Why N Is the BEST Xenoblade Villain (SPOILERS)

[@cardboardtubeknight]

I already really liked N, but these parallels were pretty crazy and I don't think I ever considered them

[@IAmAlpharius20]

N reminds of a Vader/Revan mix

[@loljab9322]

THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE, IT WAS SUCH A GOOD WATCH! Thankyou so much for covering one of my favourite characters in this series!

[@DerajjParallax]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it!

[@ShallBePurified]

As a villain, Malos is my favorite. There's a meme of how Malos fits every tier of villainy, from shallow evil for the sake of it to having arguably a better motivation than the protagonist. Malos is just a fun character lol.

[@DerajjParallax]

He is a very fun character and well rounded as you said. I also like him cuz he’s funny at times too with all the yelling he does especially at Rex lol. He’s definitely up there as one of my top villains

[@danknados]

I like him because of how he could've ended up as a good guy if it wasn't for Amalthus and the suffering of blades on alrest. So if he had a driver like adam he could've been good.

[@jyapp4489]

N is straight-up more well-rounded Darth Vader, IMO. Yeah, Vader is more iconic, but N hits home way more personally due to execution. That said, both have their strengths and weaknesses, and their paths change super subtly while still arriving at the same end point. Vader's whole shtick is that his only emotive actions are the voice and body, and the latter is limited, very deliberately. He almost never shows extreme fury (in part due to his armor's limitations, shown via Revenge of the Sith), but instead gives off a very cold rage. N, on the other hand, was designed to break and actively lash out in sadistic ways (M even uses this against N to help Ouroboros survive an otherwise hopeless situation). Additionally, the way that they end up being redeemed is in two different directions. N wanted to perpetuate the endless now for his love, whereas Vader already lost his and chose to bury himself in his dark future, moving forward and utterly refusing to look back. M and Ouroboros end up bringing N back by helping him move forward and let go, shattering his "endless now", whereas Luke remind him his past actions had good, and that such good still lives on. Yes, both situations have Vader and N being reminded of the other for a line or two, but the focus remains on moving forward for N and being reminded of the man who once was for Vader. Its such a small and subtle difference in circumstance and execution that makes N stand out from Vader and not purely be Xenoblade's carbon copy. The underlying themes are almost precisely the same, but the demeanors the two characters give off when their defense mechanisms are activated are night and day. Of course, props to folks like Hayden Christensen, Matt Lanter, James Earl Jones (rest in peace), and Harry McEntire for their freaking stellar voice and body work in the places Vader and N show up in.

[@twohooks3533]

I love star wars and xenoblade so N was a perfect villain for me

[@PurpleMonadoBlaze]

I have literally seen 2 or 3 other Xenoblade themed KZbinrs say that N and Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker are a lot alike. I never seen any of the Star Wars movies but I really want too because of this comparison. But I’m not sure what movies of Star Wars I should watch in order cuz I heard Star Wars has a crazy timeline. My fave Xenoblade villain is also my fave Xenoblade character and that’s Jin. Jin has sentimental value to me.

[@dalinarkholin8871]

One of the worst problems of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 are the villains, the only two good and memorable villains are N and Alpha, the rest leave a lot to be desired.

[@DerajjParallax]

I agree. And Alpha wasn’t even in the base game. I really didn’t like the fact that Z turned out to not even be a real person. Don’t get me wrong, it made a lot of sense by the end of the game, but being composed of a single intense desire made his character very one dimensional and to be frank, kinda boring.

[@jtsbonetemple]

Z’s drip redeems everything about the character!

[@DerajjParallax]

@@jtsbonetemple 😂

[@stormsurge2103]

I personally think N is Overrated because most of the other villians are so much weaker then him.

[@DerajjParallax]

@@stormsurge2103 Yeah I had way more trouble fighting him than I did fighting Z

[@aegislight98]

N is one of the greatest villains ever, and he would be the best Xenoblade villain if it were not for Jin. I've been a Star Wars fan since I was a little kid, and I've watched all the series and read a lot of books, so the similarity was evident to me. Still, I think N suffered more. I really love N's character, but Jin is so damn great that I still think he's the best villain in the series and maybe the best villain of all time. By the way, in Xenogears, there is a villain that it's quite literally Darth Vader. He is much more similar to him than N.

