Final Fantasy IV/Characters: Difference between revisions

{{quote| "Stay back. This is a fight for me and me alone."}}

 

 

{{quote| Voiced by: Shizuma Hodoshima (Japanese), [[Yuri Lowenthal]] (English)}}

* [[Cool Sword]]: Both his Dark swords and the Paladin swords.

** [[Sword of Plot Advancement]]: The Mythgraven Blade.

* [[Defector From Decadence]]

* [[Dude Looks Like a Lady]]: But it only became obvious after one, technology developed to the point that we could clearly see what he looks like, and two, the series became popular enough for [[Yoshitaka Amano]]'s artwork for it to be gathered up into artbooks ([[No Export for You|as usual]], happening later for the anglophone world than Japan).

* [[Good Costume Switch]]

* [[Hair Color Dissonance]]: Purple? White? Blond?

* [[Happily Married]]: To Rosa.

* [[The Hero]]

* [[Light Is Good]] / [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: Before the king turned evil {{spoiler|or, rather, before Cagnazzo began to impersonate him}}, it's very strongly implied that Dark Knight!Cecil was actually a just and noble warrior.

* [[Magic Knight]]: Ends up as one of these, primarily of the [[Combat Medic]] variety.

* [[Official Couple]]: Cecil and Rosa.

* [[The Paladin]]

* [[Purple Prose]]: The DS version had him dabble in some of this during his angsty moment with Rosa. [[Big Lipped Alligator Moment|After that, he starts speaking much more normally, oddly enough]].

* [[Stay in The Kitchen]]: He tells Rosa and Rydia (you know, the healer and the nuketastic spellcaster) to stay safe on earth but has no problem taking along Edge, who spends half his time in battle faceplanted. (Fortunately, they don't listen.)

 

=== Kain Highwind ===

* [[Brainwashed and Crazy]]: The main reason for his [[Heel Face Revolving Door]] trope.

* [[Breakout Character]]: One of the most famous [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Ensemble Darkhorses]] of the series. He got to be a central character in ''The After Years'' {{spoiler|due to his dark side being a major antagonist}}, and is one of the more plot-important characters in ''Dissidia 012''. Even [[Tetsuya Nomura]] is a Kain fanboy and tried really hard to get him in the first ''Dissidia'', looking at him for ''IV's'' representative villain at one point instead of Golbez.

* [[Dragon Rider]]: He ''is'' a Dragoon, although the only mention of his [[Cool Pet|pet]] [[Instant Awesome Just Add Dragons|wyvern]] is in [[All There in the Manual|supplemental materials]].

* {{spoiler|[[Enemy Without]]: Kain?/Dark Kain in both ''IV Advance'' and ''The After Years''.}}

* [[The Medic]]: Rosa is known in story as a master of [[Healing Hands]].

* [[Official Couple]]: Cecil and Rosa.

* [[Pregnant Badass]]: In the original release of ''The After Years'', Ceodore is 16. ''The After Years'' takes place 17 years after the original game, implying she was possibly already pregnant during the end-game. ''The Complete Collection'' re-release de-aged Ceodore to 15, but included the ''Interlude'' chapter where she's playable for part of the chapter and later explicitly states she's pregnant.

* [[Silk Hiding Steel]]: A pure and loving healer {{spoiler|/queen}} who dresses very well and kicks ass.

=== Rydia ===

[[File:rydia_2_3835.jpg|frame]]

 

{{quote| Voiced by: [[Noriko Shitaya]] (Japanese), Daniella Macey (English)}}

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: One of the earliest examples in the series. Given the only female characters to predate her were [[Final Fantasy I (Video Game)|Princess Sarah]], [[Final Fantasy II (Video Game)|Maria, Leila, Princess Hilda]], [[Final Fantasy III (Video Game)|Princess Sara, and Aria]], Rydia could almost be the [[Ur Example]] if not for Maria.

* [[Parental Abandonment]]

* [[She Is All Grown Up]]

* [[Stripperiffic]]: As an adult. It's [[Fridge Brilliance|probably because]] she was raised by summons, who aren't known for their [[Monster Modesty|modesty]] (when they're humanoid at all).

