The World Of Tetsuya Nomura | Chapter I: Sketches Of Lions

0:01Tetsuya Nomura is hands down one of the most captivating and interesting figures in the video

0:06game industry. His original ideas and iconic style have played a large part in some of Square Enix's

0:11most successful titles. Whether you love his crazy story designs and concepts or you think he's

0:17actively ruining video games as we know it, he's a big name in the industry and he's a hard worker.

0:23Even today, Nomura bounces between projects frequently and based on my research for this video

0:28series has had projects in circulation since 1991. Hi, my name is Joe. When I like something a whole

0:37lot, I want to find out what's going on behind the curtain. This video is that I did the research and

0:43write up for my benefit, but I did this video part for yours so I can pass on this information as

0:49completely and definitively as possible without boring my friends and family. In this video

0:56series, I will examine all of Tetsuya Nomura's works to the best of my ability. I understand

1:01there are countless videos available regarding the very start of his career. So some information

1:05may be quite familiar to you if you frequently watch videos on this topic, but I've done my best

1:10to make what you watch here today a smidgen more informative and entertaining than videos before.

1:15And before long, we'll be in uncharted territory. I'll include all of my sources in the description

1:20below, and I'll include a number on screen if I am citing a source. I'll also include fun facts

1:25and text boxes on screen to give you some bonus information if you're actively watching the video.

1:30I've grouped each project as accurate to development as possible, but Nomura would

1:35sometimes be bouncing between four to five projects at a time. So, I've arranged all

1:40titles in order of release with out of place blurbs about relevant titles if necessary. Now

1:47that everything's out of the way, let's dive into the prolific career of Tetsuya Nomura.

2:04“The oldest drawing I still have is a drawing of a lion I did on my third birthday. I often drew a

2:11lot after returning home from preschool. Since then, I've always loved drawing.”

2:20Tetsuya Nomura grew up in Kochi Prefecture, Japan. Today, Kochi has a population of over 3 million,

2:27including the surrounding area and downtown citizens. It boasts some of Japan's most

2:31beautiful landscapes and waters, and prides itself on them. Located on the smallest of

2:37Japan's four main islands, Nomura grew up in the city from 1970 to 1988 before leaving for

2:42vocational school in Tokyo at age 18. Recalling his childhood, Nomura notes that he did everything

2:48he could at his age. Drawing, baseball, building forts, swimming, fishing, playing board games,

2:58inventing rules for them, and after a while coding and creating his own games on his

3:02computer. His father was a large influence in the beginning of his path. Little Tetsuya would often

3:08receive drawings from his dad, special help with arts and crafts, and guidance into the upcoming

3:13era of computers. When his son was in lower secondary school, Mr. Nomura bought a computer

3:19for him so he could begin exploring the medium. Little Tetsu would play video games frequently and

3:24would sometimes have to borrow everything to play from his friends. He became quite fond of Dragon

3:30Quest in his video gaming endeavors, and remembers sinking a lot of time into Legends of Star Arthur:

3:35Planet Mephius. In upper secondary school, an adolescent Tetsuya Nomura could often be found

3:41doodling manga panels in class and showing his classmates during breaks. At one point,

3:46his art teacher introduced him to Yoshitaka Amano's artwork. Amano was a popular artist

3:51who at the time was also the lead artist and character designer for the FINAL FANTASY games.

3:57As graduation grew closer and manga artists felt insurmountable to pursue, Nomura decided to attend

4:03vocational school for advertising so he could ensure steady employment. In vocational school,

4:08Nomura encountered Amano's artwork again, this time in an employment magazine. Square,

4:14the game development company then hailed for FINAL FANTASY I through III, was recruiting

4:19for entry-level positions. This prompted Nomura to reflect on where he wanted to be professionally.

4:27“I just wanted a job where I could make something while being able to draw. At

4:33the same time, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything on my own. So,

4:38that's when I thought of making games. I couldn't think of any other choices.”

4:51Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, Tetsuya Nomura showed up for his first day at Square in a

4:56suit to be certain that he looked as presentable as possible. He joined the company quite close

5:01to the development deadline for FINAL FANTASY IV, and so for his first day with the company, Nomura

5:06found himself doing entry-level work dressed in a suit. His role, debugging, ensured the quality

5:12of the game by seeking and correcting bugs in the game's code to make sure the battle system,

5:17event triggers, and other important things were bug-free for a smooth experience. He learned the

5:22basics of the position from battle graphics designer Tetsuya Takahashi. This project was

5:28both Tetsuya's first at Square. Other notable FINAL FANTASY IV staff include series director

5:34Hironobu Sakaguchi, series character designer Yoshitaka Amano, series composer Nobuo Uematsu,

5:42and lead game designer / scenario writer Takashi Tokita. FINAL FANTASY IV was released on the Super

5:50Famcom on July 19th, 1991. The game was localized in North America as FINAL FANTASY II on the Super

5:58Nintendo on November 23rd, 1991. It was the first 16-bit entry in the series, the first to introduce

6:06the active time battle system coined by battle designer Hiroyuki Ito, and one of the first to

6:12include a complex plot with a cast of fleshed out original characters. All of these qualities

6:17and more led it to be highly regarded in its time and still today as one of the first examples of a

6:23modern Japanese role- playinging game or JRPG. FINAL FANTASY IV would serve as the foundation

6:29for each FINAL FANTASY to come, setting a new precedent for Square and the JRPG genre.

