OK, the rules are pretty simple. Most of you will already know the drill, but to those that don't, a rumble is a knockout contest where you vote for your favourite character/weapon/location/boss etc. in a game. Contestants are paired off in each round and the contestant with the highest number of votes goes through to the next round, and so on, until the final. You can only vote once in each round, but that should be a given.

A couple of other things to point out too:

1. Do not post off-topic stuff in the thread, especially unrelated banter. That is what PMs are for. You are allowed to explain your reasons for voting for a particular character/weapon etc., but open debate in a rumble is frowned upon.

2. Each contest will run for between 24 and 48 hours, depending on how close it is. If it's clear that one contestant is running away with the battle, there's no point leaving that battle going for two days and I'll stop it after 24.

New rule: In order to prevent abuse of the tcs system, any battles with a score of 6 (or more) votes without reply by the other contestant (i.e. 6-0, Agent0042 - formerly 8-0) will be ended, to keep things moving along. Battles in which the losing contestant scores at least one vote will, however, continue as normal.

3. In the event of a tie after 48 hours, the winner will be decided by the points difference (difference between their score and their opponents' score) they scored in previous rounds. In round 1, or in the event that both have equal cumulative points difference in previous rounds, the winner will be decided by sudden death, ie the next contestant to recieve a vote will win.

4. All votes should be made as follows: You should bold the name of the contestant you are voting for. You can give your reasons in the same post, though this is not mandatory. Please do not post pictures or use any font other than the standard default white.

5. I can vote in all rounds, just for the record.

Anyway, with the boring stuff out of the way, this is the line-up for the first rumble: characters.

First Round:

Vaan 12-2 Reks
Penelo 11-12 Montblanc
Balthier 14-1 Vossler
Ashe 12-7 Gabranth
Basch 12-1 Venat
Vayne 8-4 Fran
Larsa 10-1 Marquis Ondore
Reddas 6-7 Dr. Cid

Quarter-Finals:

Vaan 4-10 Montblanc
Vayne 6-7 Ashe
Balthier 9-4 Dr. Cid
Larsa 5-10 Basch

Semi-finals:

Balthier 9-5 Montblanc
Ashe 7-7 Basch **

3rd/4th place:

Ashe 9-5 Montblanc

Final:

Balthier 10-8 Basch

The second rumble is marks. Here's the Line-up:

Lost in elimination round:

Thextera, Croakadile, Ring Wyrm, Marilith, Feral Retriever, Atomos, Mindflayer, Roblon, Belito, Diabolos, Piscodaemon, Pylraster, Ixion

First Round:

Shadowseer 6-5 Orthros
Wraith 1-7 Gil Snapper
Wyvern Lord 0-8 Vorpal Bunny
White Mousse 2-8 Deathgaze
Ixtab 6-5 Enkelados
Trickster 9-1 Catoblepas
Bloodwing 3-8 Antlion
Darksteel 1-7 Braegh
Vyraal 5-10 Flowering Cactoid
Lindwyrm 1-8 Overlord
Goliath 2-7 Cluckatrice
Deathscythe 1-7 Carrot
Gilgamesh 6-1 Yiazmat
Fafnir 2-7 Wild Malboro
Behemoth King 4-3 Nidhogg
Rogue Tomato 7-2 Rocktoise

Second Round:

Gil Snapper 3-8 Flowering Cactoid
Vorpal Bunny 9-2 Overlord
Deathgaze 3-7 Gilgamesh
Ixtab 3-7 Wild Malboro
Trickster 8-4 Behemoth King
Antlion 10-2 Carrot
Braegh 5-4 Shadowseer
Cluckatrice 6-7 Rogue Tomato

Quarter-finals:

Rogue Tomato 5-8 Vorpal Bunny
Antlion 7-5 Flowering Cactoid
Trickster 8-1 Wild Malboro
Gilgamesh 7-1 Braegh

Semi-finals:

Vorpal Bunny 0-8 Trickster
Antlion 3-8 Gilgamesh

3rd/4th place:

Vorpal Bunny 4-6 Antlion

Final:

Gilgamesh 8-4 Trickster

The third rumble is Locations. Here's the line-up.

Lost in elimination round:

Garamsythe Waterway, Dalmasca Westersand, Royal Palace, Barheim Passage, Ogir-Yensa Sandsea, The Shiva, Golmore Jungle, Eruyt Village, Mosphoran Highwaste, Nabreus Deadlands, Tchita Uplands, Draklor Laboratories, Cerobi Steppe, Ridorana Cataract, The Bahamut.

First Round:

Pharos: Subterra 9-3 Henne Mines
Giruvegan 4-7 Giza Plains
Balfonheim Port 7-4 Sochen Cave Palace
Archades 7-8 Pharos (1st, 2nd & 3rd Ascents)
Phon Coast 10-4 Lowtown
Necrohol of Nabudis 8-0 Old Archades *
Salikawood 7-5 Feywood
Aerodrome/Skyferry 6-9 Paramina Rift
Stilshrine of Miriam 6-9 Nalbina Town
Mt. Bur-Omisace 7-3 Nalbina Dungeons
Zertinan Caverns 5-9 Bhujerba
Jahara 3-9 Rabanastre
Ozmone Plain 3-6 Raithwall's Tomb
Nam-Yensa Sandsea 3-6 Nalbina Fortress
The Leviathan 6-8 The Great Crystal
Lhusu Mines 4-10 Dalmasca Estersand

Second Round:

