Final Fantasy (universe)

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Final Fantasy (universe)
Developer(s)	Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft)
Publisher(s)	Square Enix
Designer(s)	Hironobu Sakaguchi Tetsuya Nomura
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Console/platform of origin	Nintendo Entertainment System
First installment	Final Fantasy (1987)
Latest installment	Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition (2020)
Article on Wikipedia	Final Fantasy (universe)

The Final Fantasy universe (ファイナルファンタジー, Final Fantasy) refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties hailing from the long-running role-playing game (RPG) franchise created and owned by Square Enix (formerly Squaresoft). Since the release of its first installment in 1987, the franchise is one of the best-selling Japanese RPG series in the world and is considered one of the most innovative, with numerous breakthroughs in its usage of in-game graphics, full-motion videos, and various visual and sound content throughout the series' lifespan. The single best-selling and most popular entry in the franchise is Final Fantasy VII, originally released in 1997. Likewise, its protagonist Cloud Strife and antagonist Sephiroth are among the most recognizable characters in the entire Final Fantasy franchise. This series, in addition to Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts, is considered to be a flagship franchise for the publisher and a pioneer of the RPG genre.

Franchise description

Logo of Final Fantasy VII.

Electrical engineering student Hironobu Sakaguchi became a part-time employee at Square shortly after it was founded as a computer game-centric division of a power line construction company named Den-Yu-Sha. He became a full-time employee as the Director of Planning and Development when Square later separated from its parent company, and had intended to create a role-playing video game modeled after the foundations of then-separate company Enix's Dragon Quest. Thematically inspired by role-playing forerunners such as Ultima, Wizardry, and Dungeons & Dragons, the game was originally intended to be titled "Fighting Fantasy", but due to trademark issues, Sakaguchi had to change it. It later received the name "Final Fantasy" because it was anticipated by the company to be its final project under the threat of bankruptcy. The outcome of the release starkly contrasted with expectations, however, as the game's December 1987 release on Nintendo's Famicom sold more than half a million copies. When Dragon Quest later met success with its North American localization as Dragon Warrior, Nintendo of America released a similarly localized version of Final Fantasy in July 1990, to modest success.

Though Dragon Quest was among the first to effect a divergence of styles in the role-playing genre that resulted in the formation of what is commonly known as the Japanese role-playing genre, Final Fantasy played a critical role in granting it its initial surge of popularity. However, the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) style would remain relatively obscure in the public spotlight throughout many years to come, even as many new JRPG properties were introduced both within Square's efforts and outside it. Final Fantasy, under producer Sakaguchi's watchful eye, began to release a continuous succession of numbered sequels - which, in stark contrast to most other video game series, were never traditional sequels or continuations and rarely carried over characters. Much like in Fire Emblem, each of the mainstream Final Fantasy games that were developed and released are self-contained works tied tangentially by shared thematic and design similarities, such as Final Fantasy II and III for the Famicom, and for a while, only some of the games received worldwide localization; Final Fantasy IV for the Super Famicom - which introduced the "Active Time Battle" concept to the series - was released worldwide in 1991 as "Final Fantasy II", and after Final Fantasy V remained a Japan-only Super Famicom release, Final Fantasy VI was released worldwide for Super Nintendo in 1994 as "Final Fantasy III".

Besides the Final Fantasy series, Square developed and released a multitude of other RPGs for the Super NES that have cemented their success as a game developer, each with their own innovations to the genre. Three of the most prominent examples are Secret of Mana, which introduced an action-based battle system to the gameplay formula and local co-op for up to three players, Chrono Trigger which introduced time travel elements and new character designs courtesy of Akira Toriyama, and Super Mario RPG which introduced the titlular Nintendo mascot to the role-playing scene and streamlined many conventions of the genre for much greater accessibility while also introducing "action commands" for extra benefits. All of these titles and more cemented a partnership that demonstrated a commitment to quality games while being able to expand beyond the core formula that had been tried and true with Final Fantasy.

