Final Fantasy has always been a game that develops characters so that each, individually, has his or her own unique stories to tell, motivations, ambitions, and weaknesses or personal issues that end up defining the purpose of their roles in the game and the progression of the plot. In previous Final Fantasy games we've seen some characters that were very superficial and without much substance while other characters proved to be deeply woven in mystery and it took the entire game to only begin to understand their personalities. Final Fantasy IX has proven to have the most diverse group of characters of any FF game I've played. This motley crew runs the gamut of extremes and everything inbetween. I don't think ever before there have been such a difinatively unique set of characters developed in an RPG.

In keeping with the retro-fantasy theme, Final Fantasy IX's characters are less human than we've seen in the previous two modern era incarnations of the series. Yes there was Cait Sith and Red XIII, but Final Fantasy IX has probably the most odd lot outside of Chrono Cross I've seen in awhile. For example a typical 4 member party may include a simian/primate - Zidane, a big "thing" with its' toung sticking out that is always hungry and wants to eat everything - Quina, a female rat/dragon knight - Freya, and a purple haired child with a horn - Eiko. Then of course you could have a party of a big dopey knight remeniscent of Joxer from Xena: Warrior Princess - Steiner, a lovely young princess - Garnet (she was "Dagger" though much of my game), a stubbly little guy with glowing yellow eyes and a bent pointy hat - ViVi, and an OgreMan named Amarant. Odd bunch to say the least, but believe it or not, they all make a great team and as the game unfolds they are very good characters.

Zidane Tribal - In the beginning we encounter Zidane as a brash and boisterious youth travelling with a band of renegade thespians called Tantalus aboard the floating theater-airship. Zidane likes to make himself known to the girls, and after encountering Garnet he finds himself infatuated with her but is sometimes afraid to express his true feelings to her when it's most important. Garnet (Dagger) does hold feelings for Zidane, but her denial of his overtly subtle advances at the beginning of the game end up discouraging him, but later on when he returns to Alexandria in it's darkest hour and rescues her they develop a bond that carries thoughout the remainder of the game. Zidane actually cares deeply for Garnet as well as all of the the other members he encounters. His thespian friends include Cinna, Blank, Baku, and Marcus. In the beginning, Zidane is a character with seemingly no past, we learn nothing of his parents or from what background he arises. He seems almost to live entirely on self determination and a will to help others. When he encounters Kuja the truth about his past becomes manifest, and he discovers that he has been created as a manipulated instrument to usher the assimilation of Gaia and the ressurection of the spirits of Terra. Kuja thrust him into Gaia to cause choas but Zidane found his own life and aspiration to hold all life sacred, and keep those he cares about close. At first he is brought to his knees in self-shame when he descovers the truth about his past. With the help of his comrades and the one he loves he realizes the truth, that he can overcome his shortcomings and he is never alone with there are those who care about him. Zidane comes through and purges Kuja from his anger, and seeks to bring peace to his tortured soul.

Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the 13th (Dagger) - We eventually discover that Garnet is not the daughter of Queen Brahne but rather comes from the same ancient city that Eiko resides in, Madain Sari. I don't know why but for most of the game, she was called "Dagger." Early in the game after she voluntarily allowed herself to be kidnapped it asked me to changer her name and she wanted to be called "Dagger" and it pretty much stayed this way for the remainder of the game. Dagger longs to understand what it is to be a real person, unfettered from dutiful requirements of being royalty. She has lived a cloistered life, and she finds herself confronting reality when joining with Zidane. She has feelings for Zidane, but is to reticent about expressing them. Internally she wants to grow closer to him but when the first meet she is afraid to show those emotions. As Dagger is brought to terms with the gravity of events like the destruction of Lindblum, the destruction of Cleyra, The destruction of Bermecia, the death of her own mother when she was very young, and the death of her adoptive mother, Queen Brahne, she is forced to mature both emotionally and spiritually. Dagger blames herself for the suffering and sadness that has befallen her world and stores her feelings of guilt inside until she finally realizes that she has to come to terms with the circumstances an hand and take charge of her life. Garnet symbolically cuts her long hair as a gesture showing she has cut the ties to her guilt and is no longer a prisoner of dispair. She helps Zidane come to terms with the gravity of his past, and shows him that she needs him and he needs the support of his friends.

Captain Adelbert Steiner of the Knights of Pluto - I guess a title like that is like calling myself Emperion Supremus of the Kings of Zoltron. He more or less is the comic relief of the game in some ways, especially at the beginning of the game. This guy is like a complete rip off of Joxer from Xena: Warrior Princess. The complete devotion to Princess Garnet is comically overexcessive at times, but thoughout the game Steiner remains loyal and true. He has trouble expressing his feelings toward General Beatrix, but at the end of the game he finally expresses the feelings deep inside his heart.