[@DerajjParallax]

Yeah it’s a tossup between Jin and N for me depending on the day. They’re both great. I still need to play Xenogears but I’m excited to see that character when I do. It will definitely happen as it’s high on my list of games to play next, just not sure exactly when it will happen.

[@lemmyxpro]

I'm still torn on who i like more between the 2, N or Jin... (from XC2) They both play similar roles in the plot, but they're obviously still very different in their own ways, and i THINK i prefer Jin? At least as of now. However, both N and Jin are such incredible perfect characters that it doesn't matter. They're the #1 & #2 best male characters in the Xenoblade series, regardless of what order you'd put them in. Amazing video btw! Thanks for explaining some stuff, and most of all, mentioning the similarities between Darth Vader & N. I had no idea that they were such similar characters, but the ways they contrast each other are really cool! You could also make a video comparing N to Jin if you wanted, as they're also rather similar characters.

[@DerajjParallax]

Yeah! I’m also a HUGE Jin fan and I’m actually right there with you on not knowing which one I like. Depends on the day really. Doing a comparison of N and Jin is actually a really good video idea! Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have take that into consideration for a future video!

[@GeorgeMan1999]

Amazing analysis! While I do agree N has many elements of Vader, he’s not the only Xenoblade villain to have some similarities to him. Believe it or not, Mumkhar from the first game has some similarities as well. How? Well think about it. He was once a genuine comrade of Dunban (look at Dunban’s Heart to Heart with Melia called ‘Eternal Scars’). Dunban and Mumkhar sorta had a Obi Wan and Anakin relationship. And both of them gradually became angry and hate filled. Sure, for different reasons but still. Both became in Obi Wan’s words ‘More machine now than man. Twisted and evil.’ Plus both Obi Wan and Dunban felt guilty for how Anakin and Mumkhar turned out. Blaming themselves for it. Personally felt the most hurt by their betrayals. Of course Mumkhar is way more of a colossal asshole and didn’t redeem. But you can see a couple similarities.

[@DerajjParallax]

Mumkar is a great example I didn’t even think about! Vader and Mumkar both becoming half man, half machine is a great similarity between the two. Makes you wonder how much is mere coincidence vs conscious inspiration. Also, thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it!

[@GeorgeMan1999]

@@DerajjParallax Indeed! I’m glad I was able to share it with you. And you’re than welcome! ^^ And if you ever need sources for Mumkhar (in case you ever do a video on him), I’d be more than happy to help!

[@DerajjParallax]

@@GeorgeMan1999 Sweet, thanks I’ll keep that in mind! You a big Mumkar fan?

[@GeorgeMan1999]

@@DerajjParallax Sounds good! Indeed, I’m pretty fond of him. Happy he recently got a Switch icon, along with the heroes.

[@DerajjParallax]

@@GeorgeMan1999 Yeah, it’s always great to see the entire Xenoblade series get some love! I made a shorts video called “Xenoblade Chronicles But Only When Dunban says Mumkhar” a while back and while its really more of a Dunban video, you might still like it! Lol

[@Antasma1]

I would go as far to say as N is Anakin during Revenge of the Sith (both a little crazy) and Jin is Darth Vader who has already lost his loved one and can only bring everyone down with him

[@DerajjParallax]

Yeah there are a lot of parallels between Vader and Jin too

[@0mega_galahad34]

Man, wait until you play Xenogears. If you thought N was Takahashi’s only Darth Vader, you haven’t seen anything yet

[@DerajjParallax]

I hope I can get to them soon! There’s so much out right now and so little time lol

[@CapREXlegofan]

Interesting

[@sebastienrameau]

If N says a word, can we say this is the N word ? So, we can't really say it, cause it's offensive right ? But if N is Darth Vader, then he's on the black side of the Force, so it's okay, he can say it.

[@007English007]

The problem with N is they did the same villain a game earlier, but better. Jin starts a hero, loses a loved one, falls to the ‘dark side’ and achieves his vengeance while sacrificing himself. And Jin isn’t partitioned off like N is from Noah. N and Noah make one great character, but the tension at the heart of Jin is what makes the archetype work. It’s why Anakin/Vader works so well too. Jin does everything he does, knowing Lora would hate him for it, but he’s lost. He also isn’t given an opportunity to redeem himself like N, he kills Almalthus at the expense of his own life. He chooses to do that, N gets given a lifeline by his other self. And through Jin’s relationship with Malos and the rest of Torna, the lingering parts of his humanity can be seen. While Almalthus represents what he hates so much about the world. N has no such supporting cast to help him. N is a great character - but he exists in a game where he’s largely stripped of his ‘better self’ and is surrounded by rubbish villains who do little to develop him or explore his world view. The game never shows N grappling with his ideals until the very end. By the same token, Noah is rarely challenged. In truth both characters needed to show a little bit more of their other selves to create the tension needed to make these kinds of characters work. Jin is a much more sophisticated villain for me, because he’s not essentially sliced in two.

