| “ | I'm to repent, am I? I think not. As my duty as an immortal, I've prepared a brand new world view for mankind. When I temporarily linked with U-DO, I climbed the ladder of evolution and saw the leaning tower of culture that humans have struggled to construct. It's not even a tower, really. It's a scaffold of rotting wood, built with meager knowledge and pitiful tools! But a nice guy would tell them the truth, would he not? Hello! You've got it all wrong!
|
” |
Albedo Piazzolla is one of the main antagonists of Xenosaga. He is U.R.T.V. Unit 667, and one of the four surviving U.R.T.V.s from the Miltian Conflict. He is also the biological younger brother of Jr. (Rubedo) and older brother of Gaignun Kukai (Nigredo). 'Gifted' with immortality, Albedo sees it as a curse instead of a blessing.
Albedo is a misanthropic loner who enjoys watching others suffer and die. In Episode I, Albedo is working for Margulis and the U-TIC Organization.
Personality
Albedo wishes to die with Rubedo.
Mentally unstable, disturbed, and all around generally unlikable, Albedo desired nothing apart from the empathy and love of his twin brother, Rubedo. The wish to unite with his conjoined twin was at the core of Albedo's heart. He wished to return the distance of their hearts to the state of they were when they were born. Albedo's character is essentially antithesis of life (i.e. death).
Albedo tearfully begs Rubedo to not let go, moments before linking with U-DO.
Albedo's lonely soul got a taste of being rejected by Rubedo when Rubedo severed the spiritual link between him and his brothers during the Miltian Conflict. Immediately after that, Albedo was contacted by the wave existence U-DO, and due to loneliness and fear, he descended into madness, his mental state permanently changed. Nonetheless, it was difficult to abandon his affection for Rubedo. He wanted to maintain a connection to his twin, even if it was as an adversarial existence, or an existence that would aim to destroy him.
As an undying body that can't help but continue to suffer and thirst while struggling with a wish that can't come true, Albedo's body is a prison. Despite wanting to die, Albedo's body would always revive and continue living, making suicide impossible. Eventually, he came to wish for annihilation even more than reuniting with Rubedo. If it was possible, he wished that annihilation to be by Rubedo's hand.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Jr. perceives Albedo was "contaminated by U-DO", though Albedo claims it as "evolution". Albedo believes he is the "alpha and omega of perfect consciousness", and that a perfect consciousness has no true physical form, free from the bonds and chains of cells, flesh and blood. Adopting a nihilistic philosophy that human existence is meaningless, Albedo questioned the point of life and the purpose of humanity. He became egotistical and prone to hollow, hysterical laughter.
Albedo is extremely misanthropic, believing humanity to be weak and delusional, constructing civilizations and culture as a distraction from the inevitable terror of death and non-existence — this is known as terror management theory. To him, humanity's deities and religions were a means of coping with the harsh reality of an inherently meaningless existence. The only true "God", Albedo believes, is U-DO, the wave existence.
| “ | The human race, fearful in its weakness, built this world in a futile attempt to elude the abyss they call mortality. Culture, civilization, all delusions created by a powerless race, and of little use, like a barren woman. | ” |
Albedo threatens to slit MOMO's throat.
Albedo's immortality allows him to display a unique sort of masochism, such as dismembering his arm and decapitating his head. He also has a very sadistic personality, and enjoys watching people die and struggle to survive. He killed his Kirschwassers and threatens Kirsch in the anime, and he displays a willingness to crash Proto Merkabah into Second Miltia, killing a vast amount of lives in the process. He holds grudges, and doesn't forgive those who betray him.
In Episode III, when Albedo is free of his attachment to life and comes back as a Testament, it is still obvious that he is far from sane. However, it is also noticeable that he is no longer suffering from it and that it is now very much under his control.
Enneagram
According to Enneagram personality assessment, Albedo, in his connection to people, is classified with a type-8 characteristic (brave, greatly self-confident, coercive, confrontational). This is the same type as Jr. and Gaignun, but Albedo's state is an extremely unhealthy one.
The utmost unhealthy type-8, one that is also a common human, imagines that he himself is an existence of an immortal body, all-knowing and all-powerful. For someone who harbors delusions of grandeur to the point of being maximally abnormal such as this, if he is not actually omnipotent, then he does not have an immortal body. However, Albedo is in fact correctly omnipotent with regards to injury of the flesh, and his is an immortal body.
