50 Fun Facts About Final Fantasy

In what year was the first Final Fantasy released in Japan?

It came out on December 18 for the Famicom and did not reach North America until 1990.

Who created the Final Fantasy series?

He left Square in 2003 after the failure of The Spirits Within and founded Mistwalker, now based partly in Hawaii.

What was the original working title of the first game before trademark problems forced a change?

Square's dire finances - and Sakaguchi's own plans to quit the industry - are the usual explanation for the word 'Final'.

In the original Final Fantasy, the four heroes are known collectively as what?

Each carries one of four darkened elemental crystals; the 2022 game Stranger of Paradise retells their origin.

How many numbered mainline Final Fantasy games have been released?

The series has sold more than 200 million copies, and the numbered games are largely standalone stories.

In which game did chocobos first appear?

Designer Koichi Ishii, inspired by raising a chick as a child, was annoyed that Sakaguchi cut them down to temporary mounts.

The name 'Moogle' is a compound of the Japanese words for which two animals?

Koichi Ishii based the white-furred, pom-pom-antennaed creatures on an all-white koala; they debuted in Final Fantasy III.

Which game introduced the Active Time Battle (ATB) system?

It added a constantly ticking timer to turn-based combat and stayed until Final Fantasy X swapped it for the Conditional Turn-Based system.

Under what number was FFVI first released in North America, since II, III and V had never come out there?

The real II, III and V had never come out in the West, so IV became 'II' and VI became 'III'.

How many permanent playable characters does Final Fantasy VI have?

Its summons are called Espers, and their remains - magicite - teach magic to almost the whole cast.

Kefka Palazzo, the villain of Final Fantasy VI, is introduced in what role?

Amano drew his clownish look with total creative freedom; he is one of the few series villains who actually succeeds in wrecking the world.

Final Fantasy VII was originally in development for which console before Square switched to Sony?

Development began in 1994; the Nintendo 64 was also tried before the CD-ROM's capacity won out.

In Final Fantasy VII, what is the processed form of the planet's Lifestream that Shinra exploits for energy called?

Cloud joins the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE to stop the reactors; the orbs slotted into weapons are a different thing entirely.

How many copies did Final Fantasy VII sell in Japan within three days of release?

Its combined development and marketing budget was about $80 million, enormous for 1997.

Sephiroth's enormous sword is named after which famous Japanese swordsmith?

The elongated nodachi has appeared in numerous Final Fantasy titles; his single black wing references his theme 'One-Winged Angel'.

Sephiroth's powers come from being injected as a fetus with cells from which alien?

He was a former Shinra SOLDIER, coworker of Zack Fair and Cloud's superior.

Aerith is revealed to be the last surviving member of which ancient race?

Her name was transliterated 'Aeris' in the original English release; Nomura said her sudden death was meant to feel realistic, not dramatic.

Tetsuya Nomura was originally hired by Square in what role, on Final Fantasy V?

VII was his debut as lead character designer, and he later created and directed the Kingdom Hearts series.

Final Fantasy VIII was the first in the series to do which of these?

It also dropped magic points in favour of the Junction system and had a vocal theme, Faye Wong's 'Eyes on Me'.

What is the collectible card minigame in Final Fantasy VIII called?

Its successor in Final Fantasy IX is Tetra Master, and Triple Triad was later revived inside Final Fantasy XIV.

In Final Fantasy IX, the thief Zidane Tribal kidnaps which princess?

The game deliberately returned to a medieval fantasy world after the sci-fi tone of VI, VII and VIII.

Final Fantasy X was the first game in the series to feature what?

It also brought fully 3D areas and replaced ATB with the Conditional Turn-Based system and the Sphere Grid.

In Final Fantasy X, Tidus is a star player of which fictional sport?

The monster Sin turns out to be his missing father Jecht; the world of Spira draws on the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan.

Which numbered entry was the first to get a direct sequel, in 2003?

Final Fantasy X-2 followed; XIII eventually got two sequels of its own.

Final Fantasy XI (2002) was the first MMORPG playable across Windows and which console?

It is set in Vana'diel and later reached the Xbox 360 in 2006; it was the first main entry Uematsu did not score entirely himself.

