Snow Villiers

Snow Villiers is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII. He is a strong character and is capable of running at full speed while carrying two people. Snow is determined to save Serah and Cocoon, and become a true hero.

Appearance and Personality
Snow is one of the tallest playable characters in the Final Fantasy series at 6'7". He has light blond hair, blue eyes, and a stubble beard. He wears a black bandanna, black gloves, large gray boots, a light blue vest and a striped blue scarf hanging from a belt under a long beige trench coat. The coat functions as his weapon, as it is fused with AMP technology from the Sanctum. Snow's foot size is a gargantuan 33 centimeters (about a foot long). His l'Cie brand is on his left forearm.

Snow is the leader and founder of NORA (No Obligation, Rules, or Authority), a group that originally fought off wild animals and eventually became a group of rebels fighting against the Sanctum. He grew up with his childhood friends Gadot and Lebreau in the town of Bodhum at the edge of Cocoon, where they hunted stray monsters under the moniker of NORA. Snow has a very "heroic" personality, hence his title, "The Hero". Although he wishes to help anyone in need, he has a tendency to talk before he thinks, which in turn, annoys and infuriates people (notably Lightning and Hope). Snow is hot-headed, shows no fear when standing before hundreds, even thousands of PSICOM soldiers, and even disrespects high Sanctum officers like Cid Raines, who tries to befriend him. In a similar manner to Vanille, Snow hides whatever guilt he feels by constantly acting optimistic, though doing so causes some people to misunderstand him.

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero: Promise
Snow is overjoyed to meet the older sister of his beloved Serah, but Lightning is far from impressed. She had never approved of him or his group's unsanctioned activities. She wants Snow to forget about dating her sister, but the young man just laughs away her demands. His flippant attitude does nothing but reinforce her original impression of him. When Serah suddenly tells Snow that she is breaking up with him, he asks her if she is joking, before imploring her to tell him if he did anything wrong for her to want to break up with him. She eventually reveals her painful secret to Snow that she has become a l'Cie. Snow kneels to the ground in shock and disbelief before Serah runs away in shame. However, Snow chases after her, finding her at the beach. He vows that he will help her complete her Focus, whatever it may be, if she will only let him. Serah is fearful that the Sanctum will find out, but Snow reassures her that he will be by her side as they have come too far to quit now.

Three days later while out shopping for Lightning's birthday present with Serah, Snow slips away to buy engagement necklaces; two metal sculptures of Cocoon, under the premise of giving Serah 'the whole world'. During the annual Bodhum fireworks display, Snow proposes to Serah and she says yes. Then he drives her closer to the spectacle on a motorbike, but the couple's happy moment is still overshadowed by Serah's pending fate as a l'Cie.

The next day, Lightning's birthday, Serah reveals she has become a Pulse l'Cie, and has accepted Snow's proposal for marriage. Thinking that her sister is joking, Lightning does not listen to Serah but instead shuts her out with harsh biting words. Despite Snow's attempts to ammend the situation with his future sister-in-law, Lightning is resistant, and Snow leaves, determined more than ever to save Serah now that her sister has turned her back on her. He takes Serah to the Bodhum Vestige to see the fal'Cie who had branded her, Anima, in hopes of revealing her Focus and therefore convince Lightning to believe her. However, things go horribly wrong, as they are chased by PSICOM soldiers. Snow and Serah fly to the Pulse fal'Cie within the Vestige while under attack. The vehicle gets shot and damaged, forcing Snow to tell Serah to jump onto a ledge on the Vestige while he tries to steer; but he sees a silver liquid substance emerge from the Vestige begin to surround and engulf her after she lands. He tries to reach her but only their fingers touch, and Serah is dragged into the Vestige as the fal'Cie's prisoner. Snow explains the situation to Lightning before rushing off to rescue his future wife.

