Xaldin
| Xaldin | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Japanese | ザルディン | |
| Rōmaji | Zarudin | |
| Type | Organization XIII | |
| Title | Number III, The Whirlwind Lancer | |
| Orig. name | Dilan | |
| Attribute | Wind (風, Kaze?) | |
| Weapon | Lances(Lindworm) | |
| Limit | Dragoon Storm | |
| Voice actors | (Ja:)Yōsuke Akimoto (En:)David Dayan Fisher | |
| Homeworld | The World That Never Was | |
| Games | Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days Kingdom Hearts Union χ | |
| Xaldin |
|---|
| Kingdom Hearts II |
| First entry Organization XIII's Number III. Nobodies like him are made whenever people strong of heart and mind become Heartless. The empty shell they leave behind acts of its own will. Are they empty vessels devoid of hearts? Are they roaming spirits? Or are they simply nothing at all? Second entry Organization XIII's Number III. His wiles have clouded the Beast's heart. The Organization's motives are a string of mysteries—what could their true goal be? Third entry Organization XIII's Number III. He wanted the Beast's Heartless and Nobody in order to acquire Kingdom Hearts. In the end, however, Sora and his friends destroyed Xaldin. Fourth entry Organization XIII's Number III. He sought the Beast's Heartless and Nobody in order to acquire Kingdom Hearts. He was a master of wind who wielded six lances—but he met his end at the hands of Sora. |
| Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days |
| Opening No. III XALDIN Founding member. A warrior with a silver tongue. He carries six lances, and can harness thewind. Weapon: Lances HD 1.5 ReMIX A founding member of Organization XIII. He is both a fierce warrior and a strategist. He seeks a heart, but despises love and the bonds that tie people together. |
| Kingdom Hearts Union χ |
| Album KINGDOM HEARTS II (2005) The 3rd member of Organization XIII. His wiles have clouded the Beast's heart. Boss This Organization member has lots of HP an uses powerful attacks. The battle will be a long one—be prepared to heal yourself often! |
- "Trust no one. Feed your anger! Only anger will keep you strong."
- —Xaldin to Beast
Xaldin, theWhirlwind Lancer (旋風の六槍, Senpū no Rokusō'?, lit.Six Lances of the Whirlwind), is theNobody ofDilan and is Rank III within the originalOrganization XIII. He controls wind, and uses his power over the air to freely manipulate his six lances without holding them directly. He commands theDragoon Nobodies, and has the second highest throne among the Organization.
Xaldin appears inKingdom Hearts II as a villain inBeast's Castle, and spends his time in the game attempting to plungeBeast into despair in the hopes of turning him into aHeartless and thus creating a Nobody. Xaldin is a playable character inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days'sMission Mode.
Story[edit]
BetweenKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep andKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]
Dilan, along with the other apprentices, was consumed by thedarkness, producing a Heartless. However, the apprentices all had strong wills, and so Dilan also produced aNobody, Xaldin. The six Nobodies formedOrganization XIII, and banishedAnsem the Wise to theRealm of Darkness.[1]Kingdom Hearts II
| This information is based on alternate scenes or materials and is not considered canon within the overall plot of the series. |
|---|
| In the manga, Xaldin interruptsDemyx's strumming, telling him to keep it down because he wanted to sleep. Annoyed, Xaldin questioned why Demyx clung to his human memories, but received no reply. Xaldin told him thatNobodies needed to sleep because a terrible force was moving the world, and they need rest to store up power. Demyx did not reply once again as Xaldin left the room, displeased.[citation needed] |
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days[edit]
Present whenXion joined Organization XIII, Xaldin aided Roxas on various missions, particularly to Beast's Castle. It was on one of these missions that Xaldin witnessed the Beast's power, his later quest to obtain the Beast's Heartless and Nobody beginning at this point. Xaldin's plan grew during the continuous visits to the castle, as he learned of the strong connections between the Beast, his rose, and the only human in the castle,Belle. He deemed that it was a spell that made the Beast what he was, and the rose and Belle were important to the breaking of this spell. Xaldin decided to use this to his advantage and his plan began.
Kingdom Hearts II[edit]
Xaldin is present whenAxel is ordered to eliminateRoxas after it is clear that Roxas has no intention of returning to the Organization, driving the order home by sending one of his lances into the backrest of Axel's chair, inches from his head, before being halted by Xemnas. Two days later, he appears alongsideXemnas,Saïx,Xigbar,Luxord, andDemyx atHollow Bastion, and laughs emptily with the rest of the group at Xemnas's empty humor at Sora's expense. Following their return from Hollow Bastion, Xaldin remarks that Sora is too young to wield theKeyblade, though Xigbar remains optimistic since the Keyblade chose Sora for his pureheart. Xaldin then breaks up an argument betweenXigbar andDemyx, much to Luxord's disappointment, and lectures Demyx for acting as if he has true emotions.
