This is a section for the Japanese Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht Official Guidebook book, mainly providing a roughly translated contents page for people curious about an overview of the book. The book does not contain any lore section, but it actually has an introduction text on the themes of Xenosaga Episode I written by Tetsuya Takahashi himself. So I included those pages here, even though currently they are only translated by machine.
Translated by machine
[Last updated 2026.08.27]
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[Page 001]
C O N T E N T S Episode I
Xenosaga Der Wille zur Macht OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK 003 Chapter 1: The World of Xenosaga 004 The curtain rises on a grand and profound epic. 006 Considering the theme of Xenosaga Episode I 010 Character introduction 020 A.G.W.S. introduction 030 Correlation diagram in the relevant space region 032 Game flow 035 Chapter 2: Quest 036 Know the quest 040 What you can do with items 042 Ether 046 Special moves 048 Skills 050 Character 054 A.G.W.S. 056 Battle formation 057 U.M.N. 060 Game environment 061 Chapter 3: Battle 062 Basic knowledge of combat 070 Character and A.G.W.S. normal attacks 074 Use a special move to inflict massive damage 082 After the battle... 084 Combat techniques 091 Chapter 4: Map Strategy 092 How to read the map strategy page 094 Encephalon 100 Woglinde 114 Asteroid Pleroma 124 Elsa 132 U-TIC Battleship 138 Dock colony 140 Inside the giant Gnosis 154 Will the mystery be solved? 155 Chapter 5: Mini game 156 Let's play a drill game 160 Let's play battling! 164 Let's play with Xenocards 169 Chapter 6: Data & Glossary 170 Data 170 * Item 172 * Character equipped weapons 173 * A.G.W.S. equipped weapons 175 * Ether list by character 178 * Email 182 Glossary Column 034 Mechanism of Gnosis Fixation Systems 090 Introduction to earning places 168 What is the size of our battleship? Credits page |
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[Page 006 - Translated by machine]
The Will to Power Considering the themes of "Xenosaga Episode I" The title logo features the phrase "Will to Power." This is the theme of "Xenosaga Episode I." Here, we will use a contribution from General Producer Tetsuya Takahashi as text to decipher this profound theme. Text: Tetsuya Takahashi Footnotes added by the editorial team.
This work is based on Nietzsche's words, and various events and the motivations behind the characters' actions are set within that framework. To rule the world, to escape that rule, to oppress others, to heal others--all of these depend on the "will to power." In simple terms, that's what Nietzsche posits. From the active will of the actor themselves to the fundamental principle of the universe as described by Schopenhauer. At the heart of all the characters' motivations is "the will to power." This work is themed around that. In addition, along with this interpretation of the will to power, I am also considering the overcoming of fear--the self. From the moment we are born into this world, we are dominated by fears. Fear of others, fear of ourselves, fear of living, fear of death... As long as we live, we cannot escape these fears. This is because, as unstable beings, we are born into a necessary process to establish a stable "self." Consequently, people seek various means to avoid this, suffering and struggling as a consequence. As a result, they deny others, justify themselves, rely on a transcendent being, and fight, but at the same time, they lean on one another, connect with [touch] each other on an emotional level, and strengthen their bonds. |
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[Page 007 - Translated by machine]
Each character in this work harbors some kind of fear within their heart. Some try to escape and struggle against it, while others confront it head-on, striving to overcome it. Fear--the self--is what binds human consciousness yet makes us human. Is there a way to overcome this fear, and for humanity, and the universe, to evolve as a new consciousness? This work explores these questions about humanity and the world throughout its entirety.
For example, let's say there is a ripe red tomato in front of you. Even though it's ripe red, the color "red" doesn't actually exist as a "substance." The visible wavelength electromagnetic waves emitted (radiated) from the tomato enter the visual cortex via the optic nerve, and as a result of information processing there, it is merely "perceived" as the "color red." Therefore, the perception of this "red" color differs subtly depending on the "person perceiving" it. The same is true for the "tomato." The object that is a tomato in front of you is only defined and recognized as "this is a tomato" through a person's perception--sight, touch, taste, etc. So, what would happen if a person's perception "completely" failed? What would a tomato be like "to that person"? --So, does the "world" "exist"? The answer is "no." For that person--the subject--if "perception" doesn't function, it's as if "nothing exists." In that sense, the world can also be seen as "something that exists within us, the subjects." In other words, there are as many worlds as there are people who perceive the external world. And the existence of the "mind"--that is, "consciousness"--which makes a person human, is similar. "Form is emptiness" (Note 2) This concept, symbolic of Zen, is becoming a reality alongside advancements in physics and quantum mechanics. Where does the answer lie? How are the systems that constitute the world structured? This game, Xenosaga, invites the perceiver--that is, the user [player]--on a journey to explore the world system.