Pharos: Subterra 3-8 Balfonheim Port
Giza Plains 2-11 Rabanastre
Phon Coast 8-5 Pharos (1st, 2nd & 3rd Ascents)
Necrohol of Nabudis 6-6 Mt. Bur-Omisace **
Salikawood 10-1 Raithwall's Tomb
Paramina Rift 8-6 The Great Crystal
Nalbina Town 13-2 Nalbina Fortress
Bhujerba 8-6 Dalmasca Estersand

Quarter-finals:

Balfonheim Port 2-8 Bhujerba
Rabanastre 11-2 Paramina Rift
Necrohol of Nabudis 9-2 Salikawood
Phon Coast 10-2 Nalbina Town

Semi-finals:

Bhujerba 7-8 Phon Coast
Rabanastre 7-5 Necrohol of Nabudis

3rd/4th place:

Bhujerba 7-5 Necrohol of Nabudis

Final:

Rabanastre 8-6 Phon Coast

Rumble number four: music. Here's the contestants:

Lost in elimination round:

411 - To The Place Of The Gods: 3 , 322 - A Moment's Rest: 3, 408 - The Feywood: 3, 214 - Sorrow (Liberation Army Version): 3, 416 - The Battle For Freedom: 3, 102 - FINAL FANTASY ~FFXII Version~: 2, 109 - The Royal City Of Rabanastre - Town Ward Upper Stratum: 2, 114 - Level Up!: 2, 127 - The Garamsythe Waterway: 2, 128 - An Omen: 2, 129 - Rebellion: 2, 130 - Nalbina Fortress Town Ward: 2, 301 - The Sandsea: 2, 213 - The Barheim Passage: 2, 222 - Challenging The Empire: 2, 224 - Upheaval (Imperial Version): 2, 306 - Jahara, Land Of The Garif: 2, 303 - Sorrow (Imperial Version): 2, 308 - The Golmore Jungle: 2, 311 - Chocobo ~FFXII Version~: 2, 314 - Abandoning Power: 2, 324 - The Mosphoran Highwaste: 2, 403 - The Port Of Balfonheim: 2, 405 - The Zertinan Caverns: 2, 407 - The Forgotten Capital: 2, 417 - The End Of The Battle: 2, 101 - Loop Demo: 1, 111 - The Dream To Be A Sky Pirate: 1, 126 - Parting With Penelo: 1, 116 - Coexistence (Imperial Version): 1, 119 - Rabanastre Downtown: 1, 121 - Quiet Determination: 1, 215 - Basch's Reminiscence: 1, 203 - Victory Fanfare ~FFXII Version~: 1, 204 – Abyss: 1, 210 - Battle Drum: 1, 225 - The Tomb Of Raithwall: 1, 312 - An Imminent Threat: 1, 315 - The Stillshrine Of Miriam: 1, 316 - Time For A Rest: 1, 320 – Destiny: 1, 409 - Ashe's Theme: 1, 413 - To The Peak: 1, 414 - The Sky Fortress Bahamut: 1, 419 - Kiss Me Good-Bye -featured In FINAL FANTASY XII-: 1, 421 - Theme Of FINAL FANTASY XII (Production Announcement Version): 0, 415 - Shaking Bahamut: 0, 410 - Giruvegan's Mystery: 0, 404 – Nap: 0, 310 - You're Really A Child...: 0, 223 - State Of Emergency: 0, 221 - The Dreadnought Leviathan Bridge: 0, 219 - Dark Night (Imperial Version): 0, 218 - The Secret Of Nethicite: 0, 216 - Coexistence (Liberation Army Version): 0, 209 - The Barbarians: 0, 205 - Dark Clouds (Imperial Version): 0, 206 - A Promise With Balflear: 0, 207 - Game Over: 0, 208 - Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison: 0, 201 - The Princess' Vision: 0, 124 - A Small Bargain: 0, 120 - Mission Failed: 0, 117 - Signs Of Change: 0, 118 - Mission Start: 0, 108 - A Small Happiness: 0, 106 - Auditory Hallucination: 0, 104 - Infiltration: 0

First Round:

313 - Clash On The Big Bridge ~FFXII Version~ 6-8 103 - Opening Movie
309 - Eruyt Village 5-9 401 - The Cerobi Steppe
123 - Clan Headquarters 8-7 302 - Esper Battle
110 - Penelo's Theme 0-11* 113 - The Dalmasca Estersand
211 - Theme Of The Empire 10-0* 112 - Little Rascal
212 - Chocobo FFXII Arrange Ver. 1 2-12 217 - The Skycity Of Bhujerba
220 - A Speechless Battle 5-8 107 - Secret Practice
317 - White Room 10-3 406 - A Land Of Memories
115 - Naivety 13-6 122 - The Dalmasca Westersand
420 - Symphonic Poem “Hope” 8-5 321 - The Sochen Cave Palace
412 - The Beginning Of The End 7-8 319 - The Phon Coast
125 - Giza Plains 1-13 323 - Near The Water
304 - Seeking Power 4-9 202 - Clash Of Swords
105 - Boss Battle 9-1 402 – Esper
418 - Ending Movie 8-0* 318 - The Salikawood
305 - Desperate Fight 7-4 307 - Ozmone Plains

Second Round:

211 - Theme Of The Empire 9-5 123 - Clan Headquarters
107 - Secret Practice 9-5 317 - White Room
319 - The Phon Coast 11-2 217 - The Skycity Of Bhujerba
305 - Desperate Fight 7-9 202 - Clash Of Swords
113 - The Dalmasca Estersand 7-8 323 - Near The Water
401 - The Cerobi Steppe 10-3 103 - Opening Movie
115 - Naivety 13-3 105 - Boss Battle
418 - Ending Movie 4-7 420 - Symphonic Poem “Hope”

Quarter-finals:

115 - Naivety 6-7 420 - Symphonic Poem “Hope”
319 - The Phon Coast 10-5 202 - Clash Of Swords
107 - Secret Practice 0-13 401 - The Cerobi Steppe*
211 - Theme Of The Empire 11-3 323 - Near The Water

Semi-finals:

420 - Symphonic Poem “Hope” 3-9 319 - The Phon Coast
401 - The Cerobi Steppe 7-9 211 - Theme Of The Empire

3rd/4th place:

420 - Symphonic Poem “Hope” 0-11 401 - The Cerobi Steppe*

Final:

211 - Theme Of The Empire 7-9 319 - The Phon Coast

The fifth rumble is NPCs. Here's the line-up:

First Round:

Marquis Ondore 9-2 Pilika
War-chief Supinelu 6-4 Gramis Solidor
Ktjn 6-4 Pirate Olympians
Migelo 7-8 Ba' Gamnan
Gran Kiltias Anastasis 1-10 Moogling Moogles
Old Dalan 3-12 Drace
Mjrn 10-5 Jules
Al-Cid 11-0 Jovy*

Quarter-finals:

Marquis Ondore 7-5 Moogling Moogles
Drace 11-3 Ba'Gamnan
Mjrn 9-3 Ktjn
War-chief Supinelu 5-8 Al-Cid

Semi-finals:

Al-Cid 10-2 Mjrn
Marquis Ondore 10-5 Drace

3rd/4th place:

Mjrn 2-7 Drace

Final:

Al-Cid 9-2 Marquis Ondore

The sixth rumble is Quotes. Line-up:

First Round:

The Sweet Dalmascan Air 7-0 I Do Not Sleep. I Dream.
No Right 5-2 You're Going To Her Aid, And That's That!
The Brothers Match Wits 4-5 The Party Enters The Imperial City Of Archades
Keep your snout in the trough where it belongs 3-10 I'm Captain Basch!
Resistance, Not Insurgence 6-5 I Daresay I've Soiled My Cuffs
All Hail Vaan 2-6 Surprisingly Rude
Dalmasca's Desert Bloom 7-2 The Death of Lord Rossler
Surrender Without Terms 2-9 Some 'Eynah', Or Was it 'Venat'?
Gods know, he deserves it 7-5 Wise Old Dalan
What is it you're after, Balthier? 9-1 That I be considered worthy
The Reins of History 9-2 I want to fight
Bahamut, Lord of the Sky 9-0 Close enough for fisticuffs
Beyond Your Ken! 5-6 The Leading Man Never Dies
Bones/Treasure/Fall 7-0 Unwelcome, Unsought Guest
Believe What You Want To 7-1 Lord Larsa is no puppet
Knocking On The Front Gates VS You Can Never Know Another


Second Round:

I'm Captain Basch! 3-2 Bahamut, Lord of the Sky
The Sweet Dalmascan Air 4-3 Bones/Treasure/Fall
No Right 3-3 The Leading Man Never Dies**
The Party Enters The Imperial City Of Archades 0-6 Believe What You Want To*
Resistance, Not Insurgence 0-6 What is it you're after, Balthier?*
Surprisingly Rude 3-2 Some 'Eynah', Or Was it 'Venat'?
Dalmasca's Desert Bloom 2-4 Gods know, he deserves it
The Reins of History* 5-0 You Can Never Know Another

Quarter Finals:

I'm Captain Basch 3-6 Surprisingly Rude
The Sweet Dalmascan Air 4-7 Believe What You Want To
No Right 5-6 What is it you're after, Balthier?
Gods know, he deserves it 1-8 The Reins of History


Semi Finals:

Surprisingly Rude 4-3 The Reins of History
Believe What You Want To 1-5 What is it you're after, Balthier?

Final:

Surprisingly Rude 6-1 What is it you're after, Balthier?


Third Place: The Reins of History



The seventh rumble was Rare Game! This rumble has been suspended!

Phyllo 2-3 Vagrant Soul
Aeros vs. Fidaliant


The eighth rumble is Location Music!

Round 1:

The Golmore Jungle 2-4 To the Peak
Ashe's Theme 6-0 Giruvegan's Mystery*
The Forgotten Capital Jahara, Land of the Garif
Rabanastre Downtown 4-3 Secret Practice + The Port of Balfonheim
The Skycity of Bhujerba 7-0 A Land of Memories*
The Secret of Nethicite 1-6 The Garamsythe Waterway
The Stilshrine of Miriam 7-0 The Dalmasca Westersand*
The Sandsea 0-6 To the Place of the Gods*
The Dalmasca Estersand 7-4 Clan Headquarters
The Mosphoran Highwaste 6-4 Ozmone Plains
Eruyt Village 3-6 Seeking Power
The Zertinian Caverns 4-3 An Imminent Threat
Naivety 8-1 Giza Plains
The Salikawood 3-5 Near the Water
Theme of the Empire 4-5 The Royal City of Rabanastre
Nalbina Fortress Underground Prison 2-6 Challenging the Empire
The Beginning of the End 6-3 The Cerobi Steppe
The Feywood 2-6 A Moment's Rest
The Phon Coast 5-2 Nalbina Fortress Town Ward
The Sochen Cave Palace 5-2 The Barheim Passage


