Pokémon Legends: Arceus - Pokémon Wielder Volo Battle Music (HQ) 

Just realized, Volo teaching you the “Back Strike” mechanic made A LOT of sense. lol

Some of y’all talking about Volo being the biggest betrayal in Pokémon must have never met Dusknoir 😭

Fun fact: If you beat the first part of Volo's final battle, it does NOT say "Battle decided". Basically a small indicator that Gamefreak put there to say "You won this match... but it's not over yet."

Still love the fact that Volo was so good at raising pokemon yet so misguided that he was outright called a wielder of pokemon. There was no one in this time period that even stood a chance at beating him, so Arceus called someone from the future with the capabilities to defeat Volo, just to make him REALIZE that he was wrong. That's just amazing writing and this song embodies that to me. And since he's Cynthia's ancestor and all too, it all lines up perfectly to put fear into the hearts of pokemon veterans with the piano ptsd. And I just LOVE the clock bell.

Me surviving Volo's team with 1 pokemon with very low health: YES YES YES YES Me after Giratina appears: NO NO NO NO

"This theme is pretty cool, but that piano feels familiar" *Volo sent out Spiritomb!* "Oh, oh no-"

A great detail I love about this piece is when it starts from 0:00 to 0:17, in-game it just STOPS if you don’t press any buttons and overall silence is just heard until you acknowledge (press the button) that you are about to battle, then the rest continues. The devs literally KNEW when that piano 1st hit all the memories and PTSD of Prime Cynthia being a menace came back and literally made us, the player reminiscing in silence go “Press A when you’re ready to face your fears….again” That silence is almost as scary as the boss Sublime

On August 12, 2012, a 9 year old me beat Cynthia with only my level 84 Empoleon. On August 12, 2022, a 19 year old me beat Volo with that same Empoleon. Some things never change.

POV: 15 years after conquering Sinnoh on the DS, you are working from home in the pandemic. Your child finishes his homework and continues his game of Pokemon Arceus. In between Zoom calls, you hear this music. YOU KICK DOWN THE DOOR TO SAVE YOUR SON.

Be it Sinnoh. Be it Unova. Be it Alola. Be it Johto. Be it the present. The future. Or the past. *........you can't escape her.*

Pokemon Wielder..a fitting title for one who would use god's creations against him. He does not 'train' pokemon. He is unconcerned with living alongside them in harmony. He does not 'use' pokemon. He does not see them as mere objects or tools for power. *He WIELDS them. Like an artist using their brush to paint over the canvas god put into being.*

"Can't you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins-the eldritch presence icing your heart?" *f e a r*

*beats Volo* "I did it! I won!" Giratina: "Are you sure about that?" *beats Giratina* "NOW I did it!" Giratina: "ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?"

Pokémon fans to Cynthia: "Stay where you belong, in my memories." Volo: "I will.....never be a memory!

Volo: I want, therefore I am Cogita: I think, therefore I am Cynthia: I feel, therefore I am

“Oh boy I sure am glad that this game is 1,000 years in the past and that Cynthia can’t possibly be in it”

Imagine being so strong that the God of your world doesn’t wanna fight you head-on and instead opts to distort time and space itself just to bring in a prodigy from 200 years in the future to have a CHANCE at beating you

Technically speaking, Volo counts as a cosmic horror character: one who craves knowledge beyond his own comprehension to the point he literally goes insane.

You know, Volo had me actually crying tears of gratitude when he showed up to bring me to Cogita's camp after I got kicked out of Jubilife. I was fully expecting a battle when he called me up to Spear Pillar, especially when he started getting crazy eyes when talking about the legendaries, but his betrayal still hurt. I wrecked him and Giratina first try though. My rage left them in pieces. NPCs aren't allowed to toy with my emotions like that.

This theme sounds both heroic and terrifying at the same time, it’s what final fight music should sound like. Reminding you that the real villain is the friend you made along the way.

