In the year 2000, game studio SquareEnix released the ninth game in its massive series of Final Fantasy games. The previous two games in the series were set in futuristic worlds of computers and robots. Final Fantasy IX was set in a world of swords and sorcery, reminiscent of the older games. This attracted many fans, but what attracted even more was the cast of complicated characters. Each playable character had an intriguing backstory and a set of unique skills.
While all characters are intelligent, some are more so than others. Read on for descriptions and explanations of all the players, arranged from least intelligent to most intelligent.
8 Eiko Carol
Eiko Carol is an orphaned little girl who was raised by moogles. She grew up rough-and-tumble, fighting and stealing for survival. This made her very mature and wise to the world at a young age. This implies a level of intelligence that is above average for people her age. However, this intelligence is limited because knowing how to get by does not necessarily mean one also knows how to get ahead.
Eiko is infatuated with Zidane. She knows that Garnet feels the same way, so she often vies against Garnet for Zidane's attention and affection. The fact that she takes an adversarial position against her own teammate is counterproductive; therefore, it is irrational, and irrationality shows a lack of intelligence.
7 Adelbert Steiner
Captain Adelbert Steiner is a knight whose sworn duty is to protect Garnet. He identifies with all things good and loathes things that are bad. However, he casts his personal reservations aside and teams up with the thief Zidane to keep Garnet safe.
Having a moral code and sticking to it are signs of intelligence. Controlling one's feelings while working with an enemy is an example of the ancient Greek virtue of moderation. And one must be smart to be moderate. All of these qualities give Steiner a solid baseline of intelligence.
Steiner's strong will also influences him to behave in a less-than-logical way. For instance, he ALWAYS wears a suit of armor. It makes sense to wear armor in battle, but wearing armor in any other situation is not practical. Therefore, Steiner's strong will also makes him dumb!
6 Amarant Coral
Amarant is a hired muscle and a bounty hunter. He is devoted to becoming as strong and as powerful as possible. This intense level of focus on a single goal is a sign of a strong will, which shows intelligence.
However, Amarant seems unfamiliar with anything else in life. He has no hobbies, and he suppresses his feelings of joy. Sheltering himself this way, he breeds his own naiveté. What is more, he does this on purpose. This is further evidence of his foolish nature.
5 Quina Quen
Quina Quen is a gender-neutral being that loves food. In fact, its motto is that there are only two things in life: things one can eat, and things one cannot. This is quite a simple view of the world, and it reeks of ignorance.
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However, Quina's master convinces it to travel with Zidane to learn more about the world. Quina accepts the task, looking forward to eating all different kinds of food on the way. While Quina's motivation is narrow, the fact that it takes advice from a wise master suggests intelligence. If one wants to grow and learn, one must have a mentor.
Throughout the quest, Quina remains loyal to its companions. Even though it gets separated many times, it always rejoins. This sort of loyalty to a group shows intelligence because people are social and are always better off working with others.
4 Freya Crescent
Freya Crescent is a Dragon Knight and a red mage. She wanders the world looking for the lost man she loved. When she embarked upon her journey, she swore never to return until she learned the truth about her love's whereabouts. Like Steiner, Freya is committed to a goal, so that makes her smart. However, unlike Steiner, her devotion does not make her behave in any irrational manner. Therefore, she is smarter than Steiner.
Freya commits herself to knowing the truth. Philosophers—who, by definition, are lovers of wisdom—have sought truth for ages. This associates Freya with philosophers, who are associated with wisdom. While wisdom and intelligence are different, they both require a strong intellect.
3 Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (aka Dagger)
Princess Garnet of Alexandria was born with the ability to summon magical beings. Raised by a rich family, she is highly educated. This quality is an axiom of intelligence. However, she spent most of her youth sheltered by her family. This made her naive to the world, which is contrary to intelligence. Yet, naiveté can be overcome by experience and learning, and that is exactly what Garnet gains throughout the story.
Her intelligence is increased by her strong concern for ethics. She belongs to power and royalty, but she disagrees with her family's actions. She especially worries about her mother's behavior, so she runs away and creates a new identity. All the while, she makes decisions according to what she believes is right. To think well about one's morals and actions is to be smart.
2 Zidane Tribal
Zidane was destined to be a pawn in a villain's evil plot, but he was cast out of his home. He took refuge in a gang of thieves and low-lives who only care about power and possessions. Here, he learned how to kidnap and steal. Abilities like these take skill and craft, which in turn require intelligence.
However, Zidane's intelligence really shows in his transformation of character. As the story progresses, he learns about the virtues and values in life. He becomes leader of the party that eventually defeats the bad guys. In short, he goes from doing what is wrong to doing what is right. People have argued since ancient times that one must possess a great deal of intelligence to do what is right.
1 Vivi Ornitier
Vivi is a black mage with no identity nor any idea of where he came from. He learns that he is one of many drones used by a villain to wreak death and destruction. However, he escapes this destiny—much like the way a prisoner escapes from Plato's allegorical cave—and joins Zidane on a quest to do good.
Vivi could have been bad, but he chose to do what is right. He defied his fate and chose to make his own. He learned about the world, his identity, his feelings, ethics and compassion. These are things that philosophers have been inquiring about since ancient times. That makes Vivi a philosopher, and to be a philosopher, one must have a hunger for knowledge. Anyone who yearns for knowledge is bound to achieve great intelligence.