#goldensunart

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Obaba: The Best

We resume previews with THE MOST BADASS character in all of Golden Sun: Obaba!

Already ancient when we meet her in The Lost Age, she still is thriving 30 years later in Dark Dawn. And she is a master of the forge, as you can see from what she is working on here in this stunning image made by Lou (soulastah_ on Twitter).

Imagine the power she wields, not to mention living to see her children and grandson fail to learn her skills as a smith...but her great grandson has potential! Obaba's story is underappreciated, and she deserves all of the art.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #obaba #golden sun obaba #blacksmith

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I will grant you peace.

It was technically Susa who ended up killing the Serpent that was plaguing Izumo, but the moment in The Lost Age seems a little anticlimactic. To get a picture of Susa in the moment of that final strike to save his beloved Kushinada? That's what we have thanks to Asu (@Aegis_Asu on Twitter).

Here is a glimpse at "The Killing Blow" in which Asu managed to capture Susa's moment of glory. Briefly seen characters in Golden Sun deserve so much more love, and this image certainly qualifies!

In the planning phase, there were several interconnected prompts, and this is one of a trilogy related to the characters and generations of Izumo. When the single image Zine drops, please look for these. You won't be disappointed.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #golden sun susa #izumo

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Lonesome George is Lonesome no more!

We have reached the final preview from the Golden Sun Art Initiative pixel portrait side project. The next time you see any of the pixel art that GSAI has commissioned, it will be in the form of a zine!

And for the record, progress is being made, slowly, by our new compiler. For now, check out George!

This portrait features none other than Lonesome George, made by Tacocrepe (on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tacocrepe) who also crafted the other trading game animals. As well as Li'l Turtle, since we all could use a friend.

There are 33 pixel portraits in total in this bonus collection and I can't wait for you to see the others!

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #pixel art #pixelart #LonesomeGeorge #Turtle

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The Bard from Bilibin

A nice touch in Golden Sun are the occasional unique NPC designs. They are unnamed, you meet them once, and you can also skip them (or miss out on them entirely if you don't explore). For example, there is no reason to go upstairs in the inn at Bilibin, but you can, and encounter a unique NPC playing an instrument.

And it's great. This is extra flavor in a game which isn't needed, but shows all of the effort that went into the Golden Sun games. And these NPCs deserve love, so Morgan (Greatgramcrackr on Twitter and Bluesky) has crafted portraits for these NPCs as part of the GSAI pixel project. Check out the Bilibin Bard!

And be on the lookout for more to come.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #pixel art

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A new Golden Sun art side project!

Do you remember Justin and Megan? Mia's apprentices in Imil? Generic sprites although they have names?

And there are other examples, as well as unique character sprites, named and otherwise. Why didn't these characters have portraits when they speak? Well...

Introducing the Golden Sun Art Initiative pixel portrait series! Providing portraits for named/unique characters without their own portraits in the original two games. The collection will be included in a SFW zine currently in production.

First up is Justin and Megan from Imil by Morgan (Greatgramcrackr on Twitter) who has taken on a large portion of these characters. But more artists, and more characters are coming and will get previewed soon!

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #pixel art #pixelart

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Begging For Naught

Sveta is one of the most loved characters in all of Golden Sun. She makes up for much of what the rest of Dark Dawn is lacking in, and Jass came up with a particularly emotional moment for her to be seen in; the moment Sveta breaks away from her brother to try and stop his plans.

This piece had a particular mood and look that we had in mind, and sought out @HardRime (Twitter Handle) who knew exactly what to do.

By the way, the glimpse of the blue orb is exclusive to Tumblr and Bluesky posts, so thank you for joining us on those platforms!

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun dark dawn #golden sun sveta #golden sun stella

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Pixel Portrait of Ahri, the future playable Wind Adept who never got a game...

When you reach Contigo in Golden Sun The Lost Age, there is an infant or toddler who has the powers of a wind adept. She has inherited the power of Anemos, and this young child, Ahri, is set up similar to Eoleo and Takeru as future adepts for a future game!

Sadly, that was not a game we ever got to see. Eoleo shows up in Dark Dawn, and Takeru is mentioned but never seen. Ahri didn't even get that. Despite this, there is always a chance for Golden Sun 4...

But we wanted to show love to Ahri (AKA アレ or Ahre) as a named character with a unique sprite. Thankfully @generalfang15 was up to the task of creating a sprite for this intriguing "should have been great" future character.

Oh Ahri, you were too good of an idea for what came after you.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #pixelart #pixel art #npc #golden sun ahri

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Colosso Trading Cards?

Does anyone remember Buford?

When it comes to Golden Sun NPCs, the seven gladiators at Colosso were an interesting group with quirky personalities and character growth...at least for the six who got cameos in The Lost Age.

One gladiator did not: Buford, the 7th seed was denied an appearance. Thankfully, the wonderful GeneralFang15 (https://www.tumblr.com/generalfang15) has crafted profile images for all seven, including our frequently forgotten friend.

Justice for Buford!

