The firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria. Though all expected him to inherit the Phoenix's flames and awaken as its Dominant, destiny instead chose his younger brother Joshua to bear this burden. In search of a role of his own, Clive dedicated himself to mastering the blade. His practice pays off when, at just fifteen years of age, he wins the ducal tournament and is dubbed the First Shield of Rosaria—tasked to guard the Phoenix and blessed with the ability to wield a part of his fire. Alas, Clive's promising career is to end in tragedy at the hands of a mysterious dark Eikon, Ifrit, setting him on a dangerous road to revenge.
Online description
Clive Rosfield is the main protagonist of Final Fantasy XVI. He is the Archduke of Rosaria's eldest son, Joshua's brother, and the Dominant of the dark Eikon, Ifrit.
Despite being the firstborn, Clive did not inherit the power of the Fire Eikon Phoenix from his father; the role of its Dominant passed on to the younger Joshua instead. To find a purpose for himself, Clive became the First Shield of Rosaria, tasked with protecting Joshua and blessed by the Phoenix, allowing Clive to use part of its flames. Tragic events involving the dark Eikon, Ifrit, led to Clive embarking on a quest for revenge. At the beginning of the story, Clive is 15 years old.[2][3]
History[]
Clive Rosfield was the firstborn son of Archduke Elwin Rosfield and his wife, Anabella. As the eldest son of the Rosfield bloodline, he was expected to inherit the power of the Phoenix, the Eikon of Fire. When he never awakened as such, Anabella considered him a failure and treated him with contempt.
Joshua bestows Clive with the Blessing of the Phoenix.
Clive's younger brother, Joshua, became the Dominant of the Phoenix. A 15-year-old Clive was chosen as his First Shield, receiving a portion of the power of the Phoenix that he could use to protect his brother. Clive grew up alongside his brother and their common friend and the archduke's ward, Jill Warrick, whom Clive cared for like a sister. One day, when they joined Elwin on his annual tour of Rosaria, Clive wanted to show Jill the snow daisies at Mann's Hill, but they got caught in bad weather and never reached their destination. Whenever he wanted to be on his own, Clive would row to an island off the coast of Quietsands with his pet wolf pup, Torgal, where he had a secret tree house. Clive was close with his uncle, Byron Rosfield, and used to act out scenes from The Saint and the Secretary with him, Clive always insisting he be Sir Crandall while Byron play the villain Madu.
Clive was trained by the Lord Commander Rodney Murdoch of the Shields of the Flame in the art of combat. One day, Joshua, Jill, and Torgal were watching and cheering him on. After Clive succeeded in his training, Joshua used the power of the Phoenix to heal his wounds. When the three children headed to greet Elwin, who had returned from a trip, Anabella scolded Joshua for going outside while he was still recovering from his sickness. Clive attempted to greet his mother, who only gave him a hateful glare. As Anabella left with Joshua and Lord Murdoch, Clive and Jill went to greet Elwin together. Elwin told Clive that war was coming, that the Blight was finally spreading into Rosarian territory, and the duchy was planning to reclaim the Drake's Breath Mothercrystal from the Iron Kingdom. Clive would be joining Elwin and Joshua at Phoenix Gate, where Joshua was to perform the Ancestral Rite of Reunion, but Clive was first tasked with traveling to the abandoned village of Stillwind to clear out the beastmen that had taken up residence there.
Clive and Jill watch the night sky.
That night, Clive and Jill watched the moon together. Clive reaffirmed this was his time to prove himself, as it was his responsibility as Joshua's Shield to protect him, and worried over Joshua taking too many risks with his powers. Jill offered a prayer for Clive's safe return to the Metia star while expressing her worries about the impending war. The next day, as Elwin and Joshua departed for Phoenix Gate, Clive was joined by Sir Tyler and Sir Wade for Stillwind, where they encountered a pack of goblins. After cornering the goblin leader, a morbol burst from the ground and ate it. The three were taken by surprise, as morbols were not usually found so far south. Clive delivered the finishing blow and the three Shields headed for Phoenix Gate.
That evening Clive sat outside with Torgal, who had followed him from Rosalith, commenting that Jill would be worried about the pup's disappearance. He was joined by Joshua, who had snuck out of the feast where everyone was singing the brothers' praises. Clive explained that before he had proved his mettle with the sword, everyone thought he was just a spoiled child, but conversely everyone believed in Joshua. Joshua argued it was the Phoenix they believed in, and that Clive should have been the one to inherit the Eikon's power, since he had leadership skills. Clive said it was Joshua's responsibility as the Phoenix's Dominant to bear the burden of leading Rosaria, while it was Clive's to protect him.
During that night, the castle was infiltrated by a small force from the Holy Empire of Sanbreque to kill everyone within. Clive urged his father and Joshua to escape while he remained behind to hold off the enemy. Clive and Rodney discovered that imperials had infiltrated their original company from Rosalith, meaning that Elwin and Joshua were in grave danger. Clive whistled for his chocobo, Ambrosia, before he was set upon by a ringing in his ears and took notice of a hooded man nearby who seemed to be addressing him before suddenly disappearing.
Elwin was killed by imperials disguised as Rosarian soldiers, and the shock made Joshua's powers go out of control, causing him to prime into the Phoenix and begin destroying the castle. Clive attempted to reach his brother but was nearly hit by falling debris. He was saved by Ambrosia, who lost her left eye in the process. Clive suffered a crippling headache and a mysterious figure wreathed in flame appeared. Clive transformed into Ifrit, a second Eikon of Fire, and inadvertently incinerated Rodney in the dark Eikon's flames. Clive blacked out as Ifrit became immediately hostile and attacked the Phoenix.
