User:PanagiotisZois/Gladiolus

Gladiolus Amicitia (グラディオラス・アミシティア) is a fictional character in Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. He first appeared in Final Fantasy XV as one of the main characters. In the game, Gladiolus is presented as Noctis Lucis Caelum's bodyguard; the two having known each other since children and considering themselves to be brothers. Gladiolus assists Noctis in his quest to defend their country from the empire of Niflheim, which is trying to obtain the world's last surviving crystal. The character has also been featured in various other media, all of which are part of the "Final Fantasy XV Universe" multimedia project.

Gladiolus was created and co-designed by Tetsuya Nomura, concept creator and character designer of XV. Being the bodyguard of Noctis, the character was designed as being very muscular and strong. During development, the character went through aesthetic changes to make him more than a simple brute. His clothing was designed by Hiromu Takahara, lead designer of the Japanese fashion house Roen.

Gladiolus has been positively received by critics, especially for his interactions with the rest of the cast and his role in gameplay.

Creation and development
Gladiolus was created and designed by Tetsuya Nomura. According to Hajime Tabata, one of the reasons Gladiolus and his teammates are men is because he wanted "to depict a story in which a group of men, a group of friends, journey throughout the world". During the transition of the game from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Final Fantasy XV, Gladiolus' facial structure was changed, making his eyes narrower and was give a sulty gaze. According to Naora, this was done to make him "look more intellectual, rather than just being a simple muscleman". Additionally, martial artists were used as reference material to redesign his chest and abdominal muscles. His outfit is black because of its historical importance to the Kingdom of Lucis.

Personality
Gladiolus is described by Nomura as a very cheerful person who enjoys being outdoors as well as fighting. Because of his love for fighting, he often does research on different types of skills. He was also described as the ego in regard to Noctis' personality.

Related media
Gladiolus appears in Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, a five-episode ONA set a few years before the beginning of the game. Initially, Gladiolus disliked Noctis because of his attitude. This however changed when Noctis brought home his younger sister Iris who had been lost in the woods and took full responsibility for the occurance. Impressed by his actions, Gladiolus and Noctis eventually came to respect each other.

In merchandise and promotion
Gladiolus has been featured in Final Fantasy XV related merchandise produced by Square Enix. An action figure of the character, created by Play Arts Kai was made available in late 2016, which includes his greatsword.

Reception
Gladiolus' relationship with the rest of the party members was praised for its portrayal of male bonding. He has been described as the "big brother" of the group and as "a man who knows exactly where his place is in the world and embraces it". Favorable reception also went to the fact he challenges gender roles by expressing emotion and adoration to his teammates, as well as being a healer. When FFXV's Twitter account held a poll for the fans favorite male character from the game, Gladiolus came in third with 17% of the votes. Parson's voice acting was praised by OtakuStudy, saying that his voice suited the "guardian-like Gladiolus". Gladiolus has been the subject of cosplay.