would have come here too soon."
 * Ivan: "This place is so familiar... I feel like I've lived here my whole life."
 * Hama: "Look at me, Ivan. You're too sentimental. You would have given up your quest to find your true home, and we would all now be lost."
 * Ivan: "What are you saying, sister?"
 * Hama: "No, not sister... Do not think of me as your sister until you have fulfilled your destiny."
 * Ivan: "W-Why?"
 * Hama: "Our world is falling into ruin..."


 * Isaac: "If what Hamma's saying is true, we'd better get moving again, Felix."
 * Ivan: "I got too worked up about seeing my sister... Sorry."
 * Hama: "It's all right. I'm happy that you cared so much..."


 * On Mars Lighthouse:
 * Ivan: (Prior to the final battle with the Doom Dragon) "Let's do it! For Prox! For the future of Weyard!"


 * Ivan: "Felix, I understand your loss... But remember, you and Jenna still have each other."


 * Mia: "The beacon is lit!"
 * Ivan: "And to think, I joined this quest hoping to prevent exactly this from happening..."

=In fan circles= While Ivan being a main character in both Golden Sun games with a comparatively involved backstory and frontline plot has led to him receiving his fair share of attention in the realm of Golden Sun fan fiction, he does not necessarily get as much material as a starring playable character such as, say, Isaac or Felix. This is due to the lack of variety in plausible shipping relationships with female characters that the games present canonically for Ivan; easily the most popular shipping genre is Windshipping, which centers on Ivan and Sheba, who look and function extremely similarly as blond/e young Jupiter Adepts yet have barely any interaction over the course of the actual games. Non-canonically-supported pairings with remaining female characters, then, are Hotplasmashipping (Ivan/Jenna), Puretortureshipping (Ivan/Mia), and Purpleshipping (Ivan/Feizhi), and a slash-pairing genre is Sandstormshipping, or Glass shipping, which focuses on Ivan and Isaac.

Ivan