Gilgamesh (Dissidia)

Gilgamesh is a secret playable character in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy, representing Final Fantasy V. Though he is a villain, he is not aligned with Chaos, instead, he is determined to find Bartz and challenge him to a "true rematch." Introduced as Exdeath's most prominent lieutenant, he was ultimately banished to the Interdimensional Rift after repeatedly failing his assignments. Since then, he began traveling between worlds, sometimes appearing to the player party to battle them, making him unique as a recurring comic relief character. Although Gilgamesh has appeared more times in the entire series than any other character, whether as a boss, summon, or a normal NPC, his inclusion in Dissidia 012 marks his first truly playable appearance.

Appearance
Gilgamesh's appearance in Dissidia 012 is directly based on his original artwork by Yoshitaka Amano for Final Fantasy V, which in turn is based on a design by Tetsuya Nomura. He wears primarily red and gray armor with yellow accents, gray shorts with red polka-dots, and a horned hood.

Gilgamesh's first alternate outfit, "Special Red Cloak," is based on his Final Fantasy VIII appearance, where he has lighter armor and a red cloak that obscures most of his head and face. During EX Mode, his appearance is based on his Final Fantasy XII design, while heavily resembling his Master Creatures figure.

Gilgamesh's second alternate outfit, "Special Steel Armor," is based on his recurring sprite appearance. Gilgamesh wears heavier full-plate armor on his torso and arms with a hornless helmet. The lower half of his head is partially covered by a golden neck guard. His EX Mode is recolored to match his morphed appearance in Final Fantasy V while in the Interdimensional Rift, giving him darker skin, purple wrist guards, and black and red armor with purple jewels.

Gilgamesh's Manikin, the Fallacious Giant, is turquoise.

Unlocking
Gilgamesh is not unlocked at the beginning of the game, similar to Gabranth and Shantotto in the original Dissidia.

In order to unlock him as a playable character, the player is first required to beat the entirety of the Dissidia 012 storyline, then complete the first chapter of the 013 story. After these two things have been accomplished the player will need to go to the Reports section and beat the sixth scenario in Report 8 with Bartz. It will unlock Gilgamesh in the PP Catalog as a purchasable character.

Story
Unlike the other characters, Gilgamesh was not summoned to the world in which the wars take place, but instead stumbles upon it by chance and, in contrast with everyone else, retains his memories because of it. Wandering the depths of the Rift, Gilgamesh finds himself at Pandaemonium. Sensing the presence of his old rival, Bartz, Gilgamesh suddenly hears someone coming up behind him. He turns around, announcing his return to Bartz, only for Squall, Zidane and Vaan to appear instead. Much to his confusion, not one of them remembers him from his visits to their respective original worlds, due to the memory loss caused by being summoned to the cycles of war. Realizing that Bartz is not among them, Gilgamesh walks off, leaving the three thoroughly confused. Just after he disappears, however, Bartz arrives, asking if he missed anything. Zidane asks him if he knows Gilgamesh, describing the swordsman's appearance to Bartz. Also having the same memory loss as the others, Bartz doesn't recall Gilgamesh, and denies knowing such a person.

Some time later, Gilgamesh, wandering the Rift once again, has a short fantasy of how his rematch will play out with Bartz once he finds him. In this fantasy, the rematch ends in his favor, resulting in praise from Bartz while Gilgamesh enjoys his victory. Sensing Bartz shortly after this, he prepares himself to confront his rival. Shortly after, Bartz wakes up at the Rift. As he comes to his senses and begins to wander, trying to figure out where he is, a voice suddenly calls out to him from behind, saying "Well well, Bartz, we meet again!" A portal opens up above and Gilgamesh emerges from it, landing on the ground in front of Bartz. He assumes a kabuki pose as Bartz seems to begin remembering him. Deciding he doesn't recognize Gilgamesh after all, Bartz simply walks away, noting Gilgamesh as being "weird." Crushed by his rival's nonchalance, Gilgamesh reintroduces himself, trying to figure out why Bartz doesn't remember him. Repeating the same speech he had fantasized shortly before, he explains how he had traveled to many worlds, and had finally come back from the Rift to get his promised rematch with Bartz. Still confused, Bartz ends up being persuaded into fighting Gilgamesh, in a battle he ultimately wins.

