Cor Leonis

Cor Leonis is a guest character in Final Fantasy XV who also appears in Episode Gladiolus DLC and in Final Fantasy XV: Comrades.
Cor is one of the best fighters in the Kingdom of Lucis. He is the Marshal ( in the Japanese version) of the Crownsguard, the Lucian royal guard that protects the Citadel and Insomnia, and thus in turn the royal family. Before the events in Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, Cor and the Crownsguard are reassigned to protect all crown citizens.
Throughout his life, Cor survived countless battles, earning him the moniker "Cor, The Immortal". He dedicates his life to serving Lucis.
==Dossiers==
:Head of the Crownsguard and widely regarded as one of the three most powerful warriors in the Kingdom of Lucis. His unfailing ability to return from the brink of death has earned him the nickname "Cor the Immortal"—an appellation he particularly dislikes. On the eve of the signing ceremony, Regis tasked Cor with evacuating the citizens ahead of the imperial assault, knowing he could trust the marshal implicitly. After fleeing the ruins of Insomnia, he seeks out Noctis to share with him his late father's dying wishes.
:Cor holds the distinct honor of having served three separate Lucian monarchs: Mors, Regis, and Noctis. While his loyalty to his lieges has never wavered, his attitude toward authority has evolved over the years. In the arrogance of his youth, he publicly criticized Regis's retreat from Accordo in the Great War, calling the then-crown prince and his men "a bunch of cowards." While Cor's Crownsguard colleagues were incensed by this show of impertinence, Regis was impressed with the young firebrand's willingness to speak truth to power and immediately hired him as a personal bodyguard. The marshal was so touched by this show of grace that he swore to devote his life to serving Regis and his son Noctis.
==Profile==
===Appearance===
Cor is a middle-aged man with short, brown hair. He has light blue eyes and wears a black, collared jacket with skull-shaped buttons. Cor wears a black, skull-print shirt, black trousers, and black boots with red soles.
Ten years later, the 55-year-old Cor wears the Kingsglaive attire and has a beard.
===Personality===
Cor is a stubborn, stern, no-nonsense military man who has sworn loyalty to King Regis and his country. He was not afraid to oppose Regis's decisions in his youth, and an impressed Regis asked Cor to be his right-hand man. Cor is strict with Prince Noctis and his friends, and while he does not always see eye-to-eye with them, he is duty-bound to watch over them. He is calm when dealing with Noctis's wayward personality, offering him advice. When he was young, Cor was reckless and overconfident in his fighting skills.
He knows he isn't going to be with Noctis for long due to the orders from Regis as to the Crownsguard's new purpose, and warns him not to get too comfortable with having him around. Cor detests his moniker as the Immortal, likely seeing it as a reminder that he has outlived the bloodline he swore to protect.
===Abilities===
Cor is a prodigious swordsman who wields katanas and is widely viewed the kingdom's best fighter. He can synchronize linked attacks with Noctis and Gladiolus and outside of using his blade in combat, he also performs spinning kicks and throws shuriken. His profile in Final Fantasy XV: Comrades suggests Cor used to use magic, in saying "even after Regis's magic has faded, the marshal remains unmatched in combat." When challenging Gladiolus in the final trial, Cor manifests his sword out of thin air and can cloak himself with red energy to empower his attacks.
Cor is a trusted leader who trains others in the ways of the soldier. No longer trying to do everything alone, Cor directs those working under him to safeguard the citizens and to help Noctis ascend as the True King. He acted as Regis's driver, and can cook, his specialty being a samurai-style seafood honzen ryori.
==Story==
===Early life===
Cor grew up in an ordinary, humble home in the Crown City and has accumulated abundant combat experience going back to his youth. He joined the Crownsguard at age 13, and became King Mors's bodyguard at age 15, the youngest ever for the position. Cor is hinted to be a prodigy, as he accompanied Regis on his trip of defending the Lucian front lines at the age of 15 during the Great War. Cor has served a similar role to Regis that Ignis Scientia serves to Noctis, as he often drove Regis in the Regalia.
