Final Fantasy Tactics and Character Arc

The first sections of Delita’s arc have taken him down a dark path; the final section shows where that path ultimately leads. According to Weiland, his is consistent with all Negative arcs, as: “The Negative Change Arc is about destroying self and probably others as well…The result is a story that’s horrifyingly resonant in its recognizableness.”⁠⁵ That recognizable quality is what makes Delita’s arc so powerful. After the tragedy of his sister’s death, orchestrated by men he once called family, Delita’s turn towards darkness is not only relatable but justifiable. It’s the acts he commits on that turn that are harder to justify—both to his friends and to himself. 

Everyone who saw the explosion at Ziekden Fortress assumed Delita perished in the flames, so Ramza is shocked when he resurfaces months later to kidnap Princess Ovelia Atkascha, one of two potential heirs to the throne. At the time of the kidnapping, Ramza was acting as Ovelia’s bodyguard, so her kidnapping is doubly personal. To bring her back—and to find Delita—Ramza and his allies chase the kidnapping party to Zeirchele Falls, where they find Delita and Ovelia on the bridge. Before Ramza can ascertain what Delita wants, a scuffle breaks out between two parties intent on killing Ovelia, and Ramza must team up with Delita to defend her. When the dust settles, Delita claims he’s come to rescue the princess of his own accord, but his loyalties are more complex than they seem. 

In the months since his disappearance, Delita has taken a role with the Order of the Southern Sky, the faction opposed to Ramza’s family in the simmering preamble to war. He also claims to be loyal to the Church of Glabados, a third faction vying for control over Ivalice. If Delita still believed the truth—that he could trust others, regardless of rank—either of these factions could provide a potential home for him, but Delita no longer trusts anyone else but himself. He is fully committed to the lie, which means he’s planning to double-cross everyone who stands in the way of his ultimate goal: the Ivalician crown. By defending Ovelia until the war’s end, then taking her hand in marriage, Delita will be free to take the throne for himself. Becoming king will allow him to protect his loved ones like he couldn’t with Tietra, but it will also require him to compromise every last shred of integrity he has. The old Delita would never consider betraying the trust of others, but that Delita died in Ziekden Fortress. The man who emerged has no use for trust, because trust can’t protect others; only power can. 

True to his word, Delita carves his way through the warring factions, using Ovelia as leverage at each step. Along the way, something funny happens: he begins to develop feelings for Ovelia. He confesses as much to Ramza during a clandestine meeting at a church, when Ramza asks if Delita is using her. In reply, Delita admits: “I cannot say. I am sure only of this. To save her life, I would gladly give my own.” It’s a noble sentiment, one of many Delita has held—and like all his other sentiments, his arc puts it to the test. 

At the story’s end, when Delita has vanquished all of his enemies, he marries Princess Ovelia and becomes King of Ivalice as planned. It’s everything he’s dreamed of since he first lost Tietra on the bridge at Ziekden Fortress, but it doesn’t turn out the way he hoped. Although he loves Ovelia, she’s grown to hate him over time, as she’s seen him betray both his ideals and his friends. When he tries to offer her flowers for her birthday, she takes out a knife and stabs him, shouting: “How could you? You…you used them, and all the others! And someday you’ll cast me aside, just as you did [Ramza]!” Reeling from the blow, Delita rips the dagger from his own body, then plunges it through Ovelia’s chest. As Ovelia dies, he staggers away from her body and collapses, then looks to the sky and says: “Did you get your end in all of this, Ramza? I…I got this.” Too late, Delita realizes what his corruption has cost him; too late, he sees the lie for what it is.