, also known as , is a fictional character from the Final Fantasy video game series made by Square Enix. He is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy XV (2016)−originally a spin-off title called Final Fantasy Versus XIII−a prominent character in the game's associated media, and has made appearances in other Final Fantasy products. Initially presented as chancellor of Nilfheim, the nation opposing Lucis for control of its magical Crystal, he is later revealed to be the source of a corruptive plague dubbed the Starscourge and pursuing a vendetta against the family of protagonist Noctis Lucis Caelum. Ardyn was designed by Italian artist Roberto Ferrari in 2010, surviving though the game's turbulent development generally unchanged. He was presented as an unusual villain within the series, initially helpful to Noctis but ultimately driven by revenge and a wish for cruelty. He is voiced in Japanese by Keiji Fujiwara and in English by Darin De Paul. Critical reception to Ardyn's character was generally positive. While many critics appreciated his antagonism of Noctis in the main storyline of Final Fantasy XV, some felt that he is not presented as an effective villain. The exploration of his origin story in Episode Ardyn and its tie-in special is also generally well-received. Creation and development Final Fantasy XV (2016) began production in 2006 as the spin-off game Final Fantasy Versus XIII for PlayStation 3; following a troubled production history, the game was rebranded, resulting in it changing platforms and staff, and seeing multiple story rewrites. Some cut content and backstory elements were made into the prequel movie Kingsglaive, and the original net animation (ONA) Brotherhood, part of the multimedia "Final Fantasy XV Universe". Ardyn Izunia was created in 2010 as an antagonist following the deletion of another character called Safay Roth. Ardyn was designed by Roberto Ferrari, who worked on the project from 2010 to 2013. After the initial design work Ferrari "brushed it up" the following month, with it otherwise remaining unchanged. He commented that the in-game version of Izunia was closest to his original design compared to the one shown in Kingsglaive. Ardyn's red hair was chosen as a reference to his Japanese voice actor, who had voiced other red-haired characters in Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. Ardyn was one of the characters who overlapped between the different parts of the Final Fantasy XV Universe, alongside protagonist Noctis Lucis Caelum and supporting character Lunafreya