6:36After FINAL FANTASY IV's launch, Nomura was chosen to be in charge of monster design for FINAL

6:41FANTASY V. He'd also contribute to the project as part of the battle graphics team. However,

6:47Tetsuya Takahashi had moved from Battle Graphics to Field Graphics for this title,

6:52so the two weren't working in the same department. Like IV had, V brought on some newcomers of the

6:58FINAL FANTASY series. Most notably, map designer Kaori Tanaka and field planner and scenario

7:04writer Yoshinori Kitase. This would be Kitase's third project working at Square, Tanaka's first,

7:11and both's first mainline FINAL FANTASY. Working as monster designer, Nomura was being paid quite

7:17a low salary. Back then, background designers were the ones being paid a big cut for their job. But

7:23Nomura did not want to chase the money. Instead, he was upset that monster design was taken so

7:29lightly in the industry. When he brought this up to Hironobu Sakaguchi, Sakaguchi replied, "Then

7:35it's up to you to spread the notion that monster design is important." This reply would stick

7:40with Nomura. At one point around this time, Nomura discovered Yoshitaka Amano's first design of FINAL

7:46FANTASY III's Cloud Of Darkness in a strategy guide and was quite taken with it. He decided

7:52to himself then that he'd like to use that design someday. Nomura would work closely with Amano,

7:58as some monsters originated from Amano's pen and were given to Nomura to illustrate. Keeping

8:03Sakaguchi's words in mind, Nomura would create his own monsters as well. His original works for this

8:08game include: Magic Pot, Tonberry, and Gilgamesh. Nomura created these monsters in response to the

8:17popularity of the iconic monsters in the Dragon Quest games. They have all since remained iconic

8:22staples in the FINAL FANTASY series. Gilgamesh's name originates from the Epic of Gilgamesh,

8:29one of the oldest surviving works of literature composed in ancient Mesopotamia. The series

8:33of poems follow Gilgamesh, the historical king of Uruk, whose tyrannical rule leads

8:38the gods to create Enkidu as his rival turned companion. The two kill a giant, and Enkidu is

8:45sentenced to death by the gods. After Enkidu's death, Gilgamesh embarks on a futile quest for

8:50immortality. Despite his namesake, the Gilgamesh from FINAL FANTASY V is mainly inspired by Benkei,

8:58a 12th century warrior monk who served the legendary Yoshitsune Minamoto. Said to have stood

9:04over 7 ft tall, Benkei had mastered seven weapons in addition to his sword. According to legend,

9:11he set out to collect 1,000 swords from samurai he deemed unworthy at Gojo-Ohashi Bridge in Kyoto.

9:18After claiming 999, he spotted Yoshitsune and challenged him. They dueled on the Gojo Ohashi

9:25Bridge where the young Yoshitsune defeated him. Seeking revenge, Benkei waited at Kiyomizu Temple

9:32and challenged him again only to lose once more. Humbled, Benkei pledged lifelong loyalty. The two

9:40later fought side by side in Japan's Genpei War, meeting their end at the Battle of Koromo River.

9:47To avoid capture, Yoshitsune fled to a nearby shrine to commit seppuku. While Benkei held off

9:53their enemies on a bridge, reportedly cutting down 300 SOLDIERs in close combat. Realizing they could

9:59not defeat Benkei directly, his opponents shot him with arrows. Benkei died upright,

10:05pierced, and bleeding, and only fell after his enemies cautiously passed his dead body to

10:09cross the bridge. Benkei and Minamoto's historic companionship began on a bridge, and so too did

10:16it end on one. In the FINAL FANTASY series, the idea of the four fiends first appeared in FINAL

10:23FANTASY and later in FINAL FANTASY IV, where four separate boss monsters are servants of the primary

10:29villain. In FINAL FANTASY V, Gilgamesh fills this role alone. He confronts the party six different

10:36times over the course of the story, four of which fill the typical placement of the four fiends. His

10:42second encounter with the party takes place on a bridge, an homage to Benkei and a landmark in

10:47the FINAL FANTASY series. Here he is a tall buff armored warrior that fights with a naginata, or

10:53glaive. His armor, the Genji armor, can be stolen off of him in battle for the party to equip.

