Ruler of the Sky

The Ruler of the Sky is an Emblem Heartless that is found in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. It is one of the bosses at Neverland.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
On Day 301, the Organization detects a powerful Heartless at Neverland, and sends Roxas to slay it. After Tinkerbell appears and refreshes his ability to fly with a sprinkle of pixie dust, Roxas discovers Captain Hook and Mr. Smee digging near Skull Rock, where their last map has finally lead them to bonafide treasure, in the form of a bulging treasure chest, a giant avian skull, and a jewel-encrusted sword. However, the darkness of Hook's greed possesses the treasure and takes the form of the Ruler of the Sky, so the terrified pirates flee.

As Roxas prepares to battle the gigantic Heartless, Pete confronts him, having realized that Roxas is the one who has been eliminating the Heartless he had been tricking Hook into summoning, and cheers the Ruler of the Sky. Despite this, the Ruler of the Sky is defeated by Roxas in an aerial battle and collides with Hook's ship as it disintegrates, crushing its masts. Having been thwarted once again, Pete flees swearing vengeance.

Design
The Ruler of the Sky resembles a large, skeletal parrot. Its body is covered in violet plumage and it has a jeweled, gold collar around its neck. Its tail is comprised of several skulls linked together, while its wings are comprised of four gold cutlasses with alternating violet and red gems set in their guards. The topmost cutlass in each wing ends in a hook, and none of the cutlasses are actually connected to each other. The Ruler of the Sky's head sports yellow eyes and a jeweled, violet and gold crown. Its mouth is comprised by a brown treasure chest filled with gold coins with gold lining, and black spikes acting as teeth that the Heartless has clenched in its beak. Its Heartless emblem is on the top of its crown. The Ruler of the Sky incorporates many traits that are homages to stereotypical pirates, such as parrots, skulls, cutlasses, and treasure.

The Ruler of the Sky's name reflects its unmatched power and flight.

Strategy
At the start of the battle, immediately Lock-On to the Heartless Boss. Roxas must chase it around while airborne, so attack whenever possible. The best time to strike is as the Ruler is turning. Equipping a leveled-up Glide ability and a good midair weapon will make it easier to keep up and land hits. Be careful not to end up behind the Ruler of the Sky, as it will cause pillars of ice to shoot up in its wake, and it will release homing balls of energy from the end of its tail. The energy spheres may drain Roxas's HP on impact.

After sustaining about half a bar of damage, a segment of the Ruler of the Sky's tail will break. At this point, the Ruler of the Sky will enter a berserk state and glow with a pink aura. It will also release a burst of energy as it begins its berserk attack. The Ruler of the Sky will begin swooping back and forth 3, 5 or 7 times depending on how many tail segments have been destroyed in an attempt to hit Roxas. Occasionally it will release a homing ball of energy when it begins its rush. If Roxas flies too close to the water, it will drop homing energy balls in rapid succession. Try to dodge downwards and to the side to avoid its rush without going too low. If Roxas does go low, use the terrain to avoid the energy spheres.

After rushing several times, the Ruler of the Sky will dive into the ocean unless you land fires during its charging phase. When this occurs, wait for it to resurface, and watch the mini-map. Try to keep out of its range, as the Ruler of the Sky will begin firing coins from its treasure chest-like mouth. Interestingly enough, if Roxas is hit by the boss's coin shot attack, he will collect the munny that hit him. Staying low will allow Roxas to avoid this attack. While it is firing, the Boss will move away from if Roxas tries to approach it, so try not to push it outside the area boundary. When it stops firing, it will be stationary for a short time, so start attacking at the tail. Soon the Boss will begin flying like before, so repeat the previous strategy until all tail segments are destroyed.

When the tail has been destroyed, the Ruler of the Sky enters a new berserk state. It will begin flying around the area, circling Roxas with iceberg towers and firing energy sphere after energy sphere. To best avoid its attacks, fly up and down repeatedly, Alternatively, if Roxas stands in the hole dug by Smee, the energy spheres will hit the island. In addition, since the icebergs only appear in the water, this is a foolproof method to avoid damage.

After the berserk state ends, the Ruler of the Sky will stop circling and begin firing coins. During this assault, the Ruler of the Sky will stay stationary if approached, so come up underneath it and target its core. If Roxas ends up above its body, he can still inflict damage to the core. When it's done firing, the Ruler of the Sky will transform its wings into claws and start swiping at Roxas. Avoid this attack by flying directly away from it. The Ruler of the Sky pauses for a few seconds after it finishes this attack, giving an extra opportunity to deal damage. After that it will return to its second berserk state, so repeat the second part of the strategy until the Heartless falls.

Be sure to equip items and multiple casts of Fire magic. Make use of the Limit Break, and equip a weapon with powerful strikes, as the Ruler does not stay still long enough for combo-based weapons to be effective.

A possible strategy to follow is to bring a large number of high-level Fire and Firaga casts, as well as Hi-Ethers and Elixirs to replenish magic. During the first phase of the battle, use Fire to inflict damage on the tail segments, as its homing capability will make it easier to connect with the target. After the tail is destroyed, use Firaga at close range to inflict a great deal of damage to the Boss's core.