Surprised that Bartz has also been honing his skills since their last meeting, Gilgamesh declares the battle is only beginning, only for Bartz to point out that he's fading. Much to Gilgamesh's surprise, he has been affected by the rules of the war, and, now defeated, must return to his original world (or rather, lack thereof). To his dismay, a portal opens beneath his feet and, despite his best attempts to resist, Gilgamesh is sucked back into the Rift, swearing to return for a true rematch against Bartz someday. Bartz notes that something seemed familiar about Gilgamesh, but doesn't put too much effort into thinking about it and simply muses that he and Gilgamesh will probably meet again some day if the latter is wandering the Rift.

Battle
Gilgamesh is described as a Frenzied Swordsman, where he picks a weapon at random when attacking. This makes the strength and effects of his attacks unpredictable. Gilgamesh is mostly a mid to melee-range fighter, with quick close-range attacks and slower charging mid-range attacks. His HP attacks are versatile across range as well. However, he moves a bit slowly and the unreliable nature of his fighting style means his attacks have inconsistent power and range. The weapons he may use when attacking are as follows:

Each weapon's special ability is listed below:
 * Excalibur - All Bravery damage dealt is doubled.
 * Excalipoor - All Bravery damage is reduced to 1.
 * Naginata - Attack has greater range.
 * Masamune - Generates more EX Force than usual.
 * Genji Blade - Depletes the opponent's EX Gauge.
 * Zantetsuken - Has a chance of inflicting Bravery Break.
 * Battle Axe - Attack does random damage.
 * Chicken Knife - The lower Gilgamesh's HP, the higher the Bravery damage done.

EX Mode
Strongest Sword lEXZN68uX6g Gilgamesh's EX Mode is Gilgamesh Morphing Time, in which he transforms into his true form as seen in Final Fantasy V, giving him eight arms, different armor and a more monstrous face. While in EX Mode Gilgamesh gains the ability "Octo-Break." This ability causes each arm to wield any of the eight weapons used by Gilgamesh in battle. Whatever weapon(s) Gilgamesh is holding, their relevant attacking bonus is applied to all his attacks, while weapons that effect his attack power alternatively activate their effects. This makes the exact benefits of Gilgamesh's EX Mode impossible to predict, but make his attacks much more reliable. Gilgamesh's attacks are also augmented to fire more projectiles and/or hit over larger areas, and deal more hits.

Gilgamesh's EX Burst is Strongest Sword, where seven blue Excalipoor and the red Excalibur rotate around in a circle in front of Gilgamesh. The player must press to select the Excalibur as it rotates around. Gilgamesh then performs several attacks with the blade and finishes the combo with Ultimate Illusion, an attack used by him in Final Fantasy XII, in which he jumps up and crashes down to the ground, striking the opponent with a shock wave to deal HP damage. If the Excalipoor is chosen, however, Gilgamesh will deal only one damage per hit, then he will look at the blade, realize it's not the Excalibur, and throw it away exasperatedly. The Excalipoor will fall on the enemy, dealing HP damage.

Equipment
Gilgamesh can equip Swords, Daggers, Greatswords, Katanas, Spears, Axes, Thrown Weapons, Parrying Weapons, Shields, Gauntlets, Great Shields, Helms, Breast Plates, Light Armor, and Heavy Armor.

