Montblanc

Montblanc is a recurring character in the Ivalice Alliance. He is a hard working moogle, and in all his appearances, he is in charge of a clan. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, he finds Marche Radiuju after St. Ivalice transformed into the land of Ivalice and later decided to help him revert Ivalice back to normal.

In Final Fantasy XII, Montblanc is the leader of Clan Centurio and gives Vaan various Hunts. He is also the oldest one of Six Moogle Siblings, the others being Nono, Hurdy, Gurdy, Horne, and Sorbet.

Appearance and Personality
Montblanc has blond hair slicked to the back, his pom-pom and wings are orange while his fur is brown. In all his game appearances he has dark brown tips on his ears (although in some artwork Montblanc does not have them), in contrast with most other moogles. In some art his eyes are gray, with a few exceptions, including his Final Fantasy XII artwork's eye color, which is brown, and his Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift artwork with lavender gray eyes.

Montblanc's upper garment consists of a wide standing turtle neck and a green jacket with a yellow cloth lining. Each of his sleeves have lace cuffs, probably cut-work. His bottom garment are red-brown harem pants. He also wears a brown belt with a bag on it, also known as a belt pack. This is first visible in Final Fantasy XII. Montblanc also wears brown fingerless gloves and shoes, which have toe caps and yellow tongues.

Montblanc has a kind personality, and he seems to save almost everyone he sees. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, it is shown Montblanc is frequently loud and is easily angered, especially with his little brother Nono. He is also known to be reliable and trustworthy, shown when Montblanc is trusted to help Marche revert Ivalice to normal. He is often found speaking in metaphors and idioms.

Final Fantasy XII
In Final Fantasy XII, Montblanc is the leader of a clan in the city of Rabanastre, which the player can join. The clan, called Clan Centurio, is a clan devoted to hunting Marks of extreme difficulty. By joining Clan Centurio, the player will gain access to the clan shop and Elite Marks not found on regular hunt boards. In the clan's headquarters, Montblanc stands at the top of the stairs on the banister in the middle, with the clan's founding members and trusty friends Krjn and Ma'kenroh behind him.

Montblanc gives bills of Elite Marks if the player talks to him, but if he is not the petitioner, the player must come to the petitioner to accept the hunt. He also gives out various rewards when the player defeats bosses and advances in the Clan Centurio ranks. If the player reaches the highest rank and completes the Sky Pirate's Den, Montblanc will reward the player with Centurio Hero's Badge.

Over time, Montblanc reveals his founding of the clan is due to his master, who taught him and his five siblings the ways of world and they all looked up to him. But after Yiazmat took away the man and killed him, Montblanc started Clan Centurio, to find the strongest warrior in Ivalice to fight Yiazmat and avenge his master.

Montblanc's sprite is unlocked in Sky Pirate's Den by building a Chain of over 50. The title for this sprite is The Unrelenting.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Montblanc is Marche Radiuju's most prominent ally in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, in which he debuts. Prior to Marche's arrival he is the leader of the clan which eventually becomes Clan Nutsy. When Marche is teleported to the dream Ivalice by the Gran Grimoire, he incites the wrath of two pugnacious bangaa. Montblanc arrives on the scene in time to guide Marche through the systems of laws and engagements and helps him win the battle with the him as a guest unit. After the battle and the introduction of the clan, he becomes a playable character.

At the beginning of the game, he mostly introduces the elements of Ivalice, including Judge Points and clan battles. In the game, he mostly encourages and gives some advice to Marche, such as commenting that Marche had become "older" (by which he meant "mature") when he attempted to attack Doned. He does not appear in cutscenes when the player continues the game after the main story has ended.

Montblanc seems to have expected Marche's appearance, explaining to the bangaa that Marche had "just come in from the country." The moogle is surprised to learn of Marche's story and his ignorance of the races of Ivalice, but invites the foreigner into Clan Nutsy anyway. He also says their meeting was "no accident." Whether Montblanc decided to help Marche because he genuinely knew of his arrival in Ivalice, or because he simply wanted to help a stranger in need, is not clear.

After the second mission, Herb Picking, at Giza Plains, it is revealed that picking up Muscmaloi was his childhood chores.

After the mission Desert Peril is finished, Montblanc tells Marche he believes in the "crystal theory," a theory about the existence of crystals. According to the theory the magical crystals were made by the palace. The magic is so strong it also affects the animals. The theory is not confirmed to be true until the mission Twisted Flow, where Marche enters a portal to a crystal room, guarded by Famfrit.

At the end of the game, before Mewt Randell reads the Grimoire so Ivalice would turn back into St. Ivalice, Montblanc says he will convey Marche's farewells and his thanks to everyone. Marche says he would never come as far as he did without him and hugs him.

