Dunban

Dunban (, Dunban) is a playable character in Xenoblade Chronicles. He is the hero from the battle of Sword Valley and was thought to be the only one capable of wielding the Monado. He is Fiora's older brother.

Appearance and personality
Dunban is a Homs of above-average height and fitness, with shoulder-length dark brown hair and grey eyes. His main appearance comprises a white shirt, a red vest, a black cloak, black pants, and brown boots.

Dunban is a wise man with much practical experience in life, and acts as mentor to many, both on and off the field of battle. He views battle as an art and way of life, and belives that jumping to action is the most important duty one has. He has done many brave and foolish things in the past as a self-appointed hero, and seeks to learn from his mistakes and teach others of them. He does not like to reveal his emotions to keep up his image of the unflappable veteran, but he does have them, as his younger sister Fiora attests. He also has some trouble reading others, though he is quick to correct himself when pointed out.

Story arc
During the Battle of Sword Valley, as the Homs line is broken and the Mechon begin to advance, Dunban arrives with the Monado in hand. He works with his war buddies Dickson and Mumkhar to halt the machines and drive them off, but Mumkhar deserts them and is presumed dead. Despite beginning to show signs of fatigue from using the Monado, Dunban manages to end the battle in the Homs' favour. He is rescued and returns to badly injured, but "Hero of the Homs".

One year later, Dunban is still recovering from his overuse of the Monado, his right arm scarred and practically unusable. He refuses to lie down and accept this; even as his younger sister Fiora keeps talking him down about it, he believes he must be prepared to use the Monado again should the need arise. Even bedridden, he remains a formidable figure in the eyes of Shulk, Reyn, and many others.

When the Mechon attack Colony 9, Dunban drags himself out of the house and immediately heads for the Weapon Development Lab to get the Monado. Now using his left arm, he starts cutting down Mechon wherever he can find them, and eventually meets up with Shulk and Reyn. Damage to the colony forces the trio to take a long way around to meet up with Fiora. As they pass through the main entrance, Dunban's condition worsens, and the Monado falls from his grasp. Shulk takes it and starts using it with no apparent issue, much to Dunban's surprise, but he does not remain confused for long before he draws his backup sword and continues to fight with his own style. The group shortly encounter the giant Mechon later known as Metal Face, and as the Monado cannot do anything to it for some reason, they are stymied. Not long after, Fiora appears and tries to help, but is killed in the process. The Mechon assault then ends, and after a harrowing staredown, Metal Face leaves.

Dunban refuses to show any sign of how losing Fiora has affected him. Instead, he consoles Shulk about it, telling him that he must use her sacrifice to better himself. Shulk agrees and decides to hunt down and kill Metal Face, with Reyn alondside him. Dunban watches the two leave, and vows that once he is healthy enough, he will join their quest for revenge.

Once Dunban decides he is ready, Dickson joins him, and the two set off to catch up with Shulk. They meet him at Colony 6, alongside Reyn and newcomer Sharla, surrounded by Metal Face and a squadron of Mechon new and old. Dunban makes a grand entrance and helps the group fight off the Mechon, but they are still unable to do anything to Metal Face, who takes great glee in taunting Dunban about being a pathetic hero. The enemy are only driven off by a mysterious creature, saving the Homs. Shulk has received a vision of fighting Metal Face atop the Bionis, and so wishes to go there next. From there, Dunban becomes the group's advisor, giving the others advice but not judging them for whether they accept it.

The party travels up the Bionis, meeting new members Melia and Riki on the way. Near the top is the High Entia city of Alcamoth, where Melia says the party must go to get permission to enter Prison Island, the object of Shulk's vision. As events in Alcamoth unfold, the group learn that Melia is a princess and is currently being sent to die, which would be disadventageous to continuing their quest. When prince Kallian meets the party to discuss other matters, Dunban points out a loophole that would allow them to save Melia without affecting the local customs. Kallian recognizes Dunban as the hero of Sword Valley, and while he never says it, he is grateful for his help. The party proceeds to succeed at rescuing Melia.

Before any decision can be reached about allowing the party into Prison Island, the Mechon attack. Emperor Sorean heads to Prison Island by himself, and the party follow him. Upon arriving, a few things happen: the captured Giant Zanza powers up the Monado so it can hurt Face Mechon, Metal Face kills both Sorean and Zanza, and it is revealed that Fiora is not actually dead - she is the pilot of Face Nemesis, and does not appear to remember any of the Homs, not even Dunban. Dunban is relieved to see Fiora alive, but after the battle concludes, he becomes conflicted on some issue and secludes himself from the others. Shulk seeks him out to discuss, and after some sidestepping of the issue, he says that Fiora's memory cannot be completely gone - there must be a way to restore it if they can get her back. Everyone else agrees.

As the party heads down Valak Mountain towards Sword Valley, Face Nemesis appears to meet with them. Fiora appears surprised that "there is family", but does not dwell on it, mostly because Metal Face appears and threatens to kill her of Shulk doesn't hand over the Monado. Shulk obliges, and Metal Face's cockpit opens to reveal Mumkhar, not dead but willingly turned traitor. Dunban had suspected this for a time, but remains in disbelief about it. During the ensuing fight, Mumkhar shows nothing but pettiness for motivation, while Dunban takes out his anger on him and wins with ease. The fight is broken up by Gold Face, helmed by the claimed leader of Mechonis Egil, who packs up the Faces and leaves for Galahad Fortress.

