Summary
- Playable dwarves in Final Fantasy are technologically advanced and bring charm to the party.
- A Tonberry character would add a unique and edgy element to the party lineup.
- The inclusion of a Sahagin would provide an opportunity to explore aquatic themes in the game.
While stories in the Final Fantasy series tend to center around humans and their affairs grand and small, most games in the anthology will include at least one playable party member of another species, often referred to in fantasy as being from another “race.”
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In the MMO entries, Final Fantasy 11 and Final Fantasy 14, players have been able to choose from an expanding roster of races. With such a long and rich history, Final Fantasy still has plenty of races who have, thus far, been unplayable, even as party members.
The Dwarf
Lali-Ho! Digging Deep Into The Past
Dwarves often have an image problem in fantasy, as many people consider their short stature less than ideal for their ideal sandbox power fantasy, where beauty is often a necessary characteristic, for some reason. The dwarves in Final Fantasy compound this problem, and many dwarven incarnations are ugly, green, and stocky.
However, the Final Fantasy dwarf is brimming with personality and charm. This is a race of technological masters capable of manufacturing tanks, airships, and subterranean digs, but despite their power, they tend to have a friendly and communal disposition. Old-school and archetypal, playable dwarves could bring a flare of “bronzepunk” into fantasy without crossing it over into magitech territory.
The Tonberry
The Adorable Murder Muppet
Members of this iconic, rage-filled race have appeared in various games as summons, and Payne of Final Fantasy 10-2 memorably wore a Tonberry costume as part of her mascot dressphere. However, despite evidence of having a structured (at least feudal) society with guards, kings, and priests, the fish-tailed race tends to be relegated as enemies.
Admittedly, a Tonberry’s behavior tends to boil down to stabbing and cursing their foes, but it would be fun to have a somewhat silent-type Tonberry in the party saving the day with some edgy, murder-hobo mayhem. Anyone worrying about Tonberries not being taken seriously enough should check out Final Fantasy 16‘s haunting rendition.
The Sahagin
The Trident And True Sea People
It has been a while since the Final Fantasy series explored aquatic themes, as Final Fantasy 10 did. Should a future game wish to plunder these depths (with party members), a playable Sahagin would make quite a splash. It may have to be aesthetically rehabilitated, given its past Lovecraftian designs. However, watery races from other series, such as Zelda‘s Zora, are proof enough that tides can change for an amphibious species.
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While the Sahagin is generally defined by its gills and ‘merperson’ appearance, there have been many iterations throughout Final Fantasy.
Their “jumpy” appearance in Final Fantasy 7 Remake demonstrated that a member of this race would make for an ideal dragoon type of character, and not just a fish-out-of-water character. In their various incarnations, the Sahagin have been known to survive in deep oceans, shallows, and even land deserts, proving that they would not merely be stranded without the wet.
The PuPu
The Cute Star Sailor Of Gravity Waves And Solar Tides
Making the PuPu a playable race in a Final Fantasy game would certainly be unconventional, but the series isn’t exactly known for its stagnation or unwillingness to embrace the weird. First appearing in Final Fantasy 8 as an ultra-rare encounter, they have shown up in several games since as weapons, cameos, and third-party, AI-controlled party members.
In Final Fantasy 13-2, an AI-controlled PuPu supplies the party with healing assistance. As well as their little yellow head pom-poms, the PuPu is known for its UFO and ability to cast space-related skills, such as “meteor.” This cute star sailor would fit right in with the rest of the party in a potential spacefaring science-fantasy RPG adventure.
The Werewolf
Part Hume, Part Wolf, All Hero
In most fiction, werewolves happen when a lupine-cursed human transforms under the full moon. However, werewolves tend to be a race all of their own in Final Fantasy. In Final Fantasy 5, there is a town of highly civilized, even somewhat cowardly and gentle werewolf folk. One of them was a former hero, but he has since retired.
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Plenty of RPGs, MMOs especially, offer “fully animalistic” races. The closest Werewolf that players have gotten to being playable was Kimari of the Ronso in Final Fantasy 10, who was more of a blue werelion. Final Fantasy‘s brand of these mythical creatures is worthy of at least one playable character.
The Goblin (Imp)
A Mischievous And Diverse Group
The goblin has been around in Final Fantasy since the beginning. It is the very first random encounter enemy players will see in the original Final Fantasy. While they have remained generic in folklore and pop culture, Goblins (sometimes known as Imps) have evolved, most notably in Final Fantasy 14, where they take on the guise of techno-cultists.
While party members in the series have often been strong, noble characters with strong and noble blood, it would be interesting to see the inclusion of an underdog type of species included into the story rather than just being used as enemy fodder. Their magical or mechanical prowess could make them a versatile asset to the party (assuming that parties ever make a return following FF16).
The Sylph (Faerie)
A Natureborn Magical Race
While faeries have appeared as small creatures and occasionally summons, their less generic cousins, the Sylph, are excellent candidates for party members or playable characters. A race of creatures ambiguously between humanoids and plants would fit right in as druids or geomancers, or with any other of Final Fantasy‘s obscure jobs.
In Final Fantasy 14, they are portrayed as small, winged creatures with a mischievous yet benevolent nature. However, a playable Sylph could be reimagined as a taller, more humanoid figure, blending wild magic with a unique, nature-themed aesthetic.
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