the Final Fantasy series' 20th anniversary. Vivi Orunitia first appears at the beginning of the game, and becomes embroiled in Tantalus's plan to kidnap Princess Garnet when he travels to Alexandria to attend a performance of the play I Want to be Your Canary. After the group find Queen Brahne's Black Mage factory in Dali, he remains with the group to search for the truth about his origins. It is later revealed that Black Mages are mindless footsoldiers, manufactured by Kuja who supplies them to Queen Brahne in order to help her conquer the Mist Continent. Vivi desperately wishes to find out the truth about his origins and the reason for his existence, fearing his purpose is nothing more than to be a soulless killing machine. He also does not understand why he is different from the rest of the Black Mages, including why he shows emotions when other Black Mages, including the Black Waltzes, do not. The truth is revealed to him by Kuja and the Black Mages in the Black Mage Village later on in the game. He learns that most Black Mages "stop" after one year, equivalent to death in humans. A conversation with the Black Mage leader suggests that Vivi was the black mage prototype built to "last longer." Vivi himself does not appear in the epilogue cutscenes, but the screen cuts to black to display his ending monologue. Instead, seven other black mages who look exactly like him appear at Garnet's seventeenth birthday celebration in Alexandria, one of whom identifies himself to Puck as "Vivi's son." Through his messages during the ending scenes, Vivi thanks Zidane for their adventures and the lessons of life, and bids everyone farewell. It is implied that he has died due to his limited lifespan. Vivi's name in English was originally Vivi Ornitier in the Final Fantasy IX manual, though this changed in the Greatest Hits re-release. Vivi is kind and of pure heart, yet is also obedient, quiet, indecisive, and introverted. He is a Black Mage, a class of magic user who employs fire, ice, lightning, and other elements into their magic. His character design was meant to strike a balance between realism and a comic-like style, while taking inspiration from the style employed for the characters in the film The Dark Crystal. When designing Final Fantasy IX, the designers made a point of designing a part of the