TheFinal Fantasyfranchise has evolved a great deal since its debut release in 1987 thanks to its compelling stories and endearing characters. Each game follows the story of a unique protagonist who is usually tasked with saving the world in some shape or form.
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Final Fantasygames tend to feature a variety of different stories, but the popularity of some has led them to receive sequels or be remade for more modern consoles. These continuations will often attempt torevitalize a game’s storyby retconning certain elements. Most of these alterations will enhance the overall story, but some seek to dismantle it.
5The Need For Royal Blood - Final Fantasy 15: Episode Ignis
The Ring of the Lucii is an ancient artifact that was bestowed upon the great kings of Lucis. The story ofFinal Fantasy 15implies that it can only be worn by the rightful rulers of Insomnia as the gods would not bend to the will of those who don’t share in the Lucian bloodline. It is because of this that Noctis is the only party member able to harness the ring’s power, but theEpisode IgnisDLC alters the requirements for summoning the ring’s baffling properties.
Ignis swore an oath toprotect Noctis no matter the cost. He knows that the Ring of the Lucii will not bend to his will, but he decides to chance wearing it in the hope of receiving some much-needed help from the ancient kings of Lucis. Though the ring was said to only heed a person of royal blood, the gods permit Ignis to harness a brief portion of their power if it means he can save the chosen king. This retcon completely negates the need for the ring to be worn by a member of the Lucian family and renders it nothing more than a powerful piece of jewelry that can be worn by anyone who wishes.
4Zack Survives - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
In an attempt to delay Sephiroth’s plans, Cloud and his friends enter into an otherworldly land to defeat the Arbiters that control their destiny. As they battle these destiny-dictating creatures, they alter the course of the future, while also reshaping events from the past. It is revealed after they defeat Sephiroth that Zack, the main protagonist of the game’s prequel, has escaped the clutches of his doomed fate by surviving the onslaught of Shinra’s military.
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The climax ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakesees Zack carrying an unconscious Cloud in the direction of Midgar. Both the originalFinal Fantasy 7andCrisis Coremade it abundantly clear thatZack met his end just outside of Midgar’s walls, but theRemakehas decided to change this fact. He quickly became one of the more favored characters in the series after his introduction, so it makes sense why developers wanted to revive him. Though his return marks one of the bigger retcons present in the franchise, fans are eager to see what awaits him in this new future.
3Vaan And Penelo’s Relationship - Final Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings
Final Fantasy 12portrays Vaan and Penelo as two childhood friends who share a strong bond. They grew up together in a broken and poverty-riddled world, so they had to rely heavily on each other to survive the hardships that faced them. The duo lost the little family they had during the Battle of Nabudis and slowly came to regard each other as family as a result. TheFinal Fantasy 12sequelRevenant Wings, however, chose to discard their platonic love in favor of something more romantic.
Revenant Wingstakes place one year after the events of the original game. It follows Vaan and Penelo as they scavenge the world of Ivalice in search of hidden treasures, but this time, as sky pirates withtheir very own airship. Their journey together sees the two friends developing feelings for each other, but this relationship was never earned. Their love for each other was purely familial, so retconning romantic feelings into their relationship diminishes the bond they previously shared.
2Sephiroth In Midgar - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
The originalFinal Fantasy 7follows the story of Cloud Strife, an ex-SOLDIER, as he journeys throughout Gaia in pursuit of Sephiroth, the greatest threat faced by the world. The opening of the game portrayedthe Shinra Electric Power Companyas the game’s main antagonist only to reveal later that Sephiroth is the true villain. Sephiroth is only alluded to during the beginning of the game, but theFinal Fantasy 7 Remakesought to introduce the elusive swordsman immediately after Cloud destroys the first Reactor.
Cloud’s past trauma leads him to conjure images of Sephiroth in several situations where he isn’t actually there, but the late game sees multiple characters witnessing his presence. He spends the majority of the narrative antagonizing Cloud until finally revealing his true purpose. Unlike the original Sephiroth, this version’s primary goal is toalter the course of history. He seems aware of how his past attempts at world domination failed, but he intends to rectify this loss by retracing his steps and reshaping his future. He was retconned into theRemaketo reveal his new purpose.
1Tidus' Fate - Final Fantasy X-2
The further Tidus ventures into the beautiful land of Spira, the more he begins tounderstand his purpose. He was transported to the distant land by his father, Jecht, who believed only his son was capable of bringing an end to its sorrow. As he nears the end of his journey, he learns that he only exists because of the Fayth, a group of otherworldly beings capable of summoning god-like entities. In the hope of preserving the memory of those who lived in Zanarkand before Bevelle’s attack, the Fayth combined their powers to conjure a dream-like world full of Zanarkand’s inhabitants.
Tidus was never meant to exist and is thus destined to fade when Fayth stop dreaming. The climax ofFinal Fantasy 10sees him accepting his fate and vanishing from the world, butFinal Fantasy X-2chose to resurrect him. After saving Spira for the second time, Yuna is approached bya member of the Faythand asked if she wants them to restore Tidus to the world. The original game made it clear that there was no way for the Fayth to return once they had faded, but its sequel disregards this in favor of a more wholesome end to Tidus' story.
