Golbez/Dissidia (PSP)

Golbez is a warrior of Chaos in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012. He comes to the cycle of wars as the antagonist representing Final Fantasy IV. He is a powerful spellcaster, and despite wearing a full suit of armor, remains agile. Golbez works behind the other villains' backs, attempting to assist the heroes while remaining their enemy. As Cecil's rival and older brother, Golbez considers himself stained with darkness beyond the point of salvation, and so walks the dark path he feels his brother should not.

He also appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and its arcade version.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Golbez's default outfit is based on, featuring dark spiked armor with golden linings, broad shoulders and a cape.

Golbez's first alternate outfit, "Cloak of Flame," is a composite of his and his  art. He wears black armor accented in silver and gold, with a cape bearing a crimson lining. During EX Mode, the Shadow Dragon is gold, which may refer to the Gold Dragon, a palette swap of the Shadow Dragon from Final Fantasy IV.

Golbez's second alternate costume in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is his from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, exposing his shadowed face and long, white hair. He is armorless, donning a black kilt and cloak with prayer beads around his arms and legs. In EX Mode, the Shadow Dragon coils around Golbez like body art with its head partially revealed during the EX Burst.

Golbez's manikin, Delusory Warlock, has blue armor and a silver cape, reflecting that of Cecil's manikins.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Default
 * Bad Blood I - Default coloration. An updated version of his original art by Yoshitaka Amano, with his armor gaining more luster.
 * Bad Blood II - 1st alternate coloration. An updated version of his "Cloak of Flame" attire from the PSP games, but his suit of armor is more silver with black accents.
 * Bad Blood III - 2nd alternate coloration. His suit of armor is blue with yellow accents and he wears a blue cape, resembling his 16-bit sprite from the SNES version of Final Fantasy IV.


 * Alternate costumes
 * Golbez Reimagined I - Default coloration. Golbez dons his armor as it appeared in the opening movie of the 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV. His suit of armor is symmetrical in design, and is primarily black.
 * Golbez Reimagined II - 1st alternate coloration. Colors his armor and cape primarily dark green.
 * Golbez Reimagined III - 2nd alternate coloration. Colors his armor and cape primarily gray.

Golbez's "weapons" are dragon scales, and they change the form of his Shadow Dragon. In battle, the dragon temporarily disappears when Golbez incurs a certain amount of damage:
 * Weapons
 * Eventide Scales - Default weapon. The Shadow Dragon was fought alongside Golbez when Cecil and his companions first battled him in Final Fantasy IV, and it reappeared as part of his EX Mode in the PSP games, fusing with Golbez. It is more navy in coloration, resembling Golbez's primarily navy armor.
 * Snowfall Scales - 1st alternate weapon. The dragon scales change to silver and its horns smaller and spikier, resembling the Silver Dragon encountered in Final Fantasy IV, though it is more white in coloration.
 * Gilded Scales - 2nd alternate weapon. The dragon scales change to gold and gains extended horns along with rounded side spikes, resembling the Gold Dragon encountered in Final Fantasy IV, though it is more green in coloration with orange accents.
 * Obsidian Scales - 3rd alternate weapon.

The scales that change form of the Shadow Dragon are dragons fought and encountered in Final Fantasy IV, though the Dissidia series is the first instance in which they are treated as equippable weapons.

Golbez's default player name is titled Nameless Warlock, and his manikin counterpart is renamed Flickering Warlock.

Personality
Golbez's actions are a combination of his appearance in Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, but takes more from the latter. Golbez is still antagonistic and displays the dark side of Cecil, but is actually in control of his actions, displaying his more moderate and anti-hero-like personality. Although Golbez sides with the forces of Chaos, he trusts the warriors of Cosmos and often visits them to divulge certain matters. While he represents the dark side of Cecil, he is not evil in his intentions or actions.

Golbez's battle lines represent him as an anti-hero rather than an antagonist. He is portrayed as a warrior who seeks an honorable and fair battle, and looks forward to seeing the victor. He is confident in his own abilities, but when defeated, Golbez shows shame.

Treachery of the Gods
During Dissidia Duodecim Prologus Final Fantasy, Golbez is summoned to aid Cloud in fighting Lightning and the Warrior of Light. Golbez deduces that Cloud is concerned for his enemies because he knew one of the warriors of Cosmos. After the fight, Golbez comments how well Cloud fought so soon after his awaking before teleporting away.

