"We are mere vessels. You have been given a greater purpose."

—Mikoto to Zidane

Mikoto (ミコト, Mikoto^?), also known as Mysterious Girl, or Girl before revealing her name, is a Genome in Final Fantasy IX, and only the third of the race to be created with a soul.

In the event that Kuja and Zidane were to fail in their mission to cause chaos on Gaia, Mikoto would be sent in their stead. Essentially she and the other two souled Genomes are siblings, as Kuja refers to Zidane as a brother because he has a soul, since all Genomes are technically siblings because they are born of the same DNA. This would also make Mikoto part of this self-professed family.

Appearance and PersonalityEdit

Like all Genomes, Mikoto is blonde, wearing her hair with pink clips, and has a tail. She has bright green eyes and a pale complexion. Mikoto wears a pink and white cropped top over a long-sleeved black one; a pink-and-white patterned skirt, and boots of the same color.

Quiet and formal, Mikoto, as the only Genome in Bran Bal with a soul, is intelligent and understands what her fellow companions cannot. She appears cold to the party, but she is merely truthful, and while able to express her emotions, it can be assumed that she is used to not doing this, as she lives alongside other, emotionless Genomes, and thus has difficulty showing how she feels. This does change, as she is seen showing slight offense once.

StoryEdit

"Unlike the rest of them, Garland gave me a soul, that I may replace you and Kuja."

—Mikoto

Garland created Mikoto less than a year before the game's start, appearing as a 15 year old girl. She first appears shortly after the party touches down on Terra, leading them on a hide-and-seek chase to the Genome village of Bran Bal. Zidane meets her in the town's laboratory, where she explains their nature as Angels of Death.

Disgusted and confused by this, Zidane flees Bran Bal in order to find Garland and is imprisoned in Pandemonium. When Kuja's Ultima spell hits Terra, destroying the Genome city in its entirety, Mikoto and the other Genomes were able to board the Invincible and escape with Zidane and his crew.

When brought to Gaia, the remaining Genomes are taken to the Black Mage Village to live with the Black Mages, as Vivi mentions that since both races are merely created vessels, they could understand each other. When Zidane and his party leave to defeat Kuja, he tells the Black Mages to take care of his "little sister".

While Mikoto was not seen on the deck of the Red Rose during the Second Battle of the Iifa Tree, considering the Hilda Garde III and Red Rose remained around the Iifa Tree to wait for the party, she reappears on deck later after Necron falls, alerting Beatrix that the party has escaped Memoria. Later, she could sense both Zidane's and Kuja's presences, and so at the end of the game when Zidane went missing after going back for Kuja, she was able to find him.

Because of her presence on the Red Rose at the time, it is possible she is the reason Lindblum and Alexandria learned of Zidane and Garnet's secret plan to storm Memoria.

During the ending, an unknown voice delivers a monologue. The speaker tells Kuja that although his actions were wrong, he gave "us" hope, as he was able to defy his fate. The group the speaker is referring to was "created for the wrong reasons", but Kuja's example has demonstrated that they too can live, and for this reason, they will ensure his memory lives on. The speaker is unnamed but appears to be Mikoto speaking for the Genomes. She is visible in the background during this monologue.

GalleryEdit

Concept artwork of Mikoto.

TriviaEdit

• In the Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls and all later remakes of the original Final Fantasy, Mikoto is one of the automatic names the player can choose for the White Mage Job.