Zidane Tribal Zidane Tribal is the main protagonist of " Final Fantasy IX " . He is a thief who works for the Tantalus Theater Troupe set to kidnap the princess of Alexandria , an event that escalates to a quest to protect the planet of Gaia . Zidane possesses little of the sullenness associated with previous " Final Fantasy " protagonists , Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart ; he enjoys making new friends and is always on the lookout to help those in need . Profile . Appearance . Zidane has layered blond hair tied into a short ponytail . He has blue eyes and a prehensile monkey - like tail . He wears a white sleeveless shirt under a short teal vest topped with leather accents at the shoulders and back , while the front has a lacy white jabot topped with a green ribbon tied in a bow . He wears blue jodhpur pants , a tan belt , light green gloves with large blue cuffs , and a pair of light green and white cuffed ankle boots with a low heel . He sports a brown sheath on his left hip for his dagger . In Trance , Zidane ' s hair turns pink and grows longer , and his clothing is replaced by pink fur . Zidane ' s weaponry is atypical to the traditional Thief class in the " Final Fantasy " series . He wields two kinds of weapons : the traditional dagger , and a weapon known as a " swallow blade " or " thief sword " . He dual - wields his daggers and the dagger kept on him at all times is known as the Orichalcon , a steel gray dagger with gunblade like properties , including cranks , shafts , connectors , and a trigger on the handle . Thief swords are a short double - bladed " naginata " - like weapons that resemble two short swords merged at the handle , though with the handle being an arm ' s length . In later portrayals , Zidane can combine his two blades into a " swallow blade " as well should they be symmetrical parts of the same weapon . In " Dissidia Final Fantasy " where Zidane is portrayed in realistic proportions , he is short even when compared to those close to his age , but maintains his lean yet muscular build . Personality . Zidane is a bit of a skirt - chaser . Despite accusations that all he ever thinks about is girls , Zidane can be serious when the situation calls for it . He advises the party on several aspects of life and is overall laid - back and casual in his actions and speech . Though he is confident in his abilities , Zidane harbors insecurities about his past and concealed loneliness . While usually cheerful , Zidane sometimes gets depressed , lonely , and questions why he should exist . Though he values friendship he tries to keep his problems to himself and fight them alone . Zidane develops feelings for Garnet and acts like an older brother to Vivi . Towards other party members , even Steiner and Amarant who dislike him , Zidane is generally friendly . Story . Birth under a blue light . Zidane began his life as an " Angel of Death " created by Garland , the ruler of the dead planet Terra . Long ago , the people of a dying planet of Terra planned to save their civilization by assimilating another planet . Unable to find a newly - born planet to fuse with , they settled on assimilating the young planet of Gaia . The Terrans left their physical bodies and locked their souls in Pandemonium to be watched over by Garland until the Fusion ' s completion . The Fusion was a disastrous failure , leaving Gaia ' s surface in ruin and ending up with Terra shifting inside the planet of Gaia . Garland was tasked with removing the souls of Gaia ' s " cycle of souls " and replacing them with Terra ' s . Garland synthesized humanoid vessels called Genomes to eventually host the Terran souls . To expedite the draining of Gaian souls Garland gave a soul to a new Genome and named him Kuja who would be Garland ' s " Angel of Death " sent to Gaia to cause unrest and death , but Garland deemed him a failure . Although not mentioned in the game , the " Final Fantasy IX Ultimania " elaborates that Garland had made the mistake of creating Kuja as an adult , which meant he never experienced a childhood and thus never developed capacity for complex emotions , meaning Kuja would never be able to enter a Trance on his own . The dangerous mix of power and undeveloped emotions , which allowed Kuja feel no remorse for his actions , was too much for Garland ; he placed a limit on Kuja ' s life , and created another Genome to replace him : Zidane . Zidane was experimental in that he would live through a full life , growing up as a child before developing into Garland ' s " Angel of Death . " Growth and learning through childhood would allow Zidane to feel complex emotions and grant him the power to enter Trance , thus making him superior to Kuja . Kuja , infuriated by Garland ' s decision to create another Genome , deposited Zidane on Gaia and abandoned him . Young Zidane , unaware of his mission , was found by Baku at the age of four , and was raised by him as a member of the Tantalus Theater Troupe in Lindblum only remembering one thing of his previous life : a blue light . Though a theater troupe on the surface , the