When the manikins attack, Golbez visits Kain and divulges on the war's cycle of death and rebirth: for the revival to work, their memories of the last war and their original homeworlds are erased. He mentions Kain fell in the previous cycle, but still retains memories of their world, and that he will recover more with every successful battle. Their conversation is interrupted by Cecil, who doesn't remember his older brother, forcing Golbez to teleport away. Noticing how much interest Golbez has in Cosmos's warriors, The Emperor and Ultimecia begin to suspect Golbez is acting against them, but he evades their inquiry.

Golbez joins Exdeath in confronting the gathered warriors, revealing the manikins are heading towards Cosmos. While the others rush to her aid, Kain fights Exdeath as Golbez assists him by nullifying Exdeath's control over the manikins. Following Exdeath's defeat, Golbez expresses gratitude to Kain, as his actions have given him a chance to stop the cycle and save Cecil. Although he pleads with him to consider resting for the next cycle, Golbez accepts Kain's decision and promises the next cycle will be the last.

As the final cycle begins, Golbez appears before the revived Cosmos and refreshes her memory of her plan for her warriors to obtain their Crystals. Seeing how weakened Cosmos is, Golbez questions whether she is willing to risk her life for her warriors, and is impressed by her resolve to resign herself to her fate. Golbez also leaves a wild rose next to Firion as a means to help him regain his memories.

Light to All
Golbez appears before Onion Knight after Cloud of Darkness kidnaps Terra, telling him the Cloud of Darkness is too powerful for him to defeat and should avoid her. Onion Knight remains uncertain, and Golbez leaves telling him to look in his heart for answers if he cannot listen to reason. When Onion Knight defeats the Cloud of Darkness, Golbez reappears and tells him to support and protect Terra, which strengthens Onion Knight's resolve and manifests his Crystal before him.

Golbez meets with Cosmos again, discussing her plan to end the cycle. Golbez warns Cosmos of her dangerous gamble, and if it fails, her warriors will not be revived during the next cycle, losing the war.

Golbez visits Cecil, who doubts his path. He tells Cecil he cannot find his Crystal simply by looking for it, and advises Cecil to follow him to learn more. The Emperor congratulates Golbez on baiting Cecil. Following Tidus's advice, Cecil leaves his comrades and follows Golbez to the Planet's Core. Golbez wishes to see if Cecil has the strength of will to find the Crystal, before Exdeath appears and accuses Golbez of treachery. Cecil defeats Exdeath to defend his brother, with Golbez congratulating him on proving himself worthy enough to find the Crystal. Cecil begs Golbez to join him, but he refuses and leaves, telling Cecil he cannot find the Crystal as he currently is.

Golbez and Sephiroth briefly meet at Kefka's Tower, where Sephiroth asks if he misses the light. Golbez says he has duties to attend to, while Sephiroth warns that he will be scorched by the light if he gets too close.

Cecil returns to his comrades when Golbez visits him again. Golbez attacks Cecil for depending on his friends for strength, stating his friendships are nothing but illusions. Golbez departs and is confronted by Jecht, who tells Golbez fighting a family member is not easy if he keeps their bond. Golbez implies to Jecht that his serving the Emperor will result in the latter eliminating him when Jecht no longer serves any use. Later, as Bartz is exploring the antagonists' territory, Golbez attempts to warn him that the fake Crystal he found was made by Exdeath before entering battle with him. An earthquake caused by the the Warrior of Light's radiance allows Bartz to flee. Exdeath mocks Golbez for guiding the heroes.

Cecil arrives at the Moon Canyon, telling Golbez he fights with friends to give them strength as they give him strength. After Cecil is victorious, claiming his Crystal, Golbez compliments Cecil's strength before vanishing.

After Cosmos's death, Golbez is confronted by the Emperor for treason. Golbez reveals everything he did was to assist the heroes in claiming their Crystals, believing they will defeat Chaos to free the worlds from the cycle. He confronts the Emperor for using both parties to create dark crystals to survive and take over what remained of existence. Garland tells Golbez his actions led to Cosmos's death, ending the cycle. Golbez questions Garland's role in maintaining the cycle, to which Garland says he has no desires or any right to have one as a prisoner of time.

