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Past[]
Golbez was born Theodore Harvey, son of KluYa: a lunarian (vastly advanced humanoids from the Second Moon) who came to Earth to learn about humans. He taught them magic and science, later marrying a human, Cecilia. Alas, KluYa was one night killed by greedy warmongers, who wanted to learn battle magic against his wishes.
Theodore tried to cast the Cure spell but to no avail. Soon after, Theodore's mother died after giving birth to his brother Cecil. Grief-struck and distraught, the young boy started hearing in his mind the voice of Zemus, an extremely powerful Lunarian who started influencing him.
With what was left of his conscience, he took his brother to the capital of the Baron Kingdom, where the king found and adopted him. Theodore hid in a cave, where Zemus took full control over him and taught him to master his immense powers. Zemus himself had been sealed long ago into the Second Moon's core by his own people, because he wanted to wipe out mankind and claim Earth for the Lunarians, but his mind remained active.
The young half-Lunarian was the perfect tool he has looked for and he planned to use him to enact his demented goal at last.
Final Fantasy IV[]
When the game takes place, Theodore has become an extremely powerful sorcerer known as Golbez. Assisted by the four Elemental Archfiends sent by Zemus at his command, Golbez entered the kingdom of Baron and rose in influence. He later had the king killed and impersonated by Cagnazzo, Archfiend of Water. With what seemed to be the king under his orders, Golbez had him use the Red Wings, Baron's mighty air-fleet, in destructive raids to search for the Crystals scattered throughout the Blue Planet.
After raiding the city of Mysidia to get the Water Crystal, Cecil Harvey, the primary protagonist and the Captain of the Red Wings, protests the harm caused by his missions, but the impostor-king removes him from duty. He sends Cecil and his best friend Kain Highwind to deliver a gift to the village of Mist, populated by mages able to summon highly powerful divine beings known as Eidolons. Alas, unbeknownst to him, the "gift" is a bomb that destroys the entire village, save from a girl named Rydia (Lydia), to remove the Summoners as a threat, and Kain disappears.
Revulsed, Cecil rebels and is hunted down as a traitor. Meanwhile, Golbez is appointed as the new captain of the Red Wings and starts a ruthless campaign, devastating the Damcyan Kingdom to get his hands on the Fire Crystal. Cecil leads survivors to warn the Fabul Kingdom, but even their best effort cannot ward off the invasion.
As Cecil's party is protecting the Air Crystal, Golbez sends a brainwashed Kain, who defeats Cecil, but cannot finish him off due to the intervention of Rosa Farrell, Cecil's and Kain's love interest. Golbez then barges in, blasting Cecil's friends with lightning, ordering Kain to steal the Air Crystal and kidnapping Rosa as a hostage.
To atone for his crimes, Cecil starts a pilgrimage to shed his Dark Knight past and become a Paladin. Golbez, who is keeping tabs on him, sends Scarmiglione, Archfiend of Earth, after him, but Cecil's party destroys him.
Cecil's party sneak into Baron Castle, saving their friend Yang Fang Leiden from Golbez's brainwashing and battling Baigan, a Red Wing officer whom Golbez turned into a monster. They destroy the impostor-king Cagnazzo, ending Golbez's influence over the kingdom of Baron but not over the now independent Red Wings.
Kain suggest Golbez to hold Rosa's life a ransom for the Earth Crystal, which was stolen by a powerful Dark Elf, and the party is forced to comply. In Golbez's hideout of the Tower of Zot, the sorcerer takes the Crystal and intentionally does not respect his bargain. As he is about to kill his foes, the great archmage Tellah challenges Golbez to avenge his daughter Anna, who was killed in one of his raids.
None of Tellah's spells scratch the mighty sorcerer and he sacrifices his life to cast Meteor, which was sealed until recently. Grievously wounded, Golbez can no longer control Kain and Cecil rushes for the finishing blow. He strikes Cecil with lightning but mysteriously proves unable to finish him off and escapes. After saving Rosa and killing Barbariccia, Archfiend of Wind, Kain reveals that Golbez is now after the four Dark Crystals of the Underworld.
Thanks to Kain, the party ventures into the Underworld, but Golbez has already seized two Crystals. Golbez turns the Dwarf Princess Luca’s dolls into monsters, to infiltrate the castle of the Dwarf King Giott and stall the heroes. He then barges in, explaining that he needs the Crystals to gain the unfathomable power dormant in the Tower of Babel, before attacking.
