Final Fantasy games feature a lot of religious symbolism. But if you look closely, those references to religion actually form a very interesting pattern; the Final Fantasy games are actually against organized religion…and even the concept of God himself. So today, we’re looking at the Final Fantasy series, including Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy Legend to see just how this popular series deals with religious issues.
They say that knowledge is power. And Nintendo encourages you to “play with power.” So shouldn’t you be playing…with knowledge?
MatPat is an information addict. To him, no trivia is too trivial. That’s why his show Game Theory runs the gamut from FPS to RPG, from the abnormal psych of Batman to the zoology of Frogger and every system and subject in between. Want an expert in plumbing as it relates to Mario? How about time travel in Chrono Trigger? Ever wonder about real-world Raptures or Mjolnir armor? MatPat has got you covered. He likes to consider himself the Mythbusters of gaming. So if anyone from Discovery Channel is watching, feel free to give him a call.
necrom23
Seems right on.. I’ve been saying this for years.. esp. FF Tactics. I always chalked it up to Japanese being vaguely curious about Christianity like westerners are about Greek or Norse Mythology. To the practitioners, this might be somewhat insulting, but it’s just mythology to the other party. I was told by a preacher of visiting Japan and seeing Santa Claus on a crucifix around Christmas in a mall there. He said he was amused (and somewhat saddened) rather than angry at it. It shows they took notice, but failed to understand the meaning.
TheKelayahObjective
When I studied Buddhism at the university and came to the topic of Japan the professor said Japanese are born shintoists, live as konfucianists and die as buddhists. So yeah, it’s very spot on the cultural explanation in this episode. Well done, I liked this episode a lot.
Lionel
I loved how you identified what FF borrowed (e.g. Michelangelo’s statue)
I always found FF to be such a hodge-podge of religious symbols but never quite took the time to sort it all out. More episodes on that would be welcome
