Alongside its recent trailer, Final Fantasy 16 revealed a couple of new characters, including the prince of the Holy Empire of Sanbreque Dion Lesage. It's not the first time he's appeared, so it seems he plays a much bigger role than the first few reveals would suggest. However, perhaps his most important role is how he acknowledges the iconic Dragoon class.
It's uncertain how Final Fantasy 16 handles "classes," if at all, but more and more action RPGs are moving away from these classifications. Noctis never fit into a mold, and outside the fact that Clive can use the powers of other Dominants/Eikons, how he can be specced is unknown. It would seem that Final Fantasy 16 doesn't focus on class specializations, but that doesn't mean it's ignoring its past either.
Final Fantasy 16 Honors the Dragoon's Iconic Legacy
Dragoons first appeared in Final Fantasy 2 and quickly became an iconic fan favorite. The class has seen different abilities and several variants over the years, like Lancers, but these classes are usually affiliated with dragons in some way and wield a spear in physical combat. Over the years, there have been several iconic Final Fantasy characters in this class, including Kain Highwind, Freya Crescent, and Aranea Highwind. For Final Fantasy 16, it seems the representative of the class is Dion Lesage. Not only is he the Final Fantasy 16 dominant of Bahamut, but there's clearly a spear located on his back. In his empire, where he serves as both crown prince and warrior, he leads the Dragoons.
The Dragoons are represented as a major fighting force in Sanbreque's military arm, and that's perfectly fitting for them. Alongside dragons, Dragoons are often associated with the "holy spell" or holier elements within the franchise. Dragoons coming from the Holy Empire of Sanbreque then is perfectly fitting, especially as Final Fantasy 16's countries struggle with the spreading Blight. Of course, just because these are normal associations doesn't mean that Dion will be an ally.
One could argue that Clive is a Warrior of Darkness in Final Fantasy 16, but at the same time, it seems Dion is slipping. His official bio hints at something dark happening as Dion seeks to defend his land and his people from the Blight. It could be that Dion takes the light of the Dragoon class and falls into darkness, similar (if opposite) of what happens to Cecil in Final Fantasy 4, but this is a lot of speculation right now. No matter what though, it's clear that Square Enix is not forgetting about this beloved class of character.
Final Fantasy 16 is scheduled for summer 2023 for PS5.
