Final Fantasy XII allusions

The following is a list of allusions to previous installments in the series present in Final Fantasy XII, other games by Square Enix as well as mythology, popular culture and the number 12, among others.

Final Fantasy series

 * The nethicite in Final Fantasy XII alludes to the crystals, a recurring motif in the Final Fantasy series where crystals are the embodiment of divine and magical power. In Final Fantasy XII Archadia, an enemy Empire, steals pieces of deifacted nethicite from the kingdoms of the world to gain power. The same story arc has been used in the series numerous times.
 * The Occuria branding a person of their choosing as the Dynast King by giving them the power to wield nethicite to complete a task laid out by them alludes to the concept of the Warriors of Light where the warriors chosen to wield the power of the crystals set out to save the world. This is subverted in Final Fantasy XII with Ashe ultimately rejecting the role as the Occuria's "pawn".

Final Fantasy

 * The Esper Chaos is based on the final boss of the original Final Fantasy, Chaos.
 * Chaos's deathblow, Tornado, refers to the world of the original Final Fantasy. Amid his attack Chaos summons a squared glyph where the four corners hold colored squares. Each corner represents a location where one of the Four Fiends is located, with Chaos in the middle, much like the aerial view of the world at the Flying Fortress.
 * The Resistance flagship, the Garland, takes its name from the antagonist of the original Final Fantasy.
 * The Mark Marilith refers to the Fiend of Fire.
 * The Masamune weapon has a 40% combo rate, identical to the critical rate of the weapon in the original Final Fantasy. This is significant because the Final Fantasy weapon only has this critical rate due to the critical hit bug, which appears to have been deliberately preserved in all later Final Fantasy remakes. By assigning this stat to the Final Fantasy XII weapon, the "bug" is perpetuated further.

Final Fantasy II

 * The Pit Fiend bestiary log states that "A myth counts this being as one of the warriors set to defend the Jade Passage to the Devil's Palace". The Jade Passage is the only way into Pandaemonium, Palace of Hell, and the Pit Fiend is an enemy that can be found inside in Final Fantasy II.
 * The Esper Mateus and its backstory is based on Emperor Mateus of Palamecia.
 * The gun called the Altair shares its name with the location from Final Fantasy II.
 * Pandaemonium is the name of a carrier ship in Final Fantasy XII, a reference to the final dungeon of the same name in Final Fantasy II.

Final Fantasy III

 * Famfrit's title, The Darkening Cloud, refers to the final boss of Final Fantasy III, the Cloud of Darkness.
 * The second page for the bestiary entry of the enemy Wild Onion is a message from an Onion Knight named "Nakhiro". In addition, the Onion Queen's second bestiary page elaborates on the Final Fantasy lore and the meaning of the onion within the series. Onion Knights first appeared in Final Fantasy III.

Final Fantasy IV

 * In Rabanastre, just outside Migelo's Sundries, a bangaa talks of his seeq friend counting things (originally cobblestones). At one point he says: "My friend says that o'er 430 revelers came through the Southern Plaza during the big fete! But even if you count the bards... 'Course, he could be countin' the spoony bards, too. That would be another matter altogether." This refers to the "You Spoony Bard!" quote by Tellah the Sage in Final Fantasy IV.
 * The Esper Zeromus is based on the final boss of Final Fantasy IV, Zeromus.
 * The Babil enemy refers to the Giant of Babil. Its bestiary description reads "When they descend to the earth from their home in the heavens, they strike swiftly, and with malice apparent"; the Giant of Babil in Final Fantasy IV is a powerful weapon used for destruction.
 * The second page of the Aeronite bestiary entry refers to the Red Wings, the airship fleet in Final Fantasy IV.
 * The mark hunt White Mousse originates from an enemy in Final Fantasy IV.

