Balthier - Reception

Reception

Since his appearance in Final Fantasy XII, Balthier has received mostly positive reception. When he was first revealed, the fan response was very positive. GameSpy editor Justin Speer described him as a "clever-bastard type", praising his wry delivery. He has received praise for his masculinity, including from Gaming Trend editor Keith Schleicher who praised him and fellow protagonist Basch for being more masculine than characters such as the males in Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. GameSpot editor Greg Kasavin called Balthier the best character in the game, describing him as the "Auron of the cast". 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish called Final Fantasy XII protagonist Vaan annoying, placing the duo of Balthier and Fran above him. PSX Extreme editor Cavin Smith commented that while Vaan is the main character, he usually takes a back seat, adding that Balthier is the closest thing to a male lead. For similar reasons, GameZone listed Balthier as the tenth best Final Fantasy character, emphasizing how Balthier becomes "as much the leading man as Vaan." PALGN editor Phil Larsen commented that though a lofty prediction, he expected that the duo of Balthier and Fran would "go down in history as one of the greatest duos of modern narrative storytelling". Balthier ranked ninth on IGN's top 25 best Final Fantasy characters, ranking higher than any other character from Final Fantasy XII. Editor Dave Smith commented that he makes a "convincing case" that he is the main hero, upstaging fellow playable characters due to his "sharp looks and even sharper wit." GamesRadar editor AJ Glasser listed Balthier and Fran as one of her favourite Final Fantasy couples, describing theirs' as being a well-balanced relationship.

Balthier has been compared to other characters in fiction. Simon Wigham of Console Obsession called Balthier his "favourite by quite a wide margin", comparing him to James Bond due to his "humorous lines". RPGFan editor Stephen Harris compared his voice to that of Ian Fleming's depiction of Bond. 1UP.com editor Andrew Pfister compared the duo of Balthier and Fran to that of Han Solo and Chewbacca, two characters from the Star Wars franchise, adding that they are far more interesting than any other character in the "modern FF era". VideoGamer.com editor Greg Vallentin made a similar comparison, calling him a "Han Solo-like sky pirate". 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish compared Balthier to one of the characters from Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, stating that they share a physical resemblance, adding also that Balthier was awesome.