Spanning multiple console generations and over three decades, Final Fantasy is one of the world’s biggest phenomenons. Due in large part to the dazzling mainline entries and the unique worlds of each, Final Fantasy is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027. It’s a big milestone, but one that wouldn’t exist without the franchise’s rich, complex mythology.
Each game has contributed its own elements, as well as refined what previous entries have done. No matter what Final Fantasy game you’re playing at any given time, the world is often full of fascinating bits of mythology and in-universe lore that has defined the series for almost 40 years.
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In honor of FF’s enduring legacy and imminent 40th birthday celebration, it’s time to take a look back at some of the franchise’s most fascinating bits of mythology. This covers various conflicts, historical events and some of the more broad concepts, as Final Fantasy has done its best to explore some truly fascinating ideas for almost four decades.
10 War of the Lions
An Ancient War
Final Fantasy Tactics remains one of the franchise’s most celebrated spin-offs, as this spectacular strategy title introduced the world of Ivalice. Along with the debut of the spin-off fantasy kingdom, Tactics also introduced a key conflict that would define both the PS1 classic and much of Ivalice’s complex history.
The War of the Lions was a civil war that takes place during the events of Tactics. It took major influence from real world conflicts, mainly the War of the Roses, a 15th-century war for control of England. The battle for a throne in despair was a clear influence on Final Fantasy Tactics.
It serves as the main conflict of FFT, and its brutal backdrop was also influential on the rest of the Ivalice mythology. Elements of it would form pieces of Final Fantasy 12, and this ancient battle would also explore complex religious themes, a staple of the Ivalice Alliance.
9 The World of Ivalice
The Ivalice Alliance
The Ivalice Alliance was first introduced in Final Fantasy Tactics, in which Yasumi Matsuno created his own unique kingdom for the game to take place in. Ivalice has become a key part of multiple Final Fantasy spin-offs, including Vagrant Story and FFT.
It would also take center stage in Final Fantasy 12, which would further solidify key parts of the subseries and its overarching mythology. Ivalice Alliance games are built around similar themes, though each one tends to find a unique angle to speak on those themes.
Religious persecution and escaping the chains of fate are common themes in the Ivalice Alliance games, and each one compounds them on top of the other. Ivalice is a truly brilliant fantasy kingdom, and its rich, complex history is rife with political drama and multiple ancient conflicts.
8 The Farplane
Listen to My Story
The world of Final Fantasy 10 is rooted in religious symbolism and metaphysical musings, all of which can be boiled down into the game’s single biggest piece of mythology. The Farplane is the meeting point, the central hub if you will, of the dead. It’s where all of Spira goes after their mortal journey is over.
Those that do not go to the Farplane will return to the surface world as Fiends or what the people of Spira call the Unsent. It’s not a very harmonious existence, and that sense of existential dread makes the Farplane one of the franchise’s most unsettling pieces of mythology.
The Farplane’s connection to Summoners and the afterlife are all a major part of FF10’s intensely emotional story. Yuna and Tidus are intimately bonded by their experiences, and the Farplane looms large in that story.
7 The War of the Magi
Welcome to the World of Ruin
Nearly one-thousand years before the events of Final Fantasy 6, a cataclysmic conflict known as the War of the Magi occurred. This disastrous war was waged between Espers and humans that had consumed the power of magic, now known as Magi.
The end result saw the Espers driven into exile, where they created a new land for themselves. Within the present tense of Final Fantasy 6, the War of the Magi becomes a central tipping point.
Kefka’s deranged plan to destroy the world is counterbalanced by the awakening of Terra Branford’s Esper abilities, as the War of the Magi plays a crucial role in Final Fantasy 6’s backstory and the endgame. It’s a key conflict and one of Final Fantasy’s most haunting battles.
6 Time Compression
Kurse All SeeDs
After witnessing her own catastrophic end at the hands of SeeD, a group of child soldiers from her own doomed future, Sorceress Ultimecia sends her consciousness back in time to possess Edea Kramer. This is all part of her plan, which is to use Kramer in order to cast Time Compression.
