The countdown nearly ends, so today we're honoring the second greatest hero in video games. I will also admit a strong personal bias towards this character. You see, he not has my admiration, but he is also a character that has greatly inspired me, taught me what a real hero is like. His name is Ramza Beoulve, and he hails from that fantastic, genre defining, Playstation 1 Masterpiece, Final Fantasy Tactics.
Born from the noble Beoulve family of the kingdom of Ivalice, Ramza's life was destined from the get go to be one of privilege, but not notability. Ramza was born of a commoner mother (his father married a woman who was not of noble birth, after his first wife probably died) so that made the rest of the Ivalician nobility, including his two older brothers, to look down on him. However, Ramza's father, Balbanes Beoulve, wanted his son to become a fine knight regardless.
Yes, I'm using the original PS1 spellings and names, not the ones from the remake. However, for some elements, I'll be using the remake names if I find them to be better fitting.
Balbanes Beoulve was a hero of the Fifty Year's War, a war that had sent Ivalice into ruin. Balbanes died, before he could see his youngest son enter the Knight's Academy.
Ramza and his best friend, Delita Heiral, entered the academy. One day, they are given the mission to act as guard of Igros Castle, the stead of House Beoulve. En route, Ramza and Delita run across a young cadet named Algus Sadalfas, who had been attacked by the Corpse Brigade, anti nobility revolutionaries. After saving him, Algus informs the two that the Marquis Elmdore had been kidnapped by the Corpse Brigade.
After reporting to Dycedarg, Ramza's oldest brother, he, Delita, and Algus, decide to rescue the Marquis themselves. Traveling west towards the Zeklaus Desert, the trio run into the leader of the Corpse Brigade, Wiegraf Folles. Wiegraf allows them to take the Marquis without a fight.
Upon returning to Igros, Ramza and his friends are assigned to attack a fort being held by the Corpse Brigade. It is here that Ramza is confronted with a painful truth: while he himself has lived in luxury, the common folk suffer from the tyranny of the nobles. While he always has plenty to eat, most commoners go hungry from lack of food. Ramza is also confronted with the fact that people like Algus look down on the commoners as less than people.
Upon returning to Igros, Ramza and Delita are stunned to find out that the castle had been attacked by the Corpse Brigade. What's more, Delita's sister, Tietra, had been kidnapped! Algus says, out loud, that no resources should be wasted on finding a girl of common descent, which causes Delita and Ramza to sever all ties with him.
Ramza and Delita encounter Zalbaag, Ramza's other brother, and Algus, confronting the Corpse Brigade, who had been using Tietra as a human shield. Under Zalbaag's orders, Algus shoots Tietra, just to deny the Corpse Brigade their human shield. Angered beyond belief, Delita strikes down Algus, while Ramza is left with the awful truth: even his own family is willing to discard commoners. The fort that Delita and Ramza had been in bursts into flames, and only Ramza apparently gets out. With his world view in tatters, he drops everything he ever knew, changes his name, and takes up work as a mercenary.
A year later, Ramza is working as a bodyguard for Princess Ovelia of Ivalice. Then she gets kidnapped by Delita, who had apparently survived the fire. Ramza and his fellow mercenaries follow Delita towards Zirekile Falls, where they are ordered to assassinate Delita and take Ovelia by the Order of the Northern Sky Knights (the order the Beoulves belong to). Realizing that this is no ordinary kidnapping, Ramza abandons his mercenary troop, saves the Princess, and volunteers to help escort her to Lionel Castle, where she'll be kept safe by Cardinal Delacroix.
Unfortunately, it turns out the Cardinal is a dick, and he's also possessed by a demon! Ramza is forced to kill the Cardinal in self defense, but the Princess has been moved to another castle. Also, Ramza is now a wanted criminal. And also there's now a Civil War in Ivalice due to the King dying, his heir being a year old (and a bastard, probably) and lots of other stuff.
Seriously, this game is complicated.
