"Regent Cid is very wise. He always thinks ahead."

—Garnet

(Cid Fabool IX, シド・ファブール9世^?, lit. "Shido Fabūru kyu-sei") is a temporary non-battle player character in Final Fantasy IX. He was born in 1764. He is the ruler and Regent of the Regency of Lindblum, successor of his father, Regent Cid Fabool VIII.

Story

After discovering she had been betrayed, his wife, Lady Hilda, transformed him into an oglop, a small, insect-like creature. Despite this handicap, Cid remains ruler of Lindblum. Cid is the one who ordered Tantalus to kidnap Garnet Til Alexandros XVII from Alexandria at the beginning of the game because of Queen Brahne's increasingly odd behavior. Cid is an old friend of Brahne and her husband, and Garnet calls him "uncle".

His proficiency at designing airships has led the city to become Gaia's prominent air power — much like Cid Pollendina did for Baron in Final Fantasy IV. He is later transformed into a frog when Zidane attempts to cure him, but he finally returns to his human form after Hilda is rescued from Kuja.

He becomes a playable character (as a frog) during Zidane and party's capture at Kuja's Desert Palace. He must obtain the key to unlock the cells to his friends and reverse the hourglass that will drop the party into lava when its sand runs out. He must sneak to the key guarded by a Hedgehog Pie, and then position weights on a scale to reach the hourglass and save his friends.

He built an airship that does not require Mist to fly, but utilizes steam-power instead. His first ship, the Hilda Garde I, was stolen by her after their falling out. His second ship, The Hilda Garde II was built while he was an Oglop. It was not entirely stable and nearly crashed. He was not able to remember how to build another one until he was restored to his human form, which prompts him to build the Hilda Garde III. All three ships were built with the help of Engineer Zebolt.

He and Hilda take the six-year-old Eiko as their adoptive daughter at the end of the story.

Musical Themes

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"Cid's Theme" from Final Fantasy IX
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"Cid's Theme" is named for himself, and plays in Lindblum Castle. It is a slowly paced majestic theme with a drum roll similar to ones announcing important figures.

Gallery

Concept Art of the Scale and Weights puzzle.

Trivia

• Being the ninth Cid Fabool is an obvious reference to the fact that this is the ninth game in the main series.
• His last name, Fabool, is a reference to Fabul, the kingdom in Final Fantasy IV.
• The one feature of his which is consistent throughout all three forms is his large mustache, which is how those familiar to him can attest to his true identity in spite of his current appearance.
• A regent is defined as a 'person selected to act as head of state (ruling or not) because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated'. Due to this, it may indicate that there was indeed a royal family of Lindblum, but was at some point replaced by Cid Fabool I and those of his descent.