11:00The Genji armor derived its name from Yoshitsune Minimoto and Benkei's clan name from the Genpei

11:06War. The armor set had been recurring since FINAL FANTASY II, but its appearance on Gilgamesh

11:12forever recontextualized it within the lore of FINAL FANTASY. In the third encounter, Gilgamesh

11:17is accompanied by Enkidu, a creature whose name directly references the loyal companion from

11:22the Mesopotamian epic. In the fourth encounter, Gilgamesh sheds his armor to reveal he has eight

11:28arms, each holding different weapons, a nod to Benkei's arsenal. Although he serves as the chief

11:34lieutenant to the game's main antagonist, Exdeath, Gilgamesh is characterized less by cruelty than by

11:40rivalry and begrudging admiration, he develops a genuine respect for the heroes, even as he opposes

11:46them. After repeated failures to defeat the party, Exdeath casts him into the interdimensional rift,

11:52dismissing him as incompetent. There, Gilgamesh completes his arc. When the heroes face Necrophobe

11:58within the rift, he intervenes and sacrifices himself to ensure their survival. In the process

12:05of each FINAL FANTASY's development, each team member would be encouraged to record

12:10any ideas they had in their individual plan books. During development for V, Hironobu Sakaguchi and

12:16Yoshinori Kitase would find themselves looking forward to seeing Nomura's ideas specifically.

12:21This was partly because he would sketch and write by hand in his planning book, drawing

12:26on his background in advertising, while the other team members typically used computers to type out

12:30their ideas. Nomura would not shy away with his ideas either, even boldly approaching Kitase to

12:36rework the ending of the game, which he found to be “goofy.” This tweak made it to the game's final

12:42release. Of his other ideas floating around during the time of FINAL FANTASY V, Nomura notes his

12:49concept for a ninja with a dog and a gambler that fights with dice and cards were among the fray.

12:56These two ideas would become members of FINAL FANTASY VI's main cast: Shadow,

13:01the wandering mercenary, his dog Interceptor, and Setzer Gabbiani, the gambling vagabond who fights

13:08using cards, darts, and dice. These characters would be illustrated and handled by Amano, but

13:14they originated from Nomura's plan book. Nomura would even contribute to Shadow's backstory,

13:20suggesting the flashback cutscenes that tell it. With Sakaguchi's words in mind, Nomura made

13:26a point to push his monster design work further with FINAL FANTASY VI. One of his innovations in

13:32this title was his design for the Statue of the Gods, a three-phase showdown occurring directly

13:38before the final battle with God Kefka. The sprite for the statue is a sketch Nomura scanned into

13:44his computer and traced through pixel art. His design work for the final two encounters of the

13:49game showcase the eldritch side of his monster design, typically including disassembled human

13:54anatomy fused with symbols tied to the given situation. On the lighter side of things,

14:01Nomura contributed the iconic Cactuar to the FINAL FANTASY series when developing Monsters

14:05for VI. Nomura also worked as a graphic director alongside Tessuya Takahashi. Takahashi's main duty

14:14on the project was to ensure that the game would remain consistent with its industrial revolution

14:19aesthetic. He designed the Magitek armor as it is seen in the game's intro cinematic. This was after

14:24much creative back and forth with Hironobu Sakaguchi. Takahashi also likely ran into Kaori

14:30Tanaka at the time. For FINAL FANTASY VI, she was part of the field graphics team that would create

14:36the game's environments. She was on this team with newcomer Yusuke Naora, whose work on the

14:41village of Zozo would wow those able to promote him. This time around, Yoshinori Kitase and

14:47Hiroyuki Ito split the role of director, marking the first mainline FINAL FANTASY not directed by

14:53Sakaguchi. He instead served as producer and co-wrote the game scenario with Kitase. This

15:01title was the first FINAL FANTASY to stray from a typical medieval setting and the first to have

15:06no one protagonist hold more importance over the other. It also made the summon mechanic central

15:12to the plot, reinventing them as Espers. Finally, combat featured the Desperation Attack system. If

15:19a character's health gets critically low, there is a 1 in 6 chance they may perform an extra powerful

15:25attack in place of a normal one. FINAL FANTASY VI was released on the Super Famcom on April 2nd,

15:321994. The game was localized as FINAL FANTASY III in North America and would release on

15:38the Super Nintendo on October 11th that same year. FINAL FANTASY VI has a reputation as a

15:44masterpiece and is considered by a good amount of fans to be the best game in the series.

15:50Evidently, Sakaguchi was very fond of robots at the time. Some of that fascination made

15:55its way into FINAL FANTASY VI's steampunk setting. That fascination also found its

16:01way into another project: Front Mission. This game was a tactical turn-based strategy RPG

16:07where players command customizable mechs called Wanzers across grid-based battlefields. Front

16:13Mission would introduce even more key players in Nomura's future. Developed concurrently

16:19with FINAL FANTASY VI, Front Mission was Square's first venture in coordinating

16:24projects with other development studios. Recently, Square had purchased Cobra Team,

16:29a small development team that had been creating licensed games published by Bandai. Around 1994,

16:35Cobra Team was purchased by Square and had its workforce merged into the company. Meanwhile,

16:40Toshiro Tsuchida of G-Craft, a different independent developer, approached Square,

