Caius Ballad

a character from a game

Caius (カイアス) is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy XIII-2. He is said to act as Lightning's rival. He is depicted in the game's logo with her.

Appearance and Personality
Caius is a very tall, slender man with tanned skin and has purple eyes, long straight purple hair adorned with feathers and tribal beads, and wears a long, purple bandanna. He wears form-fitting black and purple armor that bears a strong resemblance to Bahamut, or his Eidolon, Chaos Bahamut, with dark boots lined with white fur. He carries a large sword with an eye in the hilt that emanates a purple flame after it opens.

Story
Toriyama has described Caius as being of equal strength to Lightning, and being able to fight on even terms with her. He is said to be on a similar mission to Lightning's, and will be in her way as she tries to complete her own. Toriyama has also said that Caius has a relationship with Lightning as her fated rival, and is also connected to Noel Kreiss. He has been revealed to also come from the future, and be an important figure in Noel's past and Serah's future. Caius also has important connections to Chaos Bahamut, and his female traveling companion, Paddra Nsu-Yeul.

In the game's first trailer, Caius was shown crossing swords with Lightning in Valhalla. In later trailers, this scene is expanded to Caius leading a swarm of Pantopoda which are countered by the Eidolons. Though frozen by the Shiva Sisters, Caius breaks free and grabs Nix, telling her to embrace the terror before tossing her into Stiria. Seeing Lightning arriving on Odin, he challenges her to a fight, admitting that he is impressed that she avoided his attack while on horseback before they clash blades. In the PAX trailer, Caius smirks with a smug look on his face and turns towards Valhalla.

In the PS3 TGS 2011 trailer, he appears in front of Noel and Serah in Oerba, with his companion, a veiled woman named Yeul, saying she has been watching over them after Caius tells them that they will pay for their crimes with blood. The Xbox 360 TGS trailer shows Caius and Yeul traveling together, interacting with Noel and Serah. In the Sunleth Waterscape, Caius and Yeul stand in front of a time gate, and he asks her "Will they ever find the dawn?" (presumably "they" being Serah and Noel).

In a city where citizens are turning into Cie'th, Caius appears behind Serah and Noel and tells them that he has every reason to dispose of them, as they are 'contradictions' in the timeline. Caius also engages in battle with Serah and Noel in Valhalla. Yeul reveals to Noel that Caius is "beyond death", apparently unable to die with full memory of all timeline events. He is also shown stabbing a fallen Noel in the back, releasing his Chaos.

In the New Adventures trailer, Caius is being chased by Serah, Noel and Hope Estheim. He also is seen sitting on the crystal throne in Etro's temple, knocking Serah down with magic.

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.

Etymology
Caius is an alternate spelling of Gaius, a common Roman given name. It was the first name of many famous Romans throughout history, including Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, and Caligula.

Trivia

 * Upon close inspection, Etro Script can be seen on Caius's armor behind his sword.
 * According to Dengeki PlayStation magazine, Caius is said to be the strongest rival in the series.
 * Caius shares his name with "Caius the Shadow Monarch", a monster in the Yu-Gi-Oh TCG published by Konami. Both seem to share a affinity for darkness.