Vivi Orunitia
Encyclopedia
, is a fictional user of black magic
in the Final Fantasy
series, and a main protagonist of Final Fantasy IX
. His appearance is directly based on the black mage characters from various other Final Fantasy
games. As a result, he is garbed in blue, wears a tall yellow hat, and has no facial features beyond a set of yellow eyes. He did not have a voice until Kingdom Hearts II
, where he is voiced by Ikue Otani
and Melissa Disney
in the Japanese and English versions respectively. The Kingdom Hearts II incarnation of Vivi was designed by Tetsuya Nomura
. Vivi was created after the plot of Final Fantasy IX was complete, which was unlike previous titles such as Final Fantasy VII
and VIII
, which had their protagonists designed before their stories. Because he was a key character to the plot, part of the world design was centered on him.
Since appearing in Final Fantasy IX, Vivi has received largely positive reception. He has been featured in several pieces of merchandise, including a figurine. He was referred to as an emotionally engaging character by Edge
editor Margaret Robertson, while IGN
listed him as the second best Final Fantasy character, citing his simple design. Game Critics editor Erin Bell, while finding the rest of the cast to be largely uneven, found Vivi to stand out due to large portions of the plot being about him.
It is later revealed that Black Mages are mindless footsoldiers, manufactured by Kuja who supplies them to Queen Brahne in order to help her conquer the Mist Continent. The Black Mages are larger than Vivi and wear purple jackets instead of blue ones like his. Vivi desperately wishes to find out the truth about his origins and the reason for his existence, fearing his purpose is nothing more than to be a soulless killing machine. He also does not understand why he is different from the rest of the Black Mages. The truth is revealed to him by Kuja and the Black Mages in the Black Mage Village later on in the game. He learns that most Black Mages "stop" after one year, equivalent to death in humans. A conversation with the Black Mage leader suggests that Vivi was the black mage prototype built to "last longer." Vivi's history prior to traveling to Alexandria was he fell out of a cargo ship, and a Qu, Quina's race, adopts him. Vivi refers to him as his grandpa. They lived in a cave near Treno. However, Vivi's grandfather eventually died. Probably prompting Vivi to leave his home and travel to Alexandria.
Vivi himself does not appear in the epilogue cutscenes. Instead, five other black mages who look exactly like him appear at the celebration in Alexandria, one of whom identifies himself to Puck as "Vivi's son." Aside from this statement, Vivi's fate remains unknown.
/Square Enix crossover Kingdom Hearts II
. However, the Vivi in Kingdom Hearts II does not seem to show any of the magical abilities of his FFIX counterpart, nor is referred to as a Black Mage. Vivi is apparently a member of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee led by Seifer Almasy, though it is said that he is not so much a member as someone who ends up doing Seifer's biddings due to his meekness. The virtual simulation of Vivi's was briefly used on occasion by several Nobodies
in order to do battle with Roxas. He is also a notable playable character in Itadaki Street Special. He makes minor appearances in manuals for both Dissidia Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Origins.
, Vivi has received largely positive reception, being featured as a figurine multiple times. During the 2006 Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, Edge
editor Margaret Robertson used Vivi as an example of an emotionally engaging character in the Final Fantasy
series, stating that gamers knew that something tragic would happen with Vivi in the end. He ranked second on IGN's top 25 best Final Fantasy characters list, saying he has the best of both the old and the new, praising him for having the depth and conflict found in recent Final Fantasy titles, but also having the simple charm and adventurous spirit of the original titles. They described him as endearing, due in part to Yoshitaka Amano
's Black Mage design, as well as sympathetic due to his search for his purpose in the world. IGN
editor David Smith called Vivi a welcome change from previous Black Mage characters, who before Vivi, were usually generic. He added that he enjoyed finding a "charming personality underneath that floppy hat", and while his evolution is a little predictable, he enjoys rooting for the underdogs. GameSpot
editor Andrew Vestal stated that almost every character in Final Fantasy IX had an amusing personality trait, and that Vivi's trait is being clumsy and angsty. Game Critics editor Erin Bell described the cast of Final Fantasy IX as being largely uneven, though praising Vivi as feeling real to players due to his large portions of the game's plot devoted to him. Gaming Age editor Jim Cordeira stated that he loved Vivi, and wanted to uncover as much as he could about his life and story.
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series, and a main protagonist of Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
. His appearance is directly based on the black mage characters from various other Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
games. As a result, he is garbed in blue, wears a tall yellow hat, and has no facial features beyond a set of yellow eyes. He did not have a voice until Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, where he is voiced by Ikue Otani
Ikue Otani
is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Tokyo, most famous as the voice of Pikachu in the Pokémon anime series and products and the voice of Tony Tony Chopper in the manga and anime series One Piece. She is currently attached to Mausu Promotion...
and Melissa Disney
Melissa Disney
Melissa Disney is a voiceover artist, actress, singer/songwriter, writer, and film producer. She is the daughter of Louise Gallagher and granddaughter of silent actress Tara Gallagher, and is a distant relative to Walt Disney. She voices the title character Ginger Foutley in the animated cartoon...
in the Japanese and English versions respectively. The Kingdom Hearts II incarnation of Vivi was designed by Tetsuya Nomura
Tetsuya Nomura
is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...