Final Fantasy XIII
As Snow makes his way to the Hanging Edge to track down the Pulse Vestige, Lightning and her ally of convenience, pilot Sazh Katzroy, derail the Purge evacuation train with the same end-destination in mind. Snow and NORA rescue the remaining Purgees, who aid them in their fight against the Sanctum. One of the Purgees, Nora Estheim, saves Snow's life from a Sanctum warmech, before another destroys the bridge they were standing on and plunges the other Purgees to the levels below. Snow manages to hold on long enough to grab Nora's hand and the end of the bridge. Unfortunately, the explosion that destroyed the bridge severely injured Nora, and she falls from Snow's grip. Unknown to Snow, her son, Hope Estheim is watching the entire scene from afar on a skyrail, and immediately blames Snow for his mother's death.

Snow miraculously awakens in the ruins below, alongside his childhood friend, Gadot. The two make their way back to the surviving Purgees and the other members of NORA on the overhead skyrail, on Sanctum motorbike models similar to Snow's own. As they land, Snow is quick to ask after the safety of the Purgees, but Gadot ensures him he will look after them himself, as Snow has to reach the Vestige and rescue Serah. Before Hope has a chance to confront Snow about his mother's death, Snow uses one of the remaining motorbikes to travel to the Vestige. Hope and his companion, Vanille, hijack Gadot's motorbike and follow him there.

Wandering the Vestige, he eventually finds Hope and Vanille, saving them from a group of Cie'th, before allowing them to stick with him for their safety. They make their way to Anima's Throne to find Lightning and Sazh already there, with an unconscious Serah. Serah tells Lightning she has to save Cocoon, but Snow intervenes and tells Serah that he can save everyone before she crystallizes before their eyes. Snow's view of the situation only serves to anger Lightning, but he remains optimistic, sure that his fiancée can wake up from her crystal slumber somehow. Snow begs with Anima to return Serah, but Lightning and Sazh - who has his own motives for hunting down the fal'Cie - choose a more aggressive approach and attack it. Snow joins their plight only to be branded a l'Cie himself, and cast down into the crystallized Lake Bresha, below.

After dreaming about the night he proposed to Serah, Snow awakens with the rest of the group, unscathed, in Lake Bresha. They try to work out their Focus, but cannot piece it together from their hazy visions. For Snow, their Focus is clear: to save Cocoon, just as Serah asked them to before she was crystallized. Now enemies of the state, they evade pursuing PSICOM troops by crossing the frozen lake, when they come across Serah's crystallized form lodged in a formation. He attempts to free her with Vanille and Sazh's aid, but without tools, they are helpless. The rest of the party propose they move forward to stay out of the Sanctum's clutches, but Snow vows to stay with Serah, much to both Lightning and Hope's chagrin. As the others leave him behind, Snow resolutely continues to dig Serah's crystal out, when PSICOM forces locate him and attack. In desperation, he inadvertently summons his Eidolon, the Shiva Sisters. After taming them both, he is apprehended by another l'Cie, Fang, and taken aboard the Cavalry airship, the Lindblum, along with Serah.

Aboard the ship, Snow meets the leader of the Cavalry, Cid Raines, who reveals his premise to free the world of the fal'Cie and the Sanctum's clutches. Raines reveals that the new l'Cie have been sentenced to public execution should they be caught, which angers Snow. Fang and Raines need to track down the other l'Cie, and with Serah's crystallized form now aboard the Lindblum, Snow has no choice but to comply and help them.

Lightning and Hope are tracked down in Hope's hometown of Palumpolum, where Snow and Fang intercept PSICOM's assault on them. To avoid capture, they are forced to separate - Snow with Hope, and Fang with Lightning - though they remain in communication with a wireless device, upon which they decide on a rendez-vous point of Hope's home in Felix Heights. As Snow and Hope travel through the town, evading PSICOM, Snow remains oblivious to Hope's fury and hatred for him. Snow inadvertently continues to fuel the boy's rage by obliviously saying things such as that it is foolish to fight if you die, and that one must only look out for themself. It is only when Hope is alone with Snow by a building's edge in Rivera Towers that Hope finally loses control and blasts Snow off the edge. Much to Snow's surprise, Hope approaches Snow with Lightning's pocket knife, ready to kill him, finally revealing himself to be Nora's son, when his intent is prevented by a PSICOM missile attack from afar. Knocked out, Hope falls off the roof of the building, and Snow lets go of the ledge to catch him, shielding the teenager and ultimately breaking his fall to the streets below. Despite being critically injured by this feat, the indomitable Snow goes on to carry an unconcious Hope on his back, ignoring both his own potentially life-threatening injuries and the fact that Hope tried to kill him, out of desperation to fulfil his promise to Nora: to get her son home. When Hope wakes up, Snow apologises for putting his mother in danger and being ultimately unable to save her, even giving him back the knife and offering him a second chance to take revenge, but Hope refuses, saying "She's gone, Snow. You can take the blame... but it won't bring her back." Finally putting his hatred to rest, Hope tells Snow that he never really wanted to kill him, but rather used that goal as the motivation he needed to survive. As they talk, however, they are ambushed by the Ushumgal Subjugator they fought earlier, who knocks Snow unconcious as he trys yet again to protect Hope. After Hope defeats the creature with help from Lightning and Fang, Lighning helps a barely concious Snow to his feet, claiming he will be all right ("He's too stubborn to die."), and the group heads to Felix Heights, to Hope's home.

