The Entire Life of Balthier (Final Fantasy 12 Explained)

[@taylorniall5756]

Balthier: "You know what they say about the Leading man right? He never dies..." Fran (Half Unconcious gets picked up by Balthier): "I'd say you're more of a supporting role" Balthier: "Fran please." Balthier and Fran are so underrated as characters and companions, such a strong bond! I love in the end of the game when Blathier saves Fran.

[@truindividual]

I loved those two. I ship them

[@guaridadelsapo]

The whole game is underrated.

[@Wickedincarnate]

I can't possibly agree with you more. Balthier is underrated as hell, i'd argue all the "support" characters in the party were. Fuck vaan and penelo everyone else was deep

[@truindividual]

@@Wickedincarnate never cared for them. Hate that 12 is so long

[@justingraves1291]

Those moments on the ship at the end were so fucking intense!!

[@Skorndrow-1]

Balthier is my favorite character from FF12. His early line about being the leading man paired with his voice actor really sold me on his character.

[@bradlyaskey1967]

Same

[@abysswalker7899]

People think 12 has lame characters, but Balthier and Basch excell the other ff characters in the most realistic way. I mean, they dont have those kind of super power or super cool weapon to make them seems heroic. They are both so realistic. You did a great job to reasons why Balthier is definitely one of the best fictional character. I will waiting for you to peeled Basch because he is so underrated, his story is similar with Yuna from ffx, and i lover her character for that.

[@Wickedincarnate]

Agreed the cast of this game don't get the love the really deserve LIke i hate Vaan as a "main character" but he gets a pass for me because of the way they managed to make him vague and unimportant enough to be treated as a vessel for the player to immerse themself into and feel like you're there firsthand. The story is kinda meh but its executed very well

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you so much Abyss! I'd agree, the characters in Final Fantasy XII are much more realistic and Basch would certainly make for an interesting study, not least due to everything that happened with Gabranth ~Darryl

[@abysswalker7899]

@@FinalFantasyUnion he and gabranth imo is the dynamic of the story that made me think that this story is actually about a situation where two identical person choose the different reaction, different decission, and resulting in different outcome. I must say that basch and gabrant is a union, they have to be twin. Interestingly, in the end basch himself becomes gabranth. Reminds me of luke who faces himself as darth vader. They both are different but actually one.

[@DrakeLimOfficial]

From the story point of view, I’d say FF12 has the best world built and the characters have really good background and development.

[@thebel-boy13]

I think people turn away from FFXII because Vaan was not that great as a MAIN protagonist. I think he and Penelo could have been the Palom and Porom of FFXII, since they're the youngest in the party (aside from Larsa, who's a guest). Personally, I think Ashe or Basch would be the best at being the main protagonist, because the story was essentially about Ashe's rise to power, or it could commit to the dynamic Basch had of seeking redemption he didn't need to find because he was a framed traitor falsely accused of treason. Balthier is a great supporting character. It's weird, but the whole "I'm the leading man" schtick stops me from making him the main character because it makes him a more fun supporting character, even though his past is really interesting.

[@TheSpectacledOwl]

I love Balthier. I personally think that FFXII is fairly underrated. For the next Origins episode, I vote for Kain Highwind from FFIV.

[@Someguyonline7732]

genshikenfan8 XII is my favorite in the series. The story kept me interested and I loved most of the cast. I enjoyed the voice acting for the time, not world class but still good. Love gambits and no random battles. I only used gambits for buffs healing and basic attacks. Anything beyond that including offensive magic I did by my own

[@jc.1191]

It's the only game since 6 I got into. I should give 9 a chance tho. Didn't have the time for it.

[@boltinabottle6307]

Based on how he acted, I always thought he was about 35.

[@elementengine]

Yeah 22 doesn't make any sense. That's just weird anime shit where everyone is super young but acts all mature and shit.

[@imanrich800gaming]

same thats crazy lol

[@davimelo9181]

Ikr, I mean, at least 29

[@werren894]

@@elementengine lol it exist dude, my friend 18 already mature as fuck he became the source income of his family, at least in my country.

[@elementengine]

​@@werren894 so? wherever you are in the world 18 is still a fuckin baby, regardless of what your circumstances are. also doesnt change what i said, anime characters are always look/act way older than they actually are lol.

