Montblanc

Montblanc is a recurring character in the Ivalice series of games. He is a hard-working moogle, and in all his appearances leads a clan. He debuts in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance where he is a playable character and the game's deuteragonist. He finds Marche Radiuju after St. Ivalice transforms into the land of Ivalice, and later decides to help him revert the land to normal.
In Final Fantasy XII, Montblanc leads Clan Centurio and gives Vaan various elite hunts. He is the oldest of six siblings, brother to Nono, Hurdy, Gurdy, Horne, and Sorbet.
==Profile==
===Appearance===
Montblanc has slicked blond hair and was the first moogle to have differently colored hair on his head instead of fur; he was followed by Hurdy, Gurdy, Sorbet, and Zupp. His pom-pom and wings are orange while his fur is brown. In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, he is the only moogle with a different pom-pom color (all others have red). This reoccurs at Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, where he does not have a blue or red pom-pom.
Montblanc has dark brown tips on his ears (although in some artwork he lacks them) in contrast with most other moogles. In some art his eyes are gray, with a few exceptions, including his Final Fantasy XII artwork that has brown eyes, and his Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift artwork with lavender gray eyes.
Montblanc wears a wide standing turtleneck and a green jacket with a yellow lining. His sleeves have lace cuffs. He wears auburn harem pants and a brown belt with a belt pack. This is first visible in Final Fantasy XII. Montblanc wears brown fingerless gloves and shoes with toe caps and yellow tongues.
Montblanc's pendant in his Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift artwork is the Gigas Pendant, which is similar to Marche's pendant in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
===Personality===
Montblanc is kind and wants to help those in trouble. In the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, he is frequently loud and is easily angered, especially with his younger brother Nono. He is reliable, shown when Montblanc is trusted to help Marche revert Ivalice to normal. He often speaks in metaphors and idioms. Seeing that he always leads a clan, it can be presumed Montblanc is a natural-born leader with people trusting his judgment.
In Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift other sides to his personality are explored. If he participates in the battle on the mission "Champion's Cup", he will exchange words with Bansat. If Montblanc survives to the end of the battle, he utters some mocking and arrogant comments towards Bansat, claiming that he only reached so far due to the members of Clan Centurio and its management have been mostly his own work, despite trusting the command of everything to Bansat during his absence. Montblanc neither told anybody in Clan Centurio of his traveling plans in Jylland, nor bothered to write a letter, showcasing an irresponsible side.
==Story==
===Final Fantasy XII===
Montblanc manages a clan in Rabanastre, which Vaan can join. Called Clan Centurio, it is devoted to hunting marks of extreme difficulty. By joining Clan Centurio Vaan's party gains access to the clan shop and elite marks not posted on regular hunt boards. In the clan's headquarters, Montblanc stands atop the stairs on the banister with the clan's founding members and trusted friends, Krjn and Ma'kenroh, behind him.
Montblanc gives bills of elite marks, but if he is not the petitioner, the party must solicit the petitioner to accept the hunt. He gives out various rewards when the party defeats formidable foes and advances in the clan ranks. If the party reaches the highest rank and completes the Sky Pirate's Den, Montblanc will reward them with Centurio Hero's Badge.
Montblanc reveals his founding of the clan is due to his master, who taught him and his five siblings the ways of the world and they all looked up to him. After Yiazmat killed the man, Montblanc started Clan Centurio to find the strongest warrior in Ivalice to vanquish Yiazmat and avenge his master.
===Final Fantasy Tactics Advance===
Montblanc is Marche Radiuju's most prominent ally. Prior to Marche's arrival, he leads the clan that eventually becomes Clan Nutsy. When the Gran Grimoire teleports Marche to the dream Ivalice, he incites the wrath of two pugnacious bangaa. Montblanc arrives in time to guide Marche through the systems of laws and engagements and helps him win the battle. Afterward, he joins Marche on his quest.
Montblanc introduces Marche the elements of Ivalice and encourages and advises him. Montblanc seems to have expected Marche's appearance, explaining to the bangaa that Marche had "just come in from the country". He is surprised to learn of Marche's story and his ignorance of the races of Ivalice, but invites the foreigner into Clan Nutsy anyway, saying their meeting was "no accident". Whether Montblanc decided to help Marche because he knew of his arrival in Ivalice, or because he simply wanted to help a stranger in need, is left ambiguous.
After the mission at Giza Plains, it is revealed that picking up Muscmaloi was Montblanc's childhood chore. After the mission "Desert Peril", Montblanc tells Marche he believes in the "crystal theory" that posits the magical crystals were made by the palace. The theory is confirmed when Marche enters a portal to a crystal room, guarded by Famfrit.
