Gilgamesh
Yes THAT Gilgamesh and not the one that was written many many years ago about a very very different character. Whether he is clashing heroes on big bridges, running around with a multitude of weapons that may or may not belong to him, or making crude jokes about women who dress like men, He is certainly among my favorite Final Fantasy Characters. Luckily for myself as well as the countless fans of the character, he appears in just about every single Final Fantasy Game, and it won’t be long before Kingdom Hearts finally draws him in.
We all know this image would be awesome in that series. You know I’m serious.
So now that I have clearly come out of the closet about how much of a fan boy I am of Gilgamesh, I’m gonna explain the origins of this remarkable and very mysterious swordsman.
The character first appeared in Final Fantasy V which did not actually appear in America showing really how popular the character would become in the future. His first true appearance to the non Japan audience was in Final Fantasy VIII where he taught Seifer who was boss before becomign a randomly summoned ally in battle for the rest of the game.
Next, he appeared in Final Fantasy IX although most players did not realize it was the same character as he was only named Gilgamesh if Zidane became a master treasure hunter. He went by other names such as Alleyway Jack, or the Four Armed Man where he give Vivi a rundown on how to play card games or stole money from Dagger and Steiner.
Gilgamesh made it into the remakes of Final Fantasy I as well as V so Americans and Europe finally got to see the original character who became well known for pretending to surrender before casting protect, shell, haste then using Jump. This is a command that is rarely used by enemies. Throughout the game, he is one of the main antagonists, but toward the end of Final Fantasy V, Gilgamesh decides to help the party, and moments later is banished to the void by the main villain Exdeath. Him being banished actually explains how he keeps appearing in all the different Final Fantasy Games.
Gilgamesh next appears in Final Fantasy VI advance serving a similar role as he did in VIII. This is where the tradition of him collecting rare swords especially the Excalipor which he is convinced is the closely named Excalibur. He attacks the party in hopes of stealing the second sword because he thinks its the first.
Then Final Fantasy XII rolls around and Gilgamesh really returns to his roots. He attacks the party on a big bridge with his battle theme from Final Fantasy V remixed. Even better, he pulls out a bunch of carbon copies of swords from past Final Fantasy Games.
He appears again in Final Fantasy XIII-2 where he even uses technology such as explosives in his arsenal. I cannot wait to see what Square does with him next (Kingdom Hearts. Do it now!)
Enough fanboying. For this blogger, its morphing time. 🙂