Being a minion of Chaos, Golbez battles Cecil a second time, who claims that only in a world full of disorder can his wish can be fulfilled. Upon his defeat, he acknowledges Cecil and his friends can destroy Chaos. As he departs, Golbez claims he has no right to fight beside Cecil and that his ties to Chaos are proof of his weak heart. Cecil says Golbez will overcome himself someday, asking him to join him when the day comes. Golbez says Cecil is too kindhearted to be a knight, but contemplates the possibility of joining his brother if the light shines upon him and walks away.

If a Warrior of Cosmos besides Cecil encounters Golbez, Golbez resigns himself to his fate and thanks them, as their light gave him hope. On defeat, Golbez paraphrases Zemus, stating that while the flesh may rot, the soul carries on.

Official Quests
Golbez is fought as a boss in "Yuna's Quest 012: In Such A Place", confronting Yuna and Lightning and telling them he has seen other warriors responding to Cosmos's call for them to return to Order's Sanctuary. Golbez battles Yuna, and afterwards thinks that Cosmos's plan has been enacted and the warriors she has chosen to carry it out are strong.

Rebirth of the cycles
Golbez is summoned as a warrior of Spiritus and gathers with the other antagonists at Spiritus's dome. When Spiritus communicates with Materia, Golbez silently watches as Spiritus declares his intentions to rule World B.

Since this incident, Golbez has a very minor role in the conflict. He is present in Spiritus's domain when the Warrior of Light, Cecil, and Noctis arrive to use the communication channel to contact Materia about the planesgorgers.

After the two gods form a truce, the champions on both sides engage in a stage battle to lure Shinryu to them. During the ensuing fight, Golbez uses his abilities to raise the terrain near Squall after he is knocked down by Jecht. Bartz attempts to ambush him with a spear, but Golbez merely deflects it as he launches a flurry of rocks towards Squall. Cloud steps in and shatters the incoming rocks, and prepares to launch a counterattack against Golbez. As soon as Shinryu arrives, Golbez participates in a joint attack against the dragon, but they are repelled as Shinryu reveals his true form in a potent burst of power. After regaining their composure, the warriors work together to defeat Shinryu.

Shortly after killing Shinryu, the moogles give Golbez a crystal to host his memories for Spiritus to use in the new cycles of wars. With a crystal doppelgänger of himself to serve on Spiritus's behalf, Golbez is sent home alongside Cecil.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Golbez is a Thaumaturge, employing a unique fighting style consisting of combo attacks. Golbez's Bravery attacks summon the CPU and its nodes with waves of energy to attack, hitting at both close and long ranges. This allow players to chain Golbez's attacks depending on their timing. One drawback is that using his attacks to strike from a distance makes them more readable and easy to dodge. Though they can hit at long-range, Golbez needs to be close to his opponent to strike using the physical parts of his attacks, and the ranged parts of his attacks still have a low range compared to some of the other magical fighters. This can make him difficult to use. Most of his attacks are geared for ground zone control. His main weakness is that he makes for a large target and is slow.

Boss
In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Golbez is fought in Destiny Odyssey IV, V, Shade Impulse, Distant Glory, and Inward Chaos.

In Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, he is fought in Guidance of the Moon, A Treasure Hunt, and Conclusion of the Cycle chapters of Story Mode.

Attacks
''Due to the nature of Golbez's attacks, their priority and effects vary. Move the mouse cursor over the underlined text to view which parts of the attack are of which priority.''

Bravery Attacks

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

HP Attacks

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

Bravery to HP Attacks

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

EX Mode
Golbez's EX Mode is Summon Shadow Dragon, where he summons and fuses with his Shadow Dragon from Final Fantasy IV. Golbez gains the special attack "Black Fang" by holding and. It has a long charge time, which makes him vulnerable to attacks, but instantly Breaks the opponent. The summon Phoenix is the only way to stop this; other summons that "lock" the opponent's Brave, like Demon Wall, cannot stop Black Fang. Black Fang will succeed even if Golbez is afflicted with Break when it executes.

Golbez's EX Burst is Twin Moon. The player must input three chains of commands within a time limit. If the player fails, Golbez crushes the opponent between four boulders. If all three commands are input successfully, the Shadow Dragon paralyzes the opponent with Binding Cold, followed by Golbez casting Twin Meteor, conjuring a barrage of meteorites to attack.

