Final Fantasy IX allusions



Final Fantasy IX was intended, in many ways, to be a salute to the history of the series, and as such, it is filled with allusions and references to previous games. One of the most apparent is the similarity of the playable characters to the classic job classes of previous games, most notably Vivi to the Black Mage of the original Final Fantasy.

Unfortunately, despite the high quality of the translation overall, care was not taken to ensure that all of the various names and references matched up to those used in the previous English-language releases. Because of this, many of the references with which the game abounds are completely missed by the non-Japanese audience. Some examples are included below. This is a list of these allusions organized by game.

Final Fantasy Series

 * An allusion to all three titles on the NES, several of the major cities include Chapels, which were the foremost method of saving, reviving felled party members, and healing one's HP and MP.
 * Alexandria's chapel is near the western dock, where moogles Kupo, Stiltzkin, and Artemicion make appearances throughout the course of the game.
 * The chapel in Lindblum is located in the Business District and is currently undergoing maintenance.
 * Additionally, other locations such as Gizamaluke's Grotto, Esto Gaza, Conde Petie, and the Cleyra Settlement seem to be religious centers. None house chaplains offering services of game-saving or character revival, but ironically the empty chapel in Alexandria holds the first location in the game where one can use a Moogle to save one's game, use a Tent, or begin the Mognet sidequest.
 * Furthermore, scattered across all of Gaia are pools where the party can replenish their HP and MP at no expense, often occurring as natural or volcanic springs, but none reside within the aforementioned chapels.
 * It is often overlooked, perhaps due to the rough (yet excellent) translation into English, but it is worth mentioning that each member of the Knights of Pluto (Steiner included) shares similar character traits or motivational aspirations to those of the main protagonists (or at least "lead male") of each game in the series prior to Final Fantasy IX respective to their rank number.
 * Captain Adelbert Steiner - Devout knight and protector of the throne, sworn in blood to apprehend the thieves of the kidnapped princess (named "Sarah") to eventually thwart the evil-doings of a sinister man named "Garland". He parallels the Warrior of Light from the original title having chosen the Fighter class (swords and heavy armor as primary weaponry) and become a full-fledged Knight! Whether Bahamut played a role in that remains a mystery.
 * Blutzen, Pluto Knight II - First to hear all the latest rumors, a super sleuth by trade, and a proud member of the Pluto Knights; when Alexandria is destroyed, he is at a loss for words on where to begin rebuilding. Blutzen very loosely reflects the actions of Firion (likely due to translation issues, Final Fantasy II having not received an official English translation at the time of Final Fantasy IX's North American release).  The fact that Blutzen is the first to recognize castle rumors may have some connection to Emperor Mateus' "dark secret" - his ability to return from death.  And Blutzen's lack of words upon the daunting reconstruction of Alexandria may mirror Firion's own grave situation, regarding the death of both his parents and how towering a task it will now be to rebuild his life and take on the Emperor.  The fact that Firion is an allusion himself (to Luke Skywalker) doesn't make his connection to Blutzen any clearer.
 * Kohel, Pluto Knight III - Often found with Blutzen, whom he likes to discuss the latest rumors; commonly gives generic, unrevealing responses to any question asked of him. Since the Luneth of Final Fantasy III did not exist until the 2006 DS iteration, Kohel more closely resembles the anonymous lead character portrayed in the original version of the game.  Kohel's heart is kind and he seeks to help the side of good, though he can tend to state the obvious.
 * Laudo, Pluto Knight IV - No longer wishes to be a knight for his kingdom, asks his superior if he can quit the Knights of Pluto entirely in the castle library so he may pursue a career in writing fantasy novels; runs off crying when his superior says he can't. This parallels Cecil Harvey's desire to disband the Red Wings and leave behind him the ideals of the Dark Knight.  A very straightforward allusion.
