Every character in Apex Legends, be they playable or otherwise, has a compelling story behind them. This dedication to the legends' backstories is one of the reasons why the battle royale game has lasted for so long. When the characters grow, evolve, and take on lives of their own, people take notice and find aspects of them that they can relate to and embrace.
Respawn Entertainment has found multiple ways to build its characters' unique personalities. In-game, all of Apex Legends' playable characters have something to say - whether it be about a certain location, item, or another legend. Characters even engage in full-on dialogue with their fellow legends if they have a special relationship with them (Revenant, for instance, always talks to Loba about how he plans on making her life a living hell). Outside the arenas and battlegrounds, the storytelling continues through comics, books, season trailers, Stories from the Outlands videos, and seasonal quests told in episodes. Each legend gets their time in the narrative spotlight, but one legend, in particular, is more than he appears.
Octane The Daredevil
When Octavio Silva (AKA Octane) was introduced in Apex Legends' very first season, he was marketed to be seen as an adrenaline junkie; and he is. Born to Eduardo Silva, CEO of Silva Pharmaceuticals, Octane grew up living a life of luxury on Psamanthe, Olympus along with fellow legend Ajay Che (AKA Lifeline). He eventually got bored of high-class life and began performing stunts at a young age. These attention-drawing actions culminated in a huge stunt at his father's fourth wedding which involved a ramp, a flaming hovercar, and a jacket filled with fireworks. The live stream of the wedding stunt garnered a hundred thousand live viewers, which led Octane to follow his aspirations of becoming a daredevil. Another stunt involving a Gauntlet caused Octane to blow off his own legs with a grenade - an act which made him ask Lifeline to replace his lower appendages with his now-iconic prosthetic legs.
This cements Octane's status as Apex Legends' resident risk-taker. It may look like he's doing it for the attention and fans, but what Octane really wants is the adrenaline rush that comes with all his high-flying stunts. Octane gets bored easily, and he can only truly feel alive when his life is at risk. This is why he tries to make his stunts as dangerous as possible; even going so far as to replace his flesh-and-blood legs with robotic ones and combining stim and a portable dialysis machine to go as fast as he can. The fans are just a bonus to Octane's search for the ultimate rush.
Octavio The Son
While Octane's mask and goggles hide his face, his real disguise is the happy-go-lucky personality he puts on when his friends are around. He may act like he doesn't care about what happens to him (and he doesn't, to an extent), but Octane's biggest fear is that he may end up like his father, who unlike him is a scheming and manipulative person that uses others for his own benefit. Octane tries as much as possible to distance himself from his father, as seen in the season 7 quest "Family Portrait" where he doesn't tell anyone that the attack on the party he attends with some of his fellow Apex Legends is orchestrated by his father.
While both Eduardo and Octavio try to stay out of each other's lives as much as possible, the few times when they collide aren't exactly warm and fuzzy. In the Apex Legends season 9 quest "The Legacy Antigen", Octane and Eduardo exchange some heated words and even come to blows with one another, with some of the highlights being Octane vandalizing his father's estate and Eduardo calling Octane a broken failure.
Despite not wanting to be like his father, Octane subconsciously does look for his approval. This is seen in the season 12 quest "The Perfect Son" where, among other things, Octane is surprised at his father calling him by his alias rather than "Octavio". The whole quest revolves around Octane trying to spy on his father, but it ends up with the two working together to get Eduardo on the Syndicate Council (the act of which Octane both loathes and secretly appreciates). While the ending isn't what people expect it to be, "The Perfect Son" does show off a side of Octane that only his family can bring out.
Octane The Friend
Despite how he may appear to his fans and father, Octane is extremely loyal when it comes to his friends and fellow Apex Legends. The reason he, Gibraltar, Pathfinder, and Lifeline attended a benefit dinner during the season 7 quest "Family Portrait" was so that they could get Pathfinder a MRVN battery to power the one back on Olympus (Octane even went so far as to dress formally for the event - something he hates doing). He has also helped Lifeline on multiple occasions and even assisted in her escape from her parents' controlling lifestyle. Octane may not care much about himself, but he does care for the people around him.
Behind the goggles, mask, and highly-dangerous stim, Octane is a person who wants to live life to the fullest. He wants to distance himself from the boring lifestyle he thinks his father leads while performing stunts that will get his heart pumping. His friends gravitate toward his simplistic lifestyle and mindset, but deep down it looks like he wants the approval of others just as much. Respawn Entertainment undoubtedly has more in store for Octane and his fellow legends, and if the previous seasons have been any indication, it looks like their stories are going to be filled with many twists and turns that will test their friendships.
Apex Legends is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
