Gilgamesh (character)



Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ, Girugamesshu) is a recurring character in the Final Fantasy series. Initially introduced as a minor villain, he has made a number of appearances in remakes and later titles. To date, Gilgamesh appears in more games than any other character, and may be the only character to appear in more than one game in the main series (see below).

Gilgamesh's role has varied greatly, from ally, to enemy, to summon, but for most of his appearances he is a traveling sword collector that battles with a variety of rare and powerful weapons. In most, if not all, of his appearances, Gilgamesh is searching for the legendary sword, Excalibur. Another trademark of Gilgamesh is Genji Equipment, which can be stolen from or dropped by him.

Profile
Gilgamesh's appearance has varied subtly in every game, but in all his appearances he has a gray complexion, red/orange armor, and as many as eight arms, in which he holds an arsenal of different weapons. Gilgamesh's trademark weapon is a halberd, but he also uses rare and powerful swords collected from around the world. He considers himself a master swordsman, but usually ends up running away after the party defeats him. He is by no means weak however; most of his fights outside Final Fantasy V are quite difficult, and his Dissidia profile describes him as having "strength that once decimated an entire army". Usually, Gilgamesh appears with only two of his arms visible; it is only after he "morphs" that he reveals his true form, in which he has six or eight arms. He is often seen traveling with his partner Enkidu, whose appearance has also varied.

Gilgamesh is a sword collector, and in most games is shown to have a wide variety of weapons. His primary target for collection is the holy sword Excalibur. However, most of the time Gilgamesh finds what he thinks is the sword, but is in fact the knock-off Excalipur instead. In Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy V and and Final Fantasy VI, Gilgamesh appears to attack the party due to their possession of Excalipur. As shown in Final Fantasy XII, though Gilgamesh has many other famous swords besides Excalibur, most, if not all of them, are also knock-offs. In battle, Gilgamesh has retained a few key characteristics across in the series. When weak, he will often feign defeat, then cast Protect, Shell and Haste on himself, and renew his attack. In games where Blue Magic is featured, he tends to use many Blue Magic spells. He also uses his collection of rare weapons. Though he frequently appears to challenge the party and was first known as a villain, Gilgamesh is not truly evil. In Final Fantasy V he seems saddened when he learns of Galuf's death, and when he is banished to the Void he almost offers to join the party, then he sacrifices himself so that the party can defeat Necrophobe. In Final Fantasy VIII he becomes an ally of the party after appearance, and again is not hostile in Final Fantasy IX (though he attempts to steal gil from the party several times). He attacks the party in Final Fantasy XII, but later appears to give them a useful item, and in Final Fantasy VI and Revenant Wings, is available as a summon after being bested in battle.

Gilgamesh has, after Final Fantasy V, appeared in many games, especially remakes. In each installment, he has the same appearance and personality. This seems to imply that, unlike other recurring characters like Cid or Biggs and Wedge, Gilgamesh is the same character appearing in the same game, making him the only character in the series to span multiple installments in the main series. It is unknown how he does this, but it may be due to his entrapment in the Void in Final Fantasy V, which has allowed him to find portals to other worlds. This is supported by Dissidia, where the Final Fantasy worlds are said to exist in the same multiverse and are connected by the Void. Gilgamesh also began a tradition of an incompetent, comical, yet persistent recurring boss for the party to face, a tradition continued in later games by Ultros, Biggs and Wedge, and Logos and Ormi.

Final Fantasy
Gilgamesh doesn't make an appearance in the original Final Fantasy, but only in the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary remakes. He is in the Lifespring Grotto, a bonus dungeon, together with three other Final Fantasy V bosses. After the Warriors of Light talk to some mermaids, they find a mysterious sword. The sword is most likely the Excalibur or Excalipur. Upon inspecting the sword, Gilgamesh, who is described as a rude man wielding a halberd, attacks the party. As is common for these optional new dungeons and the accompanying bosses, his strength far outweighs that of the Final Boss. Gilgamesh has 8,888 HP (like in the third fight with him in Final Fantasy V) and unleashes physical attacks that can easily KO even a high level character. In true Final Fantasy tradition, he drops Genji equipment upon his defeat. In Dawn of Souls, he is somewhat easy to beat should the player's party be at a high level.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Gilgamesh is summoned as a boss by the Creator in the final dungeon. In keeping with a slight tradition from Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, during the battle he will feign defeat and cast Haste, Protect and Shell on himself before continuing the battle. When defeated, he mutters "...Bartz...?" before vanishing. The party wonders what "Bartz" means, and thinks that in spite of his appearance, Gilgamesh did not seem evil. He drops the Excalipar upon his defeat.

Final Fantasy V
Gilgamesh is a major villain in Final Fantasy V. He is Exdeath's right hand man. For the bigger part of the game, Gilgamesh has morphed his appearance, but he reveals his true appearance later. The party can steal Genji equipment from him.

