Kain Highwind Kain Highwind is a playable character in " Final Fantasy IV " and " " . He is a Dragoon from the kingdom of Baron , Cecil Harvey ' s childhood friend and adoptive older brother . He has feelings for Cecil ' s beloved Rosa Joanna Farrell , but he hides them so they do not hinder his relationship with either of the two : Rosa in turn has feelings for Cecil . Profile . Appearance . Kain wears full body armor colored dark purple or blue in most of his appearances . He wears a helmet the shape of a dragon ' s head that obscures most of his face and sharp spikes extend out of his armor on his shoulders , elbows and calves , to give it an even more draconian look . He has long blond hair , tied back in a ponytail in most appearances . His original Yoshitaka Amano artwork and " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " appearances seem to depict him with purple hair , but in " Dissidia 012 " , it was revealed to be an attachment to his helmet , covering up his real hair . In his appearance as " the Hooded Man " in " The After Years " ( which is his first in - game appearance without armor ) , Kain wears blue garments with a hooded purple cloak . His concept artwork and FMVs instead depict him with blue clothes and white boots with a white hood . His " Dissidia 012 " outfit as the Hooded Man is based on his concept art rather than his in - game sprites . After becoming a Holy Dragoon , Kain wears light blue and white armor , a winged hairpiece that reveals the whole of his face , and a blue cloak . Personality . Kain is a calm , sometimes sarcastic young man , driven by his dream of following his father ' s footsteps of becoming a Dragoon and shunning the King of Baron ' s wish for Kain to follow Cecil ' s profession of a Dark Knight . He has been friends with Cecil and Rosa since they were young , but their relationship is strained by their rivalry as soldiers and their love for the same woman , although Kain hides his feelings . Kain ' s personality changes when he is possessed by Golbez , becoming cold towards Cecil , though his love for Rosa still shows . Once freed from Golbez ' s control , Kain is forgiven by Cecil and vows to atone for his past actions , a promise that carries over into " The After Years , " as he tries to vanquish his dark side and helps Cecil ' s son Ceodore . Story . Early life . Kain was born in Baron to the Commander of the Dragoons , Ricard Highwind . His father was particularly active , but died while Kain was still young , sprouting rumors that he may have been assassinated . In " The After Years " , Kain recounts that he used to hate his father for how strict he was . Kain was raised with Cecil by the King of Baron . Initially , Kain disliked Cecil , since the king treated Cecil more like a son than Kain . It was often Rosa who would stop the two from fighting . The three became friends , and Kain became Cecil ' s rival and developed romantic feelings for Rosa , although she and Cecil were likewise enamored . The king wanted Kain to become a Dark Knight like Cecil , but Kain wished to follow in his father ' s footsteps down the path of the Dragoon to defend the Baron Castle . Kain cared for his father ' s dragon , who grew weak but still faithfully awaited his master ' s return . The Dragoons were on the verge of disbanding after Kain ' s father ' s death , but reformed when they saw the devotion of both the dragon and Kain . Kain was appointed the Commander of the Dragoons . The fate of the dragon is unspecified , but it does not appear in any version of " Final Fantasy IV " . " Final Fantasy IV " . Kain tries to defend Cecil after the latter is discharged from the command of the Red Wings . Cecil is ordered to deliver a ring to the village of Mist , and slay the Eidolon Mist Dragon in the Misty Valley that blocks the way . Kain is ordered to accompany him . The next morning , Cecil and Kain depart and pass through the Mist Cave and dispatch the Mist Dragon . When they arrive at the village , the ring they were supposed to deliver activates , and bombs are summoned to burn the village . Cecil and Kain find a little girl and her dead mother , the Summoner who conjured the Mist Dragon who died when the Eidolon was slain . While Cecil and Kain realize they must have defeated the Mist Dragon and thus accidentally killed her mother , the girl blames them for her death . Cecil