, for short, is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy video game series. Noctis is a playable character and the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XV, which was originally a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The crown prince and protector of Lucis, Noctis must reclaim his country's Crystal from the empire of Niflheim, going on a journey to become the True King of legend and save his world from darkness. Noctis has also appeared in the game's expanded media, Final Fantasy crossover titles and other games, including Puzzle & Dragons and the fighting game Tekken 7.
Noctis was created and co-designed by Tetsuya Nomura, with later revisions by Yusuke Naora. Nomura created Noctis as a type of protagonist that had not before been used in a leading role in the Final Fantasy series, focusing on realism. Hiromu Takahara, lead designer for Japanese fashion house Roen, designed Noctis' clothes to be asymmetric, mirroring the fashion house's trademark style, and indicative of the game's themes and atmosphere. Before his design was finalized, Noctis was given a story-inspired, temporary outfit that was used in early trailers.
Since being revealed, Noctis's appearance has been compared with those of other asocial characters in the series. Journalists have positively received Noctis, many of whom noted his growth during the story and contrasted him with other Final Fantasy protagonists. His appearances in the expanded media of Final Fantasy XV and other games have prompted multiple types of responses.
Appearances
Final Fantasy XV
Noctis Lucis Caelum is the only son and heir of King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII of Lucis. The Caelum dynasty safeguards the Crystal, an artifact connected to the Astrals, god-like protectors for the world of Eos. When he was five years old, the Crystal chose Noctis as the "True King", a prophesied figure who would purge Eos of the Starscourge, a plague that will trigger eternal darkness on Eos and turn living things into monstrous Daemons. At eight years old, Noctis is attacked by a Daemon and is sent to the nation of Tenebrae for healing, where he meets and bonds with its princess Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Noctis and Regis are forced to flee Tenebrae when it is attacked by the Niflheim Empire. By the time of the events of Final Fantasy XV, Niflheim has besieged Lucis and Regis agrees to a ceasefire. As part of the treaty, Noctis will marry Lunafreya; Regis dispatches him to Altissia where they are to be married. Following Noctis' departure, Niflheim attacks Lucis' capital Insomnia, steals the Crystal and kills Regis. Noctis, with his companions and sworn protectors Gladiolus Amicitia, Prompto Argentum and Ignis Scientia, set out on a quest to retrieve the Crystal and defeat Niflheim.
To fulfill his role, Noctis collects the Royal Arms—weapons of the ancient Lucian monarchs—from tombs across Lucis, and gains the blessing of the Astrals. He is in turn aided remotely by Lunafreya, and in person by her attendant Gentiana, and Niflheim's chancellor Ardyn Izunia. Ardyn is later revealed to be Ardyn Lucis Caelum, the immortal older brother of Noctis's ancestor Somnus, who sought to destroy both the Crystal and Somnus's bloodline after being corrupted by the Starscourge. Noctis gains the favor of the Astrals Titan and Ramuh, but Ardyn mortally wounds Lunafreya and disrupts the ritual to summon Leviathan. The dying Lunafreya helps Noctis subdue the rampaging Leviathan before giving him the Ring of the Lucii, an artifact through which he can access the Crystal's magic. Burdened by the death of Lunafreya and tormented by Ardyn, Noctis heads for Niflheim's capital Gralea.
Arriving in Gralea to find its population turned into Daemons, Noctis finds and is pulled into the Crystal, where he learns from the Astral Bahamut of the Providence ritual, where Noctis will sacrifice himself to use the combined power of the Crystal and the Astrals to destroy the Starscourge. Ten years later, Noctis awakens and reunites with his companions; they travel to Insomnia where they defeat the rogue Astral Ifrit and the enslaved Lucii before facing Ardyn. After defeating Ardyn in the physical world, Noctis sacrifices himself to fulfill his role as the True King, destroying Ardyn's spirit in the afterlife with the aid of the Lucii. In the game's mid-credits and post-credit scenes, Noctis confesses his feelings for his friends during a rest before the final battle, and reunites with Lunafreya in the afterlife.