So Ramza decides to go to his brother Zalbaag for help, only he won't because Zalbaag's a dick. Luckily, Ramza's little sister Alma is a nice sport. Ramza shows her the Stone that gave Delacroix his demon form, and decides that he needs to go to Orbonne Monastery (where the game began), where there will be some books on the stone. Since he's a heretic, and the Church is pretty much a political power of its own (with its own army and everything), Ramza needs Alma to get anywhere near Orbonne.
However, Ramza finds that the Monastery is filled with the Knights Templar, the soldiers of the Church, who appear to be searching for something. It turns out they are searching for a book, the Germonique Scriptures, a book written by the disciple Ajora, the Son of God, that paints him as a common man and not the miracle worker the Church's doctrine makes him out to be...
Holy SHIT! This game, man, this game!
Anyway, Alma gets kidnapped by the Knights Templar, and it is up to Ramza to rescue her. With the Scriptures in his hand, Ramza sets out to the one lead he has: Riovanes Castle.
On his way there, he encounters Rafa, a woman who is under attack by the forces of the Lord of Riovanes, Duke Barringten. Deciding to help her, Ramza fights off the forces of Barrinten, saving the woman. Rafa reveals that she and her brother, Malak, serve Barinten as his personal assassins, but she has defected because she's tired of the killing. Rafa decides to aid Ramza in his search for his sister, while also telling him that she sees him as a noble man who fights for what's right.
In Riovanes, Ramza is shocked to see the Kinghts Templar's plan: use the power of the Zodiac Stones to destroy the Monarchy and gain the trust of the people, thereby turning Ivalice into a Theocracy. Vowing that no one should ever be used, Ramza aims to gather the stones himself so that none may use them. However, he also discovers a second, more sinister plot: A fringe group of the Knights aim to use the Stones to summon the demons named Lucavi, who in turn are using the War of the Lions (the civil war plaguing Ivalice) as a blood sacrifice for their leader, Altima the Fallen Angel.
Knowing that the Knights and the Lucavi need to be stopped, Ramza hatches a plan. Going to Besla Garrison, Ramza heads towards the dam that blocks the water, knowing that if he opens it, the fields will flood and the fighting will cease for a while. He does so, while Delita kills the leader of the Order of the Southern Sky, Duke Goltana. With the leader of the Order of the Northern Sky, Bestrada Larg, already dead (thanks to Ramza's dick of a brother, Dycedarg), neither side is capable of continuing the war.
After some adventures that end up with the death of Dycedarg (to the bereavement of no one), Zalbaag (to the bereavement of some) and the Pope of the Church (poor guy), Ramza finds a way to stop the Lucavi: go to the other world and kill Altima. The world of demons also happens to be where Alma is, so there's that too. Ramza goes there, kills Altima, reunites with Alma, and the battlefield blows up...
Yeah.
We then cut to a funeral. Alma's funeral. The player learns that Ramza won't even be buried, because, well, he was a heretic. Ramza saved the world, and no one will ever know, until four hundred years later, when a historian discovers documents that detailed Ramza's adventures.
Ramza is a tragic character, in that he lost everything through the course of the game. He lost his best friend, his best friend's sister, his older brothers, his younger sister, his friends, his innocence, his world view, his good name, EVERYTHING. He was born in privilege and died in anonymity. He gave the world his everything, and he wasn't even given a burial.
Ramza was a man who, at first, was more concerned with upholding the family name than anything. However, the more he learned about the truth of the world, the cruelty, the despair, the more he came to understand that a family's good name meant NOTHING, that it is what the individual does that matters. Ramza's family was a part of the nobility, but only Ramza himself, ironically, deserved to be described as 'noble'.
He was a man who fought for justice. When he confronted the Corpse Brigade, he tried negotiating with them once he stopped seeing them as 'enemies'. When he saw the Princess was being taken against her will, he volunteered to protect her and take her somewhere safe. Whenever he saw someone being attacked, he would jump right in to their defense. Anytime he fought someone, he tried to find common ground, to dissuade them from their ways. The ONE time Ramza is ever shown drawing his sword is when he is face to face with one of the Lucavi, AFTER begging its human host to ignore the demon.