* [[Summon Magic]]

** [[The Medic]]: Asura

** [[Making a Splash]]: Leviathan

** [[Life Drain]]: Sylph

** [[Stuff Blowing Up]]: Bahamut

* [[Whip It Good]]

* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair|You Gotta Have Green Hair]]

* [[You Kill It You Bought It]]: All of her optional summons are acquired by defeating the monster in battle first, as their code of honor states not to answer the summons of a Summoner who hasn't proven him/herself worthy of controlling them.

* [[Badass Cape]]/[[Scarf of Asskicking]]: It's hard to tell. Artwork from ''The After Years'' depicts Edge wearing Rubicante's cloak of flames as his own; you can later obtain it for Edge to wear.

* [[Battle Boomerang]]

* [[Fragile Speedster]]: He will spend a ''lot'' of time facedown in the dirt, even when buffed up.

* [[Hot Blooded]]

* [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]]: A brash, egotistical womanizer with a kind heart and a ''fiery'' sense of justice.

* [[Ninja]]

* [[Only Known By Their Nickname]]: Not too well known in English fandom, but "Edge" is just an alias--his real name is Edward ''Geraldine''. [[Embarrassing Middle Name|We think most of us would go by Edge in that case.]]

** This is also because there is already [[One Steve Limit|another character named Edward]].

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]

* {{spoiler|[[Self Made Orphan]]: Subverted. When Dr. Lugae turns his parents into fiends, [[I Know You Are in There Somewhere Fight|Edge tries to reach out to them]]. They regain their lucidity, but then decide to ''[[Player Punch|kill themselves]]''. [[Tear Jerker|Edge wasn't the only one screaming in anguish at that moment]].}}

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Of the [[Tricksters]] variety.

* [[Stepford Smiler]]: In the DS remake, specifically the Lunar Subterrane. Edge is as outwardly cocky as ever, but his inner thoughts are more or less ''utter terror'' about where he is and what they are doing.

* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: It gives him the power to create one ''epic'' [[Moment of Awesome (Sugar Wiki)|Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

* [[Warrior Prince]]

 

=== Tellah ===

* [[Badass Mustache]]

* [[Bald of Awesome]]

* {{spoiler|[[Easy Amnesia]]: Briefly suffers this after Leviathan's appearance and works as a Baron troop. He gets his memory back after the party beats him up a bit.}}

* [[Happily Married]]

* [[Combination Attack]]: Before anyone else was using Bands, Palom and Porom had Twincasting as their signature move, setting off a small number of hard-hitting attacks after a sizable delay. In ''The After Years'', Twincasting is retconned into a Band during the twins' flashback. They actually lose the band as they grow up and apart, but regain it during the final chapter, stronger than ever.

* [[Different As Night and Day]]

** Subverted in ''The After Years'', as their appearances differ with age. Porom, in particular, looks very different than she did in the original.

* {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]: Their intention was clear, although [[Unexplained Recovery|it turns out that their master was able to restore them to life.]]}}

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg8YfNVS8gc "Palom and Porom"].

* [[Little Miss Badass]]: Porom.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: Palom is a smart-alec and calls himself the "Mysidian Genius", while Porom is quiet, devout and loyal to the Elder and the Crystal. When it comes to their abilities, Black Magic grows stronger as the user gains Intelligence, while White Magic depends on Spirit.

* [[Stripperific]]: Porom in ''The After Years'' wears a nearly see-through outfit and no real hint of underwear under it. [[Values Dissonance|In Japan, this is to represent her purity]]. Her outfit was modified to be less see-through for the American release.

* [[Expy]]: Fits the same character mold as Tellah, joining the party with all the spells in the game but with mediocre HP and too low MP to get a lot of usage out of his abilities.

