History Characters / FinalfantasyXII

** Similarly, just how atheltic and hunky Vaan is depends on the artsyle, and even the very game or piece of media itself. In ''XII'', FMV sequences portray Vaan at his most buff. ''Revenant Wings'' revamps him to appear more sterotypically "youthful kid", downplaying his physique tremendously most of the time. ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'', conversely, plays up his buff-ness, showing Vaan at his most cut. ''Tactics A2'' downplays only insofar as his loose-fitting shirt doesn't flatter his muscle tone as clearly as his vest does, but he generally back to be more atheletic in appearance than ''Revenant Wings''.

* {{Revenge}}: His beloved master was slain [[spoiler:by the great beast Yiazmat]], and all the master's disciples were scattered to the winds. He created Clan Centurio in order to find (or train) [[spoiler:the one warrior who would be able to match and slay Yiazmat and thus avenge his master by proxy.]]

* RoyalBrat: Ashe can be haughty, proud and quick to dismiss those below her station.
--> Basch: ''"You've met Amalia?"''
--> Vaan: ''"I've met nicer people."''

* UnscrupulousHero: She spends most of the game focused on gaining nethicite with her ultimate goal being using it to destroy the Archadian Empire to avenge her husband and restore her kingdom. CharacterDevelopment sees her gaining scruples.

* CharacterDevelopment: Learns to do what is best for Dalmasca and its people as opposed to blindly chasing revenge against the Empire, which would probably get her kingdom destroyed and herself killed. Also becomes more heroic and sociable as time goes on, when you first meet her she's a bit of a bitch and doesn't really trust the other party members.

* CommonalityConnection: Vaan and Ashe have this with their extremely similar experience during the war with Archades and it's because of this they can see the ghost of their lost loved ones in the Tomb of Raithwall. In the climax of the game, it's this bond that [[spoiler: allows Vaan to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope save Ashe from herself]]]].

Mysterious beings known as ''The Undying'' who act as Gods over Ivalice and dwell within the Great Crystal high above Giruvegan where not even airships can reach.

* {{Expy}}: A knight who fights for what he believes in and serves as a tutor and guardian to a blond-haired child and a princess, much like Obi-Wan Kenobi. That being said, Vaan is not his direct apprentice, and Ashe is, by all means, his military superior.

-->Voiced by Creator/YosukeAkimoto (Japanese) and Gary Martin (English)

* DistressedDamsel: Like Penelo before her, she gets kidnapped by Ba'Gamnan, but is quickly rescued.

* {{Leitmotif}}: The cutscene-specific "Basch's Reminiscence", which plays as he recounts Reks and King Raminas' deaths by Gabranth. It's a somber, melancholic theme that uses some notes from "White Room", the theme that plays during Vaan's own recollection of Reks in his catatonia, as well as in Mt. Bur-Omisace after Judge Bergan's rampage.

* MythologyGag: While not named after a previous villain, Zalera's design in this game pays homage to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]], with a black wing in the place of its right arm and the shamaness attached to it resembling [=JENOVA=].

* RecurringBoss: A few times in the first game but even more in the sequel, where they get more focus in general. During the time Ba'Gamnan is (unwillingly) on your side, he is actually quite happy to help you beat up his siblings.

[[folder:The Occuria (Unmarked Spoilers ahead)]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ffxii_gerunjpg.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Gerun, leader of the Occuria]]
->"Undying, we Occuria light the path for wayward sons of man. Oft did we pass judgment on them so that Ivalice might endure. Eternal, we are hist'ry's stewards, to set the course and keep it true."

\\
Mysterious beings known as ''The Undying'' who act as Gods over Ivalice and dwell within the Great Crystal high above Giruvegan where not even airships can reach.

* BerserkButton: The Occuria are furious over Venat helping the Archadians make their own nethicite and want nothing but their complete and utter destruction, collateral damage be damned. Gerun doesn't take it well when Ashe says Venat is an Occuria too. This outrages the Occuria king so much that it loses its composure and its eyes flare with fury. The other Occuria manifest their physical forms, angered by Ashe's statement.
-->'''Gerun:''' The nethicite is ''ours'' to give, to chosen bearer or to none.\\
The heretic tresspassed, and set the rose of knowledge in Man's hand.\\
With imitations they ''profane... it is anathema to us!''\\
We give you now the Stone and Task! Administer judgement: '''DESTROY THEM ALL!!!'''\\

