Jiro
03-31-2012, 10:33 AM
It’s a simple fact of life that everybody has, at some point, had parents. Even immaculate conception along the lines of Jesus Christ and Anakin Skywalker needs at least one parent. Some people have adoptive parents. Parents are everywhere. So too are parents present in the Final Fantasy series. Most of the time. While it seems a sad trait that the main parties are usually orphans of one kind or another, there are some NPCs who are parents, some main characters who fortuitously retain their parents, and some who even are parents themselves. In a toast to the people who raised us, let’s look at the parents throughout Final Fantasy and the impacts they have had! Watch out for spoilers, kids.
Final Fantasy
The original Final Fantasy was light on plot and character development, there’s no denying. However, this was the first instance of a character having both parents alive. Princess Sarah, of Cornelia, was kidnapped by the wicked Garland. Her father who is aptly named King of Cornelia, tasks the Light Warriors http://db.tt/Ax2SCiNFwith rescuing his daughter and defeating the evil knight. Queen Jane, who resides elsewhere in the castle, appears rather distraught at her daughter’s disappearance. You can always be sure that your parents are missing you when you’re kidnapped by an evil knight, I guess.
Final Fantasy II
The main party of Final Fantasy II are all presumed orphans, their parents killed by the Palamecian Empire in the raid on Fynn. However, Final Fantasy II is also the first instance of a party member being a parent! Josef, of Salamand, joins the party as they search for the Goddess’s Bell. Sadly, when exiting the Snow Cavern with the bell, the party is ambushed and Josef sacrifices himself to save them.
http://db.tt/K6MFx72CIn another sad moment, the King of Fynn, father to Princess Hilda, leader of the Wild Rose Rebellion, passes away from the injuries he received in the raid on Fynn. Lastly, there is an NPC named Elina, who resides in Castle Deist. Her son is Kain, whose name would later become synonymous with dragoons. Little wonder, since his late father, Phillip, was a dragoon and his almost-step-father-until-he-too-died, Ricard, was also a dragoon. Happy families is not what Final Fantasy is all about, it seems.http://db.tt/IkZtl4rc
Final Fantasy III
There are many more biological parents present in Final Fantasy III than the previous games in the series. The kings of both Sasune and Saronia are alive – at one point. King Gorn of Saronia is mind-controlled by Gilgamesh into attacking his son, but he resists, stabbing himself. On his death bed, he begs forgiveness for all the things he did whilst under Gilgamesh’s power. Sad stuff! Takka, in the DS remake, is the adopted father of Refia.
Cid Haze, and his wife Mrs Cid, are the pseudo-adoptive parents of the main party – the onion kids. After Cid and the four children survived an airship crash ten years prior, he and Mrs Cid looked after them until they found other families. Though Mrs Cid falls ill during the course of the game, the party heals her right up with an elixir. Phew!
Final Fantasy IV
Thanks to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, we have an abundance of parents. That’s something to celebrate, I think! Our first parent is Tellah, most famous for his line “You spoony bard!” Sadly, his daughter Anna dies in the attack on Damcyan, which then prompts the famous line. However, in a valiant sacrifice, Tellah casts the too-powerful spell Meteor, wounding Golbez, causing him to die. Rydia’s mother is killed in the attack on Mist, accidentally caused when Cecil and Kain bring a bomb ring to the village.
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Cid Pollenia, the Baron engineer and airship mechanic, has a daughter who is never named. Cid manages to survive, though it is a mystery how he survived becoming a human bomb. King Giott, of the Dwarves, is father to Luca, who plays a much larger role during the sequel. He also survives; we’re heading towards a better ratio here! Rosa’s mother, Joanna, lives in Baron and also survives.
Final Fantasy IV’s leading man, Cecil, was an orphan taken in by the King of Baron. Sadly, the King of Baron is secretly assassinated and replaced with Cagnazzo, the archfiend of water. The King later becomes Odin, who can be summoned by Rydia.
In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, many of the original party become parents. Cecil and Rosa have a son, named Ceodore, who becomes the main protagonist of the game. Yang and his wife, Sheila, also become parents to a daughter named Ursula, who trains as a martial artist like her father Yang. Lastly, the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV gives us our first look at Cecil and Golbez’s parents, Cecilia and Kluya, both of whom die while the children are young. Despite the sad note at the end, Final Fantasy IV has quite the number of parents, all of whom play important roles and are powerful personalities!
Final Fantasy V
Though there are substantially less parents in Final Fantasy V, they are not without personality or importance. Dorgann Klauser is the father of the main character, Bartz, and also happens to be one of the original Warriors of Dawn who sealed Ex-Death long ago. Unfortunately he passes away before the beginning of the game and is buried beside his wife, Stella, who is Bartz’s mother. Galuf, one of the party members, is also an original Warrior of Dawn. After her parents’ death, Galuf raises his granddaughter Krile. She takes his place in the party after he sacrifices himself fighting Ex-Death in the Great Forest of Moore.
King Tycoon is the father of both Lenna and Faris. He fails protecting the Wind Crystal, at which point he disappears. He resurfaces later, under Ex-Death’s control. When he finally regains control of his mind, he dies valiantly protecting the Earth Crystal – in vain. The last of the parents is Cid Previa, who, like Galuf, raises his grandchild. Mid’s father died while performing an experiment and Cid took over raising him. Cid is vitally important to the party’s progress, as both he and Mid help the party uncover an airship.
Final Fantasy VI
I have to admit some personal bias here; Final Fantasy VI is my favourite of the lot. This is largely due to the cast of characters, so I’m glad I can share this with you. We’ll start with some NPC parents. Duncan is a martial artist, responsible for training Sabin and also Vargas, Duncan’s son. After the death of his parents, Sabin leaves home to train with Duncan, who becomes a surrogate father. This causes some tension with Vargas, who ultimately tries to kill his own father. Duncan survives though, and teaches Sabin his ultimate move in the World of Ruin.
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Final Fantasy VI’s Cid is a genetic engineer and researcher with the Gestahlian Empire, who adopts Celes after she becomes the first magitek infused human. Their relationship slowly develops into a grandfather-granddaughter style, rather than father-daughter. Cid’s life or death hangs in the player’s hands, though it seems canonically – and for the best emotional response – he dies on the Solitary Island.
Terra’s mother, Madeline, dies before the beginning of the game, as witnessed through flashbacks. However, Terra’s father, Maduin, is an esper captured by the Gestahlian Empire. When the party raid the Magitek Facility, they find Maduin as a piece of magicite, which sadly means he has passed on. This tragic lack of parents may be what drives Terra to become a parental figure to the children of Mobliz after it is decimated by Kefka’s Light of Judgement in the World of Ruin.
Also in Mobliz, Duane and Katarin are love-struck teenagers. Katarin becomes pregnant during the World of Ruin, and this causes tensions between the two lovers. However, in the ending, the two are reunited and Katarin gives birth.
