Why Darth Nihilus is the PERFECT Villain

Darth Nihilus often gets hate for being an 'easy' boss and thus a bad Villain. But in this video, I'm going to explain why being an easy boss makes him the perfect Villain!
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May the force be with you, always.

[@100StarWars]

Let me know down below, do you think Nihilus is a good Villain? Or are you of the persuasion that he is a bad one? Also, 1:05 is perfectly visually synced with 'blah, blah blah' and I didn't mean it but it's hilarious to me.

[@mikeor-]

Yes, Darth Nihilus does have more dimension than many others, but I still think Kreia is a better character. Unfortunately, the fact that I played KotOR II only once makes it so that I do not have an attachment to the second game, unlike the first. KotOR itself, to me, is superior to the second game.

[@ComicalJaclyn]

I am of the belief that Nihilus is overrated by the community, (in terms of strength), but when it comes to writing; I don’t think he’s a bad character. Though I do prefer Kreia and Sion.

[@Kolonol1]

Darth Nihilus is one of my favorites. And here is the part that I think Everyone misses. Darth Nihilus is easy to beat only to Meetra Surik. No one else can defeat him because he can simply consume him. He is backed up by the entirety of the force as a wound. And ONLY after he tried to consume the Exile. Who is also a wound in the force, did he become weak. If palpatine, or Vitiate, or Vader, or Revan, or anyone else wanted to fight him, he wouldn't need to even draw his blade....he would just consume them. Because he existed as the force.

[@AndreNitroX]

Please make a Darth Bane video

[@killgriffinnow]

The problem with your analysis is that Darth Nilhus actually CAN destroy planets. The point about mental health is that these anxieties and things like that are not, ultimately, capable of having that sort of power over people. It would be much more impactful if he actually couldn’t do any of those things, or if he could then they absolutely should have given him these powers at the end. Just because I disagree with you, and that I think they really should have made him more powerful, doesn’t mean I have “fundamentally missed the point”.

[@lordnihilus3198]

Darth Nihilus is the litteral drug addict of the force. He drained a life out of one person, and all his pain was gone. Yet the pain returned even worse than before, and he wanted to feel it again. Eventually, he held all power, yet his hunger could not be satisfied. Darth Nihilus is easily one of if not the most tragic character in Star Wars, imagine the fact that the energy of an entire planet is not able to sustain your pain.

[@lordnihilus3198]

@Fiky yeah 100% Star Wars is the best

[@mitchellalexander9162]

The Lord of Hunger is a just as much of a shackle of enslavement, as much as it is a title to be feared.

[@astroboy6515]

That is one idea I have had as well. Especially given how addiction hollows a person's mind, both literally and metaphorically, and Nihilus slowly consumed himself as he pursued his addiction until only it remained. His addiction killed him and haunted his death robes, killing everyone else. Jesus

[@cdeschrevel5341]

I had my small problems with some chemicals back in the day but none really fcked me totally. But apart from the obvious reference I have the idea that it stretches out to the existential nihilism as a bad example of what happens if logic stays logic but you understanding very well that you will die if you follow this path in your mind

[@LoganSewell83]

Did you forget the Jedi Council? When Kreia numbed them from the Force the entire Council dropped dead. Cold turkey is very dangerous.

[@discombobulatedecho6025]

Me as an adult: “Wow this is a well-written character that truly gets us to understand the consequences of what the Dark Side is and poses a juxtaposition to the player’s choices and is holds a mirror to one’s actions. Truly a Shakespearean work of art.” Me as a kid: “Haha I like the Spooky Sith man” Also me as an adult: “Hehehe I like spooky Sith man”

[@Bearical]

black man cool

[@gabrielandjavierpinales3689]

As kids we found him cool . Even if he's terrifying.

[@theobell2002]

"Truly a Shakespearean work of art." You sound like a reddit atheist who's sniffing his own farts on the regular. lmao

[@Reaper_Rapi]

It's funny how nihilist is literally nothing but a floating mask and a floating cloak

[@shyper17]

I liked Nihilus before I actually played KOTOR lmao.

[@cybertramon0012]

The villains of Kotor 2 (mainly Nihilus and Sion) always felt like a great example of the downsides of the Dark Side. Both had incredible powers thanks to the Dark Side of the Force. Sion was practically immortal, always coming back after being killed; while Nihilus is pretty much proof that something like the Death Star is nothing compared to the power of the Force. But they both also had major problems. Sion was in constant pain from his injuries. He was only alive because he held onto his hate. Against a female Exile, he needed to kill them because he felt love for them, and that love threatened his ability to keep on living. He had eternal life, at the cost of not actually being alive. And Nihilus was consumed by his hunger for the Force. He was pretty much a slave to his own power, with no greater ambitions than to kill everything. It wasn't even a question of if Nihilus would die, only how much would he consume before then.

[@Reaper_Rapi]

So basically the Darkside leads to depression

[@realhasan121]

@@Reaper_Rapiwith cool powers that could kill you

[@davidbarlow5272]

They were all good. They each reflected a part of the Exile. The pain she went thru and had to hold her self together. The burn hunger she felt after her loss of the force. Her betrayal at the hands of the Jedi which offered no help in her recovery but yet exiled her. when you think about it this is a story of drug abuse.

[@DarkLOREDash]

I always think of Nihilus as a terrifying precursor to the supposedly even MORE POWERFUL Sith Lords promised for the unmade KOTOR 3. Can you even imagine?