Round 2:

A Moment's Rest 5-2 Near the Water
Rabanastre Downtown 3-4 Dalmasca Estersand
The Stillshrine of Miriam 2-5 The Phon Coast
The Sochen Cave Palace 1-6 To the Place of the Gods
The Mosphoran Highwaste 4-3 Ashe's Theme
The Forgotten Capital 3-4 Naivety
Seeking Power 5-1 Challenging the Empire
The Skycity of Bhujerba 4-2 The Royal City of Rabanastre
The Zertinian Caverns 4-7 The Garamsythe Waterway
To the Peak 2-7 The Cerobi Steppe


Round 3:


The Mosphoran Highwaste 2-6 Seeking Power
The Garamsythe Waterway 1-7 To the Place of the Gods
A Moment's Rest 6-2 The Skycity of Bhujerba
The Phon Coast 2-4 The Cerobi Steppe
The Dalmasca Estersand 2-5 Naivety
Knocked Out: Seeking Power

Semi-Finals:

To The Place of the Gods 4-3 The Cerobi Steppe
A Moment's Rest 5-2 Naivety

3rd Place - The Cerobi Steppe 4-3 Naivety


Final:

A Moment's Rest 3-5 To The Place of the Gods

*battle ended by knockout
**battle ended in draw, resolved on tcs (no longer used)

I will start the voting with one for Vaan.

I'll take one for Vaan.

I'll go for Vaan.

I hate the both of them.

Voting for Reks . Vaan was basically forced upon Matsuno by SE despite wanting to originally focus on Basch. It was obvious that he didn't think anything of the character since he barely develops after the first 5 hours or so and is basically pushed to the side in favor of the more interesting cast members. At least Reks plays his minor role in the plot as well as you would expect and including him in the opening tutorial was actually a pretty neat idea.

Vaan.

I will be voting for my main party members over all comers, jftr :)

Vaan

Vaan

Vaan

Because Reks was overly under-used ( What about letting us control him again in some other flashback scenes? Or maybe just SHOW him more in one of those scenes?)

Vaan was fun to see grow, and his personality through the game was a comic relief at times (yeah, there was Balthier too, of course).

Vaan

Reks had potential to be a great character, but, like everyone has said, was underused.

Vaan

It hasn't even been five days since the proposal of this rumble, yet things are already moving swimmingly.

Bang-up job, Ceidwad.

Reks, just because he seemed like he was insane or something whenever you see him after the beginning of the game.

Vaan

Vaan. Nobody likes the older brother of a family...

OK, I think we all know which way this fight is going, so I'll stop it now.

Vaan 12 - 2 Reks

The younger brother cruises through to the second round.

Battle 2:

Penelo vs. Montblanc

Penelo

Vaan's friend. Dislikes the Empire, but doesn't believe in stealing from them, unlike Vaan. Tends to be fairly reserved and serious, but also shows an offbeat, playful side occasionally.

Montblanc

The moogle-tastic leader of Clan Centurio, and a snappy dresser into the bargain! Gives you rewards for fulfilling defeating bosses, gaining new hunt ranks and fulfilling other criteria.

FIGHT!

My vote goes to Montblanc in this one.

I'll go for Montblanc.

The leader of Clan Centurio rocks!

Knegative, I know you love Penelo, but stick to text in future. It's just much easier when I come round to counting the votes.

Also, new rule: any votes in the form of pictures will not be counted from here on. :D

Montblanc.

Penelo. :p

Thank you, that's much better.

Montblanc. Pippy-longstockings isn't final fantasy material...

Montblanc


The moogle-tastic leader of Clan Centurio

Easy, Montblanc I've loved him since FFTA.

Montblanc. Penelo follows the series tradition of having at least one throwaway, utterly uninteresting female protagonist.

Montblanc

Penelo, cause cute.

Penelo cos

kneg

montblanc

he is awesome i vote for awesome things

Penelo

penelo

I usually don't vote in these things, but I can't just sit on the sidelines and watch Montblanc's fate be decided without me... ; ; Win, bunnymoogle~!

Penelo.

Penelo!

Penelo.

This is rough. I like Penelo, a lot, but... Montblanc.

Penelo

Penelo

OK, I'm calling sudden death on this one as it's tied at 11-11 after 48 hours. The next vote will decide it.

montblanc

Penelo

Dammit, lol. WhiteMount goes to the next round.

Nice :D

I guess it is kind of weird seeing one of the more major characters in the game lose to someone not as significant to the storyline this early in the rumble. but I am glad because I voted for montblanc!

Good job Goonzilla!

After I called in reinforcements? Damn you Goonzilla, damn yous to hell :mad:

j/k. I feel loved :love: :love: :love: Thank you, everyone. It was a valiant effort.

haha

Penelo 11-12 Montblanc

Despite some questionable rumble ethics from Knegative, Montblanc proceeds to the next round. Hard lines for Penelo, but she went out with a bang at least.

Battle 3:

Balthier vs. Vossler

Balthier

The James Bond of FFXII.

Vossler

Member of the Dalmascan resistance against Archadia. Not sure whether to trust Basch after the announcement by Marquis Ondore.

FIGHT!

