Why is Bartz the leader?

[Wolf Kanno]

Bartz is considered to be the "leading character" in FFV by fans but really, why is he the leader? I mean Faris was a captain of a pirate ship, and is far more level headed than most of the cast. After Galuf loses his amnesia, he's a veteran warrior and actually has experience in beating Ex-Death, Lenna/Reina is a princess with training to take over a smurfing kingdom and Krile is in the same boat. So how does a wandering drifter get to be de-facto leader.

Was he just charming, good in bed, or was it mysterious Chocobo related powers...

[NeoCracker]

Cause smurf you.

[Jiro]

Isn't he the descendant of one of the Four Heroes anyway? I suppose that gives him some decent cred. But man, you always let the drifter type be the leader as they're super cool. And cool defeats monsters always.

[qwertysaur]

Because he was the first playable character in the game.

Also because of Galuf's amnesia, he has the most adventuring experience.

[VeloZer0]

I know he is considered the defacto leader because he is the games main character, but in game do they ever reference him as the leader?

[TrollHunter]

Isn't he the descendant of one of the Four Heroes anyway? I suppose that gives him some decent cred. But man, you always let the drifter type be the leader as they're super cool. And cool defeats monsters always.

This is how it has always, and always, will work.

[Heath]

I think all of the characters really have a decent claim to being the leader really. As Jiro said, the fact that his father was one of the original Four Heroes is probably the biggest thing going for him. That and it's always fun to have a protagonist who's just out adventurin' and then gets caught up in stuff miles above his station, as Bartz does.

[Jessweeee♪]

Same reason Vaan is, I suppose.

[VeloZer0]

Though he is the protagonist, I don't know anyone who considers Vaan the leader of their little group.

[TrollHunter]

Yeah it's not like in golden sun (dark dawn) where they constantly talk about matthews leader-status

[Vermachtnis]

I don't know what you're talking about. I put Faris on top and she was leading the group the entire game. Except for the beginning and Butz went off to have loliventures with Krile at the start of Act 3.

Waitaminute, maybe that's why. Cause he's always just there and if you don't kill him off, he's a higher level than everyone.

[Jessweeee♪]

Though he is the protagonist, I don't know anyone who considers Vaan the leader of their little group.

Exactly. He's not! He just went first is all.

[Saber]

Maybe cause Square wanted you to feel like a part of the adventure and he was your own character who originally (in game) didn't have a default name. Its much like Tidus in Final Fantasy X.

For some reason I look at him as leader cause of how I set up my party in 1,3, and 5. Knight, Black Mage, White Mage, Thief. I support the knight as leader cause he is the basic strength behind the party. The other characters are great but the knight is a much more real role to play.


Also having him as the character who travels around helps. I think you can switch who it is that walks around towns and the world map. Although I'm not sure. It's nice to have him as leader cause while other characters has their role, Bartz looks after everyone and makes the hard decisions. I'm sure if someone else was leader we would have a topic asking why the someone else is leader. :P

[Wolf Kanno]

Same reason Vaan is, I suppose.

Oh, cause people are stupid, I get it.

Also having him as the character who travels around helps. I think you can switch who it is that walks around towns and the world map. Although I'm not sure. It's nice to have him as leader cause while other characters has their role, Bartz looks after everyone and makes the hard decisions. I'm sure if someone else was leader we would have a topic asking why the someone else is leader. :P

Not really, cause as I pointed out, pretty much everyone, but Bartz has more experience being a leader than he did. Faris alone is far more qualified than most of the cast.

[Lamia]

Bartz definitely gets the least character development. Maybe that is why he is considered the "leader"? Like Chrono, or Cloud, the mostly silent protagonist that you role-play as. At least, I don't remember Bartz saying much in FFV.

But I actually don't think there is a leader in this game or in many of the other FF games. FFVI, it was argued on whether Terra, Locke, or Celes was the leader. In a way, Dissidia has established Terra as the leader in FF canon, but I don't think that was the original intent. Obviously, those three characters are the main characters of the game though. FF didn't return to this formula until Final Fantasy 12, and I think the only reason photos of Vaan were prominent when advertising the game was just marketing. They wanted to make an illusion of a main character, following the popularity of Cloud, Squall, Tidus, etc. But Vaan isn't the main character, if anyone is, it is Ashe. Finally, Lightning isn't the "leader" of Final Fantasy XIII either. She is on the box and pictured the most. But she doesn't have a greater bearing on the story than any of the other characters. She is "marketed" as the leader... in fact, female cloud. But she's not.