his article is about the whole franchise.

For the first game in the series, see Final Fantasy (video

game). For other uses, see Final Fantasy (disambiguation).

Final Fantasy

Genre(s) Role-playing video game

Developer(s) Square, Square Enix

Publisher(s) Square, Square Enix

Creator(s) Hironobu Sakaguchi

Composer(s) Nobuo Uematsu

Platform(s) Arcade

Android

BlackBerry OS

Game Boy

Game Boy Advance

GameCube

iOS

Java ME

Microsoft Windows

MSX

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo DS

Nintendo 3DS

Nintendo Switch

Ouya

PlayStation

PlayStation 2

PlayStation 3

PlayStation 4
 PlayStation 5

PlayStation Portable

PlayStation Vita

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

Wii

Windows Phone

WonderSwan

Xbox 360

Xbox One

Xbox Series X/S

First release Final Fantasy

December 18, 1987

Latest release Final Fantasy VII Remake

April 10, 2020

 Kingdom Hearts
Spin-offs
 Mana

 SaGa

 Vagrant Story

Final Fantasy[a] is a Japanese anthology science fantasy media franchise created by Hironobu

Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a
series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was
released in 1987, with 15 numbered main entries having been released to date and an upcoming
16th installment announced in 2020. The franchise has since branched into other video game
genres such as tactical role-playing, action role-playing, massively multiplayer online role-
playing, racing, third-person shooter, fighting, and rhythm, as well as branching into other media,
including CGI films, anime, manga, and novels.
Final Fantasy installments are generally stand-alone stories or role playing games, each with
different settings, plots and main characters, but the franchise is linked by several recurring
elements, including game mechanics and recurring character names. Each plot centers on a
particular group of heroes who are battling a great evil, but also explores the characters' internal
struggles and relationships. Character names are frequently derived from the history,
languages, pop culture, and mythologies of cultures worldwide. The mechanics of each game
involve similar battle systems and maps.
The Final Fantasy video game series has been both critically and commercially successful, with
some entries (I, IV, VI, VII, IX, and X) regarded by many as some of the greatest video games, and
the series as a whole selling more than 164 million software units worldwide, making it one of
the best-selling video game franchises of all time. The series is well known for its innovation, visuals,
and music, such as the inclusion of full-motion videos (FMVs), photorealistic character models, and
music by Nobuo Uematsu. It has popularized many features now common in role-playing games,
also popularizing the genre as a whole in markets outside Japan.

Contents

 1Media
o 1.1Games
 1.1.1Main series
 1.1.2Remakes, sequels and spin-offs
o 1.2Other media
 1.2.1Film and television
 1.2.2Other media
 2Common elements
o 2.1Plot and themes
o 2.2Characters
o 2.3Gameplay
 3Development and history
o 3.1Origin
o 3.2Design
o 3.3Graphics and technology
o 3.4Music
 4Reception
o 4.1Rankings and aggregators
 5Legacy
 6See also
 7Notes
 8References
 9External links

Media[edit]
Further information: List of Final Fantasy media

Games[edit]
Main article: List of Final Fantasy video games
The first installment of the series was released in Japan on December 18, 1987. Subsequent games
are numbered and given a story unrelated to previous games, so the numbers refer to volumes
rather than to sequels. Many Final Fantasy games have been localized for markets in North
America, Europe, and Australia on numerous video game consoles, personal computers (PC),
and mobile phones. Future installments will appear on seventh and eighth generation consoles. As
of November 2016, the series includes the main installments from Final Fantasy to Final Fantasy
XV, as well as direct sequels and spin-offs, both released and confirmed as being in development.
Most of the older games have been remade or re-released on multiple platforms. [1]
Main series[edit]
Release timeline

