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Ramza Beoulve/Ramza Lugria

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-Ramza_1793.jpg

I have no wish to change the world.

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr, Shinnosuke Tachibana (Japanese, Dissidia NT onwards)

The protagonist of the story, Ramza lived the comfortable life of a noble sequestered in Eagrose Castle as the youngest son of the famous Knight Gallant Barbaneth Beoulve and his commoner paramour. Like his trueborn brothers Ramza was sent (along with his peasant friend Delita) to the illustrious Gariland Military Academy to follow in his father's footsteps to become a knight of the Northern Sky. After the disaster at Fort Ziekden, Ramza spends the next few years as a mercenary and learns how the world works but retains his purity and will.

Almighty Janitor: Ramza saves the world from an Eldritch Abomination and alters the course of history, yet technically (in-story) never rose above the rank of squire. The game drives this point further home: each new Chapter has a new Squire ability exclusive to Ramza alone.
Always Save the Girl: Familial version, for Alma.
Always Second Best: Implied and Zig-Zagged with Delita and the player/audience. Delita and Ramza both start off as Squires. However, Delita ascends from Squire to a Holy Knight who is physically and politically more powerful than Ramza. Ramza, despite overcoming many opponents and trials, stays a Squire. The player feels this trope, because no matter how hard you try, there is no way to make Ramza any of special Knight classes in the game, to the chagrin of many FFT players. This is rectified in the WOTL remake.
Belated Happy Ending: Ramza was known as a heretic in the annals of history... until these records came to light.
Beware the Honest Ones: He turns against the Order of the Northern Sky in the battle of Ziekden Fortress because Tietra was shot dead by them. Later in the game, he turns against Gaffgarion to save Ovelia from him (and unknowingly, from Dycedarg). He basically spends the whole game surprising everyone with how far he's willing to go just to defend what he considers right. Barbaneth would be proud of him.
Big Brother Instinct: Saving his little sister Alma drives him for the entire second half of the game.
Big Damn Heroes: Ramza is actually quite bad at this. He is either much too late to do anything, or happens to be in the right place at the right time by accident. Or he needs the rescuing.
Boring, but Practical: Ramza's upgraded Squire skillset lacks the awesome abilities of characters like Agrias or Gaffgarion, but comes with come amazing instant and perfect-accuracy buffing skills later in the game as well as the mighty Ultima spell. The game's versatile job system can take this even further, give Ramza Chemist abilities and Throw Item in his Squire class and you have a ludicrously effective support unit that can heal and buff characters with perfect accuracy from a distance while being very good at staying alive (due to Ramza being able to use shields and having high health) and fighting back if necessary. While this is a very dull way to use Ramza it's very easy to set up from the start of the game and remains effective for the rest of it. It also saves space in the party by combining Ramza and a healer into one unit so you can have more options to make a party.
But Now I Must Go: Word of God states that Ramza managed to live in the ending and have other adventures, just not in Ivalice. ^note
Cast from Hit Points: Chant is an unusual case of a healing spell that fits this trope; Ramza gives up x HP, his target is healed 2x HP. No, he can't target himself.
Chaste Hero: Ramza doesn't have any time for romance. Chapter 4, "Someone to Love" is referring to familial love, not romantic.
Dark Is Not Evil: In Chapters 2 and 3 he wears dark purple, heavy armor platings on his torso, elbows and shoulders with two spikes on each shoulder protector, over a black leather turtle-neck fabric which covers the wrists of his brown leather gloves over white gauntlets. He is still the single most unambiguously heroic character in the game.
Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Ramza and his team murder their way up the demon hierarchy until they reach High Seraph Ultima and kick her ass too.
Dismissing a Compliment: Ramza is clearly uncomfortable receiving praise from his brothers, which Zalbag even notes. Even when his allies praise him later on, Ramza still is uncomfortable with it.
Doomed Moral Victor: Although he survived, Ramza was branded a heretic for the rest of his life. The game's framing device is the first time history revealed him to be a hero.
Expository Hairstyle Change: He loses the ponytail between Chapters 1 and 2, signifying his abandonment of the life of a noble after the disaster of Fort Ziekden.
Gameplay and Story Integration: Ramza is the only unique character whose default class is not only generic but a starter class, specifically the squire. Narratively, he never rose above the rank of squire considering he deserted at the end of the first act. He does gain skills as a squire that no other units can get however (at least until War of the Lions came out and added Luso, whose default class is basically Ramza's plus being able to poach natively.)
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Ramza draws a sword on Belias regardless of whether Ramza is in a sword-wielding class or not.
Generation Xerox: Ramza embodies the noble qualities long-prized by House Beoulve more than either of his older brothers, and follows in his father Barbaneth's footsteps rather admirably - not only is he an unflinchingly noble individual, he's also a total Badass Normal on the battlefield. In addition to that, it is strongly implied that he and Alma are descendants of Germonique, the man who betrayed Dark Messiah Ajora Glabados centuries ago.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Ramza may be an exile and a heretic hunted by the church, but in reality he is truly heroic, rushing to the aid of those that need help. And he doesn't need a title.
Hello, [Insert Name Here]: Subverted, at least in the PSP version; the game has the player enter their name and date of birth (on the Solar Calendar, converted to Zodiac Calendar for them) at the start of a new save, which then become Ramza's name and Zodiac. However, the voice-acted cutscenes in the PSP version refer to Ramza by name, and a Ramza fought in Rendezvous is invariably a Capricorn.
The Hero: His role as such was kept secret for a long while, but he's the true hero of the War of the Lions.
The Heretic: He's declared one by the Church of Glabados after discovering the Church's plot to seize the throne and killing Cardinal Delacroix in self-defense as a result. This doesn't say anything about his own beliefs, though. The cutscene where Delita finds Ramza praying in a church implies that he still has faith of some kind, and he's the only character whose natural faith can be raised above 95 without fear of him abandoning your team.
Heroic Bastard: It's implied if not stated (except in the PSP version) that he and Alma are illegitimate - some European nobility in Real Life would've opposed remarrying even after death, particularly if it were to a commoner, which their mother was. While most characters dance around it for one reason or another, Cardinal Delacroix does explicitly state that Ramza is a bastard, and to his face no less. Zalbaag at one point also puts down Ramza's commoner blood, but he later regrets it especially since he finds evidence that Ramza was correct about his accusations against their brother Dycedarg, said accusations being why Zalbaag verbally attacked Ramza.
Hero with Bad Publicity: Ramza goes down in history as a criminal and heretic but he's the most noble character in the game.
Heroic Lineage: Archangel Ultima speculates during the final battle that Ramza is descended from the one who defeated them many years ago. If so, it makes Ramza's actions a form of History Repeats.
Iconic Outfit: Ramza's Act 1 outfit tends to be the one he has in other media that he appears in. His Act 2/3 outfit sometimes appears, but not often (it was his alternate skin in Dissidia NT, for instance). His Act 4 armor almost never shows up outside of the game (indeed, in the War of the Lions edition, it doesn't even appear in the new cutscenes, he will be in his Act 2/3 armor in Act 4).
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: He never loses his idealistic outlook or his heroic personality no matter how much crap he goes through.
Informed Attribute: Promotional materials mention Ramza often felt beneath his brothers because of his mother being a commoner but this never comes up in the game where his common roots are rarely mentioned.
Irony:
- Think about it. Delita tried to save his sister but failed, causing him to seek power at any cost. Ramza, too, wishes to save his sister but actually succeeds. Despite being a dick, Delita becomes a hero in the annals of history while Ramza becomes a heretic. The kicker? Delita is aware of this.
- Also Ramza was just a bastard, but he embodies the principles and ideals of nobility more than his "pure-blooded" brothers. Heck, his eldest brother killed their father.
- Ramza and Delita end up opposite of where they began with Delita ending up as the King while Ramza has lost his status as a noble and leaves Ivalice. However, Delita got everything he thought he wanted but ends up miserable and alone while Ramza lost a position he never really cared about and had moved on from.
Jack of All Stats: Like most Final Fantasy heroes, Ramza in his special Squire class is above-average in every stat, both in the base multipliers and in stat growth, while he is able to wear both clothes and heavy armor, use shields, and in Part 4 can wield the very powerful Knight Swords. Also while he is a male unit, he still gets the female MP and MA multiplier boost in addition to the male unit HP and PA multiplier boost, allowing Ramza to utilize any other generic job well and making him the unequivocal best at pulling off a physical/magical hybrid build.
Last Disc Magic: He and Alma (and Luso in the port) are the only ones who are capable of learning Ultima.
Leitmotif: The aptly named, Hero Theme/Stargazer.
Little Hero, Big War: The War of the Lions is not Ramza's story; his operations are primarily behind the scenes, and while he has a decisive effect on the war, that's mainly because his enemies include several of the power players.
Magic Knight: He benefits from both the male HP/PA boost and the female MP/MA boost, making him an effective "magic knight" right from the start. Also helps that his special Squire job is one of the very few jobs in the game with above-average MA growth (something that none of the generic jobs but Mime and, in the remake, Onion Knight have), and that he gets the game-breaking Scream/Shout skill in part 4, a self-buff skill that improves his speed, PA, and MA with each use. This particularly allows him to utilize the Geomancer and Samurai jobs much better than anyone else, which are physical-based jobs with skills that rely on MA.
Nice Guy: Considering just how much the world tries to corrupt him and how he clings to his ideals, converting even many enemies on the way and empathising with those not on his side... yeah, he's this, if only by comparison.
Noble Fugitive: He's a noble from House Beoulve, but became a heretic after killing Cúchulainn, who was possessing Cardinal Alphonse Delacroix.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Just about every good deed Ramza does in game is used against him, such as saving Argath.
Nom de Mom: After rejecting the name Beoulve, he starts going by his mother's surname "Lugria". Not that you could tell in-game.
The Only One: Just try to dismiss him from your roster. It might almost be a Lampshade Hanging.
Ramza: "I'm a Beoulve! Nothing happens without me!"
- and later on...
Ramza: "I can't dismiss myself from my own army!"
The Power of Love: His familial love for Alma (and hers for him) allows her to break Ajora's control over her body.
Practically Different Generations: While he's only a year older than Alma, he's ten years younger than Zalbaag, and Dycedarg is 19 years older, making him more than twice Ramza's age.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: In spades. First off, he's the more emotionally-driven between himself and Delita, being far more prone to outbursts and less prone to strategic reason so much as the concepts of honour and integrity. Second, he's Red to both Alma's Blue, given how well she's able to manipulate him by playing on his emotions (though Alma herself is also passionate, just not to the point of charging in like an overly-righteous hero), and to Zalbaag's as well. Finally, he is - along with older brother Zalbaag - the more emotional side to Dycedarg's level-headed nature.
Required Party Member: Since the story is supposed to follow Ramza's actions in being the "true hero" of the War of the Lions he must be in the party for all storyline battles. However random encounters don't require him to be present.
The Scapegoat: In-Universe. Once the war ends, Ramza ends up going down in history as a heretic by most of the world and is blamed for a large amount of the issues that followed.
Sheltered Aristocrat: Ramza grew up in privilege and his resulting naïveté shows during the very beginning of the game. He quickly grows out of it, and if he didn't abandon his title of nobility along the way, he'd easily qualify for The Wise Prince.
Shoot the Dog: Being forced to kill Milleuda Folles in Chapter 1.
Status Buff: His unique version of the Squire job adds plenty of these in addition to the standard Focus. Tailwind increases his target's Speed by 1 point, and Steel increases the target's Bravery by 5 points. In the last Chapter, he adds Shout, which increases Ramza's own Speed, Physical Attack, and Magick Attack by 1 and his Bravery by 10.
Throwing Your Sword Always Works: In the sidequest cutscene which introduces Luso, Ramza throws his sword to save him in the nick of time - although the monster dodges, it provides a much-needed distraction to lead into the battle ahead.
Underdogs Never Lose: Ramza never acquires any of the powerful and fancy sword-skills granted to the nobility and elite knights (Excluding WOTL). Unlike Delita, he keeps his modified Squire class, while the former manages to obtain the Holy Knight class. Yet time and time again, Ramza fights and overcomes opponents like Gafgarion and Wiegraf that carry these powerful skills.
Un-person: At the end of the game's story, the Church of Glabados destroys all evidence of Ramza's existence as punishment for murdering several high-ranking church officials and to conceal the Lucavi's existence from the public. This trope is subverted 400 years later after the historian Arazlam Durai published the Durai Papers, which contained a true account of the War of the Lions.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Good graces of the High Seraph, yes. He starts the game with ideals that could make successful, grown peacemakers weep. Worse, he hold on to these ideals even when he starts taking mercenary work. By the end he's a more mature version than most, but he still qualifies by a mile.
Youngest Child Wins: He's not the youngest Beoulve child (that would be Alma), but he's the only son in the family who inherited Barbaneth's noble character, lived through the events of the game and got a happy ending.

Alma Beoulve

To live in an age so wondrous is a blessing-but to live in Ivalice, even more one.

Ramza's little sister, she spent much of her youth in a convent (the same one, coincidentally, as Ovelia) only recently returning to Eagrose where she became close with Delita's younger sister Tietra. Over the course of the story, she plays a supporting role, sometimes accompanying you, sometimes forcing herself into the party for the sake of her friends, and sometimes a Damsel in Distress.

Blue Blood: Like her brothers, she's of noble blood, being the child of Barnabeth Beoulve.
Cast from Hit Points: Her Cleric skillset includes Chant, which works the same as it does for Ramza.
Demonic Possession: At the tail end of the game, Ultima is successfully invoked in Alma's body. Alma quickly gets her to piss off.
Damsel in Distress: Gets kidnapped in Orbonne Monastery near the start of the third Chapter, and changes villainous captors until the final battle.
Generation Xerox: Not only is she - like her brother - unflinchingly good-hearted and kind (just like their father), it is also strongly implied that she and Ramza are descendants of Germonique, the man who betrayed Dark Messiah Ajora Glabados centuries ago - presumably coming from their mother's side of the family.
Girly Girl: Possibly the only allied female character who actually acts feminine.
Guest-Star Party Member: She never officially joins your party, but she's a central character anyway and it's justified by her role in the plot. She participates in battle directly on a couple occasions, but only as a guest.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She is not courageously heroic like her brother, but she is one of the few characters who are truly good-hearted, kind and want nothing but peace.
Healing Hands: Thanks to her class, Cleric. She has the same Chant spell as Ramza and Delita, and her Healing Staff heals whoever it strikes. Aegis also adds Regen and Reraise, among other buffs, to its target.
Heroic Bastard: Just like Ramza, she was born from a commoner mother, and thus is Dycedarg and Zalbaag's half-sister (though Ramza's full sister).
Heroic Resolve: That's what allowed her to shake off Ultima's attempt to possess her.
Last Disc Magic: She and her brother (and Luso in the port) are the only ones who are capable of learning Ultima.
MacGuffin Super-Person: Because she's a perfect host for Ultima, Folmarv wastes no time in kidnapping her to further his plans.
Nice Girl: She's a real sweetheart, and loves her brother.
The Power of Love: Her familial love for Ramza (and his for her) allows her to break Ajora's control over her body.
Practically Different Generations: At 17 at the start of the game, she's eleven years younger than Zalbaag and twenty-two years younger than Dycedarg.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: To Ramza's Red. Not to say she's not genial, but she uses reason in her arguments a lot more than Ramza does and doesn't let her feelings rule her head when the chips are down.
- For example, when Isilud was mortally wounded by his possessed father Folmarv, she pushed back her own insecurities to comfort him in his last moments, telling him that Ramza had killed Belias so that Isilud might pass on peacefully.
Support Party Member: Unless one of the demons in the final battle hits her with Ultima (and she survives the blast), Alma has no offensive capabilities. She's even equipped with a Healing Staff so that her melee attack heals instead of damaging. However, she has the best buff in the game and a powerful status effect cure.
White Magician Girl: Aegis bestows Reraise/Regen/Protect/Shell/Haste, Dispelna cures just about every negative status effect in the game, and Chant heals her target for double her HP sacrifice.

Agrias Oaks

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/281px-Agrias_7311.jpg

Have you no pride, no honor?

Voiced by: Hedy Burress, Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese, Dissidia Opera Omnia onwards)

A steadfast Holy Knight assigned to protect Princess Ovelia. After the Princess is kidnapped, Agrias goes on a quest to rescue her.

Amazon Brigade: Perhaps not a brigade, but she has two lady knights with her at the beginning and she brings them along when she joins your party permanently. (There was actually a third woman who stumbled into the monastery, critically wounded to warn of the attack at the beginning, but we don't see her afterwards).
Bodyguard Babes: She and her platoon of Lionsguard female knights.
Braids of Action: She wears her long blonde hair in a braid running down her back.
Deadpan Snarker: Has some good moments of snark early on.
Fire-Forged Friends: She had no reason to trust Ramza at first, yet he constantly proves his virtue to her by fighting for what's right and just. By the time she learns that he's a Beoulve, it doesn't matter to her what his name was and she follows him out of respect for his virtues.
Guest-Star Party Member: Until she can join the team permanently.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Though a woman, Agrias fits the connotations associated with males, as her knightly vows and honor take center stage.
Knight In Shining Armour: As close as one can be in the setting. Agrias is one of the few completely noble characters in the game.
Lady of War: Fits for sure, being a Action Girl who speaks just like any seasoned warrior would.
The Lancer: Once she joins the group for sure, she's usually the one who supports Ramza on his choices. Her straightforward Holy Sword skillset also compliments his buff-focused Mettle rather nicely.
Magic Knight: Her "Holy Knight" skillset looks magickal... but is physical-based. However, she does start off invoking this trope with Black Magick as her default secondary skillset, and due to her gender, she has a higher MA stat by default, which lets her make potentially decent use of it.
Odd Friendship: Despite their difference in station, Agrias and Ovelia are truly good friends who understand each other surprisingly well.
Out of Focus: She more or less vanishes from the plot after she joins your party properly, and has almost no lines after that. While this is typical (since story characters can be rejected, removed or die permanently), it stands out for Agrias because she joins so early and because, unlike Mustadio, she doesn't have sidequests later on, while simultaniously having a connection to the Church, the princess, and events in the main plot you would expect her to have an opinion on, like Cardinals turning into demons right in front of her.
- She does, however, get an additional scene in War of the Lions later on in the game where she gives Ovelia a knife to defend herself with, should she need it; the knife she later stabs Delita with.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Cid has all her skills and more, and vastly superior stats, though he is acquired much later in the game. She can equip powerful female-only accessories that Cid cannot, though it doesn't close the gap between them.
The Paladin: Agrias fits many elements of these. She's a warrior who fights for what is right, seeks to aid those who need it, and even fights using what is considered "Holy" attacks. Since she is female, she also has a higher MA stat as well, which means she can serve as an excellent Combat Medic if the player dips into White Mage with her, making her as much of a traditional Final Fantasy Paladin as possible.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Stern and a bit cold, but a friendly person who is very attached to those who earn her loyalty.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Ovelia's Girly Girl.
Undying Loyalty: The PSP version in particular goes to great lengths in showing how loyal Agrias is to Ovelia. After seeing Ramza in action and how truly heroic he is, she also becomes loyal to him.
Weak, but Skilled: Her Holy Knight job has average to below-average base stats and stat growths across the board, with the exception of high base HP, making it among the weaker jobs in the game. However, the Holy Sword skillset is one of the best in the game, featuring powerful ranged and instant costless AOE attacks that can inflict status effects. So an Agrias left in the Holy Knight job will play this trope straight, especially since she is female and thus has the weaker female PA multipler, substantially reducing the damage output of her Holy Sword attacks. But once you do have all the Holy Sword skills learned, there's nothing stopping you from having her carry the Holy Sword skillset in the regular Knight or Geomancer jobs, sword-wielding jobs with superior stats to Holy Knight, especially in their physical attack power.