[@Taiiena]

Balthier is charming, clever and has a touch of danger about him. My favourite FF character by far 😚

[@matthewmoore2148]

Nanaki (FFVII) - best chara in the series, IMHO

[@RaymondKarlVeasey75]

Balthier is an Awesome character, & I have been a fan of the world of Ivalice since Final Fantasy Tactics back in 1998. Great Video!

[@TheRandomGoofball]

Balthier is the best character in Final Fantasy XII. He's so wise, so sarcastic if anything he was the one who stood out to me the most during my playthrough. Vaan was just there as a placeholder for me to get control of my favorite character in the game. I also love the friendship he has with Fran.

[@JakeyMattie]

I loved FFXII as it was initially released, and I loved Balthier's character immediately. He was the epitome of a dashing debonair. For me, his character was always meant to be the leading man as he always proclaimed, but he knew when to take a step back in order for his teammates to shine as well. Plus, his accent is so dashing!!!

[@FlareSaber]

Something I noticed about Balthear was how refined his weapon animations are. They always felt very polished and refined. I guess that would come from his history as a judge and training. Could just be seeing things though

[@jc.1191]

Yeah. I liked the swagger. Was a nice touch.

[@devegas4910]

To be honest, Balthier, Basch, Ashe, and Fran are the main characters. Vaan and Penelo are just the bystanders

[@ECdeadly44]

That's their role though-- bystanders of war, they give another perspective

[@NaNa-ou1sg]

Fran isn't a main character at all. She's there for fan service and it shows. She's only included because of Balthier.

[@wackpendejo3000]

@@NaNa-ou1sg i dont know about just fanservice, she pulls you out of jail, feels mist, other shit, the only thing penelo does is get captured....

[@KayderimGameplays]

Nah

[@Convicted_Melon]

Vaan was effectively an afterthought. Basche was originally the main character in earlier versions of the story.

[@chovue2363]

That picture of panelo with no votes "i'm fine" made me sad. 😭 but...balthier and basche all the way!

[@jc.1191]

Ashe too, and Fran

[@ignis6794]

Balthier is by far my favourite character from 12. One of my fave scenes is the where he tells Ashe he was a Judge at one point. Leading man ftw

[@jc.1191]

Edge too

[@Johnny_Shields]

Vaan is a great apprentice main character, with Balthier being an amazing mentor. If they made a game with a way older Vaan in the mentor/Balthier position, people would go wait what and maybe appreciate the concept of character growth more.

[@1Gzero1]

Johnny Shields Nice idea comment 👌👍

[@jc.1191]

Vaan sucked. Never liked him.

[@jc.1191]

Take out Like Skywalker's birthright with the force and he's a wimpy nobody. That's Vaan. Take out Terra' esper origin, or Cecil's troubled but legendary backstory. Same thing.

[@KayderimGameplays]

There is a game actually, it's Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, the sequel from the main game, where Vaan is a sky pirate and team up with Balthier to go find treasures and end up saving up the world again

[@joshuadrark3207]

Final Fantasy 12 was the first Final Fantasy game that really got me into the Final Fantasy Franchise.

[@edotendo2196]

ME TOO

[@callmejoel2527]

I think the way they did Vaan and Penelo in this game is the same way that did Tidus in FFX. You see the world in their eyes, so they're basically outsiders looking in and tagging along for the ride, which is exactly what they did.This game's story definitely is Basch's story, he was the play maker,.

[@jc.1191]

And that's what I dislike about those games. I don't even like 10. 12 I can get behind for the other characters.

[@catatonic165]

I personally do not care for Vaan in XII, as soon as i had Balthier, he was always my main character i used. He's written so well!

[@jc.1191]

I could get behind Him ,Ashe, and Basch as the hero's. Fran was good too, just not lead material.

[@ValetinoLovebird]

Everyone thought Vaan was the leading character.... BUT IT WAS ME....FFAMRAN

[@jc.1191]

I couldn't relate to Vaan and Penelo. The other 4 were my cast.

[@silentecho92able]

@@jc.1191 ironically on RABtoons channel he perfectly summarize Vaan and Panelo position on the entire cast perfectly. If you were to take them out of the story in a few areas it won't change much just give the opening scenes in Dalmasca too either Balthier or Ashe.

