mariosmentor
Chocobo Breeder
Final Fantasy. One of the most well-known RPG franchises in the world, with a Japanese fanbase that rivals that of Dragon Quest. The first thing about these games that people will talk about (aside from “play FF7 first”) is that each game is set in its own world, completely unrelated to each other. I personally believe that the general consensus is lazy and unimaginative, filled with people who can’t be bothered to observe the possibility of a much broader aspect. In this theory, I will not only present what I believe is the chronological order of the Final Fantasy series, but also provide as much evidence as I can find. If you disapprove of the very concept of this thread, there is nothing obligating you to continue reading. If you find a serious flaw in this theory, please explain your reasoning in a professional manner. This does not include the fact that it’s a theory attempting to connect the franchise as a whole. Before we get started, here are some things to point out first:
The world in general
In many early Final Fantasy games, there is an accessible overworld that allows you to circumvent the entire world. Many people would find that as evidence enough to conclude that each game is set in its own world, but guess what? IT’S NOT. Using Earth as an example, let’s take a look at how you “circumvent” the worlds of Final Fantasy. According to this mechanic, if we start at Greenland, and head North a short ways, we will end up in Antarctica. Okay, I’m taking my globe, placing my finger on Greenland’s southern tip, tracing upward……….and my finger is now touching the east side of Russia. So, how do we explain the weird magnetic pole-hopping phenomenon? Well, what if it’s not the ENTIRE world you’re travelling around? What if, and I’m only guessing here, that when some sort of extreme danger comes along, the world’s natural defenses kick up, placing a barrier over the immediate area, ensuring no-one enters/leaves? It would seem like a viable theory, especially for the world of FF7, where one could assume that Mako energy is capable of that large of a task.
Word of mouth, stories, and legends
A major plot point in any RPG is the backstory. However, for this timeline theory, we’ll need to think realistically about the stories of what happened long ago. After all, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs were portrayed as godlike beings, which they weren’t. So, here are some standards of validity that we will take into account.
1) Anything that happened within the last century occurred exactly as they are told.
2) Anything that happened at least 100 years ago must be altered slightly to accommodate years of repetition. (Example: “150 years ago, he used a machine gun.” In reality, he used a rifle.)
3) Anything that happened at least 1,000 years ago must vary greatly from how it’s told. (Example: “2,000 years ago, our kingdom was rich.” In reality, they had quite a few financial problems.)
One last thing to mention, I will section certain groups of games into “arcs,” merely for narrative purposes. And now, let’s begin the timeline theory.
Birth of an Endless Cycle
Here, we see the beginning of the series, and what begins the ultimate struggle between good and evil.
Final Fantasy II
The story is rather simple. The emperor of Palamecia declares war on the world, in hopes of claiming it as his own. A small group of rebels eventually defeat him not once, but TWICE, the second of which being after he has returned as the Lord of Hell. However, that’s not the end of the story, as while the rebels fight the emperor in Pandemonium, the palace of Hell, the souls of those who have died arrive in Arubboth, the palace of Heaven, where the find out that upon dying, the emperor’s soul split into two halves, one light, the other dark. Essentially, all the good and evil within the emperor have now become their own separate entities. The light emperor (we’ll call him Arubboth) begs for forgiveness, but was denied this luxury, ultimately defeated at the same time as the dark emperor (we’ll call him Pandemonium). But here’s the thing: they’re still alive. Be it the Lord of Heaven or Hell, that still makes you an immortal being that can’t be felled by any mortal means. “So, you’re saying they PRETENDED to die,” I hear you ask. Not exactly. While it’s impossible for any mortal man to destroy a god, weakening a god is another story entirely. When a person is injured, he/she goes through a healing process, the length of which depending on the severity of the wound. For Pandemonium and Arubboth, the same rule applies. These two celestial beings will, in time, recover, and make their presence known once more, in an endless battle against each other. Now, let me take the following words out of your mouth: “WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!! So, you’re throwing in a crazy theory of the whole series really being about a war between the gods??!They did that with Dissidia!!!!!! And the light emperor was still the bad guy!” First off, NO, HE WASN’T. Sure, when the characters met him, the spirits of their loved ones warn them that he’s tricking them, but that could easily have just been their paranoia talking. Arubboth was the emperor’s light half, the physical manifestation of all the good within him. (It wasn’t much, but still.) Tricking the souls of his victims into a fate worse than death isn’t something he would do. He was genuinely looking for forgiveness, and since no one would give him that, he’s now under the mentality that if he somehow prevents Pandemonium from destroying the world, he’ll get some sort of compensative gratitude. And so, the endless war between the emperor’s halves begins, although Arubboth won’t do much of anything for a while………
Final Fantasy IV