 * Dojebon, Pluto Knight V - Seen as the first to respond to the crisis, runs about the castle searching for the princess frantically. Breireicht calls him a "famous artillerist".  This resembles Bartz Klauser to some extent, as he is closely attached to life-long friend Boco, his high-speed chocobo travel companion, and never stays in one place for too long on his journey; also the series title to which he is affiliated featured the return of the Job System, which required Bartz and company to equip an array of various weapons as they cycled through mastering the countless job classes at their disposal, which explains handily the title given to Dojebon by Breireicht.
 * Breireicht, Pluto Knight VI - The first words out of his mouth are that he's very tired because he's an older man; seen climbing up the tall west castle tower; recalls all of his comrades, then gives Steiner an Elixir for his troubles. Once Alexandria is destroyed, he wishes to rebuild the tower so that he can climb it once again.  Breireicht is likely a representation of either Edgar Roni Figaro, Sabin Rene Figaro, or Cyan Garamonde due to his given age, though it is unclear since they all made the climb up Kefka's Tower at the sixth title's climax, and special care was given not to centralize one specific lead protagonist in Final Fantasy VI in its development; also, a running gag in this title was that Elixirs could be found in almost every grandfather clock the player encountered, later addressed when one could examine the only grandfather clock in Final Fantasy IX (in Quan's Dwelling) only to have a message stating it holds nothing.
 * Weimar, Pluto Knight VII - Apparently gets together with a woman named "Barbara" at a "pub", according to Blutzen; then he's immediately observed hitting on a female comrade (Alexandrian soldier), and later flirts with a "flower girl" who proclaims he's, "...not exactly Mr. Personality," (they happen to be standing outside the dilapidated chapel in the destroyed Alexandria); responds stoically to his superior's command, as any good soldier does. This clearly resembles the well-advertised love triangle present between Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart (Barbara, compared to 7th Heaven), and Aerith Gainsborough from Final Fantasy VII, though Cloud never really openly womanizes in the manner Weimar does.  The Alexandrian soldier Weimar flirts with likely alludes to the opportunity Cloud is given during the bombing mission at the game's beginning to flirt with fellow AVALANCHE member Jessie.  His blunt response to Steiner's direct command reflects on Cloud's (believed) past as a member of SOLDIER, and he may even revere Steiner's superior abilities with the blade in a contrived sort of "Sephiroth!! Hero of the people!!" manner.
 * Haagen, Pluto Knight VIII - Seen sitting alone at the docks, says the water brings peace to his soul, and asks his superior to join him; rises to immediate action once he discovers the princess is in danger, proclaiming he is personally on her trail, later divulging he would give his life for her! He mirrors quite clearly Squall Leonhart, the consummate loner who denies the need to rely on others but was born a leader and loves a good fight.  Haagen's reaction stems from the "Sorceress' Knight" complex that Seifer instills in Squall which he reflects on his need to protect Rinoa - the strongest theme in Final Fantasy VIII being that of the love between these two characters, as shown in the game's Amano logo design.
 * Mullenkedheim, Pluto Knight IX - An oddball, and an enigma of sorts, only capable of commenting on how hungry he is in absolutely every instance throughout the game and nothing else. Though one might suspect Mullenkedheim to take after Zidane, he doesn't display any of his character traits (conniving thief, womanizer, trickster, resolute companion).  Being that all of the other Pluto Knights reflect the character designs of lead male protagonists throughout the other games in the series, this behavior can only be explained as some sort of sadistical joke by the development team to imply that Quina Quen should be regarded as Final Fantasy IX's main protagonist, as all s/he ever deflects to in his/her conversations is where and when Zidane can find the traveling party its next meal.

