Vaan Vaan is the main protagonist of " Final Fantasy XII " and its sequel , " " . He is also a secret playable character in " " and appears in " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " representing " Final Fantasy XII " . An orphan street thief hailing from Rabanastre in the Kingdom of Dalmasca , Vaan begrudges the Archadian Empire for the death of his brother , Reks , and the subjugation of his homeland . He dreams of owning an airship and being a sky pirate free to travel Ivalice . When his attempt to steal from the Royal Palace of Rabanastre goes awry he becomes entangled in a conflict that could decide the fate of Dalmasca . Vaan does not play a large role in the " Final Fantasy XII " story , instead being a view - point and foil , observing and contrasting the actions of others who influence the unfolding events more directly . Profile . Appearance . Vaan is a 17 - year - old youth standing at around 5 ' 7 " . Like many other Dalmascans he has tanned skin , blond hair , and gray eyes , although in some games his eyes are blue . Due to his homeland ' s hot climate he wears a loose cropped open metal vest fastened with a pendant . According to the manga , the pendant belonged to his brother . His dark pants are held up by a red ribboned sash belt , and are tucked into a pair of knee - high steel boots . His appearance " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " remains identical , while his " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 : Grimoire of the Rift " appearance adds a large - collared white shirt beneath his cropped vest and several metal accessories on his side . The ornament on Vaan ' s waist at his " Tactics A2 " artwork resembles the " Galbana " airship from " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " . Personality . Vaan is part of a lost generation , trying to find purpose in a life reduced to poverty . Vaan adopts a leadership role , being the eldest among the group of orphans he spends his time in , and is seen as a fraternal figure to the younger children , particularly Kytes and Filo . He is protective of his childhood friend Penelo , and though he hails from the Lowtown slums , Vaan dreams of becoming a sky pirate to escape the Empire ' s hold and roam the skies freely . Vaan trains in the Garamsythe Waterway slaying Dire Rats , gaining the nickname " Vaan Ratsbane " from Old Dalan . Despite having been forced to look after himself from an early age due to the loss of his family , Vaan remains naive . He holds an idealistic view of one day getting back at the Empire and owning an airship . His inexperience with the world comes across as being tactless during his interactions with his more worldly companions , e . g . fumbling over the viera race ' s longevity by asking Fran her age , and wondering aloud whether the Gran Kiltias is sleeping . Vaan admits to Ashe that his desire to be a sky pirate stems from wanting to flee the memory of his brother who was killed during the war . In " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " Vaan has lost some of his naivete and leads his band of sky pirates onto a new adventure . He is courageous and loyal , but can be reckless and jump into dangerous situations without much forethought . Story . " Final Fantasy XII " . Vaan was born in the year 689 Old Valendia , and grew up in Dalmasca ' s capital , the Royal City of Rabanastre . In 701 when Vaan was only twelve , his parents fell victim to the plague . Vaan and his elder brother Reks were taken in by his childhood friend Penelo and her family . Two years later the war between Rozarria and Archadia bared upon its middle ground , Dalmasca , and a small scale raid of Rabanastre claimed the lives of Penelo ' s parents leaving Vaan and Penelo with only one family figure left : Reks . During the Imperial occupation Reks signed up as a light infantry soldier . When King Raminas agreed to a peace treaty and left for Nalbina Fortress to sign it , word arrived that the treaty signing was but a conspiracy to murder him . Reks was sent to the fortress , his squadron being led by Captain Basch fon Ronsenburg of the Order of the Knights . Reks was fatally wounded by what appeared to be Basch who had murdered the king . Reks ' s witness testimony led to Basch ' s conviction for high treason and he was announced executed , while Vaan looked after the increasingly unresponsive Reks in a hospital in his final moments . In the manga , Vaan later tells Reks was tortured to death by the Empire to force a confession for co - conspiring the King ' s death . Believing his brother to have been murdered by not only Captain Basch , but also at the fault of the Archadian Empire , Vaan vows vengeance . He lives in Lowtown with Penelo and the other war orphans