Cyan and his wife Elayne have a son, Owain. In the Gestahlian Empire’s attack on Doma, Kefka poisons the water, resulting in the death of every citizen excluding Cyan. After Cyan and the party escape Doma, they enter the Phantom Forest. As they prepare to leave the forest, Cyan witnesses his family and the other citizens of Doma boarding the Phantom Train, bound for the afterlife.
Strago is Relm’s adopted grandfather, and he raises her after the death of her mother and disappearance of her father. The two have a unique relationship, with Relm often playing the dominant role and scolding Strago. Relm is also instrumental in recovering Strago during the World of Ruin, snapping him out of the strange trance and making him leave the cult at the base of Cultist’s Tower.
Through a series of hidden flashbacks, the player can learn the truth behind Relm’s father. His name is Clyde, though he is now better known as Shadow. The player is also givens hints supporting this, with Shadow able to equip a relic otherwise unique to Relm – a memento of her mother. Shadow’s partner and loyal hound, Interceptor, is also uncharacteristically friendly with the young girl, despite Shadow’s warning that “he bites strangers”.
Now you can see why I love this game so much. But, the show must go on! There are more games, and more parents to meet!
Onwards to the Playstation generation now! If you need a breather, now's as good a time as any! Ready? Okay, let's mosey!
Final Fantasy VII
A lot of parents die during the course of Final Fantasy VII. As an aside, Mr Final Fantasy himself, Hironobu Sakaguchi, also lost his mother during the production of the game. Bear with me as I take you through the list of parents for this game. I’ll try and end on a lighter note, promise.
First, we have Cloud’s mom. We learn most about her during the Kalm flashback, where we see her pestering Cloud about settling down with a nice girlfriend. An older girlfriend, one that will take care of him. During the flashback, we see Cloud rush into his house, now on flames after Sephiroth’s attack on the town. He exits, and shakes his head – no survivors. Tifa’s father also perishes during this time, cut down by Sephiroth inside the Nibelheim Reactor.
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To continue with the parents of the party, Aerith’s biological parents, Ifalna and Gast, both die prior to the beginning of the game. Gast is shot dead by Hojo after Gast refuses to give his daughter to the Shinra Corporation for study. Ifalna, though wounded, manages to escape to Midgar, where she entrusts baby Aerith – only a few weeks old at best – to Elmyra, before dying. Elmyra then becomes Aerith’s adopted mother and guardian.
Barret is the adopted father of Marlene. Marlene’s biological mother, Eleanor, died in the Shinra Corporation’s attack on Corel, which also claimed the life of Barret’s wife Myrna. This attack is what prompted Barret to create AVALANCHE and seek revenge against Shinra. Marlene’s biological father, Dyne, is discovered in the Corel Desert Prison, underneath the Gold Saucer. He and Barret fight, and Dyne tells Barret that he must raise Marlene, because his hands are too bloodied. Before Barret can protest, Dyne leaps to his death, hoping to rejoin his wife in the afterlife.
Red XIII, also known by his birth name Nanaki, is the (supposedly) last surviving member of his race. I say supposedly because the ending shows him with some little pups, but that’s neither here nor there. Nanaki’s guardian is a man named Bugenhagen. Bugenhagen is a curious character, who appears to levitate on green ball. He obviously bears no relation to Nanaki, yet is always referred to as grandfather. Bugenhagen is stated as being 129 years old during the course of the game; I hope I’m that smart (and still alive!) at that age.
The fate of Nanaki’s biological parents is an important point of character development when the party reaches Cosmo Canyon. Originally under the belief that his father was a coward, Nanaki learns that Seto risked and ultimately gave his life in the defence of Cosmo Canyon against an invading tribe. His body, which was petrified by poisoned arrows, lies within the Cave of the Gi, and discovering this convinces Nanaki to rejoin the party’s quest. Nanaki’s mother, who remains unnamed, forced Bugenhagen to seal the Cave of the Gi and keep it a secret from her son. She passes away before the plot of the game as well.
We depart from the main party now to look at President Shinra. No, not Rufus, his father. President Shinra, whose first name is unknown, appears for all intents and purposes to be the villain at the beginning of the game. After the party attempts to storm Shinra HQ, and is mysteriously released from capture, they find President Shinra with Sephiroth’s sword, the Masamune, sticking out of him. This prompts Rufus to arrive and take his father’s position as president of Shinra Corporation without the slightest sign of sadness. Guess he wasn’t much of a father then!
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Speaking of Sephiroth, his is another interesting case. His biological parents are actually Hojo, the top researcher replacing Gast at Shinra Corporation, and Lucrecia, another researcher. Hojo plays a very antagonistic role in the early stages of the game, having Aerith kidnapped so he can perform experiments on her. Lucrecia, blaming herself for the bad things that happened in her life – including the immediate abduction of her son before she could hold him – sealed herself in crystal.
However, Sephiroth’s “mother” is more commonly associated with Jenova, the mysterious alien “calamity from the skies” that crashed into the planet. Through experimentation, Shinra found that the cells of Jenova could be implanted into humans to give them supernatural powers. Sephiroth was believed to be the perfect experiment, the perfect SOLDIER, though few could have predicted what catastrophic consequences would result.
I promised you at least some happy families, and with these last two I will deliver! Yuffie and her father, Godo, both hold Shinra responsible for the downfall of Wutai. And little wonder; it was Shinra’s SOLDIERs that defeated the Wutai army and reduced the once proud village to near nothing. Godo challenges Yuffie when she returns to Wutai, and after defeating four of his disciples and then Goda himself, he will reward Yuffie with her ultimate limit break and the Leviathan summon material. Not a bad present, I must say.
Choco Bill runs the Chocobo Ranch near Kalm, where he looks after his grandchildren, Choco Billy and Chloe. This family takes care of any and all chocobo related concerns you might have. Their assistance is instrumental in continuing through the marsh which houses the Midgar Zolom. Unless you exploit the save glitch – but that’s another story.
Final Fantasy VIII
The fact that all of the main party – sans Rinoa – were raised in an orphanage is often criticised as weak plot device. However you may feel about this, it does make my job a whole lot easier by limiting the number of parents I have to talk about. To begin with, let’s head to the orphanage itself. Cid and Edea ran the orphanage on the Centra continent. Afterwards, Cid began Balamb Garden, which served as a military academy, primarily for orphans. Edea continued to act as a matron to the young orphans, until she was possessed by Ultimecia.
The orphans of the time went their separate ways before later reuniting throughout the course of the game. Quistis was adopted, but there was an issue and it “didn’t work out”, resulting in her attending Balamb Garden. Irvine, too, was adopted, and eventually ended up at Galbadia Garden. Zell’s adoption went a little more smoothly. He joins the Dincht family in Balamb, and begins to idolise his adopted grandfather, who was a soldier during the Sorceress’s War, prompting him to join Balamb Garden. His mother, known as Ma Dincht, is very supportive of her son. Zell’s father’s whereabouts are unknown, though he refers to his “parents” (plural) when the party visits Trabia Garden.