Final Fantasy

 * Garland shares a name with a character from the original game. The character Mikoto even goes so far as to mention later that, "Garland once tried to take control of the cycle of souls by force, but failed," the strongest evidence suggesting that perhaps the world of Final Fantasy IX is in direct relation to the events of the first game in the series.
 * Mount Gulug was meant to be Gurgu Volcano, as seen in the original Final Fantasy, having a similar layout and dungeon music. The name is written in Japanese as グルグ, or "Gurugu". Its mere existence creates a continuity issue with the previous allusion, as allegedly Gaia in Final Fantasy IX is not the same planet Garland once attempted to force into chaos, therefore making the same Gulug's presence here impossible. Additionally, Princess Cornelia, a character in the "I Want to be Your Canary" play, is also named after a location in the original title.
 * Indeed, the entire World Map of Final Fantasy IX, Gaia itself, seems to be a tribute to the original game's topographic structure. All of the major landmasses are arranged in a manner that is extremely similar to Final Fantasy, though nations and locales (save for the aforementioned exceptions) vary considerably.
 * The Pumice item in Final Fantasy IX, which is used to summon Ark, the massive, transforming airship, is known as "Fuyuuishi" (ふゆう石, or "floating stone"). In the original NES version of Final Fantasy, this item was translated as "FLOATER," and was used to lift the ancient airship from the desert. This bond is strengthened by the fact that Ark takes the form of a kind of airship.
 * At the beginning of the game, during her escape, Princess Garnet's robes bear a strong likeness to the original White Mage.
 * The four elemental fiends which appear in Memoria are named Maliris, Tiamat, Kraken, and Lich, recalling their counterparts in the Final Fantasy. (In the anglicized version of Final Fantasy, the fiend of fire was called "Kary," although the name "Marilith" was restored in the Final Fantasy Origins version.)
 * Crystals are a recurring motif beginning with the original Final Fantasy.
 * When finding the potions to cure Cid, the items refer to the book of Matoya.
 * Jane is a reference to Queen Jayne, who was called Queen Jane in some translations. Queen Jayne's daughter is Princess Sarah, and Jane's daughter is Garnet, who's real name is Sarah, who became a princess after fleeing Madain Sari.

Final Fantasy II

 * During the 1st interlude in South Gate, the shop near the cable car is named Altair, which shares its name with the town the Wild Rose resistance fled to at the start of Final Fantasy II.
 * The giant boss creature, Hilgigars, was actually meant to be Hill Gigas. Gigas is a common name in the series for oversized humanoids, most frequently seen in Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy VII, and seen again as an entire beastmen race in Final Fantasy XI and later in Final Fantasy XII.
 * In Gizamaluke's Grotto, the bells required to open the doors hearken back to the Goddess's Bell from Final Fantasy II which is used to open Kashuan Keep.
 * Pandemonium was also the name of Emperor Mateus' castle of Hell. Additionally the music that accompanies the Pandemonium of Final Fantasy IX is simply a remix of its Final Fantasy II counterpart with a slower tempo.
 * During the player's encounter with Ramuh, they are required to recite a story to him to earn his trust. This story actually describes an incident in Final Fantasy II involving an ice cave and a boulder which prompts one of the characters named Josef to sacrifice himself to save the others.
 * Cid's wife, Hilda, has the same name of the leader of the Fynn Resistance.
 * In Lindblum, there is a man named Guy.

Final Fantasy III

 * After the world of Terra has been destroyed, at the beginning of disc four and onwards, the player can return to Black Mage Village and examine the gramophone at the Black Mage Village inn. If the player possesses the Doga's Artifact and Une's Mirror, the background music will change to a melody taken from the Final Fantasy III soundtrack; Doga and Une's Theme. This melody continues on until the player leaves the Black Mage Village.
 * Garland and Kuja's airship of destruction, Invincible, is named after the ultimate airship of Final Fantasy III.
 * "Une's Mirror" and "Doga's Artifact", can both be bought at the auction house.
 * There also seems to be a thematic parallelism between Kuja/Xande and Necron/the Cloud of Darkness. Both fearing their mortality, Xande and Kuja unintentionally perform globally-perilous actions that lead both Necron and Cloud of Darkness to entering into the mortal realm and decide to revert the world to nothingness.

