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Sorrow - How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist...
Vivi's quote
Vivi Ornitier, occasionally stylized as VIVI, or with the surname Orunitia,[1] is a playable character in Final Fantasy IX. He is a black mage, differentiated from humans by having a black aura surrounding his visible outer skin, glowing yellow eyes, and the ability to cast magic.
Appearance and Personality
No more. I won't let you make any more instruments of murder!
Vivi
Vivi is designed after a traditional Final Fantasy Black Mage with a pointy hat and blue clothes. Vivi's hat is too large for him and flops down his back instead of pointing straight up like those of the other black mages in the game. Vivi wears a blue jacket, green and white stripy trousers, red and white gloves, and brown boots. In Trance, Vivi's clothes are replaced by a full-length white robe, gloves, and an appropriately-sized hat that stands at a point. The straps crossing over his chest are replaced by a stylized design down the middle of his robe including a wing-like design on his chest. The black shadow under his hat gives off a dark bluish hue while his eyes are stark white instead of yellow.
Initially Vivi is shy and gullible, almost to a fault. Often stumbling over his speech and lacking in self confidence, he is afraid to use his magic to save his friends, believing himself incapable. During his journey his personality develops and Vivi gains confidence and bravery in the face of danger. Despite his new-found confidence, Vivi still questions his existence and finds he must find answers to some of the big questions in life himself, instead of relying on others' help.
Story
Vivi is a black mage created in Dali by Alexandria after Queen Brahne learns of this technology from Kuja. Vivi is a prototype black mage who fell out of the cargo ship and was fished out of the Mist Ocean by a qu named Quan. Quan raised Vivi out of the hope he would grow big enough for him to eat, but after six months Vivi was still as short as before.
Vivi was oblivious to Quan's intentions with him and lived happily with his "grandpa" in Quan's Dwelling. During this time Quan mentored Vivi and taught him many things about the world, sparking a curiosity in him to see the world for himself. When Quan died, Vivi was left alone. He headed to the nearby town of Treno and hitched a ride on an airship to Alexandria.
Vivi in the opening FMV.
In Alexandria, Vivi has a ticket for the Tantalus Theater Troupe's performance of Lord Avon's play, I Want to be Your Canary, but when he shows his ticket at the booth he is told it is a fake. A sad Vivi stumbles upon a street-smart rat, Puck, who helps him sneak over the rooftops into the show.
Vivi and Puck are caught watching the show without tickets and are chased through the crowd by guards. Puck deserts Vivi who is chased onto the stage amid the show where he casts a fire spell to defend himself. He accidentally sets ablaze Princess Garnet's cloak, revealing her identity to the crowd and chaos ensues.
The Theater Ship takes off and crashes in the Evil Forest. A member of Tantalus, Zidane, tries to convince the confused Vivi to help him find the princess who fell out of the ship during the commotion, but Vivi is unsure if he wants to use his magic. Steiner, Garnet's bodyguard, convinces him, as he has taken a liking to the mage and calls him "Master Vivi".
Although Vivi is first hesitant, he tags along and helps the others defeat a carnivorous plant keeping Princess Garnet hostage. After escaping the forest, the party travel through the Ice Cavern to get above the Mist, where Vivi casts Fire spells to melt the ice to reveal hidden treasures.
Vivi casting a fire spell at Black Waltz 3.
When the group reaches the village of Dali, Vivi is captivated by the windmills. A villager captures him and brings him to the underground black mage production plant, thinking he got away by accident. Zidane and Garnet rescue Vivi and discover the Dali villagers are creating black mage drones for Alexandria.
Boarding a cargo ship, Vivi tries to converse with the black mage pilots, but is unable to elicit a response from any of them. Vivi's anxiety about his race is deepened when the evil Black Waltz 3 razes the ship, killing all the black mages who attempt to defend Vivi. Vivi begins to question his identity and similarity to the mindless foot soldiers Queen Brahne manipulates.
