This is a trope sheet for the cast of Final Fantasy II. For characters from the SNES game titled Final Fantasy II in North America, see the character sheet for Final Fantasy IV.
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The Main Party
Firion
Also known as: Frioniel (JP)
Voiced by: Yukimasa Obi (Origins opening FMV), Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese, Dissidia onward), Johnny Yong Bosch (English, Dissidia)
The hero of the game. Firion is a youth from Fynn, who flees it as the Empire lays siege to and occupies it. Together with his adopted family Maria and Guy, they manage to make it to Altair, the base of the Wild Rose Rebellion, headed by the princess of Fynn. They convince her to allow them to join, and together they work to defeat the Empire, take back Fynn, and save the world. Firion appears along with the Emperor in the Dissidia Final Fantasy series and appears as a player character in the Spin-Off Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.
- Ambiguously Brown: Together with Minwu in artwork, the first such characters in the series, and so far the only hero.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: His signature. He may be a Socially Awkward Hero but he single handedly spearheads the rebellion to victory.
- Conveniently an Orphan: Even before his adoptive parents died in the siege of Fynn, he was already orphaned. Precisely why this is convenient is explained in Maria's section (see Not Blood Siblings).
- Covert Pervert: Old guides reveal that he apparently has a weakness for "feminine charms". No kidding.
- Depending on the Artist: Interesting, in that this is a one-artist variation on the trope — Yoshitaka Amano drew Firion quite differently from picture to picture, to the point where a lot of official art of the character has to be labeled as such in order to be recognizable as Firion. His face and his armor would remain the same but he frequently changed his headgear and color scheme.
- Put it this way — in Dissidia Firion's
◊ three◊ costumes◊ all have different hair accessories, different hairstyles, and differently styled and colored armor, and all three are based on different Amano arts. - And don't forget his Casual Rebel◊ outfit from Origins.
- And none of them look like how he does in the NES version, where he looks like the Fighter from the original game wearing nicer boots.
- Put it this way — in Dissidia Firion's
- Dub Name Change: His Japanese name, ććŖćŖćć¼ć« (Furioniiru), is officially transliterated as Frioniel. This became Firion in English due to character limits, and has remained such likely due to a combination of inertia and euphony.
- Flat Character: He's very likely the least developed Final Fantasy protagonist to have a name at all, and lags behind even the rest of II's playable cast as well. Even his overly well-rounded base stats seem to enforce this. Part of the reason his scene of being briefly seduced by a lamia has become so associated with him is that it's pretty much the only scene he displays a trait besides "is the hero."
- Happily Adopted: Until his new parents died as well.
- The Hero: The main character of the initial three-man band, and the one who is usually treated as their leader.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Though he can be trained in the use of any of the game's weapon types, his initial equip and Infinity +1 Sword are, well, swords.
- Jack of All Stats: Of your initial party, his base stats are the most evenly balanced. Where he goes from there, though, is up to the player.
- Magnetic Hero: Firion and his siblings constantly find allies willing to aid them.
- Nice Guy: But you'd better Beware the Nice Ones if you plan on attacking his village and killing his friends.
- Official Couple: With Maria in the Japan-only novelization.
- Rummage Sale Reject: His outfit is a mash-up of various types of materials and colors.
- Ship Tease: He seemed pretty willing to oblige Hilda before he realized it was actually the Lamia Queen...
- White Mage: Of the four main characters, he's the best suited for this role. Maria and Guy have better Intelligence and Strength than him, respectively, only he and Leon get Spirit from their ultimate weapons, and he's around for far longer than Leon is.
Maria
Voiced by: Noriko Shitaya (Origins opening FMV), Kotono Mitsuishi (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia onward)
Firion's adopted sister, who fled Fynn with him when the Empire took it. She too joined up with the Wild Rose Rebellion, despite her angst and worry over what has happened to her older brother Leon, as last they knew he was with them, and then he disappeared.
- Action Girl: Eager to join La RĆ©sistance and fight for her freedom, she can also be made one gameplay-wise due to the infinite customization of the Stat Grinding system.
- Black Mage: Of the four main characters, she has the best base Intelligence of the lot, making her the easiest character to build for this role. Maria can be developed in other ways if the player wishes, but this is the path of least resistance.
- Chainmail Bikini: She sports half of one, with her leotard-like outfit covering her other breast. It's definitely one of the more... unique outfit designs in the series.
- Cleavage Window: In her Origins character design◊.
- Combat Stilettos: Hard to tell given the sprites and Yoshitaka Amano's art style, but apparently, she's wearing heeled sandals, as opposed to the Dawn of Souls interpretation shown above. Dissidia Opera Omnia confirms this.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: While everyone's weapon levels are customizable, Maria's an archer by default while the men get melee weapons.
- The Heart: The most reasonable and compassionate of the party.
- Lady of Black Magic: A kind and composed young lady who has the most Intelligence out of the main party, making her most suited for casting offensive spells.
- Mage Marksman:
- Can wield a bow in addition to her magic. However, arguably a subversion in that equipping a bow gives a character a very large penalty to magic (specifically, -70 INT/SOUL). Fortunately this feature was removed from the Playstation version onward.
- Memory Of Heroes makes her into a straight example, to the point of becoming the wielder of Ultima by the end.
- Ms. Fanservice: In the novels, she has bathing scenes. Illustrated bathing scenes.
- Not Blood Siblings:
According to the novelizations of the game, she has an unrequited secret crush on Firion, her adopted brother. - Plucky Girl: No matter what, she will not give up hope.
- Promoted to Love Interest: Her relationship with Firion in the game is more brother-sister like. In the Japan-only novelization however, she and Firion become an Official Couple at the end.
- Sexy Backless Outfit: Though it's not immediately obvious, her outfit doesn't cover her back.
- Ship Tease: With Firion. The novel has them eventually graduate to Official Couple.
- Squishy Wizard: Her HP is the worst of the initial party, putting her in the back row by default. Fortunately, especially in later remakes, Stat Grinding means she can become more durable, making her last longer.
- Stripperiffic: Very tight clothing, bare back, and there is nothing covering one breast except for half a golden cup with nothing obvious holding it in position.
Guy
Also known as: Gus (FF Origins)
Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Origins opening FMV), Mitsuaki Kanuka (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia onward)
Firion's best friend and, according to various Japan-only materials, also an adopted brother. Guy was abandoned in the wild as a baby, only being raised by humans from age ten onwards, and as a result is very... well, slow, and quiet. Nonetheless, he has a close bond with Firion, Maria, and Leon, and joins them in their quest to save the world from oppression.
- Barbarian Hero: If he wore animal hides instead of armor, he'd be a perfect fit.
- The Big Guy: Fits this to a tee. Guy is nothing if not, well, a big guy, and his base stats and equipment in-game are geared towards a tanky physical attacker role to match.
- Big Little Brother: To the other three main characters, albeit an adoptive one.
