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Quina, you in darkness. Need some light. World big place. Many many foods.

Quale

Quale is the leader of the Qu in Qu's Marsh in Final Fantasy IX. They are Quina Quen's master.

Profile[]

Appearance[]

Quale's clothing resembles high ranking chef, which reflects their status as the leader of the Qu. Their attire has rose-colored details, and, unlike the other Qu, they have a yellow curly mustache. Much like Quina and possibly the other Qus, they fight using forks, more specifically the Silver Fork (seen only during the boss battle).

In the Spanish and Italian versions of Final Fantasy IX, Quale and Quina are addressed as females (she, her, etc.), while Quan is addressed as a male.

Personality[]

Quale has a strong and somewhat stubborn personality, and is strict with their student, Quina. However, they recognize Quina's effort to become a gourmand, and often rewards them during their frog catching.

Story[]

Quale from FFIX Remastered

Vivi addresses Quale.

Quale can first be seen when Zidane helps Quina catch a frog in the marsh near Lindblum. Quale comes in and berates Quina for being unable to feed themselves. They enter Quale's abode further into the marsh, where Quale asks Zidane to bring Quina along on his journey so that they may taste exotic cuisine.

Once outside, Vivi comments Quale looks just like his "grandfather", Quan, who had died recently. When he goes inside to ask Quale about his grandpa, the Qu leader does a bad job of pretending that they "do not know this Quan". It is obvious there has been some past disagreement that fostered dislike between the two.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

If Quan's Dwelling is visited with Vivi and Quina in the party, Quan's spirit appears to praise Quina's ability to use their imagination, stating that soon they will be able to find sustenance without food. Quale appears and argues with Quan, who is revealed to be Quale's former master. Apparently, the aforementioned disagreement was due to Quale's inability to use their imagination when following the way of the gourmand. After this conversation, Quale decides to approach food differently and rethink their teachings.

Spoilers end here.

Gameplay[]

Quale final test from FFIX Remastered

Quale rewards Quina for capturing frogs in the frog catching minigame. Players can fight Quale as a boss when Quina has captured 99 frogs, earning Quina's ultimate weapon as reward.

Etymology[]

All of the Qus' names begin with "Qu".

Quale and Quan's full names are given as Quina Quale and Quina Quan respectively, which would suggest that "Quina" is a clan name, rather than a personal name.[1] Usually when saying "eat" in Japanese, it's 食べる (taberu), but 食う, kuu (or quu) is another way to say it. The word is more informal, and just saying "qu" with no context makes it sound a name of a race.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy Ultimania Archive, Volume 2, p.247
  2. Final Fantasy 25th Memorial Ultimania vol.2, p.247
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