[@Kolonol1]

That's a good point about it too. Kotor 3 would have been what SWTOR is only in a single game with a much better ending to the whole thing

[@shaydowsith348]

Well, vitiate is damn powerful

[@historicflame972]

Instead we got the british

[@Kolonol1]

@@shaydowsith348 he is consume a planet powerful but is he consuming the Galaxy powerful? Lol

[@NumbingDisasterAnon]

I wanted to see what lies at the edge of the unexplored regions, what utter horrors lie in wait for Revan and the Exile and whatever party members we'd find out there

[@TetsuShima]

He never spoke a single understandable word and yet, he was much more epic and profound than every Sequel Trilogy's villain combined. That's how awesome he was

[@danielsuarez3198]

Don't forget the fact that he could kill someone by just talking...

[@KraytDragon1138]

Not that the sequels set a very high bar...

[@FormerGovernmentHuman]

It’s what he represented so perfectly. He would consume the universe if left alive, he is almost like a cardinal sin incarnate. The aspect of gluttony. He is a slave to his hunger, far worse than the worst case of opioid addiction and he can’t possibly control it or his power. A terrifying state of being the epitome of slavery to the dark side.

[@BallerDan53]

@@KraytDragon1138 right, lmao. That doesn't say much 😂

[@historicflame972]

Not a single understandable word if you don't understand minecraft enchantment table*

[@infernonigh0]

The writing in KOTOR2 just blows my mind, what a story. We're lucky to have had this gem as a part of our childhoods.

[@mattcoyle1620]

I've heard hype that people want Revan in NuCanon. I'd rather have Kreia and Nihilus.

[@infernonigh0]

@@mattcoyle1620 Awesome idea.. imagine how epic the films would be, if Disney just listened to the fans!

[@kotorevan313]

You could also make this case with Darth Sion as well. He’s hyped up to be this incredibly powerful villain who bathes in pain and uses it to its fullest extent to keep him alive and constantly regenerate…. However, he’s not that difficult to beat when you get to Malachor. I think the main reason Sion and Nihilus aren’t as hard to beat is because Kreia set them up that way. They not only betrayed her but were also seen as failures who lost sight of what Kreia tried to teach. Remember, Kreia sent Nihilus to Telos knowing full well there were no Force Users there to consume. She also knew Meetra would be far too powerful for Sion to beat away from Korriban.

[@elwarofficial]

But he at least cant die and you have to break his will - the first time he kept reviving you know you wondered if you were doing something wrong

[@elwarofficial]

The Scion being not powerful if far from Korriban thing is tough when Malachor has arguably more dark side energy

[@wongtongsoup9534]

It was more than just being sent to Telos that killed him. What truly weakened him to the point of being killable is that he attempted to use his power on you. The Jedi Exile is a wound in the force just like Nihilus and Sion. You can't drain force energy from a wound it's like trying to drain something from nothing. The exertion he used in attempting to consume you combined with the fact that there wasn't a large group of force users to feast upon on Telos's surface is what defeats him. I like the ideas 100% Star Wars is trying to convey but it's not the fact that you have healed from your journey that makes it so Nihilus's power doesn't affect you. It is your nature in of itself as a wound in the force not a journey of healed trauma. Your journey in healing your trauma is what really enables you to understand Sion and to convince him to let go of his twisted form of life and power and to finally rest. So he's right in terms of Sion but not right in terms of Nihilus. Nihilus doesn't give a fuck if you've healed from your trauma or not if you have a connection to the force that's what matters and your damaged connection to the force is his undoing. Hope this info helped! Cheers.

[@DBArtsCreators]

It is interesting that for some reason Sion is supposedly stronger on Korriban than Malachor.

[@matiasvonbischhoffshausen1307]

​​​@@wongtongsoup9534Sion wasn't a wound in the force. His ability to regenerate constantly and his immortality cane from the hatred he had. There is also a cut scene where the Lord of Pain confronted the Lord of Hunger, where Nihilus fed from Sion and his team without any problem, and Sion came back to life after that. Good point, anyway.

[@JoeFanik]

It’d be cool if within the Old Republic era there was a cult that worshipped Nihilus. Whenever a follower is deemed “worthy” enough, they would be fed to Nihilus under the guise that it’s a great honor

[@existentialselkath1264]

I think the implication that the exile (being a wound in the force) is the only person who renders nihilus' powers (feeding on the force) useless is pretty easy to miss. A lot of blind playthroughs I've seen seem to think that the player beats nihilus simply because they're the player, which comes across as obviously pretty bad writing.

[@Kolonol1]

I think so far you have been the only other person I've run into who understands this.

[@MetalicNightmare]

Exactly! But everybody talks about nihilus like hes some useless idiot that only spams force drain, and act like his power can be countered by people who are not wounds in the force. Such an underrated character

[@tgs5725]

I could be an idiot... but I've played through KOTOR 2 roughly 5-6 times and never knew that. I thought I beat him because I had ultimately become more powerful than him. Damn it now I have to go play it again!

[@Drave_Jr.]

@@tgs5725 Yeah, you beat him with two wounds in the force, I think Visas is close enough in the trauma to have resistance, and a Mandalorian. He absorbs the Force, at a time where the Force is the main weapon of the Jedi. Your crew is uniquely suited to beat him.

[@tgs5725]

@@Drave_Jr. that's pretty bad ass. That adds a new element to the story I didn't know.