Don’t you DARE assume I’m using the Kain Highwind connection here. I have better evidence then THAT. According to the Final Fantasy IV Settei Shiryou Hen, the world used to be one giant landmass, much like the world of FF2. The same book states that the Deathbringer Sword came from a Dark Knight called Leonhart, the same name as the main character in FF2 who assumed the alias “Dark Knight.” Finally, in Mysidia, there is a legend of a sage named Minwu who sealed magic away, just to later unseal it. In FF2, you meet a sage named Minwu who releases the seal on Ultima, the best spell in the game. And now, we approach Pandemonium’s involvement in this game. The main villain of this game is Zemus, a Lunarian who refused to go into stasis with his brethren, causing a riot until he is eventually sealed away, where he brainwashes Golbez to do his bidding. Now, if Zemus was lashing out because he didn’t like the idea of sleeping for eons, why didn’t any other Lunarians agree with him? Why was ZEMUS the only one to turn bad? It doesn’t make sense………..Unless the Lunarians are, by nature, a benevolent species, much like the Chozo in the Metroid series, or the Toads in Super Mario. Assuming this is the case, this still doesn’t explain in full why Zemus would turn so evil on his own. It seems very likely that he was being controlled by Pandemonium, but why Zemus, and not someone else? Perhaps Zemus was the most doubtful of the decision to go into stasis. After all, the Lunarians were searching for a new home after their planet was destroyed. Imagine losing your home and finding a new place, only to be told that you’ll have to sleep for years on end. Upon Zemus’ death, another being called Zeromus shows up, claiming to be all the hatred in Zemus’ heart mashed into a physical body. Seeing how Zemus was just being Pandemonium’s puppet, it would seem like Zeromus is actually PANDEMONIUM. One bit of evidence to support thisis a small bit of text I found in the Final Fantasy Wiki: “When killed, Zeromus fades but warns he will always exist as long as there is hatred in the hearts of people.” Sounds A LOT like what Pandemonium, the Lord of Hell, would say, as he is a god with power over darkness and evil in general. And where’s Arubboth in all of this? Nowhere. One last thing to take not of before we continue is the first appearance of the Crystals. Keep an eye on them, as they’ll play a larger role later on.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Seventeen years after the events of FF4, an interstellar being known only as the Creator arrives to collect the Crystals, which were apparently his creations. Deeming the people of the world “evolutionary failures,” he tries to destroy the planet, but is ultimately defeated. Given how this is a direct sequel to FF4, there’s not much to say in that regard. However, there are still some things to cover. Namely, the bosses in the final dungeon. While traversing the True Moon, you meet bosses from the first 6 games in the Final Fantasy series. There is some implication that they’re from other worlds, but it doesn’t quite add up, since we’ve just established that the events of FF4 and FF2 occur on the same world. So, how do we get by this? Well,during the ending cinematic for The After Years, Edward theorizes that the Crystals themselves were evolving, much like how people were. Assuming this is correct, it’s possible that the Crystals are not only capable of tracking history (explaining the FF2 and FF4 bosses), but can also (briefly) glimpse into the future (explaining all the other bosses). It’s a stretch, I’ll admit, but then again, no one suspected that the Legend of Zelda Timeline had THREE branches.
That's all for today, but I'll be sure to update sometime next week. Hope to see you then.
The world in general
In many early Final Fantasy games, there is an accessible overworld that allows you to circumvent the entire world. Many people would find that as evidence enough to conclude that each game is set in its own world, but guess what? IT’S NOT. Using Earth as an example, let’s take a look at how you “circumvent” the worlds of Final Fantasy. According to this mechanic, if we start at Greenland, and head North a short ways, we will end up in Antarctica. Okay, I’m taking my globe, placing my finger on Greenland’s southern tip, tracing upward……….and my finger is now touching the east side of Russia. So, how do we explain the weird magnetic pole-hopping phenomenon? Well, what if it’s not the ENTIRE world you’re travelling around? What if, and I’m only guessing here, that when some sort of extreme danger comes along, the world’s natural defenses kick up, placing a barrier over the immediate area, ensuring no-one enters/leaves? It would seem like a viable theory, especially for the world of FF7, where one could assume that Mako energy is capable of that large of a task.
Word of mouth, stories, and legends
A major plot point in any RPG is the backstory. However, for this timeline theory, we’ll need to think realistically about the stories of what happened long ago. After all, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs were portrayed as godlike beings, which they weren’t. So, here are some standards of validity that we will take into account.
1) Anything that happened within the last century occurred exactly as they are told.
2) Anything that happened at least 100 years ago must be altered slightly to accommodate years of repetition. (Example: “150 years ago, he used a machine gun.” In reality, he used a rifle.)
3) Anything that happened at least 1,000 years ago must vary greatly from how it’s told. (Example: “2,000 years ago, our kingdom was rich.” In reality, they had quite a few financial problems.)
One last thing to mention, I will section certain groups of games into “arcs,” merely for narrative purposes. And now, let’s begin the timeline theory.
Birth of an Endless Cycle
Here, we see the beginning of the series, and what begins the ultimate struggle between good and evil.