Moogle Bride is a mission exclusively for Montblanc, in which he is the only unit that cannot be removed. The petitioner is Mogumi, a townsgirl who invites him to Materiwood to explain her feelings. But when Clan Nutsy arrives at Materiwood, it ends up to be a trick created by Reaker, a Mog Knight from Clan Rose. At this battle, the song "Painful Battle" is played. This mission only appears after the game has been completed. There is also a similar mission from Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift named "A Bride for Montblanc," where the Japanese name is the same as the one from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

As a storyline character, Montblanc may not be dispatched on missions. Montblanc can be removed permanently from the game by letting him die in a Jagd, despite Montblanc's presence in the story. A short scene will occur with Marche saying goodbye to his friend. There are two different scenes: at the usual scene, Montblanc will say he is sorry to leave, but that he had a good life. At Jagd Hunt, Marche will call Montblanc to go to Baguba Port, but Montblanc is silent. Both of the scenes have Marche calling his name twice, Montblanc disappearing and Marche unable to face him.

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, Montblanc (voiced by Kumiko Yokote) meets Marche in Cyril together with Nono. At their first battle in Ivalice, Montblanc receives a Yellow Card from a Judge because he casts Fire on one of the bangaa, which breaks the law forbidding magic.

Towards the end of the radio drama, Montblanc seems have learned some Time Magic, since during Marche's engagement against Remedi, he casts Reflect. After the event that happened to the St. Ivalice citizens when Ivalice had reverted back to normal, Montblanc is heard uttering a soliloquy as a voiceover, on how he would like to meet Marche again, in a dream.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Montblanc returns as a playable character in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift. His first official appearance is in the encounter I'm Back, Kupo! (やってきたクポ Yatte Kita Kupo) at the capital of Fluorgis. While Luso Clemens is waiting for Hurdy, he bumps into a pair of bangaa, specifically a White Monk and a Warrior. The two angry bangaa begin to walk away, but then turn around and accuse Luso of stealing a magick medallion from one of them.

After a brief exchange, Montblanc arrives and points out the bangaa White Monk merely dropped his medallion on the floor, and the situation is soon diffused. Right after Montblanc leaves, Hurdy arrives late and hears a summary of the encounter from Luso. Hurdy says the moogle reminds him of his brother, who would never stand by and watch a bully. The scene in which Montblanc first appears is humorously similar to the one where he first appeared in the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Montblanc appears as a golden statue at the southeast corner of Luso's journal (along with his siblings) after completing 50 missions. His pose at the statue is like his pose at his Final Fantasy Tactics Advance artwork, which is holding a book with his right hand.

In order to recruit Montblanc, the player must obtain the Gigas Pendant, Earrings of the Dead, and the Pin of Order, and must have completed the game. The quest "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" (仲間募集クポ Nakamaboshuu Kupo) will then appear at a pub, which the location is at the Boulderfall, located in Baptiste Hill,. Montblanc was seeking these rare items, but upon seeing Luso already has all of them he decides to give up on his treasure hunt.

He later explains to Luso and Hurdy he used to have the Gigas Pendant (similar to Marche's pendant at Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which could only been seen in his artwork) himself a long, long time ago, but as a replica. It was his favorite accessory and was with him the whole time, until it was lost. He is shocked, but decides to go on a search to replace his replica with the real thing. The Scions Montblanc needs in the quest appear in artworks of the three Final Fantasy Tactics Advance protagonists Marche, Ritz, and Mewt.

After Montblanc explains his reason to go to Jylland, Hurdy asks him if he wants go back to his clan, but Montblanc refuses and decides to "linger for a while." Luso invites Montblanc to join his clan, which he accepts. When Hurdy asks him if it is all right for him to leave Clan Centurio unattended for his brief stay in Jylland, Montblanc claims Bansat will take care of things.

At the Champion's Cup, the clan is in battle against Montblanc's former clan: Clan Centurio, now lead by Bansat the seeq Viking. Bansat is surprised Montblanc has joined another clan, but Montblanc tells Bansat it's his chance to show the results of his leadership.

While it is unsurprising that Montblanc interacts with Hurdy when recruited, it seems a little odd he does not interact with Vaan and Penelo in any cutscenes, given that they are prominent members of Clan Centurio. It should also be noted that, while joining Clan Centurio in Final Fantasy XII is technically optional, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 seems to take it as a given that Vaan and Penelo joined it (see here for evidence in favor of this).

