Rex
- This article is about the protagonist ofXenoblade Chronicles 2. For the mech fromMetal Gear, seeMetal Gear REX.
| Rex | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of Rex from | |
| Universe | Xenoblade Chronicles |
| Debut | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed (2023) |
| Console/platform of origin | Nintendo Switch |
| Species | Leftherian |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of origin | Leftherian Archipelago |
| Created by | Masatsugu Saitō |
| Englishvoice actor | Al Weaver |
| Japanesevoice actor | Hiro Shimono |
| Article on Xeno Series Wiki | Rex |
Rex (レックス,Rex) is the main protagonist ofXenoblade Chronicles 2.
Origin[edit]
Rex is a 15-year-old salvager fromLetheria who lives on aTitan namedAzurda, who he refers to as "Gramps". He unwisely takes on a high-paying mission to help a group of mysterious individuals looking for specifically Leftherian help with searching for a great treasure. They succeed in dredging up anAncient Ship, aboard which is their target, a legendaryBlade caled theAegis. Rex foolishly touches the red sword, so the group's leaderJin immediately kills him, and the group's muscleMalos prepares to kill the rest of the salvagers to cover their tracks. Rex then finds himself in a dream ofElysium, the fabled paradise atop theWorld Tree he and many others want to visit, and meets withPyra, the personification of the Aegis. She says they've been bonded, and she can revive him as herDriver and thus wielder of the legendary sword, so she can return to the real Elysium. Rex agrees, and together with the defectingNia andDromarch, escape the now-villainous group. In the process, Azurda is wounded, and manages to regenrate himself into a larval form that tags along inside Rex's helmet. Rex makes it his goal to bring Pyra to Elysium at any cost.
As the party travels, Rex encounters Jin and Malos several times, as they try to capture Pyra for their own reasons. This results in revealingMythra, the original form of the Aegis, who created the alternate personality of Pyra in shame for her actions in the war five hundred years ago. Eventually, Rex connects with both Pyra and Mythra well enough that their trust produces a third form,Pneuma, who is able to bestow Rex with additional "Master Driver" powers over Blades and the world at large.
In the course of his adventure, Rex becomes the figurehead of his party of paradise-seekers, each with their own reasons for following him and his optimistic goal. He starts out fairly naïve and all too confident in himself to solve every problem, but eventually learns that he can't do everything and must leave something up to others.
InXenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed, Rex, alongsideShulk leads theLiberators againstMoebius onAionios. In the intro, he, Shulk andZ attempted to stopAlpha from destroying the world, but loses, resulting him in losing his left eye. He and Shulk later aidsMatthew in saving his sisterNa'el from Alpha's clutches and manages to defeat him withinOrigin and became its avatars, alongside Shulk andA.
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a moveset element[edit]
Rex appears as part ofPyra andMythra'sFinal Smashes, where he aids them with their respective moves for the duration of the Final Smash; uniquely among assist characters in such a role, Rex's eyes will also glow when Pyra and Mythra have their Final Smash charged, as well as while assisting them in the attack. Rex also appears in their uptaunts,on-screen appearance, and two of each of theirvictory poses. Unlike other taunts that spawn separate character models, Rex's model and animation in Pyra and Mythra's up taunts is completely independent of them, being unaffected by status changes such as Giant or Slow and persisting even when the taunt is canceled or they are attacked.
According to Sakurai, the development team considered having Rex fighting alongside Pyra and Mythra, but this was decided against due to the difficulty the team had with theIce Climbers in contexts such as8-Player Smash. Sakurai specifically cited the far more complicated design and abilities of Pyra and Mythra compared to the relatively simple appearance and moveset of the Ice Climbers.[1] Another issue was getting both characters to move at the same time which the development team found was impossible to do; similarly, it was deemed too difficult to implement Rex as the main fighter with Pyra behind him. This ultimately led to Rex being reduced to a smaller supportive role and Mythra being included along with Pyra with the two being able toswap instead.[2]
As a costume[edit]
Rex was considered for the initial roster alongside other prospective characters like a character fromARMS, andPokémon'sDecidueye; however, he could not be added due toXenoblade Chronicles 2 being announced after character planning finished in 2016. As an offered alternative, Rex appears as a costume for theMii Swordfighter.Azurda (otherwise known as Gramps) in his miniature companion form appears in the set's outfit. The costume comes as a free bonus with purchase of theFighters Pass Vol. 1.