and spends his days slaying rats in the Garamsythe Waterway , carrying out menial tasks for the sundry shop owner , Migelo , and pick - pocketing the Archadian troops stationed in Rabanastre , rationalizing it as reclaiming the wealth Archadia is stealing . When Vayne Solidor , the Emperor ' s son , becomes the consul of Dalmasca , Vaan sneaks into the royal palace during the fête to take back things that once belonged to Dalmasca . He chances upon the Goddess ' s Magicite and runs into the sky pirates Balthier and Fran who demand he hand over the object . Not knowing its true power but guessing it to be valuable , Vaan makes a run for it when the Resistance attacks the palace and the Imperial airship " Ifrit " repels the insurgence . As told in the manga , during his escape Vaan overhears Vayne speaking to Judge Gabranth and spies on them overseeing the battle . He is caught and brought before Vayne who mocks his rage . Vaan tells the two his brother was killed at Nalbina Fortress , and Vayne invites Vaan to attack him . Vaan lunges but is blocked by Gabranth . Vaan is taken away by the guards , Vayne ordering him executed for attempted assault on an Archadian official . As Vaan is carried off the guards are intercepted by Balthier who continues to pursue Vaan and throws him over a bridge to Fran ' s hoverbike before following suit . The vehicle ' s power is drained by Vaan ' s Goddess ' s Magicite and crashes in the Garamsythe Waterway , the city ' s sewer system that was exposed during an attack from " Ifrit " . Vaan teams up with Balthier and Fran to find a way out . Balthier surmises Vayne staged the dinner to lure the Resistance out of hiding and trap them using the Imperial fleet . They encounter a Resistance fighter named Amalia cornered by Imperial Guards . Vaan runs to her aid , and following the ensuing battle , Amalia joins the party briefly though she scorns at Vaan ' s thievery from the palace . Upon reaching the Waterway ' s exit they battle a Firemane . In the manga they are accosted by Judge Ghis and Vaan attacks him but is knocked out . Ghis takes Amalia captive onboard Dreadnought " Leviathan " while the others are sent to Nalbina Dungeons . In the game the party is confronted by Vayne himself . Nevertheless , Penelo spots Vaan , Balthier and Fran being led away in chains and approaches them in tears , but Balthier soothes her . In the manga , Vaan awakens in the dungeons and intervenes on a seeq prisoner attacking a former Dalmascan soldier , but has the Goddess ' s Magicite stolen from him . Balthier tries to teach Vaan why he lost by challenging him to a game of coin toss where Vaan must guess which of Balthier ' s hands he holds it . For a wrong guess Balthier wants Vaan ' s chestpiece from Reks , but Vaan demands Balthier wager his airship . Balthier tosses the coin and Vaan fails at guessing its location with Fran returning and revealing she has the coin and Balthier ' s hands are empty . Gabranth authorizes the bounty hunter Ba ' Gamnan to search the prisoners for Balthier , and Fran reveals she has found an exit . In the manga , Balthier decides to make their move in two hours after investigating the Resistance , and Vaan declares to have recovered the Goddess ' s Magicite by that time . He finds the seeq who stole it but is ambushed by two more . Vaan is thrown into a cell until the seeq , Daguza , is ready to face him in arena . Ba ' Gamnan offers to free him , but Daguza intervenes and the two fight , and Vaan escapes and charges at Daguza . Vaan ignores Balthier ' s lesson of using dirty tactics and with a frontal attack seizes the Goddess ' s Magicite and flees to reconvene with Balthier while another prisoner and Ba ' Gamnan deal with Daguza and the other enraged seeq . In the game , Vaan attempts to defend a wounded bangaa from three abusive seeq dungeon masters and is thrown into a caged battle with them . Balthier joins the fray and the two emerge victorious and hide within the arena when Gabranth appears shadowing him into an Oubliette . Vaan , Balthier and Fran find an emaciated Basch fon Ronsenburg imprisoned and following Gabranth ' s leave , Basch pleads the party to set him free . Reckognising Basch as the King - Slayer , Vaan jumps on the cage and shouts at him . The ruckus attracts the guards and Fran tells everyone to hang onto the cage while she drops it to the pit below the dungeons . Freed , Basch joins the party while they trek through the Barheim Passage though Vaan makes his distaste at the arrangement known . Basch explains the Empire framed him by having his twin brother , Noah , now going by the name of Gabranth , impersonate him to assassinate the King and leave Reks as a witness to " Basch ' s " treachery , but Vaan remains unconvinced . In