Roddy McGranate is the Red Mage Asterisk holder in Bravely Default II. The leader of Wiswald and the oldest friend of Elvis, Roddy studied magic alongside Elvis under the tutelage of Lady Emma.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
Roddy is a middle-aged man with a black mustache and beard, and hair with stripes of black and gray. He normally wears the standard white outfit of Wiswald, though as a Red Mage he wears the outfit provided by that Asterisk, with a red coat decorated with pomegranate imagery, a black shirt with a pomegranate symbol on the top, black gloves, gray pants, and pointed black shoes. Both while holding the Red Mage Asterisk and after losing it, Roddy wields an elegant sword known as the Red Moon, adorned with rubies and featuring a crescent-shaped hilt guard.
Personality[]
Roddy is a very dutiful man, known to work long hours at the Institute of Magical Inquiry or in governmental work without coming home, something of which he is not entirely happy and for which he used to blame the death of his daughter Mona, as she died while visiting him at the institute. While busy, he is extremely devoted to his wife Lily, and he deeply loved his daughter Mona as well. His responsible nature is in direct opposition to the more easygoing attitude of his old fried Elvis, but both noted that meant they complemented each other very well, making quite a team, and they remain close friends in spite of their separate paths. However, Roddy is well-known to push himself too hard on the behalf of the people of Wiswald, and has trouble believing that taking a break and resting himself would ever be in their best interest, causing many to worry about him.
Roddy has a strong talent for magic, including both offensive and restorative spells as well as arcane magical knowledge, and he is devoted to the study of it, but he is also concerned with the governing of his country; he is always determined to focus on what's best for the people of Wiswald, but he is also happy to work with other countries or individuals to advance common goals. While often too busy to properly express it, Roddy is a a very kind-hearted person, adored by the people of his country and respected by the those of others.
Story[]
Roddy is the current leader of Wiswald and of its Institute of Magical Inquiry, happily married to his wife Lily McGranate until they began blaming themselves and each other for the death of their daughter Mona. While it appeared to be an accident, Mona was actually murdered by the Pictomancer Folie, who placed the distraught Roddy under her spell to create blue paint for her under the notion that he is creating a formula to revive his daughter. Folie also provided Roddy with the Red Mage Asterisk, and removed Lily, placing her under a delusion that Mona is still alive and creating a gulf between the pair.
A brainwashed Roddy confronts the heroes.
When the heroes enter Wiswald and try to investigate the Earth Crystal, they seek Roddy’s help to enter the Wiswald Tower, guarded by Galahad, and while they are initially warmly received, they get be kicked out of the institute when Roddy goes berserk upon hearing of the tower. After they make it back in, they confront Roddy, who believes they are keeping him from bringing Mona back to life and fights them using the powers of the Red Mage Asterisk, but they defeat him and break Folie’s control while taking his Asterisk.
Roddy then accompanies the party for the remainder of their time around Wiswald, aiding the heroes by using the Red Magic that he had learned from the Asterisk. He helps them free Lily from Folie's control if she had not been freed first, and also helps them free Galahad and ultimately defeat Folie. Roddy and the others encounter Folie and are devastated to learn that she caused Mona's death, but the seven are able to prevail against Mona's killer, allowing Roddy and Lily to finally move on. Roddy then says goodbye to his old friend Elvis until his return.
Roddy explains how to defeat Vigintio.
Only a short while later, the Arcanist Vigintio, who had come to Wiswald in the past only to be defeated and came back as a lich, or the ‘Mighty Wight’, after being killed by Lady Emma, returns and captures all of its citizens to turn into an undead army, leaving only the shopkeeper, who was not caught, and Roddy, who Vigintio has tied up in the tower to be made to watch the horrific plan come to fruition. However, the heroes free Roddy and he tells them Vigintio can be truly destroyed by being stabbed with a wald ash branch, which they retrieve in the form of the doll of Mona that Lily was with in the Wiswald Woods. After they retrieve it, kill Vigintio, and save Roddy's countrymen, the leader of Wiswald promises that his people will assist in the assault on Holograd.
When the heroes have finished neutralizing Holograd's infiltration of all the countries of Excillant, Roddy leads the wizards of Wiswald to help clear the way to Holograd for the heroes. After Adam is defeated, he thanks the heroes for their help in bringing peace and promises to help make Exclillant a better place, a task in which completion will be aided by the strengthened bonds between himself, Prince Pollux, King Vernon, and Father Rhydion, and between their respective countries of Wiswald, Savalon, Halcyonia, and Rimedhal.
Gameplay[]
Boss encounters[]
Roddy casting Aerora on the whole party
As the Red Mage Asterisk holder, Roddy uses a variety of Red Magic spells learned from that Asterisk. When fought, he uses his sword Red Moon along with the offensive spells Aerora, Stonera, and the devastating spell Disaster, inflicting status conditions with those spells due to the Asterisk's Nuisance specialty, as well as the restorative spell Healara, used on either himself or his ally Picto-Beleth to restore 2000 HP, usually when either is low on HP.
A version of him is fought in the sevenths of the Halls of Tribulation in chapters 6 and 7, alongside versions of Selene, Dag, and Lily. In this fight, Roddy now possesses the Chainspell specialty in addition to Nuisance, has upgraded from Healara to Healaga, restoring 6000 HP at once due to Chainspell, and additionally uses the ultimate earth magic Quake and the ultimate wind magic Tornado alongside the Aerora, Stonera, and Disaster used previously. This memory can drop Roddy's sword Red Moon, which grants the Red Mage passive abilities Magic Critical, Revenge, and HP/MP Convertor when equipped.
Companion[]
Roddy casting Aero on an enemy
After losing his Asterisk, he accompanies the party for the remainder of chapter 2, and still uses his sword and the Red Magic he learned, specifically the spells Stone, Aero, and Heal.
Etymology[]
Roddy’s name is the Anglicized form of the Gaelic personal name Ruaidhrí, which means “Red King”.
Roddy's surname, McGranate, is presumably a reference to the Red Mage's design, which features pomegranates. His surname in the Japanese version, Grenadine, is similarly a reference to pomegranates, being the name of a syrup typically made from the fruit.
Trivia[]
- Roddy asked the party if they are White or Black while under Folie’s spell, possibly referencing Edea Lee’s original ideology from Bravely Default.
- It may also reference the status of the Red Mage, the job whose Asterisk Roddy holds, as a class that traditionally, though not in this game, features a mix of spells from Black and White Magic, and Elvis, whose heart Roddy says is black, is the Black Mage Asterisk holder.
- Roddy's hair is black with white streaks, possibly another reference to the mixture of Black and White mages.
Gallery[]
