Final Fantasy 17 Should Follow FF13, FF6’s Lead

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home January 11, 2025 4 Views 6 Min Read
Final Fantasy 17 Should Follow FF13, FF6's Lead



Summary

  • Final Fantasy 17 needs a new female protagonist to shake up the series and offer new perspectives.
  • Final Fantasy has had a history of male leads, so it’s time for a female protagonist like Terra or Lightning.
  • Featuring a woman as the lead in Final Fantasy 17 would cater to diverse player demographics and offer compelling character arcs.

The Final Fantasy series has always pursued reinvention, with each new installment introducing fresh worlds, innovative combat systems, and bold storytelling choices. Now, the potential for the next game in the series, presumably Final Fantasy 17, to break new ground is more present than ever, especially after Final Fantasy 16 proved that big moves can pay off.

While absolutely nothing is known yet about Final Fantasy 17, including whether it is even in development, the series’ evolving landscape as of late presents the next installment with an opportunity to continue defying expectations and making bold steps toward innovation. It’s assumed that Final Fantasy 17 will introduce a new world and fresh combat mechanics, as each new mainline installment always has, but there remains an argument for it to make one very important leap in an area that has been largely ignored as of late. Specifically, Final Fantasy 17 needs a female protagonist again, like Final Fantasy 6‘s Terra and Final Fantasy 13‘s Lightning.

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Final Fantasy 17 Needs a Female Protagonist Like Lightning and Terra

Final Fantasy Has Had Plenty of Male Protagonists Lately and Throughout the Series

Over the course of the now-37-year-old series, Final Fantasy has primarily featured male protagonists. This is most likely due to the male-dominated game audience that was present during Final Fantasy‘s early days, but those days are long gone, as the increased prominence of female protagonists in gaming has proven. Nevertheless, a female protagonist has not been featured in a Final Fantasy game since the release of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 over 11 years ago. Since then, Final Fantasy fans have had the privilege of playing as Noctis Lucis Caelum in Final Fantasy 15, Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy 16, and Cloud Strife in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake games.

A New Female Lead in Final Fantasy 17 Would Shake Things Up

Needless to say, it’s high time for Final Fantasy to feature a female protagonist again, especially since only four games in the series (two of them being direct sequels) have been led by a heroine. Final Fantasy 6 was the first game in the series to feature a female protagonist, with Terra Branford filling that role. Coincidentally, Terra is also one of the most well-received Final Fantasy protagonists, due to her deeply nuanced character arc that revolves around her struggle with her identity as a half-human, half-Esper. Terra also broke gaming stereotypes at the time, as her character was not defined by her relationships to male characters or romantic subplots, making her stand out even more.

Lightning, Final Fantasy 13‘s protagonist, wasn’t initially received well by fans and critics, with many likening her cold personality to Final Fantasy 7‘s Cloud Strife. However, over time, Lightning has been recognized as one of the series’ best leads, and much of this recognition was thanks to the evolution of her character throughout the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy. By the time the credits roll in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13, Lightning’s vulnerability and inner struggles have come to light, making her more relatable and human than she was initially portrayed to be.

Serah Farron is one of the main playable characters in Final Fantasy 13-2, but Lightning, who helps narrate the story, is still considered a supporting protagonist.

As Final Fantasy‘s history has shown, female protagonists have just as much potential to offer compelling character arcs as male protagonists do, so there’s little reason why Final Fantasy 17 should feature a male lead — especially given the prominence of male protagonists in the series as of late. Additionally, as gaming audiences grow increasingly diverse, Final Fantasy 17 featuring a female protagonist would ensure that different players can see themselves in the story, which is arguably one of the most important parts of any narrative. It’s not that characters like Noctis, Clive, and Cloud aren’t good enough, but that there are even more opportunities out there with female leads that Final Fantasy 17 should take advantage of.

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