Balthier

Balthier, real name Ffamran mied Bunansa, is a playable character in Final Fantasy XII. He is a Sky Pirate who travels all over Ivalice with his partner Fran on his airship the Strahl.

Appearance and Personality
Balthier is a tall man, standing at six feet, with short brown hair with blond highlights and sharply styled sideburns. He wears an embroidered golden and olive green vest over a high-collared shirt and tight black leather trousers with leather shin pads, and steel, open-backed sandals on his feet. Around his waist sits two crossed, gold-buckled belts on which he has two pouches attached to either side. He wears a collection of brightly colored rings and bracelets on his left hand, and has a set of earrings in both ears.

Balthier is a charming, dashing man with a sharp and cunning wit and is also rather cynical. Balthier comes across as cocky and self-centered at times, but his trust in Fran is complete, and at times assures Vaan of his abilities. While the story is told from Vaan's perspective, Balthier certainly seems to think it is his story, going so far as to repeatedly refer to himself as "the leading man". Despite this, he is far from selfish, proving himself to be completely selfless in the events aboard the Sky Fortress Bahamut.

Early Life
Born in 684 Old Valendian, Balthier, as Ffamran mied Bunansa, is the third son of Cidolfus Demen Bunansa , a scientist in employ of the Archadian Empire. He showed such promise at a young age that he was made an Archadian Judge at only sixteen years old.

In 700, six years prior to Final Fantasy XII's storyline, after his father returned from Giruvegan, he noticed Cid's sanity was fading, as he was constantly talking to someone who wasn't there, raving on about "bringing the reins of history back to the hands of man". This strained their relationship, and eventually Ffamran couldn't stand the sight of his father.

This, combined with the way Archadia was moving, made him decide leaving his post as Judge and run away, stealing the new prototype fighter ship as a means of escape from Archades. Since then, having gone into hiding, he has heavily updated the ship, so much so that it no longer resembles the original design, and named it the Strahl.

During this time, Ffamran took on the name Balthier as an alias to help cast aside his ties with Archades. Partnering with his viera companion, Fran, he flew the skies of Ivalice, searching for treasures, gaining notoriety as a Sky Pirate, and also an increasing bounty on his head.

Final Fantasy XII
In 706 Old Valendian, Balthier and Fran head to the Royal Palace of Rabanastre's treasury, where they find petty thief Vaan already holding their treasure: the Goddess's Magicite. Balthier demands that he hand it over. When Vaan asks who he is, Balthier responds with "I play the leading man, who else?". Before he can retrieve the magicite, the Ifrit attacks, allowing Vaan a chance for escape, as Balthier is reluctantly forced to follow him.

He chases Vaan out into the Palace Grounds, where amidst the chaos of the fight between the risen Resistance and the Imperials, he loses his patience with the young thief and throws him onto his hovercraft, piloted by Fran. However, his plan is derailed as the Goddess's Magicite, really a piece of nethicite, renders the hovercraft unresponsive, crashing into the Garamsythe Waterway.

Reluctantly, Balthier is forced to join forces with Vaan in order to escape the Waterway, though Vaan seems determined to keep a hold of the Magicite. As they cross the waterway, Balthier expresses his suspicions concerning the new consul Vayne Solidor, and the possibility of him deliberately luring the Resistance out of hiding to attack the palace. By chance, they encounter a Resistance fighter named "Amalia", who also joins them in search of an exit, despite her evident distaste of her "thieving" company.

At the Waterway's exit Vayne and a battalion of Imperial Soldiers ambush the party. Despite Amalia's insistence that her company is innocent, they are sentenced to imprisonment. As they are marched out onto the streets of Rabanastre, Balthier gives a weeping Penelo his handkerchief as she watches Vaan be lead away. Unknown to Balthier, the bounty hunter Ba'Gamnan watched the exchange from the shadows, with a great deal of interest.