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As for Squall, his parents are Raine and Laguna. Raine and Laguna are also the adopted parents of Ellone, who later falls under Edea’s care at the orphanage. Raine passes away while Laguna is off trying to rescue Ellone from Esthar, and so Squall is sent to the orphanage. Squall only has fairly brief interactions with his father, who, in the present day, is the leader of Esthar after toppling Adel. Guess that explains a lot of Squall’s emotional stunting.
Rinoa’s parents are Fury, better known as General Caraway, and Julia, better known as the-really-attractive-pianist-slash-singer-that-Laguna-had-a-crush-on. Julia dies shortly after giving birth to Rinoa, and Fury’s heavy involvement in the military didn’t make him much of a father. You can tell from her anti-Galbadian and Pro-Timber-Independence group, the Forest Owls, that Rinoa really, really doesn’t like her father all that much. It’s also strange to think that, had things gone a little bit differently, Squall and Rinoa could have had the same mother! Or, you know, one or both of them could not exist. Wow, this is getting more weird than the R=U theory.
Fortunately there are a number of NPC parents still kicking around the world of Final Fantasy VIII. Beginning in Balamb, we had Mother of Big Bad Rascal. She struggles to keep a handle on her son, who idolises Zell. He can help the party escape Balamb while under Galbadian occupation and takes good care of the Hotel Owner’s daughter, proving that, although disobedient, Big Bad Rascal was raised well. I’m sure the Hotel Owner and Hotel Owner’s wife are far more protective of their daughter after the stressful occupation.
In Dollet, the old painter cares for his grandson. What is remarkable about this old man though is that he is actually the father of the Queen of Cards. He plays a vital role in the Card Queen quest, as he is the one who designs the new cards after you lose certain cards to the Queen. He often scolds his grandson for painting a bone onto his landscape paintings, but the bones are actually clues to find hidden treasure. It’s easy to tell from the fact that the Queen of Cards is rarely home in Dollet that she doesn’t take being a mother too seriously.
There are a few other parents in Timber, who have very minor roles. There is the large family in the small single roomed house where you can drink some Owl’s Tear which will restore you to full strength, and the hotel receptionist who thanks you for rescuing her daughter off the train tracks. It seems that being the parent of a party member doesn’t bode well for you. You can end up dead, evil or at the very least thrust into perilous situations, which is rarely fun. Much safer to teach your kids how to be NPCs, I would say.
Final Fantasy IX
You might have noticed the sections growing in length as we move forward through the Final Fantasy series. That can be attributed to a number of things, including bigger worlds, a greater cast of characters and an increased level of character development. What this means, apart from creating a more believable world, is that there are a lot more characters for me to talk about. Let’s delve into the Final Fantasy game which many called a tribute to the old school Final Fantasy.
Do you remember the first set of parents, the King and Queen of Cornelia? Do you remember how distraught Queen Jane was that her daughter had been kidnapped? Queen Brahne, adopted mother of Princess Garnet is not like that. Brahne is a maniac, and throws every force at her disposal after the party when they kidnap the princess. After a while it becomes apparent that Brahne isn’t trying to save Garnet, but recover her for some other nefarious purpose (mainly extracting Eidolons from her through a very creepy dance). Brahne is killed by Kuja when he can no longer use her.
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As for Garnet’s biological mother, she’s seen during the opening scene and not really heard of much more after that. We do learn she died trying to escape Madain Sari with Garnet, and that her name was Jane – oh, isn’t that interesting? As an aside, Garnet was adopted by Brahne and her husband to replace the daughter they originally lost, who looked uncannily similar to Garnet. Now, as you might imagine, Garnet is not actually her real name. Would you care to guess what it is? It’s Sarah, just like the princess from the original Final Fantasy. The plot thickens already!
A special mention to Doctor Tot, who no doubt helped raise Garnet while serving as her tutor. It’s important to recognise those who play a part in a kid’s upbringing, especially when they do a wonderful job like Tot.
Kuja could be considered to be a parent in a sense, being responsible for creating the black mages, who develop very human lines of thought. He doesn’t do a very good job at raising them though, using them as a disposable army and workforce more than anything. Vivi, a defective black mage, is raised by Quan, a Qu. Despite the fact that Quan was raising Vivi so he could eat him, Quan taught Vivi everything he knew about the world. I guess wanting to eat someone doesn’t necessarily make you bad at parenting.
As for the black mages themselves, they do in fact raise a chocobo named Bobby Corwen. They are Black Mage No. 33 and Black Mage No. 111 and, upon hatching the egg with Bobby Corwen inside, experience overwhelming joy and cry tears of happiness. Not bad for constructs that were supposed to be bred for war, right?
Our lead character, Zidane, is a Genome created by Garland. Another familiar name! Garland created the Genomes to serve as vessels for the souls of Terrans, whose world was dying. Kuja, Zidane and Mikoto were all given souls of their own to act as angels of death for Garland, but none of them went according to plan. Zidane was also taken care of by Baku, leader of Tantalus, which is a band of thieves. Baku acts as a father figure for most of the members, though he played a particularly important part in shaping Zidane. Despite a rough exterior, Baku is a pretty warm hearted guy, always looking out for his misfit “kids”.
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In Alexandria there is an inn run by a family of hippopotamuses. Hippaul’s Father is not very good at managing the inn, with Zidane noticing that Hippaul himself does a better job. As for Hippaul’s mother… she bribes Vivi to race her son to help him become less lazy and less fat. Her motives cannot be faulted, but I worry about her methodology.
Quale is Quina’s “master”, and plays a fatherly/motherly role. It’s kind of confusing when the nature of Qu’s is not actually explained. In any case, Quale challenges Quina to embark on a quest to grow his/her culinary skills, and will reward the player with prizes for frogs caught in Qu’s Marshes around the world. Quale is also a former student of Quan, Vivi’s grandfather. Quina and Vivi also get married in Conde Petie – small world, huh?
I’ll depart from the major parents to look at some of the minor ones briefly. In Alexandria there is the grandmother who works tirelessly to make Ilia a dress (which is ruined when Alexandria is attacked). In nearby Dali, we have Slai’s Father. Slai’s “name” is actually Dutiful Daughter Slai, who works tirelessly in the pub. I guess there aren’t child labour laws in Final Fantasy IX then.
In addition, we have Walter in Conde Petie who just wants his son William to find a wife. Any old one would do, it seems. In Cleyra we meet the King of Burmecia, who happens to be Puck’s father. Puck helped Vivi out in the beginning of the game, and then abandons him to the Alexandrian guards. We also meet Burmecian Soldier Dan in Cleyra, where he is killed trying to defend his family against the Alexandrian onslaught. On a lighter note, we have Kal and Wei, two Burmecians who manage to flee to Lindblum where they have about a dozen kids. That would certainly be a handful.
Lastly, we have the moogles of Madain Sari. After the Invincible wipes out nearly all of the village, Eiko and her grandfather are all that are left alive. When he, too, passes on, Eiko is left to fend for herself – except for the moogles who come to her rescue. In particular, Mog, who is Eiko’s Eidolon guardian and protects Eiko. After the game, Eiko is adopted by Cid and his wife Hilda, giving the young lady a real family at last. Not that there’s anything wrong with being raised by moogles!