Mustadio Bunansa

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/241px-Mustadio_6435.jpg

I am a machinist. Do you know the history of my trade?

An engineer who gets caught up in the War of the Lions because he and his father discovered one of the Zodiac Stones. After resolving his issues with the Baert Trading Company, he decides to join Ramza's group out of gratitude. In the PSP version, he is revealed to have a crush on Agrias.

Artificial Brilliance: The Machinist AI is absolutely genius, with priority given to disabling long-range hard-hitting units and then to taking out undead with Seal Evil if purchased.
All Love Is Unrequited: He has a crush on Agrias, but she doesn't feel the same.
Butt-Monkey: Watch the scene where Construct 8 beats him up. And the "Gift of the Magi" scene, where he's revealed to have a crush on Agrias that she doesn't seem to return. Mustadio's a very decent and pleasant sort, yet despite that and his talents, it seems the universe doesn't always favour him.
Combat Pragmatist: His core ability is to snipe enemies' arms (to keep them from attacking) and legs (to keep them from moving). This works even on monsters that don't have arms and legs.
Crutch Character: An odd case of this trope. He comes with a Romandan Pistol (firearms possess EPIC range) several fights before you can purchase guns for your own party, with Arm Shot (causes Disable) purchased and enough JP for either Leg Shot (causes Immobilize) or Seal Evil (causes Petrify on undead). The only thing stopping him from single-handedly fending off the fight he first appears in is the sheer number of enemies; the next fight has two Summoners that Mustadio prioritizes, and the fight after that has exactly one enemy that is not undead. As the story continues on, enemies start to acquire Contractual Boss Immunity, which limits Mustadio's usefulness against the main targets... but the number of fights that involve one boss on its own fighting the party can be counted on one hand, so Mustadio maintains his usefulness.
The Engineer: His unique class which focuses entirely on the handling of firearms.
Friendly Sniper: The only guns in this era of Ivalice are pistols, so he doesn't use the trope's usual weapon, but with the way gun range compares to bow or crossbow range, he qualifies. And on the friendly side, the worst he ever does to anyone who doesn't deserve a shot (and a few people who do) is snark at them.
Gadgeteer Genius: Machinists are people who work on the machines of Saint Ajora, and Mustadio is making fine progress in his trade throughout the game.
Generation Xerox: Following in the footsteps of his father, the mechanist Besrudio Bunansa.
Good Guns, Bad Guns: He uses Good guns. Contrasted with Barich, a Templar Knight who uses Bad guns.
Guest-Star Party Member: Until he can join the party permanently.
The Gunslinger: The Machinist skillset is referred to as "Aimed Shot", and it is one of only three job classes that can equip guns.
Improbable Aiming Skills: His skills all revolved around this. He can shot an enemies arm and prevent them from fighting, or their legs to prevent them from running. And ghosts? He can seal them away with his shots!
Required Party Member: Notably needed for several missions throughout Chapter 4; most specifically, to recruit most of the optional party members.
Overshadowed by Awesome: In the port, Balthier thoroughly outclasses him, though is acquired much later.
The Smart Guy: He's a Machinist, and able to fix a robot from the days of Saint Ajora; read 1200 years ago.
Turn Undead: His Seal Evil skill will petrify any undead target it hits, with a much higher accuracy rating than his other aimed shots.

Cidolfus Orlandu (Orlandeau)

Cidolfus Orlandu (Orlandeau)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/251px-Orlandu_7140.jpg

Long ago, I was taught to strike from behind and keep my back to the wall.

A Count serving under Duke Goltana, and stepfather to Olan Durai. Said to be the only one who Barbaneth completely trusted. He was accused by Delita of plotting with Church officials to overthrow Goltana, and was imprisoned. When Cid was rescued by Ramza, Delita murdered Goltana and an imposter dressed up like Cid, framing him. Also known as "Thunder God Cid".

All Your Powers Combined: He has every otherwise-unique sword technique used by anyone else in the game.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Subverted. He seems to be the only member of Goltana's staff who cares about what the war is doing to the people of Ivalice.
BFS: His default class, Sword Saint, uses Knightswords. They're like swords, but... bigger.
The Big Guy: Being the biggest powerhouse you can get in the game.
Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: While his character art depicts a lean, conventionally attractive middle-aged man with slightly graying light brown hair, his sprite in-game bears a strong resemblance to Orson Welles as Sir John Falstaff in Chimes at Midnight.
Cool Sword: He starts off with Excalibur, a brutal golden knight's sword. He can also wield any sword, katana, or ninja blade, effectively giving him his choice of the game's entire selection of Cool Swords.
Cool Old Guy: Pushing sixty, but still kicks more ass than the younger generation.
Dark Is Not Evil: Wielding Gaffgarion's Fell Sword skills doesn't do anything to make him mean.
Death Faked for You: Cid's look-alike purposely gets kidnapped and executed so Cid will not be persecuted.
Gameplay and Story Integration: The story constantly refers to Cid as the strongest knight in the setting; and as the other tropes here show, his mechanics live up to the hype, giving him all the otherwise-unique sword skills of every other character.
Light Is Good: He possesses Agrias's Holy Sword skills and is very much a good guy.
Magic Knight: While his sword techniques look magical at first glance, they're mostly physical-based. More importantly, though, his unique class has some of the best growth rates for both physical and magical attack.
Master of All: This is one of the main reasons why he is considered to be such a Game-Breaker: since his Holy Swordsman class is essentially three classes' worth of attacks rolled into one (three very good classes, at that), he can easily exploit enemy weaknesses regardless of situation and has the stats to back it up. If you put even the slightest effort into leveling him up, he can solo most maps.
Number Two: To Duke Goltanna of the Southern Sky, until he gets framed for treachery and sentenced to execution.
Purposely Overpowered: The story describes him as one of the strongest knights alive, and the game backs this up by giving his unique class every single sword skill that is otherwise unique to another special class, on top of some of the best attribute growth in the game.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's a count, but also a tough-as-hell war vet from the Fifty Years' War.
Red Baron: "Thunder God Cid" (or "T.G. Cid" for short).
Weaksauce Weakness: As powerful as he is in conventional combat, Cid has almost no resistance to status effects and, being male, can only equip accessories that make him immune to some of them, not all. The status effects he is vulnerable to include the ones that can One-Hit Kill him or, worse, cause him to Face–Heel Turn and apply his incredible damage output to you.
You Remind Me of X: Tells Ramza that he is just like his father Barbaneth, who was Cid's good friend back in the day.

Rapha Galthena (Rafa)

Rapha Galthena (Rafa)

Faith offers no shield against Sky Mantra, for words are treacherous things.

A young girl who, with her brother Marach, was trained as an assassin by Duke Barrington after their parents were killed. (Yes, by him. What did you expect?) At first assigned to deal with Ramza & Co, she's the first to make the Heel–Face Turn and come over to the party.

Ambiguously Brown: Dark skinned and dark haired, her attire makes her look Middle Eastern. She's from a "distant land". ^note
Death Seeker: In fairness, Elmdore had just stolen her chance for revenge against the man who killed her people and brother, and she likely felt that she didn't have anything left to live for. Once her brother is revived by the Zodiac Stone, she's relieved of her death wish and offers to join Ramza's party.
Doomed Hometown: Barrington killed her parents and burned down her home village. She had her doubts about him for a good while (due to being brought up more cruelly than Marach), but his sexual abuse of her cemented her certainty.
Guest-Star Party Member: Before she can join the party permanently.
Heel–Face Turn: She'd been working from Duke Barrington as an assassin, had just figured out that he'd killed her parents, and turned face. She'd just gone on the run when she first encountered Ramza.
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Gameplay-wise, her and Marach were/are often derrided as being useless characters who get benched fairly quickly because their signature skills tended to be unreliable in battle, to the point where an attack could strike a cross-shaped set of five tiles up to six times and not land a single hit if most of those tiles were unoccupied. The War of the Lions PSP port upped the accuracy of these attacks so they would be less likely to hit empty tiles.
Meaningful Name: "Rapha" is a homophone of a Hebrew word which means "healing/to heal." Her wish is heard from the Zodiac Stone, which heals her brother Marach from a fatal bullet wound. This is notably the only time a Zodiac Stone is seen doing something of this nature in-story.
Rape as Backstory: It's implied that Duke Barrington has been sexually abusing her since he destroyed their hometown. It gets even worse when you remember that she's only thirteen.
- The War of the Lions retranslation amps this up, but at the same time essentially confirms that he had not forced himself upon her (though he outright states he would eventually).
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Marach takes the bullet for her, she's all set to kill Barrington for it... only for Elmdore to pop up out of nowhere and throw Barrington off a bridge (or rather, in this case, a roof). She then turns her pent-up anger on him, Celia, and Lettie.
Status Infliction Attack: One of her Sky Mantra abilities, Celestial Void, has a chance to inflict a wide assortment of status effects.
Suicide by Cop: She's programmed to run right at Elmdore on the roof of Riovannes Castle, most likely because in-story she's lost the will to live after her brother was just murdered in front of her and her only chance at vengence was just taken from her, pointedly by Elmdore and his minions.
Tyke-Bomb: She was originally taken in by Barrington as a child specifically to be used as an assassin with her innate Sky Mantra abilities.
You Killed My Father: And mother and everyone in her entire village. She finally demands this truth of Barrington in the climax of Chapter 3, and responds accordingly when he confesses.

Marach Galthena (Malak)

Marach Galthena (Malak)

Nether Mantra deals great damage to those of little Faith. Believe and you shall be saved!

Rapha's older brother. Continues to serve Barrington until Rapha finally confronts him (Barrington) and he (Barrington) shoots her, leading to another Taking the Bullet moment. After that battle is concluded, the siblings join your party.

Ambiguously Brown: Like his sister, brown haired and tan skinned.
Back from the Dead: He dies trying to save his sister, but is revived by a Zodiac Stone.
Doomed Hometown: Barrington killed his parents and burned down his home village. Unlike Rapha, he refused to even consider it until the truth stares at him in the face.
Heel–Face Turn: When he catches Rapha confronting Barrington about what he's done and hears the Duke confirm it... let's just say it took a bullet to stop him from destroying the Duke himself.
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: Gameplay-wise, him and Rapha were/are often derrided as being useless characters who get benched fairly quickly because their signature skills tended to be unreliable in battle, to the point where an attack could strike a cross-shaped set of five tiles up to six times and not land a single hit if most of those tiles were unoccupied. The War of the Lions PSP port upped the accuracy of these attacks so they would be less likely to hit empty tiles.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Mostly because Barrington's been like a father to him; but once he finally realises how bad the man is, he turns on him.
Locked Out of the Loop: Subverted in that Rapha did tell him Barrington's been basically raping her, he just didn't believe her until it hits him in the face.
Spanner in the Works: Under Barrington's orders, he threatened to derail the Church's plans by taking Isilud and the kidnapped Alma to Riovanes. Ironically, this indirectly led to the decimation of Barrington's forces and eventual death of the man himself, the demon Belias's defeat at Ramza's hands... and Folmarv discovering that Alma was a suitable host for Ultima. Um, oops?
Taking the Bullet: Literally, as he dives in front of Rapha as Barrington shoots her.
Tyke-Bomb: He was originally taken in by Barrington as a child, specifically to be used as an assassin with his innate Nether Mantra abilities.
Unwitting Pawn: He continued to work for Barrington, and was very reluctant to hear ill of him until he overheard Barrington confess to not only killing everyone in their home village but raping Rapha.

Meliadoul Tengille

What is love? Mayhap it is when you care more about someone else than you do about yourself.

The daughter of the leader of the Knights Templar, she at first opposes the party because she believes that Ramza killed her brother, Isilud. Fortunately she comes to her senses upon seeing the Lucavi with her own eyes, realising that her father had willingly turned himself into a demon. Last name spelled "Tingel" on the PS1.

Amazon Brigade: In the battle against her in Bervenia Free City, you'll notice her entire team is made up of women.
Anti-Villain: She starts off sincerely believing that Ramza killed her brother for selfish ends, and acting accordingly.
Big Sister Instinct: Isilud was her little brother, and learning that he was killed is what causes her to antagonize Ramza the first time they meet.
Guest-Star Party Member: Directly before she joins for real.
Heel–Face Turn: Once she sees the Lucavi with her own eyes, she makes amends with Ramza as soon as they have time to breathe.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Was given the Libra stone by Folmarv with the intention of turning her into a Lucavi. But as with her brother Isilud, the demon inside couldn't call out to her because her heart was too pure.
In the Hood: She wears a green cloak with the hood always on.
Lightning Bruiser: Compared to Agrias, Meliadoul hits harder.
Locked Out of the Loop: She's one of the few Knights Templar who isn't aware of the whole Lucavi thing, and is rightly horrified when she finds out.
Overshadowed by Awesome: Like Agrias, Cid learns all of her abilities and more, but unlike Agrias, Meliadoul is recruited after Cid, eliminating any niche she may have had by having those skills earlier in the game. Worse, in the PS1 original her sword techs didn't work on monsters, making her nearly useless in a lot of random encounter battles.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When she learns that her brother is dead and that Ramza is the top suspect, she enters one of these and aims it at Ramza. When she finds out what really happened, she aims it at the one who's really responsible.
Useless Useful Spell: In the original release, her skills don't work on enemies lacking equipment - in other words, every non-human enemy in the game, plus anyone she's already hit four times. Thankfully, this was fixed in the War of the Lions release.
You Killed My Father: She believes that Ramza killed her brother, and tries to exact the same price from him. Eventually she realizes that it was actually the work of her father.

Ladd (Rad)

Ladd (Rad)

The higher your Bravery, the higher the chances a reaction ability will be triggered!

A Squire in Gaffgarion's employ, and Ramza's associate in mercenary work. When Ramza chooses to go after Ovelia, he tags along.

Flat Character: A generic unit who pretty much exists to make it clear that Gaffgarion and Ramza aren't just a two-man team.
The Generic Guy: Not only is he a bland-named generic unit, he joins as the default class for newly-recruited generic units. Without getting any dialogue, he's left with this trope, and everything about his personality is inferred from the context in which it happens.
Heel–Face Turn: After Gaffgarion's betrayal, he chooses to join up with Ramza and company, although it's up to the player on whether to allow it.
The Medic: During the opening battle at the start of the game, he serves as the healer. When he joins for proper at the start of Chapter 2, he's got enough progression in Chemist to access Black/White Mage.
Punch-Clock Villain: Considering how he quickly sided with Ramza and company when Galgarion betrayed them, he can be presumed to be one of these.
Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: A 'lad' is an archaic term for a "young man". Given his characterization, it's possible this naming was completely intentional.^note

Lavian & Alicia

Lavian and Alicia

Lavian: Be on your guard! You cannot perform actions in water of depth 2 or greater.

Alicia: Remember, while you may be able to attack from above, it may not be possible from below.

Two Lionsguard knights under Agrias's command, assigned to the defence of Princess Ovelia. They join Ramza's party along with Agrias.

Amazon Brigade: They and an unnamed third Knight fight alongside Agrias in defending Lady Ovelia. That was a full party of ladies before.
Bodyguard Babes: They're certified Lionsguard defending a princess.
Flat Character: A pair of generic units who exist to establish Agrias is a high-ranking member of the Lionsguard.
The Generic Guy: Agrias mentions in War of the Lions that they're horrible at keeping secrets, but beyond that, they're just a pair of generic units.
Required Party Member: To get the "Gift of the Magi" cutscene in War of the Lions and the useful item associated with it, you need to keep them both in your party.
The Voiceless: Neither of them say a peep outside of quotes shared by generic characters.

Boco

A Chocobo originally belonging to Wiegraf Folles. Found a year later by Ramza's party, they join him in gratitude for being rescued from monsters.

Early-Bird Cameo: Puns aside, he's first encountered during the Chapter 1 battle against Wiegraf, and when he goes down, he gets the Guest 'permanent circling birdies' rather than a countdown to crystallization. Early in Chapter 2 you then get a chance to save him from wild goblins.
Heel–Face Turn: Boco is first encountered as an enemy during the first battle against Wiegraf's team. He later joins you after you save him from Goblins.
Lethal Joke Character: Like most monsters, chocobos have a fixed, limited moveset that means most players are like to either save Boco for the Bravery bonus or kill him for the experience bonus. However, Choco Cure is an area-of-effect non-Faith-based healing ability. With the number of herd-hitting enemies, a low-Faith party could certainly use a bird or two to serve as The Medic.
Optional Party Member: You can choose to make saving him a priority, but if you don't you're quite free to kill him for experience.
Shout-Out Theme Naming: Naturally, to Bartz' Chocobo of the same name.
Team Pet: Serves as sort of a tutorial on keeping monsters as pets and using them in battles.

Side Quest Characters

Beowulf Cadmus

Temples? Ah, where people worship the gods. Or perhaps the flat areas bracketing the forehead.

A member of The Knights Templar ("Temple Knights" in the PSX version) who fell in love with a hot young woman and is currently in search of her.

Bait-and-Switch: At first, it's implied that the quest that Beowulf wants to join you on is to kill the Holy Dragon. It's only near the end of the dungeon that Beowulf reveals his intention is to save it or rather, her instead.
Boring, but Practical: One of his innate skills is absurdly powerful against the final boss. He also has the "Chicken" debuff which is really useful for picking up rare items in the Bonus Dungeon.
Defector from Decadence: He used to be a member of the Church of Glabados but defected due to his superior growing jealous of the fact that Beowulf garnered the love of Reis over him, and so marked him as a heretic. Even more important, given how he thanks Ramza for rescuing Reis by shoving the Aquarius auracite in his hands, means that he wasn't any Knight Templar, but one of the New Zodiac Braves. The same group of which Isilud, Meliadoul, Folmarv / Vormav and Wiegraf were part of. This tidbit is only revealed in the Chronicle option, but it shows how deep in the "decadence" part of this trope he was in, and still had none of it.
Desperation Attack: His Shock/Vengeance deals more damage the lower Beowulf's health is, has the highest range of his attacks and is the only one that always works making a nearly dead or freshly revived Beowulf a very powerful unit.
Lightning Bruiser: He's a bit faster and tougher than your average knight.
Magic Knight: His Spellblade skillset is nearly a mirror of the Mystic's, just channeled through a sword, and his Templar class allows him to wear armour.
Optional Party Member: Requires completing a hard-to-find sidequest to actually become a full party member.
Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: His full name is a reference to two different mythological dragon slayers.