He stands on top of this omnipotent power, and mercilessly strikes others. Because he does not feel limited by his own self being destroyed, there is no hesitation of any kind in the actions that this gives to another person. Also, not being given himself, taking as special privilege the current state of the point-of-view that it gives, he is convinced that he is super-human.
If it is a common human, those things do not go past mere delusion, and there is an instant that he senses the terror of actual death. For that reason, he tries to destroy before being destroyed, and it proactively causes behavior. A healthy type-8 proactively exerts a constructive influence on his surroundings, but likewise in a completely opposite way, an unhealthy type-8 proactively exerts a destructive influence on his surroundings.
But, because Albedo is a true immortal body, there is no sense of the impending crisis of being destroyed. Therein lies the weakness to his proactivity. He is in an alliance-like relationship with the U-TIC Organization, but that does not go beyond the part where advantages and disadvantages coincide. He does not aim to do the will of another person. He joins hands with others only for the sake of his own purposes, there is no pushing forward, and because he is immortal, there is not the necessity to feel limited by time, and the result is that proactivity is lacking. And thus, he enjoys the movement of every person as a bystander, and he lowers a destructive hand on a whim. And then, seeing a chance to allow the achievement of his own purposes, he is roused to action. However, that little bit of action, being desperate for others, becomes something that is destructive.
For him, the sole essential need is in once again linking with U-DO. For that sake he will sacrifice everything. If the world does not become for the sake of his own heart, he may even go so far as to try to destroy that which is the world.
Background
Childhood at Yuriev Institute
Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 39 - Two Classes of U.R.T.V.s - ENGLISH
Albedo defending Rubedo from the U.R.T.V.s.
Albedo was created by Dmitri Yuriev at the Yuriev Institute as U.R.T.V. Unit 667, originally a conjoined twin with Unit 666, Rubedo. U.R.T.V. stands for U-DO Retro Virus, and are bio-engineered weapons designed to fight against U-DO, a mysterious wave existence. Albedo's heart was attached to Jr.'s back until the 28th week. When Rubedo and Albedo were split, they both gained unique abilities, both rooting from the same concept. Rubedo gained the ability to control his body's aging, while Albedo could regenerate lost limbs, making him virtually immortal.
Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 41 - Anger and Despair - ENGLISH
Albedo kicks and punches U.R.T.V. 623.
Albedo was high-strung and fearful as a child. He clung to Rubedo for protection, and lashed out violently against anyone who attacked Rubedo, once even going so far as to injure and nearly kill a fellow U.R.T.V., Number 623. He also treated the other "normal" U.R.T.V.s as inferiors, and did not see them as actual people like the way he saw Rubedo and Nigredo.
Regenerate
Albedo cries and begs Rubedo and Nigredo to not leave him behind when they die.
While playing with a loaded handgun (or an energy ball in the censored version), Albedo was devastated when he learned that Rubedo and Nigredo were not immortal, Nigredo being as vulnerable to aging and injury as any normal human, and Rubedo, despite being capable of stopping his own aging, was still susceptible to death. The thought of living forever, all alone, without Rubedo to protect him, made him extremely sad and scared. This caused him to become mentally unstable.
Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 43 - Rest for the Soul - ENGLISH
Albedo digs graves for Rubedo and Nigredo.
After learning that Rubedo and Nigredo were mortal and could die at any moment, Albedo made a new hobby out of digging practice graves for Rubedo and Nigredo in a secluded forested area of the Yuriev Institute in order to prepare for the deaths of his two brothers someday, so he would not cry when they really died.
After Rubedo and Sakura Mizrahi fell in love, Rubedo turned his attention away from Albedo, and Albedo perceived this as Sakura taking Rubedo away from him. Albedo began to resent Sakura, and this resentment turned into hate.
In Xenosaga I&II, it was learned that the first time Albedo attempted to contact U-DO was during a training exercise inside Sakura's Encephalon. Sakura saved him by jumping in front of him, and she was killed when U-DO hit her. Although Albedo was happy when Sakura died, he still felt terrible guilt for her death because it deeply hurt Rubedo. This would lead to Albedo's unhealthy obsession with Kirschwassers and MOMO later on.
Miltian Conflict
Dive Into MOMO's Subconcious
Albedo comes into contact with U-DO.