the manga , Basch and Vaan cooperate to kill the Mimic Queen and Basch fights the smaller mimics off to protect Vaan , the two discussing Reks ' s belief in Basch and the true events of Raminas ' s death during the battle . The group escapes into the Dalmasca Estersand , and Basch tells Vaan he will accept atonement at his hands after he is finished what he needs to do , and Balthier returns Vaan ' s chestpiece . Back in Rabanastre Vaan reports his adventure to Old Dalan who gives Vaan a sword to deliver to a Resistance member , Vossler Azelas . At the Resistance base in Lowtown Vaan finds Vossler disrespecting the people who were at the Nalbina Fortress during the treaty signing , including Reks . Vaan yells out that Reks was no liar , which Basch — who had been recuperating under the Resistance watch — agrees with , stating that Reks was the witness Archadia needed to make it convincing . Basch wants the Resistance ' s help in saving " Amalia " from Dreadnought " Leviathan " and Vossler gives him the sword to deliver to Marquis Halim Ondore IV to get his aid . Basch asks Vaan to help him and apologizes , but Vaan has let go of his hatred , realizing Basch ' s framing was another of Vayne ' s schemes . They find Balthier in the Sandsea tavern with a worried Migelo demanding he look for Penelo who has been kidnapped by a bounty hunter named Ba ' Gamnan who is after Balthier and saw him speaking to Penelo before being taken to the Nalbina Dungeons . Vaan pleads with Balthier to fly them to the Skycity of Bhujerba to find her , and when he offers the Goddess ' s Magicite as payment , Balthier agrees . The four board Balthier ' s airship , the " Strahl " , with Vaan excited he gets to fly . On their way to the Lhusu Mines in Bhujerba where Ba ' Gamnan has his hideout , the party is joined by a well - spoken Archadian boy , Lamont . In the mines the party learns Penelo has already been set free . After dealing with Ba ' Gamnan , the party hides from Judge Ghis who has come to inspect the mines , and it is revealed " Lamont " is Larsa Ferrinas Solidor , a member of Archadia ' s ruling family and Vayne ' s brother . Penelo stands with them , having been discovered by guards inside the mines . Larsa ensures Penelo ' s safety and asks her to accompany him to Marquis Ondore ' s mansion . Vaan ' s wishes to rescue Penelo coincide with Basch ' s need to meet with Ondore . Knowing that Ondore has connections with the Resistance , Vaan spreads rumors of Basch being alive hoping to discredit the Marquis who declared him executed two years ago . With the stirring Vaan is approached by the Resistance who take him and the rest of the party to Ondore . Ondore appeases Basch ' s wish to be reunited with " Amalia " , and hands the party over to Ghis to have them taken aboard the Dreadnought " Leviathan " where she is held captive . They find Amalia who is revealed to be Princess Ashelia B ' nargin Dalmasca , the rightful heir to the throne of Dalmasca , believed to have committed suicide after her father ' s murder two years prior . As she cannot prove her birthright she cannot challenge the Empire , but Basch tells her that the Dusk Shard will be proof enough — the Goddess ' s Magicite Vaan stole from the palace . Vaan hands the stone over to Ghis on the condition their lives be spared , and the group is imprisoned . Vossler has infiltrated the ship in an Imperial disguise and they escape with Vaan being reunited with Penelo who had come onboard with Larsa . When the group returns to Bhujerba Ashe expresses her wish to locate another stone belonging to the royal family , the Dawn Shard , to prove her royal blood now that the Dusk Shard has been lost , and Vaan accompanies the team to the Tomb of Raithwall to recover it . In the manga , Vaan and Penelo accompany Ashe to the treasure chamber while the others fight Belias , an Esper set to guard the Dynast King ' s treasures . When Vaan wants to lend a hand Ashe claims the Dawn Shard takes priority . Vaan abandons Ashe to claim the nethicite herself , disagreeing with her attitude . He joins the battle against Belias and is saved from its strike by Ashe who has returned to help them , and they defeat the Esper together . When Ashe claims the Dawn Shard she glimpses an apparition that only she and Vaan can see . The group is captured by the Empire after Vossler ' s unexpected betrayal . The party escapes when Ghis attempts to evaluate the Dawn Shard ' s power by placing it in the ship ' s engine and it overloads , exploding in Mist . Recovering the now lusterless Dawn Shard , the party returns to Rabanastre where Vaan points out that while Ashe may wish to wreak revenge on Archadia using the Dawn Shard , she doesn ' t know how to use it . Wishing to see the Empire fall