Regis fought alongside Cid Sophiar, Clarus Amicitia, the 15-year-old Cor and Weskham Armaugh during the Great War. Niflheim's newly developed magitek infantry breached the regions of Leide, Duscae and Cleigne, where the empire began establishing bases. Lucis challenged the empire but were pushed back. Regis, as the Lucian prince, traveled to Accordo with a select few to seek the restoration of an allied force, but was forced to withdraw to the Crown City due to the Lucian army's defeat. The range of the magical Wall that the king upholds was pulled back to Insomnia's ramparts to maintain the strength to resist the empire's invasion efforts. Cor publicly criticized Regis's retreat from Accordo. The latter was impressed by his willingness to speak truth to power and made Cor his personal bodyguard.
The 15-year-old Cor challenged Gilgamesh in the ruins that were discovered in Lucian territory. Though many took on Gilgamesh's trial, Cor was the only survivor, earning him the moniker "the Immortal". Losing to Gilgamesh despite having managed to chop off his arm humbled Cor, and he became a more careful soldier as he continued to serve the Crownsguard. Gilgamesh kept Cor's katana, the Genji Blade, as a trophy of their meeting.
Regis became the king of Lucis in M.E. 729 when Mors passed away. Regis married his childhood friend, Aulea, in M.E. 732, and four years later, the couple had a son, Noctis. When Regis heard his wife was suddenly entering into labor, Cor rushed him to the hospital with such speed the Regalia was damaged. One of Noctis's early memories is of Cor driving Regis to the Citadel where Regis greeted him with a smile on his face.
===Final Fantasy XV Prologue Parting Ways===
At the Crownsguard's training hall, Clarus Amicitia tells Gladiolus, his son, about the security measures in place during the signing ceremony of the treaty between Lucis and Niflheim. Cor is assigned on external patrol that day, but only the bare minimum of the Crownsguard will be on duty, as the Citadel will be left to the Kingsglaive. The peace has brought along many changes, including the role of the Crownsguard, whose new place will be with the people rather than the king.
Cor arrives with Prompto Argentum who has come for his Crownsguard uniform. Gladiolus and Prompto leave, and the atmosphere becomes solemn. Cor is unhappy the Crownsguard has been excluded from everything related to the signing, and Clarus reminds him that the new orders are for the Crownsguard to protect the people of Lucis, and says Kingsglaive are the only ones who can fight the empire as they can use magic.
===Final Fantasy XV===
Cor drives Noctis and his royal retainers to the Regalia so they can head out of Insomnia to Galdin Quay.
After Insomnia's fall, Cor calls Noctis from the Insomnia checkpoint and confirms the news that the king has perished to a shocked Noctis. Cor heads to the royal tomb in the local Leide area where Noctis finds him. He explains Noctis's next mission is to collect the weapons of the past Lucian kings to gain the power to reclaim his throne. Noctis finds it difficult to concentrate on this new objective in the light of the recent events, but Cor explains the reasons Regis had sent Noctis away from the city and directs him to the next tomb.
After Noctis collects his second royal arm, Cor calls him and tells him of their plan to demolish an imperial blockade preventing passage to Duscae. Noctis meets with Cor near the Norduscaen Blockade, and while his friends go off to create a diversion, the two take out the magitek forces stationed at the blockade. They are accosted by Loqi Tummelt who has a grudge against Cor due to having grown up in a military family and hearing various accounts on Cor's heroics, but they defeat him. After the road to Duscae is open, Cor is satisfied that Noctis is strong enough to continue on his mission without his help, and departs.
Cor continues to follow the orders from the late king of helping the people of Lucis, and co-operates with the local hunters and enlists their help to search for the lost tombs. At some point, he had to put his tomb-hunting on hold to help the hunters with troublesome monsters.
As depicted in Final Fantasy XV: Episode Gladiolus, Gladiolus calls Cor to partake in Gilgamesh's trial. Cor accompanies Gladiolus to the ruins, and supports him, although he doesn't take part in the trials. Cor tells Gladiolus about himself and how he braved the ruins thirty years ago when he was much younger and more reckless than Gladiolus. When he had been forced to flee the trial, Cor had realized that he was about to throw his life away in return of nothing. Gladiolus defeats Gilgamesh and receives Cor's katana from him as reward, Gilgamesh assuring him that Cor would no longer care who had it. As they leave the ruins, Gladiolus indirectly passes on the praise Gilgamesh had given Cor. During their sparring match, Cor reveals Gladiolus's father Clarus had asked him to look after his son, and says Clarus would have been proud of Gladiolus's dedication as the Shield of the King.
