Vivi Ornitier Vivi Ornitier , occasionally stylized as VIVI , or with the surname Orunitia , is a playable character in " Final Fantasy IX " . He is a black mage , differentiated from human s by having a black aura surrounding his visible outer skin , glowing yellow eyes , and the ability to cast magic . Profile . Appearance . Vivi is designed after a traditional " Final Fantasy " Black Mage with a pointy hat and blue clothes . Vivi ' s hat is too large for him and flops down his back instead of pointing straight up like those of his fellow brethren . Vivi wears a blue jacket , green and white stripy trousers , red and white gloves , and brown boots . In Trance , Vivi ' s clothes are replaced by a full - length white robe , gloves , and an appropriately - sized hat that stands at a point . The straps crossing over his chest are replaced by a stylized design down the middle of his robe including a wing - like design on his chest . The black shadow under his hat gives off a dark bluish hue while his eyes are stark white instead of yellow . Personality . Initially Vivi is clumsy , shy and gullible , almost to a fault . Often stumbling over his speech and lacking in self confidence , he is afraid to use his magic to save his friends , believing himself incapable . During his journey his personality develops and Vivi gains confidence and bravery in the face of danger . Despite his new - found confidence , Vivi questions his existence and discovers he must find answers to some of the big questions in life himself , instead of relying on others ' help . Story . Vivi is a black mage created in Dali at the behest of the kingdom of Alexandria after Queen Brahne learns of this technology from Kuja . Vivi is a prototype black mage who fell out of the cargo ship into a forest near the town of Treno . Two months later he was found by a Qu named Quan who raised Vivi out of the hope he would grow big enough for him to eat , but after six months Vivi was still as short as before . Vivi was oblivious to Quan ' s intentions and lived happily with his " grandpa " in Quan ' s Dwelling . During this time Quan named Vivi , and taught him many things about the world , sparking a curiosity in him to see it for himself . When Quan died , Vivi was left alone . A week later he headed to the nearby town of Treno and got a ticket for a play , and the next day he hitched a ride on a nobleman ' s airship to Alexandria . In Alexandria , Vivi has a ticket for the Tantalus Theater Troupe ' s performance of Lord Avon ' s play , " I Want to be Your Canary " , but when he shows it at the booth he is told it is a counterfeit . A sad Vivi stumbles upon a street - smart rat , Puck , who helps him sneak over the rooftops into the show . Vivi and Puck are caught watching the play without tickets and are chased through the crowd by guards . Puck deserts Vivi who is chased onto the stage where he casts a fire spell to defend himself . He accidentally sets ablaze " Princess Cornelia ' s " cloak , revealing her identity as the Princess Garnet to the crowd , and chaos ensues . The Theater Ship takes off and crashes in the Evil Forest . A member of Tantalus , Zidane , tries to convince the confused Vivi to help him find the princess who fell out of the ship during the commotion , but Vivi is unsure if he wants to use his magic . Steiner , the captain of the Knights of Pluto and Garnet ' s bodyguard , convinces him , as he has taken a liking to the mage and calls him " Master Vivi " . Although Vivi is at first hesitant , he tags along and helps the others defeat a carnivorous plant keeping Garnet hostage . After escaping the forest , the party travels through the Ice Cavern to get above the Mist where Vivi casts Fire spells to melt the ice to reveal hidden treasures . When the group reaches the village of Dali Vivi is captivated by the windmills . A villager captures him and brings him to the underground black mage production plant , thinking he got away by accident . Zidane and Garnet rescue Vivi , and discover the Dali villagers are manufacturing black mage drones for Alexandria . Boarding a cargo ship , Vivi tries to converse with the black mage pilots , but is unable to elicit a response from any of them . Vivi ' s anxiety about his race is deepened when the evil Black Waltz 3 razes the ship , having been sent by the queen to capture Garnet , who had sought Tantalus ' s help to escape . The Black Waltz kills the black mages who attempt to defend Vivi , the latter beginning to question his identity and similarity to the mindless foot soldiers Queen Brahne manipulates . As the party reaches the regency of Lindblum , Vivi learns of the Festival of the Hunt from a shop owner and is persuaded to join in along with Zidane and his friend , Freya Crescent . Vivi asks for a Tetra Master card for a prize , and wins the Theater Ship card if he succeeds . After the festival , a dying Burmecian soldier informs the leader of Lindblum , Cid Fabool IX , of the attack on the kingdom of Burmecia by the army of mages wearing pointy hats . Vivi , determined to find out more , travels with Zidane ' s group to Burmecia only to discover the kingdom in ruins . The party travels to the Cleyra settlement , the sister kingdom to Burmecia , and witnesses it fall to the hands of Brahne and her army of mages . After saving Princess Garnet from the queen ' s clutches in Alexandria Castle , the party deduces Kuja ' s role in the black mage production , and sets out to hunt him down , following rumors he hails from the north . After crossing Fossil Roo to the Outer Continent , the party visits the dwarven town of Conde Petie . The dwarves express a familiarity toward Vivi and the group discovers a black mage in the town ' s shop . After questioning the locals , they discover the " pyntie - hets " live in a village deep in a southern forest . The party follows the black mage to the Black Mage Village where many " awakened " black mages live , having defected Alexandria to live a life of peace . The black mages regard Vivi with suspicion at first , associating him with the humans . Vivi is frustrated by their way of thinking and stops by the town ' s cemetery , and comes to learn that black mages have a finite life span of around one year . He talks with a wise black mage , Black Mage No . 