Kain Highwind

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|-|Dragoon=
|-|Holy Dragoon=
</tabber>
==Summary==
Cecil's childhood friend, adoptive older brother, rival, and fellow knight. Kain begins as Cecil's stalwart ally through the beginnings of his ordeals, but is separated from the Dark Knight as a result of the earthquake Rydia caused. At some point afterward he comes under the thrall of Golbez's mind control, kidnapping Rosa and nearly killing Cecil when he tries to rescue her. Kain is later freed from Golbez's control when Tellah gravely wounds the latter with the mighty Meteor. Overcome with guilt and seeking atonement, he once again fights alongside Cecil and his friends, later leaving to become a Holy Dragoon in hopes of completing his atonement and to honor his father's legacy. He returns seventeen years later, tutoring Cecil's son Ceodore and helping to free Baron and save the world again from the threat of the Maenads and the Creator.
==Powers and Stats==
Tier: , far higher with Augments | At least , likely , far higher with Augments | , far higher with Augments
Key: Final Fantasy IV | The After Years | Dissidia
Name: Kain Highwind
Origin: Final Fantasy IV
Gender: Male
Age: 21 | 38
Classification: Dragoon, Commander of Baron's Dragoons | Holy Dragoon, Commander of the Red Wings
Powers and Abilities: 
<tabber>
|-|Final Fantasy IV=
|-|The After Years=
All previous abilities, plus Magic, Subjective Reality (Magic,Final Fantasy IV Novel 1, chapter 1, page 29 in its basest form,Final Fantasy IV Novel 1, chapter 3, page 107 is projecting one's innerFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, chapter 2, page 109 mind onto reality,Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and is powered by intelligence and mental strength), Non-Physical Interaction (Magic as a whole is shown to affect a wide variety of different beings, from intangible/immaterial beings to non corporeal beings, to abstract concepts like Chronodia, who's the ,Final Fantasy I to Nonexistent beings like Exdeath and Cloud of Darkness), Law Manipulation (Magic is stated to rewrite the natural order of thingsFinal Fantasy IV Novel 1, chapter 5, page 198), Limited Durability Negation, Forcefield Negation, and Intangibility (Magic negates conventional physical durability, barriers, and armor, requiring specific defense against magic which is powered by the Mind and Spirit), Power Modification (Including Duplication, Fusionism, Statistics Amplification, Size Manipulation, Homing Attack, Danmaku, Aura, Breath Attack, and Energy Manipulation; Magic users across the games have consistently shown the ability to manipulate the shape and properties of their own magical abilities, with even higher tiers of spells simply being considered stronger versions of the same basic abilityFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, chapter 2 page 114), Conceptual Manipulation (Type 2), and Space-Time Manipulation (Magic is shown in the novels to remove concepts and warp space and time itself, like the Devil's road, which the concept of time was lost,Final Fantasy IV Novel 1, chapter 5, page 199 and time and space were twisted to the pointFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, chapter 1, page 67 the past, present and futureFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, chapter 1, page 73 existed as oneFinal Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, chapter 3, page 147), Light Manipulation, Teleportation (via Teleport), Gravity Manipulation (via Haste), Afterimage Creation (via Blink), Purification (Type 3; via Esuna), Paralysis Inducement and Biological Manipulation (via Hold, which is stated to affect the brain's fundamental functions), BFR (The teleport/Warp spells are capable of banishing targets to the Void, which inflicts the following abilities on the victim: Existence Erasure/Void Manipulation, Mind Manipulation (which includes Madness Manipulation (Type 3), and Perception Manipulation), Space-Time Manipulation, Time Stop, and Corruption (Type 2))
|-|With Augments=
Instinctive Reaction (Auto-Potion causes the user to automatically use potions when in danger, and Counter automatically counters physical attacks when hit), Statistics Amplification (Item Lore doubles the effectiveness of healing and damaging items, including weaponry. Fast Talker doubles the rate at which one can cast magic, Bluff can increase one's intelligence, etc.), Curse Manipulation, Reactive Power Level (Last Stand doubles defense when the user is at low health, and Adrenaline does the same with offenses), Statistics Reduction (The Curse augment allows the user to curse others and halve their strength and defense. The Cry augment further halves enemies' defenses), Water Manipulation, Death Manipulation (Tsunami emits a massive wave of water that inflicts instant death), Fusionism (The Twincast augment allows the user to cast different spells with those they share a strong bond with), Sound Manipulation, Empathic Manipulation, Transmutation, Regeneration (Mid-Low, possibly High-Mid), Time Manipulation and Empathic Manipulation (Bardsong allows the user to cast magic through singing, including turning enemies into pigs, granting regeneration, casting haste, and increasing all stats. The bard's powers can also drain the target's will to fight), Magic (Including Statistics Amplification, Fire Manipulation, Ice Manipulation, Electricity Manipulation, and Transmutation. Recall allows the user to cast random magic spells, including Toad, Bubble, Bravery, Faith, and the three Elemental tiers), Stealth Mastery (Hide allows the user to take cover, using ranged attacks such as aim and throw while hidden), Air Manipulation (Whirlwind surrounds the target with a tornado and renders them weak to fire magic), Perception Manipulation (Eye Gouge allows the user