Final Fantasy IX built its cast around scrappy, warm-blooded heroes, and Zidane Tribal sits at the center of that roster as the thief with a tail and a curved blade always ready. This step-by-step guide covers how to draw Zidane Tribal, and he joins the rest of the Final Fantasy IX character tutorials already on the site.
A Leaping Thief in Line Art: What This Tutorial Covers
The drawing runs 19 steps and ends on clean line art rather than a colored version, so every step focuses on building confident lines. The pose is a mid-air leap with a large curved blade raised, which means the figure is angled and asymmetric throughout. Most of the structural work happens early, with the body tilt and blade arc defining the whole composition before any detail gets added. The red tribal markings on the blade are the only color present in the final image, applied to that single element as a contrast accent against the black and white linework.
Key Visual Features of Zidane Tribal
- Medium messy hair with a side braid
- Sleeveless jacket, belt, and chain accessory
- Large curved blade with red tribal markings
- Boots and armored wristguards on both arms
- Monkey-like tail curling behind the figure
If you want to keep working through the FFIX cast after finishing this one, Quina Quen and Eiko Carol are both available, and there is also a version of Eiko playing the flute for a more detailed take on that character.
Reading the Color Coding in the Step Images
Each step image uses a three-color system to show exactly what is new and what is already set:
- Red Color: lines added in the current step.
- Black Color: lines completed earlier.
- Gray Color: base sketch for structure.
How to Draw Zidane Tribal: Step-by-Step Tutorial
Finished the Sketch? Share It and Keep Drawing
Once the drawing is done, drop it in the comments below so others can see how it turned out. Every new tutorial gets posted to Facebook and Telegram as soon as it goes live, a new YouTube video based on existing guides goes up every day, and Pinterest stays regularly updated if that is where you prefer to browse. From here, Freya Crescent and Vivi Ornitier are two more FFIX characters worth tackling next. If you want to support the project and get access to unique hand-drawn coloring pages, the Patreon page is the place to go.