- Chainmail Bikini: He's a Rare Male Example. His artwork and his PSP sprite have him wearing a breastplate that bares his midriff, some shoulder pads, a cape, and a pair of briefs. The Origins and Dawn of Souls versions have Guy wearing a more modest outfit.
- Combat Medic: Perhaps unexpectedly, despite being a huge hulk with an axe, his base Spirit stat is fairly decent. It's not as nonsensical as it seems at a glance, considering Guy is frequently described in official materials as gentle and pure of heart.
- The Ditz: A bit harsher and sadder than typical Ditzes, as his lack of intellectual prowess is due to neglect, not any fault of his own.
- Dub Name Change: Has sometimes been called "Gus" in English translations.
- Dumb Muscle: He's very strong physically, but not very smart, or at the very least not very educated.
- Friend to All Living Things: It enables him to speak Beaver, apparently.
- Gentle Giant: He's described as being pure of heart, despite his intimidating appearance.
- Hulk Speak: How he communicates with human beings. Presumably, he's more fluent in the various animal languages.
- Inconsistent Spelling: An odd Japanese example, the original Famicom instruction booklet spelled his name with a space between both katakana characters. This was removed later on.
- Mighty Glacier: Guy by default hits hard and can take a beating, but moves slowly. He can ultimately be developed however the player chooses, but this is the path of least resistance.
- The Quiet One: Doesn't speak much for the whole game.
- Raised by Wolves: Specifically, a beast named Mauza. Not that many Anglophones would be aware of that.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: The sole party member to show off his biceps; befitting for his strength.
- Stripperiffic: Even more than Maria. His outfit consists of a brestplate and underwear. Averted in the origins opening as he gets more realistic clothing (which makes one wonder why he later ditches his civilian outfit to go around wearing something only a stripper would wear, during battles).
- Underwear of Power: In his original art and PSP sprite.
- Wild Child: Was one until kind people in Fynn took him in.
- Younger Than They Look: He's actually the youngest party member at sixteen, but is quite large and... well, craggy.
Leon
Also known as: Leonhart (JP)
Voiced by: Takayuki Yamaguchi (Origins opening FMV), Masato Obara (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia onward)
Maria's older brother (this time, not adopted), who fled Fynn with them when it fell, but vanished along the way. When he turned up again, he was working for The Empire, but all may not be as it seems...
- Aloof Big Brother: To Maria.
- The Atoner: After the game, Leon leaves his family behind to go try and find a way to redeem himself for all the evil acts he did in the Empire's service as a Dark Knight.
- Big Brother Instinct: Illustrated in the Opening FMV for Origins where, during the escape from Fynn, he saves Maria from a Black Knight after she trips and, despite not being able to defeat it, knocks it down.
- Black Knight: First Dark Knight in the series, albeit In Name Only since the class's iconic signature abilities wouldn't be introduced until Final Fantasy IV.
- Break the Cutie: Although whether or not he's a "cutie" is arguable, the Ultimania and his descriptions in Brave Exvius imply that Leon's helplessness at the events at the invasion of Fynn ending with his capture traumatized him to the point of leading him to adopt his "power is everything" mantra. Memory of Heroes doubles down on this interpretation, with Firion noting that Leon used to believe that strength should be used to defend the oppressed. Leon claims that he discovered the limitations of that approach and implies that his reason for fighting the party is to let go of his past.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to his adopted family, at first... though interestingly while Firion and Guy would also qualify as Abels, Maria is the best Abel candidate.
- Decoy Protagonist: Heās advertised as the fourth party member but heās an antagonist for most of the game and only joins the party near the end. The actual 4th party member is a revolving position.
- Depending on the Artist: On a number of levels:
- In addition to the outfit changes that the FMV intro to Origin and the artwork for Dawn of Souls gives him, Leon's face also somewhat varies; His PSP portrait gives gives him softer features compared to the PSX/GBA versions while his Opus-X card gives him a goatee despite being clean-shaven everywhere else.
- His original Famicom portrait gives him a completely different color scheme, with white hair and brown or gold armor, although this isn't reflected in his battle sprites. It has thus far been the only occurrence of that color palette on him.
- On top of that, his Dark Knight outfit also changes depending on the version: The original Famicom version uses a simple black and purple ensemble with a helmet and overall doesn't have much detail to go off of. Origins would reinvent it with a red cape, a purple helmet stylized to look like a monster's head (complete with red eyes), more pointed horns and making Leon's eyes visible, albeit as yellow dots. The PSP version ditches the stylized helmet, switches from purple to black armor, adds gold trim and makes Leon's eyes red and more malevolent (although his normal eyes are seen in his portrait).
- The Dragon: To the Emperor, at first.
- Dragon Ascendant: He certainly attempts this, but, well... it doesn't really work out for him. After the Emperor is killed in the Cyclone, Leon crowns himself Emperor, and it falls to the party to confront him and take him out, so clearly, he's the real villain, right? And this was all an elaborate scheme to grab the throne? Maybe so, but sadly, the Emperor is Not Quite Dead yet, and trumps Leon quite soundly.
- Dub Name Change: His Japanese name is ć¬ćŖć³ćć«ć, Reonharuto (Leonhart), but he has always been called Leon in English releases due to character limits.
- Easily Forgiven: Firion and Maria are willing to welcome him back, no conditions and no questions asked. However, he can't forgive himself nearly as easily.
- Enemy Mine: His initial reason for joining the party when his attempt to usurp the throne goes awry, though it ultimately leads to a HeelāFace Turn.
- FaceāHeel Turn: In the beginning of the game, he joins up with the Empire offscreen after the siege of Fynn.
- Good Hair, Evil Hair: He has slicked back purple hair.
- HeelāFace Revolving Door: He begins the game fleeing Fynn with his siblings, is captured by the Empire, becomes their Dark Knight, takes the title of Emperor for himself after the original Emperor's defeat, and joins the rebellion when the Emperor returns from Hell. Memory of Heroes has the Emperor call out Leon for being so quick to team up with the people he betrayed.
- HeelāFace Turn: Near the end of the game, after the Emperor shows that he will not go down nearly as easily as hoped, he's forced into an Enemy Mine with the party, and leaves to become The Atoner in the end.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Played straight. Leon wears one as the mysterious Dark Knight, but ditches it upon joining the party.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: While his Infinity +1 Sword is, in fact, a spear, the other weapon he dual-wields when joining the party is a sword, and he is usually depicted as wielding one in artwork and FMVs.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Leon is not his original name, but the lack of an "official" transliteration has led to people calling him Leonhart, Leonhardt, Lionheart, etc.
- Informed Attribute: Various manuals mention that Leon is Firion's best friend. However this is never displayed as Leon is in the party for a single fight before his FaceāHeel Turn and the only party member he interacts with in a meaningful fashion is his sister Maria.
