Fans have become well aware of how sinister and malicious Yara's Anton Castillo can be, especially in the most recent reveal trailer. Every Far Cry game is generally centered on the focal point villain, and Far Cry 6 is clearly no different. From the CGI teaser trailer, to the little tidbits of narrative shown in gameplay trailers thus far, Anton Castillo has shown his penchant for ruthlessness and no hesitance. That alone doesn't make him particularly different compared to other antagonists in the Far Cry series, rather it's his son who makes his character design unique. Diego Castillo is meant to be Anton's successor, but the relationship is far more tenuous than it seemed.
After the initial reveal of Far Cry 6, many looked to Diego as Anton's most interesting aspect of potential character development. He's an impressionable teenager growing up under a dictator with a savior complex, an upbringing he doesn't seem to be too particularly thrilled about based on the latest trailer. However, prior to that chilling scene on the boat, Diego was always described by Far Cry 6 narrative director Navid Khavari as "riding the razor's edge." Players presumably find out throughout the game's story whether or not Diego intends to follow in his father's footsteps as dictator, or as shown in the trailer, attempt to leave his life on Yara for a better future.
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The most interesting thing about the latest Far Cry 6 trailer is that duality seems to clearly not be the case. The latest trailer seems to act as the inciting incident for Dani Rojas to join the Libertad revolution in Yara, but it also serves to introduce a much more troubling dynamic between Anton and Diego Castillo. At first, it was perplexing to see Anton personally boarding a seemingly random smuggling ship on the way out of Yara, until it was revealed that the boy among the refugees was his son. Clearly, Diego has fallen off that razor's edge entirely in this context: Diego attempting to leave the country altogether is clearly a sign that not all is well between father and son.
Either that, or perhaps Diego's attempt at escape is in service to his rejection of Anton's ideals, and legacy as the future dictator of Yara. Clearly Diego wants to leave Yara incognito; starting anew wherever he can get by, without the looming pressure of an entire downtrodden and ravenous country hanging over his head. If he really was on the razor's edge, he wouldn't be trying to escape from Anton's clutches. That being said, perhaps this feeble attempt at escape is a hint of his waning dissent towards Anton, and throughout the story of Far Cry 6, Diego is slowly indoctrinated into Anton's life as an authoritarian leader, against his will.
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In the earlier gameplay trailer, scenes depict Diego Castillo in full military uniform not too dissimilar from Anton's dictator attire. Diego is even in a separate interrogation scene with protagonist Dani Rojas, alongside Anton, and doesn't seem to show any semblance of being uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the situation. There's a pretty clear and direct disparity between that scene and the most recent reveal from Far Cry 6's campaign. While narrative and gameplay choices may influence Diego Castillo's character development throughout the game, there is some kind of disconnect between these two scenes that will inevitably be fleshed out in the full story.
Narrative Director Navid Khavari describes Far Cry 6's Yara as "an island of contrasts," which clearly extends further beyond the game's open-world design. Being the young and impressionable teenager he is, Diego Castillo emphasizes that contrast in the game's narrative direction just as much as the country itself. For Anton Castillo, a man hellbent on his ambitions and steadfast in his belief as the savior of "paradise," his son Diego appears to be plagued by indecision and uncertainty. However, if Diego Castillo came as close as possible to escaping Yara altogether, how uncertain is he truly? Especially if the boat scene with Anton is towards the beginning of the game.
Perhaps Diego develops a degree of Stockholm Syndrome alongside Anton as Far Cry 6's story progresses, but it's hard to determine how indecisive Diego may be. If he's willing to go as far as leave the country altogether in the beginning hours of Far Cry 6, it's hard to imagine a world where he's convinced to stay in Yara, especially by his father. For him to be present during what appears to be an interrogation scene (presumably) later on in the story, and not be anything other than a captive audience to Anton Castillo, wouldn't particularly make sense. It's unclear if rescuing Diego is even the player's job in Far Cry 6, but it's clear that Anton isn't Diego's favorite person.
Far Cry 6 releases on October 7, 2021, for Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.