This man is as exactly as dangerous as he looks in this moment, but not simply because of being related to Cynthia. His title as Pokémon Wielder isn't an exaggeration, in that time period of Hisui, Pokeballs were only recently invented, and only a very small handful of people knew how to use them, much less barely command more than two Pokémon. Besides Commander Kamado (someone who is fairly versed in Pokémon despite his feelings), Ingo (formerly a battling master with his brother pre-amnesia from the present day Unova), and Potato Mochi Man Beni. Volo is the only person in Hisui to have 6 Pokémon with that sheer level of strength and the ability to command a Legendary Pokémon. When he was cursing about how it was as if you were sent to Hisui just to interfere, like some form of divine intervention, it wasn't just him cursing you, his god literally sent you to stop him because there was nobody who could. Let that sink in.

The pianist genes that runs in this family are such a blessing

Cyllene, who is evil Cyrus' female counterpart, is good. Volo, who is good Cynthia's male counterpart, is evil. Good Cynthia is dressed in black and has a Dragon/Ground-type ace. Evil Volo is dressed in white (during the final fight) and has a Fairy/Flying-type ace.

"So Volo is the villain, well this shouldn't be too bad, I'll just..." *hears piano "Oh no... *OH NO...*"

Can't escape her even if you travel back in time, first in sinnoh, then in unova, and now hisui, the piano's gonna follow you everywhere

Referring to him as a "wielder" rather than a trainer makes a lot of sense. You train fighters, but you wield weapons.

Alpharad’s reaction was PRICELESS

My friend played, who's brand new to Pokemon by the way, played brilliant diamond and when she met champion-revealed Cynthia, she heard the piano music. I told her this is the song that every real pokemon trainer knows as "I'm Going to Lose" theme. As we played this we heard the music and both just looked at eachother...

Just a reminder, this was the guy that taught us the most effective way to catch a Pokémon is to hit it square in the back of the head with a Pokeball when it doesn’t see you. I’ll admit that I thought the villain was going to be Kamado but Volo was a very well constructed Antagonist.

Cynthia's Garchomp: A fearsome dragon type with a friendly personality wanting to help the world. Volo's Togekiss: A cute fairy type with a cruel personality wanting to remake the world.

I knew about this twist but I had never seen the cutscene so when this fella said "I used Giratina to tear the hole in time and space" my jaw DROPPED

The fact that the Paldea ruin Pokemon where sealed away by a group known as the Pokémon Wielders makes Volo’s title imply that he might just be one of many skilled trainers from the past

I found it interesting that Volo was the trainer we ended up fighting first, not Rei / Akari. I didn't think much of it, a new game with a new formula, I just thought "Oh, so they broke having your rival be your first trainer battle tradition in this game." Of course, it isn't until much, much later that you realize... *they didn't break tradition.* Such a small detail I didn't notice until now, I love this game.

The challange of him plus BOTH Giratina forms at once was actually insane. The Volo blood line is something else man

Even though fans now prefer that Ai battle between Sada and Turo, Volo's battle still have a special place in my heart.

When I first saw Volo I thought his hair resembled Cynthia, but never really thought anything of it. Then when it came time to battle him and the piano started playing, he sent out Spiritomb I started shaking and teared up, I have never felt such pure fear from a character

I feel like Volo is all of the Cynthia memes personified. He's all of Cynthia's brutality in battle, but with none of the kindness, duty, or hell...any of her positive aspects.

Just gonna say it, "Pokémon Wielder" is one of the most aggressively badass trainer classes I've ever heard of.

This guy literally teaches you the backstrike technique. Some of the best foreshadowing I’ve ever seen.

Be glad Cynthia is on our side. If this is what her ancestor can do imagine what she'd be capable of if she snapped

I just like that he got arceus’s attention but not in the way he would had comprehended. He did all of this to get a reaction out of arceus in which he takes a possible champion from another time, scrubs his memory then essentially sends you on a quest that makes it impossible for you to not get in volos way at some point. It’s like a cockroach trying to get the attention of the owner of the house, but the owner just gets an exterminator to deal with it so he doesn’t have to

I really liked Volo. He was there for you even when the rest of the world wasn’t. Then you find out the whole time he was just using you for his own gains… that was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more betrayed while playing a game

I know a lot of the comments really focus on how cool and well done this dude was story wise but like, wow is this is genuinely one of the best tracks I've ever heard from this series. I cannot stop coming back to this and Jubilife since I first heard them back in January. This game was something special man.

