Rudy Roughknight

Rudy from Wild Arms

Wild Arms

• Class: Outcast
• Race: Holmcross
• Gender: Male
• Age: 15
• Height: 5'2" / 158cm
• Weapon: Hand Cannon (uses a sword in the original PS1 Wild Arms)
• Tools (Original): Bombs, Radar, Rocket Skates, Power Glove
• Tools (Alter Code F): Bomb, Radar, Mighty Gloves, Grenade

“	Hey... I'm sorry! Alright! It won't happen again!	”
—Rudy Roughknight to Jane Maxwell (in an extremely rare bit of dialog)

Rudy Roughknight was orphaned with the death of his adopted 'grandfather', Zepet. He came under the care of Mayor Pifer of Surf Village for several years until one of the village children Tony gets lost in Berry Cave. When Rudy goes to find the child, he is forced to use his ARM, the Hand Cannon in order to save him. The weapon, however, scares the villagers even more than the monster he had defeated and Rudy is exiled for his efforts.

Rudy becomes a 'Drifter' and falls quickly under the employ of Emma Hetfield in clearing out Lolitha's Tomb, along with Jack Van Burace and Cecilia Adlehyde. Once their mission is complete, however, demons invade the town of Adlehyde and his real adventure begins.

Rudy's story is that of an outsider desperately wanting to be accepted. He has always shown unique abilities, such as using ARMs or having abnormally high strength, and this has alienated him from the rest of society more than once. This emotional scar even causes him to falter in using his ARM at one point!

Despite this emotional issue, Rudy is brave, noble, and selfless. When forced to sever his own arm to defeat Zeikfried, it is revealed that he is an artificial lifeform, reconstructed from the legendary Holmcross weapon. The pain of this realization is so great that Rudy slips into emotional despair until freed by Cecilia.

Rudy's affections are sought by both Cecilia and Jane Maxwell, and it's more than a hinted that he returns their affections, but hasn't probably truly addressed his feelings for either of them. Indeed, when the love triangle is openly exposed, Rudy seems oblivious as to what the implications of it would mean. Both Hanpan and Jack, however, express their sympathy for his upcoming plight. In Wild Arms 5, however, Mariel is also pushed into the triangle, making it a quadrangle of sorts.

Though Rudy is, probably, the most in-depth character of the main group, he actually has very few lines, fulfilling his role of 'silent protagonist'. In the Alter Code version of the game, this is played up for laughs more than once, particularly in the final confrontation with Zed (who accuses him of constantly making jokes at Zed's expense). Rudy is not mute, however, as he does have some exposition lines to other characters, but they are told in a third-person style, unlike the rest of the game's narrative.

The character of Rudy represents 'Hope' in the game's narrative. In Alter Code, this is extended with a sequence in Surf Village where he finds acceptance from the very people who shunned him at the beginning of the game.

Wild Arms Biography

Known as a "Dream Chaser", Rudy has wandered across the vast wastelands of his world searching for a place to belong. Though he is only at the innocent age of 15, he has the makings of a great warrior. Skilled in the use of weapons of mass destruction (known as ARMs) of Filgaia's forgotten ancient civilizations, Rudy often escapes trouble through his superior firepower. Rudy was last seen working in the frontier village of Surf.

Wild Arms Alter Code Biography

Rudy is a kind boy with a true sense of justice. He inherited a gun from his grandfather called "ARM", which is a powerful weapon that is activated by a person's will. However, "ARM" is widely believed to be an evil power, which belongs to the demon invaders and caused the ruin of mother earth. Because of it, people are afraid of "ARM" and distrust Rudy. He has no choice but to be a wanderer because of this. As he wanders the world, he meets Jack and Cecilia, and thus beings a new chapter in his life.

Art of Wild Arms Bio

"Young Drifter with a Quiet Smile"

The hero and main character in Wild Arms. A silent, kind-hearted hero who is kicked out of his home town for wielding ARMs to save a little boy.

Wild Arms 4

Rudy, along with Cecilia and Jack, can be summoned as part of a powerful group attack called "Kindred Souls". He is featured in a cutscene where not only does he get dialog, but an actual voice. 

Cecilia: "Everyone has...things they care about in their hearts."

Jack: "To keep them from destroying everything...!"

Rudy: "We'll go as far as it takes."

Rudy: "Put your hearts together!"

Wild Arms 5

Rudy appears as a minor cameo at Cavam Valley Train Station as a 'boy with a pleasant smile'. It's slightly off-model here, missing his trademark 'band-aid' on his cheek. He also actually engages in a brief conversation.

In Battle

Rudy is, for all intents and purposes, a powerful attacker with an emphasis on HP and defense. In the original Wild Arms, his ARMS options are some of the highest damage dealers in the game. He is still equally as powerful in Alter Code: F. Rudy has no MP in either game and no magical abilities to note. Due to this, his magic defense is the worst of the party and he takes a lot of damage from enemy magic and elemental special attacks. His speed is also the lowest, so his turn comes last a great deal of the time. While he does gain the ability to summon Guardians in the original Wild Arms, his damage output is low due to his minimal magic stat.