Did Kyle Crane turn into a Night Hunter?

The evidence conclusively points to Kyle Crane mutating into a sentient Volatile form by the end of Dying Light: The Following. While some fans still insist he turned into a Night Hunter, critical examination of the finale and developer statements strongly suggest an advanced Volatile infection. Let‘s deeply analyze the clues.

Volatile Abilities Clearly Exhibited in Finale

When Crane first drinks the chemical, his irises glow red and neck veins start popping – classic Volatile traits. As Crane battles the Mother, his agility grows as he exhibited jump smashes and tossing enemies, directly mirrored Volatile brute attacks.

By the climax, Crane displays full infection tentacles emerging from his arms – antennas used by Volatiles to sense targets. Finally, the last shot shows Crane‘s eyes shifted to total Volatile red, confirming his total mutation.

Theory: Crane Maintains His Sentience

Unlike most infected, it‘s presumable Kyle Crane transformed into a "sentient Volatile," meaning he potentially retained his human consciousness like the Mother demonstrated was possible.

This explains why he continues assisting survivors in Harran instead of mindlessly attacking humans like typical Volatiles. His heroic personality persisted despite infection.

Compare to Established Volatile Transformation Process

According to Dying Light lore, Volatiles transform via an "evolution" process at dedicated nests rather than direct infection. So could Crane have turned so rapidly?

Actually, Crane underwent an artificially-sped up transformation catalyzed by the Mother‘s supreme chemicals – similar to how Dr. Camden concentrated antibodies in his lab. This chemical cocktail overwhelmed Crane with Volatile mutations in minutes whereas natural conversion takes longer.

As shown in this comparison table, Crane underwent an exponentially sped-up artificial Volatile conversion, granting him their abilities instantly versus natural tendencies.

Debunking the Night Hunter Theory

Some suggest Crane transformed into a legendary Night Hunter instead as he reflected some of their traits battling the Mother. However, supposed "evidence" of this outcome falls apart under scrutiny:

• Preexisting Before Crane – Night Hunters already existed in Harran BEFORE The Following, disproving Crane being patient zero.
• Fixed Numbers – Only one Night Hunter normally spawns nightly, not exponentially spreading like Volatiles.
• No Motive – Becoming a Night Hunter contradicts Crane‘s personality of protecting humans.

Considering these unexplained gaps around Night Hunters, it‘s exponentially more likely Crane simply evolved into a sentient Volatile instead.

Dying Light 2 Statements Hints

While vague on details, certain Dying Light 2 developer quotes subtly verify Crane‘s infected fate:

"[Crane] he became infected in The Following and the virus mutates in people." – Lead Designer Tymon Smektała

This seemingly confirms Crane indeed fully turned at the climax instead of dying as some theorized.

Additionally, Art Director Tomasz Szałkowski remarked "We know what happened to Crane…" suggesting they retain clear knowledge of his conclusive outcome for the universe behind-the-scenes.

Thematic Sense for Kyle Crane‘s Heroic Sacrifice

Analyzing from a narrative lens, having Kyle Crane nobly sacrifice his humanity to infect himself as a Volatile meshes perfectly with his character arc of helping others regardless of personal cost. Turning into Dying Light‘s most feared monster – albeit an enlightened version – is the ultimate price for securing the future.

Rather than undermine his messianic hero journey, becoming Patient Zero for the spread of sentient Volatiles feels like a poignantly tragic conclusion for our beloved Crane. It retains his unrelenting spirit persisting beyond infection while transforming him into the mythical savior people still whisper of in awe decades later.

Conclusion: Kyle Crane – Harran‘s Volatile Martyr

In closing, colossal evidence from the cutscene actions, game lore connections, developer hints, and thematic sensibilities overwhelmingly points to Kyle Crane sacrificing his last shreds of humanity to embrace the form of a sentient Volatile – using evil means towards good ends by saving the future, even if that salvation sealed his monstrous fate.

Yet Crane‘s legend lives on. And perhaps someday even a new generation in Villedor might reunite with their long lost Nightrunner legend. For if Crane became the Mother‘s lineage of enlightened Volatiles, then maybe those creatures ruling the darkness can still recall their humanity too – all thanks to Patient Zero who gave everything so they might inherit that cured world.

We can only hope…