and be restored to its rightful rulers , Vaan accompanies Ashe and the group to Jahara to learn more about the Dawn Shard . The trip to Jahara seems unfruitful as the garif do not know how to use the stone either , and say it has lost its power as its Mist has been consumed . That night Vaan reveals to Ashe that he saw the " ghost " when they claimed the Dawn Shard , but whereas Ashe saw her late husband Lord Rasler , Vaan thinks it was his brother . The two decide to keep the sighting secret . Vaan explains he had always fled from his problems , but has decided to try and make a difference instead . Vaan ' s confession helps Ashe decide what she should do . Accompanied again by Larsa who claims to be on their side as he also wants to see a peaceful resolution to the conflict , the party heads to Mt Bur - Omisace where Larsa hopes the Gran Kiltias could help Ashe claim Dalmasca ' s throne and then propose peace to the Empire . The plan falls apart when it is learned the Emperor Gramis Gana Solidor has been murdered , and Vayne has succeeded him and disbanded the Imperial Senate making him the sole ruler of the Empire . The Gran Kiltias Anastasis tells Ashe of another treasure of King Raithwall , the Sword of Kings that can destroy nethicite . Vaan suggests Ashe try the sword on the Dawn Shard and but an apparition of Rasler strays her hand . This time , however , Vaan didn ' t see anything when Ashe later asks him about it . With the Sword of Kings in hand the party heads to the Draklor Laboratory to seek out the Midlight Shard and the Dusk Shard now in possession of Doctor Cid , the empire ' s premier nethicite researcher , who flees the confrontation . Cid lures Ashe to Giruvegan where she meets the Occuria , immortal beings who deem themselves the gods of Ivalice and manipulate history ' s course by granting deifacted nethicite to their chosen Dynast - King , such as Ashe ' s ancestor Raithwall . The Occuria want Ashe to wield nethicite to destroy the Empire and the rogue Occuria , Venat , who has told Cid the secrets to creating man - made nethicite . The Occuria give Ashe the Treaty - Blade , a new nethicite - destroying sword , and direct her to the Pharos to find the Sun - Cryst , the origin of nethicite from which King Raithwall once cut the Dawn , Dusk , and Midlight shards . Accompanied by the mysterious sky pirate Reddas , the group climbs the Pharos to locate the Sun - Cryst with Balthier entrusting his airship to Vaan should something happen to him . Vaan asks if Ashe plans to destroy the Cryst rather than take its power for herself , but Ashe is unsure . She holds up the Treaty - Blade and calls forth a Mist from the Sun - Cryst , and Rasler ' s spirit appears and this time everyone can see him . Ashe takes this to mean he wants her to use the stone to destroy the Empire . Gabranth arrives and announces himself as the true murderer of Reks and King Raminas , and goads Ashe to strike him down with the Sun - Cryst ' s power . Gabranth attempts to attack Vaan but is stopped by Reddas , who reveals himself to be Judge Zecht who had unwittingly used the Midlight Shard to destroy Nabudis two years ago . Reddas urges Ashe to set aside her desire for revenge while Gabranth continues to taunt her . Ashe declares Rasler would not desire revenge and strikes the spirit , revealing it to be an illusion of the Occuria used to sway her decisions . Ashe resolves to destroy the Sun - Cryst and when Gabranth questions her , Vaan tells him revenge is meaningless and cannot bring back the dead . The group battles Gabranth before Cid arrives and the rogue Occuria Venat reintegrates the three original shards of deifacted nethicite into the Sun - Cryst that begins spilling Mist over Ivalice . Cid is defeated and his body fades into Mist and the Sun - Cryst grows increasingly volatile . Vaan wields the Treaty - Blade as Ashe wields the Sword of Kings and the two attempt to destroy the Sun - Cryst but cannot get close enough with the erupting Mist . Reddas takes the Sword of Kings from Ashe and sacrifices himself to destroy the Sun - Cryst , the party escaping as it explodes . The Mist awash over Ivalice powers up the Empire ' s ultimate weapon , the battleship Sky Fortress " Bahamut " . The Resistance and Archadian fleets meet in battle over Rabanastre and Ondore , leading the Resistance fleet , attempts to stop the " Strahl ' s " passage but Vaan imitates Larsa ' s voice across the intercom to trick the Marquis to letting them go . They infiltrate the " Bahamut " where Vaan ensures Dalmasca ' s fate to a doubtful Ashe , stating that she can reign since she has good friends . After battling Vayne and the transformed Vayne Novus , Vaan charges forward and wounds him with Gabranth ' s fallen sword , the