Arriving at the outskirts of the fortress, the party finds Mumkhar, continuing to gloat about having fooled Dunban for so long and wanting the Monado for himself the whole time for no particular reason other than "because". When the battle is won, Dunban lunges for the killing blow, but Shulk stops him. Dunban is willing to kill the Homs used in Face Mechon if necessary, but Shulk forces him to reconsider by bringing up Fiora, and saying that discovering why Homs are being used like this is more important than revenge now. Dunban relents, and dismisses Mumkhar by removing Metal Face's arms. Undeterred, the traitor continues to fight back, causing an accident that kills himself. Dunban is satisfied and turns away.

The party enter the fortress and find Face Nemesis. Egil makes it difficult for them to accomplish anything, by using a device to disable to Monado and forcing the Face to fight them against her will. The ensuing battle destroys the fortress and deposits the party across the Fallen Arm in the ocean below, with Dunban alongside Melia and Riki. In the evening, Dunban explains Fiora to Riki, and muses with the Nopon on the similarities of his older brother status with Riki's father status. The next morning, they come upon the Hidden Machina Village to find the others - all four of them, a restored Fiora included. Dunban hugs her and tries not to cry.

Now a party of seven, the group meets with the Machina leader Miqol to learn that Egil is acting against the rest of the Mechonis people's wishes, and he needs to be stopped by any means necessary. Dunban continues to offer advice as the team climbs the Mechonis, always believing that Shulk is making the right decisions with it. The party reaches Egil and confronts him, but fail to defeat him and must be rescued by the Machina. Upon re-entering the awakened Mechonis to continue on, Shulk is hurt by the Monado in what looks like the same way Dunban was long ago, something which he had never considered would happen.

Upon meeting Egil again, this time the group is victorious, and Shulk successfully makes peace with Egil. Dickson interrupts by shooting Shulk, releasing the true form of the god Zanza from within him, something that had been Dickson's plan since the beginning. Zanza proceeds to beat down Egil, destroy the Mechonis, and terrorize Alcamoth, all just so he can continue to exist as a god. The ride away from the carnage aboard Junks is interrupted by Dickson and his pet Telethia, who much like Mumkhar gloats openly about having fooled Dunban this whole time. Even as the party escapes to Colony 6, a horde of Telethia attack, which must be fought off without the help of Shulk or the Monado - which Dunban says were cructhes they had relied on for too long. Shulk does survive and rejoin the fight, and from there the group must head into the Bionis.

At the end of a terrible maze inside the Bionis, including the sunken Prison Island, Dickson is waiting for them. He reveals his true form, that of a Giant, and fights with great power. After helping Shulk overcome his self-doubt, the party wins, and Dunban is the last to turn away as they proceed towards Zanza, the final foe.

As the strife progresses, and the odds stack up against them, Dunban continues to establish that he has no interest in standing idle. He will always choose to fight.

Dunban is briefly seen at the end of Future Connected.

Lore

 * Dunban is referred to as "Beast" by Dickson due to his battle prowess and determination.
 * According to the sidequest Losing the Taste for Alcohol, Dunban used to drink alcohol before being told by Fiora to stop.
 * Dunban considers himself a poor cook, as seen in the Heart-to-Heart In Ose Tower.
 * According to the Heart-to-Heart A Gift for a Loved One, Dunban has an affinity for bugs.
 * Dunban has a great dislike for Ether Plums, with a special achievement called "Thanks But No Thanks" being unlocked upon giving him one.

As a party member
Dunban is an "agility tank" or "dodge tank", protecting his teammates by taking aggro and using his high agility to dodge the incoming attacks. He generates his aggro by dealing large amounts of damage, so it is a simple matter to use him as a pure attacker as well. He is most effective a tank against single enemies armed with mostly physical attacks, as he has trouble hitting multiple foes at once, and cannot dodge ether attacks.

In Super Smash Bros.
Dunban appears as a cameo in Shulk's Final Smash and is referenced in one of Shulk's alternate costumes.

Mii Costume
Dunban recieved a downloadable Mii Swordfighter costume in Super Smash Bros. 4, which returned in the base game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Trophy and Spirit
Dunban appears as a trophy in both Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS, and a Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Dunban's Spirit Battle is against a Mii Swordfighter in his costume with an ally Shulk on Gaur Plain, with sudden Final Smashes and increased power to melee weapons. Dunban's spirit is a Primary Shield-type Ace Spirit that gives increased power to sword attacks.

Trivia

 * Despite using his sword left-handed due to his right arm being disabled by the Monado, Mii Swordfighters using Dunban's costume fight right-handed.
 * A review of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition by IGN erroneously referred to Dunban as "Duncan".
 * Dunban's character may be inspired by previous Xeno characters Jin Uzuki from Xenosaga and Citan Uzuki from Xenogears. All three characters are long-haired sword users who serve as mentor figures. Both Dunban and Jin are also older brother figures.
 * Similarly, Dunban may serve as inspiration for later series characters Mòrag from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Ashera from Xenoblade Chronicles 3. All three characters are highly respected fighters who function in gameplay as agility-based tanks. Ashera shares several art names with Dunban, and in a post-battle conversation in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Fiora tells Mòrag that she reminds her of her brother.

Gallery
Dunban