Final Fantasy IV

 * The dwarfs of Conde Petie use the same greeting as the dwarfs of Final Fantasy IV (ラリホ, or "rariho"). However, the original saying "Lali-ho" was changed to "Rally-ho" in Final Fantasy IX. It can be explained, since "L" in Japanese is "R" in English. These mistranslations are common throughout the series (such as Kiros' weapons in Final Fantasy VIII being labeled "katals"). Further localization to rationalize this translation choice took place by giving the dwarfs heavy Scottish accents, very strongly reminiscent of 18th Century Scottish poet Robert Burns.
 * Namingway appears as a Tetra Master card.
 * Cid's last name is "Fabool", which is a homophone for the kingdom of Fabul from Final Fantasy IV.
 * Upon arriving in Lindblum for the first time, if you search the area that Steiner was just in during the ATE as he leaves the Inn, you will find a sign towards the Northwest part of this area called Polom's Action Figures; this a combination of the names of Palom and Porom, the twin mages of Final Fantasy IV.
 * One of Freya's ultimate weapons is called "Kain's Lance," which is a reference to Final Fantasy IV's Dragoon, Kain Highwind.
 * Zorn &amp; Thorn have the ability to use Twincast, the same ability of Palom and Porom. During a battle against them, they give each other the power to cast Flare and Meteorite (Comet).
 * The Hilda Garde 1 strangely resembles the Lunar Whale of Final Fantasy IV.
 * Garland's role is very similar to FuSoYa's. They both watch over sleeping souls of an alien race and are related to the main hero of their respective games. In a cruel twist of fate Cecil was brought up as the adoptive son of the King, whereas Zidane grew up as a Thief under Baku and Tantalus, but ultimately both became Kings. However, the biggest difference between Garland and FuSoYa is that their alliances oppose one another.
 * The description shown on the item "Une's Mirror" says: "The body perishes but the spirit lives on." This is very similar to what Zemus said after being defeated by FuSoYa and Golbez.
 * Zidane and Kuja, who are both brothers and come from a different world, somewhat mirrors Cecil and Golbez's relationship.
 * In Final Fantasy IV there are two moons, one of which is red. This is similar to the blue world of Gaia and the red one which is Terra. Similarly, in particular cutscenes both a red and blue moon are displayed in the skies of Gaia.
 * Alexandria's army is comprised of only females, bar the Knights of Pluto. This is also true with Troia; a city the player visits during the course of the game.

Final Fantasy V

 * The "Eternal Harvest" theme played at during a cutscene in Cleyra bears a resemblance in melody to the song "Harvest" from Final Fantasy V, the difference being the actual pitch of the melody.
 * Much of the melody heard in Kuja's Theme is heard in the Final Fantasy V song "Slumber of Ancient Earth".
 * Upon Cornelia's death scene in the "I Want to be Your Canary" sequence, the player's death theme from Final Fantasy V is heard combined into the play's music.
 * The Moogle theme from Final Fantasy V was remixed for the background music at Mognet Central.
 * Boko has a Tetra Master card, and the images greatly resembles his original sprite. Furthermore, two Black Mages in the Black Mage Village hatch a young chocobo which they name "Bobby Corwin", the first two syllables ("Bo" and "Co" respectively) are another allusion to the name.
 * Another Tetra Master card of an airship also has an image that resembles its Final Fantasy V sprite.
 * Freya's Lancer ability first appeared in Final Fantasy V.
 * In Final Fantasy V, Softs could be used to instantly kill enemies made of stone. This was also added to Final Fantasy IX.
 * Gilgamesh, an antagonist of Final Fantasy V, appears as a four-armed man in Treno.
 * Tantarian, the book monster in Alexandria, resembles a Page 64, while the cover resembles a Page 256. Both were "book monsters" Final Fantasy V's ancient library.
 * Exdeath's ultimate attack is called "Grand Cross". Necron also uses the attack in Final Fantasy IX, though it slightly differs.
 * Necron also bears a striking similarity to Necrophobe in both name and appearance.
 * Atomos, the Eidolon, is from Final Fantasy V and even bears a striking resemblance. Additionally, during the battle, he slowly sucks your party towards him, which reflects the Eidolon's attack of violently sucking everything into its mouth in the zone it is attacking.
 * Nova Dragon is actually a mistranslation of Shinryu, the ultimate superboss from Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

 * The game's title, as seen on the title screen with the metal globe containing a crystal, is reminiscent of the title for the Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals OVA.
 * The relationship between Steiner and Beatrix is reminiscent of the relationship between Valkus and Rouge. Valkus himself bears alot of similar character traits with Steiner, also.