- Late Character Syndrome: Joins the party just in time for the final dungeon, and while he's certainly usable out of the box, he's fairly likely to lag behind in terms of stats.
- Magic Knight: Despite not knowing any spells when he rejoins, Leon has an strong intelligence stat, making Black Magic a good secondary choice for him.
- Magikarp Power: He may start out slightly behind your party in HP, depending on your level grinding, and has only 5 MP and no spells. But he innately has Stamina and Magic in the 30s, and since those two stats determine HP and MP gain, those two stats will quickly shoot up to considerable levels, especially in the 20th Anniversary release where his exclusive Longinus piles another 50 Stamina onto him.
- Mass Hypnosis: As the Dark Knight, he speeds up the Dreadnought's construction by brainwashing the people of Bafsk into working faster. It's unclear how he does it, since he doesn't know any magic when he joins the party.
- Might Makes Right: He's a firm believer in this based on his dialogue when the party confronts him.
- Multi-Melee Master: Though everyone can train to be the same, he's naturally proficient to some degree with all weapon types when he joins, as well as shields. Axes and swords are his highest followed by spears, but he can just as easily grab a bow or a staff and shield.
- A Sinister Clue: One of many lefties in this game.
- The Sixth Ranger: An odd case in Memory of Heroes: Ricard is with the party when they receive Ultima, and thus becomes one of the Warriors of Light. When Ricard holds back the Emperor to allow the party to escape, he transfers his Light to Leon, effectively transferring his role as the fourth Warrior of Light over to him, much like Galuf and Krile.
- The Social Darwinist: During his confrontation in the GBA version onwards, Leon notes that "the weak cannot survive without the strong to control them!". He holds a similar view in earlier drafts where he notes that strength guarantees personal freedom, but the final game scrubbed it down to an implication. Memory of Heroes elaborates on this even further: Leon notes that no matter how hard one fights, somebody stronger will inevitably come and oppress them. The only way out of the loop, he feels, is to stand at the apex of power. He also claims that the weak exist to be oppressed by the strong.
- The Unfought: A boss fight with him is foreshadowed, but never happens, being interrupted by the Emperor's resurrection and Leon deciding it'd be a good idea to join up with the people against the Emperor now.
- Villainous Widow's Peak: It serves as a clue.
- Walking Spoiler: Pretty much everything about him outside of his appearance in the opening fight is a spoiler since the next time you see him, he's become the Empire's Dark Knight. Due to his portrayal in spinoffs such as Record Keeper and Opera Omnia, it's also a Late-Arrival Spoiler.
Other Playable Characters
Minwu
Also known as: Ming-Wu (JP), Mindu (FF Origins)
Voiced by: Takeshi Kusao (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia)
White Wizard of Mysidia, and apparent advisor to the Fynn royal court. He is the one who saves Firion and his party, and later fights alongside them in their quest to stop the Empire. He is tragically killed by the magic necessary to undo the seal on Ultima. He appears as a playable sub-character in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.
- Ambiguously Brown: In many depictions, though he's considerably paler in the Pixel Remaster. Along with his outfit, this is likely meant to indicate heritage from his world's equivalent to the Middle East or North Africa.
- "Arabian Nights" Days: His whole outfit is this, fittingly colored mostly a pure, clean white to reflect his role as the series' first named White Mage character.
- Badass Long Robe: Real men wear robes with skirts and kick ass while doing so.
- Because Destiny Says So: He uses up all his life energy to break the seal on Ultima, but is surprisingly nonchalant about his own death, believing it to be his destiny.
- Breakout Character: Very popular in Japan, remakes make him the main character of the Soul of Rebirth quest. His popularity in the West has improved with the game's increased exposure, and he's pretty much joined Firion as one of the game's top poster boys. Heck, other games make reference to him more than Firion, even if more as a Mythology Gag than an actual appearance. When Dissidia Final Fantasy got a sequel, Tetsuya Nomura said his first pick to be in as a new character was Kain. His pick for the arcade reboot? Minwu.
- Combat Medic: Though he's fairly strictly specialized in supportive magic when he joins, Minwu can be trained to have competent offense as well.
- Court Mage: Hilda's right-hand healer, and a prominent voice of wisdom within the Wild Rose Rebellion.
- Crutch Character: A classic example. He serves to shepherd the party at a very early phase in the game, due to his ridiculous assortment of supportive spells and fairly solid statline. However, he also leaves very early on. It's not uncommon for players to do most of their early grinding with Minwu.
- Face Death with Dignity: He believes it is the fate of all who live to someday die, and when his own death comes, he accepts it.
- Guest-Star Party Member: The first one to join at the start of the game, but leaves later on. You get him back for Soul of Rebirth, though.
- Heroic Sacrifice: To let the party at the legendary White Magic, Ultima, he gives up his life force.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Ming-Wu, Minh, Mindu, Minwu...
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: His CollectaCard description in Theathrhythm spoils his death.
- Magic Staff: His Infinity Plus One Weapons are the Stardust Rod and Staff of Light, which give enormous bonuses to his magic stats.
- Magikarp Power: In Soul of Rebirth, he starts as a basic medic who isn't really good for direct combat. Then he gets Ultima, and he becomes a murder train dealing damage to the tune of 600 per Ultima spell level. It won't be long before he's single-handedly slaughtering anything that dares cross you.
- The Medic: Hands down; he has a powerful Cure spell and lots of other buffing and healing spells.
- Red Mage: Becomes this if taught any black magic. He's the only party member capable of learning Ultima in the Soul of Rebirth quest, though it's considered White Magic in this game.
- Spared by the Adaptation: He doesn't die in the Japan-only novelization, as the Ultima subplot is removed entirely.
- A Taste of Power: Despite being the first Guest-Star Party Member, Minwu has access to nearly every white magic spell, which is more than enough to ensure your survival.
- White Mage: He was the only male healer in the franchise until Hope, though in FFXIV both Alphinaud and Urianger are healers among the main cast. All the rest have been female.
Josef
A former soldier of the Palamecian Empire (according to supplemental material). He lives in the icy mountain town of Salamand, and aids the party after they save the men of his town from being forced into slavery.
- Action Dad: He has a daughter and is an active fighter for the rebellion.
- Adapted Out: He does not appear in the continuity of the Labyrinth of Nightmares novel.
- All-Encompassing Mantle: Though it is sometimes drawn as a slightly-less-badass poncho.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: So much so that equipping weapons on him at first will actually lower the damage he does. While the PSP release gave him a knife-type ultimate weapon in the Arcane Sanctuary, the earlier GBA release took note of his bare-handed proficiency; in Soul of Rebirth where the other three acquire unique weapons, Josef acquires a unique glove equip instead.
- Can't Catch Up: As a consequence of having some of the lowest starting stats of anyone in Soul of Rebirth and lacking Minwu's ridiculous spell loadout, Josef will take a lot of work to bring up to parity with his teammates.
