Julius Vandole (whose last name is never used) is the central villain of the video game Final Fantasy Adventure, and its remakes Sword of Mana and Adventures of Mana. He is a powerful wizard who first appears as the second of the Dark Lord, but is later revealed to be Emperor Vandole's heir, using his "liege" to claim the power of Mana, restore his father's empire and rule the world of Fa'Diel as a god.
Most of his traits, being a masked wizard, doing field work for their liege, feigning allegiance to use them, and seeking godhood, would be reused for many villains of the series.
Background[]
Twenty years before the story, the evil Vandole Empire invaded Fa'Diel, abusing the power of Mana at the source of everything to crush all opposition.
Until the fated day when a maiden from the Mana Clan sealed the Mana Tree from the world, cutting the Empire's power source and enabling the mighty Gemma Knights to topple it with the fabled Sword of Mana. Some days later, the Dark Lord found a baby in a cave and raised him, possibly sensing his magic potential. The boy, Julius, in fact Vandole's son, learnt magic and became the Dark Lord's right-hand-man.
In Sword of Mana, it is said that Emperor Vandole wanted Mana for him alone, though whether it was the Mana Goddess herself or the leader of the Tree Maiden from the Mana Clan, or both, is unclear.
It is implied that he either used his last might to reincarnate into his son, with him and Julius being one of the same. This could explain Julius's change of personality late in the game, and why veterans of the war call him "Vandole", but it remains unclear.
Characteristics[]
Julius is a highly powerful wizard, expert in the Dark Arts and Fire Magic, but he also displays notable skills in adventuring and swordsmanship.
He is very cold, uncaring, self-centred and power-hungry, but a perfect manipulator and the power behind the throne. He used his benefactor's thirst for power for years, pushing him to get to the Mana Tree for him to take, and befriending the heroes under disguise to approach his target, both to learn more and to seize her at the right moment.
In Sword of Mana, his chalk-white skin hints an otherworldly origin. He is less evil and genuinely friend with the Dark Lord despite their diverging goals, being a witty trickster of sorts who tests people, harshly but without ill will. He has extravagant clothing and manners, and is obsessed with Mana. Still, he is misanthropic, deriding mortals as weaklings struggling vainly against their misgivings, which he boasts to have cast aside.
The Dark Lord could seemingly soothe his dark impulses. After his death, Julius takes a turn for the worst, becoming cruel, sadistic and nihilistic, wanting to possess Mana in all sense of the word as Vandole did. Though his Shadow is far worse, likely fully reflecting Vandole’s evil.
He now enjoys forcing people to face their flaws and succumb to guilt and despair. He becomes self-righteous and self-aggrandizing, wanting to make the Mana Goddess bow down to him and to take her place. Still, he wants to make her normal instead of killing her. He demeans the heroes but is willing to spare them, and regards replacing the Mana Clan as relieving them of a burden.
Final Fantasy Adventure/Adventures of Mana[]
The game begins with the Hero Sumo (named Duke in adaptations) fighting as a gladiator slave in the arena of Glaive Castle. He finds his best friend Willy dying, likely for trying to escape, who warns him that Fa’Diel is in danger.
He later escapes through the monster pit, and eavesdrops Julius speaking to the Dark Lord. He states that his visions showed him the Mana Tree atop Mount Illusia, only accessible by reverting the waterfall's flow with a magic pendant, before teleporting away.
Sumo is spotted and effortlessly thrown down the waterfall by the Dark Lord, surviving only by miracle. He later slays monsters threatening the Heroine Fuji (named Elena in adaptations), the last survivor of the Mana Clan decimated by the Dark Lord. Together they meet the former Gemma Knight Sir Bogard, who directs them to the Holy City of Wendel.
They find shelter in Kett Castle but Fuji strangely disappears. Looking for her, Sumo meets a mysterious traveller clad in red, who tells him that many girls vanished there and guides him to the Cave of Marsh to find a magic mirror. The stranger assists Sumo with a sword and fireballs, and can indicate which walls can be destroyed.
The mirror reveals that the lord of Kett, Count Lee, is a vampire out for Fuji's blood and that his butler is a shape-shifted werewolf, but Sumo slays them and saves her.
In Wendel Temple, Sage Cibba reveals Fuji's origin and that she bears the Mana Pendant that can unseal the Mana Tree. Then an airship from Glaive attacks the city with monsters, and the red stranger appears to take Fuji to safety.
Suspicious, Sumo follows and finds the guard stabbed from behind. The stranger is in fact none other than a shape-shifted Julius, seeking to confirm whether Fuji was the one he searched. He takes Sumo down with a fire blast and departs with Fuji captive.
Sumo is saved by Cibba, and later manages to board the airship and reach Fuji’s cell, helped by many friends. But she can only give him her pendant before Julius spots him and throws him overboard with a powerful fire wave, as the airship is taking off.
Sumo falls on a thatched roof and is nursed back to health, but the Mana Pendant is stolen and later taken by the Illithid Davias, a vassal of the Dark Lord who gave it to the Dark Lord's Garuda monster, just before Sumo caught up to him. Fortunately, Davias' former captive can dispel the toxic fogs preventing Sumo to reach Glaive Castle. He later obtains the Sword of Mana, albeit in a rusted state, and uses it to settle his score with the tyrant.
