Final Fantasy IX is my favorite. After years of devouring this series in nearly every way possible, of falling in and out of love with it, I always look back on IX the same way. Final Fantasy IX doesn?t get nearly as much attention as its older siblings do, or even some of the younger ones. It isn?t as dismissed as the second game by a long shot, but it does often have an ?odd man out? vibe. A lot of that is due to how little it fits in among both the ?modern? titles in the series, and the classics. It exists in its own little pocket of aesthetic and tone, and a big part of that is protagonist Zidane Tribal. His personality and motivations are drastically different from those of his peers, making him the driving force of Final Fantasy IX?s unique flavor. The Sly Eagle Doesn?t Kill at Whim

Despite some extremely dark shit that goes down as Final Fantasy IX progresses, the game has an overall reputation for being more lighthearted compared to the two before it. Both Cloud and Squall?s adventures are much more immediately grim; even though both of those games have their fair share of camp, both feature thoroughly grumbly protagonists. Zidane on the other hand, is much more jovial from the get-go. He hits on women, cracks hella jokes, showboats, and goes out of his way to be friendly with people. But more importantly, he goes out of his way to help people.
Just look at how everything starts. Zidane and the Tantalus Troupe come to the kingdom of Alexandria to kidnap princess G...