. Vivi was created after the plot of Final Fantasy IX was complete, which was unlike previous titles such as Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
and VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, which had their protagonists designed before their stories. Because he was a key character to the plot, part of the world design was centered on him.
Since appearing in Final Fantasy IX, Vivi has received largely positive reception. He has been featured in several pieces of merchandise, including a figurine. He was referred to as an emotionally engaging character by Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
editor Margaret Robertson, while IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed him as the second best Final Fantasy character, citing his simple design. Game Critics editor Erin Bell, while finding the rest of the cast to be largely uneven, found Vivi to stand out due to large portions of the plot being about him.
Appearances
Vivi Ornitier first appears at the beginning of the game, and becomes embroiled in Tantalus's plan to kidnap Princess Garnet when he travels to Alexandria to attend a performance of the play I Want to be Your Canary. With some encouragement from Zidane and Adelbert Steiner (who calls him 'Master Vivi' out of respect for his magical prowess), he starts to believe in his abilities and initially joins the group to save Garnet from the depths of the Evil Forest. After they find Queen Brahne's Black Mage factory in Dali, he remains with the group to search for the truth about his origins.It is later revealed that Black Mages are mindless footsoldiers, manufactured by Kuja who supplies them to Queen Brahne in order to help her conquer the Mist Continent. The Black Mages are larger than Vivi and wear purple jackets instead of blue ones like his. Vivi desperately wishes to find out the truth about his origins and the reason for his existence, fearing his purpose is nothing more than to be a soulless killing machine. He also does not understand why he is different from the rest of the Black Mages. The truth is revealed to him by Kuja and the Black Mages in the Black Mage Village later on in the game. He learns that most Black Mages "stop" after one year, equivalent to death in humans. A conversation with the Black Mage leader suggests that Vivi was the black mage prototype built to "last longer." Vivi's history prior to traveling to Alexandria was he fell out of a cargo ship, and a Qu, Quina's race, adopts him. Vivi refers to him as his grandpa. They lived in a cave near Treno. However, Vivi's grandfather eventually died. Probably prompting Vivi to leave his home and travel to Alexandria.
Vivi himself does not appear in the epilogue cutscenes. Instead, five other black mages who look exactly like him appear at the celebration in Alexandria, one of whom identifies himself to Puck as "Vivi's son." Aside from this statement, Vivi's fate remains unknown.
Other appearances
Vivi makes an appearance in the DisneyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
/Square Enix crossover Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
. However, the Vivi in Kingdom Hearts II does not seem to show any of the magical abilities of his FFIX counterpart, nor is referred to as a Black Mage. Vivi is apparently a member of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee led by Seifer Almasy, though it is said that he is not so much a member as someone who ends up doing Seifer's biddings due to his meekness. The virtual simulation of Vivi's was briefly used on occasion by several Nobodies
Organization XIII
is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Disney Interactive Studios' Kingdom Hearts video game series. The group comprises thirteen beings without hearts called NobodiesIn the video game series' setting, beings comprise a body, heart and soul, known as a 'Whole'. When a heart...
in order to do battle with Roxas. He is also a notable playable character in Itadaki Street Special. He makes minor appearances in manuals for both Dissidia Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy Origins.
Reception and promotion
Since appearing in Final Fantasy IXFinal Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
, Vivi has received largely positive reception, being featured as a figurine multiple times. During the 2006 Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival, Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
editor Margaret Robertson used Vivi as an example of an emotionally engaging character in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series, stating that gamers knew that something tragic would happen with Vivi in the end. He ranked second on IGN's top 25 best Final Fantasy characters list, saying he has the best of both the old and the new, praising him for having the depth and conflict found in recent Final Fantasy titles, but also having the simple charm and adventurous spirit of the original titles. They described him as endearing, due in part to Yoshitaka Amano
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese artist. He began his career as an animator and has become known for his illustrations for the anime Vampire Hunter D and for his character designs, image illustrations and title logo designs for the Final Fantasy video game series developed by Square Enix . His influences include...
's Black Mage design, as well as sympathetic due to his search for his purpose in the world. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor David Smith called Vivi a welcome change from previous Black Mage characters, who before Vivi, were usually generic. He added that he enjoyed finding a "charming personality underneath that floppy hat", and while his evolution is a little predictable, he enjoys rooting for the underdogs. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
editor Andrew Vestal stated that almost every character in Final Fantasy IX had an amusing personality trait, and that Vivi's trait is being clumsy and angsty. Game Critics editor Erin Bell described the cast of Final Fantasy IX as being largely uneven, though praising Vivi as feeling real to players due to his large portions of the game's plot devoted to him. Gaming Age editor Jim Cordeira stated that he loved Vivi, and wanted to uncover as much as he could about his life and story.