Well, this was certainly a surprise. Halfway through The Last Story, kanji starts popping up out of absolutely nowhere. Does this mean that Pandora's Tower will get its kanji on, too? (I hope not, as I've exhausted reasonable languages into which I translate the title.) Regardless, it does mean that I'm going to compile all instances of these kanji, what they are, and what they mean and all that other nonsense.
Kanji in question: 守. <p><p>
Meaning: defend, protect. <p><p>
Used for: the First Trial in the Tower of Trials, approximately halfway through the game. The trial in question? Defend a child crossing a bridge and then have a mage defend your ass from archers after the child crosses the bridge.
Kanji in quetsion: 力. <p><p>
Meaning: POWER. <p><p>
Used for: the Second Trial. Sensing a pattern, yet? This one, though, involves Metal Gearing your way up to some archers, beating them senseless, and then chucking some knights off a cliff.
Kanji in question: 智. <p><p>
Meaning: wisdom. <p><p>
Used for: the Third Trial. In theory, the wisdom is in choosing which allies to use when (you only get to use one a time); in reality, you just bash the fuck out of the enemies until you're left with the one immune to your attacks. So I guess, as Pepisman demonstrated in the comments, the wisdom is more in deciphering the actual kanji than it is in the battle part. A knight's gotta know his stroke order, after all.
Kanji in question: 仁. <p><p>
Meaning: benevolence, charity, humanity, man, virtue. <p><p>
Used for: the Fourth Trial. In theory, it makes sense, as this trial is one of teamwork. In actuality, though, it's just you whacking the shit out of every enemy in sight while other people also whack things in sight.
Kanji in question: 勇. <p><p>
Meaning: courage. <p><p>
Used for: the Fifth Trial, wherein you get to beat up General Asthar and sometimes engage in very easy Quick Time Events.