* [[The Red Mage]]

 

 

* [[Darth Vader Clone]]: His ''Dissidia'' art provides the current page image. Besides his appearance as seen in his DS render, he's a [[Badass Baritone]] and {{spoiler|is Cecil's brother and is brainwashed by Zemus, the true [[Big Bad]].}}

* [[Depending On the Artist]]: His armor is either bright blue, dark blue or black, and the lining of his cape is either blue or red. In the Super NES release, his boss sprite had blue armor with a blue cape, but his player character sprite had brighter blue armor with a red cape. In his DS render seen above, he has black armor and a blue cape, but his in-game model has black armor and a red cape. His ''Dissidia'' adapts this by presenting his dark blue and black armor with the blue cape for his default outfit while his gold and black armor with a red cape is his alternate outfit.

* [[Hidden Depths]]: A meta example, remakes of the original game and his appearances in ''Dissidia'' and ''The After Years'' have turned him into one of the more complex characters in the ''Final Fantasy IV'' universe, while in the game's original release he was little more than a generic [[Tin Tyrant]] [[Evil Overlord]]. {{spoiler|Even after his stint of [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] ended, he didn't show much personality besides hints of [[The Atoner]] in the original Super NES release.}}

** ''TAY'' takes this further during {{spoiler|his final moments with his former henchmen, the Elemental Archfiends. In particular, Scarmiglione notes that even though he was hideous, Golbez looked past that and invited him into his ranks, hinting that even while brainwashed, Golbez still held some goodness in his heart.}}

* [[Leitmotif]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_w2l_B76CU "Golbez, Clad in Darkness"]

* [[Magic Knight]]: {{spoiler|In ''TAY'', he arguably plays this straighter than any other cast member save for Ceodore. He has a huge equipment draw including most of the mage-type robes and rods along with the knight-type swords, shields, and heavy armor. He also learns more [[Black Magic]] than Cecil, Ceodore, or Kain learn [[White Magic]], including Flare and Meteor, so Golbez is perfectly capable as an attacker or mage. The only disadvantage he has compared to other Black Mages like Rydia and Palom is that he doesn't learn the [[Standard Status Effect]] spells they do.}}

** [[Master of None]]: {{spoiler|Golbez is not as effective a physical fighter nor mage as the other more dedicated characters but his high HP and his [[I Shall Taunt You|taunt]] ability make him an effective [[Stone Wall|tank]] as well making him one of the most versatile characters in the game.}}

* [[Meaningful Name]]: {{spoiler|Golbeza (his name in Japanese) is a mistranslation of Golubaeser (also known as the Golubac Fly), a type of black fly named for the town of Golubac in Serbia. According to folk tales, the venomous flies were born from the body of a decomposing dragon, mirroring Theodor's eventual fate. In the DS remake, Zemus takes the symbolism further by calling him an insect that was "birthed from womb of dragon's corpse", referring to both the Golubac Fly and the Mysidian Legend.}}

* [[Ominous Pipe Organ]]: His [[Leitmotif]], "Golbez, Clad in Dark(ness)". Notably, Golbez was the first villain to get his own, foreboding theme.

* [[Purple Eyes]]: {{spoiler|In the DS port of the original game and PSP port of ''The After Years''. Other depictions show him with [[Green Eyes]], but you could [[Hand Wave]] it as somehow being due to his armor, since the green eyes are never depicted when he isn't wearing it.}}

* [[Undead]]

 

[[File:Cagnazzo_psp_6326.gif|frame]]

The second of Golbez's Archfiends, encountered when the party returns to Baron Castle.

* [[Taken for Granite]]: Has a petrifying Stone Touch.

 

[[File:Rubicante_psp_2322.gif|frame]]

The [[Four Is Death|fourth and most powerful]] of the Archfiends, sent by Golbez to attack the kingdom of Eblan. He wears a special cape [[Genre Savvy|to compensate for his natural weakness to water-based attacks]].

* [[Duel Boss]]: It's optional, but in ''The After Years'', you have the option to fight him using only Edge.

* [[Elemental Embodiment]] of [[Playing With Fire|Fire]]

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Detests and chastises Dr. Lugae for {{spoiler|his horrific experiments on Edge's parents.}}

* [[Let's Fight Like Gentlemen]]: Rubincante believes in fairness, and he completely heals your party before you fight him (both times).