Fourteen years ago, during the Miltian Conflict, the U.R.T.V.s were sent down to Miltia as part of the Third Descent. While there, however, Rubedo learned that if he used his Red Dragon power against U-DO, it would produce a thermal reaction capable of destroying the entire planet. Rubedo aborted the mission and cut off the mental link between him and the other U.R.T.V.s, fearing for their lives. This resulted in U-DO waves striking most of the U.R.T.V.s, causing them to be destroyed. Albedo also came into contact with U-DO at this time, which changed his mind.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall! Show me! Define me! I am the infinite telomerase! I am not an anti-existence! I am the perfect chain!"
Crazed and delirious, as well as scarred, Albedo was saved by Kirschwassers who took him on the Song of Nephilim, shortly after he turned on Rubedo and Nigredo at Labyrinthos. He was found there barely alive by Sellers and his U-TIC Organization personnel, who were preparing to abandon Miltia using the Song as a giant lifeboat. The database implies Albedo was half-dead due to being hit by waveforms which had been released by Nigredo, the U.R.T.V.s' failsafe and acting executioner.
14 year intermission
After that, Albedo was taken in by U-TIC/Ormus and placed under Margulis' jurisdiction most likely, but somehow came into contact with Wilhelm and Voyager, then later Kevin Winnicot, and at last Luis Virgil, since he seemed to know about the Testaments and their boss. He became a freelance U-TIC Agent while working for Wilhelm, with his own goal in mind, and was given one of its five A.M.W.S. craft, E.S. Simeon, as his own personal vehicle.
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Albedo is first seen during the destruction of the Woglinde and its fleet by the Gnosis, enjoying the death and destruction around him. He observes the destruction and rescues his Kirschwasser hiding in the Woglinde as depicted in Xenosaga I & II and Xenosaga: The Animation.
Shortly after MOMO and Ziggy escape Pleroma, Albedo shows up with this Kirschwasser, and Margulis tells him he's too late to catch MOMO.
Albedo taunting Margulis and U-TIC.
He is later seen with his Kirschwasser, once again, on Pleroma, interrupting a conversation between Margulis and his soldiers. He tells Margulis that he's going to retrieve MOMO himself, stating he'd do a better job than Margulis' "dogs".
He then boards his A.M.W.S., the E.S. Simeon, to leave Margulis, and calls for the first time MOMO "ma peche" as he leaves, he frequently refers to MOMO as "ma peche" throughout the game; this is French and translates to "my peach" since MOMO's name is peach in Japanese. He starts to slowly follow behind the Durandal, a ship owned by Jr. Incidentally, MOMO will arrive on this very ship too.
While following Jr.'s group, Albedo constantly kept in touch with Margulis, and was delighted when Margulis told him that, if the need arises, Albedo was allowed to summon the Song of Nephilim, a dangerous space station that could play a song that drives the listeners insane. This would distract the Kukai Foundation and Second Miltia long enough to help him catch MOMO. Additionally, Margulis' superiors would manipulate the Galaxy Federation to both allow Albedo to summon the Song and cover up U-TIC's tracks.
Xenosaga Episode I HD Cutscene 115 - MOMO is Missing! - ENGLISH
Albedo kidnaps MOMO.
When Margulis' plans fail, Albedo immediately summons the Song, and leaves the station to kidnap MOMO at the Kukai Foundation. On the way, he flies through a battlefield, where Federation A.G.W.S. units are facing off against Gnosis. In his E.S. Simeon, he destroys many A.G.W.S.s as well as Gnosis, and continues toward the Kukai Foundation. Once there, he catches MOMO and brings her back to the Song of Nephilim.
Xenosaga I - Ma Belle Pêche
Albedo psychologically torturing MOMO.
Once at the Song, Albedo intimidates MOMO, hoping for her to faint so he can easily get the Y-Data, a mysterious amount of data placed into MOMO's mind by Joachim Mizrahi, MOMO's creator. At the Song, he murders all of his Kirschwassers and tosses them in his chambers. MOMO finds him sitting comfortably on his "throne" of a beheaded kneeling naked woman statue with a sword in its neck, cradling the body of a slain Kirschwasser in his hands, before he snaps one of its arms effortlessly and tosses it aside.
Albedo rips his head off to show his hatred of humanity and the human form. "Free from the bonds of flesh and shackles of flesh and blood, a pure consciousness has no true form!"
