LogFAQs > #895675074

12. Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)

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"I was very confused when my grandpa died. He told me, 'Vivi, no need be sad.' So I told myself I can't be sad. That's why I felt confused when I heard everyone was stopping around here. I didn't know what to do or what to feel... But when I saw Dagger crying when her mum died, I wasn't confused anymore. I was sad... If I were just a puppet, I never would've felt that way. Mr. 288... we aren't puppets. I know we aren't."

Vivi is another character that makes me hope Square never remakes FF9. His cameos in Kingdom Hearts 2 and World of Final Fantasy were not so good.

Vivi is the perfect combination of charming and nuanced. He's got that classic Black Mage design which is considered timeless. He's an adorable little guy who wouldn't hurt a fly unless pushed way too far. He's also grappling with his own existence as a manufactured mage whose lifespan is on a short timer. That part's a little less fun.

The Little Black Mage That Could goes through a lot of changes throughout the course of Final Fantasy IX. He starts out as a naive, weak-willed, easily-led-on guy and slowly transforms into a mature person who is able to face their own mortality head-on. Vivi gets knocked down a lot in ways both big and small, but he always manages to stand back up - at first through the help of his friends, but later of his own volition. One of my favorite scenes is the game occurs a bit after discovering the Black Mage Village. After Vivi learns about what it means to be a manufacture Black Mage, Dagger wants to chase after him and console him, only for Zidane to hold her back because he believes that Vivi is strong and independent enough by now to come to a conclusion on his own. He's entirely right, and it shows just how far Vivi has come from the little guy who let himself be manipulated by a rat-faced punk at the start of the game.

One of the best parts of experiencing Vivi's journey is watching his interactions with other. Vivi brings out a lot of different aspects among his party members that they don't tend to share with others. My two favorite examples are how Zidane acts like a big brother showing him the ways of the world while Steiner acts caring and protective (in a much less...excitable way than he does for Dagger). It extends beyond the party, too - most NPCs aren't too happy with the emotionless manufactured Black Mages going around setting cities on fire and they're all too eager to express their discontentment towards Vivi. It serves to both kick him when he's down and show that the world at large is reacting to the events of the plot, not just the party. Vivi also knows little about the world, and while it's fun to watch him learn, it also means he gets tricked by a good number of people. The monsters.

Vivi is the star of FF9, through and through. He's the most popular character in the game and he deserves that status. When playing through FF9 you find yourself cheering on Vivi and savoring every victory he gets because come on, how could you not? He's effortlessly inspiring in ways few other characters can match.
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Black Turtle did a pretty good job.