At Cape Caem, Cor asks Noctis's forgiveness for not having been able to prevent the attack on King Regis, but Noctis knows it was something no one could have helped. Cor is among the people to bid Noctis's party farewell as they depart for Altissia, and later listens to the broadcast of Lady Lunafreya's speech on radio. Noctis later seeks out a royal tomb in imperial territory due to having learned of it from Cor.
When daylight disappears from the world in Noctis's absence, Cor bands the former Crownsguard with the Hunters, remnants of the Kingsglaive and rebel soldiers, to stand as mankind's last defense against the daemons that are taking over Eos. While he had initially set out resources to locate Noctis, he later reassigned the search parties to defending outposts after Gentiana confirmed that the king will return. This was an unpopular decision among some. Cor dedicates his time to training his fighters rather than fighting on the front lines himself, though he does help the Kingsglaive fight a mutant iron giant outside Lestallum.
During Noctis's ten-year slumber in the Crystal, Iris Amicitia convinces Cor to take out the daemons themselves. At some point after the Starscourge overran Eos, Niflheim's "recovery assistance" in Insomnia was felled by daemons who took over the city. Iris and Cor were able to evacuate the citizens.
When Noctis returns ready to fulfill the prophecy, he hears how Cor is doing from his friends. He meets the 55-year-old Cor who leads him to the Kingsglaive Base Camp. Cor wears a Kingsglaive's uniform, having risen to a leadership position within its ranks. Cor tells Noctis about Regis's belief in the prince being able to save the world, and recounts the tale of Noctis's birth and how happy his father was then. Noctis aids in Cor's effort to dismantle the remnants of imperial outposts in the city still populated by automata. When the retinue heads to the Citadel, Cor shields Noctis from a Cerberus's attack, and tells him they might meet again when the dawn breaks.
==Gameplay==
Cor appears as a guest party member in Final Fantasy XV and in Episode Gladiolus; in the latter, he is also an optional boss. He wields two katanas and acts as a mentor-like figure to the player character, be it Noctis or Gladiolus. His Technique is Lion's Roar.
==Other appearances==
===Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia===
Cor appears as a playable character.
===Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade===
FFAB Lion's Roar - Cors Legend SR.png|Lion's Roar (SR).
FFAB Lion's Roar - Cors Legend SR+.png|Lion's Roar (SR+).
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
FFRK Cor.png|Sprite.
FFRK Cor sprites.png|Spritesheet.
=== Final Fantasy Brave Exvius ===
Cor is a character and summonable vision whose job is listed as Marshal. Cor's Trust Master reward is the Loyal Warrior special ability.
==Non-Final Fantasy guest appearances==
===Lord of Vermilion IV===
Lord-of-Vermilion-IV-Cor.png
Lord-of-Vermilion-IV-Cor2.png
===The Alchemist Code===
Cor appears as part of a Final Fantasy XV collaboration.
===Minecraft===
Minecraft FFXV Cor.png|Minecraft skin
==Behind the scenes==
Cor was the fifth permanent party member in Final Fantasy Versus XIII. When Versus XIII became Final Fantasy XV during development, his role was reduced, becoming a mentor-like figure to the party. As a character, he remained relatively unchanged, aside from his position and presentation.
Cor's clothes were designed by Hiromu Takahara, creative director of the fashion brand Roen. He was first shown in the Final Fantasy XV E3 2013 trailer, and was imagined as a tragic figure hinted in pre-release interview reveals to befall great misfortune. He was said to be 42 years old, which in Japanese superstition is considered an age where men are bound for a tumultuous and unlucky year. In the final game, Cor is 45 years old. The age change may be due to timeline continuity regarding Cor having accompanied Regis on his trip thirty years ago; if Cor was 42, he'd have been only 12 for the trip with Regis.
