Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy XII boss)

Gilgamesh is an Elite Mark in Final Fantasy XII, and is petitioned by Montblanc. He is found in the Lhusu Mines and must be fought twice. The first is on the bridge just to the west of the Gate Crystal, in a homage to the "Clash on the Big Bridge" (which is also the name of the Hunt) from Final Fantasy V; a reworked version of the iconic theme music is heard during each fight. Gilgamesh escapes after defeat and the player must find the Site 11 Key and venture deep into the mine to Site 7. During the second fight, Gilgamesh's HP is triple what he previously had and his stats are all raised which makes for a tough fight.

Gilgamesh uses weapons from various Final Fantasy games, as well as one from Dragon Quest (also known as Dragon Warrior). However, all of the swords differ from their appearances in their respective games, and the Bestiary states that none of the swords are authentic. He is voiced in the Japanese version by Daisuke Gori, who voiced Fungus in Final Fantasy: Unlimited, making it his final voice role in the Final Fantasy series before his death. In the English version Gilgamesh is voiced by John DiMaggio of Futurama fame, who also voices Migelo, as well as the Final Fantasy X characters, Wakka and Kimahri.

Hunt 40: Battle on the Big Bridge
Petitioner: Montblanc

Petitioner's Location: Rabanastre / Clan Hall
 * A petition has been submitted for the hunting of the Ancient Man of Mystery (Rank 7). The petitioner is Montblanc in the clan hall in Rabanastre.
 * Hunt accepted. Montblanc tells you that an individual has wagered his sword in combat with the Ancient Man of Mystery and lost. This mysterious adversary is to be found on a bridge somewhere in the Lhusu Mines.
 * Gave chase to Gilgamesh, yet he escaped. You must find out where he hides and confront him once again!
 * Gilgamesh defeated in the depths of the Lhusu Mines! Report to Montblanc in the clan hall.
 * Hunt reported. But just who was Gilgamesh, and why did he yearn so for a sword? No wonder they call him the Ancient Man of Mystery!

Bestiary Entry
Genus: Elite Mark

Classification: ???

"An ancient Man of Mystery, traveling the Dimensions with his lone Companion, Enkidu, in search of a legendary Sword. It is said he confronts all Adventurers he meets and challenges them for their Weapons. Each of his six Arms bears a Weapon of great Fame, yet there is no Evidence that any are the genuine Article. Petitioned as a Mark by a Swordsman bereft of his beloved Blade."

Site 11 Key
To get deeper into the mines the player must first complete the hunt for Antlion, after which the Site 11 Key appears in the Hunters' Camp in Phon Coast, on the ground next to a Fallen Bhujerban.

First Encounter
Before the fight, the player should buff the characters with protective spells; a Gate Crystal is located just before entering the bridge. When the fight begins the party should Dispel both Gilgamesh and Enkidu's positive statuses. If the party has the Nihopalaoa accessory, the player can use it to Sleep Enkidu, then Oil it and fry it with Fire spells.

Gilgamesh's positive statuses will always renew whenever he pulls out a sword, so the player can set up Gambits to dispel it. His attacks only damage one character at a time, which gives the party an advantage if they defeat Enkidu first. When Gilgamesh's HP is left around 40%, he draws an imitation of Zidane Tribal's Orichalcum, and the party then has the opportunity to steal his first Genji set, Genji Shield and Genji Gloves; it is highly advisable to at least steal the Genji Gloves, since this accessory only works well with the Masamune. After Gilgamesh's HP drops close to 30%, he will pull out his replica of the Tournesol, the strongest two-handed sword in the game.

After every cutscene during the battle, the player can steal more items from Gilgamesh. Stealing from Gilgamesh in both battles is the only way to get a complete set of Genji equipment.

Second Encounter
There is a Save Crystal before Gilgamesh and the player should make sure to buff the party. This time, Gilgamesh uses status inflicting magicks, such as:
 * Lv.2 Sleep
 * Lv.3 Disable
 * Lv.4 Break

If the party members are at Lv: Prime number, they'll have more advantages during the fight. If the party's levels are divisible by 2, 3 or 4, the player should set Remedy or Esunaga gambit. The player can also purchase the Black Belt accessory, which gives immunity to Disable. If the player has leveled the party accordingly, so that the party is immune to the spells, Gilgamesh will still waste time casting them, giving the party a little time to heal and buff. Basically any level that isn't an even number and isn't divisible by three is great for this purpose.