[@KayderimGameplays]

@@silentecho92able wouldn't change much..? i guess you haven't played the same FF XII as me then. Ashe would die at the start of the game if it wasn't for Vaan and Basch would never had been freed. And i too watched the parody from Rabtoons, and he exagerated the hell out of it, vaan wasn't even near that annoying

[@kencritical8225]

​@@KayderimGameplaystrue, you can tell he DIDN'T PLAY the games

[@tullock13]

Probably the most informative Origins yet. I replayed 12 the least number of times (not for lack of love) and this really helped put the pieces together. Thanks!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you, that's some rather high praise! ~Darryl

[@tullock13]

Looking forward to more, you guys do great content

[@thefreshestslice4105]

"Your mistakes were twofold, I'm afraid. You sprung your trap without looking to see if the game you hunted was the one you'd snare. And you sold me short, I'm no thief. I'm a Sky Pirate. You'll have your reward for finding me. And don't think of running off without collecting. My shot is faster, or my name's not Balthier."

[@abysswalker7899]

I always amused with Balthier's quotations because if we translate it in my mother language, he's hilariously smart "salah lo ada dua, sih. Lu nebar jebakan tapi gak liat2 dulu situasinya. Terus, lu jual gue murahan. Gue bukan maling, gue bajak langit. Nemu gue aja udah hoki! Jangan kabur sebelum ambil hadiahnya yah, tembakan gue lebih cepet, atau nama gue bukan balthier"

[@Dracobyte]

@@abysswalker7899 what is that languaje?

[@asisifrans]

@@Dracobyte indonesia

[@kartavianmacrath7219]

The moment I saw Balthier, I was like, "yeah, he is the hero" And he proclaimed himself the 'leading man' but like you said he was support staff and guidance for a lot of the story, hiding the fact that he was on a journey as well. I related to Balthier so much in his personality and the motivation to undo the damage of our parents

[@otakamerd1220]

0% for Penelo Oof, that hurts

[@davimelo9181]

She makes a good mage tho

[@jawllypop1750]

Penelo has next to no personality or story in the game though. Kind of understandable.

[@jc.1191]

@@jawllypop1750 same as Vaan

[@blitz5657]

@@jc.1191 eh, kinda makes up for it in Revenant Wings. wish I could say the same for poor Penelo

[@Walamonga1313]

Honestly, I liked Penelo lol. More than Vaan or Ashe for sure. I don't really mind if they do nothing in the story or if their backstory is good. The real protagonists of XII were Balthier, Cid, Larsa and Vayne but ehh. I don't particularly care how important they are or how well developed. I just care if they're annoying or not.

[@Mrgoddamnwalls]

Hey so glad you did baltheir especially since ff12 is coming to nintendo. I feel like not enough people are talking about it

[@thatdudethat7824]

Welcome back man! Baltheir was my role model, in the sence of his swag!

[@myrasoonge]

Balthier is also an amazing guest character in Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. He's a fantastic character overall.

[@rokkkrinn2793]

Balthier and Fran have always been Han and Chewie to me. Balthier is a much deeper character, though.

[@Trisaaru]

(2:27) Penelo: I'm tougher than I look Basch: You are at that! *It's all lies*

[@unholysoldier002]

Playing 12 on Xbox One. Man I use to skip every boring cutscene when I played it as a kid, but watching it now, this games a masterpiece. War and politics are my favorite genre.

[@Walamonga1313]

The cutscenes are pretty much the only good thing. The gameplay sucks so bad and running around from point A to B to A takes so much time even with speedup. This game is best experienced as a movie that you watch on youtube.

[@redacted8846]

I think I am the first, what do i say to let others know of my accomplishment? Great video by the way. Balthier and Fran where my favorite in FF12. Maybe in the future you could do a video covering Fran. Good job!

[@LunaP1]

Balthier is a handsome bastard.🥰

[@SirenoftheVoid]

Love the look into Balthier's life, i did learn a little. I am curious about Ashe myself.

[@jc.1191]

She was great too. Although a little over the top at times.

