History Characters / FinalFantasyTactics

The tactically based game of the FF series has a decent-sized cast of characters. Even worse, when the game was ported to the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]] as ''War of the Lions'', quite a few names were changed. We're going with the PSP versions, but we'll list the original [=PS1=] names as well.

Due to its large size this page has been split. Please add examples to the appropriate subpages

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'''Caution: Unmarked spoilers below.'''
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[[foldercontrol]]
!!Characters
[[folder:Main Story Party Members]]

!! Ramza Beoulve/Ramza Lugria

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/300px-Ramza_1793.jpg]]
-> ''I have no wish to change the world.''

--> Voiced by: Creator/PhilLaMarr

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.
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* AlmightyJanitor: Ramza saves the world from an EldritchAbomination 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.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Familial version, for Alma.
* AlwaysSecondBest: 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.
* BelatedHappyEnding: Ramza was known as a heretic in the annals of history... until these records came to light.
* BewareTheHonestOnes: [[spoiler: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, [[spoiler: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. [[spoiler:Barbaneth would be proud of him]].
* BigBrotherInstinct: Saving his little sister Alma drives him for the entire second half of the game.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[SubvertedTrope 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.
* BoringButPractical: 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 [[CombatMedic 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.
* ButNowIMustGo: WordOfGod states that Ramza managed to live in the ending [[https://twitter.com/yasumimatsuno/status/169572953686683648 and have other adventures]], just not in Ivalice. [[note]]Justified given that he was branded a heretic and ended up having to kill several nobles and Church authorities - including his own brothers - in the process of taking down the Lucavi. Ivalice wouldn't know his side of the story until generations later.[[/note]]
* CastFromHitPoints: Chant is an unusual case of a ''healing spell'' that fits this trope; Ramza gives up x HP, his target is healed 2x HP. [[ObviousRulePatch No, he can't target himself]].
* ChasteHero: Ramza doesn't have any time for romance. Chapter 4, "Someone to Love" is referring to familial love, not romantic.
* DarkIsNotEvil: 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.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ramza and his team murder their way up the demon hierarchy until they reach High Seraph Ultima and kick her ass too.
* DismissingACompliment: 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.
* DoomedMoralVictor: 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.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: He loses the ponytail between Chapters 1 and 2, signifying his [[spoiler:abandonment of the life of a noble]] after the disaster of Fort Ziekden.
%%* {{Foil}}: To several characters: Delita, Wiegraf, Argath, Gaffgarion, Isilud and Orran.
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: 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.)
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Ramza draws a sword on Belias regardless of whether Ramza is in a sword-wielding class or not.
* GenerationXerox: 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 ''BadassNormal'' on the battlefield. In addition to that, however, it is strongly implied that [[spoiler: he and Alma are descendants of either Germonique, the man who betrayed DarkMessiah Ajora Glabados centuries ago ]].
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: 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.
* HelloInsertNameHere: 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.
* TheHero: His role as such was kept secret for a long while, but he's the true hero of the War of the Lions.
* TheHeretic: He's declared one by the Church of Glabados after [[HeKnowsTooMuch 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.
* HeroicBastard: It's implied if not stated (except in the PSP version) that he and Alma are illegitimate - some European nobility in RealLife 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 [[spoiler:especially since he finds evidence that Ramza was correct about his accusations against their brother Dycedarg, said accusations being why Zalbaag verbally attacked Ramza.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: Ramza goes down in history as a criminal and heretic but he's the most noble character in the game.
* HeroicLineage: [[spoiler: Archangel Altima 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 HistoryRepeats.]]
* IconicOutfit: 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 ''[[VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy2015 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).
* {{Irony}}: Think about it. Delita tried to [[spoiler:save his sister but failed]], causing him to [[StartOfDarkness seek power at any cost.]] Ramza, too, wishes to [[spoiler:save his sister but actually succeeds]]. Despite being a [[KickTheDog dick,]] Delita becomes a hero in the annals of history while Ramza becomes a heretic. The kicker? [[LonelyAtTheTop Delita is aware of this.]]
** Also Ramza was just a bastard, but [[HeroicBastard he embodies the principles and ideals of nobility more than his "pure-blooded" brothers]]. Heck, his eldest brother [[spoiler:''killed their father''.]]
* InformedAttribute: 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.
* JackOfAllStats: 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.
* LastDiscMagic: He and Alma (and Luso in the port) are the only ones who are capable of learning Ultima.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucrnbvBQ43U The aptly named, Hero Theme/Stargazer]]
* LittleHeroBigWar: 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.
* MagicKnight: With him benefitting from both the male HP/PA boost and the female MP/MA boost, he is really the only unit in the game (aside from Cloud, who also gets both the male and female boosts) that can really pull a "magic knight" build off. 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 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.
* NiceGuy: 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.
* NobleFugitive: He's a noble from House Beoulve, but became a heretic after killing [[spoiler:Cúchulainn, who was possessing Cardinal Alphonse Delacroix.]]
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Just about every good deed Ramza does in game is used against him, such as saving Argath.
* NomDeMom: After rejecting the name Beoulve, he starts going by his mother's surname "Lugria". [[AllThereInTheManual Not that you could tell in-game]].
* TheOnlyOne: Just try to dismiss him from your roster. It might almost be a LampshadeHanging.
-->'''Ramza''': "I'm a Beoulve! Nothing happens without me!"
** and later on...
-->'''Ramza''': "[[CaptainObvious I can't dismiss myself from my own army!]]"
* ThePowerOfLove: His familial love for Alma (and hers for him) [[spoiler:allows her to break Ajora's control over her body]].
%%* PrincelyYoungMan: At first.
* RedOni: 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 [[BlueOni 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.
* RequiredPartyMember: 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.
* TheScapegoat: InUniverse. 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.
* ShelteredAristocrat: Ramza grew up in priviledge 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 TheWisePrince.
* ShootTheDog: Being forced to kill [[AntiVillain Milleuda]] Folles in Chapter 1.
* ShortHairWithTail: Hard to notice in his sprite, but official artwork and ''War of the Lions''[='=] CGI cutscenes reveal he rocks the rat-tail hairdo... [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange as a Beoulve]].
%%* ShutUpKirk: He gets plenty of this after his ShutUpHannibal rants.
* StatusBuff: 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.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: 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.
* UnderdogsNeverLose: 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.
* UnPerson: 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 [[DarkSecret the Lucavi's existence]] from the public. This trope is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] 400 years later after the historian Arazlam Durai published the Durai Papers, which contained a true account of the War of the Lions.
* WideEyedIdealist: 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.
* YoungestChildWins: He's not the youngest Beoulve child (That would be Alma), but [[spoiler:he's the only son in the family who inherited Barbaneth' noble character, lived through the events of the game and got a happy ending]].

!! Alma Beoulve

[[quoteright:273:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/445px-Fft-alma-beoulve_1694.jpg]]
-> ''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 DistressedDamsel.
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%%* ApocalypseMaiden: [[spoiler:As the unwilling host to Ultima.]]
%%* BigBrotherWorship: She seems to have minor elements.
* BlueBlood: Like her brothers, she's of noble blood, being the child of Barnabeth Beoulve.
* BlueOni: To Ramza's [[RedOni 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 [[spoiler: Isilud was mortally wounded by [[DemonicPossession 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.]]
* CastFromHitPoints: Her Cleric skillset includes Chant, which works the same as it does for Ramza.
* TheChick: Possibly the only allied female character who actually acts feminine.
* DemonicPossession: At the tail end of the game, [[spoiler:Ultima is successfully invoked in Alma's body. [[SubvertedTrope Alma quickly gets her to piss off]].]]
* DistressedDamsel: Gets kidnapped in Orbonne Monastery near the start of the third Chapter, [[spoiler:and changes villainous captors until the final battle.]]
* GenerationXerox: Not only is she - like her brother - unflinchingly good-hearted and kind (just like their father), it is also strongly implied that [[spoiler: she and Ramza are descendants of Germonique, the man who betrayed DarkMessiah Ajora Glabados centuries ago - presumably coming from their mother's side of the family]].
* GuestStarPartyMember: 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.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: 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.
* HealingHands: Thanks to her class, ''Cleric''. She has the same [[EmpathicHealer Chant]] spell as Ramza and Delita, and her Healing Staff [[HealingShiv heals whoever it strikes]]. Aegis also adds Regen and Reraise, among other buffs, to its target.
* HeroicBastard: Just like Ramza, she was born from a commoner mother, and thus is Dycedarg and Zalbaag's half-sister (though Ramza's full sister).
* HeroicResolve: [[spoiler:That's what allowed her to shake off Ultima's attempt to possess her.]]
* LastDiscMagic: She and her brother (And Luso in the port) are the only ones who are capable of learning Ultima.
* MacGuffinSuperPerson: [[spoiler:Because she's a perfect host for Ultima, Folmarv wastes no time in kidnapping her to further his plans.]]
* NiceGirl: She's a real sweetheart, and loves her brother.
* ThePowerOfLove: Her familial love for Ramza (and his for her) [[spoiler:allows her to break Ajora's control over her body]].
* SupportPartyMember: [[spoiler: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.
* WhiteMagicianGirl: 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.
%%* YoungestChildWins: Along with Ramza, [[spoiler:she's the only Beoulve to make it to the end of the game.]]

!! Agrias Oaks

[[quoteright:281:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/281px-Agrias_7311.jpg]]
-> ''Have you no pride, no honor?''

--> Voiced by: Hedy Burress

A steadfast Holy Knight assigned to protect Princess Ovelia. After the Princess is kidnapped, Agrias goes on a quest to rescue her.
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* AmazonBrigade: 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 [[UncertainDoom we don't see her afterwards]])
* BodyGuardBabes: She and her platoon of Lionsguard female knights.
* BraidsOfAction: She wears her long blonde hair in a braid running down her back.
* DeadpanSnarker: Has some good moments of snark early on.
* FireForgedFriends: 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.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Until she can join the team permanently.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Though a woman, Agrias fits the connotations associated with males, as her knightly vows and honor take center stage.
* KnightInShiningArmour: As close as one can be in the setting. Agrias is one of the few completely noble characters in the game.
* LadyOfWar: Fits for sure, being a ActionGirl who speaks just like any seasoned warrior would.
* TheLancer: 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.
* MagicKnight: Her "Holy Knight" skillset ''looks'' magickal... [[SubvertedTrope 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.
* OddFriendship: Despite their difference in station, Agrias and Ovelia are truly good friends who understand each other surprisingly well.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: 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.
* ThePaladin: 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 CombatMedic if the player dips into White Mage with her, making her as much of a traditional ''Final Fantasy'' Paladin as possible.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Stern and a bit cold, but a friendly person who is very attached to those who earn her loyalty.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy to Ovelia's Girly Girl.
* UndyingLoyalty: 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.
* WeakButSkilled: 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

[[quoteright:241: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.
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* ArtificialBrilliance: 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.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: He has a [[AmazonChaser crush on Agrias]], but she doesn't feel the same.
* ButtMonkey: 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.
* CombatPragmatist: His core ability is to snipe enemies' arms (to keep them from attacking) and legs (to keep them from moving). [[GameplayAndStorySegregation This works even on monsters that don't]] ''[[GameplayAndStorySegregation have]]'' [[GameplayAndStorySegregation arms and legs.]]
* CrutchCharacter: 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 [[ArtificialBrilliance 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 ContractualBossImmunity, 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 usefulnss.
* TheEngineer: His unique class which focuses entirely on the handling of firearms.
%%* FragileSpeedster: Effectively a Archer combined with a Thief, so don't expect him to survive a few hits.
* FriendlySniper: The only guns in this era of Ivalice are pistols, so he doesn't use the trope's usual weapon, but with gun range compared 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 [[DeadpanSnarker snark at them]].
* GadgeteerGenius: Machinists are people who work on the machines of Saint Ajora, and Mustadio is making fine progress in his trade throughout the game.
* GenerationXerox: Following in the footsteps of his father, the mechanist Besrudio Bunansa.
* GoodGunsBadGuns: He uses Good guns. Contrasted with Barich, a Templar Knight who uses Bad guns.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Until he can join the party permanently.
* TheGunslinger: The Machinist skillset is referred to as "Aimed Shot", and it is one of only three job classes that can equip guns.
* ImprobableAimingSkills: 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 [[UpToEleven seal them away with his shots!]]
%%* IOweYouMyLife: One of the main reasons he helps Ramza.
%%* NobleFugitive
* RequiredPartyMember: Notably needed for several missions throughout Chapter 4; most specifically, to recruit most of the [[OptionalPartyMember optional party members]].
* OvershadowedByAwesome: In the port, Balthier thoroughly outclasses him, though is acquired much later.
* TheSmartGuy: He's a Machinist, and able to fix a robot from the days of Saint Ajora; read ''1200 years ago''.
* TurnUndead: 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)''

[[quoteright:251: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".
----
* AllYourPowersCombined: He has every otherwise-unique sword technique used by anyone else in the game.
* AristocratsAreEvil: 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.
* TheBigGuy: Being the [[IncrediblyLamePun biggest]] powerhouse you can get in the game.
* CoolSword: 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.
* CoolOldGuy: Pushing sixty, but still kicks more ass than the younger generation.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Wielding Gaffgarion's Fell Sword skills doesn't do anything to make him mean.
* DeathFakedForYou: Cid's look-alike purposely gets kidnapped and executed so Cid will not be persecuted.
* LightIsGood: He possesses Agrias's Holy Sword skills and is very much a good guy.
* MasterOfAll: This is one of the main reasons why he is considered to be such a GameBreaker: 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 [[OneManArmy solo most maps]].
* NumberTwo: To Duke Goltanna of the Southern Sky, until he gets framed for treachery and sentenced to execution.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: He's a count, but also a tough-as-hell war vet from the Fifty Years War.
* RedBaron: "Thunder God Cid" (or "T.G. Cid" for short).
* WeaksauceWeakness: As powerful as he is in conventional combat, Cid has almost no [[AntiDubuff resistance to status effects]] and, [[GenderRestrictedGear 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 OneHitKill him or, worse, cause him to FaceHeelTurn and apply his incredible damage output ''to you''.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Tells Ramza that he is just like his father Barbaneth, who was Cid's good friend back in the day.

!! 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 HeelFaceTurn and come over to the party.
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Dark skinned and dark haired, her attire makes her look Middle Eastern. She's from a "distant land". [[note]]possibly Rozarria, a neighboring country south of Ivalice - although Rozarria wasn't introduced until ''FF12''[[/note]]
%%* BlueOni: To Marach's [[RedOni red]].
* DeathSeeker: 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.
* DoomedHometown: [[EvilMentor 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.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Before she can join the party permanently.
* HeelFaceTurn: 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.
* MeaningfulName: "Rapha" is a homophone of a Hebrew word which means "healing[=/=]to heal." [[spoiler: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.]]
* RapeAsBackstory: 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).
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When Marach [[TakingTheBullet 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.
* StatusInflictionAttack: One of her Sky Mantra abilities, Celestial Void, has a chance to inflict a wide assortment of status effects.
* {{Tykebomb}}: She was originally taken in by Barrington as a child specifically to be used as an assassin with her innate Sky Mantra abilities.
* YouKilledMyFather: 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)''

-> ''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 TakingTheBullet moment. After that battle is concluded, the siblings join your party.
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: Like his sister, brown haired and tan skinned.
* BackFromTheDead: He dies trying to save his sister, but is revived [[spoiler:by a Zodiac Stone]].
* DoomedHometown: [[EvilMentor 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.
* HeelFaceTurn: When he catches Rapha confronting Barrington about what he's done and hears the Duke confirm it... let's just say [[TakingTheBullet it took a bullet]] to stop him from destroying the Duke himself.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Mostly because Barrington's been like a father to him; but once he finally realises how bad the man is, he turns on him.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Subverted in that Rapha ''did'' tell him Barrington's been basically raping her, he just [[TooDumbToLive didn't believe her]] until it hits him in the face.
%%* RedOni: To Rapha's [[BlueOni blue]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Under Barrington's orders, he threatened to derail the Church's plans by [[spoiler:taking Isilud and the kidnapped Alma to Riovanes]]. Ironically, this indirectly led to [[spoiler: 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?
* TakingTheBullet: Literally, as he dives in front of Rapha as Barrington shoots her.
* {{Tykebomb}}: He was originally taken in by Barrington as a child, specifically to be used as an assassin with his innate Nether Mantra abilities.
* UnwittingPawn: He continued to work for Barrington, and was very reluctant to hear ill of him [[spoiler: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 [[YouKilledMyFather killed her brother, Isilud]]. Fortunately she comes to her senses upon seeing the Lucavi with her own eyes, realising that her daddy had willingly [[DealWithTheDevil turned himself into a demon]]. Last name spelled "Tingel" on the [=PS1=].
----
* AmazonBrigade: In the battle against her in Bervenia Free City, you'll notice her entire team is made up of women.
* AntiVillain: She starts off sincerely believing that Ramza killed her brother for selfish ends, and [[YouKilledMyFather acting accordingly]].
* BigSisterInstinct: Isilud was her little brother, and learning that he was killed is what causes her to antagonize Ramza the first time they meet.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Directly before she joins for real.
* HeelFaceTurn: Once she sees the Lucavi with her own eyes, she makes amends with Ramza as soon as they have time to breathe.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: 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.
* InTheHood: She wears a green cloak with the hood always on.
* LightningBruiser: Compared to Agrias, Meliadoul hits harder.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: 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.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: 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.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When she learns that [[spoiler: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.
* UselessUsefulSpell: 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.
* YouKilledMyFather: 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 [[spoiler:her father.]]

!! 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.
----
* FlatCharacter: A generic unit who pretty much exists to make it clear that Gaffgarion and Ramza aren't just a two-man team.
* TheGenericGuy: 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.
* HeelFaceTurn: 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.
* TheMedic: 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.
* PunchClockVillain: Considering how he quickly sided with Ramza and co when Galgarion betrayed them, he can be presumed to be one of these.
* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: A 'lad' is an archaic term for a "young man". Given [[FlatCharacter his characterization]], it's possible this naming was completely intentional.[[note]]Perhaps, given the framing device, it's an in-universe reference to a fellow mercenary to Ramza and Gaffgarion whose name has been lost to history.[[/note]]

!! Lavian & 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.
----
* AmazonBrigade: They and an unnamed third Knight fight alongside Agrias in defending Lady Ovelia. That was a full party of ladies before
* BodyguardBabes: Lionsguard certified Bodyguard Babes defending a princess.
* FlatCharacter: A pair of generic units who exist to establish Agrias is a high-ranking member of the Lionsguard.
* TheGenericGuy: 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.
* RequiredPartyMember: 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.
* TheVoiceless: 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.
----
* EarlyBirdCameo: [[AccidentalPun 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.
* HeelFaceTurn: 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.
* LethalJokeCharacter: 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 TheMedic.
* OptionalPartyMember: You can choose to make saving him a priority, but if you don't you're quite free to [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential kill him for experience]].
* ShoutOutThemeNaming: Naturally, to [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Bartz']] Chocobo of the same name.
* TeamPet: Serves as sort of a tutorial on keeping monsters as pets and using them in battles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Side Quest Characters]]
!! Beowulf Cadmus

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

A member of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar ("Temple Knights" in the PSX version) who fell in love with a hot young woman and is currently in search of her.
----
* BaitAndSwitch: 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 [[spoiler: or rather, ''her'']] instead.
* BoringButPractical: 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 BonusDungeon.
* DefectorFromDecadence: 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, [[DragonInChief Folmarv / Vormav]] and [[RecurringBoss Wiegraf]] were part of. This tidbit is only revealed [[AllThereInTheManual 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.
* DesperationAttack: 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.
* LightningBruiser: He's a bit faster and tougher than your average knight.
* MagicKnight: 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.
* OptionalPartyMember: Requires completing a hard-to-find sidequest to actually become a full party member.

!! Reis Duelar
[[quoteright:350: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 DarkAndTroubledPast with Beowulf is fleshed out further in the PSP port: a jealous rival tried to MurderTheHypotenuse by turning him (Beowulf) into a dragon, but Reis [[TakingTheBullet Took The Bullet]] for him. In all versions of the game, you can revert her into human form.
----
* AscendedExtra: ''War of the Lions'' added a sidequest that gave Reis a backstory and explained how she become a dragon.
* BalefulPolymorph: She was turned into a holy dragon by a curse.
* TheBeastmaster: Has Beast Tongue as an innate ability in her default class, and her skill set revolves around taming and buffing dragons.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: Her "Dragon Breath" ability was translated as "Dragon Bracelet."
* BreathWeapon: Her attacks include breathing fire, ice, lightning, and holy power. They can be used even when she isn't a dragon.
* CripplingOverspecialization: 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.
* DefeatEqualsFriendship: One of her natural abilities, Tame, lets her recruit monsters into the party by critically injuring them.
* DualWielding: 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 [[GoodOldFisticuffs punch]] twice, though, or use a different weapon if she has the appropriate support ability.)
* EmpathicHealer: She can forfeit her own HP to heal another, and cure status effects.
* FireIceLightning: Can use dragon-breath attacks of these elements as a Holy Dragon, and still has them when you turn her back into a Dragonkin.
* LethalJokeCharacter: 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 OneHitKill 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).
* OptionalPartyMember: 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 GameplayAndStorySegregation 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.
%%* OurDragonsAreDifferent: This one is holy.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Her innate ability Beast Tongue allows her to use Speechcraft commands on other monsters.