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Essentially, they view their actions as promoting peace among mortals. Sometimes their actions can make things look beneficial, but if they see something as an obstacle to their vision of how the world should be, they will take any means to remove it, regardless of what it is.
* EnergyBeings: They are mysterious floating masses of mist with blank faces and glowing orange eyes.
* EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity: Whatever they are, they grant their favor to those who they deem worthy of power.
* GodIsEvil: What Venat thinks, anyways. Not to say they aren't probably right, though, given how overbearing and temperamental Gerun is.
* GreaterScopeVillain: Their control over history is what spurred Venat to turn, making them responsible for the whole plot. They also act as a collective GreaterScopeVillain for the entire Ivalice Alliance, given how every other game set in Ivalice (except for ''Tactics Advance'') follow this one chronologically.
* InvisibleToNormals: Well, to anyone they don't want to talk to anyway.
* JerkassGods: Beyond their manipulations, if they see something as an obstacle to how they think the world should be, they don't care if its an entire country, they will use any means to remove it.
* ManipulativeBastard: They manipulate Ashe's emotions via visions of Rasler to encourage her to fight Archadia.
* NoGender: None of the Occuria are clearly male or female.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: It is they who conjure the ghosts of Rasler and Reks to manipulate Ashe and Vaan.
* ScrewYouElves: Venat's opinion of them, feeling they have no right to manipulate mortals. Ashe has it by the end of the game.
* TopGod: Gerun is their leader.
* VoiceOfTheLegion: Gerun's voice echoes.

!The Espers
[[folder:General tropes]]

The {{summon|Magic}}s of the game. Thirteen creatures of unfathomable power created by the Occuria during their rule of the world, scions of darkness opposuing Occurian scions of light, who were all spurned and punished by their creators: twelve for their combined act of rebellion, and one for their own immense power compared to their fellows. The Espers were cast down to different parts of Ivalice and constitute one of the game's most challenging series of bonus bosses, and defeating them will give the player the ability to assign them as a summon to a party member.

* BladeOnAStick: In the original game, Rinok fights with spears.

* BladeOnAStick: His primary weapon, fitting into his portrayal as a Dragoon.

* {{Expy}}: With Bhujerba serving as the game's analogue to Cloud City (a nation who stands neutral in the central conflict but ultimately sides with the Resistance), Ondore holds Lando Calrissian's charge as its ruler. Although he also [[DecompositeCharacter shares]] the role of Lando's expy with Vossler.

* WorldsStrongestMan: [[spoiler:If you take down the BonusBoss of 12, as it was the most powerful creature in Ivalice, Vaan is then recognized as the new strongest creature in Ivalice]].

* BonusBoss: In the UpdatedRerelease you fight all of them as a team.

* BonusBoss: He and Drace join the other three Judge Magisters as the final bosses of Trial Mode.

* HealingPotion: In the BonusBoss battle with him and the judges in Trial Mode he heals his fellow judges with Elixers and will turn his healing items on you if you attempt to apply[[ReviveKillsZombie Reverse]] to your party members.

Six moogles with various recurring appearances throughout the ''Ivalice Alliance'' games, but ''XII'' is the only game where they all appear together. They were once apprentices to a master who was killed by [[BonusBoss Yiazmat]]. Montblanc is the oldest and most well known as leader of Clan Centurio while Nono is the chief mechanic for the ''Strahl'', Balthier's airship. Sorbet, Horne, and Hurdy run the [[PortalNetwork teleport network]] around Rabanastre before Hurdy goes on to become a bard and main playable character in ''[[Characters/FinalFantasyTacticsA2 Tactics A2]]'' (click to see more tropes related to him there). Gurdy, meanwhile, runs the chocobo stables.

* BonusBoss: You only need to fight five of them in the main storyline, who are appropriately manageable. The rest are a different matter, all things considered...

* TookALevelInBadass: The ''Zodiac'' versions buffed the Espers significantly, giving all of them the ability to heal their summoner, making them controllable (and thus allowing you to use their ultimate attacks whenever you feel like it), extending their summon time to four and a half minutes (triple the original time), giving them more abilities and far higher stats (especially HP) and giving them all the ability to break the damage limit if they are strong enough. They're so powerful that it's actually a viable strategy to use Ultima against the ''[[BonusBoss Hell Wyrm]]''.

* BonusBoss: He's the weakest of the optional Espers but no less of a challenge to the unprepared player, especially due to being in one of the game's [[BrutalBonusLevel most dangerous early areas]].

* BonusBoss: Arguably one of the "rewards" for finding the Barheim Key and venturing all the way into the Passage, all of which are sidequests and not required to further the plot.

* BonusBoss: Locked behind a puzzle involving the Waterway's sluice gates, only available after completing two specific hunts.

* BonusBoss: He can be accessed really early on, right after the party defeats Judge Bergan in Mt. Bur-Omisace and talks to one of the Nu Mou priests, who will give the player the Stone of the Condemned to access Zeromus' chamber in the Stilshrine.

* BonusBoss: Found at the highest point of the Mosphoran Highwaste, accessible only after the party reaches the Phon Coast and gets water running into the shrines at the main camping area, allowing them to use the "floatweeds" to reach the higher points.