1987 Final Fantasy

 1988 Final Fantasy II

1989

1990 Final Fantasy III

1991 Final Fantasy IV

1992 Final Fantasy V

1993

1994 Final Fantasy VI

1995–1996

1997 Final Fantasy VII

1998

1999 Final Fantasy VIII

2000 Final Fantasy IX

2001 Final Fantasy X

2002 Final Fantasy XI

2003–2005

2006 Final Fantasy XII

2007–2008

2009 Final Fantasy XIII

2010 Final Fantasy XIV

2011–2012

2013 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

2014–2015

2016 Final Fantasy XV

TBA Final Fantasy XVI

Three Final Fantasy installments were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Final
Fantasy was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1990. [2][3] It introduced many
concepts to the console RPG genre, and has since been remade on several platforms. [3] Final
Fantasy  II, released in 1988 in Japan, has been bundled with Final Fantasy in several re-releases.[3][4]
[5]
 The last of the NES installments, Final Fantasy  III, was released in Japan in 1990; [6] however, it
was not released elsewhere until a Nintendo DS remake in 2006.[5]
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) also featured three installments of the main
series, all of which have been re-released on several platforms. Final Fantasy  IV was released in
1991; in North America, it was released as Final Fantasy II.[7][8] It introduced the "Active Time Battle"
system.[9] Final Fantasy  V, released in 1992 in Japan, was the first game in the series to spawn a
sequel: a short anime series, Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals.[3][10][11] Final Fantasy  VI was
released in Japan in 1994, titled Final Fantasy III in North America.[12]
The PlayStation console saw the release of three main Final Fantasy games. Final
Fantasy  VII (1997) moved away from the two-dimensional (2D) graphics used in the first six games
to three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics; the game features polygonal characters on pre-
rendered backgrounds. It also introduced a more modern setting, a style that was carried over to the
next game.[3] It was also the second in the series to be released in Europe, with the first being Final
Fantasy Mystic Quest. Final Fantasy VIII was published in 1999, and was the first to consistently use
realistically proportioned characters and feature a vocal piece as its theme music. [3][13] Final
Fantasy  IX, released in 2000, returned to the series' roots by revisiting a more traditional Final
Fantasy setting rather than the more modern worlds of VII and VIII.[3][14]
Three main installments, as well as one online game, were published for the PlayStation 2 (PS2).[15][16]
[17]
 Final Fantasy  X (2001) introduced full 3D areas and voice acting to the series, and was the first to
spawn a sub-sequel (Final Fantasy X-2, published in 2003).[18][19] The first massively multiplayer online
role-playing game (MMORPG) in the series, Final Fantasy  XI, was released on the PS2 and PC in
2002, and later on the Xbox 360.[20][21] It introduced real-time battles instead of random encounters.
[21]
 Final Fantasy XII, published in 2006, also includes real-time battles in large, interconnected
playfields.[22][23] The game is also the first in the main series to utilize a world used in a previous game,
namely the land of Ivalice, which had previously featured in Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story.
[24]

In 2009, Final Fantasy XIII was released in Japan, and in North America and Europe the following
year, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[25][26] It is the flagship installment of the Fabula Nova Crystallis
Final Fantasy series[27] and became the first mainline game to spawn two sub-sequels (XIII-
2 and Lightning Returns).[28] It was also the first game released in Chinese and high definition along
with being released on two consoles at once. Final Fantasy XIV, a MMORPG, was released
worldwide on Microsoft Windows in 2010, but it received heavy criticism when it was launched,
prompting Square Enix to rerelease the game as Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, this time to
the PlayStation 3 as well, in 2013.[29] Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game that was
released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016. [30][31] Originally a XIII spin-off titled Versus
XIII, XV uses the mythos of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, although in many other respects the
game stands on its own and has since been distanced from the series by its developers. [32][33][34][35][36]
[37]
 The next mainline entry, Final Fantasy XVI, was announced in September 2020 for
the PlayStation 5.[38]
Remakes, sequels and spin-offs[edit]
See also: List of Final Fantasy video games, List of Square Enix mobile games, and Category: Final
Fantasy spin-offs
Final Fantasy has spawned numerous spin-offs and metaseries. Several are, in fact, not Final
Fantasy games, but were rebranded for North American release. Examples include the SaGa series,
rebranded The Final Fantasy Legend, and its two sequels, Final Fantasy Legend II and Final
Fantasy Legend III.[39] Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was specifically developed for a United States
audience, and Final Fantasy Tactics is a tactical RPG that features many references and themes
found in the series.[40][41] The spin-off Chocobo series, Crystal Chronicles series, and Kingdom
Hearts series also include multiple Final Fantasy elements.[39][42] In 2003, the Final Fantasy series' first
sub-sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, was released.[43] Final Fantasy XIII was originally intended to stand on
its own, but the team wanted to explore the world, characters and mythos more, resulting in the
development and release of two sequels in 2011 and 2013 respectively, creating the series' first
official trilogy.[28] Dissidia Final Fantasy was released in 2009, a fighting game that features heroes
and villains from the first ten games of the main series.[44] It was followed by a prequel in 2011.
[45]
 Other spin-offs have taken the form of subseries—Compilation of Final Fantasy  VII, Ivalice
Alliance, and Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy. Enhanced 3D remakes of Final Fantasy
III and Final Fantasy IV were released in 2006 and 2007 respectively.[46][47] Final Fantasy VII
Remake was released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020.[48]