Gilgamesh makes his first appearance in Castle Exdeath, where he is holding Bartz, Lenna, and Faris prisoner. Galuf is forced to save them. He easily defeats Gilgamesh, but Gilgamesh runs off. Gilgamesh next appears on the Big Bridge, which the party crosses after escaping Castle Exdeath. They defeat him there as well, even though he casts Protect, Shell and Haste on himself, and he makes up an excuse and runs off again.

Gilgamesh's third appearance is during the battle to unlock the barrier surrounding Castle Exdeath. Gilgamesh attacks the ship that the party and Xezat are on, and brings an ally with him this time: Enkidu. The party defeats him, and he is thrown into the ocean. He survived, however, and is later seen in Castle Exdeath when the party attacks it. Halfway through the fight he transforms into his true form. However, he is unable to hurt the party in this form, as his sword, the Excalipur, is incredibly weak. Exdeath sees this, and as a result, banishes him to The Void.

Gilgamesh is lost in The Void, and does not make a re-appearance until the party attacks him there. However, Gilgamesh has changed, and he no longer likes Exdeath. He wants to leave The Void, and wants to go back to the real world. However, he realizes there is no way to do this. As a result, when the party attacks Necrophobe, Gilgamesh arrives to support the party. He sacrifices himself to save the party and defeat Necrophobe.

Final Fantasy VI
Gilgamesh appears as an Esper in the Game Boy Advance version of Final Fantasy VI. If the player bets the rare sword Excalipoor that can be bought in the Jidoor Auction House, in the Dragon's Neck Colosseum, they are put in a battle against an Onion Dasher. Win or lose the battle, Gilgamesh challenges the party to a battle for the Excalipoor. His sprite is a modified version of his Final Fantasy V sprite, and his AI script is similar to the second battle with him in the same game, involving him casting buffs on himself and using Jump when his HP drops low. Continuing the tradition, the party can steal Genji equipment from him in the battle. If he is defeated, he acknowledges the party's strength and gives himself up as Magicite.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * See the Summon sequence here

Gilgamesh appears as a pseudo-Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII. He is only obtainable if the party obtained Odin before entering the Lunatic Pandora and fighting Seifer (if Odin is obtained after this fight, acquiring Gilgamesh will not be possible). If the party did so, Odin will attack at the beginning of the battle, but Seifer will slice him in half with his Gunblade. Odin's Zantetsuken creates a rift in space/time, from which Gilgamesh appears and picks it up. Later in the fight, if it has lasted for more than 12 rounds, Gilgamesh will appear and defeat Seifer. Afterwards, he will appear at random during battles just like Odin to attack enemies with one of four random swords.

The dialogue he exchanges with Seifer hints that he is indeed the same Gilgamesh as the one from Final Fantasy V:


 * Gilgamesh
 * "You gave me the 4th one..."
 * "Huh? Was it you...?"
 * "Then dodge my sword!"
 * "Eat this!!!"


 * Seifer
 * "Ergwahhhh!!!"


 * Gilgamesh
 * Where is the dimensional interval...?

In the Japanese version, Gilgamesh's line "Huh? Was it you...?" was "「ん？　オマエなのか・・・・？　バ・・・・？」" ("Huh? Was it you...? Ba...?"). The "Ba...?" in the end could mean he was talking about Bartz (バッツ Batsu). Also, the "dimensional interval" may be the Interdimensional Rift.

Final Fantasy IX
Gilgamesh is a non-player character in Final Fantasy IX. He is a treasure hunter who travels around Gaia looking for new treasure. He has most likely morphed his appearance, or is simply not the Gilgamesh appearing in other installments, as he bears little resemblance to the Gilgamesh that appears in the majority of games. He is known by different names in different towns, including "Alleyway Jack" and "The Four-Armed Man," however, he does not reveal his true name (Gilgamesh) unless Zidane becomes a Rank S Treasure Hunter. He first appears in Alexandria where he teaches Vivi how to play Tetra Master. His second appearance is in Treno where he steals 1000 Gil from Princess Garnet and buys a Power Belt with the money, which he gives to Steiner. After Zidane steals enough in battle, he reveals his true identity, as well as admitting that he is not a great treasure hunter, in Daguerreo, just before he disappears to places unknown.

If the player makes it to Memoria before 12 hours of play time has passed, the Excalibur II sword can be obtained. Nearby is found a note, addressed to Gilgamesh from his brother about the Excalibur II and the Excalipur that says:

Final Fantasy XI
Gilgamesh is a non-player character in Final Fantasy XI. He is a major figure in Norg, which is the pirate city located on the Elshimo Island. He is involved in a few of the quests related to the Rise of the Zilart expansion, and is also involved in the Samurai job class story. Unlike most other incarnations of Gilgamesh, this Gilgamesh looks entirely different from his other appearances, though as mentioned Gilgamesh has the ability to morph his form.

Gilgamesh is also the name of one of the world servers used by the game.

Final Fantasy XII
Gilgamesh appears as an Elite Mark in Final Fantasy XII. He is petitioned by Montblanc at the behest of an unidentified warrior who lost to Gilgamesh and was forced to forfeit his sword to him. He is located in the Lhusu Mines and must be fought twice. The player can steal a different Genji item from him in each battle. He uses a variety of swords from previous games, including Orichalcum from Final Fantasy IX, the Revolver, the Brotherhood, and the Buster Sword as a homage to past installments of the Final Fantasy series. He is still accompanied by Enkidu.

