Hien Rijin

The young heir to the throne of Doma, Hien is a charismatic leader beloved of his people. Together with Gosetsu and Yugiri, he spurred his countrymen to rise up against their Garlean oppressors. But when the rebellion was crushed, Lord Hien vanished without a trace...

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Hien Rijin is a character from Final Fantasy XIV introduced in Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood. He is the heir to the throne of Doma, succeeding the late king, his father Kaien.

History[]

Early life[]

Hien was born in an imperial occupied Doma, and did not receive a childhood, being taught an imperial education growing up. As a young boy he noticed that many villagers were forced to repurpose Doma Castle to imperial needs, exhausting them until they collapsed. He implored his father to rebel and help the people, but he refused for his people to survive. To do so himself, Hien trained in a bamboo grove with a wooden katana. One day, a lost Yugiri approached him and questioned why he was training for combat as a child, and he answered that it was for him to protect his people. He led her to the eastern shore where she could return home, but she decided to visit and train with him every day with a wooden sword of her own.

One day, he sat in anger over his people's plight vowing to help them, and told Yugiri that he would be heading home early. Unconvinced, she followed him to Swallow's Compass where he snuck past the imperial guards and into the forbidden temple. He evaded the Kiyofusa, but Yugiri followed suit and alerted one of the magical guards. As it aimed to strike his friend, Hien stepped in to block its sword. As she crawled to safety, he parried the blow to its side, and it dealt a rising stroke that knocked him back giving him a deep gash on his brow. Undeterred, he fought the sentry and destroyed its crystal heart, allowing them a moment to escape the temple. They were spotted by an imperial guard who planned on executing them for trespassing, but he was stopped by Gosetsu who stated that the guard was at fault for letting children get past him. The guard left them be, and Gosetsu initially scolded Hien for his recklessness in trying to have the monkey king help save the villagers. He reminded Hien of his father's lesson, as his people could have been severely punished for deserting, and to think of the outcomes his actions may cause. Learning from this, Hien trained as a samurai under Gosetsu and vowed to make Doma a place of peace like Sui-no-Sato.^[1]

Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood[]

Hien had been hiding at the Azim Steppe since the defeat of the Doman resistance. When approached about returning to lead the Domans, he agreed if his people wished to continue the fight, not wanting them to suffer the Empire's wrath unwillingly. After being shown their desire to try once more to overthrow the imperial occupation, Hien agreed to return, though he first needed to gather an army, planning to create one from the many Xaela tribes that populate the Azim Steppe.

Hien allied with the Mol Tribe, and agreed to lead them to victory in the upcoming Naadam, the ceremonial battle that determines the leadership of the Steppe. Along with the Warrior of Light, Gosetsu, and Lyse, he met with the leaders of several of the other Au Ra tribes and completed the trial at Bardam's Mettle before winning the Naadam for the Mol. Once the tribes united under his leadership to the fight the Empire, Hien returned to Doma to prepare for the upcoming battle.

Hien supported Alphinaud's plan to defeat the imperial occupation, but later modified it to include the flooding of Doma Castle. Although destroying the castle would be a great loss to his country, doing so would mitigate casualties among his people, which he saw as far more important. The Garlean forces were driven out, and as the Scions of the Seventh Dawn members prepared to return to Eorzea, Hien thanked them for helping liberate his country. He promised to return the favor by helping them in the upcoming battle to defeat the imperial forces at Ala Mhigo.

Hien was true to his word and led the Xaela tribes to provide crucial air support to the Eorzean Alliance at the final siege of Ala Mhigo, and helped fight off imperial soldiers outside the throne room. Hien was present when Zenos yae Galvus was defeated and Ala Mhigo celebrated its long-desired freedom.

Following Ala Mhigo and Doma's liberation from the Garlean Empire, Hien made efforts to rebuild his homeland. Gosetsu was revealed to be alive and taking care of an amnesiac Yotsuyu goe Brutus, and though Hien understood the world had been cruel to her, he believed it did not excuse her crimes against Doma. Gosetsu convinced him to spare Yotsuyu due to her having no knowledge of her sins. Hien was forced to reveal that Yotsuyu was alive to his people after she ran off to fetch a piece of fruit for Gosetsu. Though the people remained fearful of her and cried for her punishment, Hien restrained them and assured she would not be allowed to leave his den unescorted.

Hien was visited by a Garlean transport with a Doma signal of negotiation. Hien and his friends met Asahi sas Brutus and the members of the Populares. Further surprising Hien and the Scions, Asahi came with word from Emperor Varis that the Empire was open to peace negotiations. Skeptical of their intentions, Hien nonetheless heard their story. The Empire offered to recognize Doma's sovereignty if they outlawed summoning and wished to conduct a prisoner exchange: conscripted Doman citizens for the acting viceroy Yotsuyu. Hien refrained from answering, wishing to confer with his advisers and friends.

