Cerise Magazine

Many early role playing games tended to ignore women as players, since men were considered the major audience back when the NES and Sega Genesis were first released. There was one game developer and producer, however, who didn’t immediately dismiss the potential female audience who, while they weren’t as prominent, did exist. Square-Enix has been acknowledging and attempting to reach out and include women in gaming since as early as their second Final Fantasy game for the original NES system. While their early female characters may have been a tad stereotypical, flat, and the lone representation of the gender in the games, by the fourth installment Square had realized the potential for the inclusion of engaging female characters.

While it may be difficult to go through the entire history of Final Fantasy games to pick and choose which female characters stand out, there are a few created along the way which have defied convention. In one case it was because the character was a first in the field. In another it may be due to the number of engaging women. Many times it is because a character which could have easily become a stereotype didn’t. It only seems appropriate to call attention to these characters who have stood out through the years, and to the company that took the time to develop them back when female gamers weren’t as vocal or prevalent.

Final Fantasy II: Maria:

Square’s recognition as women as potential players began in 1988 with the character Maria in Final Fantasy II. She was one of the 4 main party members and her reason for being in the group was she was the sister of the missing hero/friend Leon and was recognized by Square as the group‘s mage. She was also the only woman in the party. While FFII wasn’t heavy on the story, the brief information was enough to set her a bit apart from typical women at the time. She wasn’t a girlfriend, she wasn’t in need of rescuing, and she could hold her own in battle. On top of this, she wasn’t a ’set’ mage; the way FFII was set up allowed players to customize the party members they way they liked and saw fit. Though the game didn’t make it to the US until later on other platforms, her creation and position in the game showed Square recognizing the desire for female representation in games.

Final Fantasy IV: Rydia:

Rydia was Square’s first step towards bringing women into RPGs in the US, and was the first step towards non-stereotypical, well developed female characters.

In 1991 Square released its first Final Fantasy with female party members in the US. FFIV, released as FFII on the SNES in the US featured 3 female party members, one of them being the summoner Rydia. She first confronts the party by attacking them in order to avenge her mother, who they unintentionally killed, and she only joins the heroes after they save her life. While she is only a child when the game begins, she is an extremely strong magic user and the only one capable of summoning. As the storyline advances, she disappears from the party for a while, only to return again stronger and more grown up. She ends up being the only human ever accepted by the summon creatures in the game. In addition, she seems to be the only character in the game who shows strong emotion and conviction. Rydia was Square’s first step towards bringing women into RPGs in the US, and was the first step towards non-stereotypical, well developed female characters.

Final Fantasy VI: Terra Branford, Celes Chere, Relm Arrowny, and Daryl:

It was in 1994 with Final Fantasy VI, known as FFIII in the states, for the SNES that Square really started going above and beyond to reach and include the female audience. FFVI featured a number of strong, independent women in different roles both in the main party and as support in the story. In addition each woman had an extremely well developed personality and background story in order to make her more realistic. The main party featured Terra the magitech warrior, Celes the general, and Relm the painter. Two of the three, Terra and Celes, could be groomed to be the strongest characters in the party. In addition, the game revolved around their storylines - the World of Balance centered around Terra and the World of Ruin centered around Celes. The supporting female characters received star treatment as well. Daryl, despite only being shown once in the game, is given a personality and story which makes her stand out as much as any of the main characters. Her mysterious disappearance has even prompted discussion among fan communities as to if the option character Gogo could be Daryl in disguise.

Final Fantasy VIII: Selphie Tilmit:

Final Fantasy VIII, released in 1999 for the Playstation and in 2000 for the PC also featured a number of female characters who defied typical women‘s roles in videogames. One especially notable character who is often ignored or forgotten was Selphie. Selphie, at first glance, appears to be a stereotypical girl - the happy, perky girl who is overly energetic and a general annoyance to the party and player. But, closer inspection reveals something more: while Selphie is a very optimistic and energetic individual, she isn’t overly so and isn‘t always so. She is also an incredibly capable character in the game. She is the first true party member to join. In the storyline she also is very capable, she is able to organize massive festivals on her own as well has have the abilities to join the elite military force SEED. Later in the game, she even becomes the main character for a bit as she is chosen to head an important mission to infiltrate an enemy base. On top of all this, she has incredibly useful abilities and is a helpful addition to any party formed by the player.

Final Fantasy X and X-2: Yuna:

Arguably the most popular and most recognized Final Fantasy heroine made her first appearance in 2001 in Final Fantasy X for the Playstation 2. While the player may have controlled the character Tidus for the game, the main character and central focus was undoubtedly the young summoner Yuna, making her pilgrimage to make pacts with summon creatures so she could attempt to confront Sin, just as her father did before her. The story begins with her as a somewhat shy, sheltered girl, and as it progresses, she grows into a mature, responsible and more open adult. Her story then continued on in 2003 in Final Fantasy X-2, also for the PS2, following a Yuna who was now living her life for herself and searching for treasure and the man she loved. This marked the first case where a true sequel to a Final Fantasy game was made, and allowed for the continuation and further development of a female character and her story across two games.

Final Fantasy XII: Ashe B’nargin Dalmasca:

With the character Ashe, Square-Enix found a way to reinvent and take a closer inspection of the princess-turned-rebel character, and in doing so produced a provocative new story.

The most recent entry in the series, and last on the PS2, came in 2006 with Final Fantasy XII. The most ambitious of the recent entries in the series also featured some new takes on what were once stereotypical characters, in particular Princess Ashe. Ashe was the princess of a fallen monarchy who was working with a resistance group to expel the foreign government in what seems like an average storyline. However Ashe was also a young widow who had recently lost her husband, and as she progresses through the story she doesn’t find a new love or the opportunity to save the world, she just continued to try and find a way to restore her country while debating the moral issues of using the power she comes across to do so. With the character Ashe, Square-Enix found a way to reinvent and take a closer inspection of the princess-turned-rebel character, and in doing so produced a provocative new story.

In closing, the Final Fantasy series has delivered over the years many exemplary role models for female players. Rather than taking the easy way out by including female characters which do little to challenge the status quo, Square-Enix has gone above and beyond to try and branch out. They have offered characters with engaging abilities, roles, personalities, and back stories in order to make female characters equal to men in as many aspects as possible. Their success has no doubt made a difference in the lives of many women gamers.

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Final Fantasy: Following the Stories of Strong Women Since 1988

June 2007 Issue

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