!! 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 PlotCoupons powers him. His introduction is a notorious SugarWiki/{{Funny Moment|s}} (mostly due to being one of few humourous scenes in the entire game), and after his activation he swears his loyalty to Ramza.
----
* AntiMagic: Due to having zero Faith and innate Atheist[[labelnote:*]]they have the same basic effect, but Atheist means that Marach's reverse-Faith effects get [[NoSell no-sold]] too[[/labelnote]], magick ''cannot'' affect him, no exceptions. He's also incapable of using magick, but being a monster means that's not exceptionally abnormal.
* CastFromHitPoints: Each of his four special moves causes him to take a small amount of damage.
* ChestBlaster: He has this move where his torso opens up to reveal three cannons and he fires some kind of energy attack at an enemy.
* EnergyWeapon: He can shoot them with the "Dispose" skill; they have very high range and are powerful to boot.
* MightyGlacier: 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.
* OptionalPartyMember: You have to have Mustadio in your party and find a Zodiac stone by doing a Treasure Hunt job in order to get him.
* ShoutOut: To the Iron Man/Iron Giant type of enemy seen in numerous ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' installments, though instead of a BFS, he has [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]].
* ThisIsADrill: He has one move where he turns his arm into a drill.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: 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.
* UselessUsefulSpell: 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.
----
* CastFromHitPoints: Energize, which heals an ally for double the amount of HP Byblos loses when casting the spell.
* DesperationAttack: Has one like Beowulf but it has shorter range and doesn't consume MP.
* EnemyMine: Teams up with you to take down [[spoiler:Elidibus]] and a pack of Reavers (monsters that are simply {{Palette Swap}}s 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.
%%* MightyGlacier
* OptionalPartyMember: It's recruitable after finishing the BonusDungeon, but only if the fight ends with him alive.
* ShoutOut: Byblos was originally a boss in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV''.
%%* TeamPet

!! 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 ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' (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.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: The skillset of his Soldier class is called ''Limit'', which is exactly what it sounds like - all of his {{Limit Break}}s 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, [[GuideDangIt 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.
* FireIceLightning: Cherry Blossom, a new Limit introduced for ''Tactics'', hits the target with flame, frost, and thunder in succession at an ''incredible'' damage rate.
* LethalJokeCharacter: 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.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: 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.
* MythologyGag: 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.
* {{Nerf}}: The rather obscene damage multipliers Limit skills use seem to have been dialed down a bit for the re-release.
* OverratedAndUnderleveled: 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 LethalJokeCharacter who starts at Lv. 1.
* SimultaneousArcs: 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 ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.
* SquishyWizard: 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.
* UselessUsefulSpell: 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: Creator/GideonEmery

Real name Ffamran mied Bunansa, Balthier was added to the PSP port as a second cameo, dropping in from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''.
----
* BigDamnHeroes: Balthier saves ''Ramza'' in his introductory cutscene.
* DamnedByFaintPraise: 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.
* DynamicEntry: Makes his entrance by shooting a bunch of bounty hunters who were attacking Ramza.
* TheGunslinger: Like in his home game. Guns are his preferred weapons.
* LightningBruiser: He can equip armor, has decent strength and is as fast as a ninja.
* OptionalPartyMember: 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 ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'', Luso only appears in the PSP port.
----
* IdiotHero: 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).
* JackOfAllStats: 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.
* NiceHat
* OptionalPartyMember: He's only recruitable via sidequest in the PSP port.
* TagalongKid: Pretty much lampshaded when he joins Ramza's party, too! Not that [[NiceGuy Ramza]] minds, of course.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Temporary Allies]]
!! Delita Heiral

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/320px-FFT_Delita_6581.jpg]]
-> ''Tis your birth and faith that wrong you... not I.''

--> Voiced by: Creator/RobinAtkinDownes

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 his sister's death at Fort Zeakden showed him how corrupt nobility were. Delita decided then and there that he would become king. He winds up joining all the major sides of the conflict, secretly manipulating them into destroying each other. He even manipulates Ramza into killing off Delita's uncontrollable opponents (who tend to be Lucavi).

Part of this plan involves rescuing Princess Ovelia, wooing her, and marrying his way into the throne. While this is successful, he may have actually fallen in love with her. Once Ramza ends the War of the Lions, Delita becomes King and Ivalice enters a brief golden era.

On the anniversary of their first encounter, Delita brings a bouquet of flowers to Queen Ovelia. Ovelia, paranoid that he manipulated her, their love was false and she has since expended her usefulness (and let's be honest, she may be entirely justified in this belief), lashes out at him with a dagger. He is stabbed, but manages to counter-stab her in self-defense (Word of God [[https://www.frontlinejp.net/2020/08/26/final-fantasy-tactics-ending-explained-ramzas-fate-and-the-return-to-ivalice/ confirms]] she survived the stabbing, but died at a later date of unknown circumstances leaving Delita to rule alone). As he lays in front of her, Delita wonders if it was truly worth it.
----
* TheAce: 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.
* AloofAlly: Technically he and Ramza are still working together, but Delita is not above using his best friend to achieve what he wants.
* AmbiguouslyBrown: 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.
* AmbiguousSituation: How much DID Delita care for others? Did he hold affection for Ramza and Ovelia, or were they simply pawns to him? [[spoiler: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.]]
* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: The War of the Lions edition adds two battles where you play as him defending Ovelia against attackers. Also serves of ATasteOfPower with the access of all five Holy Sword skills and enough power to actually be a OneManArmy.
* ArtificialBrilliance: 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 [[TooDumbToLive who seems to have forgotten his weapon]]. [[EnemyMine 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.
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: After Tietra's death, decides that the only way to truly make a change in the world is to do this to the nobles.
%%* BlueOni: To Ramza's red.
* ByronicHero: 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.
* TheChessmaster: Everyone in Ivalice turns out to be either his pawn or a pawn he knocks down. [[spoiler:Ovelia does not react well once she has some time to stew over this.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: 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.
* DoubleAgent: More like a triple agent. He plays almost everyone in his quest to become king.
* EnemyMine: He never opposes Ramza directly, but neither does he help him save for several conflicts during the main plot.
* {{Expy}}: To Vyce from ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'' 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. [[spoiler: The difference is, Delita succeeds.]]
%%* {{Foil}}: To Ramza, but even more to Wiegraf.
* FakeUltimateHero: 400 years after the War of the Lions, Delita is remembered as a WorkingClassHero 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 ManipulativeBastard 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 [[DarkSecret the Lucavi's existence]] being brought to light, [[WrittenByTheWinners redacted the history of the War]] to portray Delita as the hero and Ramza, arguably the ''true'' hero of the War, as [[UnPerson a vile heretic to be forgotten]].
* ForWantOfANail: 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, as a commoner, wasn't worth anything to Argath. After her death, Delita and Ramza went on very different paths
* GuestStarPartyMember: For the entirety of Chapter 1, and during several storyline battles after that.
* HeroicBSOD: 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.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: 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 FamedInStory adventures are reduced to highlights.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: 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.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: To a debatable extent, but definitely there. Despite causing massive deaths and playing both sides of the war [[ActorAllusion 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 WellIntentionedExtremist 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 [[spoiler: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 [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration his corresponding]] [[TookALevelInBadass class change]]), his default weapon is the [[{{BFS}} "Save The Queen" greatsword]]. [[spoiler: 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?]]
* LonelyAtTheTop: [[spoiler:Implied that this is how he feels in the end. After manipulating or killing virtually anyone close to him, Delita ends up alone.]]
* MeaningfulName: Somewhat obscured by SpellMyNameWithAnS, but another way to anglicize Delita's family name is "Heylel" - a Hebrew name usually translated as "Lucifer."
%%* TheMole
* ManipulativeBastard: 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. [[spoiler: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.]]
* PetTheDog: While it's ambiguous whether he [[spoiler: loved Ovelia or not]], he wasn't incapable of compassion even towards the end. Not only did he [[spoiler: fake Cid's death so that Orlandeau could aid Ramza]], he also [[spoiler: 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]].
* SelfMadeMan: He and his sister were poor and he had to work to where he got.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Many of the noble's plans might have worked if not for him
* WasItReallyWorthIt: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* WhoNeedsEnemies: 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.
* XanatosSpeedChess: He's only one of several sides in the conflict, and manages to come out on top.

!! Princess Ovelia Atkascha

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/228956-ovelia_large_6785.gif]]
-> ''Would that I were born no princess.''

--> Voiced by: Creator/KariWahlgren

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.
----
* BreakTheCutie: Ovelia never hurt anyone, but life does its damndest to find ways to make her suffer. [[spoiler:Then in a paranoid rage Ovelia attacks Delita with a knife, Delita stabs her retaliation]].
* DistressedDamsel: 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 HeroicBastard who was adopted and raised as a commoner also makes Ovelia a {{Foil}} to Catiua. And ultimately, [[spoiler: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 and likely killed in return.]]
* GuestStarPartyMember: 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 AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent battles in the remake where Delita is playable.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: A stereotypical virtuous princess, though her innocence is used to manipulate her.
* HeroicBSOD: When Folmarv informs her that [[spoiler: she's not the original Princess Ovelia, but a commoner raised up for that purpose]].
* NiceGirl: She is absolutely pure-hearted, and would be hard-pressed to hurt anyone. Unfortunately, [[WorldHalfFull she's in]] [[WorldHalfEmpty Ivalice]]. [[spoiler:And that presses her hard enough.]]
* ProperLady: Of course an {{Ojou}} is proper. HairOfGoldHeartOfGold hightlights it.
* PuppetKing: What was intended for her by Goltanna. She eventually comes to fear Delita has the same interests, [[spoiler:and things go badly when she acts on this belief]].
* RagsToRoyalty: According to Folmarv, she isn't the original Princess Ovelia, but a common girl adopted into nobility for use as a political tool.
%%* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The girly girl to Agrias's tomboy.

!! Orran Durai

[[quoteright:187: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 stepson 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.
----
* AmbiguouslyBrown: 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.
* BadassBookworm: 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 GameBreaker than his infamously broken stepfather, if it weren't for him being a one-battle-only guest.
* DeadpanSnarker: In his introduction, just after [[HeKnowsTooMuch 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!
* DoomedMoralVictor: Although he's [[spoiler: 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.
* GuestStarPartyMember: For just one battle, though.
* ImmuneToFate: His "Astrologist" class enables him to manipulate fate during the course of battle.
* MinorMajorCharacter: Doesn't appear all that much, but he has a ''very'' important role in the plot.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: His decision to [[spoiler: compose and (attempt at) publish the Durai Papers]].
* SecretKeeper: 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 [[spoiler: Cid and Valmafra were alive, and the circumstances in which Delita faked their deaths]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: If it weren't for him [[spoiler: 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.]]
* StarPower: Implied, as he's an "astrologist".
* TimeStandsStill: 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.
%%* TokenGoodTeammate: For the Order of the Southern Sky.

!! Argath Thadalfus ''(Algus Sadalfas)''

[[quoteright:245: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 [[BlueBlood 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.

At Fort Zeakden, Argath breaks up a hostage situation by shooting and killing the hostage, Tietra. An enraged Delita and Ramza fight him there and take him down, after which the ensuing explosion seals his fate.
----
* ArtificialBrilliance: 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 [[TooDumbToLive who seems to have forgotten his weapon]]. [[EnemyMine 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.
* BackFromTheDead: 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.
* BreakoutVillain: Despite being a HateSink, 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 ''Videogame/FinalFantasyXIV'' so you can kill him ''yet again''.
* ClimaxBoss: 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.
* CombatPragmatist: When faced with [[spoiler: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.
* FreudianExcuse: 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 [[FaceHeelTurn betrayed his comrades to save his life]] - he didn't get two steps out the enemy fortress [[LaserGuidedKarma 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 [[spoiler: Ramza fights Hell Knight Argath in Chapter 4]]:
--> '''Ramza''': [[spoiler: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 [[TitleDrop the meager!]]
* GuestStarPartyMember: For much of Chapter 1.
* HateSink: 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 FreudianExcuse, 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 AristocratsAreEvil (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 [[spoiler: as a Deathknight]]. [[KickTheSonOfABitch 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 [[spoiler: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.
** As the quote under FreudianExcuse shows, 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".
* IWantMyMommy: [[spoiler:After being resurrected as an undead and getting killed a second time, Argath's last act is to cry out for his mother.]]
* ImpoverishedPatrician: A rare unsympathetic example. His family name was dishonoured by his grandfather's [[DirtyCoward cowardice]], leaving his family in a state described as worse than that of commoners. Unfortunately, [[{{Hypocrite}} it doesn't change the way he acts in the slightest]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Saying the line "Animals have no god!" to a member of a group fighting for the rights of war veterans ''[[DisproportionateRetribution 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 [[{{Muggles}} low-born commoners]], particularly due to his FreudianExcuse. 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 [[KnightTemplarBigBrother Delita]] in earshot).
* JerkassHasAPoint: Unpleasant as he is, he ''does'' have a point. 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.
* KarmicDeath: Argath kills Teitra and acts like he just swatted a fly. It's ''strongly'' implied that [[ByronicHero Delita]] is canonically the one who sent him to hell for it.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: His method of interrogation is to kick [[LaResistance a Corpse Brigade soldier]] repeatedly while calling him an honourless "maggot". Later, he tries to goad Ramza into killing Milleuda when she's beaten.
* MortonsFork: 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.
%%* OurZombiesAreDifferent
* ShootTheHostage: After Gragoroth takes Tietra hostage, he [[spoiler:shoots her with a crossbow on Zalbaag's command.]]
* SmallRoleBigImpact: 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 [[spoiler: Tietra]], it changes Ramza and Delita's view on class differences and the world forever and completely changes how they act.
* SmugSnake: 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.
* StarterVillain: He's essentially the final boss of the first Chapter, though he is a minor player in the setting as a whole.
* TitleDrop: 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.
* UngratefulBastard: 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 [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation may be interpreted as sycophantic sucking up]].

!! 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.
----
* BlackKnight: Is in the unique Dark/Fell Knight class and is fought as a powerful boss character throughout Chapter 2.
* CastingAShadow: His Shadowblade (Night Sword in the [=PS1=] version) is dark elemental and can absorb the target's HP equal to the damage dealt.
* DarkIsEvil: 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.
* TheDreaded: 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.
* DuelBoss: [[spoiler: 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.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: 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.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: 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.
* EvilMentor: 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. [[spoiler: In their battles, if both are alive they will argue at length over idealism vs. cynicism.]]
* GuestStarPartyMember: He joins Ramza in the game's first battle and in a few more battles at the start of Chapter 2.
* HitmanWithAHeart: [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype Deconstructed]]. While Gaffgarion does have some degree of morals, and dislikes the actions his emplyers use, he ultimately doesn't care enough about what they do since to him, what matters more is being paid. When Ramza calls him out on this, he more or less shrugs it off, because to him, the only thing he really puts stock in is coin. As a result, despite arguably having better morals then someone like Dycedarg, he's no better then them because his OnlyInItForTheMoney attitude furthers the corrupt system that controls Ivalice. In the end, his lack of accepting his own morals means when Ramza continues to fight against him, Gaffgarion fails to even remotely convince Ramza to reconsider, and dies for it.
* ImColdSoCold: [[spoiler:He utters this in the ''War of the Lions'' version upon dying.]]
* LifeDrain: His most iconic ability, Shadowblade (Night Sword in the [=PS1=] version), drains a massive amount of health from his target.
* ManaDrain: Duskblade (if you ever get the chance to have him learn it) deals damage to the targets MP and replenishes Gaffgarion equivalently.
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: The very reason he became a mercenary in the first place.
* PunchClockVillain: 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.
* RecurringBoss: [[spoiler: Fought three times during Chapter 2.]]
* RepetitiveName: His pre-''War of the Lions'' name, Gaff Gafgarion.
* ShellShockedVeteran: 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.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: In both the boss fights with him near the end of Chapter 2, he and Ramza have extended arguments over Ramza's idealism.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Nobility]]

!! Dycedarg Beoulve

[[quoteright:256:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/256px-Fft-dycedarg-beoulve_6218.jpg]]
-> ''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 - facts Ramza at first refuses to believe, but must confront when it culminates in him letting Tietra die at Ziekden rather than compromise, disillusioning Ramza greatly.

As the War of the Lions begins, Dycedarg plots with Larg to seize the throne of Ivalice. Ramza later suspects - and Zalbaag discovers for himself - that Dycedarg is probably the biggest monster in Ivalice - he [[SelfMadeOrphan murdered his own father purely for his own ambition, and later killed Larg when he got the chance]]. When confronted over these deeds, Ramza and Zalbaag fight and kill him, resulting in him merging with Adrammelech, one of the Lucavi. After disposing of Zalbaag, he turns his attentions on Ramza and is killed, sundering the Beoulve line and forever ending their influence within the nobility.
----
* AloofBigBrother: He's quite cordial, even towards his family and more so than even Zalbaag.
* AmbitionIsEvil: When you decide to [[spoiler:kill even your longtime friend for power once the opportunity arises]], then you ''know'' this trope is in play.
* AristocratsAreEvil: 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. [[spoiler: And then it turns out that yes - he plays this trope straight. [[SelfMadeOrphan Very]] [[OhCrap straight]]!]]
* AssholeVictim: From his point of view [[spoiler: 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.
%%* BeardOfEvil: Just look at it.
%%* BigBadFriend
%%* BlueBlood
* BlueOni: To both Ramza and Zalbaag's [[RedOni 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. [[spoiler: Can't be a coincidence that ''both'' are suitable Lucavi hosts, now - can it?]]
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: Contracts with and is possessed by the Lucavi Adrammelach.]]
* DirtyCoward: He fights against [[spoiler: Zalbaag]] backed-up with ''five'' knights. Fortunately Ramza arrives in the nick of time to even the odds.
* ElementalPowers: As a Rune Knight, he has four high-level elemental powers.
%%* EvilAllAlong
* EmergencyTransformation: [[spoiler:Turns into Adrammelech after being mortally wounded during his battle against Ramza and Zalbaag.]]
* TheHeavy: He is the villain responsible for most of the problems that start the plot.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Uniquely, his personality doesn't seem to change at all after [[spoiler: contracting with Adrammelach]]. He's every bit as evil as [[spoiler: any demon]].
* {{Hypocrite}}: Has the gall to call Ramza a traitor despite [[spoiler:having murdered his own father ''and'' his liege lord.]] Also, see WellIntentionedExtremist below.
* KickTheDog: Allowing Zalbaag and Argath to take whatever measure was necessary to end the Corpse Brigade, which led to Tietra's death.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* MagicKnight: 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.
%%* MasterPoisoner: Certainly knows about the properties of mossfungus...
* MissionControl: He's the one handing Ramza his assignments for much of Chapter 1.
* MoralMyopia: 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."
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Though some of his actions ''are'' rather questionable [[spoiler: 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.
* ThePlan: He excels at concocting all sorts of schemes, which makes him valuable to Duke Larg. [[spoiler: Of course, he's being used by Lord Folmarv.]]
* PowerHair: That fluff is bigger than his own head! The man in charge of the Beoulve's loyal certainly has the hair to declare it.
%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Yes, well - about that...
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: It turns out he had his father poisoned]].
%%* SmugSnake: To a strong extent, even though [[spoiler: he is [[UnwittingPawn used by Folmarv]] at the same time he uses others.]]
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler: Poisons and then fatally stabs Duke Larg, intending to have the Beoulves rule Ivalice]].
%%* TheUnfettered
%%* UngratefulBastard: Calls [[spoiler: Zalbaag]] one during their fight, as exemplified by the above quote.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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: [[spoiler: 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 NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist.

!! Zalbaag Beoulve ''(Zalbag)''

[[quoteright:347: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.

Like Ramza, Zalbaag is noble and good-hearted, but is also dedicated to protecting his house and the White Lion through and through. This leads to him ordering Argath to shoot Tietra down in order to stop Gragoroth, an action which disillusions Ramza towards his brother immensely. Similarly, Zalbaag initially distrusts Ramza for his defection and, in a moment of anger, [[BlueBlood puts it down to his brother's]] [[HeroicBastard commoner blood]], though they later make amends.

When Ramza suspects that Dycedarg was responsible for Barbaneth/Balbanes' degrading health, Zalbaag investigates and learns Ramza is right. He goes to arrest Dycedarg (Ramza shows up to help) but after initially defeating him, Dycedarg transforms into Adrammelech and blasts Zalbaag in one strike (Or perhaps teleports him away for Hashmal to deal with?). Later, Ramza encounters Hashmal while exploring the family tomb. Hashmal stalls for time ([[ForTheEvulz and messes with Ramza]]) by bringing Zalbaag back as a vampire. Zalbaag announces that he cannot control himself and begs Ramza to kill him before he escapes and harms innocent lives.
----
%%* AloofBigBrother: Though not as much as Dycedarg.
* BigBrotherInstinct: 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 [[OneHitKill one-shots him with a single sword blow.]] At which point Gragoroth decides continuing the operation [[KnowWhenToFoldEm isn't worth the trouble]] and hightails it out of there.
%%* BlueBlood
* CameBackWrong: The Lucavi [[spoiler: resurrect him as a vampire and sics him on Ramza]].
* TheCaptain: As the direct commander of the Order of the Northern Sky.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:He's unceremoniously killed by Adrammelech seconds after he shows up]].
* ExactEavesDropping: On [[spoiler:his older brother Dycedarg where he learns Dycedarg poisoned their father]].
* FatalFlaw: Zalbaag's seeming classism led to him viewing Tietra as a necessary sacrifice to stop the Corpse Brigade, even though it earned 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.
* GuestStarPartyMember: Fighting alongside Ramza in the battle against [[spoiler:Dycedarg.]]
* ICannotSelfTerminate: Begs Ramza to kill him after [[spoiler: Folmarv revives him as an undead.]]
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: How he justifies himself after ordering Argath to shoot through Tietra, considering her sacrifice necessary.
* KickTheDog: Ordering Argath to shoot through Tietra, who was essentially Zalbaag's surrogate little sister. Ramza [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out on it]] when next they meet.
* KnightTemplar: 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.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Subjected to this by Ramza, when he's brought back as a zombie.]]
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: [[spoiler:Although Dycedarg vaporized him, Hashmal brought Zalbaag back to life as a vampire, conscious but unable to control his body]]
* VampiricDraining: After [[spoiler: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]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He is pretty angry Ramza would suggest [[spoiler: 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 [[AristocratsAreEvil sitting on high seats of power in Ivalice]].
%%* RedOniBlueOni: On both ends of the scale, depending on who it's with:
** Blue Oni: To Ramza, most of the time.
** Red Oni: To Dycedarg, most definitely.
%%* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething
* ShootTheHostage: Tells Argath to shoot through Tietra and get rid of Golagros/Gragoroth.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: 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.
%%* TokenGoodTeammate: He becomes this for the Order of the Northern Sky once Ramza leaves.

