Noctis Lucis Caelum

a character from a game

Noctis Lucis Caelum is a playable character and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XV. He is a prince, the heir to a dynasty of the kingdom of Lucis, the last kingdom to have control over crystals. Noctis defends his kingdom from marauders and barbarians who seek to conquer the city and claim the crystals by force. Due to an accident in his childhood, Noctis can see the "light", and has the power to foresee a person's death.

Noctis has a number of companions 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 speculated to be opposed by a mysterious man robed entirely in white.

Appearance
Noctis has short, spiky, black hair and blue eyes. According to Tetsuya Nomura his hair and eyes can change color along with his emotions. Noctis is a shy person who tries to hide it by "acting cool". According to former director Tetsuya Nomura, Noctis will not have the "Cloud-like" personality, but he will be a new type of character for the series, one which Nomura had wanted to try out for a long time. Nomura said Noctis will have a strong and distinctive personality, rather than being silent and gloomy. In a Dengeki interview, Nomura explained Noctis is an ordinary young man who acts tough because he feels it is his duty to protect his kingdom and its citizens. As a result, he sometimes acts rashly or overestimates his strength.

In an old Tokyo Game Show footage Noctis converses with Stella about the two of them seeing the "light". Stella explains the legend of Tenebrae, which states that when a person is able to see the light they 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 speaks directly to the painting of the goddess, asking who she is.

In the Square Enix 1st Production Department Premier trailer, Noctis was heard speaking for the first time. In the trailer, Noctis fights off an invading military force along with his companions. He suggests they launch an immediate assault to recapture the crystal, and that he will use his strength to defeat their enemies. His allies caution Noctis against it, saying he is not strong enough and that, as a target, he will only endanger the civilians.

Personality
Noctis is said to have a rebellious attitude, disliking the strict rules of his kingdom and acting as he pleases, sometimes getting his friends into trouble. Despite this, Noctis is protective of his friends. Three young men accompany Noctis: Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto; their relationship resembles that of the kyodai (brothers) and shatei (little brothers) in the Yakuza hierarchy. The four are later joined by the captain of the Royal Guard, Cor Leonis, who has little patience for their antics.

Story
Noctis and friends, Ignis, his royal advisor; Gladiolus, his bodyguard; and Prompto, his childhood friend, set out on a road trip to Altissia to meet with Luna. On their way across the countryside they pass by numerous monsters and an astral shard.

Gameplay
Noctis displays unearthly skills in battle, wielding a variety of weapons including swords, spears, axes, and firearms, 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 Dengeki article, it was revealed these powers can only be used by members of the royal family and the royal council, 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.

Noctis can use any weapon type in the game, and can wield multiple different weapons in a single battle thanks to his special ability. In the 1st Production Department Premier trailer, he primarily attacks using his sword, but is also 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. In the Tokyo Game Show 2014 trailer Noctis continues to mainly wield a sword and performs coordinated attacks with his party members. When not equipping a weapon he can evade enemy attacks.

While in the story Noctis is the only character to use magic, the gameplay is adjusted so the supporting party members can also use it. Noctis's 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 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. Noctis will be the only party member able to warp.

Creation and Development
As with other characters in Final Fantasy XV, 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's initial clothing design by Tetsuya Nomura was a placeholder, to be replaced with an ensemble by Roen. Test gameplay footage screened privately at TGS 2009 unveiled Noctis's 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 was stated to play a 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.

A physical set of Noctis's clothes are kept in the Square Enix office so the CG team can see them to create the same image in the game. Tetsuya Nomura has commented that this is easier, because previously when he created the characters, the CG team would ask him questions of the clothes' material and other detailed questions that were difficult to define precisely.

With the change of name and platform and Tabata taking the reins the game was no longer going to be "the exact same game", as some things had to re-evaluated to fit the change of circumstances. But Tabata has assured the game did not lose its core, and he had sat down with Tetsuya Nomura about the direction of the title to ensure that characters, like Noctis, would be maintained in the best possible way.

Merchandise
Like Lightning, Sephiroth and Cloud Strife, Noctis also has his own eau de toilette scent sold by Square Enix Japan.

Etymology
Noctis Lucis Caelum is a Latin phrase that may mean either "Sky of the Night's Light" or "Sky of the Light's Night". Noctis and his father, King Regis, thus share a similar naming theme pertaining light and sky.

Tetsuya Nomura has commented on why he named Noctis as such, juxtaposing him to another one of his favorites, Sora from the Kingdom Hearts series.

Trivia

 * Noctis appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy as a set of two player icons to represent then-titled 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 that is later used on the cover of the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD re-release.