16:46pitching his concept for what would become Front Mission. As talks furthered, staff from Solid,

16:52the new name for the now Square merged Cobra team, were appointed to the project in order

16:57to maintain communications between Square and G-Craft. This resulted in Solid’s Shinji

17:04Hashimoto working as a producer on Front Mission. Tetsuya Nomura worked as part of

17:10the graphic design team for this game once again with Tetsuya Takahashi and Yusuke Naora. Sketches

17:16from Front Mission might have perhaps been the earliest display of his full artistic ability,

17:21but Nomura's career position during this time was not quite there yet. Yoshitaka Amano served as

17:27the lead artist, providing the game's key visuals and illustrations, and established composer Yoko

17:34Shimomura handled the soundtrack. Having recently gained widespread recognition for her work on

17:39Street Fighter II, Shimomura was just beginning most of her recognizable early work. Front Mission

17:47marked the first collaboration between Nomura, Hashimoto, and Shimomura on the same game.

17:54Nomura would also spend some time helping Live-A-Live's translation for the Tosa

17:58dialect of Japanese, Kochi Prefecture's native dialect. Live-A-Live was directed

18:03by Takashi Tokita. Again, Nomura would be credited on the same game as Yoko Shimomura.

18:20When the time came to start development for FINAL FANTASY VII, employees were asked to

18:25turn in ideas for the story. Hironobu Sakaguchi's first concept would take place in New York City

18:31and follow a detective named Joe. This game was going to be the first 3D FINAL FANTASY.

18:38Developers were learning their new Silicon Graphics workstations and would develop a

18:42tech demo featuring characters from FINAL FANTASY VI in 3D using these.

18:51After some early decisions were made for the title, a majority of the FINAL FANTASY VII

18:56team would pause and help Chrono Trigger finish development before its deadline.

19:01Another collaboration, and one of the most timeless JRPGs of all time,

19:06was truly the first Square Enix work. Before 2003, Squaresoft and Enix were two separate companies,

19:15with their flagship titles being FINAL FANTASY and Dragon Quest, respectively.

19:201995's Chrono Trigger brought together key creative forces from both franchises, including

19:26FINAL FANTASY director Hironobu Sakaguchi and Dragon Quest director Yuji Horii. These two

19:33would act as supervisors to directors Yoshinori Kitase, Takashi Tokita, and Akihiko Matsui. The

19:41project also included the talents of Dragon Quest character designer Akira Toriyama, best known

19:47as the creator of Dragon Ball and longtime FINAL FANTASY composer Nobuo Uematsu. Uematsu had some

19:54help on this title, working with Noriko Matsueda and Yasunori Mitsuda. The former had begun work at

20:02Squaresoft with Front Mission. The latter had just started composition work at the company.

20:08The rest of the development team for Chrono Trigger was a good mix of newcomers and the FINAL

20:12FANTASY VI team. Tetsuya Nomura was assigned field graphics and worked in a team with Yusuke Naora.

20:20Nomura and Naora's team spent most of their time creating the environments, props, and backdrops

20:25for the game. Naora would use Chrono Trigger to develop his skills as a background artist,

20:30making use of layering techniques and tinkering with the memory available on the Super Famcom to

20:35produce high quality environments that were also cost effective. Tetsuya Takahashi once again acted

20:41as graphics director. It was also around this time that he and Kaori Tanaka would begin brainstorming

20:48together, writing a script they would pitch for FINAL FANTASY VII. Chrono Trigger was released

20:54on March 11th, 1995 in Japan and August 22nd, 1995 in North America. The game was and still is

21:03entirely unique, boasting FINAL FANTASY and Dragon Quest as parents and innovating on both series in

21:09its own way. FINAL FANTASY brought the ATB battle system and a cinematic plot and soundtrack. Dragon

21:19Quest contributed its charm, world building, and art direction. The perfect crossover.

21:27As we've seen, Tetsuya Nomura is no stranger to pitching bold ideas,

21:32no matter how unconventional. Despite his position at Square, he was constantly pushing boundaries,

21:38proposing changes to the ending of FINAL FANTASY V, contributing to the elaborate presentation of

21:44the Statue Of The Gods in FINAL FANTASY VI, and even designing characters like Cactuar

21:50and Tonberry to rival the series staple monsters in the Dragon Quest games. It's no surprise then,

21:57that he also conceived Square's 1996 Satellaview title, Dynami Tracer.

22:04The game, built off of Chrono Trigger's game engine, featured six playable characters in

22:09a race to collect treasure around nine different planets. Though credited only as concept designer,

22:14Nomura also produced promotional artwork for the first time in his career. He created two pieces

22:20depicting the full playable cast. The style of these works suggests they were produced during the

22:25early development of FINAL FANTASY VII, as they reflect the same proportions and visual approach

22:30seen in his early sketches for that project. With producer Takashi Tokita, director Hiroki Chiba,

22:38and other developers such as Jun Akiyama, and Takayuki Odachi on board, Dynami Tracer is an

22:46easily missable entry in Nomura's portfolio that introduces even more faces that will

22:51become relevant in his future. Dynami Tracer was never physically produced, and was instead

22:57broadcast using the Super Famcom's Satellaview expansion. The Satellaview was exclusive to Japan,

23:03which distributed games digitally via satellite in limited time windows, similar to satellite

23:08television. Dynami Tracer was broadcast 2 hours a day from January 27th, 1996 to March 8th, 1996

23:17and then never again. Thankfully, the game is not lost, and can be played today through emulation.