!! Duke Bestrald Larg

[[quoteright:314: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.
----
* AristocratsAreEvil: Though opinion varies on whether he or Duke Goltanna is worse.
%%* BeardOfEvil
* BitchInSheepsClothing: 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.
%%* BlueBlood
%%* TheChessmaster
* EtTuBrute: He's [[spoiler: eliminated by his own close friend Dycedarg, once-and-for-all cementing Dycedarg as irredeemable even without the Zodiac Stones]].
* EvenEvilHasStandards: He was shocked and horrified when [[spoiler: Dycedarg revealed his treachery]], and called him out on [[spoiler: murdering his own father for power's sake]].
* EvilUncle: To Orinus, and to Ovelia (though for the latter, it's only by adoption).
* ManipulativeBastard: His and Dycedarg's plans for power involved, among other things, weakening and then destroying the Corpse Brigade in among the worst ways possible.
* SecretKeeper: He's one of the only people who knows that that [[spoiler: Dycedarg poisoned his father Lord Barbaneth.]]
%%* UnwittingPawn

!! Duke Druksmald Goltanna

[[quoteright:244: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 PuppetKing and rule as regent.
----
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: According to Delita, nobody mourned him.
* AdiposeRex: He's got quite an unsightly amount of weight.
* AristocratsAreEvil: Though opinion varies on whether he or Duke Larg is worse.
* AssholeVictim: 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.
* BadBoss: 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.
%%* BeardOfEvil
%%* BlueBlood
%%* TheChessmaster
%%* EvilOldFolks
* EvilUncle: To Ovelia and Orinus, though he's ''technically'' their second-cousin-once-removed (and for the former, only through adoption anyway).
* GeneralRipper: 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 [[spoiler:march through the water Ramza had released through the Bethla Sluice and risk heavy casualties]].
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: How [[spoiler: he meets his end, thanks to Delita]].
* KarmicDeath: Considers commoners to be insects beneath his notice, to the point that he's infuriated when Orlandeau shows concern for them. He's [[spoiler: killed by Delita, a commoner]].
* ManipulativeBastard: He knows full well that [[spoiler: 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 [[spoiler: use her to rule over Ivalice]].
* UnwittingPawn: 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.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: 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

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.
----
* TheGhost: Character portrait aside, he never actually appears in the game proper.
* InadequateInheritor: 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

The wife of King Ondoria. After her husband's death, she plots with her brother - Duke Larg - to secure their control over the throne.
----
* TheGhost: Character portrait aside, she never actually appears in the game proper. Her actions are revealed over the course of the game in [[AllThereInTheManual the Chronicle]].
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: 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.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Before having Orinus, she had two baby sons with Ondoria, who both mysteriously died which many suspect her sons were poisoned by her rivals.

!! Prince Orinus Atkascha

* TheGhost: Character portrait aside, he never actually appears in the game proper.
* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: 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.
* PuppetKing: What was intended for him by Larg.

!! Marquis 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.
----

* BadassInDistress: Saving him from the Corpse Brigade is one of the first things Ramza accomplishes in the story.
* {{Bishonen}}: As to be expected from a Sephiroth expy.
* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler: Mortally wounded during the Battle of Lesalia, he was clinging to the Gemini auracite and made a deal with [[BatOutOfHell Zalera]] to survive, thus becoming a Lucavi host]].
* {{Expy}}: Invokes [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII a certain other]] silver-haired {{Bishonen}} who started with good publicity and praise as a hero of his country. Up to and ''including'' [[spoiler: his near-death experience, gaining supernatural powers and becoming psychotically evil.]] As well as a certain katana and a certain suit of armor.
* FlatCharacter: Not much is known about his personality prior to [[spoiler:merging with the Lucavi demon Zalera]].
* KilledOffscreen: 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 is a single line in his Chronicle entry after you advanced deep inro Part 3, making the shock of Elmdore's reappearance easily lost on a player that doesn't religiously check the Chronicle after every few story 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 [[spoiler: he revived Argath as a zombie.]]
* OneWingedAngel: Transforms into Zalera when Ramza corners him.
* RedBaron: "The Silver Prince" to his allies; "The Silver Demon" to his enemies.
* UnwittingPawn: His kidnapping by the Corpse Brigade was part of Dycedarg and Larg's plans.

!! Grand Duke 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).
----
* AbusiveParents: To Rapha and Marach.
* AristocratsAreEvil: For a minor villain, he even puts both Larg and Goltana to shame with his sheer depravity.
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Just as it looks like you're about to take him on, [[spoiler:Lettie throws him off a roof]].
* BigBadWannabe: 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 [[BigBadDuumvirate an alliance with the Knights Templar]]. However, he has absolutely nothing to offer them.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: For Marach, who was shocked to realise just how evil this guy is.
* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Dies by being throws him off his castle roof.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: A ''very'' satisfying one, too - getting thrown off his own castle roof.
* EvilGloating: He ''taunts'' Rapha about his destruction of her village and his sexual abuse of her. [[spoiler:Didn't think to make sure Marach wasn't listening before he did, though]].
* EvilMentor: To Rapha and Marach, who he trained as assassins from a young age.
%%* FatBastard
%%* KarmicDeath
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Marach was in denial about Barrington's villainy... until he heard the Duke ''boasting'' about it.
* RedBaron: He's known as the "King of the Forge" for his extensive investment in firearms and combatants, including mages and assassins.
%%* SmugSnake
* TheUnfought: 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.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Church of Glabados]]
!! Simon Penn-Lachish

[[quoteright:243: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.
----
%%* BaldOfAwesome
%%* CoolOldGuy
* DefectorFromDecadence: Member of the church but does not join the Church in their ''questionable'' acts.
%%* FaceDeathWithDignity
* GoodShepherd: The only unambiguously-good member of the Church shown.
* InnocentBystander: There was no reason for [[spoiler:Isilud to kill him besides maybe being in the way]].
* MinorMajorCharacter: Not a major player, but he is important in revealing the truth in the Germonique Scriptures.
%%* MentorOccupationalHazard
* NiceGuy: A very kind and wise man indeed, and the only shown member of the Church to be unambiguously good.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Ovelia, given he practically raised her during her time at the convent. He also treats Ramza and Alma like his own, as well.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: His research of the Scriptures reveals [[spoiler:the truth about Saint Ajora's lack of divinity.]]
* SpannerInTheWorks: 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 [[spoiler: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)''

[[quoteright:298: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.
----
* AlasPoorVillain: 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''.
* BeardOfEvil: Well, he's evil and he has a beard. Actually he's got a long grey wizard's beard, which according to GoodHairEvilHair actually ranks as one of the 'goodest' beards.
* BigBad: 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 [[GambitPileup it's more complicated than that]].
* BigBadWannabe: 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.
* TheChessmaster: 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 [[spoiler:channeled demons]], or that [[spoiler:Folmarv was a DragonWithAnAgenda]]...
* EvilOldFolks: He's knowingly responsible for a ''lot'' of deaths, and he's in his 80s.
* MeaningfulName: Averted. His name in the PS version was Marge ''Funeral'', which would have been a fitting name for someone responsible for as many deaths as he was if it weren't a translation error.
* MinorMajorCharacter: Only makes one on-screen appearance, but his offscreen actions drive a lot of the plot.
* SinisterMinister: Presumably, given his agenda, though he's never seen preaching.
* TheUnfought: Loffrey takes him down before Ramza ever gets to fight him.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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. [[spoiler:He certainly wasn't in the know about the demons]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: 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

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.
----
* BitchInSheepsClothing: 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.
* ClimaxBoss: 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.
* DemonicPossession: By a Lucavi, although it seems to be willing.
* FatBastard: 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.
* TheLostLenore: 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.
* MeaningfulName: "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.
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: 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.
* OneWingedAngel: Doesn't even try to fight in his own body, he goes straight for releasing the Lucavi.
* SinisterMinister: Although he presents himself as a kindly priest disinterested in politics, then tries to present himself as a WellIntentionedExtremist 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.
* WhamShot: 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 WellIntentionedExtremist 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 DealWithTheDevil for power, and his transformation hints at who's really running things behind the scenes.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Knifes Ludovich Baert for failing to recover the Zodiac Stones in Gulg.

!! Confessor Zalmour 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.
----
* AntiVillain: He really does believe that Ramza is a deadly murderous heretic and wants to bring him to justice.
* CoolOldGuy: 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.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: Spends his last breath praying that someone or something finishes the job he failed to do.
* InspectorJavert: Zalmour is completely out of the loop with regards to the Lucavi, but he knows Ramza [[spoiler: killed the Cardinal]].
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: His job as a Confessor - it's noted that to be so much as accused by him is essentially a death sentence.
* KangarooCourt: Tries Ramza in absentia for [[spoiler: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.
* KnightTemplar: Ironically ''not'' his profession, but he does his (fundamentally good) job with fanatical ruthlessness...
* TheMedic: 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.
* SquishyWizard: 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.
* RecurringBoss: 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.
----
* ActionSurvivor: One of few named characters not to be shown dead by the end of the game.
* DoubleAgent: The Church assigns her to help Delita, but also to spy on him and make sure he's not working against them.
* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:Delita faked her death and allowed her and Orran to escape at the climax of the war]]
* TheMole: Along with Delita. [[spoiler: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)]].
%%* NumberTwo: To Delita.
* TongueTrauma: [[spoiler:Delita is implied to have cut her tongue.]]


! The Knights Templar

!!'''Associated Tropes represented by multiple members''':
%%* CorruptChurch
* DemonicPossession: Most of them, although Isilud was too good of heart and whichever demon would have been behind the Pisces stone couldn't possess him.
%%* KickTheDog: In various ways...
%%* KnightTemplar: The clue's in the name. Although Meliadoul doesn't fit this in personality.
%%* LightIsNotGood
* TheManBehindTheMan: Folmarv being an example of when the Man Behind The Man is masquerading as someone lower in the evil hierarchy.
* RecurringBoss: 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.
----
* AbusiveParents: Tried to get both of his kids possessed by Lucavi.
* ArchnemesisDad: To Meliadoul, once she realizes he's a Lucavi and killed Isilud.
* ChekhovsGunman: 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.
* TheChessmaster: Plays [[spoiler: ''everybody'', from the Church to the Orders of the Northern and Southern Skies]].
* CowardlyBoss: Infamously so... he tends to teleport away whenever he's weakened in battle.
* DemonicPossession: Courtesy of Hashmal. Unlike most other Lucavi, however, he's already been long past possessed by the time the game starts.
* TheDragon: You spend a lot of the game thinking he's this to Marcel Funebris, but he's really the dragon to [[spoiler: Ultima]].
* EvilerThanThou: His boss is, while a wicked SinisterMinister, a WellIntentionedExtremist ultimately trying to make Ivalice a better place. Folmarv is [[spoiler: the commander of the demonic Lucavi. He proves to be TheStarscream and trivially casts down Marcel.]]
* EvilOldFolks: Though he's not that old - just 49 - he's still middle-aged, and thus older than most adversaries fought in-game.
* TheHeavy: 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.
* KnightTemplar: Besides it being his occupation, he seems a strong adherent of this. Heck, [[spoiler: his Lucavi title upon merging with Hashmal - "Bringer Of Order" - is ''really'' blatant!]])
* TheManBehindTheMan: He manipulated everyone for the Lucavi's ends, and is the other man (aside from Dycedarg) responsible for most of the game's events.
* ManipulativeBastard: Not only does he manipulate pretty much everyone he interacts with, but he's manipulating pretty much ''everyone'' through his manipulation of Marcel Funebris.
* NotWorthKilling: 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. [[TheDogBitesBack 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''.
* OffingTheOffspring: During the Battle at Riovanes, [[spoiler: he transforms into Hashmal and, when Isilud tries to stop him, murders him. He later tries to do the same to Meliadoul]].
* OneWingedAngel: Transforms into Hashmal when Ramza catches up to him in the Airship Graveyard.
* TheStarscream: When he [[spoiler: reveals his true nature to Funebris, followed by Loffrey killing the old man]].
* VillainsActHeroesReact: He drives the plot forward but Ramza never initiates battle against him, only follows in his wake.
* WouldHurtAChild: He would have killed Alma had she not been [[spoiler: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.

A year later, a more jaded Wiegraf is hired by the Church, who convince him that despite their methods being different they both want the same goal - peace for Ivalice. During this time, Wiegraf eventually lays a trap for Ramza by travelling to Orbonne Monastery with Isilud Tengille to kidnap Ramza's sister, luring Ramza to his location. Ramza proves quite capable and defeats him a second time. As he lies wounded - possibly mortally - Wiegraf's Zodiac Stone speaks to him, offering him vast amounts of power. Not realising the true nature of the stones, Wiegraf accepts and becomes possessed by the Lucavi Belias, losing his humanity and now wanting nothing more than to torture and kill Ramza ForTheEvulz. At Riovanes castle, Wiegraf ambushes Ramza and duels him alone. After his third defeat, he drops his {{Gameface}} and becomes Belias. Joined by his allies, Ramza defeats and kills Belias, ending the Lucavi and putting Wiegraf's restless soul to peace at last.
----
* AlasPoorVillain: Wiegraf's steady fall from grace is quite sad to witness, and then [[spoiler:he accepts a DealWithTheDevil, completely destroying the just man he once was.]]
* AmazonBrigade: His backup for two of his three fights is composed solely of women.
* AntiVillain: 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 UnwittingPawn, and [[DealWithTheDevil it just]] [[DemonicPossession gets worse]] [[TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget from there]].
* ArchEnemy: He's Ramza's most commonly-recurring, dedicated and [[ItsPersonal personal]] adversary.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: 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 ''Literature/{{Beowulf}}''. However, Wiegraf was kept for ''War of the Lions''.
* CynicismCatalyst: Milleuda's death was his StartOfDarkness, though it wasn't until about a year later that he actually fell to the Dark Side.
* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: Once he [[spoiler: is possessed by Belias, he quits caring about Milleuda's death and only wants "to hear the screams of humans."]]
* DealWithTheDevil: As he [[spoiler: lies dying, the Zodiac stone offers to save his life for a price. He accepts, and is possessed by Belias]].
* DuelBoss: Fights Ramza one-on-one during the Riovanes Castle series of battles.
* FaceHeelTurn: He was never on your side, but he was definitely a "Face" until he joined the Church.
* FallenHero: Like Delita, his sister's death completely changed him. Unlike Delita, this change was for the worse, going from a noble man to a [[spoiler: Lucavi host]].
* TheFettered: 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 [[FallenHero just how far Wiegraf has fallen]] even harder; in Chapter 3, [[spoiler: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.
* HeroAntagonist: 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.
%%* HeWhoFightsMonsters
%%* JadeColouredGlasses
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: He started to compromise some of his ideals by joining the Church's efforts, and then abandoned them completely when [[spoiler:he gave himself to Lucavi]]. Ramza calls him out on this.
%%* KnightInSourArmour
* LaResistance: Leader of the Corpse Brigade, a veterans' army rebelling against the Crown to win their due.
* OneWingedAngel: 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.
* RecurringBoss: With ''four'' fights against him in total, Wiegraf is FFT's best example of this trope.
* StarterVillain: 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.
* WorthyOpponent: To Ramza - who comes to recognize it further down the line, having reflected on Wiegraf's dedication to his ideals. Sadly, Wiegraf's [[JadeColouredGlasses disillusionment]] eventually led to him defying those same principles, and when he finally [[spoiler: 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)''

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.
----
* AbusiveParents: 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.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Right in the grey area between this and a proper HeelFaceTurn actually. When he [[spoiler: realizes that his father is possessed by a demon, he actually tries to stop him and is killed for his effort]].
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: 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.
* KickTheDog: He does kill Simon ruthlessly.
* LetThemDieHappy: Alma lets him pass away peacefully, telling him she saw Ramza slay the demon Hashmal.
* ObliviouslyEvil: 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.
* UnwittingPawn: Hadn't been taught about the whole demonic possession aspect of being a Knight Templar yet.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: 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)''

-> ''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.
----
* DealWithTheDevil: Heavily implied, either with a demon like Celia and Lettie, or the Time God Zomal.
* TheDragon: Though not the penultimate boss, he is physically the strongest and for many players the most challenging boss of the end game.
* KickTheDog: His brutal impaling of Funebris.
%%* MagicKnight

!! 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.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: 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.
* AscendedExtra: 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.
* CutscenePowerToTheMax: 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.
* DarkIsEvil: Aside from being one of the few dark haired characters in the game and unambiguously evil, during the last battle against him he can cast Dark Holy.
* EvilGenius: 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.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: 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.
* TheStoic: 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.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: In the Necrohol, Folmarv decides to order Cletienne to stay behind and guard the portal to slow down Ramza, with no particular expectation that Cletienne will do more than slow him down.

!! Barich Fendsor ''(Balk Fenzol)''

Another member of the Knights Templar.
----
* AbnormalAmmo: Wields the guns that fire elemental magic rather than bullets, which specific one depends on the battle.
* BackFromTheDead: Ramza kills him in the Bedsa Desert, or so he thinks, but Barich shows up alive and well in Mullonde.
* EvilCounterpart: To Mustadio - they're both Engineers/Machinists.
* GadgeteerGenius: He rigs up a device that spews poisonous fungus spores over a battlefield, debilitating both sides and allowing [[spoiler:both Prince Larg and Duke Goltanna to be killed.]]
* UnexplainedRecovery: It appeared he was killed off in the battle against him in the Bedea Desert, but then he shows up again for another battle near the end of Mullonde with no explanation of how he is alive.
* VillainousWidowsPeak: Both his character portrait and his sprite have one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Lucavi ('''SPOILERS''')]]

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, [[DealWithTheDevil 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.

!! Associated Tropes common to multiple Lucavi:

* AmbiguousSituation:
** 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 [[spoiler:Dycedarg]] is possessed by Adrammelech, he retains his personality completely and continues to talk to Ramza as [[spoiler: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 was possessed long before he appears in the story, so it's impossible to know how much control a lucavi has over its host.
** Are they the Espers from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII''? If they are, then some of their names and forms were {{Retcon}}ned between games.
* DemonicPossession: How they're able to manifest in the living world. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2'' 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 DemonicPossession could they invoke their true power.
* EvilVersusEvil: The lore of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is full of stories about their struggles for power with the [[AbusivePrecursors 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 Manga/{{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.
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: In the ''War of the Lions'' translation, most Lucavi speak this way when transformed, although their hosts rarely do.
%%* LackOfEmpathy
* TheManBehindTheMan: They are the ones responsible for the War of the Lions, manipulating everything behind the scenes for their own purposes.
* ObviouslyEvil: All of them (except for Ultima's first form) have rather frightening appearances, their entrances are marked by ghoulish EvilLaugh 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. The only exception is Elidibus, who prefers to mind his own business.
* OneWingedAngel: The Lucavi possess human hosts to manifest in the living world, but transform into their true forms to do battle.
* OutsideContextProblem: 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.
* WeaksauceWeakness: 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 ContractualBossImmunity means they are incredibly succeptible to Gravity magick and other percentage-based attacks.
* WesternZodiac: 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)''
!!!Host: Saint Ajora Glabados[[spoiler:, 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 ThePowerOfLove and Alma rejects Ajora, but Ultima is still strong enough to get her own body. No matter, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu Ramza and Alma take her out]].
----
* AmbiguousGender: The earliest known incarnation of this demon was in Ajora, who was male, at least in the historical texts (and according to [[https://twitter.com/YasumiMatsuno/status/337874530976530432 https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13134600500A05419700&page=19#comment-460]]. 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.
* BigBad: The leader of the demonic Lucavi and the reason why Ivalice is being torn to shred by the War of the Lions.
* FinalBoss: The final enemy encountered in the game, long past the PointOfNoReturn.
* DivinelyAppearingDemons: 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.
* HotAsHell: 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.
* LightIsNotGood: 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''.
* LoadBearingBoss: Of a sort - Ultima causes the infamous explosion which (may have) killed your entire party by accident, in an attempt to stop you.
* OneWingedAngel: The BigBad does this in a ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game? But of ''[[TropeNamer course]]''! Kind of noteworthy in that Ultima's initial OneWingedAngel form has its ''own'' OneWingedAngel form.
* RedBaron: "The High Seraph."

!! 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.
----
* AnimalMotifs: His form resembles that of a lion.
* TheChessmaster: 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.
* TheDragon: 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.
* GlassCannon: 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, and 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.
* TheHeavy: 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.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's basically manipulating almost ''everyone'', including Funerbis, for the Lucavi's ends.
%%* ManipulativeBastard
* RedBaron: "The Bringer of Order."
* SacrificialRevivalSpell: [[spoiler: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.]]
* StatusInflictionAttack: His Dread commands can inflict Stop, Slow, or a Speed decrease.

!! 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.
----
* BellyMouth: The mouth on his face is sewn shut, to boot.
* CallAPegasusAHippogriff: [[Myth/CelticMythology Cú Chulainn]] was not a fat demon associated with gluttony.
* ClimaxBoss: He's the final boss of Chapter 2, and his sudden appearance marks the point in the story that there is something far more sinister than some ambitious politicians at work here.
%%* EvilLaugh
* FatBastard: His OneWingedAngel form is morbidly obese.
* GradualGrinder: By Lucavi standards his damage capability is rather low ([=Bio3=] can do maybe 100 damage to a neutral compatibility unit with good Faith), but he is perfectly capable of killing his opponents via a boatload of status effects (every single attack he performs except for his physical [[StatusInflictionAttack carries a status]] of some sort), often inflicted on multiple units at once.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: 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!"
* RedBaron: "The Impure"
* ScaryScorpions: 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.
* StatusInflictionAttack: 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.
* WakeUpCallBoss: You'll probably lose a few party members when the fight heats up - especially since his favorite attack is the hard-to-counter Condemn.