Allusions

 * Gilgamesh's HP attacks are based on those he used against the party in several battles during the events of Final Fantasy V.
 * The weapons Gilgamesh carries during his EX Mode are references to weapons he has been seen wielding repeatedly throughout the series:
 * Masamune, Excalibur and Excalipoor are recurring abilities he may perform when summoned.
 * Excalibur, in particular, is the legendary blade Gilgamesh is seen searching for in several games.
 * One of Gilgamesh's trademark weapons is Excalipoor: a false Excalibur found during his search. Both Excalibur and Excalipoor resemble the fake Tournesol he wields in Final Fantasy XII.
 * The Masamune has the appearance of Sephiroth's sword of the same name, albeit with a slightly shorter blade.
 * The Genji Blade alludes to the Genji equipment Gilgamesh carries in his various appearances and that can be stolen and dropped from him. In Dissidia 012, the Genji Blade appears as a fake of Auron's version of the sword from Final Fantasy X, much like the fake weapons Gilgamesh wielded in Final Fantasy XII. It bears a character on the blade denoting it as a fake, specifically referencing Gilgamesh's fake Buster Sword.
 * Zantetsuken is Odin's weapon, which Gilgamesh takes after his defeat and uses as one of his four random abilities as a Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII. He also possesses the blade in Final Fantasy XII, although it is designed differently, and the Dissidia 012 design is different from both of its appearances.
 * The Naginata and the Battle Axe are present on his various sprites, with the Naginata usually appearing alongside Gilgamesh in his sprite-based appearances, and the Battle Axe appearing only while he is in his morphed form in Final Fantasy V. The Battle Axe's effect of dealing random damage is identical to how axe and hammer-type weapons function in Final Fantasy XII.
 * The Chicken Knife is a weapon in Final Fantasy V that increases in power when the party escapes a battle, and is potentially the strongest weapon in the game. Although Gilgamesh has never wielded it, he has a penchant for running from battle when he loses. In addition, Bartz wields the Chicken Knife's counterpart, the Brave Blade, during his EX Burst. Oddly, the Chicken Knife in Dissidia increases in power as Gilgamesh's HP drops, acting more like the Valiant Knife from Final Fantasy VI. Penelo alludes to this when describing the weapon.
 * At the beginning of a fight that features the extended introductory scene, Gilgamesh appears from an interdimensional portal on the ground, as an allusion to his travels through different dimensions following his banishment to the Rift by Exdeath. This portal, a black and grey circle in the ground, looks near-identical to the Banish spell's animation in Final Fantasy V, which is the same spell Exdeath used to cast Gilgamesh into the Rift in the first place. Furthermore, after losing to Bartz, Gilgamesh utters the same set of pleas when he tries to keep himself from being sent back to the Rift.
 * The name of Gilgamesh's EX Mode is a reference to his transformation quotation prior to assuming his multi-armed boss form in Final Fantasy V. The quote itself was a reference to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
 * Gilgamesh's perfect EX Burst, Ultimate Illusion, is one of the attacks he uses during the first battle with him in Final Fantasy XII, used after he draws all of the fake blades he uses in that battle. It is also a pun, as a synonym of 'Final Fantasy', and was a quote spoken by Exdeath as he is defeated in the end of Final Fantasy V by the party ('Is this my final fantasy?'). His cry of disappointment when failing his EX Burst, "This is far from the strongest of swords!" is what he says in Final Fantasy V when he attacks the party with Excalipoor and realizes it's a fake.
 * In Final Fantasy VI Advance, Blade Dance is an attack exclusive to Gilgamesh.
 * At the end of his failed EX Burst, Gilgamesh throws the Excalipoor away, hitting the opponent and dealing HP damage. Though it normally does only 1 damage, throwing the Excalipoor in other games does high damage, as, despite its handicap, its attack power is usually high, and throwing it allows the handicap to be bypassed.
 * Another detail when Gilgamesh throws Excalipoor is that a speech bubble pops up with the Japanese equivalent of "Doink!", a sound associated with Tonberries stabbing a target. In the English version, this speech bubble instead has an exclamation point.
 * When Gilgamesh uses Jump, he shouts "Fell for it!" In several games, including his debut appearance, Gilgamesh feigns defeat, only to cast Shell, Haste, and Protect on himself and renew his assault with Jump, mocking the party for believing his act.
 * When Gilgamesh is searching for Bartz, he runs into Vaan, Zidane, and Squall, who don't seem to remember him, despite the fact he was in each of their games with a different appearance.
 * Zidane states he does not recognize Gilgamesh because he only has two arms, which is a reference to the fact that the Gilgamesh from Final Fantasy IX has four arms.
 * When battling Yuna, Gilgamesh says "Huh, I wouldn't mind being summoned by you." This is a reference to him being a summon in several games, including the first Dissidia: Final Fantasy.
 * His quotes when fighting both Zidane and Vaan allude to the fact they are both thieves, and that, when fought as a boss, he has Genji equipment and weapons which can be stolen from him.
 * Gabranth's quote when encountering Gilgamesh alludes to how Gilgamesh is an Elite Mark in Ivalice.
 * In Gilgamesh's EX Burst, there are seven Excalipoors spinning around, one for each of his appearances in the series besides Final Fantasy V. Counting the Excalibur, this makes one sword for every appearance.
 * One of the items needed to create "Yoshiyuki" is Enkidu Feather, which is an allusion to his companion Enkidu.
 * Gilgamesh's Bravery attack, Tsubamegaeshi, appears in Final Fantasy VI as Cyan's Desperation Attack.