Near the end of the fight, Clive heard Torgal crying before he regained consciousness, witnessing Ifrit attacking the Phoenix. He pleaded for Ifrit to stop while Joshua called for Clive to help him. Ifrit plunged its claws through the Phoenix's chest before unleashing a massive explosion that consumed Phoenix Gate. Clive swore revenge against Ifrit before blacking out again. He reverted into human form and lost all memory of his transformation, believing that the Eikon's Dominant was the hooded man he had seen. The next morning, Clive was found by imperial soldiers and Anabella, the mastermind behind the attack. Anabella had the soldiers enslave Clive for the imperial front lines out of spite for her late husband, who always praised Clive's skill with a blade.
Clive with the Bastards.
For the next thirteen years, Clive fought as part of the Bastards, a Sanbrequois unit made up of Bearers, people capable of wielding magic without the use of crystals, under the pseudonym "Wyvern". His only reason to fight was to survive to eventually find and kill the second Dominant of Fire, the hooded figure he believed had killed his brother. Clive had been marked by a tattoo on his cheek, branding him as a non-human slave. He appeared to his enslavers as a fire-aspected Bearer, though the members of the Undying eventually caught wind of a branded soldier fighting with the Blessing of the Phoenix, secretly becoming aware of his true identity.[4]
As the Blight continued to spread across Valisthea, rendering more of the land uninhabitable, the domains began to move against one another. In one such skirmish, the Dhalmekian Republic and the Iron Kingdom clashed in the Nysa Defile, near the Dhalmekian border. The empire sent the Bastards to eliminate Shiva's Dominant, who was fighting alongside the Iron Kingdom. When the Dhalmekians' Eikon, Titan, clashed with Shiva, an errant boulder crushed Clive's comrade Biast and Clive was dragged to safety by Aevis and his unit commander, Tiamat. Clive blacked out and flashed back to the events thirteen years prior.
After the battle had ended, Clive regained consciousness. Tiamat briefed him on the situation, and argued that though Biast was dead, they could not go back empty-handed. They attacked a group of retreating Ironbloods who were escorting Shiva's Dominant. After incapacitating the Dominant, Clive discovered she was his childhood friend, Jill. He refused to kill her, prompting Aevis to try and do it himself. More Ironbloods arrived, and one killed Aevis with a thrown axe. Clive and Tiamat defeated the Ironblood soldiers before Tiamat ordered him to kill Jill, but again, he refused.
Clive expressed that while his service had been bought with the brand on his cheek, his loyalty had not. Clive then killed his commander in battle to protect Jill, but was ambushed by the Dhalmekians and held the unconscious Jill in his arms, bracing for the end. They were saved by Cidolfus Telamon, joined by his companions Goetz and the now fully grown Torgal. Clive happily greeted Torgal, but was wary of Cid, who showed knowledge of who he was, referring to him by name and pointing out he possessed the Blessing of the Phoenix. Cid claimed he had come to bring Jill to safety, and offered to do the same for him. Clive did not trust Cid, but saw he had little choice, as Jill was in need of medical attention.
Cid brought them to his hideaway in the deadlands, surprising Clive that a rebel group was making a living in a land considered unlivable. With the still-unconscious Jill in the hideout physicker Tarja's care, Clive learned about Cid's group and their aim of freeing Bearers and Dominants from servitude, and that whenever Jill would recover, she would be free to live her life however she wanted. Clive wanted to avenge the death of his brother, considering his new "freedom" his best (and last) chance to take his revenge. Cid argued that this was a good reason for Clive to join him, since one of his scouts had found a group of fugitive Bearers in the village of Lostwing, one he believed to be a Dominant of Fire.
Cid was intrigued by Clive and took him along through the Greatwood to the imperial town of Lostwing whose leader was secretly loyal to Cid's cause. Along the way they ran onto Benedikta Harman, the Dominant of Garuda and the Royal Intelligencers of the Kingdom of Waloed that was hostile toward Sanbreque, and Gav, Cid's right-hand man and scout who brought intriguing news. Liberating the town from Benedikta's men, Clive and Cid joined forces to pursue the Intelligencers to the imperial stronghold of Caer Norvent after rumors that Benedikta had captured a Dominant of Fire and was holding him hostage there. When Clive bested Benedikta in battle, much to her surprise and anger—as she was a Dominant and he a mere "Bearer"—he inadvertently absorbed Garuda's aether, disrupting Benedikta's ability to channel her Eikon. Clive and Cid escaped the stronghold when it was set alight by the captured Dominant of Fire. Clive could now use some of Garuda's abilities and channel wind magicks, but could not explain to Cid how he was able to do that. Cid dispatched Gav to find where the rogue Dominant of Fire was headed.
When the distraught Benedikta was accosted by bandits who killed her comrades and planned on capturing her, she uncontrollably primed and began to destroy the Sanbrequois countryside with a windstorm. Clive and Cid saw the destruction being wrought from afar. Clive heard a voice calling to him—addressing him as "Mythos"—and followed it into Garuda's vortex, thinking he could see the hooded man he was after. He battled Garuda in his human form, but when under mortal peril primed into Ifrit and killed Garuda. He was unable to fully control his transformation and needed Cid's powers as the Dominant of Ramuh to pacify him. Cid brought the unconscious Clive back to the hideaway and restrained him in the dungeons to prevent him from harming himself, as Clive was now under belief that he had killed Joshua and had lost nigh all will to live.
When Clive was ready to talk again, Cid invited him to accompany him to Kingsfall to learn if Gav had discovered anything of the man Benedikta had held at Caer Norvent, whom they had believed was the second Dominant of Fire before Clive had revealed himself in that role. When they were accosted by imperial soldiers, Clive rescued Gav from the cliff edge. Gav revealed that the man who escaped Caer Norvent and his attendant were headed for the former duchy of Rosaria, now an imperial province of Sanbreque following Anabella's marriage to Sylvestre Lesage.
