Baldr

Baldr
Japanese	バルドル
Rōmaji	Barudoru
Homeworld	Scala ad Caelum
Game	Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

"But the more darkness I felt, the deeper my heart sank into the abyss. It started to consume me, until one day, I realized that the darkness I thought was theirs was in truth mine."

—Baldr

Baldr is the main antagonist of Kingdom Hearts Dark Road. He is the younger brother of Hoder and a student of Master Odin.

Story

Kingdom Hearts Dark Road

As a child on Scala ad Caelum, Baldr discovers that he has the ability to sense the contents of people's hearts. When he grows into his youth, he becomes a Keyblade wielder alongside his older sister, Hoder, and the two begin training under Master Odin. At first, Baldr only feels safe with Hoder, due to the light he senses in her heart, but opens up to Eraqus and his other classmates when he senses the same thing in their hearts. This creates an insecurity about darkness in Baldr’s heart that makes way for the darkness to take root in it.

Around the time of Xehanort’s arrival to the world, the upper classmen are sent on their Mark of Mastery to the Enchanted Dominion. Baldr grows anxious of Hoder’s safety and ventures out after her. Meanwhile, the darkness in Baldr’s heart sees this as an opportunity to gain power over Baldr by harming someone dear to him, Hoder. As Hoder engages in a battle with the evil fairy, Baldr rushes in to save her. He is there to witness his sister’s death, and then he is unable to recall what transpired when Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun died after he later wakes up in the infirmary.

Baldr falls into a depression following Hoder's death.

Initially, Baldr believes that his sister died protecting him from the evil fairy, and then the other three upper classmen succumbed to the same fate. However, according to the darkness, it is possible that instead, the darkness in Baldr’s heart lept out and ended Hoder’s life before her brother's very eyes. This caused Baldr to succumb to the grief and rage inside his heart, the darkness using his negative emotions to take over completely. While possessing Baldr’s body, the darkness kills Heimdall, Helgi, and Sigrun.

Following this tragedy, Baldr is confined to the infirmary, requiring time to heal from his grief. Master Odin disguises this from the others, claiming his absence is caused by a special assignment. Instead of healing, this isolation causes his negative emotions to grow and fester, the darkness in his heart becoming more powerful.

The darkness within Baldr allows its presence to be known to Vidar, hoping this knowledge will serve as motivation for summoning Kingdom Hearts; if Kingdom Hearts is summoned, the worlds will be reborn in darkness. Vidar, unable to bring himself to end Baldr, seeks out Kingdom Hearts to purge the darkness, just as planned. However, Vidar eventually realizes the potential consequences of this plan, and stops pursuing Kingdom Hearts.

Xehanort and his peers continue to investigate the missing upperclassmen, learning about true darkness and the threat it poses. Odin deems them too young to handle the situation. Suddenly, Baldr returns to his classmates, offering them the opportunity to find answers by exploring the Underworld. There, while Xehanort and Eraqus speak to the spirits of the felled upperclassmen, Baldr confronts Bragi. However, Bragi is mysteriously strong; instead of fighting, Bragi chooses to disappear, leaving everyone to believe that he was killed by Baldr. All the while, Xehanort grows suspicious of Baldr, catching on to the darkness lingering inside him.

Baldr is restrained in the final showdown.

Xehanort, Eraqus, Hermod, and Urd are about to confront Hades, but they are sucked into a portal leading to a Corridor of Darkness. Surrounded by overwhelming dark emotions, Hermod and Urd are weakened, and Baldr arrives to finish them off. Xehanort and Eraqus return to Scala ad Caelum alone. Baldr goes on a rampage, killing many throughout the city. In his quest to kill 13 lights to feed 13 darknesses, he eliminates Vidar, Vali, Vala, and Vor.

Baldr invites Xehanort and Eraqus to a final battle atop Scala ad Caelum's central tower. After defeating Hringhorn, Xehanort prepares to finish off Baldr, but his former friend makes one final plea. Xehanort and Baldr are one and the same, Baldr claims; they are always in the shadow of a greater light. To quell Baldr, Hoder's spirit arrives, having been stowing away in Xehanort's heart since their meeting in the Underworld. In the end, Xehanort engages Baldr long enough for Master Odin to appear and restrain him with chains from the No Name. Baldr is struck with a fatal blow from Xehanort and fades away, though not without leaving Xehanort with a deeper desire for answers.

Design

Baldr is a youth with fair skin, grey eyes, and long, white hair. He wears a white, hooded jacket that is golden on the inside with Terra's Mark, a black vest, and black pants with blue criss-crossing straps. Under the vest is a white undershirt.

In Norse mythology, Baldr was the god of light, joy, purity, and the summer sun. Baldr's death at the hands of his brother signals the beginning of Ragnarok, a series of events filled with death and tragedy leading to the end of the world.

Abilities

Like his classmates, Baldr wields the Keyblade. During his time as a vessel of Darkness, he can manipulate a dark aura surrounding him to great effect. He can also manifest his darkness as the powerful Hringhorn.

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  Keyblade