358/2 Days Countdown : II

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Published on September 28, 2009 @ 10:16 am

Written by Takushi Rena

Hi everyone! :D Time for another part of our countdown, with member number two -- Xigbar!

What We Know So Far:
The Freeshooter, manipulator of space and gravity... and he's got an eyepatch! Xigbar is number two of Organization XIII and was one of Ansem the Wise's apprentices (where his name was Braig), making his first appearance as Xigbar in Kingdom Hearts II. He first appeared to Sora in Hollow Bastion, being the member who separated himself from the cloak-wearing brigade to talk to Sora, Donald, and Goofy on his own... That conversation only left the trio with too many questions without any answers, so much that he seemed a bit crazy to everyone. Who was 'he'?

He made another appearance in the Land of Dragons, causing mischief by summoning the Storm Rider Heartless that becomes the boss battle in the second visit. He also managed to get Sora to believe he was Riku, after hearing that a strange black cloaked figure was running around. This time, however, there weren't any strange statements this time... until everybody made their way into the Castle that Never Was.

Xigbar made one last appearance in the World that Never Was, this time proving that he was still considered 'crazy'. He kept on calling Sora 'Roxas' (along with calling Sora a traitor) and claiming that Sora was nothing compared to 'them', specifically "You don't look like you're half the hero the others were." Cue one of the toughest boss battles in the game, complete with lasers and fighting against Xigbar's gravity attacks, and... we still had no answers. With Xigbar fading into nothing and leaving the remark "Wouldn't you like to know?", nobody had any answers right then and there.

Yet, we found out that the Freeshooter wasn't as crazy as he seemed: we learned Sora's connection to Roxas, and who 'the others' could be. Terra, Ven, and Aqua from Birth by Sleep perhaps? We won't know until that game is released, but we do know that Xigbar has certainly left his mark and, while he is pretty goofy, his statements are neither crazy nor silly.

"Rambling? As if."

His Role in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days:
Xigbar's role in 358/2 Days is, unfortunately, relatively minor from what we know. He appears in the Coliseum, teaming up with Roxas to complete missions there. Yet, plot-wise, he doesn't really seem to have a big part.

For multiplayer, however, Xigbar's attack style sounds like an interesting one. Running around with two guns, being able to teleport here, there, and wherever on the battle field, and being able to hang upside down while shooting at unsuspecting Heartless sounds like a lot of fun. Will we get to fight as Xigbar with the same attacks he uses in his boss fight? We'll find out when the game is released!

What the Fans Think:
He talks like a surfer (in English, at least!), he's got an eyepatch, he can hang from the ceiling and the walls, he says the strangest things, and part of his boss fight became censored/editted in the North American version! What's not to love about Xigbar?

Unfortunately, he falls into the categories somewhere with Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, and Luxord: he's not specifically popular (like Zexion, Axel, Demyx, Roxas, and others), but he's not one of the least popular characters in the series either. That being said, he's not really a hated character: the dialogue from Kingdom Hearts II, as cryptic as it may have been, has become part of theories and discussion on Kingdom Hearts in general and the PSP game, Birth by Sleep! He's goofy (what other Organization XIII member would say 'pickle'? :D), but his words surely shouldn't be taken lightly.

What do fans themselves have to say about this Nobody? What he says is important, but does anyone think Xigbar is awesome for just being Xigbar? Let's see what Antiquity on the forums has to say about the Freeshooter:

Xigbar's the laid-back Freeshooter of the Organization. Humorous, sarcastic, and takes his duty lightly, that's what I like about him. He fits slightly better in the comic relief category with Demyx than in the serious one with the rest of the Organization. The way he messes with Sora's head and telling him to be a "good boy" makes him a likable character.

Even though he's not touched on much, he's still got his secretiveness. He says things without going much into them. To me, that makes him just as mysterious as Xemnas is. I hope to hear more of what he has to say and what he's keeping to himself in Days. After that little "You don't look like you're half the hero the others were" snippet, I'm not letting another one of his lines go without a second thought!

Finally, I'm looking forward to playing as him in Mission Mode for 358/2 Days, no cuts on the gun combination this time! I've always been intrigued by his fighting style of running free while shooting gun arrows like it's a show. I'm reading myself for a good time shooting 'em up.

Xigbar has definitely become one of my favorite characters.

In Conclusion:
Our countdown is almost finished, and Days will be released in North America tomorrow and on October 9th in Europe, where you can play as Xigbar or any of your favourite members when the game is released!

You can talk about your favourite members or your thoughts on the game on our forum! Your opinions on the game could appear on the front page!