Equipment
Golbez can equip Greatswords, Spears, Axes, Rods, Shields, Gauntlets, Helms, Light Armor, and Heavy Armor. In Dissidia 012, Golbez can also equip Large Shields.

Exclusive weapons

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Type: Marksman - Golbez starts the match with his shadow dragon, which grant a large boost to his attack potency. The dragon disappears if Golbez takes more than 1,000 HP damage.
 * EX Skill: Binding Cold/Shadow Dragon - Conjure a chill storm that temporarily freezes any enemies who touch it. If the shadow dragon is not present, it will be summoned instead.

Gallery

 * Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008) & Dissidia Final Fantasy 012

Allusions

 * Golbez's battle stance mirrors his original artwork and battle sprite from Final Fantasy IV.
 * When defeated in Shade Impulse, he says he might join Cecil once light shines on him, a reference to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, where he joins forces with Cecil.
 * Golbez's ultimate weapons are present in Final Fantasy IV: the Lilith Rod is dropped by Lilith and by Lamia Queen, and Asura's Rod can be obtained in Final Fantasy IV Advance and The Complete Collection. The Zeromus Shard refers to the crystal Golbez gives Cecil before their fight against Zeromus.
 * Golbez is the only Warrior of Chaos who does not disappear after his defeat in Shade Impulse by his Cosmos counterpart. This mirrors his fate in Final Fantasy IV, wherein he goes with Fusoya to join the sleeping Lunarians.
 * In Shade Impulse II-4, when Golbez is defeated by any character but Cecil, his final words are "The flesh may rot, but the soul never perishes..." This is attributed to Zemus upon his transformation into Zeromus.
 * Upon activating EX Mode, Golbez yells "My creature of shadow!", his line before calling upon the Dragon in Final Fantasy IV. His EX Mode's special attack, Black Fang, was an attack the Shadow Dragon used to instantly dispatch Cecil's allies. During Golbez's EX Burst, the dragon will use Binding Cold, which Golbez used in Final Fantasy IV to paralyze Cecil's party before summoning his dragon.
 * Golbez's EX Burst, Twin Meteor, is named after the attack he and Fusoya used to destroy Zemus in Final Fantasy IV. If the player times Golbez's EX Burst correctly, a text box will appear of the Shadow Dragon saying "give your power to Meteor!", and Golbez replies "Very well" mirroring Golbez's exchange with Fusoya before they cast Twin Meteor. The player must input the button commands as Golbez says "shadow", "light", and "dark" to see this.
 * When attacking with Gravity Force, Golbez sometimes says "Allow me to give you something", followed by "A gift!" when initiating the second part of Float System and Gravity System. The lines allude to his dialogue when meeting Cecil for the first time in Final Fantasy IV: "So, you are Cecil. Allow me to give you something—a gift to remember our meeting by."
 * One of Golbez's lines on defeat is "Death... will not claim me". This refers to what he said in the Dwarven Castle in Final Fantasy IV.
 * Golbez's victory pose is similar to the of the 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV, only viewed at a frontal angle.
 * Golbez's "Cosmic Ray" attack first appeared in Final Fantasy IV as Golbez attacked Fabul, where he halted all attempts to attack him with a blast of electricity from his palm, as he advanced on a wounded Cecil.
 * The name of Golbez's first alternate costume, "Cloak of Flame", alludes to Rubicante's cloak from Final Fantasy IV.
 * Golbez's intro line to Cecil in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, "There are greater callings than justice", is based on what the Dark Knight says to Cecil when he becomes a Paladin in the 3D release of Final Fantasy IV: "Justice and retribution are but trifling things. There are victories of greater worth."

Trivia

 * Golbez's Genesis Rock attack alludes to the name given to a sample of the original lunar crust recovered by Apollo 15.
 * Golbez's fighting style, "Thaumaturge", is Greek, and refers to a saint or magician that creates miracles.
 * Due to Golbez's unique two-part attacks, the developers struggled creating them and nicknamed him "Double trouble-chan".
 * Golbez is the only Warrior of Chaos who learns chainable HP attacks upon mastering his Brave attacks (known as Bravery to HP attacks).
 * Golbez's Black Fang is the only attack that can inflict Break when the opponent's Bravery is locked by a summon effect.
 * Golbez was the final character revealed of the 28 available characters at launch in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.

Golbez (Dissidia) Golbez/Dissidia Golbez (Dissidia)