Boss Battle[]
Golbez's Shadow Dragon in Dissidia NT.
Golbez effortlessly withstands the party's attack, paralyzes them with his Binding Cold spell, and summons the Shadow Dragon who one-shot them all with its Black Fang move. Just as everything seems lost, Rydia appears to save the day, destroying the Shadow Dragon and wounding Golbez with her powerful Mist Dragon.
Having been taken to the World of Eidolons where she grew up to teenage years and mastered her huge summoning powers, Rydia joins the party against Golbez, who can now be harmed. The victims of the Shadow Dragon must be revived as soon as the battle begins.
- Super NES: Golbez is very easy to defeat here. He is very powerful and has many life-points, but the battle is won after dealing him over 3000 points of damage. He casts Bio (poison), Thundaga (level 3 Thunder spell) and Firaga (level 3 Fire spell), which can be reflected.
- Nintendo DS Remake: Golbez is a formidable foe. His Barrier Shift ability heals him when struck by elemental magic, save from a random weakness changing after each successful hit. As such, non-elemental attacks are mandatory. Golbez casts Bio, Thundaga, Firaga and Blizzaga (level 3 Ice spell) on all targets, and Drain and Osmose to absorb one of the heroes’ life-points and magic points. Using strong defences, healing often and weakening him as much as possible is advised.
Stealing the last crystal[]
Golbez barely survives, and sends his animated gauntlet to seize the Dark Crystal before escaping. In the remake, he makes a dash for it with his last strength and teleports away. Later, in the Tower of Babel, Golbez destroys the bridge the party is in to cast them in the chasm, but their allies catch them on their airship. Golbez sends the Red Wings after them, but the master engineer Cid Pollendina diverts them in a suicide attack he miraculously survives.
After killing Rubicante, Archfiend of Fire, they then learn that Golbez is attacking the Sealed Cave where the last Dark Crystal is located, and might break through the magic barrier anytime soon. The party enters the cave and seizes the last Crystal, but Golbez takes once again control of Kain, who steals it and flee.
Truth revealed and redemption[]
Golbez uses the eight Crystals to bring forth the mighty Giant of Babel, a robotic giant bigger than a tower, from the Second Moon, and sends it to destroy humanity. Fortunately, the tremor unveils the Lunar Whale airship, and the party uses it to reach the Second Moon. There, the extremely powerful Lunarian archmage FuSoYa, KluYa's brother and Cecil's uncle, reveals that Golbez is but Zemus' pawn, before going with them to Earth.
Both the Overworld and the Underworld unites against the Giant of Babel, enabling Cecil’s group to enter it and destroy the Control System at its core, stopping it. Enraged, Golbez appears to settle their score once and for all, but FuSoYa frees him from Zemus’ grasp and reveals his true identity, Theodore Harvey, Cecil's older brother. Determined to atone, Golbez, followed by FuSoYa, goes to the Second Moon to kill Zemus and end his madness.
The Final Battle[]
The party returns to the Second Moon and witness Zemus' demise. The wretched Lunarian is absolutely no match for his foes, who destroy him by double-casting Meteor. Unfortunately, Zemus is reborn as Zeromus, the unfathomably powerful spirit of hatred. Being impervious to attacks, the abomination dispatches all his foes with a Meteor spell of his own. Fortunately, their friends still on the Blue Planet sends them energy, enabling them to fight.
Golbez tries to use one of the Crystals' power to turn Zeromus physical and vulnerable, but to no avail as he is still tainted by evil. He gives the Crystal to Cecil, who uses it and succeeds to make Zeromus corporeal. After a long battle, the heroes ultimately manage to kill the abomination, using the Crystals to seal its undying essence on the Second Moon.
Now Theodore Harvey again, Golbez deems himself unworthy of living on Earth, following FuSoYa to hibernation. He bides farewell to his brother, who salutes him after a moment of uneasy silence. The heroes then return to the Blue Planet to live happily ever after, with Cecil becoming King of Baron and marrying Rosa.
Theodore's true appearance.
In the DS remake of the game, as Theodore is departing, his armor vanishes, revealing what he looked like as a child before getting controlled by Zemus, and he warmly smiles in earnest at the heroes.
Role in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[]
Theodore Harvey returns during the events of Final Fantasy IV The After Years as the "Man in Black", to take part in the battle against the Maenad and the Creator. He is still referred to as "Golbez" to differentiate him from Cecil's son, who was named after him.