In Nalbina Dungeons Balthier sends Fran to find a possible escape route while he attempts to find Vaan. He finds the young thief in battle with three seeq dungeon masters, and joins the fray. After defeating them, Balthier and Vaan hide within the arena, where Balthier overhears Ba'Gamnan has followed him to Nalbina, along with Judge Gabranth. They use Gabranth's visit as a means of escape by following him into an Oubliette, where they are surprised to find an emaciated and weak Basch fon Ronsenburg imprisoned.

Following Gabranth's leave, Basch pleads the party to set him free. Despite Balthier's indifference, Vaan cannot control his resent and jumps atop Basch's cage, attracting the guards. Fran is forced to drop Basch's cage down to the Barheim Passage as a means of escape, inadvertently freeing the supposed King Slayer. Though Vaan obviously despises the disgraced Knight, Balthier allows Basch to join the party as another sword arm.

After emerging in and crossing the Dalmasca Estersand to reach Rabanastre, the party disperse. While Vaan and Basch go see the Resistance, Balthier and Fran retire to the Sandsea tavern before departing. While enjoying a drink on the second floor, he is accosted by the Bangaa Migelo, who claims Ba'Gamnan has kidnapped Penelo because he mistook her as someone close to Balthier. He is initially unwilling to go to Bhujerba to rescue her, but Basch appears to ask him to fly him, too, to Bhujerba. When Vaan promises Balthier the Goddess's Magicite in return for passage to Bhujerba, he finally agrees to fly them all to the Sky City.

In Bhujerba the group meets up with a young boy, who introduces himself as "Lamont". Balthier is suspicious of him, but allows the boy to accompany them to the Lhusu Mines where the Empire is mining magicite to be used in Draklor Laboratory in Archades. Hearing about magicite perks Balthier's interest and he attempts to force the boy to reveal his true identity as Larsa Solidor, but Ba'Gamnan interrupts the group and they are forced to escape. After losing Ba'Gamnan and his group back in the mines, the party hear Larsa has taken Penelo to Marquis Ondore's estate.

Balthier suggests they gain the attention of the Resistance in hopes of getting into the estate. After Vaan runs around the city, proclaiming to be the supposedly executed Basch, the Resistance approaches and grants them an audience with the Marquis. In hopes of Basch rescuing "Amalia", Ondore alerts Ghis as to the party's whereabouts, and has them arrested aboard the Dreadnought Leviathan.

Aboard the imperial airship the party is reunited with "Amalia", who is revealed to be the reportedly dead Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. Judge Ghis takes the Goddess' Magicite from Vaan, though Vossler's interference allows the party to escape imprisonment and defeat Ghis, while Balthier manages to pilot an Atomos Imperial carrier ship back down to Bhujerba. After Ashe is advised to stay within Ondore's estate to bid out the Archadian Empire, Balthier finds Ashe aboard the Strahl attempting to steal it.

She asks Balthier to "kidnap" her and take her to the Tomb of Raithwall, where the proof she requires to prove her royal lineage lies. Balthier is again reluctant to get caught into Imperial business, but is sorely tempted by Ashe's promise of Raithwall's treasure. Under her word, he and Fran accompany her across the Ogir-Yensa and Nam-Yensa Sandseas to Raithwall's Tomb.

Vossler, who again accompanies the party, openly voices his disdain of traveling with Sky Pirates, which Ashe is quick to defend. After fighting the Esper Belias, Ashe acquires another piece of nethicite, the Dawn Shard. Much to Balthier's disappointment, the treasure of Raithwall's Tomb turns out to be control of the Esper, and naught of monetary value. Upon exiting the Tomb Ghis's Imperial Fleet accosts them again and it turns out Vossler has betrayed them.

Ghis takes the Dawn Shard off the group and attempts to evaluate it himself, but manages to unleash the nethicite's magick and destroy the entire Archadian fleet, while Balthier and the others escape, with Balthier piloting another carrier ship. Spotting the Dawn Shard glinting in the sky after the explosion, he steers the ship to retrieve it, before descending back down to Rabanastre.

