Caius Ballad

a character from a game

Caius Ballad (カイアス・バラッド) is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy XIII-2. He is Lightning's fated rival, and an important figure in both Noel's past and Serah's future.

Hailing from the future, Caius is former friend and mentor to Noel. Other than being Noel's once trusted ally, Caius is also apparently the immortal guardian of the timeline. Therefore, he seeks to carry out an all-out war against all who tamper with the space-time continuum.

Appearance and Personality
Caius is a tall and slender man with light bronze skin and purple eyes. He also has long straight purple hair adorned with feathers and tribal beads, and wears a long, purple bandanna. He wears form-fitting black and purple armor with dark boots lined with white fur that bears a strong resemblance to Bahamut. He wields Ragnarok, a large sword with an eye in the hilt that emanates a purple flame after it opens. Caius is also an all-powerful warrior, as he is of equal strength to Lightning and able to fight on even terms with her.

As overseer of the timeline, he sees Serah and Noel as enemies, or "contradictions" in it, and so he pursues them, believing that they should pay for tampering with the timeline with their lives. However, Caius also appears to pursue them in order to find out whether or not they will "find the dawn," as though he wants them to succeed in their endeavors. He is a cold person who doesn't show his emotions, so no one can tell what his thoughts or intentions are.

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. Caius has a relationship with Lightning as her rival, and an important connection to his female traveling companion, Paddra Nsu-Yeul.

Story
After laying a lifeless body to rest in the waters off Valhalla's shore, Caius summons a swarm of Pantopoda and other monsters to challenge Lightning to a battle. His army is countered by her summoned army of monsters and the Eidolons. Though he gets frozen by the Shiva Sisters, Caius breaks free and grabs Nix, telling her to embrace the terror before throwing her into Stiria. As Caius sees Lightning riding Odin towards him, he conjures the Meteor spell to counterattack. After she dodges his onslaught, they meet face-to-face. Caius admits that he is impressed by her strength before they clash blades.

Soon, Caius transforms into an entity known as Chaos Bahamut, and flings Lightning out into space. She remounts Odin and they continue their duel as the transformed Caius gives chase to them along the beach and into the city. Lightning defeats him and he gets buried under a pile of rubble. However, as Lightning saves Noel as he falls from the sky, Caius emerges and continues to engage her, even after she sends Noel through time to find Serah.

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 in 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 Academia, after citizens suddenly turn 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, saying that they cannot kill him now. 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 through Valhalla. He also is seen sitting on the crystal throne in Etro's Shrine, 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 a praenomen of many famous Romans throughout history, including Julius Caesar, and through his line, Augustus Caesar and Caligula; Gaius Cassius Longinius, a leading conspirator in Julius Caesar's assassination; and Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, the famous historian. His family name, Ballad, could come from the French world "ballade", which means either a little song, or a poetic form. A ballad is also characterized by describing unusual events; commonly "divine" powers are frequently mentioned in them, which alludes to how Caius is "god" in his own way.

Trivia

 * Upon close inspection, Etro Script can be seen on the lower part of Caius's armor behind his sword.
 * According to Dengeki PlayStation magazine, Caius is said to be the strongest rival in the series.