Caius Ballad



Caius Ballad (カイアス・バラッド) is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy XIII-2. He is Lightning's fated rival, and is an important figure in both Noel's past and Serah's future.

Hailing from the future, Caius is the immortal guardian of the timeline and the seeress, Paddra Nsu-Yeul. Having lived since before the War of Transgression, Caius originally protected the timeline from any foreign threat. However, Caius suddenly begins to carry out an all-out war against Etro that would destroy the spacetime continuum. In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Hiroshi Shirokuma, and in the English version, he is voiced by Liam O'Brien.

Appearance and Personality
Caius is a tall, slender, and muscular man with light bronze skin and purple eyes. He also has long straight purple hair adorned with feathers and tribal beads, and wears a long, purple bandana. He wears form-fitting black and purple armor with dark boots lined with white fur that bears a strong resemblance to Bahamut. It is said that the eye gem in the hilt of Caius's sword was a gift from Etro when he once served as her l'Cie, the gem was capable of summoning Bahamut.

In his alternate form as Chaos Bahamut, he appears as Bahamut does in Final Fantasy XIII, however with a much darker color scheme.

Caius is an all-powerful warrior of equal strength to Lightning, able to fight on even terms with her. As the immortal overseer of the timeline, he gained vast knowledge of every possible scenario and uses it to his advantage. He is described as a person with a calm personality, but he rarely displays his emotions, making it difficult for others to tell what his thoughts or intentions are but he has an unwavering determination. However, once his goals are revealed, Caius becomes more emotional and filled with rage in his conviction.

Story
Originally a resident of Gran Pulse in the distant past, Caius was made a l'Cie after killing his predecessor to serve as Guardian to Yeul with full knowledge of the timeline. In order to continue his mission and protect her many reincarnations, Etro freed Caius from his fate as a l'Cie and infused her heart, the Heart of Chaos, into his body, making him immortal. But this act would in itself become a curse due to the madness he would endure. From New Bodhum -003 AF- to the Yaschas Massif -01X AF- and later the Sunleth Waterscape -300 AF-, Caius watches over Noel and Serah's progress alongside a different incarnation of Yeul.

In Oerba -200 AF-, Caius reveals himself to Noel and Serah during their trip there. Revealing that Yeul had told him of their actions across time, believing them to have been the cause of the temporal anomalies that threaten the timeline, Caius states his intention to punish them. He proceeds to fight them before sending multiple blades of energy towards them. Telling a defiant Noel that he is not the man he once knew, Caius is about to deal the deathblow before Yeul intervenes, saying that time has already been changed. He kneels before her, asking if they can accept it, to which Yeul gives a silent nod. Caius tells her they should go in order to not see the future any further than this, opening a portal for them to depart through. Caius takes Yeul to Augusta Tower at 200 AF, lets her meet with Noel and Serah in private and reveal his nature as her Guardian. After she dies, Caius picks up her flower and then her body. He sheds silent tears, saying that he will now carry her pain in his heart and laments on how her life was short, just like his memories of all the other Yeuls who had passed on, and carries away her body.

By 700 AF, Caius is among the last remaining humans in the world as he takes Noel under his wing to serve as Yeul's protector. Upon learning that Noel had managed to defeat a Behemoth, Caius acknowledges the boy is now strong enough to become Yeul's new Guardian and tells him that he must be killed in battle to pass the mantle. Refusing to succeed him that way, Noel tells Caius about his plan of going on a journey with Yeul to find other people so that she will not be lonely anymore. Caius reprimands him, saying that it is a futile dream since they and Yeul are the only three people left at all.

Caius points out that his death is the only way Yeul can be saved from her cursed fate, revealing that once he dies and the Heart of Chaos residing in him is destroyed, it would ensure Etro's own demise and release the chaos contained in Valhalla so time can become distorted. Noel continues to refuse the notion of having to kill Caius, so the latter forces him to fight. Defeating Noel, Caius sees that the boy lacks the ability to kill him as he is now. He then leaves for Valhalla after telling Noel that Yeul's feelings over his actions mean nothing to him, only that she will be free upon Caius killing Etro himself. Using the knowledge of Yeul's foresight he obtained over the centuries, Caius creates a series of paradoxes to shape the future and create the right circumstances to execute his plan.

While laying a Yeul's lifeless body to rest in the waters off Valhalla's shore, a saddened Caius asks if she never asked for this kind of eternity. Then he has a vision of Cocoon crashing into Gran Pulse and Etro's shrine. Enraged, he summons a swarm of Pantopoda and other Rift Beasts to challenge Lightning to a battle. His army is countered by her summoned army of monsters and the Eidolons. Though he gets frozen by the Shiva Sisters, Caius quickly breaks free and grabs Nix, telling her to embrace the terror before throwing her into Stiria. As Caius sees Lightning riding Odin towards him, he conjures a barrage of Comets to counterattack.

