Season 6 had a lot of emotional moments but this was the most emotional for me by far. It was when Viren started to remember his family and the spell got stronger that broke me. He may have been beyond redemption or forgiveness but in his final moments Viren saved hundreds of lives and accepted his death with humility
@@IlijaNenadović i mean, it would have been the start of redemption if he didnt die. It still doesnt excuses all those years of toxic parenting with soren, and many other stuff. He redeemed himself only a little, and we manage to feel bad for him. But he wasnt redeemed completely
@@zeldris_zezinhoExactly. Sometimes people have done so much evil that they can never be redeemed no matter how much remorse they show. Could Hitler ever be redeemed?
@@benkirkman1866 nope, its one of those that will never be forgiven no matter how much time it passes. He caused a genocide, pain, suffering and deaths to people that did nothing wrong. There is no excuse for that.
I don't think anything he did would've truly forgiven viren for what he did in the past, but reshaping and redeeming your character is the best thing you can do to prove you've changed
I noticed something, remember when he said that to Amaya and she said “those are awfully nice clothes for a humble servant” notice how as he said it this time he died in beggar’s clothes…
My favorite part about all this. He remembered Harrow and honored his wishes, shows what could’ve been. If he stayed on the right path, Harrow could still be alive and Viren could be living happily with his family as his partner/advisor. It didn’t turn out that way but at least he remembered his old self that was Harrow’s best friend.
It's sad that at the very end, I believe Viren found his Arcanum, the source of magic within him by fully remembering and embracing the sheer love he held for his family.
@@castbet9183 I want to believe fire. Fire can help, but when it keeps burning freely without anything tempering or reeling it in, it spreads as an inferno that reduces everything to ash.
TL;DR Viren used the same ancient practice hinted to by his mentor Kpp'Ar to cast the spell using his own lifeforce and heart for the spell. It was not an Arcanum, but it was indeed a noble and selfless act of sacrifice. It wasn't an Arcanum, it was Dark Magic. This is evident by Viren's face darkening like every time he performed a particularly powerful dark magic spell. However, it was an unusual form of it. You may recall that in episode 2 of season 5, Viren in his coma has a dream of his old mentor, Kpp'Ar. In that dream, as well as in Viren's recollections in episode 6 of this season, Kpp'Ar's left arm is bandaged and the bandages are partially soaked with his blood. In Viren's coma dream, he asks Kpp'Ar what happened to his arm, to which Kpp'Ar replies "Wounds from an ancient and disturbing practice". When Viren comes up to the wall, he is holding a bloody knife and you can see blood soaking his cloths over his heart; and when he cast Hearts of Cinder, a sigil that looks like the one for dark magic begins glowing in that area. He carved that sigil into his flesh over his heart with the knife. Here is my theory: humans are born without a natural connection to a Primal Source. Sometime in their history, they discovered or were taught (presumably by Aaravos) that they can draw on life to enact magic. I believe the "ancient and disturbing practice" was a precursor to the more modern dark magic practice of drawing on the lifeforce found in other living creatures or their parts, where they instead drew on their own lifeforce, sacrificing a portion of it, to perform magic. Kpp'Ar used that practice at least once for some unknown reason, and when Viren cast Hearts of Cinder, he did the same. He carved the necessary sigil over his heart, thus turning himself into the focus of the spell and using his own heart (rather than another's) as the ingredient for it.
It's kind of poetic that both times Sol Regis attacks Humans because he hates them and their dark magic as he views them as selfish and treachoures also lead to dark mages (Viran and Zirad) showing their best side by laying down there own lives to safe large populations of innocents
@@patrickkh1245 He can smell lies. He can definitely smell humans. We already know he can, because he detected that Callum was human from hundreds of meters away. You think he wouldn't smell the fact that he was near a whole city of humans? He knew.
If only King Harrow and his wife could see him now, they would be so proud to see that Viren finally made amends for his past actions and sacrificed himself for those he loved.
@@_antillas8674 i thought that was messed up too...but i wouldnt call it bad writing. he saw how dark she had become, and by leaving, he thought he could humble her to chill out and stop being so dark and deranged. which technically worked. had sol regem not attacked the castle, claudia would have met up with viren and become chill and not use dark magic anymore. viren left her to let her to become humbled, plus he knew she had Terri by her side. Viren also had his own demons he wished to defeat by going back to the castle to face judgement.
Si te pones a pensar aun queda un cristal para revivir a alguien ya que Rayla solo revivió a Runaan, sumado a que no se vio la muerte del Rey, pienso que al final puede que Viren hiciera el cambio pero en el Cuervo ya que desapareció despues y no se volvió a ver...al menos eso creo xd
It's amazing how it only takes coming back from the dead to realize the things you've done were horrible and pointless no matter how justified or a good intention. Viren may have done too much damage in the world with dark magic, but he died already and was finally ready to give up dark magic, and for once, it saved lives instead of taking it to me that seems enough to start over
The shot at 0:25 is a great way of showing the light and dark warring inside Viren. He's using Dark Magic, which he swore to never do again, but he's using it for noble and selfless purposes. I've seen people say that Viren found his Arcanum. I think they're right - this is the first time in the entire show that anybody, human or otherwise, has cast a spell using simple English - and I think I know what the Arcanum is. It's love. For all Viren's "creative solutions", I think the secret to human magic is love. Simultaneously the most simple and the most complex thing in the universe.
Thats actually really good, but I sort ofthink that dark magics Arcanum could be desperation, I mean, every time dark magic was involved , people were desperate to achieve something,
@@abhinavvashisht5273I think the main comment is right. The arcanum of dark magic was never desperation. It was the love and care that the human soul could produce. Desperation and anger perverted and twisted something that could have been beautiful. Viren’s love stripped what aaravos had done to the primal source; the soul was freed again
We are gathered here to honor the dark mage, no the servent of his people Viren. Many of you know him and his actions as unforgettable and beyond cruel. During his first death, everybody cheered that the dark mage is dead. He killed many people, destroyed a country, started a war, belittled everyone, and etc. To the point where he deserves any punishment he deserves. When he came back we expected the worst might happen and he may continue what he left off, but to everyone surprise he did the opposite. He didn't want to fight anymore, barely use dark magic, and wanted say to say sorry to everyone and face justice for his actions. He never wanted people to forgive him either. The only time he used dark magic is to save people. In his lasted moments he thought about his family, his love, and being servant of his people while his heart was being ripped out of his body. Saved countless people from the dragon's attack and ricking it all performing a spell that was full of his love of his family and the peace he finally achieved. The things he did can't be forgiven, but we can honor his sacrifice for the last moments of his life. We honor Viren, servant of the people and his king and best friend. May the people that truly knows him that he did a hero. His second death we didn't cheer, we cried for a fallen savior. May he rest in peace Viren, servant of the people and hero.
I’m SO glad the show decided to bring him back for not only the one last epic showdown he deserved, but the closure with Soren. The way Viren INSTANTLY went to apologize with no false pretenses upon being alive was so refreshing to see. He made the show so good and nuanced and I’ll miss him 😭
In the comments, I see everyone talking about whether Verin does or does not deserve forgiveness in the end for everything that he did, but to me what’s more important than whether he is or isn’t redeemable is the fact that he showed that he was sorry for everything he did. that is more important than forgiveness. Remorse.
Same here A bad guy wouldn't feel remorse for what they did. But Viren truly does feel remorse, and that's proof to me that he's changed for the better
Its literally 1 word But when Viren says "cannot," at 1:11 it is the most perfectly performed voice line, I think it is a perfect take on what a real person would be feeling in this moment
This. Broke me. 😢 Viren going out,doing Dark magic but to protect Katolis and his son. He's truly a redeemed hero in my eyes and I forgive him EDIT: Let me be clear, I'm not here to force anyone to forgive Viren. If you don't, then fine,your feelings are your own. I'm only expressing how I felt when I first saw this scene when it originally aired, nothing else.
I was sobbing. Viren leaving Claudia was heart-breaking, mainly because Claudia's voice actress did arguably the greatest voice acting in the entire show during that scene. But while that scene was just upsetting to watch, this scene was tragically beautiful. A moment of true redemption from a man who had fully accepted that he was the villain and through that acceptance, he became a hero.
@@tomnorton4277 Yeah honestly Viren, Soren and Claudia are really the best written and tragic characters in the show. They honestly feel the most fleshed out 3 dimensional characters in the series. Viren’s origin into Dark Magic was both sad and heartbreaking
Viren lived his life a villain who deluded himself into believing he was a hero... and ended his life a hero who accepted he had truly been a villain. His written confession was heartbreaking and horrific, it's no wonder why Lyssa left him and how monstrous he was to blame his own child for his vile actions... something he acknowledged and chose not to confess to his son becuz in that moment he wisely understood it would only have caused his son more pain and anger, a burden Viren refused to weigh upon Soren's heart. A burden he deservedly chose to carry alone I still don't like Viren, there's too much blood on his hands. But I can appreciate and respect his enlightenment and his sacrifice.
I love Viren as a character, but as a person, yeah, he's far from a good man. Still, i believe he deserves a decent, if not high amount of respect for, as you said -Finally accepting what he did was wrong. choosing to take responsibility for his actions sacrificing himself instead of his son, to save everybody in Katolis. In the end, he truly was a servant to his kingdom, and died protecting the species he loved.
Funny thing about Viren is, he never directly killed anybody with his own hands. Sure he was puppeted by Aaravos killing Katlois guards, ordered deaths & gave commands but unlike the beloved Runaan he never directly killed anybody. Even being in the coins is not a full death.