- Defector from Decadence: Considering that he left the Empire long ago and nowadays has nothing nice to say about it...
- Guest-Star Party Member: Joins for a few dungeons but doesn't stick around. You get him back for Soul of Rebirth, though.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Saves the party from a giant rolling boulder trap.
- Ornamental Weapon: His artwork always has him carry a sword on his back, despite him being geared to be a Bare-Fisted Monk by default.
- Papa Wolf: It's not smart to threaten Nelly's safety.
- Plotline Death: The first playable character to die in the Final Fantasy series.
- A Taste of Power: To a lesser degree than Minwu, but bare-handed attacks are a bit of a Disk One Nuke, so Josef is quite powerful while he's around.
- Wolverine Claws: Despite using nothing but his bare hands most of the story, the PSP, iOS and Android versions do give him an Infinity Plus One Weapon in the Dragon Claws, which count as a type of dagger.
Prince Gordon
A prince of the fallen kingdom of Kashuan. Gordon is anxious and has no self-confidence at first, constantly comparing himself to his deceased brother and coming up short. Later, though, he finds strength within himself and grows into a respected leader of the Wild Rose Rebellion.
- Adaptation Personality Change: The Labyrinth of Nightmares novel portrays him as a rash and fiery individual who urges the rebel cell he's joined to fight more aggressively... just about the opposite of his Non-Action Guy personality in Final Fantasy II itself.
- Big Good: Once he overcomes his cowardice, he becomes one of the leaders of the rebellion alongside Hilda.
- Character Development: Goes from being a pathetic coward to a competent leader of the Rebellion.
- Cowardly Lion: Sure, he's afraid, but he ends up doing remarkably gutsy things despite that.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Joins for a few dungeons but doesn't stick around. He is one of the two party members not to return even in Soul of Rebirth, so once he's gone, he's gone for good.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Indicates how he is noble and true despite his self-doubt.
- Jack of All Stats: His initial stats across the board are even — 22 in all stats save HP and MP, level 2 proficiency with all arms.
- Magikarp Power: His initial stats are pretty meh for the time he joins, but as with any other character he can train and level up to be perfectly effectively, and his Stamina and Magic stats ensure that his HP and MP rise very quickly for that stage of the game.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: While Gordon finally stepping up to fight is indeed noble, it's somewhat undermined by the fact that the reason the heroes needed to get the Goddess Bell, and thus Josef's death, was to enter Kashuan Keep was because Gordon wasn't there note . If you actually backtrack to Altair before raiding the keep, Hilda will lament this.
- Non-Action Guy: Yes, he is a party member for some time, but he fits the personality type, and does better in a leadership position than actually doing the fighting.
- Real Name as an Alias: In the novel, he uses the name "Gordy" as an alias. If Gordon weren't so ordinary a name, it'd be a wonder anybody was convinced.
- Rebel Leader: Co-leader with Hilda after his Character Development.
- Red Is Heroic: Like his brother. Most versions give him a color scheme in reverse of Scott's, with a red cape and green tunic.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: He braves Kashuan Keep and joins Hilda in leading the Wild Rose Rebellion.
- Ship Tease: With Hilda, most notably in the dance scene and his very forceful desire to Save the Princess when she is kidnapped. At the end of the game, he states that Kashuan and Fynn will join forces, and if that's the case, at the very least, a political marriage will likely ensue... but then again, they seem to like each other.
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear: He takes all of his gear with him after you rescue Hilda. Since he's a no-show in Soul of Rebirth, you never get it back.
- Spare to the Throne: The source of most of his angst.
- The Wise Prince: He becomes this at the end after his Character Development.
Leila
Also known as: Reila (JP)
Voiced by: Saori Yumiba (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia)
A pirate captain. She's hired by the party to transport them to an island nation, but she betrays them—however, after the party kicks her and her crew's ass, they wisely change sides and join with the Wild Rose Rebellion.
- Action Girl: Comes with the whole "pirate captain" territory; also she's initially geared as a fighter when she joins your party.
- Adapted Out: She's absent from the Memory of Heroes novelization: Most of the portions of the game where she is a party membernote are cut or glossed over, and the one portion that does remain, the Leviathan, she is replaced by an unnamed captain who helps the party escape.
- Big Damn Heroes: Her perceptiveness is the only thing that keeps Firion's run-in with the Lamia Queen from devolving into a Duel Boss battle or worse.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After she gets beaten, she happily joins up with the party and is quite friendly.
- Disney Death: She vanishes after the Leviathan swallows her ship, and given that Josef already died and Minwu dies shortly after, one would assume that she also bites it. However, she's later encountered in Castle Fynn no worse for wear, although she doesn't rejoin the party.
- Dressed to Plunder: In accordance with standard pirate dress codes.
- Dual Wielding: She is the first character in the game who equips two offensive weapons by default (dagger on her left hand and sword on her right hand).
- Expy: Of two separate characters, in fact:
- Leila's character clearly pays homage to Han Solo, being a dashing rogue with lots of charm.
- Largely separately, she's also an expy of Bikke from the previous game. Both are pirate captains the heroes encounter in port towns who proceed to sic their crews on said heroes before handing over their ships once they get their heads handed to them. Leila takes it a step further, though, and gives the heroes her assistance as a party member as well.
- Funnily enough, Leila would receive an expy of her own in the form of Faris a couple of years later.
- Fragile Speedster: Geared towards speed for her initial stats.
- Graceful Loser: She's willing to face the consequences on behalf of her crew after you defeat them. Luckily for her, the party has a much better idea.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Joins for a few dungeons but doesn't stick around. She is one of the two party members not to return even in Soul of Rebirth, so once she's gone, she's gone for good.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Her favorite "food" is... ale.
- Inconsistent Spelling: Reila, Layla... and, of course, Leila, which is the spelling that ultimately stuck.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She may be a gruff pirate, but she's far from a bad person.
- Noblewoman's Laugh: Has a sprite where she laughs in this fashion.
- Pirate: Starts as a type 1, quickly turns into a type 2 after joining you.
- Pirate Girl: The Ur-Example for the series.
- Scarf of Asskicking: Has quite a few of them. (None of them are actually worn around her neck.)
- Shock and Awe: Joins the party with a Thunder spell; most other characters besides Minwu have no spells at all. Makes sense, given she is a sea pirate and most of the monsters are weak to electricity.
- So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear: She takes all of her gear with her after you are eaten by the Leviathan. Since she's a no-show in Soul of Rebirth, you never get it back.
- Stripperiffic: Not as much so as Maria, but miniskirts are hardly ideal pirating clothes. She hangs a lampshade when states that Firion likes what he sees.
- Talk Like a Pirate: Yarr, matey.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: How did she escape and survive when the ship was swallowed by Leviathan...?