Final Fantasy VI

 * The Eidolon Madeen is misromanized as well. It was meant to invoke the name of Final Fantasy VI's Maduin (which, in the original Japanese versions of both games, was written as ディーン (Madiin)). Incidentally, the slightly-nonsensical name of its attack, "Terra Homing," was also intended to be "Terraforming."




 * In Lindblum, the characters may encounter an old man named Locke, possibly a reference to Locke Cole.
 * The way Kuja throws Garland out of Pandemonium's Platform is reminiscent of the way Kefka throws Emperor Gestahl out of the Floating Continent.
 * Many character traits are shared between Beatrix and Celes Chere, one of the main protagonists of Final Fantasy VI. They were both incredibly powerful, loyal knights working for the enemy (Brahne and Gestahl, respectively), who question their actions after fighting in battles. They both come to their senses and begin to fight for the forces of good. They both fulfill the Japanese character archetype of the conflicted, long-haired, stalwart beauty, found commonly in today's popular Japanese anime and game culture.
 * Mog is the name of Eiko's Moogle friend, as well as the Moogle that joins the party in Final Fantasy VI. In juxtaposition, however, the Mog of Final Fantasy IX is female.
 * The floating eyeball monster, commonly known as Ahriman in the more recent games, was changed back to "Veteran", its Final Fantasy VI name.
 * Beatrix and Steiner's sword ability, Shock, was the name of General Leo's command in Final Fantasy VI.
 * Flare Star, an attack used by Ozma and Trance Kuja, originated in Final Fantasy VI as one of the Atma Weapon's attacks.
 * Many magic-based enemies in Final Fantasy VI could be defeated by draining their MP through Rasp or Osmose. The enemy Valia Pira can also be defeated in this manner through the use of Quina's Magic Hammer.

Final Fantasy VII

 * If the player examines a large, familiar looking sword in the Lindblum Weapons Shop, Zidane will say "I remember a guy with spiky hair who carried a sword like this..." a reference to Cloud Strife, the protagonist of Final Fantasy VII who carried a large sword named the 'Buster Sword'.
 * In the airship crash site in the Evil Forest, Tantalus' band begins playing "Rufus' Welcoming March" in an Active-Time Event, with little changes.
 * On the left side of the room inside the Inn located in Dali, a device will read the player's fortune and give the player his or her lucky color of the day. This is reminiscent of the first encounter Cait Sith has with the traveling party in Gold Saucer, where he keeps messing up the fortune of the traveling party.
 * The song 'Immoral Melody', one of Kuja's theme songs, bears a very striking similarity to the ShinRa Company theme song.
 * There is a little girl in Lindblum named Elena.
 * Steiner and Beatrix both have an ability called "Climhazzard", one of Cloud's second level Limit Breaks.
 * Hades, a summon in Final Fantasy VII, was turned into an optional boss.
 * Chocobo footprints on the world map are used to call Chocobos in Final Fantasy VII, and a similar way in Final Fantasy IX.
 * In the minigame "Mog's House" in Final Fantasy VII, the Moogle's favorite food was Kupo Nuts. In Final Fantasy IX, they appear as an item to feed a Moogle, and they remain a Moogle's favorite food.
 * In Alexandria during Disc 3, a girl standing in front of the steeple holding the title of "Flower Girl" says, "He's handsome, but he's not exactly Mr. Personality..." when interacting with the player. This is a clear reference to Aerith Gainsborough.
 * During the play in Final Fantasy IX's ending, Marcus says, "No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!", referring to Cloud and Squall Leonhart of Final Fantasy VIII.
 * Again during the play Marcus is completely covered in a black robe and hooded so you cannot see his face. This looks very similar to what the Sephiroth Clones wear.
 * The ultimate Black Magic Doomsday alludes to Final Fantasy VII's Meteor Materia, said to be the Ultimate Black Magic as well.
 * The monster Stilva shares the same name and appearance as Stilva found in Gaea's Cliff.