Back at the hideaway, Jill had regained consciousness and joined Clive on his mission to the former duchy to unlock the truth of his past and existence. After bidding Cid farewell at Martha's Rest, Clive and Jill helped the denizens of the settlement and learned its leader, Martha, was an alliant of Cid's. Clive and Jill passed through the village of Eastpool where they met Hanna Murdoch, wife of Clive's late mentor Rodney, who gifted Clive an old set of Elwin's clothes so he may change out of his imperial soldier's uniform. Clive and Jill stayed the night at Hanna's house where Clive opened up about his pain and grief and self-hatred, and Jill tried to support him.
Clive and Jill made their way to the remains of Phoenix Gate where Clive thought he saw a hooded man enter the underground apodytery. He used the Blessing of the Phoenix to open the way inside, discovering an ancient structure that appeared as old as the Fallen civilization, full of hostile living machines. Instead of finding the hooded man, Clive discovered the figure was but an illusion sent to guide him toward an unknown destiny by an unknown entity. When struck by a headache, he was pulled into a pocket dimension composed of his memories of the Night of Flames where he battled a shadow of himself. As Clive accepted he was the Dominant of Ifrit, he appeared back in the physical realm, now in control of his Eikonic powers. He confided in Jill of his newfound desire to make amends for his sins and dedicate his life to helping Cid's mission to bring about a world without slavery.
When they retraced their steps, they found Eastpool ransacked by the Black Shields, an order of knights led by vicereine Anabella Lesage that persecuted Bearers and those offering them haven. Everyone in the village had been massacred for the supposed crime of sheltering the Bearers who formerly worked in Rosalith Castle. Clive and Jill were shaken by the sight and reaffirmed their conviction of putting a stop to such atrocities.
When they returned to the hideaway, Cid was delighted to get two such strong supporters for his cause. With three Dominants, he believed they could succeed in a mission he had previously failed at: destroying Drake's Head in the Sanbrequois capital under the belief that the Mothercrystals were the cause of the Blight by sapping the very land of its aether. They were to head to Sanbrequois heartland separately to draw minimal attention, and Clive went posing as a Bearer under a mission for his "master". Though the imperials treated him horribly for his status as a non-human tool, Clive gained the allegiance of one of Cid's many alliants, Isabelle, "the Dame" of Northreach, who helped him gain passage through the north exit under a mission to find one of her brothel's missing courtesans.
Cid and the party arriving at the Heart of the Mothercrystal.
Clive rendezvoused with Cid and Jill at an abandoned chapel of the Greagorian church. They made their way to Oriflamme where they laid low for a while before following a secret route to the Mothercrystal's inner sanctum. Cid mused how, should they succeed, his name would become infamous and Clive suggested he take up the moniker "Cid the Outlaw". They destroyed the heart of Drake's Head at the cost of Cid's life when an otherworldly being manifested from the void left in the wake of the destroyed crystal heart. Clive fought this monster, Typhon, as Ifrit inside another pocket dimension. When Cid perished, he passed on to Clive his Eikon, Ramuh, and asked him to carry out his mission as his legacy. Clive met a bizarre incorporeal being who referred to him as "Mythos" and wanted to merge with Clive's consciousness. Clive was saved at the last moment by Joshua, who trapped the incorporeal being inside a cage of fire inside his own body. Joshua departed, leaving a glowing phoenix feather behind for Clive as proof that he was still alive.
Clive, as the second "Cid the Outlaw".
As the empire fell into chaos at the loss of their Mothercrystal, Clive and Jill returned to the hideaway to find it devastated by Hugo Kupka, the Dominant of Titan who was under the false belief that Cid had killed Benedikta and delivered him her head. Clive rallied the survivors, leading them to build a new hideaway in the heart of Bennumere deadlands lake. Clive took on the moniker "Cid the Outlaw" and proudly displayed the thunder magicks he had inherited form his mentor to make the ruse convincing. After five years the legend of Cid the Outlaw had spread throughout Valisthea and Clive led the group's efforts, now dubbed the Cursebreakers, to liberate Bearers, though not all people they helped appreciated his involvement. Clive could now appear in public without disguises, having had the Bearer's brand removed, leaving behind a large facial scar. Hugo Kupka had never given up his mission of seeing "Cid" dead, and had Bearers tormented to lure the Cursebreakers into his traps.
When Clive learned fighting had broken out at Martha's Rest and that Martha had gone missing, he and Jill headed to the former duchy. They found it ever ravaged by Anabella's Black Shields, who were now performing mass cullings of Bearers. After rescuing Martha, they learned more of the crystals' curse, the fate that eventually befell all Bearers (and Dominants) forced to expend their powers: the body turns to stone and crumbles to dust. With the allied countries of Dhalmekia and Waloed in war with Sanbreque, the empire having invaded the Crystalline Dominion and taken its Mothercrystal in the wake of losing Drake's Head, Clive thought the world armies would be suitably distracted for the Cursebreakers to continue their mission of ridding the realm of Mothercrystals, setting their sights on Drake's Breath in the islands west of Rosaria. They needed to secure a ship from Clive's Uncle Byron in Port Isolde, and met up with Sir Wade and his band of Guardians of the Flame, the remnants of the Shields of Rosaria who yet remained loyal to the duchy and its people. Clive and Jill put a stop to the Black Shields' tormenting of ducal citizens and gained the Guardians' aid in securing a secret passageway to Port Isolde where Clive convinced his Uncle Byron of his identity by acting out scenes from the play like they used to do in Clive's childhood.
Clive and Jill sailed to Mount Drustanus and gained access to the holy sanctuary by aid from Jill's old friend, Marleigh. The heart of the Mothercrystal animated a creature composed of pure lava, and Clive found himself unable to prime—never having done it again since fighting Typhon five years prior—leaving Jill to handle most of the battles as Shiva. They cut down both the Mothercrystal and Jill's former captor, Patriarch Imreann, and escaped the collapsing volcano.
