| “ | That's basic human instinct. Humans are driven by impulse to destroy. Destruction serves as a way to feel out others and confirm your own existence. Then, you try to find atonement to comfort yourself, after you're unable to deny your instincts. I tried to live exactly like that.
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” |
Lieutenant Luis Virgil was a Galaxy Federation A.G.W.S. second unit pilot and a commander tactician known for his improvisational skills. He is part of the 117th Marine Division, a Federation Marine Corps Division assigned to escort the cruiser Woglinde in search of the disappeared planet Ariadne after the Ariadne Incident.
Virgil was a veteran of the Miltian Conflict, a traumatic war that occurred fourteen years prior to Episode I’s beginning that affected many lives.
Personality
| “ | I'm a soldier, but I'm still human. I have a heart. I'm not like those Realian cannibals! | ” |
Luis Virgil's face showing DME addiction.
As a result of his experiences, Virgil is extremely bigoted, closed-minded, racist and hostile towards Realians, considering them inferior freaks to humans. Virgil has an overwhelming amount of hate and resentment in his heart. Virgil knows the violence and brutality Realians are capable of, and is disgusted by Shion Uzuki treating "tools of warfare" like pets, on the same level as humans with the same respect. Virgil doesn't understand how Shion can have so much empathy for Realians, as seen in their heated and argumentative debates. He insults Shion's optimism and belief that Realians count as people. One could theorize that the reason he hates Shion's optimism so much is because she reminds him of Febronia.
Virgil also seems to be somewhat misanthropic, saying that humans are driven by their impulse to destroy in order to prove and confirm they exist, and that "humans only retain their humanity when things are calm and happy.", meaning that in situations of conflict and crisis, many humans won't hesitate to resort to violent actions such as killing, stealing and betraying.
While Virgil may seem like a bigoted jerk to some players, his character is actually quite complex. He likely thinks of himself as a decently moral human being, and claims he has a heart. Like many antagonists in Xenosaga, Virgil is not depicted as malevolent for the sake of being malevolent. In his final moments, he reveals that deep down, all he really wants to be is at peace and love with Febronia. Virgil could be viewed as a hypocrite because he accuses Shion of being a hypocrite and berates her for not being honest with herself, when he's doing the same thing by denying this truth.
Enneagram analysis
According to the Enneagram personality classification, Virgil is classified as a type 8 (Courageous / Confident in himself / Coercive / Confrontational). This is the same type as the three U.R.T.V. brothers and Margulis. He commands his subordinates, and in order to act on the front lines, he, who is in the position of First Lieutenant in which leadership is sought, exerts aggressiveness and controlling power. When the Woglinde was attacked by the Gnosis, the action he took of making the combat Realians self-destruct was a use of absolute controlling power that is typical of a type 8. At this time, because the 100-Series Realians had not been deployed on the Woglinde and KOS-MOS could not startup, the Hilbert Effect could not be used. Even though he did not have a single effective method of attacking the Gnosis, Virgil did not despair and thought of a way to fight and win. This can be explained by the extremely strong confrontational thoughts that type 8s have. They are proactive, developmental, and belligerent. They do not avoid battle, they change the environment around them with their own power by winning battles and try to obtain a desirable future.
However, his leadership often displays his unhealthiness. He is dictatorial and violent. Because of that, his battle for the survivors becomes very individualistic and advances self-righteously.
Background
Xenosaga Episode III - Chapter 5 - Febronia - Visiting Virgil
Febronia caring for Virgil in her church.
Febronia caring for Virgil in her church.
Virgil attended a Federation military academy with Caspase.
On Old Miltia, an 18-year-old Virgil was ordered to dispose of Realians on the planet. He was a participant of the Miltian Conflict's second descent operation. He was attacked by a group of Combat Realians which were ordered to attack Federation personnel.
As an act of selflessness, a 16-year-old half-human half-Realian named Febronia gave up part of her organs to help keep Virgil alive, hoping that the cells in her body would have an affinity with Virgil's. After recovering herself, Febronia treated his injuries and also provided food and shelter for him in her church.
For a brief while after that, she and Virgil rendezvoused frequently, nurturing the love between them. They talked a lot about Realians and their nature, as well as the relationship between Realians and humans. At first, Virgil was furious at his own worthlessness, but eventually he began to communicate his heart to Febronia. The feeling of fulfillment from tranquility resulted in a satisfied peaceful heart. It was, for Virgil, his first experience of that.