Reis Duelar

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reis_1.jpg

Beowulf! I had thought the joy of your embrace forever lost.

A dragon—yes, you read that right—whom you can recruit. Her Dark and Troubled Past with Beowulf is fleshed out further in the PSP port: a jealous rival tried to Murder the Hypotenuse by turning him (Beowulf) into a dragon, but Reis Took The Bullet for him. In all versions of the game, you can revert her into human form.

Ascended Extra: War of the Lions added a sidequest that gave Reis a backstory and explained how she become a dragon.
The Beastmaster: Has Beast Tongue as an innate ability in her default class, and her skill set revolves around taming and buffing dragons.
"Blind Idiot" Translation: Her "Dragon Breath" ability was translated as "Dragon Bracelet."
Breath Weapon: Her attacks include breathing fire, ice, lightning, and holy power. They can be used even when she isn't a dragon.
Crippling Overspecialization: Her "Dragon('s)" skills only work on dragons and are useless on any other unit. So unless you've got a dragon lying around in your party half her skills do nothing. Thankfully one of her skills allows you to recruit a dragon unit without fail if you should ever encounter one.
Defeat Equals Friendship: One of her natural abilities, Tame, lets her recruit monsters into the party by critically injuring them.
Dual Wielding: She can do this in her Dragonkin class, but it's not obvious, as the only weapons she can use at all are purses, which are two-handed (she can punch twice, though, or use a different weapon if she has the appropriate support ability.)
Empathic Healer: She can forfeit her own HP to heal another, and cure status effects.
Fire, Ice, Lightning: Can use dragon-breath attacks of these elements as a Holy Dragon, and still has them when you turn her back into a Dragonkin.
Forced Transformation: She was turned into a holy dragon by a curse.
Lethal Joke Character: Most of Reis skills only works on dragon enemies, and she can only use female-exclusive gear (which means a two-handed, random-damage weapon, headgear that provides status immunity at the cost of decent defense points, and no body armour); however, her Dragonkin class has better stat growth than Orlandeau's Sword Saint, including very high HP, and her Holy Breath skill is a One-Hit Kill if Reis has the Tynar Rouge equipped (which not only boost Holy-elemental attacks, but also grants permanent Protect, Shell and Haste status, making body armors obsolete).
Optional Party Member: Twice, even. If you undertake the quest to restore her, you have to let her into the party again. Justified given you're inviting her in two separate forms.
- Thrice even in the PSP version, where the in the new sidequest to rescue her apparently Beowulf and Reis had left your party to live in Lionel, Beowulf recruits you and fights as a guest, and by the end of it you're prompted to recruit Beowulf and Reis yet again. Beoweulf even says that he's returning the favor by fighting with you. The amusing Gameplay and Story Segregation implication here is that if you didn't hear the rumor that activates the sidequest, Beowulf and Reis never decide to live happily no matter how many times you step into Lionel.
Speaks Fluent Animal: Her innate ability Beast Tongue allows her to use Speechcraft commands on other monsters.

Construct 8 (Worker 8)

Construct 8 (Worker 8)

DOES NOT COMPUTE! CANNOT PROCESS COMMAND!

A robot of some sort, who joins the party after you figure out which of your collection of Plot Coupons powers him. His introduction is a notorious Funny Moment (mostly due to being one of few humourous scenes in the entire game), and after his activation he swears his loyalty to Ramza.

Anti-Magic: Due to having zero Faith and innate Atheist^*, magick cannot affect him, no exceptions. He's also incapable of using magick, but being a monster means that's not exceptionally abnormal.
Cast from Hit Points: Each of his four special moves causes him to take a small amount of damage.
Chest Blaster: He has this move where his torso opens up to reveal three cannons and he fires some kind of energy attack at an enemy.
Energy Weapon: He can shoot them with the "Dispose" skill; they have very high range and are powerful to boot.
Mighty Glacier: He has incredible strength, but he has very low speed and limited movement. Fortunately his "Dispose" attack has great range to make up for it.
Optional Party Member: You have to have Mustadio in your party and find a Zodiac stone by doing a Treasure Hunt job in order to get him.
Shout-Out: To the Iron Man/Iron Giant type of enemy seen in numerous Final Fantasy installments, though instead of a BFS, he has Frickin' Laser Beams.
This Is a Drill: He has one move where he turns his arm into a drill.
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: As strong and tough as he is, his low speed can potentially make it difficult using him over a faster unit. Unless you are in a battle with a Lucavi, then his immunity to magick lets him pretty much guarantee your victory.
Useless Useful Spell: He has the ignore terrain and ignore weather abilities which allow the user to walk over water and wetlands like they are solid ground. But you'll never know this unless you check the game's code, because as a machine he cannot enter water or wetlands.

Byblos

A monster that will join your party after defeating Zodiark/Elidibus at the end of the Deep Dungeon.

Bragging Rights Reward: The Bonus Dungeon the Byblos is recruited at the end of is the only bit of challenging bonus content in the game outside of some potentially tough random battles, leaving it firmly in this territory.
Cast from Hit Points: Energize, which heals an ally for double the amount of HP Byblos loses when casting the spell.
Desperation Attack: Has one like Beowulf but it has shorter range and doesn't consume MP.
Enemy Mine: Teams up with you to take down Elidibus and a pack of Reavers (monsters that are simply Palette Swaps of Byblos). Presumably, given the time-frame during with the Byblos can be recruited, it joins with you to fight the Lucavi - though whether this is true - and if it is, then why - is never properly explained.
Flat Character: The Byblos has no lines, so why it fights Elidibus and joins Ramza's party afterwards is never explained. It's just there for no other reason than to give you a unique monster to play with.
Mythology Gag: Byblos was originally a boss in Final Fantasy V.
Optional Party Member: It's recruitable after finishing the Bonus Dungeon, but only if the fight ends with him alive.

Cloud Strife

Cloud: Uhn...What is this...this feeling in my fingertips? The heat! Inside my skull... No, stop... Sephiroth - no!

Mustadio: Best keep your distance. That man is not stable.

A cameo character imported from Final Fantasy VII (which had just come out at the time of the PS1 release). He is accidentally summoned into Ivalice by Mustadio's father and then disappears until later, where he runs into a flower girl mysteriously named Aerith. If you help protect her from a group of thugs, he'll join your party.

Awesome, but Impractical: The skillset of his Soldier class is called Limit, which is exactly what it sounds like - all of his Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII, plus a welcome-to-Ivalice bonus. The downside is, they function as an unpleasant cross between magick and an Archer's Aim; they target a tile rather than a unit and they have a charge time, and each Limit is slower than the previous. Most of them are on a comparable scale to Black and White Magicks, but Omnislash and Cherry Blossom are as slow as Bahamut and Meteor, respectively; without being able to target a unit, you'll be hard-pressed to hit an enemy without fencing it in with your other party members. Oh, and they can only be used if you find the materia blade, which can only be obtained in one map, is on a high point that requires higher than default jump to reach, AND needs the chemist's treasure find skill, meaning there's nothing specific that clues you in to the fact that the sword is on that particular panel. And to top it off, the sword is weaker than most endgame longswords, including one that you can simply purchase from one town.
Fire, Ice, Lightning: Cherry Blossom, a new Limit introduced for Tactics, hits the target with flame, frost, and thunder in succession at an incredible damage rate.
Lethal Joke Character: He's basically a Squire with magick that can't lock on, and is often dismissed as such. However, his Limits do not use MP and have 100% accuracy if there's a target in range. In particular, Finishing Touch is a status-inflicting skill with the speed of -ra level magick, which will inflict Petrify, Stop, or KO as long as the enemy is not immune to all three.
Muscles Are Meaningless: Cloud's Limit skills calculate damage using either his MA or his/the target's remaining HP. Climhazzard in particular is a OHKO if used on a target that is down to 50% HP or less.
Mythology Gag:
- Cloud can equip the three Ribbon-type headgears, equipment normally only accessible to women, likely as a reference to the famous crossdressing scene from his game of origin.
- Attempt to dismiss him, and he'll quote Barret's "There's no getting off this train we're on" line from his home game.
- If his Faith becomes dangerously high, he'll mention the Lifestream from his game of origin.
- If he leaves the party due to his permanent Bravely dropping too low, he'll lament that he "couldn't even save one girl", clearly referring to his world's Aerith.
Nerf: The rather obscene damage multipliers Limit skills use seem to have been dialed down a bit for the re-release.
Overrated and Underleveled: Only on a meta level, as he's unknown in the story itself. However, as Cloud is the most well-known Final Fantasy character, anyone expecting the frontal-assault monster from other media is going to find themselves disappointed when they discover he's a Lethal Joke Character who starts at Lv. 1.
Simultaneous Arcs: It's implied from Cloud's broken dialogue that his time in Ivalice takes place between his fall into the Lifestream from the North Crater and before he washes up on Mideel in Final Fantasy VII.
Squishy Wizard: What Cloud ends up being for a while, until he's leveled up (the Soldier class gains stats on par with Ramza's Squire class, but can only equip Hats and Clothes). And despite appearances, Limit attacks are magickal, with unusually straightforward damage formulas based on remaining HP or Cloud's MA.
Useless Useful Spell: If you don't restrict yourself to the faster Limits or have your other units fence in your target, this trope ensues.

Balthier

My shot is faster, or my name's not Balthier.

Voiced by: Gideon Emery

Real name Ffamran mied Bunansa, Balthier was added to the PSP port as a second cameo, dropping in from Final Fantasy XII.

Big Damn Heroes: Balthier saves Ramza in his introductory cutscene.
Damned by Faint Praise: When a bunch of brutes set a trap for them, he accuses them of selling him short by calling him a thief rather than a sky pirate. From a storyline perspective, he's indicating that he's got bigger designs than common brigandry. From a gameplay perspective, his Plunder abilities are overall more like to be successful than the Thief's Steal abilities.
Dynamic Entry: Makes his entrance by shooting a bunch of bounty hunters who were attacking Ramza.
The Gunslinger: Like in his home game. Guns are his preferred weapons.
Lightning Bruiser: He can equip armor, has decent strength and is as fast as a ninja.
Optional Party Member: He's only recruitable via sidequest in the PSP port.

Luso

If it's dinner you're after... I'll feed you a length of iron!

Voiced by: Justin Cowden

The main character of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Luso only appears in the PSP port.

Idiot Hero: In his introductory cutscene, he breaks his sword against a giant monster. Excused by his inexperience and age (after all, he is from a non-magickal world).
Jack of All Stats: His Game Hunter job is pretty much the same as Ramaza's enhanced Squire job, with the same exact stats, the same equipment options, and his Huntcraft skillset has all the same skills as Ramza's Guts/Mettle. The only difference is Game Hunter has the Poach/Secret Hunt skill innately, but Luso does not get the female MA bonus like Ramza does, so he can't use magic as well as Ramza can.
Optional Party Member: He's only recruitable via sidequest in the PSP port.
Tagalong Kid: Pretty much lampshaded when he joins Ramza's party, too! Not that Ramza minds, of course.

Temporary Allies

Delita Heiral

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/320px-FFT_Delita_6581.jpg

Tis your birth and faith that wrong you... not I.

Voiced by: Robin Atkin Downes

Like his good friend Ramza, Delita started off as a good natured cadet, ready to make Ivalice a better place. He wasn't as naive as Ramza, and he wasn't a member of nobility. He and his sister were looked down upon by Ramza's friends, and the disaster at Fort Ziekden showed him how corrupt nobility were. Delita decided then and there that he would become king.

The Ace: Delita manages to both win the Ivalice chess game and become an extremely powerful fighter, vastly exceeding Ramza. The game in WOTL really highlights this, as he manages to easily wipe the floor against several opponents. His raw power exceeds that of other Holy Knights like Agrias and even Wiegraf.
All for Nothing: In the end Delita becomes king, but because of his manipulative streak he's rendered Ovelia incapable of trusting him so in the end he is utterly alone and unloved by anyone. And even his reputation is eventually destroyed with it being revealed that the true hero of the war was Ramza and not him.
Aloof Ally: Technically he and Ramza are still working together, but Delita is not above using his best friend to achieve what he wants.
Ambiguously Brown: Emphasis on ambiguous. In his character portrait and concept art (like the one seen here), his skin is not much darker than Ramza's, but his world map sprite is noticeably darker than everyone besides Rapha and Marach.
Ambiguous Situation: How much DID Delita care for others? Did he hold affection for Ramza and Ovelia, or were they simply pawns to him? In the epilogue, Ovelia has come to the latter conclusion, and attempts to kill Delita before he gets the chance to kill her. Self-fulfilling prophecy or not, he does use apparently lethal force right away (though Word of God said she survived), though its quite clear he did so in self-defense. He does seem depressed about his situation afterwards, leaving it possible that he truly did care for them, or instead comes to a realization as he thinks he might be dying.
And Now for Someone Completely Different: The War of the Lions edition adds two battles where you play as him defending Ovelia against attackers. Also serves of A Taste of Power with the access of all five Holy Sword skills and enough power to actually be a One-Man Army.
Artificial Brilliance: During the fight in the Dorter slums, there are three Archers on the enemy team: one with a longbow (which gets a longer range at higher altitudes) on the highest rooftop, one with a crossbow on a lower rooftop, and one at ground level who seems to have forgotten his weapon. Delita and Argath will immediately climb after the bowman (Defending all the way, if they have the ability), corner him, and slice the daylights out of him.
Beat Them at Their Own Game: After Tietra's death, he decides that the only way to truly make a change in the world is to do this to the nobles.
Byronic Hero: At best. He begins as a compassionate individual who only wanted to do the right thing for his country, but the death of his sister at the hands of a corrupt and uncaring aristocracy shattered his worldviews. He then goes on to become a scheming manipulator himself, playing the various factions of Ivalice against one another to rise through the ranks and become king, throwing many lives away in the name of his ambition to become the very thing he grew to resent.
The Chessmaster: Everyone in Ivalice turns out to be either his pawn or a pawn he knocks down. Ovelia does not react well once she has some time to stew over this.
Cynicism Catalyst: The unjust death of his little sister Tietra is ultimately the reason for everything he does after Part 1.
Deuteragonist: The game is almost as much his story as it is Ramza's.
Double Agent: More like a triple agent. He plays almost everyone in his quest to become king.
Enemy Mine: He never opposes Ramza directly, but neither does he help him save for several conflicts during the main plot.
Expy: To Vyce from Tactics Ogre due to being a childhood friend of the hero with slicked-back dark hair. He also secretly resents the hero. Even more so to the Chaos-route version of Vyse who tried to play different factions against each other. The difference is, Delita succeeds.
Fake Ultimate Hero: 400 years after the War of the Lions, Delita is remembered as a Working-Class Hero who elevated himself as king of Ivalice while Ramza is, at best, relegated to a mere footnote in the history books with his only noteworthy trait being a heretic. In truth, Delita was a Manipulative Bastard who callously used many people in his quest to become king, be they noble, commoner or otherwise. The Church of Glabados, fearing the possibility of the Lucavi's existence being brought to light, redacted the history of the War to portray Delita as the hero and Ramza, arguably the true hero of the War, as a vile heretic to be forgotten.
For Want Of A Nail: When Ramza and Delita are first introduced, the only thing that separates them mechanically and storywise is that Ramza is a bastard while Delita was common born. Both are squires, are brave and honorable, and have younger sisters. Unfortunately, Tietra's life isn't worth anything to Argath due to her common birth. After this event, Delita and Ramza go down very different paths.
Guest-Star Party Member: For the entirety of Chapter 1, and during several storyline battles after that.
Heroic BSoD: Holding his dead sister, Delita is too grief stricken to notice or hear the ensuing explosion about to engulf him. When Ramza asks him about it later, Delita replies that she saved him.
Hero of Another Story: Zigzagged. To the citizens of Ivalice, Delita is a figure of great repute, and everyone knows his name and what he did, whereas Ramza Beoulve was an obscure third son who disappeared into the Lion War and was never heard from again. But Final Fantasy Tactics focuses on Ramza, and on the ancient conspiracy he saved the world from, while Delita's Famed In-Story adventures are reduced to highlights.
He Who Fights Monsters: In his quest to change Ivalice for the death of his sister, Delita becomes very much the same type of person that led to the death of his sister; someone who callously throws lives away.
Historical Hero Upgrade: To a debatable extent, but definitely there. Despite causing massive deaths and playing both sides of the war like a damn fiddle, Delita is remembered by Ivalice as a hero. In fairness, he did preside over a long peace afterwards and helped knit the realm together, partially because of his success at using the war to get rid of those who would oppose him. Any Well-Intentioned Extremist who manages to do good in the world gets this trope to a certain extent, and Delita is no exception.
Irony:
- He left the Order of the Northern Sky after Tietra's death feeling like a black sheep in the noble Beoulve house. He ended up as the leader of the black sheep (or rather, Blackram) division of the Order of the Southern Sky.
- Also, in his few playable appearances after joining the Order of the Southern Sky (and his corresponding class change), his default weapon is the "Save The Queen" greatsword. Guess who ends up killing (or in light of the Word of God above, severly injuring) the queen (albeit in self-defense) in the epilogue?
Lonely at the Top: Implied that this is how he feels in the end. After manipulating or killing virtually anyone close to him, Delita ends up alone.
Meaningful Name: Somewhat obscured by Spell My Name With An S, but another way to anglicize Delita's family name is "Heylel" - a Hebrew name usually translated as "Lucifer."
Manipulative Bastard: Certainly, though he's a much less cruel and callous version than most. He manipulates everyone, including Ramza, into helping him get into into power while getting all of the corrupt people offed, whom he also manipulated.
- It comes back to bite him in the end. Ovelia, who had seen him manipulate and throw aside basically everyone, including his childhood friend, feels that it won't be long before he betrays her too, and thus stabs him making him stab her back in self defense. In the end, Delita has no one left he can trust.
Pet the Dog: While it's ambiguous whether he loved Ovelia or not, he wasn't incapable of compassion even towards the end. Not only did he fake Cid's death so that Orlandeau could aid Ramza, he also spared Valmafra and allowed her to escape with Orran, despite that she'd been sent in by the Church to end him if he stepped out of line.
Self-Made Man: He and his sister were poor and he had to work to where he got.
Spanner in the Works: Many of the noble's plans might have worked if not for him.
Was It Really Worth It?: In the end, with Princess Ovelia wounded at his feet, all he can do is question what Ramza possibly got from his actions, realizing that he hates the position he worked so hard to finally gain.
Who Needs Enemies?: Once he and Ramza part ways at the end of Chapter 1, he's not really Ramza's ally so much as he... informs Ramza which of his enemies Ramza might be interested in striking down.
Xanatos Speed Chess: He's only one of several sides in the conflict, and manages to come out on top.

