| “ | I'll never forgive you, Somnus. This monster may not be able to destroy you, but I'll see to it that I destroy everything you built! Hear me, gods above! No longer shall I supplicate you for pardon. No longer shall I sojourn towards the light. Nay... the path I intend to tread is paved with blood and darkness. No longer shall I seek your guidance. This path is mine to tread alone. Hahahahahaha, hahahahahaha, hahahahahahahaha. | „ |
| ~ Ardyn announcing his goal |
Summary
Ardyn Izunia (Formerly known as Ardyn Lucis Caelum) is the main antagonist of Final Fantasy XV. Over two thousand years before the game, Ardyn was set as the King of Lucis destined to purge the world of the monstrous creatures known as daemons. However, he found himself in a trap set up by his brother Somnus who declared himself as king and accused him as a traitor, chaining him in Angelgard where he would remain for two thousand years due to having absorbed a vast quantity of the energy of the Starscourge, giving him immortality. Soon after being freed, he adopted the surname "Izunia" and swore revenge on the brother that betrayed him, awaiting the day on which he would destroy the True King and the Crystal.
At some point in the future, Ardyn became the Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire, but despite his rank, he seemed to hold more authority than Emperor Iedolas Aldercapt himself. When the game begins, Ardyn appears at random points in Noctis' journey to offer the prince and his allies advice and even assistance, to bring Noctis closer to the Crystal and his destiny as the King of Light.
Powers and Stats
Tier: At least 6-B, higher with Arminger Arsenal, possibly High 6-A | At least High 6-B, possibly High 6-A
Name: Ardyn Izunia, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Adagium
Origin: Final Fantasy XV
Gender: Male
Age: 33 during Episode Ardyn: Prologue. Over 2,000 years old as of Final Fantasy XV
Classification: Human infused with Daemonic Energy, Former Chancellor of Niflheim
Powers and Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weapon Mastery, Magic, Aura, Flight, Teleportation, Duplication, Intangibility, Time Stop, Illusion Creation, Absorption, Fire Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Electricity Manipulation, Air Manipulation, Light Manipulation, Darkness Manipulation, Mind Manipulation (Brainwashed The Fierce into fighting the party, after which The Fierce claimed "his mind was not his own"; before doing the same with The Rogue and The Mystic), Memory Manipulation (Can see the memories of those he Daemonifies, and has abused this power to learn as much of Lucis as he could), Biological Manipulation/Corruption (Can turn people into Daemons with Daemonification), Immortality (Types 1 and 3), Regeneration (At least High-Mid; casually regenerated from being frozen solid and shattered, likely Low-Godly; implied to not need his original physical form to live, and that no damage to it would matter in the long run, including the total destruction of it), Summoning (Can summon various weapons in battle as well as Ifrit to aid him), Forcefield Creation (Recreated the Wall around the Citadel), Telekinesis, Resistance towards Fire Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Electricity Manipulation and Darkness Manipulation (With Shield of the Just)
Attack Potency: At least Country level, higher with Arminger Arsenal, possibly Multi-Continent level (Comparable to post-timeskip Noctis, wields the same Armiger Arsenal used by his descendants. Fought and defeated King Regis in his prime) | At least Large Country level, possibly Multi-Continent level (Far stronger than before in Dawn of the Future, had the power of the past Kings and fought Bahamut in the Beyond)
Speed: At least Relativistic+ (Capable of keeping up with Post-Timeskip Noctis), Lightspeed with Warp Strike (Can also use the Warp Strike, which travels at the speed of light) | At least FTL (far faster than before, should be comparable to King of Light Noctis)
Lifting Strength: Class T (Comparable to Noctis)
Striking Strength: At least Country Class, higher with Arminger Arsenal, possibly Multi-Continent Class | At least Large Country Class, possibly Multi-Continent Class
Durability: At least Country level, higher with Arminger Arsenal, possibly Multi-Continent level (Tanked attacks from Noctis, survived a full power blast from Noctis' Armiger Arsenal, only finally going down after being struck by all 13 of his Royal Arms in succession after the fact) | At least Large Country level, possibly Multi-Continent level
Stamina: Extremely high
Range: Extended melee range with various weapons. Hundreds of meters with magic. Tens of kilometers with warping and Armiger Arsenal.