Sumo retrieves the Mana Pendant, only to find that out that it is a fake. He finds Fuji under Julius’ magic control, and the gloating wizard reveals that had been using the Dark Lord all along, and substituted the pendant to restore the Vandole Empire of his ancestors. (In the remake, he states his intention to make Fuji his empress, not caring about her adamant refusal, being willing to keep her under his control for all their "marriage".)
He forces Fuji to unseal access to the Mana Sanctuary, blasting Sumo away for the third time, but the boy follows him, restoring the Sword of Mana in the process. Alas it is too late, Julius has drained all the Mana Tree's power and became god-like. He transforms to an extremely powerful demon to kill Sumo, only to fall under his blade.
Julius is dead but so is the Mana Tree, and Fuji must become one with Mana to grow the Tree anew and save Fa'Diel, with Sumo becoming its protector as a new Gemma Knight.
The Final Battle[]
Julius is easy to beat. He divides himself into three who must be killed. They teleport and hurl fireballs. His second form hurls diagonal thunderbolts and sweeps down, but can be hit as he moves. His final form emerges after he is seemingly killed. He teleports, stomps the ground and double-casts the mightiest spell Nuke. Sumo must hit as he appears, and Fuji can heal him.
He is mightier in Adventures of Mana, albeit just as easy. His doubles must be taken down to strike him. They hurl four lightning balls, a normal fireball and a bigger, slower one.
His demon form lands energy-infused punches, diving kicks, lightning bolts and divebombs causing explosions, but can be knocked out. His final form fights the same and Fuji still heals. Dashes and Spins are advised.
Sword of Mana[]
Julius only appears before entering Count Lee's castle, without disguise for the heroes know him not. He only makes cryptic warnings and it is Isabella (Belladonna's counterpart) who advises them to find the mirror. The Dark Lord is with Julius to capture Fuji in Wendel, and Cibba identifies him as a Vandole after they defeat Sumo.
In the airship, Julius asks Fuji about the key, throwing Sumo out with a dark purple energy ball. After Sumo is forced to kill Devius (Davias), Julius telepathically taunts him for refusing to finish him off. He offers to heal him, but Devius choses to die. After the Dark Lord's death, Julius has Goremand steal the Pendant and goes to the Sanctuary.
The heroes and their friends reach the Mana Sanctuary, frequently harassed by Julius' Shadow, who later summons their friends and corrupts them with their despair, to which even Fuji succumbs. As they are about to strike down Sumo, he embraces his weakness and his relationship to them. Fuji breaks the spell by calling to their allies. The Shadow calls its maker for help and Julius telepathically grants it the power to multiply and face all party members.
Sumo and Fuji kill Julius with the restored Sword of Mana, but he swears that he will return as long as Mana exists (as Anise does). Fuji then fuses with the Mana Tree to restore it and Sumo becomes her Gemma Knight.
The Final Battle[]
Julius alternates between close-range and atop the arena walls. He calls forth monsters, and throws fireballs send fiery waves on impact. He later leaves afterimages after him, using status moves and mightier attacks like freezing tornadoes, four petrifying magma waves around him, and the devastating Shadow Summon Irwin.
He finally turns into a flying demon who attacks with barrages of punches, and flies into space to throw a deadly explosive comet, who must be attacked when he is onscreen.
Echoes of Mana[]
Julius appears in this mobile game, in which the Mana Goddess tasks an amnesiac hero, the boy Quilto or his twin sister Quilta, to travel through echoes of every continuity and restore the multiverse.
In an echo of Adventures of Mana, Julius as the Red Stranger tells the heroes about the Sanctuary. There, he shape-shifts as Sumo to gain their trust and stabs Fuji, keeping Sumo from gaining the Mana Sword to rewrite his defeat and seize power, but is beaten and flees.
Julius is very tough and must be taken down before a time limit. Once again, he spawns two doubles while he casts Fire and Lighting spells, but he can respawn them, and his Lightning Flare spell is deadly.
Julius tries to harness power from Fiegmund's seals but is harmed as it escapes. Rescued by the mage princess Angela, he passes as an explorer and helps her slay it. Impressed by her power, he considers brainwashing her, but decides against should she resist and leaves.
When playable, Julius can wield a staff. Julius, is of the Wind element. He casts the Int Boost buff, the weakening Frightful Ripple, Thunder, or the deadly Thunder Wave.
Hidden Ambitions and Tactical Mage of Manipulation are of the Fire element. The former casts the Bloodline or Int Boost buffs, Fire, and the deadly Flare. The latter casts the weakening Hollowing Curse, Fire or the deadly Triple Flare.
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Final Fantasy Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy IV Others Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy VI Cult of Kefka Final Fantasy VII Remnants Others Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy X Leblanc Syndicate Others Final Fantasy XI Final Fantasy XII Others Final Fantasy XIII Final Fantasy XIV Ascians Illuminati Primals Others Final Fantasy XV Others Final Fantasy XVI Kingdom of Waloed Dhalmekian Republic Iron Kingdom Mysidia Eikons Others Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Final Fantasy: Unlimited Final Fantasy Adventure Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates Final Fantasy Dimensions Four Generals Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Vile Four Others Final Fantasy Tactics Others Final Fantasy Tactics A2 Khamja Others Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Final Fantasy Type-0 World of Final Fantasy Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy Others |
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Final Fantasy Adventure / Sword of Mana Secret of Mana Trials of Mana Legend of Mana Dawn of Mana Heroes of Mana Echoes of Mana |