Vaan was conceptualized as the main character for Final Fantasy XII in order to contrast the older hero from Square's previous title Vagrant Story as a result of negative feedback received by fans. Critical reception to Vaan's character has been mixed as a result of his lack of involvement with Final Fantasy XII's plot, although various video game publications still found him likable.
The protagonist of Final Fantasy XII, Vaan is a 17-year-old orphaned street urchin who lost his parents in a plague when he was 12 years old.[3] His only brother, Reks, died two years prior to the start of the game, during the Archadian invasion of Dalmasca. He makes a living as Migelo's assistant, running various errands for him, while at the same time pickpocketing from Archadian soldiers while claiming to take back what is Dalmasca's.[4] He is a cheerful and energetic boy. Vaan dreams of someday becoming a sky pirate in command of his own airship.[5] He trains to meet this goal by killing dire rats in the sewers of Rabanastre on a daily basis, for which Dalan gave him the nickname "Vaan Ratsbane".[6] Despite nominally being the protagonist, the majority of the game focuses on the events and conflicts of the world as a whole and of Ashe, rather than Vaan's individual problems, with his character instead used as a narrative device to allow the player to follow the events as an outside observer.[7] During the course of the game, Vaan comes to understand that he has spent his time running from his problems and blaming the Archadian empire for them, rather than moving on with his life after his brother and parents' deaths.[8] Vaan ends the game as a sky pirate, traveling the world along with Penelo. He also reprises his role from Final Fantasy XII in the manga adaptation by Gin Amou.[9]
During the events of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, Vaan becomes captain of the Airship Galbana and uses it to travel to Lemurés, meeting old friends while making new ones. By Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift Vaan's and Penelo's adventures take them to the Jylland region of Ivalice, where they get caught up in events surrounding Clan Gully and a boy from another world named Luso Clemens, eventually joining up with the clan for a time.[10]
Kouhei Takeda's work as Vaan's voice actor and motion capture affected his characterization.
Yasumi Matsuno added Vaan and Penelo to be male and female avatar characters for the player in Final Fantasy XII. They would see and learn about Ivalice in sync with the player over the course of the game but would not be deeply connected to the story.[12] The development team explained that their previous game, Vagrant Story, which featured a "strong man in his prime" as the protagonist had been unsuccessful and unpopular; the change regarding Final Fantasy XII from a "big and tough" protagonist to a more effeminate one was thus decided after targeting demographics were considered.[13] Although originally conceived as more "rugged", Vaan was changed during development of the game to be more effeminate after "taking into consideration the target demographic". He was designed by character designer Akihiko Yoshida to look Asian.[14] In response to criticism from Western fans regarding Vaan's design executive producer Akitoshi Kawazu noted that while several members from the development team were not feeling Vaan was the right main character owing to his young age, it was common for Japanese RPG to start with an inexperienced characters who grow across the game.[15]
Motomu Toriyama, the writer and director of Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, picked Vaan as his favourite character in the game.[16] In the making of the high-definition of XII, the staff reflected on how "weak" and unreliable he was in the original game. However, they jokingly discussed together that ten years later, he could become more appealing than Balthier, a character Square found appealing.[17] Wanting characters who could appeal to long-term fans and new fans, the team incorporated Vaan and Penelo in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift.[18] Vaan's appearance, which was supposed to mirror that of Balthier, was suggested by Hiroaki Kato.[19] In Dissidia, he is featured in his Final Fantasy XII design, while alternative ones depict him as in Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, a new one by Yoshitaka Amano and another one featuring him as sea pirate by Akihiko Yoshida.[20][21][22] Another Final Fantasy XII centered-title, only known as Fortress, was in plans by Square Enix but was cancelled; in this video game, Vaan would remain with Penelo and live quiet lives due to the plot being more focused on other characters from the previous games, most notably Ashe, Larsa and Basch.[23]
Vaan was voiced in Final Fantasy XII by Bobby Edner in English and by Kouhei Takeda in Japanese. With the casting of Takeda for the voice acting and motion capture, Vaan became a little less feminine and more "active, upbeat bright and positive" than planned.[13][24] In the making of the English version, some lines involving Vaan had to be changed for its release but without the loss of the real information.[25] When asked how he compares to other Final Fantasy protagonists, Hideo Minaba said that due in part to being designed by a different character designer than before, he did not feel he could be compared to any other Final Fantasy character.[24] Vaan's inclusion in Dissidia 012 met difficulties due to the fact Takeda was busy with other works to voice him. However, following a Japanese popularity survey, the staff in charge hired Kenshō Ono to replace Takeda as fans wanted him to appear in Dissidia 012.[26]
Reception