Though Final Fantasy VI would become critically regarded in its own right as one of the greatest and most landmark JRPGs ever developed, the JRPG genre remained relatively niche in Western markets. As polygonal graphics began to take root in the industry's landscape with the release of systems like the Sony PlayStation, Sakaguchi felt that the franchise might be left behind if it did not catch up to the 3D graphics employed by their contemporaries. To test this, a 3D SGI demo using characters from Final Fantasy VI only cemented their beliefs on moving the franchise forward. But because Nintendo's then-upcoming 3D-based console, the Nintendo 64, was based on cartridges and therefore lacked the memory storage needed for the project's scope, Square felt they had no choice but to end its long-running relationship with Nintendo and develop Final Fantasy VII exclusively for the PlayStation. What resulted was the most expensive video game production of its time, with a development budget of around $45 million - equivalent to $67 million in 2015. The game's international release - which was consistently titled Final Fantasy VII despite prior installments not having been released outside Japan at the time - was preceded by a heavy marketing campaign by Sony themselves.

Final Fantasy VII received widespread critical acclaim that was nonetheless eclipsed by the game’s commercial success and impact on the games industry. Famously referred to by one publication as "quite possibly the greatest game ever made", the game - spread out across three PlayStation discs packaged together - was seen for its time as an unprecedented blend of gameplay, interactive movie elements, and character-driven narrative, the last of which included what was argued to be one of the most infamous character deaths in the medium. On the back of character designer Tetsuya Nomura's now-iconic cast, the game is viewed to have single-handedly vastly expanded the conventional global audience for the JRPG genre, and Final Fantasy itself became one of the most popular video game franchises. The extent to which the game had become a killer app for the PlayStation led the game's protagonist to become an unofficial mascot for both his series and the console as a whole. Every main-numbered Final Fantasy to follow would receive enormous amounts of attention and sales success as a direct outcome of Final Fantasy VII's own.

In terms of the scenario of the game itself, Final Fantasy VII initially focuses on the efforts of an underground group named Avalanche - among whom Cloud Strife is a member - as they struggle to destroy power plants operated by an electric-power mega-corporation that has become much of the planet's de facto government, Shinra, headquartered at the industrialized metropolis of Midgar. With the company having since shifted its focus to a spiritual substance called Mako so as to harvest said substance as modern society's primary source of power and fuel, Cloud and his allies operate under the belief that Shinra is siphoning the life force of the planet itself. But between his encounters with the mysterious flower girl Aerith Gainsborough and the re-emergence of an incredibly dangerous and disturbed figure from Cloud's past - the former elite soldier Sephiroth - Cloud and his allies gradually find themselves taking on a more direct and urgent role as protectors of the planet than they could have anticipated, though he must also surmount formidable psychological obstacles ingrained within his own memories.

Final Fantasy VII's setting introduced a post-industrial science-fiction element to the formerly medieval fantasy-grounded intellectual property, and the involvement of science fiction in a Final Fantasy mythos was expanded with 1999's Final Fantasy VIII. After 2000's Final Fantasy IX deliberately returned to the more traditional fantasy trappings employed in the oldest games, the series' first main-numbered appearance on the PlayStation 2 as Final Fantasy X aesthetically entrenched the series in a distinctive blend of fantasy and technology. The series had also begun to deviate from its turn-based and Active Time Battle-based roots and gradually adapt action-RPG elements in games such as 2006's Final Fantasy XII, 2010's Final Fantasy XIII, and 2016's Final Fantasy XV, as well as release two of its main-numbered games - 2002's Final Fantasy XI and another title released in 2010, Final Fantasy XIV - as MMORPGs. But while every numbered game remains a separate story and setting from the rest, several of them receive their own sequels, spin-offs, and sub-series that utilize their respective settings and casts, namely XIII, XII, X, IV, and most prominently VII. None of this is to mention a veritable deluge of remakes, reissues, offshoots, spiritually-related works, and involvement in crossovers that began after the turn of the millennium, as if spurred in response to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix into a single entity named Square Enix (which Sakaguchi had resigned from shortly prior).

