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. He eventually becomes the father of Karis, a playable character of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.

=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 (with 194 experience points) and is initially equipped with a Wooden Stick, Travel Vest, Leather Armlet, Circlet, and an Herb.

Ivan, as a Jupiter Adept, can use Psynergy to conjure forces of wind and electricity, and he possesses two inherent Psynergy-based talents: The ability to perceive hidden truths about environments and the ability to read the minds of people and animals alike. He joins Isaac on his quest after Isaac helps him out early on, unaware at first that he is the main subject of a prophecy that predicts Ivan would join Isaac in the latter's endeavors. He is central to a subplot that spans both games and deals with his personal history and his true hometown, which is visited in The Lost Age.

In his default, mono-elemental class, Ivan is just like Mia in that he lacks the attack power to physically strike anywhere near so hard as Isaac or Garet. He sports very low initial HP, which often prompts players to use any HP-boosting Power Bread items on him. While, unlike Mia, Ivan doesn't easily possess healing Psynergy, he does have a repitoire of strong Jupiter Psynergy attacks like Ray and Plasma. While at the endgame, these Psynergies are merely for softening up the opposition, earlier on they can be deadly 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.

Statistical comparison
Ivan seems to be a direct reversal to Garet in that they are both Golden Sun 's closest characters to "collections of extremes"; Ivan has the lowest HP, Attack, and Defense ratings of all the eight Adepts in terms of natural statistical growths, but the highest in PP and Agility as well. Ivan is also one of the two Adepts that has 4 inherent Luck, the other being Jenna. The only way he isn't a direct opposite of Garet is that while Ivan has the lowest Attack rating, Garet's attack rating isn't quite the highest in either game. Fellow Jupiter Adept Sheba, in comparison, seems to have been designed as a less extreme version of Ivan in every field, having quite a bit less of Ivan's agility and having a little less of Ivan's other strong point of PP, but having more in Ivan's sorely lacking HP, Attack, and Defense stats, and she also happens to have 1 additional Luck point.

Classes
The following classes are available to Ivan:


 * Mono-Elemental: Wind Seer class series
 * Dual-Elemental (Full): Hermit class series, Pilgrim (Jupiter) class series, Seer (Jupiter) class series
 * Dual-Elemental (Partial): Apprentice class series, Page class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Full): Ranger class series, White Mage class series, Medium class series
 * Tri-Elemental (Partial): Ninja class series

=Biography= Ivan's background is initially shrouded in mystery even from himself, and while his modern-day caregivers are met in Golden Sun, his early life is only revealed late in The Lost Age.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn Encyclopedia Entry: ''This Warrior of Vale traveled with Isaac during their quest 30 years ago. He now lives in the nearby land of Kalay. He and his daughter, Karis, are wind Adepts, desendants of the Anemos, an old civilization thought long gone.''

Background
Ivan and his elder sister Hama were born in Contigo on the continent of Atteka, and lived with their mother in a large house on a hill. The family was recognized by the people of Contigo as inheritors of the powers of the ancient Anemos culture that lived ages ago in the ancient past, 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 at the time struggling in economic terms, was exploring southwest Weyard seeking a new source of business, but suddenly he became the victim of life-threatening circumstances from which he was only saved when people from Contigo 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: In the ancient past, the Anemos were at war with the Shaman tribe hailing from the continent of modern-day Hesperia up north, and the greatest clashes were waged between each nation's respective champion, 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 subsequently sealed away the force of Alchemy. To signify their new found 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 Psynergy power similar to the ones the Anemos were in natural possession of - the ability 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. (That Contigo's Hover Jade was given to the Shaman Tribe appears to be one aspect of the ancient accounts lost over the ages; the only thing they now remember is that the Shaman's Rod is somehow needed to get it.)

Contigo, in addition to the accounts of the past wars, had also passed down prophecies from the Anemos, which include the clauses that the modern-day 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." 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 to enact this prophecy: Hammet swore an oath to Ivan's mother that he would take Ivan in as his own son. The people of Contigo then gave Hammet a somewhat lengthy series of instructions, resources, and extremely good business advice for the purpose of raising Ivan 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 afterward. 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 Contigo: He was to buy silk in the town of Xian to the east and sell it in the city of Tolbi to the west. The silk sold incredibly well, and 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. Over the following years, Kalay flourished into a prosperous town and Hammet's reputation flourished as the greatest merchant the world has 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 adoptive son up to the present.

