WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Final Fantasy IX.
Although many Final Fantasy IX players remember the black mage Vivi for his tragic story arc or Princess Garnet for her journey into self reliance, many have overlooked Freya Crescent. She's a captivating character in game whose unique and powerful characterizations are its greatest strengths, but Freya is too often overlooked despite being and incredible character in her own right.
First, there are few jobs more iconic of Final Fantasy than Freya's dragoon class -- a powerful spear-wielding knight with fantastic jumping powers. In FFIX, dragoons are the guardians of Burmecia, the land of perpetual rain. Known as dragon knights, the dragoons of Burmecia form an elite order that protects Freya's homeland and its royal family from outside threats, occasionally leaving the kingdom to take on Arthurian style knightly quests. Freya is is one of the few characters in the Final Fantasy series to be a dragoon, and those familiar with it will be thrilled as she leaps from the heavens for massive jump-attacks or brings forth a bevy of draconic support abilities to bear.
Then, there is Freya's story arc. While Vivi undoubtedly has a tragic story in discovering his identity, he certainly doesn't have a monopoly on sorrow. Freya also struggles with her identity in a complex and tragic way. In the beginning, she is completely certain of her place in the world, but this is shattered in front of her. When she's first recruited into the party, Freya has two sworn duties: an oath to protect Burmecia, and a promise to find her lost love, Sir Fratley.
In short order, her homeland is conquered and Fratley returns only to have no memory of her whatsoever. The narrative elements of her subsequent journey to rediscover herself and restart her relationship may have been difficult for young players to identify with when the game first released, but they are all too poignant as adults. The fear of being left alone and forgotten or of giving our best efforts and losing anyway are character arcs that deserve recognition.
Freya is also the moral and heroic backbone of the FFIX roster. She loses almost everything and yet, through it all, she retains loyalty to her friends, compassion for others and motivational wisdom to share with her teammates. Freya always remains the noble knight in a way that makes Steiner look like a glorified palace guard, even choosing to work with her greatest personal enemy at times for the greater good.
There's something compelling about the nobility of someone who keeps fighting and continues to keep hope even when she's been beaten down. No matter what happens, Freya can be always counted on, she can always be trusted and she will always rise again.
Why Freya gets overlooked so often is an unfortunate mystery. It could be that, as a non-human character, it's difficult to relate to her, or it could be that her complex motivations and subtle girl-power get overshadowed by the central-narrative characters of Garnet and Vivi. Regardless, Freya Crescent is an awesome addition to the Final Fantasy line of heroes and one that should never be forgotten.