That wraps up the Final Fantasy IX section – I think. The game is notorious for naming nearly every character, regardless of importance, and so there may be a few I missed. Do let me know if you find any, but for now, it’s onwards to the next one!
Before we get there, how about another rest break? No? We've hit the PS2 generation, and the PS3 generation (and 360 too I suppose) will follow shortly afterwards. Home stretch now folks, let's do it, ya?
Final Fantasy X
With Final Fantasy X we take our first steps out of the PSX generation that brought with it so many new fans to the series. Stepping into a game whose central themes involve heavy amounts of death, it is no surprise that there are quite a few parentless people throughout the world. Let’s take a look at who has survived Sin’s wrath long enough to have children and keep ‘em, shall we?
It seems fitting to begin with the game’s protagonist. We learn that Tidus’s mother dies of heartbreak after her husband, Jecht, goes out to train one day and never comes home. A body was never found, but Jecht was presumed dead. Once Tidus arrives in Spira, he learns the truth about his father; he, like Tidus, was transported to Spira. Even later, we learn that Jecht is Sin. Sorry Tidus but you’re dad’s even more of a jerk in this form.
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Yuna’s mother is an unnamed Al Bhed woman who dies at sea when Sin attacks her ship. Her father, Lord Braska, was the previous High Summoner who “successfully defeated” Sin. By that, he really just destroyed Sin by sacrificing Jecht and himself, buying Spira a few years of peace and tranquillity before the process would all need to be repeated. Despite the pessimistic outlook I have, Braska’s achievements catapulted him into an esteemed position and his memory was a source of strength for many, including Yuna.
Her lack of parents put Yuna in the care of Kimahri from a young age. Though he, too, was not much older than a child in the eyes of the Ronso, Kimahri becomes Yuna’s first true “Guardian”, before her pilgrimage even begins.
Seymour, who serves as a primary antagonist, has his own troubles with parents. His mother sacrifices herself well before the course of the game, becoming the aeon Anima to protect her son. If Anima’s appearance was anything to go by, she led a pretty terrible life. Seymour’s father, Jyscal, was a Guado, making Seymour a half-breed which was a cause of much torment and bullying and no doubt caused his warped view on reality. Seymour murders Jyscal because he can, basically, and then took the open position as Maester for himself. Don’t let anything stand in the way of success, I guess.
The last parent on our list is Cid, who has been a fatherly figure of some sort in almost every game in the series. Final Fantasy X is no different, with Cid being the father of both Rikku and Brother, and uncle to Yuna. Cid’s skills as a father are questionable, and he shows far more concern for Yuna’s safety than that of his own children. His airship, the Fahrenheit, is essential to late game progress, acting as quick travel and a means to combat Sin.
While that exhausts our supply of parents, I do want to give an honourable mention to Wakka and Lulu who become parents in the course of Final Fantasy X-2. While you might like to pretend the game never existed, it doesn’t detract from the fact that Wakka and Lulu made the ultimate pilgrimage – becoming a parent. Doesn’t it just make you all warm and fuzzy inside?
Final Fantasy XII
We skip Final Fantasy XI at this point, being a game so large that I don’t think I could ever properly document the parents contained therein. Onwards we go then to Final Fantasy XII, our second PS2 instalment. In a grand departure from that of Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XII chooses not to name every character, meaning that the relationships between characters are difficult to establish at best. The NPC is much less popular here, though there are still a few parents to be found.
Cid returns once more as Cidolfus, and is the first Cid to ever be a main antagonist. The other exceptional thing about this Cid is that he fathered one of the coolest and most awesome characters (in my humble educated opinion) to ever grace a Final Fantasy game – Balthier. This Cid, like most others, is very mechanically savvy, and works for the Archadian Empire as a top scientist creating all sorts of magicite based items.
Old Dalan is a wise old fellow who lives in Rabanastre’s Lowtown. He plays an important role early on in the game, guiding Vaan to infiltrate the Royal Palace of Rabanastre for some nice looting action. He plays a (grand-) fatherly figure to the orphans in Rabanastre, though even Old Dalan cannot keep them out of trouble.
Raminas is the king of Dalmasca, until Archadia invades. They force the king to sign a treaty, which is more along the lines of a full surrender, and then kill him, framing Basch in the process. Raminas is Ashe’s father, which places her as heir to the throne of Dalmasca after his death. Apart from marrying Ashe off to Prince Rasler, we don’t see him do too much. Despite this, he’s beloved by his people, which made the Archadian occupiers less than welcome.
On the other side of the war is Gramis, Emperor of Archadia and father of both Vayne and Larsa. Gramis is murdered, with one of the Senators blamed, though this was just another plot masterminded by Vayne, making him the third character to commit patricide in a Final Fantasy game. Gramis was, at the very least, a good father to Larsa and putting faith in his ability to lead Archadia along the right path.
Lastly we have Tchigri’s Father, who owns the boat the party uses to cross the Nebra River. His role is obviously quite minor, but essential for the party’s progression. Tchigri was insistent that they rescue his father when he is stranded on the far shore, so I guess he must be a pretty decent parent.
Final Fantasy XIII
Much like the characters of Final Fantasy XIII do on their quest, I have learned many things and challenged things I thought were true throughout the creation of this article. The most interesting tidbit of information is learning that Final Fantasy XIII has the second lowest cast of characters out of any Final Fantasy game, tying with the second at 20 characters. For those interested, Final Fantasy III has less.
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With so few characters, it is understandable that we have very few parents, and even then there aren’t that many of note. Hope’s parents, Bartholomew and Nora, play very minor roles. Bartholomew is only seen during the seventh chapter, when the party take Hope home to Palumpolum. Bartholomew gives Hope some advice which helps him make the decision to continue travelling with the party.
Nora is killed very early on in the first chapter. She shares her name with Snow’s group, NORA, and her courage is admirable. Her death causes Hope to resent Snow, though they later resolve the issues. Though Nora’s role is minor, it is from her that we find a resonating quote – “Mom’s are tough”. It doesn’t just apply to mothers though; being a parent is not an easy job, particularly in the worlds of Final Fantasy. It takes a tough person to put up with a kid at the best of times. I would know, my parents tell me that all the time!
Our last parent is one that had to go through a whole lot to look after his son. Sazh journeyed with the party to try and protect Cocoon, and his son Dajh. Dajh was a l’Cie with an unknown focus, which meant he was doomed to become a Cie’th. This would be hard enough to deal with, but then Sazh had to watch as Dajh turned to crystal. Despite being deeply shaken, Sazh continues to aid the party and helps save Cocoon, reviving Dajh and bringing their family back together again. Additionally, Sazh also cares for a chocobo chick, who lives inside his afro. I want to grow an afro just so I can have a frocobo too!
