An energetic street urchin living in Rabanastre who talks big about rebelling against the occupying Empire and becoming a Sky Pirate. He is an orphan, his parents having died from the plague when he was young, and lives with Penelo at Migelo's house.When he sneaks into the royal palace and steals an incredibly rare (and significant) piece of magicite, he becomes entangled in the events of the game.He is a Point Of View Character in Final Fantasy XII, but becomes the main protagonist in Revenant Wings. He later makes appearances in Final Fantasy Tactics A 2 as a Hidden Character and Dissidia 012 Duodecim as one of the main cast.
The Ace: Heavily implied in Final Fantasy XII, and made more explicit in Final Fantasy Tactics A2. In the former, it's not readily apparent since he's only of nominal importance to the plot, but side quests and NPC conversations paint him as nothing if not hypercompetent, and he has the the stats of a god.
Expy: It's subtle, but especially in the simpler graphics of Tactics A2 and Revenant Wings you can see that he bears a significant resemblance to Ramza and Marche. (It's mostly in the hair.)
He's also a more obvious one of Aladdin (the Disney version, at any rate). Street rat, tiny open vest, forbidden treasure, tec.
The Face: In Final Fantasy XII and Revenant Wings. In the former, he does almost all the talking to the nigh hundreds of NPCs and in the dozens of side quests, which does at least have the effect of fleshing out his character.
Foil: To Ashe, they are directly parallel to one another in character development in XII.
Hyper Competent Sidekick: And how! He explicitly takes charge in all matters outside of the High Fantasy plot, manages logistics, and initiates and leads the group through many a side quest. NPC conversations also imply that he takes the lead in combat (at least when monsters are concerned), which is backed up by his relevant stats.
Idiot Hero: 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 makes this his defining trait, cranking up his Hot Bloodedness and making him rather arrogant and cocky, but lacking the skill and intelligence to back them up.
Impossible Thief: Revenant Wings shows where all the that Level Grinding from XII went, as Vaan can casually steal concepts and attributes from an enemy, up to and including their sense of time, and make use of it himself. He steps it up by Final Fantasy Tactics A2, where he's essentially become the Carmen Sandiego of Ivalice.
Lightning Bruiser: He's got all around amazing stats in XII, having emphasis on strength (best score with Basch), magick (second best score), vitality (best score) and speed (second best). Basically, stats-wise, he's easily the best character of your party.
The Messiah: He goes out of his way to help a lot of people during the side quests as well as lets the refugee Aegyl live on his airship.
Nice Guy: Though Vaan can be a bit crude, he is probably the character that has the strongest moral compass.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Vaan isn't really a bad character, he just happens to be in a game where, as far as Western audiences are concerned, his role in the story and his personality are not as interesting or developed as other characters, the other party members besides him and Penelo included.
Overrated And Underleveled: While he and Penelo are far from slackers in Tactics A2, their default classes don't have very good stat growths. However, the trope is otherwise subverted in that the class abilities are more than decent. Vaan's Life of Crime ability has potential to deal 999 damage every time with 100% accuracy provided you have stolen enough. They're best moved to other jobs after learning their unique abilities and aren't bad as guests, either.
Primal Stance: Vaan seems to favor these sorts of stances with his fighting style.
Persona Non Grata: Comes close to being banned from Bhujerba due to the whole pretending-to-be-Basch-very-loudly ordeal. Thereafter, the city guides are eternally pissed at him and caution him to stay away from ledges and cliffs.
Rescue Romance: Averted, after he rescues Ashe, the two have a strictly platonic relationship.
Supporting Protagonist / The Ishmael: He serves as a Foil to Ashe, both of them wanting to see Dalmasca restored and to claim vengeance for the death of their loved ones. However Vaan's actions only drive the story up to when Ashe joins the party, after that the game follows her entirely and Vaan just advises her like the other characters and acts as party leader in non-combat areas.
Tagalong Kid: Somewhat, he is only a two years younger than Ashe and is more of The Lancer towards her, but does not have a true connection to the main plot.
Took a Level in Badass: Takes one in Revenant Wings. Takes a HUGE one in Tactics A2, where he is regarded as the greatest Sky Pirate who ever lived and even a Criminal Syndicate has a flee-on-sight order when confronting him.
Vaan's childhood friend and Love Interest. When Vaan's parents died, Penelo's family adopted him and his brother. However, after the war between Dalmasca and Archadia began, her parents and older brothers were killed in a raid and left her an orphan. She now lives at Migelo's house with Vaan, and works odd jobs in Lowtown to get by. Penelo remains a perky and responsible girl who keeps Vaan's immaturity in check.She reappears as the main heroine of Revenant Wings and alongside Vaan in Final Fantasy Tactics A 2. She also makes a cameo appearance in the character tutorials of Dissidia: Final Fantasy, where she interjects her own amusing opinions on the Dissidia cast.