After she dodges his onslaught, he sends a blade of energy at her as she is midair. She deflects his attack and they meet face-to-face. Caius admits that he is impressed by her strength before they clash blades. At one point, deciding to put and end to this while having the upper hand, Caius grabs Lightning's gunblade and aims it directly at his heart, which begins to glow. When Lightning backs away in shock, Caius uses Ragnarok to envelope himself in a dark cloud and transforms into an entity known as Chaos Bahamut. He furiously swipes at Lightning before sending her flying over Valhalla. She remounts Odin and they continue their duel as Chaos Bahamut gives chase to them along the beach and into the city. Lightning defeats him but he promptly returns with a surprise attack.

After Odin saves her, Caius returns in his human form. He fires magic projectiles at Lightning, but she sends them back at him. He survives her attack and they continue to exchange and clash blades in a gravity field he creates with his power over chaos, with Caius at one point remarking on Lightning being a worthy opponent. She eventually manages to take Caius down, and he gets buried under a pile of rubble. However, as Lightning saves Noel as he falls from the sky, Caius emerges from the rubble as Chaos Bahamut and continues to engage her in an aerial dogfight over Valhalla. He returns to find Lightning and Noel after their conversation, and summons a large meteor above Etro's temple before transforming to escape the impact.

Giving Alyssa Zaidelle an artefact in Academia -4XX AF-, Caius arranges for Serah and Noel to be separated in Valhalla's shade in the Void Beyond, stabbing the latter in the back to release his chaos before placing him in a dream world to relive his past. He later appears to Serah and engages her in battle. Caius admits he is impressed by her before appearing on Etro's crystal throne, slowing time to knock her down. Then as Caius holds his foot on Serah's weapon, he reveals to her how Etro's actions in the events of Final Fantasy XIII, altering the events of the Day of Ragnarok, caused a time distortion that cut Yeul's life short. Revealing his goal to her, Caius impales Serah from behind, releasing her chaos as well as she enters her own dream world. With no more intervention, Caius goes to Academia -500 AF- to execute the mass genocide of Cocoon's populace to force the Unseen Gate to open.

Caius watches Serah, Mog, and Noel approach the Academy's headquarters from a building's edge. Caius transforms into Chaos Bahamut and swoops at them before flying off towards the new Cocoon prior to them catching up with him atop an airship piloted by Sazh Katzroy. Caius then reverts to his human form, telling Serah that he is impressed by her determination to change the future regardless of her nature as a Farseer like Yeul, though he decides to kill her first. After fighting her and Noel atop the airship, Caius strikes Serah down and is about to deliver the finishing blow before Noel steps in. Caius remarks that Noel would have made a worthy Guardian because of his ability to protect his friends. Then he says everything he ever did is to protect Yeul's soul. Believing that the Yuels being born only to die young is meaningless and cruel, Caius reaffirms that he will stop at nothing to free them even if reality must be destroyed. Then Sazh flips the airship vertically, allowing Noel and Serah to strike Caius in a joint effort while in midair, sending him flying. However, he transforms back into Chaos Bahamut and flies into the wormhole that opened in the sky before they jump in after him.

After Noel and Serah arrive in Valhalla with help from Odin, Caius blasts them down and continues their fight on the beach where he has the field advantage with the surrounding chaos. Refusing to face defeat, Caius tells Serah and Noel that they cannot kill him now. As Noel asks Caius why he believes causing mass destruction will make Yeul happy, Caius asks which one since he has known many Yeuls throughout the countless years and each is her own person regardless of being essentially the same being. Noel attempts to convince Caius that Yeul continued being reborn out of her own will, and she kept coming back in order to see him again. The now furious Caius does not listen and clashes blades with his former pupil before the boy manages to take him down. However, Caius uses the chaos to transform in the form of Jet Bahamut and fires an attack at Noel and Serah from above.

After the final battle, a weakened Caius returns in human form. He tells Noel if it is his fault for Yeul's resurrections, then he must kill him for her sake. When Noel refuses, Caius attempts to force Noel by saying that he had killed Lightning and condemned her to an eternal slumber. He also says that since time does not flow properly in Valhalla, the "things that shall happen" in their future have "already been decided" in his past, and has therefore known exactly how this will end, even before their battle began. When Noel still refuses to give in to his demands, Caius is impressed with the youth's value of life, yet provokes him by attacking Serah. Noel disarms Caius and lunges at him with his sword. Though he stops himself at the last second, Caius says that in the act of changing time's path, some must die and some must live. Taking Noel's blade, Caius tells Noel to bear the burden of the eternal paradox before forcing it through him. The chaos within the dying Caius's body erupts into the sky before he collapses and fades away along with his sword.