23:27Super Mario RPG lists Tetsuya Nomura in the credits under special thanks. It is likely that

23:33he designed the game secret boss, Culex. A sketch of this character surfaced on Kazuyuki Kirashima's

23:40Instagram in 2019. Kirashima was the monster designer and a character supervisor on Mario

23:46RPG. Under the post, there is a comment asking if Nomura was responsible for Culex. Kashima did not

23:53respond to this comment. Even if he did design Culex, Nomura's monster design principles are

23:59evident in Culex's design. I believe that this is Nomura's work, however, considering the sketch,

24:06handwriting, and their similarity to his other sketches at the time. Culex is a great example

24:11of Nomura's eldritch designing, this time being more in line with his later creations. Whereas God

24:19Kefka still had his legs, Culex is but a floating torso, arms, and head with crystals around his

24:26waist. The symbolism in the final encounters of FINAL FANTASY VI were largely based on the idea

24:32of godhood. Culex's concept is clearly based on the FINAL FANTASY series as a whole, considering

24:38the game's development by Square. His battle music is the boss battle music used in FINAL FANTASY IV.

24:45Thus, the crystals around his waist are quite fitting. Developed by Squaresoft and published

24:51by Nintendo, Super Mario RPG would be the Super Nintendo and Super Famcom's last Mario title.

24:58The game was released for Super Famcom in March 1996 and Super Nintendo in May 1996. Super Mario

25:06RPG will be the third project released with Nomura and Shimomura’s name in the credits.

25:13In June 1996, Mario returned for one of the most important games of all time. Super Mario

25:2364 made waves, releasing as a launch title for Nintendo's brand new 3D console, the Nintendo 64.

25:30[KCCI]: Most stores started selling the system today, and they've already sold out. Toys R

25:35Us had the largest shipment available to the public, and before noon, they were sold out.

25:40uh this is going to be uh the the system for the year and it's obviously going to

25:44be one of those high demand things going to be extremely difficult to get a hold of.

25:48Nomura was quite inspired by this title and during the early days of development for the next FINAL

25:53FANTASY and expressed to his colleagues how inspiring the fully 3D environments were to him,

25:58and how he'd like to try his hand at such a game. One of his colleagues wasn't so sure, replying

26:04that such a concept couldn't rival Mario 64 unless it had an icon of its own, relating Mario's

26:11popularity to the popularity of Disney characters. [Mickey Mouse Works]: Must be locked. Locked?

26:17Where's the key? Maybe it's on Goofy’s keychain. [clears throat] Let's see here.

26:26We got a car key, piano key, skeleton key, keyboard, key to the city, keyhole,

26:32key lime pie, key to my heart, gawrsh. Nomura did not forget this remark.

26:39During development for Chrono Trigger, Tetsuya Takahashi submitted the story he

26:43and Kaori Tanaka had been working on. They felt it could easily become FINAL FANTASY VII. In it,

26:49were influences from the works of philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche, Carl Jung, and Sigmund

26:55Freud. The protagonist would be a SOLDIER with a split mind. It would be a game that explored deep

27:01questions concerning the existence of humanity and its purpose. However, this script was

27:07rejected by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who considered it too dark and cerebral for a FINAL FANTASY.

27:13Takahashi took this rejection, and left the FINAL FANTASY VII team to establish his own

27:18within the company. This team would be in charge of developing Chrono Trigger 2. But

27:23Takahashi had other plans. The team would begin a different project using Takahashi and Tanaka's

27:29FINAL FANTASY VII pitch under the working title, Project Noah. Tetsuya Nomura was assigned to both

27:35FINAL FANTASY VII and Project Noah. While he was meeting with both Yoshinori Kitase and Tetsuya

27:42Takahashi to discuss how he should approach this, Hironobu Sakaguchi stepped in and told them,

27:47"Tetsu will work on FINAL FANTASY." So, Nomura stepped down from his position on Takahashi's

27:53project to pursue the next mainline FINAL FANTASY game. By the time FINAL FANTASY

27:59VII resumed production, Tetsuya Nomura had been working at Squaresoft for around 4 or 5 years.

