Editing Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy VIII)

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Gilgamesh (''Final Fantasy VIII'')}}
{{infobox summon
|name=Gilgamesh
|release=FFVIII
|japanese=ギルガメッシュ
|romaji=Girugamesshu
|image=Gilgamesh-ffviii.png
|obtained=From the [[Seifer (boss)|Seifer]] battle in the [[Lunatic Pandora]] if the player has [[Odin (Final Fantasy VIII)|Odin]]
|summonabilities=[[Excalibur (ability)|Excaliber]], [[Masamune (ability)|Masamune]], [[Zantetsuken (ability)|Zantetsuken]], [[Excalipoor (ability)|Excalipoor]]
|designer=[[Tetsuya Nomura]]
|recurring appearance=Gilgamesh (character)
}}
{{Quote|Where is the dimensional interval...?|Gilgamesh}}
'''Gilgamesh''' is a pseudo-[[Guardian Force]] in ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' who replaces [[Odin (Final Fantasy VIII)|Odin]]. Similar to Odin, Gilgamesh appears randomly, but can appear during [[boss]] battles and can appear any time during a battle. As a drawback, he might waste his turn for a useless ability called [[Excalipoor (ability)|Excalipoor]], or try to use [[Zantetsuken (ability)|Zantetsuken]] on an enemy that is immune to it.

==Characteristics==
Gilgamesh in ''Final Fantasy VIII'' is implied to be the [[Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy V)|Gilgamesh]] of ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'' who ended up in the [[Interdimensional Rift (Final Fantasy V)|Interdimensional Rift]]. In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Gilgamesh emerges from a "dimensional portal" to capture [[Zantetsuken (weapon)|Odin's sword]], and then joins the party as Odin's replacement. Gilgamesh was a sword-enthusiast in ''Final Fantasy V'', but his search for the legendary [[Excalibur (weapon)|Excalibur]] only found him a cheap knock-off, the [[Excalipoor (weapon)|Excalipoor]]. Gilgamesh wields both in ''Final Fantasy VIII'', alongside [[Masamune (weapon)|Masamune]], a recurring katana from the series that has appeared since the original ''[[Final Fantasy]]''.

Since ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Gilgamesh has gone to become a widely recurring character who travels [[The Void (term)|the Void]] to different [[Final Fantasy worlds|''Final Fantasy'' worlds]]. He often appears on bridges as he first did in ''Final Fantasy V'' on the [[Big Bridge (Final Fantasy V)|Big Bridge]]. In ''Final Fantasy VIII'' he appears on the flight deck of the [[Lunatic Pandora]]. Coincidentally, this place could also be called a "bridge", as the word can also mean "the elevated, enclosed platform on a ship from which the captain and officers direct operations".

Gilgamesh has a gray complexion and white pupilless eyes. He has a red tattered cloak, horns and a feathery head adornment, white-and-red polka dot trousers and black, gold, and red boots. Humorously, he has numerous arms that appear fake, as the the decorations on the right side of Gilgamesh's body appear to be wood or cardboard cutouts with arms drawn on them. This alludes to Gilgamesh having multiple arms in ''Final Fantasy V'' in his "true" form.

The dialogue he exchanges with [[Seifer Almasy|Seifer]] hints that he is the Gilgamesh 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 Klauser|Bartz]] {{j|バッツ|Batsu}}, the [[List of protagonists|main character]] of ''Final Fantasy V''. Also, the "dimensional interval" may be the Interdimensional Rift.

==Obtained==
[[File:Gilgamesh defeats Seifer in FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered|thumb|left|335 px]]
If the party acquired [[Odin (Final Fantasy VIII)|Odin]] before fighting [[Seifer (boss)|Seifer]] at the top of Lunatic Pandora, Odin will attack at the beginning of the battle. Seifer will use [[Fire Cross#Zantetsuken Reverse|"Zantetsuken Reverse"]] and slice Odin in half. Odin's sword creates a rift in space/time, from which Gilgamesh appears and picks it up. The battle continues as normal.

Later in the fight, if it has lasted for more than 12 rounds, or the player depleted all of Seifer's HP, Gilgamesh will appear and defeat Seifer. Gilgamesh will join the player party and will appear at random during battles, just like Odin.

If the player does not have Odin when they reach the top of Lunatic Pandora, Gilgamesh [[permanently missable content|cannot be recruited in that playthrough]].
{{clear}}

==Gameplay==
:''See the summon sequence [[Gilgamesh/Summon sequences#Final Fantasy VIII|here]]''.
Unlike Odin, Gilgamesh can appear during boss battles and at any time during battle, but can still only appear once per battle.

[[File:FFVIII Excaliber Weapon.png|thumb|Excaliber.]]
When he appears, Gilgamesh will select one of four swords to attack with: Zantetsuken [[Instant Death|instantly defeats]] all opponents; the purple-hilted, Masamune, and the blue sword, Excaliber, both deal heavy damage to all opponents, with the former also inflicting [[Slow (Final Fantasy VIII status effect)|Slow]]; and the red sword, Excalipoor, deals just one point of damage to all opponents. Gilgamesh's Zantetsuken does not work against opponents invulnerable to it, such as bosses—though he may attempt it, it will miss.

===Mechanics===
Gilgamesh has a 9/256 chance of appearing at the start of a battle (or 3.5% chance), and throughout the battle, if nothing has happened for a few seconds, there is a 13/256 (or 5.1%) chance of him appearing. The chance of him using each attack is 65/256 (or 25.4%) for Excaliber, 64/256 (or 25%) for Excalipoor or Masamune, and 63/256 (or 24.6%) for Zantetsuken.