Starting with one for Balthier, since Vossler's decision on the Leviathan was handled questionably at best. He rules in battle, but so does Balthier, if you know how to use him.

lolVossler. I'm one of very few people who didn't warm up to Balthier very much in the grand scheme of things. At least he has an adequate sense of humor, however, against Vossler's...

Vossler's...

...

I really don't know.

Please win anyway, Balthier.

Balthier is one of the better characters in the game. Vossler was a pretty decent guest character but Balthier's charisma makes him so much cooler then everyone else.

Balthier. Also, Sudden Death is an interesting idea. I should consider it for my rumble...

Balthier

Never been too fond of traiters.

Balthier

Landslide incoming. Poor Vossler...


...


...


lolVossler.

Balthier

Reminds me of James Bond in a way.

Vossler. Balthier is waaaay too serious.

Balthier

Balthier. I like them both, but Balthier's still better.

Balthier

Balthier. Duh.

Balthier

I really lost the need to vote this round, a landslide is an understatement.

Balthier.

OK, I think I can call an end to this one.

Balthier 14-1 Vossler

The Sky Pirate sails through.

Battle 4:

Ashe vs. Gabranth

Ashe

The deposed princess of Dalmasca. Has no apparent sense of humour, but has a strong desire to do right by her kingdom.

Gabranth

One of the Judges and brother to Basch. Wields a fantastic-looking double edged sword.

FIGHT!

You seem to be biased just by reading at the way you describe some characters.

Ashe


EDIT: It's just that the description is more "Woah' DUDE" for Gabranth. But yeah, voting for Ashe is a way to counter that... somehow.

My vote in an extremely close call goes to Ashe, because I think she really develops well towards the end. Gabranth is great too, but you just don't see enough of him. If he had featured in more scenes, he may have nicked this one.

You seem to be biased just by reading at the way you describe some characters.

It's true though, Ashe does have no sense of humour. I am not being biased (I mean, I actually voted for Ashe) but just stating a fact. If you would care to disprove/debate that fact, you're free to start another thread but for God's sake don't start an off-topic debate in here. This is a rumble.

Don't reply to this. I don't want to have to argue in this thread. If you do reply, I'll just ignore it. If you absolutely must debate it, PM me.

Gabranth is one of the most developed characters in the game and by far the most developed villain. Plus he has the best character design. Ashe was pretty cool too but only really begins to shine in the last 10 hour or so. Plus I think Yoshida took a page from Nomura's book when it came to her character design, which is never a good thing.

Tossing another towards Gabranth.

Gabranth...developed? Eh. I dunno what to say about this one, but I can't not vote for Ashe~

Ashe; no competition for me. Dunno why :S

Gabranth. I can't not vote for someone with a sword as amazing as his.

Ashe

Gabranth.


is one of the most developed characters in the game and by far the most developed villain. Plus he has the best character design. Ashe was pretty cool too but only really begins to shine in the last 10 hour or so. Plus I think Yoshida took a page from Nomura's book when it came to her character design, which is never a good thing.

Ashe is copycat with ridculously skimpy clothes for a warrior and Gabranth is what Balthier should have been.

Ashe

Gabranth didn't play enough of a role.

Ashe

Gabranth

Gabranth

Gabranth is one of the most developed characters in the game and by far the most developed villain. Plus he has the best character design. Ashe was pretty cool too but only really begins to shine in the last 10 hour or so. Plus I think Yoshida took a page from Nomura's book when it came to her character design, which is never a good thing.

Agreeing.

My vote goes to Gabranth.

Ashe. Main party, yada, yada, yada.

Ashe

Ashe

Ashe

A reasonably close battle, but I think Ashe has stretched far enough ahead to merit ending it now.

Ashe 12-7 Gabranth

Dalmasca's Desert Bloom triumphs over the Imperial Judge.

Battle 5:

Basch vs. Venat

Basch

The former Dalmascan soldier trying to prove his innocence to his public and his princess. Looks awesome when equipped with a Claymore.

Venat

The 'fallen angel' of the Occuria, he assists Cid and Vayne throughout the game.

FIGHT!

Voting for Basch in this one.

I'm not a big fan of Basch but being a protagonist he still saw some development (although mainly in the beginning) and his relationship with Gabranth was sort of interesting. Venat is never really developed to the degree he should have been. They never bother to explain why he would betray his own race and aid the humes in the first place and leaving central plot points like that ambiguous is pretty sloppy.

:) I'll definitely take one for Basch!

Basch.

Venat wasn't exploited enough to be any threat to Sir Basch Fon Ronsenburg!

Basch

The true hero of the story, and original spartan~ Basch.

Basch

Basch

Didn't even know the occurians had their own names.

Basch

Oh I'm stupid, thought Basch was Balthier in the previous round. So again, Basch is waaay too serious. Venat enjoys his godliness merrily.

Basch

Basch

Basch 12-1 Venat

Not much of a contest there. The captain sees off the Occurian without much fuss.

Battle 6:

Vayne vs. Fran

Vayne

The Lord Consul of Dalmasca, and later leader of the Empire.

Fran

Balthier's partner. Takes care of the Strahl's maintenance. Joins your party after the events in the Royal Palace.

FIGHT!

Voting for Vayne here, as Fran was developed poorly in comparison with the other main characters, except maybe Penelo. She didn't really play enough of a role in the plot considering she's a full time member of your party. Some guests played a bigger role, to be honest. She does own in battle, but that isn't enough to get my vote.

I'm going to have to go with Vayne too, for similar reasons. Besides, Vayne was an interesting deviation from the normal villain formula.