28:05Yoshitaka Amano, character designer and artist for all six FINAL FANTASY games thus far,

28:11would be stepping down from his role. Firstly, he felt his art would pose a struggle for the series

28:17jump to 3D. Secondly, he would be quite busy for the upcoming project, as he was still a popular

28:23artist aside from the games he worked on. Around this time, he had his first solo exhibition in

28:28New York City and took this opportunity to move there and set up a studio. Regardless,

28:34Amano would still provide art for the series logos and make paintings of each game's characters based

28:39on concepts, but largely, Nomura was handed the keys of this role. He recalls meeting with Amano

28:46only once during this development window. Now, he was the main character designer for the next

28:52FINAL FANTASY. Like Amano before him, Nomura would also create some monsters for the game.

28:59Not only this, but some of his story concepts were adopted by writer and director Yoshinori

29:03Kitase and writer Kazushige Nojima. Nojima had previously directed Bahamut Lagoon,

29:10and FINAL FANTASY VII was his second project with Square. Before that, Nojima was a scenario writer

29:17for Data East for about 6 years. Kitase was aware of his prior work and requested he emulate other

29:23works of his for specific parts of FINAL FANTASY VII. Other newcomers to the FINAL FANTASY series

29:29included Takeshi Endo, Tatsuya Kando, and Masaru Oka. Like before with FINAL FANTASY VI, Hironobu

29:37Sakaguchi remained on board as producer for FINAL FANTASY VII. He'd create the game's Materiasystem,

29:43which allowed players to equip abilities and spells to weapons and armor, altering

29:48the concept of character jobs in a new way for the FINAL FANTASY series. The system was dubbed

29:54Materia by Sakaguchi after a brief period of the working title “Spheres" suggested by Nomura. The

30:00renaming was due to the difficulty of pronouncing the word "sphere" for Japanese players. Sakaguchi

30:06was also on board to ensure FINAL FANTASY VII felt cinematic. He and Kitase aimed for the game to be

30:13seamless. They'd aimed to make cutscenes not stick out against the gameplay to accomplish this. Art

30:19director Yusuke Naora was hard at work on this as well, running the team of background artists that

30:24would fuel the game's environments. He employed the skills he had learned through work on Chrono

30:30Trigger and made sure his team detailed as much as possible in every given background of the game.

30:36Some of these details were Easter eggs, including a picture of Hironobu Sakaguchi and the Mona Lisa,

30:43to name a few. Tetsuya Nomura would be heavily involved in the story, working closely with Kitase

30:50and Nojima to ensure that each character's design was intentional and communicated their personality

30:56and story. He also directed battle visuals for the game and created the Limit Break system,

31:02a riff on FINAL FANTASY VI's Desperation Attacks. Each character has a gauge labeled “Limit” next to

31:08their other stats in battle. Taking and dealing damage increases the gauge. Once the Limit Gauge

31:13is full, each character has a unique special attack to unleash. Through repeated use of the

31:19mechanic, each character can learn even more of these moves. While Nomura did a lot of work

31:25designing characters and making up some of the concepts for the story, it should be noted that

31:29the greatness of FINAL FANTASY VII was not solely his doing. In the process of making the game,

31:36there was no one true director. Instead, most developers had their own ideas and projects

31:41that they worked into the game, turning to each other for help or rewrites when necessary. This

31:46meant that developers like event planners Jun Akiyama, Motomu Toriyama, and Hiroki Chiba could

31:52make big contributions to the game regardless of position. Instead of following previous entries

31:58and releasing the game on the current Nintendo console, the Nintendo 64, Squaresoft chose to

32:04move FINAL FANTASY VII to Sony's PlayStation. The decision was largely driven by hardware

32:09limitations. The PlayStation used CD-ROM discs, which provided far more storage space than

32:16the Nintendo 64's cartridges. This allowed the developers greater freedom with the game’s scope.

32:31Sakaguchi was the catalyst for the deformed chibi character models used in gameplay. Regarding this,

32:37Yoshinori Kitase commented, "I think Mr. Sakaguchi wanted to follow the tradition of the pixel

32:43graphics and to show the character's expressions on the field screens. So, he paid attention to the

32:48size of the heads. In battles, you can zoom in the camera, but since the field screens are a single

32:54background image, you can't do that. As a result, the proportion of the characters are different in

33:00battle and on the field.” Due to these imposed graphical limits, Nomura had to adapt his art

33:06style and sketches to easily translate between the Ni-Toushin art style used in most FMV cutscenes

33:12and battle, and the superdeformed chibi avatars used in some cutscenes and on the field. He also

33:20faced another significant though self-inflicted challenge: “Before we started FINAL FANTASY VII,

33:27the characters from FINAL FANTASY IV were still very popular despite the fact that five

33:32and six had been released. I found this really frustrating. Why would people still be talking

33:38about those characters? So, I made it my goal to create my own batch of characters that would be

33:43remembered and loved by the FINAL FANTASY fans.” Other than Barret and Cait Sith, Nomura designed

33:51the cast with the writing team as the story took shape. He made an effort to give each character

33:56their own focal point and was in charge of naming all characters, though a few were named by other

34:02staffers. Before we begin, let's run down some FINAL FANTASY VII vocabulary. For those

34:09unfamiliar, FINAL FANTASY VII reflects Daoism through the Lifestream. The Planet is a living

34:15entity, and the Lifestream is its lifeblood, formed from the souls of all living things.

