Hildibrand Manderville

Hildibrand Heliodor Maximilian Manderville (ヒルディブランド・ヘリドール・マクシミリアン・マンダヴィル) is a character in the 2013 video game Final Fantasy XIV. He was featured in the original version of the game as an "inspector extraordinaire" who could be found in inns to help others. He later appears in A Realm Reborn with a questline, which lead to him getting a questline in most expansions to Final Fantasy XIV down the line. The only exception to this was Shadowbringers, which director Naoki Yoshida noted was because he was in a rut. He eventually returned in Endwalker due to fan demand, being handled by a different staff member.

Concept and creation
Hildibrand Manderville was created for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Final Fantasy XIV. In the original version, he was in charge of quests that players must do in order to get private inn rooms in the game. He was eventually featured in the reboot of the game, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, with a new sidequest. During development of Final Fantasy XIV stories, director Naoki Yoshida, known as Yoshi-P, noted that he instructed staff to come up with ideas that "go too far" that they will later dial down, which was also the case with Hildibrand's quests. He recollects a suggestion of Hildibrand battling Bahamut, which he rejected for going too far. When designing his quests, there were certain stipulations. Namely, the that it had to have gags and be funny, among others.

Square Enix ultimately decided to include Hildibrand more in Final Fantasy XIV due to his popularity among players of the game. Despite appearing in A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood, he was left out of Shadowbringers due to Yoshi-P being in a rut and taking a break from writing him. He discussed how it felt like it had been going on too long, and about how things had to be done a certain way instead of being done because it's funny, worrying that players were also feeling in a rut over Hildibrand's quests. He also noted that it was becoming too costly to work on the cutscenes for Hildibrand's quests at the same time as the "Return to Ivalice" quest. However, fan demand for his return eventually lead to his inclusion in Endwalker. Yoshi-P stated that a new person was in charge of Hildibrand's quests for the first time in a long time, which helped make him more motivated. A low-poly version of Hildibrand was featured in Endwalker, which Yoshi-P noted was inspired by the low-polygon grapes that became a meme.

Appearances
In Final Fantasy XIV, Hildbrand travels around Eorzea as an "inspector extraordinaire," accompanied by an assistant named Nashu Mhakaracca. In the original version of Final Fantasy XIV, Hildibrand can be found at various inns, hoping to solve problems for people, including the protagonist. Through a misunderstanding, Hildibrand later decides that he is the hero in prophecy meant to confront the threat of a moon called Dalamud. After being blown toward Dalamud due to an explosion, he becomes trapped in a device that freezes him in time for five years. He is later discovered and buried, having been assumed dead. He emerges with no memory of his identity, and is embraced by zombies who believe him to be undead as well. Nashu later finds him, restoring his memory by blowing him up.

Reception
Hildibrand has received generally positive reception, identified as a fan favorite by Destructoid and Kotaku, with Final Fantasy XIV director noting that despite being popular in Japan, he was particularly so in the United States and Europe. Commenting on his absence in the Shadowbringers expansion, Screen Rant writer John Tibbetts speculated that he was kept out because the developers were worried about him "overstay[ing] his welcome," feeling that a longer gap between appearances would help make him fresh for both fans and writers. Inside Games writer Kosuke Yamaguchi discussed how they appreciated that Hildibrand is able to make people laugh through more than just his own self, but also through his interactions with other characters, such as making more serious characters seem like a joke or causing those around him to make strange faces.

Comic Book Resources writer Gina discussed how Hildibrand's quests are a good way to take a break from the more serious story of Final Fantasy XIV. The Gamer writer Andrea Shearon was similarly appreciative of Hildibrand's quests, saying that they represent the best part of the Final Fantasy series. She felt that the camera work, animation, and sound effects gave it a Looney Tunes feel, while Hildigard's "takes the spirit of all of your favorite absurdities [in Final Fantasy] and embraces them." Inverse writer Hayes Madsen expressed a desire to see a hypothetical Final Fantasy XVII have more "goofs and gags," arguing that Hildibrand's quests fit this idea well. They felt that one of the best strengths of Hildibrand and his quests are how it utilizes the "stilted, janky animations" of Final Fantasy XIV for comedic effect, citing scenes they compare to Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry. They felt that this absurd humor helped make Hildibrand a fan-favorite character.