Noctis Lucis Caelum

a character from a game

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noct for short, is a playable character and the protagonist of Final Fantasy Versus XIII. He is a prince, the last heir to a dynasty ruling over the last kingdom to control crystals. From his throne, he defends his kingdom from marauders and barbarians who seek to conquer the city and claim the crystals by force.

Noctis has a number of companions, including his driver and a fugitive, and his family is known to operate in a similar manner to the modern-day mafia. Though he does not wish to fight her, circumstances force him to do battle with Stella Nox Fleuret, and he is also speculated to be opposed by a mysterious man robed entirely in white.

Appearance and Personality
Noctis has short, spiky, black hair and blue eyes. Although, according to Nomura, his hair and eyes can change color along with his emotions and actions in battle. Noctis is said to be a very shy person, but he initially tries to hide this by "acting cool". According to director Tetsuya Nomura, Noctis will not have the "Cloud-like" personality that people are currently expecting. Instead, he will be a type of character that has not yet been seen in the series, one which Nomura has wanted to try out for a long time. Nomura says that Noctis will have a strong and distinctive personality, and will absolutely not be a "silent, gloomy little boy". In a recent Dengeki interview, Nomura explained that Noctis is not cool, but rather an ordinary young man who acts tough because he feels that it is his duty to protect his kingdom and its citizens. As a result, he sometimes acts rashly or overestimates his own strength.

In the Tokyo Game Show footage, Noctis has a short conversation with Stella about the two of them seeing a form of "light". Stella goes on to explain the legend of Tenebrae, which states that when a person is able to see the "light", they will receive the powers of the dead from the Goddess Etro. The footage was shown to give people a brief idea of what the two characters' personalities are going to be like. In the footage, Noctis also speaks directly to the painting of the goddess, asking who she is.

In the Square Enix 1st Production Department Premier trailer, he is heard speaking for the first time. He is awoken by his driver and taken through a restricted area which has been blocked off by authorities. In the distance, a skyscraper is being occupied by mysterious airships. Throughout the trailer, he is seen fighting off an invading military force along with his companions. He suggests that they launch an immediate assault to recapture the crystal, and that he will use his strength to defeat their enemies. His allies caution him against it, saying that he is not strong enough and that, as a target, he will only endanger the civilians. At the conclusion of the trailer, Noctis asks Ignis if he has come up with a way to exact tenfold vengeance, to which Ignis replies that he is going to find a way to instead return it a hundredfold.

Abilities and Equipment
Noctis displays unearthly skills in battle, wielding a variety of weapons including swords, spears, axes, and firearms, among others, though his primary weapon appears to be a falchion fashioned with an engine at the hilt. He can summon the weapons into the air around him and wield them by hand or telekinesis. In a recent Dengeki article, it is revealed that these powers can only be used by members of the royal family, and that his eyes change from blue to red when he invokes them. In the 1st Production Department Premier trailer, his father is also seen calling on these powers.

Noct is able to use any weapon type in the game, and can wield multiple different weapons in a single battle. Though he can equip firearms, he lacks Prompto's expertise and therefore cannot manually aim them. In the 1st Production Department Premier trailer, he primarily attacks using his sword, but can also be seen thrusting a spear through multiple opponents before calling his sword back to his hand and continuing his attack; he also performs a variety of rolls and cartwheels to avoid enemy attacks.

His magic spells appear to home in on his current target and can be used to attack from a distance; he launches Fire as a fast-moving projectile and Thunder will cause lightning to strike his opponent. Additionally, his sword will appear at the target's location upon the spell's impact, and Noctis can then immediately teleport to its location, allowing him to follow up with melee attacks. This ability was first hinted at in earlier cinematic trailers, when Noctis was shown throwing one of his weapons a great distance, then reappearing where it landed seconds later, weapon in hand.

Design
As with other characters in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Noctis's clothing is designed by Hiromu Takahara, Creative Director of the Japanese designer clothing label Roen. The suit worn by Noctis during the tower scene, in which he talks to Stella, was the first of Takahara's designs to appear in the game.

Noctis' initial clothing design by Tetsuya Nomura was essentially a placeholder, to be replaced at a later date with an ensemble by Roen. Test gameplay footage screened privately at TGS 2009 unveiled Noctis' finalized design, which featured a slightly shorter haircut and clothes designed by Takahara, including a ring worn on his right hand and a motorcycle glove on his left. The ring is stated to play a big role in the game, yet it was not confirmed whether it is an heirloom or not. Noctis's Roen-designed outfit was unveiled to the public at Jump Festa 2010 and was seen again in Famitsu magazine in June 2010.

Etymology
"Noctis Lucis Caelum" is a Latin phrase that means "Sky of the Night Light".

Trivia

 * Noctis appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy as a set of two player icons to represent Final Fantasy Versus XIII, along with Lightning for Final Fantasy XIII and Ace for Final Fantasy Type-0, though these icons can only be obtained through passwords.
 * A promotional image of Noctis sitting on his throne mimics a pose of a promotional image of Sora from Kingdom Hearts. It is worth noting that Final Fantasy Versus XIII is further connected to Kingdom Hearts through similar battle system.

Noctis Lucis Caelum