Ovelia Atkascha

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/228956-ovelia_large_6785.gif

Would that I were born no princess.

Voiced by: Kari Wahlgren

The princess of Ivalice, she is the daughter of King Denamda II and the half-sister of King Ondoria by a different mother. Due to their difference in age, she was adopted as the King's daughter after the death of his second son. After the birth of Prince Orinus, however, she was brought up by Duke Larg and sent to a monastery, where she met Alma Beoulve. Following this, she was later sent to study at Orbonne Monastery, to study under the elder Simon Penn-Lachish.

When the events of the game truly begin, Ovelia falls under the threat of becoming a political tool for the corrupt Ivalician nobility.

Break the Cutie: Ovelia never hurt anyone, but life does its damndest to find ways to make her suffer. Then in a paranoid rage Ovelia attacks Delita with a knife, Delita stabs her retaliation.
Damsel in Distress: The game starts with her being captured.
Expy: Of Catiua from Tactics Ogre, both being princesses who are the key to ruling their war torn kingdoms. However, with Ovelia maybe being a random girl who was raised as Ovelia while Catiua is a Heroic Bastard who was adopted and raised as a commoner also makes Ovelia a Foil to Catiua. And ultimately, Catiua (in the good ending) becomes a beloved Queen while Ovelia becomes paranoid that her husband Delita plans to dispose of her and stabs him, getting stabbed herself in return. While they both survive, the bond of trust between them is, understandably, shattered.
Guest-Star Party Member: For several battles during Chapter 2. She has no offensive abilities but has some very strong supportive and healing magick. She also functions as a guest during the And Now for Someone Completely Different battles in the remake where Delita is playable.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A stereotypical virtuous princess, though her innocence is used to manipulate her.
Heroic BSoD: When Folmarv informs her that she's not the original Princess Ovelia, but a commoner raised up for that purpose.
Meaningful Name: Her name sounds similar to "Ophelia", meaning "to help" or "to benefit", and also to the word in a few Iberian languages for "sheep" (ie "ovella" in Catalan or "ovelha" in Portuguese), referencing her general temperament and status as a pawn led around by others.
Nice Girl: She is absolutely pure-hearted, and would be hard-pressed to hurt anyone. Unfortunately, she's in Ivalice. And that presses her hard enough.
Proper Lady: Of course an Ojou is proper. Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold highlights it.
Properly Paranoid: Years of being a political pawn and lied to her entire life leave her rightly paranoid that everyone around her has ill intentions for her, even the man she falls in love with and marries eventually. To the point where she tries to kill him and is left critically wounded in the exchange. While she later recovers, she spends the rest of her life unable to trust anyone around her.
Puppet King: What was intended for her by Goltanna. She eventually comes to fear Delita has the same interests, and things go badly when she acts on this belief.
Rags to Royalty: According to Folmarv, she isn't the original Princess Ovelia, but a common girl adopted into nobility for use as a political tool.
Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: A metatexual example. The final scene between her and Delita at the end of the game where they stab each other was misinterpreted for years as ending in either one or both of them dead as the camera pulls away. Word of God from Yasumi Matsuno, however, states that neither of them actually died at the end of the game and her and Delita had a long and prosperous rule together, albeit they were each paranoid of the other from that day forward before they both eventually passed on.

Orran Durai

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/187px-Olan_9061.jpg

You do not wish to shed blood, but it cannot always be avoided.

The adopted son of Cidolfus Orlandeau, Orran (Olan in the PS1 version) is an Astrologist who crosses paths with Ramza multiple times, during which the two aid one another. Despite his affiliation with the Southern Sky, Orran aims to do what is right and so investigates the Church of Glabados and the Lions War in order to seek out the truth.

Ambiguously Brown: One of very few dark haired characters in the game, and his skin is paler than Rapha and Marach's, but darker than most other characters'.
Badass Bookworm: Galaxy Stop inflicts Don't Move, Don't Act, and Stop. And targets every enemy on the map. And has no MP cost! He'd be even more of a Game-Breaker than his infamously broken stepfather, if it weren't for him being a one-battle-only guest.
Deadpan Snarker: In his introduction, just after being chased out of a building full of brigands.
Orator: It don't do to have strangers sticking their noses in our little hideaway.
Orran: Then mayhap you might hang a signboard above the door, so we would know this place for a den of thieves!
Doomed Moral Victor: Although he's burned at the stake for writing the Durai Papers, his descendant Arazlam finally publishes them and clears Ramza and Orran's names.
Foil: He's somewhere in the middle between Ramza and Delita - sometimes he acts as the go-between for the two of them.
Guest-Star Party Member: For just one battle, though.
Immune to Fate: His "Astrologist" class enables him to manipulate fate during the course of battle.
Minor Major Character: Doesn't appear all that much, but he has a very important role in the plot.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: His decision to compose and (attempt at) publish the Durai Papers.
Secret-Keeper: If Ramza and Alma really were alive and appeared to him, this might have been their reason.
- He's also one of the only people who knew that Cid and Valmafra were alive, and the circumstances in which Delita faked their deaths.
Spanner in the Works: If it weren't for him the truth about the Church and Ramza would never have been revealed. It does cost him his life but - as with Simon - the effect is implied to change the world for the better once the truth is finally revealed.
Star Power: Implied, as he's an "astrologist".
Time Stands Still: He Astrologist class gives him only a single unique spell... but it's Galaxy Stop / Celestial Stasis, which inflicts Stop, Immobilize and Disable on every single enemy on the board, for free.

Argath Thadalfus (Algus Sadalfas)

Argath Thadalfus (Algus Sadalfas)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/245px-Algus_8336.jpg

Come! I will show you that common blood makes naught but a common man!

A young cadet from a noble family, he joins Ramza and Delita after they rescue him from the Death Corps/Corpse Brigade. Argath has an extreme dislike for those of common birth, and wonders why Ramza continues to hang out with Delita and Tietra. When it's clear Delita and Argath are not going to get along Ramza throws Argath out.

Artificial Brilliance: During the fight in the Dorter slums, there are three Archers on the enemy team: one with a longbow (which gets a longer range at higher altitudes) on the highest rooftop, one with a crossbow on a lower rooftop, and one at ground level who seems to have forgotten his weapon. Argath and Delita will immediately climb after the bowman (Defending all the way, if they have the ability), corner him, and slice the daylights out of him.
Back from the Dead: In War of the Lions, he is revived by the Lucavi as a Deathknight, which is basically an undead version of Gaffgarion's Fell Knight.
Breakout Villain: Despite being a Hate Sink, Argath became one of the most popular characters in Tactics for just how blatantly hateable he is. In the War of the Lions edition of the game, he is brought back to life in Chapter 4 just so you can kill him again, and he even appears as the final boss of the first stage of the Ivalice raid in Final Fantasy XIV so you can kill him yet again.
Climax Boss: The final boss of Chapter 1. Symbolically, fighting him is about bringing home everything you're supposed to hate about the nobility into the forefront.
Combat Pragmatist: When faced with Gragoroth holding Tietra hostage, he simply just shoots Tietra to end the hostage standoff in the most simple and brutal matter, before then just shooting Gragoroth the instant he drops the now-dead Tietra. Additionally, his allies during the final boss fight with him are composed of male Knights and female Black Mages, which better enchances their strengths as male units have substantially higher HP and physical attack while female units have substantially better MP and magical attack. He also fights at range with a crossbow designed to blind its target, and has Auto-Potion for his reaction skill, often considered the best reaction skill in the game, to partially recover from whatever attacks manage to get past his range and shield.
Fantastic Classisim: Argath hates commoners, thinking them little more than beasts. In the original translation, when Miluda tries to convince him God wouldn't want people to suffer, he outright calls them animals:
"Animals have no God!"
Freudian Excuse: He tells Ramza and Delita that his family was as powerful as the Beoulves before the 50 Years War, where his grandfather was captured and betrayed his comrades to save his life - he didn't get two steps out the enemy fortress before a squire killed him with an arrow. One soldier escaped and revealed his grandfather's treachery, leaving Argath's family's reputation in tatters (which is why he's a servant of Elmdore) and him wanting to restore their honor. Plus, there's this exchange when Ramza fights Hell Knight Argath in Chapter 4:
Ramza: So, your soul is bartered as well. Your grandsire would be proud.
Argath: How dare you! You, pampered and coddled from your earliest days! What do you know of our affairs? Of being made to toil for another's pleasure, near without reward? Being tred upon even by peasant filth, struggling endlessly to rise back to your feet - what do you know of this? I'll purge this kingdom of all who once dared look down on me! There is no place in the world for the meager!
Guest-Star Party Member: For much of Chapter 1.
Hate Sink: Argath Thadalfus is easily the most reviled character in FFT, and may also be the most hated FF character period - but damn if it isn't goddamn fun to kick his pretentious little arse when you get the chance to do so. While at first he might look like he was going to have his sympathetic traits such as his Freudian Excuse, in a quick moment he shows extreme manner of bigotry and prejudice against commoners that his otherwise sympathetic traits are quickly swept under the rug and he became the character the players are supposed to hate just like how they don't like classism or Aristocrats Are Evil (or extreme Jerkass in his case), even in the presence of more rightfully despicable characters like Dycedarg or Folmarv, Argath stands out as the most hated of all and the developers know it. War of the Lions adds a storyline fight where he comes back as a Deathknight.You can still kick his ass. Not to mention you have the sweet, sweet knowledge that once you kill Argath in those battles, he's going straight to Hell.
Hypocrite:
- Complains about how he's been mistreated by those of the privileged elite even though he mistreated Delita and the main reason why he's dead. He also complains that Ramza saving him was because he wanted to use him for his own gain, but once Ramza lets him join the party, he becomes a butt-kisser until Ramza kicks him out, essentially doing to Ramza what he thought Ramza was going to do to him.
- He hates being seemingly taking advantage of because his grandfather made a stupid choice that was not his fault. Yet he sees nothing wrong with inflicting the same fate to commoners for no reason because he is "above them".
Impoverished Patrician: A rare unsympathetic example. His family name was dishonoured by his grandfather's cowardice, leaving his family in a state described as worse than that of commoners. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the way he acts in the slightest.
I Owe You My Life: If you attempt to dismiss him during his tenure in your party, he refuses to abandon you before repaying you for saving his life.
I Want My Mommy!: After being resurrected as an undead and getting killed a second time, Argath's last act is to cry out for his mother.
Jerkass: Saying the line "Animals have no god!" to a member of a group fighting for the rights of war veterans simply because they are commoners really shows what kind of person he is. While he didn't seem very bad when he first appeared, he's always had a low opinion of low-born commoners, particularly due to his Freudian Excuse. This rears its ugly head during the fight with Milleuda - outright calling her and her fellow commoners "chattel" to their faces - and culminates in advising Ramza to not count on his brothers to prioritise rescuing Tietra because of her commoner status (with Delita in earshot).
Jerkass Has a Point: Unpleasant as he is, he does have a point in defending his actions at Ziekden Fortress. Ramza's brother ultimately gave the order to fire through Teitra; if Argath didn't obey, he'd probably be executed for it. During his mid-battle rant he points out exactly how the system is set up, that Ramza would be used if he didn't suspect everyone. Ramza immediately calls him out on this however, as even if he does have a point, it does not excuse his actions nor remove him of his involvement in the system.
Just Following Orders: He defends himself for murdering Tietra by claiming he was just following Zalbaag's orders.
Karmic Death: Argath kills Tietra and acts like he just swatted a fly. It's strongly implied that Delita is canonically the one who sent him to hell for it.
Kick Them While They Are Down: His method of interrogation is to kick a Corpse Brigade soldier repeatedly while calling him an honourless "maggot". Later, he tries to goad Ramza into killing Milleuda when she's beaten.
More Hateable Minor Villain: He amounts as just a grunt and servant of the greater players of the political scene of Ivalice (he's under the service of Marquis Elmdore). And he's disposed earlier in the whole game, dying right before the flashback chapter concludes. Yet, his extreme Jerkass attitude makes him a lot more despicable than those antagonists who proceeded to do more heinous things than he ever dreamed of.
Morton's Fork: No matter how Ramza reacts to him being threatened by the Corpse Brigade, Argath thinks ill of him for it. If Ramza chooses to save his life, he accuses it of being so Ramza can use him; if defeating the Brigade is the main intent (with the intent of preventing them from having the chance to kill him, mind), he accuses Ramza of prioritizing his family name over a man's life.
Politically Incorrect Villain: In case it hasn't been made clear already, Argath really hates the poor.
Shoot the Hostage: After Gragoroth takes Tietra hostage, he shoots her with a crossbow on Zalbaag's command.
Small Role, Big Impact: He doesn't do much of anything other than being a fellow cadet to Ramza and Delita while showing just how bad nobles treat and view commoners. The moment he kills Tietra, it changes Ramza and Delita's view on class differences and the world forever and completely changes how they act.
Smug Snake: He will always remind Ramza on how commoners are nothing but scum and that only nobles have the god given right to rule over them. Even when Delita and Ramza turn against him in the finale of the first Chapter, he still acts like his way of thinking is the only way things will work.
Starter Villain: He's essentially the final boss of the first Chapter, though he is a minor player in the setting as a whole.
Title Drop: Gives one for the title of the first part of the game, The Meager, in a speech that sums up the theme of the Chapter.
Ungrateful Bastard: Played according to Argath's personal bias - he shows gratitude towards Ramza for saving him and rescuing the Marquis, but doesn't extend this towards Delita, who is equally responsible for helping him (and maybe more so, depending on the option you choose in the battle). He also repays Delita by murdering his little sister and treating it as though he stepped on an ant. Even his apparent gratitude towards Ramza may be interpreted as sycophantic sucking up.

Goffard Gaffgarion (Gaff Gafgarion)

Goffard Gaffgarion (Gaff Gafgarion)

You truly are a fool! What is the life of one girl, when weighed against the greater good?

A one-time officer of the Eastern Sky during the Fifty Years' War, he was discharged for his use of barbaric tactics. Takes Ramza under his wing as a mercenary, during which time they are assigned the task of escorting the Princess. When she is kidnapped, Gafgarion initially refuses to search for her as it was not covered in their initial contract, but acquiesces to Ramza's desire to search for her and Delita. One of the few people to know Ramza's identity as a Beoulve before the pseudo-Reveal. (The audience already knows his identity but the present company didn't.)

In actuality he is an agent of Dycedarg, who appears from time to time to guide events and to try and convince Ramza to abandon his path and return to his brother's side. Is eventually defeated and slain by Ramza.

Black Knight: Is in the unique Dark/Fell Knight class and is fought as a powerful boss character throughout Chapter 2.
Casting a Shadow: His Shadowblade (Night Sword in the PS1 version) is dark elemental and can absorb the target's HP equal to the damage dealt.
Dark Is Evil: Morally ambiguous, actually, and that's putting it lightly. The man does seem interested enough in Ramza's welfare that he puts up with Ramza's painstaking idealism, but at the same time he's damn ruthless.
The Dreaded: In the first fight of Chapter 2, the leader of the mercenaries hired to stop your team freaks out when he realizes he'll have to fight Gaffgarion, complaining that he's not being paid enough for this.
Duel Boss: Downplayed. While the battle does start out with Ramza facing him alone, it is possible to have a magick user use a spell on the other side of the gate to hit him. Ramza can also pull the lever to open the gate so his allies can get inside and aid him directly.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: It's implied that he does care about Ramza to an extent (more than Ramza's own brother, even) - in the fight at Golgollada Gallows, Gaffgarion lies and tells Ramza that Dycedarg still wants him to come home in a last-ditch attempt to get Ramza to switch sides so Gaffgarion won't have to kill him, when in fact Dycedarg has callously written him off.
Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. While Gaffgarion doesn't exactly like committing cruel deeds, he still does so out of efficiency (as in the first battle). While he doesn't like what his employers are doing, he's shut off access to his own inherent morals to the point that he can do anything so long as he's compensated. It can be said that the only thing he believes to be 'good' and 'reliable' in the world is money, hence why he commits barbarity. When rebuffed, Gaffgarion reaffirms that he has no problem with doing the job, though he did find Dycedarg's lack of feeling over the matter curious.
Evil Mentor: He takes Ramza in as a fellow mercenary and teaches him how cruel the world can be while one must also be as ruthless to survive. Ramza's sense of justice and righteousness has him reject those ideals.
Foil: Acts as one to Ramza's idealism when Delita is otherwise occupied. Ramza turns away from both of them. In their battles, if both are alive they will argue at length over idealism vs. cynicism.
Guest-Star Party Member: He joins Ramza in the game's first battle and in a few more battles at the start of Chapter 2.
Hitman with a Heart: Deconstructed. While Gaffgarion expresses several times disgust at how the nobles of Ivalice act, showing he has a sense of morality on some level, he's willing to throw it aside to do his job due to only believing in the value of gold over anything. At several points he even calls out other people for their actions, but then does the job regardless of how he feels. When Ramza calls him out on this, he more or less treats it as a non-issue because to him, the only thing he really puts stock in is coin. As a result, despite debatably having better morals then someone like Dycedarg, in truth he's no better then them because his Only in It for the Money attitude furthers the corrupt systems that control Ivalice. His inability to follow through on his own morals means when Ramza continues to fight against him despite Gaffgarion's attempts to convince him otherwise out of seemingly genuine care for Ramza, he fails to even remotely convince Ramza to reconsider, and dies for it.
I'm Cold... So Cold...: He utters this in the War of the Lions version upon dying.
Life Drain: His most iconic ability, Shadowblade (Night Sword in the PS1 version), drains a massive amount of health from his target.
Mana Drain: Duskblade (if you ever get the chance to have him learn it) deals damage to the targets MP and replenishes Gaffgarion equivalently.
Only in It for the Money: The very reason he became a mercenary in the first place. After basically fighting as a knight, and getting nothing to show for it, he's decided to become a sell-sword since he figured he might as well live by coin after ideals like nobility and honor didn't get him jack.
Punch-Clock Villain: He doesn't really care about the larger political situation, and (obliquely) indicates that he thinks Dycedarg and Cardinal Delacroix are horrible people, to the point where one of them has to remind him to watch his tongue.
Recurring Boss: Fought three times during Chapter 2.
Repetitive Name: His pre-War of the Lions name, Gaff Gafgarion.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Based on what players are told about the Fifty Years' War and some of the things he says to Ramza, it's almost a given that he saw some pretty messed up stuff during his military service.
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: In both the boss fights with him near the end of Chapter 2, he and Ramza have extended arguments over Ramza's idealism. Gaffgarion continually tries to convince Ramza to ignore his sense of morality and nobility to simply do what will get them pay, believing that such views are idiotic.

