Background
Spoiler Warning: Please be aware that this article will spoil the story of both Kingsglaive and Brotherhood, which tie into the main story of Final Fantasy XV.
After ten long years since Final Fantasy Versus XIII was announced, we’re now just a step away from Final Fantasy XV. Throughout this year, we’ve also seen a few project added onto to the game, fleshing out an entire universe.
Earlier this year at their Uncovered Event, Square Enix unveiled the full-length CG movie Kingsglaive and a five episode anime called Brotherhood. While these two pieces aren’t essential viewing before you pick up Final Fantasy XV, knowing some of the events and characters may help you have a clearer understanding going in. Do note that Square Enix is also releasing an update on launch day that adds more scenes from Kingsglaive into the game to make the timeline smoother for players.
Talking about Final Fantasy XV requires a little bit of background on the world, something that Kingsglaive provides in its opening minutes. Every property in the universe takes place in the world of Eos, and focuses on the nations of Lucis and the Niflheim Empire. The two countries have been locked in war for years now, and King Regis of Lucis keeps the crown city of Insomnia safe by holding an impenetrable magical barrier around it. Lucis has in his possession the very last functioning magic crystal in the world.
Noctis is the crown prince of Lucis, and at the start of both Kingsglaive and Final Fantasy XV he is on his way to the city of Altissia with his friends. King Regis has sent him there to be wed to Lady Lunefreya of Tenabrae, and this puts him outside of the city of Insomnia when the film’s events begin.
We’ll cover the characters and events of both Kingsglaive and the Brotherhood anime, giving you the essential information and a head start when you jump into Final Fantasy XV. This is your final spoiler warning, however, as we will be outlining the stories of both properties in their entirety.
Kingsglaive – Important Characters
The Kingsglaive – The Kingsglaive is an elite group of soldiers in the Lucian military, that are given magical powers through the power of their king, Regis. They are the ultimate defense in the ongoing war with Niflheim, and the group is made up entirely of refugees from nations outside of Lucis.
Nyx Ulric – Nyx is the “hero” of the Kingsglaive, and one of the most skilled soldiers in all of Lucis, having a strong affinity for the King’s magic. He’s the main character of the film, and ends up assigned to protect Lady Lunafreya.
Libertus Ostium – Libertus has been Nyx’s best friend since childhood, and he’s a fellow member of the Kingsglaive. He begins to feel trepidation as to the refugee’s role in Lucis, and whether they have a place or not.
Lunafreya Nox Fleuret – Luna is a childhood friend of Noctis’ and the former princess of Tenebrae, a nation conquered by Niflheim. She’s also an oracle for the world, a special position that communes with the gods and helps keep peace in Eos. She’s set to be wed to Prince Noctis as part of the peace treaty between Lucis and Niflheim.
King Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII – Regis is the 113th King of Lucis, and the father of Noctis, the main character of Final Fantasy XV. For years he has used the magical power of Lucis to hold up the barrier around the city of Insomnia. This has caused him to age at a rapid rate, and has resulted in large absence from Noctis’ life.
General Glauca – Glauca is the main villain of Kingsglaive, and the supreme commander of Nifhleim’s military. He leads the nation’s infantry into battle, and ambushed Regis and Noctis years ago during Niflheim’s invasion of Tenebrae.
Ravus Nox Fleuret – Ravus is the older brother of Lunafreya, who is now a high ranking officer in Niflheim. He blames King Regis and Lucis for the death of his mother years ago.
Iedolas Aldercapt – The Emperor of Niflheim, and the man responsible for the nation’s massive world-spanning military campaign.
Ardyn Izunia – The chancellor of Niflheim, and Aldercapt’s right hand man. Ardyn is a powerful political figure, and the one that brings Nifhleim’s peace treaty to King Regis. He seems like he may have an agenda of his own, separate from his duties as Chancellor.
Kingsglaive – What Happens and When
Opening
Kingsglaive opens with a flashback scene and a brief setup of the war between Lucis and Niflheim. During a trip to Tenebrae, Regis and a young Noctis are targeted for assassination by Niflheim. Regis scrambles to flee with both Noctis and Lady Lunafreya, but Luna refuses to leave her brother Ravus behind. Niflheim burns down a large portion of Tenebrae and kills Luna and Ravus’ mother. The nation subsequently comes under the empire’s control.
We then see a massive battle between Lucis and Niflheim, with the Kingsglaive themselves defending a walled fortress. Niflheim sends in hordes of monsters before calling in a giant Daemon that decimates the battlefield. The Kingsglaive commander Drautos orders a retreat but, surprisingly, the empire pulls their forces out first.
The Glaive returns to the crown city of Insomnia shortly before Ardyn Izunia, the chancellor of Niflheim, arrives. Ardyn brings tidings of peace to King Regis and offers Niflheim’s terms to him, one of which is the marriage of Noctis to Lunafreya. After deliberating with the council of Lucis, Regis decides that he has no choice to but to accept the peace treaty. This is due in part to the fact that he is aging, and his ability to hold the magic barrier around Insomnia is slowly waning. During this time, Regis sends Noctis and his friends out on the road to travel to Altissia.
As the city of Insomia begins preparing for the treaty signing, the news is broken to the Kingsglaive, and it’s not taken particularly well. In particular, Libertus and a few others are upset considering how long and hard they’ve fought against Niflheim. Lucis’ peace seems like unfortunate concession. Many of the Kingsglaive have family outside of the walls of Insomnia, and per the treaty, all of those lands will be forfeited to the empire.
Kingsglaive Continued
The Treaty Signing
Two days before the treaty signing, Lucis deploys Kingsglaive member Crowe on a secret mission to find Lunafreya and safely escort her to Alitissia for the wedding. Crowe is a close childhood friend of both Nyx and Libertus. Meanwhile, Nyx is reassigned to the castle guard for the treaty signing.