In Golden Sun
Ivan can arguably be considered much closer to the role of one of the series' main characters than most other party members 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 diminutive 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 came to consider their remaining time limited, though, for Contigo had given Hammet one more prophetic prediction: three years after a mountain named Mt. Aleph would be set upon by a terrible thunderstorm, Ivan would accompany warriors from the village of Vale on a journey. It has almost been three years since this storm 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 briefly stayed there.

It is during this short stay in Vault that Mt. Aleph catastrophically erupts, showering Psynergy stones across the world. In the ensuing 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 the rod by himself, he is soon encountered by the traveling warriors from Vale, Isaac and Garet. Ivan appeals his plight to them, and the three agree to join up in search of the rod; they are eventually able to retrieve the rod from the suspected thieves by force. Ivan is distressed when he then learns that Hammet has traveled up north to Lunpa, however, for it is a town that has long been the base of an empire of brigands dictated by the nefarious Dodonpa, and they would surely have taken the opportunity to capture Hammet. 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 decides to return to Isaac and Garet and make the announcement: he wants to travel with them on their quest so that he can help prevent more terrible things from happening, such as what will apparently happen if Isaac and Garet fail the quest they are on. 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 raided the sanctum within Mt. Aleph and stolen sacred jewels known as the Elemental Stars, the act of which was what triggered the volcanic eruption. The group of Adepts, led by the pair of Mars Adepts Saturos and Menardi, aim to activate the Elemental Lighthouses situated across the world using the Elemental Stars, and the lighting of all four lighthouse beacons will enact the return of the 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. Ivan accompanies and assists the two warriors on their quest and adopts their shared mindset that the fate of the world depends on them stopping Saturos in time. 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. They continue to pursue Saturos' band across Angara in hopes of stopping them before the other Lighthouses are lit.

The course that Isaac's party of Adepts takes in their pursuit of Saturos' band leads them west along Silk Road, and they drop by a locale named Lama Temple. It is here where Hama, Ivan's sister, has lived since her departure from Contigo. She has foreseen Ivan's arrival with the group of warriors he joined, and has prepared in advance some information and gifts to assist Ivan's group of friends 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 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.

Later on their quest, the party of Adepts arrive at Kalay, 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 distressed, but then decides to reveal to Ivan for the first time how he actually hails from a continent in the southwestern area of the world, not Kalay, as well as why Hammet was searching in Angara for a particular object and how the Shaman's Rod is needed to obtain it. Layana also tells Ivan about how he was prophesied to go on a journey with warriors from Vale. After she hears about the journey Ivan is currently on with the other Adepts, Layana urges them to continue their quest while she and Kalay try to resolve the Hammet crisis on their own.

Ivan continues to accompany Isaac's party as they eventually arrive at the continent of Gondowan. After the Adepts conduct their interactions with Babi, the ruler of the city of 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 entrenched at Lunpa. Using a stealth Psynergy they acquired from Babi, the Adepts sneak their way past guards and eventually make it to Hammet's cell in the underground level. Ivan and Hammet reunite, and Hammet, taking notice of the friends Ivan has joined up with, notes that Ivan has indeed begun his journey as the prophecy foretold.

Right then, the devilish ruler of the Lunpa thieves, Dodonpa, steps in and announces that Ivan and the others will not be taking Hammet back to Kalay, because Hammet is Dodonpa's tool to extort money from Kalay. Dodonpa flips a switch that lets loose a massive monster he named Toadonpa upon the party, but Ivan and the others slay the beast in battle. After they lock up Dodonpa in a cell and escape Lunpa Fortress with the help of Dodonpa's own father Donpa, Ivan and the Adepts return to Kalay to bring Hammet back to Layana in Hammet's palace, bringing Ivan and his parent-figures much needed peace of mind. Though obviously grateful to Isaac and his friends that she and Hammet are reunited, Layana reminds Isaac and Ivan that they have their own pressing quest to attend to and somewhat harshly tells Ivan that he shouldn't have let himself get sidetracked over this matter. 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 confront Saturos and Menardi in front of the Lighthouse's unlit beacon. Saturos and Menardi have been having a falling out with Felix over the involvement of a captive girl named Sheba in their quest, and the pair suddenly demand that Isaac's party gives them the Shaman's Rod, which they know is needed to properly climb and light Jupiter Lighthouse in the future. In exchange, Saturos promises that Sheba will not be harmed; Ivan agrees to Saturos' terms and willingly gives him the rod, in spite of it being an object Hammet entrusted to Ivan, because he assumes that Saturos means to set Sheba free. But Saturos only clarifies afterward that he will not be letting her free; 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 Jupiter Lighthouse.