Several games appeared as third-party works on Nintendo hardware as a result of renewed relations between the two publishers, such as the action RPG The World Ends With You - which introduced an unorthodox touch-screen control system and a stylized art direction not previously noted in any other Square Enix release, the Bravely Default series for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch - which constitute a modernized execution of the original turn-based battle system of the earliest Final Fantasy titles, and Octopath Traveler - a Nintendo Switch game which continued the traditional turn-based combat and job system of the Bravely Default games and introduced a diorama-like "HD-2D" aesthetic. However, while these titles preserved the spirit of the Final Fantasy franchise, no new mainline entry was featured on a Nintendo system for over 20 years after Final Fantasy VI (not counting ports and remakes). This all changed in late 2018 and early 2019 when Square Enix and Nintendo announced that several core entries were being released for the Nintendo Switch, being Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, X/X-2 HD Remaster, and XII: The Zodiac Age.

Despite the many turns that the Final Fantasy franchise has taken and the many platforms the franchise has appeared on, Final Fantasy VII stands as the franchise's most well-known and popular extension. Years after its introduction, it became the subject of a metaseries of prequels, non-traditional sequels, and other various media collectively titled the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, including the PlayStation Portable prequel game Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and the computer-graphic (CG) film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. In the years following the original game's release, demand for a high-definition remake of the original game was fervent and growing, even more so after a tech demo at E3 2005 recreating the opening train segment in the Crystal Tools engine. The idea of turning the remake into a commercial project came when Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto broached the subject to Kitase, Nomura, and Nojima. They collectively agreed that they were hitting "that age"; that they if they waited much longer, they would be too old to release a remake and that passing the project onto a new generation did not feel right. Roughly 18 years after the original PS1 release, a high-definition remake was officially announced at E3 2015 to be in development for the PlayStation 4. To ensure that no content is removed, the remake is planned to be released in an episodic release format, with the first part seeing a worldwide release on April 10, 2020. As part of the Remake project's goals, many elements of the game were altered or completely changed to account for modern gaming sensibilities. A real-time action combat system was implemented in lieu of the original's turn-based system (as that was the direction where the developers believed RPGs were heading and so to rebuild the battle system's foundations) but with the addition of a command list for additional strategy and tactics. These commands are governed by how much ATB charge that party members have. The Materia system from the original returns, functioning much in the same fashion with any party member able to equip elemental, technique, and summoning Materia. Finally, side quests can be initiated with NPCs for rewards in addition to building one's reputation in the surrounding area. In the meantime, enhanced ports of the original version have been released on all current major platforms, including the Nintendo Switch in 2019 for the first time on a Nintendo system.

Several Final Fantasy spin-offs have appeared on Nintendo hardware as a result of these renewed relations such as the 3DS action-RPG spinoff title Final Fantasy Explorers and the ATB spinoff World of Final Fantasy, both of which feature various main-numbered Final Fantasy heroes as playable characters. Meanwhile, each of the formerly-Japan-exclusive main-numbered titles have been released to the rest of the world in some enhanced form or another. Among the more noteworthy Final Fantasy derivatives:

• Final Fantasy Tactics, released in 1998 for the PlayStation, was Square's first foray into the strategy-RPG genre and is regarded as a cult classic; it saw an enhanced re-release for the PlayStation Portable with the subtitle The War of the Lions. Separately, a duo of more colorful, unconnected titles - Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift - were released for the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS.

• Final Fantasy Type-0 is an action-RPG that was released only in Japan for the PlayStation Portable in 2011, with an HD remaster later released worldwide early 2015 for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action-RPG that was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube with an emphasis on local cooperative play, and has since spawned its own metaseries with the Crystal Chronicles name, all of which have been exclusive to Nintendo hardware. An HD remaster of the first game with online multiplayer will be released in the summer of 2020.