At Hope's apartment, Snow is laid to rest in one of the bedrooms, whilst Lightning looks over him, tending to his wounds. When he awakens, Lightning explains her guilt for not believing Serah and how much pain it caused her. Then Lightning asks Snow to forgive her, which Snow does, teasingly asking for Lightning's real name. Lightning tells Snow to ask Serah when she returns, with them both making amends. Once recovered, Snow apologises to Hope's father, Bartholomew Estheim, for his hand in Nora's death, before PSICOM attacks the apartment. Furious, a still healing Snow heads outside to face the troops, imploring them to realise he is a human and they all wish to save Cocoon, when he is rebutted by Yaag Rosch, who claims the l'Cie's lives are not worth the risk of sparing. The troops infiltrate the house and the party are forced onto the roof, where they are swiftly collected by Rygdea leading the Cavalry, and taken back aboard the Lindblum.

They head to the PSICOM airship the Palamecia upon learning that Sazh and Vanille are being held captive there. They reunite with the prisoners, and are forced to face Galenth Dysley in his true form, the fal'Cie Barthandelus. Barthandelus reveals their Focus to them, to become the beast Ragnarok and destroy Orphan, therefore making Cocoon fall from the sky. Snow is shell-shocked, disbelieving Dysley's claim that Serah's Focus was simply to assemble them all together to bring about Cocoon's destruction.

Under Barthandelus' manipulation, they escape the airship down to the Fifth Ark, where Snow is still in disbelief over the revelation of Serah's Focus, and Lightning is quick to console him. Near the end of the Ark, they face Sanctum l'Cie Cid Raines, who is determined to defy Barthandelus's wishes and save Cocoon, even if it means killing the party. They defeat him, but are inspired by his sacrifice, realizing they can defy their fate and still complete their previously perceived Focus of saving Cocoon at any cost. Though they are unsure how, they descend down to Gran Pulse in hopes of finding answers.

Yet as the party rest for days in their Vallis Media base camp, despair begins to set in at their task ahead. Snow's optimism fades as he sees Hope struggle to recover from facing his Eidolon, and the lack of human presence anywhere on Pulse. In a last attempt, they head to Fang and Vanille's old village of Oerba. As they travel there, they cross the Mah'habara Subterra, and the Sulyya Springs, where Lightning and Snow discuss Serah in the Skyreach, and they promise to see Serah again together.

The dilapidated ruins of Oerba hold little answers for them, until they reach an old abandoned bridge, upon which Serah seems to miraculously appear, reciting the legend of Ragnarok. Snow suspects something is wrong and pushes Serah away, as she tells the party to destroy Orphan and save the world. He tells Serah that they are all trying to reach the same goal, at which Serah's form reveals itself to be another illusion of Dysley's. After the second battle with Barthandelus, they resolve to protect Orphan and fly back to Cocoon, where Dysley has a resurrected Cid Raines creating utter chaos.

Upon arriving in Eden, Sazh manages to pilot the airship straight into the Eden Grand Prix. The Shiva Sisters save a racer and Snow announces that the hero has saved the day. He accidentally shows his l'Cie brand to the cheering crowd causing chaos. He jumps onto a transformed Shiva and tells incoming PSICOM forces to catch him if they can, as the rest of the party manage to escape the circuit and infiltrate the city, reaching its heart, Orphan's Cradle.

