Kain would "kick his ass" in a fight. He and writer Ken McCulloch considered Simon Templeman's voiceover for the character superlative, despite initial apprehensions that the actors they had hired might not be able to convey the game's complicated dialogue. After a legal dispute with Silicon Knights, Blood Omen publisher Crystal Dynamics obtained the rights to the Legacy of Kain intellectual property, with Amy Hennig directing Kain's characterization for the sequel, 1999's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. In this game, which built upon the Blood Omen ending in which he damns the world, Kain adopted the role of antagonist, with new character Raziel serving as the lead. Hennig justified this choice, believing that it would prove interesting to see what his decision had engendered after a few millennia. She emphasized, though, that she did not consider him a monster or mustache-twirling villain, remarking that "in many ways, he's a more complex and sympathetic character than Raziel himself". Sources which helped to formulate his role in the plot ranged from Biblical lore to Eastern myth and mysticism. In interviews preceding the release of 2001's Soul Reaver 2, Hennig said that Crystal Dynamics had a huge investment in Kain as a character. His portrayal in this game extrapolated further from Blood Omens story, and was influenced by Joseph Campbell's ideals. No longer acting as a pure villain, Kain was intended to function as a "steadfast character", coming to the story from a position of knowledge in contrast to Raziel's relative ignorance. Hennig expressed that, by Soul Reaver 2, her personal perception of Kain's character had changed over the years, and that she now considered him a somewhat more attractive and interesting individual than Raziel due to his complexity. She dubbed him a tragic hero, "screwed by his own character flaws", and argued that this hamartia added to his depth. Since joining Naughty Dog, when asked whether Raziel or Kain is closest to her heart, Hennig has said that while Raziel is a sympathetic protagonist, she probably prefers Kain as a character. For 2002's Blood Omen 2, developed by a different team within Crystal Dynamics, Kain returned as the playable protagonist. The development staff chose to focus on his rise to power as a younger vampire, combining aspects of his Blood Omen and Soul Reaver incarnations. He was marketed as a more powerful and ruthless character than traditional video game heroes, with lead