10 Most Shocking Plot Twists In The Final Fantasy Series

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home March 23, 2025 15 Views 15 Min Read
10 Most Shocking Plot Twists In The Final Fantasy Series



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Final Fantasy is one of the most influential JRPG series; the genre was shaped in large part by the series’ character-driven narratives. Final Fantasy has codified many JRPG tropes, including the one we always know is coming: plot twists. Final Fantasy isn’t just about experimental gameplay or beautiful music, but also edge-of-your-seat storytelling.

Split image of Cloud, Noctis and Lightning from the Final Fantasy series.

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Because the plots of Final Fantasy titles are so well-known now, some of these events might seem cliché. If you’re a dedicated fan, you’ll be overly familiar with several of them. But it shows how shocking they were at the time that audiences felt compelled to talk about them.

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10

Golbez Is Cecil’s Older Brother

Final Fantasy 4

Golbez in Final Fantasy 4.

Final Fantasy 4 was where the series came into its own with character-driven, emotional storylines, rather than giving you four blank slates and crystals to collect. Golbez was initially built up as a stock villain, with no visible face to humanize him. It’s only late into the game that you learn of his tragic past: he was the protagonist Cecil’s brother.

When their father was killed unjustly, and their mother died giving birth to Cecil, Golbez’s anger at the world made him an easy target for the true villain’s mind control. The two mend their relationship eventually, with Golbez atoning for his sins.

9

Garland Created A Time Loop

Final Fantasy

A party fighting Chaos in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, showing Chaos on the left and a party on the right.

The first Final Fantasy may have a basic plot by today’s standards; compared to future Final Fantasy entries, its story is downright simplistic. However, beneath a simple quest lay a surprisingly deep and avant-garde RPG story. Final Fantasy begins the way most NES games do: a princess is kidnapped, and it’s up to you to defeat the villain and rescue her.

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That happens in the first act of Final Fantasy, and then your party moves on to beating other fiends. Much later, you find out that Garland, who was supposed to be a small-time villain, had actually created a time loop through which he controlled the other antagonists you faced. Garland is Chaos, the cause of all suffering: your party beats him in a battle that pushes the original NES hardware to its limit.

8

The Name’s Garland, Jack Garland

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Jack Garland in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Tetsuya Nomura is known for his convoluted plots that sometimes draw undue mockery. One thing’s for sure: you can’t get through a Tetsuya Nomura game without a bizarre plot twist. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is proof: while its trailer spawned memes for its angry and impatient protagonist obsessed with Chaos, the game was hiding an even deeper plot twist.

Jack, who spends the entire game ranting about Chaos, is Chaos. He has to sacrifice himself and allow the Warriors of Light to kill him to make the cycle complete. The whole thing is a reimagining of the first Final Fantasy from the villain’s perspective. Well done, Nomura.

7

Cloud Was Never SOLDIER

Final Fantasy 7

Cloud recalls the war with the Wutai in Final Fantasy 7 for the PS1.

Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most important video games ever made; the series’ 3D debut furthered its propensity for long, engaging narratives spanning multiple discs. From here on out, the series left behind black-and-white morality for deep and thoughtful narratives, tugging at our heartstrings and challenging our perceptions.

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Late in the game, Cloud is revealed to have never been part of the elite SOLDIER 1st Class, but a regular Shinra grunt whose trauma caused him to create a false identity based on his mentor, Zack Fair. It’s an uncomfortable section: when the hero we identified with is this flawed, it forces us to confront our own insecurities. Cloud’s self-acceptance is one that we, as the audience, can also draw lessons from.

6

The World Ends

Final Fantasy 6

Kefka throws Emperor Gestahl off the Floating Continent in Final Fantasy 6.

Final Fantasy 6 is one of the most beloved SNES titles for many reasons, not just because you can suplex trains in it. It has one of the most memorable villains, not just in Final Fantasy, but in RPGs at large: Kefka. Unlike the emperor of Gestahl, Kefka doesn’t care about money or power. He just wants to destroy.