Flat Character: She had little characterization in the main game other then being Vaan's Love Interest and her Odd Friendship with Larsa. This is fixed in subsequent games, where she serves as a Foil to Vaan.
Overrated And Underleveled: Zigzagged where in A2, where her and Vaan's default classes don't have very good stat gains even though they are rather helpful as guest characters and can be good in other classes, too. Her Dancer class is good as a secondary skillset. 0-cost debuffs are quite good, and the Sword Dance*
a double attack, used only if she has an edged weapon equipped
attack is very useful if she is a Spellblade or Assassin.*
who wield broadswords and katanas, respectively
Replacement Goldfish: When Penelo grew close with Velis in Revenant Wings she remarked how much he reminded her of her deceased elder brothers.
She-Fu: When equiped with certain weapons such as Poles or Unarmed, Penelo will show how acrobatic she really is.
Sky Pirate: Along with Vaan by the end of the game and sequels.
Stripperiffic: Modest enough in the first game (especially compared to Ashe and Fran), but Revenant Wings and Tactics A2... not so much. (though she's still wearing more than Ashe or Fran).
Women Are Wiser: She plays this role for Vaan, being more level headed and cautious to Vaan's sometimes reckless impulses.
Balthier ( Ffamran Mied Bunansa)
"Princess! No need to worry. I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man? He never dies."
An infamous and aristocratic Sky Pirate. Well-mannered, intelligent and witty, Balthier proclaims himself to be "the leading man". His personal airship is the Strahl, which he flies with his partner-in-crime Fran. They are drawn into the conflict when they break into the royal palace to steal a rare piece of magicite, only for Vaan to accidentally beat them to it.His real name is Ffamran mied Bunansa, a former Judge and the son of Archadian Imperial researcher Dr. Cid. He abandoned his post in disgust when his father became obsessed with nethicite, and warns Ashe against a similar obsession.
Casual Danger Dialogue: It's remarkably difficult to get Balthier to lose his cool, even when he's at a considerable disadvantage. Held at swordpoint, he comments dryly that "At least your sword is to the point," and one of his lines when defeated in combat is to snark calmly, "Is that your best?"
Handsome Lech: Has shades in the original game, while his manga adaptation seems to be taking cues from Zidane, flirting with Ashe before he even knows her name, and later telling Basch one should only show off for ladies, and using his bravado and strength to save Vaan is a waste.
Heroic Sacrifice: He makes a point of mentioning that he may be required to invoke this trope eventually, as the sort of thing that a "leading man" might be expected to do. He goes through with it during the ending when he stays behind on the collapsing Bahamut to fix its engines to fly it away from the city as it crashes (only to subvert the trope by surviving the experience).
Informed Attribute: Promotional materials refer to him as a silver-tongued womanizer, but as noted under Handsome Lech he really doesn't show it at all during the game.
Lampshade Hanging: As the page quote demonstrates, Balthier is perfectly content to perform a Heroic Sacrifice because he believes that he's The Hero, and thus cannot die.
Not In This For Your Revolution: In keeping with his Han Solo traits, he and Fran only stick around on the promise of payment from Ashe, being that she's a princess pursuing ancient relics of royal heritage. Balthier has no interest in the rebellion or Archadia, though at the end of the game he gets invested in finding out what Dr. Cid was up to for all those years before he left.
The Stoic: Subverted, averted and played straight. He's neither unfriendly or quiet, but he is unflappable, rather secretive, and can be hilariously indifferent to nasty surprises, such as being thrown in a dungeon (where he implies he's seen it all before), finding out 'Amalia' is actually Princess Ashe ("Huh. Can't believe that was the princess."), or witnessing his partner flying into a Mist-induced frenzy.
Ashe: What's wrong with her?
Balthier: I always knew Fran didn't like being tied up. I just never knew how much.
Weapon of Choice: Guns. Ironically the special animation he has with guns makes his firing speed considerably slower then other characters and he's better suited to a sword that compliments his high strength stat.
Fridge Brilliance: What was he before becoming a Sky Pirate? A Judge, who use swords as their primary weapon
Fran
"I have discarded Wood and village. I won my freedom. Yet my past had been cut away forever. No longer can my ears hear the Green Word. This… solitude, you want, Mjrn?"
Balthier's steadfast companion and a master of weapons, magic and mechanics. Fran is one of the Viera, a One Gender Race tribe of bunny-women who live in the Golmore Jungle and command powerful magical abilities, such as the ability to "hear" the god-like spirit of the Wood. Fran disagreed with the Viera's philosophy of isolation and left her home village, sacrificing many of her natural abilities to live a life of freedom.
Adaptational Badass: She's on a far higher tier in the manga, having super-speed and a Blizzard-enchanted claw attack that deals a One-Hit Kill to Firemane and freezes Ghis's sword. In the game, she finds an exit from the Nalbina Dungeons but the magick bindings are too strong to break. The manga, she's perfectly able to break them, it's the Imperials outside that stops them from leaving.