There you have it folks, the parents of Final Fantasy in all their underrated glory. Without parents, there would be no heroes, no villains, and no games for us to enjoy. Without parents, you wouldn’t be around to enjoy Final Fantasy, I wouldn’t be around to write this, and the world would probably be a pretty desolate place. So next time you’re saving the world from an evil empire or a supervillain or an ancient evil spirit or what have you, thank your parents for giving you the chance.
Particularly if they bought you the game.
Final Fantasy
The original Final Fantasy was light on plot and character development, there’s no denying. However, this was the first instance of a character having both parents alive. Princess Sarah, of Cornelia, was kidnapped by the wicked Garland. Her father who is aptly named King of Cornelia, tasks the Light Warriors http://db.tt/Ax2SCiNFwith rescuing his daughter and defeating the evil knight. Queen Jane, who resides elsewhere in the castle, appears rather distraught at her daughter’s disappearance. You can always be sure that your parents are missing you when you’re kidnapped by an evil knight, I guess.
Final Fantasy II
The main party of Final Fantasy II are all presumed orphans, their parents killed by the Palamecian Empire in the raid on Fynn. However, Final Fantasy II is also the first instance of a party member being a parent! Josef, of Salamand, joins the party as they search for the Goddess’s Bell. Sadly, when exiting the Snow Cavern with the bell, the party is ambushed and Josef sacrifices himself to save them.
http://db.tt/K6MFx72CIn another sad moment, the King of Fynn, father to Princess Hilda, leader of the Wild Rose Rebellion, passes away from the injuries he received in the raid on Fynn. Lastly, there is an NPC named Elina, who resides in Castle Deist. Her son is Kain, whose name would later become synonymous with dragoons. Little wonder, since his late father, Phillip, was a dragoon and his almost-step-father-until-he-too-died, Ricard, was also a dragoon. Happy families is not what Final Fantasy is all about, it seems.http://db.tt/IkZtl4rc
Final Fantasy III
There are many more biological parents present in Final Fantasy III than the previous games in the series. The kings of both Sasune and Saronia are alive – at one point. King Gorn of Saronia is mind-controlled by Gilgamesh into attacking his son, but he resists, stabbing himself. On his death bed, he begs forgiveness for all the things he did whilst under Gilgamesh’s power. Sad stuff! Takka, in the DS remake, is the adopted father of Refia.
Cid Haze, and his wife Mrs Cid, are the pseudo-adoptive parents of the main party – the onion kids. After Cid and the four children survived an airship crash ten years prior, he and Mrs Cid looked after them until they found other families. Though Mrs Cid falls ill during the course of the game, the party heals her right up with an elixir. Phew!
Final Fantasy IV
Thanks to Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, we have an abundance of parents. That’s something to celebrate, I think! Our first parent is Tellah, most famous for his line “You spoony bard!” Sadly, his daughter Anna dies in the attack on Damcyan, which then prompts the famous line. However, in a valiant sacrifice, Tellah casts the too-powerful spell Meteor, wounding Golbez, causing him to die. Rydia’s mother is killed in the attack on Mist, accidentally caused when Cecil and Kain bring a bomb ring to the village.
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Cid Pollenia, the Baron engineer and airship mechanic, has a daughter who is never named. Cid manages to survive, though it is a mystery how he survived becoming a human bomb. King Giott, of the Dwarves, is father to Luca, who plays a much larger role during the sequel. He also survives; we’re heading towards a better ratio here! Rosa’s mother, Joanna, lives in Baron and also survives.
Final Fantasy IV’s leading man, Cecil, was an orphan taken in by the King of Baron. Sadly, the King of Baron is secretly assassinated and replaced with Cagnazzo, the archfiend of water. The King later becomes Odin, who can be summoned by Rydia.
In Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, many of the original party become parents. Cecil and Rosa have a son, named Ceodore, who becomes the main protagonist of the game. Yang and his wife, Sheila, also become parents to a daughter named Ursula, who trains as a martial artist like her father Yang. Lastly, the DS remake of Final Fantasy IV gives us our first look at Cecil and Golbez’s parents, Cecilia and Kluya, both of whom die while the children are young. Despite the sad note at the end, Final Fantasy IV has quite the number of parents, all of whom play important roles and are powerful personalities!
Final Fantasy V
Though there are substantially less parents in Final Fantasy V, they are not without personality or importance. Dorgann Klauser is the father of the main character, Bartz, and also happens to be one of the original Warriors of Dawn who sealed Ex-Death long ago. Unfortunately he passes away before the beginning of the game and is buried beside his wife, Stella, who is Bartz’s mother. Galuf, one of the party members, is also an original Warrior of Dawn. After her parents’ death, Galuf raises his granddaughter Krile. She takes his place in the party after he sacrifices himself fighting Ex-Death in the Great Forest of Moore.
King Tycoon is the father of both Lenna and Faris. He fails protecting the Wind Crystal, at which point he disappears. He resurfaces later, under Ex-Death’s control. When he finally regains control of his mind, he dies valiantly protecting the Earth Crystal – in vain. The last of the parents is Cid Previa, who, like Galuf, raises his grandchild. Mid’s father died while performing an experiment and Cid took over raising him. Cid is vitally important to the party’s progress, as both he and Mid help the party uncover an airship.
Final Fantasy VI
I have to admit some personal bias here; Final Fantasy VI is my favourite of the lot. This is largely due to the cast of characters, so I’m glad I can share this with you. We’ll start with some NPC parents. Duncan is a martial artist, responsible for training Sabin and also Vargas, Duncan’s son. After the death of his parents, Sabin leaves home to train with Duncan, who becomes a surrogate father. This causes some tension with Vargas, who ultimately tries to kill his own father. Duncan survives though, and teaches Sabin his ultimate move in the World of Ruin.
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Final Fantasy VI’s Cid is a genetic engineer and researcher with the Gestahlian Empire, who adopts Celes after she becomes the first magitek infused human. Their relationship slowly develops into a grandfather-granddaughter style, rather than father-daughter. Cid’s life or death hangs in the player’s hands, though it seems canonically – and for the best emotional response – he dies on the Solitary Island.
Terra’s mother, Madeline, dies before the beginning of the game, as witnessed through flashbacks. However, Terra’s father, Maduin, is an esper captured by the Gestahlian Empire. When the party raid the Magitek Facility, they find Maduin as a piece of magicite, which sadly means he has passed on. This tragic lack of parents may be what drives Terra to become a parental figure to the children of Mobliz after it is decimated by Kefka’s Light of Judgement in the World of Ruin.
Also in Mobliz, Duane and Katarin are love-struck teenagers. Katarin becomes pregnant during the World of Ruin, and this causes tensions between the two lovers. However, in the ending, the two are reunited and Katarin gives birth.
Cyan and his wife Elayne have a son, Owain. In the Gestahlian Empire’s attack on Doma, Kefka poisons the water, resulting in the death of every citizen excluding Cyan. After Cyan and the party escape Doma, they enter the Phantom Forest. As they prepare to leave the forest, Cyan witnesses his family and the other citizens of Doma boarding the Phantom Train, bound for the afterlife.
