Nia
Nia is a main character in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and a Gormotti Driver who joins the protagonist Rex on his journey to reach Elysium. Accompanied by her Blade, Dromarch (Byakko), who respectfully addresses her as her ladyship, she acts as the straight-shooting counterweight to her companions. She also makes an appearance in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as the Queen of Agnus, and features as a crossover element in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Overview
Nia is a main character in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and a Gormotti Driver who joins the protagonist Rex on his journey to reach Elysium. Accompanied by her Blade, Dromarch (Byakko), who respectfully addresses her as her ladyship, she acts as the straight-shooting counterweight to her companions. She also makes an appearance in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 as the Queen of Agnus, and features as a crossover element in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Appearance
Nia possesses feline ears, short grey hair with straight bangs, yellow eyes, and subtle white cat-like stripes on her forehead and cheeks. In her Driver attire, she wears a yellow bodysuit with white gloves and detached sleeves. When releasing her true Blade form, her hair grows considerably longer into low twintails, and her cat ears enlarge. Her outfit changes to a revealing red-and-white miko-inspired attire that exposes a Core Crystal located on her chest.
Personality
Nia speaks with a frank, casual, and somewhat tomboyish demeanor, but she is deeply compassionate and possesses a strong sense of justice. Hardened by a painful past and a life on the run, she initially harbored a distrust of others and kept her true identity hidden. Despite their frequent bickering, she shares a warm, easygoing bond with Rex. She reacts poorly to extreme weather and is notoriously terrible at cooking.
Abilities
As a Driver, Nia excels in ether-based arts, specialized healing capabilities, and inflicting Break on opponents. In her Blade form, she relies on the water element and wields a scimitar. She provides exceptional healing output and defensive utility by manipulating regenerative forces, using her specials to absorb enemy vitality for allies or disrupt foes from within. Her field abilities include water-elemental skills, botany, and endurance.
Background
Nia originally lived as the daughter of a Gormotti lord alongside her sickly sister. After losing her family and home due to debts incurred treating her sister, she became a Flesh Eater—a Blade who absorbed human genetic material. Persecuted by the Indoline Praetorium, she found refuge with the organization Torna. Her chance encounter with Rex during a salvage mission inspired her to break away from Torna and join his quest. During a crisis in the Spirit Crucible Elpys, she overcame her fears, accepted her identity, and pledged her power to her friends.
Relationships
Her Blade Dromarch (Byakko) acts as a loyal retainer and guardian left to her by her family. While initially viewing Rex as naive, she grows deeply attached to him as their journey progresses. Though she briefly belonged to the organization Torna alongside Jin and Malos, she chose to defect to rescue Rex. She also forms a close bond of camaraderie with Pyra and Mythra.
Trivia
When idling in the field, Nia performs unique animations such as swatting at invisible insects. Controlling her while Dromarch is leading the party allows the player to ride on Dromarch's back across the field map. Her favorite item categories include fish and textiles.