Theodore Harvey as the "Man in Black".
He is woken by a premonitory nightmare, soon joined by FuSoYa. They investigate the Crystal Palace and encounter the Maenad, who shatters the Crystal, releasing a reincarnation of Zeromus known as Zeromus' Malice. Golbez and FuSoYa manage to defeat the abomination, who unleashes his mightiest attack Big Bang when destroyed.
FuSoYa then teleports Golbez to safety into the Lunar Whale, which he uses to reach Earth. Golbez appears right on time to save Rydia from one of the Maenad's summons, before joining the party and helping them to free Cecil from the Maenad's control.
He fights with them against the Elemental Archfiends, who were resurrected by the Maenad, then against a Dark Knight Clone of Cecil. During the latter, he shields his brother from a lethal strike, and only survives if both Rosa and Theodore are in the party. Depending on this outcome, the game's ending will either show the heroes bidding farewell to Golbez, as returns to the moon to look for FuSoYa and the lunarians; or praying on his grave. Although the novelization of the game states that Golbez died, whether or not his death is canon is not confirmed.
Role in Dissidia: Final Fantasy[]
| “ | Even the strong have weaknesses. | „ |
| ~ Golbez |
Golbez's artwork for Dissidia.
In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Golbez is unique among the villains summoned by the God of Discord, Golbez is unique among the villains summoned by Chaos the God of Discord, for he is not a villain to begin with.
Being fetched freed of Zemus' control, he helps the warriors of Cosmos, Goddess of Harmony, and provides guidance to his brother Cecil, while fighting them to make sure they can stand against him, and by extension the other villains. He regards himself as the heroes' shadow, assisting them from the sides.
Whenever one deity slays the other, they are resurrected by the Dragon God Shinryu, who draws out their conflict as he gains power from it. As such, Golbez seeks to end it.
In fact, Dissidia shows the thirteenth and final conflict, while the prequel Duodecim shows the twelfth, focusing on a horde of manikins (clones from the characters spawned by the void and used as soldiers by the Warriors of Chaos). In both, Golbez plays the role of a mentor, to his brother Cecil in the first, and to Kain in the prequel, being the only antagonist to survive.
In Dissidia[]
Golbez starts by advising the Onion Knight about his fight against the Cloud of Darkness and find the Crystal he was looking for. He later meets Cosmos herself, discussing her risky gamble to end the conflict.
Golbez guides and advises Cecil, but Exdeath labels him a traitor and attacks, only for Cecil to defeat him. He discusses goals with Sephiroth and family bonds with Jecht, before warning Bartz from Exdeath's trap.
After Chaos kills Cosmos, other villains confront Golbez, who admits he did it all to help the heroes break the cycle. He finally fights Cecil to test him, and Chaos is later slain for good with the power of the Crystals.
In Duodecim[]
Golbez's secondary attire as the Man in Black.
Golbez is still an antagonist in this cycle, but is even friendlier towards Cecil and Kain. His second attire is the "Man in Black".
He still observes and testing the resolves and motives of heroes and villains alike, while conversing with them about the Cycles of War and fading memories of their worlds, and evading Emperor Mateus's and Ultimecia's inquiry.
He assists the heroes against the invasion of manikins and eventually helps Cosmos in setting into motion the final cycle.
In Dissidia NT[]
Golbez returns in this arcade sequel/reboot, confronting yet guiding Cecil and Kain once more. In a world created by Cosmos' dying wish, Cosmos' and Chaos' reincarnations, Materia, Goddess of Machines and Protection, and Spiritus, God of Magic and Destruction, claim it, once again summoning warriors to fight for them.
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Golbez and his Shadow Dragon, as seen in Dissidia NT.
Heroes and villains alike despise this conflict and try to leave, and Golbez only takes part in battles. When Shinryu's Planetgorgers start invading, both sides are forced into make a truce, to lure him out and destroy him for good.
With Shinryu gone, they all leave duplicates behind to sustain their gods, before returning to their worlds.
In Opera Omnia[]
This alternate reality to Dissidia NT takes place in a World of Respite where heroes and villains alike can rest between battles, but Space Rifts caused by mysterious Blackened Wills start threatening it. While some villains try to take control of them and heroes try to seal them, they must once again unite to destroy Shinryu.