group is more akin to a band of thieves , and Zidane was raised in their ways . At 13 years old , Zidane departed on a journey to seek out his origins , and spent two years traveling . During this time he met a Burmecian dragon knight , Freya . Although Zidane never discovered anything about his past , he came to realize that a " home is where the heart is " and a place where can return to any time , and thus returned to Baku and Tantalus in February 1798 . In April 1798 , while Zidane was pilfering the King ' s mansion in Treno , he unknowingly framed the king ' s bodyguard , Amarant , as the culprit . When Zidane later meets Amarant during his adventures he no longer remembers the encounter . Mission . Twelve years after Zidane was adopted into Tantalus , the troupe arrives at Alexandria on a mission appointed by Lindblum ' s Regent Cid to kidnap Princess Garnet . Although the mission is a success , the theater ship is damaged during the escape and crashes into the Evil Forest . Baku wants to leave the forest , but Zidane insists on finding the missing Garnet first . He beats Baku in a sparring match to quit Tantalus and sets out to rescue the princess , bringing the black mage Vivi and an Alexandrian Knight of Pluto , Steiner — who had accidentally become embroiled in the kidnapping scheme — along with him . Saving the princess from the Evil Forest , Zidane and his companions escape with Blank ' s help , another member of Tantalus , who is petrified along with the forest . The crew travels through the Ice Cavern where Black Waltz 1 , sent by Queen Brahne to retrieve Garnet and her royal pendant , casts a sleeping spell upon them . Zidane alone resists and defeats the Black Waltz , reviving the others . Outside he suggests Garnet abandon the formal mannerisms she grew up with and adopt an alias to shield her identity from the villagers of the nearby Dali . Garnet , inspecting Zidane ' s weapon , decides to use the name " Dagger . " Upon discovering Dali is manufacturing black mage soldiers and delivering them to Alexandria , the group commandeers a cargo ship to Lindblum . Many concerns have arisen surrounding Alexandria and its queen . Zidane participates in the Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum , reuniting with his old friend Freya . Before the hunt begins Zidane follows a singing voice to the Lindblum Castle observatory , finding Garnet who is preoccupied about her mother and her inability to steer her country away from war . Zidane attempts to cheer her up , promising a date with her if he lands first place in the festival . The festivities are short - lived as a dying Burmecian soldier alerts Regent Cid to an Alexandrian military force moving against Burmecia . Zidane tries to stop Garnet from returning to Alexandria to speak with her mother , but she sprinkles sleeping weed in the group ' s cuisine and absconds with Steiner to return to Alexandria . Intent on saving Burmecia , Zidane , Freya , and Vivi encounter Quina Quen while traveling through Qu ' s Marsh and arrive at Gizamaluke ' s Grotto as it is lying under siege from the Alexandrian black mages , commanded by the queen ' s jesters Zorn and Thorn . In Burmecia Zidane attempts to help Freya find the king . They discover Queen Brahne , General Beatrix and a mysterious man named Kuja in the royal palace , and upon overhearing the king has escaped to Cleyra , the four challenge Beatrix . She bests them and Zidane and his friends are left behind as the villains make haste to Cleyra . Zidane helps defend Cleyra , but Brahne summons the eidolon Odin , decimating the settlement . Zidane and company barely escape as they follow Beatrix ' s army through their own teleport spells . Reappearing aboard Brahne ' s airship , the " Red Rose " , they overhear Beatrix voicing her doubts about her queen . They overhear Brahne ' s plans to execute Garnet , who now lies captive in Alexandria , her eidolons extracted from her . Using teleportation magic they arrive in Alexandria ahead of Brahne and , with Steiner and Tantalus member Marcus ' s help , defeat Zorn and Thorn and find Garnet . As Freya , Steiner , and a reformed Beatrix hold off the guards , Zidane , Garnet , and Vivi escape through the underground tunnels to Pinnacle Rocks where they watch Brahne invade Lindblum . Sneaking into the city , the group reunites with Cid and discusses their options . Deciding to go after Kuja , the source of Brahne ' s weapons , they use a tunnel called Fossil Roo to cross to the Outer Continent . Encountering the Black Mage Village on their travels they stay for a while for Vivi . Zidane tells Garnet what he knows about his past and where he came from . They learn of Kuja ' s possible abode , the Iifa Tree , and along the way meet Eiko , a young summoner girl who develops a crush on Zidane . When she realizes he is oblivious to her attempts at romantic overtones , she questions him about his relationship with Garnet . Zidane and Garnet share a moment in a boat on the shores of Madain Sari , the abandoned village of the summoners where Garnet was born before she was