Before Mewt Randell reads the grimoire to turn Ivalice back into St. Ivalice, Montblanc promises to convey Marche's farewells and thanks to everyone. Marche says he would never have come as far as he did without Montblanc and hugs him.
"Moogle Bride" is a mission for Montblanc whose petitioner is Mogumi, a townsgirl who invites him to Materiwood to reveal her feelings. When Clan Nutsy arrives it turns out to be a trick created by Reaker, a Mog Knight from Clan Rose.
==== Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition ====
Montblanc meets Marche in Cyril together with Nono. At their first battle in Ivalice, Montblanc receives a Yellow Card from a Judge because he casts Fire on one of the bangaa, which breaks the law forbidding magic.
Montblanc seems have learned some Time Magic, since during Marche's battle against Remedi, he casts Reflect. After the event that happened to the St. Ivalice citizens when Ivalice had reverted to normal, Montblanc utters a soliloquy on how he would like to meet Marche again in a dream.
===Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift===
While Luso Clemens is waiting for Hurdy, he bumps into a pair of White Monk and Warrior bangaa who accuse Luso of stealing a magick medallion from one of them. After a brief exchange, Montblanc arrives and points out the bangaa White Monk merely dropped his medallion and the situation is diffused. After Montblanc leaves, Hurdy arrives late and hears a summary of the encounter from Luso, saying the moogle reminds him of his brother who would never stand by and watch a bully.
Montblanc seeks rare items at the Boulderfall, located in Baptiste Hill, but upon seeing Luso already has all of them, gives up on his treasure hunt. He later explains to Luso and Hurdy he used to have a replica of the Gigas Pendant a long time ago. It was his favorite accessory until it was lost. Montblanc decides to go on a search to replace his replica with the real thing.
After Montblanc explains his reason to go to Jylland, Hurdy asks if he wants to return to his clan, but Montblanc refuses and decides to "linger for a while". Luso invites Montblanc to join his clan, which he accepts. When Hurdy asks if it is all right for Montblanc to leave Clan Centurio unattended, Montblanc claims Bansat will take care of things.
At the Champion's Cup the clan battles against Montblanc's former clan, Clan Centurio, now led by Bansat the seeq Viking. Bansat is surprised Montblanc has joined another clan, but Montblanc tells Bansat it's his chance to show the results of his leadership. If Montblanc survives to the end of the battle, he remarks that while Bansat may not be as good leader as him, he nonetheless performs well. Montblanc further adds that he handpicked all Clan Centurio members and that he will remain with Clan Gully for a while. It is revealed Montblanc did not tell anybody in Clan Centurio of his plans to travel to Jylland nor even wrote a letter to them.
Cois, Maiden of the Wood, petitions the clan for a mission, but when Clan Gully arrives at Ruins of Delgantua, it appears Cois is not real and it was actually a viera named Fras, the person Montblanc had defeated at a clan tourney. She had claimed her clan had drugged the other contestants with an elixir, but Montblanc's clan had arrived unannounced and claimed the victor's mantle. Because of this, she wanted to "crush" Clan Centurio for vengeance.
==Gameplay==
===Final Fantasy XII===
Montblanc is the head of Clan Centurio the player can join after obtaining the Clan Primer. In The Zodiac Age versions, Montblanc can clear the player's License Boards so they can re-assign the accumulated LP.
Montblanc's sprite is unlocked in Sky Pirate's Den by building a Chain of over 50. The title for this sprite is "The Unrelenting".
Montblanc will notify the player of elite marks and reward the party for felling boss monsters.
Boss 	Location 	Reward
The four Flan 	Garamsythe Waterway 	150 gil
Firemane 	Garamsythe Waterway 	200 gil
Mimic Queen 	Barheim Passage 	300 gil
The 1st Demon Wall 	Tomb of Raithwall 	1200 gil, Warp Mote
The 2nd Demon Wall 	Tomb of Raithwall 	600 gil, Nugget of Electrum
Control one Esper 	— 	Arcana x2, Teleport Stone x2
Elder Wyrm 	Golmore Jungle 	800 gil
Tiamat 	Henne Mines 	900 gil
Vinuskar 	Stilshrine of Miriam	1100 gil
Earth Tyrant 	Dalmasca Westersand 	1200 gil
King Bomb 	Salikawood 	1300 gil, Mallet
Ahriman 	Sochen Cave Palace 	1600 gil
Mandragoras 	Sochen Cave Palace 	1600 gil
Control four Espers 	— 	High Arcana, Teleport Stone x2
Rafflesia 	Feywood 	1800 gil
Daedalus 	Giruvegan 	1900 gil
Tyrant 	Giruvegan 	1900 gil
Hydro 	Ridorana Cataract 	2000 gil
Control eight Espers 	— 	Gemsteel, Teleport Stone x2
Humbaba Mistant 	Necrohol of Nabudis 	2100 gil
Fury 	Necrohol of Nabudis 	2100 gil, Bacchus's Wine
Hell Wyrm 	Sochen Cave Palace 	50,000 gil
Control thirteen Espers	— 	Serpentarius, Teleport Stone x2
===Final Fantasy Tactics Advance===
As a storyline character, Montblanc may not be dispatched on missions. Montblanc can be removed permanently by letting him die in a Jagd, despite his presence in the story. A short scene will occur with Marche saying goodbye to his friend. There are two scenes: at the usual scene, Montblanc will say he is sorry to leave, but that he had a good life. At "Jagd Hunt", Marche will call Montblanc to go to Baguba Port, but Montblanc is silent. Both scenes have Marche call his name twice, Montblanc disappearing and Marche being unable to face him.