Xenosaga III HD Cutscene 193 - Tragedy at the Church (Old Church) - ENGLISH
Virgil unable to prevent Febronia's death.
However, he wasn't able to protect those times. During the Miltian Conflict, Febronia's church was attacked by a rogue group of Combat Realians that Shion had been trying to escape from. Febronia bravely confronted the attackers and was savagely beaten in an attempt to serve as a distraction while Virgil and Shion were fleeing for safety. Febronia was finally killed in front of both Virgil and Shion after being stabbed through her heart by one of the rogue Realians. Her last words being for the two to "run" right before the Realians began to consume her flesh.
Virgil killing Combat Realians in revenge.
After her death, Virgil was distraught and attacked and killed the Realians to carry her corpse to safety. Virgil ordered Shion to run as far away from the church as she could, but told her not to go to the city, and gave her a key to Labyrinthos so that she could reunite with her family. How Virgil was able to survive the rest of the Miltian Conflict is unknown, but he was able to get off the planet before it was locked into the Abyss.
Virgil suffered from the effects of DME Addiction, which is contracted when a person consumes the internal tissues of Realians in order to get a narcotic high. His mental instability and hard, cracked facial skin are symptomatic of DME addiction. It is possible that these symptoms are the result of the organ transplant he received from the Febronia.
Virgil lost someone he loved. In order to put an end to his feelings of emptiness and longing, he denied the very love that he lost. By denying love, he tried to affirm the past where he experienced a loss that he couldn't change. In order to overcome his pain, it was necessary to affirm the past where he couldn't save Febronia. In order to accept the fact that he lost Febronia, he denied his love for her. In order to accept the pain of loss, he denied the source of the pain -- the love taken from him. This is why he denied Realians more than necessary. However, the truth is that he wanted to regain the tranquil heart from the fulfilling time he once had. He wanted that blessed time to last forever.
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Realian Maintenance
Virgil insults Realians to Shion and Caspase.
As a soldier of the Federation, Virgil is on the Woglinde. Virgil debuts in the Realian maintenance room where he insults them and complains they reek, showing his obvious contempt of Realians. Neither Virgil or Shion show signs of recognizing the other after fourteen years. He debates the nature of Realians with Shion, and asks her why she's treating "equipment" like "people", and Shion replies that he shouldn't say things like that because they have the same intellect and emotions. When Shion brings up the Miltian Charter, Virgil calls it a load of crap and tells her to get off her soapbox. Once he leaves, Caspase apologizes to Shion, claiming Virgil "wasn't always like that. But then... something happened."
Virgil the Conductor
Virgil sacrificing Realians to Gnosis.
Later, when the Woglinde is being attacked by Gnosis, he swipes Shion's connection gear and hacks into the neural structures of his own squad of Realian soldiers, causing them to self-destruct in order to defend the Gnosis attack, despite Shion's objections. Virgil then becomes a playable battle character for an extremely brief period of time. Virgil, like all temporary playable characters, cannot change equipment. Virgil does not have any sort of Tech/Ether attacks. For a weapon, he uses a Vector Industries sub-machine gun. For close combat, he simply bashes the enemy with it.
Lieutenant Virgil's Death
KOS-MOS kills Virgil to save Shion.
He is accidentally killed during the Gnosis assault by KOS-MOS when he strayed into her line of fire while attacking another Gnosis. KOS-MOS was presented with the choice of holding her fire and allowing the possibility of the Gnosis killing Shion, or firing and destroying the Gnosis but also killing Virgil in the process. KOS-MOS ultimately took the course of action that complied with her expressed programming: ensure the safety of all Vector employees. KOS-MOS could have altered her line of fire; however, doing so would have decreased her optimum aim by a factor of 30%. Shion is disgusted and horrified by his death and holds it against KOS-MOS. KOS-MOS tells Shion that she must survive or else it will render Virgil's sacrifice meaningless.
Virgil was resurrected from the dead by Vector CEO Wilhelm in the form of the Blue Testament. As the Blue Testament, he now appears to take orders from Wilhelm and his aide, the Red Testament (Kevin Winnicot). Wilhelm's Eternal Recurrence repeats all of history. This means a full-scale affirmation of history. In order to accept the suffering towards a past that cannot be changed, that past must have been forcibly affirmed. Virgil thought that, by getting close to Eternal Recurrence, which is a complete affirmation of everything, he would also affirm his own past and be able to overcome his pain. Therefore, he accepted Eternal Recurrence itself, and became a Testament.
