Machina Kunagiri

Machina Kunagiri is a playable character in Final Fantasy Type-0, and one of the main characters of the same game. In the storyline, he acts as an outside observer of the game's events.

Appearance and Personality
A youth with dark hair, green eyes, and an elegant cloak. He is brave and very powerful; traits which had him transferred into Class Zero. Due to being a recent addition to the ranks of Class Zero, he isn't assigned any number.

Machina is the younger brother of Izana, who died during the invasion by Milites. The two were very close, as he was the one who named Izana's chocobo and shouts at Queen and Ace when told to move on after his death. Despite great proficiency in magic and his straightforwardness, he is fearful of war.

Story
Early Life When Machina's village is attacked by the Milites Empire,Rem takes refuge with her childhood friend Machina Kunagiri in his home. Machina's mother hides them away in a closet while Milites soldiers invade the house. Rem and Machina both witness his mother being shot to death. A soldier later finds them in the closet, but they manage to escape through the window and run away. They stop on a hill, looking back to watch their village burning in flames.

Machina Kunagiri is a young man who was originally a member of Class Two at the Suzaku Peristylium. A year before the start of the game, he crosses paths with his childhood friend Rem Tokimiya whom he has not seen for seven years, unaware that she was in the same school as he was. Together with Rem, he fights the Byakko l'Cie Qun'mi, but they are overpowered when Qun'mi uses Dainsleif's Crystal Jammer which renders them unable to fight back. Ace, Jack, and Seven come to their aid, triggering their first meeting with Class Zero.

Soon after, Machina and Rem become the newest members of Class Zero to aid in defending Rubrum from its invasion by the Milites Empire. At one point, Machina is at the chocobo stables where he feels a sense of nostalgia of the brother he had forgotten, when remarking of giving the name "Chichiri" to a chocobo he would raise.

Machina later appears in a scene with Rem, where the two are remembering their childhood. She tells him that she still keeps the Knowing Tags of all the people from their village and Machina, suddenly saddened, wishes that he was stronger to protect their village back then. Rem comments that they were only children, so there was nothing they could do. She continues cheerfully to ask him if he remembers vowing that he would become a strong soldier to protect her, to which he replies that he hasn't forgotten. Rem then teases him by reminding him of when he asked her to become his wife, and Machina, embarrassed, says that he was only a child back then. She pretends to be offended and teasingly tells him that he is cold, because she took him seriously.

Machina is again with Rem at the Terrace when she has a serious coughing episode due to her illness. Although he is immediately worried for her, she brushes it off. He tells her he wants her to answer a question of his truthfully, and goes on to ask if her sickness has gotten worse, indicating that he has known all along. Rem quickly says that she has no illness and that if he is asking about her asthma, there is nothing wrong. Machina desperately tells her to stop and begs her to tell him the truth. When she continues to deny that anything is wrong, he frustratedly asks why she won't tell him, and if it is because she doesn't trust him. Rem reassures him again that she is alright, and leaves him with the excuse that she has a lesson to go to. After she is gone, Machina curses and calls himself an idiot, knowing that Rem is lying.

After meeting Andoria during Class Zero's stay in Milites, Machina speaks with the Commandant who jogs his memory of Izana and reveals how Arecia and Class Zero are responsible for his brother's death. The Commandant explains that Machina was transferred into Class Zero in order to report not only their actions, but Arecia's as well. Though offered a chance to leave due to personal reasons, with Rem as a back up, Machina refuses to leave Class Zero and agrees to report anything he finds out. Afterwards, Machina swears in Izana's name that he will become stronger than Class Zero along with protecting Rem at all costs.

After the death of Andoria at the hand of Milites, Celestia suspects Class Zero as the culprits. She attacks Rem and Machina goes to her defense, but is knocked unconscious by a thunder attack. He later wakes in the woods where Class Zero have taken refuge, and is greeted by Rem. Despite his worries, she insists she is unhurt. As the pair meet with Class Zero, Machina feels he is being watched by someone. During a conversation with his classmates, he finally voices his anger at Ace and Queen over Izana's death. He is held back by Rem before storming off in frustration. He tells her that he is going to patrol the area and Rem says that while Class Zero are strong, they can't protect everyone. Machina replies that he will definitely protect her and he won't abandon her before he leaves.

He returns afterwards, but again has the feeling of being watched. Rem smiles as he approaches, grateful that he is not hurt. He apologizes for worrying her. When Ace asks what happened, Machina begins to say something about Byakko but is interrupted by Deuce. Soon after, Machina frequently disappears from the Peristylium and his strange behavior and absences begin to worry the members of Class Zero, especially Rem. Upon his return at one point, he finds her talking with Cater and Trey. When Cater nudges him playfully, Machina slaps her hand away and snaps that he will protect Rem. Rem expresses her worry at his uncharacteristic aggression, but he says again that he will protect her.

After the defeat of the Milites army, Machina is standing outside the Peristylium when Rem approaches him. She is surprised to see him, wondering why he is alone. He says that he was remembering life in their village, and then asks her why she became a cadet at the academy. Rem replies that she wanted to help and be part of Operation Apostle, and become a stronger person. Machina goes on to say that he also became a cadet for the same reason, but that he's realized he doesn't belong within Class Zero. She asks him what he means, replying that they've made it this far to help the others.

