Part 119: Characters - Edge

Name: Edward "Edge" Geraldine
Job: Ninja

Description:

Edge started off the Prince of Eblan, the nation of ninjas settled near the Tower of Babil. An attack led by Elemental Fiend of Fire Rubicante resulted in the nation of Eblan fleeing to nearby caves and the deaths of Edge's parents. Edge swears to avenge his parents by defeating Rubicante, but falls to Rubicante's superior strength. Luckily, Cecil and his party were there to save him, and Edge joins them on their quest to save the Crystals from Golbez.

While inside the Tower of Babil, Edge is forced to fight his parents, transformed into monsters by Dr. Lugae, and once they regain sanity they sacrifice themselves to save Edge. Rubicante then reappears, and between the strength of the combined party, Edge's wrath, and Rubicante's shmuckiness, they defeat Rubicante. Edge proceeds to tag along the party for the rest of the game, not really contributing much besides comic relief and making everyone else look better by being so weak.

In The After Years, Edge's hot head has mellowed out, and though he still possesses a sharp wit, he's not nearly as reckless and arrogant as he was in his youth. In the meantime, he's been training the Eblan Four in the art of Ninjutsu while leading his people as the King of Eblan. Once the Tower of Babil reactivates, Edge decides to explore the tower by himself, though his disciples follow anyway.

After a narrow escape from the Mysterious Girl and the wrath of Ifrit, Edge and company reunite with Rydia as well as Luca and a mysterious new man. All the while, Edge has to harbor the demons of his past, including the ever-present Rubicante, who keeps popping up in Edge's visions. Can Edge handle all these demons while he tries to once again save the world?

Abilities:

Ninjutsu

Throw: Lets Edge throw a shuriken or weapon. The stronger the weapon, the more damage Throw does.

Smash & Grab: Lets Edge steal while attacking. Better known as Mug.

Ninjutsu:

Already Learned:

Flame
Flood
Shock
Gale
Smoke

L17 Heal Pill
L25 Shadowbind
L32 Mirage
L42 Blast
L45 Frost
L48 Blitz
L50 Tremor

Equipment: Katanas, Boomerangs, Knives
Best Stats: Strength, Speed

Tactics:

Maybe it's just me, but Edge is much better in this game than in the original game. He can take a hit better, and he gets more options for long-ranged weapons, letting him lurk in the back row. He also has many different options available to him.

Unlike the Eblan Four, Edge possesses a large range of Ninjutsu skills, meaning he's much more adaptable in terms of dealing elemental damage. He also gets the always-awesome Mirage and even a bit of healing in Heal Pill. Granted, Ninjutsu still pales in comparison to good old-fashioned Black Magic, but at least Edge can make some use of it.

Edge's other abilities are also nice, especially since they give Edge options when a Full Moon is hurting his attack. Throw is nice, especially during a difficult foe when you have a nice weapon you aren't planning to sell, or just to deal damage with shurikens from the back row when you don't have a boomerang. Smash & Grab has a low charge time and lets Edge attempt to steal an item. The success rate is low, but it never hurts, and there are a few interesting items you can score at this way, plus you aren't going out of your way to get them.

Edge has a diverse assortment of skills, yet isn't as bland and unimpressive as usual jack-of-all-trades. His Ninjutsu give him decent magic options, and he has various effective ways to attack a foe. He can take a hit, he can exploit the back row, and he can do some good damage with his weapons. Edge isn't the most powerful character or the sturdiest, but he's a huge improvement over his pathetic original self, and definitely worth using in your party.