William the Just

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William the Just is a video game character in the Legacy of Kain games. He appeared in the first game voiced by Tony Jay.

William the Just was a young king who came to power about twenty years before Kain's birth. In the original history, William was given the Soul Reaver by Moebius. Over the years, the power of the blade transformed him and turned William from a kind and gentle ruler to a warmongering tyrant known only as the Nemesis. His army met in battle with that of King Ottmar of Willendorf and was on a swift road to victory when Kain, who had been fighting on Ottmar's side, vanished into the past.

Kain's arrival in the past would soon change history. Kain, also armed with the Soul Reaver, fought and killed the younger version of William, thus preventing the young king from ever becoming the Nemesis. Upon returning to the present, Kain discovered that William had been propelled into martyrdom and his death had become a catalyst for Moebius' genocidal crusade against the vampires.

William's death plays slightly a larger role, as it later convinces both Kain and Raziel that it is possible to change history, which becomes a major aspect of the series.