The Final Fantasy series has been going for almost 30 years now, and in that time it’s developed a huge following of fans, and with FF15 on the horizon it’s only going to attract even more. With each entry having a powerful story that connects with people in so many different ways it’s no wonder that the series is still going strong today. Ask anyone who’s played a Final Fantasy game and they’ll have a favourite, one that means more to them than the others
There’s just something about the FF universe that has inspired its fans to do some truly astonishing things in the name of Final Fantasy. From falling in love and epic proposals, to unleashing creativity for some epic art projects, FF fans know how to leave their mark. Here are some of the coolest, most loving things the community has achieved.
The Wedding
The Final Fantasy community has brought so many people together to share in their love for the series. Some have been brought closer together than others, like Grace and Chris from Hawaii who became so close they got married. Instead of a traditional wedding though, they themed it around all things Final Fantasy with Grace herself wearing the dress worn by Garnet in FFIX, and the the groomsmen decked out in Type-0 uniforms. You can’t get more dedicated than sharing your special day with a series that means so much to so many fans worldwide.
Amazing tattoos
@NumskullDesigns you could say I have a few #finalfantasy tattoos pic.twitter.com/a93rH8PJ7DNovember 17, 2016
Gaming tattoos aren’t exactly new, but Final Fantasy tattoos always put other series to shame what with there being so much fantastic art and games to choose from. Whether it be classic sprites or renditions of Amano art, all Final Fantasy tattoos are striking. But you’ve got to be a serious fan to cover your whole body in it like Paolo Zoratti has. As well as several small tattoos on his arms, he also has a full back tattoo of Odin, a Primal from FFXIV but also a famous summon from the series. You can’t show your appreciation better than permanently inking it in your skin!
Kitchen knives
We’ve seen Cloud’s Buster sword and Squall’s gunblade made in real life before, but this gift goes far, far beyond that by turning famous Final Fantasy blades into a kitchen knife set stabbed into the back of purple octopus monster Ultros. It was made by Super Fan Builds and Man at Arms for Brittany Walloch whose entire house is covered in FF merch. Her fiance nominated her as a superfan, and now she gets to own the most unique set of knives in existence. We hope she plays the FFVII battle theme every time she cooks with this...
The BEST cosplays
Final Fantasy is well known for it’s incredibly ornate character design. From outlandish hair to layer upon layer of delicate armour, it’s what makes them all stand out from the rest of the generic fantasy heroes out there. All that detail also makes cosplaying any FF character incredibly challenging and all the more impressive when so many fans are so great at pulling it off. From the full plate mail of FFXII’s Judge Gabranth to the frankly insane hair and makeup of FFVIII’s Ultimecia (picture here by Kyoko Cosplays) every FF cosplay feels like a labour of love for the series.
Midgar console
As well as the characters, monsters and stories, a lot of locations within the Final Fantasy universe hold a very special place in the hearts of fans. FF games are great at creating a sense of place and making you wish you could actually visit the worlds within them. One of the most famous has to be FFVII’s city of Midgar. Many have such a strong attachment to it that they’ve tried to recreate it in other games such as LittleBigPlanet or Minecraft, but Youtuber and console modder Mako mod has done one better and turned a PS1 into the city. It’s the perfect homage to the PS1 classic and the disc tray works perfectly as the upper city plate.
Better than bards
As well as it’s rich worlds, the Final Fantasy series has some of the finest video game music ever - to the point where it’s been recognised amongst the best classical music in the world in Classic FM’s Hall of fame. Many dedicated fans have been inspired by the series’ scores developing cover versions of their own as tributes and even making careers out of it. Lindsey Stirling’s Final Fantasy medley on violin is just one of the many amazing tributes fans have made.
Real life adventure
Who //hasn’t// ever wanted to go on a video game quest in real life?! Inspired by his (then) girlfriend’s love of Final Fantasy VII forum used Raker 57 planned out a quest of epic proportions for her birthday. Prompted by a note from ‘Bill the chocobo breeder’ who needed her help, she travelled all around her neighbourhood fighting bandits, finding materia, meeting heroes such as yuffie and dealing with shady shopkeepers. All of her friends were in on it, transforming their houses for her quest. Finally it culminated in a boss battle followed by a proposal. You can read the whole adventure here and see even more photos of the whole thing.
With Final Fantasy 15 only days away and a huge, rich world to explore fans will no doubt find plenty to fall in love with on their journey. No doubt they’ll be outdoing all of these feats in the near future.
