LogFAQs > #895288971

34. Delita Hyral (Final Fantasy Tactics)

"I am no hound heeling at the church's skirts. I answer to no one but myself."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning that I would not think twice of killing you, Ramza, should the hour come."

Speaking of simple characters, let's go the exact opposite direction and look at Delita, one of the more nuanced characters on the list. Delita's story is fascinating. On the outside - as in, what the rest of the world perceives it as - Delita's story is one straight out of a fable. Despite being born into low birth, Delita rose above all the political infighting and perpetual, meaningless war to become the eventual king of the realm, leading to an age of peace and prosperity. Delita is, in short, a hero.

The truth is slightly less nice. Delita got to where he did through endless backstabbing. He hardens his heart to the point where it can be said that he doesn't really have allies or friends, only people he's willing to use until they will no longer advance his goals. All of it stems from the careless death of his sister at the hands of uncaring nobility, and it shapes his entire personality and motivations from then on. He's forced to confront the cold, realistic fact that no one person can shape the world without power, no matter how good their intentions may be. Not even his deep friendship with Ramza manages to survive this change, as the above quote shows.

Delita's story is not a happy one. He achieves all of his goals, but at the same time, loses everything in the process. His final lines are of him wondering if Ramza - who ended up branded as a heretic and probably dead - ended up feeling more satisfied with his lot in life than Delita did. Deep down, I think Delita hates what he's become. It's that contrasting duality between him and Ramza that makes his character so interesting, and watching their paths diverge despite their goals being similar is one of the highlights of Final Fantasy Tactics.
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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.