[@StariDreams]

I'd like to suggest maybe making a video about the Fon Ronsenburg twins. Like other comments have said, feels like FFXII is underappreciated.

[@arriesdavid]

Balthier is my fave character. I always give him 2h swords. The way he weilds it is just so unique than the rest of the party.

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

FF12 is one of a few FF games that have a well-written "realistic" portrayal of characters, from their backstories, their aspirations, their interactions, and their dialogues & voice-acting. What I mean by "realistic" is you could entirely filter out the magic/fantasy-aspect and many of the characters will still act and be motivated to do what they do. Like Ashe on a path of vengeance to restore her kingdom, Basch vowing to settle things with his brother, or Balthier just running away from his past in the empire. The overall plot could be transposed into the real world without the magic-aspect, which makes the story-telling more easier to understand and digest for a general audience. Especially the political intrigue and strife. Compare to, say, FFX where the entire plot revolves and is heavily dependent around magic and mysticism.

[@bronwynecg]

What a coincidence!! I'm replaying FFXII right now.... :P

[@Wickedincarnate]

Ah, a person of culture.

[@darkvalkyrienz8393]

Great timing right, just finished up Zodiac Age again couple days ago!

[@_bd3515]

Dark Valkyrie NZ I played FFXII TZA FOR 480h in ps2&ps4 🙂

[@KayderimGameplays]

If you didn't know about it yet, you should try the Strugle for Freedom mod. It makes some very good changes including increasing health and damage for all monsters.. I even manage to die in with Reeks because the potion guy got one shotted by the boss..

[@spenser9784]

Basch or Kain Highwind would be awesome for the next one. Love these!

[@lloydredman3878]

Another amazing and informative video about an undoubtedly deceptively deep character! Absolutely loved Balthier as he was one of the only things that kept me going through ffxii and the slog that I initially found it after being a turn based purist. Through continued playthroughs and the wit of this brilliant sky pirate, XII has become one of my favorites in the series and happy to see him get this moment to shine again!

[@theunquenchablethirst3607]

Even though there are characters that I’m less interested in like Penelo, I would still enjoy learning about her backstory. I bought all the Final Fantasy games and plan to play them all eventually, but I always have a hard time following the storylines while also trying to remember to pay my bills, so having these videos really help. They especially helped when I played 13, a game I love for the story but most people hate everything about it it would seem

[@Walamonga1313]

XIII has great gameplay and music. For me, that's all a game needs. The story was alright too, it just wasn't explained very well.

[@aiox82]

This was wonderful. FF12's story is so damn good. This just shows why Balthier is the leading man.

[@wetskunk8108]

Final Fantasy XII is basically a series of unfortunate events that happened to a sky pirate couple

[@Haxaan.Shivar]

Thank you so much for this. Balthier is an amazing character and XII really deserves more love. I live your origins series and would absolutely love to see one done on my favorite characters from Final Fantasy 2, yet another underrated game in the series. Minwu and Mateus deserve some love, especially Minwu who tends to get overlooked as the first Male White Mage in the main numbered FF series.

[@thehater6189]

Balthier in smash! They can just say Balthier takes center stage!

[@kellyschmader213]

This makes me want to play Zodiac Age now; Balthier was always my favorite XII character. He reminds me a lot of Ignis if Iggy had been allowed a wild side :)

[@Walamonga1313]

Zodiac Age is much better than original XII...but being an improvement wasn't much. It's still tedious and dull for most of its runtime.

[@Uzeil21]

Balthier is, in reality, simply the character 'Spike' from Buffy the vampire slayer

[@jamestrenchard6198]

New video! I hope this means Darryl is doing fine.

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thanks for the comment James, it's much appreciated. I'm doing a little bit better at the moment as I've found some ways to manage everything, but we'll learn more in a week or so once the results come back ~Darryl

[@kainhighwind8236]

Glad too see a few votes for Kain Highwind. Would love to see his origin story too along with Cecils, IV has my favorite characters from the series. Glad your on the mend, keep moving forward

[@bardinblue9830]

My first glimpse of Balthier was in Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions for PSP. When I got a PS2, just before the Covid pandemic hit, I finally had a chance to play through Final Fantasy 12 for the first time. It's so vastly different from other Final Fantasy games in a multitude of ways... but it grew on me, and I enjoyed it very much! Plus, gained a much deeper respect for Balthier as his character developed. I would however like to see an Origins video on Ashe, as it seems that the central story of the game revolves around her as much as it does Balthier.