As he vents to MOMO about how humanity's uselessness and powerlessness, Albedo uses a small knife to saw off his own arm (edited from the English-language version of Xenosaga Episode I and made to look as if he rips it off), which he then regenerates. He then decapitates himself, lets his severed head taunt MOMO, and finally crushes his head underneath one foot before regenerating that as well. Albedo is greatly amused by the fact that MOMO wants Rubedo (Jr.) to come and save her. Once MOMO lost consciousness, Albedo began to absorb her mind, learning every thought and memory that MOMO ever had. He continues to absorb her mind until he is interrupted by Jr. and his group.
The Truth Hidden Within MOMO
Albedo extracts part of the Y-Data from MOMO.
Once they show up, Albedo taunts them, and finally takes part of the Y-Data from MOMO, showing him that Shion Uzuki and KOS-MOS, two members of Jr.'s team, are somehow involved with it; at this moment it appears he gains knowledge of Shion's previous incarnation identity, as well as of KOS-MOS true identity. He climbs back into his E.S. Simeon and fights the group. Once they defeat Albedo, however, he gets out of the E.S. Simeon and shoots a blue aura at Jr., who retaliates with a red one. Their fight is interrupted by Luis Virgil, the Blue Testament. Virgil insists that Albedo get his job done, and stop playing around with Jr.'s group. Albedo leaves the Song of Nephilim in his E.S. Simeon while Virgil fights Jr.'s group.
Once Jr. and MOMO's group escaped the Song of Nephilim and boarded the Durandal, they tried to destroy the Song, but were in shock when their blast deflected off of it. Albedo re-enters the scene in his E.S. Simeon, and summons Proto Merkabah, a large space station that was once home to Joachim Mizrahi and MOMO, using the knowledge he had gained from MOMO's memories. The Song of Nephilim enters a port of Proto Merkabah to help power it, and several Gnosis are absorbed to use an energy source. He uses this station to blow up the entire Galaxy Federation fleet of ships. He sets his next target to nearby planet Second Miltia. However, Jr. tells him to wait before he blows up Second Miltia, so that he can get to Albedo and finish the conflict once and for all.
Xenosaga Final Boss
Shion, KOS-MOS and chaos fighting Albedo.
Jr. and his group board Proto Merkabah and reach Albedo in the core room, and he shows the group his will, a shining power that exists within everyone. His, however, was very bright and large. Albedo reminds Jr. of what he did to his comrades during the conflict when he 'broke the link', showing a brief scene of Jr. holding his head with an aura around him that sends the standard U.R.T.V. units flying. This differs from the events stated in Episode II but it was most likely due to the change in story writer. He fights Jr. and the others personally, but he is defeated after a battle. He reveals to the group his motive: To make Jr. pay for abandoning him and the other U.R.T.V.s fourteen years ago. He then reveals Sophie Peithos, a fusion of Proto Merkabah's core and the Gnosis absorbed by the space station. Albedo leaves Jr. to fight this massive beast, and returns to his E.S. Simeon in space. He watches from afar as the space colony plunges toward Second Miltia on a crash course, due to Sophie Peithos' defeat. He watches as the group escapes on the Elsa, and Proto Merkabah self-destructs.
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Although there is a sense of completion at the end of Episode I, Albedo's summoning of Proto Merkabah was to distract the galaxy from the true intentions of Ormus, the organization seemingly behind the plans of U-TIC, and test the power of Shion, Jr., and friends, though details behind these motives are not given directly. However, Albedo is clearly thinking that he is acting on his own terms, which results in the Proto Merkabah incident. Virgil is insenced at Albedo's summoning of "needless toys," however the Red Testament, Kevin Winnicot, tells him to let Albedo be for now. This is most likely so Wilhelm, the leader of the Testaments, the CEO of Vector Industries, and ex-Executive Committee Director, can gauge Albedo's power and decide exactly what he wants to do with him in the time to come.
Albedo is still in the E.S. Simeon the next time he's seen, as Gaignun Kukai contacts him telepathically to find out what he's up to. Albedo taunts Gaignun, who gets angry and causes Albedo's arm to explode. Albedo regenerates it and cuts off the mental link between Gaignun and himself.
Albedo's Trap
Albedo disrupts MOMO's maintenance.