He first reappears as the Blue Testament on the Song of Nephilim where he bails out Albedo Piazzolla who was just defeated by Shion, Jr. and their companions. When Albedo departs, Virgil attacks the group using his newfound powers as a Testament, which include, but are not limited to, subverting the laws of physics and transforming into a Gnosis. The type of Gnosis that the Blue Testament transformed into, Ein Rugel, was the same type that the Black Testament Voyager (Erich Weber) turned into when Ziggurat 8, then Jan Sauer, confronted him over 100 years ago. After being defeated, it is implied he calls chaos "boss". When Shion asks what Blue Testament is trying to accomplish, he tells her to "come to that time" and "to that place".
The Blue Testament reveals himself as Virgil.
The Blue Testament appears again after Albedo summons Proto Merkabah to Second Miltia and he is reprimanded by the Red Testament to just let Albedo go. When the Red Testament shows him just what his and Wilhelm's plan is and how it relates to Albedo, he reluctantly backs off. He pilots the E.S. Naphtali, a blue, arachnid-limbed machine with a humanoid torso and a large accompanying rifle that can be teleported at will.
Xenosaga: The Animation
Virgil confronting Shion about Realians.
Virgil's role in Xenosaga: The Animation was quite different from what his role in the game was. In the anime, Virgil survives the Gnosis assault on the Woglinde in the place of Commander Andrew Cherenkov, who was ignobly crushed to death by a falling Gnosis.
Virgil's history and backstory were not developed in the anime. Virgil served only few roles in the anime's plot, the most notable ones being his part in stopping Pellegri while Shion and company were in the Encephalon, although most characters don't know this. It was because of his A.G.W.S. assault on the E.S. Issachar that chaos and Jin Uzuki managed to drive off Pellegri. The other one was saving MOMO Mizrahi from the Gnosis minutes prior to his death.
Virgil finally died in episode 9 when his A.G.W.S. was obliterated by KOS-MOS's X-Buster attack while defending the Kukai Foundation from a Gnosis attack. Similar to the game, Virgil also sees a vision of Febronia embrace him as he dies. Unlike Episode I, Shion is able to weep for Virgil this time, likely due to being around him more.
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Virgil in the Ω System.
Virgil only shows up twice in Episode II.
He appears once aboard the Ω System with Kevin and Voyager where they kill the pope, Patriarch Sergius XVII. They destroy Proto Ω and reconstruct Albedo.
Virgil appears again at the very end as the Blue Testament, again alongside Kevin and Voyager as Wilhelm comments to them on Albedo, much like he does to Kevin at the end of Episode I.
Xenosaga I & II
In Xenosaga I & II, Virgil and E.S. Naphtali show up on Old Miltia in the Episode II portion of the game and he confronts Shion and her companions before they reach Labyrinthos. He then attacks the group and they do battle. He later speaks with Shion before she faces Patriarch Sergius on the Ω System.
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
Xenosaga Episode III - Chapter 3 - Rennes-le-Château - Blue Testament
Virgil on Rennes-le-Château.
In Episode III, Virgil confronts Shion and the others on the landmass Rennes-le-Château, showing up on E.S. Naphtali and unmasking before Shion and the others. He chides Shion for her self-righteous and hypocritical actions then attacks the party, seeking to prevent them from entering the temple on ahead. When he is defeated, Albedo and the newly restored E.S. Simeon appear and he extracts Naphtali's Vessel of Anima. Together Virgil and Albedo disappear, but not before Albedo makes his presence known to the group once again.
Testament Virgil
Virgil's death.
A younger Virgil appears in the past Miltia that emerged from Shion's subconscious, and the events of the past repeat. Virgil is saved by Febronia's organ transplant. Unfortunately, Virgil is killed again during the Miltian Conflict when he sacrifices himself to kill Combat Realians which murdered Febronia.
Virgil Reproves Shion
Virgil calls Shion out on her hypocrisy.
The true Virgil, the Blue Testament, confronts Shion in Febronia's ruined church. They argue with each other over their actions in the past and their emotions in the present. Virgil claims that the two of them are exactly the same, people who would do anything in order to survive and for Shion to be making excuses and trying to find justification for her actions is hypocrisy. Virgil reveals that he became a Testament only for power, and that being unable to prevent the death of his love Febronia made him develop a hunger for power.
