Moogle (race)


 * For the recurring summon, see Moogle (Summon).

Moogles (モーグリ, Mōguri) are a recurring race in the Final Fantasy series. The name Moogle (or Moguri in Japanese, Spanish and Italian) is a portmanteau of the Japanese words for mole (mogura) and bat (komori). They first appeared in Final Fantasy III, and have appeared in some capacity in every main series game since, with the exception of Final Fantasy IV. The importance of Moogles to the plot varies from game to game, ranging from playable characters to simple cameos. Several such as Mog, Stiltzkin, Artemicion and Montblanc, have made repeated appearances.

Characteristics
Moogles are small creatures, generally only a few feet tall with white fur, purple/red/pink wings, and a red "pom pom" - a red ball of fur on a wire - emerging from their heads, which they are very sensitive about being touched. Moogles generally resemble small mammals, but sometimes are simply balls of fluff with a pompom and little wings. Many games have included color variations for their fur and pom-pom as well. In early games, Moogles didn't wear any form of clothing, but in games set in Ivalice they do, possibly to better fit in with humans. The favorite food of Moogles is the Kupo Nut.

Moogles are very intelligent and industrious, though in some games they are wary of human contact. Even in games where Moogles do not mind humans, they are known to maintain their own separate societies. Moogles are capable of communicating across long distances, a feat often attributed to the Moogle mail service, Mognet. In earlier games Moogles spoke only with their trademark cry "kupo", and variations of such. In later games Moogles have been able to speak English normally, but often punctuate their sentences with "kupo", as a sort of verbal tic. In some Japanese version games, they use the word "mogu" in place of the word "I", such as if a young girl would use "atashi" and a young boy with "boku".

Final Fantasy III
Moogles make their debut in this game as bodyguards for the sage Doga, as a highly intelligent race wielding great powers of magic. A notable Moogle was named Mog. In the DS remake of the game, talking to Moogles can initiate Mognet, where players can transfer letters to friends with Final Fantasy III or send a letter to Final Fantasy III residents.

In this game, Moogles did not say "kupo", but instead said "nya", Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat's meow. In the DS release, this is changed to "kupo".

Final Fantasy V
There was a Moogle Village in the Second World, and Bartz, Lenna, Galuf, and Faris rescue a stray Moogle and follow it there. Krile also owns a Moogle, which is the only one that can speak the common language.

Moogles in this game are able to use telepathy to keep in touch with each other over great distances, and are very wary of humans, forcing the party to wear a Moogle costume to walk among them. This is the first time in the series that characters can dress as Moogles.

Final Fantasy VI
Moogles play a much larger role in this game than previously. Mog appears as the first playable Moogle in the series, and there are ten others who join temporarily. Mog and the Moogles live in the mines in Narshe and help Locke rescue Terra. They are mentioned by NPCs to keep away from humans, but sometimes help miners who get lost in the mountain.

Only Mog is accustomed to being around humans, and through a series of telepathic dreams with Ramuh, learns to speak English. Following the destruction of the world, it appears that all the Moogles except Mog died out, and their cave in Narshe is abandoned. Mog has returned to the cavern where the Moogles lived and dwells there alone when the party finds him.

Strago and Relm can dress up as Moogles in battle by equipping the Moogle Suit.

Final Fantasy VII
Moogles are called "Mogs" in this entry. No live Mogs are featured in the game, but they do appear on various man-made objects such as backgrounds in Gold Saucer. They also appear in the mini-game Mog House. A Mog is also featured in the Choco/Mog summon, riding a Chocobo. "Snow Mogs," Moogle-shaped objects made of snow, block the course on the snowboarding mini-game. Cait Sith is also riding a giant fat toy Mog. Unlike most Moogles in the Compilation, they do not have their signature pom-poms, outside of the Snow Mogs, but retain their wings.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
The Moogle Girl, one of the many children with Geostigma, is always seen carrying a Moogle doll with her, hence her fan-coined name. Interestingly, the Moogle doll in question has its signature pom-pom, unlike the "Mogs" featured in Final Fantasy VII.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-
Unimagined Moogle-Figures exist that can be sold for money and in the first stage, Vincent has to rescue a little girl, that also has a Moogle doll like in Advent Children. A Moogle doll is also seen floating above the collected Mako in Weiss's headquarters, demonstrating that children are indeed also sacrificed by Deepground.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-
A Moogle appears as a summon on the DMW after obtaining the Moogle Amulet. His ability, Moogle Power, casts Regen on Zack for 40 seconds and levels up his Materia the same number of levels as the level of the summon (i.e. a Moogle Power Lv. 2 will raise each of his Materia two levels).