Informed Ability: Despite the fact that the Viera are supposed to be very magically adept, Fran's magical stats are mediocre at best, lagging behind Penelo, Vaan and Ashe. Also, despite the fact that she is supposed to be a skilled archer, her firing animation with the bow is actually slightly longer than normal, reducing her DPS and effectiveness with it compared to any other character.
Master of None: Like Vaan she is an all around styled character, but with all her stats being all around low. In fact, stats-wise, she probably is the worst character of your party, being overshadowed by pretty much everyone else.
Statuesque Stunner: Although not as tall as she appears at first glance because of her ears and stilettos. In reality, she's about the same height as Balthier.
The Reliable One: For a fanservice character who's on the more minor side of the main cast, she's one of the most useful throughout the course of the game, average fighting stats notwithstanding. She saves members of the main cast not once, not twice, but three times, rescues her sister, indirectly rescues Basch, and is often the one the party turns to for advice, such as directing the princess to those who can help her with the Sun Cryst, translating texts, or just beating up a bunch of guards that have captured everyone. Even though she has to be rescued twice, she's still far more dependable than some of the others who get more screentime.
The Stoic: Generally quiet, dignified and level-headed. However, there are a few moments in the game where her cool cracks a little, leading to...
Verbal Tic?: She has a slight but noticeable(and consistent) lisp due to her overbite. Superlative Dubbing turns this into a sexy voice - she feels inherently different from the Hume party members, yet always friendly and understanding.
Weapon of Choice: A bow and arrow, but unlike other characters her promotional artwork shows her wielding many different weapons such as swords and guns. She also has a unique bow-firing animation making her fire a bit slower than other characters, even though the bow is her iconic weapon of choice.
The former captain of the "Order of Knights of Dalmasca", Basch is framed for the assassination of Dalmasca's king and imprisoned as a traitor. Vaan and company find his cell during their escape from the Nalbina Dungeons, and reluctantly allow him to join to aid their escape.Having failed the royal family of Dalmasca once, Basch is determined to protect and serve Ashe in her quest to reclaim the throne. His sense of honour and loyalty to Dalmasca is second to none.
Boring, but Practical: His attack animations are all pretty basic stuff with little to no acrobatics, but comes out very quickly and would actually really hurt if done in real life.
Clear My Name: Subverted. At the end of the game the public at large still thinks he's dead and guilty, and the people who know he's alive also know he's innocent.
The Captain: Before the main events of the game. In the Japanese version though his rank was General.
Determinator: Which is how he keeps sane despite being a...
Easily Forgiven: To be fair he was framed by his Evil Twin Gabranth and Vaan saw Gabranth interrogating him. And to the rest of the populace, his name was never cleared and his supposed death still took place.
The crown princess of Dalmasca and the last true heir to the Dynast King. Ashe lost her father and husband only a week after her wedding when Archadia invaded Nabradia, and was soon announced to have committed suicide out of grief. In reality, she fled underground to lead the insurgencyresistance against Archadia's occupation of Dalmasca.She is determined to restore Dalmasca whatever the cost, driven by her hatred of Archadia and her own feelings of responsibility as the crown princess.
Anti-Hero: Somewhat, during the story's early stages - while she cared for Dalmasca, she wasn't exactly the most level-headed member of the group before her Character Development.
Break the Cutie: She's a widow while still in her teens. Unlike most political marriages, both Ashe and Rasler actually loved each other.
Character Development: 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.
Chickification: In the manga. Her introduction in the game establishes her as a BadassLady of War, cutting down an imperial troop and proving a powerful fourth ally for the waterway. In the manga she's actively fleeing from her attackers, and is nearly helpless in subsequent battles.
Determinator: To the point its a detriment actually—even when she gets a legitimate chance to regain her standing and rule Dalmasca, she refuses because she wants to see the Empire destroyed above all else. That, and just listen to her Quickening quotes:
"I must endure." / "I must believe." / "I must be strong."
Dramatic Wind: Especially when performing her Quickenings and casting magic. More noticeable when fighting outside, but even inside her clothing tends to flutter, just less so.
The Hero: In practice it's Ashe's desires and motivations that guide the party in their quest, while the other five party members tag along with her for various reasons and offer her support and advice. As covered under Basch's entry he was going to be the main protagonist, but unless the story was drastically re-written after that changed, he would still have just been The Lancer to Ashe.
Politically Active Princess: Zig-zagged. At first, she tries to take Rabanastre by force. Later, she attempts to reclaim her kingdom by bargaining with The Empire and other factions for most of the game. Although she's a Badass Princess and would rather fight against the Archadians, she slowly understands that the easiest way to avoid bloodshed is to take the diplomatic route.
Rummage Sale Reject: And it's just a weird combination of clothes and armor, at that.
She's been in hiding for two years, what did you expect?
Spare To The Throne: If you pay attention to the NPC conversations you will find out that Ashe was the youngest of nine siblings with eight older brothers who have all died from war or sickness.
