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Player Information

Name: Fox
Other Characters Played: Professor Hojo

Character Information

Character Name: Zidane Tribal
Character Series: Final Fantasy IX
Character Age: 16
Character Gender: male
Original Canon
Canon Point: Near the end of the game, when he goes back into the Iifa Tree to save Kuja
Background Link: Character wiki entry, Game wiki entry
Personality:

Virtue - You don't need a reason to help people.

The above quote accompanies Zidane in the game's intro, and it provides a great deal of insight into the most important part of his character: Zidane is virtuous, kind, and generous (to a fault, some might say), always willing to go out of his way to help people, even at his own personal risk.

At first glance, it might seem odd that it's Zidane who's described as virtuous, when his job is that of a thief, which is not an occupation generally associated with virtue, and he has no problems with stealing things he can get his hands (or tail) on. But like Robin Hood, Zidane is the traditional virtuous thief, with light fingers and a heart of gold. Not to say that he only steals from the rich and gives to the poor. No, for most of his life, he's been a member of the famous Tantalus Theater Troupe, and their theatrical productions serve as cover for what is actually a traveling troupe of thieves. They're not stealing from the rich to give to the poor. They've got a business to run, and want to line their own pockets, though they might do some good along the way. They're not bad people, necessarily, but they're no paragons. However, Zidane shows that you don't have to be a morally perfect person to be virtuous and do good. There aren't any perfect people, and Zidane never claims to be perfect (except maybe as a joke). He's not someone likely to be accused of being a goody two shoes.

In fact, he's rather rough around the edges. Certainly, no one would ever call him stuffy. In some ways, he's not your typical serious hero, but is instead more like the teenage boy that he is: silly, laid back, teasing, casual in manner, cocky at times, and eager to have fun or laugh. He can be rash and reckless, and he doesn't always think before he acts. Smart without being well-educated, his intelligence is more of the "street smarts" variety. He's confident in his skills, in his ability to think on his feet, and his resourcefulness in dealing with tough situations. He does have another form of intelligence as well: his emotional intelligence can give him a good idea of what people are feeling or when they're upset. In spite of his joky, easygoing manner, he's a lot more perceptive than people might guess. He can give some good advice when it comes down to it. He also has great emotional resilience. He goes through many difficulties in the course of his story, and he experiences periods of depression and loneliness, but he tends not to remain down for too long, and he is overall a positive, determined person, usually cheerful.

Zidane isn't exactly cultured, but he knows a fair amount about plays and theater. Acting might be a cover for the Tantalus thieves, but it wouldn't be a good cover if they weren't good at it. The Tantalus Troupe are famous actors in their own right, and Zidane does consider himself an actor as well as a thief. He knows his fair share about music and dancing as well. He explains that he knows that there are only three Black Waltzes by saying it's because a waltz is in triple time. Kuja might be more well-known for his love of poetry, but Zidane does have a touch of the poetic in his heart, especially when it comes to romance. One of his great joys in life is the female sex. He likes girls a lot, and even has a special "Protect Girls" ability, which gives him a special boost when helping out women in trouble. At this point in his life, he's very much in love with Garnet, aka Dagger, but that doesn't mean he can't flirt and show other girls his appreciation! It's completely harmless, as long as Dagger isn't around. (Or so he thinks.) Once a great skirt chaser, he's more or less reformed. Really! Well, maybe not entirely, but he's doing his best.

Thievery aside, Zidane doesn't have a truly malicious bone in his body, but he can become angry, especially where righteous anger is concerned. He hates to see anyone being hurt or taken advantage of. He becomes most furious when speaking to Garland, who sought to make him an Angel of Death who was to destroy all the people of Gaia. At this time, he even lashes out at his friends, proving that he can be pushed too far, under great duress. Yet in times of trouble, he's more likely to be spending his energy worrying about others and assuring that they're all right. Helper and protector that he is, he's not necessarily going to ask for help for himself when he needs it, more comfortable finding himself in the role of helper than that of the helped.

Overall, he cares deeply for people in general, and he's an extremely loyal, devoted, and affectionate friend. He'd do almost anything for a friend, and he often does, going well out of his way for them, or putting himself at risk. He's kind and generous even toward people who don't like him at all and are openly hostile, such as Steiner and Amarant, not taking their hostility too seriously. Most notably, at the end of the game, he goes down into the Iifa Tree after Kuja, risking his life for someone who tried to kill or harm him and his friends multiple times. He does this because he's sure it's the right thing to do, and his compassion is such that he doesn't think he could live with himself if he stood back and let Kuja die without trying to help. He believes very strongly that "nobody's useless". He defies both Kuja and his friends in this, illustrating another of his character traits: pure stubbornness. He might not need a reason to help people, but he needs--and has--the determination to do so.

Teenage boy he may be, but Zidane has matured over the course of his adventures, not that he always shows it, since he's still the laid back guy who's quick with a smile. He's fallen in love, and he has a greater sense of responsibility and commitment than he did before. He's more serious (but not too serious) and more perceptive, particularly where other people are concerned. Most importantly, he's learned a lot more about himself and thus, what he wants out of life.

Abilities: Zidane's job class is thief, and because of this his skills and abilities largely are related to speed, dexterity, and stealing. They are listed here:
Skills
Abilities (these can't all be equipped at once, but they can be changed around, depending on the use of the magic stones which Zidane will have with him.)
Steal

He wields thief swords or dual daggers, and is quite skilled with them.

When he goes into the state known as Trance, which is caused by powerful emotions, he temporarily takes on another form, and at that time, he is able to use powerful Dynes instead of his usual skills. These are listed here. As he comes from the end of the game, he's learned a wide range of abilities and is at the top of his game where stealing's concerned.


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