Widargelt in 4.0 MSQ?

[Belhi]

Honestly, unless the Griffin is entirely new character, I think its extremely likely its Ilberd. Ilberd is an experienced leader with the right mix of desperation and short sightedness that when combined with the support of Ascians fits the bill.

As for proof, the guys of Little Ala Mhigo know about Wilred's death and all current evidence seems to point to his death being due to finding out something about the corruption in the Crystal Braves before they turned on us. With Ilberd literally being in charge of that rebellion it puts him as a major suspect which frankly might be enough to erode trust. The Griffin is allied with the Corpse Brigade which already has quite a few older Ala Mhigian's disapproving. Even ignoring their involvement in with the King of Ruin, their actions since have been terrible. One of the NPCs when you first visit Little Ala Mhigo makes comments that suggest she was captured and raped by members of the Corpse Brigade recently.

The thing that seems to match both the Griffin and Ilberd is both are so desperate and so focused on actually retaking Ala Mhigo they aren't thinking of the consequences.

Yeah, he said that, I recall the interview as well (it was indeed an interview, not Q&A). I also recall being seriously weirded out by that answer, because c'mon - Widargelt is so heavily tied to Ala Mhigo and its immediate pre-Imperial past that not including him in a story about its liberation would seem like a massive over-sight, especially since the recently-released lore book goes out of its way to further solidify and clarify that connection. I wondering of Yoshida wasn't just being coy.

I was surprised too but I am guessing they just want to avoid a 'return of the king' scenario. That and not wanting to bloat the roster too much. To be honest, the old monarchy was so hated there is a good chance a lot of Ala Mhigans would be unwilling to follow Widargelt if they new the truth. I suppose it depends on how the MNK story plays out in Stormblood. At the very least I hope we see him and the other new Fists of Rhalgr make a cameo at least in the spirit of Y'mhitra or the Senna siblings.