Up until this point, RPGs were fairly safe in their storytelling: you always counted on the good guys to save the day. Only here, they are soundly beaten. Halfway through the game, Kefka wins: the world is destroyed. A full year of waste, destruction, suffering and pain passes before the remnants are able to scrape together the strength to beat him.

5

The Party Was Raised By Edea

Final Fantasy 8

Edea Kramer in a CGI cutscene in Final Fantasy 8.

The entire plot of Final Fantasy 8 is arguably a series of plot twists, and one that divides fans to this day. Some find the game’s constant retcons so disillusioning that it’s given rise to a theory that all events after the first disc are the fever dream of a dying protagonist.

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The plot twist that draws the most ire is the sudden revelation that all of Squall’s party members were orphans raised by the villainess Edea. Conveniently, everyone developed amnesia later on due to their use of Guardian Forces. It comes completely out of left field, and somewhat overshadows the later twist that Ultimecia is the true final boss.

4

Zidane And Kuja Are Manufactured Beings

Final Fantasy 9

Zidane stands over Kuja in Final Fantasy 9.

Final Fantasy 9 aimed to be the definitive FF experience on the PS1 and succeeded. Its plot is one of the best in the series, and Kuja is one of the most underrated villains. A late-game plot twist gives rise to one of the series’ trademark beautiful, borderline life-affirming moments.

After finding out that they are soulless shells made for destruction, Zidane and Kuja react appropriately. The former becomes catatonic with shock, while the latter is driven to madness and seeks to destroy the world that is denied to him. Zidane manages to snap out of it thanks to his friends, set to one of Nobuo Uematsu’s most beautiful compositions. His brother Kuja, unfortunately, isn’t so lucky – at least the two make up before he dies.

3

Tidus Isn’t Real

Final Fantasy 10

Tidus stands knee-deep in the water in Final Fantasy 10.

Final Fantasy 10 plays host to some of the most beautiful scenery, calming music and heartrending storytelling in the series. The love story between Tidus and Yuna is enough to make your heart ache, not least because Tidus can’t stay.

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The moment Sin is destroyed, Tidus fades into the afterlife. He was a dream of the Fayth, spirits seeking an end to the suffering Sin causes. When we learn of this, it’s a massive shock, and casts the protagonist’s narration in a different light. The way he confronts his mortality with grace is enough to drive even the most jaded RPG veteran to tears.

2

Ardyn Is An Angry Great-Uncle

Final Fantasy 15

Ardyn blocks a sword strike from Noctis in the climactic battle from Final Fantasy 15.

Final Fantasy 6 isn’t the only one to star a style-savvy wisecracking jester who inwardly burns with vehement anger. For the 15th mainline entry, Square Enix decided that if it worked the first time, they could do it again. If Ardyn evokes any sympathy, it’s much later on. The first time he reveals his true self, it’s too much of a shock to internalize.

The Crystal that Noctis and his pals had been looking for was nothing but a trap. Ardyn led them to it because he is, in fact, Noctis’ great-uncle many generations removed. Centuries ago, he was judged unworthy of the throne because he absorbed darkness from other people, even if he did it with the best intentions. Thousands of years of confinement had filled Ardyn with hate towards his royal nephew.

1

Aerith Dies

Final Fantasy 7

Cloud holds a dying Aerith while Sephiroth stands in the background in Final Fantasy 7 for the PS1.

You knew this was coming. This is to video games what Darth Vader’s identity is to film. Even people who’ve never played Final Fantasy 7 know that Aerith dies. It is the definitive video game spoiler. Just imagine how shocking it was in 1997 that people are still talking about it to this day.

Unfortunately, the knowledge that Aerith dies never quite manages to soften the blow. The death of this character remains one of the saddest in RPG history, and for many years there were urban legends that you could save Aerith by picking the nice dialogue options. Her death is inevitable, and it still hurts.

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