• Dissidia Final Fantasy and its sequels, Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT. The first two are PlayStation Portable titles designed around a combat system resembling a hybridized blend of the three-dimensional fighting and action-RPG genres, while the third game is oriented more to the fighting aspects rather than the RPG aspects. These games are crossovers of the various disparate continuities of the franchise, and make at least one hero and one villain from each of the main-numbered Final Fantasy continuities playable characters.

• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and its update, Curtain Call, are Nintendo 3DS rhythm titles that similarly cross over the many universes of Final Fantasy, compiling music - both faithfully preserved and remixed - from almost every Final Fantasy title and spinoff.

• Among the many recurrent monster designs trademarked to the series is the Chocobo, a large, ratite-like bird that is often used as a mount in various Final Fantasy continuities. Square Enix uses it as a mascot for Final Fantasy as a whole, and has released a variety of more child-oriented Chocobo media based on it. There have been Chocobo-themed entries of Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon series of rogue-like games, and similar games were later made for Pokémon.

• Kingdom Hearts is an action RPG series that was conceived as an unorthodox crossover between the general mechanics of Final Fantasy and the many universes of Disney animated films, with several Final Fantasy characters appearing as guests and cameos. The crossover was originally pitched when producer Shinji Hashimoto found himself in a chance meeting with a Disney executive in an elevator, as the two companies operated in the same building in Japan at the time. Under the direction of Tetsuya Nomura with music composed by Yoko Shimomura, the ongoing series has become one of the most storied and complex video game intellectual properties in Square Enix's catalogue, featuring various Disney universes including, but not limited to, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Hero 6. The latest game in the franchise, Kingdom Hearts III, concludes what has been referred to as the "Xehanort Saga" which has been building up since the first game in 2002.

In addition to his recurrent appearances in all of these works, Cloud Strife has made guest appearances in titles outside of Final Fantasy, including a PlayStation arena fighter titled Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring, Final Fantasy Tactics, the Kingdom Hearts series, and a small sub-series of digital board games titled Itadaki Street. To the surprise of many, Cloud was announced as a post-launch downloadable content fighter for the Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. 4 (despite his minimal presence on Nintendo hardware up until that point), becoming a mainstay in the series ever since.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is mentioned among the titles listed in the Chronicle in Western versions of Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

The Final Fantasy franchise makes its proper debut in the Super Smash Bros. series as a DLC franchise, marking the first time a third-party company was introduced to the series via DLC. The franchise is primarily represented with Final Fantasy VII with one fighter, a stage, two music tracks, the fighter's trophies, and a Mii Fighter hat. Geno from Super Mario RPG was also simultaneously released as a Mii Fighter costume to further commemorate Nintendo's relationship with Square Enix.

Fighter

• 
  Cloud: Cloud Strife, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII, makes his debut in the Super Smash Bros. series as a downloadable newcomer in Super Smash Bros. 4. His default designs are taken from the lore of Final Fantasy VII and his attacks generate unique sound effects inspired from the original game. His attacks primarily revolve around his iconic weapon, the Buster Sword, and references to most of the Limit Breaks he acquired in his debut title. Cloud ranks 2nd on the Super Smash Bros. 4 tier list, owing to his high mobility, great range, moderately fast frame data, and Limit mechanic making him one of the most popular characters to have as a pocket choice. He is voiced in Japanese in all regions despite having an existing English voice actor.

Stage

• 
  Midgar: The iconic cyberpunk conurbation on the planet Gaia, of which is depicted in Super Smash Bros. 4 at the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, just after the completion of AVALANCHE's first bombing operation. One of the several Mako Reactors and the main Shinra Electric Power Company structure can be seen in the background. The layout of this stage is identical to those of Battlefield and Dream Land 64, however, there are the omnipresent Summons from the Final Fantasy series that appear as stage hazards, each with their own abilities which directly impact the stage and, likewise in the Final Fantasy series, can only be called upon by Summon Materia.

Music

• Let the Battles Begin!: The normal battle theme from Final Fantasy VII.
• Fight On!: The standard boss battle theme from Final Fantasy VII.
• Victory! Cloud: Cloud's victory theme, a remix of the battle victory theme from Final Fantasy VII. Unlike other victory themes, this theme continues to play over the match results. This is the only remixed song from this universe.