and Kain offer to take her to safety after pledging not to follow any more orders from the king , but she does not listen . She summons Titan and causes an earthquake that sparks an avalanche , which separates Mist from the rest of the valley . Kain goes missing , but it is assumed he returned to Baron , where the mage Golbez is named new Lord Captain of the Red Wings . Kain is appointed Golbez ' s second - in - command , although it is unknown if he does this of his own will or if he is already being manipulated . Kain becomes subjected to Golbez ' s mind control and during an attack on Fabul to seize their Crystal , Kain betrays Cecil , knocking him down . Before he can deliver the finishing blow , Rosa enters and Kain hesitates when she calls out to him . Golbez arrives and kidnaps Rosa , and Kain takes the Crystal , leaving Cecil alive . Kain is assigned to guard Rosa in the Tower of Zot , a task he does faithfully to remain near Rosa and keep her safe from any harm one of Golbez ' s other minions would inflict upon her . He requests Golbez give him another chance to defeat Cecil , but Golbez refuses and sends one of his Archfiends instead — Scarmiglione . When the second Archfiend Cagnazzo , who was impersonating the King of Baron , is slain , Golbez has already stolen Baron ' s airship fleet . As Golbez ponders retrieving the last Crystal , Kain suggests they exchange Rosa for it after having Cecil get it for them . Golbez agrees , and Kain delivers Cecil the ultimatum ― deliver them the Earth Crystal , or Rosa perishes . Cecil follows through on the deal and Kain takes him to the Tower of Zot , Golbez ' s headquarters . At the summit , Golbez decides not to exchange the Crystal for Rosa . As a result , Cecil ' s party member Tellah attacks Golbez out of vengeance for his daughter Anna , and casts Meteor on him . This weakens Golbez and releases Kain from Golbez ' s control . Kain rejoins Cecil ' s party , and accompanies him to rescue Rosa . He reveals his secret love for Rosa and apologizes . Rosa forgives him and invites him to fight alongside them , to which Kain agrees . Barbariccia , the Archfiend of Air and a seeming rival of Kain , attacks , and has to be defeated before they can escape the tower . Rosa casts the Teleport spell and the party is warped to Cecil ' s room in Baron . Cecil ' s party is worried , as Golbez now possesses all four Crystals , magical objects entrusted to each kingdom ' s protection . Kain speaks of the Dark Crystals hidden in the Underworld only been rumored to exist , but Golbez knows of these rumors . Kain explains Golbez needs the Crystals to open " the way to the Moon " . Cecil decides his party has to head underground to protect the remaining Crystals . Kain shows Cecil the Key of Magma , which could be used to enter the Underworld . The party enters the underground and reunites with Rydia — the little girl from the Mist Village who is now an adult due to having spent time in Feymarch , the land of the Eidolons — following a confrontation with Golbez . Golbez is defeated but escapes with a Crystal , leaving only one remaining . With the remaining Crystal sealed , the party attempts to invade the Tower of Babil to take back the other Crystals , an attempt that ultimately fails when it is revealed the final Archfiend Rubicante has moved them to the upper world . They return to the surface , and with the help of Edge , the ninja prince of Eblan , they climb the tower and defeat Rubicante . A booby trap leads them back underground , where they steal a Red Wing airship that Edge christens the " Falcon " . The party heads for the cavern containing the final Crystal and opens the sealed door . They retrieve the Crystal and return to the surface , but Golbez calls out to Kain possessing him once again . Kain steals the Crystal and flees . With all eight Crystals , the Tower of Babil is activated and the Giant of Babil is summoned . After a journey to the Moon where they meet the Lunarian Fusoya , Cecil and his allies destroy the giant . Lunarians are people with great magical powers who sleep in stasis on the Moon , and Fusoya reveals Golbez is Cecil ' s brother , under the control of an evil Lunarian called Zemus , who wants to annihilate mankind from Earth so that the Lunarians could populate it instead . Kain is again freed from Golbez ' s control and allies with Cecil to take