Final Fantasy V

 * Balthier's real name is "Ffamran mied Bunansa", his middle name "mied" in Japanese version is, the same name as Mid Previa, the engineer and grandson of Cid Previa in Final Fantasy V.
 * The airship Remora is named after the Final Fantasy V Remora summon. A boss called the Air Cutter Remora also appears at the beginning of the game.
 * The elite mark Gilgamesh and his partner Enkidu first appeared in Final Fantasy V. He brandishes replicated weapons similar to those used by the protagonists of five other Square Enix games. During the battle, the iconic theme "Clash on the Big Bridge" plays.
 * The two copies of the Tournesol, the game's second strongest greatsword, are actually Gilgamesh's versions of Excalibur and Excalipoor. They almost look the same as the Tournesol, but feature a sun (Excalibur) and a moon (Excalipoor) on the hilt. This refers to the Excalibur and Excalipoor in Final Fantasy V, the game where Gilgamesh first appeared, although the more detailed appearance of the weapons with the sun and the moon on the hilts could only be seen in artwork shown in strategy guides.
 * The Esper Exodus is based on Exdeath, the main antagonist of Final Fantasy V.
 * Clio, head of Clio's Technicks in Bhujerba, is likely named after Mr. Clio from the Merged World in Final Fantasy V.
 * The Resistance airships Galuf-Val and Xezat Surgate refer to Galuf and Xezat, two of the Warriors of Dawn from Final Fantasy V. They also refer to their respective kingdoms, Bal and Surgate.
 * The airship Atomos is based on the the boss Atomos, which became a summoned monster in later games. There is also a mark that shares the same name.
 * The monster Archaeoaevis is most likely a reference to the Ronka Ruins boss Archeoaevis.
 * The Twintania enemy refers to the boss of the same name in Final Fantasy V.
 * The superboss Omega Mark XII is based on the superboss Omega.
 * The superboss Yiazmat's description may be a reference to the lord dragon Shinryu: both are feared even by the gods who created them. Omega and Shinryu often appear as superbosses in the same game, a tradition started in Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy VI

 * Orthros and Deathgaze are based on Ultros, a recurring boss, and Deathgaze, an optional boss found on the skies of the World of Ruin. In Final Fantasy XII, Deathgaze is fought on a ferry airship.
 * Orthros also appears as an airship in Final Fantasy XII.
 * Orthros only appears when a party of women are assembled to fight him; a nod to how Ultros prefers to ogle women while hating "muscleheaded" men.
 * Rasler Heios Nabradia may have been named after Prince Ralse, a character from The opera "Maria and Draco" of Final Fantasy VI who was the prince of the eastern lands. Similarly, Nabradia is in eastern Ivalice.
 * The flagship Alexander is based on the summon Alexander, which originates from Final Fantasy VI.
 * Earth Tyrant's bestiary entry mentions him as a member of "Eight legendary Wyrms of great Power", referring to the Earth Dragon from Final Fantasy VI, a member of the eight legendary dragons that had the appearance of a T-Rex.
 * The enemy Dullahan and the boss Daedalus, both of the Headless genus, may refer to the boss Dullahan and the enemy Daedalus, as both share the same sprite, albeit with a palette swap for Daedalus.

Final Fantasy VII

 * The second-to-last obtainable rank in Clan Centurio, "Knight of the Round", may be a reference to the ultimate Summon Materia of Final Fantasy VII, Knights of the Round.
 * Gilgamesh carries a knock-off of Cloud's Buster Sword.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * The enemy, Elvoret, is based on the Elvoret boss fought in Final Fantasy VIII.
 * The Buer enemy refers to the Buel enemy that originally appears in Final Fantasy VIII, first appearing on the Fire Cavern, a habitat coinciding with the one on the bestiary description of this incarnation.
 * The mark Diabolos is based on the Guardian Force Diablos.
 * Gilgamesh carries a knock-off of Squall's Revolver. Instead of the Griever, a winged lion associated with Squall, it has a chocobo on the blade.
 * Gilgamesh acquires Odin's Zantetsuken in Final Fantasy VIII, but the one wielded in Final Fantasy XII is a fake.
 * The Mesmenir refers to the enemy Mesmerize from Final Fantasy VIII.
 * The enemy Focalor shares its Japanese name with the Fastitocalon.
 * The gun, Ras Algethi, resembles Squall's Revolver gunblade.
 * Although unconfirmed, the Esper Shemhazai bears an uncanny resemblance to the main antagonist Ultimecia.
 * Shemhazai's title of "The Whisperer" and how she spread the secrets of destruction to men may reference how Ultimecia enthralled Seifer Almasy into raising Lunatic Pandora.