Trophies

• Cloud
• Cloud (Alt.)
• Omnislash

Mii Costume

• Chocobo Hat (DLC)

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

After being DLC in the previous installment, Final Fantasy returns as part of the base game. While most of the content was unchanged at launch, more was added in December 2020 as part of Challenger Pack 8.

Fighters

• 61.
  
  Cloud: The mercenary turned hero, along with his default and Advent Children designs, returns as an unlockable fighter after being DLC in Smash 4. One notable change is that his Limit mechanic has been nerfed; he can only hold on to his maxed-out Limit Gauge for 15 seconds without using it, and whenever he is attacked while manually charging it he will lose a little bit. Apart from this and some range nerfs, he performs similarly to how he did in Smash 4. The Limit Gauge is also persistently displayed above his character portrait at all times, and he once again remains voiced in Japanese in all regions.

• 78. Sephiroth: The One-Winged Angel and archrival to Cloud Strife arrives as the third downloadable fighter in the Fighters Pass Vol. 2. Armed with his signature Masamune, he strikes elegantly with exceptional reach. He also possesses a unique fighter ability; after sustaining enough damage, he will unfurl his black wing, making his attacks more powerful akin to Cloud's own Limit Gauge and Joker's Rebellion Gauge. Like his rival, he will remain voiced in Japanese in all regions. He will release alongside a new stage, several new Final Fantasy music tracks, and several Spirits in December 2020 as part of Challenger Pack 8.

Stages

• 
  Midgar: The main city of Final Fantasy VII returns as part of the base game, functionally unchanged from Smash 4.

• File:SSBU FF7 DLC stage.png
  Northern Cave: A new stage based on the planet's core, the location of the final battle against Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII. The Highwind airship also makes a cameo appearance. This stage will be released in December 2020 as part of Challenger Pack 8.

Music

There were two Final Fantasy songs in the base game. Nine will be added in December 2020 as part of Challenger Pack 8.

New Arrangements

• "Opening - Bombing Mission"
• "Aerith's Theme"
• "Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY VII"
• "Cosmo Canyon"

Source Tracks

Tracks sourced directly from Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.

• "Let the Battles Begin!": The normal battle theme.
• "Fight On!": The standard boss battle theme.
• "Those Who Fight (AC Version)": A remix of "Let the Battles Begin!" heard in Advent Children.
• "Those Who Fight Further (AC Version)": A remix of "Fight On!" heard in Advent Children.
• "JENOVA": The theme of Jenova, played in Jenova's boss battles, as well as the battle against Professor Hojo and the stairs at the Point of No Return.
• "One-Winged Angel": Sephiroth's signature battle theme.
• "Advent: One-Winged Angel": The version of "One-Winged Angel" heard in Advent Children. It was used in Sephiroth's trailer.

Victory Fanfare

• "Victory! Cloud": A remix of the victory theme from Final Fantasy VII, continues to loop, replacing the standard results screen theme. Remains unchanged from Smash 4.
• "Victory! Sephiroth": A short snippet of "One-Winged Angel".

Mii Costumes

• Tifa Outfit (DLC, Mii Brawler)
• Aerith Dress (DLC, Mii Swordfighter)
• Barret Outfit (DLC, Mii Gunner)
• Chocobo Hat (DLC)

Spirits

1,004. Cloud 1,005. Cloud (Advent Children) ???. Sephiroth

Media with elements from or in the Super Smash Bros. series

Final Fantasy

• Playable Characters:
  • Sephiroth's sword, the Masamune, first appeared in the game.
  • Flare, originally localised as Nuke, first appeared as a spell in this game.

Final Fantasy II

• Playable Characters:
  • Chocobos appear as downloadable content headgear.
• Stage elements:
  • The summon Leviathan appears on the Midgar stage.
• Spirits:
  • Chocobo appears as a Spirit.

Final Fantasy III

• Stage elements:
  • Odin, Ramuh, and Ifrit appear on the Midgar stage.
  • Megaflare first appeared an attack.
• Spirits:
  • Moogle appears as a Spirit.

