>Most interesting character in the game and character whose actions drive the plot forwards more than any other
>Outright calls himself "the leading man" of the story
>Protagonist spot is taken by some nobody teenager instead of him
Was Matsuno retarded?

>>714643051 (OP)
Balthier based
but to answer your question, to me it seemed like the whole crew was the main character, which is to say you appreciate them more when you don't play as them. Similar to MGS2 where one can fangasm over Snake doing cool things while he's not being controlled by the player. I don't know if that was Matsuno's idea but it worked for me.

>>714643051 (OP)
Per my understanding, he fucked off about a third of the way through production because somebody from HQ finally checked on their progress and blew a gasket when they weren't even a third of the way done and the guys they sent to clean up the mess couldn't decipher the notes due to them being written in a dead variant of some ancient lunar language and under the influence of hallucinogens.

>>714643051 (OP)
ashe is the protagonist, only midwits fail to understand that "first character you play" =/= "protagonist", especially since the first character you play isn't even vaan. please do not attempt to comment on the greatest written story in the final fantasy franchise, midwit

>>714643313
>only midwits fail to understand that "first character you play" =/= "protagonist", especially since the first character you play isn't even vaan.
When did I say this, you schizo retard?
Vaan is the protagonist because he's the POV character and the player avatar.

>>714643463
Yeah, and that’s the problem, genius. Vaan’s the POV character because Square Enix execs thought a roided-up Zidane clone would sell better to teenagers than a sky pirate with actual charisma and relevance. Balthier and Ashe clearly drive the narrative, have the development, and make the big decisions. Vaan is just the camera the real story is shot through - like if Gonzo from the Muppets followed around Hamlet and tried to make it about himself.

>>714643051 (OP)
>zell minus hotdogs