Final Fantasy IX

 * The Resistance airship Queen Hilda is named after the character from Final Fantasy IX.
 * Gizamaluk is based on the Gizamaluke boss from Final Fantasy IX.
 * The Lindwyrm shares the same etymological origin as Lindblum. The bestiary entry for Lindwyrm says the dragon once destroyed a kingdom, and in the Japanese version the name of the country it is said to have destroyed is the exact name of the dragon: Lindwyrm. In Japanese, the word "Lindwyrm" is virtually identical to "Lindblum".
 * An non-player character in Archades refers to the Tantalus Theater Troupe when talking about the "mummers of Tantalus".
 * Just like Princess Garnet asks the thief Zidane to kidnap her, Princess Ashe asks the sky pirate Balthier to do the same.
 * Gilgamesh carries a knock-off of Zidane's left-hand dagger, Orichalcum.
 * The Leynir shares its Japanese name and origin with the Wyerd from Final Fantasy IX.
 * There exists a Mystic Armor body piece called Maduin Gear, a mintranslation of Madeen's Robes.

Final Fantasy X

 * The airship Valfarre is based on the aeon Valefor.
 * Monsters are often called "fiends."
 * The elite mark Ixion is based on the aeon of the same name.
 * Gilgamesh carries a knock-off of Tidus's Brotherhood.
 * Upon encountering a Behemoth with Wakka in the party, he might exclaim "How many steaks do you think we can get out of these?" In Final Fantasy XII, Behemoths drop Behemoth Steaks.
 * Fran's level 3 Quickening Shatterheart refers to Shiva's Overdrive animation, Diamond Dust.
 * By obtaining all Espers, the player gains the "high summoner" title, referring to a class of summoners from Final Fantasy X, who killed Sin.
 * The second page of the Vampyr bestiary entry mentions a kind of magicite that can store sound and images, much like spheres from Final Fantasy X.

Final Fantasy XI

 * The enemy Mandragora retains its physical appearance to its Final Fantasy XI counterpart.
 * The Lu Shang's Badge loot refers to the Lu Shang fishing rod from Final Fantasy XI.
 * The enemy Lost Soul is based on its Final Fantasy XI counterpart.
 * The concept of party members attracting fiends by having the most Enmity was first introduced in Final Fantasy XI.

Final Fantasy Tactics

 * "Bunansa", the family name of Balthier and Dr. Cid, is the surname of Mustadio and Besrudio Bunansa in Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * The Mark Carrot originates from an errand in Final Fantasy Tactics, called "Call of the Wild", where a pet malboro kept by a countess goes missing. The malboro in the errand is called Carrot.
 * The Espers in Final Fantasy XII appeared as the Lucavi demons in Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * The longer of Gabranth's dual-bladed weapon, the Chaos Blade, originally appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics as a knight sword and the strongest weapon.
 * High Reaver from Final Fantasy XII was named "Apanda Leader" in the Japanese version, a reference to the Apanda in Final Fantasy Tactics (which in turn is retranslated as "Reaver" in Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions).
 * During a cut scene where Larsa has joined the party for passage to Mt Bur-Omisace, he, Vaan and Penelo can be heard conversing on the background "I have a good feeling! This is the way!" alluding to the original English translation for Final Fantasy Tactics where the errands had such stock phrases spoken by the party members.
 * Aquarius Gems are dropped by Construct-type enemies: an allusion to Final Fantasy Tactics where Construct 8 is activated via the Aquarius auracite.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

 * The floor pattern in the Sky Pirate's Den resembles the cover of the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Gran Grimoire.

Allusions to the number twelve
Being the twelfth installment of the main series, Final Fantasy XII makes some references to the number itself. Although many of these are not necessarily deliberate allusions to the number 12 (whether they are or not is speculative), they are nonetheless present.


 * There are twelve licenses for Light and Mystic Armor sets.
 * After accessing all the Gambit slots on the License Board, party members will have twelve Gambits available for customization.
 * After the death of Lord Gramis, Vayne is twelfth Emperor of Archadian Empire.
 * There are twelve new weapons in International version, whose names' last letter composes the words "FINAL FANTASY".
 * There are twelve races presented in Ivalice.
 * The Cartographers' Guild has moogles in twelve different locations.
 * The Archadian Imperial Fleets contains at least twelve fleets.
 * Old Dalan has twelve different pieces of advice for Vaan, depending on player's story progress.
 * The first narration by Halim Ondore IV is chapter twelve of his accord.
 * The Great Crystal holds the superboss Omega Mark XII.
 * As well as sharing its name with the location in Final Fantasy II, the gun called the Altair also shares its name with the twelfth-brightest star in the sky.
 * Normal attacks have a chance of performing hit combos; the highest combo possible is twelve hits.
 * Each Swiftness augment will reduce action time by 12%.
 * The theme of the twelve zodiacs is in the game in the form the Espers, loot and the job system in the International version. This originates from Final Fantasy Tactics, but befits Final Fantasy XII with there being 12 zodiac signs.