Strago is Relm’s adopted grandfather, and he raises her after the death of her mother and disappearance of her father. The two have a unique relationship, with Relm often playing the dominant role and scolding Strago. Relm is also instrumental in recovering Strago during the World of Ruin, snapping him out of the strange trance and making him leave the cult at the base of Cultist’s Tower.
Through a series of hidden flashbacks, the player can learn the truth behind Relm’s father. His name is Clyde, though he is now better known as Shadow. The player is also givens hints supporting this, with Shadow able to equip a relic otherwise unique to Relm – a memento of her mother. Shadow’s partner and loyal hound, Interceptor, is also uncharacteristically friendly with the young girl, despite Shadow’s warning that “he bites strangers”.
Now you can see why I love this game so much. But, the show must go on! There are more games, and more parents to meet!
Onwards to the Playstation generation now! If you need a breather, now's as good a time as any! Ready? Okay, let's mosey!
Final Fantasy VII
A lot of parents die during the course of Final Fantasy VII. As an aside, Mr Final Fantasy himself, Hironobu Sakaguchi, also lost his mother during the production of the game. Bear with me as I take you through the list of parents for this game. I’ll try and end on a lighter note, promise.
First, we have Cloud’s mom. We learn most about her during the Kalm flashback, where we see her pestering Cloud about settling down with a nice girlfriend. An older girlfriend, one that will take care of him. During the flashback, we see Cloud rush into his house, now on flames after Sephiroth’s attack on the town. He exits, and shakes his head – no survivors. Tifa’s father also perishes during this time, cut down by Sephiroth inside the Nibelheim Reactor.
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To continue with the parents of the party, Aerith’s biological parents, Ifalna and Gast, both die prior to the beginning of the game. Gast is shot dead by Hojo after Gast refuses to give his daughter to the Shinra Corporation for study. Ifalna, though wounded, manages to escape to Midgar, where she entrusts baby Aerith – only a few weeks old at best – to Elmyra, before dying. Elmyra then becomes Aerith’s adopted mother and guardian.
Barret is the adopted father of Marlene. Marlene’s biological mother, Eleanor, died in the Shinra Corporation’s attack on Corel, which also claimed the life of Barret’s wife Myrna. This attack is what prompted Barret to create AVALANCHE and seek revenge against Shinra. Marlene’s biological father, Dyne, is discovered in the Corel Desert Prison, underneath the Gold Saucer. He and Barret fight, and Dyne tells Barret that he must raise Marlene, because his hands are too bloodied. Before Barret can protest, Dyne leaps to his death, hoping to rejoin his wife in the afterlife.
Red XIII, also known by his birth name Nanaki, is the (supposedly) last surviving member of his race. I say supposedly because the ending shows him with some little pups, but that’s neither here nor there. Nanaki’s guardian is a man named Bugenhagen. Bugenhagen is a curious character, who appears to levitate on green ball. He obviously bears no relation to Nanaki, yet is always referred to as grandfather. Bugenhagen is stated as being 129 years old during the course of the game; I hope I’m that smart (and still alive!) at that age.
The fate of Nanaki’s biological parents is an important point of character development when the party reaches Cosmo Canyon. Originally under the belief that his father was a coward, Nanaki learns that Seto risked and ultimately gave his life in the defence of Cosmo Canyon against an invading tribe. His body, which was petrified by poisoned arrows, lies within the Cave of the Gi, and discovering this convinces Nanaki to rejoin the party’s quest. Nanaki’s mother, who remains unnamed, forced Bugenhagen to seal the Cave of the Gi and keep it a secret from her son. She passes away before the plot of the game as well.
We depart from the main party now to look at President Shinra. No, not Rufus, his father. President Shinra, whose first name is unknown, appears for all intents and purposes to be the villain at the beginning of the game. After the party attempts to storm Shinra HQ, and is mysteriously released from capture, they find President Shinra with Sephiroth’s sword, the Masamune, sticking out of him. This prompts Rufus to arrive and take his father’s position as president of Shinra Corporation without the slightest sign of sadness. Guess he wasn’t much of a father then!
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Speaking of Sephiroth, his is another interesting case. His biological parents are actually Hojo, the top researcher replacing Gast at Shinra Corporation, and Lucrecia, another researcher. Hojo plays a very antagonistic role in the early stages of the game, having Aerith kidnapped so he can perform experiments on her. Lucrecia, blaming herself for the bad things that happened in her life – including the immediate abduction of her son before she could hold him – sealed herself in crystal.
However, Sephiroth’s “mother” is more commonly associated with Jenova, the mysterious alien “calamity from the skies” that crashed into the planet. Through experimentation, Shinra found that the cells of Jenova could be implanted into humans to give them supernatural powers. Sephiroth was believed to be the perfect experiment, the perfect SOLDIER, though few could have predicted what catastrophic consequences would result.
I promised you at least some happy families, and with these last two I will deliver! Yuffie and her father, Godo, both hold Shinra responsible for the downfall of Wutai. And little wonder; it was Shinra’s SOLDIERs that defeated the Wutai army and reduced the once proud village to near nothing. Godo challenges Yuffie when she returns to Wutai, and after defeating four of his disciples and then Goda himself, he will reward Yuffie with her ultimate limit break and the Leviathan summon material. Not a bad present, I must say.
Choco Bill runs the Chocobo Ranch near Kalm, where he looks after his grandchildren, Choco Billy and Chloe. This family takes care of any and all chocobo related concerns you might have. Their assistance is instrumental in continuing through the marsh which houses the Midgar Zolom. Unless you exploit the save glitch – but that’s another story.
Final Fantasy VIII
The fact that all of the main party – sans Rinoa – were raised in an orphanage is often criticised as weak plot device. However you may feel about this, it does make my job a whole lot easier by limiting the number of parents I have to talk about. To begin with, let’s head to the orphanage itself. Cid and Edea ran the orphanage on the Centra continent. Afterwards, Cid began Balamb Garden, which served as a military academy, primarily for orphans. Edea continued to act as a matron to the young orphans, until she was possessed by Ultimecia.
The orphans of the time went their separate ways before later reuniting throughout the course of the game. Quistis was adopted, but there was an issue and it “didn’t work out”, resulting in her attending Balamb Garden. Irvine, too, was adopted, and eventually ended up at Galbadia Garden. Zell’s adoption went a little more smoothly. He joins the Dincht family in Balamb, and begins to idolise his adopted grandfather, who was a soldier during the Sorceress’s War, prompting him to join Balamb Garden. His mother, known as Ma Dincht, is very supportive of her son. Zell’s father’s whereabouts are unknown, though he refers to his “parents” (plural) when the party visits Trabia Garden.
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As for Squall, his parents are Raine and Laguna. Raine and Laguna are also the adopted parents of Ellone, who later falls under Edea’s care at the orphanage. Raine passes away while Laguna is off trying to rescue Ellone from Esthar, and so Squall is sent to the orphanage. Squall only has fairly brief interactions with his father, who, in the present day, is the leader of Esthar after toppling Adel. Guess that explains a lot of Squall’s emotional stunting.