Gilgamesh uses the same coding to determine his appearance rate as [[Rinoa (Final Fantasy VIII gameplay)|Rinoa's]] [[Angelo Recover (Final Fantasy VIII)|Angelo Recover]], [[Angelo Reverse|Reverse]], and [[Angelo Search (Final Fantasy VIII)|Search]]. Once he has been obtained, he can appear before or after [[Sant' Angelo di Roma|Angelo]] in a battle, but the game checks for his summoning first whenever calculating whether a battle event will activate.

The game has an invisible "Dead Time" timer that counts down from 200 when no one acts (just like the ATB bar only fills when nothing else is happening). After the timer reaches 0 (after 13.3~ seconds), the following things will be checked in this order:<ref name="ffviii"/>
:if (12 >= [0..255]) Gilgamesh is summoned (5.1%)
::else if (8 >= [0..255] Angelo Recover is used (3.3%)
:::else if (2 >= [0..255] Angelo Reverse is used (1%)
::::else if (8 >= [0..255] Angelo Search is used (3.2%)

If the player does not have the skill, its check is skipped. Gilgamesh can be summoned after the player has triggered the event where he is obtained. Angelo Recover will only trigger if there is an ally with less than 25% of their Max [[HP (stat)|HP]]. Angelo Reverse will only trigger if there is a [[Knocked Out|KO'd]] ally.

The damage formula for Excaliber is:<ref name="ffviii">{{ref |id=FFVIII |author=ForteGSOmega|date=2 February 2020 |title=Final Fantasy VIII – Battle Mechanics FAQ|url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps/197343-final-fantasy-viii/faqs/58936|platform=GameFAQs|access-date=20 February, 202}}</ref>
:<math>Damage = 100 \times Level / 10 + 50 + 100</math>
:<math>Damage = Damage \times (265 - Target's Spirit) / 8 </math>
:<math>Damage = Damage \times 50 / 256 </math>

The damage formula for Masamune is:<ref name="ffviii"/>
:<math>Damage = 100 \times Level / 10 + 100 + 100</math>
:<math>Damage = Damage \times (265 - Target's Spirit) / 8 </math>
:<math>Damage = Damage \times 100 / 256 </math>

The level specified above is the average level of all the Guardian Forces in the player's GF menu. Excaliber and Masamune cannot be [[critical hit]]s.

==[[Triple Triad (Final Fantasy VIII)|Triple Triad]]==
{{Card FFVIII
| name = Gilgamesh
| image = [[File:TTGilgamesh.png]]
| level = 8 (GF Card)
| element = none
| refineM = 1
| result = 10 [[Final Fantasy VIII items#Holy War|Holy Wars]]
| drop = n/a
| card = n/a
| win = [[Card Club|CC Group King]]
}}

To become able to challenge the CC Group King who holds the Gilgamesh card, the player must do the [[Card Club]] [[sidequest]] in [[Balamb Garden]]. After winning against every other club member and talking to [[Dr. Kadowaki]], the King will randomly appear when the player sleeps in the dorms.

==Other appearances==
===''[[Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy]]''===
[[Gilgamesh (Dissidia PSP)|Gilgamesh]] appears as a playable character with his ''Final Fantasy VIII'' appearance as an alternate costume for him.

<gallery>
Gilgamesh Alt.png|Gilgamesh's alternative outfit.
Dissidia012-GilgameshConcept.png|Artwork of Gilgamesh's ''Final Fantasy VIII'' outfit.
</gallery>

====''[[Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia]]''====
Once again, [[Gilgamesh (Opera Omnia)|Gilgamesh]] is a playable character with his ''Final Fantasy VIII'' appearance as an alternate costume for him, featured whenever he is a boosted character. The costume is usually part of a [[loot crate]] valued at US$36.99 before taxes and other fees are applied.

===''[[Mobius Final Fantasy]]''===
[[File:MFF Gilgamesh FFVIII.jpg|right|150px]]
{{Section|Mobius Final Fantasy}}
{{clear}}

==Non-''Final Fantasy'' guest appearances==
===''Itadaki Street''===
[[File:Itadaki Street - Gilgamesh.jpg|thumb|right|Gilgamesh in ''Itadaki Street Special''.]]
Gilgamesh appears in ''[[Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special]]''.

In ''[[Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable]]'', Gilgamesh appears based on his ''Final Fantasy VIII'' appearance. Gilgamesh is a chance card in ''Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable'', the card's ability: Group all characters to target point.
{{clear}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Gilgamesh FFVIII Sketch.jpg|Artwork by Tetsuya Nomura.
Gilgamesh Swords FFVIII Art.jpg|Concept art for Gilgamesh's swords by Tetsuya Nomura.
Gilg08.jpg|Gilgamesh up-close.
Gilgamesh-appears-FFVIII.png|Gilgamesh appears at the top of Lunatic Pandora.
Gilgamesh Zantetsuken.png|Zantetsuken.
FFVIII Masamune.png|Masamune.
FFVIII Excalipoor.png|Excalipoor.
Gilgamesh-figure-FFVIII.jpg|Figure by Kotobukiya.
</gallery>

==Etymology==
{{Etym|Gilgamesh}}

==Citations==
{{citations}}

{{navbox FFVIII}}
[[Category:Guardian Forces in Final Fantasy VIII]]
[[Category:Gilgamesh]]