Judge now aiding them , forcing Vayne out onto the " Bahamut ' s " deck . Venat and Vayne merge , the " Bahamut ' s " rubble gathering around Vayne to form The Undying , but it is still defeated . With Vayne and Venat gone the " Bahamut " begins to fall on Rabanastre , and Balthier and Fran remain behind to reactive its power with Balthier entrusting the " Strahl " to Vaan who pilots the others to safety . One year after Vayne ' s defeat Larsa has become the new Emperor and there is peace across the land . Vaan has looked after the " Strahl " until one day he and Penelo entered the hangar to find it gone , in its place a message from Balthier : he is searching for the Cache of Glabados at the Bervenia Palace , and wishes Vaan to meet him in Bervenia to join in on the spoils in a new airship he ' s given . Penelo is going with him , saying that every good sky pirate needs a partner . " " . Vaan and Penelo meet up with Balthier and Fran in Glabados Ruins where they find two shards of auracite , one of which Balthier entrusts to Vaan as an introduction to sky pirating . The ruins collapse and Vaan ' s new airship is destroyed , but back in Rabanastre Penelo is relieved the ship was wrecked hoping Vaan would settle down . The arrival of a derelict outside of Rabanastre prompts Vaan to sneak onboard with his friends Kytes and Filo . Inside they are attacked by Ba ' Gamnan and his family , but the party uses the auracite to summon Yarhi to fight them off . After tying up Ba ' Gamnan , Penelo and Tomaj , the owner of the Sandsea tavern and Vaan ' s friend , come onboard . The ship reacts to Vaan ' s auracite and lifts off , taking them to the uncharted sky continent of Lemurés . Seeing a chance for a new adventure Vaan claims the ship , naming it " Galbana " , to be his until they can take it to its original owner . Kytes , Filo and Penelo join the crew and in the party ' s first mission in Lemurés they meet Llyud , an aegyl native to the sky continent , who requests their assistance in stopping the Ivalician sky pirates from defiling Lemurés . At the Fane of Tehp Qul Vaan ' s party encounters the Judge of Wings who seeks to destroy the Auralith s to claim their power and lay waste to Ivalice . Though the Judge is temporarily defeated she shatters the great Skystone and absconds with its power . Tomaj locates the Judge at the Yapih Caverns , but when they confront her she summons breaking up the Muruc Cahuac Skysea and sending the " Galbana " crash - landing at Tswarra , Isle of the Lost . They find a wounded man called Velis , who befriends Penelo and Vaan finds himself becoming jealous of their bond . Velis is revealed to be Mydia ' s dead lover , the Feol viera behind the Judge of Wings ' s faceless helm . The Judge herself appears , changes " Velis " , really only a piece of his anima , into a terrible Yarhi , and orders him to attack Vaan ' s party , but the party defeats him . The " Galbana " repaired , Vaan and company meet up with Fran at Arda , Heaven ' s Pillar , after rescuing her from the tireless Ba ' Gamnan . She leads them to the Ymir Qul Underground where Balthier and the Judge of Wings await next to an Auralith . The Judge is defeated and leaves , but Balthier destroys the Auralith himself despite Vaan ' s efforts to stop him . The release of energy from the Skystone sends Vaan , Penelo , Llyud , Filo , and Kytes to Lesrekta , Isle of Illusions , that serves as a test for Vaan ' s true feelings toward his friends . After being separated throughout the misty island , the five reunite after Penelo expresses her wish for Vaan to return . A voice calls them to Illusion ' s Home where Velis ' s spirit explains Mydia ' s existence as Feolthanos ' s puppet , the aegyl god , and pleads with Vaan to save her from Feolthanos ' s clutches . Velis turns himself into the godblade Anastasia and the party returns to the real world , upon the " Galbana " . Thousands of years ago , a man called Feolthanos was the chief of the aegyl when they still lived in Ivalice . Feolthanos took a viera wife and started a family , their descendants eventually being called " Feol Viera " . He revolted against the Occuria who deemed themselves Ivalice ' s rulers and took the aegyl to Lemurés , using the Auralith crystals to create a barrier around the sky continent to repel the Occuria while trapping the aegyl within . The barrier was maintained until about a year prior when the Mist from the Sun - Cryst was released upon Ivalice . Balthier explains he destroyed the Auralith to protect the aegyl anima within , as Feolthanos had sapped his people from his anima for centuries to become a god - like being . With the Auraliths ' destruction , the aegyl have regained some of their formerly lost emotions . Balthier and Fran join