Viren and Aaravos are the real heroes tbh. The only evil thing Viren ever did was bully Soren. Everything he did towards Xadians was justified. Ironically, he was right. Just like that first Dark Mage who blinded Sol Regem trying to protect thousands of children from a racist genocidal Xadian dragon, Viren was right about the Xadians. They are an existential threat to humanity because they are hideously racist towards them. Sol Regem outright said ''You are lesser beings'', and we learned in S6 that the Startouch Elves were the ones who severed the Primal from humanity and are keeping them blind to that fact so they can't reconnect with it the way Callum has. They were ready to KILL a child of their own because she taught her friend magic again. How racist and vile can one be??? So Xadians took Primal magic away from them, Xadians then keep them ignorant about the fact that they can reconnect with the Arcanum making them ''lesser beings'' as they are not capable of magic anymore, and then Xadians justify their own genocide towards humans when they turn to Dark Magic out of desperation which they only do because Xadians robbed them of Primal Magic and are keeping it away from them. Like, idk if this is the message Ehasz is trying to convey, but the Xadians are honestly evil filth at this point. Aaravos and his daughter are straight up justified, as was Viren and every Dark Magic user who used it against Xadians. I know he won't win, but I'm rooting for Aaravos. I hope he at least destroys all the other Startouch Elves and the racist dragons somehow. Maybe he can give Primal Magic back to humanity, the way his daughter so nobly did.
He always tried to do the right thing. Xadia needs to go. They're too racist. Rayla and Callum stopped him the first time, but if Zym had grown up with the racist genocidal dragon Avizandum, he would've been another tyrant just like him. Harrow and Viren were justified in slaying him to protect humanity, just like Aaravos is justified for seeking vengeance against the other Startouch Elves for robbing humanity of primal magic and exploding his daughter for her kindness in giving it back. Viren & Aaravos are the good guys, just not in a Hollywood story where the bad guys are always presented as the good guys.
He dies the greatest death in this universe, defending 1000s from fiery demise, along with his home, earns his sons forgiveness and uses his last breath to declare himself a servant of his kingdom. Rest in peace. For those that don't get it, the point of that attack was for Aaravos to get rid off both Sol Regem and Viren at 1 fell swoop in order to get Claudia back on his side.
Highly doubt the attack was intended to get rid of Viren. That, the other two reasons for the attack was true. Sol Regem was already starting to die because of the various arrows that were shot at him. And it forced the evacuation of the castle, leaving the Pearl unguarded(remember, nobody knew that Callum took the wrong Pearl with him.) While losing Viren was unfortunate for Aaravos, it has little negative consequences for his overall plans (Aaravos would probably still respect Viren for the sacrifice he made)
@@strikerstratos i agree. aaravos even respected viren when he spoke to claudia, empathizing with her. was this manipulation? maybe. or maybe not? since he had his own daughter and can emphasize...
@@strikerstratos imo it is pretty clear that aaravos killed viren intentionally. you can see him smile, because his plan, that claudia misses her dad and will fulfill the magic to free aaravos.
@@strikerstratosI actually think Aaravos was planning to encounter Viren at the castle, mainly because he needed Virens staff since it contained the quazar stone he needed to free himself. Plus I feel like, since the beginning of season 4, Aaravos had moved on to manipulating Claudia and used Viren as a means to get Claudia to free him.
What i love in that scene (besides everything), is that this is nothing Aaravos really cares about. He had no need to actually kill the people, he just needet them to leave. This whole sacrifice, just to stop the sideeffects of his plans. Truly shows what an opponent Aaravos is.
Im curently rewatching the series and seeing that in Episode 3 He wanted to sacrifice himself for the king was really interesting If you Look at hin in the Future seasons and how He changed
1:27 The concept art is so beautiful in this show. Whoever this artist is they’re crazy talented, they should show off the art more like this (outside the credits)
This character’s redemption arc was the only one that almost made me cry. I don’t cry when it comes to shows or movies so seeing this was beautiful. Viren developed a lot of hate in 3 seasons but was able to find the light in 1.
Viren, you've walked a path of darkness, far from the path of light, but in your final moments, you found a way to walk away towards darkness, you're no longer the corrupt high mage of katolis, you are now the servant you were meant to be, farewell viren, this time, for good!
I have seen time and again not only in just stories, but real life too, people who feel remorse for their bad deeds always repent and give everything they have and all that they are in every action to redeem themselves, but no matter how much they do, they will always feel remorse. This makes them humble and true heroes.
I wonder if it really could be considered dark magic what he did. He didn’t say the words backwards the last time, and he reverted back to normal looking pretty fast. Magic spoken, and a heart given with one’s last few breaths
What’s interesting is that dark magic normally requires magical creatures to pull the magic from them. That’s its whole deal. But Viren used himself as the spell’s ingredients. I suppose it’s possible that Viren used other ingredients, but I think it’s into that some of the more powerful spells in Dark Magic use human elements (ie the petrification spell). And recall that the Star Scraper has 7 staves displayed on their highest point and a missing 8th staff that Aaravos stole to gift to humans. Perhaps it’s the case that dark magic is a human magic, but that Aaravos has perverted the true nature of dark magic. But aside from that, from a writing standpoint, having him say his final chant not backwards is just more emotionally impactful. You can’t really hear the actor’s tone when he speaks backwards so keeping it normal just has more oomph to it.
Well it appears that emotions may in fact be a magic all on their own, as viren seems to have used his desire for redemption to cast this spell. Just as king Harrow’s rage was used in tandem with the last breath of his wife and the unicorn horn. So perhaps you are correct and we are seeing snippets of what human magic is supposed to look like
@@bongotherainwingking8809 yes, it seems emotions are at the very least an ingredient for spells. we also saw claudia had to cast aaravos' return-soul-to-body spell with love. she tried doing it her usual way but it didn't work. she did that spell the exact same way and at the exact same time as callum -- without dark magic. she used star magic instead with the quasar diamond and love... and in retrospect... viren used his staff to cast his last spell too, which has apparently had a quasar diamond in it all along... he... had the tools... he could have been using star magic instead of dark magic all along... unless the quasar diamond is only good for one spell. which it seems like it might be.
Viren for me is one of the best characters in The Dragon Prince and perhaps in various shows and media, he was a tragic character who did terrible things but not because he was evil but rather wrong and lived in situations that only further reinforced his misguided ways, like Soren's illness or the adventure in Xadia to get the heart of the fire monster to avoid Duren's famine, from here he began to go down a terrible path full of bad decisions that would lead him to a downward spiral, he fooled himself with the idea that everything he did was for humanity's sake or the world's to justify his decisions, but he really sought power, perhaps because deep down he had fear, hatred or revenge, Viren always talked about how sometimes one had to make sacrifices or sacrifice himself for the greater good, but he never made sacrifices or put his life at risk for others, he only made others sacrifice themselves for his selfish desires, even sending his own children to risk their lives on a mission in which possibly one of the two would die (The burden of murdering Ezran and Callum that he placed upon Soren, became an invalid and Claudia had to force herself into dark magic to cure him which involved becoming more corrupted and taking away the life of a young deer) he deceived the other kingdoms, murdered two kings and left one badly injured so that they would join his crusade and tried to assassinate the Dragon prince, he was at the top and having everything he wished for, being the elegant royal archmage of Katolis , a leader for the army that would "save" humanity and soon, someone with fearsome power after absorbing Zym, but as he was at the top, he fell to the lowest point and that changed his way of thinking, he came back but he was no longer the brave man who spoke with confidence and manipulated others, he was no longer elegant nor powerful, he was confused and terrified, ragged and dirty like a homeless man with no power or confidence, he was the shadow of his former self, with the premise that he had 30 days to live, he finally had time to think about what really mattered, instead of wasting his time chasing power and status, it was his family and the simple things, when he lost all, he saw everything he had, but there was nothing he could do to get it back, Viren's new journey was no longer about becoming who he was and finding more power, now, his new purpose was to learn from his mistakes, change his wrong ways and find his "truth" he saw all the damage he did and reflected on his past, he wanted to fix what he had done, but it was too late (Claudia followed the same steps that led him to ruin, Soren hated him and had lost all the trust he had on him, same with the kingdom that was once his home) what was done could not be undone, but still, he redeemed himself, and in his final moments, everything he had once said, was true, he stood at the danger, putting his life on the line and died sacrificing himself to save his family and his kingdom, he was one of the most human characters on the show and I will miss him, but he came a full way and finally had the chance to change and be who he was supposed to be, truly a great journey to watch. And just a opinion, the parallelism in how things happened this time compared to the first time he died, and how he used the same spell for different reasons respectively, in the first, he died while at the top and using his magic for selfish reasons, using something that was not his and stealed (the sunfire elves staff) for the spell of the fireproof soldiers with motives to attack, justifying his actions with wanting to "save" their kingdom and humanity to get more power, but here, he was at the lowest, He really died trying to redeem himself and he did it in a selfless way, sacrificing something that was his using the spell truly to defend his people.
maybe not tho. i dont think aaravos/sun elf dude were controlling sol regem in that moment. sol regem smelled viren using dark magic and wanted to kill him the same way he killed Ziard a thousand years prior. Now did aaravos technically cause that by bringing sol regem to katolas? yea lol.
@@LHSMeleeClub Well yes, but actually no. From what we know now it couldve been Aaravos' main plan to get Viren killed here. He spoke to Viren in the dungeon so knew where he was + said smth like he would play into his hands. He likely knew Claudias plan to see Viren too, knowing that if Viren was dead and he'd tell his sad backstory, she'd likely free him. So then he sends Sol Regem to the place Viren is at so he hopefully dies. Maybe I'm missing smth else why he wants to destroy Katolas or we dont know yet (besides simply wanting to cause stress and chaos), but from what we know this seemed to have been his plan.