However, as revealed in the secret ending, "The Goddess is Dead", Caius survived and sits on Etro's throne while stating that no matter where Noel and Serah's journey took them, the alternate timelines all converged and conclude with Etro's death and that the two were unknowingly helping him achieve his goal. Telling Yeul that they are finally freed of their respective curses, Caius stabs Ragnarok into the ground to have chaos commence the end of time and place Gran Pulse into utter disorder.

Creation and Development
Caius's clothing was designed by Yusuke Naora, who also designed Serah and Noel's clothing. His design was chosen after several designs from various members of the development team were drawn and compared to select the best one (similar to Mog). Naora stated that he was inspired by Yoshitaka Amano for the character's armor and accessories — Leon from Final Fantasy II in particular.

Musical Themes
Caius has an eponymous leitmotif, titled "Caius's Theme," composed by Naoshi Mizuta. It is a dramatic and mellow orchestral piece with a Latin chorus that represents his godlike status, as well as a hidden tragic side to him.

Two variants of his theme are "Chaotic Guardian" and "Heart of Chaos." His theme is also featured in "Promise to the Future," the Final Boss Theme "Unseen Abyss," "Endless Paradox," and the "Closing Credits."

Lyrics

 * Dea Mortis, iuravi
 * Carissimam servaturum
 * Dea Mortis, servabo
 * Ut tempora recte ducam


 * Etsi cor in Chaos,
 * Aut Fortuna bella ferat
 * Occurram et obviam ibo.

Translation

 * Goddess of Death, I will keep
 * My vow my beloved,
 * Goddess of Death, I will see to it
 * That time is steered in the right direction


 * Though I am drawn by the heart of Chaos,
 * Or beautiful Fortune, I shall bear it
 * Those shall I meet and face

Battle
Even in his human form, Caius is capable of powerful magic such as Comet and using Chaos to suit his needs and assume the monstrous dragon form of Chaos Bahamut, and later that of Jet Bahamut.

Caius in his human form is fought by Serah and Noel in Oerba -200 AF-, the Void Beyond -???- AF, the Dying World -700 AF-, Academia -500 AF-, and Valhalla -??? AF-.

Etymology
Caius is an alternate spelling of Gaius, a common Roman given name. It was a praenomen of many famous Romans throughout history, including Julius Caesar, and through his line, Augustus Caesar and Caligula; Gaius Cassius Longinius, a leading conspirator in Julius Caesar's assassination; and Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, the famous historian.

Also, the name Caius could be an indirect or direct reference to "Chaos", for obvious reasons related to his persona and/or attacks he issues.

His surname, Ballad, could come from the French world "ballade," which means either a little song, or a poetic form. A ballad is also characterized by describing unusual events; "divine" powers are frequently mentioned in them, which alludes to how Caius is a "god" in his own way due to how he obtained immortality.

Trivia

 * According to Dengeki PlayStation magazine, Caius is said to be the most powerful rival in the Final Fantasy series.
 * When Caius transforms into Jet Bahamut in the middle with Garnet Bahamut and Amber Bahamut on both his sides floating around a rather small platform, bears a certain resemblance to Zable Fahr the God Beast of Darkness in Seiken Densetsu 3, another game of Square, with both entities at the sides being fakes, with the middle one being the real and most powerful one.
 * During one scene in Valhalla's shade, Caius and Serah are seen back to back, similar to a moment with him and Lightning in Valhalla, and his debut appearance in the game's first trailer.
 * Caius shares his English voice actor, Liam O'Brien, with Red XIII from The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and Kain Highwind from the DS version of Final Fantasy IV as well as Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy.
 * Caius putting Yeul to rest in the lake in Valhalla in the start of Final Fantasy XIII-2, mirrors the scene where Cloud rests Aeris in the lake in Forgotten Capital in Final Fantasy VII.
 * Caius freezing time while fighting Serah is reminiscent of the fight between Squall and Ultimecia in Dissidia Final Fantasy.
 * One of the copies that assist him in battle is called Garnet Bahamut, this may be an allusion to Final Fantasy IX, where the item that teaches how to summon Bahamut is a stone called Garnet.
 * His signature weapon is called Ragnarok, despite this being the name of a sword that has appeared many times in the series, it is also the name of an event in the prequel of Final Fantasy XIII, which, much like the one in the norse mythology would bring the end of the world.