Final Fantasy VIII

 * Squall is mentioned. (See above section.)
 * Freya's White Draw skill is similar in use and effect to the Draw skill from the previous game.
 * A fine artist in Lindblum's Theater District can be seen painting in his art studio throughout various parts of the game (where actor Lowell Bridges takes refuge from rabid fangirls, and later where Zidane finds the Strange Potion Key Item). Amongst his belongings standing atop a high shelf is a sculpture of a Chocobo.  It takes a keen eye, however, to notice that this sculpture bears no resemblance whatsoever to the chocobo models used in Final Fantasy IX. It is in actuality the Chicobo model used in Final Fantasy VIII's "Chocobo Hide & Seek" minigame.
 * Due to the same L-to-R romanization error that altered the "Rally-ho!" translation, the Moogle character Artemicion is a simple variant of the word Ultimecia, as, in the Japanese client of each respective title, they were spelled using the same characters (アルティミシア). The irony belies in the fact that though Ultimecia was the pivotal antagonist of Final Fantasy VIII who drove the main characters to the brink of annihilation, here she has been reduced to the purple-haired comic relief that is the bane of Mognet Central.

Final Fantasy Tactics

 * A large number of equipment names and abilities are taken straight from Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * In Disc 4, one of the people in Treno is named Worker #9, a reference to Worker-7-New and Worker 8.
 * The game-long side quest involving the Stellazio coins uses the names of the twelve signs of the zodiac; though a common reference in the role playing genre, this may be a nod toward story of the Snake Zodiac in Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * Freya's ability, "Reis's Wind", is named after Reis Duelar of Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * Another of Freya's abilities, "Cherry Blossom", was Cloud Strife's 8th Limit in Final Fantasy Tactics.
 * Many of Steiner's sword skills are named from Final Fantasy Tactics.

Vagrant Story

 * The barkeep, and later mini-theater owner, in Alexandria shares the same name and hair style of Ashley Riot, Vagrant Story ' s protagonist.

Chrono Trigger

 * When Cid Fabool IX is transformed from an oglop into a frog on Disc 3 of Final Fantasy IX, his frog form greatly resembles the character Frog from Chrono Trigger.

Chrono Cross

 * Zidane's "Thief Swords" greatly resemble Serge's double-bladed swords.

Parasite Eve

 * Final Fantasy IX also has a reference to another Square game, Parasite Eve, with the two owners of the synthesis shop in Lindblum, Torres and Wayne. Also, in Parasite Eve Torres dies, but in Final Fantasy IX, Torres is merely badly injured after Alexandria attacks. The two of them also have a skirmish which is practically the same as the "Safety vs. Power" lecture overheard when first entering the NYPD weapons room.

Fullmetal Alchemist

 * Some fans may see that Zidane's appearance, most notably in Dissidia: Final Fantasy, bears an uncanny resemblance to Edward Elric, main protagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist, seeing that the manga version was created by Square-Enix and that Zidane and Edward's hair style look identical and the fact they are both small. But as Edward was designed by manga author Arakawa Hiromu, and not by Square-Enix designers, this is almost certainly a complete coincidence.  However, it is an amusing fact that Edward and Zidane share a japanese seiyuu: Paku Romi.

Non-Square related
From television shows, other video games, and movies.
 * In Lindblum, a man near the air cab station will say "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker!", a quote from Star Trek.
 * Necron's quote "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering", originally belonged to Yoda in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
 * The fountain inside Lindblum Castle, upon interacting with it, mentions, "...Looks like there's no place to put the medal here." Since there are no puzzles, plot points, or anything else in the game related to this fountain, it can be assumed this is a direct reference to a similar event that takes place in Resident Evil 2.
 * The fighting sequence between Alexander and Bahamut bears a resemblance to a scene from the anime Macross.
 * There are numerous Shakespearean allusions throughout, including the name of the Prince of Burmecia and the play I Want To Be Your Canary. The author of these plays, Lord Avon, is a direct reference to Shakespeare himself who was referred to as the "Bard of Avon".
 * After fighting Steiner at the beginning of the game, he says "Bah! Only a flesh wound," a reference to a famous line of Monty Python and the Holy Grail's black knight character.

Literature

 * 2 enemies fought in the game: Jabberwocky and Bandersnatch are two creatures from Lewis Carroll's famous poem "Jabberwocky".