Dark Kain

Dark Kain Highwind is a character from the world of Final Fantasy IV. He is the dark incarnation of Kain Highwind, born from Kain's anger and jealousy towards Cecil and his unrequited love of Rosa.

Initially appearing in the Lunar Ruins in Kain's Lunar Trial in the Advance release of Final Fantasy IV, Dark Kain was defeated by the real Kain. However, at a later date while training on Mount Ordeals, Dark Kain manifested again and escaped his other self. In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years he is mistaken for the real Kain and is later briefly known as Kain?, while Kain hunts for him while concealing his identity. He works for the Mysterious Girl to assist her in collecting the Crystals, and is temporarily playable during the course of the game.

Personality
Due to being Kain's dark side, Dark Kain holds a powerful hatred towards Cecil, and his mission in The After Years is to end his life at any cost. While working with the Mysterious Girl, Dark Kain shows little concern about her plan or what use she has for the Crystals.

Although he is Kain's dark side, he has shown to be a good person at several points of the game. He saves Porom and her party from monsters, and shows some compassion to the Baron guards that accompany him to Damcyan in The After Years, telling them that even though they are mind-controlled, they should still value their lives. The reason for this is unknown, but it is possible some good aspects of the real Kain remained. Like Kain, he also remains loyal to Baron as a country, claiming it was always his homeland. In his solo fight against Rosa and Edward, Dark Kain refuses to harm Rosa, and any attempt to attack her will automatically miss, indicating that he retains Kain's love for her.

Final Fantasy IV
Dark Kain appears during Kain's trial in the Lunar Ruins, which takes place in an alternate version of Baron. There, a figure in a black cloak has attacked people with a lance in the night, and escapes authorities by leaping across rooftops. The only clue to the crime is a blood-soaked lance Kain finds in his room at the inn. After more crimes, the lance continues to be found in Kain's room, which coupled with the assailant's reported jumping abilities, cause Kain to be arrested as the culprit. Kain eventually apprehends a guard as the perpetrator, but returns to his room to find the blood-soaked lance once again. Dark Kain contacts Kain telepathically, and tells him it cannot end until Cecil is dead. Kain realizes Cecil is in danger, and follows Cecil into the Serpent Road where they are teleported to a mirrored chamber. Kain finds Cecil unconscious and Rosa tied up, when Dark Kain emerges from the mirrors and declares himself the embodiment of Kain's deep-seated dark desires, and the world of the trial is one he has created for himself. Dark Kain tempts Kain to use the blood-soaked lance to kill Cecil and claim Rosa. If the player accepts, Kain absorbs his dark side and kills Cecil, failing his trial. If the player refuses, Dark Kain grabs the lance, casts off his cloak and attacks Kain. During the battle Dark Kain transforms into Lunar Bahamut, but Kain manages to defeat him. For his victory, Kain receives the Dragoon Gloves, and the blood soaked lance as Abel's Lance.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Seventeen years later after the events that occurred, Kain can be seen on Mount Ordeals still continuing his trial. For the final test of his skill, Kain has to face his dark side, Dark Kain, in combat. However, Dark Kain proves to be more than a match for Kain and defeats him. After defeating Kain, Dark Kain is able to roam free into the world. Dark Kain soon rescues Porom and two mages from monsters and accompanies them to Mysidia. However, when they arrive, the city is under attack from hordes of monsters under the command of the Mysterious Girl. Dark Kain soon betrays Porom by stealing the Water Crystal and offering it to the girl.

Dark Kain soon heads to Baron through the Devil's Road along with the Mysterious Girl. When they arrive at Baron Castle she offers him a deal: in return for him gathering the crystals for her, she would give him Cecil. Dark Kain agrees to this and takes numerous Baron soldiers under his command and leaves on an airship to complete his task. He travels to Fabul and launched a massive invasion on the castle. Dark Kain soon enters the crystal room and engages Yang and Ursula in combat. He manages to get by them and steal the crystal. His next destination is Damcyan where he confronts Edward and demands for the crystal. Edward refuses his demands and unleashes a horde of Bombs that killed Dark Kain's men. Rosa soon arrives and witnesses as Dark Kain engages and defeats Edward. Dark Kain takes the crystal and abducts Rosa with the intention of heading to Baron so that she may witness as he takes Cecil's life. However, upon reaching Baron he is encountered by Ceodore, Cid, Edward, and the Hooded Man.

The Hooded Man reveals himself to be the real Kain, and that the one committing these atrocities was only his dark side. The two then engage each other in battle but Kain ends up the victor in the end. Before disappearing, Dark Kain calls out Rosa's name and becomes one with Kain. By overcoming the darkness within him, Kain becomes a Holy Dragoon.

Equipment and Stats
For the brief time the player controls Dark Kain in The After Years, he is a relatively strong character with sufficient stats and equipment. He can still use Kain's Jump, and has access to the Wind Spear, a fairly good weapon that can be unequipped for use by other characters. He also has a full set of Mythril Equipment, a good set for that point in the game. The player can use Dark Kain for a few sequences in the main story, or most of Porom's Tale. Despite the fact Dark Kain has some MP, there are no skills or Band abilities for him to expend it on. He is essentially identical to Kain in the original game in terms of game-play.

When Dark Kain saves Porom's party on Mount Ordeals, he is seen using an attack which defeats all the enemies in one turn. The attack is not named and cannot be used by the player.

Battle
Dark Kain is fought as a boss in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, facing Kain in a final showdown in Baron Castle.

Dark Kain also has a battle sprite in Kain's trial in Final Fantasy IV, which appears during the beginning of their battle. However, he is not a true enemy and does not appear in the bestiary. He cannot be killed, unless he is struck by a tornado from the Abel's Lance (keep in mind that if you kill him as Dark Kain you won't get Grimoire LB so you'll never be able to go on Kain's Trial again). . He can, however, take damage, and counters all forms of attack with a physical attack. After a few turns, he transforms into Lunar Bahamut.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a Darklord
Kain appears as one of the monsters that can be summoned by Mira, when purchased as an extra download content. While not called Dark Kain, he takes on the appearance of Kain's dark side.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
An alternate costume for Kain Highwind is directly based on Dark Kain.