revenge on Zemus . The party heads back to the Moon , and makes its way to the Lunar Subterrane . During the journey Zemus is once again attempting to take control of Kain ' s mind , but he overcomes it due to the " death upon betrayal " promise he made to the others upon rejoining the party . Kain makes it to the core together with the others and finds Fusoya and Golbez fighting Zemus . They defeat him , but cannot defeat the manifestation of Zemus ' s hatred , Zeromus . Cecil , Kain , Rydia , Rosa , and Edge defeat Zeromus themselves and return to Earth . In Kain ' s " Lunar Trial " he is forced to enter his trial room alone . Kain awakens alone in Baron to find the town plagued by a series of murders from an assailant jumping from roof to roof , wielding a lance . Agreeing to help Cecil and the guards investigate , Kain is plagued nightly by mysterious dreams , and keeps finding a lance soaked in blood lying in his room . Cecil and the guards lead the investigation , and even Rosa is attacked . Eventually , Kain is apprehended for the attacks , but he unmasks the true culprit shortly after . The next night , Kain leaves his room during the night and follows Cecil to the Devil ' s Road room where he finds a mirrored chamber with Cecil unconscious and Rosa tied up . A cloaked figure , the true assailant , emerges from the mirrors and tells Kain that it is the embodiment of his dark desires , and urges him to fulfill them and kill Cecil . If Kain chooses to kill Cecil , Kain simply returns to the party outside . If Kain refuses to kill Cecil , the figure casts off its cloak to reveal itself as Kain ' s dark doppelganger , which later transforms into Lunar Bahamut whom Kain defeats . As Kain returns to his allies , Cecil tells him no time has passed since he entered the door to the trial , and asks Kain what was behind the door . Kain replies , " Nothing . Absolutely Nothing " . Kain doesn ' t attend Cecil and Rosa ' s wedding as he feels guilt over his unintentional acts of treachery and blames his weaknesses . He climbs Mount Ordeals to undergoes a spiritual trial similar to what Cecil went through when he became a Paladin , with the hope of becoming a great Dragoon worthy of his father ' s legacy . No one hears from him again for some time . " " . Kain entered the mirrored chamber on Mt . Ordeals and engaged his dark side . Failing to dispatch him , Kain was struck down and his dark side escaped . Kain abandoned his name to seek out and destroy his evil half . Later , a person named Kain in the company of Porom betrays her and assists the Mysterious Girl . This person is actually Dark Kain , while the true Kain assists Ceodore and is known as the Hooded Man . He rescues Ceodore near Mysidia when the Red Wings crash , and the two head to the village of mages and use the Devil ' s Road to get to Baron . When the soldiers guarding the castle , under the Mysterious Girl ' s control , refuse them entry , Kain directs Ceodore to the waterway leading into the castle moat . The two infiltrate the castle , and while Ceodore searches Kain encounters Cecil under the Mysterious Girl ' s control . Realizing he is not himself , Kain tells Ceodore they must go to the Mist Cave . The two cross the Misty Valley and head to Kaipo when they see the Red Wings flying to Damcyan . Arriving at Damcyan shortly after Dark Kain , commander of the Red Wings under the Mysterious Girl , steals Damcyan ' s Crystal and Rosa , the two meet with Cid and Edward and pursue Dark Kain back to Baron in the " Enterprise " . In Baron Castle , Kain confronts his dark half and reveals his true identity . Kain defeats Dark Kain , absorbing him . On Mt . Ordeals , the spirit of Kluya — A Lunarian who is Cecil and Golbez ' s father — recognizes Kain ' s strength and grants him the power of light transforming Kain into a Holy Dragoon . Kain assists Ceodore , Rosa , Cid and Edward in breaking Cecil free of the Mysterious Girl ' s control and he continues to fight alongside the party , reaffirming his bonds with the friends he had abandoned . After defeating the Creator with the rest of the party , Kain returns home to Baron . He leaves the ranks of the Dragoons to join the Red Wings , and goes with Ceodore to help the boy attain his own Proof of Knighthood . In the " Final Fantasy IV : The After Years " novelization , Kain tells Ceodore that although Cecil is