I honestly believe Pokémon Legends Arceus is the best game the franchise has seen since the jump to full 3D. I think part of this stems from how the game is not structured like a Pokémon game, but closer to a regular JRPG. There's so many different climactic parts of the game. The exiling from Jubilife Village, the fight with Kamado, the fight against the first of the two legendaries between Dialga and Palkia, this absolutely mind-blowing fight with Volo + Giratina, and of course the final fight with Arceus. This game is so memorable and is gonna go down as one of my favorite games in the entire franchise. I just really wish they supported it longer and didn't skip to Gen IX so soon

Just realised this, Volo using giratina to drive dialga and palkia mad so that Arceus would be drawn out is very similar to how Zinnia manipulated Team Magma and Aqua to unleash Groudon and Kyogre in order to draw out Rayquaza.

Volo's Betrayal stung more than Cogita using the Pixie Plate as a cutting Board

The thing with Volo being called a „Pokémon-Wielder“ instead of trainer is pretty accurate since he doesn’t see his Pokémon as companions or friends but instead as tools. You train with friends or companions BUT you wield weapons

"I wasn't scared, until I've heard the piano." Alpharad - 2022 And all of those who had PTSD over Cynthia's battle.

Volo foreshadows his betrayal in a few different ways. He teaches you the Back-Strike technique. This one should be pretty straightforward, but for those who might not get it, it’s because he figuratively stabs you in the back later on. He scares you. He sneaks up behind you and says, “Boo!” This is a really subtle way to foreshadow, and I love it. It’s because he has the Spooky Plate. There’s also his tendency to show up wherever you happen to be, no matter how nonsensical for a Ginkgo Guild member. He’s following you. There’s also his trusting and friendly nature towards you, which is a stark contrast to the suspicious behavior from the others.

Volo means 'will' in latin. Cogito (for Cogita) means think in latin. Sentio ( for Cynthia) means feel in latin. Together, the three compose the same things as the lake guardians: thought, will, and emotion.

I kinda laughed when people talked about their PTSD with Cynthia, because I thought it was ridiculous. She's just a champion, if you lose just face her again. I get it now, Volo left me in tears

"I wasn't scared... untill i heard the Piano"

Don’t you guys realize? This is Volo’s theme, not Cynthia’s. After all, he had it first. Wow.

Volo isn’t a tough fight because he’s related to Cynthia. Cynthia is a tough fight because she’s related to Volo.

Listening to this song again after months has made me truly remember how fun and amazing this game really is. I would've never been the same without playing this. Listening to this song also makes me kinda sad realizing I have beaten this battle, which is one of the main bosses. When I first had to do this battle, I raged and died my first try of course but it seriously was an amazing experience. No Pokémon game can ever be as good as this was in my opinion. (Also, this was the first Pokémon game I ever played so that makes me appreciate it even more.)

I honestly liked Volo so much, I didn't even realize he was acting weird until I was almost finished collecting the plates. That's when I started to actually notice his strange dialogue and how invested he was with me, the player. I also didn't realize he was Cynthia's ancestor until I was battling him at the temple, but to be fair I haven't played Diamond or Pearl yet

What makes Volo a good twist villain (for me, at least) is the fact that you actually had a reason to trust him. For most of the game, I was determined to figure out who would be the villain, and Volo was my prime suspect. The way he shows up randomly to say random things was JUST like Pokémon's previous twist villains. But when he came to my aid after I was kicked out by Kamando, he gained my trust. Not to mention that at this point I was busy hating Kamando. And by the time Kamando had gained my trust back, I thought it was to late for another twist villain. Then I got to the part where he first mentions Giratina, and I started to catch on. I thought to myself: "no way he's actually doing this." And even so, I didn't expect the reveal that he opened the space-time rift, or the fact that he WAS LITTERALY WORKING WITH THE POKÉMON EQUIVALENT TO THE DEVIL. The following battle against him and Giratina is one of my favorite moments in a Pokémon game.