Virgil attacks Shion again and during the fight, he shouts, "Show me the proof of your existence!" at them, stemming from his belief that humans destroy, kill and conquer to prove and confirm that they exist.
Febronia and Virgil
Febronia embraces Luis.
After his defeat, the spirit of Febronia, who had appeared to Shion numerous times in the past, appeared before him and she too tried to reason with him. At first he was unable to face her, thinking that she could not forgive him, but when she told him she still loved him, even now when as a Testament he gave in. With the help of Febronia he renounced Wilhelm's influence and his Testament-hood and the two disappeared into the hereafter together, both of them finally complete.
Virgil's deep-rooted psychological issues were the driving force for most of his actions as a Testament, not Wilhelm's will as with the others. This was probably the reason why he was able to break free of being a Testament when Febronia pleaded with him.
Etymology
Luis (and its variant forms) is the Spanish, Portuguese, Galician, Aragonese form of the Germanic given name Hludowig and Chlodovech (modern German Ludwig). The Germanic name is composed of the words for "fame" (hlūd) and "warrior" (wīg) which may be translated to famous warrior or "famous in battle". This is likely a reference to his position as a soldier.
The name Virgil can be traced to multiple sources, including the Divine Comedy, where the character of Virgil served as a guide through Hell. That character was in turn based on a historical Roman poet who wrote the epic poem the Aeneid.
Quotes
Episode I
- "Their stench... It reeks. I can't get their rotten odor out of my system. Can't you smell it? It makes me sick to my stomach."
- "These people?! You're treating equipment like people?"
- "What a load of crap... Get off your soapbox! You act noble and preach about humanity, but in the end, they're just equipment as far as your company's concerned. Or maybe... more like merchandise..."
- "Free will, huh… Well, good for you. You'd better just enjoy it while you can. The time'll come soon enough when you'll realize what's going on. Just you wait..."
- "Have fun pretending you're just like a human! Just remember this: Humans only retain their humanity when things are calm and happy - if they're lucky. But you Realians... hmph. Just wait until we're in an extreme situation. That's when you're going to learn the hard way what your position on the food chain really is." (in the anime)
- "What are WE doing?! What the hell do you think YOU'RE doing, running around like an idiot?! We thought you were a Gnosis!"
- "That's for peacetime, lady. You think I don't know the Miltian Charter?"
- "Well, that time is now. And I am the conductor! I intend to make full use of my orchestra!"
- "So whaddya gonna do about it? Tell me, why haven't YOU disabled that function? Sure it's factory-loaded, but you of all people shouldn't have any trouble removing it. Since you care about them so much, all it would take is a little tweak, and they'd be free as birds. And yet you don't. Why not? Exactly! It's protocol! In other words, you're just like me, bound by that protocol. We're the ones that give them a reason to live. Am I wrong?! That's the difference between US and THEM! Am I wrong?! So, why not give it to them? A meaning to their PITIFUL EXISTENCE!" (Virgil sacrificing Realians to stop Gnosis)
- "Son of a BITCH! Out of the way! Move!"
- "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS?! THEN COME AND GET IT, YOU BASTARDS!"
- "Who? What does it matter? Or... do you need a name to describe me? A definition by words is merely a means to deceive oneself. It's meaningless before the truth. What matters is how you perceive things. The slightest shift, then life and death no longer have any meaning." (as Blue Testament)
Episode III
Xenosaga III HD Cutscene 002 - Testament (Ancient Temple Tomb) - ENGLISH
Virgil smells Mary Magdalene's body.
- "So, this is our princess? *sniff* She smells good. I've fallen in love already."
- "Oh, so you remember me? Well, isn't that nice. I find that rather interesting. You see, I remember you, too. I remember that you let me die!" (to Shion)
- "Like I've told you before, all your self-righteous crap makes me sick!" (to Shion)
- "Come on. You're not very bright, now, are you? Why don't you just try using your heads a little for once?!"
- "How did I get here? Is that your question? Am I alive or am I dead? It doesn't really matter. That isn't even important. Then again, it's not something that I would expect you to be able to understand."
- "Hah hah hah! I love it! I can clearly feel your hatred!"