After its disastrous 2010 launch, Final Fantasy XIV was relaunched in 2013 under what subtitle?

Naoki Yoshida directed the rescue; in-story, the elder primal Bahamut escaped a space station called Dalamud and ended the old world.

In which fictional region is Final Fantasy XIV set?

Its player-run guilds are called Free Companies, and it has now received six expansions from Heavensward to Evercold.

FFXV began development in 2006 as a spin-off for Sony's third console under what title?

It spent six years as a PS3 spin-off before Hajime Tabata replaced Nomura as director and it became the fifteenth mainline game.

Who are Noctis's three travelling companions in Final Fantasy XV?

Noctis is the only character the player directly controls; the anime Brotherhood told the four friends' backstories.

In Final Fantasy XVI, what are the summoned monsters called that humans known as Dominants can host?

Protagonist Clive Rosfield fights across the twin continents of Valisthea; Capcom veteran Ryota Suzuki designed the action combat.

Final Fantasy Tactics (1997) was the first game set in which world, later revisited in Final Fantasy XII?

Yasumi Matsuno, creator of Ogre Battle, led it; hero Ramza Beoulve is caught up in the Lion War.

Kingdom Hearts crosses Final Fantasy characters with the properties of which company?

Nomura and Shinji Hashimoto conceived it; the first game came out for PlayStation 2 in 2002.

The 2001 film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was directed by whom?

It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature; Square hoped heroine Aki Ross would become a reusable virtual actress.

Who voices Aki Ross in The Spirits Within?

Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames and Steve Buscemi filled out the cast.

In which year did Square merge with Enix to form Square Enix?

Enix, maker of Dragon Quest, was technically the surviving company, though 80% of the staff came from Square.

Composer Nobuo Uematsu played keyboards in which hard rock band that reworked his FF music?

Classic FM has called the self-taught musician 'the Beethoven of game music'; he formed the Earthbound Papas as a successor in 2011.

Which Uematsu piece from Final Fantasy VII reached No. 16 in Classic FM's 2012 Hall of Fame?

It is routinely cited as the piece that best shows game music conveying real emotion.

Before Final Fantasy, artist Yoshitaka Amano worked at Tatsunoko on which anime series?

He also illustrated Vampire Hunter D and won a Bram Stoker Award for The Sandman: The Dream Hunters with Neil Gaiman.

Dissidia Final Fantasy (2008), a PSP brawler, pits the goddess Cosmos against which god of discord?

It was released for the series' 20th anniversary and lets you play the heroes of the first ten games.

Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) is the first of how many planned games retelling the original?

Rebirth followed in 2024 with Naoki Hamaguchi directing and Nomura as creative director; the finale is titled Revelation.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is set entirely within which city?

The enhanced Intergrade edition added a Yuffie episode; Switch 2 and Xbox ports arrived in 2026.

In Final Fantasy XII, the resistance princess Ashelia and would-be sky pirate Vaan fight which empire?

The game returned to Ivalice, and its Gambit system let players program their party's AI.

Which 2022 Team Ninja co-developed prequel explores how the first game's villain Chaos came to be?

It reimagines the setting of the 1987 original and the rise of the four Warriors of Light.

In which US state did the series' creator settle, home to a Mistwalker office?

Mistwalker made Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey before shifting to mobile titles such as Terra Battle and Fantasian.

Which recurring character name has appeared in every Final Fantasy game since the second?

He is usually a scientist or engineer tied to an airship, though he has been an ally, party member and even a villain.

The recurring minor characters Biggs and Wedge are named after figures from which franchise?

They often serve as comic relief across numerous entries in the series.

Which Hayao Miyazaki film inspired the series' chocobos, according to Hironobu Sakaguchi?

The airships, meanwhile, drew on Castle in the Sky.

Which piece from Final Fantasy IV was integrated into the curriculum of Japanese schoolchildren?

It has been performed live by orchestras and metal bands alike.

How many episodes did the 2001 anime series Final Fantasy: Unlimited run for?

TV Tokyo broadcast it in Japan and ADV Films released it in North America.

Which designer created Final Fantasy V's Job System and VIII's Junction System?

He also devised the Active Time Battle concept that defined the series' combat for a decade.