Final Fantasy VIII
As with Final Fantasy VII, in this game Moogles appear to be a work of fiction. The only Moogle in the game is the MiniMog. MiniMog is a "pseudo-Guardian Force", summoned with the command "MiniMog." The MiniMog card is also a Triple Triad card. A special mention on Moogles was given by Selphie, who mentioned that she liked a dish called "Ms. Moogle's cake", which is a cake with "lots and lots of fruit on top, covered with fluffy cream."

Moogles are also mentioned in an alternate answer for the password that Squall is supposed to give to the Forest Owls. The correct password is "but the Owls are still around," but one of the alternate choices is "But the Moogles are still here." Additionally, a basketball fan in Trabia Garden states that he thinks the MogMog Moogle team will make it to the finals and play against the Mach "Chacobos". Another student corrects his pronunciation.

Final Fantasy IX
Moogles again play a major role in this game. They act as Save Points throughout the world, and can be called with a flute to access the Save command on the world map. Each Moogle has a name, and most can speak the common language. Many dwell in human settlements and towns, living in peace and providing their Save services. They communicate to each other through Mognet, and the player can help deliver letters among Moogles as part of a subquest. The player can also collect Kupo Nuts and deliver them to a Moogle in Gizamaluke's Grotto for items.

Moogles also live in the Summoner village of Madain Sari alongside summoner Eiko. Notable Moogles in the game include Stiltzkin, a traveling Moogle who sells merchandise to Zidane; Artemicion, the head of Mognet; and Mog, a female Moogle who hangs out with Eiko. Moogles are also the subject of plays in the theater district of Lindblum namely the Moogle Wannabee 2 play, starring the famous actor Lowell who dons a Moogle suit to escape from his avid fans.

The Moogle that the player calls on the world map named Moguo can be annoyed to say the following if the player keeps calling it and canceling:

"Don't call me if you don't need me, kupo" "You're starting to tick me off, kupo" "I'm sharpening my knife, kupo" "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! KU-PHEH!"

Final Fantasy X
Moogles did not appear in this game as creatures; however, they appeared as dolls which Lulu used as weapons.

Final Fantasy X-2
Yuna was dressed in a Moogle suit in Luca while LeBlanc held her concert. She can be played in Chapter 1. A Moogle also appears in Chapter 5 in Luca that only Yuna can see. It helps her remember the memories of her, Tidus and the others. Yuna's Mascot dressphere appearance is the very same Moogle suit.

Final Fantasy XI
Moogles serve two purposes in Final Fantasy XI. The most useful of these is that each character has a Moogle that sits in his house (a.k.a. Moghouse) and presumably watches over his things while he is out questing on Vana'diel. He takes care of the gardening as well, if the player has started a garden in his house. Secondly, there are many festivals in Final Fantasy XI that roughly correlate with many real or seasonal holidays that exist in reality (i.e. Springfest, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and Valentine's Day). Moogles tend to administrate over these events.

Final Fantasy XII
Moogles are a very common sight in Final Fantasy XII, appearing in every city as background characters. The most notable encounter is with the six Moogle siblings: Montblanc is the head of clan Centurio, Nono serves as Balthier's mechanic, Gurdy runs the Chocobo stables while her twin brother Hurdy, and the two other brothers (Sorbet and Horne) operate a transportation system called "The Moogling" in Rabanastre, that allows the player's characters to teleport to other parts of the city.