The Nobility

Dycedarg Beoulve

Is it not I? I, who have dirtied my hands to keep yours clean? All that you are you owe to me! You ought be on your knees thanking me, yet here you stand in judgment!

The eldest of the Beoulve children and the lord of Eagrose Castle, which he took over after his father, Barbaneth Beoulve's, passing. He acts as one of the primary advisers to Duke Larg - his longtime friend since childhood - and is the one who orchestrates many of The White Lion's actions. At the beginning of the game, he comes across as a stern man but seems to genuinely care for his younger brothers and sister. However, he soon reveals himself to be very ruthless, and his actions towards the Corpse Brigade (such as corrupting Gustav Margriff to kidnap Marquis Elmdore) dishonour the Beoulve name.

Aloof Big Brother: He's quite cordial, even towards his family and more so than even Zalbaag.
Ambition Is Evil: When you decide to kill even your longtime friend for power once the opportunity arises, then you know this trope is in play.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Not so much "evil" as "Morally Ambiguous", as despite some of his actions he nonetheless carries a number of admirable qualities. This is what leads to Ramza trying to seek him out again for assistance at the beginning of Chapter 3. And then it turns out that yes - he plays this trope straight. Very straight!
Asshole Victim: From his point of view his father was this, since he refused to claim the throne when the opportunity arose.
His due I granted him, no more and no less.
Blue Oni: To both Ramza and Zalbaag's Red - his speech is emphasised by rationale and a controlled temperament, as can be seen in his cordial manner and cool-headedness. Said rationality is, incidentally, shared by his half-sister Alma. Can't be a coincidence that both are suitable Lucavi hosts, now - can it?
Demonic Possession: Contracts with and is possessed by the Lucavi Adrammelach.
Dirty Coward: He fights against Zalbaag backed-up with five knights. Fortunately Ramza arrives in the nick of time to even the odds.
Elemental Powers: As a Rune Knight, he has four high-level elemental powers.
Evil All Along: He comes off as stern and aloof but good-intentioned, but turns out to be a power-hungry megalomaniac responsible for starting a war and killing anyone in his way.
Emergency Transformation: Turns into Adrammelech after being mortally wounded during his battle against Ramza and Zalbaag.
Expy: He's been compared to Balzepho/Balxephon from Tactics Ogre - being a noble kinslayer who killed his father to gain political power. However, he doesn't get away with it or have numbered days.
The Heavy: He is the villain responsible for most of the problems that start the plot.
Humans Are the Real Monsters: Uniquely, his personality doesn't seem to change at all after contracting with Adrammelach. He's every bit as evil as any demon.
Hypocrite: Has the gall to call Ramza a traitor despite having murdered his own father and his liege lord. Also, see Well-Intentioned Extremist below.
Kick the Dog: Allowing Zalbaag and Argath to take whatever measures are necessary to end the Corpse Brigade, which leads to Tietra's death.
Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Zalbaag is even more appalled at Dycedarg's murder of their father than he is at his murder of their liege lord Duke Larg.
Magic Knight: His Rune Knight job gives him the Swordplay command of the Sword Saint which has access to both the Holy Knight's Holy Sword commands and the Divine Knights Unyielding Blade, but also the Magicks command of the Sorcerer's giving him access to -ga level magick.
Mission Control: He's the one handing Ramza his assignments for much of Chapter 1.
Moral Myopia: Dycedarg makes several quotes that are very self-contradicting of his character.
"What purpose do laws serve when even those who would enforce them choose not to pay them heed?"
"Is your intent to live up to your name - or to drag it with you through the mire?"
"To coddle them is to do them disservice, Your Grace. They need learn integrity."
"Tietra is as a sister to me. I would never turn my back on her."
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Though some of his actions are rather questionable to the Nth degree, in fact, he's still a very competent warrior, leader and diplomat - it was largely due to his effort that the peace treaties with Ordallia went so well.
The Plan: He excels at concocting all sorts of schemes, which makes him valuable to Duke Larg. Of course, he's being used by Lord Folmarv.
Power Hair: That fluff is bigger than his own head! The man in charge of the Beoulve's loyal certainly has the hair to declare it.
Practically Different Generations: He's 37 at the start of the game, making him two decades older than his half-sister Alma.
Self-Made Orphan: It turns out he had his father poisoned.
The Starscream: Poisons and then fatally stabs Duke Larg, intending to have the Beoulves rule Ivalice.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Played with. Paints himself as this once you battle him. His dialogue implies that he wants to maintain the aristocracy, with the Beoulve family at the helm, but as meritocracy, citing how Larg was entirely dependent on others to advance his own cause. At this point in the plot however we've seen him and his agents: kill his own father, kidnap a nobleman, kill a hostage (his half-sister best-friend), kill his Duke, kill his own brother and start a very bloody battle that was entirely avoidable and ultimately weakened his own position. By proxy he also tried to kill the Princess, his half-brother and a few sworn knights. Much of this was accomplished by, you guessed it, other people. Kinda detracts from his argument. He really only wants power, making him a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist.

Zalbaag Beoulve (Zalbag)

Zalbaag Beoulve (Zalbag)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/347px-Fft-zalbaag-beoulve_4438.jpg

Barbaneth Beoulve's second son, Zalbaag is Dycedarg's younger brother and the elder half-brother of Ramza and Alma. A just and noble warrior of great experience, his combat prowess during the final years of the Fifty Years War led to him being declared a "Knight Errant" of Ivalice (much like his father), and a saviour of the Ivalician forces. On his father's deathbed, Zalbaag accepted the request that he become commander of the Northern Sky forces in the place of Dycedarg - who took up a more political mantle - and following the war's end he became dedicated to fighting the Corps/Corpse Brigade.

Big Brother Instinct: During the attack on Eagrose, Alma screams for his help. Zalbaag arrives from inside the castle not a second later, pries Alma loose from the Corpse Brigade member trying to take her, and one-shots him with a single sword blow. At which point Gragoroth decides continuing the operation isn't worth the trouble and hightails it out of there.
Came Back Wrong: The Lucavi resurrect him as a vampire and sics him on Ramza.
The Captain: As the direct commander of the Order of the Northern Sky.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: He's unceremoniously killed by Adrammelech seconds after he shows up.
Exact Eavesdropping: On his older brother Dycedarg where he learns Dycedarg poisoned their father.
Fatal Flaw: Zalbaag's seeming classism leads to him viewing Tietra as a necessary sacrifice to stop the Corpse Brigade, even though it earns him Delita's ire and Ramza's distrust - it appears to be his one major flaw which keeps him from being on par with Ramza in terms of honour, though he does express some regret about it much later on.
Guest-Star Party Member: Fighting alongside Ramza in the battle against Dycedarg.
I Cannot Self-Terminate: Begs Ramza to kill him after Folmarv revives him as an undead.
I Did What I Had to Do: How he justifies himself after ordering Argath to shoot through Tietra, considering her sacrifice necessary.
Kick the Dog: Ordering Argath to shoot through Tietra, who was essentially Zalbaag's surrogate little sister. Ramza calls him out on it when next they meet.
Knight Templar: He's not an asshole like his brother, but he is willing to go far, enough to have an innocent teenage girl shot through to stop the Corpse Brigade.
Mercy Kill: Subjected to this by Ramza, when he's brought back as a zombie.
Our Vampires Are Different: Although Dycedarg vaporized him, Hashmal brought Zalbaag back to life as a vampire, conscious but unable to control his body
Practically Different Generations: He's ten years older than Ramza and eleven years older than Alma.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He is pretty angry Ramza would suggest Dycedarg poisoned their father without proof. But he doesn't dismiss it out of hand and looks for evidence. Also, despite his morally questionable actions in "Chapter 1", he's practically a saint compared to some of the fine gentlemen sitting on high seats of power in Ivalice.
Shoot the Hostage: At the end of Chapter 1, he tells Argath to shoot through Tietra and get rid of Golagros/Gragoroth.
Spell My Name With An S: The original translation was "Zalbag", while the PSP rerelease opted for "Zalbaag" with an extra 'a'. Considering how minor the spelling change is, it doesn't catch as much flak as the other ones.
Vampiric Draining: After Hashmal turns him into a vampire, his Item command is replaced with the Vampire command which has him bite and drink enemy blood to restore his own HP.

Duke Bestrald Larg

Bestrald Larg

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Larg_5311.gif

One of two princes fighting for dominion over Ivalice, Duke Larg is the political rival of Duke Goltana. His standard is the White Lion, representing one head of the twin-headed lion from the royal family's crest set against a blue background. Bestrald Larg served as a General during the Fifty Years' War and now commands the Order of the Northern Sky.

Liege lord of Gallione, Duke Larg is the brother of Queen Louveria and uncle to Prince Orinus. He's also a childhood friend of Dycedarg Beoulve, who is his most trusted advisor. He plots to have Princess Ovelia, his brother-in-law's adopted daughter, eliminated so that he might become regent through Prince Orinus.

Aristocrats Are Evil: Though opinion varies on whether he or Duke Goltanna is worse.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He was at first very polite towards Ramza and Delita, commending them for their deeds and being very genial. Then by the end of Chapter 1, his true colours were revealed.
Et Tu, Brute?: He's eliminated by his own close friend Dycedarg, once-and-for-all cementing Dycedarg as irredeemable even without the Zodiac Stones.
Even Evil Has Standards: While his ambitions are directly responsible for the war that has cost countless lives, he was still shocked and horrified when Dycedarg revealed his treachery, and called him out on murdering his own father for power's sake.
Evil Uncle: To Orinus, and to Ovelia (though for the latter, it's only by adoption).
Manipulative Bastard: His and Dycedarg's plans for power involved, among other things, weakening and then destroying the Corpse Brigade in among the worst ways possible.
Secret-Keeper: He's one of the only people who knows that that Dycedarg poisoned his father Lord Barbaneth.

Duke Druksmald Goltanna

Druksmald Goltanna

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Goltana_5588.gif

One of two princes fighting for dominion over Ivalice, Duke Goltanna is the political rival of Duke Larg. His standard is the Black Lion, representing one head of the twin-headed lion from the royal family's crest set against a red background. Druksmald Goltanna served as a General during the Fifty Years' War and now commands the Order of the Southern Sky.

Ruler of Zeltennia, Duke Goltanna is the younger cousin of King Ondoria. Under his command are T.G. 'Thunder God' Cidolfas Orlandeau, a hero of the Fifty Years' War, and his agent Delita Heiral. He plots to depose Prince Orinus as heir, setting Princess Ovelia as Queen so that he might use her as a Puppet King and rule as regent.

0% Approval Rating: According to Delita, nobody mourned him.
Adipose Rex: He's got quite an unsightly amount of weight.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Though opinion varies on whether he or Duke Larg is worse.
Asshole Victim: Between his willingness to starve his people to continue the war and the callousness he shows to his own subordinates, his death definitely has shades of this.
Bad Boss: Doesn't give a rat's ass about the people's well-being, and was perfectly willing to send thousands of soldiers to certain death if it meant defeating Larg.
Evil Uncle: To Ovelia and Orinus, though he's technically their second-cousin-once-removed (and for the former, only through adoption anyway).
General Ripper: At least a borderline case, given that he wanted to destroy the Northern Sky at Fort Besselat even if he needed to order his men to march through the water Ramza had released through the Bethla Sluice and risk heavy casualties.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: How he meets his end, thanks to Delita.
Karmic Death: Considers commoners to be insects beneath his notice, to the point that he's infuriated when Orlandeau shows concern for them. He's killed by Delita, a commoner.
Manipulative Bastard: He knows full well that Ovelia isn't really royalty, but a commoner used to replace the real Ovelia. It doesn't really matter to him, so long as he can use her to rule over Ivalice.
Unwitting Pawn: Twice over - he's being used by the Lucavi to cause the deaths needed to advance their plans, and he's being used by Delita to maneuver his way to the throne.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Killed by Delita when the Lions War finally came to a fairly definitive end. Delita had always needed him eventually out of the way so that when he married Ovelia, he would become King and obtain ultimate power over Ivalice.

King Ondoria Atkascha III

Ondoria Atkascha III

The ruler of Ivalice when the game begins, Ondoria was regarded as a weak-willed man unlike his predecessor, and his poor leadership led, in part, to Ivalice's defeat during the Fifty Years War. He had two children with Queen Louveria - both sons - who each died at a young age. Not long after adopting his half-sister Ovelia as his daughter and possible heir, his wife bore him a son, Prince Orinus, which created conflict in the debate of a future heir for Ivalice.

When his already-poor health began to decline, the succession issue arose. His death sparked the War of the Lions.

The Ghost: Character portrait aside, he never actually appears in the game proper.
Inadequate Inheritor: The War of the Lions, and most of the problems that occur in the game, are directly or indirectly the result of his failure to live up to the standard set by his father.

Queen Louveria Atkascha

Louveria Atkascha

The wife of King Ondoria. After her husband's death, she plots with her brother - Duke Larg - to secure their control over the throne.

The Ghost: Character portrait aside, she never actually appears in the game proper. Her actions are revealed over the course of the game in the Chronicle.
God Save Us from the Queen!: She's one of many schemers whose plot to expand her power base in Ivalice leads to the War of the Lions. Her tyrannical behavior is what prompts many nobles to oppose her appointment of Larg as the Regent and side with Goltanna, going so far as accusing her son is not the King's actual son but product of an affair to justify removing her from the throne.
Outliving One's Offspring: Before having Orinus, she had two baby sons with Ondoria, who both mysteriously died which many suspect her sons were poisoned by her rivals.
What Happened to the Mouse?: The last we hear about her, Goltanna has her captured and imprisoned in Fort Besselat, where she reportedly remains for the rest of the game. Louveria's age continues to be reported, implying she's still alive, but what happens to her once the Lion War ends is left up in the air.

Prince Orinus Atkascha

Orinus Atkascha

The Ghost: Character portrait aside, he never actually appears in the game proper.
Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: This trope is part of the reason that starts the War of the Lions. Goltanna's supporters accused the Queen of having an affair with someone which therefore means Orinus is not King Ondoria's son, giving them a perfect excuse to put Ovelia on the throne while Goltanna himself ruling the kingdom as her Regent.
Puppet King: What was intended for him by Larg.

Marquis Messam Elmdore de Limberry

Messam Elmdore de Limberry

A silver-haired noble and the liege lord of Limberry, Marquis Elmdore was a great hero of the Fifty Years War who fought fearlessly against his Ordallian opposition. Amongst his allies and friend he was called "The Silver Prince", but to his enemies he was "The Silver Ogre" - both due to his skill and tenacity. A devout member of the Church of Glabados, he was well-liked by the people of his territory despite his position.

When the Corpse Brigade's rebellion began to cause trouble, Elmdore was formally invited by Duke Bestrald Larg and Lord Dycedarg Beoulve to discuss options - unaware that this was a plot orchestrated by the Gallione nobles to weaken the Brigade from within, and was kidnapped by Gustav Margriff. His rescue - at the hands of Ramza Beoulve, Delita Heiral and his own manservant Argath Thadalfus - led to his being indebted to Larg and Beoulve.

When the War of the Lions broke out, Elmdore was mortally wounded in the Battle of Lesalia. Because he was holding the Gemini auracite, he became the host to the demon Zalera. Joining his Lucavi allies at Riovanes, he fought Ramza Beoulve briefly before goading him to Limberry to continue their conflict. There he fought Ramza for a time before becoming Zalera, but was defeated due to a joint effort between Ramza and Meliadoul Tengille, and killed for good.

Badass in Distress: Saving him from the Corpse Brigade is one of the first things Ramza accomplishes in the story.
Clipped-Wing Angel: The battle against him as Zalera is much less difficult than the battle against his human form, which is widely considered one of the hardest fights in the entire game. Part of this is the fight against his human form being an Escort Mission, but most of it is that in demon form, he and his allies lose their brutal reaction abilities and one-hit kills.
Deal with the Devil: Mortally wounded during the Battle of Lesalia, he was clinging to the Gemini auracite and made a deal with Zalera to survive, thus becoming a Lucavi host.
Expy: Invokes a certain other silver-haired Bishōnen who started with good publicity and praise as a hero of his country. Up to and including his near-death experience, gaining supernatural powers and becoming psychotically evil. As well as a certain katana and a certain suit of armor.
Flat Character: Not much is known about his personality prior to merging with the Lucavi demon Zalera.
Killed Offscreen: An important plot point is how he was supposed to have died at the Battle of Lesalia, serving as the catalyst of how Zalera possessed him and making his appearance on the Riovanes Rooftop after his supposed death a shock to Ramza. However the Battle of Lesalia is entirely an offscreen event, and the only mention of Elmdore's presumed death come from rumors you hear about in the taverns and from his Chronicle entry in Chapter 3. This can make the shock of Elmdore's reappearance easily lost on a player that doesn't check either every few battles.
Necromancer: He's strongly associated with undeath. The lake surrounding his castle is haunted by vengeful spirits, he summons a variety of undead opponents during his last battle, and in the port he revived Argath as a zombie.
One-Winged Angel: Transforms into Zalera when Ramza corners him.
Red Baron: "The Silver Prince" to his allies; "The Silver Demon" to his enemies.
Unwitting Pawn: His kidnapping by the Corpse Brigade was part of Dycedarg and Larg's plans.

Grand Duke Gerrith Barrington

Gerrith Barrington

The ruler of Riovanes, Barrington is the adoptive father of Rapha and Marach, assassins under his command who he raised after their hometown was destroyed (by him, of course). His forces briefly opposed Ramza during Chapter 3 before Rapha defected, and after his killing of Marach, he was offed from behind by Zalera (found to be possessing Marquis Elmdore at the time).

Abusive Parents: To Rapha and Marach.
Aristocrats Are Evil: For a minor villain, he even puts both Larg and Goltana to shame with his sheer depravity.
Bait-and-Switch Boss: Just as it looks like you're about to take him on, Lettie throws him off a roof.
Big Bad Wannabe: To his credit, Barrington realizes very quickly that the War of the Lions is just a sideshow to the real plot (the Lucavi invasion) and tries to form an alliance with the Knights Templar. However, he has absolutely nothing to offer them.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: For Marach, who was shocked to realise just how evil this guy is.
Disney Villain Death: Dies by being throws him off his castle roof.
Dropped a Bridge on Him: A very satisfying one, too - getting thrown off his own castle roof.
Evil Gloating: He taunts Rapha about his destruction of her village and his sexual abuse of her. Didn't think to make sure Marach wasn't listening before he did, though.
Evil Mentor: To Rapha and Marach, who he trained as assassins from a young age.
Fat Bastard: As most of the tropes under his name imply, he was very much a bastard. He was also a hefty guy.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Marach was in denial about Barrington's villainy... until he heard the Duke boasting about it.
Red Baron: He's known as the "King of the Forge" for his extensive investment in firearms and combatants, including mages and assassins.
The Unfought: In fairness, his enormous girth makes it unlikely he'd have been a tough opponent, although since he was wielding a gun he might've been a challenge.

