Golbez
Name: Golbez
Japanese name: ゴルベーザ (Gorubēza)
Also known as: Armor Guy #2
Hails from: Final Fantasy IV, though his shoulderpads of doom are a more recent development
Fighting type: Psychic Fighter / Thaumaturge
Seiyuu/Voice Actor: Takeshi Kaga / Peter Beckman
Villain type: Armor
Story
Golbez is not the villain he played through most of FFIV; rather, his focus is on supporting Cosmos's cause and leading Cecil to his crystal. Golbez probably gets the most development out of all of the characters, which is a nice treat for fans but a bit odd considering he's not the focus of any of the stories. Still, it's interesting to see his involvement in different parts of the story.
Thoughts
Golbez is definitely one of my favorite characters story-wise, but as with the other villains I'm terrible at using him. He definitely has the coolest EX Mode, though — there's a dragon on his shoulders! Speaking of which, those shoulderpads could pierce the heavens...
Gameplay
I've never found Golbez a terribly difficult opponent, but then again I spent half the time confusing his Manikin form with Garland's... Anyway, Golbez is a fairly powerful magician, but like most magicians he's not very hard to take out if you hit him hard and fast up close. It helps that he's not very fast. His spells have varying ranges, but mostly it's just a good idea to stay away from them.
At least, that's how I felt in the Japanese version. I don't know if I've gotten worse or he's gotten harder, but he's a pain in the butt in the English version and seems to just kill me every time I get close to him. Not sure what that's about, but I'd watch out.
