SPOILERS Noah screwed Xande over!

[arcanedude34]

It's obvious that the three apprentices are not immortal, as throughout the game you kill Doga and Unne, and later they die for real by joining "the great soul" or whatever. So when Noah gave Xande mortality (which is a pretty lame gift anyway) wasn't he giving him something that he already had?

OH! And for that matter, who would want to live in a world where time was completely frozen? Wouldn't that mean Xande was just walking around the purpley world with nobody to talk to and nothing to do? That's definately a fate worse than death in my book.

Noah's an ass!

[Elpizo]

I hope this is a joke topic, or else you really missed the point, just like Xande did.

[arcanedude34]

The point being that Noah like Doga and Unne better, since he gave them things they didn't already currently possess?

[Elpizo]

Noah liked Xande most of all. And that was the entire point and moral of the story. Doga and Unei were given Dreamworld and Magicworld to guard, yes. But it's an existence in solitude. Look at Unei, she had to sleep for 1000 years. And Doga? He lived alone with moogles.

If Xande had understood his gift, the mortality of a normal human, the lifespan of a normal human, he would have understood that his life, albeit short, was the best of all. Doga and Unei would be caught up in their work for ages. But Xande? He could find a wife, he could go and find love, have children, a family, friends and all that. The nicest things of a human life. Through his children, Xande would have lived on, while Doga and Unei would eventually perish, leaving nothing behind but their work.

But Xande didn't understand. He saw his mortality as a human as a curse. Noah loved him the most, but he didn't see it. And thus he did what he did, halting the flow of time so he wouldn't die. But that was not what Noah had intended.

People complain FF III has no story. That IV was the first FF with a great story. I've shown you right here and now how deep FF III actually goes. It deals with life and death and how you deal with that. It deals with the good qualities of a human life. That was the moral of the story, really:

We may not live forever, but what short time we have can be worth more than every day of eternal life in solitude together. It all depends on what you make of it. Xande could have made it great. But he was so obsessed and afraid of death that he didn't do that. He missed every chance for love, friendship, children... All because he wasn't going to live as long as Doga and Unei.

Xande just didn't see the chance Noah had given him. He was a fool, I guess, but one I pitty.

[arcanedude34]

Noah liked Xande most of all. And that was the entire point and moral of the story. Doga and Unei were given Dreamworld and Magicworld to guard, yes. But it's an existence in solitude. Look at Unei, she had to sleep for 1000 years. And Doga? He lived alone with moogles.

If Xande had understood his gift, the mortality of a normal human, the lifespan of a normal human, he would have understood that his life, albeit short, was the best of all. Doga and Unei would be caught up in their work for ages. But Xande? He could find a wife, he could go and find love, have children, a family, friends and all that. The nicest things of a human life. Through his children, Xande would have lived on, while Doga and Unei would eventually perish, leaving nothing behind but their work.

But Xande didn't understand. He saw his mortality as a human as a curse. Noah loved him the most, but he didn't see it. And thus he did what he did, halting the flow of time so he wouldn't die. But that was not what Noah had intended.

People complain FF III has no story. That IV was the first FF with a great story. I've shown you right here and now how deep FF III actually goes. It deals with life and death and how you deal with that. It deals with the good qualities of a human life. That was the moral of the story, really:

We may not live forever, but what short time we have can be worth more than every day of eternal life in solitude together. It all depends on what you make of it. Xande could have made it great. But he was so obsessed and afraid of death that he didn't do that. He missed every chance for love, friendship, children... All because he wasn't going to live as long as Doga and Unei.

Xande just didn't see the chance Noah had given him. He was a fool, I guess, but one I pitty.

I see what you're saying, I've always appreciated the first three FF's stories just as much as the rest of the series, not just because I'm a nostalgia junky, but because they are still really thought provoking (yes, even the first game) if you know what the plot is. That's really amazing considering the technical limitations at the time.

Aw, dammit, now I have this deep sadness that Xande wasn't chosen for Dissidia instead of a 100% one-dimensional character that was introduced at the very last minute. >_>

[dream ending sword]

tbh, id be pretty damn pissed in Zandes position, which i kinda am. So I guess from my position FF3 is the only FF where you play the bad guys

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm with Elpizo, Xande misinterpreted Noah's gift to him and then plunged the world into darkness and ruined peoples lives just so he could live forever. He's a sympathetic villain but a villain nonetheless. As for CoD, I rather liked the Void as well since it also can't be streamlined into "classical villain" role. It was only trying to fulfill its purpose of reducing everything to nothing if the balance is broken. Yes it manipulated Xande but the game implies that this is the CoD's cosmic role and its very nature.