The similarities between Vaan's design and that of Tetsuya Nomura's characters have been criticized, which artist Akihiko Yoshida noted was likely due to the similar colours used.[27] In the book Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough, he is described by Greg Littmann as a pick pocket and, unlike many of Final Fantasy's protagonists, lacking in a "sense of honesty and justice".[28]GameSpot editor Greg Kasavin described Vaan as the "token androgynous male lead", also describing him as an "Aladdin-type".[29]G4 TV editor Greg Orlando described him as "eminently likable" due to the game's focus on "political intrigue" and Vaan trying to understand it all.[30] Cyril Lachel of GamingNexus said that while he was not a fan of Vaan, he was surprised by how his story turned out.[31]1UP.com editor Andrew Pfister stated that while everyone was expecting to hate what he describes as an "angsty teen", this is "tempered by the presence of Balthier and Basch", two fellow characters.[32]Kotaku's Jason Schreier considered Vaan and Penelo the game's weak points as they compared them with other characters such as Balthier and Asche whose actions were "interesting".[33] Christian Nutt of GamesRadar made fun of the character in an article about the best Final Fantasy heroes stating that Vaan would definitely not be included.[34] Meanwhile, USGamer simply described him as a stereotypical character often seen in anime series aimed at young people.[35] Schreier went harsher, to the point of making a podcast titled "Vaan Really Sucks" as he and his partner interacted about video games.[36]DualShockers thought that Vaan was one of the "most misunderstood Final Fantasy protagonist" and stated that it "was actually the most important character in his story."[37]
His lessened involvement with the plot compared to protagonists from preceding Final Fantasy titles was met with mixed reception. Destructoid editor Aaron Linde described him as "arguably the most uninspiring character in the game".[38]Play.tm editor Andrew Macarthy described Vaan as an "undescribing figure".[39]Eurogamer editor Rob Fahey opined that while "players may initially be somewhat dismayed to find themselves largely following around the cheerful prettyboy Vaan", the game introduces new characters who "fill out the cast superbly".[40]PSX Extreme editor Cavin Smith commented that due to the game not focusing on just one character, Vaan "spends the entire game as an observer of the events unfolding in front of him", adding that it is a "far different take on the protagonist compared to Nomura's egocentric tendencies".[41]Daily Collegian was harsher to the point of listing him as one of the most useless characters in the franchise due to his lack of appeal most notably in comparison to the party members from his game.[42]PALGN editor Phil Larsen called him a "rogue-ish bad boy with a heart of gold", adding that "while this may seem clichéd at first, Vaan is always presented as extremely young and never tries to control every situation", citing Tidus as an example of someone who does.[43] Worthplaying editor Agustin described the set-up as being "Dragon Quest-like", and that while he acts as a vehicle for players to view the plot through, he compared him to critically acclaimed characters Crono and Link from the Chrono Trigger and The Legend of Zelda series respectively.[7]
Bobby Edner's portrayal of Vaan has been met with mostly positive reception. Cavin Smith praised his acting, stating that he sounds like an actual teenager without sounding whiny.[41] Agustin praised the developers for giving Vaan a voice actor, commenting that it prevents any awkward silences from a silent protagonist. He added however that Vaan is "decidedly quiet", owing to many of the conversations not requiring his input, which Agustin called a "brilliant interactive storytelling device".[7] His design change from Final Fantasy XII to Revenant Wings was criticized by RPGFan editor Patrick Gann, for going from a teenage design to what appears to be the design of a 10-year-old Vaan.[44] Rémi Lopez in the book La Légende Final Fantasy XII et Ivalice noted that Vaan is a character who has a chaotic creation that brought him chance to the throne as hero of the main protagonist wothout affecting hois attributes. He further said that despite the cheerful and naivety specific to many of the main characters of the Japanese RPG, Vaan doesn't lack certain characteristics because even if Vaan is 15 years old that knows nothing of the outside world and a philosophy to boil down friendships, he will still be able ti gather around characters on different ages and seeing in him the makings of the leader born despite his youth.[45]
^Square Enix (October 3, 2006). Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2). Square Enix. Vaan: A lot of kids lost their parents in the war. Mine- mine had already died before that. The Plague took them both. / Basch: I'm sorry. I didn't know. / Vaan: It's okay. It's been five years now. After that, I lived with my friend Penelo and her family.
^Square Enix (October 3, 2006). Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2). Square Enix. Penelo: I thought that this money was the people of Dalmasca's property. The Imperials stole it from us, so it's only fair that we take it back. It's our duty as Dalmascans. Well, wasn't that what you said?
^Square Enix (2006-10-31). Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2). Square Enix. Vaan: One of these days I'll fly an airship of my own. I'll be a sky pirate, free to go where I will.
^Square Enix (October 31, 2006). Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2). Square Enix. Old Dalan: Now the right takes Vaan Ratsbane to his territorial hunting grounds in the sewerbottom.
^Square Enix (October 31, 2006). Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2). Square Enix. Vaan: Hating the Empire, getting revenge. It's all I ever thought about. But I never did anything about it. I mean, I realized there was nothing I could do. It made me feel hollow, alone. And then I'd miss my brother. I'd say stuff like "I'm gonna be a Sky Pirate" ... or some other stupid thing. Just anything to keep my mind off it. I was just—I was running away. I needed to get away from his death. That's why I followed you. Know what? I'm through with it. I'm through running. I'm ready to find my purpose. To find some real answers—some reasons. If I stick with you, I think I will.
^Winkler, Chris (2003-12-04). "RPGFan Previews - Final Fantasy XII". RPGFan. Preview First Look. Archived from the original on 2018-01-17. Retrieved 2009-10-20. Critics argue the designs of main characters Ashe and Vaan were mere copies of Tetsuya Nomura's popular style. In an interview, Yoshida refuted the criticism, pointing to his use of new colors as the possible reason for the comparisons.
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