Shinryu (Final Fantasy XIV)

Shinryu is a primal from Final Fantasy XIV, introduced in the final patch for Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward.
==History==
===Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward===
Shinryu, later named after a legendary beast that the Domans know from Far Eastern legend, was created by the final actions of Ilberd Feare. Receiving the Eyes of Nidhogg from Elidibus, who deemed him an ideal user of the dragon's power, Ilberd orchestrated the slaughter of his subordinates when they take Baelsar's Wall to use their dying faith and aether to form Shinryu's body and repeat Nael van Darnus's intentional act of invoking a new Calamity. Ilberd committed suicide to complete the ritual, the frozen eyes of Nidhogg reacting to the man's despair and rage while absorbing the surrounding aether to give Shinryu shape atop Baelsar's Wall. Before it could fully take shape, Papalymo Totolymo sacrificed himself to seal the primal in a cocoon of light using Louisoix Leveilleur's spell.
Even sealed in the lucent cage, Shinryu's terrible might could barely be contained, as a Garlean airship that approached the cocoon was witnessed to be destroyed by a "lance of light." On the advice of Nero tol Scaeva, the Warrior of Light accompanies Cid nan Garlond, Yda Hext, Yugiri Mistwalker, and Gosetsu Everfall to the Carteneau Flats to reactivate the ancient Allagan superweapon Omega and use it to contain Shinryu. By then, due to the cost of maintaining the seal, Papalymo's life ends and Shinryu breaks free as Omega approaches Baelsar's Wall. A titanic clash ensues between the two that floods sections of the wall. The immense struggle ends with an explosion of light caused by Shinryu's Protostar attack colliding with Omega's Wave Cannon. Both primal and superweapon were last seen falling a distance away, both now being sought by the Garlean Empire.
===Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood===
Sometime after Shinryu and Omega's battle at Baelsar's Wall, the primal was captured by Zenos yae Galvus and caged within the Royal Menagerie in Ala Mhigo.
After the Warrior of Light and their allies defeat Zenos in the Hall of the Griffin in Ala Mhigo, Zenos is enthralled by their previous battle and desires to take their final contest to the Royal Menagerie at the high point of the palace. The heroes give chase to Zenos, only to arrive to see Shinryu imprisoned in a magitek field behind Zenos. Zenos, ecstatic about the primal's means of creation, begins to taunt the Warrior of Light and questions what they would do should he release the so-called eikon. The Warrior of Light answers Zenos's question, only for him to respond that the adventurer does not have full mastery of their Echo and how he learned that the power can be instrumental in binding eikons to one's will. Zenos destroys the cage holding Shinryu and sets the creature free. However, by using his abilities as a Resonant, Zenos merges with Shinryu, with his consciousness overtaking the primal's body, and flies off to the airship landing of the palace.
Once the Warrior of Light arrives at the airship landing, Zenos destroys the bridge, leaving a single pillar for the hero and their allies to combat the primal. After summoning multiple smaller variants of the primal to combat the heroes, Zenos enchains the heroes in an attempt to defeat them with Shinryu's Dark Matter attack. The Warrior of Light and their allies break their bindings and avoid the attack by grabbing onto Shinryu's tail, which sends them to a battlefield high up in the heavens. After a climactic final encounter, Shinryu is defeated by the Warrior of Light and disintegrates, ejecting Zenos from the primal and leaving behind the Eyes of Nidhogg. The Eyes are subsequently destroyed by Estinien Wyrmblood.
Some time later, after observing Shinryu's resemblance to Midgardsormr's original, fiery-maned form within Omega's databanks, Cid nan Garlond theorizes that since Shinryu's appearance did not originate from any belief system, Ilberd's conception of the dragon may have been rooted in ancient depictions of Midgardsormr—the progenitor of all dragons on the Source—in contrast with the common hypothesis that he was inspired by the majesty of Bahamut.
=== Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker ===
Just as the Warrior is preparing to fight the Endsinger alone, Zenos unexpectedly arrives in the form of Shinryu, having made a bargain with Krile Maya Baldesion to have his final duel with the Warrior if he assists them in destroying the Endsinger by using the remaining power of the Mothercrystal to assume Shinryu's form. The Warrior rides on Shinryu's back as they engage the bringer of oblivion and destroy her, ending the Final Days.
==Gallery==
;Artwork
FFXIV Shinryu and Zenos artwork.jpg|Shinryu and Zenos artwork.
;Screenshots
FFXIV Shinryu 2.png|
FFXIV Shinryu 1.png|
FFXIV Shinryu 3.png|Tidal Wave
FFXIV Shinryu 4.png|
FFXIV Shinryu 5.png|Charging Protostar
FFXIV Shinryu 7.png
FFXIV Shinryu 8.png
FFXIV Shinryu 9.png
==Etymology==
Category:Primals in Final Fantasy XIV
Category:Dragons