[@the_exile8293]

I love that interpretation of Darth Nihilus! I always found that character intriguing because of that boss fight, because of how the game present it to you. For me it was to humanize the character and show what the dark side could do on a broken man. but the way you present it with the themes of the games makes total sense. And I love it

[@astroboy6515]

I think Nihilus is a fantastic villain! Maybe anticlimactic, but ultimately haunting and fascinating. I think he's a living personification of death - perhaps the closest thing star wars will ever have to a demon or malignant force entity. We don't know who Nihilus used to be, and we dont need to. He's like the Joker, he could have been anyone, from any walk of life. He was a human, probably force sensitive, who survived an entire world being killed at once. Death involves many godawful emotions, but what represents it best perhaps is the lack of emotion itself. Emptiness in a place you werent even paying attention to. Through the force, you can feel every life a person touched, and the resulting hollowing out of these lives upon death. To feel all of this at once, may imply something worse than a person burying themselves in an unhealthy coping mechanism of the dark side. I think, Nihilus is an environmental phenomenon. If you kill a planet, it might be safer to finish the job with a Death Star. Otherwise the Force itself may collapse into a singularity of Death, repeating itself wherever it can. And I think said singularity consumed whoever Nihilus was years ago. There is no consciousness there, his voice is just his own echo from a ghost. Death itself became sentient and self-perpetuating through Nihilus. Or something, idk

[@DrinkingMud]

I really like this take, I always liked nihilus, it never bothered me that the boss fight was easy, because he always worked well as the ominous, looming threat. But I never considered him as a metaphor for mental health struggles. Its what makes KOTOR 2 so amazing honestly, so many different ways to interpret the game and its message

[@jaylucien669]

Darth Scion > Darth Nihilus. Nihilus is very overrated IMO.

[@igorschiavo8883]

All of KotOR II’s main villains are awesome, it’s great how they are so many things at once. Reflections of the Jedi Exile, representations of the classical archetypes of horror(zombie, witch and ghost/vampire), representations of characteristics of the dark side and so much more. Also great how each is a very different kind of villain. Atris is also incredible, even though she is less prominent in the game.

[@lewok4834]

I feel like Meetra's and Darth Nihilus' fight being so easy makes sense for the 2 of them. In a way they are kind of like opposites too. Meetra is a being a flesh and has a physical body living without the force while Nihilus, is a mask and a robe forges to him with the force and he needs to consume the life force of people and jedi to be able to live. His easy defeat makes sense in ever way - Visas disconnecting her connection through the force to weaken Nihilus weakens him because she is almost like a portable, small fuel source for him of the force - getting Nihilus to try and consume the force out of you weakens him because there is nothing for him to consume, and thus weakens himself by wasting his energy.

[@twistedvtuber9894]

The issue I have with Nihilus is that he's barely in the game in comparison to his 2 counterparts, with Scion being a constant threat throughout the story, and Kreia being... well Kreia... While Nihilus is just kinda in the background until it's time for him to die. They could have had moments where he consumes planets that you visit, maybe even have you witness it first hand and have to escape the dying world. In the state of the game, he kinda just exists, and isn't really part of the story

[@onestupidboi9320]

I've heard people say that he is empty and hollow and has little character, and my response is always "exactly"

[@100StarWars]

Hahaha

[@Rewwgh]

Nihilus is fine, always been alright in my books. Nothing exciting but not terrible either. I enjoyed your take regardless. Cheers!

[@notevines]

Nihilus has always been one of my favourite Sith, his story is what drew me in. His destructive power and insatiable hunger, the fact when he did speak, his veery speech could cause pain and death, honestly is terrifying to me. For a fictional character to scare me, it always makes them a favourite of mine (like The Joker)

[@siggelsson891]

Great video! I've always been critical against Nihilus in K2 for the exact reasons you mentioned. But this really made me think about it!

[@siggelsson891]

First I thought K1 was better then K2. I think K2 needs a careful playthrough to even understand the story. I basically rushed the first time I played it, then I replayed the game with TSLRCM and now I think K2 i superior to K1 without a thought

[@Kyfas7]

I admit when I was younger I was like that, thinking that Nihilus was a bit anticlimactic. Well maybe I was a bit too young to understand a lot of the game when I first played it. It took me replaying in many years latter and watching your videos (not this one, some older ones) to finally understand and appreciate this character.

[@derrickstorm6976]

Well, this should be interesting... Themes should be the basic idea of the story and the characters, not their events and actions. Ironically, this is why incorporating modern politics into entertainment ruined shows like 'Kenobi' and BOBF; you write a story based on what you want the audience to perceive, but you can't have the story happen *because* of what your message is. You can't make Obi-Wan be a thoughless and unskilled moron just so you can make a 10-y-o Leia seem like a badass child genius in comparison, or make the enemy of the villain lose because what they represent be the losing side of a comparison between ideals. Only reason this somewhat works with Nihilus is because he's such an ethereal being, not a person but a tangible reflection of what idea you want the player to go against, but it's such a poor example in how to write an in-depth villain. *Imagine* if Palpatine's force lightning had rebounded from Luke back towards him when he was killing Luke on the Second Death Star, because he was selfish/evil/murderous/white slaver/what ever and Luke was not, instead of Vader sacrificing himself to save his son. Sounds idiotic and superficial, but that's basically how Nihilus' defeat was written

[@miqvPL]

while I generally agree with you I have an advice- try not to talk themes when defending character writing. Themes are basically connect the dots for adults, pattern recognition usually written with nice words. Nihilus is a great alternative dark mirror for Exile just like Sion is, in a different way. What the jedi masters talk about, a wound in the force negatively affecting everything around it. That is, I think, the most important part of that character. Details we learn about him show how twisted can an uncontrolled dark side be, what happens to sith consumed completely by it, those unable to properly control it or go to far with it, drunk with power. As far as writing 101 goes for interesting villains Nihilus is pretty shallow. He checks the most important parts but it wouldn't hurt to flesh him out a bit more, some parts like his connection to his padawan could be explored a bit. Mystery of this character plays a huge part of what makes him interesting but you can explore a character and add more mystery/questions along the way to make him even more interesting. As for the boss battle- I found it a bit disappointing, but I blame it on the technical side of the game- you would need a proper cutscene to show the intricacies of his relation to Exile, what we got didn't make it justice. So: perfect? No. Very good? Yes. Sion is done much better since he gets more dialogue and his lines are written wonderfully, not to say that the voice acting is making my skin crawl. And the boss battle is much more interesting and better done since game mechanics support the idea better. What is perfect is how all 3 villains work together in the game. Nihilus stays in the shadows, Sion is in active pursuit and is established extremely early as a major threat to you and the Republic. And Traya, well, we could talk for hours and not cover her as much as she deserves. Hiding in plain sight, keep your friends close but your enemies closer kind of thing.