Other media[edit]
Film and television[edit]
Final Fantasy in film

1994 Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

1995–2000

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

2001
Final Fantasy: Unlimited

2002–2004

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

2005
Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

2006–2015

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV

2016
Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

2017 Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light

2018

2019 Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn – Prologue

Square Enix has expanded the Final Fantasy series into various media. Multiple anime
and computer-generated imagery (CGI) films have been produced that are based either on
individual Final Fantasy games or on the series as a whole. The first was an original video
animation (OVA), Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals, a sequel to Final Fantasy V. The story was
set in the same world as the game, although 200 years in the future. It was released as four 30-
minute episodes, first in Japan in 1994 and later in the United States by Urban Vision in 1998. In
2001, Square Pictures released its first feature film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. The film is set
on a future Earth invaded by alien life forms.[49] The Spirits Within was the first animated feature to
seriously attempt to portray photorealistic CGI humans, but was considered a box office bomb and
garnered mixed reviews.[49][50][51]
A 25-episode anime television series, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, was released in 2001 based on the
common elements of the Final Fantasy series. It was broadcast in Japan by TV Tokyo and released
in North America by ADV Films.
In 2005, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, a feature length direct-to-DVD CGI film, and Last Order:
Final Fantasy  VII, a non-canon OVA,[52] were released as part of the Compilation of Final
Fantasy VII. Advent Children was animated by Visual Works, which helped the company create CG
sequences for the games.[53] The film, unlike The Spirits Within, became a commercial success.[54][55][56]
[57]
 Last Order, on the other hand, was released in Japan in a special DVD bundle package
with Advent Children. Last Order sold out quickly[58] and was positively received by Western critics,[59]
[60]
 though fan reaction was mixed over changes to established story scenes. [61]
Two animated tie-ins for Final Fantasy XV were announced at the Uncovered Final Fantasy XV fan
and press event, forming part of a larger multimedia project dubbed the Final Fantasy
XV Universe. Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is a series of five 10-to-20-minute-long episodes
developed by A-1 Pictures and Square Enix detailing the backstories of the main cast. Kingsglaive:
Final Fantasy XV, a CGI movie set for release prior to the game in Summer 2016, is set during the
game's opening and follows new and secondary characters. [62][63][64][65] On February 26, 2019, Square
Enix released a short anime, produced by Satelight Inc, called Final Fantasy XV: Episode Ardyn –
Prologue on their YouTube channel which acts as the background story for the final piece of DLC
for Final Fantasy XV giving insight into Ardyn's past.
Square Enix also released Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, an 8-episode Japanese soap opera. It
features a mix of live-action scenes and Final Fantasy XIV gameplay footage. It premiered in Japan
on April 16, 2017, and became available worldwide via Netflix in September of the same year.
It was announced in June 2019 that Sony Pictures Television is working on a first ever live-action
adaptation of the series with Hivemind and Square Enix. Jason F. Brown, Sean Daniel and Dinesh
Shamdasani for Hivemind will be the producers while Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton will write for the
series and will serve as executive producers.[66]
Other media[edit]
Several video games have either been adapted into or have had spin-offs in the form of manga and
novels. The first was the novelization of Final Fantasy II in 1989, and was followed by a manga
adaptation of Final Fantasy III in 1992.[67][68] The past decade has seen an increase in the number of
non-video game adaptations and spin-offs. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within has been adapted into
a novel, the spin-off game Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles has been adapted into a manga,
and Final Fantasy XI has had a novel and manga set in its continuity.[69][70][71][72] Seven novellas based
on the Final Fantasy  VII universe have also been released. The Final Fantasy: Unlimited story was
partially continued in novels and a manga after the anime series ended. [73] The Final Fantasy
X and Final Fantasy XIII series have also had novellas and audio dramas released. Final Fantasy
Tactics Advance has been adapted into a radio drama, and Final Fantasy: Unlimited has received a
radio drama sequel.
A trading card game named the Final Fantasy trading card game is produced by Square Enix
and Hobby Japan, first released Japan in 2012 with an English version in 2016. [74] The game has
been compared to Magic: the Gathering, and a tournament circuit for the game also takes place. [75][76]

Common elements[edit]
Main article: Recurring elements in the Final Fantasy series
Although most Final Fantasy installments are independent, many gameplay elements recur
throughout the series.[77][78] Most games contain elements of fantasy and science fiction and feature
recycled names often inspired from various cultures' history, languages and mythology,
including Asian, European, and Middle-Eastern.[79] Examples include weapon names
like Excalibur and Masamune—derived from Arthurian legend and the Japanese
swordsmith Masamune respectively—as well as the spell names Holy, Meteor, and Ultima. [78]
[79]
 Beginning with Final Fantasy IV, the main series adopted its current logo style that features the
same typeface and an emblem designed by Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano. The emblem relates
to a game's plot and typically portrays a character or object in the story. Subsequent remakes of the
first three games have replaced the previous logos with ones similar to the rest of the series. [78]