Final Fantasyprobably became popular in the 90s and 2000s due to the fact that each sequel was its own thing. There were connecting pieces between games likeFinal Fantasy 6andFinal Fantasy 7. They both had Moogles and characters named Cid, but the stories and worlds were completely different.
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That all changed whenFinal Fantasy 10came out withFinal Fantasy 10-2. From that point onward the floodgates have been opened and now each entry in this long-running franchise has the potential to create its own little expanded universes. WillFinal Fantasy 16get expanded as well? For now, let’s take a look at the mainFinal Fantasygames with direct sequels through more games, movies, and anime.
7Final Fantasy 4
Final Fantasy 4was released in 1991 in both Japan and North America on the SNES, which was rare. The strange thing about the release date though is that the Western version was calledFinal Fantasy 2thus skipping the real second installment along with the third. Almost two decades later Japanese phones got several episodes that took place after the events of the first game.
They were titledFinal Fantasy 4: The After Years. The West would not get a taste until the entire episode collection hit the Wii digitally in 2009. Other ports added more content, such as the PSP version, but ultimatelyFinal Fantasy 4just got the one mini sequel which played relatively the same as the first except that it took place 17 years after the original’s events wrapped up.
6Final Fantasy 5
Most may not know this butFinal Fantasy 5got a sequel as well and is technically the first to do so way beforeFinal Fantasy 10. First of all, the game would release in Japan in 1992 on the SNES. North America would not get it until 1999 viaFinal Fantasy Anthologyon PS1which also came bundled withFinal Fantasy 6.
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Two years after Japan got this game, they released four OVA anime episodes in 1994. The series was calledFinal Fantasy: Legend of the Crystalsand it took place 200 years afterFinal Fantasy 5. It is loosely based on the game with barely any ties to the original, but again, on a technical level, it counts. The West, funnily enough, would get the anime first which was released between 1997 and 1998.
5Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7is the big daddy of expanded universes within this franchise. The original debuted in 1997 on PS1 in both regions and the first spinoff was a movie.Final Fantasy 7: Advent Childrenwould release in 2005 in Japan followed by a 2006 release in the West. From there the spinoffs and tie-ins exploded. There was the prequelCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7which was a PSP action RPG starring Zack.Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7was on the PS2 and took place after the events of the original and had Vincent take up arms.
Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7was a phone RPG about The Turks, which has still never been released outside of Japan. And now there isFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, which is creating its own little mini-universe of spinoffs likeFinal Fantasy 7: The First Soldier andFinal Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis. It’s easy to see why Square Enix is milking this game so much. It is by and large the most popular one for RPG and non-RPG fans alike.
4Final Fantasy 10
As established in the intro,Final Fantasy 10is the game that opened the floodgates to sequel town. It didn’t take long for it to get announced or come out either. The original launched in 2001 on PS2 withFinal Fantasy 10-2debuting in 2003.
The game condensed the cast to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine who wasa new characteralthough she looked a lot like Lulu. The gameplay was still turn-based but there was a new class system via Dress Spheres. There were rumors for a while about a third game but nothing ever came of it. Sometimes rumors are just that, rumors.
3Final Fantasy 12
Final Fantasy 12was released at the tail end of the PS2 in 2006 right around when the PS3 arrived. A year later it would get a spinoff on DS calledFinal Fantasy 12: Revenant Wings. LikeFinal Fantasy 10-2, this direct sequelreduced the cast to a core fewwith Vaan and Penelo being the two leads.
The game was an RTS, a first for the series. It was a light RTS though, without a heavy amount of base building but it was still unique at the time. It would have been better if the small screen on the DS didn’t get in the way.
2Final Fantasy 13
This game had a planned multitude of spinoffs under the guise of theFabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasybanner. Eventually, these projects would either get canceled or spun off into their own games such asFinal Fantasy Versus 13turning intoFinal Fantasy 15. The originalFinal Fantasy 13did come out after a few delays in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America on PS3 and Xbox 360.
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Then, in 2011 and 2012,Final Fantasy 13-2would release on PS3 and Xbox 360. This was a direct sequel although it paired down the party into two. Also, players couldrecruit monsters as their third party members. Finally,Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13would complete the trilogy in 2013 and 2014 on PS3 and Xbox 360. It reduced the party further by focusing on Lightning alone, the original game’s main character.
1Final Fantasy 15
Final Fantasy 15technically took ten years to come out after being replanned through several stages.Final Fantasy Versus 13was announced in 2006, was rebranded asFinal Fantasy 15in 2016, and then was released in 2016. In that same year, leading up to the release, Square Enix released a CG movie,Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy 15, and an anime mini-series calledBrotherhood:Final Fantasy 15. Through the years the game would receive a few DLC packs.Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy 15was a PSVR fishing game.
A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy 15was a 2D brawler prequel starring Noctis’ dad as a younger king.Platinum Demo: Final Fantasy 15could technically be called a sequel/prequel because it was about Noctis as a kid. Then there was the multiplayer game,Final Fantasy 15: Comrades, as well as several mobile games with the biggest of those being a demake calledFinal Fantasy 15: Pocket Edition. Because of how the main game ends, technically there hasn’t been a sequel, but the universe is certainly massive.