In the end, I never felt there was anything two dimensional about FFIII. :mog:

[Elpizo]

I'm with Elpizo, Xande misinterpreted Noah's gift to him and then plunged the world into darkness and ruined peoples lives just so he could live forever. He's a sympathetic villain but a villain nonetheless. As for CoD, I rather liked the Void as well since it also can't be streamlined into "classical villain" role. It was only trying to fulfill its purpose of reducing everything to nothing if the balance is broken. Yes it manipulated Xande but the game implies that this is the CoD's cosmic role and its very nature.

In the end, I never felt there was anything two dimensional about FFIII. :mog:

Damn straight. It amazes me again and again how deep and developped FF III's story actually was considering its platform and the time when it was made. Too bad it's so underrated.

[Obsidian]

The charm in FFIII's story, for me, is that it feels akin to real-world mythology and Greek epics. A journey of a few heroes experiencing grandiose events and characters, instead of young River Phoenix-looking men sitting around brooding about their lives.

You see villains like Xande in mythology all the time, since their inability to appreciate the good things in life usually serve as a proverb.

[Markus. D]

That's the only thing I liked about FFIII as a storyline.

Xande, Doga and Unne were absolutely the tastiest cherry on a much bland cake.

[ReloadPsi]

Noah should've given the three of them a chance to discuss who got what. At least Xande would've gotten what he wanted (probably Doga's role) and then Unei and Doga could've argued over who got the mortal life part.

This in turn could've turned one of them into the main villain instead, probably the one who ended up guarding the dream world, and s/he would've been woken up by some other evil miscreant hoping to use their resentment to destroy the world.

Huh, I suppose it wouldn't have made any difference really.

[arcanedude34]

I'm not saying that mortality would be a bad gift... if they were immortal to begin with. Invulnerable, actually. It's obvious that they all could die if they were killed (all three end up dead by the end of the game) but only Xande HAS to die if he doesn't want to. I just think it's stupid that Noah MADE Xande die when he reached a certain age, even though he could die other ways wheh and if he felt the time was right.

[Sefie1999AD]

Noah liked Xande most of all. And that was the entire point and moral of the story. Doga and Unei were given Dreamworld and Magicworld to guard, yes. But it's an existence in solitude. Look at Unei, she had to sleep for 1000 years. And Doga? He lived alone with moogles.

If Xande had understood his gift, the mortality of a normal human, the lifespan of a normal human, he would have understood that his life, albeit short, was the best of all. Doga and Unei would be caught up in their work for ages. But Xande? He could find a wife, he could go and find love, have children, a family, friends and all that. The nicest things of a human life. Through his children, Xande would have lived on, while Doga and Unei would eventually perish, leaving nothing behind but their work.

But Xande didn't understand. He saw his mortality as a human as a curse. Noah loved him the most, but he didn't see it. And thus he did what he did, halting the flow of time so he wouldn't die. But that was not what Noah had intended.

People complain FF III has no story. That IV was the first FF with a great story. I've shown you right here and now how deep FF III actually goes. It deals with life and death and how you deal with that. It deals with the good qualities of a human life. That was the moral of the story, really:

We may not live forever, but what short time we have can be worth more than every day of eternal life in solitude together. It all depends on what you make of it. Xande could have made it great. But he was so obsessed and afraid of death that he didn't do that. He missed every chance for love, friendship, children... All because he wasn't going to live as long as Doga and Unei.

Xande just didn't see the chance Noah had given him. He was a fool, I guess, but one I pitty.

Wow, even though I've beat the NES version twice, I've never noticed that. Xande's story sounds pretty deep, and now that I think about it, FFIX had a pretty similar story with (SPOILER)Kuja dealing with his mortality (rather than cherishing the time he got, he chose to destroy everything), and Necron appearing because of his purpose to end everything if the origin of all life (i.e. the Crystal) was in danger. Since I missed this piece of information during both of my runs through the game, would you mind telling me where this is said in the game?

[Wolf Kanno]

I believe both Doga and Unne give you the lowdown of the story, I think you also hear it from the moogles at Doga's house or the small magic village founded by Doga.

One thing that is mentioned in the DS version that may be new, is that Unne implies that when the world is frozen in time, that Xande himself is as well. In other words, only monsters of darkness may be walking around in the frozen world of darkness. That also just adds a bit to his character for me cause it seems pretty hardcore to freeze time so you don't die but not to be able to enjoy it in itself.

[arcanedude34]

One thing that is mentioned in the DS version that may be new, is that Unne implies that when the world is frozen in time, that Xande himself is as well. In other words, only monsters of darkness may be walking around in the frozen world of darkness. That also just adds a bit to his character for me cause it seems pretty hardcore to freeze time so you don't die but not to be able to enjoy it in itself.

But wouldn't that in effect be almost the same thing as dying?