I find Volo the most relatable out of all the villains. He wants to meet his god and understand why the universe exists so badly he snaps. He's quite literally consumed by his curiosity. As someone haunted by the same questions, his quest for knowledge rather than just plain power or perfection hit me strangely hard.

I like how he's just a well mannered guy and a good merchant who can't keep his impulses (obsessions) under control.

Another great thing is how they hide Volo's importance by giving him a more normal, generic rival battle theme for most of the game. His true, unique theme doesn't play until you understand his true nature.

*You can't run away from Trainer battles* *YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM TRAINER BATTLES* *YoU cAn'T rUn AwAy FrOm TrAiNeR bAtTlEs*

So everyone reiterates the same "Volo is the biggest back stabber in the pokemon franchise" while I'm over here listening the how perfectly this soundtrack fits the stakes of the world at this point, Volo is LITERALLY a threat to this whole universe, so much so that God itself had to do something without presenting itself because arceus vs giritina would be world ending on its own. You as the player are the last thing standing between Volo and him changing the world into almost nothing

0:53 to 1:28 is probably some of the best music in the entire franchise but people sleep on it because "oh no cynthia theme"

The fact that you have to fight this guy with Cynthia’s exact same team and 2 Giratina’s WITHOUT being able to recover is simply insane. The worst part is that if you fail, you’ll have to do the battle from the very start.

At first I was thinking "there has to be a villain here. Well, this guy's mysterious, so it's definitely him." Then when Volo took me in when i got kicked out, i genuinely felt sorry i was suspicious of him. I grew attached to him and felt happy to help him do his research. We got the last plate, but when he started laughing... My heart sank. Best mainline pokemon game I've ever played.

I didn’t think I could like a track more than Ultra Necrozma’s theme. Volo killed that opinion, much like he did my team on my first go.

"This game is so easy I might as well do a nuzzlocke next time" after "You know what, nevermind."

What I really loved about Volo is the fact that as far as we know, he is the first EVER Pokemon trainer to train a full team of 6 and really master the art of Pokemon battle. If he is Cynthias' ancestor it makes sense as to why she was such a difficult challenge to beat, it runs in the family.

Man, I looove the way they totally subverted expectations with the ancestors. Kamado turns out to despise you and banishes you, Beni (Wally’s ancestor) ends up being a crouching tiger and ultimate ninja, and CYLLENE of all people is a genuinely good and loyal person. Oh and THEN VOLO. VOLO!!! HE is the reason the rift opened after you closed it, the reason you were driven from your only home, and he was using you and tracking you the WHOLE time so he could get the plates-- and using Cogita too! Then he lures you to the temple HE ruined so he can subjugate THE LITERAL CREATOR GOD and make HIS OWN NEW WORLD. FUCK his noble goal to end all suffering. He threatens all but to KILL you to get the other 17 plates and THEN he summons POKÉMON SATAN TO KILL YOUR ASS.

