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Ox (known as Builder in the original Japanese version) is a playable character in Breath of Fire. He is a member of the Iron Ogre Clan, and lives with his wife in Guntz. His incredible strength allows him to destroy certain walls, rocks as well as punch trees to obtain coconuts and fruit.
Role throughout the series
During Breath of Fire
Not much is known about Ox's past, other than that he's happily married, his wife is six months pregnant, and he's a skilled metal smith. At some point, the Dark Dragon Clan invaded Guntz with the intention of enslaving the young men of the village and force them to make a secret weapon. Ox and the others tried to fight back, but were forced to surrender when their families were captured. Though Ox manages to briefly escape by boat, he is soon assaulted by the Dark Dragons, receiving fatal wounds. He is soon ends up sinking near Prima, and is about to be spirited away to the afterlife by Morteo. Luckily, Ryu and his comrades arrive and manage to defeat Morteo, allowing Ox to awaken and inform them of what he knows. The heroes decide to team up with Ox to rescue his people from the Dark Dragons.
The party begin their assault on the Hidden Fort, with Ox using his brute strength to find shortcuts around the patrolling guards. Eventually, they manage to free the men of his clan, but learn that the women have been taken away along with the secret weapon the clan were forced to build.
Ox continues to journey with the group, where they use the Grimfowls to create a diversion to enter the heavily fortified Nabal Castle. Fighting their way through the enemy forces, Ox, along with Ryu and his comrades, liberate the castle and manage to free the women, including Ox's wife. However, they are too late to destroy the secret weapon, as the Dark Dragons have already loaded it onto their ship and plan to launch it on Prima. Ox decides to stick with Ryu and friends to defeat the Dark Dragons and end the war to ensure a safe future for his wife and their child.
After the defeat of the Dark Dragons, as well as Goddess Tyr, Ox and the group revisit some previous places they had visited on their long journey. Ox is the third member to leave the group, arriving back home to Guntz where he discovers that his child is now born.
During Breath of Fire III
Ox makes a brief cameo in a mural that's seen as this game's Ryu, as well as his comrades, explore Dragnier. The mural shows up again as the Dragon Elder Jono tells the party about the history between the Dragon Clan and Myria.
Appearance
Ox is a very tall and muscular individual, towering over the rest of the party. Ox wears blue shorts, along with a belt that acts as a suspender for his shorts. He also wears white gloves, with his left hand sporting a gold wristband.
Personality
Despite the stoic-looking expression he sports on his face, Ox is a gentle, understanding, and kindhearted person. He holds strong feelings about love and family, as shown when he is a bit disturbed by Cerl's rejection of her childhood friend, Alan. Ox loves his wife deeply, even making her a beautiful golden hairpin for her at some point in the past, as well as becoming extremely worried when she caught a minor cold. The main reason he journeys with Ryu is to ensure that she, as well as their future child, will have a bright future.
As a metal smith, Ox enjoys crafting beautiful weapons, though he is often disappointed and frustrated that they're used for warfare. Still, he dreams of one day forging the ultimate sword. He also enjoys cooking in his spare time.
In the manga adaption, Breath of Fire: The Dragon Warrior, a far more negative side of him is shown when he believes Jade has killed his wife, as he fully believes fighting against the Dark Dragon Clan is fruitless and resorts to drinking to numb his sorrows. However, after Karn calls him out by revealing that he still fights despite losing everyone he loves, Ox decides to sober up and help the heroes out. Ox's original personality returns when he discovers his wife is still alive, which motivates him into giving it his all during his rematch against Jade. His strong feelings for love and family is also shown when Ryu finally reunites with his sister Sara, as he is shown crying tears of joy at their reunion. At the end of the manga, Ox is shown to have adopted Karn into his family, giving him a new home and a new life.
Field Abilities
Ox is able to use his immense strength to break down crumbled walls, as well as smash builders. He can even punch trees to occasionally obtain fruit and coconuts from them. Punching anything else leads to Ox comically injuring his hand.
Combat
Ox is a powerful front-line fighter who can use one-handed or two handed hammers to crush his enemies. He mostly gains strong boosts in HP, Strength, and Defense. By the end of the game, he becomes one of the most durable characters in the party. A lot of Ox's defensive armor tends to be quite heavy, which restricts his already meager Agility stat, making him one of the slowest members of the party who often takes his turn dead last in battle. His strength is commendable, but pales in comparison to the likes of Ryu, Bo, as well as Karn in one of his Fusion forms.
Ox is largely about survival, which is shown even more by his use of healing magic. While he does have two useful spells, his extremely low AP gain means they're mostly used during emergency situations. When he joins the party, Ox already knows his two spells. Ox is also one of three characters (the other two being Bo and Gobi) who can participate in Karn's Fusion spells.
| Spell | AP Cost | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cura 3 | 15 AP | Restores 250 HP to one party member. |
| Heal | 5 AP | Restores a party member's status. |
Trivia
- Ox is the tallest party member in the series, being nearly a foot taller than Rand and Garr.
- Ox is the only playable Iron Ogre Clan member in the series.
- Ox has an unused weapon in the game called Mary's Hammer. While the game never specifies who this "Mary" is, it's often thought by fans that its meant to be the name of his wife.
- That being said, in the manga, his wife's name is "Jane."
Gallery
| Party Members | ||
| Ryu · Nina · Bo · Karn · Gobi · Ox · Bleu · Mogu | ||
| Other Characters | ||
| Sara · Tyr · Zog · Cerl · Cort · Jade · Mote · Goda Alan · Amy · Esme · King of Winlan · Ladon · Princess of Tunlan · Terry · Wizard of Karma | ||
| Bosses | ||
| Avian · Bain · Cerl · Cloud · EyeSpy · EyeSpy · Frog · G.Fly · General · Gremlin · Grimfowl · Jade · Knight · Morte · Mortea · Mote · Mothro · Myst · Octo · Pincher · Pog · SandWorm · Sara · SlimeX · Squid · Wisp · Wizard of Karma · Zog | ||
| Locations | ||
| Agua · Arad · Aura Cave · Auria · Bleak · Camlon · Carmen · Lab · Dark Dragon Port · Dark Tower · Drogen · Gant · Gramor · Gust · Karma · Krypt · Lament Woods · Nabal · Nanai · Obelisk · Prima · Romero · Scande · South Castle · Spring · Tantar · Tunlan · Tuntar · Winlan · Wisdon · Dreamland | ||
| Tribes | ||
| Dragon Clan · Dirt-Eating Clan · Endless · Iron Ogre Clan · Humans · Manillo · People of Tunlan · Sand Clan · Wing Clan · Wolba | ||
| Archive | ||
| Abilities · Weapons · Items | ||