Vaan ' s party and they meet with Queen Ashe and Basch on the new Dreadnought " Leviathan " , now Dalmasca ' s flagship . Descending to Ivalice , Vaan and company follow several leads on the Judge until they meet her at the Feol Warren , the secluded home of the Feol Viera . Mydia kills the penultimate members of her race to give them , in death , escape from Feolthanos ' s will . Vaan ' s party kills Mydia who , upon her death bed , tells them of her loss of Velis and the attempt to bring him back to life , which led only to the giving of herself to Feolthanos in the false hope he would resurrect her fallen love . Mydia ' s spirit leads the " Galbana " to Feolthanos ' s fortress , the Keep of Forgotten Time . The crystallized aegyl god is the final Auralith , a leech that drains his people ' s anima . After Feolthanos ' s defeat the Auraliths ' power dies with him . The Purvama of Lemurés , no longer supported by the anima of its aegyl inhabitants , falls from the sky , and Llyud bids farewell to Vaan and the others to lead his race to a new home . The " Galbana " departs to places unknown as its former commanders return to Ivalice aboard the " Strahl " . Some time later , Vaan and Penelo meet outside Rabanastre and share a covert kiss . They plan to sneak out for another adventure together , but are caught by Filo and Kytes who insist on accompanying them . " " . First encountered at the Moorabella Aerodrome , Vaan runs into Luso Clemens , discovering an airship hijacker . Vaan aids Luso in attacking the hijackers , though Luso is disgruntled , assuming Vaan wants to take credit for his efforts . After the battle Penelo arrives , explaining that Vaan was supposed to meet her at a different airship dock . While leaving , Vaan alludes to a treasure in the Tramdine Fens and Penelo explains this " hint " is Vaan ' s way of apology for the mishap . Luso and Clan Gully later discover that Vaan and Penelo have been framed for a failed assassination attempt against Jylland ' s Baron Beltorey . They track down the two who explain that Illua and Khamja were behind the botched attack . Vaan and Penelo had attempted to save the Baron , but were spotted while leaving the Baron ' s manse , and were assumed to be the attackers . Luso accepts a quest posted against Vaan , itching at the chance to face his " rival " . The perpetrators were no more than impostors and the real Vaan and Penelo arrive in time to apprehend the impersonators , leaving Luso somewhat disappointed . Vaan joins Clan Gully after Al - Cid Margrace , at the Fluorgis Aerodrome , gives Luso and Adelle a letter to give to the sky pirate , instructing Vaan to seek Clan Gully to learn more about Khamja . After Al - Cid ' s departure Penelo arrives at the Aerodrome , requesting the Clan ' s aid in locating Vaan . After the Clan saves Vaan from some thugs in the ruins north of Fluorgis town , he explains that he and Penelo have been working against Khamja all along , and joins the Clan . Gameplay . In " Final Fantasy XII " Vaan has the greatest overall stats . His Strength , Vitality and Speed are his greatest stats , and though his Magick Power is high , it is lower than other characters . Vaan ' s current level and LP determine those of Penelo , Fran and Balthier when they join . His initial Licenses are Steal , Light Armor 1 and either Daggers 1 in " Zodiac Job System " releases or Smallswords in the original release . His Quickenings are Red Spiral , White Whorl and Pyroclasm . In " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " Vaan equips , and . He attacks like a traditional Warrior although his skills comprise mostly of abilities that steal attributes from enemies to enhance his own . His Quickening , Pyroclasm , does heavy damage to enemies within a range . It is obtained by defeating Belias . In " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 : Grimoire of the Rift " Vaan is a recruitable character . His unique job is Sky Pirate , enabling him to raise his speed and dodge - related statistics and allowing him to ignore enemy defenses and look for treasure during battle . He is one of the most agile characters , losing only to Adelle in terms of speed and agility . Creation and development . Vaan ' s early name was " Aqua " ( アクア , as seen in Akihiko Yoshida ' s concept art ) and intended to be an " Iyashi kei " character ( 癒し系 , " therapeutic type " , a kind of Japanese stock character ) . Vaan is known for going over several personality changes over the course of development , originally written as a rugged and world - worn character until the developers reconsidered the target demographic and Vaan was rewritten to be more effeminate . After Kouhei Takeda was cast as his voice , the developers rewrote Vaan to match the