Template:Sideicon
Will you look at this? Lots of places I've been fishin' for years, all gone. Terrible.
Master Fisherman
The Master Fisherman is a minor character in Final Fantasy VIII. Meeting him is optional and starts a sidequest, but doing so can provide some additional plot and rewards.
The Master Fisherman is also known as "The Engineer" because he was "one hell of a skilled hand in Esthar". He was the engineer who led the train of people out of Esthar, resulting in the creation of the town of Fishermans Horizon. The people of Fishermans Horizon refer to him as simply "boss".
Story
Master Fisherman fishing.
The Master Fisherman is fishing down at the pier when Balamb Garden crashes into Fishermans Horizon disrupting his peaceful day. After Headmaster Cid instructs Squall to apologize to the residents of Fishermans Horizon, he can go and talk to the Master Fisherman by climbing down a couple of ladders before taking the lift down to the town. For the effort, the Master Fisherman will reward him with the Occult Fan III. If talked to a second time, he will ask Squall to go talk to his pupil at the docks, the Fisherkid.
After the Fisherkid has learned to fish properly, the Master Fisherman will pay a visit to the docks and the locals express their surprise at seeing him, as he normally sticks to his fishing spot. He invites Squall to the hotel and reveals some of the town's backstory: it was founded by a group of pacifists who originally lived in Esthar, and rewards Squall with a Megalixir.
Master Fisherman is credited with coming up with the name "Fishermans Horizon", though he admits he does not know how he came up with it. Once the statue in Shumi Village has been completed, Master Fisherman will appear in the village. Explaining his presence to Squall, he says he is not really into either statues or "this Laguna person", but he had an urge to come, and one has to act on one's urges at his age. When Squall asks again on where the name "FH" comes from the Master Fisherman responds with "Some other time".
Gameplay
Sidequest
Meeting Master Fisherman is easily missed, as the ladder down to his fishing spot blends to the background. The ladder is against the large silo before taking the lift to the town of FH. At the end of this path the party can find Master Fisherman, and later, a draw point. Talking to the fisherman and following his guidance leads the player to a sidequest to discover more about Esthar and Fishermans Horizon.
When first met when Balamb Garden arrives in FH, Master Fisherman gives Squall the Occult Fan III magazine and asks Squall to find his apprentice. After having liberated the town from Galbadia, the party can witness the apprentice boy near the junk shop learn to fish properly, and he wants Squall to tell his master. On the way back to Master Fisherman's fishing spot, Irvine will join Squall. Instead of returning to the Garden like the story prompts, the two should head to Master Fisherman's fishing spot. He asks Squall to follow him to the local hotel, where he tells Squall and Irvine the town's history, then asks if they want to hear more.
Squall must respond positively and follow Master Fisherman out on the docks, and after some more conversation, receives a Megalixir. This will earn 20 SeeD Exp to the player, 0.2 of a SeeD rank.
Master Fisherman will leave, and if the party visits his fishing spot, they can find a Full-Life draw point. After completing the quest the party can later meet Master Fisherman in Shumi Village.
If the player completes both sidequests in Shumi Village, they can witness a scene where the Master Fisherman visits the village. He reveals a couple more things about himself, such being an honorary Shumi and having created the 3D image projector in the elevator that transports visitors to the village proper.
Triple Triad
The Master Fisherman is a player of Triple Triad, though he does not carry any rare cards.