I'm also voting for Vayne. His characterization wasn't anywhere near as good as previous villains in the series but at least having an antagonistic anti-hero was an interesting idea. Plus he does see some minor development towards the very end. Fran is...not a terrible character I guess, but there really isn't anything notable about her. They obviously wanted to put a non-human character in the game (FF has a substantial furry fanbase maybe?) yet couldn't think of a more interesting backstory then "was outcast from her village for some reason". I mean really, that's the same backstory EVERY humanoid character has. And the game doesn't actually explore why she left anyway. That makes her a worst character then Kimahri. Kimahri!

Vayne

Fran

Just wondering, does anyone know how the Viera reproduce? They all appear to be female.

"Top-notch man seed," or so I read in another thread around here.

Vayne

Vayne

Vayne

Fran

Vayne


Just a comment about him. ThroneOfOminous said that his characterisation wasn't as good as some other villains from past entries. I remember Kefka being the number one choice for the "best FF villain ever", yet all he have for himself is a psychotic behavior with almost no lines. Vayne was at least twice better characterised wirh more subtleties. He may not have the charisma of a Kefka or a Kuja (and should I recall people that charisma and characterisation are 2 different things) but his motives were well developed throughout the game. It wasn't the typical "I want to rule the world" villain, and for all that, he was a fresh take on a villain.

Fran, the stiletto heels-donning, anthropomorphic rabbit with "Bj�rk's voice" ftw.

Vayne 8-4 Fran

A low turnout on this one. Vayne comes through it with relative ease.

Battle 7:

Larsa vs. Marquis Ondore

Larsa

Younger brother of Vayne. Joins your party on a few occasions.

Marquis Ondore

Bhujerban leader. Plays a part in the resistance against the Empire in secret, despite trying to uphold a smokescreen making it look like he is co-operating with them.

FIGHT!

I simply have to vote for Larsa here.

Larsa

I don't know. Larsa I guess, but neither of them really left an impression on me.

I'm with Larsa. Cool dude.

Larsa. I was expecting him to turn towards the end, even against Vayne, and so he always came across to me as being a very cunning and evil young man. Good for him. Even though that didn't happen I still found him interesting enough from his introduction to the end.

I never thought much of Ondore except how I hated the voice actors' choice of saying "mar-kwiss" rather than "mar-kee". Meh. >.>

Larsa. I didn't really like either of them, but I disliked Ondore more.

I liked Ondore =(

Larsa, as he was my favourite character in the game.

Larsa

He was pretty helpful in the Lhusu Mines.

Larsa


At the very least, his voice actor was actually able to ACT!

Loves me some, Larsa.

OK, time to end this one.

Larsa 10-1 Marquis Ondore

An easy win for Larsa.

Battle 8:

Reddas vs. Dr. Cid

Reddas

A pirate from Balfonheim Port. Joins your party to exorcise his demons regarding Nabudis.

Dr. Cid

The barmy boffin of Vayne's nethicite research team. Wields a pair of guns, as well as a variety of technological and magical gizmos.

FIGHT!

Difficult one, probably have to say Reddas though.

Reddas. Cid was annoying and ugly.

Cid...the most entertaining one yet in my eyes, even over Mr. Highwind. A fun boss battle as well.

Reddas's significance was in his death and nothing else. To me he was just another guest in the party I'd kill off just so he wouldn't rush in foolishly and mess up my plans. >.>

Oh yeah, I forgot to vote. Doctor Cid for me. Reddas was an OK character I suppose, but I just felt like I barely knew anything about him beyond the most basic things. He really should have been introduced a little earlier, so you could get to know a bit more about him.

Reddas. Interesting factoid: Did you guys know that the actor that did his voice in the Engrish version was Phil LaMarr from MAD TV? Yeah. http://posters.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0482851/HH/0482851/Headshot2.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=LaMarr,%20Phil

Actually, I liked Dr. C too, though. Tough decision.

Reddas, only because he gave up his life to help you and kill Dr. Cid

Reddas, w/o a doubt.

Reddas. Interesting factoid: Did you guys know that the actor that did his voice in the Engrish version was Phil LaMarr from MAD TV?

That's a scary picture actually, wierd ex-druggy smile, like the Joker, The Dark Knight's gonna rock! Not.

Okay, now I can't ever see Reddas again without picturing him in a UPS outfit dancing around like a spazoid. Good job, Terabyte.

Doctor Cid

Reddas, w/o a doubt.

Man, toughest one yet. I'm going to have to go with Doctor Cid, simply because I can't resist his character type.

Dr. Cid

I'm voting Doctor Cid. I found him a great opponent/enemy to face in fights with his awesome weaponry. And I loved his role in the story. At first you just think he's talking to himself, but later you find out what's going on. I loved that.

OK, another one goes to Sudden Death. The next vote to be cast will win it.

Dr Cid

OK, that vote from manzi ends the battle in Cid's favour.

Reddas 6-7 Dr. Cid

Cid squeaks through on sudden death and joins Vaan, Montblanc, Balthier, Ashe, Basch, Vayne, and Larsa in round 2, which will begin shortly, once I've done the draw. To view the match-ups, check the first page.

OK, the second round has been drawn and will begin now.

Round 2, Battle 1:

Vaan vs. Montblanc

Vaan

The main character of FFXII. You encounter him just after you finish the scene with Reks. He is hates the Empire-but show me the true Dalmascan who doesn't? Came through the first round with an easy victory against Reks.