The events that ensue are among the most harrowing Isaac's party has yet experienced, as Saturos and Menardi launch an all-out offensive to kill the Adepts. After the Mars Adepts are defeated in battle, Saturos activates the Venus Lighthouse with the Venus Star, and the flowing energy from the beacon recharges them and allows them to merge and transform into an immense two-headed dragon. Ivan, Isaac, Garet, and Mia pool their strengths together as one and eventually manage to slay the beast, and Saturos and Menardi meet their shared demise. But the activating Lighthouse suddenly generates an earthquake, causing both Sheba and Felix to fall off the tower to what would appear to be certain doom. After the chaos subsides, Ivan and the others return from the Lighthouse to search for Jenna and Kraden. They are unsuccessful because, as they find out later, Felix and Sheba miraculously survived their fall into the ocean, and are now with the other three remaining members of Saturos' group. Ivan accompanies his friends as they board a Lemurian Ship they were recently lent by Babi, and they set sail out into the Great Eastern Sea in their continued pursuit of those who aim to break Alchemy's seal.

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 in the game, starting from when the party first appears at Jupiter Lighthouse. Even at that point in the game onward, though, Ivan again serves more of a role in the plot than other characters that can be labeled as akin to "party members along for the ride", as the rest of his mysterious past is revealed to the other characters. Ivan continues to accompany Isaac, Garet, and Mia as they sail the Great Eastern Sea in search of Felix, Alex, and their captives Jenna, Sheba, and Kraden. After a great period of time elapses (lasting for well over half of The Lost Age), Isaac and his company sail into the Great Western Sea, and land on the continent of Atteka, the location of Jupiter Lighthouse, to prevent Felix from lighting the Jupiter Beacon. On their way to the lighthouse, they arrive at Contigo; Ivan and his friends learn from the populace during their brief stay there the truths about Ivan's previously unknown history - that Contigo is his true hometown, and that he had a family, with his sister being none other than Hama from Lama Temple. Ivan is very excited to hear about all this, but for now he and the others can't afford to waste any time, so they head out to Jupiter Lighthouse and enter it. (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 group had made use of the Shaman's Rod that Ivan handed over to him 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 at present.)

When Isaac and Ivan's party explores the Lighthouse, their party is suddenly divided by a trap door that drops Garet and Mia, and Isaac and Ivan are confronted by the culprits: Karst and Agatio, warriors from the northern settlement of Prox in the same vein as the Mars Adepts Saturos and Menardi. Karst and Agatio have come to seek revenge on Isaac and his party for their murders of Saturos and Menardi, and they engage and defeat Isaac and Ivan individually. Before Isaac and Ivan can be finished off, Felix and his party of Jenna, Sheba, Piers, and Kraden suddenly step in and stop the Mars Adepts; Felix, having dealt with Karst previously, forces her to spare Isaac and the others in exchange for activating the Jupiter Beacon with the Jupiter Star. Karst and Agatio agree and go up to the aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse with Felix, while the rest of Felix's party stays behind to help all of Isaac's party.

Shortly after Jupiter Lighthouse is lit, much drama and physical confrontation ensues between Felix's group and Karst and Agatio, and by the time Isaac's party has fully recuperated and reach the aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse, Karst and Agatio have fled. A tense standoff ensues between Isaac and Felix's sides, but Ivan quickly suggests that this isn't the best place to discuss all the circumstances, and he lets Felix promise Isaac that they will meet officially back in Contigo. Isaac's party leaves them and Jupiter Lighthouse on this note, sternly warning that Felix can not just sneak off again.

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 remained sealed over the ages, and that the world will collapse into nothingness if Alchemy's seal is not broken 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 group in support of Felix for the rest of the latter's quest.

At that moment, Hama herself arrives, and after she and everyone else discusses how she is indeed the true elder sister of Ivan, 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 on a sort of global scale, which is quickly lowering the general temperature of the entire world. Should Mars Lighthouse not be lit by Ivan and all the other Adepts, all of Weyard would eventually be plunged into ice in the near future. Thus, Hama calls on the eight Adepts to pool their strengths together as one and set out to light the Mars Beacon.