his best friend and ally , he still considers him a rival and looks forward to defeating him one day . Gameplay . " Final Fantasy IV " . As a party member , Kain ' s special ability is Jump allowing him to deal extra damage and avoid damage for a brief time , and he primarily wields spears ( with ability to wield other weapons , but not take advantage from additional Jump damage ) and wears heavy armor , shields , armlets , helmets and gauntlets in battle . His stats are more geared towards physical damage and defense , with limited magic growth ( and in the 2D release , he has no MP growth ) . Kain ' s ultimate weapon in releases featuring the Lunar Trials is the Abel ' s Lance though in the 3D release it is the Holy Lance , and the 2D version of the weapon is the most powerful weapon in 2D releases lacking the Lunar Trials . Kain is also fought as a boss , and appears as the Dragoon in the scripted battle with Cecil in " Final Fantasy IV " at Fabul ' s crystal chamber . " Final Fantasy IV : The After Years " . Kain has two different playable forms , firstly as Hooded Man and as Holy Dragoon Kain . They have different stat growth , particularly in HP and MP ( which can be made up for in items to increase growth ) , and the Holy Dragoon Kain is the final form . As the Hooded Man , Kain has overall decent stats in the physical department , but lacks any special abilities . He retains Jump only when battling Dark Kain . As Holy Dragoon Kain , he retains the Jump command and gains a few White Magic abilities ( but does not learn any new ones ) . He has access to several Band abilities with other characters . His is similar to previous games , giving him access to many , with gained access to Paladin - exclusive weaponry . Kain is faced as a boss in some cinematic battles in flashbacks at the end of the Lunarian ' s Tale . In each of these battles the player ' s actions mean nothing , after a few turns the battles end in dialogue sequences and the enemy party nor the player can be KO ' d in that time . Musical themes . Kain ' s theme is called " Disbelief " , alternatively called " Suspicion " or " Kain ' s Betrayal . " It plays whenever Kain betrays the party and is reprised in " - Interlude - " and " The After Years " when a party member acts suspiciously or betrays the others . An arrangement of the theme , " Suspicion - Arrange - " , also appears in " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " as Kain ' s world map theme . Another track , " Cry In Sorrow " , plays during Kain ' s Lunar Trial and whenever he rejoins the party . Other appearances . Kain has appeared in the following games in the " Final Fantasy " series : Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Kain has made key guest appearances in the following non - " Final Fantasy " games : Other media . Games . Users in Square Enix Members Virtual World community can make their character appear as Kain Highwind . In " Heavenstrike Rivals " , a Square Enix strategy game for mobile , Kain was released as a unit in a " Final Fantasy IV " event from 13 to 20 January , 2016 . Etymology . This reflects the love triangle between Kain , Cecil and Rosa , Kain being jealous of Cecil being the target of Rosa ' s affections and not him . Kain ' s ultimate weapon in the " Advance " port , Abel ' s Lance , takes its name from the same source . In some versions , including the original Japanese releases and the Spanish release of the " Advance " port , Kain ' s named is spelled with a " C " , the same as the Biblical spelling . In the English localization of the 3D versions as well as in " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " , Kain is , just as " Cain " . However , in the Japanese version his name is spelled カイン ( " Kain " ) in kana , which is closer to the name ' s pronunciation in and to the form קַיִן " Qáyin " . However , the Japanese manual lists his name written in Roman alphabet as " Cain " which would suggest the English pronunciation . As well as the aforementioned etymology , the name Kain is similar to the Hebrew word " kidon " ( כידון ) , meaning " javelin " , which is also significant to his character . The Highwind surname is a traditional name for Dragoons in the series , beginning with Ricard Highwind in " Final Fantasy II " . Kain is called Kain Ventalto in the Spanish DS version , and Caín Céfiro in the Spanish GBA version .