Jul 31st 1-2-3: Looking Back To Go Forward - Final Fantasy 9
What a wonderful week it has been reminiscing and reflecting on my favorite pieces of art along with my children.
Amongst those that we talked about was my favorite JRPG of all time, Final Fantasy IX.
It has always been one of those pieces of art that I love to be back in. The world, emotion, characters and story are still relevant and impactful.
So what is the story behind Final Fantasy IX?
1: Looking Back To Go Forward ( 4 minute read )
Sometimes, the best way to go forward, is to go back to the beginning.
Final Fantasy, a Japanese Role Playing Video Game Series, had recently resonated heavily with audiences around the world with it’s latest release, Final Fantasy 7.
This entry had been a further departure for the series, setting its narrative in a Sci Fi world that was gritty, mature, and more realistic that ever.
While development was in its final stages for Final Fantasy 8 in July of 1998, development for Final Fantasy 9 began.
This project was unique for being overseen by Hironobu Sakaguchi and his Hawaii-based team.
The goal? Create a reflection on the legacy of the series.
This was a deliberate return to form. A loving tribute targeting nostalgia for their audiences.
Legacy as an inspiration, a powerful source.
“Final Fantasy IX is a return to the roots … blending successful elements of the past with newer ideas.” - Kazuhiko Aoki, Event Designer
With the “return to form” theme in place, the design decisions became clear.
First up was the setting.
Instead of continuing in the Sci Fi settings that Final Fantasy 6, 7, and 8 had been in, 9 would return to a medieval fantasy.
This meant that silliness had its place along with fun.
The whimsical along with the serious.
In order to further push this contrast with the more recent entries, the team decided it would be interesting to intentionally evoke puppet-like character designs.
The team was inspired by the Jim Henson and Frank Oz film, The Dark Crystal and its aesthetic. This shows clearly in designs of all of the characters, the creatures, and the world itself. I never had a shortage of memorable moments, with my favorites being with Vivi, the black mage.
For the score, Nobuo Uematsu was back up to bat, and for Final Fantasy 9 he created some of his most identifiable work.
He composed a staggering 160 pieces over a single year, of which 140 songs were used.
Since 9 was more fantasy than Sci Fi, he was able to create some serious and playful tracks using instruments like a dulcimer and even a kazoo for tonal variety.
To reinforce the themes of nostalgic return to form, Uematsu incorporated musical callbacks to earlier Final Fantasy themes while remaining fresh in creating this new body of work.
This was my favorite score… a blend of simplicity and emotional depth that captured FFIX’s core. - Nobuo Uematsu, Composer
With a theme, direction, and strong world, all that was left was the narrative.
Sakaguchi took lead on this, and wrote what some have called the finest writing in the genre despite having no prior scenario-writing background.
Since the vision, world, and design decisions were so strong, the writing was able to shine through.
He took the classic journey for the heroes fight against evil and deepened it, exploring thought provoking themes.
Zidane’s journey is a classic “Who am I?” narrative. However instead of it being one dimensional, it unfolds subtly, with his easygoing persona masking deeper existential roots.
“So what if I’m not real… I’m not like you. I mean, I was just… built to die.” - Zidane
Inheritance, agency, and transformation were tackled through the passive princess, Garnet.
She goes from being who she was raised to be, to confliction with her loyalty to her crazed mother, to her shedding of past dependency, to maturing and serving others rather than being served.
“I don’t want to be protected anymore. I want to fight alongside everyone else.” - Garnet
Even the villain, Kuja, poses a strong question: What do we do with the time we’re given?
A narcissist obsessed with beauty and control, Kuja realizes his own mortality and then all his ideas and beliefs unravel. What is free will vs predestination? What do you do when faced with deciding between redemption and destruction?
“Why should the world exist without me? That wouldn’t be fair.” - Kuja
These arcs explore what it means to live in truth, humility, and with purpose, even in the face of total destruction. To rise in courage when in fear, and to face all and recover.
This is not to mention the other topics that are covered such as eugenics, genocide, and totalitarianism. Timeless questions beneath IX’s whimsical art direction and classic medieval castles.
And this is just the word I would use to describe the whole of Final Fantasy 9, timeless.
Returning to form is a powerful creative device.
While sales for Final Fantasy 9 initially weren’t as strong as 7 and 8, over time it has gone on to gain the audience and fanbase it deserves, selling over 8.9 million units as of March 2025 across multiple platforms.
So next time you are looking forward to create something new, think about looking back.
Sometimes looking back, is just what you need in order to create something that will resonate forward across the ages.
2: Creative Prompts From Us (ex. Write a short story, a poem, a song, or draw a quick illustration of these! Let your imagination run free.)
I. What bodies of work have you created in the past that can inform something new?
II. What lessons did you learn and themes do you find when examining your past work that can inform your future creations?
3: Inspirational Quotes From Hironobu Sakaguchi
I. “I really think … story and world … are a must for any Final Fantasy … world setting … needs thematic backbone … thought-provoking prompt for players.”
II.“The coming installment is my "favorite," it's closest to my ideal view of what Final Fantasy should be. But, I've set my standards too high, so I think there's room for more Final Fantasy titles to come.” (When talking about the upcoming 9)
III. “To tell you the truth, we wanted to give the ‘FF’ series a little more freedom. With ‘VII’ and ‘VIII,’ the two games had a bit of a cyber worldview… We thought that if we did that, we’d probably get bogged down in ‘X’ and ‘XI’ and not be able to make anything.”
Thank you so much for reading!