Viren returned to Kotalis to atone and seek justice for him actions. He never believed he deserved redemption. Yet he did not hesitate to earn his death to save countless. He lived as a villian, but earned a heros death.
@@ShannaeJ Anime is literally the Japanese word for an animation, so yes this is an anime. All animated works are. When you say anime, you're literally just saying ''animated series'' in Japanese. Is it animated? Then it's an anime. Simple. Tired of weebos gatekeeping animes, LOL!
@@TheStraightestWhitestsaying only Japanese can make anime is like saying only Italians can make pizza, only Mexicans can make tacos, and only Greeks can make Gyros.
Viren was definitely a complicated character. I hated him for awhile, but the moment he said he wanted to spent the rest of his life living out his days with Claudia, I started to feel a little better about him.
The fact this show took Viren from the monster they originally had him as to making him a character that I am actually sad died is amazing writing for him.
So this is interesting. We've seen Viren cast this spell before. Twice actually. Each time he chanted "Hearts of Cinder cannot burn" backwards multiple times. He seems to have tried it this way first, but it didn't work. But when it did he chanted it normally. Also after casting the spell previously his face remained visibly scared and corrupted, and yet this time after the spell was done the effects vanished. I wonder why that was. 🤔
Dark magic probably corrupts the mind and the body of anyone who uses it because most of them uses it for power or to hurt others or even to go against the laws of nature itself. This time viren didn't acted for power, nor to hurt somebody else. The guy used dark magic to protect everyone. I think dark magic (despite the name) may seriously not be as evil as people think and even if it can easily corrupt power driven minds it can also do good things in the right hands. It all comes down to how it's used rather than the magic itself
I guess it was because usually dark magic is being used for power or to hurt others (after all many incantations require you to unalive another living being) which may be why using it ends up corrupting both your body and mind but this time viren didn't used it for bad stuff. By remembering everyone viren cared about he focused on protecting, not on hurting, which may explain such different reaction to the use of dark magic. In all honesty I think dark magic is not as evil and dangerous as the characters says. Yes it comes with a cost but at the same time if a magic can protect or hurt it all depends on who uses it, not on the magic itself
@@rasengan124 I don't think dark magic works that way. After all why would the body of people who uses it get so corrupted if they didn't used their own life force in the casting of the dark magic. I mean if claudia was only using other creature's life force to power its spells its hairs wouldn't have been turned white because claudia wouldn't have used any form of energy from itself because it all comes from the unalived creatures.
I actually believe that soren started to carve the spell but viren stop him and told him to go to escape and save everyone, and in those moments soren saw his fathers eyes and put his trust on him one more time, believing he actually redeemed himself, and when the spell works he wasn’t happy but sad his trust was well put, because he will always have a sour taste of knowing his dad was trying to change
I find so interesting that this time, the only time when a dark magic spell is spoken forwards rather than backwards and when the eyes go from black to glowing rather than the other way around, is also the only time the caster is using their own body to power it. Perhaps this is the purified form of dark magic, not using others to gain power, but offering yourself as a sacrifice for them. As Peter S. Beagle said in The Last Unicorn: "Real magic can never be made by offering someone else's liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back."
Well, we learned in this very episode (or was it the one after?) that humans were all connected to the Arcanum once, but that the racist Xadians took it from them and are keeping them from reconnecting. Aaravos' daughter was executed because she allowed her human friend to reconnect with it, which the racist Xadians didn't want because then they can't call them ''lesser beings'' anymore, as Sol Regem called them. We know that humans can reconnect to the Arcanum both independently as well as with assistance, because both the human girl and Callum have done it, and the Xadians fear and despise them for it. So I think that's what Viren did. It always occurred to me that Dark Magic never required human life until Viren mentioned needing a human heart. Even when Claudia restored Soren's spine, she used a deer's life rather than a human one. I think that's because it takes the magic out of other beings, and humans have been severed from magic. So the fact that Viren was able to use his own essence makes me think he reconnected to the arcanum, hence why he ceased to look like that as well. He was channelling Dark Magic from a primal source; his own.
Despite him doing such horrible things & living as a villian, he died a hero, a father, & a loving husband that did not give his life to the people but for those he still loves, his family 💔 😢
No matter how I look at it this is what arravos wanted. He killed two birds with one stone sending sol after kotalis because it got his revenge against sol for his daughter and Virens death was what he needed to manipulate Claudia to release him.
He also got the Pearl Prison out in the open, unguarded. That was his main plan. He needed everyone to leave Katolis as he knew Claudia would come back to Katolis to see her Dad and he would be able to reach out to her.
I really love the character because he felt the most human out of all of them a flawed man who tried to fo what he thinks is right but changed for the worst but in the end he did what was right great character
Its sad when you think about it viren's descent into evil was because he loved so much when his son was sick he did everything he could to save him only in the very end did he betray his teacher and corrupted his being causing him to lose his wife i believe he loved sarai (like a sister) so when she died hecdid what he could to avenge her but that only caused to ignite further tensions between humans and elves ending with his best friend and king dying refusing viren's plan to use the two headed snake to switch his soul with someone else only in the end when he saw his daughter corrupted and mangled his kinda elf kid dead and his son disgusted by him did he finally become who he originally was a man who just wanted the people he loved safe Rip viren your pain is finally over
This scene is important for many reasons, but i think one of the more interesting ones plays into the parallels between Viren and Callum narratively as dark mages. The spells' spoken components are always done in reverse, but here we see them done in the correct way because he used his own lifeforce to power the spell. I see this as the proper way dark magic is meant to be used, as a means of protecting humanity at great cost to yourself, like equivalent exchange. Because of this, I predict Callum will make a similar choice next season. It's already been heavily foreshadowed that he'll use it again at some point, but I think hearing what Viren did from Soren will influence his decision at a critical moment when choosing to protect everyone. I think there's a good chance of Callum dying next season but also as good a chance of him being revived/saved by the remaining quasar diamond that Rayla has.
This is one of the only moments of the entire TDP series that made me tear up a little bit (other moments being both Viren and Aaravos' backstory). :')
I hear people being mixed on it, but remember what kosmo and Astrid said, while the truth is everything, you have to think of how to give it, are you trying to give them clarity, or passing a burden onto another person! I'd like to think soren did know what viren did in order to save him as a child, but that really shouldn't excuse his actions, hurting lissa, ignoring soren, usurping katolis and starting a war against xadia, soren may believe viren did all those things to help his family and his people, but it's not an excuse to explain why he was a horrible person! Also, when even ezran says you don't deserve any mercy, you know you messed up
@@patrickzalatoris3206Yeah, I’m pretty sure he knows, Claudia seemed to imply he and she both knew that their dad saved Soren when she said to Soren something along the lines of “without magic you’d be dead. without dad’s magic, you’d be dead.” in that one drakewood episode.
@@patrickzalatoris3206 But it's extremely important to hear for someone who was gaslit a lot that you were right. That you weren't at fault. Trauma can almost not be fixed until that part is heard, and it has to come from the source of your trauma otherwise you'll never truly believe and internalize it. You'll always blame yourself. That letter was important. It was shit writing that he burned it and never got a chance to tell Soren. It was one of the most psychologically deep bits of storytelling, and it was for nothing.
Viren, a man who attempted to avoid grief and loss, suffered further grief and loss, inflicted grief and loss... prevented grief and loss. From a man who didn't want to lose his family, to a man who blamed everyone but himself, to a man who gave himself to save others. Grief and loss are natural, as is the want for it to cease. Selfish people avoid it, selfless people prevent it. Find peace, Viren. For once, everyone is smiling upon your actions.
I love the parallel of sol regem killing ziard and trying to kill viren. he smelled that dark magic, regardless of aaravos servant dude telling him where to go and aim...you know sol regem wanted to kill viren right there. but i guess the spell viren cast was so powerful it briefly shielded him from the fire, unlike with Ziard who was consumed by the fire. but the animation shot was almost parallel. poetic.
It had to do with their motives I think. Ziard was fully intending to attack Sol Regem, his attack connected and blinded Sol Regem but it also meant he was defenseless and was consumed by the fire. Viren was fully intending to protect everyone, the spell also ends up protecting him from the fire, but since the heart he used was his, he still died
@@vincentrodriguez6253 Well, Ziard had to stop Sol Regem lest he burn thousands of innocents because he was racist, so yeah. Their situations both demanded different actions, and Ziard and Viren both did the best they could in the face of an overwhelming racist force looking to wipe them out purely for existing.
doesnt make up for all he did but in the end did the right thing no longer the same guy who told Soren to basically kill Ezran and told Claudia to sacrifice Soren if she had to to get the egg
The first dark mage Ziard mentioned that he received The staff from "one of the great ones". Thats probably when aaravos not only stole The staff, but also when he hide The quasar Diamond in it. Somehow he managed to fool The Celestial elves and for a thousand years, they had a fake one with them.
I straight up lost a tear over it because he saw the errors in his way then wanted to repay for he did and what better for writers to do that is give him.chance keep his son and people in his old kingdom truly one last time 😢
Magic, excitement, comedy, drama, action, fantasy, thrills, and adventures. Gosh, Viren really has changed after all this time. He has redeemed himself and his final chance to make things right by helping Soren save their people from the destruction of Castle Katolis and the flames of Sol Regem. Heat mode on humans, this is the kind of power that Sunfire elves use to feel their emotions and in battle. They feel no burns as they run through the fire to escape. As for Viren, he dies for his family (his wife and children) and saved them till he falls to his last death. Rest in peace, Viren, and sin no more. But the castle is gone, destroyed 🐲🐉🔥❤🔥🧝🧝♂🧝♀
Viren's path of villainy began because he refused to see himself as a mere servant to Katolis. How fitting that his last act of heroism is capped off by him admitting that he is a servant of Katolis. Harrow, Sarai, and Lissa would be proud of him for this much.