Later on, on Second Miltia, MOMO undergoes maintenance by Juli Mizrahi. However, the process is interrupted when Albedo hacks into her mind and attempts to get the rest of the Y-Data. MOMO, however, starts to delete her memory to save everyone. The group dives into MOMO's mind using the Encephalon. They see a long series of Jr.'s flashbacks because Jr. was closest to MOMO, and because Albedo was now a part of MOMO, a result of him absorbing her thoughts in Episode I. Through the flashbacks, Albedo's full past is revealed. It is shown that Albedo was once very timid and not evil until U-DO had corrupted him.
Yet Another Trap
Albedo in the Encephalon.
While Jr.'s group views these flashbacks in MOMO's Encephalon, the recent, true Albedo emerges and fights Jr. Once Jr. manages to defeat him once more, MOMO appears in her own mind and demands everyone stop fighting. Albedo takes this chance to shoot a large beam at her, gathering even more of the Y-Data from her. He leaves the virtual world of the Encephalon and reawakens in the E.S. Simeon. With more of the Y-Data, Albedo and the E.S. Simeon begin to glow, and they disappear from space. Jr., back on Second Miltia, states he can feel Albedo's heartbeat fading. This action led to the opening of the path that led to Old Miltia, the planet that Joachim Mizrahi had sent to the Abyss during the Miltian Conflict. Since Albedo cannot die, he survives as nothing more than a few particles, floating around in space.
Albedo steps in between Sergius and Jr.
Much later, Albedo returns by using his regenerative powers to bring all of his particles back together in the Ω System, a huge space fortress that was home to Ormus, along with the Zohar (the ultimate energy source) and Proto Ω, a large superweapon. Ormus' Patriarch Sergius XVII meets up with Jr.'s group here, hoping to use Proto Ω, the Zohar inside of it, to destroy them along with whoever else stands in his way. Albedo appears at the scene, telling the Patriarch that the power of the Zohar belonged to him, and that the Patriarch had no need for it. The Patriarch, unwilling to relinquish the Zohar, simply dismisses Albedo as "Yuriev's ghost" and regards him as a "lower lifeform." Albedo attempts to attack the Patriarch and Proto Ω, but is disintegrated by the superweapon's beam attack and reduced once again to particles.
Albedo absorbs U-DO's waves upon return by the Testaments.
When Jr.'s group defeats the Patriarch, however, Albedo is brought back by the Testaments Kevin, Virgil, and Black Testament Voyager, who speed up the process of Albedo's regenerative powers. Albedo immediately absorbs more U-DO waves from the Zohar. Jr. begs Albedo to stop, claiming this was not what Albedo was born to do, but Albedo replies that this is the very moment he has been waiting for. Albedo implores Jr. to come to his world and have some fun. Using U-DO and the Zohar, Albedo transforms the entire Ω System into a space-time anomaly. During the transformation process, Albedo says his time to join the eternal chaince has come, and for him to quench his thirst at the source.
Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 81 - Illusions in the Space-Time Anomaly - ENGLISH
Albedo taunts Jr. in the space-time anomaly.
Albedo calls to Jr., hoping for them to settle the score. Jr. enters the space-time anomaly, hoping to put a stop to Albedo's madness as Jr. believes he is the only one who can stop Albedo. Albedo manipulates the anomaly to taunt Jr., showing him revised memories to make Jr. hate him. Albedo constantly dared Jr. to kill him because he wanted to die. He claimed that Jr. was the only one who could kill him. Despite Sakura's sacrificing herself to save him, Albedo told Jr. that he killed Sakura, hoping he would become angry enough to kill him, but his false claim was dismissed.
Albedo fused with U-DO ("God").
Jr. finally reaches Albedo and enters Red Dragon Mode, a powerful ability that only Jr. possesses. Albedo tells Jr. of his plans, to shove the entire universe into a higher-order domain, where everyone will be fused into one perfect existence. Albedo provokes Jr. into a fight, during which Albedo taunts Jr. mercilessly in an effort to get Jr. to land a killing blow. Jr. happily obliges and defeats his brother. As the Space-Time Anomaly crumbles, Albedo warns Jr. to beware Gaignun's shadow. Although Albedo, fused with U-DO, could have simply annihilated himself, he specifically chose Jr. to use the Red Dragon Mode to destroy him.
Xenosaga Episode II Ending
The ending of Episode II.
