Welcome to Rays of Light, Snow's Warrior of Light, One Page! (Seriously, these one pages are starting to get out of hand.) This was originally a reason on what I think men should be like (I'm a jerk like that) but it spiraled into why I like Warrior of Light so much! Please enjoy your stay, please ignore my totally biased ramblings!

The first warrior of The Final Fantasy series. He appears as the first warrior to defend Cosmos against the God of Discord, Chaos. He fights a battle that he cannot win for a Goddess who cannot help him. He leads a group of rag tag heroes to help Her. And for all his strength, he fails time and time again. He dies. He revives and he takes up his charge again. Warrior of Light is not his name, it's his title, and though he has a name he does not know it. But he does know that the Light is with him. And through It he can do anything.

The summary seems grim. Although he constantly fights, he's also assured that eventually he will win. He lost for 12 cycles (and was revived that many times too) before Cosmos's warriors were victorious and able to return to their homes and lives. Although he had no memory or name, he stepped forward as a sort of leader and led the heroes of Cosmos. Everything he did was for Cosmos and her cause, defeating Discord. Why? It's the right thing to do. And though he died for her several times, he never stopped believing that he could save her. That he could win for her.

He doesn't know his own name. It doesn't bother him (it bothers Bartz and the others more than anything). He doesn't have any memories, but that's okay because he can make new memories. He's fighting a losing battle. So what? He's going to find a way to make it work; the Light is with him after all. He's always assured that what he is doing is right. That the more he moves forward the closer he is to his goal.

Despite the odds he sticks to his beliefs and convictions. He does what he thinks is right. I admire that about him. Even if he's losing he sees Light and Hope on the horizon. He believes in those things and he fights for them.

His interactions with the other warriors make me laugh as well as face palm. He has the best intentions of leading them all and wants nothing more than their success. He doesn't relate to them, he doesn't try to get to know them on a personal level - I can't imagine that he would see the point. He leads them, he wants them to get home, and if he could fight all by himself to do it, I think he would. But he can't. He does care about the others, though, as we get to see with his constant prodding of Squall. He is always asking where the others are and why Squall's all alone (despite being alone himself). I think he wants the others to work together so that they have the friendship that he seems to be unable to give them.

After Squall defeats him (Squall's story only) Warrior of Light seems content to know that Squall is capable of taking care of himself. Through Warrior of Light's story, he once again mentions that Squall should find the others. I find it particularly hilarious that Squall thinks that Warrior of Light is a "dazzling fellow". It makes me laugh and I never ever tire of hearing it. I also believe that although Warrior of Light was unable to fight side by side with a lot of his warriors, he believed that they were all striving towards the same goal he was. He wanted the fighting to stop and he trusted everyone enough to let them fight at their own pace.

He does care about them because he talks to them and lets them ask questions. He's patient with them. Bartz constantly asks about his name, but Warrior of Light isn't troubled by it. He reveals later that unlike the others, he doesn't regain memories when he wins battles. He only knows that he needs to stop the war. He needs to keep moving forward. He believes that when his task is over, he may regain his memories, if he has any at all. He also mentions that while he doesn't have memories, it doesn't mean he cannot create new memories with everyone else. I believe that this is also what helps him to fight. Even though he doesn't know his past or regain any sense of his past, he has a very strong sense of self. He continues to believe in what he is doing and will do anything he needs to to help the others if he sees that they need it.

In Duodecim he has a close relationship with Kain Highwind from Final Fantasy IV. Kain figured out how the cycles work and with that knowledge he tells the Warrior of Light. each cycle is a new war, the only way to be revived is to have one's memories erased. If warriors are defeated by mannequins they die. To prevent this, Kain suggests defeating each warrior at the cost of their memory. This will buy them time and hopefully the upper hand in the next war. In Duodecim, Warrior of Light sticks close to Cosmos's throne to protect her while Kain protects the other warriors by defeating them. Kain buys them time. Warrior of Light is defeated again, this time Cosmos calls out his name (though we never hear it) the look of recognition on his face shows that he knows it's his name, but when he falls in battle, he is revived without this memory.

Ultimately, it is revealed that the reason he has no memories is because he is not summoned from another world. He is an inhabitant of the warring world; this is why he never gains any previous memories. He was born the first cycle for the purpose of fighting for the Light. Yet, he never questions this, and it seems that at the end of Dissidia that his world is that of the very first world. He seems to be an incarnate of the very first warriors of light. I think that Duodecim tried to explain it but did a dreadful job. If the wars ended and warriors returned to their homes, then it would stand to reason that the Dissdium world existed as part of the very first Final Fantasy World. Rather that the first is the world that lacks balance between Harmony and Chaos and is restored only when Cosmos's warriors win. More than "being born in that world" I think that it leave much more ambiguous because the first warriors of light could have their classes and names chosen. I think this makes it a much more personal touch for players. I don't think he truly needs a name, because he is the embodiment of light and doing the right thing. He is a warrior set out to achieve the goals of the goals of the righteous. I also believe that eventually even heroes' names are lost in time and that his lack of one could be a hint at that. Sometimes texts are lost, stories change, and even the greatest of heroes can be victimized. Wouldn't it be better then, to be a memory, a title, a just force?

Over all, I appreciate the Warrior of Light's ability to look on the bright side things (they will win, because they are just). His steadfast determination in doing what he believes is right, and his faith that despite everything he does, there is a Higher power looking out for him that will lead him to victory. Maybe I'm a little bias in terms of divinity, light, and protection - but when Warrior of Light struggled, he believed that the Light would see him through it. I respect that. I have to say, actually, that I respect anyone who doesn't know their name, what they're doing, or why they're doing it but keep fighting anyways. Sense of self is so important to people and although Warrior of Light lacked things that might give most of us a sense of self, he kept moving forward because he still believed in something. I like to think that Cosmos was his reason for doing things. And that her light is what gave him strength. In turn, I think that his belief in her and all the things she did gave the others hope and peace of mind. So that in the end, there were only rays of light, reaching out over the battlefield into victory.

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Layout coded in Notepad, graphics edited with Paintshop Pro by Snow Rayjah. Images from Dissidia Duodecim. Textures from Lost and Taken and Hybrid Genesis. Thank you to Cherri and Mikari for putting up with me.

I do not own Dissidia Final Fantasy, Warrior of Light or any recognizable characters, this is just a fansite. No copyright inringement or dishonor intended. Dissidia Final Fantasy, Warrior of Light, and all recognizable characters are copyright to Square Enix. Rays of Light is © to Snow Rayjah, 2013.