Other[edit]
Rex is seen in Pyra and Mythra's reveal trailer, searching for a seemingly missing Pyra. When he finds her onFinal Destination, she reveals that she was chosen forSmash over him, much to his surprise. He later goes on to provide commentary in awe of Pyra and Mythra's fighting prowess and eagerly hops in to conduct their Final Smash.
Spirits[edit]
Rex also appears as two differentprimary spirits.
InAdventure Mode: World of Light, Rex is presumably one of the countless spirits captured byGaleem during his takeover of the universe. After Galeem's defeat,Dharkon takes control of Galeem's spirits, including Rex. Rex's spirit is located in theSacred Land sub-dungeon ofThe Dark Realm.
Rex uses aShulk puppet fighter and is fought on theKongo Falls stage'sΩ form. If the player has already purchased the Pyra/Mythra Challenger Pack, Rex is fought on theCloud Sea of Alrest stage's Ω form instead. He is also fought along aLucina puppet fighter representing Pyra. During the battle, Shulk starts off with aFire Bar and the floor is lava, referencing how Pyra is a Fire Blade with the ability to engulf the battlefield in flames. If the player has already purchased the Pyra/Mythra Challenger Pack then the Lava Floor hazard is not applicable.
Originally, the Rex spirit had no additional effects. However, with the release of update version11.0.0, Rex's spirit can beenhanced at level 99 into his Master Driver form from later chapters ofXenoblade Chronicles 2. This is the first time a spirit in the base game was given the ability to enhance, or had their ability changed in the game's postlaunch.
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base | Max | Base | Max | Base | Max | Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 966 |  | Rex |  | ★★★ | 3 | 2934 | 8825 | 1394 | 4192 | 1540 | 4633 | Can be Enhanced at Lv. 99 | Xenoblade Chronicles Series |
| 1,460 | .png) | Rex (Master Driver) | | ★★★★ | 3 | 4483 | 11881 | 2174 | 5436 | 2309 | 5773 | Critical-Health Stats ↑ | Xenoblade Chronicles Series |
Gallery[edit]
Rex's appearance in Pyra's reveal trailer.
Rex alongside Mythra andShulk onPalutena's Temple.
Rex assisting Pyra withBurning Sword.
Rex assisting Mythra withSacred Arrow.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | レックス,Rex |
 English | Rex |
 French | Rex |
 German | Rex |
 Spanish | Rex |
 Italian | Rex |
 Chinese (Simplified) | 莱克斯,Rex |
 Chinese (Traditional) | 雷克斯,Rex |
 Korean | 렉스,Rex |
 Dutch | Rex |
 Russian | Рекс |
Trivia[edit]
- LikeCreeper andArsene, Rex has an internal codename. However, unlike those two, Rex essentially has two codenames, that being "diver" and "element". "diver" referencing his job as a salvager and "element" being a generic word most likely to describe Pyra and Mythra's powers, that being fire and light respectively.
- Rex is referred to "element" in a folder containing his model, and is referred to as "diver" with his actual model. "element" is also the codename for Pyra & Mythra's victory theme, and the duo's codename when they are a pair.
References[edit]
 Xenoblade Chronicles universe | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Shulk (SSB4 ·SSBU) ·Pyra (SSBU) ·Mythra (SSBU) |
| Assist Trophy | Riki |
| Stages | Gaur Plain ·Cloud Sea of Alrest |
| Other characters | Azurda ·Dunban ·Fiora ·Metal Face ·Nia ·Rex |
| Trophies andSpirits | Trophies ·Spirits |
| Music | SSB4 ·Ultimate |