inadvertently adopted into the royal family and given a new identity . Garnet asks Zidane about his reason for helping her upon which he is reminded of a parable about an adventurer named Ipsen who had asked his traveling companion the same question , and Zidane responds in the same manner : " Because I wanted to . " At Iifa Tree ' s core the party defeats SoulCage to stop the production of Mist back in Mist Continent , halting Alexandria ' s manufacturing of black mages . Upon returning to Madain Sari they meet the bounty hunters Amarant and Lani who have been sent by Brahne to collect Garnet ' s pendant that unbeknownst to her houses a powerful summoning gem . The former ends up joining the party , puzzled by Zidane ' s outlook on life as Zidane refuses to kill him after besting him in a duel . Brahne has turned against Kuja and tracks him down at the Iifa Tree , summoning Bahamut . Kuja enslaves the dragon and commands it to destroy Brahne ' s fleet and kill her . Zidane and the rest return to Alexandria where Garnet is to become the new queen . Emotion . As Garnet is to stay in Alexandria Zidane is heartbroken at the prospect of losing her , though unable to express his feelings . Frustrated and unwilling to accept she must remain isolated as Alexandria ' s monarch , Zidane and his friends head to participate in a card tournament in Treno to get his mind off things . Zidane makes it to the final round where he is challenged by Cid , but when Alexandria Castle comes under attack from Kuja the group hurries back to Alexandria on Cid ' s new airship , the " Hilda Garde II " . Garnet and Eiko summon Alexander whom Kuja attempts to enslave , but Garland interferes . Flying in on the " Hilda Garde II " , Zidane leads the group up onto the castle ' s apex and saves Garnet and Eiko as Garland destroys both Alexander and Alexandria . The party departs to Lindblum where the town is being rebuilt and , as the party discusses their next strategy , it is learned Garnet has lost her voice in response to the tragic events . Zidane decides to bring the party to pursue Kuja , but the " Hilda Garde II " is a failure as an airship and is dismantled and they depart on the sailing ship " Blue Narciss " instead . When they arrive at Kuja ' s home , the Desert Palace , the group is imprisoned and Zidane is blackmailed into helping Kuja retrieve the Gulug Stone from the ancient ruins of Oeilvert on the Forgotten Continent . While there , Zidane and his companions are astonished to find Oeilvert a haven of lost technological works from a long - gone civilization . Though Zidane does not know it , the artifacts were left by the people of his homeland , the Terrans . Zidane is the only one to decipher the writings on the Terran holograms , though he is unable to conclude what the predictions of Terran downfall truly mean . The party retrieves the Gulug Stone and returns to Kuja , who kidnaps Eiko and flees to the Lost Continent . Zidane and his friends follow and witness Eiko ' s pet moogle enter Trance and save her , sparking Kuja ' s interest in the power of Trance . Kuja departs and the party finds the airship he has been using , the " Hilda Garde I " , and its owner , Queen Hilda herself , whom Kuja had kidnapped . The party returns to Lindblum and Hilda and Cid are reunited . Garnet goes missing and Zidane ventures alone to Alexandria to find her at her mother ' s grave . Garnet asks for Zidane ' s dagger and cuts her hair with it , regaining her speech . They return to Lindblum to reunite with everyone else and learn from Hilda that Kuja hails from another world . Cid completes his newest airship , the " Hilda Garde III " , and the party ventures to Ipsen ' s Castle to unlock the portal to Terra . Zidane earns Amarant ' s respect when he uses teamwork to retrieve the four elemental mirrors from the castle , saving Amarant from his arrogant attempt at the spoils . Where the heart is . With the mirrors collected and the elemental shrines cleared of guardians , Zidane directs " Hilda Garde III " to the Shimmering Island that reveals itself as the portal to Terra . The party jumps from the airship into a portal of shining light and emerges in Terra where Zidane is led to the village of Bran Bal by a girl who resembles him . He is shocked to discover the town is inhabited by blond - haired humanoids with tails , the other Genomes Garland had created . A perplexed Zidane is given the basic details of his young years in Terra by the girl named Mikoto and he resolves to meet Garland , his creator , and determine the truth to his life . Drained by Garland ' s revelations , Zidane confronts him . Garland explains Zidane is to be his " Angel of Death " to deprive Gaia of its souls so Terra can assimilate it , but Zidane refuses to play any part in this plot . Garland attempts to remove Zidane ' s soul and make him into a regular Genome , and when Zidane wakes up in Pandemonium ' s depths he falls into despair , believing everything he knew was a lie and that his only purpose is to assist in Gaia ' s destruction . When his friends come to his aid , Zidane shuns