34:20Mako is Lifestream energy that occurs naturally within the Planet,

34:24but is refined by the Shinra Electric Power Company for electric power and experimentation,

34:30paralleling fossil fuel use while reinforcing the game’s sci-fi tone. Materia are condensed mako,

34:38enabling magic and replacing the FINAL FANTASY series's use of crystals.

34:43These are important concepts to remember as the world, characters, and story of FINAL FANTASY

34:49VII are extremely fleshed out and tight-knit. Several story concepts were pitched in order to

34:55make this game groundbreaking in all different ways. It started as a noir set in New York

35:00City. Another later concept involved fighting a powerful sorceress. Yoshinori Kitase had written

35:07up a script that would follow a father and son throughout different time periods and flashbacks,

35:12and Tetsuya Takahashi's Project Noah was a FINAL FANTASY VII script being repurposed.

35:19Despite all of these new ideas, Kitase would prod Kazushige Nojima to write a

35:24story similar to his work on Glory of Heracles III: Silence of the Gods, a game that featured

35:29an amnesiac protagonist. This served as the basis for protagonist Cloud Strife's backstory.

35:39Cloud's design went through several drafts and edits throughout production. At first,

35:44his hair was swept back in order to conserve polygons and resemble a historical samurai

35:49that we'll talk about later. His hair would be black to contrast with Sephiroth's silver.

35:55After looking at the first design, Nomura decided that this hairstyle didn't make Cloud stand out

36:01as a protagonist, and so, his hair was made blond and began to spike up more and more each

36:06draft. His first name is not based on the mass of condensed water vapor, but on how clouded his mind

36:13is. His last name, Strife, is defined as angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues.

36:21Cloud's final look makes use of asymmetry in order to differentiate his uniform from other

36:25Shinra SOLDIERs and as a foil to Sephiroth's symmetry. His rigid armoring, hulking sword,

36:32and spiky hair all do well to set Cloud apart. I'd wager that Nomura gave Cloud at least two,

36:38possibly three focal points. His hair, as it is the intended focal point, the Buster Sword for

36:45obvious reasons, and thirdly, the ensemble on his left arm, including his pauldron and

36:50gauntlet. These items on his left side help balance his design against his spiky hair that

36:56is aimed right. Another thing to note here, and I'd like to thank Alleyway Jack for bringing my

37:01attention to this, is that Cloud's head shot maps very nicely onto the Fibonacci Spiral.

37:07The Fibonacci Spiral is built from adjoining squares based on the Fibonacci sequence,

37:12creating a curve that guides the viewer's eye along a deliberate path. In Cloud's case, the

37:18curve perfectly maps onto his headshot portrait. It follows the structure of his spiked blond hair,

37:24directing attention inward and framing his face. His eyes then function as a secondary

37:30focal point in this close-up view, holding attention once the viewer's eye is drawn in.

37:37Cloud's eyes are blue with a green tint as a result of the mako energy he was infused with.

37:42This is a trademark of every Shinra SOLDIER and has a deeper symbolism that we'll discuss later.

37:49Though his counterpart Zack would later gain a surname, at the time

37:53of the game's original release, he did not have an official last name. Traditionally,

37:58the name Zack is a Hebrew name meaning God has remembered. It was Noima who had created Zack,

38:05but Nomura was in charge of his design. Because of this, elements drafted out of Cloud's old

38:11designs were worked into Zack's. Zack's final appearance includes a neater SOLDIER uniform

38:16with no modifications made, a contrast to Cloud's tricked out setup. This results in

38:22a more symmetrical design for his outfit, which contrasts with Cloud's asymmetry in a way that

38:27loosely echoes Sephiroth's visual design, though the difference is less pronounced.

38:33Zack's uniform is a bit darker than Cloud's in color, and so is his hair. Zack's hair

38:39is Cloud's original black, but coincidentally contrasts nicely against his final blond hair

38:44color. All of this is excellent subtlety. In the game story, Zack is a stand-in to show the kind of

38:52man that Cloud wishes he could be. It only makes sense then, that he should resemble the legendary

38:57samurai we'll talk about soon. and his use of Cloud's original design, though a lastminute

39:03choice, helps augment his place in Cloud's life. Zack, too, has mako eyes, as all SOLDIERs do.

39:12Nomura has described that he wanted Sephiroth, the game's antagonist, to be “Kakkoii”. This is

39:17best translated from Japanese, to “cool, good-looking, or stylish”. Sephiroth's

39:24name could be derived from a set of Jewish texts known as the Kabbalah. His namesake, the Sefirot,

39:30are 10 energies and vessels that G-d uses to reveal himself in our world. They ultimately

39:36serve as a guide to help you consider your actions before taking them. This could apply to his final

39:42form as Safer Sephiroth, which could refer to the Sefer Sefirot, translated from Hebrew as Book of

39:48Numbers. This is the fourth book of the Torah, the specific text where the Seifrot are discussed.

