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 | A very good question, indeed. With his flailing purple tentacles, beady red eyes, and grotesque yellow teeth, Ultros appears to be the kind of mollusk one might find in a nightmare. His mission is simple: to create a name for himself by whatever means necessary. From attacking an airship to obstructing an opera, this irrational invertebrate will stop at nothing to impede the progress of the should-be heroes and focus the spotlight on himself. But where did he come from? What drives him on? And most importantly, WHAT IS IT?
|  | According to Square's book Final Fantasy Origins: Final Fantasy VI an octopus was the main character of Square's first game ever. Square decided to reintroduce the octopus in Final Fantasy VI (released as Final Fantasy III in America.) During production one of the programmers told Amano and Sakaguchi that it reminded him of his a purple toy octopus he had as a child named "Orthros". They decided to apply the name and color or the toy to the character. "Orthros" was later translated to Ultros.
|  | Since he was the main character of Square's first game, but had become nearly unheard of over the years, Ultros wishes to regain his faded reputation and thus takes it upon himself to do so. In an effort to become a notorious villain, he first attacks the heroes in Lete River at level 19. While using his tentacles to attack and ink to blind, Ultros also coins many key phrases such as, "Yaaooouch! Seafood soup!" Upon realizing he is not yet strong enough to win the battle, he flees to learn new techniques before encountering them again.
|  | Ultros next pops up in the Opera House, where he plots revenge against the heroes. Concluding that the best course of action would be to jam up the opera by dropping a four ton weight on the lead, Ultros writes a letter to the main characters warning them of his devious scheme. Unfortunately, the weight is heavier than he expected and the heroes make it to him before he can manage to drop it. But that doesn't stop Ultros from astounding the audience when he attacks the party on stage, now with his new "Imp! Pal! Buddy!" attack. But, realizing that he is still not powerful enough to take them on, Ultros again departs to build his strength.
|  | Once again Ultros decides to drop in on the heroes in the Western Mountains, hoping to obtain the power of the model statues. Now at level 25 and applying his new tri-elemental counterattack, he is stronger than ever. The tide turns, however, when little Relm Arrowny shows up and offers to paint his portrait. Offended that a little girl would patronize him so, he rejects her proposal. But Ultros's soft side shines through when, seeing how hurt she is, he reluctantly agrees to let her request. Little does he know Relm's paintings are just as deadly as they are beautiful. Being attacked by his own portrait, he runs away in humiliation.
|  | In a last-ditch effort to defeat the heroes, a level 26 Ultros encounters the party on their way to the Floating Continent. This time, however, he has a secret weapon: Mr. Chupon (or Typhon in Japanese and a subsequent translation of the game). Unfortunately, Chupon has a cold and proceeds to sneeze the entire party off the ship. It isn't until a year later when the two are rediscovered in the Coliseum. Chupon has become a fighter who tends to sneeze his opponents out of the ring before they can get any damage in. Ultros has built up a ridiculous debt and is working as the receptionist to pay it off.
|  | Eventually, a young gamer named Marie decides to give Final Fantasy VI a try and absolutely loves it. While intrigued by the plot line and draw in by the leads, Marie takes a special liking to a certain odd octopus. After completing the game, she decides to meet this character face-to-face. It is a bizarre encounter that involved a can of pineapples and Ultros attempting to make the girl his lunch, but in the end the two come to a mutual understanding. Marie helps Ultros sneak out of the Coliseum and the two start to build an awkward friendship. In time, they find a permanent address in cyberspace: ultros.com. And the rest, as they say, is history.
<- Picture by Shade |
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