Weapon of Choice: Swords of various different styles, even when she uses bombs in the sequel she still has a sword in her artwork. She also likes her shield. Even her unarmed animation has her putting up her left hand like she's got one on there.
A former captain of the Dalmasca militia. Vossler is one of the top soldiers in the Resistance, and takes on the duty of protecting Ashe after she is forced underground. He has a deep respect for Basch, and works tirelessly to restore Dalmasca.His constant struggles against the Empire eventually wear him down to the point where he betrays Ashe, selling her out to Archadia in exchange for some of Dalmasca's sovereignity, knowing full-well that Ashe would merely be a puppet ruler.
Foil: To Basch, given their friendship despite coming from different stations in life. Taken further when, after Basch's absolute loyalty to Ashe is proven, Vossler himself becomes a traitor.
The leader of Bhujerba, a city floating in the sky with rich magicite mines. Though Bhujerba claims to be neutral, it is an open secret that Ondore is aligned with Archadia to prevent them from simply conquering his city. However, he is also secretly funding resistance movements against Archadia and seeks to reclaim Bhujerba's independance. He is the narrator of the game.
A member of the ruling family of Rozzaria, a nation rival to Archadia. He works alongside Larsa to avert the war brewing between the two empires, as the cost of such a war would devastate both sides.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Pun not intended - he does get involved with the events and does what he can to try and prevent another outbreak of war. And he's not even the true/direct heir to Rozarrio, but implied to be one of many - that's got to count somehow.
Sexy Secretary: He's always accompanied by a one who's main job seems to be holding his sunglasses.
Tuxedo and Martini: Tactics A2 reveals that he is this sort of Spy for Rozzaria with the unique Agent job.
Overrated And Underleveled: In Tactics A2, he cannot change classes. He is the only unit who cannot change classes. Even Vaan and Penelo, who also join with unique classes, are able to class change. This means he can't use any than other than guns, can't ever learn a secondary skillset other than Item, and can never learn any Support or Reaction abilities.
The Wise Prince: Yes! Because some of his... well, activities aside, he's a very clever man and a competent politician. When he first meets Ashe he bring up important matters for her to consider, and when the party's shown determined to seek out the Deifacted Nethicite, he makes important points such as actually needing to find what they're looking for. Plus see his above quote.
Reddas ( Judge Magister Foris Zecht)
"The illusions of the past. You think to have cast them off, only to find them years later, unwearying, unrelenting. The past can bind a man as surely as irons."
The head of the pirate city of Balfonheim, who turned it from a den of corruption into an outlaw but ultimately moral city. Reddas has the honor of being the final Guest Star Party Member in the game.He was formerly known as Judge Zecht, and defected from the Empire after he was tricked by Cid into destroying Nabradia with the Midlight Shard.
Vaan's older brother. He was a member of the "Order of Knights of Dalmasca" under Basch. When he rushed to prevent the assassination of King Raminas, he found his comrades slaughtered and the king dead, supposedly at the hands of Basch. He was stabbed, and lived long enough to testify his version of events before dying.
Tragic Keepsake: His pendant which Vaan is seen wearing for the entirety of the game.
Unwitting Pawn: He is fatally stabbed by Gabranth in order to frame his twin brother for regicide and tortured to give his testimony against Basch because he to was accused of taking part in the murder.
The son of the current Emperor of the Archadian Empire, and recently appointed Consul to Dalmasca. His affable nature cloaks his intelligence and utter ruthlessness, and his schemes permeate every part of the plot.Vayne is a complex character with a multitude of goals: to break the control of the Occuria over Ivalice, to destroy the corrupt bureaucracy of Archadia, to become the next Dynast King and gain complete control over Ivalice, and to prepare the way for his younger brother Larsa to inherit his position.
Affably Evil: Arguably the most affable villain in the series. When Migelo refuses to drop the "lord consul" title from his name, Vayne invites him to dinner at the palace and tells him he'll get the guy drunk until he gets it right.
Anti-Villain (Type III): While getting to rule the world is a nice plus, Vayne's goal is to defy the reign of the Occuria by overthrowing those they favor, thus ending their control over the races of Ivalice and giving Mankind freedom from manipulative and controlling gods.
Downplayed in the manga, while Vayne's ulterior motives haven't been shown yet, as it was in the original game, in the manga he's much more manipulative and cruel, getting a new Kick the Dog moment with Vaan as described below and having his speech to the people of Dalmasca omitted.
Depending on how you view the cutscenes that show the power struggles going on in the Empire, Vayne is aware that his brother would ultimately make a better ruler for the people, but the times are troubled and for the moment Vayne is the better ruler on account that he can handle the war and politics that Larsa is too young to deal with yet.
Vayne: "Observe well, Larsa. Watch and mark you the suffering of one who must rule, yet lacks the power."
