Ritz Malheur

Ritz Malheur is the female protagonist of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. The headstrong class head, she appears bossy, but has a vulnerable side. Shara the viera is her partner, and comforts her many times during the game.

Appearance and Personality
Ritz is a pale-skinned girl with green eyes and for most of the game she has pink hair. Her hair is naturally white, but she dyes it because she is ashamed of it. In St. Ivalice she wears a purple dress and a long white coat, brown boots and a hairpin. In Ivalice her attire is less winter-themed and she wears a pink dress with a belt of bags tied across the middle section. She wears an armored plate on her shoulders, chest, and her left arm in her artwork, while the right hand is exposed, and she wears brown shoes and socks above knee-length. Her official artwork also depicts her with a rod with a rounded tip. At the end of the game she is seen with her original attire, albeit with her white hair.

Ritz's personality is akin to the tsundere archetype. She is outspoken, bossy, and to some degree hostile. This, however, façades her frail and sensitive side as she decides to dye her hair out of being constantly teased. She has also shown to be kind, loyal, and supportive, as she decided to remain in Ivalice with red hair, mostly so her mother would not suffer, failing to see that she was suffering because of Ritz's own sorrow. While aware of Marche's intentions, she nonetheless helps him a number of times, instead of turning him in. Finally, after a talk with Shara regarding her white hair, Ritz is capable of accepting herself and move forward.

Story
Due to how she is teased about her hair color in the real world, Ritz has a strong desire to keep the world as it is. Marche first meets Ritz and Shara at Nubswood, during the mission The Cheetahs. After the mission is completed, Ritz tells Marche that Ivalice was made based on Final Fantasy and told Marche to not expect her to help him get out of it.

Although she helps Marche Radiuju on a number of occasions, Marche makes significant progress toward reverting the world to normal, and Ritz attacks him in order to prevent this. Defeated, she agrees not to interfere in Marche's attempts to convince Mewt he no longer needs the world of Ivalice by saying that "a game has its end". Just before the world reverts, her viera comrade Shara tells her that white hair is considered a blessing by the viera, thus giving Ritz a more favorable view of her real world self as she thinks the white hair of the viera is beautiful.

If Ritz and Shara are recruited after the main game's completion, a special cutscene can occur. During this scene Ritz asks Shara if she is "cute", feeling insecure. Shara suggests asking Marche, who arrives moments later, but Ritz quickly drops the subject. This suggests that Ritz may have feelings towards Marche.

In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, Ritz's voice says "Final Fantasy Tactics Advance" at every beginning of each CD. Her arrival is shown in the radio drama, where she is found in the woods by Shara. Later, Ritz and Shara will join the party along with Doned. When the party fights Queen Remedi, Ritz casts Fire Whip, which indicates that she has learned some Spirit Magic.

Race
Despite being a hume, the game almost treats Ritz as a viera. This might be because of her viera gift, or it might be that she is female, and there are no playable female humes in the game. Ritz can only change into viera Jobs, and the Totema she summons is Exodus.

However, in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, Ritz has summoned Mateus, the human Totema. While having Viera treatment, the Dmg2:Human will be broken if Ritz is attacked. The official guidebook also depicts Ritz as a "Human (Viera)".

As a playable character
Ritz can be recruited after successful completion of the Mortal Snow mission. If dismissed, she can be recruited through the mission Ritz's Offer.

Her equipment is:
 * Femme Fatale
 * Brint Set
 * Ribbon

She joins as a Fencer, and is able to change Jobs, with the following abilities already learned:

Lunge Tech

 * Swarmstrike - Damage and Poison.
 * Shadowstick - Reduces Speed.
 * Featherblow - Double Accuracy, half damage.
 * Manastrike - MP damage.
 * Piercethrough - Attacks two spaces in direction of attack.

Reaction

 * Block Arrows - Avoid Bow and Greatbow attacks.

Stats
Ritz's Job at St. Ivalice is called "Class Head", and is described as a person who rings the school bell. When it transforms into another world, her Jobs during the storyline are Fencer, Red Mage, and Elementalist.

Below are Ritz's stats at the snowball fight.

Musical Theme
Ritz's musical theme name is "Ritz" according to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance: Original Soundtrack. It is number 30 on disc one and number 22 on disc two. During the beginning of the song, it uses some of Marche's musical theme by a brass instrument. The song contains a soft feeling, despite of her strong-minded personality. "Ritz" is the only character theme that does not have a remix for White: Melodies of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
A drawing of a girl similar to Ritz can be seen at the beginning of the game, as the background to the quiz the player takes.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Ritz appears in the trading card game.

Etymology
"Ritz" is an English word meaning "a display of ostentatious elegance", while her last name, "Malheur", is French for "unluckiness".

Ritz Malheur