Golbez discovers the Torsions' reality-warping powers, and secretly sends the hero a new airship after the last is destroyed. He later attacks them, hoping in vain for Cecil to kill him, being terrified of the prospect of Zemus appearing to brainwash him again, but later joins the party.
As a playable character[]
Golbez fused with the Shadow Dragon.
| “ | What do you seek in this fight? | „ |
| ~ Golbez |
In battle, Golbez is described as a "Thaumaturge". He uses both long-range and short-range magic attacks, while dealing crippling blows with his bare hands. He attacks with lightning blasts from his hand, circle or rocks around him or dark circles conjuring dark lightning under his foes feet, and dark floating spheres firing lasers.
In his EX-Mode (powered up mode) he fuses with his Shadow Dragon, which gradually repletes his life-points and grants him a powerful attack called Black Fang. His EX-Burst (most powerful attack) is called Twin Moon: he casts a powerful gravity spell followed by Meteor.
In Dissidia NT and Opera Omnia, Golbez hurls blast of fire, ice and lightning, homing spheres of water or wind, and gravity vacuums. He summons his Shadow Dragon to fight by his side and boost his attacks. If wounded enough, the Dragon disappears, hindering him.
Appearance in other games[]
Golbez appears as a summon in Final Fantasy Dimensions II, in which the protagonists must investigate a strange event involving the Crystal that sustain their world, and save it from Dark Forces. His promotional artwork features him with a demonic wing and an angelic one, likely figuring his villainous role and final redemption.
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Golbez, as seen in Final Fantasy Dimensions II.
Golbez's attack depends on the type of summon. He will either call forth his Shadow Dragon to cast the one-hit-kill Black Fang on all targets, the paralyzing Binding Cold on all Targets, the devastating Meteor, or various elemental spells. He is also fought as a boss, using the same abilities.
Golbez is featured in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a game consisting in music sequences divided between Field, Event and Battle, in which the player has to hold notes in tune to the series' most famous musical themes. The battles against him from the original game are re-enacted in the Theme of Love Music Sequence. In Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call, he is fought like in Final Fantasy IV and Dissidia in Battle Sequences. In Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival, he is fought as a boss, then featured as playable character, using his mightiest attack Twin Meteor.
Golbez is fought as a boss in the action puzzle game Pictlogica Final Fantasy, in which the player must defeat enemies in RPG-style while solving puzzles and riddles.
Golbez serves as a summonable Legend (assist character) in the mobile game Final Fantasy: Airborne Brigade, in which the protagonists must prove themselves to the Guardian Forces and save the world from a monster invasion. He attacks with his Dissidia moves.
Golbez is featured as a collectible card in the social card collecting game Final Fantasy Artniks, in which the protagonists are tasked by the Dragon King Bahamut to spin the tale of the world he summoned them into to help shape it. His card replicates his official Dissidia artwork.
Golbez appears in the free-to-play game Final Fantasy: Record Keeper, as well as the IOS/Android games Final Fantasy: All the Bravest and Final Fantasy World Wide Words, which re-enacts many of the series' most memorable battles. In Record Keepers, he is fought as a boss, and can later be recruited as a party member. He is fought pretty much in the same way as in the original game, and uses Binding Cold to inflict paralysis.
Golbez appears separately as a playable party member and as a boss in Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, which gathers characters from many Square Enix games to fight iconic monsters. As a boss, he is fought in the Giant of Babel mode, he resists status effects but is easily dispatched by a strong enough team's combos. He has the innate ability Binding Cold, that can inflict paralysis, and he casts many powerful spells like the poisoning Bio and its power-ups, Blizzaga, Firaga, Thundaga, Gravity, the life-draining Drain, and the magic-draining Osmose.
Golbez makes a cameo in the Mana mobile phone game Rise of Mana, in which two protagonists from warring species of the Spirit Realm, the divine Rasta and demonic Daruka, must share a body and learn to cooperate in the physical planes. He serves as a very powerful and dangerous super boss, appearing as a giant, many times larger than his already imposing frame, floating in a dark floating void. The protagonists must keep as close to him as possible and strike it repeatedly with all they can, while minding his dangerous attacks.
Golbez and his Shadow Dragon make separate cameo appearances in the crossover arcade strategy games Lord of Vermilion II & III, which features collectible cards and battles in open space while controlling units, consisting in characters from many Square Enix games. He serves as a very powerful summon units who fights with his spells from the original game. He is also featured as a rank 5 "Giant Guardian" card in the game Guardian Cross.