Good and Evil in Final Fantasy XII

[Forsaken Lover]

From long before I started FFXII, i heard tale of how "morally ambiguous and almost good" Vayne Solidor was. Much to my dismay, this did not appear to be the case when I played the game. He seemed a very typical power-hungry villain.

On a second playthrough of the game, I've been looking at the story with fresh eyes. You understand so much more in certain scenes when you know what comes after. To this end, I'm trying to find the "good guys" and "bad guys" of FF12. It's very much a perspective thing which is why i like it so much. Final Fantasy is not usually so grey when it comes to this.

Let's delve into it then. I will examine all the major players we see in the game.

Note: I've read a few older topics on here about this which is where I'll be getting the hearsay I bring up a few times.

The Occuria

No group or character fascinates me more than these ambiguous entities. Now, like most, I was appalled by their attitude towards Ashe. They basically told her to commit mass murder because they say so. Yet it does come back to what I mentioned earlier. A second run through the game makes you examine things more instead of being ruled by gut reactions.

The fact of the matter is, the Occuria are gods. Like it or not, they are making peace in Ivalice.

Garif Great-Chief: In ages past, the Gods made a gift of Nethicite to my people. But the manner of its use eluded us. Displeased by our failure, the Gods took back their stones. They chose instead to give them to a Hume King. Called the Dynast-King, he used the Nethicite’s power to bring peace to a troubled time.

Occuria: In times that are long passed away, we thought to save this Ivalice…and chose Raithwall the Dynast-King.

Fact is, they're attempting to do the same thing now. They are trying to save Ivalice from a horrific war.

Now, are their methods right? Probably not. There are many good Imperial people and destroying the entire Empire would kill them. Speaking of Good and Evil, I would say Larsa is the most "good" character in the game. So killing him along with the madmen who rule Archadia wouldn't be fair.

So they're obviously not pure good. But nor are they pure bad.

Raithwall

I see a lot of speculation on the Dynast-King. However, we must consider what is actually stated in the game before our own ideas.

Ashe: Though he is called the Dynast-King… Upon establishing the Alliance, he showed compassion for his people, and disdain for war. A philosophy passed on to his successors. One that would bring peace and prosperity for hundreds of years to follow.

The common theory among fans as I've read is that Raithwall achieved this piece by nuking everyone until they joined up.

In fact, Nethicite is often compared to nuclear weapons which is an apt comparison. Tell me, why do you think half the world isn't radioactive ash? Because while nukes can cause great destruction, they have power in not being used as well.

Simply by existing, weapons like nuclear bombs and nethicite can do many things. Raithwall just having the Nethicite provides two powerful reasons to join up:
1. To not be destroyed.
2. To gain the protection of the strongest weapon in Ivalice.

So you can see now he did not have to blow up everyone who disagreed with him to gain their favor.

You also have to realize these were god-given items. If a man appeared today and said 'God has chosen me to rule" and presented evidence, don't you think people would follow him? Gods do definitely exist in FFXII and so if Raithwall showed up with proof the gods themselves have chosen him, I would say it's a fair reason some might have joined up with him.

Now Final Fantasy 12 has a lot of realism to it; at least compared to other FFs. So could the old adage "history is written by the victors' apply here? Absolutely. Ashe and her family could have totally romanticized Raithwall and what he did. But sadly you have to go with the evidence you're presented. Conjecture is all well and good and there's no harm in some speculation but I prefer to have some actual canon evidence to my ideas.

Dr. Cid

Reddas: A Judge Magister there was… (clashing blades) 2 years past, he took the Midlight Shard and used it not knowing what he did…and Nabudis was blown away. Cid ordered this of him to learn the Nethicite’s true power.

Cid: The reigns of history back in the hands of man!

Cid is probably the best example of a Well-Intentioned Extremist in FF history. There is no denying the Occuria are not the best rulers given their desire for unnecessary death and destruction. Cid sincerely thought, as far as I can see, humanity would best be served ruling itself. I can sympathize but I don't agree. Whatever my own beliefs on humanity in fiction or real life however, I recognize Cid's sincerity in his belief and that he really did want to help the world. He did this through some fairly destructive methods but that's why he's an extremist.

Overall, I'd say he's about even with the Occuria in terms of Good and Evil.

Vayne Solidor

The man who got me interested in deciding who was good and bad and why.
Now I had sort of interpreted his intent just as others have.
He was doing it all for Larsa.

Cid: That so sweet a child could be your brother is hard to believe.

Vayne: Larsa is as he should be.

He could perform the reprehensible acts Larsa should not be exposed to. That way Larsa could rule in peace.

Sadly, this idea was shot in the foot for good near the end.

Vayne: Gabranth, you will defend my brother. He will have much need in the hell to follow.

Venat: For your ascendance, Vayne, I offer prayer. May you attain all that which is your due.

[There was a brief pause as Vayne shows a slight grin on his face.]

Vayne: Attain it I shall.
For too long have my deeds gone unrewarded.

Vayne was just power-hungry. He wanted to leave a mark on history and become the new Dynast-King. While Cid committed the acts he did out of a belief in helping humanity, Vayne seemed motivated solely by personal ambition for glory.

As such, I rate him as the most evil character in the game. Well of the major characters.

Comparison Between Raithwall and Vayne

Many seem to like doing this. Using the speculation about Raithwall, people run with it and say he and Vayne are no different.

Except...they are. Whether Raithwall obliterated everyone who argued with him or not, he and Vayne still operated in very different times.

Cid: Bah, to hell with the Occuria and her stones! What good a power that cannot be harnessed? Baubles best-suited for study, no more.

Vayne: Heh! We conquered two kingdoms, that you might study these "baubles".

In contrast with Raithwall bringing peace with Nethicite, Vayne started two wars and was going to start a third with it.

Conclusion

Isn't it telling that the first thing humans do when they manufacture nethicite is to destroy, kill and maim?

A Kiltia asks after Mt. Bur-omice is attacked and before you battle Bergan "have the Empire no fear of the gods?!" Or something to that effect.

It's clear they don't. With no fear of the gods and the ability to make new and deadlier weapons on their own,humans perpetrate new horrific massacres.

So, is the Occuria rule better than that? I'd say yes myself.

When it's all said and done, I apply my Good and Evil Scale. I use it for all Final Fantasy's.

10 is pure good and -10 is pure evil.
Basch and Larsa score 9 or maybe even 10. They demonstrate complete selflessness and a desire to help preserve lives.

Gabranth is a 0 as he is so conflicted and wrought with repressed anger and self-loathing that he can't really be good or evil.

Cid, the Occuria and Raithwall are maybe -3s. They've committed horrific acts but for noble reasons.

Vayne is a -6. Thousands died because he wanted to be famous and nothing more.

If you're curious, The Emperor of FF2 is the only -10 on my scale. Vayne is less evil than him, Kuja, Exdeath etc. but he's more evil than FFIX Garland or Seymour.

So...those are my thoughts. What say you?