Noctis Lucis Caelum

a character from a game

Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noct for short, is a playable character and the protagonist of Final Fantasy XV. He is a prince, the last heir to a dynasty of the kingdom of Lucis, being the last kingdom to have control over crystals. From his throne, he 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 becomes able to see the "light", and he gains the power to foresee a person's death.

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 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 Tetsuya Nomura, his hair and eyes can change color along with his emotions and actions in battle.

Noctis is said to be a 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, but that he will be a type of character not yet been seen in the series, one which Nomura has wanted to try out for a long time. Nomura says Noctis will have a strong and distinctive personality, and will not be a "silent, gloomy little boy". In a Dengeki interview, Nomura explained Noctis is not cool, but rather 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 the Tokyo Game Show footage, Noctis has a short conversation with Stella about the two of them seeing a form of "light". Stella explains 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 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.

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 male characters 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.

In Battle
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 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. 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 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.

Noctis's 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 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.

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 is 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 actually 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.

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.
 * Noctis bears a strong resemblance with manga and anime character, Sasuke Uchiha, from the Naruto franchise.