Montblanc

The moogle-tastic leader of Clan Centurio, and a snappy dresser into the bargain! Gives you rewards for fulfilling defeating bosses, gaining new hunt ranks and fulfilling other criteria. Qualified for round 2 by edging the hardest-fought contest in round 1, no doubt in part due to Knegative's 'tactics', 12-11 against Penelo.

Anyway,

FIGHT!

Montblanc by a country mile for me.

Man, they both should have went through ;o

EDIT: Montblanc

Montblanc. ^-')b

Montblanc. No contest.

Vaan

Hey, cool, second round. Montblanc

Vaan

Montblanc realest moogle ever

Montblanc.

Montblanc

because he's a
snappy dresser

Montblanc definitely.

Vaan

vaan

Monblanc.

Bringing this one to a close now as Vaan seems to be unable to mount a comeback.

Montblanc 10-4 Vaan

The moogle marches on.

Round 2, Battle 2:

Vayne vs. Ashe

Vayne

The Lord Consul of Dalmasca, and later leader of the Empire. Overcame Fran in the first round, winning 8-4.

Ashe

The deposed princess of Dalmasca. Has no apparent sense of humour, but has a strong desire to do right by her kingdom. Won her first round match 12-7 against Gabranth.

FIGHT!

This is a difficult call, but I have to go for Ashe.

I'll go for Vayne here. A really deep villain that isn't out just for world domination.

Ashe was also great, but I think Vayne was more developed.

Ashe

Vayne. Ashe kinda blew as a character.

Ashe :) With Penelo and Vaan gone, she's all I've got :)

Ashe

Ashe. Love that Yuna-licious classical version of companion.

Vayne, simply because the lineup doesn't have enough villains.

Yeah, I have to go with Vayne on this one. I'm not a big Ashe fan.

vayne

Ashe

Vayne.

OK, I feel Vayne's had enough of a chance to take this one to sudden death now, but he hasn't got the one vote he needed, so Ashe goes through.

Vayne 6-7 Ashe

Round 2, Battle 3:

Balthier vs. Dr. Cid

Balthier

The James Bond of FFXII. Won a hugely one-sided contest 14-1 against Vossler in the first round.

Dr. Cid

The barmy boffin of Vayne's nethicite research team. Wields a pair of guns, as well as a variety of technological and magical gizmos. Just barely made it into round 2 after a close win against Reddas.

Fight!

Going to vote for Doctor Cid here, though I've a feeling I may be in the minority.

Balthier

Balthier

But it was a close call.

Father against son, eh. Obviously Cid doesn't have a chance in this one, but I'm still rooting for him. Go Cid.

I'm with Balthier on this one.

Balthier

Balthier

Balthier

He's very suave and has a good attitude towards everything.

Balthier and his charm receive my vote.

Baltheir.

Balthier

Hard one, but i'll go with the old man, Dr. Cid

Doctor Cid

Balthier 9-4 Doctor Cid

Balthier wins that one fairly comfortably.

Round 2, Battle 4.

Basch vs. Larsa

Basch

The former Dalmascan soldier trying to prove his innocence to his public and his princess. Got through the first round in a landslide, winning 12-1 against Venat.

Larsa

Younger brother of Vayne. Joins your party on a few occasions. Another to have won comfortably in the first round, 10-1 against Marquis Ondore.

Won't be updating this tomorrow for reasons which don't exactly require a detective to work out, but I'll be back on the 26th for the semi-finals. I anticipate a close contest here anyway, which means it may well have gone 48 hours in normal conditions.

Anyway, Fight!

My vote in what I hope will be a good contest goes to Larsa. That said, Basch was one of the better full time members of your party, more developed than Vaan, Penelo and Fran, certainly. However, Larsa was better develped than all four of them and was also extremely useful for doing hunts and bosses the second time he joins you from Jahara, due to his unlimitied supply of Hi-Potions.

Larsa

Another for Larsa

At first he seemed like an annoying brat but I eventually got used to his character.

As much as I like Larsa, I have to give some support to Basch.

Larsa. I know, I know. Shocking, but true.

Basch. A more effective main party member character imo with not just quickenings but cool quickenings (Flame Purge!).

Basch

Larsa

Basch.

Basch.

I'll give this one another day I think. 6-5 to Basch at the moment, but I'm sure there are plenty of others who will vote in this one but are just busy with their festive plans.

Of course I'll vote! :P

Well, I'm going for Basch here.

Larsa was also great, and it'll sadden me to see him leave so early in the rumble.

Basch. One of the better protagonists.

Basch because when I first played with Larsa in the party I thought he was a girl character

Basch, but not by much.

OK, well I think this one's run a lot longer than it should have, so I'll end it now. I expected more votes to be honest, given the popularity of the two characters, which was why I let it go on a while.

Anyway,

Basch 10-5 Larsa

The captain goes through.

Semi-finals coming up shortly.

OK, the draw for the semi-finals is done. Balthier takes on Montblanc and Ashe is against Basch.

Without further ado let's get cracking with the first battle.

Balthier vs. Montblanc

Balthier

The James Bond of FFXII. Reached the semis courtesy of 14-1 and 9-4 wins over Vossler and Doctor Cid respectively, for a total cumulative score of 18.

Montblanc

The moogle-tastic leader of Clan Centurio, and a snappy dresser into the bargain! Gives you rewards for fulfilling defeating bosses, gaining new hunt ranks and fulfilling other criteria. Won 12-11 and 10-4 in previous rounds against Penelo and Vaan, making a tcs of 7.