!! 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.
----
* AnimalMotifs: Rams, quite obviously.
* ClimaxBoss: The fights against him begins the narrative climax of Chapter 3 forward.
* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget: He either doesn't remember or doesn't understand [[spoiler: Wiegraf]]'s human emotions, and so they no longer concern him.
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: He even gives a speech about it to Ramza, mostly to prove that [[spoiler: Wiegraf Folles']] does not influence his nature.
* MightyGlacier: 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.
* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Has 4 arms.
* RedBaron: "The Gigas".
* StatusInflictionAttack: Has access to Dread commands that inflict Silence, Petrify, or Confuse.
* SummonMagic: He starts the battle out by summoning (usually) Cyclops.

!! 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. Out of all the demons, Zalera was the demon pre
----
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: 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.
* BatOutOfHell: Granted he's not ''really'' bat-shaped, but...
%%* TheBeastmaster: One of his abilities
* ClimaxBoss: In his human form as Elmdore, he's the final boss of Chapter 3.
%%* ElementalPowers:
%%** GravityMaster
%%** PlayingWithFire
* RecurringBoss: If you include the fights with him in his human body, as [[spoiler: Marquis Elmdore]], then he's fought three times.
* RedBaron: "The Death Seraph"
* SignificantAnagram: His name is an anagram of the demon "Azrael", known as the demon of death.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Aside from the standard Lucavi status skillset he also brings a secondary full of status spells just because.

!! 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.
----
* AnimalMotifs: He's a large, demonic goat.
* ClimaxBoss: The fight with him is [[spoiler:the crisis-point of Chapter 4 - with his death, both Zalbaag and Dycedarg are gone and the Beoulve line is shattered]].
%%* ElementalPowers
%%** AnIcePerson
%%** GravityMaster
%%** HolyHandGrenade[=/=]LightTheWay
%%** PlayingWithFire
%%** ShockAndAwe
* RedBaron: "The Wroth"
* SmallNameBigEgo: 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.
* SquishyWizard: 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.
%% * SummonMagic
* TakenForGranite: His "Petrify" spell.
* WeaksauceWeakness: 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)''
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 ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'', 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.
----
* BonusBoss: You can finish the game without even realizing the BrutalBonusLevel he inhabits exists, let alone his existence.
* DamageSpongeBoss: He has almost as much HP as the FinalBoss's second form.
* FallenHero: [[spoiler:Elidibus was a great hero of the Fifty Years War, now a demon thanks to the Serpentarius auracite.]]
* MightyGlacier: Has the highest damage dealing potential, but there are generic enemies in Chapter 2 that are faster than this guy.
* PermanentlyMissableContent: 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]]It's ''technically'' possible to teach it to additional characters besides whoever learned it in the battle with Elidibus, but the process is more than a little convoluted and prone to failure: first you have to teach it to an enemy Summoner by casting it on them and hoping they survive it, then you have to hope that enemy Summoner will cast it on ''your'' Summoner ''and'' that your Summoner will survive the spell. Repeat this for ''every'' party member you want to learn the spell.[[/note]]
* RedBaron: "The Legendary Wizard".
* TheSixthRanger: To the Lucavi, though he prefers to mind his own business.
* SummonMagic: Not only is he the only way to learn the Zodiark summon, he also summons the recurring summon Midgardsormr, which you ''can't'' learn.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: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.
----
%%* TheDreaded: For Ivalice's enemies.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: Loads of so-called "heroes" could learn a lot about how to conduct themselves in the face of death.
* MinorMajorCharacter: 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.
* NiceToTheWaiter: He doesn't appear to hold any prejudice against commoners, has [[HeroicBastard two children by a commoner woman]] who he fully acknowledges as his own, and asks his sons to look after Delita.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's long dead by the time the game begins, and only appears in a flashback.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He was just as noble as his youngest son, and is remembered as an honorable man.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: 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

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.
----
* AmbiguousGender: 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 [[SweetPollyOliver forced to masquerade as male]] to acquire the following s/he did. Or it may simply be the male-dominated CorruptChurch recording Ajora as male to better suit their ends. The fact that Ajora is referred to as male in ''Tactics'' and female in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' has not helped matters.
** For even more MindScrew, [[spoiler:the Ajora referred to in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' 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 reincarning who knows ''how'' many times]]. [[YourHeadAsplode Your brain has our permission to explode]], now. It should be noted the text describing Ajora in XII was [[https://thelifestream.net/forums/threads/the-absence-of-the-fantastic-in-chronologically-later-ivalice-alliance-games-and-what-it-might-mean.5582/post-258427 mistranslated]] in the Eng version.
** According to {{Word of God}} [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13134600500A05419700&page=19 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 [[GodDoesNotOwnThisWorld leaving the game's development before completion]]. Interestingly, concept art for Ajora labels the false saint female as seen [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DdlMWDgVAAApcwY?format=jpg&name=900x900 here.]]
%%* TheAntiChrist
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Given his [[CrystalDragonJesus status]], this is a belief of many of his followers. [[spoiler:Assuming he ''did'' ascend, it [[DemonicPossession sure wasn't in the way most thought...]]]]
* CrystalDragonJesus: Thinly veiled of one. Has a religion that worships him is biggest evidence.
%%* DarkMessiah
%%* DemonicPossession
* {{Expy}}: [[CrystalDragonJesus Who do you think]]? Subverted in that [[spoiler:he was actually an ordinary human being... who happened to become possessed by Ultima, the Lucavi leader]].
* GenderBender: 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.
* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: According to the secret portrait of him found in the game. He is described as a kind and noble saviour...[[spoiler:whereas in reality he was possessed by a demonic entity.]]
%%* HistoricalHeroUpgrade
* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler: At first. However, Ajora is waiting in the wings until his eventual revival.]]
%%** ThanatosGambit
* SuperPoweredEvilSide: 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 a near-perfect copy of Ajora's body to do so, in addition to the Virgo auracite. That said, Ajora being physical embodiment of Ultima herself makes the "multiple reincarnations" theory mentioned above seem slightly more plausible.
%%* VillainWithGoodPublicity

!! 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 [[spoiler:Germonique's motives for treachery were unambiguously more noble]].
%%* FindingJudas
* GenerationXerox: There is some strong hinting that [[spoiler:Ramza and Alma are in fact descendants of Germonique, presumably on their mother's side]].
%%* HeroWithBadPublicity: [[spoiler:Considering Ajora is not as noble as people thought....]]
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: As a side effect of Ajora getting a ''major'' case of HistoricalHeroUpgrade, Germonique's actions are portrayed as a foul treachery rather than the exposure of the Lucavi that they were.
* PosthumousCharacter: He lives more than 1200 years ago and a Hume, obviously long gone.

!! Tietra Heiral ''(Teta)''

She is Delita's younger sister, and a good friend of Alma. Due to her commoner status, she is ostracized at school. But as she attends such a prestigious school, the Death Corps/Corpse Brigade find her an easy target to take hostage. As part of his LastStand, Golagros/Gragoroth holds her in front of Fort Zeakden, packed with explosives and ready to blow if his demands are not met.

Argath solves this dilemma by shooting Tietra dead, then shooting Golagros. After the ensuing battle, Delita holds Tietra in his arms right in front of Fort Zeakden as it explodes.

She was never seen again.
----
%%* AmbiguouslyBrown: To the ''exact'' same extent as Delita. Being his sister and all.
* BulletproofHumanShield: Apparently she blocked the explosion at Fort Zeakden from doing much to Delita.
* CynicismCatalyst: Her death, for her brother Delita - had she never died, he never would have walked the path he chose.
* InnocentBystander: 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).
* KilledOffForReal: She cannot be resurrected at Fort Zeakden. 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.
* KillTheCutie: A cute and innocent girl who was killed by Argath (and Zalbaag, who gave the order) just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
* PlotTriggeringDeath: While a good deal of the story was already in the making, Tietra's death was crucial in defining the kind of men Ramza and Delita became and the actions they took throughout the War of the Lions. Had she lived, the story would have turned out ''much'' differently.
* SacrificialLamb: Like Mileuda before her. Tietra was 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.
%%* ShrinkingViolet
* SmallRoleBigImpact: 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.

!! 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.
----
* AlasPoorVillain: 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.
%%* AntiVillain
%%* CynicismCatalyst: For Wiegraf.
* FreudianExcuse: Her hatred of nobles stems from the constant mistreatment she and her friends have recieved at their hands, particularly the lack of acknowledgement they recieved for fighting and dying for Ivalice during the Fifty Years War.
* HeroAntagonist: She and her soldiers just as sympathetic as Ramza and Delita and more than the the Northern Sky's commanders.
%%* LaResistance
* RecurringBoss: Fought twice, in two successive plotline battles, during Chapter 1.
* SacrificialLamb: The first of many. She is one of several tragic casualties of war, and her death sends her brother off the deep end.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: 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.
* WorthyOpponent: 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.
[[/folder]]

!!The Classes
See also Characters/FinalFantasyRecurringJobs.

[[folder: The Job Classes]]
Final Fantasy Tactics' take on the Job System adds quite a bit of depth and replay value to the game, as the ability to mix and match primary and secondary Job Commands, Reaction, Support, and Movement abilities means that your party members can have all sorts of interesting variations and synergy with each other.

Note: In the lists below, their Job's Prerequisites and their Abilities' names are always listed with the original game's version first, and then that of the PSP port's.
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* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: When units gain a Level, they also gain a couple more ticks of their HP and MP - the amounts of which varies with the Job they've gained a Level in - but otherwise, how high their Max HP and MP can be is extremely dependent on the kind of gear they're using. At least until the post-game, that is.
* GenderRestrictedGear: Female units can equip Hairpins and Perfumes in nearly all of their Jobs, and a lot of them have an impressive variety of bonuses. Most male units, meanwhile, can't use those two gear types.
* GoodOldFisticuffs: All Jobs barring the Monk have the option to go fight unarmed, but it's generally not recommended - they won't do much damage using their fists alone, not unless they have the Monk's Martial Arts/Brawler Support ability equipped, an innately high Physical Attack, or a way to raise it even higher.
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: With the physical-oriented Dancer being female-exclusive, and the magickal-oriented Bard being male-exclusive, the game subtly encourages you to [[InvertedTrope invert]] this trope. With that being said, however, the player is free to play the trope straight, avert it, invert it, or do any combination thereof.
* HandbagOfHurt: Purses, a female-exclusive weapon type that can be equipped on nearly all of their Jobs.
* LogicalWeakness: Most of the caster Jobs are all extremely vulnerable to the Silence status debuff, since being afflicted with it means they would be prevented from using their spells. It's a good idea for players to either stockpile on Echo Grasses/Herbs, prepare other units to cure them of it, or otherwise equip their spellcasters with certain accessories that can immunize them from being Silenced in the first place.
* MagicalAccessory: Each Job is allowed to equip one of your choosing, which can drastically affect how well they do in battle. Also, how else can you explain things such as Perfumes granting their wearers buffs like permanent Reraise and Regen, Boots that allows their wearer to Float, and Gloves that gives them Haste?
* MechanicallyUnusualClass: Several Jobs have more versatility than "hit the enemy For Massive Damage". For example, Thieves, Mystics, and Time Mages have key abilities which can directly affect an enemy unit, such as leaving them respectively suffering from a lack of gear and from a select choice of status debuffs.
* MinMaxing: Each Job has different growth rates attached to them. A unit who has spent a lot of time being a Monk may find themselves having that much more HP compared to one who has done so as a Black Mage. In the game, on certain battlefields, are the rare Degenerator traps that lower your units' current Level by 1 whenever they've been stepped on. A dedicated min-maxer will drop back their units down to Level 1 in those maps while they're in Jobs that minimizes their stat losses (such as the Bard/Dancer) and then, later on, allow them to regain their Levels back, but in another Job that increases their desired stats (such as the Ninja).
* OneBulletClips: All Jobs can only shoot their targets once per turn with their guns, before needing to reload.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll: The Speed stat for all Jobs (as higher Speed equals more turns and better action economy), Bravery (which also rules their Reaction ability's proc chance), and Physical Attack for physical-oriented Jobs (for better damage), with Faith/Magick Attack for magick-oriented Jobs (for stronger spells).
* TheRedMage: Take any caster Job, then give them the secondary Job Command of any ''other'' caster Job, and you'll have this trope. Or, take a melee Job, then give them Arithmeticks plus whatever abilities you'd love for them to use from the rest of the caster Jobs, and you'll have ''Franchise/FinalFantasy's'' traditional version of it.
* SwordAndSorcerer: The average party composition, starting from the beginning of the game to the end of it, will most likely have 2-3 tank/melee units backed up by 1-2 caster units (unless Arithmeticks is being taken advantage of), with pure melee and magic parties rarely being used unless they're prepared enough.
* YouAllLookFamiliar: Generic units (like Ramza's fellow cadets) may have randomized names, but they all share the same portraits and sprites both as males and females in all Jobs, aside from a rare few enemies who have unique portraits[[labelnote:*]]Unfortunately, if you turn them to your side via an Orator's Invitation/Entice, their portraits will default to their original ones[[/labelnote]]. To avoid confusion, human enemies in the story or random encounters on the world map have [[PaletteSwap different color schemes]] to tell you who's who.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Squire]]

[[quoteright:246:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_squires.jpg]]

->''[[NewMeat This job serves as the foundation for all others]], forming the first step on the road to becoming a [[OlderAndWiser legendary warrior]].''
-->-Description

The most basic physical-oriented Job, but required to access the others, Squires have a varied set of abilities that not only carries the early game, but occasionally has utility throughout the course of Ramza's journey. They can use knives, swords, axes, and flails in battle.
----
* AlwaysAccurateAttack: The Squire's Dash/Rush ability has a Success Rate of 100%, and doesn't trigger offensive Reaction abilities (like the Monk's Counter), but it comes with the downside of dealing random damage that's determined by multiplying the user's Physical Attack with a number between 1 to 4. It's particularly useful against enemies that have high Evasion - like Thieves and Ninjas - and even more so if the user's Physical Attack was also repeatedly raised via Accumulate/Focus.
* AnAxeToGrind: Squires get the most use out of axes early in the game, although it should be noted that the damage they can deal with them is inconsistent at best. They can also pass on their ability to Equip Axes to the other Jobs as well, which can be helpful on a Job that deals little physical damage like the White Mage.
* BoringButPractical: The Squire is not a flashy Job, but it is fairly flexible in what it can do, making it decent to invest your time, effort, and JP in it, as it has some good Support abilities which include the nigh-essential and invaluable Gain JP Up/JP Boost. Ramza's unique variation of the Job deliberately invokes this as well; it gets buffed with a few new and special abilities over the course of the game, plus, his version is also able to equip much better gear compared to a regular Squire.
** Want your Squires to deal more damage in a battle? Let them use Accumulate/Focus until they can deal damage numbering in the hundreds! Fortunately, while the boost to their Physical Attack always fades after battles, the ability itself gives them a decent amount of EXP and JP per use, so before long you'll have yourself high-Level and JP-rich units at your disposal without too much effort.
** The Squire's Movement ability, Move +1, allows anyone equipped with it to move further by an additional tile. It's not much in the grand scheme of things, and there are better versions of it, but in the early game it's still quite the tremendous boost as it allows you to position your units with it far more easily.
* CantCatchUp: The Squire is one of two Jobs that is readily available to everyone at the start of the game. Yet, at the same time, the Squire's main role is to provide the first step towards the better physical-oriented Jobs, so it's sadly unable to keep up with the other Jobs succeeding it. Save for Ramza, you'll only invest in your units being Squires for a time because of the great abilities it has, not because the Job is quite good.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Squires essentially function as one, as half of their Job Command's abilities require them to be right next to their targets (Dash/Rush, Heal/Salve), with the other half either being used for distant foes (Throw Stone/Stone) or for improving themselves before engaging them in combat (Accumulate/Focus).
* CombatPragmatist: Squires in general fight as such, and some of the abilities they have access to reflects this. Not all units outside of a critical hit are able to forcibly knock enemies back a tile, and neither can they usually throw some stones at them in order to deal damage or tackle their attackers after being hit in melee.
* CounterAttack: Their Reaction ability, Counter Tackle, allows them a chance to deal a moderate amount of damage to their attackers after getting struck in melee, the value of which scales off of their Physical Attack and is also dependent on their Bravery stat to proc. Combine it with a heavy use of their Accumulate/Focus ability, and you can make your enemies regret ever targeting your Squires.
* DefendCommand: Squires can use the aptly named Support ability, Defend, to lessen the amount of damage they'll take from attacks, while reducing the likelihood they'll get hit with said attacks until it's their turn again.
* EpicFlail: Squires are one of the few Jobs who can use flails, which deals inconsistent damage like axes do.
* HeavyArmorClass: Subverted. Despite what the Squires of both genders are depicted wearing in the image provided - especially the female Squire - they can only wear Clothes and Hats in-game, with said Armor and Helmet types usually being the least protective (or stat-giving) form of equipment available in the game.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Squires perform at their best when equipped with swords, rather than axes and flails.
* KnifeNut: They can also make good use of knives. With the right kind of knife equipped on them - such as the Assassin's Dagger or the Zorlin Shape/Zwill Straightblade - Squires can wreak havoc upon their enemies.
* KnockbackSlide: The Squire's Dash/Rush, Throw Stone/Stone and Counter Tackle abilities all have a good chance of pushing their unfortunate targets a tile away from their user, but only for as long as there's an empty, traversable tile behind the affected unit. A canny player can even nudge enemies into traps or hazardous terrain using them, although they're rather few and far in-between on most battlefields.
* LevelGrinding: While the Squire's Throw Stone/Stone ability deals very little damage, it can hit targets from a good few tiles away... which means that [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential stoning your best tank unit]] while occasionally topping up their HP is [[NotTheIntendedUse one of the best ways to level up your weaker units]] ''and'' [[ViolationOfCommonSense give them JP while they're at it.]]
** Their Accumulate/Focus ability also counts, given that the Squires gain 10 EXP and the appropriate amount of JP per use of it, but only for as long as they haven't hit the game's Physical Attack cap of 99.
** As an added bonus, you can grind for easy Levels and JP from as early as the ''second battle of the game''. There's a lot of guides on how to pull this off too, so if you really want to, just look them up at your leisure.
* TheMedic: Downplayed, and only in a very limited capacity. Your generic Squires can use Heal/Salve to cure themselves or their teammates of three relatively common status debuffs - Blind, Silence, and Poison - while Ramza, Delita, and Luso can also use Wish/Chant to heal others at the cost of some of their own HP instead.
* NeverBareheaded: Male Squires wear what seems like a hood over their head, while female Squires wear a headband covering their forehead.
* NotCompletelyUseless: Their Basic Skill/Fundaments (or Guts/Mettle for Ramza and Delita) Job Command has two weak damage-dealing abilities... that both have a reasonable chance to send victims reeling back a tile, along with their lone Reaction ability. It's also hard to pin a Squire down too, and, if an enemy unit just so happens to be standing on a ledge that's right next to a long drop (like in Dugeura Pass), then the Squire is the Job that's ideally suited to [[GravityIsAHarshMistress knocking them off of it.]]
** Their Job Command is also this when it's equipped by the other Jobs - you can never go wrong with dealing more damage to your enemies using Accumulate/Focus, or with curing your units of the three aforementioned status debuffs using Heal/Salve. In fact, having it on allows other units in Jobs they're struggling with to easily gain EXP and JP, up to the point of becoming much more proficient with them.
* StatusBuff: Squires can use Accumulate/Focus to steadily increase their Physical Attack by 1, which they can repeatedly do until it caps at 99. Meanwhile, Ramza and Luso can use Yell/Tailwind, Cheer Up/Steel, and Scream/Shout to individually boost Speed by 1, Bravery by 5 or all three - including Magick Attack by 1 - with their respective values. There's a reason why Ramza and Luso (plus, to a lesser extent, generics equipped with the Squire Job Command) are considered overpowered later on in the game - give them enough time to use the appropriate abilities, and they can end up [[OneHitKill one-shotting]] enemies. Doubly so for a [[OneManArmy Monk]] who's using it.
* SuperEmpowering: The Squire's Monster Skill/Beastmaster Support ability, which when equipped on a unit, gives all of your monster units who are within 3 tiles of that unit an extra ability to use, one that depends on the genus of the monster units in question[[labelnote:*]]For example, a Mindflayer from the Piscodaemon genus can get to use the Level Drain ability for as long as it's near the unit. But if it's not, then it can only use Mind Blast[[/labelnote]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Chemist]]

[[quoteright:236:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_chemists.jpg]]

->''An expert in the use of items to [[MagicPotion recover HP]] or [[MagicAntidote remove vexing status ailments.]]''
-->-Description