After the battle, Gilgamesh appears to the party in the Barheim Passage. He refers to them as "friends", and gives them the Matamune fishing rod before departing.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
For the enemy page, see Gilgamesh (Revenant Wings).

Gilgamesh returns for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, as a boss and a summon, wandering around with Enkidu at the Gates of Shattered Time. When he spots the party, he recognizes the people who had previously attacked him a year ago. Taking no chances, he takes out his swords and attacks Vaan and two other party members. Gilgamesh is defeated yet again, and just like always, flees for his life. The party now unlocks his sphere on the Ring of Pacts.

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Gilgamesh appears as a summon, and as a ghost for the player to fight in the Offline Lobby. The Gilgamesh ghost is a Level 100 Bartz, wearing a full set of Genji equipment and bearing the Dragon Seal item, a reference to Shinryu who was introduced in Final Fantasy V like Gilgamesh. The message on the card reads "I wanted to fight you one more time... mano-a-mano", which is Gilgamesh's farewell to Bartz upon being found in the Rift by the party.

Itadaki Street Special
Gilgamesh appears in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special.

Chocobo to Mahō no Ehon - Majō to Shōjo to Gonin no Yūsha
Gilgamesh is set to appear in the sequel game to Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, although his role is currently unknown. He also appears as a summon card.

Blood of Bahamut
Gilgamesh is confirmed to make an appearance as one of the giants that cities have been constructed on.

Final Fantasy III
In Final Fantasy III, there is a character called Gigameth. A common misconception, he is not the same character as Gilgamesh, and his katakana is "Gigamesu", while Gilgamesh's is "Girugamesshu".

Final Fantasy IV
In Final Fantasy IV Advance, a monster by the name of Gilgamesh appears. It has no resemblance whatsoever to the recurring character, and its name is most likely a "swing-and-miss" from the translator's side, due to monster's name being Gilgame (Gil Turtle). In the European version, the translation was corrected, and it was called Gil Turtle.

Music
Gilgamesh's theme is called "Clash on the Big Bridge" (named after the area where he is encountered a second time), and often plays during battles against him.

Merchandise
Master Creatures produced a six and a half inch tall figure of Gilgamesh transformed in their third series of Final Fantasy characters. The figure's information describes it as wearing the Genji armor and wielding the Excalipoor, among other weapons. Other released figures include two based on Gilgamesh's appearance in Final Fantasy VIII, one with him standing and the other kneeling, and both with the four swords he uses in the game.

Etymology
Gilgamesh was an actual king of an ancient Sumerian region called Uruk, reigning around 2650 BCE. He is also the main character of the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is among one of the earliest known literary works, the most complete edition dating back to the 7th century BCE, though earlier editions date back to about 2000 BCE.

The Epic of Gilgamesh centers around the epic king and demi-god Gilgamesh and the wild man Enkidu, who was sent to kill him. After a fight between the two in which Gilgamesh defeats Enkidu, they become loyal friends and embark on several epic adventures.

Their first quest entails traveling to the great Cedar Forest to chop down the mightiest tree and bring it back to Uruk with them. First, however, they must kill the guardian of the forest, the mighty Humbaba. After fighting and defeating Humbaba, he begs Gilgamesh and Enkidu to be merciful and spare his life. Gilgamesh wants to let Humbaba go, but Enkidu convinces Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba. Gilgamesh and Enkidu cut down the largest tree in the Cedar Forest and return to Uruk.

Some time after their return, Enkidu is killed by a fatal disease sent by the gods they worshiped. After watching Enkidu suffer for twelve days before dying, Gilgamesh is afraid of death and wants to become immortal. After a long quest, and several times coming close to dying, he reaches his ancestor who shows him how the key to retaining youth.

He shows Gilgamesh where to find a plant that will have the same effect as the elixir of life, granting him eternal life as long as he continues to use the plant. After obtaining the plant and leaving for home, Gilgamesh put the plant down to bathe, where a snake came up and ate it. After that, Gilgamesh has to return home depressed that he lost the immortality when he had taken such a long quest to get it. However, he learns a valuable lesson, that true immortality can be gained by leaving a legacy for thrive upon and aspire to.

Much of his personality in the Final Fantasy games reflects what happens to the hero of the myth. The mythical Gilagmesh became greatly necrophobic upon Enkidu's death, and in Final Fantasy V, Gilgamesh sacrifices himself to destroy the monster, Necrophobe. In the myth, Gilgamesh is initially tyrannical and hedonistic, but he has a good heart, much like the character.

Trivia

 * Gilgamesh is referenced by Natsuki Takaya in one of her side columns in Fruits Basket, stating her love of the Final Fantasy series.
 * Gilgamesh, to date, has had more appearances in any Final Fantasy media then any other character, even beating Cloud Strife.

Gilgamesh