why luna is the most pivotal character in ffxv
first off, let me just say this: i love luna a lot and i wish she could have gotten more screentime. the reason i’m writing this is bc lots of comments about her call her useless and irrelevant to the plot, and here’s why i think those comments are wrong. i believe luna was the most proactive protagonist in the entire series, whereas the main four boys were following in her footsteps (practically literally) and rolled with the punches.
luna was the one holding back the starscourge and healing those infected with it
in chapter 4, there’s a short cutscene where luna is meeting with those infected by the starscourge and she offers her blessing to heal them. in addition to this, she’s the one preventing the starscourge from advancing too rapidly while she’s alive. it’s only after she dies that the days are suddenly noticeably shorter.
convinced prompto to befriend noctis
had it not been for her letter to prompto after he saved pryna, prompto would never have found the courage to approach noctis. without this, noctis and prompto would never have been friends and prompto wouldn’t be there during the entire storyline. prompto also became a source of happiness in noct’s life, his mood improving significantly after prompto becomes his friend.
potentially prevented niflheim soldiers from attacking noctis when he was on his way to altissia during the treaty signing
in kingsglaive, despite regis’ insistence on luna leaving insomnia and meeting with noctis, she refuses. her reason being, “wherever i go, the empire will follow. it would only place the prince in greater danger.” had she met with noctis earlier, the boys could have clashed with imperial forces much earlier in the game.
carried the ring of the lucii from insomnia to altissia
luna is the one who protected the ring throughout the storyline until noctis could receive it when they were finally together in altissia. had she not done this, noctis may never have gotten the ring and it would have been lost to niflheim. (not to mention that luna tricks luche into putting the ring on when she’s cornered, causing him to burn up, preventing him from taking it from her.)
awoke the astrals so that noctis could convene with them
prior to noctis realizing he should be meeting with the astrals, luna has already gone ahead of him and begun meeting with them. first it was titan, then ramuh, and finally the leviathan. and, in addition to her awakening them and given noctis the chance to participate in their trials, awakening them was killing her (shown in the cutscene between her and ravus in chapter 11)
showed ravus the light and led him towards his redemption
it’s ravus’ love of luna that he ends up helping noctis, because he wants to assist luna in her devotion. before her death, he begins to show mercy towards the boys, and following his loss of his sister, he willingly hands the sword of the father to noctis (who’s actually ardyn) in hopes that noctis will see his duty through
enabled noctis to go into god mode armiger during the trial of the leviathan (and healed him even after her death so he would survive the trial)
during the trial of the leviathan, it’s luna calling on the power of all past lucian kings that noctis is able to enter god mode armiger, using even the royal arms he hasn’t yet collected. once he’s able to defeat the hydraean with that newfound power, he falls unconscious, and it’s by luna’s healing power that he’s able to recover. because of her presence, he was able to get the mark of the hydraean and he survives the trial.
maintained the peace during a time of chaos
there’s a lot of subtle examples of this, but the one that comes to mind most is her speech during chapter 9, when she’s speaking in front of the public before the trial of the leviathan. she shows solidarity and bravery, as well as soothing the public’s fears and giving them hope. (this speech is actually my favorite part of the game.)
she says: “…yet i beg you do not surrender to despair. have faith, for our gods watch over us. by their blessings, by the stars that light the heavens above, our world will be delivered from the perils of the dark. i stand before you here, in altissia, to call upon leviathan, goddess of the sea, spirit of the deep. by the sacred rite, i will commune with the hydraean. but first, i offer you my solemn vow: on my honor as the oracle, i will not rest until the darkness is banished from our world and the light is restored.”
all throughout the game, she put others before herself. she devoted herself to the people and her calling - healing others and guiding noctis. she put off her own personal interests, such as meeting noctis, and is one of the most loving and selfless characters i’ve encountered yet.