Rinoa’s parents are Fury, better known as General Caraway, and Julia, better known as the-really-attractive-pianist-slash-singer-that-Laguna-had-a-crush-on. Julia dies shortly after giving birth to Rinoa, and Fury’s heavy involvement in the military didn’t make him much of a father. You can tell from her anti-Galbadian and Pro-Timber-Independence group, the Forest Owls, that Rinoa really, really doesn’t like her father all that much. It’s also strange to think that, had things gone a little bit differently, Squall and Rinoa could have had the same mother! Or, you know, one or both of them could not exist. Wow, this is getting more weird than the R=U theory.
Fortunately there are a number of NPC parents still kicking around the world of Final Fantasy VIII. Beginning in Balamb, we had Mother of Big Bad Rascal. She struggles to keep a handle on her son, who idolises Zell. He can help the party escape Balamb while under Galbadian occupation and takes good care of the Hotel Owner’s daughter, proving that, although disobedient, Big Bad Rascal was raised well. I’m sure the Hotel Owner and Hotel Owner’s wife are far more protective of their daughter after the stressful occupation.
In Dollet, the old painter cares for his grandson. What is remarkable about this old man though is that he is actually the father of the Queen of Cards. He plays a vital role in the Card Queen quest, as he is the one who designs the new cards after you lose certain cards to the Queen. He often scolds his grandson for painting a bone onto his landscape paintings, but the bones are actually clues to find hidden treasure. It’s easy to tell from the fact that the Queen of Cards is rarely home in Dollet that she doesn’t take being a mother too seriously.
There are a few other parents in Timber, who have very minor roles. There is the large family in the small single roomed house where you can drink some Owl’s Tear which will restore you to full strength, and the hotel receptionist who thanks you for rescuing her daughter off the train tracks. It seems that being the parent of a party member doesn’t bode well for you. You can end up dead, evil or at the very least thrust into perilous situations, which is rarely fun. Much safer to teach your kids how to be NPCs, I would say.
Final Fantasy IX
You might have noticed the sections growing in length as we move forward through the Final Fantasy series. That can be attributed to a number of things, including bigger worlds, a greater cast of characters and an increased level of character development. What this means, apart from creating a more believable world, is that there are a lot more characters for me to talk about. Let’s delve into the Final Fantasy game which many called a tribute to the old school Final Fantasy.
Do you remember the first set of parents, the King and Queen of Cornelia? Do you remember how distraught Queen Jane was that her daughter had been kidnapped? Queen Brahne, adopted mother of Princess Garnet is not like that. Brahne is a maniac, and throws every force at her disposal after the party when they kidnap the princess. After a while it becomes apparent that Brahne isn’t trying to save Garnet, but recover her for some other nefarious purpose (mainly extracting Eidolons from her through a very creepy dance). Brahne is killed by Kuja when he can no longer use her.
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As for Garnet’s biological mother, she’s seen during the opening scene and not really heard of much more after that. We do learn she died trying to escape Madain Sari with Garnet, and that her name was Jane – oh, isn’t that interesting? As an aside, Garnet was adopted by Brahne and her husband to replace the daughter they originally lost, who looked uncannily similar to Garnet. Now, as you might imagine, Garnet is not actually her real name. Would you care to guess what it is? It’s Sarah, just like the princess from the original Final Fantasy. The plot thickens already!
A special mention to Doctor Tot, who no doubt helped raise Garnet while serving as her tutor. It’s important to recognise those who play a part in a kid’s upbringing, especially when they do a wonderful job like Tot.
Kuja could be considered to be a parent in a sense, being responsible for creating the black mages, who develop very human lines of thought. He doesn’t do a very good job at raising them though, using them as a disposable army and workforce more than anything. Vivi, a defective black mage, is raised by Quan, a Qu. Despite the fact that Quan was raising Vivi so he could eat him, Quan taught Vivi everything he knew about the world. I guess wanting to eat someone doesn’t necessarily make you bad at parenting.
As for the black mages themselves, they do in fact raise a chocobo named Bobby Corwen. They are Black Mage No. 33 and Black Mage No. 111 and, upon hatching the egg with Bobby Corwen inside, experience overwhelming joy and cry tears of happiness. Not bad for constructs that were supposed to be bred for war, right?
Our lead character, Zidane, is a Genome created by Garland. Another familiar name! Garland created the Genomes to serve as vessels for the souls of Terrans, whose world was dying. Kuja, Zidane and Mikoto were all given souls of their own to act as angels of death for Garland, but none of them went according to plan. Zidane was also taken care of by Baku, leader of Tantalus, which is a band of thieves. Baku acts as a father figure for most of the members, though he played a particularly important part in shaping Zidane. Despite a rough exterior, Baku is a pretty warm hearted guy, always looking out for his misfit “kids”.
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In Alexandria there is an inn run by a family of hippopotamuses. Hippaul’s Father is not very good at managing the inn, with Zidane noticing that Hippaul himself does a better job. As for Hippaul’s mother… she bribes Vivi to race her son to help him become less lazy and less fat. Her motives cannot be faulted, but I worry about her methodology.
Quale is Quina’s “master”, and plays a fatherly/motherly role. It’s kind of confusing when the nature of Qu’s is not actually explained. In any case, Quale challenges Quina to embark on a quest to grow his/her culinary skills, and will reward the player with prizes for frogs caught in Qu’s Marshes around the world. Quale is also a former student of Quan, Vivi’s grandfather. Quina and Vivi also get married in Conde Petie – small world, huh?
I’ll depart from the major parents to look at some of the minor ones briefly. In Alexandria there is the grandmother who works tirelessly to make Ilia a dress (which is ruined when Alexandria is attacked). In nearby Dali, we have Slai’s Father. Slai’s “name” is actually Dutiful Daughter Slai, who works tirelessly in the pub. I guess there aren’t child labour laws in Final Fantasy IX then.
In addition, we have Walter in Conde Petie who just wants his son William to find a wife. Any old one would do, it seems. In Cleyra we meet the King of Burmecia, who happens to be Puck’s father. Puck helped Vivi out in the beginning of the game, and then abandons him to the Alexandrian guards. We also meet Burmecian Soldier Dan in Cleyra, where he is killed trying to defend his family against the Alexandrian onslaught. On a lighter note, we have Kal and Wei, two Burmecians who manage to flee to Lindblum where they have about a dozen kids. That would certainly be a handful.
Lastly, we have the moogles of Madain Sari. After the Invincible wipes out nearly all of the village, Eiko and her grandfather are all that are left alive. When he, too, passes on, Eiko is left to fend for herself – except for the moogles who come to her rescue. In particular, Mog, who is Eiko’s Eidolon guardian and protects Eiko. After the game, Eiko is adopted by Cid and his wife Hilda, giving the young lady a real family at last. Not that there’s anything wrong with being raised by moogles!
That wraps up the Final Fantasy IX section – I think. The game is notorious for naming nearly every character, regardless of importance, and so there may be a few I missed. Do let me know if you find any, but for now, it’s onwards to the next one!
