Kaiser

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Kaiser is a recurring dragon form that appears throughout the Breath of Fire series. It is often the strongest dragon transformation in the games in which it appears, outpowered only by a special Dragon form known as Infinity . The Kaiser is usually portrayed as a large horned dragon capable of attacking all enemies with its breath weapon for massive non-elemental damage. While its Japanese name has remained consistent throughout the series, it was respectively translated as Rudra and G.Drgn in the English releases of the original Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire II.

Appearances

Breath of Fire

In the original Breath of Fire, Kaiser is known as "Rudra" which is obtained after Ryu defeats the trial in the third Dragon Temple, located on an island

northwest of Gust. Rudra is the reward for passing all of the Dragon Trials and is considered Ryu's ultimate normal Dragon form, that is only surpassed by Agni (Infinity).

Breath of Fire (SNES) - Boss Zog

Rudra from Breath of Fire

• Its Kaiser Breath takes the form of a shower of mini-fire birds/dragons swarming the field and slamming into the enemies.

• Rudra costs 50 AP to transform, has an attack score of 400, raises Ryu's defense by 140%, and his attack does 320 non-elemental damage. This can be doubled if Ryu performs a critical hit or uses a Mrbl1.

Breath of Fire II

Main article: G.Drgn

Called the "G.Drgn" in the English translation, Kaiser is obtained in a scripted event within the Grand Church at Evrai, when the party faces a losing battle with the revealed Dark Dragon Ray. The party is easily overwhelmed by Ray's attacks and only in a moment of desperation does Ryu invoke this form to destroy Ray. This form is Ryu's True Dragon form within the game as its the form Ryu uses to seal off Deathevan in the game's sad ending.

Breath of Fire II - Boss 37 Ray

BoFII Kaiser Breath in-game

• G.Drgn has a base damage of 999 and will inflict the maximum amount of damage when used with a full set of AP. It is one of the most powerful spells in the game. This version of Kaiser's design is also the version used in later BoF games.

• His Dragon Breath attack is similar to the original, with a meteor shower of fireballs attacking the battle field.

Breath of Fire III

Main article: Kaiser (Breath of Fire III)

The properly named Kaiser is gained through the Infinity Gene which is given to Ryu when he proves himself to Jono to be the destined child. Ryu must face Jono in battle without the aid of his own dragon powers. The Infinity Gene is said to grant the user the full power of the Brood.

Kaiser is created by any combination of Dragon Genes that includes the Infinity Gene, but acts completely out of the player's control unless it is combined with either the Failure Gene (producing a weaker but controllable Kaiser) or the Radiance Gene and Trance Genes (producing a more powerful and controllable Kaiser); in this version, Ryu's form does not change much, his hair simply becomes a golden color, but his abilities increase, and he is able to summon a giant dragon that strongly resembles the Kaiser from BoF2 when he uses a breath attack.It requires a minimum of 40 AP to transform, unless its combined with other Genes.

Breath of fire 3 - Kaiser Breath

BoFIII Kaiser Breath in-game

• Attacks: KaiserBreath, Howling, Bonebreak, all abilities known by Ryu.

• Kaiser is Berserk unless either Failure or Radiance + Trance genes are used, another strategy is to use the skill Command to target a specific enemy as Berserked and confused characters are still susceptible to it.
• His Breath attack takes the form of a nuclear blast.

Breath of Fire IV

Main article: Kaiser (Breath of Fire IV)

The Kaiser is actually the second dragon transformation Ryu obtains, after (initially) losing the battle at the end of the second chapter; Ryu obtains the form in a fit of rage to Rasso's actions against the residents of Chek. The form easily crushes Rasso's monster and nearly wipes out the town. Only Nina's emotional outburst is able to calm Ryu down.

Breath of Fire IV - Kaiser Breath

As in the previous game, the Kaiser remains berserk and uncontrollable until you have acquired all of the Dragon Evocations by speaking to the Dragons. Without them, Kaiser will stay berserk in battle and only do a regular attack or Kaiserbreath attacks.

Etymology

Kaiser is the German word for Emperor, which originates from the Latin pronunciation of Julius Caesar's name. The title was used prominently throughout the German-speaking regions of Europe, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Rudra, the ability's name in the first Breath of Fire, is the name of a vedic storm god. It described as a fearsome deity, and it's name literally translates to "the great roar." Scholars consider Rudra to be an early incarnation of the deity that would become Shiva in later Hindu religion.

Trivia

• The circumstances of Ryu obtaining his dragon forms is parallel in some entries. In both the original Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire III, Ryu obtains the power of Kaiser by completing a Dragon Trial by combat to prove he is worthy of the full power of the Brood. In Breath of Fire II and Breath of Fire IV, Ryu summons it in a moment of emotional stress during a losing battle with a powerful enemy.
• Though not referred to as Kaiser, Odjn from Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter bears a striking resemblance to the Kaiser used in Breath of Fire IV.

Gallery

Breath of Fire

Artwork of Rudra.

The screen showing Ryu's transformation into Rudra in the SNES version of Breath of Fire.

The screen showing Ryu's transformation into Rudra in the GBA version of Breath of Fire.