Balthier

Balthier, born Ffamran Mid Bunansa, is a playable character in Final Fantasy XII. A Sky Pirate, he travels all over Ivalice with his partner Fran, on his airship the Strahl. While the story is told from Vaan's perspective, Balthier certainly seems to think it is his story, going so far as to refer to himself, repeatedly, as "the leading man." His middle name, Mid, is a reference to Mid Previa from Final Fantasy V, the grandson of Cid Previa.

Final Fantasy XII
While not much is revealed about Balthier's life before he became a sky pirate, it is revealed that he was once himself an Archadian Judge, though not a Judge Magister. Six years prior to the game's storyline, after his father Dr. Cid returned from Giruvegan, he noticed that his father's sanity was slowly fading, as he was constantly talking to someone who wasn't there. This strained their relationship, and eventually Balthier couldn't stand the sight of his father anymore. This, combined with the way Archadia was moving, forced Balthier to run away, stealing the new prototype fighter ship as a means of escape from Archades. Since then, going into hiding, he has heavily updated the ship, so-much-so it no longer resembles the original design and referred as the Strahl. During this time, he changed his name to help cut off his ties with the past.

Balthier comes into the main story while Vaan is stealing from the Royal Palace of Rabanastre. Seeing the young thief steal the Goddess' Magicite, Balthier demands he hands it over. When Vaan asks who he is, Balthier responds with "I play the leading man, who else?" Before he can take it, the Ifrit attacks, causing him to reluctantly run away, with Vaan in tow. During their escape, Fran's hover crashes into the Garamsythe Waterway, and they are forced to work together.

While the game never tells how well Balthier got along with his father before he went to Giruvegan, afterwards, Balthier can't stand the sight of him. Thinking him to be insane, he ran away, unable to tolerate listening to his father talking about returning "History back into the hands of Man." Eventually, with the help of the other main characters, Balthier finally realises that his father wasn't insane, but rather, he was talking to the Occurian Venat all this time. Wanting to confront his father, he travels with Ashe to Archades, his home. After getting into the Draklor Laboratory, they finally confront Dr Cid, where Balthier tries to convince his father that what he's doing is insane. Cid has none of it and runs away. Finally, they catch up to Dr Cid at the Pharos at Ridorana. After a long fight with Cid, where he summons the Esper Famfrit, Balthier has to watch his father die, and up to his dying breath, he believes what he was doing was best for mankind, much to Balthier's disappointment.

After Vayne's defeat, while the others left, Balthier and Fran remained behind to start up the Bahamut and get it away from Rabanastre. Though he suceeded, he and Fran were believed to have died in the crash. It would only be a year later that Balthier took back the Strahl from Vaan and Penelo, leaving them a note and Ashe's wedding ring. On the note, Balthier explains that he is going for the Cache of Glabados at Bervenia Palace, wishing Vaan and Penelo to join in on the spoils.

The Cache of Glabados
Once Vaan and Penelo arrived at the Glabados, Balthier and Fran made their way to the Cache chamber, defeating the Ifrit guarding it. They foursome spy twin auracite crystals atop a pedestal. Balthier mockingly tells Vaan that he's a bit too young to partake in any treasure, and moves in to take both crystals for himself. When Vaan sticks up for himself, Balthier laughs and throws him the green crystal, taking the purple one for himself. The Ruins then began to crumble, and the sky pirates made their way out to their respective airships. Vaan's airship is destroyed, and so Balthier gives him a hitch on the Strahl, returning Vaan and Penelo to Lowtown.

Hunting for the Auraliths
Soon after, Balthier made his way to Lemurés to search for the auraliths, resulting with a confronation with the Judge of Wings at the Fane of Tehp Qul. The Judge reveals what went on between her and Balthier by projecting her memories into Vaan and his allies' minds.

In the flashback, Balthier is seen in the same Fane, with an unconscious Fran behind him. The Judge of Wings approaches him from the right, and the auralith is still intact between them. Balthier acknowledges the Judges' power, but says that she has been holding on to her illusion of Eternity for too long. He then throws the purple crystal he found in the Glabados Ruins in the air, then shatters it with a gun blast before it reaches the Judge.

His auracite willingly destroyed, Balthier points his gun at the Judge, vowing to stop her from pursing her goal of eternal life. Before he can fire, the Judge uses her own crystal to summon the Esper Shiva, who appears behind Balthier and uses her Diamond Dust attack to render Balthier unconscious. He and Fran are left laying on the stone floor.

Apparently, the two managed to escape this encounter, as Fran meets Vaan on the island of Arda, Heaven's Pillar, and leads them to the Ymir Qul Underground, where Balthier waits. Ba'Gamnan interrupts the reunion, and the party is forced to battle the group of Bangaa before they can reach the leading man. After Ba'Gamnan's defeat, Balthier shocks Vaan by moving to destroy the auralith deep within the Underground. Fran defects to her copilot's side, and the two summon another group of Yarhi for vaan and his party to deal with. Though Balthier and Fran are defeated, Balthier still manages to start up the machines flanking the second auralith, which is subsequently destroyed.

The auralith's demise frees a great deal of aegyl anima. Vaan, Penelo, Llyud, Filo, and Kytes are sent to Lesrekta, Isle of Illusions, while Balthier and Fran comandeer to the Galbana. After Vaan's return, Balthier explains to him that he destroyed the auralith simply to restore the souls of the aegyl. By releasing the anima, Balthier prevented the Judge of Wings from getting to the crystal first and stealing the anima within. The motivation behind the Judge's actions and the aegyl god, Feolthanos, are finally understood, and Balthier and Fran join the allied party for good.

Gameplay
In contrast to Final Fantasy XII Balthier has a set job, in this case the Gunner, predictably a Ranged unit. His skills deal with different types of shots, from status-inducing plugs to rapid fire blasts. His Quickening, Element of Treachery, deals massive damage to one enemy. It can be obtained by defeating Shemhazai.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions


After the first fight against Meliadoul at Bervenia in chapter 4, Ramza goes to the Mining Town of Gollund and checks the rumor "Rash of Thefts", about a godless thief stealing precious cargo from the church. Ramza then goes to the Merchant City of Dorter and checks the rumor "A Call For Guards", about some precious cargo from Bervenia that needs an escort to Dorter. When Ramza goes to the Dorter slums, he walks right into an ambush. The thieves attack Ramza, before realizing they've got the wrong man. Balthier then steps out the shadows and condemns the thieves' ability to set a trap. Teaming up with Ramza, Balthier manages to get rid of the thieves.

After the battle, Balthier explains that he is a Sky Pirate looking for the Cache of Glabados. Ramza thinks Balthier is referring to the Auracite, and when he asks Balthier what the Cache is exactly, Balthier only mentions it is the reason he is currently in Ivalice's future. When Ramza tells Balthier he thinks he knows what he's looking for, Balthier is more than keen to tag along, claiming the leading man never balks out of a little danger, even if he does feel more like a cameo role this time. Before they set off, Ramza comments that Balthier can't be a pirate of the skies if he has no wings, while Balthier complains that he is fed up of constantly following children, much to Ramza's annoyance.

Walkthrough available for this sidequest: The Sky Pirate

Balthier and Fran
The circumstances about how or when they met is never revealed, or if they even knew each other while Balthier was still a Judge. Their relationship is very professional, with Fran being mainly the brains behind the two of them, although, there are times when it appears that their feelings are more than just platonic. During the destruction of the Sun-Cryst, Balthier refuses to leave Fran behind, showing some compassion towards her.

Itadaki Street Portable
Balthier also appears as a character in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable.

Balthier