I've been thoroughly enjoying reading everyone's analyses on Volo's character, and I'd like to share something I haven't seen mentioned in this comment section yet (though maybe someone did and I just missed it): Volo, despite being the game's twist antagonist with warped ideals, is not a bad person at his core, which can be proven by analyzing his Pokemon. His Togepi most obviously proves this point -- at the beginning of the game, it is his partner Pokemon at only level 5 in your first battle. By the final battle, however, it has evolved into a level 68 Togekiss. A Togepi will only evolve into a Togetic "under the loving care of a trusted human companion," as stated by the game's Pokedex. Even though he calls himself a "Pokemon wielder," implying that he only uses his Pokemon as weapons, the mutual love and trust between him and his Togepi had to be real, because it simply would not have evolved otherwise. I mean, just take a look at the photo of the two of them displayed in front of the photo studio; their bond just had to be genuine, because I don't think a bad guy would care for his Pokemon to that extent. And if you think he replaced his original Togepi with a Togetic/Togekiss behind the scenes, I addressed that in one of the replies to this comment. Another Pokemon that proves this point is his Garchomp, which you first see as a Gible in your second battle with him. Of course, unlike Togepi, this Pokemon evolves with leveling, so we can't play the friendship level card to prove his bond with it. However (assuming he didn't just replace it with a Gabite/Garchomp), he had a strong commitment to raising it through all three stages of its evolution, showing the devotion he has to his Pokemon. Now, going back to Pokemon that only evolve with high friendship: Riolu. Maybe he caught a Lucario and skipped the evolution, but judging by how he chose to raise his Gible rather than catching a Garchomp, as well as how he raised his Togepi rather than catching a Togekiss, I think he very likely started off with and raised a Riolu as well. And if this is true, then we can once again judge Volo's true character based on him having one. This game's Pokedex entry for Riolu states that it "has the mysterious ability to read the minds of humans," and that "the pure of heart are met with Riolu's approval, while those of ill nature earn only its loathing." Lucario, of course, has the same traits and abilities as Riolu, so even if he never actually had a Riolu, this point still stands. If Volo truly had an "ill nature," then he would not be able to gain the trust of a Riolu, much less have it fight for him or evolve into Lucario. And even if Volo somehow faked his bond with Togepi, it would be impossible for him to manipulate a Riolu/Lucario, which can read minds. Thus, the only conclusion we can draw is that he is pure at heart; he genuinely wants to make the world a better place, and he genuinely thinks that what he is doing is right. TL;DR: Volo has Pokemon that only evolve if they have a strong, mutual bond with their trainers, he chooses to raise his Pokemon from their first evolutions rather than simply catching an evolved form to skip the process, and his Lucario can read his mind and tell that he is pure of heart. So, Volo is a genuinely good person deep down, but does not realize how misguided he has become. But this is all just how I perceive his character, and also me overanalyzing a team that was only created for the purpose of mirroring Cynthia's, so make of this what you will!

I went into this fight knowing damn well what would happen. Three tries later, that damn piano is all I hear as I grind for levels and EVs, and on the fourth try I was estatic when I FINALLY took down Origin Giratina. Now as I work to get Arceus, I HAVE PTSD OVER THIS PIANO-

Literally an 8 Pokémon battle. And it took me probably 8 tries. Volo is the best “champion” endgame fight in any Pokémon game. *Change my mind, I dare you.*

Love that he's referred to as a Pokemon wielder, I've actually forgotten what all other characters we fight at any point were referred to as, but it stuck out to me when he was called a wielder. It's such a contrast to a trainer. He wields Pokemon like objects, like weapons.

lets be real Arceus sent the player back in time to stop volo from taking over the world because he was far far stronger then any other person in this era. If arceus didn't send the player back in time volo probably would have been completely unstopable and might have actually succeeded in his plan.

This. Truly the hardest fight in the series. Bar none. It's effectively 8v6. In a game where avoiding revenge kos is much harder, and trainer battles are much less prominent. They basically took Cynthia, followed it up with Ultra Necrozma (including even better stat boosts and a reduction to indirect damage), and then gave it a second stage.

As someone who grew up with pokemon, I cried when this played. But not out of nostalgia or happiness. But out of pure fear and dread as I knew what was coming.

The reveal of Volo's true nature hurts even more when you remember that he was the one who helped you find a safe place after you were exiled. ;-;

How nice it is that Volo is the antagonist and Cyllene is a helper to the protagonist. This was probably the first pokemon game where I was surprised at who the antagonist was. Pokemon Legends:Arceus is a truly magnificent game.

Volo as a character changed me...... I have so long awaited Giratina to get the presence and backstory it deserved in a Pokémon game and an absolutely batshit insane villain turning insane with obsession is just what I needed to see alongside it. Volo was there when you had nobody else, after everyone had cast you out, he reached out to you.... and then in the end he sicks his devil on you to STRIKE YOU DOWN..... ugh the BETRAYAL!!! I love this character! I love this game!!!