[@DerajjParallax]

These are all great points! I also very much like Jin as a character. I definitely would’ve liked to see more struggle between N and Noah internally as what we saw in Future Redeemed and the end of Xenoblade 3 is really all we got. I will say I think the reason we didn’t see too much a struggle within either of them is because they were two separate parts of the same person which I will admit, makes things less interesting than with a character like Jin. The reason I didn’t compare Jin to Vader was because in terms of specifics, I didn’t feel like they had as much in common. Though it’s been longer since I’ve played Xenoblade 2 and Torna so feel free to present a counter argument if there are any. But yeah this is a fair argument!

[@may83195]

I don’t think Jin and N are the same villain in that way; many villains start as heroes then fall because a loved one was lost, and then finally turns around at the end. Besides this video with Vader as an example, [REDACTED] from Xenoblade X falls under this description and even someone like Count Bleck from *Mario* I’d argue is more similar to Jin than N is. After you move past the surface level similarities like the lost loved one, the mask, and the fighting style, Jin and N have fundamentally different cores. They have totally different goals and working motivations, Jin wants to tear down the world because he thinks the system isn’t just broken it was made bad from its foundation and wants to die while burning it all down, while N wants to preserve the current order because he thinks it’s an insurmountable evil and better than the “alternative” of living in a losing cycle and being without Mio

[@higherthanhope27]

So what are Noah and Mio exactly? You said Noah was another version of N and literally his own flesh and blood, but what does that mean exactly? Does the game ever answer that?

[@DerajjParallax]

Yeah, N and Noah are literally the same person. Noah is just a reborn version of N

[@higherthanhope27]

Ah, ok thanks. I wonder if the possibility of reborn versions of persons who are still alive is limited to Moebius? Like the becoming Moebius is considered a state of living "death" allowing for that person to be reborn even when the Moebius version is still "alive"? Or maybe I shouldn't question it too much

[@DerajjParallax]

@@higherthanhope27 No I think that’s in the realm of possibilities and definitely an interesting thought! I mean Joran died and became Moebius so was he resurrected or “dead” the whole time? Who knows

[@Sherkel]

@@DerajjParallax Joran, Crys, and all Moebius besides XYZ were humans resurrected as Moebius. Noah and Mio came into existence when Ghondor's Ouroboros power physically collided with N at his worst moment, hence "their regrets...turned into us". (Matthew having the Pneuma core and Na'el with the Ontos core on scene definitely helped.)

[@crystalcove99]

My only major criticism toward N is how weirdly aggressive he is toward Noah and the party during Chapter 5. Maybe it's because he's ashamed of his actions to the point that he feels he needs to play the wicked evil villain, but aside from that possibility, the cruelty he shows seems completely unjustified. He doesn't want to just get rid of Mio, he wants the entire party to suffer, specifically Noah. Don't get me wrong, it makes for some incredible moments, and I generally like N as a villain, but it creates a situation where he can't really be redeemed in my eyes anymore. I still think he's a great tragic villain, but I think that his joining with Noah in Chapter 7 falls flat because of how cruel he was. It's for this reason that I have to put Jin above N. (Almost) everything Jin did felt justified by the end of the game; he was never cruel for the sake of cruelty. Anyways, this was a fantastic video! While you didn't quite convince me of N being the best villain, I never really noticed just how many similarities he has with Darth Vader, so that was really cool to see!

[@DerajjParallax]

Yeah I get that! Maybe he was just so incredibly fed up with the fact that they not only keep persisting but he hasn’t been able to stop them. That’s my best guess but I see your point. I also very much like Jin and it’s a toss up on which I like better depending on the day. They’re both such well crafted characters. Also, thank you for the kind words and for the comment!

[@aylinilya.]

i believe it’s like that because he literally sees his past self, one who was filled with hope and it reminds him of his sadness