Winged Kirschwassers arrive and take the now deceased Albedo away. (Note: Although Albedo is an Anti Existence of U-DO, seeming to be possible that he could have obliterated himself, he claimed that he lost his body merging with U-DO, but felt much better. Since he lost his body it could be considered that in fact Albedo lacked the power to obliterate himself and needed Jr.'s power to kill him.)
Later on, Wilhelm has a meeting with his three Testaments. During this meeting, Albedo arrives, now as the White Testament. He also possesses a redesigned E.S. Simeon. Wilhelm formally introduces the new White Testament as the "Weaver of the eternal circle of Zarathustra." Becoming a Testament appears to have healed Albedo's insanity to some degree.
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
Albedo as the White Testament.
A year after he became a Testament, the four Testaments stand in a cave on a floating island in space known as Rennes-le-Château, near the tomb of Mary Magdalene where the Apostles stored her body. Voyager and Albedo stand in silence as Virgil mocks Kevin, and his infatuation with Shion.
Xenosaga Episode III - Chapter 3 - Rennes-le-Château - White Testament
Albedo arrives to pick up Virgil.
Albedo shows up again in Rennes-le-Château's cave, interrupting an argument between Virgil and Shion. Albedo takes a Vessel of Anima, an E.S. power core, out of Virgil's defeated E.S. Naphtali. Jr. instantly recognizes the White Testament's voice as Albedo's, and calls out to him desperately. Albedo ignores Jr.'s pleading cries, as he and Virgil retreat on the E.S. Simeon.
Back in Wilhelm's office, Wilhelm and Kevin discuss Yuriev, who is on Abel's Ark (A massive Gnosis that appeared shortly after Albedo's death one year ago) and powering Ω to ascend to the realm of U-DO, so he can defeat it and become a god. Kevin asks if he should send Albedo to retrieve Abel, a boy with impressive powers and piloting skill, and the Zohar, which are both in Ω. Wilhelm responds, "He wants to go, doesn't he? It's what he's always desired."
Under orders from Wilhelm and Kevin, Albedo makes his final appearance on Abel's Ark. After Jr.'s group defeats Yuriev and Ω Metempsychosis (The final form of Ω), Albedo appears and unmasks himself, revealing his identity to Jr. He takes the Zohar and Abel out of Ω and teleports them to Zarathustra on planet Michtam, where Wilhelm is waiting for them.
Abel's Ark
Nigredo disappears and Albedo reunites with Jr.
Noting that Yuriev, who was the only survivor of the original human link experiments to U-DO, still has portions of U-DO inside of him, Albedo instructs Jr. to start a mental link with him to destroy Yuriev. Jr. refuses to do so, knowing that Gaignun's consciousness is inside Yuriev. Albedo plans to have Gaignun's consciousness transfer into Jr.'s body, and help Jr. and Albedo destroy Yuriev.
However, Gaignun's consciousness instead enters Albedo's body, and pushes Albedo's consciousness out of his own body and into Jr.'s, believing that's what Albedo truly wanted. Gaignun, now in Albedo's body, reveals that he was created to monitor and destroy both Jr. (the "Red Dragon") and Albedo. Since he does not want to kill them, he feels he has no reason to exist. Gaignun sacrifices himself—and Albedo's body—to destroy Yuriev.
After that, Albedo's consciousness speaks to Jr.'s, and the two come to terms with each other as Albedo fades away into Jr.'s consciousness, once again becoming one with him. Albedo says he will go to "sleep", but promises to return eventually with the hope that he, Jr., and Gaignun will some day be able to be together again like when they were children. His final words as he goes into slumber tell Jr. that Abel and the Zohar are on Michtam.
After all was said and done, Wilhelm and Kevin are presented with another Vessel of Anima, presumably Albedo's restored E.S. Simeon, and Wilhelm states "Now his wish has come true." This shows that Wilhelm was aware of Albedo's fate, and that what happened in the end is what Albedo really wanted.
Before Jr. goes with the others to Lost Jerusalem, MOMO asks Jr. to tell Albedo that she says hello. Jr. promises that he'll deliver the message when he wakes up, but admits that Albedo is kinda lazy, so he won't know when that will be. MOMO just laughs in response to this with a smile.