[@ChroniclerofLore]

This was great. Hopefully you will do Fran next

[@patsg1146]

Great video! I hope you get better soon, Darryl!

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you Chrono Pat! I'm trying to manage things at the moment, but hopefully once we get the results back I'll know more about where I'm at! ~Darryl

[@silviacabrera-real3707]

I love those two lovebunnies!! Please do Fran's origins!!

[@taijimasster]

Balthier was supposed to be the leading character, but the creators wanted to have a younger lead character to appease the younger audiences. I always felt that vaan was a side character and a introduction character.

[@user-nu2vc9mp5j]

balthier and fran really stood out to me in ff series.

[@kriskropd]

Final Fantasy needs more Ivalice and Balthier. Both offer the best ideals in the entire franchise, imo.

[@jc.1191]

It was better than what they're doing now. Myths and legends are cooler than that attempt at real life stuff.

[@soli6026]

Thank you so much for this. I hope you feel so much better. I respect him so much more

[@Azurtrix]

These character origin videos have been absoluteIy amazing. I have never commented on a KZbin video before but I have to ask one question: would it be possible to do a look at what is known about Ultimecia? I know it's a long shot as there might be a lot that remains unknown about her, but her concept is so intriguing.

[@Elluhvated]

FINALLY a bio on my all time favorite character

[@chanbaekshipper3795]

he may be not as great as sephiroth, but his characterization is so good it deserve people's attention.

[@animegirlhaven]

I love when u talked about final fantasy series and I rewatch the final fantasy series trailers are still good

[@Terranigma23]

Your channel is my favorite KZbin Final Fantasy channel ;)

[@jamesbasdeckis]

Very good Vid, as always.(Tips hat) For any future characters, I'd recommend Ardyn from FF15(If you haven't done him already.) Good men overcoming past trauma is good, but one can be sucker for a good opposite side of tragedy.

[@rockyescape8989]

i have always wondered what balthier's helmet looked like when he was a judge.

[@6Kubik]

I like about his story that he was not the typical rebellious teenager but took pride in his position and accepted his upbringing. What made him rebel was not a father who pushed him into something but his father's "illness". It remindse me of children that can not stand seeing their parent suffer from an illness like dementia or cancer. he must have loved his father very much. Its a shame we never meet his brothers.

[@azliaheaven]

i like balthier because he was one of the first characters at the time & genre that weren't portrait as outlaw=evil which is something that brother me quite a lot, just because one doesn't follow human made up rules & law doesn't necessarily means one is a bad or cunning individual, as it also is true in many real life cases, fiction often simplifies that but ffXII was pioneer in challenging that even in the story with choosing life over the righteousness of revenge or the changes in the empire istead of it's total ending because it was bad, he and fran are my favorite

[@w0Mbol0Gy]

I vote for penelo She’s my favorite third to balthier and Fran

[@Maesterful]

Why Penelo...?

[@w0Mbol0Gy]

Maesterful she’s better than Vaan lol and she looks cool and she’s strong and brave for a young kid

[@RyanOstarineGarcia]

@@w0Mbol0Gy u just like her butt

[@otakamerd1220]

@@RyanOstarineGarcia I mean it is a nice butt so he's not wrong

[@kriswilson3467]

Another fantastic video, really enjoyed this one . Thanks so much. Balthier, Fran, Ashe and Basch have always been for me the most interesting characters in FF12. I'd love to see one for Kain, Rydia or Golbez as I've just finshed the FF4 sequel "The After Years" recently and I think any of them would make for an interesting character study.

[@XxFakeJakexX]

You make great vids keep it up we love them!

[@justingraves1291]

8:18 I thought that Balthier was an adopted like, such as the Dread Pirate Roberts, and Ffamran was just the next to take up the name.

[@DodderingOldMan]

I found FFXII to be disappointing in many ways, but Balthier and Fran were the absolute highlights for me.

