The infamous band of sky pirates; from left: Balthier, Penelo, Vaan, and Fran, from Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.
A name for the freefolk who ply the open skies in airships. Though they are collectively called "pirates", their actual occupations vary by individual. Some search for legendary treasures, some merely travel the world, while others are indeed ruthless villains who attack trade ships and plunder goods for profit. In recent years, the Archadian Empire has stepped up patrols, bringing in the worst of the lot, all but consigning the more flamboyant feats of piracy to history. Of late, many are pirates who have given up the thief's life for that of the headhunter, bringing their former comrades-in-arms to justice... for a bounty. Those few who remain pirates have struggled hard to retain the title, and are duly proud of it.
Sky Pirates, Sage Knowledge
Sky pirates are adventurers who devote their lives to traveling the world of Ivalice on airships during the time of Final Fantasy XII. Though some are adventurous bandits, others are simply working-class airship crew members.
Some aspire toward becoming sky pirates to escape the trapped existence led by most citizens of Ivalice, battered with territorial wars. The life of a sky pirate may not remedy the issues that have trapped them, but they will, at least, no longer be trapped themselves. Sky pirating is also a way to amass money, thus escaping poverty or making up for material possessions lost in the wars that have swept Ivalice.
Sky pirates, and pirates in general, gather at the Balfonheim Port. Famous sky pirates include Balthier, his partner Fran, and the lord of Balfonheim, the pirate Reddas.
Around 600 Old Valendian, the number of sky pirates began to dwindle due to the harassing by the Archadian Empire's growing military strength, particularly in its air force. Many sky pirates turned to a life of robbery, partly due to their dissatisfaction with the Empire that struggled to control the pirates and their activities, and some are known to ally with the Empire. After the war involving the Sky Fortress Bahamut, Archadia reviewed its air force, and the number of sky pirates increased due to their connections with the Empire.
In Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, many sky pirates are manipulated into stealing auracite by the Judge of Wings losing their anima to Feolthanos. Some would even ally with aegyl insurgents to get auracite, effectively turning them into Yarhi.
Allusions[]
Final Fantasy Tactics[]
Possibly an earliest and prototypical account of sky pirates, Final Fantasy Tactics features a Sound Novel excerpt about the first adventure of Mesa Ricksen, or "Mesa, The Savior", who with his airship, the Gloria, and his accompanying crew of four, journey on a worldwide quest to locate and discover the long lost Caimsunhama, the legendary City of Gold, and evade the ever overreaching grip of the tyrannical Palamecian Empire.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[]
A head accessory is called the Sky Pirate's Scarf.
Final Fantasy XIV[]
Starting in Patch 3.1 "As Goes Light, So Goes Darkness", Final Fantasy XIV features a side story featuring sky pirates that lead the player to the Void Ark, the second 24-man raid in the game, after the Crystal Tower.
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy[]
Vaan has a downloadable outfit that represents him as a sky pirate. It is different from the way sky pirates in Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings are depicted, with a more traditional pirate look. There are also trade accessories called "Sky Pirate's Desire", "Sky Pirate's Dream" and "Sky Pirate's Hopes".
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT[]
Vaan receives another Sky Pirate alternate costume more reminiscent of what sky pirates wear in the Ivalice Alliance games.
Etymology[]
Air pirates, also known as sky pirates, are a type of stock character from science fiction and fantasy. Fictional air pirates typically operate as pirates in the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet or moon, and travel by aircraft, as opposed to the more traditional pirates on the high seas, who travel by ship.