Returning to the hideaway, Clive learned that Hugo Kupka and his minions had taken over Rosaria as a trap to lure him out, meaning Hugo had learned of Clive's true identity. Clive resolved to journey to Rosalith and kill Hugo regardless. He surrendered to Hugo's men when they took Jill captive, but Gav freed him from the dungeons, allowing for Clive to halt Jill's execution on the Rosalith Castle courtyard. He was aided by Torgal who revealed a new "Eikonic" form, reminiscent of the legendary frost wolf, Fenrir. Clive declared himself as Benedikta's killer even if he was not the original Cid, and bested Kupka in the crypt beneath the castle, absorbing the power of Titan from him. Before Clive would fully exact his vengeance for what Hugo had done to the original hideaway, Sleipnir Harbard, the lord commander of Waloed, spirited Hugo away.
Not willing to give up the mission, Clive had his hideaway's resident scholar, Vivian Ninetales, figure out the route the Waloeders had taken Hugo. With Jill recuperating from all their endeavors, suffering from the early stages of the crystals' curse, Clive was joined by his Uncle Byron on a trek across the Dhalmekian deserts instead. They inadvertently ran into the very Waloeder soldiers who had transported Kupka to his castle inside Drake's Fang, and when a fight broke out between them in an inn in Dalimil, unbeknown to both brothers, Joshua and his attendant, Jote, escaped the commotion through a window upstairs. Clive sensed his brother's presence and grasped the glowing phoenix feather that he now always held on his person.
After helping the local alliant, L'ubor, to put an end to a crystal shard smuggling operation, Clive gained access through Dalimil toward Drake's Fang and Byron left to attend to his personal business. Clive infiltrated the Mothercrystal alone and found it housed Kupka's personal palace, as well as orcs sent from Waloed, much to Clive's amazement as orcs were considered beastmen and unable to be cooperated with. Though Kupka absorbed aether from the Mothercrystal's heart to transform into the mountainous Titan Lost, Clive still bested him, this time finding no difficulty in priming. Clive returned home to share the news of Kupka's demise and helped Cid's adopted daughter, Midadol Telamon, who was on visit from the University of Kanver, find materials for a ship she was building. Clive visited Cid's grave in the ruins of the old hideaway before departing to destroy the Mothercrystal in the empire's new capital, Twinside: Drake's Tail.
Clive, Jill and Torgal arriving at Dzemekys Falls.
Clive and Jill posed as mercenaries hired to protect Goetz, the hideaway's apprentice trader, whose trading pass secured them passage on the caravan to the Crystalline Dominion from the market town of Boklad. While in the market town, Clive and Jill helped the local porterage firm, Crimson Caravans, and its operator, Eloise, by putting an end to a local gang forcing orphans to steal from the ever steady stream of passers through, as after Dhalmekia had lost its Mothercrystal, its people had begun to seek refuge in the Crystalline Dominion.
When staying overnight in Twinside, Clive and Jill were alerted by commotion as the Holy Order of the Knights Dragoon stormed the imperial palace in a coup led by Dion Lesage, the former Emperor Sylvestre's first-born son. Dion had learned from Joshua that Sanbrequois politics were being manipulated behind the scenes by Ultima via Olivier Lesage, Sylvestre and Anabella's son whom Sylvestre had recently made emperor. After Dion's coup culminated in him accidentally killing his father instead of his half-brother, he uncontrollably primed into Bahamut and attacked Twinside.
Spotting the Phoenix in the sky, Clive rushed to aid his brother. The two joined their Eikons into Ifrit Risen to pacify Bahamut and destroy the Mothercrystal's heart, after which Clive absorbed the light Eikon's aether from Dion. Anabella was sheltering with Olivier in the council members' residences, and the brothers watched her take her own life after Dion, with his final ounce of strength before falling unconscious, killed Olivier, who dispersed into dark dust, showing the child was but a thrall of Ultima. Joshua flew them all back to the hideaway as the Phoenix, and stayed a long while at Tarja's infirmary afterward to recuperate. Ultima appeared over Twinside and invoked Primogenesis, plunging the realm into further chaos as aetherfloods burst around previously safe areas and turned wildlife and people alike into mindless roving Akashic. Kanver fell under attack by an army of them and Clive readied his team to go and liberate them.
Clive and Joshua reunited after 18 years.
After Joshua was well enough to travel again, he took Clive and Jill to the Undying's secret base in Tabor, explaining the group's members had saved him on the Night of Flames eighteen years ago. The leader of the Undying, Cyril, told Clive that the secret society had been aware of Clive's true identity and had suspected him of being the Dominant of Ifrit, but Joshua had stayed their hand when they were going to send assassins after him. Instead, the society had followed Joshua's lead in uncovering as much as they could about Ultima, the mysterious being who was manipulating events behind the scenes.
When Mid, Byron, and Gav were in Kanver to work on Mid's ship, the city was besieged by an army of Akashic. Clive and Jill rushed to help them and accosted the Akashic who seemed to be working in unison, taking orders from King Barnabas Tharmr of Waloed, the Dominant of Odin. After besting Sleipnir Harbard, Clive lost to Barnabas and his dark-aspected sword said to be able to cut through anything. Jill covered Clive's evacuation as Shiva, but was taken captive on board Barnabas's flagship, the Einherjar.