* BonusBoss: Not only is he an optional Esper, he's found in a completely optional dungeon and can only be accessed by completing a sidequest that starts as early as the ''fourth hunt of the game''. And not only that, you have to go out of your way to complete it, then fight two more bosses on top of that before finally reaching him.

* BonusBoss: Can only be reached after the main plot in Giruvegan is done, which opens up [[BrutalBonusLevel the rest of the Great Crystal]] for exploration.

* BonusBoss: Only available when the player has at least 10 Espers defeated and enlisted, in a part of the Henne Mines that can only be opened once Geomancer Yugelu recognizes the party's abilities.

* BadassBaritone: His voice is deep and commanding, befitting an experienced soldier such as he.

* BadassBaritone: His voice is quite deep, with or witout his mask.

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: As one of the highest ranking members of the Empire, Vayne is much more powerful than them as befitting the FinalBoss.

* {{Determinator}}: Of the villainous kind; his hatred of [[spoiler:Basch]] is all that keeps him going when he's lost everything else.

* EleventhHourRanger: [[spoiler:Joins the party for the second-to-last fight of the game.]]

* KickTheDog: The way he tries to goad Ashe into taking revenge, by rubbing in the fact that he murdered her father in cold blood. He also does this indirectly to Vaan, but it happens at the point he already knows taking revenge won't do anything for himself or Reks.

* UnknownRival: Is on both ends of the trope. He ''despises'' Basch and in every interaction with him mocks and goads him, while Basch remains calm and regards him with collected reassurance of himself. On the other end, Ashe and Vaan despise ''him'', but they don't even meet until near the end of the game and Gabranth doesn't think much of their hate except to try and use it to manipulate Ashe.

* ThePowerOfHate: This is what he has to motivate him now. Also deconstructed when we see just how hollow and broken he is for living such a life.
-->"Long have I walked in hatred's company. As long as I can curse your name I shall not be defeated!"

* CrusadingWidow: One of the defining motivations Ashe has is the death of her husband and father and is haunted by the ghost of her husband at multiple points during the game. This drives her to vengeful extremes, dehumanizing the Empire and resistent to a peaceful resolution for her people.
* DefrostingTheIceQueen: She's rude and abrasive at first, but gradually warms up and accepts the party as friends and allies.

* TheLeader: She's the one that sets the agenda for the hero party. The other party members tag along with her for various reasons and offer her support and advice.

* GlassCannon: Has high magick and strength stats, but her HP is low.

* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage: With Rasler; they joke about how people only see it as a political marriage.

* TragicKeepsake: She still wears her wedding ring and also wears Rasler's on her middle finger. She [[WeddingRingRemoval reluctantly gives Rasler's ring to Balthier]] as compensation for him and Fran accompanying her on her journey until he finds "something more valuable", [[spoiler:and she does not put it back on when it's returned to her in the epilogue]].

* HeroesPreferSwords: Swords are his starting weapon and preferred weapons in sequels and in the artwork. They ([[AllSwordsAreTheSame along with sabers and blades anyway]]) are the only weapons available to the Sky Pirate class in ''Tactics A2''. The UpdatedRerelease instead gives him a dagger to start with.

* IdiotHero: Subverted in the original game; though he's impulsive and a bit naive, Vaan is clever, resourceful, and has a fair amount of scenes where he shows a more inquisitive and insightful side. The manga, however, [[{{Flanderization}} makes this his defining trait]], cranking up his {{Hot Blooded}}ness and making him rather arrogant and cocky, but lacking the skill and intelligence to back them up. ''Dissidia 012'' likewise dials up the idiocy to the point he has trouble remembering simple names.

* TheSneakyGuy: He was able to infiltrate the Royal Palace of Rabanastre with a little prompting from Old Dalan and find its hidden TreasureRoom. Balthier, a legendary sky pirate, considers it a feat on his level and he and Fran had to wait for the chaos of {{La Resistance}}'s attack to achieve the same.
* SpannerInTheWorks: His [[TurnTheOtherCheek willingness to spare]] Gabranth is what prevents Ashe from completing her RoaringRampageOfRevenge and becoming an UnwittingPawn to the [[JerkAssGods Occuria]]. It's also implied that he was going to be Occuria's plan B since he saw Reks at first where Ashe saw Rasler. He's letting go of his hatred for the Empire foiled that and led him to spare Gabranth.

* TookALevelInBadass: Once in ''Revenant Wings'', and another, ''huge'' one in ''Tactics A2'', where he is regarded as the greatest Sky Pirate who ever lived. Even a Criminal Syndicate has a flee-on-sight order when confronting [[TheDreaded him]].

* AnimalMotifs: Pisces is the Fish, so Mateus' true body looks ends on a large fish tail and his weapon is an ornate trident.

* BareYourMidriff: His "armor" bares his abs to the world. Naturally, "Basch" has no trouble shanking him.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Going off the Japanese text, his name is pronounced "Willis".