In the first mission "Lizard Men!?," Montblanc is a Black Mage, and afterward can change job into a Thief or an Animist. He equips a Rod and a Hempen Robe.
Montblanc does not appear in cutscenes when the player continues the game after the main story has ended.
;Stats
Below are his stats during the mission "Lizard Men!?" During the battle, if Montblanc has been hit or KO'd, he will regain full HP whenever he talks to Marche.
After the first mission has been completed, Montblanc's stats will slightly change.
(The stats that are changed are in bold text. Decreased stats are in red)
Below is Montblanc's stat growth. His stats depend on the jobs the player chooses for him, as every job has a different stat growth.
Level	Max HP 	Max MP 	Move	Jump	Evade	Weapon Attack	Weapon Defense	Magic Power	Magic Resistance	Speed
1 	26-30 	27-31 	3 	2 	35 	55-63 	73-85 	80-96 	93-109 	92-108
10 	71-85 	63-77 	3 	2 	35 	100-118 	136-158 	152-178 	174-200 	101-127
20 	121-145	103-127	3 	2 	35 	150-178 	206-238 	232-268 	264-300 	111-147
30 	171-205	143-177	3 	2 	35 	200-238 	276-318 	312-358 	354-400 	121-167
40 	221-265	183-227	3 	2 	35 	250-298 	346-398 	392-448 	444-500 	131-187
50 	271-325	223-277	3 	2 	35 	300-358 	416-478 	472-538 	534-600 	141-207
===Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift===
Montblanc returns as a playable character. His first official appearance is in the encounter "I'm Back, Kupo!" at the capital of Fluorgis.
To recruit Montblanc, the player must obtain the Gigas Pendant, Earrings of the Dead, and the Pin of Order, and must have completed the game. The quest "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" will appear at a pub at the Boulderfall, located in Baptiste Hill. Montblanc was seeking these rare items, but upon seeing Luso already has all of them, he gives up on his treasure hunt. The Scions Montblanc needs in the quest for the Gigas Pendant in Final Fantasy Tactics A2 appear in artworks of the three Final Fantasy Tactics Advance protagonists Marche, Ritz, and Mewt.
Montblanc joins the clan as a Black Mage, equipped with a Chill Rod and Magick Robe, and the spells Fire, Fira, Firaga, Thunder, Thundara, and Thundaga already mastered. Montblanc has high magick attack and resistance.
Montblanc can gain access to all jobs if following the criteria, except for the Chocobo Knight. This is the same case with Hurdy because of their unique sprites: Montblanc cannot be a Chocobo Knight because he cannot ride a chocobo, as it is explained in the sidestory.
The soliloquy Montblanc performs when he is KO'd is "Kupo-po. Ah, old friend. Is that you...?" This could be taken to be a reference to Marche, implying that Montblanc has some memory of the events of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance despite the Tactics Advance version of Ivalice not taking place in the "real" Ivalice. Alternatively, it could refer to his master who was killed by Yiazmat. In the Japanese version he says that he sees a visual blur and utters "Ma...", close to Marche's name.
right|The Montblanc statue.
Montblanc appears as a golden statue at the southeast corner of Luso's journal (along with his siblings) after completing 50 missions. His pose at the statue is like his pose at his Final Fantasy Tactics Advance artwork, which is holding a book with his right hand.
;Stats
Below are his stats once recruited from mission "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" His stats vary, but below are the range of his stats.
If the average clan level is higher than 45, Montblanc's level will change according to it.
==Musical themes==
In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Montblanc's main theme is "Teach Me, Montblanc".
In Final Fantasy XII, "The Clan Hall" plays along with Montblanc's appearances.
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy XIV===
Montblanc appears as a supporting character in the Return to Ivalice story.