Etymology
Albedo was named in reference to his white hair. In Psychology and Alchemy, Carl Jung refers to Albedo, or "whitening", as one of the stages of the process of human individuation as symbolized in alchemic terms, known as the magnum opus. Jung also described Rubedo and Nigredo as parts of this process. An additional and more prevalent use of the term is seen in science, where the albedo of a body or surface is a measure of its reflectivity.
In the Jungian archetypal schema, albedo refers to the anima and animus (contrasexual soul images).
His last name has two different translations. In Xenosaga Episode I, his name is seen as "Albedo Piasora." In Xenosaga Episode II he is listed as "Albedo Piazzolla." Therefore, either name can be used to describe him. His surname is presumably a reference to Astor Piazzolla, an Argentinian composer whose surname is also best approximated as "Piasora" in Japanese.
Quotes
Xenosaga Episode I HD Cutscene 109 - Shion and Jr.'s Nightmare - ENGLISH
Albedo after contacting U-DO.
Child
- "Rubedo! Don't let go! ...Don't let go!"
- "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
- "Graves for Rubedo and Nigredo... It's just for pretend, though... I'm practicing, so that when they die, I won't cry. If I link with U-DO again... I wonder if he'll kill me. I hope he will. He is our leader, after all."
- "Of course you would. That's how you're built. Because we are the anti-existence of U-DO. Do you know what the link is like? ...It's as sweet and seductive as a deal with the devil!"
- "I don't like you! You're bothering Rubedo, the way you try and flirt with him. Say something, you mannequin! I hate you. I HATE YOU!" (to Sakura Mizrahi)
- "I hated this girl. She was always flirting with you. I'm glad she's dead. I am. Now, there's nobody around trying to seduce you." (to Jr.)
- "Hurry up and kill me!"
Albedo Laugh Collection
Albedo laugh collection.
Albedo's Moments
Albedo in Xenosaga.
Crispin Freeman as Albedo
Crispin Freeman as Albedo.
Episode I
- "You just love barking out those orders, don't you, Margulis? Show a little love to your dogs, or else they might bite you one day."
- "Such tears. What beauty they hold, these tears of sorrow. Surely they are the most precious substance in the world. But, are you worthy to shed such tears? The act of mourning the dead belongs to the realm of humans. Ah, my beautiful little Kirschwasser. But still... Can you really call this a corpse? Frailty, thy name is woman. No, that's not right. You little Realians weren't even born from a woman's womb."
- "The human race, fearful in its weakness, built this world in a futile attempt to elude the abyss they call mortality. Culture... civilization... all delusions created by a powerless race, and of little use, like a barren woman. But amidst all this, you continue to exist as an unfettered soul, free from the shackles of flesh and blood. A completely pure consciousness... an eternal spiral, undefiled by impurities. A fusion of fire, breath, and spirit. What can we call you... but angels? New, unadulterated psyches. But what you lack is reality. And that is what I shall provide you with! BOO! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" (Albedo slices his head off with a knife)
- "Ah, ma belle pêche... there's no need to tremble like that. Else you'll make me feel like a péché myself..."
- "Do you know what he said while he coughed up his lifeblood? "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." Wheat, eh? There's enough of it, we can afford to waste as much as we want. Like my head, you see? HAHAHA! What do you think, my beloved pêche? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
- "What pain, so sweet, so alive! Pain is such a vital part of realizing one's existence!"
- "Contaminated? Not quite. More like... evolved. I experienced but a fragment of my true power that day. The waves that inundated my body are now a part of me! I've reached a higher stage of existence compared to you incomplete mortals. I am the alpha and the omega of perfect consciousness!"
- "Don't be so surprised; this is the power of will, a fundamental power that exists within everyone. What you are witnessing is simply your perception of it. And you know what? Perception and pain are but one and the same. So... go ahead... Feel my pain for yourself!"
- "Have you forgotten, Rubedo? That fateful day, fourteen years ago... Have you forgotten what you did to us?! It's all because of you... Because you closed yourself off from us, our mental link was broken, and one after another, we succumbed to the power of the Song. Left behind in that horror, did we have any choice but to submit to it? Remember what happened... and repent for your sins!"
- "Yes! And therefore, you must atone for your sins, atone with your life! I am the executor for all those who were destroyed! Although... I'm actually grateful to you, Rubedo. Thanks to you, I alone was able to find the way... The way to a whole new world."
- "Entertain me, if you will!"
- "Taste the flames of Hell!"