The party should first dispel Gilgamesh and Enkidu's buffs and focus the party's attacks mainly on Enkidu. Gilgamesh's standard attacks are strong, as all his stats have increased since the first battle. As stated above, if the party's Lv is set on Prime Number, the party will have more time defeating Enkidu, if not, they can simply use the Nihopalaoa trick to Sleep Enkidu, then Oil it and fry it with Fire spells. A good trick is to use Flame Staff or other weapon with affinity to Fire, to deal increased damage.

After defeating Enkidu, the player should make sure the party still has Vanish, or Protect. Gilgamesh's attacks chain often. Every time he pulls out a different sword, the party should dispel his positive statuses. When about 30% of his HP is drained, he'll use his special attack, Bitter End, and has chance of inflicting Sap to the party. Once the party has drained 60% of Gilgamesh's HP, he draws out the Tournesol replica, and the party can steal the Genji Helm. The player needs to do this before having drained about 70% of his HP, because then Gilgamesh will pull out a replica of the Wyrmhero Blade; saying "Quake, mortals! You face the blade of legend!", and erects a paling. During this period, Gilgamesh can be lethal: his attacks have a high chance of chaining up to 15 hits, meaning, once his attack connects, the character is dead. His special attacks are replaced by Monarch Sword, but luckily, his paling fades after he executes Monarch Sword twice.

After Gilgamesh's paling fades, the player can steal the remaining piece of Genji Equipment: Genji Armor. After defeating him, a cutscene will follow as the party leaves the battlefield (the cutscene varies depending on which character is the Party Leader).

In order to make stealing items easier, the player can activate the Steal gambit on one or even all characters and then disable the gambit when stealing is no longer needed.

Report and Reward

 * 10,000 gil
 * Masamune

Defeating Gilgamesh unlocks his sprite in the Sky Pirate's Den granting the player the title of Master Swordsman.

Other Events
As part of the Fishing mini-game, after the second battle with Gilgamesh, the swordsman will appear in a niche at the end of the bridge at the Barheim Passage West Annex. He explains he wasn't there to spill their blood, but to hunt for a sword; he even refers to them as friends. He says "there was no treasure, a useless stick I found". He hands the party the Matamune fishing rod and leaps away with Enkidu hot at his heels.

Swords
Throughout the battles Gilgamesh wields various famous swords used by the protagonists of other Square Enix games. When he first appears he only uses unnamed katanas, but as the fight progresses he draws his other swords. These swords are:
 * Cloud Strife's Buster Sword: The blade has the kanji for "fake" / "imitation" painted on it and four holes instead of the usual two.
 * Squall Leonhart's Revolver: Instead of Griever, the blade has an image of a Chocobo and Chocobo footprints present on it. It also has no keychain or trigger.
 * Tidus's Brotherhood: The blade has two hooks protruding from the tip instead of one and is more transparent. The guard has a slightly different design.
 * Odin's Zantetsuken: The blade edge is curved, as opposed to "lightning-shaped," and features a skull near the guard.
 * Zidane Tribal's Orichalcum: This is Zidane's left-hand dagger. It is much longer than the original.
 * The Wyrmhero Blade, Erdrick's sword from Dragon Quest III. The sword is also available in Final Fantasy XII's Bazaar.
 * The Tournesol, the game's strongest sword. It has an additional blade going straight, between the curvy blade.

Trivia

 * Gilgamesh's special attack is called Ultimate Illusion (Kyuukyoku Gensou in the Japanese version, or "Finale Fantasie" in German, a direct reference to the series), a synonym for Final Fantasy. While using the attack, Gilgamesh cries "This sword I wield...is no counterfeit!", referring to the fact his swords are all fakes, also in Dissidia 012 this special attack is the of same name as Gilgamesh's EX Burst if it is Perfect.
 * As with Final Fantasy V, the player can steal a full set of Genji equipment from Gilgamesh, and his sidekick, Enkidu, returns as a dog of the same name, possibly the same creature that changed its form.
 * As in his original appearance in Final Fantasy V, the party battles Gilgamesh the first time on a large bridge.
 * If the player defeats Enkidu before Gilgamesh loses 20% of his HP, or doesn't kill Enkidu before that point, a slightly different scene plays, in both battles.
 * The fact that all of his swords are fakes is a reference to Final Fantasy V where he mistakes the Excalipoor for the Excalibur.

Related enemies

 * Enkidu