Upon reaching Lindblum, Vivi learns of the Festival of the Hunt from a shop owner and is persuaded by Zidane to join in along with himself and his friend, Freya Crescent. After the festival, a dying Burmecian soldier informs the leader of Lindblum, Cid Fabool IX, of the attack on the kingdom of Burmecia by the army of mages wearing pointy hats.
Vivi, determined to find out more, travels with Zidane's group to Burmecia, only to discover the kingdom in ruins. The party travels to the Cleyra settlement, the sister kingdom to Burmecia, and witness it fall to the hands of Brahne and her army of mages. After saving Princess Garnet from the queen's clutches in Alexandria Castle, the party deduces Kuja's role in the black mage production and set out to hunt him down, following rumors he hails from the north.
Sorrow.
After crossing Fossil Roo to the Outer Continent, the party visits the dwarven town of Conde Petie. The dwarves there express a familiarity toward Vivi and the group discover a black mage in the town's shop. After questioning the locals, they discover the "pyntie-hets" live in a village deep in a southern forest and the party follows the black mage to the Black Mage Village where many "awakened" black mages live. The black mages regard Vivi with suspicion at first, associating him with the humans.
Vivi is frustrated by their way of thinking and stops by the town's cemetery, and comes to learn that black mages have a finite life span of around one year. He talks with a wise black mage, Black Mage No. 288, who explains the nature of death to Vivi, who is, at first, distressed. It is suggested Vivi is a prototype build, and 288 tries to console him in saying Vivi may last longer than the one year afforded for the other black mages.
They find Kuja at the Iifa Tree and witness him kill Brahne during his quest to overthrow his master, Garland, to become the master of Gaia and Terra both. He enlists the sentient black mages from the Black Mage Village promising to prolong their lifespan if they follow him. When Vivi learns of this he is upset, knowing Kuja is a liar. The black mages are abandoned by Kuja when he learns of the power of Trance and return to their village.
The party learn of the mysterious world of Terra and after obtaining the elemental mirrors from Ipsen's Castle set out to place them in the four elemental shrines. Vivi and Steiner join forces to visit the Wind Shrine where Steiner shields Vivi from the blustering wind with his body, and the two defeat the shrine guardian Tiamat. After opening the portal to Terra and traveling there Zidane becomes troubled after learning he was created by Garland. Vivi empathizes with him, having gone through a similar identity crisis himself, and with his friends' help Zidane snaps out of his depression. They confront Garland who is killed by Kuja who uses his new-found power of Trance to annihilate Terra.
Vivi's sons in Alexandria.
The party ventures into Memoria where Vivi helps the party defeat Kuja and the mysterious Necron. Some time later everyone gathers in Alexandria for another showing of I Want To Be Your Canary by Tantalus. Vivi is the only one absent, instead being represented by several children, each of whom looks like Vivi. It is uncertain how Vivi's "sons" came about as the Iifa Tree has collapsed, and the source of Mist, an ingredient used in black mage production, is gone.
The monologue during the ending is spoken by Vivi, indicating he has expired by the time the ending takes place, as he is saying goodbye to his friends and the final words of his monologue are "Farewell. My memories will be part of the sky", an allusion to death in the world of Final Fantasy IX. Because the speaker of the lines is not specified it has incited speculation among fans on Vivi's fate and who is the speaker of the monologue. The game's Japanese version is more explicit on the issue, as the speaker uses a speech pattern and pronouns that only Vivi used throughout the game.[2]
Battle
Equipment and Stats
Unlike in games past, where Black Mages equip rods or daggers, Vivi equips staves. His armor consists of mage robes and hoods, as well as lightweight vests and hats. Vivi has the highest Magic stat in the game.
Abilities
Vivi learns abilities that enhance him as a mage, such as MP+20%, Half MP and Return Magic. His unique abilities are Reflect-Null to make his spells piercing, Reflectx2 that causes spells cast by Vivi double in power when reflected off a target, and Mag Elem Null that renders all spells non-elemental.
Magic
Vivi's main ability is to use Black Magic and he is the only character in the game with the ability to do so. He can use the Focus ability to increase his magic power. If Vivi and Steiner are in the party, Steiner can use Sword Magic together with Vivi during battle; this will not make Vivi lose his turn or expend MP. Vivi is one of the strongest black mages encountered in the game, his powers rivaling even those of the Black Waltzes.
