"Women are like sunsets... they're beautiful, but there will be a different one tomorrow." - Gilder's motto
Captain Gilder is a major playable character in Skies of Arcadia.
Information
Appearance
Gilder is a darkly handsome man of 32 years, who wears a red duster, like other gunslinger anime heroes (for instance, Vash the Stampede, and Vincent Valentine of Final Fantasy VII). He wears a pair of slim-framed pince-nez which he doesn't actually appear to need for anything but looks. Gilder is a freewheeling, free-love type of pirate with a woman in every port. He lives to have fun, and flying about the skies, shooting up Valuans and liberating their treasure is a lot of fun.
Bio
Gilder has had many flings, but no true love. He treats Vyse as a younger brother, and vocally envies the younger pirate's ability to travel Arcadia with two of its most beautiful women. Clara is crazy in love with him, but he avoids her, saying that "in some ways, she's scarier than the Armada." Gilder's philosophy on love is described by his motto. After the Battle of Soltis, Gilder goes back to his sky-sailing, hedonistic ways. His true love is the Claudia, his agile airship.
Gilder appears first on Empress Teodora's "Most Wanted" list for most of the game, but is eventually overtaken by Vyse, King of Rogues, Mighty Cannon Vigoro or Lord Zivilian Bane. Gilder fights both at close and long range with his pistols. His S-moves also involve his guns.
In spite of his laidback appearance, Gilder has the experience of a career pirate, which Vyse lacks, and is responsible for advising Vyse to build a base of operations on Crescent Isle - the place from which Gilder originally rescued Vyse following shipwreck.
Trivia
- Gilder is actually a mistranslation of guilder, a currency used in the Netherlands up until 2002, where it was replaced by the euro.
- In the Japanese Dreamcast version of the game, one of Gilder's vicotry poses involved him smoking a cigarette. Subsequent releases changed the victory pose to one with Willy perched on his shoulder.