After seeing the nethicite's power Ashe decides to use it as her weapon to protect Dalmasca, but does not know how to use it. She wants Balthier to accompany her on her way to Jahara to ask the Garif's help, but Balthier is skeptical. As collateral, Balthier requests one of the rings on Ashe's finger, not knowing it to be Lord Rasler Nabradia's - her late husband - wedding band.

Ashe reluctantly surrenders the precious ring to Balthier in return for his help. Due to the Strahl being damaged in the 8th Fleet's destruction, the group is forced to walk their way to Jahara, and then through Golmore Jungle to Mt. Bur-Omisace and Stilshrine of Miriam where Ashe retrieves the Sword of Kings.

With the sword she vows to destroy the Empire's nethicite and the party heads to Archadia with the intention of destroying the nethicite within Doctor Cid's possession. When they stop to rest in the Phon Coast's Hunters' Camp, Balthier questions Ashe's intentions with the nethicite, comparing her drive to that of his father's. He reveals his Imperial past as a Judge and his relation to Doctor Cid, as well as his suspicions of an unknown creature named Venat his father spoke of. He vows to persevere in their endeavor now to finally cut the ties to his past, and implores Ashe to not allow the stone's power to consume her, as it did his father.

Finally reaching Archades, Balthier is noticeably irate, separating himself from the party. They reconvene and head to the Draklor Laboratory in search of Cid, which they find to be suspiciously lacking Imperial presence. On discovering Cid's ransacked office, Balthier inspects some old papers of his father's and questions what madness found him six years ago in the Jagd Difohr.

They proceed to the 70th floor to find Reddas, who is apparently responsible for the lack of guards and soldiers. They follow him to find Cid, where Balthier demands he turn over the Dusk Shard. Balthier questions his father's descent into insanity, but is forced to draw his weapon when Cid challenges the party, backed by the power of deifacted nethicite and his Occurian ally, Venat.

After Cid's defeat, he retreats and lures the party out to the Ancient City of Giruvegan. The party return to Port at Balfonheim with their new ally, Reddas. Before heading to Giruvegan, Balthier expresses his suspicion over Reddas's intentions concerning nethicite, inferring he knows of Reddas's true identity, past within the Empire, and his hand in the destruction of Nabudis.

With their trip to Giruvegan remaining fruitless, Reddas accompanies them to the Ridorana Cataract after his fleet were mysteriously brought down there. On the Cataract Balthier tells Vaan to take the Strahl should anything happen to him inside the tower. After climbing to the top of the Pharos at Ridorana to reach the Sun-Cryst, Ashe attempts to destroy it with the Sword of Kings, only to be intercepted by Cid. Balthier furiously confronts his father about his plans to use the nethicite, only to fight him once again, this time fatally wounding him. Balthier has to watch his father die, and up to his dying breath, he believes what he was doing was best for mankind, much to Balthier's disappointment.

Despite Cid's death, his plan has still been realized - the Sun-Cryst has awoken the Sky Fortress Bahamut, and the volatile Mist it seethes seems impossible to stop. As Fran uncontrollably falls to the ground, she insists they go without her, while Balthier vows to never leave her behind. Seeing the party's struggles to defeat the Cryst and leave the Pharos, Reddas sacrifices his life to ensure the stone's destruction and the party's safe exit to confront Vayne Solidor aboard the newly awakened Bahamut.

During this time an all-out war is about to break out on Dalmascan ground. Balthier pilots the group on-board the Sky Fortress Bahamut, where they confront Vayne. After Vayne's defeat Balthier and Fran remain behind to start up the Bahamut's engines and stop it from falling on Rabanastre. Balthier manages to fix Bahamut's glossair rings in time to save Rabanastre, but together with Fran they are stuck inside as Bahamut crash-lands outside the city and he and Fran were believed to have died in the crash.

