Whether it’s Arthas in Warcraft 3 then WoW, Viego in League of Legends, or other older characters like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, characters with big swords and white hair are quite common in video games. If one might think that the main purpose is above all visual, because the white hair allows a very interesting contrast with the dark clothes, it actually happens that these characters have a common source of inspiration, which does not stop not their physical appearance.
Obvious nods
If the physical resemblance between Arthas and Viego is obvious, it is far from being the only common point linking the protagonists. First of all the two are sovereigns of their own kingdoms, whether it is Lordaeron for Arthas or that of Viego, which is not named because disappeared for more than a millennium. The actions of the two rulers will then lead to the fall of their kingdoms, before they become threats to their entire planet, for very different purposes. Arthas loses himself searching for a way to protect his people and getting possessed by Frostmourne, while Viego wants above all to bring the woman he loves back to the living. Although the goals of the two characters are different here, they both have at various times in its history, motivated their source of inspiration.
It is now time to introduce you to Elric de Melniboné. The latter is a pillar of fantasy, and although he is less well known than Conan or the characters in The Lord of the Rings, his influence is just as important in this genre as those of the works cited. He is also presented as the Anti-Conan par excellence. Unlike the Cimmerian, Elric has everything from the start of his story. He is the emperor of his people, trainer of dragons, and the best wizard in his world. Only Elric is a last-degree albino, and extremely fragile. Without various drugs concocted by him and/or those of his alchemists, it would even be impossible for him to move. Unlike Conan who seeks to follow his destiny of becoming king, relying on his physical strength, Elric seeks him to escape it while looking for a way to no longer depend on drugs or his cursed sword Stormbringer which provides him with strength by exchange of souls.
Elric will end up destroying his empire, razing his city to save the woman he loves (who is also his cousin, the line of Elric being presented as very very decadent) held hostage by his jealous cousin. Here the parallel with Viego is quite obvious. In the following events, Elric will kill his cousin because of the possession that Stormbringer exercises (his sword) on him. This is his enormous point in common with Arthas, who kills his father on Frostmourne’s orders. Although we present him here as the character who inspired many other protagonists, Elric was also influenced by works that preceded him, especially in Shakespeare’s books where we can find characters with characters quite close to Prince Albino. Nevertheless, the character who influenced him the most is Zenith the Albino, one of the main antagonists of the Sexton Blake series of novels, narrating the adventures of the eponymous detective. Besides the physical aspect, the two characters also share some character similarities.
And other more subtle
While the main similarities between Arthas, Viego and Elric seem obvious, those linking him to Sephiroth are more subtle. Some are visible from the beginning of the characters, who both received an education aimed at making them a person they do not necessarily want to become (emperor for Elric, elite soldier for Sephiroth). Moreover, the two characters are indirectly responsible for the death of their mother, who passes from life to death at the time of childbirth. Finally, the two protagonists are not human: Elric is a Melnibonéan (a race specific to the Moorcook universe, which could be vaguely compared to the Dark Elves of Warhammer for their appearance and their customs) while Sephiroth has extraterrestrial cells and is the fruit of unhealthy experiences. But their biggest point in common is elsewhere, so we might as well warn you that the next paragraph will be spoiler to death (yes because casually, the plot concerning his empire is only the prologue of the saga of Elric, the spoilers were therefore minor).
Sephiroth and Elric vainly try to escape their fate, only to realize in the end that they have always been manipulated by higher entities. Even their ultimate goals are extremely similar, as both have the end goal of destroying their home world for a new one to emerge. The treatment is of course different, because if the goal of the player in Final Fantasy is to counter Sephiroth, the reader is on the other hand led to support the goal and the actions of Elric (after their two worlds are not really in the same state at the time of their destruction, the context is therefore very different). Little icing on the cake, Sephiroth and Elric are both killers of women, whether it’s Aerith for Sephiroth or Cymoril then Zarozinia for Elric.
Although Elric and Sephiroth share many commonalities, no connection was ever officially made between them by the creators of Final Fantasy VII, who never cited him as a source of inspiration. However, as noted in this article, there are too many similarities between the appearance of the characters, their stories, and their motivations not to be intrigued. Unconscious influence, forgotten because too obscure for a Japanese audience may be less focused on Western literature, or simple coincidences, everyone is free to form their own opinion.
This passage was also a real headache, in order to decide if it was relevant to mention it since the two characters have never been officially linked unlike Arthas whose developers have admitted to having been partly inspired by Elric (as well as the acts of the Spanish forces during the discovery of the American continent, another point in common with Viego which also has Hispanic inspirations). Nevertheless the similarities between the two characters (Elric and Sephiroth) are too important to ignore. For example, we did not quote Dante from the Devil May Cry series, because despite a physical resemblance (white hair, black sword), the two characters have nothing in common in their stories, their characters and their goals.
Today, Elric exists in novels, comics but also comic strips. A role-playing game also exists, taking place in the Young Kingdoms, the world of the albino wizard. One day maybe, it will finally be entitled to its video game adaptation, even if it seems difficult at the moment. Note that this difficulty is not technical, but lies more in the narration. Elric is above all the story of someone who tries desperately to escape his destiny, but who ultimately has almost no control over his life. To respect this atmosphere, we would therefore need a game where the actions of the players would have almost no impact, while the latter would do everything to deviate from the story of the game. This does not correspond at all to current video game standards, partly explaining the absence of albinos on this medium.
Over the years, the members of Riot Games have become masters in the art of teasing. Only, many things are teased about League of Legends, and it is good to provide clarifications at times. That’s what Reav3 did about Bel’Veth.