Marche Did Nothing Wrong!
An essay I've been meaning to write for years, now, about Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, its deeply misunderstood protagonist.
So, first off, the default name of the protagonist is Marche. This word has a lot of cognates: to march, to mark, marshlands, edge, boundary, fairytale. Soldiers march along the border of a nation; the march marks the edge; marshlands were often the dividing biome. Marche is the hero, he walks the world of Ivalice, he marks the world in his passing. He hunts for the edge between Ivalice, the fantasy realm, and his home, the real.
Marche marches the marshes to mark the Marchen.
Ivalice is a fantasy realm crafted by the Grimoire based on the children's wishes. It gives them each what they desire most: Mewt gets his mother back, Doned is cured of his disability, Ritz has a "good" hair color, and Marche gets Montblanc (a friend to accompany him). And none of them are actually happy.
Mewt spends all his time terrified in his room crying. Doned still obsesses over his disability. Ritz is still self-conscious about her hair color. And Marche, the lonely boy who his parents don't have time for (because they have to help Doned), desperately misses his family.
This is not the story of a killjoy. This is the story of the responsible older brother, who makes do with less because his little brother needs more. This is the story of a neglected kid so desperate to love and be loved he shakes the very foundations of the world.
THE GRIMOIRE STOLE HIS FAMILY FROM HIM!
Marche's wish was for a friend, and the Grimoire gives him Montblanc. And that was enough for March beat everyone else. Because he's been carrying bigger burdens than any other kid: he's had to actually be responsible where the others could be childish.
But here's the secret: the Grimoire doesn't only give you what you want, but also what you need. Ritz doesn't just get new hair, but makes friends with the Viera, who revere her original shade. She learns, from them to accept herself.
Doned finally gets to be treated as an equal instead of a cripple, when Marche whoops his spoiled ass, and learn it's not all it's cracked up to be. And Mewt finally comes to terms with his mother's death, when faced with Marche's determination. And, upon granting these boons to his friends (Marche is the catalyst that provokes their self-reflection), Marche is finally allowed back home.
The Grimoire is a tool of healing. It provides shelter from the pain of the world, giving you space to breathe and recollect yourself. It is a place of the dead to rest until they live again.
Marche is not merely the hero, but a Shaman, walking the realm of the spirits to rescue the lost but still living from their torment.
Do you know why Marche is depicted holding the so-called "pizza cutter", despite it not being obtainable in-game? Because that is the Judge Sword, and Marche is the True Judge of Ivalice. He witnesses it, he assesses it, he measures and weighs it, and he speaks his verdict:
FOUND WANTING!
(Where is my family?)
Marche carries the Judge Sword is his heart. He is the edge between right and wrong. He walks the world, experiencing all that it is. He dispenses justice as he sees it. He teaches his friends responsibility by example. He arbitrates. And the world is left better in his wake. Even Mewt's father, Cid, begins to heal.
Marche marches the marshes to mark the Marchen, and in so doing, mark good from evil, and health from sickness. What beauty, what elegance, in a story about the fragile hearts of children. Does it not move you?