Hump Day Husbandos: Noah (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)
We’re going to be going strong with the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 articles again this week, as today I want to talk about Noah, the main protagonist of Xenoblade’s latest installment, and what I like so much about him.
Who is Noah?
Similar to his teammates Lanz and Eunie, Noah is a member of the Keves faction within the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 — one of the two factions that are at constant war with one another in order to feed their colony’s massive mecha known as ferronis. Every ferronis comes equipped with something known as a flame clock, which absorbs the life of fallen enemy soldiers. If a colony cannot manage to keep up its flame clock, all of the soldiers of that colony will die.
As soldiers fall, their bodies turn to husks, their life is stripped away from them and they are left lifeless on the battlefield. Soldiers who are known as “off-seers” play the flute for something they refer to as “homecoming” which is akin to a funeral; the final send-off for those that lost their lives in battle. Noah is an off-seer, along with Mio, and it’s through his experience as an off-seer that Noah comes to question the way of the world that he knows.
Although Noah has feelings of something lurking beneath the surface, he is simply a soldier who must continue to fight in order to satiate the flame clock to which his life is attached. However, after his encounter with Mio, Sena, and Taion from the Agnus faction and the six of them become Ouroboros, they manage to cut the chains binding their lives and set out to discover exactly what the truth of the world is.
Why we love Noah
Noah is a really calm and collected protagonist who always thinks things through before acting on anything without trying to let his emotions dictate his decision-making. He reminds me of Shulk, the main protagonist from the first Xenoblade Chronicles, in that sense. However, there are very intense moments of despair in which you get a full display of Noah’s usual optimism slowly transforming into something dark, defeated, and completely devoid of hope.
Noah assumes the role of the group’s leader as he is the most level-headed, but even when he comes up with a plan or has an idea, he will talk it through with members of the team to better lay out his plans. A particularly great example of this is when the team wants to infiltrate an enemy castle and he discusses his thoughts on what to do. Taion, the team’s strongest tactical thinker, helps Noah to bolster his plan.
Lastly, he isn’t perfect. There are numerous times when Noah can fumble or fail to read a character’s feelings which results in him saying something quite insensitive. He learns from these situations, though and tries to improve to not cause that same harm again.
Why you’ll love Noah
If you like characters who don’t get too whisked up in their own emotions then Noah is definitely someone you’ll enjoy. I love Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with all my heart, but there are certain parts in which the main character, Rex, acts purely based on his emotions and I know how frustrating that can be. Thankfully, Noah is calm and focused 90% of the time — and when he is emotional, it’s hard-hitting and impactful.
If you’re a fan of a good old romantic subplot then you’re in for a bit of a rollercoaster, but it’s heartwarming nonetheless. The way that Noah and Mio connect throughout the game works at a nice pace as they learn more about one another, whether through the interlinking or on the journey, some wonderful character moments with the exchanging of flutes, all coming together for a couple of heavy-hitting emotional climaxes.
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Tifa is mine.
- Hump Day Husbandos: Shu Yamino (Nijisanji EN) - September 14, 2022
- Waifu Wednesday: Eunie (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) - August 31, 2022
- LazuLight, One Year Later - August 29, 2022
