The story behind the name Final Fantasy

Despite its name, the first game kicked off one of gaming’s most iconic series

Part of a select group of legendary video games whose mere mention already evokes memories in several generations of gamers, Final fantasy it’s one of those rare series whose interest transcends its games.

In addition to its stories, origins of protagonists and villains, invocations and magical elements, one of the themes that generates the most curiosity among fans of the series is its title. After all, what could “Final Fantasy” mean? Is there a hidden message behind the title?

The legend that circulated for decades is well known: released in 1987 for Famicom, the game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi would have been the last dance, the “final fantasy” of Squaresoft, at the time a small game developer on the verge of bankruptcy .

But not entirely.

The end of a legend

The legend behind the name Final Fantasy has an exciting ending: the huge success of the first game saved Squaresoft from bankruptcy and catapulted Hironobu Sakaguchi’s name as one of Japan’s greatest game designers. Despite being a source of inspiration, the legend is nothing more than… a legend. And it was Hironobu Sakaguchi himself who denied it.

In 2015, in a lecture at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, Sakaguchi clarified that his main inspiration for the name was the Fighting Fantasy series of books and board games. The problem is that this name was already registered and therefore could not be used. Furthermore, Sakaguchi wanted a title that was easy to understand and whose acronym could be easily pronounced by the Japanese: in this case it would be “FF” (pronounced as “efu efu” by the Japanese).

Eight years later, in 2023, in a special interview about 35 years of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi delved into his explanations of the name of his best-known creation. The designer explained that the Dragon Quest franchise was already starting to establish itself in Japan and was known by its nickname “Draku”. Sakaguchi wanted something similar for his “FF”, and since “Fighting” couldn’t be used, he ended up adding the word “Final”, forming Final Fantasy.

The ultimate illusion

Despite the much more casual and prosaic reality behind the creation of the name Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi revealed a “magical” side of the true story of the game’s name. In the 2023 interview, he says he received a postcard from students revealing that a teacher had explained to them that Final Fantasy would be translated into Japanese as “Kyukyoku no Gensou”, which instead means “The Last Illusion”. Last Illusion, in free language). translation ). “This is the second one [o cartão postal] arrived, I said: ‘let’s use this!'” he revealed

Although some reports mention financial difficulties, Squaresoft’s alleged bankruptcy has likely been exaggerated even in stories about the creation of Final Fantasy. In any case, the fact is that the series is one of the largest and most relevant in the video game universe.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the next title in the series, arrives on February 29th on PlayStation 5 and is a must-have title for fans, even if it slows down.

Source: Terra

Rose

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.