Episode II
- "Oh, so now it's peace talks, huh? Didn't McCartney say that, too? Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony. But I know your true form, executioner." (to Gaignun)
- "Such a sweet smell, Rubedo... The smell of rage evaporating off your body. Sure you don't suffer from excessive norepinephrine?"
- "This is it. The Key to the Abyss. The gospel that will awaken Miltia. Rubedo. Are you looking at it? Come...let us share our new world!"
- "That's rich... You people are unbelievable. You're going to destroy me? Complete destruction doesn't sound all that bad. But, you see, even reducing me to particles won't make me disappear from the cosmos. Hey, Rubedo. Don't forget to breathe deep and inhale the particles that composed me."
- "Behold, Rubedo! At long last, my time has come! The time to join the eternal chain! The time to quench my thirst at the source!"
- "Perhaps I'll cause a shift and shove this whole dimension into a high-order domain. Don't be afraid. We low-dimension creatures will move en masse to a higher plane! It'll be glorious! The true eternal chain! The fulfillment of that which we lacked! The evolution of mankind and the evolution of the very world itself that watches over us! Happy days are here! They'll name a holiday after me! That is, assuming they even have the concept of holidays on the other side."
Xenosaga II (PS2) Final Battle
Albedo final boss battle.
- "Come, my positron. You are an anti-U-DO weapon. My heart tingles with anticipation. A weapon need not feel shame for desiring combat. For all we know, humans themselves may be weapons created by the world."
- "We're not foolish because we're tools. It's because we're men."
- "Oblivion, huh? You could say this is a release. At least... I won't have to fear losing anyone anymore."
- "Ah, look Rubedo, I'm free!"
Episode III
- "You're in way over your head. That power... is not yours. You're simply being seduced by that power, just like I once was. Eternal time. The infinite cycle of rebirth. Amidst that flow, human existence is meaningless."
- "Yo, Rubedo! I'm so happy to be able to see you again. It's rather amazing. I feel like thanking the laws of this universe. I came to warn you, my hopeless but most beloved other half."
- "Hey, what are you doing there Mr. Goody Two-Shoes?"
- "Shut up. I don't have any business with you. I'm talking to the bastard who's hiding in the shadows. You want to please our dear old Dad that much? You've always been that way."
- "Nigredo, I hate the idea of having to link with you, but it's for Rubedo. Now, join up!"
- "Oh, stop crying. Like I said before, I hate both of you. There's no time. Begin!"
- "He put on a one-man show and ran off by himself. You pissed me off until the very end, Nigredo."
Themes
Trivia
Albedo's chair of a beheaded naked woman on all fours with a sword in its neck.
Xenosaga Episode I HD Cutscene 117 - Albedo's Decapitation Scene - ENGLISH
Albedo's decapitation scene (English).
Xenosaga Episode I HD Cutscene 117 - Albedo's Decapitation Scene - JAPANESE
Albedo's decapitation scene (Japanese).
- Albedo's "chair" in his lair is a a statue of a beheaded woman, kneeling on all fours, with a sword stuck in its neck. Another nearby statue is of another female figure with all limbs decapitated. It can be seen in his gallery below.
- In Episode I, in the Japanese version, his emblem has an X symbol. In the English-language version, it was changed to a ^ symbol and has remained since. It is unknown why this change occurred.
- Albedo wears a peculiar white cape, faintly resembling downturned angel wings, almost symbolizing Albedo being a fallen angel.
- "Ah, ma belle pêche... there's no need to tremble like that. Else you'll make me feel like a péché myself..." means "Ah, my beautiful peach... there's no need to tremble like that. Else you'll make me feel like a sinner myself..." It is a French pun/wordplay.
- The French "ma belle pêche" is "My beautiful peach" in English.
- The French "péché" is "sinner" in English.
- "Frailty, thy name is woman" is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
- "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.", said during his decapitation scene to MOMO, is a reference to a quote from Jesus Christ in the Bible in John 12:24.
- In Japan, the color of white is considered to be pure, but it is also the color of death (as in the purity of death). This fits Albedo.
- Albedo and Shion were conceived as the two characters that eventually develop the "ideal compromise towards death".
- chaos made an allusion in Episode II, insinuating that the four variant U.R.T.V.s are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Xenosaga universe. Albedo is the white rider "Conquest/Pestilence".
Gallery
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Xenosaga: The Animation
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
