The sad thing is that if you look at Vladimir’s design and consider Volk is undamaged you can get an idea of how the man died. The frayed cords were probably meant to be a tether to tie you to the ship during a spacewalk, as well as supply you with oxygen from the ship. Vladimir was out doing a spacewalk and one thing led to another and he got this tether cut, leaving Volk undamaged but him to be killed by oxygen starvation.

He's a spirit. His helmet is empty after Travis finishes him. He is a spirit that just wanted to see Earth again.

You know what the sad part about this character is?

I just love what an amazing freaking title Shoegazer Watched the Stars is when you really think about it, the implication that you can be looking down at your feet and also seeing the stars and the void of space below is really something.

I have to say, I felt quite bad for killing Captain Vladimir. Not much is known about his backstory, but you get the impression that he was once a great space explorer. However, he went insane during one of his voyages, and the UAA took advantage of him and his insanity. Made him into a killer, when really he just wasn't right in the head. It makes the finale that much more bittersweet when he sees the Earth for one last time, and is allowed to rest in peace.

"This is Earth?"

did anyone else notice, as you are fighting him and whittling down his health, the sun begins to rise? and at the end of the fight when he regains his sanity it's dawn? nice touches.

So let me get this straight, an organization specialising in assassination had at one point two ghosts on their payroll? How does that even work for clients?

I love how No More Heroes flirts with supernatural- in second game you fight two ghosts, as far as I recall, the Captain Vladimir and that killer with a flamethrower, both are kept in as killers due to either unfinished want- that killers want to murder - or not realizing they passed away and are finally where they wanted to be- this is the case for Vladimir.

Random fact time, "Л.Т.И." writing on his spacesuit pronounced as L.T.I., this abbreviation doesn't mean anything, but can be pronounced as "лети" (leti) which means "fly" on russian

This makes me think how an awesome concept like ghost astronauts is sadly unused in media.

This game needs to be rereleased for a newer console. Would love to play again.

The theory that the wires on his back being cut throughout the fight is a representation of his sanity could probably be right since maybe the UAA was pumping some sort of hallucinating has into his suit to prevent him from waking up inside of the wires. Another reason I wish the ending had the choice to kill Silvia and/or save the Assassins who where good like Vladimir or Ryuji.

I like to imagine that the ghostly voices you can hear in the song are the radio messages between Vladimir and Mission Control during the launch sequence of Volk. It's Vladimir's last memory of human contact and it's been playing over and over through his head all this time.

Did anybody get The Fury vibes from MGS3 fighting this guy? Loved this boss fight and not too hard before the harder bosses.

Is it just me or does the boss constantly saying please respond go really well with this song?

Rank 4-2 probably is some of the best collection of bosses in gaming's, I really enjoy all of them with this possibly being near my favorite. I really enjoy the idea of fighting an undead cosmonaut with this really surreal shoegaze track playing. I honestly thinks that Vladimir was not really an assassin but ended up in the UA ranking anyway for killing rank 3 by proxy since he really didn't acknowledge Travis as a challenger.

I almost cried when he said "Volk... My ship..." The poor guy is so clueless of everything ;(

I love the part at 1:36 , where on one of the repeats of the "melody", the "harmony" swells in this really triumphant, build-up-y way. This song rocks, man.

a Russian ghost cosmonaut. creepy, yet so badass