Final Fantasy 9 released in 2000 and was the last Final Fantasy title to come out for the PlayStation, with subsequent sequels moving onto the PlayStation 2. Unlike its immediate predecessors, Final Fantasy 9 is set in a medieval world rather than a futuristic one.
The game follows Zidane Tribal as he and his companions find themselves embroiled in a war between nations. Together, they set out to defeat Queen Brahne, who started the war, and they hope to bring peace to the continent once more. As the protagonist, Zidane is naturally one of the fan-favorites of this particular title, and players often show their love for this roguish guy by cosplaying as him. Check out these brilliant cosplays of Zidane just below. Spoilers ahead.
10 "Piece of cake. I'm an escape artist."
This cosplay by Keto-Pagano is a great example of the beloved dual-wielding thief, with the tail looking particularly realistic. The great thing about having Zidane as a protagonist was that it was a refreshing change for players; the last two Final Fantasy titles that released before it had offered up rather sullen protagonists, so Zidane's laidback attitude was a nice change.
Additionally, it was clear from his monkey-like tail that Zidane wasn't strictly human, so it was also nice to see another race take the lead role in a game.
9 "To hell with looks. It's what's inside that counts."
Cosplayer salvarion has decided to base their costume on Zidane's appearance from Dissidia Final Fantasy, rather than Final Fantasy 9 itself. The design changes are only subtle, ensuring that the character remained recognizable in the spin-off title.
For example, Zidane's belt changes with more loops being added, his ruffled shirt becomes longer and more pronounced, and he has a beaded ornament at his neck, rather than his green ribbon. Additionally, Zidane is portrayed in Dissidia as having more realistic proportions, as in Final Fantasy 9 the characters were more stylized to have larger heads, hands, and feet.
8 Tantalus Theater Troupe
This cosplay by Sayu offers up a brilliant version of Zidane while delighting fans with its beautiful composition and peaceful setting. Once again, this cosplay has chosen to adopt Zidane's more modern character design from the Dissidia series.
Zidane was found by Baku at the age of four, and as a result, he was raised by the Tantalus Theater Troupe in Lindblum. Tantalus use their acting skills as a cover for their real work - thievery. As such, Zidane was raised to be a thief too.
7 Zidane Tribal
This playful cosplay by Keito shows Zidane relaxing atop a wall with the same carefree attitude that he displays often in the game. The costume is based on his original outfit from Final Fantasy 9.
Interestingly, many fans have long pronounced Zidane as "Zih-DAYNE", but it was revealed in more than one of the Dissidia titles that the correct pronunciation is "Zih-DAN". His surname of "Tribal" likely comes from the word "tribe" and could allude to the Tantalus Theater Troupe being like a tribe/family of its own.
6 Heart Stealer
This imaginative cosplay by I-S-Mast shows Zidane in action, looking like a thief on the prowl for some treasures to steal. The detail of the outfit and weapon are quite impressive. When coupled with the awesome editing of this photo, it really makes for a perfect image that enables the character to take center stage.
As a thief, Zidane uses daggers or thief swords as his weapon of choice, and his unique skill is "Steal," which allows him to take items from enemies. This is rather fitting as this roguish charmer also stole the hearts of fans when the game released.
5 "I can't sit around knowing a girl's in trouble. Goes against my nature."
Cosplayer cirolnana has paired up with another cosplayer to create this adorable image of Zidane and Eiko together. Unlike his predecessors of Squall and Cloud, Zidane makes friends incredibly easily. All of the other main playable characters in Final Fantasy 9 are people that Zidane befriends during the game's story, rather than pre-existing relationships.
Despite his carefree attitude, Zidane cares very deeply about his friends and will selflessly defend them in battle, as well as offering life advice and caring about their well being.
4 "You don't need a reason to help people."
This awesome cosplay by Lilith Hollow presents a strikingly well-done representation of Zidane while offering up a thoughtful and emotive image. The character's design here is once again based on Dissidia, which adds more ornate details to the outfit that the cosplayer has managed to perfect.
Much like Vivi, during the game's plot, Zidane has to come to terms with his own existence and purpose in life as he discovers that he is a Genome, created by Garland to be an "Angel of Death."
3 "Piece of cake. I'm an escape artist."
Cosplayer Echow Eko Cosplay offers fans this rather awesome battle-ready stance Zidane in his Dissidia outfit. Due to his monkey-like tail, Zidane bears some resemblance to the Monkey King, the protagonist of Journey To the West, and there are arguably some parallels between the two stories.
Zidane is only seen to really use his tail once in the game, which is when he uses it to evade Steiner while aboard the cargo ship. Additionally, while in his Trance form, Zidane's body becomes covered in pink fur, with fans noticing a similarity to the Super Saiyan 4 form from the Dragon Ball Z series.
2 "I Want To Shine"
This amazing cosplay by Momo uses enlarged pants and cuffs to try and recreate the stylized proportions of Zidane from Final Fantasy 9. It works really well to create a memorable portrayal of the fan-favorite thief. This bright, well-lit photo is the perfect way to show Zidane's light and cheerful nature.
This rather awesome cosplayer has other photos of them cosplaying as Zidane, as well as photos of them as Garnet and many other characters, so be sure to check out the rest of their cosplay work.
1 "What's important is being true to oneself."
Cosplayer Raimu has created perfection with this stunning cosplay of Zidane. This image not only captures the character's personality and recreates his Dissidia outfit faithfully with intricate details, but also delights viewers with the impressive photo edit that makes it look as though Zidane is leaping into action.
This cosplayer has a very impressive cosplay gallery, including other awesome images of their Zidane cosplay, but also featuring many other characters including other Final Fantasy favorites. Make sure to check them out!