Hama and the Adepts come to Atteka Inlet, where Felix beached his own Lemurian Ship, where the Adepts find that the Lemurian Ship has been modified by the people of Contigo: It now has the Wings of Anemos, a pair of giant wing-like attachments which were constructed in advance and attached to the ship while the owners were away at Jupiter Lighthouse. This is the result of the people of Contigo following the instructions of yet another prophecy that was handed down to Contigo by the ancient Anemos culture. 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 limited degree of flight, which they will make use of in the final leg of their journey northward to Mars Lighthouse. If Ivan and Isaac's party had rescued Hammet from Dodonpa's fortress at Lunpa previously on their quest, then a delivery man will arrive right then with a package from Hammet containing a useful gift for Isaac's party. 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 Ivan accompanies the combined force of Adepts as they sail toward 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 drop by her house, Ivan learns that this house is indeed the one he and his sister and mother lived in back when he 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; however, Hama sternly tells Ivan that he is too sentimental. Had he learned about these truths that early, he would have given up his participation in Isaac's important quest to seek out Contigo instead, which would have had a negative influence on the way the course of events up to this point were ideally fated to play out. Hama also tells her younger brother to refrain from viewing her as his "sister" and "family" until Ivan has fulfilled his remaining destiny to support the rest of the Adepts in the activation of the Mars Beacon.

Ivan accompanies and supports Felix and Isaac's combined party of Adepts for the rest of The Lost Age, up until the they make it to the location of their ultimate objective, the Mars Lighthouse Aerie. There, they and their objective are confronted by the Wise One himself, and when the Adepts insist on bringing back Alchemy to the world despite the Wise One's warning of the inevitable abuse mankind could work with such power, the Wise One makes them battle a powerful, three-headed dragon in order to earn the right to light Mars. Ivan joins the Adepts in engaging and eventually winning their final battle, and he shares in their subsequent grief and anger when they discover that they were tricked into slaying an amalgam of none other than Isaac's father Kyle and Felix and Jenna's parents. Ultimately, the Adepts agree to treat this as a price that was necessary to save all of Weyard from eventual destruction, and the Mars Lighthouse is activated with the Mars Star. As the Mars Beacon is formed, Ivan solemnly notes the irony in how he originally joined Isaac's quest to prevent exactly this from happening.

After Ivan and the rest of the Adepts receive remote telepathic communication from Hama, who warns of what is about to happen now that all four Lighthouse Beacons are lit, the process that heralds the return of Alchemy to Weyard ensues in earnest; the energy let loose by the Lighthouse beacon suddenly and miraculously prevents the parents from death, and the Adepts flee the tower with the parents safely. It would later be revealed that the Wise One's cruel trick was actually a test of the Adepts' emotional capacity to handle tragedy, and that he did not actually intend for the adults to die at the hands of the Adepts if they were to pass this test to begin with. Ivan and the other Adepts have hereby succeeded in saving the world from eventual destruction by bringing about a new golden age where Alchemy's power may drive the advancement of civilization, and in passing the Wise One's test to choose the welfare of the world over their own parents, they have proven themselves to possess the morality necessary to ensure that throughout the world, Alchemy is prevented from being used for evil.

Thirty Years Later
Ivan is mentioned numerous times throughout Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, although he never makes an appearance. Ivan is the father of Karis, one of the main playable characters in the game. He is also the inventor of the Soarwing, a key item needed by Isaac and Garet to reach Sol Sanctum within the ruins of Mount Aleph, which can only be reached by the air because of the Golden Sun event. Unfortunately, Tyrell wrecks the Soarwing into Tanglewood, which in turn sends Matthew & Co. into their journey for the feather of a Mountain Roc, which is essential for Ivan to craft Isaac and Garet another Soarwing.

Ivan, like Isaac and the other Warriors of Vale, is rather famous throughout Weyard for initiating the Golden Sun event, but he seems better known than the others (except Isaac) because he invented the Soarwing, which even the likes of Blados know of.

At one point in Dark Dawn, Karis mentions that Ivan has come to see his mind-reading power as a curse. Because of his struggles regarding his powers, Karis is not disappointed that she didn't inherit his mind-reading talents.

=Trivia=
 * Ivan is the only playable male Jupiter Adept.
 * 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. This assumption would have many implications for Sheba.
 * It is also sometimes noted that Ivan and Sheba have battle sprites that are very similar in pose, and this includes their casting animations.
 * Ivan is the only playable character, from the original Golden Sun, to have a daughter as a playable character.
 * Ivan is one of three charater that were adopted. He was adopted by Hammet. Sheba was adopted by Faran. Amiti was adopted by his uncle.

=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? (If Isaac says yes) 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 blonde 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.

Since Dark Dawn introduced his daughter, Karis, fans enjoy depicting Ivan as an over-protective father.