to blind enemies), Information Analysis and Clairvoyance (Analyze allows the user to study enemies to see their stats, and is stated to Clairvoyance), Power Modification (Upgrade allows the user to use items to enchant their weapons with different elements), Fire Manipulation (Inferno coats the battlefield in an eruption of fire), Darkness Manipulation, Life Manipulation (The Darkness augment allows the user to sacrifice their life in the form of greater attack power), Martial Arts (Focus, Kick, and Brace are all various different martial arts techniques), Accelerated Development (Level Lust increases the rate at which the user gains experience. All augments increase the stats of the user as they gain experience), Energy Manipulation and Restoration (Omnicasting allows the user to vastly increase the area of effect of their spells, even normally single-target ones. Bless gradually restores the MP of one's allies), Resurrection (When the user is slain with the Phoenix augment, they resurrect all of their allies), Awakened Power (Limit Break allows the user to shatter their previous limits)
|-|Dissidia=
</tabber>
Attack Potency: Multi-Solar System Level (Is capable of defeating Bahamut and Dark Bahamut, the former is capable of creating a pocket dimension with stars with its summon, he's able to defeat Lunar Bahamut by himself, who's also capable of doing the same feat and said dimension vanishing when Lunar Bahamut loses and is capable of summoning Lunar Bahamut, and it's stated in the lore that In order for anyone to summon, they must be stronger than the summon in order to control them. Is also capable of taking on Zeromus, who's stated to be capable of destroying all in its wake, which would include the entire moon of FF4, which is shown in the novelsFinal Fantasy IV Volume 2 Novel, chapter 11, page 243 and the actual game to have a starry sky in the background), far higher with Augments | At least Multi-Solar System Level (Is able to take on the Creator and harm him, The Creator merely duplicating himself was enough to destroy his entire moon vessel,Final Fantasy IV: The After Years Novel, epilogue, pg292 which is shown to have Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and ), likely Low Multiverse level (The Creator was vastly superior to the Four creatures of darkness from FF3, which could each fight the endgame Warriors of Light in a 1v4), far higher with Augments | Multiverse level+ (Borrows powers from the gods of the cycle. Contributed to the defeat of the Planesgorgers and Shinryu), far higher with Augments
Speed: Speed of Light (Can keep up with Yang) | Massively FTL+ (Can keep up with Gilgamesh) | Massively FTL+ (Can keep up with Shinryu)
Lifting Strength: Class Y (Is capable of contending with Bahamut, who's able to move numerous planets through his summon) | Multi-Stellar (Is comparable to the Creator, who's able to carry his entire moon on his own, which is shown to have numerous star clusters inside) | Multi-Stellar (Should be comparable to his previous self) | Immeasurable (Is superior to Neo Exdeath and Enuo)
Striking Strength: Multi-Solar System level, far higher with Augments | At least Multi-Solar System level, likely Low Multiverse level, far higher with Augments | Multiverse level+, far higher with Augments
Durability: Multi-Solar System level (Has tanked attacks from Zeromus, who is the manifested hatred of Zemus, far surpassing Lunarians like Golbez and Fusoya), far higher with Augments | At least Multi-Solar System level, likely Low Multiverse level (Tanked attacks from The Creator and Gilgamesh), far higher with Augments | Multiverse level+ (took hits from Shinryu), far higher with Augments
Stamina: Very high. He can fight through entire gauntlets of monsters without tiring, even against the likes of powerful beings like Zeromus. He has also faced the God of Eidolons, Bahamut, his Lunar Counterpart, as well as an even more powerful version of Zeromus named Zeromus EG.
Range: Several Meters with his spear. Multiversal+ with magic (Magic as a whole is shown to affect omnipresent beings such as Exdeath when he's become one with the Void itself, which spans across the entire Final Fantasy Multiverse, can even banish foes into the Void with the Teleport ability)
Standard Equipment: A wide variety of Axes, swords, holy weapons, daggers, and Spears with a wide variety of innate abilities; a vast array of different armors and equipment that grants enhanced resistances to elemental attacks and status ailments; and a wide collection of items that can boost the user, recover their abilities in a wide variety of ways, and inflict numerous status ailments on their targets. A Crystal
Intelligence: Gifted. Kain is calm, collected, and stoic in combat, always focusing on the task at hand. As the Commander of the Dragoons, he is Cecil's equal in combat and a renowned general and tactician, even putting him on a higher level than the Baron knights, who are trained to analyze their targets in a few seconds to determine their weaknesses to take them down. He was also one of the first to realize that Cecil was being brainwashed by the Maenads during the events of the After Years and guided Ceodore to help him overcome his doubts. In combat, he's described as a Tactical Striker, utilizing his aerial advantage to come down on foes when the time is right and speeding after them to prevent them from recovering from his initial assault. He controls the battle with his lance's supreme range and versatility for a melee weapon, knocking them into the air, smashing them into the ground, or sending them flying away with a thrust. Most of all, he's a supreme acrobat and can maneuver in the air almost as easily as if he were flying. He uses this to dodge his foe's attacks while striking back with the tremendous force he gains while in free fall.