===Final Fantasy XV===
At the Moogle Chocobo Carnival, the player can do the quest "The Brothers Kupomazov" to find six moogle dolls named after the six moogle siblings from Ivalice. Montblanc is said to be the eldest.
:Montblanc is the eldest moogle,
:strong and stern and rather frugal.
:Looking down from up above,
:he watches o'er those he loves.
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
Montblanc appears as a playable character who could be initially recruited during the Challenge Event Another Ivalice as a First Time Reward for completing the event's Famfrit stage in Part 1.
===Mobius Final Fantasy===
Montblanc makes an appearance as a sticker made available during the Final Fantasy XII collaboration event. He retains his appearance from Final Fantasy XII.
===Final Fantasy Trading Card Game===
Montblanc appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as Fire-elemental Backup cards.
4-016C.jpg|Montblanc [4-016C] Chapter series card.
Montblanc TCG.png|Montblanc [8-012C] Chapter series card.
Montblanc PR TCG.png|Montblanc [PR-039] Chapter series card.
Montblanc 2-021C from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Montblanc [2-021C] Opus series card.
Montblanc 4-022R from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Montblanc [4-022R] Opus series card.
Montblanc 6-020H from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Montblanc [6-020H] Opus series card.
===Final Fantasy Portal App===
Montblanc from Final Fantasy XII appears as a Triple Triad card.
==Other media==
Montblanc could be obtained in the Square Enix Members Virtual World community, bringing the name of Final Fantasy XII.
On the Final Fantasy XII pins merchandise, Montblanc is featured on a bonus card.
There is a fragment entry in Final Fantasy XIII-2 called "Teatime Mont Blanc" that chronicles Mog's meeting with Odin.
==Behind the scenes==
Montblanc is one of the few Ivalician moogles ever seen using their wings; Montblanc uses his wings at mission "Wanted: Friends, Kupo!" in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
In Montblanc's artwork in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, he carries a book, despite that there are no books that could be equipped. In Montblanc's artwork in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, he carries a staff, despite moogles being unable to equip staves, except for the Chocobo Knight job, a job that Montblanc cannot access.
In Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Montblanc can be seen on two occasions before he is officially met in the story. First talking to the Bartender when Luso introduces himself to the clan for the first time, and second when Luso and Cid are in the bar talking about Luso's Journal. The scene in which Montblanc first appears in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is humorously similar to the one where he first appeared in the original Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Montblanc never interacts with Vaan and Penelo in any cutscenes even if they are prominent members of Clan Centurio in Final Fantasy XII. While joining Clan Centurio in Final Fantasy XII is optional, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 seems to take it as a given that Vaan and Penelo joined it.
Montblanc has some minor appearances as an NPC at pubs. He is never mentioned by anyone each time this Easter egg occurs:
#Right after the first mission.
#After the second mission.
#After completing mission "Wanted: Ugohr."
#When Adelle and Illua first met.
#After completing mission "Seeking the Stone."
These appearances might explain why Montblanc said that he "was with Luso all the time" at the "I'm Back, Kupo!" encounter; however, it may simply have been to keep Luso out of trouble, much like how Montblanc claimed Marche was with him to avoid him getting beaten up by the bangaa he'd called lizards by accident.
In the Final Fantasy Tactics A2 side story, Chapter 4: Hurdy Heads for the Hills, Montblanc is mentioned as one who gives encouragement to his younger brother Hurdy to travel the world. He also asks Hurdy to bring back the rare and expensive vintage wine called Prudence, one of the wines found in Leá Monde in Vagrant Story. Hurdy thinks Montblanc is being ridiculous, since he does not drink wine.
===Voice===
In the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Radio Edition, Montblanc is voiced by Kumiko Yokote. Montblanc is the second fully voiced moogle, the first one being Moogle Kupo from Final Fantasy: Unlimited.
==Gallery==
Zodiac Age Montblanc.jpg|The Zodiac Age model from Final Fantasy XII.
FFTA2 OST cover illustration.jpg|Montblanc with Luso, Adelle, and Hurdy riding a chocobo, used on the Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Original Soundtrack cover.
Ffta cast illustration.jpg|Montblanc along with some of the cast of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (bottom right with Nono).
Montblanc ffxii pin card.jpg|Montblanc on a bonus card from the Final Fantasy XII Pins merchandise.
FFXII Manga Back Cover 2.jpg|Montblanc on the back cover of the Final Fantasy XII manga, volume 2.
Montblanc-clanhall.jpg|Montblanc in Clan Centurio clan hall in Final Fantasy XII.
==Etymology==
 This may refer to him leading Clan Nutsy in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, his appearance (orange pom-pom, blond hair, and tan fur) and the nuts hanging from his staff in his artwork for Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
Category:Moogles
Category:Recurring characters
Category:Black Mages
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
it:Montblanc