Before we get there, how about another rest break? No? We've hit the PS2 generation, and the PS3 generation (and 360 too I suppose) will follow shortly afterwards. Home stretch now folks, let's do it, ya?
Final Fantasy X
With Final Fantasy X we take our first steps out of the PSX generation that brought with it so many new fans to the series. Stepping into a game whose central themes involve heavy amounts of death, it is no surprise that there are quite a few parentless people throughout the world. Let’s take a look at who has survived Sin’s wrath long enough to have children and keep ‘em, shall we?
It seems fitting to begin with the game’s protagonist. We learn that Tidus’s mother dies of heartbreak after her husband, Jecht, goes out to train one day and never comes home. A body was never found, but Jecht was presumed dead. Once Tidus arrives in Spira, he learns the truth about his father; he, like Tidus, was transported to Spira. Even later, we learn that Jecht is Sin. Sorry Tidus but you’re dad’s even more of a jerk in this form.
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Yuna’s mother is an unnamed Al Bhed woman who dies at sea when Sin attacks her ship. Her father, Lord Braska, was the previous High Summoner who “successfully defeated” Sin. By that, he really just destroyed Sin by sacrificing Jecht and himself, buying Spira a few years of peace and tranquillity before the process would all need to be repeated. Despite the pessimistic outlook I have, Braska’s achievements catapulted him into an esteemed position and his memory was a source of strength for many, including Yuna.
Her lack of parents put Yuna in the care of Kimahri from a young age. Though he, too, was not much older than a child in the eyes of the Ronso, Kimahri becomes Yuna’s first true “Guardian”, before her pilgrimage even begins.
Seymour, who serves as a primary antagonist, has his own troubles with parents. His mother sacrifices herself well before the course of the game, becoming the aeon Anima to protect her son. If Anima’s appearance was anything to go by, she led a pretty terrible life. Seymour’s father, Jyscal, was a Guado, making Seymour a half-breed which was a cause of much torment and bullying and no doubt caused his warped view on reality. Seymour murders Jyscal because he can, basically, and then took the open position as Maester for himself. Don’t let anything stand in the way of success, I guess.
The last parent on our list is Cid, who has been a fatherly figure of some sort in almost every game in the series. Final Fantasy X is no different, with Cid being the father of both Rikku and Brother, and uncle to Yuna. Cid’s skills as a father are questionable, and he shows far more concern for Yuna’s safety than that of his own children. His airship, the Fahrenheit, is essential to late game progress, acting as quick travel and a means to combat Sin.
While that exhausts our supply of parents, I do want to give an honourable mention to Wakka and Lulu who become parents in the course of Final Fantasy X-2. While you might like to pretend the game never existed, it doesn’t detract from the fact that Wakka and Lulu made the ultimate pilgrimage – becoming a parent. Doesn’t it just make you all warm and fuzzy inside?
Final Fantasy XII
We skip Final Fantasy XI at this point, being a game so large that I don’t think I could ever properly document the parents contained therein. Onwards we go then to Final Fantasy XII, our second PS2 instalment. In a grand departure from that of Final Fantasy IX, Final Fantasy XII chooses not to name every character, meaning that the relationships between characters are difficult to establish at best. The NPC is much less popular here, though there are still a few parents to be found.
Cid returns once more as Cidolfus, and is the first Cid to ever be a main antagonist. The other exceptional thing about this Cid is that he fathered one of the coolest and most awesome characters (in my humble educated opinion) to ever grace a Final Fantasy game – Balthier. This Cid, like most others, is very mechanically savvy, and works for the Archadian Empire as a top scientist creating all sorts of magicite based items.
Old Dalan is a wise old fellow who lives in Rabanastre’s Lowtown. He plays an important role early on in the game, guiding Vaan to infiltrate the Royal Palace of Rabanastre for some nice looting action. He plays a (grand-) fatherly figure to the orphans in Rabanastre, though even Old Dalan cannot keep them out of trouble.
Raminas is the king of Dalmasca, until Archadia invades. They force the king to sign a treaty, which is more along the lines of a full surrender, and then kill him, framing Basch in the process. Raminas is Ashe’s father, which places her as heir to the throne of Dalmasca after his death. Apart from marrying Ashe off to Prince Rasler, we don’t see him do too much. Despite this, he’s beloved by his people, which made the Archadian occupiers less than welcome.
On the other side of the war is Gramis, Emperor of Archadia and father of both Vayne and Larsa. Gramis is murdered, with one of the Senators blamed, though this was just another plot masterminded by Vayne, making him the third character to commit patricide in a Final Fantasy game. Gramis was, at the very least, a good father to Larsa and putting faith in his ability to lead Archadia along the right path.
Lastly we have Tchigri’s Father, who owns the boat the party uses to cross the Nebra River. His role is obviously quite minor, but essential for the party’s progression. Tchigri was insistent that they rescue his father when he is stranded on the far shore, so I guess he must be a pretty decent parent.
Final Fantasy XIII
Much like the characters of Final Fantasy XIII do on their quest, I have learned many things and challenged things I thought were true throughout the creation of this article. The most interesting tidbit of information is learning that Final Fantasy XIII has the second lowest cast of characters out of any Final Fantasy game, tying with the second at 20 characters. For those interested, Final Fantasy III has less.
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With so few characters, it is understandable that we have very few parents, and even then there aren’t that many of note. Hope’s parents, Bartholomew and Nora, play very minor roles. Bartholomew is only seen during the seventh chapter, when the party take Hope home to Palumpolum. Bartholomew gives Hope some advice which helps him make the decision to continue travelling with the party.
Nora is killed very early on in the first chapter. She shares her name with Snow’s group, NORA, and her courage is admirable. Her death causes Hope to resent Snow, though they later resolve the issues. Though Nora’s role is minor, it is from her that we find a resonating quote – “Mom’s are tough”. It doesn’t just apply to mothers though; being a parent is not an easy job, particularly in the worlds of Final Fantasy. It takes a tough person to put up with a kid at the best of times. I would know, my parents tell me that all the time!
Our last parent is one that had to go through a whole lot to look after his son. Sazh journeyed with the party to try and protect Cocoon, and his son Dajh. Dajh was a l’Cie with an unknown focus, which meant he was doomed to become a Cie’th. This would be hard enough to deal with, but then Sazh had to watch as Dajh turned to crystal. Despite being deeply shaken, Sazh continues to aid the party and helps save Cocoon, reviving Dajh and bringing their family back together again. Additionally, Sazh also cares for a chocobo chick, who lives inside his afro. I want to grow an afro just so I can have a frocobo too!
There you have it folks, the parents of Final Fantasy in all their underrated glory. Without parents, there would be no heroes, no villains, and no games for us to enjoy. Without parents, you wouldn’t be around to enjoy Final Fantasy, I wouldn’t be around to write this, and the world would probably be a pretty desolate place. So next time you’re saving the world from an evil empire or a supervillain or an ancient evil spirit or what have you, thank your parents for giving you the chance.
Particularly if they bought you the game.