The Church of Glabados

Simon Penn-Lachish

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Elder_Simon_3180.jpg

The Father watch over you, child.

A wise and kind elder who oversees the Orbonne Monastery. He looks after Alma and Ovelia at various points in the game. It later turns out that he's dedicated his life to translating the Germonique Scriptures.

Cool Old Guy: He's the one member of the church who both takes his religion seriously and acts as a shepherd and aid-giver rather than an authority figure.
Defector from Decadence: As a member of the church that retired from active duty to become a researcher and translator when he didn't agree with the tactics of the more militant members of the church, he was already this trope. But when he uncovers the Germonik Scriptures, he goes even further with it - he loses his faith and tries to leave the church.
Good Shepherd: The only unambiguously-good member of the Church shown.
Innocent Bystander: There was no reason for Isilud to kill him besides maybe being in the way.
Minor Major Character: Not a major player, but he is important in revealing the truth in the Germonique Scriptures.
Mentor Occupational Hazard: He's the man who's actualy trying to protect Princess Ovelia and do the right thing, and of course he gets killed by his superiors for being an inconvenience.
Nice Guy: A very kind and wise man indeed, and the only shown member of the Church to be unambiguously good.
Parental Substitute: To Ovelia, given he practically raised her during her time at the convent. He also treats Ramza and Alma like his own, as well.
Small Role, Big Impact: His research of the Scriptures reveals the truth about Saint Ajora's lack of divinity.
Spanner in the Works: If he hadn't retired to Orbonne due to his greater interest in reading old texts (as opposed to passing the Church's judgement), he would never have translated the Scriptures of Germonique, which revealed the truth about Ajora to Ramza and which was eventually revealed to the world by Arazlam Durai, exposing the long-lived lies of the Church of Glabados.

High Confessor Marcel Funebris (Marge Funeral)

Marcel Funebris (Marge Funeral)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marcel_funebris_fft.jpg

The High Confessor of Ivalice, and elderly leader of the Church of Glabados. He does not appear very often in the game, but plays an active part in the plot of the story. He pits the White and Black Lions against one another during the game, thinking he is the mastermind. Of course, there is another behind him.

Alas, Poor Villain: You wouldn't expect it considering all the crap he pulled during the Lions War, but when he lays dying and finds himself at Ramza's mercy, the fact that he simply asks the "heretic" to stop the true villains must count for something.
Beard of Evil: Well, he's evil and he has a beard. Actually he's got a long grey wizard's beard, which according to Good Hair, Evil Hair actually ranks as one of the 'goodest' beards.
Big Bad: Subverted. As the man behind the Zodiac Braves and the Lion War, Ramza spends some time thinking he's this. Ramza's not wrong, exactly, but it's more complicated than that.
Big Bad Wannabe: He thinks he's running the Lion War, and to a certain extent he is, but Folmarv is a lot more powerful and dangerous, and the civil war between the nobility is a sideshow to the real events of the game.
The Chessmaster: His plan was to instigate war between the Nobles. The war would drag on and weaken both sides while the peasants would grow to loathe the nobles more and more, and eventually they would unite behind the Church, who would then use superior military might to force the nobles to sue for peace. He recreated the Zodiac Braves to inspire the faith of the peasants. Pity he didn't know that the Zodiac Stones channeled demons, or that Folmarv was a Dragon with an Agenda...
Evil Old Folks: He's knowingly responsible for a lot of deaths, and he's in his 80s.
Meaningful Name: His name in the PS version was Marge Funeral, which was a fitting name for someone responsible for as many deaths as he was. The re-translation changed his last name to Funebris. An archaic British English word, funèbre, is an adjective meaning 'mournful or funeral-like' and is quite similar to Funebris, especially if the s on the end of Funebris is silent.
Minor Major Character: Only makes one on-screen appearance, but his offscreen actions drive a lot of the plot.
Sinister Minister: Presumably, given his agenda, though he's never seen preaching.
The Unfought: Loffrey takes him down before Ramza ever gets to fight him.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Probably perceives (or at least mentally justifies) his actions as such, as his long term plan is to take power away from the Knights and end the war that's killing everyone. He certainly wasn't in the know about the demons.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once Ramza gets too close, Folmarv decides it's better to just torture him for the location of the portal to the Necrohol, and then has Loffrey execute him.

Cardinal Alphonse Delacroix

Alphonse Delacroix

Cardinal of the Church of Glabados in Ivalice and the lord sovereign of Lionel Castle, Delacroix is the second-in-command of the Church and a war veteran of the Fifty Years War. During Chapter 2, the party comes to him for assistance with protecting Ovelia due to the Church's neutrality from the matters of nobles, and he kindly offers his support. Unbeknownst to the party at the time, the Church has its own plans and Delacroix - as a high-ranking lord - is privy to them. Such plans include hiring the Baert Company to hinder Mustadio back in Gulg, kidnapping Ovelia, and trying to have Agrias eliminated so that she is removed from the princess's side.

It eventually turns out that Delacroix is the human host of one of the Lucavi demons - Cúchulainn, the Impure. Killing him sets Ramza's ultimate fate for the historic records and sets in motion the true plot behind the events of the story.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He seems very nice when you first meet him, agreeing to take Princess Ovelia into his care and send people to help Mustadio's father. Then Ramza and Mustadio get to Goug, and it turns out this guy is in league with Duke Larg.
Climax Boss: As Cúchulainn, he serves as the climactic boss of Chapter 2 - the first Lucavi, and the first "real" boss you fight, with powers far beyond anything you've encountered before.
Demonic Possession: By a Lucavi, although it seems to be willing.
Fat Bastard: Delacroix is noticeably heavyset, and the Lucavi possessing him is the rotund, gluttonous Cúchulainn; both of them are horrible people working to cause war and suffering to advance their goals.
The Lost Lenore: It's implied through his detailed character bio in-game that Delacroix turned to the power of the Lucavi because he couldn't handle the grief of losing his wife.
Meaningful Name: "De la Croix" is French for "of the Cross", while "Alphonse" means "eager" or "noble". Therefore, his name means "Noble of the Cross", fitting his position as a Cardinal.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: When you meet him at the end of Chapter 2, he gives a speech of this nature to try and convince you that his goal is to make the world a better place regardless of cost. When Ramza shoots him down, he immediately turns into a Lucavi, revealing that it was all a lie and his real goals are far more horrific.
One-Winged Angel: Doesn't even try to fight in his own body, he goes straight for releasing the Lucavi.
Sinister Minister: Although he presents himself as a kindly priest disinterested in politics, then tries to present himself as a Well-Intentioned Extremist focused on the greater good once that's exposed, his real self bargains with demons for power and wants to plunge the world into an age of darkness.
Wham Shot: His transformation into Cúchulainn, the Impure, which comes almost out of nowhere; it's the first hint you get of what's really going on. Up until that point it seemed like he was a Well-Intentioned Extremist at best or a politically-corrupt Cardinal seeking power at worst, and the overarching plot seemed to be about purely human power-struggles. Nope, he's struck a literal Deal with the Devil for power, and his transformation hints at who's really running things behind the scenes.
You Have Failed Me: Knifes Ludovich Baert for failing to recover the Zodiac Stones in Gulg.

Confessor Zalmour Lucianada

Zalmous Lucianada

Great Father, strike these sinners, that they... may feel your wrath...

A Confessor in the employ of the Church of Glabados. He comes into conflict with Ramza after he kills Delacroix and becomes a heretic.

Anti-Villain: He really does believe that Ramza is a deadly murderous heretic and wants to bring him to justice.
Cool Old Guy: Or he would be, if he wasn't trying to kill you. Unlike many members of the Church, he doesn't actually come across as evil and is really only doing his job. Ramza even expresses regret and reluctance at having to fight him.
Face Death with Dignity: Spends his last breath praying that someone or something finishes the job he failed to do.
Inspector Javert: Zalmour is completely out of the loop with regards to the Lucavi, but he knows Ramza killed the Cardinal.
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: His job as a Confessor - it's noted that to be so much as accused by him is essentially a death sentence.
Kangaroo Court: Tries Ramza in absentia for the death of Cardinal Delacroix. Even before then, it's made clear that being accused of heresy by Zalmour is as good as getting convicted.
Knight Templar: Ironically not his profession, but he does his (fundamentally good) job with fanatical ruthlessness...
The Medic: One of the reasons this guy is such a pain to fight is because he's loaded with white magic skill and can heal his henchmen almost as fast as you damage them. In some fights he'll even cast Life2 on them once they've fallen. He also has automatic regen and Move-->HP for himself, so damage done to him tends not to stick.
Squishy Wizard: Averted. His job class is Celebrant, which is basically a White Mage with access to some better weapons - and much better base hitpoints. He doesn't have much raw defense, but between his hitpoints and numerous healing abilities he can take quite a beating before he runs out of MP.
Recurring Boss: Fought 3 times.

Valmafra Lenande

A young sorceress and an agent of the Church of Glabados, she was sent to accompany Delita Heiral and assist him during his infiltration of the Order of the Southern Sky. Apparently loyal to him by accompanying him on all his missions, she nonetheless develops a great degree of respect for him during their time working together.

Action Survivor: One of few named characters not to be shown dead by the end of the game.
Double Agent: The Church assigns her to help Delita, but also to spy on him and make sure he's not working against them.
Faking the Dead: Delita faked her death and allowed her and Orran to escape at the climax of the war
The Mole: Along with Delita. And to Delita as well, as she was ordered to kill him if he actually joined the Black Lion or betrayed the Church (though she ultimately couldn't bring herself to do so).
Tongue Trauma: Delita is implied to have cut her tongue.

The Knights Templar

Associated Tropes represented by multiple members

Demonic Possession: Most of them, although Isilud was too good of heart and whichever demon would have been behind the Pisces stone couldn't possess him.
The Man Behind the Man: Folmarv being an example of when the Man Behind The Man is masquerading as someone lower in the evil hierarchy.
Recurring Boss: In fact, Isilud is the only one you fight once!

Folmarv Tengille

Worry not. You will not live to see the storm.

The leader of the Knights Templar branch of the church. He makes occasional appearances throughout the first half of the game, but does not become important until later in the story. His children, Isilud and Meliadoul, serve under him. He is actually possessed by Hashmal, the second-in-command of the Lucavi.

Abusive Parents: Tried to get both of his kids possessed by Lucavi.
Archnemesis Dad: To Meliadoul, once she realizes he's a Lucavi and killed Isilud.
Chekhov's Gunman: His debut appearance is rather low-key, as a man hiring a group of mercenaries to kill Ramza and his allies (while he was under Gaffgarion's employ). Then he returned near the end of Chapter 2 and proved he's more important than we originally thought.
The Chessmaster: Plays everybody, from the Church to the Orders of the Northern and Southern Skies.
Cowardly Boss: Infamously so... he tends to teleport away whenever he's weakened in battle.
Demonic Possession: Courtesy of Hashmal. Unlike most other Lucavi, however, he's already been long past possessed by the time the game starts.
The Dragon: You spend a lot of the game thinking he's this to Marcel Funebris, but he's really the dragon to Ultima.
Eviler than Thou: His boss is, while a wicked Sinister Minister, a Well-Intentioned Extremist ultimately trying to make Ivalice a better place. Folmarv is the commander of the demonic Lucavi. He proves to be The Starscream and trivially casts down Marcel.
Evil Old Folks: Though he's not that old - just 49 - he's still middle-aged, and thus older than most adversaries fought in-game.
The Heavy: He is the one orchestrating the events of the game. Although he is technically the second-in-command of the Lucavi, he is the acting leader in the absense of Ultima, who isn't around to do anything until the end.
Kinslaying Is a Special Kind of Evil: Killing his son and intending to kill his daughter makes him one of the more vile characters in the story.
Knight Templar: Besides it being his occupation, he seems a strong adherent of this. Heck, his Lucavi title upon merging with Hashmal - "Bringer Of Order" - is really blatant!)
The Man Behind the Man: He manipulated everyone for the Lucavi's ends, and is the other man (aside from Dycedarg) responsible for most of the game's events.
Manipulative Bastard: Not only does he manipulate pretty much everyone he interacts with, but he's manipulating pretty much everyone through his manipulation of Marcel Funebris.
Not Worth Killing: He manipulates Ramza to his benefit a couple of times, only to ignore him when he is of no use and does not spare much effort to get rid of him. This comes to bite him in the ass at the end, as it turns the guy who’s been carving a path through hordes of demon corpses is actually dangerous.
Offing the Offspring: During the Battle at Riovanes, he transforms into Hashmal and, when Isilud tries to stop him, murders him. He later tries to do the same to Meliadoul.
One-Winged Angel: Transforms into Hashmal when Ramza catches up to him in the Airship Graveyard.
The Starscream: When he reveals his true nature to Funebris, followed by Loffrey killing the old man.
Villains Act, Heroes React: He drives the plot forward but Ramza never initiates battle against him, only follows in his wake.
Would Hurt a Child: He would have killed Alma had she not been Ultima's host. Even then, he has no problem punching her in the guts.

Wiegraf Folles

All such tales of gods and their miracles are false.

Wiegraf starts off as the founder and leader of the Death Corps/Corpse Brigade, a paramilitary organised formed from disgruntled war veterans of the Fifty Years War. The group was founded as a an effort to revolt against the nobility until their demands for compensation - regarding their sacrifices during the conflict - are met and addressed. However, although Wiegraf is an honourable man with high morals and standards, his opposition, the nobility, is not, with their plots throwing wrenches into his plans and eventually bringing down his forces. When he learns that Ramza killed his sister Miluda in battle, he swears revenge but fails to defeat Ramza, though before departing to continue his attempt at stopping Dycedarg and Larg he warns Ramza of the futility of his idealism.

Alas, Poor Villain: Wiegraf's steady fall from grace is quite sad to witness, and then he accepts a Deal with the Devil, completely destroying the just man he once was.
Amazon Brigade: His backup for two of his three fights is composed solely of women.
Anti-Villain: Starts off as this in Chapter 1, being a commoner who wants commoners to not be treated like trash by stuck-up nobles like Argath. Then the church enlists him as an Unwitting Pawn, and it just gets worse from there.
Arch-Enemy: He's Ramza's most commonly-recurring, dedicated and personal adversary.
Arc Villain: He's the overarching antagonist of Chapter 1, although he is supplanted in the end by Argath.
"Blind Idiot" Translation: Wiegraf's name was almost certainly supposed to be Wiglaf, since his first sprite is almost identical to Beowulf's sprite, and Wiglaf is a major character in Beowulf. However, Wiegraf was kept for War of the Lions.
Cynicism Catalyst: Milleuda's death was his Start of Darkness, though it wasn't until about a year later that he actually fell to the Dark Side.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Once he is possessed by Belias, he quits caring about Milleuda's death and only wants "to hear the screams of humans."
Deal with the Devil: As he lies dying, the Zodiac stone offers to save his life for a price. He accepts, and is possessed by Belias.
Duel Boss: Fights Ramza one-on-one during the Riovanes Castle series of battles.
Face–Heel Turn: He was never on your side, but he was definitely a "Face" until he joined the Church.
Fallen Hero: Like Delita, his sister's death completely changed him. Unlike Delita, this change was for the worse, going from a noble man to a Lucavi host.
The Fettered: In his first appearance, he purges Gustav and lets the Marquis go because he will not resort to kidnapping; he wants to force the Crown to pay the Corpse Brigade their rightful due, not just pay them a ransom and be done.
- That only makes seeing just how far Wiegraf has fallen even harder; in Chapter 3, he has Isilud kidnap Alma, Ramza's sister.
Foil: To Ramza, but even more so to Delita - he has a younger sister who perishes, leading to his working at gaining revenge and in the process muddying the moral-waters (he's also, like Delita, common-born). Wiegraf's purpose is to provide a unique perspective that contrasts both younger men (partly from being their senior and more jaded to begin with), and he's a major antagonistic force to Ramza for much of the game.
Hero Antagonist: As leader of the Corpse Brigade, he's far more honorable than his noble adversaries and probably morally superior to Ramza, all in all. He leads a group of veterans in a rebellion to receive their proper due, but even then will not resort to kidnapping and ransom. Sadly, after his defeat, his morality gradually slips downhill.
Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: He started to compromise some of his ideals by joining the Church's efforts, and then abandoned them completely when he gave himself to Lucavi. Ramza calls him out on this.
La Résistance: Leader of the Corpse Brigade, a veterans' army rebelling against the Crown to win their due.
One-Winged Angel: During the final battle against him, he transforms into Belias after taking enough damage; only then does the rest of your selected party join the fray.
Recurring Boss: With four fights against him in total, Wiegraf is FFT's best example of this trope.
Starter Villain: Subverted - he looks like he'll be dealt with during Chapter 1, but he survives beyond that point and becomes a major adversary later on.
Worthy Opponent: To Ramza - who comes to recognize it further down the line, having reflected on Wiegraf's dedication to his ideals. Sadly, Wiegraf's disillusionment eventually led to him defying those same principles, and when he finally fell under Lucavi possession, to put his soul to rest, Ramza had to kill him outright.
- Wiegraf himself regards Ramza as this, specifically warning his troops not to underestimate Ramza during their second encounter, having lost to him a year prior.

Isilud Tengille (Izlude Tingel)

Isilud Tengille (Izlude Tingel)

Meliadoul's little brother and Folmarv's son, he's a member of the Knights Templar branch of the Church like his father and sister. He's sent to kidnap Alma at Orbonne Monastery and succeeds, taking her to Riovanes. There, he witnesses his father transform into a demon before his eyes, after which he attempts to fight back. He is mortally wounded by Hashmal, after which Alma is discovered to be a suitable host for Ultima and is taken by Folmarv.

