Who's YOUR FFXII Hero and Heroine?

In nearly every FF, there is a clear-cut Hero and Heroine. For example FFIX, Zidane and Garnet, FFX, Tidus and Yuna, FFVIII, Squall and Rinoa, etc. But I think, in FFXII, there is no clear-cut Hero/Heroine combo. Instinct would say Vaan and Ashe, but personally, I don't agree.
I think that the Hero of FFXII is Balthier, purely because I think he has more to do with the story than Vaan, and he performs a lot more heroic acts, whereas Vaan.......well......
The Heroine has got to be Penelo. Obviously Ashe has a lot more to do with the story, but I think the story is told more often from Penelos view and focuses a lot more on how things will affect her. That's just my opinion though. What does everyone else think?

Balthier? Hero? He's just someone looking for attention. I think Basch is more of a hero. He got wrongly imprisoned for two years, and when rescued, he didn't go psycho. He kept his composure. His actions > Balthiers make him more of a hero I think.

Heroine? Iunno. Ashe probably. Don't like her but crikey, she goes through a lot.

I'm going with Larsa as the hero and Ashe as the heroine :bigsmile:

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Originally Posted by LunarWeaver

I'm going with Larsa as the hero and Ashe as the heroine :bigsmile:

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Up until maybe two days ago, I would have said Basch or Balthier the hero and Ashe the heroine.

However, I replayed the final sequence (Bahamut) the other day and realized that Larsa actually is a whole lot more integral to the entire story and he's only a guest member.

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Originally Posted by Setzer Gabianni

Balthier? Hero? He's just someone looking for attention. I think Basch is more of a hero. He got wrongly imprisoned for two years, and when rescued, he didn't go psycho. He kept his composure. His actions > Balthiers make him more of a hero I think.

Heroine? Iunno. Ashe probably. Don't like her but crikey, she goes through a lot.

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Agreed, Basch is the hero :love:

Heroine ? Fran ? Dunno, none of the females made me care enough for their fate.

I think FFXII is the Ashe, Balthier, and Basch show. Fran's just along cause she's stuck with Balthier, and Vaan and Penelo are just along learning so they'll be ready when their turn comes during Revent Wings.

Ashe drives the parties actions through most of the game. I think it's pretty undeniable that she's the female lead. Male lead is less clean cut but I would probably say Basch, simply that was Matsuno's original intention.

I can see where a lot of people would would pick Ashe as the heroine, but she got on my nerves so much, i sorta started to dislike her. Maybe thats why i picked penelo.:D
But for the hero i'm still gonna say Balthier. He says it himself a few times 'I am the leading man after all.' But not even that. The last set of FMVs with SFB and everything just sorta portrayed him as the Hero. And the story revolves around him more, i think, (SPOILER)what with Dr. Cid and Balthier having been a judge and all. But then again, its just my personal opinion.

Vaan and Penelo are always my fav =)

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Originally Posted by LunarWeaver

I'm going with Larsa as the hero and Ashe as the heroine :bigsmile:

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Yes. Granted, the hero and the heroine don't always end up together, at least not in my book ;)

Honestly, I felt Larsa was the male character who had consistently idealistic goals and worked for peace. All of the other male characters battled revenge, guilt, and personal vendettas the entire way through; you can be a hero with a grudge and all, but to me, Larsa was a hero in the purest sense.

And Ashe generally had the right idea. She wanted the power for a peaceful goal, and was appropriately afraid of the part of her that wanted it. She knew it was risky (both for her country and herself) but she felt she had to pursue power for a greater good.

i'd like to go for Fran and Balthier since them two almost got themselves killed just to keep the Bahamut from falling upon Rabanastre...
:)

No, Balthier ... your not the hero... stop talking!:rolleyes2
I think Basch and Fran are my hero/heroine.:p

I suppose if I had to pick one, I would go with Ashe, but I don't think she's quite as central to the overall game as - say - Cloud or Squall was by comparison. I feel the same way about Basch, realy. Probably the most central characters we're given though. The suggestion of Larsa being the main character is certainly interesting to say the least.

So I suppose, given that I can't pick between Ashe and Basch...

Hero: Basch
Heroine: Ashe.

Sorted :D

Ashe is the leading heroine and is the closest thing XII has to a main character. her journey is the story of XII so I would argue with Heath's statement about her being as intrical to the plot as Cloud or Squall. Yes she's a bitch, but in real life a bitch like Ashe will get things done. Not a a wishy washy frail pain in the ass like Yuna who can't blow her own goddamn nose without her guardians being there... Sorry playing through X again and I'm being reminded how much I hate this girl...

