Kaden is a historical character in the Ratchet & Clank series, mentioned in Tools of Destruction, A Crack in Time, and Rift Apart. He was a lombax who was the keeper of the Dimensionator, the father of Ratchet, and a close friend to Alister Azimuth. He was also an associate of Mags. Kaden grew up on Fastoon in the Polaris Galaxy.
Kaden was heroic in his day, going on many adventures with Azimuth. When Emperor Tachyon attacked Fastoon, Kaden stayed behind to protect the Dimensionator. Ratchet, who grew up in the Solana Galaxy after Kaden sent him there, is said to have inherited many of Kaden's traits, particularly his heroism, resourcefulness, and mastery of hoverboots.
History[]
Early life[]
A photo of Kaden with Azimuth.
Kaden grew up as childhood friends with Alister Azimuth. Throughout their youth, the two would often go on daring adventures, including hoverbooting in the Odin Caves of Krell Canyon, where he and Azimuth would sneak in after the vullards left; at one point, Kaden almost broke his arm hoverbooting in the caves.[1]
As a teenager (around 15-16 years old), after seeing an ad for the Agorian Battleplex, Kaden stole Azimuth's father's trillium harvester and set out for the Battleplex, using his own father's ID to enter the gold tournament. He won the tournament but was grounded by his father for a month afterward.[2] Rumors of his victory persisted,[3] though the agorians never admitted to it.[2]
At 19 years old, Kaden was able to outrace any of the lombax elders. He became captain of the hoverball team on Fastoon. Ultimately, Azimuth could outrace him.[2]
At some point, during a summer, Kaden and Azimuth went on a secret mission to Orrack Minor's outskirts, where space pirates had taken over a vullard settlement. During the battle of Erundai, Kaden and Azimuth also led an army of terraklons away from a fongoid refugee camp.[2].[a]
Kaden was also an engineer who invented the CryoMines used in the CryoMine Glove.[5][6][b] He was the first outsider to theorize the existence of the Great Clock based on runes on Quantos.
Kaden at some point had a son, Ratchet, a moment Azimuth claimed was the happiest he had ever seen him.[2]
Leadup to Tachyon[]
Kaden became the keeper of the Dimensionator.[8]
Percival Tachyon, who had been taken in by the lombaxes, at one point approached them, presenting himself as an inventor with great ideas. Azimuth was keen to listen to Tachyon, while Kaden warned against trusting him.[9]
Kaden and the lombax council tasked a genius lombax named Mags, known for successful mapping work on Savali, to map every dimension in existence,[10] so as to find a perfect dimension for the lombaxes to hide in.[11] Kaden loaned Mags the Dimensionator, Mags noting he would need a year and three weeks of no sleep to complete the task.[12] Kaden asked Mags to speed up the process, leading Mags to convert the device into a helmet used by voice commands.[13]
Azimuth recalls Kaden being too late to prevent his wife's murder.
Tachyon, having been granted access to lombax technology from Azimuth,[9] led his Imperial Army to attack Fastoon.[8] As the lombaxes took refuge in the Court of Azimuth on Fastoon,[8][9] Kaden searched for his wife, but she was already gone.[9] The lombaxes were able to flee to the dimension that Mags had found,[11] but Kaden and his infant son Ratchet remained behind. Kaden sent Ratchet to Solana.[8]
Tachyon eventually found and killed Kaden.[8]
Legacy[]
Kaden's death left a great mark on Azimuth later in life, holding himself personally responsible after being exiled from joining the rest of his kind for his hand in the attack.[9] Azimuth firmly believed Kaden would have wanted Azimuth to use the Great Clock to prevent it from occurring.[9][14]
Ratchet would grow up safe from Tachyon's vendetta thanks to Kaden, until Tools of Destruction. However, he would know nothing of his heritage or his real family. When Tachyon eventually tracked Ratchet down, Ratchet ultimately avenged Kaden by defeating Tachyon.
Characteristics[]
Kaden is, so far, only ever seen as a picture inside Azimuth's pocket watch. As noted by the General, he looks remarkably similar to Ratchet in overall appearance,[6] with the addition of extra striping around the fur on his face. He wears clothing similar to Ratchet's own suit used during A Crack in Time and also wields a wrench similar to the OmniWrench 3000 and the OmniWrench 8000.
Azimuth described Kaden as a great lombax and as smart as they come.[6] In Azimuth's stories of Kaden, he exhibits witticisms and typical personality traits similar to Ratchet, namely rebelliousness, fearlessness, and a sense of humor.[2] Though Kaden had warned Azimuth about Tachyon, suggesting a difference of opinion, Azimuth nonetheless contended that Kaden would have been fully supportive of Azimuth's plan with the Great Clock.[9][14] Kaden's trust in Mags despite Mags' lack of self-confidence suggested a willingness to hold belief in others that they themselves did not hold.[10]
Behind the scenes[]
After completing the main story of A Crack in Time, Lord Vorselon claims to have once been Kaden's accountant,[15] though it is ultimately unknown if he is being truthful.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
- ↑ As "Erundai" is the name of the floodgate and the nearby outpost of Gimlick Valley, Morklon,[4] it is possible the river itself is named Erundai. This would suggest that this battle Kaden participated in took place on Morklon.
- ↑ The Smuggler purchased a Gyro-cycle modified with a terrathruster from a lombax in the Vorox Nebula who looked like Ratchet,[7] implying Kaden had modified it and sold it to the Smuggler.
Citations[]
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "Explore Odin Caves (gameplay)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 A Crack in Time script § "Master the Hoverboots (gameplay)"
- ↑ A Crack in Time menu § "Galactic Trivia"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "The Battle of Gimlick Valley"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "Alister Azimuth"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 A Crack in Time script § "The General and Kaden"
- ↑ Tools of Destruction script § "Buy a Gyro-Cycle (gameplay)"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Tools of Destruction script § "Find Tachyon (gameplay)"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 A Crack in Time script § "The Fall of the Lombaxes"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Rift Apart script § "Asking the Impossible (I)"
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rift Apart script § "The Reason (XI)"
- ↑ Rift Apart script § "Who Needs Sleep? (II)"
- ↑ Rift Apart script § "One Size Fits All (VIII)"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 A Crack in Time script § "Stop General Azimuth at all Costs! (gameplay)"
- ↑ A Crack in Time script § "Post-Credits"
References[]
- Insomniac Games (2007). Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2009). Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time [Game]. Sony Computer Entertainment. PlayStation 3.
- Insomniac Games (2021). Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart [Game]. Sony Interactive Entertainment. PlayStation 5.