Weaknesses: Kain keeps his repressed jealousy towards Cecil locked inside, which can manifest as an evil doppleganger known as Dark Kain, but he has gotten over this by the time he becomes a Holy Dragoon.
Notable Attacks/Techniques:
<tabber>
|-|Dragoon Attacks=
*Cyclone: Spins his spear to fire a ball of compressed wind as a projectile.
*Dragon's Fang: Kain flings his spear to strike stab the enemy and can even strike them at tight angles.
*Dragoon's Pride: His EX Burst in Dissidia, Kain launches himself in the air at incredible speeds, gaining altitude before reaching the peak of his jump. With the two moons of his world behind him, he runs his opponent through with his lance, leaving behind a beam of holy light that erupts and engulfs the opponent.
*Gungnir: Kain throws his spear at his enemy, dragging the opponent all the way across the arena if it hits or until they slam into a wall or the ground before recalling the spear.
*Jump: Kain's signature ability. As a Dragoon, Kain is able to leap incredible distances in the air and freely maneuver through it, allowing him to come down with the momentum accumulated from his free fall, greatly amplifying the strength of his attacks while rendering him virtually impossible to hit with most attacks. While equipped with the Dragoon Gauntlets he gains access to Double Jump, allowing him to descend upon his foes with even greater speed and power.
*Lancet: Kain is able to generate a phantasmal spear that impales his foe from below, healing him for an amount equal to the amount of damage his foe takes.
*Rising Drive: Ascends into the air while spinning, drilling his spear into his opponent's body before sending them flying.
*Sky Rave: Descends on an opponent while spinning, dealing damage multiple times as he twists his spear into the target's body before sending them crashing into the ground.
|-|Magic=
*Blink: Kain casts a spell that causes him or an ally to begin generating afterimages as they move, confusing enemies who rely on sight and making it for more difficult to land a hit.
*Cure: Casts a spell that heals himself of minor injuries.
**Cura: A more powerful version of cure that heals moderate injuries.
*Esuna: Removes negative status conditions such as poison, blinding, or paralysis on himself or allies.
*Haste: Speeds up time around himself or an ally, increasing their effective combat speed.
*Hold: Kain casts a spell that instantly paralyzes the target, forcing them to watch helplessly as Kain attacks them.
*Teleport: Warps Kain to a place of his choosing, allowing him to evade large-scale attacks.
|-|Augments=
*Item Lore: The user is capable of increasing the effectiveness of both healing and damaging items.
*Counter: The user automatically counter attacks when they get hit by the enemy.
*Curse: The user inflicts curse on the enemy, dropping their overall stats as a result.
*Tsunami: Casts a giant wave of water upon the enemy that can potentially cause instant death.
*Bluff: The user's intelligence increases drastically, increasing their spell's effectiveness.
*Cry: The user starts crying and drops the enemy's defenses by half.
*Dualcast: the user is capable of casting two spells at once.
*Bardsong: The user is capable of using the bard's ability to sing, being able to use a variety of abilities, such as healing, inflicting status ailments on the enemy, or damaging them.
*Hide: The user hides from the enemy, being undetected while capable of attacking from a distance with throwing items and bows.
*Recall: The user casts a random spell that can cause random effects to the target.
*Last Stand and Adrenaline: The user's strength and defenses increases when their health is low.
*Fast Talker: The user is capable of casting spells at a far shorter time than normal.
*Whirlwind: The user casts wind magic upon the targets and decreases the target's innate resistance to fire.
*Eye Gouge: The user inflicts blind on the target, enveloping them in darkness and messing their optical senses.
*Analyze: The user is capable of analyzing the target to determine their stats, strengths and weaknesses.
*Upgrade: The user can mix an elemental attack item with their weapons, gaining their innate powers in their weapons as a result.
*Inferno: The user casts a giant fire spell, damaging all foes in the area.
*Darkness: The user sacrifices some of their health to gain a massive boost in power.
*Focus: The user can store in energy to deal massive amounts of damage in their next attack.
*Kick: The user flies at the foes with a flying kick, attacking everything in the vicinity.
*Brace: The user reduces the damage taken by a large amount.
*Level Lust: The user is capable of increasing their stats at a faster rate than normal.
*Piercing Magic: The user is capable of bypassing spells that are capable of reflecting attacks back.
*Bless: The user's magic power recovers at a steady rate.
*Phoenix: The user can revive and restore other members should they die.
*Limit Break: The user breaks their previous limits, being capable of dealing damages tens of times greater than they could previously.
</tabber>
==Notable Matchups==
Victories:
Losses:
Inconclusive:
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:Final Fantasy
Category:Final Fantasy IV
Category:Protagonists
Category:Good Characters
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