It would only be a year later that Balthier took back the Strahl from Vaan and Penelo whom he had entrusted it to, leaving them a note and Ashe's ring, signifying he has found the 'treasure' he was looking for. On the note, Balthier explains he is going for the Cache of Glabados at Bervenia Palace, wishing Vaan and Penelo to join in on the spoils.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Balthier returns as a playable character in the sequel to Final Fantasy XII, taking place a year later.

When Vaan and Penelo arrive at the Glabados Ruins to meet Balthier and Fran, who have made their way to the Cache chamber and defeated the Ifrit guarding it. Afterwards, the foursome spy twin auracite crystals atop a pedestal. Balthier teases Vaan he's a bit too young to partake in any treasure, and moves in to take both crystals for himself. When Vaan protests, Balthier laughs and throws him the green crystal, taking the purple one for himself. Suddenly, the Ruins begin to crumble. The sky pirates make their way out to their respective airships, however, the falling debris destroys Vaan's. Balthier returns Vaan and Penelo to Lowtown.

Soon after, Balthier makes his way to Lemurés to search for the auraliths and ends up confronting the Judge of Wings at the Fane of Tehp Qul. The Judge reveals what went on between her and Balthier by projecting her memories into Vaan and his allies' minds. In the flashback, Balthier is seen in the same Fane, with an unconscious Fran behind him. The Judge of Wings approaches him from the right, and the auralith is still intact between them. Balthier acknowledges the Judge's power, but says she has been holding on to her illusion of Eternity for too long. He then throws the purple crystal he found in the Glabados Ruins in the air, then shatters it with a gun blast before it reaches the Judge.

His auracite willingly destroyed, Balthier points his gun at the Judge, vowing to stop her from pursuing her goal of eternal life. Before he can fire, the Judge uses her own crystal to summon the Esper Shiva, who appears behind Balthier and uses her Diamond Dust attack to render Balthier unconscious. He and Fran are left lying on the stone floor.

Apparently, the two manage to escape this encounter, as Fran meets Vaan on the island of Arda, Heaven's Pillar, and leads them to the Ymir Qul Underground, where Balthier waits. Ba'Gamnan interrupts the reunion, and the party is forced to battle the group of Bangaa before they can reach Balthier. After Ba'Gamnan's defeat, Balthier shocks Vaan by moving to destroy the auralith deep within the Underground. Fran defects to her partner's side, and the two summon another group of Yarhi for Vaan and his party to deal with. Though Balthier and Fran are defeated, Balthier still manages to start up the machines flanking the second auralith, which is subsequently destroyed.

The auralith's demise frees a great deal of aegyl anima. Vaan, Penelo, Llyud, Filo, and Kytes are sent to Lesrekta, Isle of Illusions, while Balthier and Fran commandeer to the Galbana. After Vaan's return, Balthier explains he destroyed the auralith simply to restore the aegyls' souls. By releasing the anima, Balthier prevented the Judge of Wings from getting to the crystal first and stealing the anima within. The motivation behind the Judge's actions and the aegyl god, Feolthanos, are finally understood, and Balthier and Fran join the allied party for good.

Stats
Balthier's HP growth is fairly high, though lower than Vaan's and Basch's, and his Strength and Speed are high as well. However, his MP and Magic growth are low. He joins the party with the Licenses "Guns 1", "Guns 2", "Shields 1", "Light Armor 1", "Light Armor 2", "Heavy Armor 1", "Steal" and "First Aid". He is equipped with an Altair, Onion Shot, Headgear, and Chromed Leathers.

Balthier is fairly well suited for close combat, and his low magick stats mean he is ill suited for healing or using Black Magick. When Balthier joins the party his level is Vaan's level +1, and his LP is Vaan's LP minus 135 (The official strategy guide states it is (Vaan's LP + Fran's LP)/2 - 135, but this is wrong).