Abusive Parents: We don't know what his relationship with his father Folmarv was before the Zodiac Stones got involved, but we do see Folmarv bash him across the face for making a mistake.
Heel–Face Door-Slam: Right in the grey area between this and a proper Heel–Face Turn actually. When he realizes that his father is possessed by a demon, he actually tries to stop him and is killed for his effort.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Was given the Pisces stone by Folmarv with the intention of turning him into a Lucavi, but his heart was too pure for the demon inside to call out to him.
Kick the Dog: He does kill Simon ruthlessly.
Let Them Die Happy: Alma lets him pass away peacefully, telling him she saw Ramza slay the demon Hashmal.
Obliviously Evil: As one of the Knights Templar, he genuinely thinks he's on the right side of things, right up until he finds out about the Lucavi the hard way.
Unwitting Pawn: Hadn't been taught about the whole demonic possession aspect of being a Knight Templar yet.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Unlike his brethren he honestly believes the Zodiac stones to be holy relics and truly believes his actions are for the betterment of the country.

Loffrey Wodring (Rofel)

Loffrey Wodring (Rofel)

For you, Ramza, I will throw open the very gates of Hell!

A cowled Templar skilled in both swordplay and magicks. He appears to be the primary negotiator for the Templars, recruiting Wiegraf and passing the Capricorn Stone to Dycedarg.

Blackmail: All but states to Dycedarg that he knows about Dycedarg's poisoning of Barbaneth, possibly to force him to cooperate with the Templar. Dycedarg plays it cool, though, and Loffrey lets the topic drop.
Deal with the Devil: Heavily implied, either with a demon like Celia and Lettie, or the Time God Zomal. Or maybe he's a shapeshifted demon. It's not really clear, other than he gives Ramza the same creepy vibes Celia and Lettie did.
The Dragon: Though not the penultimate boss, he is physically the strongest and for many players the most challenging boss of the end game. He also spends much of his screentime being Vormav's Number Two.
Kick the Dog: His brutal impaling of Funebris.
Magic Knight: He's a Divine Knight like Folmarv and can use magic through his sword.
Mouth of Sauron: He seems much more tactful and skilled at talking than the blunt Vormav and often represents the Templars, successfully persuading Wiegraf to join them and later meeting with Dycedarg.
Taking You with Me: Before he dies, he closes the gate to Mullonde Necrohol so Ramza can't escape.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Unbeknownst to him, his talk of Mosfungus to Dycedarg is overheard by Zalbaag, leading to Zalbaag ambushing Dycedarg and Dycedarg (and Adrammalech) dying, which among other things completely negates the entire purpose of Loffrey's visit.

Cletienne Duroi (Kletian Drowa)

Cletienne Duroi (Kletian Drowa)

Make your peace. You go to the Gods.

Another member of the Knights Templar. Despite wearing armor he's not a swordsman but the most powerful magician in the game. He is a close associate of Folmarv's.

Ambiguous Situation: Like Loffrey, Celia, and Lettie, it's not clear if he is a human undergoing Demonic Possession or a demon shapeshifted to look human.
The Archmage: His Sorcerer job class can use all kinds of powerful spells, some of which the player doesn't have access to.
Awesome, but Impractical: His Sorceror job class. Having access to every magic in the game sounds great, but magic is rather underpowered in FFT and while Folmarv and Loffrey decimate you with their Unyielding Blade skills, Cletienne will spend most of his time charging a magic spell that does a fraction of the damage either of them do at will if he actually manages to cast it.
Ascended Extra: In the original, he did nothing but accompany Folmarv and Loffrey in a couple battles. In War of the Lions, he gets a battle to himself and enough dialogue to show a little bit of personality.
Casting a Shadow: During the last battle against him, Cletienne can cast Dark Holy.
Cutscene Power to the Max: In the cutscene before his battle, he freezes Ramza in place with "a time magick of (his) own fabrication", and only Meliadoul's intervention saves Ramza. Nowhere else does he display this kind of power.
Evil Genius: In comparison to Folmarv and Loffrey, Cletienne is entirely a spellcaster. Morever, his unique class, Sorcerer, has access to all magic - white, black, time, and grey.
Hidden Agenda Villain: When Meliadoul asks him why he's aiding Folmarv, he chuckles and says his reasons are his own. Since he doesn't play host to any Lucavi and plays such a small role, we never do find out what his deal is.
Light Is Not Good: He wears a white tunic and can use white magic, but is clearly evil.
Pet the Dog: For what it's worth, he seems to care for Loffrey, as before he fights Ramza he says he's doing it to honor Loffrey's sacrifice.
The Stoic: In most of his dialogue, whether he's threatening Ramza's life or asking Meliadoul why she betrayed the Templars, he's eloquent, calm and soft-spoken.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He's the last Templar to appear, gets exactly three scenes in the original game before dying, and doesn't speak in two of them. The remake adds a fourth scene, but Cletienne still remains one of the least-developed antagonists of the story.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In the Necrohol, Folmarv decides to order Cletienne to stay behind and guard the portal against Ramza, with no particular expectation that Cletienne will do more than slow him down.

Barich Fendsor (Balk Fenzol)

Barich Fendsor (Balk Fenzol)

Another member of the Knights Templar.

Abnormal Ammo: Wields the guns that fire elemental magic rather than bullets; which specific one depends on the battle.
Back from the Dead: Ramza kills him in the Bedsa Desert, or so he thinks, but Barich shows up alive and well in Mullonde.
Combat Pragmatist: Barich poisons Ramza's party before fighting them to give himself an advantage. In gameplay he prefers to stay back and snipe at your team from a place of safety, and in his second battle uses his posse of powerful monsters to shield him.
Dark Is Evil: Dark-haired with a black tunic, and more than willing to use chemical weaponry on two whole armies... before he teams up with demons.
Evil Counterpart: To Mustadio - they're both Engineers/Machinists. Barich gets a couple innate traits that Mustadio doesn't that make him a bit tougher, though, and he'll likely seem much more powerful due to his magical guns, which many players won't have gotten by this point.
Gadgeteer Genius: His Engineer/Machinist background doesn't just come into play in battle: he rigs up a device that spews poisonous fungus spores over a battlefield, debilitating both sides and allowing both Prince Larg and Duke Goltanna to be killed. It's also possible that he rediscovered how to shoot magic out of a gun, as witnessed in both his fights—something Mustadio previously said was a lost art.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: Manages to pull this off twice: there's no mention of him anywhere before he shows up in the Bedsa desert to fight you, and he's listed as dead in the Brave Story (unlike Elmdor and Zalbaag, who still have their age listed even when supposedly killed), meaning you have absolutely NO reason to expect him to suddenly appear from nowhere as the third-to-last fight in the game.
Hates Rich People: Joined the Templar to help bring down the aristocracy of Ivalice. His hatred of the nobles is so strong he even helps the Lucavi when they resurrect him because it means he won't have to worry about class anymore.
Token Human: Once Isilud dies, Barich is the only member of the Knights Templar who isn't a demon or possessed by one. If he didn't know this before dying the first time, he's still perfectly fine working for them afterward when it's made clear.
Unexplained Recovery: It appeared he was killed off in the battle against him in the Bedsa Desert, but then he shows up again for another battle near the end of Mullonde with no warning. Other than an offhand comment that the Holy Stones brought him back, there's no explanation for how he's there.
Vague Age: Since Barich gets killed before you ever see his entry in the Brave Story, he's the only character in the game whose age is completely unknown. He looks like he's in his 40s or perhaps late 30s, though.
Villainous Widow's Peak: Both his character portrait and his sprite have one.

The Lucavi (SPOILERS)

Associated tropes common to several Lucavi

A group of demonic beings who exist in another realm beyond Ivalice. They can only take form in the physical world via the Zodiac Stones; if a stone happens to be under the possession of someone who's about to die, the Lucavi associated with the stone offers them life and power. Should they accept, the Lucavi possesses the individual, effectively merging the two together, with their human host losing all their humanity in the process.

Their ultimate goal is the revival of their master, Ultima. Once she is back, the Lucavi will be able to freely come and go as they please, without the need for the Zodiac Stones or human hosts. In order to accomplish this, they masterminded the War of the Lions, as the ritual for her revival requires an enormous amount of bloodshed.

Ambiguous Situation:
- How much of the original host's personality remains after they are possessed by a Lucavi? On one hand, there is Wiegraf, who retains some morals even as a Templar until he is possessed by Belias, at which point he just becomes an out and out sadist with nothing remaining of his original personality, making one wonder if it's really him or just Belias. On the other hand, when Dycedarg is possessed by Adrammelech, he retains his personality completely and continues to talk to Ramza as Dycedarg. It is hard to say how much the others were affected as Elmdore only has a few short scenes before his offscreen death and resurrection and Folmarv and Delacroix were possessed long before they appear in the story, so it's impossible to know how much control a Lucavi has over its host, or where the distinction between host and demon lies, if it even truly exists. The relationship between Ajora and Ultima muddies the waters even further, as what little we see of either hints that they may in fact be the same being somehow.
- Are they the Espers from Final Fantasy XII? If they are, then some of their names and forms were Retconned between games.
Battle Theme Music: Lucavi get their own battle theme, "The Pervert" (which the PSP version renames to "Helldance").
Demonic Possession: How they're able to manifest in the living world. Final Fantasy Tactics A2 delved a bit further in lore behind Espers, stating that while they could be summoned, this would only manifest a fraction of their power. Only through Demonic Possession could they invoke their true power.
Evil Versus Evil: The lore of Final Fantasy XII is full of stories about their struggles for power with the Occuria. Unfortunately, while the Occuria were cruel, hateful tyrants the Lucavi really aren't any better.
Expy: The Lucavi are extremely similar to the Apostles from Berserk. They both arise from a magical artifact that prompts the user to make a pact with demons, typically in a situation whether their life is at stake or just an extreme emotional nadir. This ends up corrupting the person in question, more often than not turning them into a hideous monster and losing most if not all of their humanity.
Gratuitous Iambic Pentameter: In the War of the Lions translation, most Lucavi speak this way when transformed, although their hosts rarely do.
The Man Behind the Man: They are the ones responsible for the War of the Lions, manipulating everything behind the scenes for their own purposes.
Obviously Evil: All of them (except for Ultima's first form) have rather frightening appearances, their entrances are marked by ghoulish Evil Laugh that sounds like malicious spirits. They're also all cruel, bloodthirsty and violent creatures whose only goal seems to be causing havoc and inflicting pain on humans, if Belias' speech about loving the sound of human screams is any indication; and once they transform, none of them make any attempt to hide this. The only exception is Elidibus, who prefers to mind his own business.
One-Winged Angel: The Lucavi possess human hosts to manifest in the living world, but transform into their true forms to do battle.
Outside-Context Problem: For about the first half of the game, the story appears to be a politically-driven drama where the corrupt nobility of Ivalice cause the kingdom to descend into civil war. Then these guys appear, and it becomes clear that there is something far more demonic and otherworldly unfolding behind the scene of the Lion War.
Weaksauce Weakness: Save Ultima, none of them can enter water (though only Belias and Zalera are encountered in maps with water to begin with). Also, their high HP and gaps in their Contractual Boss Immunity means they are incredibly succeptible to Gravity magick and other percentage-based attacks.
Western Zodiac: They are associated with the Zodiac Stones and the respective signs. In the game proper, only the Scorpio, Aries, Gemini, Capricorn, Leo, Virgo and Serpentarius Lucavi appear, however.

Ultima (Altima)

Ultima (Altima)

Host: Saint Ajora Glabados, Alma Beoulve

Your defiance reaps you naught but death's embrace!

Associated with the Virgo auracite, she is the leader (and only seen female member) of the Lucavi who commanded their forces during the original conflict for control over Ivalice centuries ago. She was, unbeknownst to most, acting through Ajora Glabados as her host body. Now, the only host suitable to resurrect Ajora - and by extension, Ultima - is Ramza Beoulve's little sister, Alma. She is the sixth and last Lucavi which Ramza is forced to fight.

In anticipation of her return, Hashmal brings Alma to the correct spot in Mullonde in order to resurrect Ultima, intending to fulfill all the remaining requirements for her return... only Ramza is close by and beats Hashmal's ass silly. Hashmal promptly sacrifices himself to provide just enough fuel to resurrect Ajora in Alma's body. Ramza and Alma apply The Power of Love and Alma rejects Ajora, but Ultima is still strong enough to get her own body. No matter, Ramza and Alma take her out.

Ambiguous Gender: The earliest known incarnation of this demon was in Ajora, who was male, at least in the historical texts (and according to Yasumi Matsuno as translated here. The second was Alma, a girl. Ultima's first form is of a very feminine demon, but the second form is a huge, winged, skeletal thing whose sex can't possibly be discerned.
Blue-and-Orange Morality: Ultima is specifically described as a being beyond human scrutiny whose deeds are above good and evil and is noted to be a master of both tranquility and chaos. This also extends to her on-screen actions which are done out of self-preservation upon realizing Ramza and the party intend to stop her resurrection.
Big Bad: The leader of the demonic Lucavi and the reason why Ivalice is being torn to shred by the War of the Lions.
Final Boss: The final enemy encountered in the game, long past the Point of No Return.
Divinely Appearing Demons: In her first form, she looks relatively angelic minus the outfit, certainly much less frightening than the other Lucavi. Averted with the second form however.
Hot as Hell: She is a devil, and wears the attire (a red leotard looking thing) you'd expect a hot devil girl to wear. However, her body is a blonde haired angelic one.
Light Is Not Good: Ultima's first form is distinctly angelic. Bear in mind this is the leader of the demons you've been fencing a path through the whole game, and she needed the War of the Lions to run for a year just to be around.
Load-Bearing Boss: Of a sort - Ultima causes the infamous explosion which (may have) killed your entire party by accident, in an attempt to stop you.
One-Winged Angel: The Big Bad does this in a Final Fantasy game? But of course! Kind of noteworthy in that Ultima's initial One-Winged Angel form has its own One-Winged Angel form.
Red Baron: "The High Seraph."

Hasmal (Hasmalum)

Hashmal (Hashmalum)

Host: Folmarv Tengille

Angel of Blood, in all things you I serve. No wine more deep, no searing coal more hot than this, the crimson blood for you I spill!

Associated with the Leo auracite, he is the leonine second-in-command of the Lucavi and the 5th (and penultimate) Lucavi Ramza must face. With his superior currently incapacitated, Hashmal is the current commander of the Lucavi's demonic forces, and so assumes responsibility for their overall plans.

Animal Motifs: His form resembles that of a lion.
The Chessmaster: To an incredible extent, as he's manipulating the Church that is manipulating the Nobles that are manipulating the Knights that are manipulating the 50 year war.
The Dragon: To Ultima. With her out of the picture for most of the story, he leads the Lucavi in her place, working to bring about his master's resurrection.
Glass Cannon: He is fast (the fastest story boss naturally actually; Barich 2 has the same speed but does so with a Thief Hat) and will often charge a Meteor over your team's head before you can even act. His Meteor is capable of one-shotting most characters that aren't very high levelled, but it also tends to leave him open to several midcharge hits in the face. If he isn't killed by those before the Meteor could go off, he is prone to having it redirected over his own head when it does. It doesn't help that he actually has less HP than Adrammelech.
The Heavy: With Ultima out of commission Hashmal's been forced to enforce her law until she is found and resurrected. As such, he is the biggest and most active antagonist in the plot.
The Man Behind the Man: He's basically manipulating almost everyone, including Funerbis, for the Lucavi's ends.
Red Baron: "The Bringer of Order."
Sacrificial Revival Spell: When he fails to provide the bloodshed required for Ajora's resurrection, Hashmal kills himself and uses his own life to resurrect her (admittedly, he'd already been defeated by Ramza's group, but still...). For an SD sprite, it's rather gory too; he impales himself on his own oversized claws.
Status Infliction Attack: His Dread commands can inflict Stop, Slow, or a Speed decrease.

Cúchulainn (Queklain)

Cúchulainn (Queklain)

Host: Alphonse Delacroix

How I shall delight to watch you die. Each excruciation ecstasy!

Associated with the Scorpio auracite, Cúchulainn was the 1st Lucavi demon that Ramza Beoulve was forced to fight, bringing to his attention the true nature of the conflict behind the War of the Lions.

Belly Mouth: The mouth on his face is sewn shut, to boot.
Call a Pegasus a "Hippogriff": Cú Chulainn was not a fat demon associated with gluttony, though one of his powers was the ability to turn into a horrifyingly ugly Humanoid Abomination of terrifying strength and destructive power through a state known as the "warp spasm".
Climax Boss: He's the final boss of Chapter 2, and his sudden appearance reveals that there is something far more sinister than some ambitious politicians at work here.
Fat Bastard: His One-Winged Angel form is morbidly obese.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: As evidenced in his above quote. The PS1 version spells it out more clearly.
"Now let me hear your death cries, and your tormented screams of anguish!"
Red Baron: "The Impure"
Scary Scorpions: Though he doesn't quite look it, his auracite (Scorpio) and his poison-based powers invoke scorpions. In FFXII, he produces a scorpion tail for his attacks.
Status Infliction Attack: His Befoul moveset has nine different attacks with only three names between them, and every one of them inflicts a different status effect. His Dread moveset also has a few statuses to inflict.
Wake-Up Call Boss: You'll probably lose a few party members when the fight heats up - especially since his favorite attack is the hard-to-counter Condemn. He is also the first boss of the game to feature purple HP/MP/CT bars with "???" values instead of readable numbers.

Belias (Velius)

Belias (Velius)

Host: Wiegraf Folles

God Stone bearer, with me now do treat. Your spirit and my flesh as one shall merge. Life undying yours forever more.

Associated with the Aries auracite, Belias was the 2nd Lucavi demon Ramza Beoulve fought against. With the form of a bipedal ram, he emerges when decieving a dying Wiegraf into entering a contract with him, after which he possesses him. Ramza faces him later at Riovannes, where after defeating Wiegraf, Belias emerges to fight Ramza only to be defeated and killed.

Animal Motifs: Rams, quite obviously.
Climax Boss: The fights against him begins the narrative climax of Chapter 3 forward.
The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: He either doesn't remember or doesn't understand Wiegraf's human emotions, and so they no longer concern him.
The Dreaded: The Belias fight is infamous in gaming history for being a particularly difficult fight for novice players unprepared for the difficulty spike. This was compounded by the fact that the boss fight was part of a multi-stage sequence with no possibility of grinding levels/jp in between; if players weren't sufficiently prepared for the fight and only had a single save, they would have to start the whole game from scratch. Additionally, Belias is given more screentime than other Lucavi, is a giant ram-humanoid with four massive arms, and he calls himself "The Devil". None of that sounds good.
Drunk on the Dark Side: Belias is given more screentime than other Lucavi and the player gets to see Wiegraf, a former (relatively) honorable knight, lose himself to Belias. Belias let's Ramza know that all he cares about is the "sound of screaming humans."
Loves the Sound of Screaming: He even gives a speech about it to Ramza, mostly to prove that Wiegraf Folles' does not influence his nature.
Mighty Glacier: Despite being faced one entire Chapter later than Cúchulainn, he actually has one less speed. His attacks are also some of the most painful ones you'll see from an enemy, with his Cyclops easily capable of dealing 200 or more damage to most units, and even when he is silenced, his melee attacks are no joke either.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Has 4 arms and is arguably one of the hardest boss fights in the game.
Red Baron: "The Gigas".
Status Infliction Attack: Has access to Dread commands that inflict Silence, Petrify, or Confuse.
Summon Magic: He starts the battle out by summoning (usually) Cyclops, the most powerful summon in the game excluding the secret Zodiac summon.

