Valiance

Valiance is an angel of the First Sphere that challenges Bayonetta during his hunt for Loki on Loptr's behalf. Appearing in the second game, Bayonetta 2 as a mini-boss, this angel chronologically first appeared during the playable E3 2013 demo and was later showcased in more detail in the playable E3 2014 demo of the game.

Development
In the Prologue: World of Chaos demo at E3 2013 (and later 2014), though it is not fought directly, Valiance makes an appearance in trying to destroy the various transportation Bayonetta moves on. At first, it tries to stab Bayonetta on top of the fighter jet before she kicks it away. Jeanne quickly appears and Wicked Weave punches it into a nearby building. The angel is later seen throwing its enormous sword to destroy the rest of the bridge that Bayonetta's train is on.

In the E3 2014 demo, Valiance appears on the outside of the church in Noatun's Cascade Foregrounds. It claims it is searching for Loki, however, Bayonetta swiftly gets the angel's attention. It makes a remark about how she is famous among angels as the Left Eye and is about to make a comment about the Eyes of the World before it is silence by a gunshot. It engages in combat with Bayonetta but ultimately loses when the witch summons Madama Butterfly. The demon uses Valiance's own sword against it, stabbing it repeatedly before slamming it into the church from the sheer force of her attack.

Hierarchy of Laguna
"'Valliance is a First Sphere Cherub considered particularly ascendant as a spiritual being even among the other angels. Physical shape means little to angels of this rank; they exist in a metaphysical form that demonstrates the majesty of God." "The most ambitious and brave of the Cherubim, there are some sources that believe Valiance first arrived on Earth thousands of years ago, riding a comet of God's wrath that destroyed everything in its way.""Valiance's sword, the Valiantium Blade, is said to have the power to cut in two anything in Paradiso or Inferno, and is prophesized to one day assist a team of over a hundred heros in saving humanity from an invading evil.'"

Gameplay
Valiance is a knight-like figure that serves as a mini-boss, its main weapon is the large two-handed sword it carries. It uses a number of different types of attacks.

He is first seen at the beginning of the game, during the chaotic battle of the angels against Bayonetta and Rosa. while Bayonetta is in the Umbran Armor fighting angels on top of an Insidious. Valiance then appears cutting Insidious in half. after that Bayonetta and the angel fight on top of a falling building, which is destroyed by another Insidious.

The sword has multiple styles of attack. It has wide sweeping cuts, an overhead swing, a slash that cuts into the ground, and on occasion, it will also stab the ground if Bayonetta gets too close. When using its blade, Valiance will drop into a wide stance and swing thus exposing its back for a short time. For its slash, Valiance will take a step back then lunge forward slicing the ground as its blade moves forward. If Bayonetta runs directly under the angel it will jump up, flip the sword to angle downward then stab the ground; if Valiance grabs Bayonetta (it will reach for her if she runs under its legs) it will slam her into the ground then attempt to stab her. Its last type of attack is a large overhead swing that slams into the ground.

Its secondary attacks are golden arrows and kicks/stomps. When Valiance uses the arrows they are launched in hail, after they land they will explode. These arrows can be destroyed before they explode. If Bayonetta is close enough Valiance will attempt to either kick or stomp her.

To kill Valiance, Bayonetta will attack the legs/knees; it's also possible that its back is its main weakness as there is a blue circle between its shoulder blades much like a Beloved. When the angel is stunned it will fall to its knees and drop the sword to a distance. Its face then extends outwards from it in a manner similar to Temperantia and is vulnerable to attack while in this state. Bayonetta will summon Madama Butterfly as the Climax finisher, with Butterfly stabbing the sword into Valiance's body repeatedly until it dies. Do the same when another one appears including Madama Butterfly.

Appearance
Valiance appears as a celestial knight or samurai with a red muscular body armored in jewel-encrusted gold and ivory with a pair of shining golden wings. Valiance's most noticeable feature is headlessness. Instead, its face is built into the hilt of the gigantic sword it carries. It uses this face to speak and holds the sword upright when talking. Unusually for an angel, Valiance also appears to be completely mechanical under its outer skin, bearing a glowing blue power core in its abdomen and possessing what appears to be headlights for its true eyes. The only other angels that bear this feature are Valor and Sapientia.

Bayonetta 2
While Bayonetta fends off a band of angels, Valiance arrives to attack Bayonetta, who blocks his thrust and counters with a kick to Valiance's head on his blade. He is then promptly punched by Jeanne, who unleashed a Wicked Weave punch manifesting Madama Styx's fist and is sent into a building. Valiance later reappears as Bayonetta battles a Belief angel, throwing his blade and destroy a train track in an effort to kill the witch, though his efforts are countered by Bayonetta and/or Jeanne's usage of Witch Time.

Valiance later appears in Noatun while the Laguna hunt for Loki, arriving after sensing the power of the Remembrances of Time. Meeting Bayonetta once more, he recognizes her and when he expresses gratitude in stumbling upon her, he is interrupted by a gunshot from the impatient witch. He then battles the Umbra Witch, the woman gaining the upper hand and summons Madama Butterfly to finish him off. After Valiance's body is stabbed numerous times from the Valantium Blade, he is killed from the efforts of the Infernal Demon.

Abilities
Valiance is a particularly skilled angel and combat, capable of jumping at high distances in the air and performing flips. Physically, Valiance was powerful enough to have survived a Wicked Weave punch by Jeanne, courtesy of her sponsor, Madama Styx. Most notably is it's a skill in swordsmanship, able to perform a thrust to hit an opponent as small and narrow as Bayonetta and skilled enough to engage the Umbra Witch for a short bout before being utterly overpowered and beaten by Madama Butterfly. Among its other skills includes being a skilled sensor and tracker, having sensed Loki's location from the usage of the Remembrances of Time.
 * Weapons
 * Valantium Blade: Valaiance's chosen weapon. This weapon is capable of extending itself in length and powerful enough to clash with Love is Blue and cut through and destroy a bridge. In gameplay, one of the QTE (Quick Time Event) scenes depict the blade capable of killing Bayonetta in a single hit and cutting a jet.

Trivia

 * Valiance's design was originally intended to be used in the first Bayonetta. In the Eyes Of Bayonetta artbook, Yusuke Hashimoto, the angel designer for the first game and the eventual director of Bayonetta 2, said he intended this angel to be a 'lone knight' sort of figure that had to be cut due to limited resources. Hashimoto also states that this was one of his favorite designs.
 * The name of Valiance's weapon is a direct reference to Wonder Blue's weapon (of the same name), and mentions the The Wonderful 101 which was made before Bayonetta 2.
 * Although Valiance's body has a halo, Valiance itself does not making it one of the few angels without one.