[@thestanleys3657]

"the darkside of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural"-Palps Nihilus is a dark mirror of the jedi exile

[@ultralevixz5912]

Hes probably my 2nd fav antagonist after Kreia and my 3rd fav character after Kreia and Revan

[@KosMik_Skul]

isn't that so many goddamn every "SW fan" of late of so many but most especially if prequel fans? they all think that the force users r supposed to be gods n every battle is supposed to be this epic super hero anime moment battle of spectacle n essentially force unleashed type insanity. (I'm not shitting on those games just the quick easy OP perception of them, i would argue they have some more subtlety too n either way they're supposed to be more fun) but that's so typical n annoying. most people miss the point it seems like...

[@everythingmanny]

Dude I came here to watch some cool Star Wars lore but you breaking down mental health and saying to take it step by step to heal . Man that touched me bro great video thats deeper than the subject matter ❤️ thanks

[@100StarWars]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@TheDarknessFR]

im ok with what u tell on the video, i LOVE nihilus but im ok too with people blaming the fight, we can agree how trash the battle is, i hope in the remake we had a better one without change how we win

[@BorealGames]

This is a great explanation of Nihilus, as someone who's actively dealing with trauma the "hole" you feel is indescribable. This game always held a special place in my heart due to the comparable feelings of some of it's characters .

[@SuperXero89]

Honestly it's mostly because he shows up at the beginning of the game, disappears for the entire thing, and then he pops up again at the end and you murder him in two hits.

[@jeditempleguardcaptain7519]

Nihilus will always be my favorite member of The SITH Triumvirate based solely on the spine tingling I get when I hear visas and traya telling his story

[@user-yv7mu9en6v]

jedi are just scared, weak and scared, scared and weak. very scared and weak. not strong like big bad sith black man.

[@TetsuShima]

Nihilus: *Feeds himself by devouring the life force of all planets* Also Nihilus: *Gets quickly defeated by a Jedi who was rediscovering her powers* Visas: "How the hell could you beat him so easily, master?!" Meetra: "We are in a video game, Visas. Do not try to find any logic" Visas: "B-But ..." Meetra: "Would you be so kind as to pick up his mask? Atton will love seeing me wearing it next time we bang in the hyperdrive room!"

[@twinodoom]

Nihilus's power feeds on those who cannot live without the Force. Naturally, it would have little defense against one who has lived without the Force for years.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Isn't the mask cursed according to other Legends side material though?

[@isaiahlomeli6454]

@@michaelandreipalon359 yeah his masked is cursed

[@chrischin_94]

@@isaiahlomeli6454 that's why I didn't tell Visas to grab the mask for me. Beat him only a couple hours ago so this video was good timing

[@Kolonol1]

@@isaiahlomeli6454 no the mask is not cursed, his spirit is contained within the mask, Nihilus never actually dies

[@jamiethomas3768]

Darth Nihilus has ALWAYS scared me with his dark Phantom Of The Opera vibes. And he makes a perfect villain🦹‍♀️for my Gem💎Titans sagas series.

[@MisterDanger01]

You forget that he got beaten becouse of surik beeing also a wound in the force and visas weakening him trough her bond with nihilus, a wound in the force can only be sealed by a wound in the force, no sith or normal jedi would be ever be able to beat him, no matter how powerfull.

[@MrMctuck]

That shot in 10:40 seems to be a Death Star reference in some way, I don't know if it was intentional but a nice touch by Obsidian regardless

[@CabyBaby]

I already loved Darth Nihilus but this video just made me love him even more, if anyone doesn’t know he was literally created by the dark side after a planet malachor v was destroyed by a very unconventional and deadly weapon, he’s “a wound in the force” a living reminder that when we do terrible things, terrible things happen, and sometimes when terrible things happen, we can become like Nihilus if we so choose, inflicting our suffering unto everyone else, but it will only end in pain…

[@jedirayden]

As an enemy in the boss fight, he's easy to beat, and the fight itself is forgettable. BUT as a character, Nihilus is a terrifying villain. I've never forgotten how in awe of him I was, on my first playthrough.

[@MrWill9002]

A tragic villain indeed. And I still look for the day where we see why the Jedi (especially the council) were so…well, arrogant

[@Gyrannon]