@@Keram-io8hv tbh without the star wars prequels giving more context, viren Redemption was def Superior to Vader Redemption. If we count the prequels tho that's different. Contrary to people hating on the prequels, The prequels give more life to Vader's Redemption
Oh yeah. Aaravos had no further use for Viren. I think this was partially payback for when Viren said "I am done with you!" at the end of Season 5. Aaravos upheld his side of the bargain, even personally contacting Viren to tell him how to save himself and revealing that they had a child. In a way, this is kind of a "scorned lover" revenge.
I love how iconic they made this scene. The fact that both times it was a dark mage who sacrificed himself to protect innocents and their city, while both times Sol Regem was willing to kill everyone and both times he paid the price. It really shows how he died the way he lived, blinded by his arrogance, pride and hatred towards those he considered like lessers being. And that in a way, he was the one who started the war and created the millennial cycle of hatred, violence, wrongs, rejections and misunderstandings between humans and elves/dragons.
@@TheMrPeteChannel How else would they explain the magic that saved everyone? There wasn't anyone else there to cast it. Viren was the only one who could have done it.
Viren died a hero. He redeemed himself in his final moments. The corruption that had always shown on his face, that required a spell to conceal, disappeared on its own, because like Callum, Viren found his truth. And all of this was Aaravos's plan. He brought Sol Regem to attack Katolis, but the castle is only a building. If he wanted to strike a true blow, he would not have stopped until everyone in the village was dead as well. Viren saved hundreds of lives with his sacrifice, stopped all further deaths, and Aaravos smiled, because he knew Viren had sacrificed his life. Viren's death pushed Claudia over the edge, and so she freed Aaravos, and serves him because she believes he and her are alike. And she believes that because he made her believe it. Viren did die a hero. He did redeem himself and he should be honoured for it. But Aaravos intended this, just as he intended for the pearl to be left behind, for the city to be deserted so Claudia would be free to find her father and take the pearl. Everything went exactly as he planned. And that makes me so excited for the final season
are you sure Aaravos was not staging the full thing remember How can a hero hold a staff that fill with only with darkness not even a mage has used it so he broke order as he human not a mage
This scene is the greatest of these series i remembered the first time i found out about this show and i didn't know what to expect but this scene won me it is crazy how it started with katolis and now it ended with katolis viren honoring king harrows wishes even crazier that Callum and rayla know nothing of this and even more crazy there is one more episode for me to watch for this season and im AMAZED there is one more season viren died as a SERVANT OF KATOLIS the city of HOPE
To me, Viren symbolises learning the Value of life. The lives he valued and his place in the world was something that changed and he struggled with throughout the show but here, right here, he knows. He is a servant. Not just to the people of Katolis, but to life itself. So in the end, contrasting intensely with his Pre-Death self, The only life he doesn’t value right now is his own. Never thought that The death of Viren of all people would hit me this hard and teach me so much. Also, why is nobody talking about the fact that this is his Second death?!?! Bro chose to die twice!!!! Just to protect Life. He is truly a changed man.
I love that for the last part Viren chose 'regular normal english'. Dark Magic Incantations are usually just the letters and words in reverse (probably a nod to how they corrupt things). It showed he really was ready to give up Dark Magic for real, that he wanted to go out not tainted by Dark magic anymore and that he was casting this spell as a true last resort
I think the creators took a page from Kingdom Hearts when they created Dark magic, but ya know the whole needing sources of life thing as catalysts that makes it unnatural. Darkness is neither good nor evil. It merely depends on the user. Intaking the darkness too deeply for too long will stain the host with it'd powers and drive them to more callous and driven. But to one who has the strength to use it for the purpose of protecting others, darkness can be a strength; it can even show the way on your path. Just like how Viren saw in his coma what was becoming of Claudia and the monster her became.
The first time he died. He died as a villain, but the second time he dies. He died a hero and even my friend told me that he could go to heaven thanks to his second chance (like he had a second chance again and instead of doing bad he did good like)
@@mranima748 he redeemed himself as far as he could and would have done more if he lived. It wasn't one thing either. He refused to sacrifice the Being even though he would die. He refused to help Claudia release Aaravos. It doesn't undo all that he did, but Viren went out a hero in the end.
@@mranima748 He didn't do a single bad thing besides bullying Soren. Everything he thought and did towards Xadia and its people was justified. They deserve it a thousand times over. They're the real villains.
This was the perfect ending for him. In the sense that he is not whitewashed of his misdeeds, but there was enough sympathy and complexity to the character to at least give him an honorable send off- Protecting his kingdom. Proving he is a changed man. Well done, writers. Well done.
originally I thought they would simply have viren ousted by aaravos in favor of claudia, like, viren would stay evil but not be as evil as claudia so aaravos would prefer her to him...but I didn't expect the viren redemption arc...and I CERTAINLY did not expect this....
He didn't come back looking for any kind of redemption but he still redeemed himself.
Season 6 had a lot of emotional moments but this was the most emotional for me by far. It was when Viren started to remember his family and the spell got stronger that broke me. He may have been beyond redemption or forgiveness but in his final moments Viren saved hundreds of lives and accepted his death with humility
Beyond redemption?! If this wasn't it, noone can possibly imagine what it should've been.
@@IlijaNenadović i mean, it would have been the start of redemption if he didnt die. It still doesnt excuses all those years of toxic parenting with soren, and many other stuff. He redeemed himself only a little, and we manage to feel bad for him. But he wasnt redeemed completely
@@zeldris_zezinhoExactly. Sometimes people have done so much evil that they can never be redeemed no matter how much remorse they show. Could Hitler ever be redeemed?
@@benkirkman1866 nope, its one of those that will never be forgiven no matter how much time it passes. He caused a genocide, pain, suffering and deaths to people that did nothing wrong. There is no excuse for that.
I don't think anything he did would've truly forgiven viren for what he did in the past, but reshaping and redeeming your character is the best thing you can do to prove you've changed
"I am a servant" is a callback to S1 E3 when Harrow told Viren "You are a servant".
Harrow's last known words were the same as Viren's. "...a servant"
I noticed something, remember when he said that to Amaya and she said “those are awfully nice clothes for a humble servant” notice how as he said it this time he died in beggar’s clothes…
My favorite part about all this. He remembered Harrow and honored his wishes, shows what could’ve been. If he stayed on the right path, Harrow could still be alive and Viren could be living happily with his family as his partner/advisor. It didn’t turn out that way but at least he remembered his old self that was Harrow’s best friend.
I loved the scene where in Episode 3 seasons one he told Claudia "i have to profe to him what men he beliefed i once was"
@@EE12345 Harrow was the idiot, not Viren. Viren was ready to give his own life for Harrow.
It's sad that at the very end, I believe Viren found his Arcanum, the source of magic within him by fully remembering and embracing the sheer love he held for his family.
What Arcanum do you think Viren was most connected to?
@@castbet9183 I want to believe fire. Fire can help, but when it keeps burning freely without anything tempering or reeling it in, it spreads as an inferno that reduces everything to ash.
TL;DR Viren used the same ancient practice hinted to by his mentor Kpp'Ar to cast the spell using his own lifeforce and heart for the spell. It was not an Arcanum, but it was indeed a noble and selfless act of sacrifice.
It wasn't an Arcanum, it was Dark Magic. This is evident by Viren's face darkening like every time he performed a particularly powerful dark magic spell. However, it was an unusual form of it.
You may recall that in episode 2 of season 5, Viren in his coma has a dream of his old mentor, Kpp'Ar. In that dream, as well as in Viren's recollections in episode 6 of this season, Kpp'Ar's left arm is bandaged and the bandages are partially soaked with his blood. In Viren's coma dream, he asks Kpp'Ar what happened to his arm, to which Kpp'Ar replies "Wounds from an ancient and disturbing practice". When Viren comes up to the wall, he is holding a bloody knife and you can see blood soaking his cloths over his heart; and when he cast Hearts of Cinder, a sigil that looks like the one for dark magic begins glowing in that area. He carved that sigil into his flesh over his heart with the knife.
Here is my theory: humans are born without a natural connection to a Primal Source. Sometime in their history, they discovered or were taught (presumably by Aaravos) that they can draw on life to enact magic. I believe the "ancient and disturbing practice" was a precursor to the more modern dark magic practice of drawing on the lifeforce found in other living creatures or their parts, where they instead drew on their own lifeforce, sacrificing a portion of it, to perform magic. Kpp'Ar used that practice at least once for some unknown reason, and when Viren cast Hearts of Cinder, he did the same. He carved the necessary sigil over his heart, thus turning himself into the focus of the spell and using his own heart (rather than another's) as the ingredient for it.
Dude, from what we saw, viren may have very well unlocked a new promal source, id like to call it, love magic @@castbet9183
@@0axis771 Fire isn't an arcanum you mean sun
It's kind of poetic that both times Sol Regis attacks Humans because he hates them and their dark magic as he views them as selfish and treachoures also lead to dark mages (Viran and Zirad) showing their best side by laying down there own lives to safe large populations of innocents
I dont think he even knew he was killing humans. Araavos tricked him
@patrickkh1245 while I agree that's true sol is definitely all about killing humans and he probably would have
@@patrickkh1245He probably smelled them & the years of dark magic spells done by Claudia & Viren in the Katalis castle.