After Clive regained consciousness, he learned of Jill's fate and set out to pursue Barnabas on Midadol's newly built ship, the Enterprise. At Mid's shipyard, the Ironworks, Clive and his allies were set upon by numerous copies of Sleipnir Harbard, learning that he was not mortal but an egi of Odin. They managed to sail away from the onslaught and caught up with Einherjar. Clive went on board to release Jill while Joshua defended their ship from Odin as the Phoenix. Clive primed into Ifrit and dispelled Odin's spectral steed with a severed half of Odin's own blade, but ended up falling to a chasm in the ocean with Jill, back in human form. Barnabas raved how not even the gods can stop the spread of the Blight and so any attempt toward such a goal was futile. Jill secured them an escape route by freezing a tunnel along the ocean floor.
Clive and Jill washed ashore at the Shadow Coast where they dried their clothes on a bonfire, shared a romantic moment, and Jill passed on Shiva to Clive. Their friends rescued them on the Enterprise, but after ruminating for their next course of action, Clive decided to return to Ash to pursue Barnabas and the final Mothercrystal on Valisthea: Drake's Spine. Accompanied by Joshua and Gav, Clive led their expedition through the blighted continent that appeared solely inhabited by Akashic, beasts and men alike. Joshua confronted Clive about having taken Jill's Eikon, accusing him of trying to do everything alone rather than relying on his friends. Joshua parted ways to explore an apodytery, while Clive and Gav found a sole survivor in a village, a pregnant girl called Edda. They suspected the baby Edda was carrying was a Bearer, giving her some aetheric resilience and protecting her from turning. Barnabas erected a dark-aspected magick barrier preventing passage to the north of the continent and to Drake's Spine. As Gav took Edda back to the Enterprise, Clive climbed the tallest landmark in the area, Reverie, and bested Barnabas up top.
Clive defeats Barnabas.
Clive learned that Barnabas was but another thrall of Ultima's, though serving him willingly under the false belief that Ultima was a savior god who needed Clive's body to remake the world into a paradise. Happy to see his master's plan come together and Clive grow strong enough to defeat him in battle, Barnabas passed the power of Odin to Clive before dying in a religious fervor. When Clive met up with Joshua again, Joshua relayed what he had learned at the apodytery: he believed that Ultima wanted to build Clive a strong enough vessel to channel mass quantities of aether for some kind of ultimate spell. Whatever Ultima's goals, Clive was set on opposing them.
Clive, Joshua and Torgal looking at Stonhyrr.
They continued their way to Stonhyrr, the capital of Waloed, which they found teeming with Akashic like every other place they had passed on Ash. The Enterprise arrived, bringing reinforcements, which the brothers gladly accepted to fight the hordes of Akashic blocking the way to Drake's Spine. As the brothers were about to head to the inner sanctum, they were spirited away to the Interdimensional Rift where they came face to face with one of the Ultima collective and a decaying body it had seemingly discarded, which resembled Ifrit and Phoenix's conjoined form. Ultima explained his brethren's origins as the creators of magic from a faraway land destroyed by Blight. In time immemorial, Ultima's race had created humanity as a breeding project to bring about "Mythos", their vessel to cast a spell to remake the world into a Blight-free utopia solely for their revived species. This shard of the Ultima collective reanimated the cast-aside body in the rift, a dark version of Clive and Joshua's Ifrit Risen. The brothers prevailed and defeated Ultima, shattering Drake's Spine.
With all Mothercrystals thus obliterated, Ultima raised Origin from beneath Twinside to the skies of Valisthea where it loomed as an ominous black flying Mothercrystal. Dion offered to take Clive and Joshua there as Bahamut despite Clive's warnings that priming after one's Eikon's aether was taken away was an unstable and dangerous affair. During preparations for their journey, Joshua and Clive bonded over learning about their late father's will and visiting a memorial for him. Clive had the chance to help the Guardians of the Flame repopulate Eastpool, help L'ubor in Dalimil when he was outed as a Bearer, and get the people of Northreach working together for a better future. Clive visited his old tree house with Torgal where he found the wolf had stashed away his practice sword, amazed how Torgal had never stopped looking for him even though they were separated for thirteen years. Joshua urged Clive to go on a date with Jill to a meadow of snow daisies, where they reaffirmed their love for each other. Clive found Jill was still holding onto the prayer to Metia she had made as a child, for Clive to return to her safely.
Everyone at the hideaway before Clive, Joshua and Dion's departure to the origin.
Clive, Joshua, and Dion bid farewell to everyone at the hideaway. Dion primed Bahamut and flew them to Origin where they fought another Ultima in corporeal form. Though the three combined their powers to cast Tri-Disaster as Ifrit, Phoenix, and Bahamut, Ifrit was defeated first and Bahamut urged the Phoenix to go help him while he would handle the rest alone. Dion defeated this form of Ultima but took on the brunt of Ultima's strongest attack, lost his prime, and fell from the sky, presumably to his death.
Joshua passing his Phoenix powers to Clive.
Joshua found Clive inside Origin and used magic to heal him, but was near death himself. They made it to the nexus where they witnessed a glowing column seemingly channeling aether and multiple cast-aside bodies of Ultima's species, all looking like dark versions of the brothers' Ifrit Risen. The part of the Ultima collective Joshua had kept imprisoned inside his own body emerged from his chest to join the rest of his brethren. Clive learned that the hearts of the Mothercrystals had been but another form for the Ultima collective, and destroying them had only freed them. Joshua passed on the power of the Phoenix onto Clive so he can be strong enough to defeat Ultima and save the world, and died while asking for Clive to carry on all of humanity's dreams and make them come true. Clive mourned his brother, before facing Ultima who became "Ultimalius" by combining with all of his versions. Ultimalius tried to take over Clive's body, but Clive's will was strong enough to resist Ultimalius in a battle that took place outside of the physical realm, within Clive's own mindscape. After triumphing by using all the Eikonic powers in his disposal, Clive absorbed Ultima's power into himself. The being mused that Clive had already lost because the ever-advancing Blight would render the world a lifeless husk regardless of his will to survive. Clive retorted that mankind had always persevered in the face of hardship by working together.