Concerning "Subverting Expectations" - There is a right way to do it and then there's Rhian's idiotic way of doing it. I've personally never reached that point of KOTOR 2, don't have a reason why either. How the game translates the characters, I mean seriously, one of the hardest things to do is making a worth while ending. But beyond that, video games don't really do a good job of delivering how scary and powerful a villain is, even in other Star Wars games, I'm betting many people think that most enemies are so bloody easy to take down that they wonder why the world or galaxy fears them as they do. I generally don't care how hard or easy they were/are, I care about the lore of their character. Darth Nihilus was extremely powerful for his time, and in comparison to the Sith & Jedi when Anakin was born, they would have been like ants against him. Even many of the Jedi from Nihilus' time were a lot stronger & more powerful than the Jedi of Anakin's time. Darth Sidious, Darth Vader, Obiwan Kenobi, and Mace Windu may have seemed powerful compared to Nihilus & Revan, but they really weren't, they were incredibly weak by comparison. Darth Nihilus was able to devour the souls and even the life energy of a planet, no sith lord in Sidious' time was even close to that level of power. And besides, the films & tv shows don't have an RPG system involving levels, so judging a character based on levels is a pretty dumb way to judge a character. Every star wars character imo struggles with something, something that weighs them down. Nihilus from what I gathered is a very tragic villain. He didn't become this way by choice. He was on a planet that a super weapon was used on, and in his desperation to live, he subconsciously drew in the energy caused by that weapon, and he became a literal monster. He wasn't even a Sith Lord then, it was either that or die, and in that moment, he really wanted to live. If he knew what he would become, he'd likely choose to die instead. His force ability that allows him devours souls & life is that keeps him alive is the very thing that is also killing him. I think every Sith Lord would agree that is a sad existence, stalling the inevitable with no hope of escape. Its like feeding your cancer just so it will kill you slowly instead of quickly. One way to look at it, you're not defeating him, you're ending his torment.

[@dannybeane2069]

I mean part of the point of why Darth Nihilus was easy was your team was literally the perfect foil to beat him from a tactical perspective. The Jedi Exile was a wound in the force that would cause Nihilus pain if he tried to use his greatest strength of force drain on you. (which thematically is the equivalent of him unable to reconcile with his trauma; he's so far gone he can't physically do it). Visas Marr was Nihilus' force bond, so hurting her would end up hurting himself; something you can even exploit if you need to. Then Canderous, while not immune to the force, is someone who does not depend on the force and is adapt at killing force users, and served under Mandalore the Ultimate AND Revan. He's by far the strongest, organic, non-force user in the party. The only other better choice might have been HK-47, but I believe during the time of this battle, he was dealing with Telos' HK factory. You stacked the deck so much in your favor, that it's no wonder Nihilus folded as easily as he did.

[@comicbookguy89]

And to those who want a "real" reason why Nihilus wasn't overpowered in the final fight. He was hungry, he hadn't fed in awhile and craving. He was in a weakened state. And The Exile was a wound, an emptiness. He couldn't drain them because there was nothing to drain. But what I love about the Kotor 2 villains is that: Nihulus = Exile: Two forces wounded and empty, searching to fill the void within them. One heals, the other doesn't. Sion = Atton: Two individuals full of anger and loathing. Both "unkillable", Atton can't be killed so long as someone else is fighting, he will keep reviving and fighting until everyone around him falls, and Sion just keeps fighting. One does so out of selfish reasons, the other does so to protect others. Kreia = Traya: Quite literally. The Triumvirate is mirrored in the first 3 main party members. It's a beautiful symmetry. Kreia even says that she is a mirror, only showing you what you can't already see. That the "villains" mirror the "heroes"

[@jwinnfield9192]

This video was a surprise, but a welcome one. I find Nihilus endlessly fascinating. The concept of a wound in the force. Like water will find a way through any cracks. It won’t stop draining until there is no more water (life force). But I enjoyed this analysis of the meaning of Nihilus, the warning he represents. 👏 MTFBWYA

[@100StarWars]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@willek1335]

I love the character and I appreciate the video, but I'm not sure. Watch the video "The Terror of Darth Nihilus (As Explained by Kreia)", then fight the battle. Sometimes the simple answer is the best solution. I think they tweaked his numbers wrong or some similar minor error of execution. It doesn't feel intentional, but for the sake of argument, let's say it was intentional. If Visas or the Exile commented "wow that was much easier than I first thought", then there would be a connection with the game's intent to subvert and it's execution. There wasn't, and so you feel one thing while the game tries to tell you something else. The dissonance. Subverting expectations is a fancy term that means to surprise or challenge what you expected of the plot, but it require intent. When Kreia entered the scene in the academy, I never in a million years expected that scene, however. The in-game build-up and aftermath reflected the subversion. Your companions show up and doesn't trust Kreia, something is afoot. Afterward, they debate what just happened in a way that match our own feelings. In Nihilus' case, they build up, then nothing. In the end, they don't reflect on how he was nothing. Darth Nihilus could've been executed better. (pun intended)

[@BeyondTheOutterRim]

Yes! Better than anything Disney SW has made. Plus they threw in Sion for free!!! Free bro and Kreia!! I love Kreia. Even Atris was written better than anything Disney has done. Please Aspyr 🙏 remake these game correct.

[@shawngillogly6873]

A thing can be two things. Yes, thematically Nihilus is a great villain for the game. Yes, it makes sense that his great force power cannot harm the Exile. But still, Nihilus being a challenging battle would not have harmed that theme. Indeed, it had the tools to show us how powerful our healing had become. By overcoming a powerful foe in a desperate battle. Sion communicates his love for the Exile despite the comparative ferocity of that encounter. Kreia sees her lesson completed despite that being a difficult encounter. I can't accept that Nihilus being a tame encounter was entirely intentional. Especially given Josh Sawyer's lamentations about how RPGs never have combat to match the quality of the story. And PoE trying to make a system that could both challenge the player and convey a great narrative.

[@LJ-qq8lx]

I usually make joke comments but this is a great video. for people who suffer with mental health... it's just great. Thanks.

[@peterparker1683]

I really wish Nihilus had more screen time. He’s my favorite Sith Lord of all time. I used to be scared of him when I was a kid and the only other Sith that was able to scare me was an unmasked Darth Vader

[@AAhmou]

I also like the detail that the past literally catches up with the exile in the form of a Sith infested Republic Cruiser.

[@CoolPandaTheMovieNerd]

I would really appreciate if they had subtitles for whatever language he spoke.