Asahi was merely acting on behalf of a "resurrected" Zenos, who conspired to undermine Varis's motion of peace with Doma. Asahi probed Yotsuyu into reverting to her sadistic self and gave her the means to summon a primal within herself, making her violate the terms of their peace negotiations, threatening to spark new conflict with the Empire and pin the blame on Doma. The Warrior of Light defeated Yotsuyu's primal form and confronted Asahi, who revealed everything during his rant, which his second-in-command, Maxima, overheard. Yotsuyu, with the last of her life, killed Asahi, achieving her vengeance.

With the struggle over for now, Hien and the Scions met with Maxima who, in Asahi's stead, completed the prisoner exchange, preserving the fragile peace. Wishing to learn more about the newly returned Zenos, Hien allowed Alphinaud to travel with Maxima to Garlemald to investigate. However, they never heard back from him. Feeling responsible, Hien traveled with the Scions in search for him. A clue and the last message from Alphinaud took them to the wasteland of the Burn. They found the wreckage of Alphinaud's transport and the remains of their attackers, soldiers of the imperial family's personal guard. They concluded that someone in Garlemald ordered the attack.

Back in Doma, Hien met with Lyse Hext who served as a representative of the Eorzean Alliance. She informed the Scions and Hien that the liberated Ala Mhigo had joined the Alliance and called for a meeting with Hien. Hien agreed but wanted to fortify his homeland's defenses in the wake of a possible Garlean invasion first. Gathering friends and allies, Hien concluded that Doma could not repel a full force invasion, as the country did not possess the resources and people necessary for such a defense. Realizing that no single nation could defeat the Empire, Hien intended to follow the example of his Eorzean friends by forging an alliance with Doma's eastern neighbors. Hien hoped that by reaching out to Hingashi, Sui-no-Sato, and even to the conquered provinces of Dalmasca and Nagxia, they could pressure Garlemald to avoid fighting on two separate fronts. Though Hien knew not all will answer the call, he was confidant that Doma's neighbors harbored the same desire for freedom, and if made aware of what was at stake, they may agree to an alliance.

Hien returned to the Burn where a barrier was raised. Almost at the same time an imperial airship landed, inside it Gaius van Baelsar, now calling himself "Shadowhunter", who returned an unconscious Alphinaud to the care of the Scions and warns about the new imperial weapon: the Black Rose.

As Garlemald attacked Hien, as representative of Doma, now in the alliance against the Empire, participated alongside other representatives of the alliance in an audience with Emperor Varis zos Galvus. After the failed negotiations, Garlemald continued its attack. Hien and Yugiri entered the battlefield with the Warrior of Light, and during the second wave of the Garlean attack, Hien, Yugiri, and Lyse faced Elidibus using Zenos's body. They were defeated, surprised with Elidibus being able to use magic in a Garlean body. The Warrior of Light arrived to continue the battle in their place.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker[]

Save your tears for the morrow. You may be sure we will have ample cause to shed them, be they for joy or despair.

Hien's voice from the past

Hien requested the Warrior of Light's aid in dealing with a Blasphemy sighting in Doma. Hien needed a ranged combat expert, as the blasphemy would flee out of range whenever it saw a weapon. He slayed the lesser beasts of the Final Days found in Nagxia, but also learned that several villagers were still in a state of despair. Hien tasked Yugiri and her contingent of Shinobi to continue tracking the blasphemy while Hien personally saw what could be done to ease the villagers' mind.

Hien found the villagers uncooperative and had the Warrior of Light ask around instead. The Warrior of Light learned that many of the villagers held a grudge against Hien for how he handled the situation with Yotsuyu. A woman named Kisei had been traveling Doma, claiming to be a priestess with the ability to speak to the dead and claiming the blasphemy was a god come to right the imbalance of the living and dead. Hien, Yugiri, and the Warrior of Light investigated Kisei's background and learned that the Blasphemy was once her stepdaughter, and Kisei was manipulating the villagers whose loved ones had not returned from imperial conscription yet. The blasphemy continued to flee whenever someone drew a weapon near it. Kisei later attempted to demand Hien sacrifice the conscripts who were able to return to appease the dead, but Gosetsu returned from his pilgrimage with proof that Kisei's claims were bogus. Having reconciled with some of the villagers, Hien decided to hold a national funeral to help those still grieving come to terms with their loss. As Hien prepared for the funeral at The Swallow's Compass, Kisei approached him, feigning apologetics in an attempt to assassinate the Doman Lord. This was also a ruse meant to draw the ire of the blasphemy, forcing Hien, Yugiri, Gosetsu, and the Warrior of Light to destroy it.