Cain and Abel: Averted with him and Larsa regardless of how different they are they love each other dearly, However in the back story Vayne murdered both of his older brothers.
Apparently, his father commanded him to, and it is implied that Vayne had to be forced to carry out those orders. This likely fostered ill will towards his father, which in turn helped motivate Vayne's assassination of the Emperor and ascend to the throne.
The Chessmaster: Though you don't see him on-screen as often as previous villains, it is made clear Vayne isn't just sitting around doing nothing and is working on securing more power for himself.
The manga takes it further by revealing the reason Archadia attacked Nabradia and later Dalmasca was due to an insurgent faction in Nabradia seeking an alliance with Rozarria over Dalmasca, and the Archadians feared a civil war in Nabradia leading to a power shift. It is implied Vayne has some hand in the insurgent's rise to power, effectively making him single-handledly responsible for causing a world war.
The Evil Prince: While he has no actual title Prince despite being the Emperor's son, it's implied he killed his two older brothers to get closer to his father's favor. He later seizes power by murdering his father and framing the Senate, allowing him absolute power over the Empire making him ...
While it may have gained him favor with the Emperor, it was the Emperor himself who ordered (and possibly forced) Vayne to kill his brothers.
Expy Some traits of his match that of Emperor Mateus, including his being the reigning Emperor, his allying himself with a rogue being, and even down to his final defeat on a flying fortress. Unlike Mateus, however, that defeat was permanent.
Fusion Dance/One-Winged Angel: Vayne's final form, The Undying, is a fusion of his dying body with the Occuria Venat with parts of his battleship Bahamut melded onto him.
Ivalice Justifies The Means: His ultimate goal is a peaceful Ivalice united under Arcadia and him as the Dynast-King. However, "peace" only factors into things once he achieves the "united" part.
Kick the Dog: While actually referring to the subjects as dogs, no less. While Drace questions his innocence in Gramis's death and threatens him, Vayne orders Gabranth, her confidante, to execute her right then and there. He also refers to Gabranth as a dog and reveals he knows Gabranth was spying on him under Gramis's orders, and thus the execution is a test of loyalty.
In the manga, during the attack by the resistance at the start of the game, Vaan spies on Vayne and Gabranth watching the carnage, and is discovered and hauled before Vayne. Vayne knows full well Vaan is enraged and mocks him, calling him a powerless dog too weak and cowardly to do anything but kneel at his feet. When Vaan brings up Reks's death, knowing Vayne was at that meeting, Vayne says that since Vaan is a dog, he should be grateful he didn't have to pay for a funeral. Vaan pushes himself to his feet, and when Vayne just mocks him some more for not knowing his place, Vaan finally musters the courage to attack him, only to be blocked by Gabranth. Vayne tells Gabranth to have Vaan executed as he's taken away, and just to drive a knife into Gabranth's heart too, taunts him about his brother and his homeland a bit before he leaves.
Large Ham: When he goes nuts at the end, he REALLY goes nuts.
Necessarily Evil: Even in his quest to become the new Dynast-King that will unite all of Ivalice, and shake off the Occuria's yoke, he is very much aware of the atrocities he commits, and the tragedies his and Cid's plotting have wrought. His remark "my hands are stained with blood, I see little reason to stay them now" alone shows he's aware of what he has done and will have to do in the future to see his goals to fruition.
The Unfettered: A more rule-abiding version, he nonetheless states—in a conversation with Emperor Gramis—that he's willing to do whatever he must, even if it means raising his sword and taking life en masse. Especially if he can prevent Larsa from having to do so instead.
Villainous BSOD: Shortly after the Vayne Novus fight when he is defeated and his attack on Gabranth is stopped by Larsa, he seems to doubt his resolve.
Villain with Good Publicity: He manages to turn public opinion of him around 180° with one speech. To the kingdom he's just overthrown and put under military occupation. Amazing.
Xanatos Speed Chess: Plays a mean game of it to set himself up on the throne.
Larsa Ferrinas Solidor
"The men of my family, we are taught to place the needs of others before those of our own. I will see that you are kept from harm. It is my duty to House Solidor."
Vayne's younger brother, and competition for the throne of Archadia. Unlike Vayne, Larsa ultimately desires peace and works with the protagonists to unravel the web of secrets that his brother has spun.As a child of twelve, Larsa is too young to fully understand the harsh realities of the world. Several factions plot from the shadows to either take advantage of his naiveity or to protect his innocence and idealism.
Break the Cutie: By the end of the game, everyone this kid loves and cares for is dead. You see him break multiple times as a result.
Cain and Abel: Mostly subverted, Larsa and Vayne clearly love each other dearly but ultimately Larsa challenges his brother's authority when he feels he can no longer stay idle to his plans.
Combat Medic: You'll probably appreciate Larsa most for his healing skills, but he's a decent fighter too.
