Appearance and Role
In games like Final Fantasy one of the most important aspect to make it work, is employing solid characters with a good background and definite psychology.
All the principal characters in Final Fantasy VIII are extremely well defined to the extent of being stereotypes: there is the antisocial hero (Squall), the damsel-in-distress (Rinoa), the attractive bad guy (Seifer), the mother-like figure (Quistis), the incorrigible playboy (Irvine)…. And while not all of them are given an ample background story, what is told (be it a lot or not), spells out their present behaviour. Considering the aforementioned “categories”, Zell is the boy next door: he is well-behaved (normally), kind, sincere, a great friend.
His role in the group is apparent since his introductory FMV. That short scene is enough to show the huge contrast between him and Squall. Indeed, Zell’s role, personality and even his appearance are conditioned to him being Squall’s antithesis tout-court. This is why most of what Zell is and does can be easily understood when compared to Final Fantasy VIII‘s main character.
Physically-wise, Zell’s most prominent features are his “artistically-styled” hair and the huge tattoo on his face’s left side. Zell has blond hair and bright blue eyes (although in some CGs they seem more leaning to aquamarine), whereas Squall has straight brown hair and blue/green eyes. Between the two, Zell is the one who won’t certainly pass unnoticed in a crowd.
When considering personalities, the difference becomes even greater. A comparison between the two makes it evident how Zell’s positive attitude is meant to balance Squall’s negative attitude. He is spunky, upbeat, loud, energetic…something which clashes with, but at the same time fills, Squall’s silences and relieves the cold and aloof aura that surrounds him. This stabilizing action is especially important at the beginning of the game, when Squall and Zell are the only two male characters available.
A broader comparison with the other members of the party might explain why Zell is usually the target of jokes. Being 165 cm/5’5″ high, he is the shortest male character. He is also shorter than Quistis and only by a few centimetres higher than Selphie (156 cm/5’1.5″) and Rinoa (161 cm/5′ 3.5″). Being so short and slim might be a reason to make fun of him. Seifer in particular picks, and has picked on him since their Orphanage days. He mocks Zell’s strength and, sometimes, even Zell’s peers use nicknames invented by Seifer. Zell’s physical appearance and his tendency to speak and act before thinking make him an easy target. However, at the same time, most of the game’s comic moments stem from him.
Aside from looks and personality the third effective element to describe Zell are hot-dogs. He goes mad for the Garden’s cafeteria hot-dogs though, to much of his dismay, they tend to be sold-out by the time he shows up. Only at the end of the game, when peace and tranquillity have returned, he manages to put his hands on a huge portion of hot-dogs. Considering the desire to eat the sough-after dish (after all, he never managed to get many during the game), he starts to eat like mad…a bit like those guys of sandwich-eating competitions :P He eats so fast, he would have chocked himself hadn’t it been for Selphie’s timely intervention.
Conception
The base design, in both look and personality, of Zell was that of the main character of a shōnen manga1. This idea is confirmed by the opinion Balamb inhabitants have of Zell. Indeed, his neighbours think of as a “comic-bookish type of superhero.”
His tattoo instead was inspired by a music video. The video, which aired on MTV, featured a man with a full body tribal-styled tattoo. Nor the title of the song, nor the name of the artist were revealed.
- Shōnen manga (少年漫画) is a type of japanese comic addressing to male readers, usually from 10 to 18 years old. Typical themes of shōnen are sport, fights and high-action. The protagonists are usually characterised by spiky hair, an outgoing and optimistic personality and teenager-ish clothes [↩]