[@gdoubleu8045]

Same. The story was too generic and slow moving, there was no connection to the final boss prior to the last segment. Its a shame, because the same characters and voice actors in a different story could've been fantastic. XII wasn't a bad game, but its shortfalls unfortunately hindered the good points.

[@lavayuki]

I agree, the story was very convoluted but Balthier and Fran were amazing characters. I loved both of their voices as well

[@unholysoldier002]

@@gdoubleu8045 Generic? Not really. So much world building was put into this game. 10s generic and about a kid with amnesia

[@CannonAbuser]

if u think ff12 story is disappointing maybe ur life is more disappointing. the story is based more on human capabilities except summons. how we are in final fantasy world if we are put in game.

[@haroldhall1517]

@@unholysoldier002 12 is good. But 10 generic??? Wow... that game was deep and every way down the plot was focused on the same plot point. Generic? Lol no

[@ninaxwings]

I really need a video about balthier and Fran. He carried her out of certain death twice when the mist weakened her. Even after she had given permission and told him to go. I need this analyzed!

[@joshzerofactor996]

When I first played the game, I felt more connected to Vaan, getting caught up in events so much larger than himself. After playing the remastered FF12 recently, older and wiser, I more fully appreciate Balthier as a true leading man... even if he's 22, which is almost middle-aged by JRPGs/anime.

[@atlys258]

I remember when I was playing through for the first time back in the day and we found out Balthier was a Judge Magister.. Blew my mind

[@LCTesla]

1:08 "it was a combination of traits we had not seen before" Ignoring every Cid in FF history

[@paulkdragon]

When it comes to this character the way he's voiced the way he acts it's like he is James Bond I wouldn't be surprised if one of his practice lines is " I have a drink shaken not stirred"

[@sunshinejulie5687]

Would you consider doing a Basch Origins video? I really like this series.

[@ladyphoenixgrey3923]

Balthier is the single best character, next only to Basch. I can never pick my favorite between the two. They are just so close to perfection. Zidane is a seriously close 2nd place.

[@jesusbnks]

Do a Basch and Gabranth full life video

[@user-pi1lb4tf2f]

If you consider FF12 as more of a world building story and less character centric like FF X, Balthier's position as a mentor to Vaan tells a great story. And in Revenant wings, he acknowledged Vaan that he has now stepped up to be the "leading man" completing his arc as the mentor. They could've made him older though than just being 22. He has been a judge and has probably became a researcher to his father's lab before he escapes and went adventuring with Vaan. Based on his interactions with Cid, we know that he's an excellent son, just a bit rebellious. His animosity towards his father is more about his craziness than just being a bad father. And even then, Cid and Vayne were fighting for the right cause just wrong methods.

[@j.mbarlow5952]

Vaan and Penelo are literally the reasons why I have neglected to replay this otherwise great game

[@joshzerofactor996]

Playing FF12 again, I will say Vaan and Penelo are worse than I remembered.

[@KayderimGameplays]

Wow, Are Vaan and Penelo so offensive or you guys just like to exagerate that much?

[@shadowgoku2689]

I always could at least understand what was vaan for, its that character that knows almost nothing so the rest has to explain things to him, and he would represent the players, when we play ( the first time of course ) we are clueless of that world and the things that are happening, so we get involved and learn as vaan does. But i have no way i could justify penelo existence, she could be vaan friend but stay un rabanaster for ever xD

[@prince_nocturne]

First off: I vote Freya Crescent for FFIX origins video. Balthier was always my favorite character in 12. He made for a great heor and good mentor type character. Vaan and Panelo were supporting characters on the whole. Vaan may have been the main character, but the protagonists of 12 were Ashe and Basch. If you want to go into full pedantic literary theory: *Main character* is Vaan: He is the person through whom the story's perspective is played. He has an arc, but his actions alone don't change much. *The protagonist* role is filled by both Ashe and Basch: They both go through the most change and their actions directly alter the course of the story more than most others. It is their story that we are trying to fulfill; Ashe to reclaim her kingdom and Basch to reclaim his honor. *Hero* role... well: This is where Balthier fits. He doesn't change much during the story, and is a driving force to move the others forward. He even gets a hero moment of self-sacrifice at the end. He also fits the *Mentor* role for both Vaan and Ashe, something hero characters can still do (see: All Might). Penelo and Fran are both supports. Penelo is the *Damsel* half the time, but she learns to hold her own eventually, but is mostly dragged along by the story because of Vaan. Fran is the Hero's support, or *Side Kick* role. Not so much dragged along as she shows far more agency than Penelo, but she is fiercely loyal to Balthier above all else. Fran also has a story arc to complete where as Penelo... kinda doesn't... Penelo really does feel like an NPC you just happen to be able to control throughout the game. An important NPC, sure, but still without much story of her own to give outside of her connection to Vaan.