@@patrickkh1245He only tricked him into believing humans killed his wife, otherwise he still hated humans regardless.
@@patrickkh1245 He can smell lies. He can definitely smell humans. We already know he can, because he detected that Callum was human from hundreds of meters away. You think he wouldn't smell the fact that he was near a whole city of humans? He knew.
Lived as a villain, died a hero
I hope the transformation is not permanent
@@alainjean-louis7922 Soren literally said "the spell doesn't last forever"
@@dylanv2559 In the end viren save the people of Katolis.
Viren was never completely evil from the start. He was just a person who made mistakes.
@@alainjean-louis7922que tiene que ver una cosa con la otra ?
They say either you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Apparently, the reverse is also true.
Wanted to comment the very same thing.
Viren died as a servant of Katalis.
Came to the comments section to see if anyone else also commented this
He lived a villain, died a villain, got resurrected by the next villain, then sacrificed himself
You either die a villain or have a mage powerful enough to bring you back so that you die again as a hero.
If only King Harrow and his wife could see him now, they would be so proud to see that Viren finally made amends for his past actions and sacrificed himself for those he loved.
He abandoned Claudia, whom he claimed to love, on the beach. I don't blame Viren, though, it's just horrible writing.
@@_antillas8674 i thought that was messed up too...but i wouldnt call it bad writing. he saw how dark she had become, and by leaving, he thought he could humble her to chill out and stop being so dark and deranged. which technically worked. had sol regem not attacked the castle, claudia would have met up with viren and become chill and not use dark magic anymore. viren left her to let her to become humbled, plus he knew she had Terri by her side. Viren also had his own demons he wished to defeat by going back to the castle to face judgement.
No es mala la escritura xd@@_antillas8674
Si te pones a pensar aun queda un cristal para revivir a alguien ya que Rayla solo revivió a Runaan, sumado a que no se vio la muerte del Rey, pienso que al final puede que Viren hiciera el cambio pero en el Cuervo ya que desapareció despues y no se volvió a ver...al menos eso creo xd
@@_antillas8674 He did that cause he was ashamed the path he sent her on.
It's amazing how it only takes coming back from the dead to realize the things you've done were horrible and pointless no matter how justified or a good intention. Viren may have done too much damage in the world with dark magic, but he died already and was finally ready to give up dark magic, and for once, it saved lives instead of taking it to me that seems enough to start over
Viren truly redeemed himself at the end, he gave his life as a servant of katolis
The shot at 0:25 is a great way of showing the light and dark warring inside Viren. He's using Dark Magic, which he swore to never do again, but he's using it for noble and selfless purposes.
I've seen people say that Viren found his Arcanum. I think they're right - this is the first time in the entire show that anybody, human or otherwise, has cast a spell using simple English - and I think I know what the Arcanum is.
It's love.
For all Viren's "creative solutions", I think the secret to human magic is love. Simultaneously the most simple and the most complex thing in the universe.
Thats actually really good, but I sort ofthink that dark magics Arcanum could be desperation, I mean, every time dark magic was involved , people were desperate to achieve something,
@@abhinavvashisht5273I think the main comment is right. The arcanum of dark magic was never desperation. It was the love and care that the human soul could produce. Desperation and anger perverted and twisted something that could have been beautiful. Viren’s love stripped what aaravos had done to the primal source; the soul was freed again
We are gathered here to honor the dark mage, no the servent of his people Viren. Many of you know him and his actions as unforgettable and beyond cruel. During his first death, everybody cheered that the dark mage is dead. He killed many people, destroyed a country, started a war, belittled everyone, and etc. To the point where he deserves any punishment he deserves. When he came back we expected the worst might happen and he may continue what he left off, but to everyone surprise he did the opposite. He didn't want to fight anymore, barely use dark magic, and wanted say to say sorry to everyone and face justice for his actions. He never wanted people to forgive him either. The only time he used dark magic is to save people. In his lasted moments he thought about his family, his love, and being servant of his people while his heart was being ripped out of his body. Saved countless people from the dragon's attack and ricking it all performing a spell that was full of his love of his family and the peace he finally achieved. The things he did can't be forgiven, but we can honor his sacrifice for the last moments of his life.
We honor Viren, servant of the people and his king and best friend.
May the people that truly knows him that he did a hero.
His second death we didn't cheer, we cried for a fallen savior.
May he rest in peace
Viren, servant of the people and hero.
🥹
The perfect eulogy.
Thank you so much. It is beatiful. ^^
This is so beautiful it made me cry again😭🥺
May he rest in peace and find solace that his final act has saved countless lives and his children, though damaged lives on.
I’m SO glad the show decided to bring him back for not only the one last epic showdown he deserved, but the closure with Soren. The way Viren INSTANTLY went to apologize with no false pretenses upon being alive was so refreshing to see. He made the show so good and nuanced and I’ll miss him 😭
imagine he comes back and they ignore that whole situation lmao
He died not as a villain, nor a hero..
But a *Servant*
You said it
Brilliant 👏
Finally took his best friend’s words to heart😭(litterally)
Harrow's last known words were also Viren's. "......a servant...."
In the comments, I see everyone talking about whether Verin does or does not deserve forgiveness in the end for everything that he did, but to me what’s more important than whether he is or isn’t redeemable is the fact that he showed that he was sorry for everything he did. that is more important than forgiveness. Remorse.
Same here
A bad guy wouldn't feel remorse for what they did. But Viren truly does feel remorse, and that's proof to me that he's changed for the better
Its literally 1 word
But when Viren says "cannot," at 1:11 it is the most perfectly performed voice line, I think it is a perfect take on what a real person would be feeling in this moment
This. Broke me. 😢
Viren going out,doing Dark magic but to protect Katolis and his son. He's truly a redeemed hero in my eyes and I forgive him
EDIT: Let me be clear, I'm not here to force anyone to forgive Viren. If you don't, then fine,your feelings are your own. I'm only expressing how I felt when I first saw this scene when it originally aired, nothing else.
I don't think Aaravos will ever try to control him again if he did bring him back a second time.
and he did it using his own body...so he didnt even harm another creature.
I was sobbing. Viren leaving Claudia was heart-breaking, mainly because Claudia's voice actress did arguably the greatest voice acting in the entire show during that scene. But while that scene was just upsetting to watch, this scene was tragically beautiful. A moment of true redemption from a man who had fully accepted that he was the villain and through that acceptance, he became a hero.
@@tomnorton4277 Yeah honestly Viren, Soren and Claudia are really the best written and tragic characters in the show. They honestly feel the most fleshed out 3 dimensional characters in the series.
Viren’s origin into Dark Magic was both sad and heartbreaking
@@tomnorton4277 well put♥️
Viren lived his life a villain who deluded himself into believing he was a hero... and ended his life a hero who accepted he had truly been a villain.
His written confession was heartbreaking and horrific, it's no wonder why Lyssa left him and how monstrous he was to blame his own child for his vile actions... something he acknowledged and chose not to confess to his son becuz in that moment he wisely understood it would only have caused his son more pain and anger, a burden Viren refused to weigh upon Soren's heart.
A burden he deservedly chose to carry alone
I still don't like Viren, there's too much blood on his hands. But I can appreciate and respect his enlightenment and his sacrifice.
I love Viren as a character, but as a person, yeah, he's far from a good man.
Still, i believe he deserves a decent, if not high amount of respect for, as you said
-Finally accepting what he did was wrong.
choosing to take responsibility for his actions
sacrificing himself instead of his son, to save everybody in Katolis.
In the end, he truly was a servant to his kingdom, and died protecting the species he loved.
Funny thing about Viren is, he never directly killed anybody with his own hands. Sure he was puppeted by Aaravos killing Katlois guards, ordered deaths & gave commands but unlike the beloved Runaan he never directly killed anybody. Even being in the coins is not a full death.
@@TheMrPeteChannelHe did help kill the dragon king, Avizandum for revenge (though, let's be real, he had it coming😂)
@@Kadeem.C.,again not direct.harrow gave the final blow
Viren and Aaravos are the real heroes tbh. The only evil thing Viren ever did was bully Soren. Everything he did towards Xadians was justified. Ironically, he was right. Just like that first Dark Mage who blinded Sol Regem trying to protect thousands of children from a racist genocidal Xadian dragon, Viren was right about the Xadians. They are an existential threat to humanity because they are hideously racist towards them. Sol Regem outright said ''You are lesser beings'', and we learned in S6 that the Startouch Elves were the ones who severed the Primal from humanity and are keeping them blind to that fact so they can't reconnect with it the way Callum has. They were ready to KILL a child of their own because she taught her friend magic again. How racist and vile can one be???
So Xadians took Primal magic away from them, Xadians then keep them ignorant about the fact that they can reconnect with the Arcanum making them ''lesser beings'' as they are not capable of magic anymore, and then Xadians justify their own genocide towards humans when they turn to Dark Magic out of desperation which they only do because Xadians robbed them of Primal Magic and are keeping it away from them. Like, idk if this is the message Ehasz is trying to convey, but the Xadians are honestly evil filth at this point. Aaravos and his daughter are straight up justified, as was Viren and every Dark Magic user who used it against Xadians. I know he won't win, but I'm rooting for Aaravos. I hope he at least destroys all the other Startouch Elves and the racist dragons somehow. Maybe he can give Primal Magic back to humanity, the way his daughter so nobly did.