The best part about Ramza is that he is someone who merely reinforces his idealism whenever he's confronted with something that would make a cynic out of a weaker man. Commoner's starving? "The system can change and the common folk can be given food to eat." People getting used left and right as pawns of the aristocracy? "No! People are not tools to be used!" Ramza embodies that Captain America quote perfectly: "Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — "No, you move."
Ramza fought for what was right, not for his interests. Ramza fought against the Church, the Aristocracy, and Demons from Hell. Ramza fought the world and won. Even if he wasn't buried, even if his name was forgotten by History for over four hundred years, his legacy is that his world is still safe. Safe from the demons, safe from the corrupt church, safe from the Manipulators. His legacy is a world where the Meager is safe, and the Valiant is rewarded fairly. Ramza embodies Idealism, Chivarly, and Self Sacrifice, and it is for this reason, he is the second best video game hero of all time.
Sorry this blog entry was late, it was very difficult for me to write. Anyway, the summary:
Name: Ramza Beoulve
Motivation: An idealist view of the world, a sense of duty
Main Enemy: Corruption
Finest Achievement: Defeating Altima, saving the world from the Lucavi
Current Status: Dead for over four centuries, his legacy recognized by one historian who may make his findings public.
Ramza and Delita encounter Zalbaag, Ramza's other brother, and Algus, confronting the Corpse Brigade, who had been using Tietra as a human shield. Under Zalbaag's orders, Algus shoots Tietra, just to deny the Corpse Brigade their human shield. Angered beyond belief, Delita strikes down Algus, while Ramza is left with the awful truth: even his own family is willing to discard commoners. The fort that Delita and Ramza had been in bursts into flames, and only Ramza apparently gets out. With his world view in tatters, he drops everything he ever knew, changes his name, and takes up work as a mercenary.
A year later, Ramza is working as a bodyguard for Princess Ovelia of Ivalice. Then she gets kidnapped by Delita, who had apparently survived the fire. Ramza and his fellow mercenaries follow Delita towards Zirekile Falls, where they are ordered to assassinate Delita and take Ovelia by the Order of the Northern Sky Knights (the order the Beoulves belong to). Realizing that this is no ordinary kidnapping, Ramza abandons his mercenary troop, saves the Princess, and volunteers to help escort her to Lionel Castle, where she'll be kept safe by Cardinal Delacroix.
Unfortunately, it turns out the Cardinal is a dick, and he's also possessed by a demon! Ramza is forced to kill the Cardinal in self defense, but the Princess has been moved to another castle. Also, Ramza is now a wanted criminal. And also there's now a Civil War in Ivalice due to the King dying, his heir being a year old (and a bastard, probably) and lots of other stuff.
Seriously, this game is complicated.
So Ramza decides to go to his brother Zalbaag for help, only he won't because Zalbaag's a dick. Luckily, Ramza's little sister Alma is a nice sport. Ramza shows her the Stone that gave Delacroix his demon form, and decides that he needs to go to Orbonne Monastery (where the game began), where there will be some books on the stone. Since he's a heretic, and the Church is pretty much a political power of its own (with its own army and everything), Ramza needs Alma to get anywhere near Orbonne.
However, Ramza finds that the Monastery is filled with the Knights Templar, the soldiers of the Church, who appear to be searching for something. It turns out they are searching for a book, the Germonique Scriptures, a book written by the disciple Ajora, the Son of God, that paints him as a common man and not the miracle worker the Church's doctrine makes him out to be...
Holy SHIT! This game, man, this game!
Anyway, Alma gets kidnapped by the Knights Templar, and it is up to Ramza to rescue her. With the Scriptures in his hand, Ramza sets out to the one lead he has: Riovanes Castle.
On his way there, he encounters Rafa, a woman who is under attack by the forces of the Lord of Riovanes, Duke Barringten. Deciding to help her, Ramza fights off the forces of Barrinten, saving the woman. Rafa reveals that she and her brother, Malak, serve Barinten as his personal assassins, but she has defected because she's tired of the killing. Rafa decides to aid Ramza in his search for his sister, while also telling him that she sees him as a noble man who fights for what's right.
