Sazh Kayzroy

Sazh Katzroy [sæz kætsrɔɪ] is a playable character in Final Fantasy XIII. He is a middle-aged man with an afro. After his wife died three years prior to the events of the game, Sazh looked after their six-year old son, Dajh, before Dajh became a Sanctum l’Cie and was taken by PSICOM. Saving his son is Sazh’s main motivation in the game.

Appearance and Personality

“Kindness like his, you never forget.“

—Vanille about Sazh.

Sazh comforts a child.

 

Sazh is a middle-aged black man with a distinctive afro in which he keeps an unnamed Chocobo Chick. He wears a long, olive coat over khaki trousers, a white button-down shirt, and black buckled engineer boots. His l’Cie mark is on his chest, and is half-hidden under his shirt. He keeps his two pistols in holsters strapped to his thighs. In an interview with the Shonen Jump magazine, Yoshinori Kitase stated Sazh is modeled after the American singer Lionel Richie, whilst Motomu Toriyama claimed Sazh’s inspiration was “a character that would appear in an American comedy – like Eddie Murphy” in OPM UK magazine (hence being African-American in appearance). Despite being physically the eldest of the Final Fantasy XIII playable party, Sazh has a youthful, carefree, and lively personality.

Sazh is basically a good-hearted man. In OPM UK, Toriyama went on to say “as for Sazh, we wanted a character that was mature.” Sazh’s relationship with his son, Dajh, serves as his drive for the game’s journey. For Sazh, Dajh’s safety and well-being is his main priority, and his selflessness is shown when he considers sacrificing himself to PSICOM to keep Dajh from becoming a Cie’th. He is silly at times, mostly when he is in near-death situations, but underneath his appearance, Sazh has a strong will of justice and is always willing to help his teammates. Through his friendship with Vanille, Sazh is revealed to be ultimately forgiving, and through his quest to rescue Dajh, generally (but not always) hopeful.

Story

Final Fantasy XIII Episode Zero -Promise-

Sazh is frantic after Dajh becomes a Sanctum l’Cie.

 

Sazh brought Dajh to Euride Gorge after Dajh begged to see a Sanctum fal’Cie. He stopped briefly at a souvenir shop to buy the Chocobo Chick as a present for his son, when Dajh wandered into the plant unsupervised. Sazh went looking for Dajh after an unknown force rocked the plant, but he was too late; the fal’Cie Kujata had awakened. How or why the fal’Cie awakened remained a mystery, but the consequences were clear: Dajh was found unconscious, surrounded by Sanctum officials. The young boy had been branded a l’Cie.

As a Cocoon l’Cie, Dajh was taken into the custody of PSICOM for testing. Three days later, Colonel Nabaat, the supervising officer, imparted some unsettling news to Sazh: his son had gained the ability to sense the presence of Pulse beings, but his Focus was still unknown. Without a defined Focus, the boy was doomed to become a Cie’th. Could his task be to discover lowerworld invaders? To destroy them? Sazh’s mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to save his son.

Sazh watches Dajh wish upon the Bodhum fireworks.

 

After another three days passed Dajh suddenly decided he wanted to attend the Bodhum fireworks festival. Due to Dajh’s newfound l’Cie ability to detect Pulse beings, Colonel Nabaat permitted a PSICOM-supervised excursion to the coastal town. Sazh went along with his son to the fireworks display, but despite Dajh’s innocent enjoyment of the spectacle, Sazh could not stop worrying about Dajh’s future. The smiling face of his son, oblivious to the fate that awaited him, was more painful than the troubled father could bear. In Bodhum tradition, he wished upon the fireworks for Dajh’s salvation. Meanwhile, the PSICOM team scouring the area discovered the fal’Cie within the Vestige, implying that Dajh must have reacted subconsciously to the presence of the lowerworld entity. After the fireworks, Dajh was taken back into PSICOM custody.

In the wake of the Purge, Jihl told Sazh Dajh would be under supervision for an indefinite amount of time. Understanding they did not have long to discover and complete his son’s Focus, Sazh knew his son would ultimately be doomed to become a Cie’th under PSICOM custody, who planned to use his powers with other intent. He agreed to co-operate and requested to buy a colouring book for Dajh from a shop in Palumpolum; Jihl allowed this, and offered him use of the military airships in hopes of faster travel. Unknown to PSICOM, Sazh had no intention of travelling to Palumpolum, he just needed a chance to escape his PSICOM supervision. He managed to shake them out in the crowds of Bodhum and made the decision to board the Purge train willfully in order to reach the Pulse fal’Cie. In the lines, he approached Lightning, another “volunteer”, and the two allied in their quest to reach the Hanging Edge.

Final Fantasy XIII

“Don’t you even! You think you die, and that’s that?! You think you die an’ everything’ll be sugar and rainbows?!“

—Sazh to Vanille

Sazh and Lightning in the Hanging Edge.