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[Page 008 - Translated by machine]
This analysis will explore the themes of "Xenosaga Episode I: The Will to Power" (hereinafter referred to as "Xenosaga Episode I") based on Nietzsche's philosophy. Hopefully, this will be helpful in understanding the story and the actions and words of the characters in "Xenosaga Episode I." The theme defines "will to power" as "the fundamental reason behind the actions of all the characters." So what is that fundamental reason? It is the impulse (also translated as drive) that drives humans to action. So what is the fundamental human impulse? It is the will to find value in things. Therefore, where there is no human will, there is no good or evil. Furthermore, the fundamental human impulses of evaluation and value are symbolized in everyday life by words such as "sexual desire (love), ecstasy, and cruelty (desire for dominance)." Next, let's consider "overcoming fear." Nietzsche explains this using the term "self-overcoming." "Man constantly strives to overcome resistance through the will to power." He states that "boldly affirming this life despite resistance, pain, and torture is the condition for self-overcoming," and that overcoming oneself is "not about escaping from reality, but about affirming 'this world' or 'reality' as it is." References "Introduction to Nietzsche" by Seiji Takeda, Chikuma Shinsho; "Nietzsche: The Labyrinth of Truth" by Yutaka Yuda, Maruzen Library. |
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[Page 009 - Translated by machine]
ORDER KOS-MOS [Apollo-esque] chaos [Dionysian] CHAOS This German thinker made his debut in the intellectual world in 1872 with "The Birth of Tragedy." In it, he tackled the theme of "Richard Wagner's music embodies Greek tragedy. So what is the concept of 'tragedy'?" He then theorized that Greek tragedy was built upon the fusion of two principles: Apollonian and Dionysian. The "Apollonian" principle is "beautiful illusion, figuration, ordering, rationality, sculptural art, moderation, and cosmos." Nietzsche says, "The power of Apollo suddenly appears, aiming to restore the almost shattered individual, using the painkiller of joyful deception." At this point, Apollo is not reality, but a facade (illusion). However, he states that "in order to live, one will need a magnificent illusion that covers one's own essence with a veil of beauty."
Order and chaos.
Contradictory elements construct tragedy. Next, the "Dionysian" principle is "ecstasy, unification, frenzy, sensual, musical, excess, chaos." Dionysus not only tries to tear away the veil of Apollo's illusion, but also "even tries to destroy the individual." In other words, he revives the primal chaos once again in an ordered and formalized world. Nietzsche then states that "human beings, by their inherent desires, create various contradictions, yet nevertheless, they accept these contradictions and still desire to live. It is precisely in this idea that the essence of human existence lies, and this is the core of the concept of 'tragedy'." KOS-MOS (pictured left) and chaos (pictured right) are key characters throughout the "Xenosaga" series. The former is said to represent "order," and the latter "chaos." "The world is not an organic organization at all, but chaos." (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche) |
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[Credits page - Translated by machine]
Episode I
Xenosaga Der Wille zur Macht OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK 
Xenosaga Episode I: The Will to Power Official Guidebook First Edition published March 12, 2002 * Publisher: Kouichi Hamamura * Editor: Minoru Noda * Chief Editor: Takeo Sakamoto * Assistant Editor: Hiroaki Suzuki * Desk: Akimi Miyazawa * Business Department: Atsuko Takahashi * Printing: Kyoritsu Printing Co., Ltd. * Published: by Enterbrain Co., Ltd. * Composition and Writing: Vanguard * Design: Leading the way * Edited by Hiroyuki Aoki (Famitsu Books Editorial Department) * Design supervision and book design: Tadayoshi Kimura (Famitsu Books Editorial Department) Supervised by Namco Inc. / Monolith Soft Inc. |
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