Clive looking at the moon.
Clive used the powers of god now in his disposal to restore Joshua's bodily injuries, but his brother did not stir. Clive noticed his fingers turn to stone, commenting that his body was not strong enough vessel for Ultima's power after all before turning his attention to destroying the nexus, which Ultima had called the wellspring of magic. Origin fell apart and dispersed into crystal dust and aether. Clive washed ashore and struggled to use his petrified hand, unable to sustain a flame on his palm. Back at the hideaway, Jill and Torgal watched the skies clear. Jill burst into tears and Torgal began to howl when the star Metia dimmed, but Jill raised her head in a hopeful smile when the sun began to rise.
Clive's feat had erased magic from the world, and the tales of Eikons would be passed down to future generations in a book Final Fantasy by Joshua Rosfield.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Clive is a well-built man with black hair and blue eyes. He wears a small, black earring on his left ear. Like Joshua, Clive's signature colors are red and black, but his attires feature more black whereas Joshua's feature more red.
In his youth, his hair is cut short and he wears a white vest over a red shirt, with red gloves. He was equipped with leather shoulder pauldrons, elbow guards, and hip armor, along with a Rosarian Oath longsword to carry out his duties as First Shield of Rosaria.
Thirteen years after the Night of Flames and his enslavement into the imperial army, the 28-year-old Clive bears the brand of a Bearer on his left cheek, has grown a chinstrap beard, and his hair is long and unkempt. His body is covered in scars after many years of combat. He wears a tattered, greenish-gray uniform equipped with chainmail and metal shoulder guards, brown leather gloves with small metal plates on the forearms and fingers, metal hip armor, and leather boots. After meeting with Hanna Murdoch in Eastpool, he receives a new set of clothing that once belonged to his late father, Elwin, consisting of a red and black vest with chainmail on the arms, black metal gauntlets and knee guards, and a black hooded cape, along with the Invictus sword that was once given to Rodney Murdoch. Invictus is his "canon" weapon, appearing as his sword in prerendered cutscenes. He also has a smaller sword hanging from his belt, but it is never used.
Five years later, Clive's hair is longer, his facial hair thicker, and he now has a large scar on his face after having his brand surgically removed. His clothing has become more ragged in the five years, especially the frayed edge of his cape.
A free update adds a new skin for Clive, "Burnt Black", where he is nigh entirely covered in black leather with tears on its surface and glowing red details. He still wears a black leather cape.
Personality[]
During his younger years at 15 years old, Clive was shown to be a kind, honorable, idealistic and caring individual, with a strong determination to prove himself and find his purpose after being passed over as Dominant of the Phoenix. Despite not being chosen by the Phoenix, resulting in his own mother scorning him and Joshua becoming both the Dominant and heir to the Grand Duchy, Clive doesn't hold any ill-feelings, jealousy or even envy towards his younger brother. Instead, Clive loves Joshua immensely, with him becoming First Shield not just as a means to prove himself, but also to protect Joshua. His little brother likewise looks up to Clive greatly, if not almost worshiping him, resulting in their brotherly bond to be very strong. He likewise views the family ward Jill to be like a sister to him and treats her as such. Eventually, as Clive gets older he realizes he is in love with Jill. Clive also deeply appreciates the support and faith his father shows him despite not being the Dominant as it was to be expected of the eldest child of the Rosfield family.
His kindness, admirable determination, dedication to his duty and open nature has earned him the respect and support of his fellow soldiers and the people, who offer sympathy at the poor treatment he receives from his mother. Clive likewise heavily dislikes how the Branded are treated, whether as tools or weapons, instead treating them as human beings, thus being polite and kind to them. His only negative relationship is with his mother Anabella, who took great importance on the family's lineage and him not being the Dominant resulted in her viewing Clive as a failure. Despite his mother's cold and arrogant behavior towards him, Clive shows no true anger or resentment, instead showing deference to her but does show sadness that despite his efforts, she displays no faith in him. He likely does this mainly for the family's sake despite the people and even his brother and father disliking how Anabella treats him. However, Clive appeared to accept that his mother may never display any real affection for him, no matter what he does to prove himself. Years after Anabella's betrayal and witnessing her ever-increasing acts of sadism and atrocious acts, Clive came to wonder if he ever truly knew his mother.
However, after losing everything in the battle between Ifrit and the Phoenix, from his father and brother being killed, his home absorbed by the Holy Empire of Sabreque and his own mother selling him off to be enslaved by said empire for 13 years, Clive unsurprisingly has become extremely bitter, sullen and depressed. The only thing keeping him going is his furious vow to one day kill Ifrit, who he believes killed Joshua, despite knowing that his path of vengeance won't end well for him. Further, after being betrayed, Clive became somewhat distrusting unsurprisingly, as he was wary of Cid and his band of outcasts initially but he soon warms up to them. He developed further sympathy and compassion for the Branded after becoming a Branded himself by the Empire, experiencing treatment as fodder by the empire, displaying disgust at how the Sanbreque Empire treats their Bearers, ultimately joining Cidolfus Telamon's band of outcasts for the goal of creating a haven for the Bearers. Clive would soon develop a deep respect for Cid, almost viewing him as a father-like figure as well as a leader to follow. Following Cid's death at the hands of Ultima, Clive would take up his mantle and mission to create a world where Bearers are free to honor him.
Though Clive would regain a measure of happiness after reuniting with Torgal, Jill and those he knew back in Rosaria, he would ultimately despair after discovering that the Dominant he had sought to kill for years for the death of his brother was him all along. It even reached the point of being suicidal, begging Cid to kill him as he couldn't live with the knowledge that he killed his own brother and so many other innocents at the Night of Flames, as well as deeply considering jumping off a bridge into a raging river below to end his own life before Torgal snapped him out of it on his way to Kingsfall. However, after some encouragement from Cid and facing his demons upon his return to Phoenix Gate, Clive would manage to make peace with what happened, eventually leading him to master his Dominant abilities.