Ricard Highwind
Also known as: Richard (JP), Edward (NES, US prototype), Gareth (FF Origins)
The last dragoon of Deist. Ricard finds the party when they are swallowed by Leviathan, and together they break free and he joins their quest to stop the Empire. Dies nobly while covering the party's escape from the newly revived and powered-up Emperor.
- 24-Hour Armor: This trope gets even more ridiculous when it's shown that Ricard sleeps at an inn still in his armor.
- Adapted Out: He does not appear in the continuity of the novel.
- Cool Helmet: His helmet is shaped like a dragon's head, and is all kinds of awesome.
- Dragon Rider: Dragoons wouldn't start Jumping until the next game, but their affinity for dragons is already on full display in Final Fantasy II.
- Dub Name Change: Was renamed Gareth in Final Fantasy Origins. The NES prototype translation was going to rename him Edward, which later went to a certain spoony bard. Hell, even his current official English name, Ricard, is sort of one. Unlike the first two English names he went through, though, Ricard is at least a variant of the name Richard.
- Guest-Star Party Member: The last one to join you; when he goes, Leon rejoins for the end game. You get him back for Soul of Rebirth, though.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Subverted, he always wears his helmet and is no less heroic for it.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: In the original NES version, his highest base weapon proficiency is in swords. This turns out to be Gameplay and Story Integration, considering Excalibur is a legendary weapon passed down through the Dragoons in this game.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Killed by the Emperor when he raises Pandaemonium, he dies so that the rest of the party can flee.
- Inconsistent Spelling: His name in Japanese, ćŖćć£ć¼ć (Richaado), is quite clearly meant to be Richard, but character limits mean that in English, he's usually Ricard.
- Killed Offscreen: His last appearance appearance is him standing in front of the Emperor as the party escapes, next time you seen him he's in the afterlife in Soul of Rebirth.
- Last of His Kind: Sort of, he's the only surviving dragoon warrior of Deist, and apparently one of few people left alive in the place.
- No Last Name Given: Averted, he's one of the few characters in this game to have a last name—Highwind, which would become a recurring surname in the series.
- The Promise: Promises to return to Elina (his best friend's widow) and her son Kain when the war ends so that they can be a family. Unfortunately, he doesn't manage to keep it.
- You Shall Not Pass!: He stays behind in Palamecia to fight the resurrected Emperor while the party escapes.
Prince Scott
A prince of Kashuan, and Gordon's older brother. He dies of injuries sustained during the failed defense of Fynn, very early in the game... but in the Bonus Level of Heaven, he is a playable character, and is the key to investigating the mystery behind why the afterlife is suddenly such a hostile place.
- Aborted Declaration of Love: In his dying moments, he is about to relay his love to Hilda, but orders the heroes not to tell her that so that she will not suffer.
- Almost Dead Guy: The party walks in on Scott's final moments near the beginning of the game, where he entrusts them with his ring and his knowledge of Borghen's betrayal before passing away.
- Ascended Extra: In the original version of the game, Scott appeared at the start of the game to die and be a plot point. Soul of Rebirth made him a party member alongside Minwu, Josef and Ricard.
- Black Mage: He's the best member of the Soul of Rebirth crew to use black magic since Minwu is already kitted as a White Mage and Josef and Ricard are both Magically Inept Fighters. His Infinity +1 Sword maxes out his Intelligence stat.
- Continuity Nod: Asking Gordon about mythril will have him note that Scott had a prized sword made of the material. Guess what Scott's default weapon in Soul of Rebirth is.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Noble, brave, and true, yep.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Initial equip and Infinity +1 Sword are both swords.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In his dying moments, he forgoes a final chance to tell his beloved his feelings so that she can move on.
- Jack of All Stats: Is this initially, having both black and white magic as well as skill with a sword.
- Magic Knight: He joins with a few spells and his Infinity +1 Sword maxes both his Strength and Intelligence stats.
- Magikarp Power: Because he was never playable (and thus level-up-able) in the main story, his initial stats are terrible. But once you start raising him, he turns into a powerhouse.
- Posthumous Character: Has a handful of lines prior to his own death... then becomes a major character afterwards.
- Promoted to Playable: Was not a playable character until the Soul of Rebirth release.
- The Red Mage: He has solid base stats across the board, as well as levels in all three basic black magic spells and Cure.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: The reason he dies is because he was fighting on the front lines in the defense of Fynn.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Brave, noble, a powerful warrior, and in love with the beautiful princess. Yeah, he's doomed.
- The Villain Must Be Punished: Scott despises Borghen for siding with Palamecia when the imperial army invaded both Fynn and Kashuan, and he is fully intent on punishing the traitor. The Soul of Rebirth campaign finally grants his wish.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: By the time the party meets him, he's on his deathbed. The Soul of Rebirth campaign in the later releases up until the Pixel Remaster subvert this by making him one of the party members.
- The Wise Prince: Was this in life, by all accounts.
Non-Playable Characters
Princess Hilda
Princess of Fynn and leader of the Wild Rose Rebellion. Hilda is the brains behind the operation, and sends the party on most of their missions, eventually retaking her throne in Fynn. After her father the king dies halfway through the game, she is upgraded to "Queen."
- Big Good: The leader of the good rebels, by far the most important (as in irreplaceable) character on the side of good in the game.
- Damsel in Distress: Minimally invoked: she's kidnapped only once, and there are indicators that the Emperor had no idea she was even on the airship when he captured it. Not too bad for The '80s.
- Expy: Sort of a loose one of Princess Sarah from the previous game. They're both princesses of early-game kingdoms who help and are helped by the heroes, but their personalities are fairly distinct, and Hilda is far more active in her game's plot.
- She's also one to Mon Mothma from Star Wars, both being rebel leaders against an evil Empire.
- The High Queen: Pretty much all she's missing is the literal title of "queen", and it's hinted that she'll attain that to round things off after the world is saved.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Most obvious in her Amano artwork, but present to some degree in her in-game sprites as early as the WonderSwan Color remake.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Is this to Firion's party.
- Rebel Leader: Her raison d'etre in the game.
- Rebellious Princess: In that she's the one doing all the leading. Bonus points for leading a literal rebellion.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: The strategist and brains behind the Wild Rose Rebellion. Gets bonus points for going and camping with her troops before the assault to retake Fynn, instead of staying in Altair where it was safe.
- Ship Tease: With Firion, Gordon, and even, in the novels, the Emperor.
- What the Hell, Hero?: She gets angry with Gordon if you bring him back to talk to her before acquiring the Sunfire, saying that if he had just been around to help open the way to it, Josef wouldn't have died helping the party retrieve the Goddess Bell.
Cid
A genius engineer who built an airship that he operates out of Paloom, for a hefty fee. The party consults him for advice on how to destroy the Dreadnought.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: While still a braggart, Memory of Heroes makes him more affable. It's also mentioned that he ferries refugees to Altair (although he still complains about not getting paid at one point) and that he was the one who brought Paul to the Coliseum in case something happened to Firion and his allies.