Side story; when these were first considered as a side project for pixel art images, one of the thoughts was "Colosso Trading Cards" which given how Isaac ended up in the finals at the last minute, that probably threw a wrench into the trading card market.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #pixelart #pixel art #colosso #golden sun gladiator

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The Vow of Saturos

After being bested at Mercury Lighthouse, Saturos vowed that he would never suffer defeat again. He would watch the Golden Sun rise. Those four who pursued would not be so lucky the next time they met.

Despite the vow, despite all of the training, despite the pain, not all promises can be kept…

These glimpses of a larger montage/collage of Saturos were commissioned to and drawn by https://www.tumblr.com/vaicupcakes who brought out the menace and dedication found in Saturos.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #saturos #golden sun saturos #goldensunsaturos

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Briggs

Just another preview, but when the whole image is released you all are going to LOVE it!

Another creation by Velkia for the Golden Sun Art Initiative. Velkia's work based upon our prompts have been wonderful to see and have ranged from tense to heartbreak to comedic to adorable.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #golden sun the lost age #黄金の太陽 #briggs #goldensunbriggs #champa #golden sun champa

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The Kraken Meets The Sea Dog

Just look at this for a while. It is amazing! Kaja, a character that (to our knowledge) has never received the fan art treatment which is a shame since he seems to grizzled and is hinted at having a wild life. So how else to portray him besides jumping directly into the fight against the Kraken in Golden Sun?

For this, Jass came up with a comedic scenario in a serious moment, and plenty of artists told us, "No thanks." But @kurumi-igarashi took on this challenge, and delivered a stunning work.

The full image highlights the teamwork needed to defeat a great challenge, but in this preview you can see the hints of Garet and Ivan involved. However, the star of the show is Kaja, immortalized with harpoon in hand and a scream of delight at getting another chance to slay a sea monster.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun garet #golden sun ivan #kaja #golden sun kaja #kraken #golden sun kraken

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Getting Controversial

To begin, we know what the official canon is for the games. That's not the point. If this goes against your ideal vision of Isaac as a super good guy, just know that our creative interpretation has a different take. A more interesting take, perhaps?

And this is also not a way to re-litigate the shipping debates from the early 2000s in Golden Sun fandom. We know who ended up together. But pre-Contigo reunion? Isaac and Mia could have had something. No matter what, it didn't last.

But in this set of images (by Stephy again! https://twitter.com/stephydrawsart_) they are making the most of it, for perhaps the final time. Goodnight, lover.

Mudshipping: Deal with it.

(Jass Kells of GSAI would like to give a special thanks to RennyRensaur for all of the images which inspired and delighted from those many years ago. We have never interacted, but thank you)

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #golden sun isaac #golden sun mia

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A Wise Decision

Another preview of our pixel commissions: Please welcome the great work of tacocrepe (on Twitter) who has given a fantastic creation of the most important Golden Sun character who goes without a portrait: The Wise One.

Watch out Alex, The Wise One has a portrait now...

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #pixelart #pixel art

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Underneath the Mask

It's hard to know what Alex is really up to, but at the same time there must be some trace of humanity within him. Somewhere.

Maybe...

GeneralFang15 (https://www.tumblr.com/generalfang15) crafted this piece, giving us a glimpse at what lies beneath the mask and lies of this Arcanus persona.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun dark dawn #GoldenSunAlex #golden sun alex #GoldenSunArcanus #Golden Sun Arcanus

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Set into Motion

This preview shows the moment that is often forgotten during the original games: At the start of Golden Sun (The Broken Seal), Isaac is commanded to hold the Mars Star by The Wise One. It is not until the end of The Lost Age that we learn why. The Wise One manipulates Isaac to be the bearer for the power of Mars once the Golden Sun forms, denying Alex the total power he sought.

This moment was beautifully captured by RainySense (@SenseRainy on twitter: https://twitter.com/SenseRainy) who has been working on a wonderful fan comic adaptation of Golden Sun (Spanish Language, although a rough English Language translation is also released concurrently). Rainy's use of color is amazing, and the Golden Sun Art Initiative was lucky that Rainy accepted this commission prompt.

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #isaac #golden sun isaac #golden sun mars star

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Violation

This is long overdue to share, but please take note of this powerful moment. We never saw it in the game, but The Wise One commits a horrible violation of body autonomy when transforming people into dragons, and the consequences are fatal for Karst and Agatio.

We only get to play the aftermath of this action in Mars Lighthouse, but the moment itself must have been horrible.

This is just a preview of the full piece (made by Demetri, who also made our Karis/Amiti piece Keeping Warm). Look for the full image in a collection that we hope to release late in the year/early 2024.

Assuming we here at The Golden Sun Art Initiative can maintain our productivity (as in, remain mostly incompetent, rather than complete train-wreck disasters.)

#golden sun #goldensun #goldensunart #goldensunfanart #黄金の太陽 #golden sun the lost age #golden sun karst #golden sun the wise one #golden sun agatio #golden sun mars lighthouse