Hien's voice was one of the many memories of the Warrior of Light's comrades who encouraged them in Ultima Thule to walk forward and face the end.

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Hien is a Midlander Hyur with messy black hair tied back in a topknot with red and orange ribbons and a beard trimmed to his jawline. He has a cross patterned scar on his forehead and on his right shoulder he received from battle. He wears a yellow fur-trimmed Dogi with misty mountain designs and a sturdy metal breast plate, including plating on the thighs, and metal shin guards. Being a Doman samurai, Hien carries Kiku-ichimonji, a katana with an ornate design.

Personality[]

Hien harbors a deep sense of honor and duty to his country and initially feels great remorse for the fall of his kingdom. He believes if his people are content under Garlean rule, he would not force them into revolting just to put himself on the throne, a lesson he learned from his father at a young age. He carries a friendly and competitive attitude among his peers which inspires them to excel and forge ahead. He is a capable leader and puts the safety of his people above his own status, hence why he didn't rejoin the Doman Liberation Front as he didn't want his people to suffer for his sake. Despite his great wisdom and serious nature when in battle, Hien has a healthy sense of humor when with friends and trusted comrades. Even so, even Hien can get flustered as Hien's mother called him Shun when he was little, and he gets embarrassed whenever addressed as such.

In battle and strategy, Hien has proven to be bold in his willingness to improve their chances against their enemies, such as when he decided to destroy Doma Castle if it meant ending the siege sooner and with less bloodshed. He occasionally clashed with his trusted companion, Gosetsu Everfall, over the subject of tradition (the latter objects to the destruction of Doma Castle due to its historical significance), but Hien believes one should not be weighed down by the past when forging a new future. Nonetheless, Hien greatly values Gosetsu's wisdom and appreciates the training he received from him as a child. Hien mourned his supposed death after Doma Castle collapsed but was happy to learn of his survival and welcomes his council once more but following Gosetsu's vow of becoming a wandering monk, Hien supported him wholeheartedly.

Since regaining his rightful place as king of Doma, Hien has proven to be a fair and wise leader but is also firm in his decisions. Though he welcomes the advice and wisdom of others, Hien refuses to budge on decisions that would otherwise be considered immoral or reprehensible, such as refusing to give into the Nami people's fears to have Yotsuyu executed even though she was comatose or yield to the fraud Kisei's desire for revenge against the conscripts that returned home. In this, Hien proves level-headed and in control over his emotions, striving to be the leader his homeland deserves and set an example for his people.

Gameplay[]

Hien fights alongside the player as a guest character in many instanced battles of the Stormblood main scenario quests, fighting as Samurai.

In patch 4.5 "A Requiem for Heroes", Hien becomes a temporary playable character during the MSQ duty instance of the same name through the Role-Play mode.

Musical themes[]

"Cyan's Theme"

An arrangement of Cyan Garamonde's theme from Final Fantasy VI is used as Hien's theme, and much like the theme's original appearance it also serves as the theme of Doma as whole. It was arranged by Masayoshi Soken.

Behind the scenes[]

The party finds Hien on a cliff similar to how Cyan Garamonde is found in the World of Ruin in Final Fantasy VI. Both are samurai from nations called Doma.

Of the leaders of the free world who resist the Garlean Empire, Hien is the only one who is part of a monarchy, having succeeded his father as leader and liberating his homeland of Doma.

• Ishgard formed a republic following the abolishment of the theocracy with Aymeric de Borel becoming the elected Speaker of the House of Lords, and thereby the leader of his nation.
• Nanamo Ul Namo is nominally the sultana of Ul'dah, but she is beholden to the Syndicate council and plans to turn Ul'dah into a republic.
• Gridania is ruled by a council of Seedseers, though Kan-E-Senna is the de facto leader of her nation.
• Limsa Lominsa is a thalassocracy where sea captains prove themselves in a competition with Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn serving as the leading admiral.
• Recently liberated Ala Mhigo has yet to establish a government but intends to form one modeled after Ishgard's House of Commons.

Gallery[]

Artwork

Artwork.

Hien in Stormblood promotional artwork

Hien in Under the Moonlight artwork

Artwork

Hien concept art

Hien in Death Unto Dawn patch artwork

Screenshots

In-game render

Hien cuts a bullet in half

Hien threatens Tsuyu

Etymology[]

Hien (飛燕?) means "flying swallow" in Japanese.

The former Doman king, Kaien, his wife, Mina, and the prince, Hien, allude to Cyan Garamonde and his wife and son Elayne and Owain from Final Fantasy VI. Kaien's name is based on the romaji of Cyan's Japanese name, Cayenne (カイエン?), Mina's name is the same as Elayne's Japanese name, Mina (ミ��?), while Hien's childhood name, Shun, is based on Owain's Japanese name, Shun (シュン?).

Citations[]