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Depending on the Artist. Yoshitaka Amano's artwork gives him purple skin for whatever reason, though this isn't reflected in any other depictions.
- Cool Airship: He owns the only one aside from the Dreadnaught and holds it as his pride and joy. Even while gifting it to Firion and co. as he dies, he insists that he's merely loaning it to them and demands that they bring it back in one piece.
- Expy: He kickstarts the long tradition of inventors named "Cid" who are associated with airships.
- He's Back!: Was once a knight of Fynn until his airship consumed him. He eventually returns to fight for his homeland—by using the airship.
- Iconic Sequel Character: II was the first installment that a Cid debuted in (rereleases of I retroactively added a Cid character to the backstory, but he didn't exist in the original release). A Cid character has appeared in some form in every single major Final Fantasy ever since.
- I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin: After being mortally wounded, he gives his airship to the rebels.
- Only in It for the Money: Rebellion be damned, if you want him to take you anywhere you have to pay.
- Stripperiffic: His Amano art puts him in little more than a breastplate (with Batman nipples), hotpants, and some other assorted armor pieces. The Origins artwork gave him a pair of trousers.
Nelly
Josef's young daughter, who adores her father and thoroughly supports him.
- Break the Cutie: She has a minor breakdown after being informed of her father's sacrifice.
- Daddy's Girl: Josef would do anything for her, and she in return thinks he is the greatest.
- Plucky Girl: After she is orphaned she gets a job and is determined to make Josef proud.
Paul
A thief from Fynn who is friends with Firion and the gang. Claims to be the greatest in the world.
- Greater Need Than Mine: If you speak to him while the Cyclone is present on the world map, he'll grant the party access to the treasures stashed in his house, including the deadly Blood Sword.
- I Work Alone: Subverted. While Paul never joins as a party member and is clearly perfectly capable working solo, he has no particular aversion to collaborating with the heroes and their other allies and does so on multiple occasions.
- Loveable Rogue: He's really very nice, and loyal to his friends and homeland.
- Ninja: Resembled one in his original sprite, but later looked more faithful to his concept artwork. His appearance in the mobile spin-off Brave Exvius incorporated elements of both outfits.
- Perpetual Smiler: Unlike most major characters that have a mugshot with changeable expressions, Paul's never changes, making him look like this.
- Sticky Fingers: At the end of the game, he tells his friends they had better watch their pockets now that The Empire is no longer around to steal from, though it may have been meant in jest.
Antagonists
The Emperor
- āYou should consider what I am about to do a great honor... I shall kill you personally!ā
Also known as: Mateus (novel)
Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese, Dissidia onward), Christopher Corey Smith (English, Dissidia, Stranger of Paradise)
The main villain of the story. The Emperor of Palamecia is so dedicated to furthering his aspirations of power, he even sold his soul to gain control of the Legions of Hell to aid in the effort. He's also one of the least sympathetic and most evil Final Fantasy villains; don't look for a Freudian Excuse because there isn't one. He just wants to Take Over the World for the sake of ruling it. In the novelization, apparently the Emperor was able to actually kill Satan despite his powers coming directly from a deal with him. He has appeared in the Dissidia Final Fantasy series alongside Firion and returns as a boss character in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy.
- '80s Hair: It's almost awe-inspiring.note
- Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed in the Loose Canon novel Final Fantasy II: Muma no Meikyū, where he is portrayed as a Tragic Villain. In the novel, his insatiable greed is influenced by a demon sealed in a stone taking him over to wreak vengeance against humanity. It's also hinted that every single Emperor before Mateus were this demon's human proxies (though, how affected they were varies).
- Adaptational Wimp: In the novel, he doesn't come back after being killed. Instead, his demon form in the game is used to represent the demon that manipulated him and the rest of Palamecia's leaders.
- All There in the Manual: His name. The Ultimania guidebooks and the Japan-exclusive novelization establish that his name is Mateus, but it's never come up in any actual game he's appeared in.
- Ambiguous Situation: Was his first defeat legit, or did he lose on purpose to gain powers from Hell? Knowing him, the fight could well have been a Xanatos Gambit, as either result would be beneficial to him.
- Badass Boast: "You have braved the bowels of Hell to reach me. But the hand of man, which deals in false justice and forsaken love, can never hope to defeat the lord master of Hell!"
- Bad Liar: In Soul of Rebirth, the "Light" Emperor bribes the party with eternal life and claims that they must forgive, which just makes him come off as really insincere.
- Big Bad: The mastermind of the Palamecian Empire that is close to enveloping the entire world, and the man/god that the Wild Rose Rebellion needs to destroy to bring the Palamecian Empire down. Also the Final Boss.
- Body Double: In Memory Of Heroes, the heroes confront him at the coliseum only for it turn out to be an illusion by his jester. The same thing almost happens again in the Cyclone, but Maria snipes the jester from his hiding spot, convincing the Emperor to confront them himself.
- Bootstrapped Leitmotif: Unlike his Famicom contemporaries whose Battle Theme Music either was given to them retroactively or was there to begin with, The Emperor never really had his own; In the Famicom version, every boss used "Battle Scene 2", including both versions of the Emperornote . When the Wonderswan versions added new battle themes for the normal bosses, "Battle Scene 2" became the Emperor's or rather, his final boss forms' personal themenote , which also extends to spinoffs.
- Break Out Villain: One of the most popular villains in the franchise appearing in multiple games and media after his debut.
- Captain Ersatz: Of Jareth from Labyrinth, released two years prior. He also has similarities with Emperor Palpatine, in keeping with the franchise's long history of Star Wars homages.
- Classic Villain: He starts out as one, siccing the Legions of Hell on the innocent people of the world, and then proceeds to top himself in bastardliness by taking Hell for himself as the game progresses. Even Crisis Crossover Dissidia ups his ill reputation as a manipulative chessmaster willing to play ally and foe alike for his own ends, including killing off both Cosmos and even his OWN boss, Chaos, and taking the world for himself.
- Colony Drop: His signature attack, Starfall.
- Combat Stilettos: Wears high heels, for some reason.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Garland from the first game. Garland was a knight of the kingdom who was famous for his skills but he went mad when the princess rejected him, he sought to become the new king of Corneria and obtain immortality. The Emperor on the other hand, is already a tyrannical ruler of an empire, he is a powerful mage and seeks world domination, conquering several cities. While Garland is a Disc-One Final Boss and absorbs the power of The Four Fiends to transform into a god named Chaos, The Emperor is the first main villain to be the Final Boss and managed to achieve his godhood by overthrowing the rulers of both Heaven and Hell as the Light Emperor and Dark Emperor respectively.
- Dark Is Evil: As the Dark Emperor, after taking over as the new ruler of Hell.
- Deal with the Devil:
- The novelization heavily implies that his powers came from a pact with Satan.
