Lucas (Mother 3)

Lucas was created by Shigesato Itoi, the creator of Mother 3.^{[citation needed]} Lucas and Claus were named after the narrators of the book The Notebook (1986) by Ágota Kristóf.^[9] During this point, the boys were called Lucca and Klaus.^[10] His character is described as a "crybaby".^[11] Lucas went through multiple design changes in EarthBound 64, featuring two incarnations that were completely different from one another.^[12] In Mother 3 on Game Boy Advance, Lucas has blonde hair and a striped shirt.^[13] The concept of Lucas and Claus fighting each other at the end of the game was planned from the beginning of development. Itoi stated that one version lacked dialogue and was meant to be vague about how the game ends.^[14]

RPGFan writer Alana Hagues felt that the final fight between Lucas and the Masked Man was one of the most emotional battles she has ever had in a video game. stating that seeing Lucas' mother coming through, Claus coming to his senses, and Lucas remembering his childhood, was "heart-wrenching". The loss at the end of this fight made her question whether saving the world was worth it if Lucas still has lost so much.^[15] In an article for Nintendo Life, Hagues stated that part of what made Lucas able to be strong was memories of his mother through his grief, believing that Lucas leaping for his mother in chapter 6 represented Lucas' trust in her that he would jump off a cliff. She felt that, despite being a silent protagonist, Lucas' "kindness and resilience [made] him relatable and empathetic".^[1] Fellow RPGFan writer Wes Iliff found the relationship between Lucas and Claus particularly compelling, stating that he saw himself and his brother in their relationship, that he and his brother fulfilled the archetype of "the timid and anxious younger sibling who tagged along with the bold and courageous older sibling". Iliff, having lost his brother a few years prior to playing Mother 3, stated that he appreciated seeing a "side of grief" he rarely sees portrayed in fiction.^[16]

Destructoid writer Chad Concelmo discussed the relationship between Lucas and Claus, commenting that he was "ridiculously close" to Claus, and losing both him and his mother forced him to become more self-reliant and brave. He noted how emotional the final fight made him, stating that the scene was so affecting that he had to call his own brother to tell him how important he was to him.^[17] In analyzing Mother 3 through a queer lens, The A.V. Club writer Dave Tomaine discussed how Lucas' "queerness" emerges early in his grief; he argued that, where Claus grieves his mother by seeking revenge, Lucas does so by crying and visiting his grave. He believed that the hardening of the citizens of Tazmily Village only amplified how different he is from everyone else, stating that "he stays soft, he cares so much, he just wants to help". He felt that the Magypsies bequeathing lipsticks and razors represented the ability for Lucas to choose his own path in life. Tomaine believed that Lucas had a "gentleness in strength" that he saw in the queer people around him, citing how Lucas' magical power is "quite literally a love beam" and how he refuses to fight back against Claus in their final battle. He believed that Lucas proved that he was always the strongest of the family, and that letting himself cry allowed him to be the one to save the world.^[18]