Ultros

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File:FF1-Ultros.jpg

I've got more lives than I do arms!

Ultros

Ultros (オルトロス Orutorosu), also known as Orthros, is a recurring enemy in the Final Fantasy series. A loud-mouthed, carnivorous purple octopus, he likes corny jokes and has a thing for the ladies. Ultros first appeared in Final Fantasy VI as an incompetent but recurring boss, and has since been featured in several other games, usually as a reference to Final Fantasy VI.

Appearances

Orthos in newer versions of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy IV.

Final Fantasy

Template:Enemy Orthros only appears in the Dawn of Souls and 20th Anniversary versions of the original Final Fantasy, found in Whisperwind Cove as a boss. Orthros retains his sense of humor and his ink attack to blind the party. However, his trademark attack "Tentacle" is absent. Defeating him earns the party the Rune Staff.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

Template:Enemy Orthros (Ultros in the Wii version) is one of four bosses from Final Fantasy VI in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years that the party can fight on the True Moon. He uses a variation of his battle patterns from the third battle in Final Fantasy VI, and will speak to the party as they fight, commenting on how cute the females are and berating the men as "muscle men". After the fight the party is confused by the encounter, but Rydia remarks he did not seem like a bad person, if only somewhat strange.

"Dancing Calcabrina" plays during the first phase of the fight with Orthros, switching to the usual boss theme in the second phase.

Final Fantasy VI

Template:Enemy Template:Spoilers

Ultros's first appearance: unlike most mistranslations (and unlike Typhon, originally called "Chupon"), Ultros kept the original translator Ted Woolsey's name in future re-translations. He first appears on the Lethe River, where Terra, Edgar, Sabin, and Banon are rafting towards Narshe to examine the frozen Esper and to convince the city to ally itself with the Returners. Ultros attacks them in the hopes of eating them, then hides underwater after he is defeated. Sabin tries to hit Ultros with a blitz, jumping off the raft and washing down the river.

Ultros makes his second appearance in the Opera House, where he decides to pull a trick on the Returners, who are staging a plot to reach the Southern Continent. Setzer Gabbiani, the notorious gambler and the owner of the world's only airship, has his sights set on Maria, the star of the opera Maria and Draco. Locke decides to have Celes take Maria's place that night (Celes looks just like Maria) so that his friends and he can meet with Setzer.

Ultros, fuming over his earlier defeat, decides to beat Setzer to the punch and drop a weight on Celes/Maria, and leaves a warning in the dressing room. Locke finds the warning, and goes to warn the Impressario of Ultros. Ultros sets up camp on the rafters above the stage and attempts to drop the weight. Locke and his friends foil Ultros's plan and knock him off the rafter; this still interrupts the opera, but through some quick thinking to work it into the opera, Locke continues on with the show and the party fights Ultros, with the villain fully intending to eat them upon his victory. Instead, they win, and Ultros escapes, and his attempt to spoil their plan fails.

Ultros wants Relm to draw his picture.

The third time Ultros appears is in the Esper Caves. He finds three golden statues meant to symbolize the Warring Triad, and plans to steal them to make his rival Siegfried jealous. Terra, Locke, and Strago are there to foil his plan, and realizing he is again hungry, he gets into a fight with them. During the fight, Relm shows up and offers to paint a portrait of Ultros. He says that he does not play kiddie games, but after some convincing from Terra and Locke, he lets Relm draw the painting. The painting wounds Ultros, forcing him to flee again.

Ultros appears for the fourth and final time as the Returners are heading to the Floating Continent to stop Kefka and Gestahl. He is not alone, however. He brings his friend, Typhon, with him, intending to defeat and devour the party once and for all. The Returners get into a fight with the two, but Typhon sneezes and blows them off the airship after he and Ultros are defeated.

Also in World of Balance in Owzer's house there is a painting of Ultros, but it is later replaced by a painting of the Emperor Gestahl in the World of Ruin

One year after the apocalypse, Ultros is working as a receptionist in the Dragon's Neck Coliseum to pay off a large debt that would keep him there for a million years as his manager put it. He seemingly loses his enmity towards the party and warns them not to be stupid with their bets or Typhon will come and steal the item by sneezing.

Spoilers end here.

Final Fantasy XII

Orthros, as seen in the bestiary's entry.

Template:Enemy Orthros is a Rank V Elite Mark in Final Fantasy XII fought in the Southern Sluiceway of the Garamsythe Waterway. Being a lecher, Orthros only appears when the party is made up of three female characters (but afterwards male characters can be switched in, and guests Larsa and Reddas won't prevent his appearance). Like his Final Fantasy VI incarnation, Orthros is also a thief. However, this time he is more of a Flan-like enemy than an octopus. The picture on his bill shows him in the same pose as his sprite in Final Fantasy VI.

A fighter group in the Battle above Rabanastre is also called "Orthros".

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Template:Enemy Orthros makes another appearance as a Flan-type enemy, at the top of Brightmoon Tor during the second ascent. He is level 99 and possesses several devastating attacks, including the Gold Hourglass, a move which targets everyone on the player's team for both massive damage and Slow.

Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon

Ultros appears in Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2 as a boss. He attacks mainly by using Drain on Chocobo and Shirma. His head and two tentacles appear as separate targets with their own ATB gauges. Ultros remains in a lake for the duration of the fight, requiring Chocobo to use magic unless he is near the shore.

Dissidia Final Fantasy

Ultros being summoned.

An octopus-like monster. He often hires "Mr.Typhon" to help out with his exploits.

Dissidia Final Fantasy Summon Compendium

Ultros appears as a summon in Dissidia. When summoned, his Final Fantasy VI artwork appears and he spews ink across both players' Bravery points, making their Bravery points a mystery. Ultros's Summonstone is obtained as a level bonus in Destiny Odyssey III.

Ultros is also a Ghost card that can be fought. The Ultros card is Level 100 Terra, and has the Red Gem and Delicious Fish accessories to be won via Battlegen. The quote on the card is what Ultros says to Terra during the party's first battle with him in Final Fantasy VI.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

I don't know all the details. I'm just a summon in this title!

Ultros

Ultros makes a cameo in the in-game manuals, explaining accessories with Relm and Typhon. Ultros also returns as a summonstone, with the same function as in Dissidia. He can be purchased from certain Moogle Shops for 20 KP.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Ultros will appear as a boss enemy, using the Final Fantasy VI boss theme.

Other appearances

Itadaki Street Portable

Ultros appears in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Portable.

Etymology

Orthros, also spelled Orthrus and Orthos, is a creature from Greek mythology, a two-headed dog that is brother to Cerberus. It was slain as part of the twelve labors of Hercules. The Orthros of Final Fantasy has no connections at all with the mythical Orthros, save for their link to Typhon, which in the Greek myth was the father of Orthros and Cerberus.

The likely reason Orthros is an octopus in the game is given in the book for Final Fantasy Origins: Final Fantasy VI. An octopus was the main character in the first game Square ever made, in addition to the fact that in the production of Final Fantasy VI, a programmer told Amano and Sakaguchi that the octopus they were designing reminded him of a purple octopus toy he had as a child named Orthros.

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