Curiously enough, even though Balthier's default weapon is a gun and he has gun licenses already learned, Balthier is actually the slowest character, together with Penelo, to use a gun - all the other characters' action time when equipped with a gun is faster. . Thus, it is best to equip him with other weapons that make good use of his strength and speed stat; Daggers, Ninja Swords, Greatswords and Spears are best.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
In Revenant Wings, Balthier is equipped with guns, as his initial equip in Final Fantasy XII. His armor equips - sleeveless tops - all favor Defense over Magick Defense. He takes on the role of a ranged fighter. His Quickening, Element of Treachery, deals heavy damage to one foe, and is learned from the Esper Shemhazai.

Balthier is also fought as a boss, alongside Fran.

Balthier's Weapons
See Balthier's Weapons

Balthier's Armor
See Balthier's Armor

Voice
In the English version of Final Fantasy XII and War of the Lions, Balthier is voiced by Gideon Emery. In the Japanese version of Final Fantasy XII, he is voiced by Hiroaki Hirata.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions


Balthier appears as a secret playable character in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions.

After the first fight against Meliadoul at Free City of Bervenia in Chapter 4, Ramza goes to the Mining Town of Gollund and checks the rumor "Rash of Thefts", about a godless thief stealing precious cargo from the church. Ramza then goes to the Merchant City of Dorter and checks the rumor "A Call For Guards", about some precious cargo from Bervenia that needs an escort to Dorter.

When Ramza arrives at the Dorter slums, he walks right into an ambush. The thieves attack Ramza, before realizing they've got the wrong man. Balthier steps out the shadows and condemns the thieves' ability to set a trap. Teaming up with Ramza, Balthier manages to rid of the thieves.

After the battle, Balthier explains he is a Sky Pirate looking for the Cache of Glabados. Ramza thinks Balthier is referring to the auracite, and when he asks Balthier what the Cache is exactly, Balthier only mentions it is the reason he is currently in Ivalice's future.

When Ramza tells Balthier he thinks he knows what he's looking for, Balthier is more than keen to tag along, claiming the leading man never walks out of a little danger, even if he does feel more like a cameo role this time. Before they set off, Ramza comments Balthier can't be a pirate of the skies if he has no wings, while Balthier complains that he is fed up of constantly following children, much to Ramza's annoyance. His Zodiac Sign is Leo.

Balthier is level 35 during the sidequest where he is a guest, and starts with 78 Bravery and 60 Faith. He comes equipped with the Ras Algethi, Thief's Cap, Mirage Vest, and Germinas Boots.

When fought in Rendezvous Missions #14: Brave Story, he is level 99 and starts with 75 Bravery and 53 Faith. He uses his default Sky Pirate job, and comes equipped with the Blaster, Crystal Shield, Thief's Cap, Luminous Robe, and Angel Ring. He has access to the Piracy and Item commands, as well as the abilities First Strike, Throw Items, and Move +1.

Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable
Balthier appears along with the other five main characters of Final Fantasy XII in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable. The game was released prior to Final Fantasy XII.

Trivia

 * Attacking 300 times adds Balthier's sprite to Final Fantasy XIIs Sky Pirate's Den and grants the player the title of Assault Striker.
 * Balthier shares his last name "Bunansa" with Mustadio and Besrudio Bunansa from Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * Balthier was originally considered to appear in Dissidia Final Fantasy, but was left out as he had recently appeared in War of the Lions. Vaan was set to appear in his place but was ultimately replaced by Judge Gabranth.
 * Coincidentally, given Balthier's status as a sky pirate, his Japanese voice actor Hiroaki Hirata, also provides the voice of the pirate Jack Sparrow in Kingdom Hearts II, and has also done Japanese dubbing of various other Johnny Depp roles. He is also the Japanese voice actor for Sanji, pirate chef of the Straw Hat crew in One Piece.
 * In War of the Lions, Balthier can do the most damage in the game by equipping the Chaos Blade and using Barrage, easily doing over 2000 damage.
 * Balthier is notably the only main character in Final Fantasy XII who does not have light-colored hair. Basch and Penelo are blond, while Ashe, Vaan and Fran have silvery white, but Balthier is a brunet.
 * Balthier makes a cameo in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as a tutor from the in-game manuals.