The most basic magick-oriented Job, but required to access the others, Chemists are your go-to healers in the early game, and their ability to learn about the use of all sorts of items means that, at the very least, their Job Command will never be obsolete. They can use knives and guns in battle.
----
* AdventureArchaeologist: The Chemist's Movement ability, Move-Find Item/Treasure Hunter, allows your units to uncover items hidden in the ground on certain spots of the battlefield. Unfortunately, in order to make your units be far more successful with finding a valuable item from said spots, your units in question [[GuideDangIt must have low Bravery, around 6 to 16]][[labelnote:*]]If your units' Bravery goes below 16, they'll start warning you that they're losing their stomach for fighting. Any lower than 6, and they'll leave your party. So don't overdo it[[/labelnote]].
* AlwaysAccurateAttack: Downplayed. While gun-toting Chemists usually tend to have a 100% chance of hitting their targets whenever they shoot them normally, a few factors such as extreme elevation differences, other units standing in the way of their line of fire, and their target's own Reaction ability can still negatively affect their shot's overall accuracy.
** This also extends to the items they can throw. Chemists have a guaranteed chance of hitting their targets with them, but the same factors above still applies, so they need to have a clear line of sight to them too.
** Their innate Throw Item/s Support ability also enables other units to do the same when it's paired together with their Job Command, but turning them into Chemists instead is usually a better idea by that point.
* AntiArmor: Inverted. One of the Chemist's Support abilities, Maintenance/Safeguard, completely prevents Knights and Thieves from respectively breaking and stealing their equipment. While it's not as useful on the Chemists themselves unless they have powerful or unique gear equipped, other Jobs can still get so much more mileage out of their ability, more so whenever they're fighting the said Knights and Thieves in question.
* AntiDebuff: One other main strength Chemists have is that they can easily counteract most of the debuffs in the game by throwing afflicted allies the item they need to be cured of them, which range from the simple Antidote to the {{Panacea}}-like Remedy. Here's a list of what they'll use if they need to remove said debuffs:
** BalefulPolymorph: They can transform Toads back into their original forms with Maiden's Kisses.
** InterfaceScrew: Those who have been Confused will find themselves snapping out of it with a Remedy.
** ForcedSleep: Those who have been forcibly put to Sleep will find themselves waking up with a Remedy.
** ManOnFire: Those who have been doused in Oil will no longer find themselves vulnerable to all kinds of Fire-based attacks, [[RuleOfThree again with a Remedy.]]
** PowerNullifier: They can return the voices which were lost to Silence with Echo Grasses/Herbs.
** TakenForGranite: They can undo the debilitating effect of Stone with Softs/Gold Needles.
** TemporaryBlindness: They can use Eye Drop/s to cure the sight of those who have suddenly gone Blind.
** UniversalPoison: They can use Antidotes to cure those who are suffering from the effects of Poison.
** ZombifyTheLiving: They can use Holy Waters to cure those who have turned Undead or into a Vampire.
* AwesomeBackpack: Male Chemists wear one, while female Chemists on the other hand wear an Awesome Fannypack. It's where they're keeping the items from your Inventory, all of which are ready to be thrown away at a moment's notice. [[HammerSpace Although why they aren't already bursting at the seams is simply a mystery in itself.]]
* BackFromTheDead: Chemists who have learned how to use Phoenix Downs can do this to their allies - and even their enemies, should you wish it - just so as long as they haven't been turned into crystals or treasure chests yet, because at that point there's nothing you can do to bring the fallen back from [[DeaderThanDead permanent death]].
* BoringButPractical: Being a Chemist is all about using (and throwing) restorative Items. It's not a very flashy Job, but you can't deny it's usefulness and viability. It later gets shades of SimpleYetAwesome when guns start appearing, as it is one of the few Jobs that can naturally use them. ''Especially'' when magickal guns start appearing - it's hard to say no to guns that can shoot Tier 1, 2, or 3 spells anyway, but on the other hand, your Chemists will need to have high Faith so they can get the most use out of them. That, or the Faith status buff.
** What a Chemist can do to provide support to their teammates in battle is limited by the number and types of items you have in your Inventory, so be both willing and prepared to spend quite the fortune in Gil from simply buying restoratives from shops. And besides, you never know when that one extra Potion, Antidote, or Phoenix Down you bought might come in handy.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Chemists initially function as one, as they can only wield knives up until the point when guns become available. While you can let them carry on as such, it's generally considered the better option for them to switch over to the latter weapon type as soon as possible, unless you think otherwise.
* GlassCannon: Chemists become this once they gain access to guns, particularly ones of the magickal kind. With the right equipment and abilities equipped, they can gun down an enemy all by their lonesome without frequently needing to move away. That being said, however, whenever they do need to move? ''Move them.''
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: Their Reaction ability, Auto Potion, allows them to automatically use the weakest type of Potion in your Inventory to heal themselves whenever it successfully procs - as a downside, though, this means you can potentially run out of Potions before you even realize it, as well as be forced to buy more. You also can't override how it works, but there's absolutely nothing stopping you from [[LoopholeAbuse selling all of your weak Potions and buying X-Potions instead.]] With that in mind, make sure you have enough Gil to support it's use.
* TheGunslinger: As Chemists are able to wield guns, doing so is a much better alternative compared to them wielding knives, since their lack of proficiency in close-quarters combat can quickly see to them getting killed.
* HealerSignsOnEarly: The Chemist is one of two Jobs that's readily available to all your units, since it lacks a prerequisite to unlock. Notably, two of Ramza's fellow cadets always start out as Chemists in the very first battle of the game, in contrast with the other four cadets who start out as Squires like Ramza and Delita do.
* InstantArmor: One of their Support abilities, Equip Change/Reequip, provides them the option to change any or all of their equipment during their turn. As before, it's not as useful on the Chemists themselves, but on the other Jobs? It can make all the difference in the world. And on a related but difficult note, there's nothing like killing an enemy with their own weapon which one of your Thieves happened to have stolen for you earlier.
* KnifeNut: For much of the early game, Chemists are forced to rely on their knives just to have a fairly decent chance of fighting back when forced to engage in melee. Just don't expect them to survive for long, however. As a reminder, they don't have access to good Armor and Helmets, nor can they wield much better Weapons.
* LongRangeFighter: They can function as one as soon as you can get your hands on the game's guns, and they are much more effective with them, compared to their use of knives. There's no good reason why you shouldn't make your Chemists start using them, unless you want a challenge or have other things in mind.
* MagikarpPower: Chemists start the early game with very limited options, lacking strong offensive abilities, weapons, and usage outside of being a stepping stone for the magick-oriented Jobs. However, once guns become available, Chemists suddenly become very useful ranged damage dealers, and their ability to heal themselves and others via their instant use of items sometimes makes them quicker and more practical than, say... a White Mage. So equip them with the best available gear, buy what items they need so they can shine, give them a good Support ability, and they'll quickly transform into powerful {{Combat Medic}}s before your eyes.
* TheMedic: Chemists are a more literal example. One of their main strengths lies in being able to immediately throw out various healing items towards their teammates in battle, all without needing to spend time and MP in casting a powerful spell to achieve the same results. This makes them quite good early on, and even solid in the late game thanks to being able to heal others so quickly and efficiently. It's not uncommon, by the time Chapter 3 rolls around, that one of your units might still be one at that point, if only out of sheer practicality.
* NeverBareheaded: Male Chemists wear a puffy, forwards-drooping cap, while female Chemists wear a simple yet elegant headdress over their head. They can also equip Hats which can boost their stats in-game.
* ReviveKillsZombie: Chemists can make quick work of Undead-type enemies. Simply throw at them healing items and the occasional Phoenix Down like you would to your wounded or dead units, and all those pesky Undead will be out of action before you know it. Just remember to replenish your stock of items afterwards.
* ShootTheMedicFirst: As enemy Chemists can and will heal or cure their injured or afflicted teammates when given the chance, you can save yourself a lot of wasted time and effort by focusing on them first in battles. However, please be aware that the enemy AI will also actively seek to do the same thing to ''your'' Chemists.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Knight]]

[[quoteright:269:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_knights.jpg]]

-> ''[[KnightInShiningArmor A brave and chivalrous warrior of unmatched skill.]] Uses a knight's sword to unleash the Arts of War.''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Squire Level 2

Naturally clad in heavy armor, Knights are excellent warriors that stand firm even in the harshest of battles, who also have the power to destroy their enemies' equipment as well as sabotage their stats. They can use swords, knight's swords, and shields in battle.
----
* AntiArmor: Knights can turn enemies near-harmless by directly targeting their equipment through their Job Command, Battle Skill/Arts of War, which is one of their main strengths. By doing so to their enemies' equipment, not only are they noticeably lowering their opponents' offensive and defensive capabilities, they are also depriving them of stat-giving gear that are giving them an edge while simultaneously leaving them vulnerable - on top of sabotaging their stats, such as their HP and MP, by a considerably large margin.
* AntiMagic: They can also damage and debilitate their enemies' MP and Magick Attack through two of their abilities. Get a Knight who has learned those two abilities near an enemy caster, and they can potentially stop them from harassing your units or supporting their teammates within a few well-timed applications of them.
* BadassCape: Knights always have a long cape attached to their armor, and in order to easily distinguish themselves from one another, those who hail from different factions wear colored capes that denote their allegiances, such as white and blue for you, green for the Death Corps/Corpse Brigade, and red for Lionel.
* {{BFS}}: The Knight is the only normal Job (besides the PSP-exclusive Dark Knight) that can use the powerful knight's swords, which are much larger, more hard-hitting, and often provides beneficial status effects to their wielders compared to most swords. Pair up a Knight with either the Samurai's Two Hands/Doublehand, the Ninja's Two Swords/Dual Wield, or even the Geomancer's Attack UP/Attack Boost Support ability, and there won't be a lot of enemies left who wouldn't fall to one equipped with both within a few decisive strikes.
* BoringButPractical: Knights are fully dedicated melee fighters with little to no variety in their usage, aside from their abilities. At best, all what you'll be doing with them would be to make them trudge into combat, to either engage with or finish off your enemies. At worst, you'll find yourself still moving them forward while your enemies have already closed in on your party, and are doing so from more tactically advantageous positions.
* CantCatchUp: It's not as apparent as it is the case with Squires, but as the game progresses into the later Chapters, Knights will find it harder to keep up and remain useful as battles become more difficult to survive and enemies become more adept at blocking or evading their attacks, all owing to their low Move stat of 3. They also lack any sort of long-ranged abilities. Granted, what abilities they do have ''are'' powerful in their own right, but generally their strengths won't outweigh their weaknesses, which are explored in the tropes below.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Knights can only attack at close ranges, which is the leading cause of them falling behind as the game progresses and more Jobs are unlocked. Though that's not to say they aren't good at it - a Knight will simply continue to hit hard with the proper equipment, and will keep reliably blocking or evading a lot of physical attacks most other Jobs can merely hope to block or evade. But spells, on the other hand...
* CripplingOverspecialization: Knights are trained to hold their own against other physical-oriented Jobs, and they're quite skilled at it. But, should they ever be pitted against the magick-oriented or the more agile Jobs? They won't seem that skilled when they're being rained upon with spells, arrows, bolts, and bullets, as they can't fight back until they're close enough to their attackers - if they haven't already died by that point, that is.
** And because ''all of their abilities'' are purely melee-based, outside of their second Job Command that you can assign anything to, Knights have nothing to use against enemies who have the advantage of range. This gets more pronounced in the later Chapters: They'll still tank attacks sure enough, but it's highly likely that by the time they'll get into position and finally fight back, they'll already be knocking at death's door.
** [[AvertedTrope But that's only if you don't give them a good Movement ability, like the Time Mage's Teleport.]]
* CrutchCharacter: The Knight's high HP and Physical Attack makes it a good choice of Job in the earlier Chapters, but, as the battlefields get more complex, and your enemies become more numerous and evasive, it's short range and wanting mobility will eventually catch up to it. Not helping it's case is the fact it has very situational and non-damaging abilities, and that the Job is mainly useful for the Support abilities it provides.
* HeavyArmorClass: Knights are able to pass on the ability to Equip Armor/Heavy Armor to the other Jobs, as they are typically the ones who wear it the most. The HP bonuses they gain from their choice of Armor also prevents them from getting killed as easily in a battle, compared with those who wear lighter forms of Armor.
* HeroesPreferSwords: Knights can pass on the ability to Equip Sword/s to the other Jobs, as they are more suited to wield a sword than the others. And it's more so with the knight's swords too, as them wielding the other sword type won't prevent them from using a shield in tandem with it, never leaving them vulnerable.
* LadyOfWar: Female Knights are this. Their artwork portrait and unit sprite make a point to emphasize this.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: The Knight also happens to be the only Job who can pass on the ability to Equip Shield/s to the other Jobs. Any unit equipped with a shield will find their chances of survival during a battle greatly increased, as the shield they're wielding will also boost their chances of blocking or evading enemy attacks, therefore making them less likelier to get hit often. Unless they're being attacked from behind or the sides, of course, in which case you need to be paying attention to the direction your units are facing.
* MightyGlacier: Although Knights have high HP, and their use of shields means they'll often block or evade attacks, their low Base Speed and Move stats makes it hard for them to arrive on the front-lines unless their teammates are supporting them from behind. But once they're on the front-lines, however, they can and ''will'' [[HoldTheLine stand their ground]] reasonably well... at least up until your enemies start getting a bit too strong to handle.
** Certain Movement abilities on the other hand, can possibly alleviate their Glacier-ness by leaps and bounds, although their low Base Speed will still remain somewhat of an annoying issue to bear in mind.
* NeverBareheaded: Inverted. The artwork portraits and the unit sprites of both male and female Knights show them [[HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic forgoing wearing a helmet]], which is unsurprisingly a bad idea in a setting where your next battle might be waiting just around the corner (and sometimes not even that). Fortunately, it's not the case in-game, as your Knights are free to wear Helmets, although you can choose to keep it inverted if you really wanted to.
* NonHealthDamage: Magic Break/Rend MP directly damages MP, which can potentially prevent enemy spells from being cast.
* NoSell: Any enemy who is equipped with the Chemist's Maintenance/Safeguard Support ability is completely immune to the Knight's Break/Rend abilities that affect their equipment, meaning the Knight units you've built up to destroy enemy gear will be pretty much unable to do so to anyone who happens to be equipped with it. Luckily, that ability doesn't extend it's protection towards their normal and debilitating attacks, so hack away.
* PowerfulButInaccurate: The Knight's Job Command is essentially this. Their Break/Rend abilities all have a decent chance to hit their opponents, but that's just it - "a decent chance" usually means around a 20%-70% (give or take an extra 5%) Success Rate of actually landing their attacks, so don't let the high likelihood of their abilities connecting trick you into taking up a false sense of confidence. Unless you're fairly certain about debilitating your enemies, you're usually better off letting your Knights attack them normally most of the time.
* ReflexiveResponse: The Knight's Reaction ability, Weapon Guard/Parry, is this. It triggers only when the unit with this ability is about to be physically attacked by an enemy, where they'll then automatically block the incoming strike with their own weapon, although how often it procs is highly dependent on their Bravery.
* StatusInflictionAttack: One other main strength the Knight Job has - barring it's aforementioned power to destroy the enemy's equipment - is it's power to debilitate a few of the enemy's stats, which, while somewhat limited, can nonetheless still easily turn the tides of any battle in your favor. Here are the abilities that allows it to do so:
** Speed Break/Rend Speed reduces Speed by 2, delaying the enemy from taking their turns more often.
** Power Break/Rend Power reduces Physical Attack by 3, weakening the power of the enemy's strikes.
** Mind Break/Rend Magick reduces Magick Attack by 3, weakening the bite of all the enemy's spells.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Archer]]

[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_archers.jpg]]

-> ''[[TheStraightAndArrowPath Equipped with a bow and arrow, this warrior provides valuable long-range attacks.]] May Aim for higher damage.''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Squire Level 2

The first ranged class in the game, not only can Archers rain death upon their enemies from afar, they can also charge their attacks to deal more damage. They can use bows, crossbows, and shields in battle, though they can only equip the latter should they wield a crossbow.
----
* AlwaysAccurateAttack: The Archer's Support ability, Concentration, allows units to ignore their target's Evasion stat whenever they attack or use their abilities on them, although it won't always guarantee that they'll connect - Concentration doesn't actually affect the accuracy of it's users' attacks[[labelnote:*]]The base Success Rates of all attacks, spells, and abilities are essentially still the same even with Concentration equipped on a unit[[/labelnote]].
* AnnoyingArrows: Unfortunately, most of the bows and crossbows Archers have access to do not have great stopping power, although rare bows that deal massive damage do exist. Nonetheless, just have your Archers shoot enough arrows or bolts into their targets, and they'll eventually go down or be much easier to finish off.
* ArbitraryMinimumRange: Archers are unable to shoot enemy units who are within 2-3 tiles of their current position, though they can use a trick to get around this limitation of theirs which is detailed further down.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The Archer's Job Command, Charge/Aim, allows for long wind-up attacks that are usually not worth the increased damage, as the trade-off is sometimes lowered accuracy (which bows and crossbows are already in want for) and progressively longer waits for the charged attacks to be fired off.
* BadassCape: It's not easily seen on their unit sprite, but in their artwork portrait, male Archers have a short shoulder-length half-cape covering their bow-arm, presumably to protect it from the elements or from attacks.
* BootsOfToughness: Both male and female Archers wear a pair of thick thigh-high leather boots as part of their ensemble, in order to allow them to traverse terrain easily, and to - more importantly - protect their legs.
* BoringButPractical: The Archer's sole purpose is to harass and weaken distant enemy units with their bow or crossbow while remaining out of retaliatory range, which is literally what they'll be doing during a battle.
* BowsVersusCrossbows: Archers can choose between using a bow or a crossbow as their weapon, though what they'll use all boils down to your personal preferences, as there are a few differences between the two. A bowman can't shoot their arrows farther than a crossbowman's bolts can, and arrows tend to arc when shot whereas bolts just fly straight to their targets. The former also requires the use of both hands while the latter frees up the off hand to allow the use of a shield, and bows gain bonus range while on elevated terrain, unlike crossbows whose range remains the same at any elevation. Lastly, both suffer from minor accuracy penalties in adverse weather and at night time, although which weapon type comes off as far worse while they're under such conditions depends on the circumstances themselves.
** In any case, Archers can pass on the ability to Equip Crossbows to the other Jobs, given that they are the only normal Job that can naturally use them. Try it out on the ones that suffer in melee, like the Chemist for example, and you might be surprised to see how well it synergizes with their pre-existing ability set.
* CantCatchUp: An Archer is quite a good addition to your party during the early parts of the game, by letting you attack your enemies from a distance or by softening them up for your other units to deal with. But as you progress through the story, you'll find that your enemies will begin dodging your arrows more often than you'd like, followed shortly by them soon appearing with higher HP, better gear, and dangerous abilities to boot. There's also it's bland and boring Job Command to consider, which many players feel isn't worth using ''at all''. You'll be better off using mages by then, although they can still be of use, provided that you use them wisely.
* ChargedAttack: The main gimmick of their Job Command, as explored above. Archers can spend a period of time charging up an attack that in return does more damage as a result, although not without risks involved.
* ConspicuousGloves: Both male and female Archers also wear a pair of supple leather gloves to help them handle their bows/crossbows, and with nocking their arrows/bolts for when they need to shoot at enemies.
* CripplingOverspecialization: The polar opposite of Knights, Archers are trained to only deal with distant foes, and so can't do anything to enemies who have already engaged them save for somehow escaping, which nonetheless does nothing to solve their glaring issue at hand. Charge/Aim also lacks abilities dedicated to close-quarters combat, which means that barring an Archer's second Job Command, they literally have no real means to fend off their attackers in melee aside from indirectly targeting them.
* DifficultButAwesome: What makes the Archer's Job Command generally unreliable is that it targets the tile an enemy unit is standing on, ''not'' the unit itself, so if the one you're aiming at moves before your Archer can get their shot off, you're not shooting anything but air. Making the most out of Charge/Aim involves checking the Active Turn list a lot, so you'll get to know for how long you can do so. Otherwise, you ''could'' fence in your enemies with your other units so that they'll still be there when your Archer finally shoots - or use spells - but this also risks the not-so-feasible outcome of them escaping anyway and killing your units as they do.
* FragileSpeedster: Archers are fast, but can't take a lot of hits as they are meant to stay in the back to support their teammates. Any Archer forced into melee is as good as dead if they don't try to disengage, so pay close attention to your Archers to ensure that they won't get caught in such a situation, or you're in for a bad time.
* GreatBow: The bows that the two Archers are depicted wielding in the image provided are nearly their size - although due to the fact it's hard to tell the actual length and width of the game's weapons from going off their sprites, it's downplayed, as all in-game bows still shoot the same-sized arrow and are not immediately lethal.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Archers using bows gain a bonus to their attack range whenever they're standing on elevated terrain. They also tend to have a better sight of their enemies from on top of said locations, which can potentially boost the power and accuracy of their attacks thanks to being on such a good vantage point.
** The Archer's Movement ability, Jump +1, helps them in that regard by making those areas easier to climb.
* LongRangeFighter: Of course, as all Archers are pretty much unable to hit anything within 2-3 tiles of themselves with their bows and crossbows, unless some clever aiming is involved. They can make a huge difference when they have a height advantage too, so it's in your best interests that you should put your Archers in such places. And don't hesitate to make them retreat should enemies approach to attack them.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Archers armed with crossbows can equip a shield to make up for their lack of bonus attack range gained while standing on elevated terrain, although how better their chances of survival are with one equipped is highly dependent on the quality of the shield in question. So get them good ones.
* NeverBareheaded: Inverted. Both male and female Archers visually go without any kind of headgear in their artwork portraits and unit sprites, but in-game, they're freely able to wear Hats that can boost their stats.
* NoArcInArchery: Crossbows play this trope straight as already mentioned above, with their bolts flying straight to where they were pointed at, while bows avert it, with arrows needing to be shot high into the air first before descending towards their targets. This is what gives bows their range advantage when they're shot from the high ground, though it comes at the expense of not allowing their wielders to shoot anything within 2-3 tiles of themselves[[labelnote:*]]Bows, crossbows, and guns can only directly target something 2-3 tiles away or further, though if a nearby enemy is only on one axis, or directly diagonal of the Archer, a crossbow or gun can target the nearest tile on their other side and still hit the enemy regardless[[/labelnote]].
* SuperReflexes: One of the Archer's Reaction abilities, Arrow Guard/Archer's Bane, gives them a chance - that's based on their Bravery - to automatically dodge incoming arrows and bolts, although sadly the ability itself sees limited use as it [[ConditionalPowers works only against said projectiles]] and nothing else.
* SuperSpeed: The Archer's other Reaction ability, Speed Save/Adrenaline Rush, increases their Speed by 1 whenever they take damage, which can eventually allow them to take multiple turns in a row after tanking enough hits. That possibility, of course, operates under the assumption that they have survived the attacks they took damage from... and that their Reaction ability successfully proc'ed for every single time they got hurt, with the likelihood of that happening also being based on their Bravery and how high it is.
* WeakButSkilled: Archers start off dealing little damage, but once you begin investing in good weaponry and armor for them on top of using their Job Command wisely, expect to see them deal medium to heavy damage to enemy units every few turns without having to retreat from them or fearing for their reprisal. While opening up the Active Turn list every now and then does take some getting used to, when you do get the hang of it? Oh boy. Enemy units will start dropping like flies before you know it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: White Mage (Priest)]]

[[quoteright:263:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_whitemages.jpg]]

-> ''A warrior who taps into the powers of the divine, [[WhiteMagic using White Magicks to cast spells of recovery and protection.]]''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Chemist Level 2

Valued for their healing and support spells, White Mages use their beneficial magicks to mend wounds, shield others from harm, and revive their recently deceased allies before it's far too late for them. They can use staves in battle.
----
* AntiMagic: Downplayed. Their one and only Support ability, Magic [=DefendUP=]/Arcane Defense, allows those equipped with it to take around 33% less damage from spells while also decreasing their chances to get hit by them. It's perfect for whenever you engage enemy mages, and useful on Jobs weak to magick, such as the Knight.
* AutoRevive: The White Mage's Reraise spell can grant this to their allies, automatically returning them to life upon their death but in exchange for leaving them vulnerable with little HP. It's a spell that's best cast early on your units who are about to engage the enemy in battle, as it'll spare your White Mages from spending some of their turns and MP from later reviving and healing them to a fighting fit state should they get killed in action.
* BackFromTheDead: White Mages can revive fallen units through the use of their Raise, Raise 2/Arise, and Reraise spells. Raise gets them back on their feet at half HP, Raise 2/Arise resurrects them at full HP, and Reraise wakes them up from their dirt nap at one-tenth of their Max HP once their CT count reaches 100.
* BarrierWarrior: White Mages can cast Protect (and Protect 2/Protectja), Shell (and Shell 2/Shellja), and Wall upon units to grant them increased defenses against physical and/or magickal attacks, which in return makes them take less damage from enemies, for as long as the buffs remain active or until they've been dispelled.
* CrutchCharacter: White Mages are incredibly potent in the early game, largely due to healing your wounded units much better than Chemists can. They also have more abilities to further support them. Sadly, as you progress through the game, they tend to become less effective because of the longer casting times of their stronger spells and the increased MP costs to use said spells, limitations Chemists happily ignore through their instant use of items. Nonetheless, they'll still remain a viable addition to your party in the late game.
* DifficultButAwesome: What holds back the White Mages from shining in the early game are their limited MP pools, their lack of MP recovery outside of their second Job Command and/or other abilities, and their much longer casting times for their far stronger spells. For the most part, it's all fairly manageable albeit tedious to endure without having such alternative options, as you are forced to carefully decide which of your wounded units takes priority in healing during a tough battle lest they run out of MP, and therefore become useless at a crucial moment. When managed wisely, however, White Mages can be the decisive factor in winning a battle.
** But should you equip them with the right gear and abilities, such as the Summoner's Half of MP/Halve MP and the Mystic's Move-MP Up/Manafont, you'll have yourself self-sufficient healers capable of supporting your units for a whole encounter without ever needing to drink a single Ether. Of course, it'll take you some time and effort to get to that point, but once you've built them up properly? Your White Mages can become a force multiplier on their own, even if all they'll be doing is heal and support your units with their spells.
* DispelMagic: The White Mage's Esuna spell is this. It's capable of removing most of the status debuffs in the game that can be inflicted upon your units, while leaving alone the status buffs that are still active on them.
* GradualRegeneration: The White Mage's Reaction ability, Regenerator/Regenerate, gives anyone equipped with it the chance to have the Regen status buff automatically applied upon themselves after they've been hit by any kind of attack. It allows them to recover one-eighth of their Max HP at the end of their turn, with their chances of successfully activating it being heavily dependent on how high their Bravery stat is.
** They can also directly apply the Regen status buff to others by casting the eponymous spell upon them.
* HealerSignsOnEarly: Everyone on the starting roster of the first battle of the game can potentially gain just enough JP in the Chemist Job to have the White Mage Job unlocked by it's end, just so as long as there's one taking part in it. The end result? You're likely to have two different healer units by your second battle.
* HealingHands: Their Cure, Cure 2/Cura, Cure 3/Curaga, and Cure 4/Curaja spells replenishes the lost HP of your wounded units, with progressively stronger potency, greater MP costs, and longer casting times for each successive Tier. Be sure to use the appropriate Tier of Cure spell in regards to healing your wounded units.
* HolyHandGrenade: The White Mage, despite being a Job that mainly specializes in support, has access to one brilliantly powerful offensive spell, called Holy. Holy summons forth a great beam of blinding divine light from the skies to strike down a target of your choosing. It's incredibly effective against Undead-type enemies, though in practice it unfortunately has a very limited number of uses, since it costs a hefty 60 MP per cast.
** Oh, and it has a very lengthy animation upon casting. [[OverlyLongFightingAnimation Do not combine this spell with Arithmeticks unless you don't mind watching the light show, or have something to preoccupy yourself with in the meantime.]]
* {{Irony}}: Ramza and company are later denounced as heretics, yet that hasn't stopped any of them from still calling upon the powers of the divine for their own benefit.
* MagicStaff: A staff is a White Mage's WeaponOfChoice, mainly as a means to boost their Magick Attack, or otherwise, as a means of self-defense should things take a drastic turn for the worse. After all, if your White Mages bludgeon a nearby threat enough times while surviving it, that threat will eventually stop being one.
* TheMedic: White Mages essentially serve as one, given that most of their abilities are based around healing, shielding, and reviving their teammates. They excel at the role too, although you have to be very mindful of their MP usage in return, unless your White Mages have a reliable way to restore their own MP on hand.
* NecessaryDrawback: White Mages would have been permanent fixtures to most players' parties if it weren't for the fact that all of their spells takes them time and MP to cast, which sometimes might be too late for the units they're casting their spells for. That, and their MP is hard to recover without abilities or Chemists around.
* NeverBareheaded: Zig-zagged. As per ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' tradition, the White Mage's robes comes with a white hood. In-game, female White Mages wear theirs up, while male White Mages wear theirs down.
* OutsideTheBoxTactic: One reasonable way to prevent enemy White Mages from supporting their allies - other than debuffing them with Silence - would be to cast the Time Mage's Reflect spell on their targets. Because the vast majority of their spells practically requires them to function as a support Job, this makes the eponymous status buff a wonderful counter against their effectiveness. Unfortunately, they can still cast their spells on themselves so that their wounded, Reflected allies standing beside them will get affected anyway.
* PowerCopying: White Mages have a 40% chance of learning their Cure 4/Curaja spell after being hit by it. They also have a 10% chance of learning their Protect 2/Protectja and Shell 2/Shellja spells if they haven't learned how to cast them yet too, but with the added condition that their buffs must be successfully applied on them first ''before'' they can even make an attempt at learning them.
* ReviveKillsZombie: Most of their spells under the Cure and Raise lines can damage Undead-type enemies, and their Raise 2/Arise spell is capable of outright killing them (again) on the spot if it successfully connects.
* ShootTheMedicFirst: Given that White Mages all have the power to heal, buff, and revive other units, they're essentially high-value targets that you should probably prioritize taking down first if you ever encounter them in a battle. When left alone, they tend to make things much harder for you through their spells, so do yourself a favor and try to bump off enemy White Mages before they can cast some good ones on their teammates.
* SquishyWizard: While White Mages make for powerful healers and provide amazing support to your other units, they're still quite physically frail. A hit or three from an enemy is usually enough to kill them, so it'll be in your best interests to keep them out of harm's way as much as possible in every battle you bring them into.
* StatusBuff: White Mages are able to grant a few to their allies, namely in the form of Protect, Shell, Regen, and Reraise. All of the four buffs remain useful even into the late game, and are not to be underestimated.
* WhiteMage: [[TropeNamer Of course.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Black Mage (Wizard)]]

[[quoteright:254:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_blackmages.jpg]]

-> ''[[BlackMagic A warrior who uses Black Magicks to channel elemental powers into powerful offensive spells.]]''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Chemist Level 2

Feared for their knowledge of offensive magicks that cripple, harm or outright kill their chosen targets, Black Mages use their repertoire of spells to bring both woe and ruin upon their enemies on the battlefield. They can use rods in battle.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: Their Tier 4 spells cannot be used as a Math Skill/in Arithmeticks, are not FriendlyFireproof, and take too long to cast to be worth all that time they've spent waiting for them. Additionally, unless you absolutely need something to die sooner rather than later, it's generally more MP-efficient for your Black Mages to stick to using their Tier 1 or 2 spells if you don't have plenty of Ethers at the ready or another, easier way to replenish their MP.
* BalefulPolymorph: Their Toad spell can turn their target into a near-harmless and defenseless [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Toad.]] And due to their transformed state, the afflicted unit will take more physical damage, owing to their current constitution. They can also revert Toads back into their original forms at will by casting the spell on them one more time.
* BlackMage: [[TropeNamer As is the case with the White Mage, of course.]]
* BoringButPractical: As fun as it is to make them cast the most powerful spells they know on their enemies, your Black Mages are much better off casting their Tier 1 or 2 spells most of the time during battles, only ever bringing out the big guns when you're reasonably sure they can cast them in time. Since they're also quite cost-efficient, until you can find a way to reliably restore your Black Mages' MP on demand, those spells are going to be the ones you'll be using the most as they'll continue to dish out damage worth their weight in MP.
* CantCatchUp: For most of the early game, Black Mages serve as damage dealers who are capable of attacking multiple enemies from afar. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, they begin lagging behind in terms of effectiveness as your enemies start becoming sturdier and less likelier to get hit by spells. It's hard to replenish their MP too, since it means they or one of your units has to sacrifice an ability slot, an item and/or a turn in order to do so - efforts that could have been better spent on other actions like reviving fallen units. But it should be noted that if you solve their MP issues, Black Mages can become solid picks for battles.
* CastingAShadow: The Black Mage's Death spell is considered a Dark-elemental attack by the game and, when successfully cast on Undead-type enemies, will actually heal them fully instead of killing them (again). Beware that you do not make this mistake in the heat of battle, especially if you find yourself using the spell against human units who have been afflicted with the Undead status debuff.
* CounterAttack: The Black Mage's Reaction ability, Counter Magic/Magick Counter, grants them a chance that's based on their Bravery to cast the spell they were hit with back at the one who targeted them, even if they haven't learned the spell yet or normally can't cast it. That being said however, they need to survive the caster's spell first ''and'' have the appropriate amount of MP to spare before they can get around to doing that.
* CrutchCharacter: Black Mages, like the White Mages, are powerful in the early game, thanks to their use of spells that deals magickal damage, during a point in the game where not a lot of your enemies have high resistances to it yet. Their Tier 1 spells also cost negligible MP to cast, and are quick to be unleashed upon enemies within a few turns. But their stronger spells require a lot of JP to learn, meaning that you're going to be stuck with a caster Job that can only use their basic spells for some time, until they can do otherwise... which also brings along it's own slew of problems, as their new spells are also costlier to use in general.
** However, their problems can be all averted anyhow, though it will still take a lot of time, effort, and JP on your part to get the most use out of your Black Mages. As always, giving them the best possible gear and abilities can more than make up for most of the cons of using them in battle instead of a different Job.
* DifficultButAwesome: Black Mages share a lot of the same issues as the White Mages have, such as their low MP pools and lack of MP recovery outside of their second Job Command and/or other abilities, especially their much longer casting times for their own far stronger spells. But unlike the White Mages' case, it's more difficult for them to manage as the main way for the Black Mages to deal damage is to cast their spells, all of which costs them their MP. Even so, by wisely determining which spell to use and when to cast them, Black Mages can also serve as a decisive factor in winning a battle as well, much like their White opposites can.
** And again, much like their White opposites, they can also equip better gear and abilities that can boost their effectiveness in battle. For example, a 108 Gems/Japa Mala equipped on Black Mages with Magick [=AttackUp=]/Arcane Strength can make them dish out considerable damage even with their Tier 1 spells. Alternatively, Black Mages with the Time Mage's Short Charge/Swiftness and the Mystic's Move-MP Up/Manafont can become walking artillery barrages, with a Magepower Glove put on for more damage.
* TheFaceless: As per ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' tradition, the only thing you can see on a Black Mage's face is their glowing yellow eyes, and they display them very prominently thanks to their completely shadowed faces.
* FireIceLightning: Black Mages have four Tiers of spells for each element. Each Tier is five points slower to cast and costs more MP than the last, but in exchange, have increased power to make up for the drawbacks.
* FriendlyFire: Black Mages tend to indirectly cause this to their teammates. Thanks to how the enemy's AI works, it's normal to see an enemy unit a Black Mage has targeted move to stand right next to one of yours so ''both'' of them will get hit by their spell when it's cast, usually as an attempt at [[TakingYouWithMe taking your unit(s) with them.]]
* GlassCannon: For all of the damage they can bring to bear upon their enemies, Black Mages can't take much of it themselves, thanks to their physical fragility and equipment set. Like the White Mages, they're usually able to take a hit or three before they get downed, so it's for the best that you put your Black Mages in positions close enough to the fighting or in places where they can be easily defended by your sturdier units.
* MagicEnhancement: Their Support ability, Magic [=AttackUp=]/Arcane Strength, increases the sheer strength and accuracy of their spells by 33%, on top of boosting the Success Rates of StatusInflictionAttack spells for the same amount. Anyone equipped with this ability will find that their spells are more powerful than before.
* MagicStaff: Black Mages wield rods to help boost their Magick Attack or proficiency with one of the types of elemental spells they can cast. And depending on the rods in question, Black Mages can also whack their enemies with them to potentially unleash the elemental spell/status effect imbued within upon their targets.
* NecessaryDrawback: All of their spells, from the weakest to the strongest ones, takes them time and MP to cast, during which the Black Mages can't do much of anything save for waiting, moving away from danger, or ceasing to cast their current spell in favor of casting a different one. The game wouldn't be as challenging if they were simply able to spam the spells you want them to cast on every turn like Arithmeticians, anyway.
* NonElemental: Their Flare spell is this. It is one of the strongest spells available to the Black Mages, and while it costs them a hefty 60 MP to cast every single time, it can easily empty their enemies' HP bars from full to zero. Of course, like most of the powerful spells they can learn, it also takes them some time to cast.
* OneHitKill: Their Death spell. Oddly enough, it doesn't only put the Death status on enemies like it does in most ''Final Fantasy'' games; it also deals damage equal to the target's Max HP ''before'' inflicting the status. This isn't clear in-game unless the target has MP Switch/Mana Shield as a Reaction ability - they will still take MP damage equal to their Max HP as usual, but will then keel over, indicating that the status has taken effect.
* OutsideTheBoxTactic: Enemies with the Reflect status buff on them are natural counters to a Black Mage - most of their spells will simply not land on them until the buff goes away or you find a way to get past it, either by roughly determining where their spells will end up bouncing off to or by removing the effect via a spell.
* PowerCopying: Black Mages have a 30% chance of learning their three Tier 4 spells after being hit by them. However, they need to have survived the spells first, and trying to nullify the damage they're going to take by equipping certain gear does not count towards learning them. Absorbing them, on the other hand, does.
* PowerfulButInaccurate: Black Mages, despite being considerable spellcasters, suffer from a wide variety of factors that affects the accuracy (and power) of their spells. Most of them involves their Faith, since it governs how effective their spells are - as the higher it is, the likelier they'll connect and hit their target hard. However, their effectiveness is also affected by their ''target's own Faith stat'', meaning that Black Mages are practically useless against units with low Faith. This is one of the reasons why spellcasters tend to do badly in the late game, although there are a few methods to counteract their ineffectiveness and instead turn it into a strength.
* RobeAndWizardHat: Black Mages sport their iconic outfit here, but this time it includes striped and poofy colored pants, plus a pair of thick leather gloves and boots. And what {{Nice Hat}}s the Black Mages all wear!
* ShootTheMageFirst: Given that Black Mages have access to a repertoire of offensive and debilitating spells - in stark contrast to their White opposites - it's generally a good idea for you to also focus on taking them out too when you come across them in battles, seeing as they are capable of damaging more than one of your units at a time with their spells. The enemy AI in particular is happy to exploit that fact, and ''will'' do it, so don't hesitate to kill enemy Black Mages before they can get away with casting their spells. And if you saved them for last, thinking that they're just easy pickings, you might end up finding yourself being proven very wrong.
* SplashDamage: The Black Mage is one of the first Jobs to use abilities that can damage more than one unit at a time, which is moderately helpful if you can get your enemies to bunch up at a single spot. You can also directly target a tile an enemy unit is standing near to let their spells still affect them, if you just happened to be one tile short of locking it on to them. Make sure all your units get to avoid being caught in their spells.
* SquishyWizard: The Black Mage is the most fragile out of all the spellcaster Jobs in the game, yet it is one of the most powerful amongst them. It helps that Black Mages can learn how to cast the Death and Flare spells on enemies, and that the majority of the spells they use also affects the general area they're being cast at.
* UniversalPoison: Their Poison spell. It is capable of inflicting the eponymous status debuff upon a target, and can remove and replace the Regen status buff on those who have it. It deals damage based on one-eighth of the afflicted unit's Max HP at the end of their turn, and also happens to last quite a while.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Monk]]

[[quoteright:238:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_monks.jpg]]

-> ''A warrior, devoted to physical training, [[BareFistedMonk whose unarmed attacks are deadly.]] May use Martial Arts.''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Knight Level 2/3

Front-line fighters, Monks are good enough at KiManipulation that their own body has become a weapon in itself, in turn allowing them to perform feats such as attacking multiple enemies up close with their fists or from afar using [=Chi=]. And due to their proficiency in unarmed combat, forcing them to use actual weapons instead of their own fists would be pointless.
----
* BackFromTheDead: The Monk's Revive ability allows them to bring fallen units back to life, and gives the formerly dead much better healing than Phoenix Downs by resurrecting them with 20% of their Max HP.
* BootsOfToughness: Zig-zagged. Female Monks wear a pair of thick leather boots with wide shin guards. Meanwhile, male Monks wear what seems like a pair of ordinary shoes.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Barring a certain few of their abilities, Monks essentially function as one, with their fists dealing the majority of their damage for them since their punches usually hits their targets like a truck.
* CombatMedic: Monks may not seem like it at first glance, but their Stigma Magic/Purification, Chakra, and Revive abilities allows them to function as effective ones in battle, to the point they can outperform Chemists and White Mages in their intended roles - given that they can heal units as easily as they can damage them. However, that's only because the Base Success Rates and power of their abilities happens to scale off of their high Physical Attack in particular, rather than their average Magick Attack.
* ConspicuousGloves: Female Monks wear a pair of thick leather gauntlets, whose protection ranges from their knuckles to their elbows with wide couters covering the latter, all while allowing them ease of movement.
* CounterAttack: The Monk ties with the Thief on having the most Reaction abilities that can be learned within a single Job, with two of them depending on a unit's Bravery stat to activate when their requirements are met:
** Counter is an improved version of the Squire's Counter Tackle, in that the unit equipped with it will return the favor towards their attacker by attacking them back with their weapon after being struck in melee.
** Hamedo/First Strike is an improved version of the Knight's Weapon Guard/Parry, only instead of parrying the enemy's attack, the unit with the ability will attack them first, essentially cancelling the incoming attack.
* CriticalStatusBuff: The Monk's HP Restore/Critical: Recover HP Reaction ability allows units equipped with it to immediately regain some amount of HP upon entering the Critical state, and while it won't heal them much, it's often enough as a stop-gap measure... at least until you get a chance to heal your heavily injured units.
* CrutchCharacter: When first unlocked, Monks are powerful and versatile units who combine solid damage output with a variety of useful abilities. However, your enemies will eventually start hitting too hard for your Monks to be able to tank, and their damage will slowly begin to wane as you encounter the more powerful units and Jobs. They'll continue being strong once you start mixing and matching abilities learned from the other Jobs, but they won't dominate as much as they used to during the earlier parts of the game.
* CultureEqualsCostume: The Monk's outfit draws heavy inspiration from a mixture of the Real-Life East's views or portrayals of monks, who are usually depicted across most media as [[AllMonksKnowKungFu practitioners of the martial arts]], as [[WarriorMonk those who fight for their faith]], as [[ChurchMilitant both]], or [[EnlightenmentSuperPowers otherwise.]] But what's especially emphasised is the Monk's focus on unarmed combat - barring the occasional Chi manipulation - which can be attributed to Japanese ''Taijutsu'' (meaning "body technique" or "body skill"), which is a blanket term for anything combat-related that's also associated with the use of one's own empty fists. And on that note, the Monk is also one of four Jobs with distinct Japanese influences in their design, with the others being the Mystic, the Samurai, and the Ninja.
* DifficultButAwesome: Monks wear Clothes, but deal plenty of damage with their bare hands or [=Chi=], which isn't too much of a problem during the early game where you and your enemies are equipped with low quality gear and are also low-Level besides. However, as the game progresses into the later Chapters, Monks will struggle with surviving battles due to the often minimal bonuses their Clothes gives them. It comes to the point where they end up having shades of being a {{Glass Cannon}}, as they can still outright kill enemies with a single punch, but not do so well with taking a lot of damage themselves. Despite that fact, Monks remain a solid pick for battles, although it's only for as long as they don't die ''too'' quickly before making a difference.
** This extends to most of the Monk's abilities too, as they require the Monks and their targets to be standing on similar tile elevations in order to work. For instance, a Monk can't Revive an allied unit who's lying on a raised surface, while on the other hand they can use Chakra on an ally who's standing on a flat surface. So pay close attention to the battlefield and position your Monks at areas that'll benefit them the most.
* DishingOutDirt: Their Earth Slash/Shockwave ability deals moderate Earth damage in a straight line at long distances, although units who have the Float status buff or are standing at higher elevations will ignore it.
* DispelMagic: The Monk's Stigma Magic/Purification ability, which removes most of the status debuffs in the game from their users, alongside other units who happened to be standing right next to the one who used it.
* GradualRegeneration: The Monk's Move-HP UP/Lifefont Movement ability is an odd example of this, as those equipped with it can recover one-tenth of their Max HP upon moving at least one tile away from their current position. So, for as long as they keep moving each turn, units with this ability will regain their lost HP.
* HealingHands: The Monk's Chakra ability, which heals both HP ''and'' MP, gives them additional synergy with caster Jobs. Unlike most healing abilities, the amount that Chakra can restore is tied to the user's Physical Attack - which means the higher it is, the more HP and MP is restored to the user (and others) with each use.
* HeroesFightBarehanded: Being a Monk is all about this, with units becoming deadly even when unarmed. The Monk's innate Martial Arts/Brawler Support ability also allows other Jobs to do the same when equipped.
* KamehameHadoken: The Monk's Wave Fist/Aurablast ability is this, though it's attack animation makes it look like the enemy is being struck by a concentrated pocket of air rather than a flying, glowing energy ball.
* LifeEnergy: How most of their abilities seem to work off from, with their Stigma Magic/Purification, Chakra, and Revive abilities being the clearest-cut examples of it out of all the other abilities they have available.
* LightningBruiser: Monks are very agile, with a Speed of 9 on top of having high Base Attack and high Base HP as part of their Job's stat spread. And if you equip them with a good Movement ability, they can further show you just how powerful they can be - which most of the time, they actually already have.
** The Monk is a fairly speedy Job, but if you equip the Monk's Martial Arts/Brawler ability on a high Speed, high Move Ninja, then just sit back and watch as your enemies fall before you like chaff in two punches.
* MartialArtsHeadband: Male Monks wear one as part of their ensemble.
* NeverBareheaded: Zig-zagged. While male Monks wear a headband, female Monks don't. On the other hand, while male Monks are only able to wear Clothes and Accessories, female Monks also get to wear female-exclusive Hairpins like the Ribbons.
* PowerfulButInaccurate: Their Secret/Doom Fist ability is indeed a pretty powerful one that Monks have at their disposal, but unfortunately, it's Success Rate is dependent on the user's Magick Attack, meaning your Monks are usually much better off punching your enemies to death rather than relying on it to finish them off.
* RapidFireFisticuffs: Their Repeating Fist/Pummel ability's attack animation looks like it came straight out of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar''. Which is surprisingly appropriate, since the two opposing armies warring in the game also happens to represent those of the Northern Star and the Southern Cross.
* ReviveKillsZombie: Averted. The Monk's Chakra ability, if used on Undead-type units, will actually heal them instead of hurting them. As the nature of their Chakra ability is not considered divine in origin (like the White Mage's Cure and Raise spells), it's highly recommended that you do not make your Monks do so. That is, unless you have a unit afflicted with the Undead status debuff, in which case they can be healed by them.
* SexyBacklessOutfit: Female Monks wear what appears to be intricately designed backless leather leotards.
* SpinAttack: Their aptly named Spin Fist/Cyclone ability is this, which allows Monks to simultaneously attack enemies who have them surrounded. However, this ability will only truly shine when the user and their targets are all standing on similar tile elevations, with too high or too low enemies tending to not get targeted at all.
* SuperStrength: Because of how the game calculates the damage Monks deal, equipping them with gear that boosts their Physical Attack - which can also be boosted using the Squire's Accumulate/Focus - causes their damage output to skyrocket, with them dealing ''999 damage per punch'' pretty much an achievable dream[[labelnote:*]]And just in case you're interested in the damage formula used, here you go: [(Physical Attack * Bravery) / 100] * [Physical Attack * 3/2][[/labelnote]]. There's a reason why this Job is considered a Game-Breaker by players; ''it's capable of killing '''everything'''.''
* WalkingShirtlessScene: Male Monks wear what seems to be open vests that displays their toned physique.
* YouAreAlreadyDead: Keeping on to what this trope's name is referring to, this is the shtick of the Monk's Secret/Doom Fist ability. Those who use it gets to inflict the Doom status debuff effect on their targets, who will then die within 3 turns if it's not dispelled in time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Thief]]

[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_thieves.jpg]]

-> ''[[StickyFingers Warriors who can steal anything from anyone.]] Their skill is legendary.''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Archer Level 2/3

Canny footpads, Thieves use their remarkable speed to their advantage by stealing enemy equipment that may be either expensive or unavailable in shops, simultaneously providing their party with their newly ill-gotten gains and denying them from their former owners. They can use knives in battle.
----
* BadassesWearBandanas: Both male and female Thieves wear one that covers the top half of their heads, ostensibly to help conceal their identities or to protect themselves from the elements.
* BarehandedBladeBlock: Their Reaction ability, Catch/Sticky Fingers, allows Thieves to not take damage from - and then subsequently pocket - anything that was thrown at them by Ninjas, including swords and knight's swords. Combine it with the Ninja's own Job Command, Throw, and they can practically CatchAndReturn things in battle. It's also a nice way to get rare, powerful weapons from enemy Ninjas who might Throw them.
* BoringButPractical: The Thief's Move +2 Movement ability allows units with it to reach distant areas easier. It might not seem like much, but on paper ''and'' in practice, it's a helluva lot more faster for your units to equip compared to Move +3[[labelnote:*]]Male units need to unlock the Bard Job first in order to begin learning Move +3, while female units on the other hand have to go through with unlocking the Dark Knight Job to even start doing that, which is way easier said than done[[/labelnote]].
* CantCatchUp: While the Thief Job can be unlocked fairly early in the game, Thieves make for generally poor fighters as they're only armed with knives, and wear Clothes and Hats which hinders their chances of survival during a battle. The only reason you'd want to have a Thief in your party would be for when you want to Steal stuff, which is exactly the point of the Job - [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything Thieves who aren't stealing]] are better off being replaced by other Jobs. Even if you do use them as fighters, they're only as good as their knives, so don't expect them to live long either way. Just let your Thieves stick to doing what they do best and they should be fine that way.
* TheCasanova: The ability that charms units is called Steal Heart, implying that this trope is in effect, since the ability's stealing animation involves hearts floating away from the Thief's target as they're being Charmed.
* CharmPerson: Thieves can become this through their Steal Heart ability, which only works on humans of the opposite sex as well as monsters, who are considered gender-neutral. The individual they enthralled will then proceed to fight for the charmer's party, until they either get hit or eventually snap out of their Charmed state.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Thieves are a slippery bunch to face in battle, thanks to their innate 25% Physical Evasion rate they rely on whenever they need to get their hands dirty, but for all that they're skilled at dodging attacks, Thieves are simply half-decent fighters who don't last under prolonged fighting. While they can get in a good hit or two from time to time, try not to rely on them to finish off enemy units for you too much, since their damage output is somewhat mediocre, and that their Job's purpose isn't just about taking part in a fight.
* ConspicuousGloves: Both male and female Thieves wear a pair of supple leather gloves to help prevent their nimble fingers from getting hurt by the equipment they would attempt to repurpose from their hapless targets.
* DefendCommand: The Thief's Reaction ability, Caution/Vigilance, is an indirect one. Whenever a unit with this ability gets hurt, they have a chance that's based on their Bravery to immediately assume a defensive stance, which lowers the damage they'll take afterwards while also reducing the chances of them getting hit until they take their turn. If it's equipped on your Thieves, it'll ensure they'll survive longer on the battlefield.
* DifficultButAwesome: Stealing items from your enemies in the game can be charitably described as a LuckBasedMission in itself. There are three main factors affecting a Thief's Success Rates with nabbing an item from their target, which are their Bravery, Speed, and their Zodiac Sign compatibility with their target's Sign (which is already a headache to begin with). So, in order to put a Thief in your party to good use, you'll need to be mindful of those three things. Thankfully, you can boost up their Bravery and Speed with Ramza's and Luso's Cheer Up/Steel and Yell/Tailwind abilities, although their Zodiac Sign issue is still harder to deal with since enemies have randomized Signs, excluding a few certain storyline bosses. Manage your Thieves well, and in time you'll end up swimming in a surplus of gear before you know it, although it'll ''definitely'' take you a helluva lot of time and hard work on your Thieves' part to get at that point. Good luck, and have fun stealing!
* FiveFingerDiscount: This is what the Thieves' Gil Taking/Steal Gil ability does. Interestingly enough, human and monster enemies have an infinite amount of money that can be stolen from, so if you're in need of some quick cash, one good way of getting a lot of it would be to place a Thief or two on your party and then have them loot as much Gil as you want during a battle - preferably from a lone enemy who's been put to Sleep.
** How much Gil you get from enemies is based on the Thief's Level and Speed, the total amount of which is determined by multiplying the two values together. For the best possible results, get one of your Thieves up to Level 99 and then raise their Speed up to 50 during a battle, for an easy 4950 Gil per ability use.
* FragileSpeedster: While quick on their feet and even quicker on the uptake, Thieves unfortunately have low HP, so if they ever fail to evade an enemy's incoming attack, they can easily find themselves in dire straits.
* GreenAndMean: Both male and female Thieves predominantly wear green clothing, wield sharp and pointy knives, and lastly, are typically bandits whom you encounter a few times during the story. It's downplayed with the Thieves in your party, as while they aren't bandits themselves, they still get you Gil and gear through theft.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Thieves can scale high areas with ease using their Jump +2 Movement ability, which can potentially allow them to escape from danger whenever they find themselves being backed into a corner.
* IntangibleTheft: Thieves can inexplicably filch the combat experience of their targets for themselves through the use of their Steal Exp/EXP ability, although how they can do that in the first place is a mystery in itself.
* KleptomaniacHero: This is the purpose of the Thief Job in the game. If at any point you desire more money or otherwise need gear you can't afford, having some Thieves in your party to steal them off your enemies is a good way to make up for it, even if they don't make for good fighters as they're only useful for their thievery. Besides, stealing is sometimes the only way to get items that are either rare or [[PermanentlyMissableContent can't be found anywhere else.]]
* KnifeNut: As per usual in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series, Thieves prefer to wield knives as their WeaponOfChoice.
* MediumAware: Thieves are able to see how much EXP their targets have, and how much of it they can get.
* MoneySpider: Inverted. Thieves with the Gilgame Heart/Gil Snapper Reaction ability somehow earn Gil equal to the amount of HP they lost upon being hit, but how often this occurs depends on their Bravery stat.
* NemeanSkinning: Their Support ability, Secret Hunt/Poach, allows Thieves to reap a bonus reward from the monsters they have slain, of which can be purchased at a price from the Poachers' Dens come Chapter 3. You can also periodically get rare items from their poaches, which might not even be available at shops.
** To give you a bit of perspective about how powerful the ability is, you might find yourself encountering a rare genus of monster called Pig on your way to the Clockwork City of Goug, whose second Tier, Swine, has the immensely useful Perfume Chantage as a Common Poach. Capture that Pig via an Orator, and you can breed Swines to grind Chantages for all of your female units' use, or sell them as a source of Gil.
** And even better? The Pig's third Tier, Wild Boar, also has the equally useful Ribbon as a ''Common Poach.'' All of a sudden, getting yourself powerful gear from capturing, breeding, and then poaching certain types of monsters doesn't seem like it's going to be a massive waste of your own time and effort, now does it?
* NoSell: Thieves can't snatch gear off units equipped with the Chemist's Maintenance/Safeguard Support ability, or from certain boss units who have happen to have unique Jobs. There's no way around it either, so there's nothing you can do about it whenever you come across enemies with powerful gear you can't touch.
** A particularly glaring example of this would be the rematch against Elmdore, where in the [=PS1=] version of the game, you were able to steal [[DiscOneNuke his Genji equipment.]] In ''War of the Lions'', however, you no longer have the option to do that, thanks to the game being patched which enabled him to have it innately equipped.
*** By equipping the Thief's Catch/Sticky Fingers Reaction ability on your units, they'll basically become immune to the Ninja's Job Command, and since the enemy AI [[ArtificialStupidity isn't smart enough]] to [[FailedASpotCheck check what their Reaction abilities are]], they'e likely to end up being given weapons, shurikens, and bombs ''[[HilarityEnsues for free.]]''
* PercussivePickpocket: This is how most of their stealing animations all play out whenever they attempt to make off with something from a target, along with a cloud of light whose color changes depending on the type of item they're trying to grab ahold of. Gil, meanwhile, is shown being scattered across the ground instead.
* PowerfulButInaccurate: The Steal Heart ability's Success Rate is affected by the Thief's Magick Attack stat, which Thieves naturally have a low amount of. While having temporary allies on the battlefield is quite the boon, Steal Heart sometimes isn't worth the effort for your Thieves to use, as the Charmed state briefly lasts and can be removed at any time, and that's not taking into consideration the attempts it would take to stick. Either way, it's still a very powerful ability, one that may be worth using depending on the circumstances.
** Most of the Thief's Steal abilities are this as well, as they have low base Success Rates which is affected only by their Speed stat. Boost your Thieves' Speed up via gear or Ramza and Luso to help even the odds a little, and you'll find them becoming more and more successful at taking enemy gear for your own use.
* TooManyBelts: Both the male and female Thieves in the image provided have at least three belts on their person, with the male Thief having yet another belt wrapped around his right thigh for no apparent reason.
* VideoGameStealing: In addition to being able to rob enemies of their weapons, shields, helmets, armor, and accessories, Thieves can also steal their money, their combat experience, and even their [[{{Pun}} hearts]].
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Female Thieves wear them as part of their ensemble.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mystic (Oracle)]]

[[quoteright:215:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_mystics.jpg]]

-> ''[[YinYangBomb A warrior who uses the Mystic Arts to bend the forces of the cosmos to his or her will.]]''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: White Mage Level 2/3

Mages whose brand of magick hails from lands to the distant east of Ivalice, Mystics can inflict all sorts of debilitating status effects upon their enemies by contacting the spirit world and beseeching the many entities who dwell within. They can use poles, staves, rods, and books in battle.
----
* AntiMagic: Mystics are a powerful counter to the rest of the caster Jobs, mainly thanks to their three following spells: Spell Absorb/Empowerment, Doubt Faith/Disbelief, and Silence Song/Quiescence. The first allows them to drain enemy MP, while the others inflicts Atheist and Silence on targets.
* AwesomeButImpractical: The Mystic's spells are generally useful against enemies who aren't immune to the status debuffs they can inflict, but other than their Life Drain/Invigoration spell and normal attacks, the Job itself can't deal a lot of damage on it's own, on top of it's spells being quite costly to use in terms of time and MP. They also prove to be ineffective against enemy units who are immune to their spells, and they're uncommon enough to pose a significant problem.
* CantCatchUp: Mystics have a niche use, as there'll come a point in the game where it'll be more efficient for your units to damage enemies instead of spending a turn to debilitate them. Admittedly, while debuffing your enemies can provide you with several advantages in battle, the drawbacks of using their spells tends to leave them struggling with replenishing their MP if they're unable to successfully absorb it back from their targets.
* CarryABigStick: The Mystic is the first Job to have access to poles, a weapon type whose damage dealt is calculated by multiplying their wielders' Magick Attack and their equipped pole's Weapon Attack together. Pole-wielding units with high Magick Attack stats can easily catch up to or exceed a physical-oriented Job's damage output, although that's only possible for as long as they have a high-quality one equipped on them. Also, due to the length of the poles they can wield, they can attack enemy units from at least a tile away.
* CloseRangeCombatant: When armed with poles, Mystics can make for decent melee fighters owing to their high damage output with them. But however, their limited choices of Armor in the form of Hats, Clothes, and Robes leaves much to be desired concerning their chances of survival whenever they're fighting enemy units.
* CripplingOverspecialization: The Mystic's main purpose in the game is all about inflicting status debuffs on your enemies to make them become more vulnerable, and that's pretty much it. So, for as long as you won't make your Mystics do anything else the other Jobs can do much better, then that's all that they're good for.
* CrutchCharacter: The Mystic's usefulness varies throughout the entire game, as it's effectiveness is heavily reliant on your enemies having no immunities to the status debuffs they can inflict upon them. The Job also suffers when it's pitted against units or bosses who do have immunities to some of their status debuffs, which - as the game progresses into the later Chapters - unfortunately tends to become a semi-regular occurrence.
* CultureEqualsCostume: The Mystic's outfit draws heavy inspiration from the Japanese style of spell-casting called ''Onmyōdō'' (meaning "the Way of Yin and Yang"), and the ''shikigami'' that most of their spells displays before affecting their targets reinforces this. The Mystic is also one out of four Jobs with distinct Japanese influences in their design, with the others being the Monk, the Samurai, and the Ninja.
* DifficultButAwesome: Subverted. The Mystic is notable for being an unusual Job, due to the fact that their purpose on the battlefield revolves around inflicting status debuffs on your enemies. The difficulty of using them - and concurrently, their resulting awesomeness - however, lies in them managing to maintain their own effectiveness throughout the course of Ramza's journey, because as previously stated, there'll come a point where your units are simply better off damaging your enemies rather than debilitating them instead.
* DirtyCoward: No, not the Mystics themselves. One of their spells, Foxbird/Trepidation, allows them to directly affect their target's Bravery by reducing 30 points from it. Enough uses of that spell of theirs can lessen the chances of enemy Reaction abilities triggering, which can be especially useful if those said Reaction abilities are of the more deadlier or annoying types around, like the Samurai's Blade Grasp/Shirahadori for example.
* EnergyAbsorption: Their Reaction ability, Absorb Used MP/Absorb MP, is this. It has a chance that's based on their Bravery to work whenever they've been hit by a spell that was cast by another unit, where they'll then get to absorb the exact amount of MP that was used to cast the spell that has affected them for their own use.
* GiantWaistRibbon: Both male and female Mystics wear a red one as part of their ensemble, with the latter having a much larger and more noticeable ribbon tied around theirs.
* GradualRegeneration: Their Movement ability, Move-MP Up/Manafont, allows units to regenerate one-tenth of their Max MP after moving at least one tile away from their current position. It's one of the best Movement abilities available in the game, and when equipped on your mages, it can prove to be a massive boon to their own effectiveness... especially when it's combined with the Summoner's Half of MP/Halve MP Support ability, or just as equally, the Time Mage's Short Charge/Swiftness Support ability for halved spellcasting times.
* HostileWeather: Inverted. Their Any Weather/Ignore Weather Movement ability allows Mystics to ignore stormy weather while they move through water-logged tiles, such as marshes, swamps, and poisonous fens.
* LifeDrain: Appropriately enough, this is what their Life Drain/Invigoration spell does. It takes away 25% of their target's Max HP for the Mystics' own use, though it can still be used to damage their targets anyway.
* LongRangeFighter: Downplayed. When armed with books, Mystics can function as such, but they won't have as much range as Archers do since they can only attack at a range of 3 tiles, nor are they as good at it.
* MageKiller: Mystics can easily cripple and prevent enemy mages from casting their spells through multiple uses of their previously aforementioned spells. In just within a few successful casts of them, enemy mages can quickly find themselves hard-pressed to fight back or replenish their MP, forcing them on the back foot.
* MagicKnight: Mystics armed with poles are formidable foes to face in battle, as the damage they deal with them scales off of their Magick Attack and their pole's Weapon Attack, with their maximum attack range of 2 tiles allowing them to avoid enemy counterattacks by letting them strike your enemies from a safer distance.
* MagicStaff: Mystics can wield staves and rods like the White and Black Mages do, both weapon types of which can possibly enhance or hinder their magickal capabilities, depending on the staff or rod in question.
* ManaDrain: Their spell, Spell Absorb/Empowerment, lets them absorb your enemies' MP. It takes away 33% of their target's Max MP for the Mystics' own use, all at a measly but very cost-efficient 2 MP per spell cast.
* MediumAware: Mystics can somehow sense the Bravery of their targets, and can also directly affect it.
* NecessaryDrawback: Likewise with the White and Black Mages, the Mystic's spells takes it time and MP to cast, with the only difference being that the majority of them are quite expensive to cast whenever necessary. Luckily, Mystics can make up for this shortfall of theirs by draining away the MP they need from their targets.
* NiceHat: Both male and female Mystics wear a black rounded hat atop their heads, which adds on to their perceived image of being learned men and women who hail from the distant continents to the east of Ivalice.
* OutsideTheBoxTactic: Downplayed. Except for three of it's abilities, the Mystic's debuff-inducing spells can be countered with the Time Mage's Reflect spell, as it is the case with the White Mage and Black Mage Jobs. But unlike the two Jobs, Mystics can opt to remove the buff with their Dispel Magic/Harmony spell, or ignore it entirely while using their Spell Absorb/Empowerment and Life Drain/Invigoration spells on their buffed targets.
* PercentDamageAttack: The Mystic's Spell Absorb/Empowerment and Life Drain/Invigoration spells count as such, with the former taking 33% of their target's Max MP, and the latter taking 25% of their target's Max HP.
* PowerfulButInaccurate: The Success Rates of the Mystic's spells are all affected by their Magick Attack stat, which means that they may occasionally encounter some issues with landing their spells on enemies, as the Faith of their target and their own also happens to have some effect on their spells' overall Success Rates.
* StatusBuffDispel: Their spell, Dispel Magic/Harmony, lets Mystics remove all positive status effects that are not permanently active from their targets. It's very handy against enemy caster Jobs who can buff their allies.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Mystics specialize in them, since most of their spells can't deal damage on their own. What they aim for is the utter debilitation of their enemies instead, all through the use of their following spells:
** ArbitrarySkepticism: Doubt Faith/Disbelief inflicts Atheist, preventing spells from affecting the target at all, while also preventing their own spells from affecting anyone.
** BalefulPolymorph: Foxbird/Trepidation directly lowers their target's Bravery stat, which when lowered below 10, will literally transform them into a Chicken who can't fight back.
** BlindedByRage: Blind Rage/Fervor inflicts Berserk, giving the target increased physical damage while limiting them to the Move and Attack commands, on top of always targeting the closest available unit.
** ForcedSleep: Sleep/Repose inflicts Sleep, preventing the target from moving or acting until they wake up.
** InterfaceScrew: Confusion Song/Delirium inflicts Confuse, which forces the afflicted unit to act randomly while making it hard for them to hit a target in melee.
** TheParalyzer: Paralyze/Hesitation inflicts Disable, preventing the target from acting during their turn.
** PowerNullifier: Silence Song/Quiescence inflicts Silence, stopping the afflicted target from casting spells.
** TakenForGranite: Petrify/Induration inflicts Stone, turning the target into a harmless statue.
** TemporaryBlindness: Blind/Umbra inflicts Blind, which makes it harder for the afflicted target to land a hit on their enemies, but only for whenever they try to physically attack them.
** TurnToReligion: Pray Faith/Belief inflicts Faith, which causes spells and all status effects that can be inflicted upon targets to be more powerful and likelier to be successfully cast, including their own spells.
** ZombifyTheLiving: Zombie/Corruption inflicts Undead, which literally turns the target Undead, causing healing items or spells to damage them instead while life-draining or Dark-elemental attacks heals them.
* StoneWall: Their Support ability, Defense UP/Defense Boost, allows Mystics to take 33% less damage from all sorts of physical attacks. It's a very useful Support ability to have equipped on most - if not all - of the other Jobs, since it practically means that they'll be able to tank a lot more physical hits than they normally can.
* SquishyWizard: The Mystic's choice of Armor still leaves it a physically frail Job, but should they be equipped with the right gear or abilities, they can avert being one, unlike most of the other spellcaster Jobs in the game.
* WeakButSkilled: Although Mystics only have one damage-dealing spell, the rest are nonetheless still very powerful in their own right. Debilitating enemies with the right status debuff at the right moment can make a huge difference in battle, such as putting your enemies to Sleep so your units can have some time to breathe.
* WeaponsGradeVocabulary: The Mystic is also the first Job to use books. Attacking with books involves opening them and (presumably) reading a page out loud, which then damages their target. Units who have high enough Physical and Magick Attack stats can deal a surprisingly large amount of damage with them[[labelnote:*]]Any book-wielding unit's damage is calculated by adding the wielder's Physical and Magick Attack together, then by dividing them by 2, and then by multiplying the book's Weapon Attack with the end result, as shown in this example: (10+12) / 2 * 7 = 77 damage[[/labelnote]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Time Mage]]

