That all the games are called FINAL Fantasy, and yet none of them are the final one?
Oh, the irony!
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That all the games are called FINAL Fantasy, and yet none of them are the final one?
Oh, the irony!
That's because the first final fantasy was supposed to be the ONLY final fantasy. I don't think they expected it to be as popular as it is now.
As I remember it, the company was verging on bankruptcy. The 'fantasy' was over (the fantasy of creating video games and all that), and this game would be their 'final' fantasy. Hence the name. But the game took off, saved the company, and became a series. Huzzah.
"Fantasy" came from the fact that it was a fantasy setting. Castles and dragons and such.
You can also read deeper into it if you want. I doubt any of this is really intentional, but it's interesting to think about.
The word "final" (and various synonyms thereof) can also be used to mean "ultimate" in Japan. In fact, one of the definitions of the word "ultimate" actually IS final. Extending the metaphor further, there is an overused phrase that goes "I am the alpha AND the omega". Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet respectively. Omega in this sense means last, but it also sort of means "biggest".
In every game, something happens that threatens to bring about the end of the world. that definitely carries a sense of finality. It's almost implied that the title refers to the events of the game. As in, "these events would be the final fantasy that this world will have". I know it's kind of reaching but that's how I think about it.