After the party defeats Orphan after it tortures Fang and Vanille, Cocoon begins to break down and descend. Lightning implores the party to hold onto to one another, but Fang and Vanille drift below, intending to become Ragnarok in a last attempt to save Cocoon. With their Focus officially completed, Snow is crystallized down on Gran Pulse alongside the rest of the party. However, they awaken from their crystal stasis briefly after, to see the shell of Cocoon held up by a crystal pillar, with a crystallized Fang and Vanille holding it at its center. On the horizon, Serah appears with Sazh's son, Dajh Katzroy, and Snow is finally reunited with her. As Lightning is apologizing to Serah, Snow cuts in saying that they have a wedding to plan as long as Lightning is going to allow it. He promises her that he will make Serah happy before finally getting her approval.

In Battle


Snow's primary focus and strength is in his defensive abilities. He has the third highest strength, however, he excels most in the Sentinel role. Snow also has the highest HP Growth out of the six characters. As a Ravager, he learns all Ice and Water spells, in keeping with his name, but can also learn Wind magic up to the -"ra" level.

Even though he fights with his fists, his actual weapon is a special coat combined with the AMP technology developed by the government which can enhance the strength of the wearer, depending on which emblem set is sewn into the back (although the emblems only appear during combat). Snow's Full ATB Skill is the Commando ability Sovereign Fist, which clears the enemy's Stagger gauge when executed.

Eidolon
Snow's Eidolon is Shiva, which splits into two sisters. Their names are Stiria and Nix. Stiria is the dark-skinned elder sister, while the white-skinned Nix is the younger. Nix attacks the enemies with mostly physical attacks, while Stiria wields powerful ice and healing spells. They are capable of combining to make a motorcycle for Snow to ride on for their Gestalt Mode.

Weapons
See Snow's Coats

Etymology
"Villiers" is a common French toponym and a surname ultimately derived from the Latin/Italian word "villa", "country-house, estate". It is also the name of a fairly well-known motorcycle company, which is referenced in his summon's Gestalt mode.

"Snow" refers mainly to his affiliation with the Ice and Water elements.

Musical Themes
In Final Fantasy XIII, "Snow's Theme" is a rock tune played with electric guitars. "The Warpath Home" has elements of Snow's theme and Final Fantasy XIII's prelude. A strongly patriotic song, it reflects Snows involvement with NORA and plays when Nora Estheim falls to her death. "Forever Fugitives" contains a short, orchestral variant of his theme and plays when he and Serah are being chased by PSICOM soldiers and Serah ends up being taken by the fal'Cie. "To Hunt l'Cie" also has a short orchestral variant of his theme, and it plays when he summons the Shiva Sisters to save Lightning and Hope from PSICOM. "No Way to Live" is a rock variant of Snow's theme that plays when he and Hope are confronted by an angry mob of people. "Atonement" is another orchestral variant of his theme and plays as Snow carries Hope up a ladder in Palumpolum. It also plays in the Fifth Ark, when Snow decides to renounce his Focus to destroy Cocoon and instead honor Serah's final wish to save it.

Trivia

 * Before his official name was revealed, Snow was referred to as "Mr. 33cm", referencing his large foot size. Interestingly enough, 33cm would be proportional to the height of a 6 foot, 3 inch tall man. Being that Snow is considerably taller, it would appear he actually has small feet for his height.
 * According to the April 2009 edition of Famitsu (page 50), Nomura based Snow's bandanna on an unused design that was originally planned for Kingdom Hearts coded.
 * Snow's crystal is in the shape of a heart.
 * There is a symbol of a cat on one of the pendants Snow wears, which is the logo of NORA.
 * Snow is the only character in the party having two exclusive skills: the first is Hand Grenade, which is only usable in Chapter 1, and his Full ATB Skill, Sovereign Fist.
 * Snow is the only playable character that fights his Eidolon alone. Additionally, he doesn't help other party members to fight their Eidolon.
 * Snow, in general, has similarities to the Monk class of past games (i.e: fighting bare-handed, dealing high damage, having high defense, etc).
 * Strangely, in Snow's official CG render, he is not wearing his NORA necklace or his engagement pendant.