While in Trance, Black Magic changes to Double Black, allowing Vivi to cast two spells in succession.
As a boss
Vivi is an AI-controlled target in the second battle with Prison Cage. Vivi will cast Fire on the Prison Cage throughout the battle, while the Prison Cage will cast Drain on Vivi to drain his HP. The battle will result in a Game Over if Vivi dies during this battle.
A mirrored Vivi can also be summoned by the Epitaph enemy through its Mirror ability. Like other mirror enemies, the Vivi will use regular attacks on others, but a 9999 attack on Vivi where he exclaims "I'm Vivi!".
Musical Themes
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"Vivi's Theme" plays once early in the game when Vivi is wandering around Alexandria. The song is paced at a fast tempo and is mildly syncopated, which elaborates the aura of Vivi's curiosity. The song "Black Mage Village" uses parts of Vivi's theme in its melody in its second half, and the song "Limited Time" is the same melody, but slowed down.
Creation and Development
Vivi's design is inspired by the Black Mage job, a Final Fantasy tradition, although he forgos wearing a robe.
In an early draft for the Final Fantasy IX opening sequence[3], Vivi would have ended on the Theater Ship stage during the play, and Baku would have been quick to incorporate him ad lib, asking Vivi to use a fire spell. Vivi would have created a wall of fire separating Steiner (who is up on the stage trying to stop Tantalus from kidnapping Princess Garnet) and his corps of paladins from the others, and Garnet's hood would have caught on fire. As Garnet would have tossed her robe away revealing her identity to the audience, the paladins would have attacked Tantalus and Vivi would have joined in on the battle on the player's side, with Vivi the only one able to use real magic, the others' "magic attacks" being mere special effects. In the final game, Tantalus fights the battles against a lone Steiner and Vivi does not become part of the play.
Voice
In the English release of Kingdom Hearts II, Vivi is voiced by Melissa Disney, and by Ikue Ōtani in the Japanese version.
Other Appearances
Dissidia Final Fantasy
Vivi makes a cameo as a tutor from the in-game manuals, explaining the equipment system with Steiner. Vivi is also the name of a Ghost Card the player can battle. The Vivi ghost is a Level 100 Kuja who has the White Gem and Strategy Guide items to be won via Battlegen. The quote on the ghost card "How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist..." is Vivi's signature quote.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
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A young boy plagued with a fear of heights and a host of questions regarding who—or what—he truly is. He heads to Alexandria to see a play performed by the famous traveling theatre troupe Tantalus, but when Zidane and his comrades kidnap Princess Garnet during the show, Vivi somehow gets mixed up with their motley crew and flees the royal city together with them.
Online description
Vivi is unlocked by collecting eight Orange Crystal Shards, obtained through Rhythmia awards or won from Dark Note bosses.
Vivi has the highest Magic tied with Shantotto, and is the only mage type character to possess a full set of Black Magic abilities. This, combined with his Magic boosting abilities, make him useful. Vivi's obvious weaknesses are his low HP and Strength.
Stats
| Level | HP | CP | Strength | Magic | Agility | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 145 | 16 | 8 | 21 | 15 | 16 |
| 10 | 578 | 21 | 17 | 48 | 33 | 35 |
| 20 | 1,059 | 26 | 28 | 79 | 54 | 57 |
| 99 | 3,850 | 50 | 91 | 255 | 174 | 186 |
iOS Stats
| Level | HP | Strength | Magic | Agility | Luck |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 145 | D | SSS | C | D |
Abilities
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade
Vivi is an ally and a summonable Legend in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade. He is depicted in his default Final Fantasy IX outfit and a Halloween outfit. His ability is Meteor. His EX abilities are Flare, Comet and Doomsday.
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This section about a character in Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is empty or needs to be expanded. You can help the Final Fantasy Wiki by expanding it.