Xaldin later returns to Beast's Castle, prior to Sora's first visit. At this time, Xaldin has already drained Beast of much of his hope and kindness by convincing him that Belle is plotting against him. Beast is unresponsive toSora,Donald andGoofy when they first greet him, despite having met them before at Hollow Bastion. Xaldin's slippery words cause Beast to lock himself in his chambers and refuse contact with them or Belle.
Sora, fighting his way through theHeartless that have settled into the castle, eventually reaches Beast's bedroom. Xaldin tells Beast that Sora and hisparty are only there to help Belle against Beast, and that she has sent them to steal the rose symbolizing his curse from him with the intention of eventually taking his life. Beast, still under Xaldin's influence, attacks Sora as Xaldin flees, but Sora is able to bring Beast back to his senses.
When Sora and Beast head downstairs into the ballroom, they encounter theShadow Stalker Heartless, which attacks them. After being defeated, it evolves into the enormousDark Thorn, but that too is no match for Sora and is destroyed. Xaldin leaves the area without a fight, but states that this isn't over and retreats to continue scheming.
After thebattle for Hollow Bastion, Xaldin is present at a meeting regarding Sora's fate. He warned Luxord that he will face a similar fate like Demyx if luck is not on his side, causing the latter to evoke that the fun is in not knowing the outcome. After Xemnas evokes Sora's usefulness, he expresses relief that his words pleased him and he'll be unrelenting as in his nature.
When Sora returns to Beast's Castle to find Belle and Beast having a private dance party, Xaldin strikes again. He steals Beast's rose and flaunts it in front of Beast, who goes into a rage and pursues Xaldin around his castle. Before Xaldin seems to disappear from the world entirely, he mocks Beast, taking off his hood and resolving to separate Beast's heart from him and take control of his Heartless and his Nobody. In Beast's anger, he rages at Belle for insisting on having the party. Despaired over the loss of his rose and his own beastly state, Beast orders Belle to leave the castle.
Belle shuts herself in her room, confining herself to looking out on the balcony. There she finds Beast's rose, and gladly signals to Sora from the balcony. The rose is just a trap, however, and Xaldin appears behind her, kidnapping her as well as retaking the rose. Xaldin flies down in front of Beast in his courtyard, taunting him by saying he can only carry either the rose or Belle along with him, and forcing Beast to choose which one he wants him to leave behind. Before Beast has time to choose, however, Belle elbows Xaldin in the side and grabs the rose, taking the time from Xaldin's surprise to escape his grasp. Beast then attacks Xaldin, who leaps aside and conjures six long lances using his powers over wind. He battles Sora and Beast on the bridge, using his abilities to the fullest, but is defeated and fades into darkness, relinquishing hisbody andsoul to reunite with his heart atRadiant Garden and recreate his human self,Dilan.
| This information is based on alternate scenes or materials and is not considered canon within the overall plot of the series. |
|---|
| In the manga, once Xaldin is defeated by Sora, he retreats toThe World That Never Was. While walking back to headquarters, he is confronted byVex Replica No. 44. After a brief conversation, Xaldin accuses the Replica of returning to attack the Organization in retribution for Vexen being betrayed at Castle Oblivion, and the Replica slays him in self-defense. |
Other appearances[edit]
Kingdom Hearts Union χ[Cross][edit]
Xaldin appears as an enemy in the March 2018NEW XIII Event.
Design[edit]
Xaldin is a tall, broad-shouldered man with thick, jagged black eyebrows, violet eyes, and thick, pointed sideburns which extend onto his cheeks under his eyes. His long black hair is styled into dreadlocks, which are pulled back and tied into a knot around a high ponytail and flair dramatically when he manipulates the wind. He has two long, loose strands on either side of his face. Xaldin has large ears which curve into a point, and he wears black plug earrings with silver hoops attached to them. He wears a standard Organizationblack coat, knee-high boots, and gloves.
Personality[edit]
Xaldin is a high-ranking and independent Organization member, working alone for the entirety of his presence inKingdom Hearts II (sans his hooded appearance in Hollow Bastion). Xaldin is sadistic and revels in others' despair, manipulating Beast in the castle and taunting him and Sora during their fight. Interestingly enough, some of Xaldin's battle quotes and the delivery of his lines seem to give him a sense of disinclination (emphasized by the fact that he will fold his arms behind his back in scenes, and even in battle).