- Also inverted in the bonus scenario Soul of Rebirth, where the Emperor's light half (who's also just as bad) attempts to beg those of the party who ended up dead in the main game to forgive him for the actions that his dark half committed, and in exchange will give them eternal life. Of course, they don't buy it.
- Depending on the Artist:
- His battle sprites vary wildly depending on the version, with only the PSX and GBA being similar: His Famicom sprite depicts him with his scepter, the PSX/GBA versions have him wearing a mantle or cloak while the PSP version is based on his Amano artwork (the very page image, in fact) and lacks the Glowing Eyes of Doom or Face Framed in Shadow the other sprites havenote . His Hell Emperor form is similar: The GBA and PSX versions depict him with a full body while the other versions only show him from the shoulders up and the Famicom sprite is, once again, wielding a scepter while the PSP one does not.
- He has a different outfit with a black and purple color scheme in the FMV intro of the later versions. Unlike most of the other designs from that intro, the Emperor's still sees use today, primarily as an alternate costume in the Dissidia series.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Initially played straight. He is fought and killed a ways into the game, and it appears his empire is finished, prompting a ball... then word of Leon taking over the empire prompts the party back into action. They don't get to fight Leon before the Emperor comes back from the dead and resumes his post as the Big Bad; he's fought a second time as the Final Boss for real shortly afterwards.
- The Emperor: Hint: It's why he's called one.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Surprisingly, yes. In the novelization, he sends his mother into exile because he's too attached to her to let the demon in his soul convince him to kill her.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He has a name — Mateus — but it's only ever mentioned in the novelization and Ultimania guidebooks. Every actual game he appears in just calls him "the Emperor".
- Evil Overlooker: In the official Amano artwork◊.
- Evil Overlord: Almost a perfect archetypal example.
- Femme Fatalons: In all depictions of him.
- Final Boss: He is the very final enemy encountered in the main game. In Dawn of Souls and later, this is actually his "Dark" side, with his "Light" side as the final opponent in Soul of Rebirth.
- Flat Character: His only real personality traits are his arrogance in believing the world is his to rule and his ruthlessness in pursuing such ends, to the point that his actual name isn't given in the game itself. Later portrayals attempt to defy by realigning him as a chessmaster who's fond of traps based on a few particular moments but otherwise doesn't do more than play him as a straightforward villain.
- Flunky Boss: The first time the Emperor is fought, the party has to get through two waves of enemies before they actually fight him. He then has more lackeys in front of him when he's fought.
- God-Emperor: By the end of the game, he pretty much is one, given that he rules Hell and, in Soul of Rebirth, apparently Heaven.
- Greed: His most defining trait; the world will be his and no one will stop him.
- Hell Has New Management: He took over Hell and came back to Earth to finish what he started.
- Hero Killer: Ricard pulls a Heroic Sacrifice to hold him off when he returns from hell, allowing the party to escape.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Not so much in the game, but definitely present in the novels with Hilda.
- Large Ham: His death scream."UBOAAAAAAAAAA"
In English, "UNGAHHHHHH". - Let's You and Him Fight: Why do you think he's surrounded by all those mooks? To let him do the fighting? I don't think so.
- Light Is Not Good: His "Light" half in Soul of Rebirth is every bit as evil as his "Dark" half. Although he tries to hide it at first.
- Living Shadow: In Memory Of Heroes, his return from the underworld is described as him emerging as Leon's shadow.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Yep.
- Magic Staff: He's depicted as wielding a scepter in both his human and Hell Emperor forms, though it varies from version to version. He also wields in at least one Amano illustration and it's his weapon in both Dissidia Final Fantasy and Memory Of Heroes. In most cases, he uses it to conduct his magic.
- The Man Behind the Monsters: It's implied the monsters in the world are his doing, with him unleashing them from Hell via his Deal with the Devil.
- Mark of the Supernatural: A special and magical character has special and magical purple eyes.
- My Death Is Just the Beginning: Arguably his plan all along.
- No Name Given: The novel gives him the name full name Emperor Mateus Palmecia but this is only referenced but never directly stated in the games, although the English version of the Ultimania does refer to him as "Emperor Mateus" in certain places.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Probably helped by his status as a Flat Character rather than hurt by it — with no real personality or motivation beyond being an Evil Overlord out to conquer the world, the Emperor's defining trait is how effective he is as a villain. You can basically sum up the plot of the game as "the Wild Rose Rebellion gets some advantage over the Palamecian Empire or sabotages some advantage they have, but it doesn't matter because the Emperor was already working on getting an even better advantage, and now that he has it a major character is going to die and/or at least one town is going to be invaded or destroyed." Repeat several times until the party just finally confronts and kills him. And then even that doesn't work, because he takes over Hell, comes Back from the Dead, and decides to go for Hell on Earth.
- One-Winged Angel: Turns into the Emperor of Hell for the final battle. However in the novel, it's just Satan taking his form.
- Pet the Dog: Despite the Light Emperor trying to kill Minwu, Scott, Josef, and Ricard after they reject his offer of eternal life and forgiving him, he does at least reveal that they were traveling through Raqia, not Jade, and that they're in Arubboth, not Pandaemonium.
- Physical God: After his death as a mortal, his soul was split into two entities and both halves managed to defeat and overthrow the rulers of both Heaven and Hell respectively, and both halves become the new rulers of their respective realms with the Light Emperor ruling Heaven and the Dark Emperor ruling Hell.
- Recurring Boss: You get to fight the Emperor twice in the standard game: first as the Disc-One Final Boss, then as the actual Final Boss; plus a third time in Soul of Rebirth.
- Rummage Sale Reject: See picture. Holy crap.
- Satanic Archetype: He staffs his army with demons from Hell, lays waste to the world in a bid to conquer it and causes Count Borghen and Leon to betray Fynn and Kashuan to join Palamecia, along with putting the latter on that path to begin with. After dying, he takes over Hell and becomes a more literal example. The Soul of Rebirth campaign leans more into the Lucifer-based aspects via his Light Emperor half; retaining his beauty, feigning innocence as to how he became ruler of Heaven, and attempting to get Minwu's party to forgive his sins by promising them eternal life.
- The Scapegoat: Pins the atrocities in Raqia on his Dark Half.
- Shock and Awe: He favors offensive Thunder spells, and his palace in the Cyclone has electrified trap floors.
- Shout-Out: Let's just say that he bears an uncanny resemblance to Labyrinth's Jareth. His appearance in the Anime Music Video for the PSX version of Final Fantasy II also invokes the appearance of Maleficent.
- Showgirl Skirt: A translucent pink one, to boot.
- Sorcerous Overlord: Another perfect archetype.
- Straw Nihilist: Granted, it was not enough to actually make him destroy the world, but he does mention in both his Dark Emperor and Light Emperor forms his belief that humanity is good only at executing flawed justice, forsaken love, and having inherently violent tendencies.
- Take Over the World: It's what he does.
