Niccolo

Niccolo
Echoes of Mana artwork Trials of Mana HD artwork Secret of Mana HD screenshot Rise of Mana artwork Sword of Mana artwork Legend of Mana artwork Trials of Mana artwork Secret of Mana artwork
First appearance	Secret of Mana (1993)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Gender	Male
Species	Varies
Counterpart(s)	Neko, Nicco
Voice actor(s)	Jpn: Wataru TakagiEoM

“I'm the wandering Niccolo, peddler of smiles!”

—Square Enix Official Website

Niccolo is a salesperson who appears in several Mana games. He first appears in Secret of Mana with the name Neko. The party can often find Niccolo traveling around the world map looking for potential customers to sell items to, and they can buy various common items from him. In Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana, Niccolo is a purple cat, but in new releases since Legend of Mana, he was redesigned to resemble a big, brown rabbit. No matter his appearance, Niccolo has an unusual verbal tic of meowing and purring and/or making cat-related puns in many of his appearances.

Niccolo is often depicted as an easygoing, shrewd business-creature, and so takes advantage of every opportunity to earn lucre. He is known to take on any number of occupations, from salesman to brigand to merrymaker and nearly everything in between. However, as a source of comic relief, Niccolo's animal instincts tend to land him in particularly dangerous situations, from which the heroes may have to rescue him.

History

Secret of Mana

Main article: Neko

In Secret of Mana, Neko is an anthropomorphic lavender calico cat, traveling the world to sell his wares to adventurers. The party can first meet Neko at his general store to the west of Potos Village. Aside from selling items, Neko also runs an inn, and he can also save the game progress. Throughout the party's quest, he charges twice the retail price of most consumable items.

Trials of Mana

Main article: Niccolo (Trials of Mana)

In Trials of Mana, Niccolo, along with Chikeeta and Josephine, is a Merchant Cat; but he would end up leaving his order to become a member of the Nevarl guild of honorable thieves. While there, he became friends with Hawkeye and was initially part of the guild's final raid on Sirhtan. When the guild reports back to Flamekhan, the leader is found in league with the evil witch Belladonna who then murders Eagle and takes Jessica hostage to cover up her plans. Hawkeye is framed and left to his execution in the dungeons, but Niccolo bombs him free and tells Hawkeye to head for the Priest of Light, who he believes can lift Belladonna's Choker of Death from Jessica's neck. After a brief enthrallment, Niccolo assists Hawkeye at other points in the story.

Visions of Mana

Main article: Niccolo (Visions of Mana)

Niccolo is descended from the obscure felapine tribes and a globetrotting master merchant, with a large shop on the palace plaza in Illystana . He is further known to have adopted four catfolk who consider him their father: Morley and the three Merchant Sisters. He also serves as a direct advisor to the royal siblings Palamena and Iain.

Legend of Mana

Main article: Niccolo (Legend of Mana)

“He believes that he brings happiness to his customers with his transactions, but he sometimes plays dirty tricks on them. Dislikes the Sproutlings and the Flowerlings.”

—In-game Encyclopedia

In Legend of Mana, Niccolo makes his first appearance as a brown rabbit. As a traveling salesman, Niccolo believes that he brings happiness to his customers with his transactions. In reality, Niccolo's avaricious, miserly ways are ones that have seen him swindling quite a number of characters with well-played tricks, some of whom include Kristie, Sotherbee and Teapo. He is said to dislike the Sproutlings and the Flowerlings.

Sword of Mana

Main article: Niccolo (Sword of Mana)

In Sword of Mana, much like his earlier appearances, Niccolo sometimes appears on the world map to sell items. For this game, Niccolo is designed after his appearance in Legend of Mana.

Children of Mana

Main article: Wanderer (character)

In Children of Mana, he was renamed to Wanderer, and is one of the game's protagonists.