Standard Equipment: Thirteen Royal Arms
Intelligence: Despite his frivolous and lighthearted exterior, Ardyn is wickedly intelligent. Being the Chancellor of Niflheim, Ardyn is incredibly skilled in the arts of negotiation and deception, effectively ruling the empire despite his lack of royal title, convincing Lucis to sign a false peace treaty with Niflheim, and tricking the entire party into believing that he was simply an ordinary traveler, never realizing his true identity until Ardyn told them himself. He also invented the process for converting humans into completely inorganic Magitek Infantry, a deed that fueled his rise to his position as Chancellor and paved the way for the rest of his plans. In combat, Ardyn fights almost identically to his descendant, Noctis, summoning a wide variety of different weapons in battle and swapping between them on a whim. To this end, his long life has granted him thousands of years of experience dealing with Daemons and any other enemies in his path, allowing him to evenly duel Noctis despite the latter’s awakening as the King of Light.
Weaknesses: Ardyn is somewhat arrogant and likes to taunt his enemies. He can be killed permanently by destroying his soul in the spirit world with the Ring of Lucii's power.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
Armiger Arsenal: Much like his descendant, Ardyn is capable of channeling the power of the previous Kings of Lucis and manifest their weapons around him, granting him flight and far higher power and speed.
- Sword of the Wise: The same blade wielded by his descendants Noctis and Regis, Ardyn utilizes it to warp around his foes, attacking their blindspots with devastating warp-strikes.
- Axe of the Conqueror: A heavy axe wielded by a king known for his feats of arms. It is designed to wreak havoc with slow and devastating blows at the cost of Ardyn's defense.
- Bow of the Clever: The bow of a king known for his martial and intellectual prowess, it launches a constant supply of piercing arrows that can be quickly drawn and fired while on the move.
- Swords of the Wanderer: A pair of swords wielded by the king said to be a swift as the winds themselves, they allow Ardyn to unleash a deadly series of quick slashes and can combine for thundering attacks.
- Blade of the Mystic: A longsword wielded by the king who sought to protect the world along with the Oracle, it bolsters Ardyn's strength while it is in hand. It also increases the wielder's resistance to the powers of darkness.
- Star of the Rogue: A throwing star wielded by a queen who took to the shadows and shunned the public's watchful eye, it can rapidly strike a single target multiple times or bounce between various targets. It also increases Ardyn's resistance to fire, lightning, and ice attacks.
- Sword of the Tall: A greatsword wielded by a king as well-built as the mountains themselves, it resonates in its wielder's hand, striking its victims multiple times with a single swing at the expense of the wielder's resistance to the elements.
- Shield of the Just: A shield that protected the queen devoted to peace and love for all, it automatically deflects oncoming attacks and allows Ardyn to expend magical energy to quickly heal himself. It also raises his resistance to fire, ice, lightning, and dark attacks at the expense of raw offensive power.
- Mace of the Fierce: A mace wielded by a king who was gentle to his people but a monster to his foes, it possesses an affinity for causing grievous harm to body parts and appendages, crushing them and thus rendering them useless.
- Scepter of the Pious: A staff wielded by a king who ruled according to divine law and worked in tandem with the Oracle, it takes upon numerous forms to smite its foes, obliterating them with swords of divine light. This staff also dramatically increases the wielder's resistance to the powers of darkness.
- Trident of the Oracle: The weapon wielded by the Oracle, who brought man and god together and brought comfort and tranquility to the stars above. It can produce holograms and afterimages of the wielder that can also attack foes.
- Katana of the Warrior: An oriental blade wielded by the King whose Queen was taken from him too soon, it can be drawn and strike in a single heartbeat and crushes foes relentlessly with a cascade of blows. It also increases the wielder's resistance to fire, ice, and lightning, but lowers their resistance to darkness.
- Sword of the Father: The sword wielded by King Regis, father of the True King, it is a mighty sword designed that nurtures the light and increases the power of one's finishing blows.
- Astrals: Manifestations of the power of the stars, Astrals function as the creatures Ardyn can summon after he forges a pact with them. Unlike Noctis, Ardyn only has one Astral available to him:
- Ifrit, the Infernian: An Astral with an intense dislike for humanity, Ifrit appears as an immensely tall man with red skin and horns, resembling more typical interpretations of the demonic figure known as Satan. True to his title, Ifrit specializes in fire attacks, his entire body wreathed in flames to cause harm to all who touch him. He also can turn himself into a fire to evade enemy attacks. In addition to his command over fire, Ifrit has proven himself to a remarkably agile and skilled combatant, as even his mindless, reanimated corpse was able to dodge the entirety of Bahamut's Ultima Sword with a series of acrobatic maneuvers.
Key: Base | Dawn of the Future
Others
Notable Victories:
Notable Losses:
Inconclusive Matches:
