Final Fantasy IX and the importance of self-identification

March 14, 2020

Identity is a somewhat common theme in the Final Fantasy franchise, it’s touched many of the stories and characters in an interesting way. In Final Fantasy VII, you have both Cloud and Sephiroth unravelling the truth behind themselves. Cloud having to come to terms with the fact that he never was the First-Class Soldier he wanted to be, but that he can still save the day as himself. Sephiroth believing himself to be one of the Cetra and that his true mother is Jenova, a belief that causes him to almost end the world as revenge. However, it’s Final Fantasy IX where the theme of identity, and most importantly self-identification, has the strongest impact.

Final Fantasy XI, released on the original PlayStation in 2000, was a return, or rather send up, to the classic Final Fantasy. Both in terms of tone and setting. Both Final Fantasy VII and VIII took on a more contemporary or futuristic setting. VII especially given the high-tech city of Midgard. IX on the other hand returned to the more medieval/steampunk aesthetic, more in line with Final Fantasy III or IV. Right down to Yoshitaka Amano taking the lead with designs rather than Tetsuya Namoura. Kingdoms and Castles are a major set piece throughout the game, with lead characters even taking the form of Knights, Queens, Princess and King Regents.

The story follows Zidane Tribal, an unusual 16-year-old thief, complete with a monkey’s tail, who is part of a travelling theatre troupe named Tantalus. The troupe are hired to kidnap the young Princess Garnet of Alexandria during a performance of ‘I Want to Be Your Canary’. The plot twists however when Zidane finds the Princess, and she asks to be kidnapped. The troupe escape Alexandria with Princess Garnet, Vivi (a young Black Mage), and Stainer (a devoted Knight) in toe. Along the way, the crew meet new characters, but when war between kingdoms is declared, and a threat from another world rears it’s head, the team must try to save their world while finding a place in it.

While the theme of identity hits many of the characters in the story. Such as Freya and her beloved Sir Frately who tragically does not remember their life together. Or Kuja’s distain with his identity and decides to surpass it for himself, even if it means starting wars. However, the core three to look at are arguably it’s three main protagonists. Zidane Tribal, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, and Vivi the black mage.

The plot of Final Fantasy IX is kickstarted by the kidnapping of Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. However, the first thing we learn about her is her want to escape. To the point that she demands to be kidnapped by the theatre troupe, even playing along when it seems like they might be stopped when accidentally ending up on stage during the performance. When they leave, the ship crashes in the forest, and the party have to go find the Princess. One of the first things Princess Garnet does when things quiet down is decided to give herself her own name. Choosing to rename herself after the weapon Zidane is carrying, taking on the name Dagger. She requests that Steiner, the loyal protector and Captain of the Knights of Pluto, stop referring to her as Princess. With the exception of the end of the game, and coming back to Alexandria in Disc 3, she sticks to the Dagger identity. While on the road, she makes an effort to change how she speaks, tries to define herself as something new. Through the course of the game, you learn a lot about her upbringing in the castle. Her high calibre of education, the strict upbringing by her mother and father. When she describes it, particularly to Zidane, she speaks of it as though it’s confinement. A particularly notable scene is where Dagger and Stainer are traveling back to the Castle, and when Steiner exclaims his happiness to be home, Dagger is utterly confused. It’s only when he notes that Alexandria is larger than its castle walls, we realise just how sheltered her life has been.

Taking on the identity of Dagger could very well be seen as Garnet trying to figure out who she is outside of just being the Princess of Alexandria. She wants to find who she is outside of the well spoken and highly educated royal. Taking on a new name to form a new identity is nothing new in fiction. An appropriate example would be The Matrix and its main character, Neo. Neo starts off his life as Thomas Anderson, as the villain notes during the first act of the film, Thomas Anderson is a respected programmer for a software company. A good man pays his taxes on time and helps out his landlady. But when he takes on the name Neo, he is freer in himself. He is the notorious hacker, known throughout the internet for the work he does, most of which is heavily considered criminal activity. There is an active choice to do what he wants to do in his own time under a different name. This is compounded by the films ended when the villain, Agent Smith, refers to him as Mr Anderson, only for him to reply that his name is Neo. Dagger goes through a similar transformation here. She doesn’t want to be defined by the Princess Garnet identity and the weight and responsibly associated with it. She has never known a life, to her knowledge, that hasn’t been governed by responsibility and obligation. Dagger on the other hand, is brand new. No responsibility to the world, and a life to call their own.

Through the course of the game however, the player, and Garnet discover their true origins. It’s revealed that when Garnet was very young, she was actually a member of the summoner tribe in Madain Sari. She and her mother escaped during a storm on a small boat and found themselves washed on the shore of Alexandria. Her mother didn’t survive the trip and the young Garnet, originally named Sarah was taken in. The King and Queen had just lost their daughter, Princess Garnet, and with the young girl Sarah resembling the Princess heavily, they decide to raise Sarah as their own. Removing the distinctive horn of the summoner tribe from her head and raising her as though nothing happened. Dagger leans this while on the road in her travels and never does confront her mother with this reality. It becomes another part of her identity. A survivor of Madain Sari and a Summoner. After a final conversation with the dying Queen Brahne, Dagger still sees her as a mother. The woman who did raise her, regardless of how thinks went towards the end, and the lie. Later, Dagger takes one last step to defining herself with her own identity, by cutting her hair with the same dagger she named herself for. By the end of the game, Dagger is now Queen Garnet of Alexandria, the daughter of Queen Brahne and a descendant of the Summoner tribe. She embraces ever part of herself, and in the final moments does what she chooses rather than what is expected. Embracing Zidane in front of her kingdom.

Being the main character of the game, the player would expect to learn a lot about Zidane. However, aside from a conversation in the second disc with Dagger, Zidane’s background isn’t revealed to us, or even to him until the games final act. Zidane’s visual design does set him apart from the rest of his theatre troupe. He has a humanoid appearance, that of a teenager, but strangely he also has what appears to be a monkey’s tail. It’s not addressed until the later half of the game but is always there. It provides some form of mystery surrounding Zidane. It doesn’t seem to affect him, however. He’s happy go lucky in nature, a stark contrast to the previous two protagonists. Squall Lionheart from Final Fantasy VIII and Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII. He makes a lot of jokes, he’s a lady’s man, very bright and cheerful. Zidane is aware that he is not quite like everyone else but has come to terms with his place in life.

Around disc 2 of the game, Dagger and Zidane have a conversation in the middle of the night about home. Largely spired on by events happening to Vivi. Dagger asks him what he defines as home. Zidane goes on to tell a story of how he was 4 when he washed up on the shore of Lindblum. His only memory was a blue light in the sky. He was found by the leader of Tantalus, Baku, and was raised as one of their own. One day, he decided to leave home and try and find his birth home. Eventually, he returned realising how stupid it was to look for somewhere when your only clue is a blue light. When he returns, Baku smacks him around for leaving without saying anything, but then smiles and makes him some food. He says to Dagger that the moment he saw the look on Baku’s face, and felt the love from his ‘brothers’, he knows what home was. It’s at this point, that we know that Zidane is comfortable and knows who he is in life, even with the mystery of his tail. The final act of the game, however, is where Zidane’s world view comes crashing down.

As the game draws to a close and the final plans are in motion, we learn about Kuja’s plan and home planet, as well as his creator. Garland. As we come face to face with Garland, we learn that Kuja is in fact a manufactured being. Meant to bring death and destruction to Gaia, the planet this game takes place on. However, Garland considers Kuja a failure, perhaps because he made Kuja as an adult, not having the ability to truly understand the depth of emotion needed for the job. So instead, he created a child, Zidane. Calling him his ‘Angel of Death’. The beings created by Garland and largely husks. Children with natural tails meant to one day house the souls of the people of Terra once they destroy Gaia and absorb its energy, saving their own world. Kuja and Zidane are considered more than their brethren, a species Garland names Genomes. But the knowledge that Zidane was created to destroy the very place he calls home destroys his sense of self.

Throughout the game, whenever Vivi starts to worry about ideas of identity, Zidane is very quick to tell him how good it is to talk about how he feels, and not to keep it all inside. When Zidane’s world view comes crashing down, he ignores his own advice. He shuts himself away and pushes his friends aside. It’s only as he’s running away, and ‘his demons’ are about to win, his friends still come to his aide. Starting with Steiner who distrusted Zidane the least at the beginning of the game, and finally ending with Dagger. The news does shake him to his very core, but by the games final battle, Zidane retains his nature and caring spirit. Kuja is defeated in battle, and once his friends are safe, Zidane decides to go back to rescue Kuja. They have a conversation about the hand life dealt them. As the conversation draws to a close, Kuja asks Zidane why he came to save him. Zidane’s only answer mirrors what he’s been saying to people throughout the game. “it’s the right thing to do”. With Dagger, you have someone trying to come into their own, but with Zidane, it’s reaffirming who they are.

Vivi is a stark contrast to both Dagger and Zidane. Vivi Ornitier first appears as what looks like a young boy dressed as a traditional Black Mage. A recurring class in the Final Fantasy franchise. Vivi becomes swept up in the games events when he sneaks into the showing of I Want to be Your Canary, and ends up on the ship as it’s escaping. As they end up in a small village while travelling, people seem to mistake Vivi for someone, or rather something, else. Overtime, we, just as Vivi does, begin to learn that Black Mages are manufactured. They are created as soulless weapons of war by Kuja. Vivi is horrified by this, shaken to an intense degree. he questions his own thoughts and feelings. Vivi is someone that constantly doubts his power and free will. It’s something that progresses through the game.

On the second continent, Vivi finds that people do start suddenly treating him differently. As though they know him and he’s been to their village before. After questioning, the party discover that there is a nearby village full of Black Mages. Vivi demands the party find this village, which they do. Vivi isn’t the only Black Mage to gain sentience but is clearly the youngest. Most refer to themselves only by number but clearly have thoughts and feelings. Vivi is astounded to find this and begins to start to feel like his own self, however, he finds a grave. After a conversation with one of the Mages, he learns that they only have a life span of a single year. This is devastating news to Vivi that does haunt him through out the majority of the game. Vivi does show worry for the Black Mage Village when ever the continent is in danger, becoming enraged when he learns that a number of the Mages had chosen to back to Kuja when they were promised an extension to their life. An obvious lie. The final time Vivi returns to the village he does find just two Mages left. They are waiting for a Chocobo egg to hatch. Proof that these beings do indeed have a soul, for a soulless puppet wouldn’t care about a baby chick being born. Much less naming it Bobby Corwin.

During confrontations, Vivi is frequently referred to as a puppet and spoken to in the third person. As the game draws to a close, Vivi becomes a determined, and strong-willed member of the party. Doing what he can to defeat Garland and Kuja and save his world. During the epilogue, it is hinted that Vivi did reach his ‘expiration date’, but his sons walk the streets of Alexandria and attend the new performance of I Want to be Your Canary and the reunion of Zidane and Dagger.

Final Fantasy IX is a masterwork in how to elevate storytelling through gameplay. Revealing major character details to not only the character, but the player as well for maximum impact. While Final Fantasy as a whole does tell some amazing stories in relation to identity, it’s IX that perhaps tells it’s story the most effectively.

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