Final Fantasy Artniks
Vivi appears in Final Fantasy Artniks. Template:Gallery
Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Vivi appears in the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game and is represented in five Fire-elemental cards, one of them being Promotional. In his regular cards, he is depicted in a screenshot from a Final Fantasy IX FMV, his render, his Theatrhythm artwork and his Yoshitaka Amano artwork. For his promotional card, a screenshot from the opening FMV of Final Fantasy IX is used.
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Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
Kingdom Hearts series
Vivi makes a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts II as a member of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee, led by Seifer, whom Vivi admires for his strength. When the Struggle competition is on, he is being controlled by Nobodies. Simulations of Vivi appear in the Sunset Station tunnel, where many duplicates attack Roxas.
His unwilling involvement in the oddities of the early parts of the game may allude to the original Vivi as a black mage, as well as the mysteries surrounding him in Final Fantasy IX. Additionally, Vivi makes another appearance in the Kingdom Hearts series as a costume in Kingdom Hearts: Mobile.
Vivi is one of the only Final Fantasy characters not designed by Tetsuya Nomura that appear in the Kingdom Hearts series.
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Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special
Vivi appears as a character in Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special.
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Merchandise
Vivi has a Play Arts action figure, released in 2009 with a Mage Staff, extra hands, and display stand as bonuses. Two Coca-Cola bottle cap figurines for Vivi also exist, one fully colored and a "red crystal" version.
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Gallery
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Etymology
Vivi is the passive infinitive tense of the Latin verb vivere, which means "to live"[4], which means that vivi can be translated as "to be living" in English, a possible allusion to his search for the meaning of his existence.
In the Voodoo religion, a Vévé is a symbol used in black magic to summon a god or spirit for various purposes.[5] This is a possible allusion to Vivi's abilities and maybe even his struggle to prove he is not a puppet to do others' bidding.
In the North American version of the Final Fantasy IX instruction manual, Vivi's last name was rendered as Ornitier. His name was later changed into "Orunitia" in the Greatest Hits release. In Japan, his last name is Ornitier as shown in the Final Fantasy IX Ultimania guide, but his name is still spelled Orunitia in the game's North American website.
"Ornitier" is a scarce name in real life, appearing rarely as a surname in France and Belgium. Removed from Final Fantasy IX references, it is not easy to ascertain how many real life uses of "Ornitier" are authentic names and how many are pseudonyms obliquely inspired by Vivi Ornitier. If "Ornitier" is a real name, it may be derived from Latin ornitharius, which means "pertaining to birds". The natural French descendant of this word is ornithier [/ɔʁnitje/], with ornitier as a possible alternative spelling.
Trivia
- There is some inconsistency to Vivi's age, as official sources usually list his age as nine, yet the timeline found in the Ultimania Omega places him as being born in 1799, less than a year before the game's start. Although Quan could have believed he was around nine or so after saving him, the estimate of a few months is more accurate due to him being a mass-produced black mage, since their production started shortly before the start of the game.
- At a mere six months old, not only is Vivi the youngest playable character in Final Fantasy IX, but in the entire series, as well.
- Vivi's given age, nine, is a reference to the number of the game. Final Fantasy IX has many other allusions to the number nine, as well.
- On May 16, 2008, Vivi was voted number-two of favorite Final Fantasy characters of all time on IGN.[6], with the number-one character being Sephiroth.
- For the instruction manual of Final Fantasy Origins, a PlayStation remake of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II, Vivi is shown as an example name chosen for the Black Mage class of Final Fantasy.
- If Zidane, Eiko, and Steiner are not in the party, Vivi assumes the role of party leader, most notably in the Desert Palace and in the final battle.
- On discs 1 and 2, Vivi always joins Zidane's group whenever the party is split.
- Although Vivi can learn Water, he cannot learn the Waterga spell. Waterga is exclusive to the Kraken enemy.
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedUltimaniaC - ↑ Translation of the Japanese epilogue by Kurohime
- ↑ From the old back up file — Mistwalkercorp
- ↑ University of Notre Dame Online Latin Dictionary
- ↑ The Mystic Voodoo: Voodoo Vévés
- ↑ IGN's Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters
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