Gaston

Gaston is an antagonist in Kingdom Hearts χ. He originally appeared in the Disney's 1991 animated film . He is a skilled hunter pushing for Belle's affections despite her disinterest, and he eventually becomes the source of the Enraged Elk Heartless.

Before Kingdom Hearts χ
Gaston is the local hero of a small French village at an unknown point in French history. He owns a large tavern where he and the villagers drink and talk. Inside, there is a large portrait of himself along with trophies from his hunt consisting mostly of animal antlers. He also says he eats five dozen eggs every morning to help make him roughly the size of a barge even though he earlier mentions to Belle that he would have his latest kills roast over the fire.

Kingdom Hearts χ
After learning of Belle's love for the Beast, Gaston, wreathed in darkness due to the jealousy he harbors between the "monster" and Belle, sets out to Beast's Castle to eliminate him. He approaches the castle with a huge swarm of Heartless after Chirithy tells that "someone" with an immense darkness in the heart was getting close to the castle. While his army attacks the castle and Player and the enchanted furniture repel the attacks, Gaston manages to sneak up to the West Wing and discovers the Beast as Belle heads back to Beast's Castle to stop Gaston. Gaston attacks the Beast and pushes his enemy to the balcony of his room and on rooftops nearby. When Belle returns to the castle with her father, Maurice, Player watches as Gaston attacks the Beast at the top balcony, who is not fighting back, and is on the verge of rushing to aid him. Gaston notices Player and unleashes an Enraged Elk Heartless to attack them.

After Player defeats the Heartless, Beast, fights Gaston back, having been reinvigorated after Belle's return. Beast strikes Gaston when he least expects it and turns the battle around, holding him over the edge and threatening to drop him. Gaston begs for mercy, and Beast lets him down and tells him to leave and never return. Belle calls to Beast and reaches her hand out climbs up to her, but Gaston stabs Beast as soon as his back is turned. As Beast flails in pain, Gaston stumbles back and falls from the balcony to his death.

Appearance
Gaston is presented with neck-long black hair and blue eyes, normally tying his hair into a ponytail until his final showdown with the Beast. He usually sports a red shirt with grey trousers, along with yellow gloves and brown boots. Occasionally, he also wears a dark cape, and has a rifle tied around his back while hunting the Beast.

Personality
Gaston initially happens to be a handsome and muscular hunter who certainly likes to brag of his abilities; however, beneath his charming looks is an extremely rude, impatient, manipulative, and narcissistic person who is willing to appeal to his own ego by any means necessary.

He is also shown to be completely lustful and provocative towards Belle, as he plans to marry her because of her beautiful looks as opposed to her nonconformist and unconventional personality. In addition, he is depicted as cowardly and unscrupulous, as after all his boasting and threats towards the Beast, he pleads for the Beast not to hurt or kill him when he is losing the fight that he himself started with the Beast, and opts to stab the Beast in the back when the opportunity presents itself.

Origin
Gaston first appears as the main antagonist of Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning film,, voiced by Richard White. A popular and arrogant hunter, he has an intense crush on Belle and seeks to win her affection through various schemes. On one such occasion, he attempts to propose to her, complete with a faux-wedding arrangement, but she kicks him out of her father's house. He sulks in the village tavern, but when Maurice arrives and rants about Belle's capture courtesy of the Beast, Gaston makes another plan to "win" Belle.

Gaston meets with Monsieur D'Arque, the owner of a local madhouse known as the Maison des Lunes, to declare Maurice insane and have him thrown into the madhouse unless Belle agrees to marry him. Belle returns and is forced reveal the Beast to the village. Realizing that Belle has fallen in love with the Beast, the jealous Gaston rallies the villagers to storm the castle and slay the Beast. Upon arrival, Gaston's mob is ambushed by the Beast's servants but Gaston himself escapes the battle and engages the Beast on the rooftops. Gaston initially gains the upper hand, but when the Beast threatens him over the roof, Gaston pleads for forgiveness and the Beast spares his life. However, Gaston stabs the Beast from behind when the latter is distracted by Belle, but loses his footing and falls from the balcony to his death.

Trivia

 * Despite Gaston's role in Kingdom Hearts χ being intended as a projection of future events, Gaston does not appear in Kingdom Hearts II or Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. While Kingdom Hearts II was in early development, Gaston was originally slated to appear in Beast's Castle, playing out a similar role to the original film and serving as a boss for Sora, but his place in the story was eventually given to Xaldin of Organization XIII, making Beast's Castle the first and only world in the Kingdom Hearts series that did not feature its corresponding film's antagonist in its debut appearance.
 * Gaston is the third Disney antagonist to control an army of Heartless despite not being associated with Maleficent or Pete, the first two being Clayton and Shan-Yu.