Vagrant Story

 * The enemies Dheed, Vagrant Soul, Leamonde Entite, Luxollid, and Diakon Entite are references to Vagrant Story.
 * There is an item called "Snowfly". Snowflies were beings spotted in Vagrant Story.
 * Feywood is possibly an allusion to a location in Vagrant Story, Snowfly Forest, a similarly foggy forest where travelers tend to get lost forever. Both forests lead to an ancient city.
 * One of the possible clan ranks is Riskbreaker. Riskbreaker was Ashley Riot's rank in Vagrant Story.
 * The Light of Kiltia refers to the Temple of Kiltia from Vagrant Story.
 * A Naturalist named Merlose is mentioned in Final Fantasy XII in the Clan Primer. Callo Merlose is a character in Vagrant Story.
 * The character Fermon in Old Archades tells the player "to have a little more respect for fairy tales", a line Sydney spoke in Vagrant Story.


 * The Wyrmhero Blade is Erdrick's (aka Loto) sword from Dragon Quest III.


 * Raithwall's back story is similar to that of Dorgalua Oberyth from Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, which was also directed by Yasumi Matsuno and shares other similarities with the Ivalice Alliance. Like Raithwall, Dorgalua Oberyth unified the war-torn Valerian Isles under his rule, and would later be crowned the "Dynast King".

Rad Racer

 * Gabranth's shorter sword, the Highway Star, is likely named for the Hironobu Sakaguchi-designed racing game, Highway Star, also known as Rad Racer outside of Japan. It also shares a name with Deep Purple's 1972 hit, "Highway Star."

Dungeons & Dragons

 * The name of he enemy Urstix is a portmanteau of ursus (Latin for "bear") and strix (Latin for "owl"). Its Japanese name is "Owlbear," referring to the creature originally created by Gary Gygax for Dungeons & Dragons.

Literature

 * There is a man in the bar in Balfonheim who speaks of a man on the Cerobi Steppe who defeated a wyrm and states "But I heard all he does is yell at windmills. Pity the man that rides with him." This refers to the title character of Don Quixote who was known to shout at windmills, believing them to be giants.
 * Although mainly alluding to the infamous Lu Shang fishing rod from Final Fantasy XI, the Lu Shang's Badge also alludes to Lu Shang, an ancient Chinese military strategist who helped King Wen and King Wu of Zhou overthrow the Shang dynasty. He is a prominent character in the Chinese epic fantasy novel Fengshen Yanyi (封神演義), sometimes translated as Creation of the Gods, written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

Movies

 * The Fury may be a reference to the Rabbit of Caerbannog in the film . Both are mistaken as harmless due to their cute appearances, but are bloodthirsty killers.

Mythology and culture

 * The boss monsters Slyt, Phoenix, Fenrir, and Pandaemonium are each referred to the Sì Xiàng in their bestiary entries. They are found at the Pharos both as bosses and a Mark hunted within the Subterra. The Four Symbols is a recurring theme in the Final Fantasy series that refers to the four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellation.
 * Though Slyt is a fish, its bestiary entry mentions that the people of the east call it the Blue Wyrm. This refers to a Chinese legend that carp capable of leaping over a great waterfall known as the Dragon's Gate will be granted the right to become dragons.
 * The zodiac equipment's original names are 最強の矛, "Strongest Spear", for Zodiac Spear and 最強の盾, "Strongest Shield", for Zodiac Escutcheon, referring to the Chinese idiom 自相矛盾 and the story behind it from the philosopher Han Feizi in his eponymous book of a man selling weapons. To convince people to buy his shield and spear he claimed them to be the sturdiest shield nothing could pierce and the sharpest spear able to pierce through everything. Someone asked what would happen if they tried to pierce the seller's shield with the seller's spear and the man couldn't answer, picked up his wares and left.