Al-Cid Margrace

Al-Cid Margrace is a recurring character in the Ivalice Alliance. He is a member of the ruling family, Margrace, of Rozarria. He first appeared in Final Fantasy XII as a non-player character. He is a playable character in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.
Although he is likened to a prince in Tactics A2, he is quick to state he is but one of many, perhaps suggesting that either he is not in direct line to the throne, but rather a younger sibling or cousin to the true heir, or that the title means little to him.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Al-Cid has shoulder-length wavy black hair. He has brown eyes and a goatee. He wears a dark blue striped dress shirt with wide lapels, white pants, and leather boots. He occasionally wears sunglasses and has a personal assistant carry them when first met in Final Fantasy XII. He wears black fingerless gloves, armguards, and a decorated chest piece. The recurring symbol on his attire may be the emblem of his house.
He looks identical in Tactics A2, where he also wields a gun as his weapon, adding its holster to his attire.
=== Personality ===
Al-Cid is a romantic man with a heavy Spanish accent. Behind his romantic gestures is a man well aware of the world and its workings. Al-Cid is a gentleman of fortune who has no tolerance for those who intend to harm women. Though from the ruling class of Rozarria, Al-Cid does not appear to strive for authority or power for himself, and reaches out to both Larsa Ferrinas Solidor and Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, implying that he wants peace and cooperation between their nations. 
== Story ==
=== Final Fantasy XII ===
The party meets Al-Cid in the temple of Kiltia in Mt Bur-Omisace. He has a perpetually silent maid who carries anything he hands her following him. Al-Cid wants peace between Rozarria and Archadia. As such, he is in talks with Larsa for a peaceful resolution between the two empires. However, with Emperor Gramis's assassination, he is forced to change his plans. When Larsa leaves with Judge Gabranth in an attempt to ensure peace on Mt Bur-Omisace, Judge Bergan attacks with Al-Cid defending himself from the Judge's troops as the Gran Kiltias is murdered by Bergan himself.
Exhausted from his fight, as Bergan is defeated by Ashe and her group, Al-Cid offers Ashe to accompany him back to Rozarria for her safety, but she declines. Respecting her choice, Al-Cid departs to Rozarria, to continue his best to keep war from breaking out.
The party meets Al-Cid one last time at Balfonheim, where he tells them a great battle is about to begin—the Resistance and Rozarria against Archadia—and the battlefield will be Dalmasca. He then leaves, asking Ashe to visit Rozarria sometime.
=== Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings ===
While Al-Cid makes no direct appearance, Ashe briefly mentions her recent visit to Rozarria, implying she did indeed take Al-Cid up on the offer he issued in Final Fantasy XII. What actually transpired is unknown, and no references are made to what Rozarria looks like or what kind of culture it has.
=== Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift ===
Al-Cid returns as a playable character. He uses a gun and his set job, Agent, revolves around protecting women. The party battles him in the mission "A Dashing Duel".
Al-Cid is popular with Adelle while Luso Clemens comments on his "attitude", although it does not bother him as much when he finds out Al-Cid is a prince. Luso is also outraged when Cid accepts him into the clan, while Penelo comments it is because Cid "understands him".
== Gameplay ==
Once the player completes Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift and finishes "A Dashing Duel", they can check the notices in the pub and go to Targ Wood to get him as a recruit.
Al-Cid has access to the unique job, Agent. The descriptions of his action-abilities are several of his quotes from Final Fantasy XII (such as I would lay down my life at a single word... and What do my little birds have to say?), rather than actual descriptions of the ability's effect.
He is the only unit in the game who cannot change his job class. He can therefore only use Reconnaissance and Items, and has no access to support or reaction abilities despite previously having them when the player battled him during the "A Dashing Duel" mission.
== Other appearances ==
=== Final Fantasy Artniks ===
FF12 Al-Cid R+ L Artniks.png|Final Fantasy Artniks.
=== Final Fantasy Trading Card Game ===
Al-Cid appears in Final Fantasy Trading Card Game as Lightning-elemental Forward and Backup cards with his Final Fantasy XII in-game render and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift artwork.
3-068U Al-Cid.jpg|Al-Cid [3-068U] Chapter series card.
Al-Cid TCG.png|Al-Cid [8-060U] Chapter series card.
Al-Cid 2-097H from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Al-Cid [2-097H] Opus series card.
Al-Cid 6-085C from FFTCG Opus.jpg|Al-Cid [6-085C] Opus series card.
== Voice ==
Al-Cid is voiced by Norio Wakamoto in the Japanese version.
He is voiced by David Rasner in the English version and speaks with a Spanish accent. Al-Cid has long-winded lines delivered to the camera in Final Fantasy XII, making writing to the lip flaps a challenge. The translators had to adjust some lines on the fly to match Rasner's performance. The translators have described David Rasner as both a good sport and a master of matching his performance with the character's lip animations, and named Al-Cid and Migelo (voiced by John DiMaggio) as two characters that became more fun with the spin the voice actors gave them.
== Gallery ==
Al-Cid (artwork).jpg|Al-Cid with four of his maids.
Alcid.jpg|In-game shot of Al-Cid with his glasses.
Al-Cid-Margace.jpg|In-game shot of Al-Cid without his glasses.
Ashe and al cid.jpg|Al-Cid greets Ashe.
Al-Cid-Injured-FFXII-TZA.png|Al-Cid injured.
FF12 Model - Al-Cid's Glasses.png|Al-Cid's glasses in Final Fantasy XII.
Al-Cid-FFXII.png|Character model for Al-Cid.
FF12 - Al-Cid Model.png|A render of Al-Cid.
Al-Cid-Assistant.png|Character model for Al-Cid's assistant.
== Etymology ==
 Margrace is likely an alternate form of the title Margrave which itself comes from the German word Mark-graf (a "Boundary/Land-Count").
An "alcid" also is a bird in the Alcidae family, such as a puffin. Al-Cid repeatedly refers to "my little birds" when asked how he received information.
==Citations==
de:Al-Cid Margrace
it:Al-Cid Margrace
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy XII
Category:Characters in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Category:Cid
Category:Hume in Ivalice