13 Final Fantasy Staples Part 1

I love the Final Fantasy series. It’s volumes have given me numerous story lines that consume hours upon hours. They helped whittle away long and otherwise uneventful summers. From underneath the awesomeness of the stories, gameplay systems, and wicked CGI bubbles up some common archetypes and themes.

These following concepts I find are largely valid in Final Fantasy 7, 8, most of 9, 10, and now (about half of) 13. I don’t count 11 as an MMORPG, and FF12 never quite felt like a Final Fantasy to me. It felt like a robust version of Vagrant Story. While that, too, was an awesome game, it had a different feel.

There will be spoilers bellow. If you haven’t played FF13 and would like to go ahead unspoiled, stop reading now. So, without further ado…

Denial Is Just One Of The Stages

Squall's a Sad Panda

This is one of Hero’s Journey staples, and rings just as true in Final Fantasy. First, the hero figures out what he has to do. Then, he refuses it. His friends try to encourage him to continue forward.

When he runs out of options he breaks down. Most of the time, this takes the shape of an admission of a fear of losing the friends he’s not willing to get close to. When his friends are still there, he takes back up the quest and we’re all good to go!

The Rule: Cloud, Squall, Tidus, and Lightning
The Exception: Zidane (except for when he learns what he is)

Minorities Are Hilarious!

Sahz and his chick.

What would a Final Fantasy be without a character to poke fun at? Unfortunately, the culture seems to dictate that these characters look different from everyone else. Can’t have it cutting too closely, can we? Barret and Sazh (who is less heinous) are larger-than-life versions of the stereotypes they represent. I really think we can do better than this.

Quina would be an exception except for the fact that s/he has no determinate gender.

The Rule: Barret, Quina, Wakka, and Sazh
The Exception: Zell

Not Enough Coffee To Deal With You

Selphie's Hairflip

Right on the heels of the comedian is the girl who I’d like to drown in a shallow pool. They’re irrepressibly cheerful, always bouncy, and usually perky enough to send most rational people screaming in the other direction. And yet, they never seem to get on the nerves of those around them. It’s interesting.

The Rule: Yuffie, Selphie, Eiko, Rikku, and Vanille
The Exception: None.

We Don’t Serve Your Kind Here

The cutest outcast around.

We frequently run into some sort of segregation in the game. Many times, the source of the hate and fear in the game is misplaced, but there’s always one race that carries the brunt of it. In FF7, you’ve got the Ancients some of whom are revered. It still makes Aerith one hell of a target.

In FF8, it was sorceresses. Naturally, Rinoa manages to become one. Handy, isn’t it?

Garnet and Eiko are the last two surviving members of a race that could summon beings and rock the very foundation of what we call ‘war’. There’s a reason why you don’t see Summoners on every street.

Rikku is an Al-Bhed. What’s more to say? These people keep tampering with a power that knocked us back into a primitive era. Blasphemers.

Fang and Vanille are from Gran Pulse, the terrible place underneath Cocoon that is the source of all the habitat’s woes. We might as well string them up right now for the crime of being born.

The Rule: Aerith, Rinoa, Eiko, Garnet, Rikku, Fang and Vanille
The Exception: None

Stay Tuned…

This will be a three part series. Want the remaining 9? You’re going to have to wait!