Sadly, Crowe’s mission fails and she’s found dead out in the wilderness. When the body comes back to Insomnia, Libertus and Nyx find out, causing Libertus to dissent and leave the Kingsglaive. The Niflheim envoy arrives at the city with Lunafreya surprisingly in tow. Regis sends Nyx to retrieve her, and at a party the night before the signing, Nyx and Luna finally get a chance to talk. He gives her the hairpin that Crowe was supposed to deliver, which actually holds a tracking device.
The day of the treaty signing arrives, and General Glauca abducts Lunafreya. As Niflheim and Lucis are meeting, Nyx gets word that Luna is missing and tracks her coordinates using the hairpin. He discovers an entire Niflheim fleet lying in wait just outside of Insomnia’s borders. Nyx receives permission to deploy the Kingsglaive immediately and rescue Luna, as Regis delays the signing until she’s safe. Meanwhile, Libertus has fallen in with a group of rebels, providing them with essential intel against Lucis. Ravus, Luna’s brother, is also in attendance at the signing.
The Attack on Insomnia
The Glaive successfully rescues Luna just as Nyx realizes it’s a trap, and Niflheim launches their attack on Insomnia and the treaty room with the help of the rebels. At the same time, a large portion of the Kingsglaive betrays Nyx and the others. Nyx and Luna barely escape as General Glauca and the Niflheim forces assault the treaty room and steal Lucis’ crystal.
Nyx and Luna rush to the treaty room and narrowly rescue King Regis, but he’s injured by Glauca. Ravus grabs Regis’ ring, known as the Ring of the Lucii. It provides great power, but its strength overwhelms and badly burns Ravus.
Regis asks Nyx to get Luna out of the city safely, and asks Luna to deliver the Ring of the Lucii to Noctis so he can use its power. The king then sacrifices himself to slow down Glauca and let Nyx and Luna escape. The pair journeys across the city before getting a call from the commander Drautos to rendezvous. At the meeting point, Nyx is ambushed by a member of the Kingsglaive and Drautos. Libertus shows up to try and save Nyx as he’s realized Drautos’ true identity is actually General Glauca.
In a moment of desperation, Nyx takes the Lucii ring from Luna, puts it on, and finds himself talking to the long dead and powerful old kings of Lucis. They grant him enormous power until dawn, enough to combat Glauca. Nyx gives the ring back to Luna and asks Libertus to take her to safety. A massive battle ensues between Glauca and Nyx, as Niflheim drops more Daemons to decimate Insomnia. Nyx draws on the power of “The Old Wall” of Lucis, and brings giant stone guardians across the city to life.
Libertus escorts Luna to safety outside of the city while Nyx, following a long and hard battle, defeats Glauca. Unfortunately, Nyx also loses his life in the process, as dawn hits Insomnia and the power he was given fades. Kingsglaive ends as Luna leaves Insomnia on her own, en route to Altissia to meet Noctis.
At this point in Final Fantasy XV, the prince and his party have been on their road trip to the wedding for quite a while now, and they receive word of the attack on Insomnia. The news reports state that not only are Regis and Luna dead, but Noctis himself has also been killed.
Brotherhood
Episode 1 – Before the Storm – The first episode of Brotherhood doesn’t provide any huge details necessary to remember, but does a good job of introducing us to the four party members and their dynamics. Noctis is of course the crown prince, Gladio the tough protective one, Ignis the intelligent planner, and Prompto the loyal comic relief type. We also see the party pursued by Niflheim troops constantly, meaning this happens after word of Insomnia’s fall, and Noctis’ flashback to a time when he was a child and attacked by a Daemon.
Episode 2 – Dogged Runner – This episode focuses on Prompto, Noctis’ best friend. We see Prompto as a child, someone who cares deeply about animals, finding an injured dog on the road. He brings the dog back to health, and it ends up running away in the night. The dog was owned by Lunafreya, who sends Prompto a letter and thanks him, in turn asking him to continue being a good friend to Prince Noctis, believing the two are already friends. This inspires Prompto to whip himself into shape, and eventually when he becomes a teenager, he and the prince become companions.
Episode 3 – Sword and Shield – This episode shows us the story of Noctis and Gladio. Gladio’s family has always been staunch allies of the royal family, and as a young adult, Gladio was assigned to Noctis as a bodyguard, even though he thought the young prince was a spoiled brat. One day Gladio decides to bring his sister Iris to meet the prince, as she’s been begging to, and she ends up getting lost. Noctis finds her and brings her back to safety, taking the blame for events. From this point onward, Gladio grew to respect Noctis, and their friendship began to bud. Iris Amicitia will also be an important character in Final Fantasy XV.
Episode 4 – Bittersweet Memories – This episode shows the bond between Noctis and Ignis, and the loyalty the character has to the prince. For basically all of Noctis’ life, Ignis has functioned as an adviser and aide, making him food and taking care of him in the absence of his busy father, King Regis. In the episode we see flashbacks of Ignis trying to make Noctis a special dessert that he once had as a child, and he keeps trying to do this all the way through the years, up until Final Fantasy XV takes place. For as much grief as the prince gives Ignis, he’s incredibly dedicated to Noctis.
Episode 5 – The Warmth of Light – The fifth episode wraps things up for Brotherhood, with the party finishing their battle against the Daemon that appeared in the fist episode. We see flashbacks of the event where the same Daemon almost killed Noctis as a child. This confrontation crippled the young boy for a while, before he gained the special powers of his royal bloodline. Noctis’ father Regis saved him from the encounter, and despite his large absence in the prince’s life, we see that the king cares deeply for his son. We also see that Noctis, although good at hiding his emotions, is immensely worried and upset over the safety of Regis.
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