Crutch Character: It isn't a bad idea to save the optional sidequests and bosses for Larsa's second time joining the party. Besides the fact that Guest Party members are always a good thing for the fourth swordarm, Larsa's infinite supply of Hi-Potions make a lot of the optional parts of the game much easier. Without going into too much detail on how his Gambits work—the kid throws out healing items constantly, which take effect much faster than healing spells and will probably heal more than they do.
In the No Export for You International version, guest party members work differently as you can control them. This means that Larsa no longer has infinite high potions, but this is compensated by him getting very useful white magic- more powerful than you likely have at his parts of the game.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: People to this day still think he's a she. It's the pretty red shoes.
It doesn't help that he's initially known as "Lamont," not the most gender-specific name, and he isn't explicitly referred to as a male by anyone until some time after he joins you.
Heroic BSOD: Has a brief one when Al-Cid reveals that his father passed away.
Hyperspace Arsenal: The kid is famous for having an infinite supply of Potions, and he uses them liberally. Subverted in the International Zodiac Job System re-release, where Guest party members use items from your inventory instead.
Item Caddy: Larsa has potions up the wazoo and you will appreciate them.
Magic Knight: In the International Zodiac Job System, he masters some Black magic spells, and knows the Shades of black technique, which allows him to cast for free random black spells.
The Red Mage: In the International Zodiac Job System, Larsa becomes one (though different from the Zodiac Job's version of the game). He loses his infinite supply of Hi-Potion, but is granted many powerful white spells before anyone else, and even some black spells (plus the Shades of black technique), making him a jack of all trades. Combined with his quite high Magic power, high MP pool, his ability to wield a sword and his very high evasion, he is a force to be reckoned with, though he still lacks in the HP department.
The Sixth Ranger: The 2nd introduced in the story (after Vossler and before Reddas).
The head researcher of Archadia's Draklor Laboratories. He is the creator of manufacted nethicite, the substance that powers Archadia's war machines, and of various other technical marvels such as airships that can traverse Jagd. He is allied with Vayne and is completely obsessed with the potential of nethicite.He is the estranged father of Balthier, who left in disgust when Cid became consumed by his nethicite research. Cid recieved the knowledge of how to create nethicite from Venat, who he works with to destroy the Occuria's hold over Ivalice.
A God Am I: Shows shades of this at the top of the Pharos.
Catch Phrase: His quote above, which pretty much explains his entire character in ten words. Chances are you'll be sick of hearing him say it by the end of the game.
Dual Boss: With Famfrit, who he summons partway through the party's second battle against him.
Evil Genius: Not truly evil, but he counts in the traditional sense.
Mad Scientist: Fills the criteria but actually a subverion, Cid is perfectly sane and knows exactly what he's doing. This is lampshaded by Balthier, who notes "he wasn't mad at all," and indeed Cid isn't — he's just busy talking to someone other people can't see, likes being overly theatrical, and is obssessed with a particularly fascinating and important field of study.
Talkative Loon: Everywhere he goes, he's incessantly conversing with thin air about his work and plans. This is because his partner, the rogue Occuria Venat, is Invisible to Normals.
"They are fulfilled beyond your knowing. The Cryst is sundered, Age of Stones, complete. From the Undying ones the world is freed. You shall not tread this path alone. Together we go, come...
A rebel Occuria who disagreed with the philosophy of its kin, and sought to break the control of the Occuria over Ivalice. To accomplish this it aligns with Cid and Vayne, revealing the secret to creating nethicite.
Affably Evil: Is very polite and well mannered towards others.
Ambiguous Gender: Is specifically voiced by a woman, yet the body is ... confusing, to say the least. The voice is also digitally modulated to mimic certain masculine vocal inflections too. Since the Occuria leader Gerun is in the same circumstance, it's tough to say whether the Occuria even have genders at all, or if 'female' is the standard definition for them (as opposed to male). Or they just all have female voices regardless of gender. Either way, it's never specified what gender Venat is, but for simplicity's sake, she's referred to as female in this section from here on out.
Blue and Orange Morality: Like the rest of the Occuria, Venat's motivations are as unknowable as her actions. In siding with Ivalice's mortal races and desiring to free them from her brethren, she's willing to engage in atrocities on the scale of genocide, but treats her allies in this quest with kindness and honor, and only does as much evil as is absolutely necessary to bring about the "greater good." By the end of the game she succeeds.
Pet the Dog: The above quote, where after Vayne is mortally wounded, Venat offers up her immortality so that he doesn't have to die alone. Similarly, her final farewell to Dr. Cid.
Pyrrhic Victory: Again, as the above quote explains, although every weapon in her arsenal lies broken, and she herself is about to commit Suicide By Cop, she technically wins.
An Archadian Judge and the Emperor's right-hand man. The Emperor tasks him with protecting Larsa from the ugly side of politics and war. However, he becomes ensnared in Vayne's machinations and finds his loyalties to the Empire and Larsa tested.He is Basch's twin brother Noah, who impersonated Basch to kill King Raminas and disgrace his brother. When his homeland was conquered by Archadia, he joined the Empire instead of joining his brother in Dalmasca.He appears in Dissidia: Final Fantasy as a Hidden Character.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: "You confound me, brother! You failed Landis, you failed Dalmasca, all you were to protect. Yet you still hold on to your honor. How!?"