energetic personality his voice lent to the character . The executive producer of " Final Fantasy XII " , Akitoshi Kawazu , has said in an interview that character design is one of the areas the developers mull over extensively , and is one of the most difficult things to decide on . When commenting on Vaan , Kawazu said Vaan in particular is a little bit younger than the series is used to , and there are many people on the development team who aren ' t necessarily feeling he is the right character to be the main , because it clashes with the other characters and game environments , but also commented it ' s traditional for Japanese RPGs to start out with a young , inexperienced character , who grows throughout the story , and that having the lead be a younger immature character is somewhat expected . He also said that doesn ' t necessarily mean the producers and designers always like that , but that certain concessions must be made to cater for what the market wants . Vaan ' s status as main character was a decision made to appeal to the game ' s intended demographic , causing focus to shift from a more masculine written role to a younger and more energetic one . Vaan was originally considered to fill the " Final Fantasy XII " spot in " Dissidia Final Fantasy " , but was rejected in favor of Gabranth . When Penelo appears in the Battle Tips , she complains of Vaan ' s rejection . During development of " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " , battle director Takeo Kujiraoka consulted Hiroyuki Ito , the designer of the License Board in " Final Fantasy XII " and director of the " International Zodiac Job System " remake of the game , for his thoughts on Vaan ' s fighting style . Due to Ito working in a different department and being occupied with another project , they were unable to speak directly , so Kujiraoka sent him an email with a demo file of Vaan asking for Ito ' s opinion . Ito replied he thought Vaan was a great character and that Kujiraoka had chosen his favorite victory pose of Vaan ' s to use in the game . Ito received a " Special Thanks " credit for the game due to his feedback . Voice . In the English release of " Final Fantasy XII " , Vaan is voiced by . Edner reprises his role for " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . He is voiced by in the Japanese release . Both Vaan ' s Japanese and English voice actors had confirmed their return for a new " Final Fantasy " game , but did not reveal what game it was . It was later revealed the game they were speaking of was " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " . However , due to problems from the agency of his original voice actor , Kouhei Takeda , Vaan ' s role was taken over by , known for his work with dubbing the " Harry Potter " film series in Japan . This makes Vaan , along with Gilgamesh and Firion , the only characters not to have their original Japanese voice actors reprise their roles . In " Final Fantasy XII " , Vaan and Penelo speak in a more casual style than Balthier , Basch , and Ashe , who speak in formalized English and an older , more formal form of Japanese . While the medieval tone comes from the original game , the localizers could decide on the specific accents the characters would use and voice models were used to guide the writing : Vaan was Leonardo DiCaprio from the " Titanic " . Musical themes . In " Final Fantasy XII " , Vaan is associated with the song " The Dream to be a Sky Pirate " , which plays when Vaan speaks of his dream to become a sky pirate . The theme is mixed with the Salikawood ' s theme . In " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " Vaan ' s theme is a remix of the Mosphoran Highwaste theme . In " Final Fantasy Tactics A2 : Grimoire of the Rift " Vaan and Penelo ' s appearance is accompanied by the song " The Sky Pirate From the East " , a remix of Penelo ' s theme from " Final Fantasy XII " . Other appearances . Vaan has appeared in the following games throughout the " Final Fantasy " series : Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Vaan has made key guest appearances in the following non - Final Fantasy games : Other media . Games . Users in Square Enix Members Virtual World community can make their character appear as Vaan . Vaan ' s hair costs 100 crystals and his clothes cost 480 crystals . Vaan will appear in " Puzzle & Dragons " in a " Final Fantasy " collaboration event starting on March 21 , 2016 . Merchandise . Vaan has featured in few pieces of merchandise , such as in the Final Fantasy Play Arts Action Figures and Final Fantasy Trading Arts Mini . Etymology . Vaan ' s name is derived from the word " vagabond " or " vagrant " , a wandering person without a home , which reflects his life as an orphan and a traveler .