The greatest difference is that Cynthia only managed to bring a piano. Volo? He brought out THE ENTIRE FUCKING ORCHESTRA

Can we agree that Volo is definitely in the top 5 of strongest trainers ever. He managed to open a rift in space-time, bringing 2 people to the past, causing alpha pokemon to appear, cause 5 extremely powerful pokemon to become frenzied then managed to give Giratina enough power to escape the distortion world and fight Arceus itself, control Giratina, become one of the few people at his time to fully master catching pokemon, do this all undercover without anyone suspecting him and finally, he did this all by himself without any help from anyone apart from his pokemon. And he actually came so close to meeting Arceus.

It's funny how everyone assumed Cyrus or Rowans ancestors would be the main villains and It's actually Cynthia's ancestor. Really gave me a swerve, most of the recent bad guys who where twists where easily seen as such (Lusamine, Rose) but this guy just seemed like a normal shopkeeper

Cynthia: "Buddy, you think you look strong? You're cheating with 8 pokemon! You're just a cheap f***ing knockoff." Volo: "Oh, no. No, no, no. I'm the upgrade."

He “wields” Pokémon. But has a Togekiss. To evolve Togepi, he needs high friendship. So he is friendly with his Pokémon. Equals. Makes no sense to say he doesn’t view his Pokémon as a “means to an end”. FRIENDSHIP!

Volo is definitely one of my favorite Pokémon antagonists now up there with N. My man is a good guy corrupted by ambition and the need to feel chosen.

I don't think I can understate the raw fear I felt in my soul when I heard those piano notes. Something about Cynthia's theme playing when you don't expect it induces so much more terror than facing her down in the Sinnoh games proper.

I love the feelings of dread instilled by the violins. It really feels like Volo is about to kill you and take over the world.

*Anyone else get chills down their spine when the reference to Cynthia’s theme plays at the start of Volo’s theme?*

My favourite thing about this twist is how subtle it is. Unlike say, Lysandre (who's still a pretty good villain) who might as well have had a sign saying: Hey, I'm gonna be the bad guy, Volo is involved enough in the story and world so that you think he's just a normal character but constantly shows signs that make him always seem 'off'. At the back of your head u know he must be hiding something but don't have enough information to place it down. Only when he starts sending you to collect the plates in the post-game do the pieces slowly start falling into place until you finally see him for who he truly is. The moment I saw him send out Spiritomb with a full team of six I started getting BW post-game flashbacks.

A strangely calm and peaceful theme.. for the main villain... ??

If there are more Legends games, it would be cool to see Volo return as the antagonist, trying everything to win. Slowly getting more desperate, even

He was my favorite character because he seemed so friendly and genuine and helpful. Ultimate betrayal. If I knew this guy in real life, I definitely would’ve liked him a lot as a friend and ally. THE BETRAYAL HURT SO MUCH. I don’t remember the last time I had such raw emotions for a video game character. 😭

Interestingly, his name Volo not only means "I wish" in latin, but his name is also a part of the term Diavolo, which means devil in italian. Given his ace, I think that name fits him even more now.

You know what? I decided I wanted a Togekiss on my main team for this game because of this dude. I told my friend that I thought he was pretty cool and she (who had the game months before me) responded with “oh”. Few days later, I get to this battle and MY HEART SHATTERED, this is probably the first ever character in this franchise I truly gotten attached to and ouch that hurts.

*"Why!* *Why must you have the* *_Blessing of Arceus?!"_*

Volo is Game Freak's formal apology for butchering Rose as a villain in Sword and Shield.

Can we just take a moment to reflect on how absolutely insane Volo's Battle AI is? I was floored by his Togekiss multiple times, Had to redo the fight. He even walled out my Dialga and Palkia, Aswell as a maxed Avalugg, Sneasler and Garchomp. His AI abuses the Agile>Strong Combo to practically guarantee his mon' can one-hit you if it's Supereffective against your type. Even his Giratina AI in the later fight was absurd. I think whoever designed his AI deserves a pat on the back.

Volo, Red, N. Top 3 best final bosses in all pokemon games, hands down. Legends really outdid itself in many ways.

Even though we all sort of expected this, him losing it completely timed with this music hits as hard as finding out the 8th Kanto Gym Leader is Giovanni.

I legit did not expect this twist. I should’ve, but I just didn’t. It was so cool to see someone like Cynthia’s descendant turn out to be the main villain. So shocking, yet so badass