Evil Counterpart: To Basch. He was also is an antithesis for Vaan and Ashe who at the games emotional apex chose to Turn The Other Cheek on the man who destroyed they're entire lives while he spent his life mulling in his hatred for Basch.
Evil Twin: He's actually a Deconstruction of this trope, having initially had good reason to hate his brother. By the events of the game however, Noah was serving the country who originally assimilated his homeland of Landis. This may originally have been justified to him by his and Basch's mother being Archadian, but by the game's events he's gradually falling ever further, whereas Basch was able to put his life back together and fight on even when all his honour seemed lost. That neither side is entirely right or wrong keeps this trope from being played straight, much like the treatment somanyotherstropesinthe gameare given.
Exact Words: After Vayne transforms into Vayne Novus, Vayne tells Gabranth to defend his brother, Larsa, as he will have "much need in the Hell to follow." Gabranth obeys the command to defend Lord Larsa... by turning his sword against Vayne and aiding the heroes instead.
Failure Knight: for the Republic of Landis, his homeland.
Unknown Rival: His relationship with Basch has shades of this frequently making enraged comments about Basch to his face while Vaan and Ashe are the ones to react more strongly to his presence.
Villainous Breakdown: Suffers this after it becomes clear that Basch was able to transcend his past and hardship while Noah is still empty and bitter. After Basch defeats him he finally lets go and performs a Heel Face Turn.
You Killed My Father: Ashe is not happy when Gabranth gleefully admits to killing her father and essentially ruining her life (of course, this was his intention with the confession).
Judge Bergan
"Too late, and to their sorrow, do those who misplace their trust in gods learn their fate."
One of the Archadian Judges who believes that power and might are the key to ruling. As such he eagerly accepts Vayne as the new emperor when he takes power. Has a short but very memorable role, demonstrating he has no problem slaughtering an entire mountain village of innocents for no real reason.
Blood Knight: It's largely implied, but still demonstrated in-game. The manga adaptation shows this is his normal state, with him leading the assault on the Dalmascan troop at Nabudis and clearly enjoying himself immensly.
The Brute: Of the Judge Magisters as a group, and of the Archadian military as a whole. Presumably.
Face Palm of Doom: To Drace... With a steel gauntlet. That had to be painful.
General Ripper/Social Darwinist: He firmly believes that a leader must be forceful, ruling with an iron fist. This drives his loyalty to Vayne.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: If several of these tropes are any indication, Bergan was, if not kind, at least a more sane man at some point before the events of the game. Even in his first appearance in-story, he's rather brusque but somewhat level-headed - in particular, he seems to take Drace dismissal of Vayne as a leader - by using Judge Zecht's disappearance - as a grave insult to the missing Judge Magister's memory. In his subsequent scenes, his taking manufacted nethicite into his body causes him to first brutally throw Drace across the room, followed by his slaughtering people at Mt Bur-Omisace before the nethicite destroys his body, killing him.
Meat Puppet: By Venat, to precipitate the slaughter of the Kiltias and galvanize Ashe's retaliation.
Another Archadian Judge, and a more reasonable one. Knowing Vayne is a Magnificent Bastard she doesn't trust him and prefers Larsa. She's the second Judge to fall (after Ghis) when she tries to call him out on killing his father. Vayne has her executed for treason.
An Archadian Judge - probably the second-oldest after Zargabaath - who plays an important role in the early plot by capturing the party members multiple times. Unlike the other judges, he only seems to be out for himself; in short, he's a careerist and a schemer.When he gets his hands on some deifacted nethicite he contemplates seizing power for himself, but dies when he finds out how powerful it really is.
The Chessmaster: Tries, but ultimately isn't as good as the bigger and more well-informed Chessmasters.
Even Evil Has Standards: Seems to have shades of this in his first appearances - especially compared to Bergan - but it's really more that he prefers to not dirty his own hands if he can help it. When the party confronts him, he has no further issue with attempting to kill them, though it must be acknowledged that he doesn't appear to hold a grudge afterward. Say what you will about his ethics - or lack thereof - but don't mistake him for a simple-minded mass-murderer.
Faux Affably Evil: He's definitely cultured and polite, rarely if ever losing his composure even when Ashe's group is fighting against him to escape the Dreadnought Leviathan. He's also got an enormous ego and an inflated opinion of himself which comes from being a cunning social climber.
Jerkass: Polite he may be, but a creep he most definately is.
Magic Knight: He has a an Aero spell which is very powerful at the time you fight him and appears to cast Flare during a cutscene but it is absorbed by Penelo's manufacted nethicite.