Final Fantasy II
The story is rather simple. The emperor of Palamecia declares war on the world, in hopes of claiming it as his own. A small group of rebels eventually defeat him not once, but TWICE, the second of which being after he has returned as the Lord of Hell. However, that’s not the end of the story, as while the rebels fight the emperor in Pandemonium, the palace of Hell, the souls of those who have died arrive in Arubboth, the palace of Heaven, where the find out that upon dying, the emperor’s soul split into two halves, one light, the other dark. Essentially, all the good and evil within the emperor have now become their own separate entities. The light emperor (we’ll call him Arubboth) begs for forgiveness, but was denied this luxury, ultimately defeated at the same time as the dark emperor (we’ll call him Pandemonium). But here’s the thing: they’re still alive. Be it the Lord of Heaven or Hell, that still makes you an immortal being that can’t be felled by any mortal means. “So, you’re saying they PRETENDED to die,” I hear you ask. Not exactly. While it’s impossible for any mortal man to destroy a god, weakening a god is another story entirely. When a person is injured, he/she goes through a healing process, the length of which depending on the severity of the wound. For Pandemonium and Arubboth, the same rule applies. These two celestial beings will, in time, recover, and make their presence known once more, in an endless battle against each other. Now, let me take the following words out of your mouth: “WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!! So, you’re throwing in a crazy theory of the whole series really being about a war between the gods??!They did that with Dissidia!!!!!! And the light emperor was still the bad guy!” First off, NO, HE WASN’T. Sure, when the characters met him, the spirits of their loved ones warn them that he’s tricking them, but that could easily have just been their paranoia talking. Arubboth was the emperor’s light half, the physical manifestation of all the good within him. (It wasn’t much, but still.) Tricking the souls of his victims into a fate worse than death isn’t something he would do. He was genuinely looking for forgiveness, and since no one would give him that, he’s now under the mentality that if he somehow prevents Pandemonium from destroying the world, he’ll get some sort of compensative gratitude. And so, the endless war between the emperor’s halves begins, although Arubboth won’t do much of anything for a while………
Final Fantasy IV
Don’t you DARE assume I’m using the Kain Highwind connection here. I have better evidence then THAT. According to the Final Fantasy IV Settei Shiryou Hen, the world used to be one giant landmass, much like the world of FF2. The same book states that the Deathbringer Sword came from a Dark Knight called Leonhart, the same name as the main character in FF2 who assumed the alias “Dark Knight.” Finally, in Mysidia, there is a legend of a sage named Minwu who sealed magic away, just to later unseal it. In FF2, you meet a sage named Minwu who releases the seal on Ultima, the best spell in the game. And now, we approach Pandemonium’s involvement in this game. The main villain of this game is Zemus, a Lunarian who refused to go into stasis with his brethren, causing a riot until he is eventually sealed away, where he brainwashes Golbez to do his bidding. Now, if Zemus was lashing out because he didn’t like the idea of sleeping for eons, why didn’t any other Lunarians agree with him? Why was ZEMUS the only one to turn bad? It doesn’t make sense………..Unless the Lunarians are, by nature, a benevolent species, much like the Chozo in the Metroid series, or the Toads in Super Mario. Assuming this is the case, this still doesn’t explain in full why Zemus would turn so evil on his own. It seems very likely that he was being controlled by Pandemonium, but why Zemus, and not someone else? Perhaps Zemus was the most doubtful of the decision to go into stasis. After all, the Lunarians were searching for a new home after their planet was destroyed. Imagine losing your home and finding a new place, only to be told that you’ll have to sleep for years on end. Upon Zemus’ death, another being called Zeromus shows up, claiming to be all the hatred in Zemus’ heart mashed into a physical body. Seeing how Zemus was just being Pandemonium’s puppet, it would seem like Zeromus is actually PANDEMONIUM. One bit of evidence to support thisis a small bit of text I found in the Final Fantasy Wiki: “When killed, Zeromus fades but warns he will always exist as long as there is hatred in the hearts of people.” Sounds A LOT like what Pandemonium, the Lord of Hell, would say, as he is a god with power over darkness and evil in general. And where’s Arubboth in all of this? Nowhere. One last thing to take not of before we continue is the first appearance of the Crystals. Keep an eye on them, as they’ll play a larger role later on.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Seventeen years after the events of FF4, an interstellar being known only as the Creator arrives to collect the Crystals, which were apparently his creations. Deeming the people of the world “evolutionary failures,” he tries to destroy the planet, but is ultimately defeated. Given how this is a direct sequel to FF4, there’s not much to say in that regard. However, there are still some things to cover. Namely, the bosses in the final dungeon. While traversing the True Moon, you meet bosses from the first 6 games in the Final Fantasy series. There is some implication that they’re from other worlds, but it doesn’t quite add up, since we’ve just established that the events of FF4 and FF2 occur on the same world. So, how do we get by this? Well,during the ending cinematic for The After Years, Edward theorizes that the Crystals themselves were evolving, much like how people were. Assuming this is correct, it’s possible that the Crystals are not only capable of tracking history (explaining the FF2 and FF4 bosses), but can also (briefly) glimpse into the future (explaining all the other bosses). It’s a stretch, I’ll admit, but then again, no one suspected that the Legend of Zelda Timeline had THREE branches.
That's all for today, but I'll be sure to update sometime next week. Hope to see you then.
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