Braig

• Braig
• Gameplay
• Gallery
• Quotes

"For a Keyblade Master, you're not very—what's the word—good?"

—Braig

Braig, misspelled as "Bleig" in the North American version of Kingdom Hearts II, is one of the six apprentices of Ansem the Wise, and the original persona of Xigbar.

Story

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep

"That thing right there. It's called the Keyblade, isn't it? Yep, it seems like these days everybody's got one of those... even grandpa there. When I nabbed him, he told me all about it—what a weapon like that can do. How could I not want one?"

—Braig to Terra

Braig explains Master Xehanort's capture to Terra.

Prior to the events of Birth by Sleep, Braig encountered Xehanort who offered him the ability to use a Keyblade in return of helping him gather thirteen strong beings. As part of their arrangement, Braig helps stage Xehanort's kidnapping to have Terra follow him to Radiant Garden's underground, dueling the Keyblade user while proclaiming to take his Keyblade after killing him.

Braig reels off at Master Xehanort.

Though reluctant to fight back, Terra uses the powers of darkness to defeat Braig, scarring his face in the process prior to running off. Once Terra left, Braig attempts to shoot Xehanort from behind for using him as "collateral damage". However, threaten into backing down, Braig agrees to continue with their plan to make Terra succumb to the darkness before allowing himself to become a host for part of Xehanort's own heart.

"Oh, so this kiddo thinks he's a full-fledged Keyblade wielder? He's got the angry look down."

—Braig to Ventus

Braig comments on Ventus's glare.

After becauing a partial Xehanort clone, Braig later appears in the Keyblade Graveyard in an attempt to trick Aqua and Ventus into turning on Terra. After mocking the angry glare Ventus gives him when his scheme backfires, Braig is challenged by Aqua and defeated. Since he had only needed to buy time for Vanitas, he turns and runs. Aqua gives chase, but she turns back, not wanting to leave Ventus alone in his fragile state, and Braig returns to Radiant Garden.

Braig carries Terra-Xehanort, asking Dilan to take in the armor and Keyblade.

Braig later leads Dilan and Ansem to an amnesiac Terra-Xehanort, the result of Master Xehanort possessing Terra's body. Braig smiles triumphantly to himself, satisfied that the elder Master's plan worked. He asks Dilan to gather Aqua's discarded armor and Keyblade as he carries Terra-Xehanort to the castle on Ansem's order.

Between Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

"Hey! Mister Master. Oh c'mon, you don't even know your pal? Please tell me the amnesia was just a sick joke. Boy, this is some cliche."

—Braig to Terra-Xehanort

Braig ponders if Xehanort is Terra.

Braig later approaches the new Xehanort, now an apprentice under Ansem, and is dismayed to find that the new Xehanort does not recognize him, and Braig's attempts to help Xehanort remember prove only to annoy him. Braig, at one point, questions if this new Xehanort is actually Terra, but Xehanort still does not respond, much to Braig's relief. Braig nevertheless promises to look out for Xehanort.

After Ansem began performing tests on Xehanort's heart, Braig convinces the other apprentices to aid him and Xehanort in conducting inhumane experiments on the human heart and the darkness within it. Such experimentation led to the mass creation of Heartless. Ansem quickly discovered their secret experiments, and immediately ordered them to stop. One day, after being advised to review their research data by King Mickey, Ansem found that the effects of their experiments had become irreversible.

Braig stabbed by Xehanort.

Eventually, Braig and the other five apprentices dabbled too deep into darkness through their continued experiments. Braig found Even and Ienzo passed out inside Ansem's computer room, and was surprised by Xehanort, who stabbed through the chest with his Keyblade. In his last moments, Braig asks if he really is the Master Xehanort he knows, only to be scoffed at as his attacker prefers to be called "Ansem". Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Although his heart was removed and became a Heartless, Braig's strong will enabled his body to continue existing as the Nobody Xigbar. The Nobodies of the six apprentices formed Organization XIII, and banished Ansem the Wise to the Realm of Darkness.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

Despite the destruction of his Heartless and Xigbar, Braig and Isa do not reappear in Hollow Bastion with Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo and Lea, which prompts Lea to venture out to search for them.

Appearance

Braig wears a guard's uniform with a dark slate grey jacket, silver highlights, and two rows of gold buttons on the front. He wears a black belt and white gloves adorned with a silver, curled heart symbol. His jacket bears some resemblance to Xigbar's black coat, sporting the same pointed shoulders. He also wears black, knee-high boots and a tattered, red scarf. In terms of facial features, Braig sports brown eyes, though they turn gold upon his acceptance of a piece of Master Xehanort's heart, upturned eyebrows, and dark, shoulder-length hair that he wears slicked back. After his fight against Terra, he loses his right eye and receives a jagged scar over his left cheek, making him and Master Eraqus the only two characters that are seen receiving scars during the story. Once he is able to take the bandages off, Braig wears an eyepatch to cover his lost eye.

Braig wields two Arrowguns shaped like crossbows. They are colored in shades of silver and a faded, metallic purple and adorned with the same curled heart symbol as his gloves.

Personality

Since Braig is the original persona of Xigbar, he possesses most of Xigbar's personality. He is shown to have a laid-back, cocky attitude, and doesn't often take things seriously. Braig can also be cold and merciless at times, seen once when he kidnaps Master Xehanort and tries to eliminate Terra for his Keyblade (although this was later revealed to be staged by Master Xehanort), and again when he tries to destroy Aqua and Ventus to get Terra to fall to darkness and cruelly asking who wants to go first. He often refers to Master Xehanort as an "old coot", and like Xigbar, very frequently says "As if.".

He also desires to possess a Keyblade of his very own, even to the point of allowing Master Xehanort to make him the first of his twelve clones just to gain the ability to wield one at the eventual cost of his indiviuality.

Abilities

"You better start running!"

—Braig, during his battle with Terra

File:Braig gun comparison.jpg

The Japanese release on the left, English on the right.

Braig, like his Nobody Xigbar, wields twin Arrowguns in battle, using them to fire a variety of quick shots. He uses a telescopic view in battle and is able to teleport, warp his bullets, and levitate upside-down via space distortion. Like his Nobody's, Braig's HUD display has a silhouette of his Arrowguns in each of the four cardinal directions. The shots Braig fires when he is sniping are violet like Xigbar's, but they seem to have explosive properties to them. He can also combine his two weapons into one in order to fire powerful shots in rapid succession. Braig is also very agile, able to make high leaps into the air, and quickly run around opponents while leaving after-images of himself.

In the Western and Final Mix releases of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, his targeting reticule was changed drastically, much like it was for his Nobody, Xigbar. Instead of the crosshair-shaped reticule used when fighting Terra, the American, European, and Final Mix versions simply showed three violet dots, vaguely showing Braig's aim.

Gallery

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  Braig with his scar and eyepatch

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  Braig wearing bandages

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  Braig's Arrowgun