Circle of Mana

Niccolo makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several Secret of Mana characters. He appears in 6 sets of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	技	ファ・ディールの救世主	夢の声を聞きし者たち	珠魅を救いし者たち	[光]世界の呪縛を解き放つ者たち	[闇]赤き竜帝を倒し者たち	主人公は夢を見た。神々しい大樹が浮かびそして、女神の声が聞こえる。夢から目覚めた主人公は、その声に従うように、目覚めたばかりの世界へと足を踏み出す。 The hero had a dream. A divine tree appears, and the voice of a goddess is heard. The protagonist wakes up from his dream and follows the voice as he steps into the world he just woke up from.
SUR	技	ニキータ [猫商人]	猫商人	放浪の猫商人	[光]商売上手	[闇]燃える商魂	「そうとも言うかもしれないにゃ。とにかく大変なことが起こっているにゃ！」 "You might say so. Anyway, something terrible is happening!"
SUR	技	ニキータ [放浪]	ド根性商人	ルクが第一	[光]商人魂	[闇]口八丁手八丁	「来たにゃー！ これは大物にゃー！ ひさしぶりのごちそうにゃ！！」 "It's here! This is a big one! It's been a while!"
SUR	技	結成！異種族タッグ！	異種族の冒険家たち	異種族の戦士たち	[光]ファ・ディールの勇者たち	[闇]世界を救う者たち	幻想世界ファ・ディールには様々な種族が生活をしている。彼らは時に、勇者達と共に世界を救う冒険へと旅立つ。 Various races live in the fantasy world of Fa'Diel. Sometimes they set out on adventures to save the world together with the heroes.
SSUR	技	ホークアイ[サンタ]	シーフ	レンジャー	[光]ワンダラー	[闇]ローグ	「口説き文句はトリックオアトリート…　なかなかシャレてるよな。　」 "His pick-up line is trick-or-treating...That's quite a joke."
SUR	技	ニキータ	ウサギネコ	商い道中	[光]生粋の商売人	[闇]ルクの価値を知る者	「オイラは商売があるにゃ。それじゃここでにゃ。」 "I have some business to do. Well then, come here."
SSUR	技	ニキータ	猫商人	放浪の猫商人	[光]商売上手	[闇]燃える商魂	「そんな時はこれ、ロイヤルゼリーだニャ！」 "In such a case, this is royal jelly, meow!"

Echoes of Mana

“A merchant who has traveled city to city peddling wares for generations. His "money-crazy" dealings have led to more than a few unsatisfied customers. Niccolo isn't very fond of sproutlings or flowerlings. As for faeries, he might dislike them as well—if he could see them, that is.”

—Square Enix Official Website

Main article: Nicco

While it is not known whether he is related to other creatures named Niccolo, a green calico cat named Nicco makes an appearance in Chapter 2. As with the previous Niccolos, he is a salesman, albeit a shady one, when he tries to pawn off a weathered boat to help the party cross a lake to visit ancient ruins. Fortunately, a wolfkin warrior, Blainchet, picks up on Nicco's hustle and scares him off, offering also to help the party explore the ruins.

Like the Trials of Mana incarnation, Nicco has been localized as having speech characteristics of the Mid-Atlantic United States, and so employs the plural "yous" in addition to cat puns.

Niccolo from Legend of Mana and Wanderer from Children of Mana are obtainable as unit cards and Memory Gems as well.

Etymology

Niccolo's Japanese name, Nikita, is a unisex name prevalent in multiple cultures throughout the world. As a male given name of Slavic origin, it is a diminutive of Nikolai, whose English equivalent is Nicholas. As a female given name, it shares its Greek and Slavic origins with its male counterpart, but owes its use to pop culture references.

His name in other languages, Niccolo, comes chiefly from Italian, where it is also the equivalent of English Nicholas. Nicco is a diminutive of Niccolo.

Neko is the Japanese word for "cat".

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Niccolo.

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  Niccolo encyclopedia entry

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ニキータ Nikīta	Nikita