Cor's katana has cherry blossom motifs. Cherry blossom holds much symbolism within Japan, as according to the Buddhist tradition, the brief beauty of the blossoms symbolizes the transient nature of life. Cherry blossoms are tied with samurai culture, and are symbolic of drops of blood and the dignity of falling with grace. The blossoms have come to been associated with mortality. Cor wields a katana, the Samurai's traditional weapon. Cor's katana are named Kotetsu and Kikuichimonji. His original katana was the Genji Blade.
Katanas are generally foreign-forged weapons in Lucis, as revealed in the flavor text for Masamune, Genji Blade and Dodanuki. Cor is the only known Lucian to wield katanas (though various daemons wield them).
Cor follows a trend in Final Fantasy of a "Leo/Leon" named character, being tough and strict military men, including Leo Cristophe from Final Fantasy VI, Leon from Final Fantasy II, and Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII. Cor shares many similarities with Squall in particular. His name refers to a lion's heart, and both are serious, no nonsense characters ranking high among a military organization. Cor's Technique, Lion Roar, is also used by Squall in his expanded appearances, such as Final Fantasy Record Keeper. Squall has gone by the name "Leon" in the Kingdom Hearts games, leading a resistance and protecting people from the enemy behind the scenes as a guest character.
===Voice===
Cor is voiced by Hiroki Tōchi in the Japanese version. He shares his Japanese voice actor with Yaag Rosch from Final Fantasy XIII and Zhuyu Voghfau Byot from Final Fantasy Type-0.
In the English version of Final Fantasy XV, Cor is voiced by Matthew Mercer. He shares his English voice actor with Trey from Final Fantasy Type-0 HD.
==Gallery==
Cor-Leonis-FFXV-CG.png|CG model.
Cor-Leonis-Art-FFXV.png|Artwork.
Cor-Leonis-Artwork-FFXV.png|Artwork.
Cor FFXV Jump Festa.png|Cor speaking to Noctis in the Jump Festa 2015 trailer.
Noctis And Cor.jpg|Cor speaking to Noctis in the E3 2013 trailer.
Cor Leonis-E3 2013 trailer.jpg|A picture of Cor's face from the E3 2013 trailer.
CorLeonis.gif|Footage of Cor Leonis from the Pax Prime 2015 progress report.
Cor_2016_Trailer.jpg|Cor talking to Noctis.
Party and Ancient King FFXV.png|Cor with the party at a royal tomb.
Cor-Leonis-Caem-FFXV.png|Cor at Caem.
Regis-Cor-Cid-Weskham-Photo-FFXV.png|Old photo of Cor with Regis's retinue.
Episode-Gladiolus-Battle-DLC-FFXV.png|Cor in Episode Gladiolus.
Crownsguard-Verse2-Episode-Ignis-FFXV.png|Cor in the Verse 2 ending to Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ignis.
Cor salutes in FFXVRE.png|Cor salutes in the Royal Edition.
Cor-Cerberus-Noctis-FFXV-RE.jpg|Cor shields Noctis in an added scene to the Royal Edition.
Cor in Cerberus battle in FFXVRE.png|Cor joins the Cerberus battle in the Royal Edition.
Cor-Leonis-FFXV-Character-Model.png|Character model.
Cor-Leonis-FFXV-Character-Model-CloseUp.png|Character model.
Cor-Leonis-FFXV-Face.png|Facial model.
Cor-Leonis-FFXV-Garments.png|Attire models.
Cor-DLC-Loading-Screen-FFXV.png|Episode Gladiolus loading screen.
Cor-Episode-Gladiolus-Link-Strike-FFXV.png|Cor in battle in Episode Gladiolus.
Cor Icon FFXV.png|Icon.
Cor-Leonis-Cafe-Coaster-FFXV.png|Artwork used in promotional coasters in Square Enix Cafe.
Gladiolus-Cor-FFXV-Valentines-Day-2018.jpg|Valentine's Day 2018 promo.
==Etymology==
==External links==
*Official cosplay reference guide
==References==
de:Cor Leonis
fr:Cor Leonis
pt-br:Cor Leonis
ru:Кор Леонис
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XV
Category:Guest characters