In Riovanes, Ramza is shocked to see the Kinghts Templar's plan: use the power of the Zodiac Stones to destroy the Monarchy and gain the trust of the people, thereby turning Ivalice into a Theocracy. Vowing that no one should ever be used, Ramza aims to gather the stones himself so that none may use them. However, he also discovers a second, more sinister plot: A fringe group of the Knights aim to use the Stones to summon the demons named Lucavi, who in turn are using the War of the Lions (the civil war plaguing Ivalice) as a blood sacrifice for their leader, Altima the Fallen Angel.
Knowing that the Knights and the Lucavi need to be stopped, Ramza hatches a plan. Going to Besla Garrison, Ramza heads towards the dam that blocks the water, knowing that if he opens it, the fields will flood and the fighting will cease for a while. He does so, while Delita kills the leader of the Order of the Southern Sky, Duke Goltana. With the leader of the Order of the Northern Sky, Bestrada Larg, already dead (thanks to Ramza's dick of a brother, Dycedarg), neither side is capable of continuing the war.
After some adventures that end up with the death of Dycedarg (to the bereavement of no one), Zalbaag (to the bereavement of some) and the Pope of the Church (poor guy), Ramza finds a way to stop the Lucavi: go to the other world and kill Altima. The world of demons also happens to be where Alma is, so there's that too. Ramza goes there, kills Altima, reunites with Alma, and the battlefield blows up...
Yeah.
We then cut to a funeral. Alma's funeral. The player learns that Ramza won't even be buried, because, well, he was a heretic. Ramza saved the world, and no one will ever know, until four hundred years later, when a historian discovers documents that detailed Ramza's adventures.
Ramza is a tragic character, in that he lost everything through the course of the game. He lost his best friend, his best friend's sister, his older brothers, his younger sister, his friends, his innocence, his world view, his good name, EVERYTHING. He was born in privilege and died in anonymity. He gave the world his everything, and he wasn't even given a burial.
Ramza was a man who, at first, was more concerned with upholding the family name than anything. However, the more he learned about the truth of the world, the cruelty, the despair, the more he came to understand that a family's good name meant NOTHING, that it is what the individual does that matters. Ramza's family was a part of the nobility, but only Ramza himself, ironically, deserved to be described as 'noble'.
He was a man who fought for justice. When he confronted the Corpse Brigade, he tried negotiating with them once he stopped seeing them as 'enemies'. When he saw the Princess was being taken against her will, he volunteered to protect her and take her somewhere safe. Whenever he saw someone being attacked, he would jump right in to their defense. Anytime he fought someone, he tried to find common ground, to dissuade them from their ways. The ONE time Ramza is ever shown drawing his sword is when he is face to face with one of the Lucavi, AFTER begging its human host to ignore the demon.
The best part about Ramza is that he is someone who merely reinforces his idealism whenever he's confronted with something that would make a cynic out of a weaker man. Commoner's starving? "The system can change and the common folk can be given food to eat." People getting used left and right as pawns of the aristocracy? "No! People are not tools to be used!" Ramza embodies that Captain America quote perfectly: "Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world — "No, you move."
Ramza fought for what was right, not for his interests. Ramza fought against the Church, the Aristocracy, and Demons from Hell. Ramza fought the world and won. Even if he wasn't buried, even if his name was forgotten by History for over four hundred years, his legacy is that his world is still safe. Safe from the demons, safe from the corrupt church, safe from the Manipulators. His legacy is a world where the Meager is safe, and the Valiant is rewarded fairly. Ramza embodies Idealism, Chivarly, and Self Sacrifice, and it is for this reason, he is the second best video game hero of all time.
Sorry this blog entry was late, it was very difficult for me to write. Anyway, the summary:
Name: Ramza Beoulve
Motivation: An idealist view of the world, a sense of duty
Main Enemy: Corruption
Finest Achievement: Defeating Altima, saving the world from the Lucavi
Current Status: Dead for over four centuries, his legacy recognized by one historian who may make his findings public.
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