[@Kisven]

Nihlus represents the one thing that the star wars galaxy doesn't have. Entropy, the force keeps the stars burning and fusing because of its own will. technology never makes another great leap for thousands of years, the galaxy is trapped in a perpetual cycle of war and golden ages of light. But nothing ever progresses beyond the stagnation the force and the light represent and enforce. Nihlus was entropy. the thing the force fears above all. And the exile while being a wound is still the response to this force of nature that is the direct opposition to the force coming to reap the galaxy so that there may be change. Kreia sought entropy without the end of life. To kill the force and invite real evolution into the galaxy. because so long as the force was present the galaxy would be locked in its eternal machinations geared to prevent change. the force feeds on the galaxy as much as it manipulates it.

[@corpsedesecrator2612]

He is my favorite Sith Lord in all of SW along with runner ups Darth Krayt and Exar Kun and the BEST EU character even though Disney Lucasfilm might go through with that remake of KOTOR but I hope they NEVER lay a finger on KOTOR2 I don’t want any of these characters like Meetra Surik turned into a mary sue or butchering of Darth Nihilus, Sion and Kreia and ruining the amazing story of the first Galactic Jedi Purge initiated by the Sith Triumvirate. Back to Darth Nihilus aside being a broken being enslaved by his own Dark Side hunger and a wound in the Force he essentially transcends being a individual being but rather a Entity or a Phenomenon and it leaves you to wonder what he could’ve become had he been left unchecked or Meetra Surik didn’t stop him he could’ve been a catastrophe on the lvl of Abeloth. Even after death the Lord Of Hunger’s Spirit lurks in Korriban being a very impactful Dark Lord along with my favorite!!! Also the Sith Triumvirate was really unique up to that point we had really only seen Order Of The Sith Lords aka Rule Of Two of Darth Bane, Ancient Sith from Tales Of The Jedi stories and we’d see the usual Master Apprentice during the Old Republic era with Exar Kun and Ulic Qel Droma being his Apprentice or Darth Revan with Darth Malak as his apprentice seeing a Triumvirate was really something new and OG as short lived as that alliance was when Darth Traya gets double crossed.

[@GrouchyRaccoon]

Literally anyone other than the Exile would have died facing Nihilus. The reason he became so easy to kill is because he realised he couldn't feed on the Exile, and it crippled him.

[@xxcaptninjaxx4301]

how can people dislike Darth Nihilus to me he is way powerful Sith Lord than palpatine

[@JerryMeehanJr]

God damn you explaining trauma is more on point than my therapist lol

[@lucasball5336]

The reason Nihlus can't "eat" Surik is only because Surik is the original Force black hole. He's a void, but Surik is a greater void in the force, and when he tries to consume her, he instead looses power.

[@KCtheVoiceActor]

I definitely gained a new perspective also this m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6SUoamYgZ52rc0 is what he sounds like

[@OfficialFedHater]

Nihilus really is as strong as everyone says, he would solo Revan, but you as a wound in the force are uniquely suited to defeat him because you lost your connection to the force which Nihilus feeds on.

[@thefortress167]

There's a big difference between not liking a character and the character being poorly written. The problem with Nihilus is that the symbolism around him is so subtle that most people don't even notice it. He's well written, that much is certain. However people don't pay enough attention to the details to notice. That's why there's been numerous characters throughout the generations that took the general audience years to fully understand the symbolism and characterization of. So when people say, "Nihilus is not well written," they haven't thought about it enough. But when someone says "I don't like Nihilus," that's a completely acceptable opinion to have. For instance, I don't like Spider-Man. But I can also agree he's well written, he's just not a character I enjoy. Anyways. I loved the video. Keep up the good work!

[@salvadorcantu7566]

I never thought about it that way. -In my first run I barely talked to my companions so I missed A LOT, basicly all that can be achieved by talking to characters. So I wasnt dissapointed because I didnt know what he was able to do. -On the second run I talked to try and figure everything out. I knew he was a planet killer and when I faced him again, I was like: "oh well, guess for some strange reason he got weakened by trying to use his power on the exile" So I kinda thought that since you and him are wounds in the force, and since you are supposed to be a void in the force, he would weaken himself by trying to drain a void in the force (you). The conversation lit says: "you will expose yourself if you use your power here" (or something along those lines). So I dont get how people could miss that. That would be the explanation I took from the story point of the game. The other thing that I thought was that from the gameplay perspective. Since he was basicly a god and to defeat a god you would have to be godlike yourself, then to reach those levels as a player would make the rest of the game so easy. So they "nerfed" him to make the battle possible while not breaking the game. Out of topic: As a huge Star Wars and Lego fan, Id love to see a Nihulus minigifure, we had TOR sets and I have Satele Shan and Darth Malgus, why not Malak, Kreia, Sion, Nihilus, Bastila, Meetra and pretty much all of the Ebon Hawk characters from both games?

[@BellXllebMusic]

I love almost every aspect of that game. It's the closest to perfection that any story besides the Bible and Mika Waltari's Mikael Hakim has made me feel

[@Dominics_Corner]

I always thought Nihilus’ character was interesting, he seems to be this ominous, powerful entity rather than a human. The way he speaks and his force abilities are unusual. When I was younger and played KOTOR2, he spooked me.

[@matthewtansey2040]

Beautiful take on more meaning to seemingly simple themes. This is awesome and much appreciated! 😎👏🏽

[@jamesc8523]

He's such a strong lore Sith and thematically a great dark vision of your future, it's mostly a case of being mechanically let down, where most of his lore is locked behind Visa and Kreia checks so beyond that to many players he's just a cool mask that appears in some cutscenes and ate all the Jedi off-screen.

[@joshuahobson1592]

The Lord of Hunger walked so Palpatine could run

[@HufflepuffJedi93]

Darth Nihilus was always my favorite Sith Lord. And now you've added layers and depth to that!

