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 Blades 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". One last, but highly noteworthy fact, is that Tuaparang has the only known Dark Adepts, so-called members of the Umbra Clan, though details are scarce. Even their soldiers, the Tua Warriors, are mentioned to not be ordinary soldiers (by Alex in the game's epilogue).