Oh Crap: When he realizes exactly what's about to happen to the Shiva after the deifacted nethicite goes in the ship's drive, and the readings go red.
Too Dumb to Live: Really, Ghis - you just had to test the deifacted nethicite while on an airship, not stopping to consider just how powerful it must be if King Raithwall used it to conquer the lands all those years ago? With not even any safety precautions in place, you were kind of asking to get blown up.
The final of the five Archadian Judges seen in the game, he's more the quiet type and acts as a voice of reason among them. He's an honourable sort, loyal to Archadia as a nation and ideal rather than any person. Is notably the only Judge to make it out of the game alive.
The Dragon: He's the eldest of the Judges, and he's also commander of the Alexander, the 2nd-largest ship in Archadia aside from the Sky Fortress Bahamut.
Only Sane Man: He and Judge Drace are probably the most level-headed and reasonable of the Judges, but unlike Drace he tends to keep his thoughts to himself and refrains from antagonizing his lords. This may be one of the reasons he's the only Judge still alive by the end.
Pet the Dog: He attempts to talk Vayne out of killing Drace.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite surviving the game, Zargabaath has no mention in the ending or the sequel. His fate is a complete mystery, though it could be safely assumed he will help Basche and Larsa to stabilise the Empire, appoint new Judge Magisters and reinstate the senate.
Manipulative Bastard: See Revenge trope below. As adorable as he looks, as patient and kind as he is towards Clan members, his ulterior motives essentially boil down to this. Whether the player sympathizes with him afterwards is another story.
Mythology Gag: The names of the prominent members of Clan Centurio; Kjrn, Ma'kenroh, Emet and Monid where Clan Nutsy's founding clan members in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Unfortunately in the English version of Tactics Advance these names are randomized so the reference is mostly Lost in Translation.
A Bangaa bounty hunter with his eye set on claiming Balthier's bounty (he's the green Bangaa in the bottom center - the others are his gang). He is incredibly cruel and his methods are wildly illegal. Such methods include kidnapping and attacking innocents to draw out his prey.
Demoted to Extra: Ba'Gamnan appears shortly into the beginning with an established desire to get Balthier, and soon after kidnaps Penelo to lure Balthier in. In the following battle, he's so tough it's actually recommended to run from him rather than fight (unless the player's been Level Grinding). Sounds like he'll be a major recurring antagonist, right? Well ... no, actually. He basically disappears from the main plot altogether, reappearing as part of a Hunt, and that's it for his appearances in Final Fantasy XII.
Though he becomes a recurring villain in Revenant Wings. You even get the chance to play as him for a brief portion of the game.
Hopeless Boss Fight: As mentioned above, he and his flunkies appear as enemies after Penelo is rescued, but unless the party is overleveled they pretty much impossible, so it's generally better to run.
Reptiles Are Abhorrent: He and his Bangaa brethren define this trope for Final Fantasy. They seem to be the only real examples, however, since other Bangaa in the game are generally quite pleasant (Migelo comes to mind). Doesn't mean they aren't one of the nastiest examples of it played straight, however.
"You must give your anima to the heavens! Only then will you fly on wings undying!"
The self proclaimed God of the aegyl. Really 700 Years Old, he has been alive for a long time, thanks to the Auracite. With the barrier around Lemurés gone, he has started a plot to get revenge on the world. This vengeance is prompted by the Occuria, who tried to dominate the aegyl, thus causing Feolthanos to take them to Lemurés.]]
A mysterious armored figure who aims to invade Ivalice from the floating continent of Lemurés and start a war between the aegyl and humes. Sky Pirates call her the Judge of Wings due to her resemblance to the Archadian Judges.
Easily Forgiven: After killing off her race (who were entirely innocent), playing mind games and whatever, the party (save maybe Fran and Balther) is all sympathy. What?!
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Sure she committed horrible atrocities, but you have to feel at least a little sympathy for her.
Filo
"I'm gonna learn to fly all by myself! I wanna fly higher than anyone's ever flown before!"
Another orphan from lowtown, Filo follows faithfully in Vaan's footsteps. She still bears the emotional scars of the war, but she doesn't let them interfere with her dream of becoming a sky pirate. She actually appears in Final Fantasy XII, but doesn't do anything until the sequel, where she's part of the main party.
"I got my hands full watching the shop... and Old Dalan had something for me to do, but I can't get away."
An orphan living in Rabanastre's Lowtown, Kytes is one of Vaan's closest friends. Hoping to become a sky pirate himself, Kytes practices magick with single-minded determination. Like Filo, appears as an orphan in Lowtown in Final Fantasy XII proper, but doesn't have any real characterization until the sequel.
A warrior from the sky continent of Lemurés. He exhibits a curiosity not commonly found among the Aegyl, for which he is regarded as something as a curiosity himself
A warrior from the sky continent of Lemurés. He exhibits a curiosity not commonly found among the Aegyl, for which he is regarded as something as a curiosity himself
