PERSONALITY *yet another section written while I was retarded. Forgive me. :(
Ramza is, in short, a noble, idealistic young man with a strong sense of justice but with a serious self-deprecating problem. The emphasis on his character is primarily that he's just like everyone else, in contrast to characters like Cloud and Squall who try to isolate themselves from others, or Zidane and Tidus who're constantly peppy and goofy. Ramza is very much average, he's not amazingly strong in magic or physical attack, and he's not got superior intellect. The one thing Ramza really has going for him is his tactical ability; considering this is a boy of noble and probably pampered birth, it's absolutely amazing how he managed to take control of the situation he was in and save the world.

Several times throughout the game, Ramza's idealistic nature and strong sense of justice are mentioned. He is both complimented and insulted for his strong belief in helping those in need and strict view on doing what's morally correct and ignoring what society will think of you. Ramza, the son of a noble war hero and his mistress, personifies true nobility of character while his older brothers seem to symbolize the stereotypical opinion of nobility in the dark ages. How ironic that a boy who is only partially well bred is the most respectable character in the game.

And regardless of all the compliments he may receive, and all the friends he may have, Ramza is still a self-deprecating mope. While not really visible in the lighter tones of chapter one-where Ramza is given a chance to view life on the other side of the spectrum and realize his elder brothers aren't the perfect beings he envisioned them to be-it's still there. Ramza is constantly pushing himself to prove his worth to his older brothers (Alma even says so) by going out and defeating thieves and saving the Marquis. After Teta's death, Ramza blames himself for her murder and for the majority of chapters two and three, beats himself up about it-this is when his captious ways become very apparent.

Ramza admits to being a coward and running away after Teta's death and while many people will go along with this and agree that Ramza is a coward, if one truly puts thought into it, this is only Ramza being hard on himself again. How many people could honestly stand up in Ramza's situation, march back to Igros (or Lesalia) after seeing the true colors of both your brothers. Ramza did run away, but his cowardice was no more obvious than the cowardice of most normal men. This gives Ramza a very human quality, something that many of the other characters in Final Fantasy lack-it's something you can relate to.

Final Fantasy Tactics was not all dark political and religious conspiracy and strife; there are several scenes in the game that give us a good look at Ramza's less serious personality aspects. The scenes that are most obviously more light are the ones with Mustadio in Goug shortly before the end of the game, however there are other scenes in which we see Ramza acting like a normal teenager. One scene of note would be the one in Lesalia right after the battle. Alma insists upon joining Ramza, and Ramza declines because he doesn't want to see her hurt. This concern soon leads to a childish argument, in which Alma gets the better of Ramza and all he can do is gawk.

If it were not for Ramza's impressive leadership abilities, then the events of the game probably wouldn't have happened. If Ramza were a weak leader, then his allies would've left him; anyone who may have joined Ramza in the course of the game probably wouldn't adventure with him because they distrusted his lack of abilities. BUT, Ramza is NOT a weak leader. He does an amazing job of commanding a small army, and they all follow him to the end without leaving, right? Ramza is also a tactical genius. If he weren't great at giving good orders then there's no way in hell he would've made it to Dorter Trade City.

Overall, Ramza is a strong, intelligent young man. He's the hero that everyone is able to relate to in some way, be it because he isn't the strongest or the smartest or the most attentive or the bravest. He has his faults, and he has his strengths making that 2-D sprite very three-dimensional.

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