Died doing the right thing in the end. 😢
Fr
He truly redeem himself by doing this act
He was always someone who would sacrifice for a goal. No matter his ambition it was always costly
He always tried to do the right thing. Xadia needs to go. They're too racist. Rayla and Callum stopped him the first time, but if Zym had grown up with the racist genocidal dragon Avizandum, he would've been another tyrant just like him. Harrow and Viren were justified in slaying him to protect humanity, just like Aaravos is justified for seeking vengeance against the other Startouch Elves for robbing humanity of primal magic and exploding his daughter for her kindness in giving it back.
Viren & Aaravos are the good guys, just not in a Hollywood story where the bad guys are always presented as the good guys.
@@TheStraightestWhitestmost of that is true
He dies the greatest death in this universe, defending 1000s from fiery demise, along with his home, earns his sons forgiveness and uses his last breath to declare himself a servant of his kingdom. Rest in peace.
For those that don't get it, the point of that attack was for Aaravos to get rid off both Sol Regem and Viren at 1 fell swoop in order to get Claudia back on his side.
and to get the Prison Pearl out in the open so Claudia will let him out of it
Highly doubt the attack was intended to get rid of Viren. That, the other two reasons for the attack was true. Sol Regem was already starting to die because of the various arrows that were shot at him. And it forced the evacuation of the castle, leaving the Pearl unguarded(remember, nobody knew that Callum took the wrong Pearl with him.)
While losing Viren was unfortunate for Aaravos, it has little negative consequences for his overall plans (Aaravos would probably still respect Viren for the sacrifice he made)
@@strikerstratos i agree. aaravos even respected viren when he spoke to claudia, empathizing with her. was this manipulation? maybe. or maybe not? since he had his own daughter and can emphasize...
@@strikerstratos imo it is pretty clear that aaravos killed viren intentionally. you can see him smile, because his plan, that claudia misses her dad and will fulfill the magic to free aaravos.
@@strikerstratosI actually think Aaravos was planning to encounter Viren at the castle, mainly because he needed Virens staff since it contained the quazar stone he needed to free himself. Plus I feel like, since the beginning of season 4, Aaravos had moved on to manipulating Claudia and used Viren as a means to get Claudia to free him.
The fact that he became their hero and nobody from the basic characters knows except Soren😢
What i love in that scene (besides everything), is that this is nothing Aaravos really cares about. He had no need to actually kill the people, he just needet them to leave.
This whole sacrifice, just to stop the sideeffects of his plans. Truly shows what an opponent Aaravos is.
A flawed man who let his flaws get the better of him but in the end remembered what truly mattered to him
Farewell, Viren of Katolis
Im curently rewatching the series and seeing that in Episode 3 He wanted to sacrifice himself for the king was really interesting If you Look at hin in the Future seasons and how He changed
This part legitimately made me cry lol
1:27 The concept art is so beautiful in this show. Whoever this artist is they’re crazy talented, they should show off the art more like this (outside the credits)
This character’s redemption arc was the only one that almost made me cry. I don’t cry when it comes to shows or movies so seeing this was beautiful. Viren developed a lot of hate in 3 seasons but was able to find the light in 1.
Virens first dark magic spell was used to save his son. His last was to save both his son and Katolis. A true full circle moment.
The first time Viren used someone else's heart (Magma Titan) to save Katolis. This time he used his own.
“Heart of cinder.. CANOT… BURN!”
And “i am a servant… i am a servant.”
Really sad lines
Talk about going out in style :P
No, seriously this is the most emotional scene in the whole series for me.
Viren, you've walked a path of darkness, far from the path of light, but in your final moments, you found a way to walk away towards darkness, you're no longer the corrupt high mage of katolis, you are now the servant you were meant to be, farewell viren, this time, for good!
You either die a villain or you live long enough to see yourself become the hero..
Technically he did both
@@milesohalloran8355True.
I see what you did there. Very clever.
You either die a villain or you have a mage powerful enough to bring you back from the dead and you die again as a hero.
I have seen time and again not only in just stories, but real life too, people who feel remorse for their bad deeds always repent and give everything they have and all that they are in every action to redeem themselves, but no matter how much they do, they will always feel remorse. This makes them humble and true heroes.
the moment its 25 degree celcius and I'm cold.... Yeah this one hits hard. R.I.P. Viren
1:16 and at this moment I cried harder than I already was
I paused the video to read the comments and accidentally tapped on your timestamp and the video played and now I'm crying
I started sobbing when this came up😭
The shots in this scene are clearly meant to mirror Ziard’s death. A really nice touch.
He died upholding the true legacy of Dark Mages. In fire and in trying to protect the people at whatever cost.
2:39: "The cycles ends here...we must be better than this"
From Kratos's quotes from God of War 2018
I wonder if it really could be considered dark magic what he did. He didn’t say the words backwards the last time, and he reverted back to normal looking pretty fast. Magic spoken, and a heart given with one’s last few breaths
It could be another face of dark magic...
What’s interesting is that dark magic normally requires magical creatures to pull the magic from them. That’s its whole deal. But Viren used himself as the spell’s ingredients. I suppose it’s possible that Viren used other ingredients, but I think it’s into that some of the more powerful spells in Dark Magic use human elements (ie the petrification spell).
And recall that the Star Scraper has 7 staves displayed on their highest point and a missing 8th staff that Aaravos stole to gift to humans. Perhaps it’s the case that dark magic is a human magic, but that Aaravos has perverted the true nature of dark magic.
But aside from that, from a writing standpoint, having him say his final chant not backwards is just more emotionally impactful. You can’t really hear the actor’s tone when he speaks backwards so keeping it normal just has more oomph to it.
Well it appears that emotions may in fact be a magic all on their own, as viren seems to have used his desire for redemption to cast this spell. Just as king Harrow’s rage was used in tandem with the last breath of his wife and the unicorn horn. So perhaps you are correct and we are seeing snippets of what human magic is supposed to look like
@@bongotherainwingking8809
yes, it seems emotions are at the very least an ingredient for spells. we also saw claudia had to cast aaravos' return-soul-to-body spell with love. she tried doing it her usual way but it didn't work. she did that spell the exact same way and at the exact same time as callum -- without dark magic. she used star magic instead with the quasar diamond and love...
and in retrospect... viren used his staff to cast his last spell too, which has apparently had a quasar diamond in it all along... he... had the tools... he could have been using star magic instead of dark magic all along... unless the quasar diamond is only good for one spell. which it seems like it might be.
Viren for me is one of the best characters in The Dragon Prince and perhaps in various shows and media, he was a tragic character who did terrible things but not because he was evil but rather wrong and lived in situations that only further reinforced his misguided ways, like Soren's illness or the adventure in Xadia to get the heart of the fire monster to avoid Duren's famine, from here he began to go down a terrible path full of bad decisions that would lead him to a downward spiral, he fooled himself with the idea that everything he did was for humanity's sake or the world's to justify his decisions, but he really sought power, perhaps because deep down he had fear, hatred or revenge, Viren always talked about how sometimes one had to make sacrifices or sacrifice himself for the greater good, but he never made sacrifices or put his life at risk for others, he only made others sacrifice themselves for his selfish desires, even sending his own children to risk their lives on a mission in which possibly one of the two would die (The burden of murdering Ezran and Callum that he placed upon Soren, became an invalid and Claudia had to force herself into dark magic to cure him which involved becoming more corrupted and taking away the life of a young deer) he deceived the other kingdoms, murdered two kings and left one badly injured so that they would join his crusade and tried to assassinate the Dragon prince, he was at the top and having everything he wished for, being the elegant royal archmage of Katolis , a leader for the army that would "save" humanity and soon, someone with fearsome power after absorbing Zym, but as he was at the top, he fell to the lowest point and that changed his way of thinking, he came back but he was no longer the brave man who spoke with confidence and manipulated others, he was no longer elegant nor powerful, he was confused and terrified, ragged and dirty like a homeless man with no power or confidence, he was the shadow of his former self, with the premise that he had 30 days to live, he finally had time to think about what really mattered, instead of wasting his time chasing power and status, it was his family and the simple things, when he lost all, he saw everything he had, but there was nothing he could do to get it back, Viren's new journey was no longer about becoming who he was and finding more power, now, his new purpose was to learn from his mistakes, change his wrong ways and find his "truth" he saw all the damage he did and reflected on his past, he wanted to fix what he had done, but it was too late (Claudia followed the same steps that led him to ruin, Soren hated him and had lost all the trust he had on him, same with the kingdom that was once his home) what was done could not be undone, but still, he redeemed himself, and in his final moments, everything he had once said, was true, he stood at the danger, putting his life on the line and died sacrificing himself to save his family and his kingdom, he was one of the most human characters on the show and I will miss him, but he came a full way and finally had the chance to change and be who he was supposed to be, truly a great journey to watch.
And just a opinion, the parallelism in how things happened this time compared to the first time he died, and how he used the same spell for different reasons respectively, in the first, he died while at the top and using his magic for selfish reasons, using something that was not his and stealed (the sunfire elves staff) for the spell of the fireproof soldiers with motives to attack, justifying his actions with wanting to "save" their kingdom and humanity to get more power, but here, he was at the lowest, He really died trying to redeem himself and he did it in a selfless way, sacrificing something that was his using the spell truly to defend his people.
I had no love for Viren up until this moment. It even got me emotional.
So far the most emotional seasons making me cry on scene after scene
aaravos technically killed viren in this scene
maybe not tho. i dont think aaravos/sun elf dude were controlling sol regem in that moment. sol regem smelled viren using dark magic and wanted to kill him the same way he killed Ziard a thousand years prior. Now did aaravos technically cause that by bringing sol regem to katolas? yea lol.