[@Kolonol1]

I would really like to see a series. A series where you play through knights of the Old Republic one and two. And give us your narrative through the whole thing. You explaining what you think this means what is so great about this part what is so bad about this part what you think this should mean when it doesn't, what you think they got right what you think they got wrong. I would love to see a series like this from you, and I think it would add an entire new layer to the game for me.

[@unofonseca2862]

Imo, kotor 2 is the best star wars story ever told...

[@greysonjones5429]

I just finished the two KOTOR games but I've been following your channel for a while. I was not expecting them to be as good as they were, but it was really fun. I really enjoyed KOTOR II despite its flaws, and I agree with you, I think that all of the villains in KOTOR are perfect as they are.

[@majk173]

Interesting. From a certain point of view....all three main Sith Lords are more "victims" than anyone else in KOTOR2. The lost Jedi Masters you seek in this game always looked more evil to me. Well well... what an interesting thought. What if the Jedi are the real villains here? :) Great video as always. Thank you.

[@toxicgracie3772]

Nah, Nihilus was as bad as they get. Sure it wasn't "his" fault, but he needed stopped. He would eventually end up devouring the entire galaxy and then more galaxies... That's the issue with the dark side. That's why Jedi practice limiting your connection with the force so that it doesn't consume you and you don't turn into an unstoppable God of death

[@majk173]

@@toxicgracie3772 While I understand your point, somehow I feel more sorry for the Nihilus than the Jedi. Good point however.

[@75JUNAKI]

Could you do a video on the story of Ulic?

[@georgesuarez8325]

My friend I've always considered Darth Nihilus to be a fascinating, amazing and scary character compared to Darth Vader. I have to admit though that from what I've seen of Nihilus playing KOTOR 2 that he has very little dialog and presence in the game and even in the battle on the Ravanger. I know you don't like me referencing the fan made videos but I have to say that Darthycey's videos showed more of Nihilus's character then what I've seen in the game. I was also astonished in your video showing scenes of Nihilus on Korriban

[@danielvereb4579]

I agree with all your points and this video is great! The journey of the Exile is such a powerful and personal story that is worth talking about. But I do disagree on one fundamental point, which sadly is the subject of the video. Darth Nihilus IS a dark mirror of the Exile, a terrible vision of what she could have and still could become. Also a manifestation of her trauma and inner demons. But does that make him a villain? In my opinion, he is a threat, a powerful force the Exile must overcome but like you said, through her own personal journey of self-healing. But she only meets him at the end of her journey. She is not hounded by him. By her own problems yes but since he is the manifestation of these issues, he should be more present. Sion is more of a minor villain because he pursues the Exile. Chases her, hates her, admires her and ultimately his own doubts destroy him. Kreia is also a great setup for a scheming villain. She has been manipulating events from the very beginning, shaping and controlling everything in the Exile's path, even setting her up with this very confrontation with Nihilus. I think Kreia is the true villain of this story and she guides the Exile through her journey. Kreia helps Meetra understand herself, the Force, the bonds and echoes, the interconnection of everything and the importance of the actions she takes. Then she forces her to confront her demon and after all of that, Kreia puts her student to one final test. Can she beat the master? What Kreia ultimately wanted was her teachings of living without the Force or at least the understanding of that to live on with the Jedi, that the new order would be better, as it was the flawed Jedi teachings that brought about most of this bad stuff.

[@elpatron6537]

Kotor 2 is truly special. So is Darth Nihilus.

[@michaelandreipalon359]

Palpatine is still the more perfect of the Star Wars villains for me. Also, anticlimactic bosses are not that problematic in my opinion, in case they're beaten with subtlety, karma, and/or words. Just look at the likes of the Project Freelancer Director (Red vs. Blue, what a sad end), the Nameless One's corrupt split self (Planescape: Torment), Kerghan (Arcanum: From Steamworks and Magick Obscura), Feuerschwinge and a spoilery character that I can't name (Shadowrun: Dragonfall), Toffee (Star vs. the Forces of Evil), Edalyn Clawthorne's curse (The Owl House), and a buttload of stealth game bosses (examples include Hitman, Splinter Cell, and Dishonored).

[@Tay234.]

When I played kotor 2 he was an after thought for me. Kreya had my full attention from the beginning. I also spammed him to death so he wasn’t memorable for me

[@barkasz6066]

KotOR 2 is a brilliant game. Criminally underrated. Excellent, nuanced, deep characters and story. Bleak yet hopeful. Just wonderful.

[@the_milkgod9134]

What great timing the day after I finished the game. Nihilus is a very interesting villain

[@Cheattoe]

YOU SAID THE PHRASE THAT NEEDS TO NEVER BE SPOKEN

[@elwarofficial]

These games are a path to power some may see as unnatural

[@moab2935]

one of the reasons i love nihilus as a character is because of the fact that if you choose the darkside route , kriea will be dissepointed and heart broken of the fact that you have become exactly like nihilus , that there is no way to escape from that hunger , and thats why you have utterly and completely failed her . by choosing the lightside route , you show to kriea that its possible to escape form the hunger and not be consumed by it , that it is possible to lose the force , and still be a human , and that , is what kreia wanted to see all along

[@TriMarkC]

Pretty deep points!! Your pain & trauma, the thing that most people fear and can’t imagine being or living with, that may even make you suicidal… those things are what make you unique. And if you can see that spark is actually powerful, then it can be the engine that you can hold on to and build yourself fully. Overcome it, overcome the barriers that say you can’t… and then you can do ANYTHING!! Even beat the ultimate villain!