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_timemages.jpg]]

-> ''[[TimeMaster The Time Mage controls time and space.]] This sorcerer toys with the laws of the universe.''
-->-Description
-> Prerequisite: Black Mage Level 2/3

Mages of whom are quite capable of manipulating the very fabric of the universe, not only can Time Mages toy with Time itself to their advantage, they can also control the flow of any battle through the use of their spells. They can use staves in battle.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: What their Meteor spell is, in a nutshell. While it's a very powerful spell to unleash upon your enemies, it costs your Time Mages a lot of their MP to use. It's also very, ''very'' slow to cast, and - unlike the Summoner's Espers - it's ''definitely '''not''' FriendlyFireproof'', making it incredibly easy for any of your Time Mages to accidentally kill their own allies along with their hapless targets.
* AttackReflector: Their spell, Reflect, is an almost perfect example of this trope. When cast upon your units, all but the most powerful spells the spellcaster Jobs can cast will simply bounce off to somewhere else on the battlefield. However, this also means that any of your units who may need healing or buffs will be unable to receive any for as long as they're Reflected. But if you carefully plan out when to apply it on them, however, their spell will essentially act as an invaluable aegis of protection against most enemy spells for your units.
%% * BoringButPractical
* CastFromHitPoints: Inverted. The Time Mage's Reaction ability, MP Switch/Mana Shield, allows them to make any damage that would have resulted in a loss of their HP instead damage their own MP. When it's combined with the Mystic's Move-MP Up/Manafont Movement ability, it can render your units functionally immortal against most conventional means of killing, though they can still die whenever their MP is empty.
* ColonyDrop: The Time Mage's Meteor spell, for all intents and purposes, is practically a small-scale version of the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. Be careful when you decide to use the spell, since using it means you're bringing down an indiscriminate, gigantic chunk of rock on the heads of your enemies ''and'' your units.
%% * CooldownManipulation
%% * CriticalStatusBuff
%% * DifficultButAwesome
* ExtraTurn: The Time Mage's spell, Quick, basically fills up their target's CT count. What this means is simple; a unit who has been Quickened will have their own turn come up as soon as possible if it's been successfully applied, regardless of whoever in the Active Turn list was supposed to go next. However, any and all units who already had full CT counts before they did, and have higher Speed than they do, will still get to go first.
%% * FriendlyFire
%% * GlassCannon
* GravityMaster: Appropriately enough, Time Mages function as such, thanks to the use of their three spells, which are Demi/Gravity, Demi 2/Graviga, and Float. The latter spell, in particular, allows affected units to literally Float at least a foot above all sorts of terrain - including the more hazardous tiles and the occasional hidden trap or two on the battlefield - as well as be immune against Earth-elemental attacks while it's active.
** This also extends to their Movement ability, Float/Levitate, as it allows them to have the Float status buff permanently active on them when it's equipped.
%% * MagicStaff
%% * NecessaryDrawback
* NiceHat: Both male and female Time Mages wear a red conical hat that's been emblazoned with a star as part of their ensemble. In-game, they can also equip Hats, including the aforementioned red conical hat itself.
%% * NonElemental
%% * OutsideTheBoxTactic
* PercentDamageAttack: Their spells, Demi/Gravity, and Demi 2/Graviga, respectively deals damage that is equal to 25% and 50% of their target's Max HP. While costly to use in terms of time and MP, they're usually worth using as they're extremely effective against certain boss units, not to mention that they can also easily kill regular enemies in just within 4 or 2 casts of them.
%% * PowerfulButInaccurate
%% * PowerCopying
%% * PurpleIsPowerful
* RealityWarper: Downplayed. Befitting their name, Time Mages are capable of bending time and space for their own use, though it's usually in the form of making their allies move faster, slowing down their enemies, and/or by outright Stopping their targets in their tracks via the appropriate spells that they can learn to use.
%% * RobeAndWizardHat
%% * ShootTheMageFirst
%% * SplashDamage
%% * SquishyWizard
%% * StatusBuff
* StatusInflictionAttack: Time Mages can inflict Don't Move/Immobilize and Stop through the use of their spells that also bears the name of the status debuffs.
%% ** TheParalyzer
%% ** UnPaused
%% * SuperSpeed
%% * Teleportation
%% * WeakButSkilled
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Geomancer]]

[[quoteright:212:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_geomancers.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 3/4 Monk.

Geomancers call upon the powers of the ground beneath their feet to battle on their behalf; the effects of the spell in question depends on what terrain they are standing on. Can use swords and axes in battle.
----
* AnAxeToGrind: The only other class besides Squire that can use them.
* BareYourMidriff: Male Geomancers.
* CherryTapping: Geomancy is not the most powerful skill in the game. However, it has very long range, is instant, doesn't cost any MP, and can cause status effects; a Geomancer who knows all their spells can always be causing damage no matter where they are.
* GeoEffects: The main gimmick of the class is that their attacks use the terrain to cause different effects.
* LightningBruiser: They are very mobile and start off with good strength but it becomes very high strength when they learn Attack Up/Boost.
* MagicKnight: Unlike most versions Geomancers here have good strength with access to swords and axes along with their good magick. Slap on a secondary magick command and you're all set. (What they ''don't'' have is access to armor.)
* StatusInflictionAttack: And which status depends on the terrain you're standing on.
* WalkOnWater: Variant -- Any Ground/Ignore Terrain allows movement through swampy ground without being poisoned, and Move On Lava/Lava Walking allows you to ignore the damaging effects of ''[[ConvectionSchmonvection lava]]''.
* {{Whatevermancy}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dragoon (Lancer)]]

[[quoteright:247:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_dragoons.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 3/4 Thief

Dragoons leap high into the air and stab their opponents, doing extra damage if specifically equipped with spears. Can use spears in battle.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical: Two separate examples.
** The ability Ignore Height is pretty cool, but only useful on a select few maps to begin with and made further impractical by the Dragoon's slow movement of only 3 tiles.
** Dragoons themselves have terrible stat growth, and if you rely heavily on Dragoons you'll end up underpowered for the end game.
* BackFromTheDead: Dragoon can learn Dragon Spirit/Dragonheart which allows a Dragoon to return to life after getting knocked out.
* BoringButPractical: The Jump command. Damage equivalent to a Knight's, but at range? Will spam Jump again please and thank you.
* BladeOnAStick: A Dragoon just isn't a Dragoon without a polearm.
* FakeDifficulty:
** Jump is the only non-instant skill in the game that you cannot check the turn order to see when it will land, meaning you essentially have to guesstimate the timing and hope that your target doesn't get their turn before you land. Naturally, [[TheAllSeeingAI the AI knows exactly when ''they'' will land]] and will be successful every time they jump.
** Jump is 2x the jumper's speed, so it's possible to manually calculate the landing time, [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard which is why the computer is not technically a cheating bastard here]]. It's a rather annoying hassle though. One rule of thumb that nearly always works is to only use Jump against a target whose CT is currenly 50 or below.
* GoombaStomp: The animation for Jump implies this, though of course there's also a big pointy spear involved.
* InASingleBound: Their Ignore Elevation skill allows them to jump to any height within their move range.
* MightyGlacier: Their spears have attack power equal to the best swords in the game and they can wear plate armor, but they only have 3 tiles of movement.
* NiceHat: A helmet evocative of a dragon's skull.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Orator (Mediator)]]

[[quoteright:227:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_orators.jpg]]

->Prerequisite: Level 2/3 Mystic

Orators use their silk tongues to boost team morale, strike fear into the hearts of the enemy, or simply talk them to death. Can use guns and knives in battle.
----
* HeelFaceTurn: Invitation/Entice can induce this in enemy units.
* IShallTauntYou: Insult, which puts the enemy into Berserk status if successful.
* NiceHat: Looks like a pillow with tassels.
* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: Solution/Enlighten, which lowers Faith values.
* StatusInflictionAttack: Can inflict quite a few.
* SuperEmpowering: Orators can raise ally Faith and Brave values (or, if you're feeling cheeky, raise ''enemy'' Faith values before dropping a spell on them, as damage scales with the target's Faith as well as the user's).
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Literally and figuratively.
* TheGunslinger: Can use guns as weapons which like the Chemist lets them get around their bad strength and is preferable to using daggers.
* YourMindMakesItReal: Condemn inflicts Doom on the target by ''convincing'' them that they are about to die.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Summoner]]

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_summoners.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 3 Time Mage

Summoners call forth the power of Espers to help allies or hurt enemies. Can use rods and staves in battle.
----
* EliteTweak: Summons may range into [[AwesomeButImpractical impractical]] for their high MP cost and charge times but you can cast a very strong and slow summon on one of your units (since summons don't damage friendly units) and have that unit carry it to the enemy rather than put your slow and squishy Summoner in bone crunching combat.
* FriendlyFireproof: Summon is one of only two abilities to safely distinguish friend from foe, the other being Iaido.
* GlassCannon: Summons are the most devastating magick in the game, and distinguish between friend and foe, but Summoners are both slow and fragile so be careful where you place them.
* TheRedMage: Lots of powerful elemental and non elemental attacks but they also have a few healing and support summons like Fairy and Golem.
* SummonBiggerFish: Of course.
* TakingTheBullet: The summon Golem blocks physical damage for the party, but this protection doesn't last forever.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Samurai]]

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_samurai.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 3/4 Knight, Level 4/5 Monk, Level 2 Dragoon

Samurai mark the start of more complicated classes; it requires levels in Knight and its derivative, but also in the Archer-descended Dragoon. In addition to attacking with their blades, Samurai can draw spirits from said blade for various effects. Can use katanas in battle.
----
* BarehandedBladeBlock: The Bladegrasp/Shirahadori, which also grants ArrowCatch and BulletCatch thanks to GoodBadBugs.
* BreakableWeapons: Using the Iaido ability has a chance of breaking the weapon in the inventory.
* FriendlyFireproof: Iaido abilities won't harm the Samurai's allies.
* GlassCannon: Even though they can equip armor their HP will remain on the same level as most non-armor units. Their skills are still very useful at dealing heavy damage to crowds.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: When they can cast area-of-effect spells that distinguish friend from foe, they are!
* SamuraiPonytail: Appropriately female Samurai sport these along with a MartialArtsHeadband.
* TooAwesomeToUse: Samurai's special ability is to draw out power from katanas to create various [=AoE=] effects that can either heal/buff allies or hurt/debuff enemies. Each katana in the game has a different effect. This would be pretty cool, except there is a chance that the move will destroy whatever katana you are using. Needless to say, you are not very likely to risk the one-chance-to-steal Masamune or the buried-in-the-BonusDungeon Chirijiraden no matter how nice the effects are, because you can't get replacements.
* WalkOnWater: Available as a Movement ability.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Ninja]]

[[quoteright:222:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_ninjas.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 3/4 Archer, Level 4/5 Thief, Level 2 Geomancer

Ninjas are the masters of assassination, able to use two weapons at once and throw things at the enemy. Can use knives, ninja blades, and flails in battle.
----
* BoringButPractical: Ninjas can throw almost anything at their opponents but you'll probably stick to bombs and shurikens for their low price and good damage.
* DualWielding: Innate to Ninjas, available as a Support ability.
* GlassCannon: The fastest class in the game, able to dish out heavy damage up close with their dual weapons, but they are very frail, relying on their evasion ability to survive.
* {{Invisibility}}: Ninjas have the reaction skill "Vanish", easily one of the best skills in the game. Your ninja becomes invisible to enemies and it only ends when you attack. There is no TheAllSeeingAI, so enemies will ignore your ninja until the ninja stabs them in the back. The only way for enemies to attack an invisible ninja is by accident (such as blasting a different character with an [=AoE=] attack).
* SuperReflexes: Has the highest Evasion of any job, and also can learn a Reaction ability that raises Evasion.
* ThrowAwayGuns: Actually, averted. Guns are the only weapon that a Ninja ''can't'' throw.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: They come in three flavors; fire, lightning and water. The water bomb is particularly useful due to water elemental attacks being scarce and sometimes impractical.
* ThrowTheBookAtThem & ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Any weapon in the game can be thrown with the ability unlocked.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dancer]]

[[quoteright:295:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_dancer.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Female only, Level 4/5 Geomancer, Level 4/5 Dragoon

Dancers can hit every enemy on the field with their dances, damaging or debilitating them. Can use knives and cloths in battle.
----
* BareYourMidriff
* DanceBattler
* DeathByAThousandCuts: Wiznaibus/Mincing Minuet usually does piddling damage, but activates two and a half times as fast as most unboosted units move. A Dancer or two performing a Mincing Minuet from the start of the battle can leave the enemy team crippled over time.
* {{Flight}}: Somehow they are able to learn the ability to fly.
* FullContactMagic: Inverted. Dances have physically-based effects, but can hit from anywhere on the field.
* LevelGrinding: Dances activate at a pace independent of the user's Speed, making them useful for levelling slower classes.
* LuckBasedMission: Aside from HP/MP damage, the chance of a dance taking effect is 50%, no alterations.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Cloths, which are snapped at enemies like towels.
* StatusInflictionAttack: The Forbidden Dance attempts to inflict Blind, Confuse, Silence, Toad, Poison, Slow, Stop, and Sleep, at the same time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Bard]]

[[quoteright:229:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_bard.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Male only, Level 4/5 Summoner, Level 4/5 Orator

Bards can assist all allies on the field with their magickal songs, healing them or boosting their abilities. Can use harps in battle.
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* BrownNote: Harps do damage by being played.
* ExtraTurn: Finale immediately fills up all units' CT gauges.
* {{Flight}}: Just like Dancers they can learn how to fly. It makes even less sense than dancers learning it.
* LevelGrinding: Songs activate at a pace independent of the user's Speed, making them useful for levelling slower classes.
* LuckBasedMission: Aside from the HP/MP healing, the chance of a song taking effect is 50%, no alterations.
* MagicMusic: Healing and status buffs from anywhere on the field, applied with Magick Attack from a job accessed through levelling multiple mage jobs.
* StatusBuff: The Nameless Song attempts to bestow Reraise, Regen, Protect, Shell, and Haste, at the same time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Arithmetician (Calculator)]]

[[quoteright:209:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_arithmeticians.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: Level 4/5 White Mage, Level 4/5 Black Mage, Level 3/4 Mystic, Level 3/4 Time Mage

Though extremely slow to get a turn, once they do get that turn Arithmeticians are the game's equivalent to weapons of mass destruction. Carpet bomb the enemy with power spells, turn them all into weaklings, make your own party virtually immortal... Arithmeticks can do all that, and more. Can use poles and books in battle.
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* AllYourPowersCombined: Can use the list of all the non-Summoner spells that they had learned before (except a scant few high tier spells in the White, Black, and Time Mage schools) and use them almost instantly. An Arithmetician with Summon (or a Summoner with Arithmeticks) has access to every magickal effect in the game except Quick and Meteor.
* DifficultButAwesome: They are slow as molasses, which has the added effect of making them very difficult to train. To be functional on the battlefield, they need to know all of their abilities ''and'' have a good repertoire of spells from other classes. They're also prone to causing friendly fire easily if you're not careful. But if you're willing to take the time to work with them and do some careful planning in combat, Arithmeticks can nuke ''everything''.
* MadMathematician: A player who doesn't know what they're doing is going to end up with this trope if they try and use Arithmeticks blindly.
* MediumAware: While Height is definitely observable in-game, Arithmeticians are somehow also able to see ally and enemy levels, experience, and even CT.
* MightyGlacier: Oh, how very slow they are (base speed 4, the lowest in the game), but oh, how very, very mighty. (Or, use Bard/Dancer to grind JP and then tack Arithmeticks on one of the other caster jobs.)
* MundaneMadeAwesome: This is a Job that exploits ''the power of math''.
* PerfectPlayAI: With all of the variables learned, the AI can unleash utter ''hell'' upon everything, knowing exactly what to do for maximum damage output against it's opponents without accidentally hurting its allies. Luckily, you can make this work to your advantage by setting your own Arithmetician to AI mode. After that, you can basically sit back and watch as your enemies get annihilated.
* TotalPartyKill: Can potentially do this to your enemies under the right conditions with with a strong spell like Holy or Flare. Though if misused you can [[EpicFail end up doing this to your own party in the process]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Mime]]

[[quoteright:311:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_mimes_4.jpg]]

-> Prequisite: Level 8 Squire, Level 8 Chemist, Level 4/5 Geomancer, Level 4/5 Dragoon, Level 4/5 Orator, Level 4/5 Summoner

The Mime can take no actions on their own, but will mimic all (generic) ally actions, doubling the action economy. They have no innate usable equipment at all, but do have several innate abilities.
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* BareFistedMonk: The Mime has innate Brawler, giving them Bravery-boosted physical attacks to compensate for their lack of equipment.
* FacelessGoons: Female Mimes seem to be evoking this look, as she wears a kitsune mask over her head.
* HeroicMime: Literally, when one fights on your side anyway. (Though a Mime can still trigger spell incantations and will have dialogue with you in the Formation menu.)
* ImprobableAimingSkills: The Mime has innate Concentration, which guarantees their attacks will connect if there's something for them to connect with.
* PowerCopying
* SuperEmpowering: The Mime has innate Beastmaster, which will unlock the hidden abilities your ally monsters have.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dark Knight]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_darkknights.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: PSP only, Mastered Knight, Mastered Black Mage, Level 8 Dragoon, Samurai, Ninja, and Geomancer, and 20 killed enemies who have crystallized/turned into chests

Can use swords, fell swords, knight swords, and flails in battle.
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* AwesomeButImpractical: Dark Knights are very strong thanks to their abilities being safely able to be used from slightly longer distances, on top of being stronger offensively then a Knight would be. However the amount of grinding needed to unlock the class renders it more or less useless except for the final bosses and the optional content. It does at least serve as a good end game class for Ramza however.
* {{BFS}}: Fell swords are basically dark versions of Knight Swords and actually require both hands to use them.
* BraggingRightsReward: By the time you can unlock this class, you probably don't need it.
* TheFaceless: All we see from the helmet are two glowing eyes, a la the Wizard.
* CastFromHitPoints:
* CastingAShadow
* MagicKnight: Oddly enough, it ''isn't'' this despite mastering Black Mage being a requirement. It is a class that relies only on your physical strength. In fact, it is possible to gimp your Dark Knight if you start out with mastering Black Mage early on, as many of your levels will be gained with Black Mage stat growths which are not useful for Dark Knight at all, so it is recommended to max out Black Mage last and get your physical classes finished first to take advantage of their growths while you are leveling the fastest.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Onion Knight]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fft_onionknights.jpg]]

-> Prerequisite: PSP only, Level 6 Squire, Level 6 Chemist

Can use any weapon in battle but are unable to use abilities.
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* BadassNormal: Being unable to use any abilities, they count as this.
* BraggingRightsReward: Although the Job is actually quite simple enough to unlock (simply get Squire and Chemist to level 8), by the time you unlock the Onion Knight's full potential, you DEFINITELY don't need it as you must master every other class in the game to do this, aside from the Squire, Chemist, Dark Knight, and the Mime.
* {{Foil}}: To the Mime; both have unbelievable stats, and require multiple mastered jobs to use (or in the Onion Knight's case, to use effectively). A Mime cannot equip ''anything'', but can do almost '''everything'''; an Onion Knight can equip ''everything'', but nearly cannot do '''anything'''.
* JackOfAllTrades: Who gradually moves from MasterOfNone to RenaissanceMan.
* MagikarpPower: Laughably weak until you start mastering Jobs and getting Onion equipment.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: Infuriatingly computer controlled Onion Knights in some of the bonus battles are fully decked out with abilities even though your Onion Knights can't equip any.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: In this case when all you have (at max level) are massive stats, the strongest equipment in the game and only the attack command the only thing to do is, well, attack with impunity.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Male Onion Knights are allowed to equip female-exclusive equipment.
[[/folder]]
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