Luca Blight

Of all the villains in the Suikoden series, there is none greater than the "Mad Prince" Luca Blight. Ruthless and blood lusty, Luca shows no mercy when slaughtering innocent villagers in order to expand his empire. However, Luca's story did not begin in such madness.

When Luca was younger he had been travelling with his mother, Sara, and his father, Agares. When attacked by a group of thieves and beggars, King Agares fled leaving his wife Sara to be brutally raped, while young Luca was forced to watch. These ruffians caused such emotional strife, that Luca vowed revenge on the Jowston Alliance and his father, Agares. With Sara dead, Luca has a strong relationship with his half-sister, Jillia, whom looks nearly identical to his mother. Jillia is the only person in which Luca shares his true feelings with and moreover, treats with the utmost respect.

Luca's trauma is somewhat unique in the realm of RPGs, as witnessing a rape seems somewhat taboo in video game narratives. However, it instills a goal of vengeance, to the point where Luca gathers his own strength to become the ruthless ruler of the Highlands after conspiring with Jowy Blight (Atreides) to murder the king. With the death of Agares, Luca, continues this reckless war against the Jowston Alliance. His sister Jillia, shocked by the death of her father, ends up marrying Jowy and inducts him into the family by sharing his blood with the thristy Beast Rune.

Outside of Luca's painful upbringing and his desire for domination, he often seems super human. This is mainly because of the intense power the Beast Rune grants him. When Riou (the protagonist) confronts Luca in the final battle, it takes three sets of battles to finish him off. At the end of each fight, the game states that the team has barely made a dent in the Mad Prince's flesh. When Luca is finally defeated in a one-on-one duel, his famous last words are: "It took hundreds to kill me, but I killed humans by the thousands. I am sublime, I am the truest face of evil." Considering the difficulties Luca has faced in his life, his insanity and the Beast Rune completely consume him to the point where his true self is completely nonexistent.

Luca's desire to make the world feel his pain is both disturbing and sad, especially considering his circumstances. He will always stay a memorable villain for his callous mannerism and aggressive behavior. Luca not only earns his name "The Mad Prince," but he exemplifies madness through his actions caused by his tragic upbringing and his strong desire to be a one man army against millions. — Sam Marchello