[@AndreNitroX]

Personally i find every villain in star wars before disney to be intimidating, memorable and dimensional enough, that they were equally if not more compelling than any other character in star wars.

[@AndreNitroX]

@@eightRedHerrings No duh. vader was already intimidating before disney got their white gloves on him.

[@ChristianProtossDragoon]

Ironic since I am making a novel about him.

[@bananabourbonaenima]

Darth Nihilus = night king

[@OutcastWriter31]

Wow, what a great video, what great insight on a mysterious character. Great job. I personally always liked Nihilus, he fits his role very well, and I can see where people felt he was underwhelming but I don't personally feel that way. I also see why you think he is the perfect villain, and I certainly think he is closer to perfect than bad or mediocre. But as some other commenters have done better at pointing out, I do feel a little more delving into the character should have been done to truly make Nihilus live up to his full potential, to fully convey the story/theme you so eloquently pointed out. Probably just another casualty of the shortened development cycle...oh what could have been.

[@GothicXlightning]

a Belmont wanders if he stats yelling ''NIHIL!! NIHIL!!!! NIHIIIIIL!!'' on his last final phase ? gods got to stay away from Elden ring a little bit

[@joshpeck9266]

Wow fascinating idea! I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety and cPTSD and this rings soooo true. I didn’t really have these issues (from the cPTSD) perspectives when I played the game so looking back it’s so true.

[@ViewTube_Emperor_of_Mankind]

I think the people villains are the ones whos motives you come to understand-. They become real the more you understand their motive and reasoning. The usual Star Wars bad guy accumulating power for the sake of power and immortality makes for a terribly boring and bad villain. Nihilus is one of the better ones but the best is still the original Darth Vader and second is Papa Palpatine. But a truly perfect villain is for example Emet-Selch from Final Fantasy 14. He is commitinh genocide and at a point in the story you come to the conclusion that you don't know if you wouldn't have done the same thing if you were in his situation. Its a pretty great story. FF14 Shadowbringers

[@chu-do]

To truly *love* kotor2 you first need to *understand* it. And to be able to undersrand it one should have enough intelligence and philosophical knowledge.

[@StarWarsFanatic]

You’ve earned my trust

[@marklee1194]

Case in point, no one in KOTOR II explicitly says the name "Darth Nihilus." Although his name appears in journal logs, everyone refers to him simply as "Visas' Master" or the "Master of the Ship (Ravager)."

[@JoshJeem]

I played the game so many years back and loved it. Your analysis of Nihilus is better than I thought myself. Good job. KOTOR 2 was such a good game for mature audiences.

[@ianhlavac3495]

I love your videos. KotOR II is my favorite video game and I’ve beaten it dozens of times. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say about the game and it’s characters. Keep up the good work!

[@KraytDragon1138]

I appreciate this video, that gives me a lot more to think about with this character. With that said, Nihilus is still, to me, the most forgettable part of this game. I feel like telling/showing us more of what he used to be, giving him some actual dialogue, or making our fight with him feel somehow different than the last hundred sith we cut through may make the player engage more seriously with him as a character but as he is he just gets buried beneath everything else happening in the climax of the game for me. I'm not disagreeing with anything you said in your video, I'm just saying the game itself makes all such interpretations of Nihilus feel more like a tangential subtext rather than a major point of the story.

[@Lord_Oda_Nobunaga]

The problem with Darth Nihilus is that he is not actually the main villain. He is actually a fake out because the main villain is basically revealed to be Kreia. Darth Nihilus was just a pawn created and used by Revan and then Kreia. He is basically the most extreme version of what could happen to the Exile. Throughout the game it is stated that Darth Nihilus is like the Exile. He makes Force bonds, according to Kreia he spared Visas Marr cause it was his last shred of humanity. Nihilus consumes not because of power but because of his hunger. Essentially proving Kreia's point that the Force is not a strength but a weakness. Ultimately it is the Exile who defeats him because much like him the Exile is also a wound in the Force. But where as Nihilus chooses to live even if it means consuming the Universe (a metaphor for the egotistical and corrupting powers of the Dark Side), the Exile simply chose to give up the Force, which is basically a metaphor for embracing death. Nihilus doesn't have great powers, they are just an accident that he cannot control, which just weakens him anyhow. Other than the fact that he can practically kill anyone who comes into contact with him, or drain their life energy, his powers don't seem to have that much combat application. I suspect that aside from this fluke he isn't actually that powerful in the Force. Others can go near him, such as Visas, Kreia, Sion, and they do not die. A real shot in the dark but I think that probably even Malak and Revan, and that mysterious ancient Sith Emperor which is alluded to by Kreia at the end, could probably waste him. That is probably due to their great strength in the Force or their understanding of Force powers that can shield them from his corrosive energies. His inability to choose death and try to live and have power at all costs (like Sion), shows us why the Sith dogma is so dangerous and ultimately so weak. If the original KOTOR goes out of its way to show the dangers of Jedi dogma, KOTOR 2 shows us the dangers of Sith dogma. This is why I think it is called KOTOR 2 "The Sith Lords". Like the writer was basically saying "yeah the Jedi suck, but don't go choosing the Dark Side just yet". As an aside I just want to say how brilliant KOTOR 2 writing is. I played KOTOR 2 when I was a kid in 2008, it was my first computer game and it set the standard for every other game I played after that. Close favorites being Dragon Age Origins, KOTOR (I played KOTOR 2 before KOTOR 1), and the Witcher series.

[@andreiyy]

very on point, good job

[@zzvvoonnee24]

Darth Nihilus is like big school bully who scares everybody else and no one dares to oppose him cause he seems unbeatable. At least as long as someone like Exile, who is so lost and feels like have nothing else to lose decides to confront him and reveal his true weakness.