Zalera

Host: Messam Elmdore

Here dying, join my legion of undeath. Your blood, the roses on unhallow'd graves!

Associated with the Gemini auracite, Zalera was the 3rd Lucavi Demon which Ramza Beoulve faced. He first appeared at Riovannes possessing Marquis Elmdore, before being confronted properly at Limberry.

Bait-and-Switch Boss: When it looks like you'll be fighting Barrington, Elmdore/Zalera and his minions pop in from behind and off him before fighting you. They provide a tougher challenge than the Duke ever could have, too.
Bat Out of Hell: Granted he's not really bat-shaped, but...
Climax Boss: In his human form as Elmdore, he's the final boss of Chapter 3.
Recurring Boss: If you include the fights with him in his human body, as Marquis Elmdore, then he's fought three times.
Red Baron: "The Death Seraph".
Significant Anagram: His name is an anagram of the demon "Azrael", known as the demon of death.
Status Infliction Attack: Aside from the standard Lucavi status skillset he also brings a secondary full of status spells just because.

Adrammelech (Adramelk)

Adrammelech (Adramelk)

Host: Dycedarg Beoulve

And so on you, Ramza, my gaze alights. Now know regret, a traitor's recompense!

Associated with the Capricorn auracite, Adrammelech confronts Ramza in Eagrose Castle, after merging with Dycedarg Beoulve. Notably, he seemed to have not taken possession of his host in the least, but rather joined with him (given that he espouses his human host's philosophies with a touch of Lucavi-flavoured evil). He is the 4th Lucavi that Ramza fights.

Animal Motifs: He's a large, demonic goat.
Climax Boss: The fight with him is the crisis-point of Chapter 4 - with his death, both Zalbaag and Dycedarg are gone and the Beoulve line is shattered.
Red Baron: "The Wroth"
Small Name, Big Ego: When he appears, the first thing he does is dispose of all his allies and try to fight Ramza & Co. by himself. Honestly, there's just no excuse for such arrogance - even Belias summoned several lesser demons to help him, while Zalera initially attempted a healthy retreat once Ramza killed his minions.
Squishy Wizard: Well, not so much on the squishy part, but he is very big on spellcasting. He has Holy, Flare, Firaja, Blizzaja, Thundaja, Graviga, Bahamut, Odin, Salamander, and Leviathan. That's pretty much some of the strongest spells in the game. He lacks the MA to truly do them justice, though, but his Bahamut can still hurt a bundle to a very wide area.
Taken for Granite: His "Petrify" spell.
Weaksauce Weakness: He is an almost entirely spell-driven entity... that is vulnerable to Silence and can't do much to a low-Faith party.

Zodiark (Elidibus)

Zodiark (Elidibus)

Associated with the Serpentarius auracite, this Lucavi doesn't care for the acts of his brethren and prefers to mind his own business. He can be fought optionally to optain his Zodiac Stone.

Curiously, despite Zodiark being the name of the associated Esper in Final Fantasy XII, here it - for unknown reasons - actually manifests as the Lucavi's summon, while the demon inhabits the body of Elidibus, a Fifty Years War hero and maintains the host's name instead. This might be due to the unique nature of his body even compared to other Lucavi and Lucavi possession, and/or perhaps as a result of the seemingly-symbiotic relationship between host and demon.

Ambiguous Situation: The game gives almost no details or information about him or his goals; what little is known can only be inferred from context.
Bragging Rights Reward: Zodiark is the most powerful summon spell in the game. However, like most damage spells, it's Awesome, but Impractical with how long it takes to charge up and there are far more efficient ways to kill enemies. Not to mention if you're powerful enough to find and kill Elidibus, you're strong enough to beat the game without Zodiark.
Damage-Sponge Boss: He has almost as much HP as the Final Boss's second form.
Fallen Hero: Possibly. Elidibus was a great hero of the Fifty Years War, now a demon thanks to the Serpentarius auracite. The fact that so little is stated about him, however, makes it unclear how far (or even if) he's actually fallen.
Hidden Agenda Villain: If he even is a villain, given the tiny amount we see of him. He's a Lucavi, but he doesn't seem to have any interest in assisting the rest of his order. He simply meditates at the bottom of Midlight's Deep and attacks Ramza when he senses the presence of the other Auracite stones. What Elidibus and Zodiark were up to is completely unknown.
Mighty Glacier: Has the highest damage dealing potential, but there are generic enemies in Chapter 2 that are faster than this guy.
Permanently Missable Content: The "Zodiark" Summon, which can only be obtained by people who are hit by it during this battle. Kill him before you learn it, and you're boned.^note
Red Baron: "The Legendary Wizard".
The Sixth Ranger: To the Lucavi, though he prefers to mind his own business.
Snakes Are Sinister: He's affiliated with the Serpentarius auracite and his demon form appears to be a massive man carrying a large snake. It bites whoever he physically attacks.
Summon Magic: Not only is he the only way to learn the Zodiark summon, he also summons the recurring summon Midgardsormr, which you can't learn.
Superboss: You can finish the game without even realizing the Brutal Bonus Level he inhabits exists, let alone his existence.
Wizard Classic: Of all the characters in Final Fantasy Tactics, he looks the most like the typical fantasy wizard. He's got the classic robe, pointy hat, the grey beard, and is hidden away in a very remote corner of the world.

Others

Barbaneth Beoulve

Hear me, Ramza. For generations, we Beoulves have stood foremost of those who serve the Crown. Ours is the soul of a knight. Become a knight worthy of your name. Tolerate no injustice. Stray not from the true path. You will know the path you must walk. A Beoulve can... can walk no other...

The former head of the Beoulve family and ruler of Eagrose, Barbaneth is the father of Dycedarg, Zalbaag, Ramza and Alma. Well-recognised for his valiant efforts during the Fifty Years War, he commanded the Order of the Northern Sky and was awarded the title of "Knight Gallant" for his work in the line of duty. In the days leading toward the end of the war, he fell gravely ill, but was able to survive until the peace negotiations were leaned toward's Ivalice's favour.

The Dreaded: It is said that facing him on the battlefield was a major part of the reason the Southern Sky sued for peace.
Face Death with Dignity: Loads of so-called "heroes" could learn a lot about how to conduct themselves in the face of death.
Minor Major Character: He only appears during one flashback after his death, but he played a very crucial role in the establishment of the plot events as they are.
Nice to the Waiter: He doesn't appear to hold any prejudice against commoners, has two children by a commoner woman who he fully acknowledges as his own, and asks his sons to look after Delita.
Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the time the game begins, and only appears in a flashback.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He was just as noble as his youngest son, and is remembered as an honorable man.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: He's said to be in the same league as T.G. Cid, and maybe even a little bit stronger - his ability on the battlefield was so feared that his enemies sued for peace when he gave them a chance.

Saint Ajora Glabados

Ajora Glabados

The founder of the Church of Glabados. He performed several miracles and was considered a messiah by the cult that would eventually become the primary religion of modern Ivalice. The Pharic Church and Holy Ydoran Empire, which was in power at the time, was afraid of his growing influence, beliving he was a spy and a rabble-rouser. They had him hunted down and killed. Shortly thereafter, the capital of the Fara Church was hit with a massive tidal wave and sank. Considering it a miracle, the Church of Glabados was developed.

Ajora also happens to be the host for the leader of the demonic Lucavi, biding his time for a resurrection and return to Ivalice. This will require many, many sacrifices, so the Lucavi manipulate the world leaders into constant strife and war. Ajora also needs the correct body to possess, and Alma Beoluve happens to be the lucky victim.

Ambiguous Gender: The fanbase is still unsure about Ajora's preferred gender. The Germonic Scriptures state Ajora was male, yet when he returns he takes the form of the obviously female Ultima. A number of theories are bandied about. Ajora and Ultima may be two distinct entities, with Ajora being male and Ultima being female. It could be that Ajora was forced to masquerade as male to acquire the following s/he did. Or it may simply be the male-dominated Corrupt Church recording Ajora as male to better suit their ends. The fact that Ajora is referred to as male in Tactics and female in Final Fantasy XII has not helped matters.
- For even more Mind Screw, the Ajora referred to in Final Fantasy XII isn't even the same one, because this Ajora was born almost a century after that game's events. Meaning that Ajora has possibly been reincarnating who knows how many times. Your brain has our permission to explode, now. It should be noted the text describing Ajora in XII was mistranslated in the Eng version.
- According to Word of God translated here, within context of FFT alone with no regard for later games set in Ivalice Ajora was a man who reincarnated as a woman (Alma). Matsuno in the same source refused to comment on the XII lore for Ajora, perhaps rooting in him leaving the game's development before completion. Interestingly, concept art for Ajora labels the false saint female as seen here.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Given his status, this is a belief of many of his followers. Assuming he did ascend, it sure wasn't in the way most thought...
Crystal Dragon Jesus: A thinly veiled one, complete with a religion that worships him.
Dark Messiah: As a villainous version of Jesus Christ, he naturally falls into this trope; he performed miracles, was literally referred to as a messiah in-setting, and was eventually martyred... but he was actually possessed by a demon all along.
Demonic Possession: Ajora was actually possed by the leader of the Lucavi all along, and his "miracles" were a result of this. Played with in that it's unclear where the line between Ajora ends and Ultima begins, or if there was even a distinction between them in the first place.
Expy: As a very clear Crystal Dragon Jesus, he is one to Jesus Christ, complete with twelve disiples and his martyrdom. Subverted in that he was actually an ordinary human being... who happened to become possessed by Ultima, the Lucavi leader.
Gender Bender: If Ajora was male, then becoming Ultima resulted in this. Definitely so when he possessed Alma Beoulve and created a second body exactly like hers.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: According to the secret portrait of him found in the game. He is described as a kind and noble saviour...whereas in reality he was possessed by a demonic entity.
Posthumous Character: At first. However, Ajora is waiting in the wings until his eventual revival.
Superpowered Evil Side: Just as prominent as the debate over Ajora's gender is the debate over whether s/he and Ultima are separate beings or are the same entity. Compared to the other Lucavi, Ultima blurs the lines between host and demon. The other Lucavi only need a warm body and an active Zodiac stone to manifest in the physical world; Ultima requires a near-perfect copy of Ajora's body to do so, in addition to the Virgo auracite. That said, Ajora being a physical embodiment of Ultima herself makes the "multiple reincarnations" theory mentioned above seem slightly more plausible.

Germonique

One of the disciples of Saint Ajora Glabados, Germonique is famed as the man who betrayed Ajora to the Holy Ydoran Empire, something close to 1200 years ago. He was the author of the Germonique Scriptures, which told the story of Ajora Glabados from his own perspective - texts banned by the Church of Glabados due to their percieved heresy.

Expy: Of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ. Though there is a major difference in that Germonique's motives for treachery were unambiguously more noble.
Generation Xerox: There is some strong hinting that Ramza and Alma are in fact descendants of Germonique, presumably on their mother's side.
Historical Villain Upgrade: As a side effect of Ajora getting a major case of Historical Hero Upgrade, Germonique's actions are portrayed as a foul treachery rather than the exposure of the Lucavi that they were.
Posthumous Character: He lives more than 1200 years ago and a Hume, obviously long gone.

Tietra Heiral (Teta)

Tietra Heiral (Teta)

Delita's younger sister, and a good friend of Alma. Due to her commoner status, she is ostracized at school. She is ultimately swept up in the events that change Ramza and Delita's lives forever.

All of the Other Reindeer: Her schoolmates bully her, and Alma appears to be the only friend she has.
Bulletproof Human Shield: Apparently she blocked the explosion at Fort Ziekden from doing much to Delita.
Cynicism Catalyst: Her death, for her brother Delita - had she never died, he never would have walked the path he chose.
Innocent Bystander: The poor girl was completely innocent, yet was kidnapped by the Corpse Brigade and unceremoniously killed off by Argath (and Zalbaag, who gave the order).
Killed Off for Real: She cannot be resurrected at Fort Ziekden. The storyline can't continue if she lives, seeing as this is the defining moment when Delita decides to become a powerful and influential king. She has no countdown timer, but she also has no stats and the placeholder class "Delita's Sis".
Kill the Cutie: A cute and innocent girl who is killed by Argath (and Zalbaag, who gave the order) just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Plot-Triggering Death: While a good deal of the story was already in the making, Tietra's death is crucial in defining the kind of men Ramza and Delita become and the actions they take throughout the War of the Lions. Had she lived, the story would have turned out much differently.
Sacrificial Lamb: Like Milleuda before her. Tietra is a cute and kind girl, which makes her death all the more painful, and also serves as the turning point for Ramza and Delita's lives, while also showing how callous many nobles are.
Small Role, Big Impact: She has only a few scenes, even fewer lines, and doesn't make it out of the first Chapter alive. But her death is what triggers both Delita and Ramza into abandoning their stations and walking the paths that would lead the former into becoming king and the latter into fighting the Lucavi.
Stepford Smiler: She acts as though she's happy, and doesn't let on that she's being bullied.
Alma: Tietra puts on a brave face, but the truth is not as honeyed as her words.

Milleuda Folles

It may well be you've done no wrong. It is your place in the world that drives my hatred on. You bear the name Beoulve, and that name is my enemy.

Wiegraf's younger sister and a commander in the Corpse Brigade, Milleuda seemed to be particularly spiteful and untrusting of the nobility, more so than her brother. After her first encounter with Ramza, the presence of Argath pretty much squandered Ramza's chances of convincing her that not all nobles are corrupt and heartless. In their second encounter, she refused to lay down arms despite Ramza and Delita's pleas, forcing them to kill her to proceed further. In turn, Wiegraf swears revenge against Ramza.

Alas, Poor Villain: Ramza and Delita both feel that she is justified in her situation, and Argath is pretty much the only reason they can't come to a peaceful agreement after their first encounter.
Anti-Villain: She's an early-game antagonist, but is portrayed as a sympathetic figure with a legitimate cause for rebellion, and her arguments with Ramza are meant to be the first thing that shakes his belief on his brothers and the nobility.
Freudian Excuse: Her hatred of nobles stems from the constant mistreatment she and her friends have received at their hands, particularly the lack of acknowledgment they received for fighting and dying for Ivalice during the Fifty Years War.
Hero Antagonist: She and her soldiers are just as sympathetic as Ramza and Delita and more than the the Northern Sky's commanders.
Recurring Boss: Fought twice, in two successive plotline battles, during Chapter 1.
Sacrificial Lamb: The first of many. She is one of several tragic casualties of war, and her death sends her brother off the deep end.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: This is essentially what Milleuda is trying to be. Ramza and Delita respond to this and ask her for a truce. She refuses, and is slain at your hands.
Worthy Opponent: The second time they fight, Ramza tries very hard to convince her to lay down arms. To his credit, she did admit that perhaps he and his were innocent of any wrongdoing to the common people, but almost-sadly noted that bearing the name Beoulve made them natural enemies.

Celia and Lettie (Lede)

Celia and Lettie (Lede)

We've such a warm welcome planned. A kiss, to see you to your grave.

Two beautiful young women who work directly for Marquis Elmdor.

Always Identical Twins: Celia wears blue and parts her hair to the right, Lettie wears pink and parts her hair to the left. Otherwise, they're identical. This is a subtle visual clue that their master, Elmdor, is the bearer of the Gemini stone—the Zodiac sign of the Twins.
Ambiguous Situation: Even though they appear to be beautiful women, they're outwardly so cold and stoic that there's obviously something just off about them. Whether they were once normal women now undergoing Demonic Possession (like the Lucavi hosts, just with lesser demons) or are simply shapeshifted Ultima Demons isn't made clear.
Antagonist Abilities: Celia and Lettie are basically ninjas (already a strong class), but on top of that they have a formidable array of abilities that are difficult to prepare for: they can Charm Person, inflict Stop, petrify, or most famously instantly kill... and each one never misses. Such abilities would make the Assassin class a Game-Breaker if the player could use it.
Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Celia and Lettie are explicitly described in the Brave Story as "beautiful" and their clothes are meant to evoke that, being colorful outfits that wouldn't look out of place on a belly dancer.
Bodyguard Babes: In most of their appearances they accompany Elmdor, and are actually a much greater threat than he is.
Charm Person: Their "Allure" ability has 100% accuracy and can be used against males or monsters.
Clipped-Wing Angel: In their final battle, if they're defeated, they turn into Ultima Demons, which despite being powerful enemies are much weaker than their human guises.
Co-Dragons: They both act as the primary enforces of Marquis Elmdor, even taking command of the Limberry Castle garrison when Ramza first arrives there.
The Dividual: They always work together, and have nigh identical appearances, fighting abilities, and personalities.
Dual Wielding: They dual-wield ninja knives and do a ton of damage with them should they bother with a normal attack.
Establishing Character Moment: The way Lettie casually dispatches Barrington establishes that these girls are a serious threat with extremely overpowered abilities.
Femme Fatale: They're beautiful, dangerous, and also have a Charm ability that only affects men, but has a 100% success rate unless the character is entirely immune to Charm.
Glass Cannon: Celia and Lettie's class is Assassin - a Ninja on steroids with some Thief skills. Between their many 100% effective status effect-causing moves and their very high attack power they can cut through your party like butter. But if you actually get close to them, they don't have all that much defense.
Meaningful Appearance: The Assassins being mostly identical to each other is a very subtle visual clue that Elmdor holds the Gemini stone, which is the sign of the Twins.
Neck Lift: Lettie enters the story by easily lifting the hefty Duke Barrington off his feet with one arm, then hurling him off the edge of a roof.
One-Hit KO: They have a move, Stop Breath (Stop Bracelet in the original translation) that causes immediate death with a 100% success rate. The only way to stop it is to equip an artifact that prevents instant death.
Palette Swap: Celia and Lede share the same sprites as the Dancer, it's just Celia is a unique shade of dark blue while Lettie is pink.
Pink Is Feminine: Lettie—someone pointed out as beautiful In-Universe, who wears a sexy outfit and can weaponize her sex appeal in combat—is the only character in the game to wear pink.
Shapeshifting Seducer: They are Ultima demons who use Glamor magic to make themselves look like skimpily dressed blonde babes and use their seductive skills to aid Zalera.
Super-Strength: No normal woman should be able to Neck Lift a fatty like Barington one-armed and toss him ten feet into the air, immediately giving away to Ramza that the two aren't what they seem and hinting at how they are actually Ultima demons in disguise.

Characters / Final Fantasy Tactics Characters

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