A scientist who answers directly to Rubicante. Turned Edge's parents, the King and Queen of Eblan, into zombies.

 

* [[Evilutionary Biologist]]

* [[Mad Scientist]]

* [[Sympathy for The Devil]]: He comes close to getting this in ''TAS'', with {{spoiler|Golbez}} wondering about Lugae's potential if he had taken a different path in life.

* [[The Man Behind the Man]]

* [[More Than Mind Control]]: In the DS remake/director's cut of ''Final Fantasy IV'', it is heavily implied that the method he uses to brainwash Golbez and Kain was by finding any negative emotions inside of them (self-loathing and jealousy, respectively) and exploit it.

* [[The Power of Hate]]

* [[Puny Earthlings]]: He is the last of the radical sect of the Lunarian's who believed it was not worth waiting for the inferior humans to evolve to the same level of Lunarian's so they might coexist.

The leader of the town of mages.

 

* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: He is playable for exactly one battle in ''The After Years''...

** [[White Mage]]: ... with absolutely no offensive magic in a party that already has a White Mage.

** [[The Paladin]]: Although he doesn't actually carry that title.

* [[Modest Royalty]]: Ceodore insists on being treated like any other soldier would.

* [[Retcon]]: ''The Complete Collection'' de-aged him from sixteen to fifteen to remove the [[Shotgun Wedding]] implications.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]

* [[Scarf of Asskicking]]

* [[Spin Offspring]]

* [[Supporting Protagonist]]: Despite being [[The Hero]] of the sequel, he plays a much smaller role in the events concerning the Mysterious Girl and the Crystals than the other characters.

* [[Beauty Mark]]

* [[Big Beautiful Woman]]

* [[Drop the Hammer]]

* [[Expy]]: Of a certain other [[Gadgeteer Genius]] named [[Chrono Trigger (Video Game)|Lucca]]. Though, this is a bit of an odd example, as Luca appeared in ''FFIV'' before ''Chrono Trigger'' existed, but had no personality or combat abilities until ''TAY''.

** [[Magic Knight]]: Zangetsu, high Intelligence and still respectible Strength and HP.

** [[Mighty Glacier]]: Gekkou, high HP and Strength but very low Speed and MP.

** [[The Lancer]]: Zangetsu, Edge's second.

** [[The Big Guy]]: Gekkou, the strongest of the group.

* [[Action Girl]]

* [[Badass Princess]]

* [[Combat Medic]]: With her Chakra ability.

* [[Cute Bruiser]]

* [[Emotionless Girl]]: Mostly, arrogance and contempt are there but that's about it.

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Greatly resembles Rydia, and in ''The Complete Collection'' is able to successfully pose as her for a time. {{spoiler|''Interlude'' reveals it's because the Creator made the Maenads in Rydia's image after gathering data on her through a Crystal.}}

* [[Fantastic Racism]]: Frequently insults [[Puny Earthlings|humans]] and Lunarians as "inferior species".

* [[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger]]: Her battle sprite.

* [[Evil Laugh]]: Lets out many when he finally has Rosa in his grasp.

* [[Guest Star Party Member]]

* [[In a Single Bound]]: Retains Kain's Jump skill.

* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: As evidenced by his reluctance to hurt Rosa, deep down he's still motivated by Kain's love for her.

* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: His goal.

* {{spoiler|[[Apologetic Attacker]]: Towards the ''whole world''.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Big Bad]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Evilutionary Biologist]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Expy]]: Seems to be one for the "Firstborn" from the ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' books, both being [[Sufficiently Advanced Aliens]] who seeded planets with life by sending mysterious objects to them.}}

* {{spoiler|[[Meaningful Name]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Omnicidal Maniac]]}}

* {{spoiler|[[Shout Out]]: Several of the bosses in his lair are from other ''Final Fantasy'' games.}}

* {{spoiler|[[The Social Darwinist]]}}