288 , who explains the nature of death to Vivi , who is , at first , distressed . It is suggested Vivi is a prototype build , and 288 tries to console him in saying Vivi may last longer than the one year afforded for the other black mages . After meeting with an orphan summoner girl Eiko Carol , she leads them to the ruins of Madain Sari where Vivi ponders over his existence and is comforted by Zidane . They find Kuja at the Iifa Tree and witness him kill Brahne during his quest to overthrow his master , Garland , to become the master of the worlds Gaia and Terra . He enlists the sentient black mages from the Black Mage Village promising to prolong their lifespan if they follow him , and when Vivi learns of this he is upset , knowing Kuja is a liar . The black mages are abandoned by Kuja when he learns of the power of Trance and return to their village . The party learns of the mysterious world of Terra , and after obtaining the elemental mirrors from Ipsen ' s Castle set out to place them in the four elemental shrines . Vivi and Steiner join forces to visit the Wind Shrine where Steiner shields Vivi from the blustering wind with his body , and the two defeat the shrine guardian , Tiamat . After opening the portal to Terra and traveling there , Zidane becomes troubled after learning he was created by Garland . Vivi empathizes with him , having gone through a similar identity crisis himself , and with his friends ' help Zidane snaps out of his depression . They confront Garland who is killed by Kuja who uses his new - found power of Trance to annihilate Terra . The party ventures into Memoria where Vivi helps the party defeat Trance Kuja and the mysterious Necron . Some time later everyone gathers in Alexandria for another showing of " I Want To Be Your Canary " by Tantalus . Vivi is the only one absent , instead being represented by several children , each of whom looks like Vivi . It is uncertain how Vivi ' s " sons " came about as the Iifa Tree has collapsed , and the source of Mist , an ingredient used in black mage production , is gone . The monologue during the ending is spoken by Vivi , indicating he has expired by the time the ending takes place , as he is saying goodbye to his friends and the final words of his monologue are " Farewell . My memories will be part of the sky " , an allusion to death in the world of " Final Fantasy IX " . Because the speaker of the lines is not specified it has incited speculation among fans on Vivi ' s fate and who is the speaker of the monologue . The game ' s Japanese version is more explicit on the issue , as the speaker uses a speech pattern and pronouns that only Vivi used throughout the game . Gameplay . Vivi wields staves in battle , his special ability is Focus which boosts his magic power , and his skillset is Blk Mag which casts offensive and elemental magic . His Trance changes this to Dbl Blk , allowing him to cast two Blk Mag spells in one turn . If Vivi is in the same party as Steiner , Steiner can make use of these spells through his Swd Mag , which does not cost Vivi MP or a turn . Vivi has access to many support abilities which can improve his magic or shield him from statuses . Vivi also appears briefly as a Vivi in the second battle against Prison Cage . Like other characters , a Mirror version of Vivi can be summoned by the Epitaph . Musical themes . " Vivi ' s Theme " plays once early in the game when Vivi is wandering around Alexandria . The song is paced at a fast tempo and is mildly syncopated , which elaborates the aura of Vivi ' s curiosity . The song " Black Mage Village " uses parts of Vivi ' s theme in its melody in its second half , and the song " Limited Time " is the same melody , but slowed down . Creation and development . Vivi ' s design is inspired by the Black Mage job , a " Final Fantasy " tradition , although he forgoes wearing a robe . In an early draft for the " Final Fantasy IX " opening sequence , Vivi would have ended up on the Theater Ship stage during the play , and Baku would have been quick to incorporate ad lib , asking Vivi to use a fire spell . Vivi would have created a wall of fire separating Steiner ( who is up on the stage trying to stop Tantalus from kidnapping Princess Garnet ) and his corps of paladins from the others , and Garnet ' s hood would have caught on fire . As Garnet would have tossed her robe away revealing her identity to the audience , the paladins would have attacked Tantalus and Vivi would have joined in on the battle on the player ' s side , with Vivi the only one able to use real magic , the others ' " magic attacks " being mere special effects . In the final game , Tantalus fights the battles against a lone Steiner and Vivi does not become part of the play . Voice . In " Kingdom Hearts II " , Vivi is voiced by Melissa Disney in the English version , and Ikue Ōtani in the Japanese version . Other appearances . Vivi has made appearances in the following games in the " Final Fantasy " series : Merchandise . Vivi has a Play Arts action figure , released in 2009 with a Mage Staff , extra hands , and display stand as bonuses . Two Coca - Cola bottle cap figurines for Vivi also exist , one fully colored and a " red crystal " version . Etymology and symbolism . These are possible allusions to his search for the meaning of his existence , his abilities with black magic and maybe even his struggle to prove he is not a puppet to do others ' bidding . In the North American version of the " Final Fantasy IX " instruction manual , Vivi ' s last name was rendered as Ornitier . His name was later changed into " Orunitia " , the romanization of the Japanese pronunciation of " Ornitier " , in the " Greatest Hits " release . In Japan , his last name is Ornitier as shown in the " Final Fantasy IX Ultimania " guide , but his name is still spelled Orunitia in the game ' s North American website . " Ornitier " is a scarce name in real life , appearing rarely as a surname in France and Belgium . Removed from " Final Fantasy IX " references , it is not easy to ascertain how many instances of " Ornitier " are authentic surnames and how many are pseudonyms obliquely inspired by Vivi . If " Ornitier " is a true surname , it may be derived from Latin ' , which means " pertaining to birds " . The natural French descendant of this word is ' , with " " as a possible alternative spelling . The more common uses of the Latin root in English relate to " ornithology " : the study and observation of birds .