Zidane Tribal

A thief of Tantalus who kidnaps Princess Garnet and is drawn into a war between nations.

Zidane Tribal is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy IX, a charming and puckish character conceived by Hironobu Sakaguchi with appearances designed by Shuko Murase and Hideo Minaba. Unlike previous Final Fantasy heroes created before their stories, Zidane was developed after the plot was written, marking a shift toward a more outgoing, flirty personality that balances bawdiness with a devil-may-care attitude. He features shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and a prehensile monkey-like tail, serving as a thief who can steal items from enemies—a mechanic emphasized in this title. While his womanizing traits were designed by Hiroyuki Ito, Sakaguchi described him as someone who likes girls but lacks real objectives, yet remains a key character whose relationship with Garnet and departure from moody protagonists have drawn significant attention.

Quick Facts

Series: Final Fantasy
First game: Final Fantasy IX (2000)
Creator: Hironobu Sakaguchi
Designer: Yoshitaka Amano
Voice: Romi Park (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook (English)

Lore & Background

Zidane's existence is rooted in the planet Terra, where he was created as a Genome—an artificially cloned humanoid intended by the wizard Garland to replace his failed creation Kuja. His purpose was to serve as an "Angel of Death" to wipe out life on Gaia and facilitate the assimilation of Terran souls into Pandemonium. However, a jealous Kuja exiled the newly created Zidane to Gaia, where he was found by Baku, who adopted him despite his artificial origins.

This revelation drives Zidane to despair when he learns he is a soulless vessel designed for death, leading him to briefly abandon his party. Yet, after being mollified and witnessing the collapse of the Iifa Tree, he chooses to return inside to save Kuja. His journey illustrates a struggle against social confines, particularly regarding his relationship with Princess Garnet, as noted by Kazuhiko Aoki who regretted not developing the tension between Zidane's status and Garnet's royalty more fully.

Reader's Guide

Zidane serves as the party leader, using his charisma to draw in characters like Eiko, who joins due to infatuation, and Amarant, who joins out of curiosity after being defeated. In combat, he wields two daggers or a single swallow-blade, utilizing his unique ability to steal items from enemies more frequently than in previous games. His Trance form is distinct: his hair becomes longer, and his clothing is replaced with pink fur. For voice acting, Romi Park voices him in the Japanese version of Dissidia Final Fantasy, while Bryce Papenbrook handles the English role, describing Zidane as "really really fun" and "snarky." In Dissidia NT, Papenbrook aims to bring a feeling of sassiness to his lines. Players can utilize his speed and agility to acquire valuable items earlier than normal, leveraging his thief class mechanics throughout the game.

Did You Know?

Zidane was one of the original three characters revealed for Final Fantasy IX, alongside Vivi and Steiner.
In 2020, an NHK poll of over 468,000 Japanese players ranked Zidane as the fifth greatest Final Fantasy character, just behind Vivi.