Ruby (Final Fantasy IX)

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Ruby
(ルビィ, Rubī?)
Biographical information
Home	Lindblum
Affiliation	Tantalus Theater Troupe
Occupation	Actress
Physical description
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Gameplay details
Type	Non-player character
Behind the scenes information
Designer	Toshiyuki Itahana

This cowgirl's wilder than a buckin' bronco!

Ruby about Garnet

Ruby is a minor character in Final Fantasy IX. She is an actress in Tantalus Theater Troupe and is the only female of the group. She plays the lead heroine in Tantalus's production of the famous play I Want to Be Your Canary.

Profile

Appearance

Ruby wears a low-cut white blouse with short sleeves. Her hourglass figure is cinched in by a brown corset-like belt. Short green panels grace the sides of her teal, asymmetrical skirt. She wears opaque white tights, pink shoes, short white gloves with brown ribbons, and a brown choker. Her hair is gray, but much of it is covered by a large, light blue bandana.

Personality

When left behind by the rest of the troupe, Ruby shows off her entrepreneurial nature by founding a mini theater. The other Tantalus members fear her scolding and work behind her back to escape her temper. Still, the Tantalus members begin their adventure while cheerfully leaving Ruby behind, briefly forgetting all about her. She would personally be happier if the troupe would just be actors and not thieves, but she still does her best to cheer up anyone who needs it.

In the English localization, Ruby has a strong North American southern accent. In the Japanese version, she speaks with an Osaka-ben dialect. In the Italian version, she has a Spanish accent. In the German translation, she speaks a Cologne dialect, and in Spanish, she has an Argentine dialect.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Ruby was going to play the role of Cornelia in Tantalus's production of the play I Want to be Your Canary, but she had the part unintentionally stolen from her by Princess Garnet. During Tantalus's escape from Alexandria, Ruby gets left behind. She starts up her own theater and remains there, even after the rest of Tantalus return to Lindblum. Ruby hires the famous actor Lowell Bridges but he feels his talents are wasted in Ruby's small theater and continually complains about everything. Ruby is the owner of Superslick, an item required to fix Mognet Central.

Even after founding her own theater in Alexandria, Ruby reunites with Tantalus for their final performance of I Want to be Your Canary, now able to reprise her role as Cornelia.

Spoilers end here.

Other media

In the Advance and successive remakes of the original Final Fantasy, Ruby is one of the automatic names the player can choose for the White Mage job.

Behind the scenes

The Tantalus theater troupe was primarily designed by the art director, Hideo Minaba. During development there was talk of Ruby being an oyama (a male actor who plays female roles in Japanese Kabuki theater).

If player chooses wrong 64 times, Ruby will storm into the room.

During one of the opening cutscenes, if the player chooses Queen Brahne 64 times when Baku asks Zidane who they are meant to kidnap, Ruby will storm into the room and move the conversation onwards.

Ruby is one of the few characters within the "silent" Final Fantasy games to be shown with an accent. The only other accented characters include the dwarves in the Game Boy Advance and subsequent versions of Final Fantasy, Leila in the Game Boy Advance and subsequent versions of Final Fantasy II, Faris Scherwiz in the Anthology port of Final Fantasy V, Dr. Odine and Ultimecia in the English localization of Final Fantasy VIII, and the dwarves of Conde Petie.

Gallery

Ruby with rest of Tantalus in a Yoshitaka Amano artwork.

Closeup of Ruby from the previous artwork.

Ruby's mini-theater.

Etymology

[view · edit · purge]A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). It is the birthstone for July. Ruby is called Carmen in the Italian version.