them . Remembering the times he helped her find the strength to carry on , Garnet pleads with him to let his friends believe in him as he believed in them . Zidane realizes he has the power to determine his own purpose in life : protecting everyone he cares for . When the group faces Garland Kuja appears and uses the souls within the airship " Invincible " to ascend to Trance . He kills Garland , but after learning of the limit placed on his life and his impending death , he flies into a rage and decimates Terra . Zidane and company commandeer the " Invincible " to evacuate Terra of the Genomes and return to Gaia . Surmising Kuja would soon destroy Gaia as well , Zidane resolves to pursue him into Memoria , an abyss of the planet ' s memories that has manifested above the Iifa Tree . Memoria ' s fathomless reaches contain memories from every age of Gaia , as well as memories of its people . Traveling through Memoria takes Zidane and his friends back in time all way to the root of all life , the Crystal in the Crystal World , where they face Trance Kuja . Upon his defeat Kuja blasts the party with a powerful Ultima spell , and they are transported to the Hill of Despair where the omniscient harbinger of death , Necron , seeks to return everything to a " zero world , " believing non - existence is the only means of expunging the fear of death from the living that is making their existence perpetual suffering . Zidane expresses hope for the future and trust in his friends , and together they defeat Necron . Necron senses the strong will to live in Zidane and his friends and dissipates . A dying Kuja teleports the group out of the Hill of Despair and returns them to the outside of the Iifa Tree . As his friends say their goodbyes and depart with Cid on the " Hilda Garde III " , Zidane stays behind to try to save Kuja . Evading Iifa Tree ' s crazed roots as the dying tree is writhing , Zidane makes it to the tree ' s core where he finds Kuja near death . Kuja , his Trance gone , apologizes to Zidane for all he has done before the tree consumes them both . With Zidane thought dead , time passes until Tantalus returns to Alexandria to perform " I Want to Be Your Canary " for Queen Garnet . At the play ' s climax the character Marcus casts off his cloak , revealing Zidane . Garnet runs out of the castle , leaps into his arms and the couple embraces as their friends and the audience cheer on . Gameplay . Zidane wields daggers and thief swords in battle . His special command is Steal and his skillset is Skill . Steal gives him a chance to steal an item from an enemy , potentially allowing the player to obtain powerful equipment from enemies . Skill is Zidane ' s skillset , providing unique abilities with various effects . His support abilities include abilities that can boost physical damage — such as MP Attack , the Killer abilities and Counter — while he can learn many unique abilities , such as Protect Girls , Flee and Mug . Zidane ' s Trance changes Skill to Dyne , giving him abilities to deal devastating damage to enemies . Musical themes . " Zidane ' s Theme " plays twice : when the party boards the cargo ship at Dali , and again briefly when Zidane takes control of the cargo ship ' s steering . It starts out quickly , becomes slower by the middle section , then reverts to the faster beginning . " Unrequited Love " ( also known as " Unfathomable Reminiscence " ) is a slower , more melancholy variation of the middle section of " Zidane ' s Theme " . " Not Alone " plays when Zidane learns the truth about his existence and refuses his friends ' help . Other appearances . Zidane has appeared in the following games throughout the " Final Fantasy " series : Non - " Final Fantasy " guest appearances . Zidane has made key guest appearances in the following non - " Final Fantasy " games : Etymology . His name has varied in spelling according to the game ' s localization as Yitán ( Spanish ) , Gidan ( Italian ) and Djidane ( French ) . All spellings of Zidane ' s name are somewhat phonetically close to the French word " gitane " , which means " gypsy " , although this word is used for women . Vincent Zouzoulkovsky , lead translator of the French version of " Final Fantasy IX " , revealed in an interview the change from the official spelling " Zidane " to the French spelling " Djidane " was done to avoid misplaced association between the character and the French footballer . Long before " Final Fantasy IX " , Hironobu Sakaguchi had already used the name ジタン ( " Jitan " ) ; it was in the first game he ever made , " " . ジタン is romanized " Gitanes " in " The Death Trap " and " Zidane " in " Final Fantasy IX " , but it is the same word in Japanese . In - game , Zidane may have received his name from the character in Lord Avon ' s " I Want To Be Your Canary " , as he was presumably named by Baku . His name is commonly mispronounced " zih - DAYNE " , but " Dissidia Final Fantasy " and " Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy " have confirmed the pronunciation as " zih - DAHN " . The surname Tribal may come from the word " tribe " .