Baku (Final Fantasy IX)

Baku is a non-player character and leader of the infamous Tantalus Theater Troupe in Final Fantasy IX. Baku plays King Leo in the troupe's production of the play I Want to Be Your Canary. Tantalus's home base is in Lindblum's Theater District.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Baku is stocky and strong. His skin is gray, and he has a purple beard and mustache; the body hair on his arms and legs is also purple. He has bat-like features, with a large nose and long furry ears. Baku wears aviator goggles; an orange waistcoat held closed with rope over a white collared shirt with sleeves to his elbows; brown wristbands; green shorts; brown belt, and white and brown boots. During the first battle with Baku he wears a blue dragon mask over his face. As King Leo, Baku wears a voluminous red and green, floor-length coat trimmed with fur; gold bands on his arms; a black and red shirt; dark green trousers and brown boots. He appears to be wearing a silver wig, though his aviator goggles remain.
=== Personality ===
Baku is close to his Tantalus "family", This does not prevent him from being their boss and sometimes giving them a sound beating to keep them in line, but he is loyal to those he is close to and is willing to help them. He sneezes often and has great trouble remembering Doctor Tot's name, instead calling him Ted, Toot, or Tootsie.
== Story ==
Baku became a war orphan when he was 7 years old and when he was 16, he formed Tantalus. When he was 21 he befriended Cid Fabool VIII, the regent of Lindblum. When he was 32 Baku found a child with a tail and named him Zidane, raising the boy as his own, and later accepted him into his group. When Baku was 35 he acquired the theater ship. When Zidane was 13 he left Tantalus to find the homeland of his origins, though all he could remember of it was a blue light from his dreams. Unable to find it, Zidane returned to Tantalus after two years of traveling, and after beating Zidane for leaving, Baku forgave him.
Under request by Regent Cid Fabool IX of Lindblum, Baku and his crew set out to capture Princess Garnet and protect her from Queen Brahne. They capture Garnet on her 16th birthday, while they perform I Want to be Your Canary as their cover. While the abduction is successful, Queen Brahne shoots down their theater ship, the M.S. Prima Vista, and Garnet is separated from the group when they crash in the Evil Forest. When Zidane wants to leave Tantalus to rescue Garnet, Baku fights him but holds back.
After Zidane leaves, Baku gives a Mist Continent map to Blank to give to Zidane. Blank catches up with Zidane's party just before they make their escape. When the forest itself comes after Zidane's party, Blank pushes him out of the way and gets caught and is petrified along with the rest of the forest, though not before throwing Zidane the map. Baku and the rest of Tantalus escape the Evil Forest before it petrifies.
After crashing the Prima Vista into the Evil Forest, Baku continually sneezes throughout the rest of the story. They make camp at the Bohden Arch, and Baku later catches Cinna slacking off at the South Gate station and scolds him. While in Treno, during Tantalus's quest to acquire Supersoft to cure the petrified Blank, they meet Doctor Tot, whom Baku always refers to as "Toot", "Ted", or "Tootsie". While in Alexandria, Baku unknowingly gets involved in Eiko's plan in which she decides to confess her feelings for Zidane in the form of a love letter. The letter is found by Steiner and Beatrix, although Baku messes up their romantic moment by sneezing.
During the Second Battle of the Iifa Tree, Zidane implies that Lindblum and Alexandria discovered the party's plan to storm Memoria because of Baku, who is said to love big showdowns. It is unknown, however, how Baku was able to figure out his former protege's plan, considering that Zidane and Garnet agreed that no one be told of the danger.
Some time after Zidane's party defeats Kuja and Necron, Baku and the Tantalus return to Alexandria to perform I Want to be your Canary for Queen Garnet.
== Gameplay ==
In the game's first battle, Baku, dressed in a dragon mask, fights Zidane, Cinna, Marcus, and Blank. In the second battle with Baku, during the I Want to be Your Canary performance, he is fought under the name "King Leo", keeping in with the play's storyline. In the third and final battle with him, Zidane fights Baku alone within the crashed Prima Vista in the Evil Forest to get permission to leave Tantalus.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy Record Keeper ===
===Other media===
In the Dawn of Souls and subsequent remakes of the original Final Fantasy, Baku is one of the automatic names the player can choose for the Thief job.
==Behind the scenes==
thumb|Baku among the spectators.
Baku appears behind Eiko in the crowd in the ending, even though he plays King Leo in I Want to Be Your Canary, which was still going on the stage.
Baku may have named some of the members of Tantalus after characters in I Want to Be Your Canary.
== Gallery ==
Baku concept.png|Concept art by Toshiyuki Itahana.
Baku FFIX Art.jpg|Colored concept art of Baku, by Toshiyuki Itahana.
BakuDragonMask.png|Concept art of Baku in his the dragon mask.
Baku's Sword FFIX Art.jpg|Concept artwork of Baku's sword.
Baku's Sword (King Leo) FFIX Art.jpg|Concept artwork of Baku's sword while playing King Leo.
Baku-ffix-maskedman.png|Field model of Baku in his mask.
Baku-ffix-kingleo.png|Field model of Baku dressed for the "King Leo" character.
== Etymology ==
 	
Baku may also be related to the anarchist philosopher Bakunin.
In the Italian translation his name is Kalò, nicknamed "Boss" by the others, and speaks with a Sicilian dialect, similar to a mafia boss.
==References==
de:Bark
es:Bakú
fr:Bach
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy IX