Time Compression forms most of Final Fantasy 8’s narrative, taking place across all four discs. It really comes to a head in the final two discs, as Ultimecia’s plan begins to involve more external figures with complex motivations, including Seifer.
What’s even more fascinating about Time Compression is that it actually works. Ultimecia succeeds in casting it during disc four, and it has a major effect on the world. Wandering the world map after Ultimecia casts Time Compression sees drastic changes, as areas become locked or different.
5 Cid
Multiverse of Madness
Final Fantasy 2 introduced a lot of key elements to the franchise, including Chocobos and the Dragoon class. Perhaps most important, however, was the character of Cid.
Since the initial appearance of Cid in FF2, this recurring character has become a crucial part of Final Fantasy’s mythology. Multiple different versions of Cid have appeared over the years, each one offering a unique place in that game’s world.
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Some versions of Cid have been male, while others have been female. Cid has been an ally, a mentor, a villain. The multiversal shenanigans of Cid are unmatched in Final Fantasy.
4 Lunar Cry
Monster Invasion
Described within the lore of Final Fantasy 8 as the descent of monsters from the moon, Lunar Cry is one of the key moments that kick off the finale of FF8. Triggered by Sorceress Ultimecia as a way to bring Adel’s tomb back to Earth, Lunar Cry serves as a way to increase her power and trigger Time Compression.
Lunar Cry is rather frightening when you really examine it. It’s an unstoppable onslaught of FF8’s most powerful monsters, all of them descending towards Esthar City at a rapid pace.
The Siege of Esthar is one of Final Fantasy 8’s most intense set pieces. It makes up a majority of the game’s third disc, where Lunar Cry becomes the main focus and the party’s desperate fight for survival takes center stage.
3 Jenova
The Calamity From the Sky
Thousands of years before the events of Final Fantasy 7, a calamity from the sky known as Jenova landed on Gaia. The impact of Jenova on the world of FF7 is almost immeasurable, as it is the origin point for the entire game and its multiple spin-offs.
The meeting between Jenova and the Cetra is supremely important to the world of FF7, as they sealed the alien entity away in the Northern Crater. Nearly every part of Final Fantasy 7’s story can be tied back to this event, as Sephiroth was infused with Jenova cells, resulting in his rise from a member of SOLDIER to a maniacal despot.
Jenova’s arrival on Gaia would also give birth to so many of Final Fantasy 7’s heroes. Cloud and Zack were also injected with Jenova DNA, as well as Genesis and numerous others.
2 Crystals
Fabula Nova Crystalis
Perhaps no piece of mythology is as intrinsically tied to Final Fantasy as crystals. They have appeared in some form during nearly every single Final Fantasy game, as they date back all the way to the very first game.
Starting off as crystals designed to power four legendary heroes to victory, crystals would become adapted and remixed multiple times over the years. In Final Fantasy 7, the crystallized magic known as Materia plays a similar role, while FF12 uses them both as save points and teleportation devices.
Final Fantasy 9, which was franchise creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s attempt to return the series to its roots, put crystals back in the forefront as a major focus. They play a role similar to that of the original game, used as a way to power the world’s origin and the endgame conflict.
1 The Lifestream
The Cry of the Planet
The one major theme of Final Fantasy 7, even as early as Sakaguchi’s original drafts, was the sacred fragility of life. As if that wasn’t obvious enough, there’s a metaphysical resting place where all souls return to after the end of their time on Gaia known as the Lifestream.
Nearly every major moment of Final Fantasy 7 can be tied back to the Lifestream. The entire existence of the Shinra Electric Power Company is built around the Lifestream, as they use their unlimited resources and desire for control to siphon out Mako energy.
The Lifestream as a metaphor for reincarnation and the way it uses that to examine the frailty of life is truly powerful stuff. Every character in Final Fantasy 7 is touched in some way by the Lifestream, and that is especially true in the game’s emotionally charged finale.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