 

Sazh and Lightning ride towards the Hanging Edge, where he assists her in stranding the train of Purgees and setting them free. After fighting their way through waves of Sanctum forces the two head towards the Pulse Vestige where the Pulse fal’Cie Anima sleeps. When Sazh hears Lightning is there to save her sister, a Pulse l’Cie, he calls her crazy for seeking to help an enemy of Cocoon and when they reach Anima’s Throne, Snow Villiers, Vanille and Hope Estheim unexpectedly join them. Serah Farron enters Crystal Stasis after asking Lightning to save Cocoon. Whilst Snow intends to persuade the fal’Cie into releasing Serah, both Lightning and Sazh plan to use more aggressive methods. After confronting Anima, the fal’Cie retaliates by turning them all into l’Cie, before casting them down into the crystallized Lake Bresha.

When they awaken, Sazh prompts the others to determine their Focus and tries to remain positive. Without knowing their Focus, they fear they, too, will be doomed to become Cie’th. Their only clue of their Focus is a shared vision of Ragnarok destroying Cocoon. After leaving Snow behind at Lake Bresha, the group of four continue through the Lake and find an old airship. Sazh attempts to pilot them to safety, but at one point, Lightning takes the controls and begins shooting at the army ships until Sazh pushes her away. After escaping the army, Sazh inadvertently turns on a newscast about the Purge being a ‘success’ and an interview with a mysterious old man. Vanille asks Sazh who the man is, and he says, “Galenth Dysley, Murderer in Chief”. Shortly after this, the ship is damaged and they are forced to make a crashlanding in the Vile Peaks.

Finding the Pulse ship in the Vile Peaks.

 

Despite Sazh’s growing despair at his situation, he vows not to allow Vanille to continue on her own, and thus continues on running from the Sanctum alongside her. Sazh and Vanille get separated from Lightning and Hope, but the duo continue their passage through the Peaks and stumble across an old power plant. Managing to get it back up and running, Sazh and Vanille finally rest for the night. Despite Vanille’s insistence that they sleep at a reasonable distance from each other, Sazh awakens during the night to find her crying in her sleep beside him.

Sazh and Vanille in Sunleth Waterscape

 

Sazh and Vanille choose to continue their flight without a real destination in mind, leading them to the Sunleth Waterscape. When they see warships passing overhead towards Palumpolum, Sazh begins to worry for Lightning and Hope’s safety. Torn between the slim chance of saving them and essentially walking into the Sanctum’s clutches, Vanille persuades Sazh to keep running – in the opposite direction, to the city of Nautilus. Whilst crossing the Waterscape, Vanille asks Sazh about his family. He eventually tells Vanille Dajh’s fate; he was turned to Cocoon l’Cie after Pulse l’Cie attacked the fal’Cie at Euride, and is currently in governmental custody. Sazh reveals his motives for boarding the Purge train: he had hoped to destroy Anima, in case Dajh’s still-unknown Focus would be complete with the death of the Pulse fal’Cie. As he begins to question Dajh’s true Focus as a Cocoon l’Cie, Sazh begins to wonder if it would logically be to destroy all Pulse l’Cie. If that is the case, then Sazh and his companions must die to spare Dajh’s fate.

Completing their trek through the Waterscape the pair go through a hole in a fence to the Seabus Docks for a ship to Nautilus when it starts to rain. Vanille asks Sazh if he hates Pulse. Sazh responds he did not always hate it, and had always been suspicious of the Sanctum’s campaign against it. He tells Vanille he believed the Sanctum was up to something, until he got dragged in. He thinks the Purge started because Dajh found the fal’Cie in the Bodhum Vestige, but Vanille tells Sazh it was not his son’s fault. Sazh tells her she is right, and the fault belongs to the Pulse l’Cie behind what happened at Euride. Hearing this, Vanille abruptly runs out into the rain to hide her tears.

Dajh crystallizes before Sazh’s eyes.

 

In Nautilus the pair see an advertisement for Eidolons on Parade and decide to go see it, but a newscast showing Lightning, Hope, Snow and Fang is shown. Vanille lets out a surprised gasp and Sazh asks Vanille what is wrong, not understanding she reacted to Fang’s appearance. After watching the Pompa Sancta, Sazh reveals he no longer wishes to aimlessly run away; he will surrender to PSICOM in hopes of seeing Dajh one last time, even if it means his own execution. Vanille tries to dissuade him by telling him who is responsible for the Euride incident, but before she can reveal the culprit, the army attacks from above. Despite his earlier wishes to be captured, Sazh protects Vanille and tries to aid her escape.

They escape their pursuers, being chased through the Mall to the Fiendlord’s Keep, until Dajh suddenly appears from the clock tower. Their reunion is short-lived, as Dajh crystallizes right before his father’s eyes. Nabaat arrives with her troops, and the boy’s Focus is revealed: to capture the servants of the lowerworld fal’Cie. As Sazh sinks into despair over Dajh’s Crystal Stasis, Jihl shows him a security recording from Euride Gorge, which reveals Vanille and Fang disturbed the fal’Cie Kujata, who instinctively turned the lost Dajh into a l’Cie to protect itself. Overcome with guilt Vanille flees deeper into Nautilus and Jihl asks Sazh whether he should finish the job or them. Sazh pursues Vanille and Jihl is curious as to how much data they could collect watching two l’Cie fight.