In certain regions, Moogles call themselves with the pronoun "mog," but typically they end their sentences with the word "kupo." Their intelligence and lifestyles are similar to Humes, which makes it easy for Moogles to live amongst the Humes. With their dexterous hands, they are knowledgeable in the field of engineering. It is said that Moogles built the first airship, a masterpiece of technological advancement. There are Moogles that are so advanced that they are able to learn the ultimate technology called Etoria. Most Moogles contribute to society with their great engineering capabilities. Not all Moogles become engineers; there are a few who become knights or mages. Throughout history, Moogle technology have been used in wars amongst the Humes, the different races and against monsters.

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Moogles appear in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, although the only one of any importance to the story is Nono. The other appearing Moogles are all enemy Sky Pirates, who take the jobs of Fusilier, Time Mage, and Black Mage.

Fortress
Moogles are or were set to appear in this spinoff installment.

Final Fantasy Agito XIII
A moogle can be seen in concept artwork, although its role is currently unknown.

Final Fantasy Tactics
Moogles exist in Final Fantasy Tactics as one of the Summons available in the game. It provides healing, but not as much as Faerie. It is said that they once existed and lived in the Siedge Weald.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
In Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Moogles are playable characters, most prominently represented in that game by Montblanc with Nono as a NPC. Unlike most previous moogles, they have rabbit shaped ears and wear long-sleeved clothing. These kinds of moogles were first introduced here. Their race's Totema is Famfrit.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift


In Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, the Moogles Hurdy and Montblanc are among the main cast. Moogles are also playable characters and have access to ten jobs, including two new jobs not found in Tactics Advance; Chocobo Knight and Flintlock. Most of the Moogle jobs' artwork were taken from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

While units are now able to perform actions while standing in water, Moogles and Nu Mou are no longer able to enter water unless they have Winged Boots equipped.

The pride Moogles take in their pom-poms is a point of humor throughout the game, including the story mission where the player faces Mooglebanes, enemies purported to eat Moogle pom-poms.

Moogles can be obtained in these locations during Goldsun or Silversun:


 * Bisga Greenlands - Animist, Thief, Black Mage
 * Goug - Moogle Knight, Fusilier, Tinker, Time Mage
 * Neslowe Passage - Chocobo Knight, Juggler, Flintlock

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Moogles live along with other Tribes and in various dungeons, where they will place stamps on a special card that will enable you to play a Mario Kart-esque minigame called Blazing Caravans. They appear armless, puffy, and are usually flying around. If you are playing a single player game, a Moogle named Mog will carry your Crystal Chalice allowing you to move around in the dungeons. The Moogle Paint feature allows players to paint Mog. Moogles also delivers mail to you once you collect a drop of Myrrh. Moogles are not affected by the Miasma which causes the traveling Moogle Stiltzkin to worry that Moogles are just like monsters. Although his journey eventually leads him to Mag Mell where he finds out that Moogles in fact have more connections to the Carbuncles than monsters. The Moogles Stiltzkin and Artemicion also appear in the prequel game that takes places many years before the original game which could mean Moogles can live for a long time just like the Carbuncles.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, Moogles appear through out dungeons to help the party out and give them stamps which once again unlocks Blazing Caravans. Stiltzkin from the original game once again appears in this one and leads the group of moogle who are secretly trying to help out the main characters. They place signs where needed and will appear when a new character joins the party to teach the player about their skills and abilities. Artemicion also appears in this game and runs a shop that gives players HP, ATK, DEF, and Magicite/Item Pocket upgrades. The Moogle Paint feature returns once again with a major upgrade from the original.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, a group of known as the Moogle Brothers appear in the Padarak to help out the young King Leo. Most moogle's names begin with "Mog", such as Mogmune and Mogcid. They help in various ways such as helping in creating new buildings to build and inform King Leo on citizen who need help so he can assign a new behest to solve their problem. Stiltzkin also appears during the story, helping King Leo figure out the fate of his father.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, moogles help out Adventurers by putting up signs in dungeons, such as they did in Ring of Fates. They work under Stiltzkin once again, who gives out quests the Adventurers can take.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
In Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, moogles appearances aren't much different then in the past Crystal Chronicles games, but they are slightly taller and have arms.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited
Later on in the anime, Final Fantasy: Unlimited, Kaze finds his old partner, a Moogle simply called Moogle Kupo. Moogle's pompom is yellow and seems to possess various powers, glowing when he activates them. He uses it to both seek out Kaze and to fix his Magun. He also indicates in "Moogle: Nostalgic Memories" that it gives him a shock when he becomes confused, though he may just be joking. Moogle has the ability to power up Kaze's Magun, letting him summon more powerful versions of previous summons. Moogles were common in Kaze's homeworld, Windaria. In the final episode of the anime he sacrifices himself and changes into a soil sample, Soul Gun Metal  in order to help Kaze summon Bahamut. In one English dub his name was Mogli instead, though in the official English dub released on DVD by ADV films, he is still Moogle Kupo. Additionally, in the English subtitles, he is shown using "kupo" at the end of each sentence, like the majority of the moogles in Final Fantasy IX, though this is not reflected on the audio. In the English dub, he is also listed in the listing for the Japanese cast under the name "Moogle Kupow."