There really isn't a leading man but I do like the Larsa suggestion. Basch seems more like the classic hero type and his story is probably the most touching in XII but it was said a few times that Matsuno liked Balthier so much that he ended up giving him a larger role. In fact he was repoted to even joke about having the entire story rewritten with him as the main character. I don't know why people hate him so much but I do feel he's one of the more interesting characters in the game.

True, Ashe made a refreashing change from the usual simpering excuses for heroines, shes tough and cold and she gets the job done

Ashe is definitely the heroine in my book, with Basch or maybe Larsa as the hero (though it's more likely to be Basch since you actually get to play as him).

Balthier and Ashe are my hero and heroine.

There is no main hero in this game.
As for heroine i think Ashe fits the part,although quite terribly.

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Originally Posted by Nifleheim7

There is no main hero in this game.
As for heroine i think Ashe fits the part,although quite terribly.

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Whats wrong with Lady Ashe? :mog:

Ashe is my favorite character and everybody else hates her, haha :hat:

Penelo rocks.. and balthier is funny.. but there are no main characters.. its like star wars.. you see it all through the people that tag along.. Vaan and Penelo

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

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Originally Posted by Nifleheim7

There is no main hero in this game.
As for heroine i think Ashe fits the part,although quite terribly.

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Whats wrong with Lady Ashe? :mog:

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I thought she was kinda cold,snobbish and self-centered.In the entire game she never even smiled once...All she was thinking (for at least half the game) was personal revenge.The story moved quite fast in the beginning so i never really felt her grief over the loss of her brother and husband.So her hatred never felt convincing to me in terms of her character although it should be(in terms of story).
I guess she has a personality but not a likable one.:eep:

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Originally Posted by Nifleheim7

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

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Originally Posted by Nifleheim7

There is no main hero in this game.
As for heroine i think Ashe fits the part,although quite terribly.

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Whats wrong with Lady Ashe? :mog:

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I thought she was kinda cold,snobbish and self-centered.In the entire game she never even smiled once...All she was thinking (for at least half the game) was personal revenge.The story moved quite fast in the beginning so i never really felt her grief over the loss of her brother and husband.So her hatred never felt convincing to me in terms of her character although it should be(in terms of story).
I guess she has a personality but not a likable one.:eep:

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Fair enough.:D

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Originally Posted by LunarWeaver

Ashe is my favorite character and everybody else hates her, haha :hat:

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I liked her. I can see why people hate her though.

I think most people can agree that Ashe is the heroine of the story.

Several characters blur the line between supporting character and leading character because of the ensamble cast and the lack of the player characters' involvement in the actual story. I would say that Vaan is merely the player character and that Balthier, Basch, or Larsa would fill a hero role more appropriately.

It depends on your definition of hero, too.

i like tht its complicated, Ashe is unique and i'm so glad she is the way she is, she only lets herself down at the end with her screaming, but then shes been thru so much and its a reflection of her growth as a character that she can show emotion, a counter point to her cold dismissal of vossler.

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Originally Posted by PeneloRatsbane

True, Ashe made a refreashing change from the usual simpering excuses for heroines, shes tough and cold and she gets the job done

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WHAT???? No way! At the beginning and the middle of the game she was pathetic, she only starts getting hardcore towards the end (SPOILER)after the sun cryst is destroyed

wot u didn't get impressed by her hard slap tht she gave basch, or the fact she was just like yeah watever to vossler, and when she came out with the resistence and when she gave Balthier a snarky attitude look when she tripped and he helped her, she had her own suspicios motives under the intial lets save dalmasca one

I'm going to go with Ashe, as she basically hops off her throne and fights in the war first hand. Though it wasn't explained as well as I had liked.

I like Balthier and Penelo too :bigsmile:

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Originally Posted by ~*~Celes~*~

I like Balthier and Penelo too :bigsmile:

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who doesn't? :D

but you can kinda guess from your sig and avvie :p

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Originally Posted by PeneloRatsbane

wot u didn't get impressed by her hard slap tht she gave basch, or the fact she was just like yeah watever to vossler, and when she came out with the resistence and when she gave Balthier a snarky attitude look when she tripped and he helped her, she had her own suspicios motives under the intial lets save dalmasca one

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You bring up a good point, PeneloRatsbane, but I had a hard time monitoring character development because of the pacing of the game. I thought that the characters did not interact enough and that the dungeons and gameplay sequences were far too long — so, like, Ashe would have a scene with another character and then it would be hours upon hours of dungeons before the story goes on — because of things like that, I actually don't remember the story sequences that you mentioned.