- Taking Over Heaven: As revealed in Soul of Rebirth, when he died the first time, his soul split into two. While his dark half conquered hell, his light half took over heaven.
- Tin Tyrant: In heels, no less.
- Tragic Monster: Implied, at least in the novel: While it's unclear what he was like normally, the demon that manipulated him made him far more monstrous.
- White Hair, Black Heart: In some Amano art of the character. Usually he's platinum blond.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In the novel, the moment he dies, he stays dead. Satan takes over as the main antagonist with his vessel, the Stone of Iludia, being the Final Boss.
Count Borghen
A nobleman who betrays Fynn to the Palamecian Empire and defects to save his own skin.
- 0% Approval Rating: While he's nominally in charge of the Dreadnought construction operation at Bafsk, virtually every townsperson and Imperial soldier there remarks about how incompetent and uncharismatic a leader he is.
- Adaptational Badass: In the novel, he's a fearsome mage from Salamand who's said to have left a trail of indescribably-mutilated corpses in his wake when he left. In the game? Not so much.
- Badass Boast: Subverted. After realizing that the party has the Goddess's Bell, he declares that he's still a soldier, attacks the party... and proves to be easily the weakest boss in the game, if not the entire series.
- Came Back Strong: Subverted. Surely after being a Zero-Effort Boss in life, he'll pose an actual threat when he comes back from the dead? Nope, he's still a pushover.
- Dirty Coward: Usually lets others do the fighting, since he's so pathetically weak.
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: Reappears as a Chest Monster inside Pandaemonium, and reappears again in Soul of Rebirth.
- Evil Redhead: The only redhead in the game and a right jerk.
- FaceāHeel Turn: Sold out Fynn to the Palamecian Empire when he realized they were losing.
- Fat Bastard: He's very portly and quite despicable.
- Glory Seeker: Borghen emphasizes that the Dreadnaught will bring him glory in the Palamecian Empire, the PS1 version noting that it will advance his position. Memory of Heroes leans into this angle further by rewriting his appearance in the Snow Cavern to be about him wanting to reclaim his rank as a general and gain glory for killing the party rather than being executed for failing to retrieve the Goddess's Bell.
- Hated by All: Not to the extent that the Palamecian Empire is unwilling to work with him or afford him a position of authority, but nobody has anything nice to say about the guy; not even his own colleagues or henchmen.
- Hero Killer: He sets off the trap that kills Josef as his final act before dying.
- Kick the Dog: Kidnapping Nelly and forcing her to do slave labor.
- The Napoleon: Not only is he short and bad tempered, his character and battle sprites in the PSP and mobile releases even makes him look like the popular image of Napoleon Bonaparte.
- The Quisling: He turned on Fynn and sided with the Palamecian Empire when war broke out.
- Recurring Boss: After being defeated and killed, Borghen is fought for a second time as a Chest Monster in Pandaemonium, and a third time in Soul of Rebirth. Both of these fights are only slightly harder than the first fight against the living Borghen.
- Reviving Enemy: Not him, but he wants Josef to be this so he can keep killing him again and again, though Minwu and Scott put a stop to this.
- Sadist: He gets giddy about the idea of killing Josef again and again until the end of time.Borghen: Death is sweet, isn't it, Josef? Now we have all eternity together!Josef: Borghen! Hmph, what a surprise... Alright. It's about time I settled your hash!Josef: What!?Borghen: Yes, the immortal body I've so longed for is mine at last!
- See You in Hell: He does, actually; when Pandaemonium rises, he returns as a Chest Monster. Soul of Rebirth takes it even further, with him in the Unknown Cave fighting Josef.
- Taking You with Me: Borghen is defeated in the Snow Cavern and dies of his sustained wounds. However, its not before he gets the last laugh by bringing down a boulder trap that ends up killing Josef.
- Un-Evil Laugh: This guy's no Kefka, so it makes sense that his laugh sounds more like a gobbling turkey than anything else.
- Zero-Effort Boss: For an established, named villain in a game with very few, you'd expect him to put up more of a fight when you actually battle him. In reality? He's significantly weaker than the two Warm-Up Bosses who precede him, and only barely stronger than the Mooks in the same dungeon.
Neutral
Deumion
A new character added in the 20th Anniversary Edition. He is the immortal guardian of the ultimate magic and an extremely powerful mage. In his story we learn that he was born with immensely powerful magic, and thus, was fit to be the one who'd guard over the Destruction magic tome, which is basically Ultima on steroids. However, after millennia of guarding the thing he becomes so absorbed by his duty that he fights everyone who dares to enter his sanctuary.
- Ambiguously Brown: His skin color is a bit darker than the rest of the cast, however, Firion and Minwu have a darker complexion.
- The Archmage: He's the most powerful sorcerer in the plot, bar none.
- Canon Foreigner: He doesn't exist prior to the PSP version (or after it, in the cast of the Pixel Remaster).
- Killed Off for Real: Fighting him for the Destroy tome and winning leads to him dyingnote . As the Arcane Labyrinth was added after Souls of Rebirth and Deumion's death is optional, he does not appear in that campaign. Either way, he is not listed in the Beastiary.
- MacGuffin Guardian: He guards the Destroy tome from those who would try to claim it.
- Magic Wand: Carries one in his boss sprite.
- Older Than They Look: Much much older. We're probably talking hundreds if not thousands of years.
- Origins Episode: The final keyword of the main story unlocks the first in a chain of four keywords. Unlike the previous floors of the Arcane Labyrinth, all four are explicitly linked, detailing Deumion's past and how exactly he ended up as the Destroy tome's guardian.
- Restored My Faith in Humanity: If you ask for "Hope" and give back his Light of Hope, Deumion will regain his faith in the world and give Firion the Revive Tome.
- Stripperiffic: He's mostly clad in cloaks, and he's wearing a long skirt with a slit that shows his bare legs.
- Summon Magic: He summons the canine beast Phrekyos to test the party's might. It is this ability that resulted in him becoming the guardian of the Destroy tome in the first place.
- Super Boss: Deumion is the strongest optional boss in the game, and can only be fought if the party asks for the Key Term Destruction. Otherwise, if prompted with the Key Term Hope, he'll peacefully reward you with the Revive spell (for this reason, he does not appear in the Bestiary and doesn't need to be fought to complete itnote ).
- Technical Pacifist: It's implied that he doesn't like to fight; If the party asks for Destruction, he warns them that he will have to destroy them, giving them an opportunity to back down. Likewise, he mentions attempting to use his powers to save lives rather than take them, after saving the party from enemy soldiers on the Hope floor.
- Threshold Guardians: Was turned into this due to his powerful magical abilities.
- Walking Spoiler: When initially encountered, the only things known about Deumion is that he can summon a monster, he's guarding something in the Arcane Labyrinth and he hands out powerful weapons. It's not until the party visits the Oblivion floor near the end of the game that they learn more about him.