Trivia

 * Gilgamesh's Excalibur is red and his Excalipoor is blue as they were in Final Fantasy VI. However, when he appeared with them as a summon in Final Fantasy VIII and Dissidia, Excalipoor was the red sword and Excalibur was blue.
 * Although Gilgamesh has been seen with multiple different weapons in his appearances, he is not entitled to use them all as equipment, as Firion does.
 * Kazuya Nakai, known for his work in anime including One Piece as Zoro, Samurai Champloo as Mugen and Sengoku Basara as Date Masamune (coincidentally, a warrior who wields multiple swords at once similar to Gilgamesh), took over the role of Gilgamesh's voice after, his Japanese voice actor from Final Fantasy XII, passed away on January 17, 2010 . This makes Gilgamesh, along with Vaan, the only characters not to have their original Japanese voice actors reprise their roles.
 * Additionally, Kazuya Nakai provided the voice of Wakka in Final Fantasy X. Gilgamesh's English voice actor in Final Fantasy XII, John DiMaggio, also voiced Wakka. With Keith Szarabajka taking over the role in Dissidia 012, Gilgamesh is the only character to have neither of his original voice actors reprise their role.
 * When Gilgamesh attacks with the Chicken Knife, clucking sounds can be heard.
 * When Gilgamesh begins his EX Burst, he spins forward and crashes into the "screen," leaving a crack that breaks away to reveal the EX Burst background. This is a pun on the drama concept of "breaking the fourth wall," referring to when one acknowledges they are a character in a form of media.
 * If Gilgamesh wins through a HP attack in EX Mode, his extra arms will be holding the weapons he wielded while in his EX Mode during his victory pose. If he wins a fight through a properly executed EX Burst, he can be seen holding the Excalibur during the slow-motion ending of the fight, but at the beginning of the victory sequence he quickly dismisses the sword and poses unarmed. If he wins through a failed EX Burst, he holds no weapon at all.
 * Due to the random nature of his EX Mode, there are 16,777,216 different combinations for Gilgamesh's benefits while in EX Mode.
 * When using Excalipoor, Gilgamesh is the only character with attacks that can deal a set amount of damage regardless of Attack or Defense values.
 * Despite being a playable character now, the Gilgamesh summon from the previous Dissidia game is still available, and is the summon Gilgamesh himself has equipped when the player fights him as Bartz.
 * When used as an Assist, Gilgamesh will always use either Excalibur or Excalipoor.