Final Fantasy VII

• Playable Characters:
  • Cloud Strife, the protagonist of the game, appears as a playable character.
  • Cloud's Final Smash, Omnislash, first appeared in the game.
  • Blade Beam, Cross Slash, Climhazzard and Limit Charge / Finishing Touch are moves sourced from the game.
  • Aerith appears as a costume for the Mii Swordfighter.
  • Tifa appear as a costume for the Mii Brawler.
  • Barret appear as a costume for the Mii Gunner.
  • Sephiroth, the main antagonist of the game, appears as a playable character.
• Stages:
  • Midgar, a location from Final Fantasy VII, appears as a stage.
  • Northen Cave, a location from Final Fantasy VII, appears as a stage.
• Stage elements:
  • The designs used for Odin, Leviathan, and Ramuh originate from the game.
  • Bahamut ZERO, which appears on the aforementioned stage, also originates from the game
  • The Highwind airship makes a cameo appearance in Northen Cave.
• Music:
  • "Opening - Bombing Mission": Used in the December 2015 Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct.
  • "Opening - Bombing Mission":
  • "Let the Battles Begin!": The main battle theme from the game.
  • "Fight On!": The boss battle theme from the game.
  • "Main Theme of FINAL FANTASY VII":
  • "Electric de Chocobo": Used in the December 2015 Super Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct.
  • "JENOVA":
  • "Aerith's Theme":
  • "Cosmo Canyon":
  • "One Winged Angel":
  • "Victory! Cloud": An arrangement of the victory theme from the game.
  • "Victory! Sephiroth":
• Spirits
  • Tifa, Barret, Aerith, Red XIII, Cait Sith, Cid, Vincent, Yuffie, The Turks & Rufus Shinra and Shiva appear as Spirits.

Final Fantasy VIII

• Stage elements:
  • Ifrit's design comes from its appearance here.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

• Other:
  • Final Fantasy Tactics Advance can be seen in the Chronicle.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

• Playable Characters:
  • Cloud's outfit and Fusion Swords from the CGI movie appear as an alternate costume. A few variations of the outfit remove the large sleeve revealing his Geostigma-infected arm.
  • Cloud's alternate Final Smash, Omnislash Ver. 5, is sourced from the film.
• Music:
  • "Those Who Fight (AC Version)":
  • "Those Who Fight Further (AC Version)":
  • "Advent: One Winged Angel": Used for Sephiroth's reveal trailer in The Game Awards 2020.

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales

• Playable Characters:
  • The Chocobo Mii Fighter hat's design comes from the game.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

• Playable Characters:
  • Sephiroth's appearance is sourced from the game.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

• Playable Characters:
  • Cloud's default costume from the original game takes cues from the design used for his default costume from the game, including the more realistic proportions, polished accessories, and loosely fastened boots.
  • Cloud's Cross Slash has been updated to its version in the game.
  • Sephiroth's stage takes a lot of inspiration from Planet's Core, the Final Fantasy VII stage in the game.

