Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Balthier Profile

Balthier, or known as Balflear in the Japanese language version fo Final Fantasy XII, is a 22 year-old Hume sky pirate who pilots the Strahl, a small airship around the skies of Ivalice. He and Fran, prefer to remain neutral outside of the war between the kingdoms of Ivalice. But, their attempt to steal the Goddess's Magicite, from the Dalmascan Royal Palace lead them to different way. Vaan stole it first, and caught in the fray of a rebel assault against the Imperial Palace, Balthier and Fran find themselves going against Archadia.

Balthier is son of Dr. Cid (Cidolfus Demen Bunansa). Balthier grew weary of his father's madness and obsession with Nethicite. Although Cid had made him an Imperial Judge, Ffamran eventually decided to cut his ties with his father and his role as a judge, becoming a sky pirate under a new name. With his new career, Balthier amounted a sizable bounty on his head, attracting the attention of bounty hunters such as Ba'Gamnan. Unfortunately for Balthier, it took him a while to realize he'd been following his father in pursuing Nethicite while he served in the resistance. Though he made peace with his father prior to his death, Balthier went with the group to destroy the Sky Fortress Bahamut as penance for his father's deeds.

Balthier claims to be the "leading man" of the story many times throughout the game, and insists that this status makes him invincible. This viewpoint draws credibility from his near-death experience when the Bahamut crashed near Rabanastre. Though presumed dead, he and Fran apparently retrieved the Strahl back from Vaan and Penelo a year later, leaving a note for the new Queen Ashe indicating that they are still alive. Both he and Fran intend on finding the Cache of Glabados, which is resolved in the game's sequel, Revenant Wings when it turned out to tied to Eternal. Balthier was at first intent to take Lemures' treasure, the Auracite, but knew the truth behind it and attempted to destroy the Auralith, eventually rejoining Vaan's group to fight the Judge of Wings, letting Vaan be the "leading man" while he himself leaves the limelight.

Balthier made a crossover appearance in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. He also appears in Itadaki Street Portable.

Article Source : Wikipedia