Standing stoic in the oncoming gale is a lone figure, with an intimidating glare, a majestic pose, both blending effectively with the dark colour of his coat. He speaks haughtily, brandishes six lances, and has... Sideburns?
Xaldin is a character who leaves quite a lasting impression to pretty much everybody. Number III in the Organization, he is the shell of the former apprentice, Dilan.
In fact, during the initial encounter with the Organization, I was largely unimpressed. In all actuality, the Organization cloaks were the only thing that did. Being the evil person I am, I did wish to see the enemy playing mindgames with the hero, tormenting the opposition indirectly with varying approaches, and the open introduction was horribly disappointing, made worse by Xigbar making pleasant conversation with Sora directly afterwards, a stark contrast to all that had been done in Chain of Memories. Furthermore, aimlessly sacrificing their minions for a lost cause while hiding somewhere else is just epic fail. But once we get an insight into the character and personality of Xaldin in Beast's Castle, that begins to change.
When we glimpse our first sight of Xaldin in Beast's Castle, he looks just like any other person wearing a hoodie, but the way he manipulates Beast into attacking Sora and Co shows us that he is not to be underestimated or trifled with. Even though we later realise manipulation is a central ability of nearly all Organization members, this is indeed the first time we see it in action, which successfully helps to pique the fans' initial interest in Xaldin.
Later on, we see him ceaseless in his efforts to fulfil the Superior's order of finding new members, even resorting to cheap tricks such as stealing the rose and holding Belle captive to further his goals, displaying a somewhat cruel personality, even if the limelight was later stolen by an elbow to his chest.
Seemingly unfazed by this severe blow to his pride, he did not make even the slightest attempt to flee as his plan collapsed, instead challenging Sora head on, perhaps in an overconfident or even reckless attitude, showing us his desire for combat, even when outnumbered four to one. This is an old fashioned heroic stand, one that appeals greatly to me, and perhaps others who believe in 'honor in battle'.
And finally, we reach the reason why we all love Xaldin (apart from his personality, of course): He is awesome in battle. Many uninitiated players find themselves slaughtered by Xaldin's hard hitting strikes and seemingly impermeable wind shield, and even those who have played it before still feel the adrenaline kick as Xaldin hops on board his mechanical dragon contraption, getting ready to blast the whole screen with a maelstrom of wind currents. Indeed, this is possibly the only Organization member we ever see having style in battle, and for me, playing a musical instrument is NOT
stylish (sorry to all you Demyx fans). And of course, six lances. How can anything be actually more awesome than that? Sora is severely outclassed in this battle in all aspects of offense, defence, skill and cool factor. It seems almost inevitable that Sora's defeat is secure. Xaldin is a person who is strong, and knows it, pushing his abilities to breaking capacities in order to strike down all against the Organization.
Yet against all odds, Sora manages to triumph, spitting on the memory of Xaldin as he flies off to the next world. And so Xaldin lay forgotten, leaving behind only the legends of his prowess. How he gave Sora such a close call in combat. How King Mickey got swept away in mere seconds. It just all adds up to his already sky high public opinion.
From the moment Xaldin is presented to us, he quickly displays his multi-faceted personality, revealing to us an insight of this brash and headstrong person, an incredible feat considering how limited the screen time for him was. This elevates him to an exalted position, leaving me as an admirer of this epic Organization member.
Apart from his personality, the combat experience against Xaldin was incredible. It was undeniably one of the most challenging battles in
Kingdom Hearts II, and the fact that he faces you like a man instead of simply trying to delay the inevitable defeat makes him one of the most awesome 'tough guys' in Kingdom Hearts.
In Days, I hope to see how his personality in the Organization is reflected in Story Mode. Xaldin strikes me as one to make his own decisions, fully capable of independent action, and being the first to rush into
the fray. After all, these are the very qualities that distinguish Xaldin from the other Organization members.
In Mission Mode, I'm very interested in seeing Xaldin's performance capabilities, as it is likely he can adapt to various situations to exceed his expectations, while obviously fulfilling the whole 'cutting a swathe through the enemy ranks with each strike' thing, which is what he deserves considering his combat capabilities in the next game.