Dissidia Final Fantasy
Moogles are responsible for the Mognet option every day.

A new cutscene in the North American and European releases plays when the player acquires the Moogle summon, of the Moogle presenting itself to the player's character and agreeing to help them. As a bonus, if Terra is used, the scene will be extended to show her embracing the Moogle.

The Summon Compendium expands on the species, revealing that they fly by inhaling air (using their wings only for steering) and that Moogles saying "Kupo" and those saying "nyaa" may be different species altogether.

The Moogle's design is based on the one used for Kingdom Hearts

Non-Final Fantasy Appearances
Moogles have appeared in other Square-Enix games, most notably the Seiken Densetsu ("Mana") series, Chocobo series and Kingdom Hearts series.

Chocobo series
In the Chocobo game series, Mog is always out to steal the spotlight from Chocobo. In Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, Mog (left) calls himself Dueler X and Dungeon Hero X, respectively.

Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2)
There is an entire village of Moogles in the Upperland. There is also a status ailment named Moogle.

Seiken Densetsu 3
Moogles are non-playable characters in the third game from the Seiken Densetsu series. Like the previous title, it is also a status ailment brought upon by certain enemy attacks.

Kingdom Hearts series


In Kingdom Hearts, Moogles can be seen wandering around Traverse Town, and own a synthesis shop there. Another moogle in Cid's accessory shop speaks about the tournaments in Olympus Coliseum, though later on in the game when the tournaments have all been beaten he begins to suspect Sora of being the champion (which is undoubtedly true).

In Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, moogles appear in "Moogle Rooms," a special room generated by a map card of the same name. Inside, Sora is able to cash in his unwanted cards for "moogle points" and is able to spend accumulated moogle points on purchasing new card packs. There is also a chance that the moogle will give Sora a free card pack when you first speak to it in an area. The moogle(s) in Chain of Memories are not given a name other than the collective "Moogle."

In Kingdom Hearts II, the moogles run synthesis shops. However, unlike Kingdom Hearts, only holograms of moogles run the shops. According to the game's journals, this is because the Moogles are tired of people touching their pom poms and started doing business this way, along with the witty joke "They don't like getting their pom-poms ruffled (don't we all)." The only moogles that do not appear as holograms are Mog and Elmina. All the Moogle shop owners have names that are related to Final Fantasy Moogles (e.g. "Stiltzkin's Synthesis Shop"). There is also a Gummi Ship you can win in the shape of a Moogle.

In Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, one single moogle, wearing the black Cloaks akin to those worn by Organization XIII, can be found in The World That Never Was and in Twilight Town in front of the Train Station appearing after Roxas has betrayed the Organization XIII. Like other moogles it runs a Shop and Syntheses items.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Courtesy of the game's developer, Square-Enix, the Moogle appears as a secret character in the Mario sports game, Mario Hoops 3-on-3. The Moogle's special shot is "Moogle Dance."

Music
The Moogle Theme is the music commonly associated with Moogles, although it is not as well-known as the Chocobo's Theme. The theme first appeared in Final Fantasy V, and is also featured in Final Fantasy VI and Final Fantasy IX. It was also used as Mog's character theme in Final Fantasy VI.

Trivia

 * In the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV, the Hummingways look similar to the moogles of Ivalice, but lack the iconic pompom.
 * The Pig enemies from Final Fantasy Tactics also bear a striking resemblance to traditional Moogles without pompoms or wings.