Trivia

• Masahiro Sakurai stated that he could have included Final Fantasy characters such as Onion Knight from Final Fantasy III, Bartz Klauser from Final Fantasy V or Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI in Super Smash Bros., but it was difficult to think of a Final Fantasy character to include in the game that was not Cloud.
• Final Fantasy, EarthBound, Persona, and Dragon Quest are the only universes without playable characters from the first installment in their series in Super Smash Bros.
  • Incidentally, all of them are JRPG series.
  • Of these, Final Fantasy is the only one to both be third-party and have multiple playable characters (not counting Hero's alternate costumes). It is also the only one to have multiple characters that come from the same game.
• Several Final Fantasy characters representing generic classes and creatures had previously crossed over with the Mario universe in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix, both of which were developed by Square Enix. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was also developed by Square Enix and references the Final Fantasy series, including an optional boss designed as an allusion to the Final Fantasy series.
• Nobuo Uematsu, who composed most of the music in the mainline Final Fantasy series, also composed the main theme for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi directed The Last Story, whose main characters Zael and Calista appear as trophies in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and as spirits in Ultimate.
• Final Fantasy is the first playable third-party universe with a game published by Nintendo worldwide, as Nintendo published Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles for the Nintendo GameCube; the other two are Bayonetta and Banjo-Kazooie.
• Final Fantasy, Mega Man, Castlevania, Dragon Quest, and Banjo-Kazooie are the only third-party universes that debuted on a Nintendo system; the first four debuted on the Nintendo Entertainment System, and the last debuted on the Nintendo 64.
• Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Dragon Quest, Banjo-Kazooie, and Minecraft are the only third-party universes to neither be owned by Sega, nor have an installment released on a Sega console.
• Xenogears from the Xeno series began as an early concept for Square's Final Fantasy VII. The company deemed it to be "too dark and complicated for a fantasy", but its creator, Tetsuya Takahashi, was allowed to develop it as a separate project.
• Kazushige Nojima, scenario writer for many titles in the Final Fantasy series, was hired by Sakurai to help in writing the story for The Subspace Emissary.
• Final Fantasy is the only universe to introduce a new company after the initial release of Super Smash Bros. 4.
• With a record-low of three trophies, Final Fantasy has the fewest amount of trophies of all the third-party franchises in the entire series, excluding franchises exclusive to Ultimate, which does not have trophies.
  • It is also the only third-party series not to have a trophy of another character besides the playable character. That said, Zack Fair and Sephiroth are mentioned across the Super Smash Bros. 4 trophies' descriptions.
    • This is also the case through spirits, as Cloud is the only representation from Final Fantasy in Ultimate.
      • Furthermore, it is also the only franchise with a fighter to not use any of the home series' original artwork, instead using Cloud's own renders in Ultimate.
  • Despite most stage prop characters or objects getting trophies and the Midgar stage playing host to several Final Fantasy summons, the summons do not get trophies or spirits themselves.
  • As such, Final Fantasy had by far the lowest amount of representation of any major third-party franchise represented in the Super Smash Bros. series prior to Ultimate's Fighter Pass 2, for reasons never officially stated.
• Final Fantasy is the first and only third party universe to feature a playable villain.
• Final Fantasy and Castlevania are the only universes to have M-rated games, but not to have all of their playable characters in Smash appear in one.
• The Final Fantasy universe is the only base-game third-party major universe to not have any Assist Trophy representation in Ultimate. Additionally, only two songs appeared in Ultimate initially, making it the third-party universe with the least amount of music representation at first.
  • Excluding minor universes and downloadable contents, Final Fantasy and Wario are the only universes in Ultimate to not have unlockable music tracks. If Namco universes are counted separately, Pac-Man also shares this distinction.
• Final Fantasy is the only third-party universe to have multiple playable characters who are not alternate costumes or Echo Fighters of each other.
• Final Fantasy, Castlevania, Kid Icarus, Animal Crossing, Fire Emblem, and Street Fighter are the only universes with multiple characters to not be introduced in the original Super Smash Bros.
  • Of these, it and Street Fighter are the only ones to be introduced as DLC.
  • Additionally, Final Fantasy is the only one of these to have all its characters introduced as DLC in their debut game (Cloud in Smash 4 and Sephiroth in Ultimate).
• Final Fantasy and Fire Emblem are the only universes represented by playable characters not of the original 10 or new to Ultimate to receive a new stage in Ultimate.
  • Additionally, they are the only 2 universes to have DLC characters in both Smash 4 and Ultimate.
• Final Fantasy and Sonic the Hedgehog are the only third party universes to have more than one stage in a single game. If both versions of Smash 4 are counted as the same game, then Pac-Man also shares this distinction.

External links

• Sakurai X Nomura Interview (1/2): First Meeting and Cloud's Inclusion
• Sakurai X Nomura Interview (2/2): Cloud's "New Challenger" Artwork and Fighting Style
• Overview of Cloud and Midgar