Clive would ultimately feel complete relief and joy upon discovering evidence that Joshua may be in fact alive, being driven to tears upon reuniting in Twinside following their united battle against a rampaging Bahamut. His reunion with his mother Anabella as Sanbreque collapsed however, was instead filled with volatile venting as Anabella admits she couldn't accept the type of rule Elwin conducted in Rosaria nor could she fathom why the Phoenix didn't choose him over Joshua, finally admitting that Clive was indeed the better option, revealing she hated how both of her sons turned out. Though Clive denounced his mother's selfish motives, he never did defend his own actions, suggesting that a part of him actually agrees with Anabella. If the Phoenix really did choose him from the start, then perhaps he and his family would have been spared a great deal of pain. Yet, however much Clive became disgusted with Anabella's actions throughout the years, a part of him still didn't wish to see her truly come to harm as he looked away in sadness and pity when Anabella slitted her own throat after being driven mad that all of her schemes and plans ended up being for naught.
One constant trait throughout Clive's life was his willingness and insistence on bearing everyone's burdens himself while ignoring his own personal burdens. However, with the exception of fighting other Dominants, Clive does not explicitly try to bar his friends from trying to help him and will instead try to do as much of the job as he can. Clive is stubborn in his want to bear other people's burdens so much so that Jill had to scold him for not trying to save himself. Another tendency of Clive's is him being unable to refuse any request from anyone who asks for his aid, whether it be from allies at the Hideaway or from strangers he meets while on the road as he travels. Though this earns him allies and friends that helps his cause, it does annoy Clive to some extent that he can't say no to them. Additionally, it's been stated that Clive is a poor liar which both Jill and his uncle Byron can attest, much to his confusion. Jill herself stated that it wasn't "untrue" when Byron said that Clive was always a "terrible liar". It would be proven to be so during his time with Cid and while traveling the land, for while he can disguise himself well enough, when adopting an alias or simply pretending to be someone, he fails utterly to put up a convincing act.
Clive often uses coarse language when feeling intense anger (such as his vow to track down and kill Ifrit for the events at Phoenix Gate) and when being set back (like when Typhon merged with his copies).
Abilities[]
As the second Dominant of Fire, Clive can use Ifrit's powers to manifest fire at will, such as for illumination or for offensive fire spells. He is an adept swordsman, having practiced since childhood to become Joshua's First Shield. Clive has the unique ability of absorbing other Dominants' Eikons' aether and wielding multiple elements and Eikonic abilities simultaneously in what appears akin to semi-priming, though he can only fully prime Ifrit.
Gameplay[]
As the sole controllable character of Final Fantasy XVI (aside from Joshua's brief sequence in the prologue), Clive boasts a versatile toolkit capable of dispatching foes in a variety of situations. He thrives in close-quarters combat due to the potency and amount of close-range abilities he possesses, but is able to attack from a distance when necessary. The ability to customize Clive's moveset to personal preference gives players some degree of freedom in how they want Clive to function in battle.
Phoenix Shift, Clive's default Eikonic Feat.
Clive can equip up to three Eikons at a time, each with their own unique action, called an Eikonic Feat. Eikonic Feats hold a variety of uses, both offensive and defensive. Clive can cycle through these Eikons at any time during combat by pressing 
(default controller scheme). Each Eikon can be equipped with a maximum of two Eikonic Abilities for a total of six, activated by holding 
and pressing either 
or 
, depending on the ability the player wishes to use. Eikonic Abilities can be chained into each other provided they are not on cooldown. At first, the Eikonic Abilities can only be equipped to their respective Eikon (with the exception of Ifrit's, which must be bound to Phoenix). Upon spending enough ability points to "master" the ability, they can then be equipped to any Eikon of the player's choosing. All Eikonic Abilities can be used on the ground, but only certain abilities may be performed while airborne. Abilities able to be used in midair are noted in the Details menu of each individual Eikonic Ability within the main menu's Abilities tab.
Besides the Eikon-related abilities, Clive has a selection of universal actions he can perform at all times. He can perform a basic melee combo with both on the ground and while airborne. After each individual attack within either combo variant, Clive has a short window to perform a Magic Burst using , a brief magic attack that deals significant will damage. Holding the attack button will imbue Clive's sword with fire and allow him to unleash Burning Blade, a single potent melee strike that can break an enemy's guard. Burning Blade can be used while airborne to lift enemies off the ground. Additionally, the player can time Clive's melee attacks with an enemy's own attack to perform a parry, preventing the enemy from taking action temporarily and providing a brief window to deal increased damage to them.
Using 
+ on the ground allows Clive to perform Lunge, where he rushes to the targeted enemy to perform a single strike. This is useful to close the distance between Clive and the enemy in a shorter amount of time than it would take for Clive to run towards the enemy at his normal running speed. Using the same button combination in midair will perform Downthrust, sending Clive downwards to perform an area-of-effect attack upon landing. Depending on the height at which the player performed Downthrust, the attack will hit airborne enemies multiple times.
Clive uses "Fira".
Clive can cast magic at will. Simply tapping outside of the Magic Burst window will shoot a single weak magic projectile, but it can be fired rapidly and used even while moving. Holding the magic button will have Clive charge up a more powerful spell called a Charged Shot. Charged Shots can be charged while performing melee attacks or moving around, but cannot be used for Magic Bursts. Upon releasing the Charged Shot, the recoil from the spell will push Clive back slightly and prevent him from moving or evading temporarily. Using Charged Shots on lightweight or airborne enemies will lift them in the air, granting an opportunity for Clive to stay on the offensive.