His unpleasant personality is showcased inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, where he speaks sarcastically and impatiently to Roxas during their missions together. He expresses a keen interest in the psychological weaknesses of his opponents, and how they can be exploited. He explains why he had been given the task of turning Beast into a Heartless. His disposition also shows during his investigation, detailing only the personalities of those who live there (which he concludes with great accuracy, given his Nobody status). He also seems to enjoy combat, a trait that is shown during theDark Follower mission. In addition, he disapproves of laziness, which Xaldin, when spoken to in the Grey Area, says he cannot stand. This disapproval is also implied when, during a mission with Roxas, he tells the younger Nobody "No breaks." In theSecret Reports, he writes that he has a contempt for beings with emotion and that he desires a heart only so that he may be able to do what only people with hearts can do.[2] He has no desire to feel emotion. He has been shown to be deeply pessimistic and cynical, stating that the power of love is the stuff of poetry, not practicality, and that love never lasts.
LikeLuxord, Xaldin speaks with a Received Pronunciation accent in the English localization.
Abilities[edit]
Xaldin fights using six lances conjured from the wind. He can carry at least three at a time, and controls any of the lances he is not carrying by using the air around him, while at the same time floating through the air without much effort. He is very acrobatic, and his physical capabilities are greatly enhanced by his control of the attribute of wind, which he can use to move himself into a variety of attacks. He attacks rapidly, using the wind to hasten the speed of his strikes, and can use the Jump command his Dragoon Nobodies use, although Xaldin tends to jump multiple times and does more damage.
Although Xaldin is only the thirdOrganization XIII member battled inKingdom Hearts II, the fight against him was considered difficult enough that it was one of the ten battles in the game whereKing Mickey can rescueSora if he is defeated (the other nine including the fight againstShadow Stalker andDark Thorn, Xemnas (first armored form) andCerberus).
InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Xaldin has a Limit Break calledDragoon Storm, which swirls lances at enemies with the Final Limit causing Xaldin land a mighty blow on an enemy from the air. This is a similar technique to theJump ability that can be used byDragoons in theFinal Fantasy series.
Weapon[edit]
- Main article:Lances
Xaldin wields sixLances, calledLindworm. They, along with Xaldin's attacks and Dragoon Lesser Nobodies, are a reference to theDragoon Job Class inFinal Fantasy. They are purple and blue, longer than six feet, each has the shape of the Nobody symbol, and one end resembles a Dragoon Nobody's "head" combined with the lower half of the Nobody logo. Xaldin only holds up to three at a time, and the rest float around him in the wind Xaldin commands.
Xaldin can use them to thrust from long distances, twirl them around himself as a form of defense, jump down on a foe with all six pointed downward, or have them grow and fuse into an enormous dragon that he rides on before firing a whirlwind from the dragon's mouth. InKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, Xaldin blocks by lining up all six of his lances in front of him like a barrier or wall.
Xaldin can also wield many other lances inKingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, through the Mission Mode in which equipping him with differentGears provides different lances.
Xaldin's signature Lances, the Lindworm.
Notes and references[edit]
- ^Kingdom Hearts II,Secret Ansem Report 3: "Even, Ienzo, Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus...They have ceased to be human. I, too, have had everything taken away from me, banished to a hollow realm of nothingness. What is Xehanort hoping to gain with my pilfered existence?"
- ^Secret Reports,Xaldin: "Watching that foolish beast flail about only deepens my disdain for humans and their incessant need to be pinned down by feelings. We became Nobodies precisely to avoid the shackles of emotion. It was only later that we realized the scale of that loss: that some things simply cannot be done without a heart. Nonetheless, I see nary a pleasant thing about it."
| Xaldin'sLances |
|---|
| Zephyr |Moonglade |Aer |Nescience |Brume |Asura |Crux |Paladin |Fellking |Nightcloud |Shimmer |Vortex |Scission |Heavenfall |Aether |Mazzaroth |Hegemon |Foxfire |Yaksha |Cynosura |Dragonreign Lindworm |Broom |Wyvern |
| Nobodies |
|---|
| Organization XIII |
| I.Xemnas | II.Xigbar | III.Xaldin | IV.Vexen | V.Lexaeus | VI.Zexion | VII.Saïx | VIII.Axel | IX.Demyx | X.Luxord | XI.Marluxia | XII.Larxene | XIII.Roxas |
| Enemy Nobodies |
| Sorcerer -Sniper -Dragoon -Berserker -Assassin -Dancer -Gambler -Reaper -Ninja -Samurai Dusk -Creeper -Twilight Thorn -Fake Vivi |
| Special Nobodies |
| Naminé -Absent Silhouettes -Organization XIII's Replica Data -Anti-Saïx -Data-Roxas -Data-Naminé |