You don't get to be done with aaravos and get away with it
@@LHSMeleeClub Well yes, but actually no. From what we know now it couldve been Aaravos' main plan to get Viren killed here. He spoke to Viren in the dungeon so knew where he was + said smth like he would play into his hands. He likely knew Claudias plan to see Viren too, knowing that if Viren was dead and he'd tell his sad backstory, she'd likely free him. So then he sends Sol Regem to the place Viren is at so he hopefully dies.
Maybe I'm missing smth else why he wants to destroy Katolas or we dont know yet (besides simply wanting to cause stress and chaos), but from what we know this seemed to have been his plan.
Viren returned to Kotalis to atone and seek justice for him actions. He never believed he deserved redemption. Yet he did not hesitate to earn his death to save countless. He lived as a villian, but earned a heros death.
My tears are free now... one of the best death scene in anime history.
This is not an anime, just a cartoon. 👌🏻
@@ShannaeJ Anime is literally the Japanese word for an animation, so yes this is an anime. All animated works are. When you say anime, you're literally just saying ''animated series'' in Japanese. Is it animated? Then it's an anime. Simple. Tired of weebos gatekeeping animes, LOL!
@@TheStraightestWhitestsaying only Japanese can make anime is like saying only Italians can make pizza, only Mexicans can make tacos, and only Greeks can make Gyros.
@@TheStraightestWhitest except the common meaning of Anime is a Japanese cartoon. I don’t think you understand how words work.
@@mranima748 Common meaning for whom? Weebs? I'll take official original terms over weeb speak.
Viren was definitely a complicated character. I hated him for awhile, but the moment he said he wanted to spent the rest of his life living out his days with Claudia, I started to feel a little better about him.
I can imagine him entering the afterlife (again) and Harrow forgiving him once he arrives.
The fact this show took Viren from the monster they originally had him as to making him a character that I am actually sad died is amazing writing for him.
So this is interesting. We've seen Viren cast this spell before. Twice actually. Each time he chanted "Hearts of Cinder cannot burn" backwards multiple times. He seems to have tried it this way first, but it didn't work. But when it did he chanted it normally.
Also after casting the spell previously his face remained visibly scared and corrupted, and yet this time after the spell was done the effects vanished.
I wonder why that was. 🤔
Dark magic probably corrupts the mind and the body of anyone who uses it because most of them uses it for power or to hurt others or even to go against the laws of nature itself. This time viren didn't acted for power, nor to hurt somebody else. The guy used dark magic to protect everyone. I think dark magic (despite the name) may seriously not be as evil as people think and even if it can easily corrupt power driven minds it can also do good things in the right hands. It all comes down to how it's used rather than the magic itself
my guess was due to him dying
I guess it was because usually dark magic is being used for power or to hurt others (after all many incantations require you to unalive another living being) which may be why using it ends up corrupting both your body and mind but this time viren didn't used it for bad stuff. By remembering everyone viren cared about he focused on protecting, not on hurting, which may explain such different reaction to the use of dark magic. In all honesty I think dark magic is not as evil and dangerous as the characters says. Yes it comes with a cost but at the same time if a magic can protect or hurt it all depends on who uses it, not on the magic itself
Perhaps because he used his own life force to power the spell? (Assuming he did)
@@rasengan124 I don't think dark magic works that way. After all why would the body of people who uses it get so corrupted if they didn't used their own life force in the casting of the dark magic. I mean if claudia was only using other creature's life force to power its spells its hairs wouldn't have been turned white because claudia wouldn't have used any form of energy from itself because it all comes from the unalived creatures.
Who else thought he killed Soren when he came out with the bloody knife??
Never. I knew he wouldn't have done that.
I actually believe that soren started to carve the spell but viren stop him and told him to go to escape and save everyone, and in those moments soren saw his fathers eyes and put his trust on him one more time, believing he actually redeemed himself, and when the spell works he wasn’t happy but sad his trust was well put, because he will always have a sour taste of knowing his dad was trying to change
I wish they could've shown Lissa, I know she was afraid of Viren, but she could've at least visit her children
She might appear in Season 7 after hearing of Katolis burning to see if her children are still alive
Lissa looks like Claudia but with Blonde hair
I find so interesting that this time, the only time when a dark magic spell is spoken forwards rather than backwards and when the eyes go from black to glowing rather than the other way around, is also the only time the caster is using their own body to power it. Perhaps this is the purified form of dark magic, not using others to gain power, but offering yourself as a sacrifice for them. As Peter S. Beagle said in The Last Unicorn:
"Real magic can never be made by offering someone else's liver. You must tear out your own, and not expect to get it back."
I agree, I think this is a version of dark magic where you spark magic in yourself without using another beings magic essence!
Well, we learned in this very episode (or was it the one after?) that humans were all connected to the Arcanum once, but that the racist Xadians took it from them and are keeping them from reconnecting. Aaravos' daughter was executed because she allowed her human friend to reconnect with it, which the racist Xadians didn't want because then they can't call them ''lesser beings'' anymore, as Sol Regem called them. We know that humans can reconnect to the Arcanum both independently as well as with assistance, because both the human girl and Callum have done it, and the Xadians fear and despise them for it.
So I think that's what Viren did. It always occurred to me that Dark Magic never required human life until Viren mentioned needing a human heart. Even when Claudia restored Soren's spine, she used a deer's life rather than a human one. I think that's because it takes the magic out of other beings, and humans have been severed from magic. So the fact that Viren was able to use his own essence makes me think he reconnected to the arcanum, hence why he ceased to look like that as well. He was channelling Dark Magic from a primal source; his own.
Despite him doing such horrible things & living as a villian, he died a hero, a father, & a loving husband that did not give his life to the people but for those he still loves, his family 💔 😢
What horrible things? Bullying Soren was the only one.
Most emotional scene yet
“You either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.”
Viren: How about both?
No matter how I look at it this is what arravos wanted.
He killed two birds with one stone sending sol after kotalis because it got his revenge against sol for his daughter and Virens death was what he needed to manipulate Claudia to release him.
He also got the Pearl Prison out in the open, unguarded. That was his main plan. He needed everyone to leave Katolis as he knew Claudia would come back to Katolis to see her Dad and he would be able to reach out to her.
I really love the character because he felt the most human out of all of them a flawed man who tried to fo what he thinks is right but changed for the worst but in the end he did what was right great character
His First and Final usage of dark magic where done to save his son's life.
Its sad when you think about it viren's descent into evil was because he loved so much when his son was sick he did everything he could to save him only in the very end did he betray his teacher and corrupted his being causing him to lose his wife i believe he loved sarai (like a sister) so when she died hecdid what he could to avenge her but that only caused to ignite further tensions between humans and elves ending with his best friend and king dying refusing viren's plan to use the two headed snake to switch his soul with someone else only in the end when he saw his daughter corrupted and mangled his kinda elf kid dead and his son disgusted by him did he finally become who he originally was a man who just wanted the people he loved safe
Rip viren your pain is finally over
This scene is important for many reasons, but i think one of the more interesting ones plays into the parallels between Viren and Callum narratively as dark mages.
The spells' spoken components are always done in reverse, but here we see them done in the correct way because he used his own lifeforce to power the spell. I see this as the proper way dark magic is meant to be used, as a means of protecting humanity at great cost to yourself, like equivalent exchange.
Because of this, I predict Callum will make a similar choice next season. It's already been heavily foreshadowed that he'll use it again at some point, but I think hearing what Viren did from Soren will influence his decision at a critical moment when choosing to protect everyone. I think there's a good chance of Callum dying next season but also as good a chance of him being revived/saved by the remaining quasar diamond that Rayla has.
This is one of the only moments of the entire TDP series that made me tear up a little bit (other moments being both Viren and Aaravos' backstory). :')
Viren was always the embodiment of sacrifice. Look at everything hes done and his own regrets this season.
Every time I see this scene I can't stop the tears
He died without his son knowing the truth in his letter.
I hear people being mixed on it, but remember what kosmo and Astrid said, while the truth is everything, you have to think of how to give it, are you trying to give them clarity, or passing a burden onto another person! I'd like to think soren did know what viren did in order to save him as a child, but that really shouldn't excuse his actions, hurting lissa, ignoring soren, usurping katolis and starting a war against xadia, soren may believe viren did all those things to help his family and his people, but it's not an excuse to explain why he was a horrible person! Also, when even ezran says you don't deserve any mercy, you know you messed up
@@patrickzalatoris3206Yeah, I’m pretty sure he knows, Claudia seemed to imply he and she both knew that their dad saved Soren when she said to Soren something along the lines of “without magic you’d be dead. without dad’s magic, you’d be dead.” in that one drakewood episode.
Soren maybe someday he will learn it, but not today
I think it's likely Soren will learn it from his mom in Season 7 if she returns.
@@patrickzalatoris3206 But it's extremely important to hear for someone who was gaslit a lot that you were right. That you weren't at fault. Trauma can almost not be fixed until that part is heard, and it has to come from the source of your trauma otherwise you'll never truly believe and internalize it. You'll always blame yourself. That letter was important. It was shit writing that he burned it and never got a chance to tell Soren. It was one of the most psychologically deep bits of storytelling, and it was for nothing.
I love the detail that it doesn’t show about soren pull the knife to do the spell but viren stop him and do it himself, this season was amazing
Viren, a man who attempted to avoid grief and loss, suffered further grief and loss, inflicted grief and loss... prevented grief and loss.
From a man who didn't want to lose his family, to a man who blamed everyone but himself, to a man who gave himself to save others.