Machina answers that he hasn't been helping them, and that he's been the one who needed helping all along. He then continues to say that he will become stronger and that she doesn't need to worry because he will protect her. When Rem tells him that he can talk to her and Class Zero if something is worrying him, Machina avoids the question by telling her she'd better return inside because the wind is cold. Although Rem is hurt by his decision, Machina leaves the school.

Before Class Zero faces off against Cid, they find Machina and Rem crystallized together. Flashback cutscenes reveal the events leading up to their crystallization.

When he disappeared from Class Zero's camp after their escape from Milites, Machina found Qun'mi, with most of her body encased in stone, and asked for the power of a l'Cie so that he could become strong enough to protect Rem. She granted it to him, leaving her mask uncrystallized for him to wear which turned his outfit white. Using his new power and appearance, Machina was infiltrating the Milites army as a means of spying on them. During the attack on Milites by the Eidolon Alexander which Caetuna summoned, Machina shielded himself and Qator and the two escaped.

He was later approached by Rem, already a Suzaku l'Cie. With Rem unaware of who he was and obeying the Suzaku crystal's will of defeating him as a Byakko l'Cie, the two of them confronted each other in battle. In the battle's climax, Machina was thrown into a wall and his mask slipped off just as Rem rushed forward to attack. She was impaled on his rapier and reached out to him, saying his name before falling to the ground. He cried out in anguish, then kneeled down beside her while apologizing for attacking her, saying that he only became a l'Cie because he was afraid of losing Rem and being left alone. Before she died, Rem told him not to forget her.

Machina and Rem's voices then speak to Class Zero from the crystal, saying that they have finally achieved a new future. The pair's spirits help their classmates to defeat Cid. Sometime later, Arecia arrives and revives them. Returning to the Peristylium with Rem, Machina is horrified to find all members of Class Zero dead as the price of defeating Cid. Machina cries while apologizing and Rem touches his arm comfortingly. He squeezes her hand as the two stand looking out over the war torn remains of Rubrum.

Eventually, as the nations' crystals lose their power, Machina manages to rally all of Oriense's people under him and founded a new age for the world where reliance on the crystals is no longer needed. Years later, at age sixty-seven and married to Rem, Machina wrote down the events of the war to ensure his Class Zero classmates would never be forgotten. He died soon after with a smile on his face.

In an alternate ending, created by Arecia removing the crystals from Oriense's past, the war never occurred with both Class Zero and Izana among those given a second chance of life. As a result, without his brother's death to drive a wedge between them, Machina becomes good friends with Ace.

Waiting for Ace to end his studying, a bored Machina tries to convince him to take a break so they can go and have some fun, which Ace refuses as he wants to prepare for the next semester. However, a stubborn Machina refuses to accept no as an answer and drags Ace out of the library.

In Battle
Machina dual-wields a pair of distinct drill-shaped rapiers in battle. Unlike Rem, he favors melee fighting, and his battle style is based on chaining fast combos, which enables him to exploit the Kill Sight function.

His basic attack is Bolt Rapier, which triggers multiple attacks on the enemy and often ends deadly.

Weapons

 * Bolt Rapier
 * Silver Rapier
 * Gear Rapier
 * Platinum Rapier
 * Rune Rapier
 * Machine Rapier
 * Dragon King Sword
 * Drill Rapier
 * Mythril Rapier
 * Lævateinn
 * Flame Tank
 * Icebrand
 * Thunder Rapier
 * Durandal
 * Dreadnought
 * Excalibur (Ultimate weapon)

Special Abilities

 * Spin Drive: Drills into an enemy and deals a high amounts of damage.
 * Assault Mode: Completely recovers HP, 2x boost to both attack and movement speed; changes standard attacks to Rush Blade. If damage is taken the effect is removed.
 * Drain Sword: A technique that drains an enemy's HP while attacking.
 * Sword Field: Summons a torrent of blades that spin around Machina like a cyclone.
 * Stun Blade: Damage and inflicts stun on an target.
 * Darkside: Strike multiple targets, draining HP and simultaneously inflicting stun all around.
 * Sonic Charge: Machina's Trinity Attack.

Musical Themes
Machina's theme, fittingly named "Machina Kunagiri", is a slow and melancholic tune with heavy guitar and drums, and an electric guitar line. It also exists in an arranged version. The arranged version replaces its rock feel with a much more rueful melody of piano and strings.

Additionally, he has another theme, "Machina and Rem", that he shares with Rem, and is essentially a song that combines his theme with Rem's. His theme is also rearranged in the tracks "Apostles of the Crystal" and "Human Strengths and Weaknesses", and can be heard as part of the track "Type-0".

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Machina appears on promotional card for Final Fantasy Trading Card Game depicting him standing in the flames.

Etymology
"Machina" is Latin for machine. In particular, Machina's name is taken from the Latin expression "Deus ex Machina", which translates for "A god from the machine". This expression is commonly used to refer to a sudden and surprising situation-turning event, specifically in the fields of representation and literature.

Trivia

 * Machina appears on the 500th cover of Dengeki Playstation magazine with Noctis Lucis Caelum, Lightning, Serah Farron, Noel Kreiss, and Rem. He also appears on the cover of the 505th magazine holding Rem in his arms.
 * Machina and Eight are the only males of Class Zero who are not blond.
 * Machina shares his Japanese voice actor with Letty and Gatta from Final Fantasy X.