Garland (Final Fantasy)



Garland is a character in the original Final Fantasy. A knight who has fallen from grace, the Warriors of Light must fight him near the beginning of the game.

Story
Once the greatest knight in the kingdom of Cornelia, he is corrupted by evil, and kidnaps Princess Sara. He is defeated by the four Warriors of Light. However, he is also part of a time loop created by himself and the four fiends. When the Warriors of Light travel to the past, they find him again, and he transforms into Chaos to do battle with the heroes.

The exact story of Garland seems to be unexplored. One man in Cornelia Castle mentions that Garland "Didn't used to be bad...", as Garland was once one of the king's top knights. His horned helmet, while human, is a subtle hint to the monster he becomes.

Following the destruction of Chaos in the past, the Light Warriors destroy the time warp that created the troubles of the evil. Since Chaos and the Four Fiends never existed, the present-day Garland could never have been corrupted. So when the Light Warriors return to their time, he is a knight for Cornelia, untouched by evil.

Battle
Being the first boss, Garland has only physical attacks. Physical attackers counter him blow-by-blow, with the player's White/Red Mage healing when needed. The player's Black Mage should be frying him with the fire spell that should have been obtained by now.

Dissidia -Final Fantasy-
Garland will be returning as a playable character in Dissidia -Final Fantasy-. He wields an enormous sword that can split into two, as well as extending on a chain for ranged attacks. He possesses four seperate elemental magic attacks which correlate with the Four Fiends - Earthquake (Lich), Flame (Marilith), Tsunami (Kraken), and Tornado (Tiamat). In the first trailer, he is seen fighting the Warrior of Light, who will also be playable. He has also been seen discussing the nature of Chaos and Cosmos in a cutscene. Garland will be voiced by Utsumi Kenji, well known for his role as Alex Louis Armstrong of Square Enix's Fullmetal Alchemist.

In a screenshot, Garland is also seen fighting with Kuja. It is unknown what the conflict between them is, although it may be a reference to Kuja's antagonistic relationship with Garland's namesake in Final Fantasy IX.

Etymology
A garland is a wreath of flowers worn on the head, usually given to great military heroes in ancient Greece and Rome, not unlike the medals of today are. They were also sometimes left on the graves of fallen soldiers. In reference to Garland, the name may be symbolic, as he was a great hero who had "fallen" (corrupted by evil).

Gallery
Garland (FFI) Gárland (Final Fantasy)