ViVi Orunitia - The little black mage that could. ViVi seems so downtrodden at times and depressed, and he has many questions about his existance that remain unanswered. He longs for a sense of purpose, and a point in time that he can referance as when he was born. He encounters those like himself, but they are empty beings, mindless vessels manufactured to do the Evil bidding of Queen Brahne and Kuja. They are creations of the Mist, souls lost between life and death. He fears that he is but a lifeless vessel with a finite end, no purpose, no destiny. WIth the help and support of Zidane and his friends he discovers himself, and that he has a soul and it is his own.

Freya Crescent - A friend of Zidane's, Freya is from the Bermecian race and is a Dragon Knight who is in search of her lost love, a love that has forgotten the very memory of their being together. Freya remains a loyal companion on your journey. Interestingly enough there is a real character in Norse mythology called Freyja, that exhibits her same personality traits and representation in the plot of Final Fantasy IX.

Eiko Carol - Little Eiko has lived in Madain Sari and is the last of the race of summoners to reside there after her Grandfather died. She is looked after by the Moogles and has a special moogle friend named Mog. Eiko has a crush on Zidane, but she realises after awhile that his heart lies with Princess Garnet.

Amarant Coral - Amarant is one of two bounty hunters sent by Queen Brahne to obtain the stones from Garnet and kill Zidane in the process. When Amarant is bested by Zidane in a hand to hand battle he begs for his defeat to be finalized by his death and Zidane spares his life. Zidane invites Amarant to join them on their mission, and he agrees, although reluctantly. He thinks that he is better than Zidane and is not afraid to voice his disgruntled remarks to the group. Amarant often expresses his apathy toward the goals of the group, but he remains faithful to the cause. Although comfused about himself, he sees a greater good in Zidane's leadership and goal.

Quina Quen - Probably the oddest of the odd characters we've seen in Final Fantasy, Quina is pretty straightforward. Me want food! Me hungry! I eat! I eat some more! That's about it. Quina is a thing, can't tell if it's male or female that has a long pink tounge lolling out of it's mouth, an apron and a chefs hat. He constantly makes referances to food, and his weapon is a fork. He special ability is Eat and when he Trances, he has Cook. I guess his ambition is to become the supreme gourmand of all Qu's. He joins Zidane in search of food from all around the world, and has an affinity for frogs. This is really a weird guy.

Regent Cid - Yes it's a YACR (Yet Another Cid Reincarnation) Regent cid is the head honcho of Lindblum central Airship Port for many of the ships on Mist Continent. His wife Hilda turned him into an Oglop because of his infidelity. Zidane with assistance of Dr. Tot attempt to remove Hilda's spell from Cid with a special potion but is subsequently turned into a frog. Cid is crucial in helping some of your party from escaping utter peril in the Desert Palace at the hands of Kuja. Hilda eventually forgives him and turns him back into his human form and he builds the Hilda Guarde 3.

Kuja - the ultimate mastermind behind the overthrough of Lindblum, Cleyra, Bermecia, and Alexandria. He manipulated Queen Brahne into destroying much of Mist Continent and ultimately herself. He in many ways reminds me of Sephiroth. He is a character that has become imbittered with his mortality. He is one of a race of being from Terra, a planet that merged with Gaia some 5000 years ago. He has been created as a genetic experiement to change the balance of the cycle of souls upon Gaia so that Terrans may someday rise again. Kuja clashes with his creator, Garland, and destroys him. Kuja's ultimate rage destroys his homeworld Terra, and he seeks to destroy all life so that his personal anguish can be sufficiently recompensed. Kuja is jealous of what Zidane has been granted, and seeks to destroy him entirely, but in the end it is Zidane that shows his devotion to setting right what has been put wrong.

Blank - Ah, yeah... I guess they ran out of names for guys considering the wackyness of the ones we have in this game, and just left his blank. Ha ha, yeah I guess it wasn't funny but basically Blank gets himself turned to stone trying to escape from the Evil Forest at the beginning of the game. It isn't until later when his friends get the Supersoft from Treno is he reanimated and aids in the rescue of Princess Garnet from Alexandria.

Stiltzkin - A Moogle on a mission. He doesn't do anything really but you will find him from time to time in the game buddying with other Moogles. He's like some kind of legend among Moogles, a wanderlust adventurer who you will find in some of the oddest places. You can usually buy items from him for various triple digit amounts of Gil, like 333, 444, 555, etc.

Back to Final Fantasy IX: In Tribute of the Epic Squaresoft Legacy