In addition to jumping normally with , Clive can use his Stomp ability (using the same button) to jump on enemies and suspend himself in the air for a short time and gain some height. Stomping can also grant another opportunity to perform Clive's aerial combo and keep lightweight enemies airborne, or allow him to change his position slightly.
Clive can dodge attacks by pressing 
both on the ground and in the air. Dodging by itself will briefly leave Clive vulnerable to enemy attack, but players can perform a Precision Dodge by dodging an enemy's attack with perfect timing. This will allow Clive to follow up with a choice of two counterattacks: Precision Strike and Precision Shot. Performing a Precision Strike with the melee attack button will have Clive lunge towards the enemy with a close range attack. A Precision Shot (performed with the magic button) makes Clive shoot a burst of magic at the enemy. Only a Precision Shot can be performed in midair.
Upon unlocking the Swift Recovery ability, Clive will be able to regain his balance when the player presses after being knocked back or down by an enemy.
Clive can provoke enemies into immediately attacking him by pressing + 
. This can be used to create parry opportunities or exploit specific Eikonic Abilities that deal more damage upon successfully blocking or dodging an enemy's attack.
The player can set up to three unique item shortcuts in the items menu for Clive to use in battle, to be used with 
, 
, or 
. Items that are not set as a shortcut can be manually used from the items menu itself. The limit on how much of each item can be carried varies between each item. Some items, such as Potions, can have their limit expanded through sidequests. Items can be used with very little restriction—they can be used while airborne or even while Clive is knocked back or down by an enemy.
Using 
, the player can switch between item shortcuts and Torgal's command menu. Using the command menu, Clive can order Torgal to execute specific commands in conjunction with his own attacks. Sic commands Torgal to perform a single strike at an enemy. Heal will have Torgal perform a spell that affects all allies in range. For Clive specifically, this only restores the HP regain gauge (i.e. if Clive loses HP and there is a faded portion of the health bar that extends beyond Clive's current HP value, it will only restore that portion). Ravage will command Torgal to perform an attack that is able to lift lightweight enemies into the air and also bring them to the ground. After Clive performs a the last hit of a melee combo, Magic Burst, Eikonic Ability, Lunge, or Downthrust, using Sic or Ravage will increase the respective command's potency, and in the case of Sic, suspend an enemy in midair longer.
Clive's Limit Break form.
Upon channeling Ifrit, Clive will be able to purchase the Limit Break ability (activated by pressing 
+ 
), which provides Clive with an array of beneficial effects:
- Changes attack style (Clive's melee combos have different animations and will propel Clive towards the target)
- Doubles spells (each time Clive casts the weaker variant of magic spells by tapping the magic button, he will cast two projectiles instead of one)
- Increases the potency of Charged Magic, Magic Burst, and Precision Shot by 10%
- Increases Eikonic Ability potency by 10%
- Regenerates HP over time (unlike Torgal's Heal command, Limit Break will restore HP beyond the limit of the HP regain gauge)
- Increases Defense by 10%
- Clive cannot be KO'd
Behind the scenes[]
Though it is only an alias and not his real name, Clive is the first Cid to serve as the main protagonist in a Final Fantasy game.
Joshua and Clive both have messianic traits. Clive becomes Logos, taking on the burdens of the world to bring salvation. In Christianity, Logos is a name or title of Jesus Christ. However, in other contexts, Logos is a term used in western philosophy, psychology, and rhetoric and connotes an appeal to rational discourse and deductive reasoning. Both interpretations are relevant to Clive's character.
Just before landing the coup de grace on Ultimalius, Clive responds to the latter's denouncement of humanity's ideal world as a fantasy "The only fantasy here is yours, and we shall act as its final witness", alluding to "Final Fantasy".
Voice[]
In the English version, Ben Starr voices both Clive's young adult and teen appearances. Starr had played Final Fantasy VIII and has cited his favorite game scene is where Squall Leonhart and Quistis Trepe are battling the GF Ifrit at the Fire Cavern, which led him to study Ifrit's personality and nature in the game to portray as him and Clive for Final Fantasy XVI.[5]
Clive's young adult appearance in the Japanese version is voiced by Yūya Uchida. He is known as the Japanese voice-over actor of Ryan Gosling, James McAvoy, and Jesse Williams as Markus from the Japanese dub of Detroit: Become Human.
His teen appearance in the Japanese version is voiced by Yuma Uchida, who shares his voice actor with G'raha Tia from Final Fantasy XIV, Clair and Ifrit from Chocobo GP.
Other appearances[]
Final Fantasy XIV[]
Clive appears in the Final Fantasy XIV collaboration event with Final Fantasy XVI titled "The Path Infernal". Clive is transported to the Burning Wall in Eorzea during his investigation of the Phoenix Gate ruins and is assisted by the Wandering Minstrel and the Warrior of Light in confronting Ifrit.
Final Fantasy Brave Exvius[]
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Etymology[]
Clive is a British name, meaning "cliff".
While in Dalimil, Clive goes by the name "Lord Underhill", a merchant looking to trade goods with the town.[1] Underhill is also a minor character met on a desert in the first Final Fantasy. Underhill's name comes from the first Lord of the Rings book, Fellowship of the Ring, where it is used as Frodo's traveling name to escape from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Notes[]
Annotations[]
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Final Fantasy XVI, Lay of the Land "Lord Underhill"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 se (n.d.) . THE CHARACTERS | FINAL FANTASY XVI | SQUARE ENIX. Accessed October 29, 2020. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020.
- ↑ Naoki Yoshida (n.d.) . Introducing the world and characters of Final Fantasy XVI. Accessed October 29, 2020. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020.
- ↑ Final Fantasy XVI, Cyril's optional dialogue after first meeting him.
- ↑ (n.d.) . The Games That Made Us: Ben Starr. YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023.