Grief and loss are natural, as is the want for it to cease. Selfish people avoid it, selfless people prevent it.
Find peace, Viren. For once, everyone is smiling upon your actions.
This made me cry man
A good man will always find his way back.
I love the parallel of sol regem killing ziard and trying to kill viren. he smelled that dark magic, regardless of aaravos servant dude telling him where to go and aim...you know sol regem wanted to kill viren right there. but i guess the spell viren cast was so powerful it briefly shielded him from the fire, unlike with Ziard who was consumed by the fire. but the animation shot was almost parallel. poetic.
It rhymes
It had to do with their motives I think. Ziard was fully intending to attack Sol Regem, his attack connected and blinded Sol Regem but it also meant he was defenseless and was consumed by the fire. Viren was fully intending to protect everyone, the spell also ends up protecting him from the fire, but since the heart he used was his, he still died
@@vincentrodriguez6253 Well, Ziard had to stop Sol Regem lest he burn thousands of innocents because he was racist, so yeah. Their situations both demanded different actions, and Ziard and Viren both did the best they could in the face of an overwhelming racist force looking to wipe them out purely for existing.
doesnt make up for all he did but in the end did the right thing
no longer the same guy who told Soren to basically kill Ezran and told Claudia to sacrifice Soren if she had to to get the egg
Either you live as a villain or die enough to become a hero
I notice there were like three or four other staffs like Viren’s at the top of the starscraper
The first dark mage Ziard mentioned that he received The staff from "one of the great ones". Thats probably when aaravos not only stole The staff, but also when he hide The quasar Diamond in it. Somehow he managed to fool The Celestial elves and for a thousand years, they had a fake one with them.
8 relic staffs actually, one for the 6 primal sources and 2 we’re unsure of.
Perhaps Dark and Deep Magic?
@@cameronpearce5943 Dark is probably Viren Staff, as for the extra one... maybe a hidden 8th source?
Light magic? Where instead of stealing and corrupting, it's giving and amplifying? If I'm right someone give me a million dollars
@@zeldris_zezinhoLife? Love? Time? Light? There's clearly 8 sources.
I straight up lost a tear over it because he saw the errors in his way then wanted to repay for he did and what better for writers to do that is give him.chance keep his son and people in his old kingdom truly one last time 😢
Magic, excitement, comedy, drama, action, fantasy, thrills, and adventures. Gosh, Viren really has changed after all this time. He has redeemed himself and his final chance to make things right by helping Soren save their people from the destruction of Castle Katolis and the flames of Sol Regem. Heat mode on humans, this is the kind of power that Sunfire elves use to feel their emotions and in battle. They feel no burns as they run through the fire to escape. As for Viren, he dies for his family (his wife and children) and saved them till he falls to his last death. Rest in peace, Viren, and sin no more. But the castle is gone, destroyed 🐲🐉🔥❤🔥🧝🧝♂🧝♀
Despite all the evil he caused throughout his life, the last thing he did was to give it away for others.
R.I.P. Viren
Viren's path of villainy began because he refused to see himself as a mere servant to Katolis. How fitting that his last act of heroism is capped off by him admitting that he is a servant of Katolis. Harrow, Sarai, and Lissa would be proud of him for this much.
This has been the most moving redemption scene since Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker killed Emperor Palpatine in Return of the Jedi.
right????
Naaah, it was good but not that good
@@Keram-io8hv tbh without the star wars prequels giving more context, viren Redemption was def Superior to Vader Redemption. If we count the prequels tho that's different. Contrary to people hating on the prequels, The prequels give more life to Vader's Redemption
@@LHSMeleeClub Please, the moment we seen Viren in s4 it was obvious he was gonna die while redeeming himself, this happened many times in fiction
Just because it was obvious doesn't make it inferior.
1:47 By looking at elf's smile, I can say that Viren's sacrifice was a part of Aaravos' plan too. He's really a good manipulator
Oh yeah. Aaravos had no further use for Viren. I think this was partially payback for when Viren said "I am done with you!" at the end of Season 5. Aaravos upheld his side of the bargain, even personally contacting Viren to tell him how to save himself and revealing that they had a child. In a way, this is kind of a "scorned lover" revenge.
I love how iconic they made this scene. The fact that both times it was a dark mage who sacrificed himself to protect innocents and their city, while both times Sol Regem was willing to kill everyone and both times he paid the price. It really shows how he died the way he lived, blinded by his arrogance, pride and hatred towards those he considered like lessers being. And that in a way, he was the one who started the war and created the millennial cycle of hatred, violence, wrongs, rejections and misunderstandings between humans and elves/dragons.
Harrow: I missed you, old friend.
I really hope soren will tell others about Viren's heroic death and the sacrifice he made to protect everyone
Nobody will believe it.
@@TheMrPeteChannel but they trust Soren, so......
@@TheMrPeteChannel How else would they explain the magic that saved everyone? There wasn't anyone else there to cast it. Viren was the only one who could have done it.
@@Rashinnuwe shall see.
@@TheMrPeteChannelthey would believe it. Ezran was there when Viren turned up apologising to him.
Viren died a hero. He redeemed himself in his final moments. The corruption that had always shown on his face, that required a spell to conceal, disappeared on its own, because like Callum, Viren found his truth.
And all of this was Aaravos's plan.
He brought Sol Regem to attack Katolis, but the castle is only a building. If he wanted to strike a true blow, he would not have stopped until everyone in the village was dead as well. Viren saved hundreds of lives with his sacrifice, stopped all further deaths, and Aaravos smiled, because he knew Viren had sacrificed his life. Viren's death pushed Claudia over the edge, and so she freed Aaravos, and serves him because she believes he and her are alike. And she believes that because he made her believe it.
Viren did die a hero. He did redeem himself and he should be honoured for it. But Aaravos intended this, just as he intended for the pearl to be left behind, for the city to be deserted so Claudia would be free to find her father and take the pearl. Everything went exactly as he planned. And that makes me so excited for the final season
are you sure Aaravos was not staging the full thing remember How can a hero hold a staff that fill with only with darkness not even a mage has used it so he broke order as he human not a mage
Viren didn’t go out as a villain or a hero. He went out as a servant.
Rest in piece Virren
Viren's VA is INCREDIBLE
Черные маги были по факту защитниками людей. Единственные у кого хватило духу встать и бороться.
Их труд осталься не признаным.
This scene is the greatest of these series i remembered the first time i found out about this show and i didn't know what to expect but this scene won me it is crazy how it started with katolis and now it ended with katolis viren honoring king harrows wishes even crazier that Callum and rayla know nothing of this and even more crazy there is one more episode for me to watch for this season and im AMAZED there is one more season viren died as a SERVANT OF KATOLIS the city of HOPE
To me, Viren symbolises learning the Value of life. The lives he valued and his place in the world was something that changed and he struggled with throughout the show but here, right here, he knows. He is a servant. Not just to the people of Katolis, but to life itself. So in the end, contrasting intensely with his Pre-Death self, The only life he doesn’t value right now is his own. Never thought that The death of Viren of all people would hit me this hard and teach me so much. Also, why is nobody talking about the fact that this is his Second death?!?! Bro chose to die twice!!!! Just to protect Life. He is truly a changed man.
This scene was so chilling and sad to watch. I could barely breathe 😢
I love that for the last part Viren chose 'regular normal english'. Dark Magic Incantations are usually just the letters and words in reverse (probably a nod to how they corrupt things). It showed he really was ready to give up Dark Magic for real, that he wanted to go out not tainted by Dark magic anymore and that he was casting this spell as a true last resort
I think the creators took a page from Kingdom Hearts when they created Dark magic, but ya know the whole needing sources of life thing as catalysts that makes it unnatural.
Darkness is neither good nor evil. It merely depends on the user. Intaking the darkness too deeply for too long will stain the host with it'd powers and drive them to more callous and driven. But to one who has the strength to use it for the purpose of protecting others, darkness can be a strength; it can even show the way on your path. Just like how Viren saw in his coma what was becoming of Claudia and the monster her became.
You die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
This made Soren’s killing Claudia’s illusion of their father to save Ezran from Season 3 hit harder.
The first time he died. He died as a villain, but the second time he dies. He died a hero and even my friend told me that he could go to heaven thanks to his second chance (like he had a second chance again and instead of doing bad he did good like)
I didn't realise that Viren's name showed that he would redeem himself as his name means "hero".
Claudia in Latin means maimed/deformed or "closed off".
@@TheMrPeteChannel yeah it does, it means lame so her losing her leg was sealed for her.
He didn’t redeem himself, one good thing doesn’t make up for all the bad
@@mranima748 he redeemed himself as far as he could and would have done more if he lived. It wasn't one thing either. He refused to sacrifice the Being even though he would die. He refused to help Claudia release Aaravos. It doesn't undo all that he did, but Viren went out a hero in the end.
@@mranima748 He didn't do a single bad thing besides bullying Soren. Everything he thought and did towards Xadia and its people was justified. They deserve it a thousand times over. They're the real villains.
Goodbye Viren for real this time
This was the perfect ending for him. In the sense that he is not whitewashed of his misdeeds, but there was enough sympathy and complexity to the character to at least give him an honorable send off- Protecting his kingdom. Proving he is a changed man. Well done, writers. Well done.
God, this was such a good end to his character!
💔💔💔 OKAY I GOT TEARS IN MY EYES 😭🥺😢 we will miss you Viren 😢
originally I thought they would simply have viren ousted by aaravos in favor of claudia, like, viren would stay evil but not be as evil as claudia so aaravos would prefer her to him...but I didn't expect the viren redemption arc...and I CERTAINLY did not expect this....