The soliloquy performed by Montblanc when he is Knocked Out is "Kupo-po. Ah, old friend. Is that you...?". While only speculation, this could be taken to be a reference to Marche, implying that Montblanc has some memory of the events of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, despite the fact that Final Fantasy Tactics Advance's version of Ivalice did not take place in the "real" Ivalice. Alternatively, it could be a reference to his master who was killed by Yiazmat. In the Japanese version, he says that he sees a visual blur and uttered "Ma...", which is close to Marche's name.

A side story of "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" is "A Bride for Montblanc". The petitioner is Cois, Maiden of the Wood. But when Clan Gully arrives at Ruins of Delgantua, it appears Cois is not real and it was actually a viera named Fras, the person Montblanc had defeated at a clan tourney. She had claimed her clan had drugged the other contestants with an elixir, but Montblanc's clan had arrived unannounced and claimed the victor's mantle. Because of this, she wanted to "crush" Clan Centurio for vengeance.

Easter Egg
Montblanc has some minor appearances as a sprite at pubs. He is never mentioned by anyone each time this easter egg occurs.


 * 1) Right after the first mission.
 * 2) After the second mission.
 * 3) After completing mission "Wanted: Ugohr".
 * 4) When Adelle and Illua first met.
 * 5) After completing mission "Seeking the Stone".

These appearances might explain why Montblanc said that he "was with Luso all the time" at the I'm Back, Kupo! encounter.

In the Side Story
In a side story to Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Chapter 4: Hurdy Heads for the Hills, Montblanc is mentioned as one who gives encouragement to his younger brother Hurdy to travel the world.

He also asks Hurdy to bring back the rare and expensive vintage wine called Prudence - which is one of the wines found in Vagrant Story's Leá Monde. Hurdy thinks Montblanc is being ridiculous, since he does not seem to drink wine. He also cannot ride on chocobos according to Gurdy's Section, which probably explains why Montblanc cannot use the Chocobo Knight class.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
In the first mission Lizard Men!?, Montblanc is a Black Mage, and after the mission he can change his job into a Thief or an Animist. He equips a Rod and a Hempen Robe.

Below are his stats during the mission Lizard Men!?. During the battle, if Montblanc has been hit or KOed, he will regain full HP whenever he talks to Marche.

After the first mission has been completed, Montblanc's stats will slightly change. (The stats that are changed will be in bold text. Decreased stats will be in red )

Stat Growth
Below are Montblanc's stat growth. They vary depending on the Jobs the player chooses for him, as every Job has a different stat growth.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Montblanc joins the clan as a Black Mage, equipped with a Chill Rod and Magick Robe, and the spells Fire, Fira, Firaga, Thunder, Thundara, and Thundaga already mastered. Like in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Montblanc has high magick attack and resistance.

Montblanc can gain access to all jobs if following the criteria, except for the Chocobo Knight Job. This is the same case with Hurdy because of their unique sprites. Montblanc cannot be a Chocobo Knight because he cannot ride a chocobo, as it is explained in the sidestory.

Below are his stats once recruited from mission Wanted: Friends, Kupo!. His stats varies, but below are the range of his stats.

If the average clan level is higher than 45, Montblanc's level will change according to it.

Musical Theme
In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, his main theme is "Teach Me, Mont Blanc." It was mostly used at Montblanc's appearances. In Final Fantasy XII, "Clan Headquarters" is played along with Montblanc's appearances.

Virtual World
Montblanc could be obtained in the Square Enix Members Virtual World community, bringing the name of Final Fantasy XII.

Etymology
Montblanc is "white mountain" in French. It is also the name of a sweet chestnut pastry, which is popular among Japan. It was named after Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Western Europe. This may reference that he leads Clan Nutsy in the first Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, his appearance (orange pom-pom, blond hair, and tan fur) and the nuts hanging from his staff in his artwork for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

Trivia

 * Montblanc was the first moogle to have hair on his head instead of fur, with a different color. This was followed by Hurdy, Gurdy, Sorbet, and Zupp.
 * Montblanc is the second fully voiced moogle, the first one being Moogle Kupo from Final Fantasy: Unlimited.
 * At the Final Fantasy XII Pins merchandise, Montblanc is featured in a bonus card.
 * Montblanc is one of the few moogles ever seen using their wings; Montblanc uses his wings at mission "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
 * In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, he is the only moogle with a different pom-pom color (the other ones were red). This also happens at Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, which he does not have a blue or red pom-pom.
 * Montblanc's pendant in his Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift artwork is the Gigas Pendant, which is similar to Marche's pendant in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
 * In Montblanc's artwork in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, he carries a book, despite that there are no books that could be equipped in the game. Also, in Montblanc's artwork in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, he carries a staff, despite moogles being unable to equip staves, except for the Chocobo Knight Job, a Job that Montblanc cannot access.

Montblanc