[@Someguyonline7732]

Balthier and Vaan were full timers on my team with Ashe and Penelo swapping out. Love penelo. She’s probably my second favorite XII character besides our leading man of course. Non party shoutouts to larsa and reddas

[@ayrad7819]

Lovedddd Balthier! He reminds me of Irvine from FF8 in some ways.

[@Cidolfus_Highwind]

I got the collectors edition guide and wanted Balthier and wa super lucky when I opened mine and it was him! You know what they say about the leading man...

[@DiscoFinalBoss]

Balthier is very different from the typical FF (and other RPG) protagonists. At a glance he's Han Solo (which is never a bad thing) but he's so much more than that.

[@jordenzhang8438]

holy shit this game is 14 years old now

[@animegirlhaven]

I wanted to see when Final Fantasy 16, when it came out in june, can talk about the characters, too

[@candidatepiety2186]

Yay, Balthier if my favorite FFXII character

[@4diamondz318]

Balthier is the "Jack Sparrow" of Final Fantasy!

[@Dracobyte]

But without drugs and less alcohol.

[@crimsonmaelstrom573]

I want to know about Fran’s origins now

[@ByronCastroBCSC]

Balthier - Han Solo Ashe - Luke or Leia Fran - Chewbacca Basch - Vaan - R2D2 Penelo - C3PO

[@balthiersgirl2658]

Utterly fantastic episode

[@LupusArcavius]

Omg yes! Best character from XII. Can’t wait to watch this vid

[@osaka5754]

You've got yourself a subscriber

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

Thank you Kelvin, so glad you enjoyed the video!

[@royalty843]

He's such a gentleman

[@devilangel777]

DO Fran and viera in general

[@Daisuke2788]

Thank you for the breakdown. I'd also like 2 c stories of the leading ladies n leading me stories.

[@algernonsblackwoods5859]

Balthier is why the story stands out and is so awesome. Balthier and Ashe to me were the leads but you experience the game as Vaan a side character in their story. For comic geeks its the Killing Joke of Final Fantasy.(Joker graphic novel but you experience the comic from the aspect of one of the Joker's henchmen.) Also to me and I think I'm in the minority but the combat in 12 is Final Fantasy combat perfected. Love this game.

[@Walamonga1313]

I thougbt the combat was incredibly boring. Funny how FF games are so different to people. Every entry is unique and that's both good and bad, good because it means you're likely to find one you love. And bad because you may love one but not like another

[@algernonsblackwoods5859]

@@Walamonga1313 I think its one of the reasons the series has been so long lived for better or for worse. Like 15, I cant stand but I'll buy 16 the day it comes out to see what they tried this time. Not a fan of the combat right now but they may change it.

[@Walamonga1313]

@@algernonsblackwoods5859 Yeah same, I didn't like XV's combat either. And I'm a huge fan of action games. It just felt pretty bland and unsatisfying. I hated the boyband banter too. Hopefully Stranger of Paradise and XVI are better. I know that Team Ninja (from Ninja Gaiden and Nioh) are working on SOP so I'm sure I'll like that game's combat. And XVI supposedly has the Dragon's Dogma or DMC combat director iirc, so that's good to hear as well as I love those games too. The only thing that will be unreplaceable on newer FF games is Uematsu's genius music.

[@Monica_bondevik]

I'm very tempted to play a ff game now. I've played a bit of the ds game but never finished it. I'd like to see Vaan just because he's one of the only characters I actually know/remember from the ds game.

[@reshaykut]

I like your lore videos. Thank you.

[@FinalFantasyUnion]

You're most welcome!

[@markmorales7958]

2:23 Penelo has “0 votes”… wow… that is just… WOW… 🤣