Evaluating Character Design

I am going to spend some time de-constructing the character of Raziel from the game series Legacy of Kain, and potentially also give the character of Kain the same treatment as the two characters are central to the interesting story of the games and their interactions are as interesting as their individual characters.

When Raziel is first introduced to the audience he is a Vampire Lieutenant (not the sparkly kind) of the self proclaimed Vampire God Kain. It is later revealed that Raziel was raised to be Kain's Lieutenant from the body of a Sarafan Warrior Priest. The Sarafan being an order that hunted and killed nearly all the vampires in Nosgoth. Raziel is the first of six lieutenants of Kain and has served him for over a millennium, at the beginning of the game he is revealed to have entered the state of change and evolved a new vampiric gift before his master. Seemingly for this transgression he is executed by being thrown into the lake of the dead. Raziel was burned alive for hundreds of years before his torment receded and he is brought back by a creature known as the Elder God. He is transformed in a wraith who inhabits the spectral realm. The Elder God gives Raziel the means to travel back to the physical realm, where he can maintain his form by absorbing souls of the living, so that he can get his revenge on his master and brothers for destroying him.

Visually Raziel is very distinctive, he appears very skeletal as much of his humanoid vampire form was burnt away leaving muscle and bone exposed. He is missing his lower jaw which he covers by wearing the banner of his former clan as a cowl. He skin is blue which has lots of meaning attached to it as every colour does. In the context of the story his blue skin is based on Hindu mythology in which blue skinned characters are known for depth of character and the capacity to fight evil. Raziel still retains the tattered remnants of his wings which Kain tore from his body,

Raziel sees himself as a fallen angel, risen again to exact his revenge as the reaver of souls. He is very self righteous and it is his greatest flaw. It's negative qualities light this that really helps give the character depth rather than being two dimensional. Early on in the story Raziel is very much driven by his emotions. Initially he is totally motivated by rage and lust for revenge. He comes to understand that he was not destroyed out of petty jealousy as he had believed, and that it had all been part of some grand scheme of Kain's, in which he was another pawn. Raziel is very reluctant to being used by Kain, although he ultimately finds himself used time and time again by the various characters of the story. This is due to the fact that following his destruction he was reborn as a creature of free will and able to change his destiny and with it the fate of Nosgoth. Raziels hatred for Kain never ceases but he starts to be more motivated by the want to shake of the shackles of fate and be able to exert his free will.
The story of the Legacy of Kain games revolves around destiny, fate and the characters trying to avoid their predetermined paths in life. Raziel is trapped in a highly cyclical destiny, he is himself a paradox that time needs to resolve and how it is resolved will have massive consequences for the world of Nosgoth. He is ultimately a tragic character who fell from grace and believed capable of redeeming himself. However he comes to realise that also he is creature of free will his destiny is predetermined and although his free can change the destiny of all the other characters of the story he can only postpone his own, rather than avoid it entirely. He is driven by a fear of his ultimate destiny which is to become the hungering spirit that dwells inside the soul reaver.

Although Raziel is the games protagonist he falls most into the shadow Jungian Archetype, which normally contains villains. He is essentially an evil murderous character but he has morals and ethics like all characters. This is what makes him such interesting in my mind. Added to this his tragic story the player can see how Raziel is driven to the things he does and despite him being an evil character we never feel like we as a player don't want to be him.