Master Eraqus

Unreleased

Master Eraqus is a character who appears in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. He is the master of Ventus, Aqua, and Terra.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
In the beginning of Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Master Eraqus prepares to hold the Master Qualification Exam for Keyblade wielders and apprentices, when he is introduced to a young Ventus after Eraqus's long-time colleague Master Xehanort arrives at the Land of Departure to witness Terra and Aqua as they endure their Exams. The exam is carried out soon afterwards, Aqua passing while Terra fails, Eraqus believing that Terra is on the grounds that he is unable to control his darkness. Little does Eraqus know that Master Xehanort had used his dark powers to tamper with the course of the Exam itself.

Soon after, Master Xehanort and his apprentice Vanitas go missing. Eraqus sends his three apprentices to find them shortly after being contacted by Master Yen Sid about the spawning of the mysterious Unversed. Sensing a possible connection between the two events, Eraqus later instructs Aqua to look after Terra, as he fears the man may be tempted by the darkness.

As he reaches the end of his journey, Ventus discovers the truth about his past, and in order to get his questions answered, travels back to the Land of Departure so he may talk with Master Eraqus. Meanwhile, Terra receives this news from Master Xehanort and also learns that Eraqus plans to eliminate his friend, the man tricked into thinking that the only way to save Ventus from his grim fate being to eliminate his master. Terra arrives just before Eraqus is about to vanquish Ventus, Eraqus sensing that Terra has indeed descended into darkness. Seeing Terra's stained heart, he recalls a long-ago discussion between himself and Master Xehanort over the Keyblade War during which Eraqus disagreed with Master Xehanort's hypotheses and Master Xehanort responded by attacking Eraqus and leaving him with the scar he presently bears.

Greatly saddened by the fact that he must use force to eliminate two of his apprentices and even angered when Terra refuses his orders to stand down, Eraqus charges forward only for Ventus to be thrown into a portal to another world by Terra. Terra no longer caring that Eraqus is his master and someone he holds dear, Eraqus battles him. Terra wins the battle and leaves Eraqus wounded, but as he begins to show remorse for his actions, Eraqus is ambushed by Master Xehanort himself, and fades out of existence.

Some time after Terra's possession at Master Xehanort's hand, the remains of both Master Xehanort and Terra begin to converse with each other. Master Xehanort then realizes that Eraqus's heart now resides within Terra, with the two beginning to debate over who would control it.

Appearance
Master Eraqus, like his student, Terra, bears a distinct Japanese influence in his choice of clothing. He wears a white, red lined haori that seems to have a hood, along with slightly shorter than normal, light-colored hakama. Underneath his haori, he wears a navy blue shirt with a large white X pattern on the front. He also has a jagged scar over his right eye and on his left cheek (the latter being quite similar to Braig's scar).

Like his pupils, Eraqus wears pieces of armor, in his case gold and black armored boots and a dull blue-green section that covers his abdomen. This second piece of armor sports the same symbol worn by his students near the top. Eraqus's black hair is tied into a short, high topknot, with one bang falling off to the right side of his face. He also has a short, triangular soul patch and a mustache.

Personality
Master Eraqus is a strong Keyblade master, caring very deeply for his three apprentices, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. Stern and willing to instruct, one major goal he has in life appears to be preserving peace throughout the worlds, as he rashly attacks Ventus when Eraqus discovers that through his dark half, Vanitas, Ventus can create the X-Blade, the weapon that sparked the Keyblade War and that Master Xehanort desires.

He also feels strong attachments, having Aqua look after Terra, whom he sees as a son (and whom also considers Eraqus as a father figure), as he travels the worlds, apologizing before his assassination attempt on Ventus, and even shedding a tear when he is forced to face off against Terra. Eraqus has a strong sensitivity to betrayal, having experienced it far too many times in his life, both at the hands of Master Xehanort and Terra, himself.

Fighting Style
Master Eraqus appears as a boss in Terra's storyline after the Keyblade wielder rescues Ventus from an assassination attempt made by Eraqus, and Terra is forced to fight him. During battle, Eraqus uses many quick lunging attacks, and is able to land many hits before the combo finisher. He also has several desperation attacks, each based off of the light element.

Weapon
Master Eraqus wields a rather basic Keyblade, grey in coloration. It has the appearance of an old fashioned skeleton key, the teeth shaped like an "E". Interestingly, its keychain is the symbol that Aqua, Terra, Ven, and Eraqus himself all wear in their clothing.

Trivia

 * Master Eraqus resembles and could possibly be based on the appearance of Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series.
 * His name is an anagram of "Square", the first name of the series's developer. This trend is based on Yen Sid's name being the reverse spelling of "Disney", the other company who produced the series.
 * Tetsuya Nomura stated the relationship between Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort is something like old classmates.
 * Master Eraqus, Braig (as well as his Nobody, Xigbar) and Saïx are thus far the only characters in the series who have received permanent and visible body damage.

Maître Eraqus