- "That doesn't make sense. I came to this planet to dispose of you Realians. You could be executed for saving me." (to Febronia)
- "I've been ordered to kill Realians. To a soldier, orders are absolute." (to Febronia)
- "You bastards! This isn't what you were supposed to do. Stop it, all of you, you're no better than us!" (to the Realians devouring Febronia)
- "Show me the proof of your existence!"
- "Eat this!"
- "What are you embarrassed about? That's basic human instinct. Humans are driven by impulse to destroy. Destruction serves as a way to feel out others and confirm your own existence. Then, you try to find atonement to comfort yourself, after you're unable to deny your instincts. I tried to live exactly like that. And you lived for that same purpose! You disassembled Realians, and dreamed of giving consciousness to inorganic matter. Comforting yourself with the hatred towards your father, and anger over your mother's death. You're doing things you don't want to do, just to escape your feelings of guilt. 'Hypocrite'...the word doesn't even begin to describe you. Be more true to yourself!" (to Shion)
- "Oh, I understand you, because you and I are the same kind of person. What is it that drives you? That's right. Revenge. Only revenge drives both you and me, and that's the truth. Ideals crumble easily. Hope is like a mist before the morning sunrise of reality. That's exactly how I was. But then I learned, nothing will change. There is a limit to will, the limit of this world in which everything is closed. Yes. That is what all of us came to understand." (to Shion)
- "Come on, now. That's not what you really feel. You're glad I still exist. You're happy he still exists. Come. Come, and you will see. Then choose! Choose what you truly desire! You met him. He's with us." (to Shion)
- "That's not what your will is saying. Your heart throbs for him. You feel passion for him. You want to see him, don't you? He wants to see you, too." (to Shion)
- "Don't be foolish. This doesn't concern you. Just keep quiet, and stay out of my way!" (to Jin)
- "Wait, what is this? Just who the hell do you think you are showing up now?" (to Febronia)
- "You're no different, either. You're just like me...now that you've lost your body." (to Febronia)
- "You don't know anything about me!" (to Febronia)
- "And this was the result. Yeah, I came to understand alright. I understand how pointless it all is!" (to Febronia)
- "Enough talking! Do you really think that I'm still hanging on to you?! I feel nothing for any of you Realians!" (to Febronia)
- "This is my reason? This is my proof? Don't make me laugh. I regret absolutely nothing. I am here precisely because I have finally accepted myself, and this world! Those of you who reject this world, you could never understand!" (to Febronia)
- "That is just wishful thinking. You're only clinging to what little hope you have left!" (to Febronia about change)
- "You died and left me! I have nothing to say to you!" (to Febronia)
- "Just leave me alone! You're already dead, Febronia!" (to Febronia)
- "But I-- I couldn't even save you!" (to Febronia)
- "Do you hate me? None of this would've ever happened... if you hadn't gotten involved. Why did you have to, why? It's too much to bear. All I want... All I really want... is for you..." (last words to Febronia)
Trivia
Ⓦ Xenosaga Ep. 1 Walkthrough - Cyclops boss fight
Virgil as a party member.
- Virgil is the first temporary guest party member in the entire series.
- In Episode I, the camera focuses on Virgil's bracelet when he is first introduced.(at 4:00) It seems the developers were going to make the bracelet a plot point, but it never actually happened for some reason - this is likely because Episode III was rushed and the developers probably forgot to mention it. A possible theory is that Febronia once wore this bracelet and Virgil received it from her.
- In Episode III, during his boss battle in the church, it begins raining and the church fills with fog.
Virgil and Febronia by Kunihiko Tanaka.
- Although Virgil, who had become a Testament, and Febronia were both imaginary domain existences, the two of them were unable to come into contact. In the imaginary number domain, unless each side wishes, contact cannot be made. Whatever way Febronia may try to speak to him, if Virgil refuses, it cannot be established. But as Virgil was enticing Shion to return to Kevin, Febronia reunited with him. This is quite simply because Virgil's heart allowed it. Virgil said, "I accept Eternal Recurrence precisely because I accept everything." Febronia replied, "We don't deny those things either; we simply want to believe the possibility of the future that is born from disorder," And then, Virgil, who had spouted words condemning Febronia who had died, leaving him behind -- he, who wasn't able to save her -- was gently embraced by Febronia. "I want to free you from that curse," she said. And then, Virgil knew -- his own true wish. To accept everything, together with Febronia, and affirm the past with true meaning.
Gallery
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Xenosaga: The Animation
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