Fight!

Balthier gets my vote here. Montblanc was cool, but that's all. He has no major relevance to the story, and the main reason he got my vote in previous rounds was because he was up against two opponents who suffered from the same handicap.

Montblanc. Plushy vs man-whore.

Montblanc

I think this will be the hardest fight for me overall. They are both some of my favorite characters and I had a hard time choosing.

Balthier

My favorite character in FFXII (predictable huh? Well he's just that great! :P)

Balthier.

There were other main characters that interested me more, so Montblanc.

Balthier

Balthier

Montblanc.

Montblanc because the FFXII moogles were the best by far.

Montblanc because the FFXII moogles were the best by far.

Even though I voted for Balthier, I have to agree to that. They were great in IX and Mog from VI is probably the best of the lot, but the lot of them in FF XII were quite charming and I enjoyed seeing them evolve through the story. They had an actual society going on, and I was happy to see many of them. Especially Tetran, which reminded me of Stiltzkin form IX.


(Sorry Ceidwad... I just couldn't help commenting on that. Even if it's mostly pointless. ^^)

Hah, no-one's going to yell at you for making one loosely off-topic post in the thread. Just don't go on a massive tangent, or start any rows, and you'll be OK.

Also, Tetran and Stiltzkin were sort of similar, but Stilzkin > Tetran, by a long way, in my opinion.

Back on topic anyway.........6-5 to Balthier. Keep getting those votes in, I'll give this another 24 hours I think.

Balthier because he's good with a gun...or something


As for moogles being the best, I think they were only good in FFIX before animal research labs started putting clothing on them(which I think is inhumane...)

Both of them are brilliantly designed and written, but Balthier is more important to the plot. And he gets the sexy vote.

I have to vote for Balthier, he is the best male character of the game by far. He's justo so cool at all times.

OK, Balthier's lead seems to be unassailable now, so it's time to end this one.

Balthier 9-5 Montblanc

James Bond v.2 triumphs over Stiltzkin v.2. Balthier will be in the final, Montblanc goes into the third place play-off.

Second semi-final:

Basch vs. Ashe

Ashe

The deposed princess of Dalmasca. Has no apparent sense of humour, but has a strong desire to do right by her kingdom. Won 12-7 and 7-6 in previous rounds, giving her a total cumulative score of 6.

Basch

The former Dalmascan soldier trying to prove his innocence to his public and his princess. Boasts an impressive tcs of 16 thanks to 12-1 and 10-5 wins in previous rounds.

Fight!

I've not had an easy time picking a winner here but I think Ashe plays more of an important role in the plot as opposed to Basch who is only important to the early and latter parts of the plot, and tends to lose a bit of relevance in the middle.

Basch Ashe was an egotistical cliche "fallen princess". Her whole disposition irritated me.

Basch

Basch...at least he has the courtesy wears pants in the game

Ashe is a better developed character then Basch, especially towards the end. I also have to give Matsuno props for writing a young female lead that didn't fall into the usual stereotypical groups of being either naive and introverted or tomboyish and outspoken. There is a certain bitterness to Ashe which complements her backstory delightfully.

Ashe

I can't believe Montblanc lost.

Ashe

Definitely Basch.

Ashe

Ashe

Basch

Basch Ashe was an egotistical cliche "fallen princess". Her whole disposition irritated me.

Agree

Basch

Basch. You can trust him to just do the job instead of being babysat.

Well, it's locked at 7-7 right now. Remember that in the later rounds, sudden death isn't implemented, but the margin of victory in previous rounds in taken into account to decide the winner in the event of a tie. This is ending at the 48 hour mark just to keep the rumble running smoothly, so at it stands Basch is going through with the superior tcs. You have approximately 4 and 1/2 hours left to get your votes in.

OK, no one has voted and the 48 hours are up, so Basch goes through to the final alongside Balthier.

But first I think we should decide 3rd and 4th.

3rd/4th place play-off:

Montblanc vs. Ashe

Montblanc

The moogle-tastic leader of Clan Centurio, and a snappy dresser into the bargain! Gives you rewards for fulfilling defeating bosses, gaining new hunt ranks and fulfilling other criteria. Won 12-11 and 10-4 in previous rounds against Penelo and Vaan, but lost out in the semi-finals against Balthier by 9-5. Therefore has a tcs of 3.

Ashe

The deposed princess of Dalmasca. Has no apparent sense of humour, but has a strong desire to do right by her kingdom. Won 12-7 and 7-6 in previous rounds, but it wasn't enough to see off Basch in the tied semi-final, as he had a superior tcs. Ashe does hold an advantage in the event of a tie in this match though, having a tcs of 6 to Montblanc's 3.

Let the fight for 3rd place begin!

My vote goes to Ashe, more or less for the same reason I voted against Montblanc in the last round. Ashe is simply more relevant to the plot.

Ashe, deserved to win =(

Ashe

Ashe

Deciding 3rd and 4th, eh? Interesting idea. Well, let me the first in this battle to vote for Montblanc.

Deciding 3rd and 4th, eh? Interesting idea. Well, let me the second in this battle to vote for Montblanc.

Ashe

Ashe.

Oi this is actually a hard one for me. I loved both Ashe and Montblanc for various reasons.

Gonna have to vote for Ashe though. Simply because Montblanc wasn't all that important to the story. Sure he's a great character, but Ashe is more important.

Montblanc

I doubt he will win this battle though.