39:55Almost everything in Sephiroth's design is a counter to Cloud’s. Sephiroth wears the ornate

40:00leather belt featured in SOLDIER uniforms on his bare chest. His outfit is sleek and symmetrical,

40:06contrasting Cloud's asymmetry. There's an air of neofuturism in his design that comes with

40:12the slickness of his outfit and simplicity of his color palette. The characters of FINAL FANTASY VII

40:18all feature armor or bangles, but using Cloud as an example, where his armor is bulky and

40:24weathered, Sephiroth's looks manufactured and polished. As for his color palette,

40:31aside from his eyes and skin, the only colors present on Sephiroth are black and white,

40:37perhaps a subtle gesture to his worldview. Of course, his long silver hair contrasts Cloud's

40:44spiky blond hair. In character art, we can once again see contrast between characters. Cloud's

40:51official art depicts him holding his weapon over his shoulder with his right hand, while Sephiroth

40:56holds his at his waist with his left. Sephiroth has two distinct bangs that hang down over his

41:02face, a design choice made by Nomura at an earlier point in development that we'll discuss later.

41:08Sephiroth has mako eyes, but because of how he was conceived, they are more pure than other

41:14SOLDIERs. This is illustrated in-game by making his eyes turquoise rather than blue. His pupils

41:21are shaped like the eyes of a cat, another nod to his heritage. As he is the game's final boss,

41:27Sephiroth takes on many forms, each featuring the same classic design philosophies employed in

41:32Nomura's monster designing work thus far. These include Bizarro Sephiroth and Safer Sephiroth.

41:39Both of these designs use Sephiroth's true body, which is severed at the waistline. Since

41:46the party battles four parts of Jenova’s body throughout the campaign of FINAL FANTASY VII,

41:51Bizarro Sephiroth’s design acts as an intermediary between Jenova’s presence as an antagonist and

41:57Sephiroth's final form. We can also see that the relation between both humanoid subjects

42:04here resembles the top third of the Statue Of The Gods from FINAL FANTASY VI. Though it

42:10may be a reference to the Safer Sefirot, Safer Sephiroth's name could also mean to say Seraph

42:16Sephiroth. Seraphim, translated from Hebrew as the burning ones, are eldritch beings in Judaism and

42:23Christianity. It is said that if a mortal gazes upon one, they will incinerate at that moment.

42:30Safer Sephiroth's design references Seraphim likely as they were depicted in cathedral murals

42:36during the Renaissance era. Seraphim are depicted with six wings and Safer Sephiroth has six wings

42:42in place of his missing legs. Considering his work on God Kefka in FINAL FANTASY VI,

42:48it isn't too difficult to believe Nomura would utilize religious imagery in order to

42:52illustrate the godhood of a main antagonist. In his final form, Sephiroth also shares God

42:58Kefka's heartless angel attack, which brings the entire party down to one HP.

43:04Nomura modeled Cloud and Sephiroth's relationship after the rivalry between legendary Japanese

43:09samurai Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro. Kojiro was a swordsman who wielded Monohoshizao,

43:17a 90 cm or 2ft and 9 in straightedged nodachi. He is noted as one of Japan's most famous and

43:24kakkoii samurai. Miyamoto Musashi was a famous ronin who defeated Kojiro with a large bokken

43:31blade carved out of a wooden oar. The weapon he used in this battle was 110 cm or 3 ft and 6 in.

43:39Musashi killed Kojiro in one hit with his bokken by counterattacking his enemy's first strike,

43:45breaking Kojiro's rib cage, puncturing his lung, and killing him. In some interpretations of the

43:50story, Musashi leaps above Kojiro's head and cracks his skull with the bokken. The two had

43:56their duel in the early Edo period of Japan, and it's memorialized on Ganryu-jima Island,

44:01Japan, where the duel took place. This allusion to Japanese history also informs

44:07the design choices of FINAL FANTASY VII's most iconic weapons. Cloud's Buster Sword,

44:13dubbed the giant kitchen knife during development, was based on the large oar blade Musashi wielded

44:18against Kojiro. In fact, early sketches of Cloud show that his weapon’s dimensions were

44:23initially much closer to Musashi's oar blade. Sephiroth’s Masamune is a thin, piercing odachi

44:30measuring 10 ft. Early sketches depict his weapon in more realistic proportions as well.

44:37In the end, both final weapons greatly exaggerate their source material.

44:42A character relationship chart drawn by Nomura from the earliest days of production shows us that

44:47the story would only have three main characters at first, including Cloud, Tifa, and Blow, who would

44:54later be renamed to Barret. In this iteration, the Turks are pursuing Tifa, and she and Sephiroth are

45:00siblings. Just a bit later in production, the decision would be made to create a new heroine

45:05named Aerith from parts of Tifa's character. Aerith went through several iterations, especially

45:11concerning what her relationship to Sephiroth was. In the first draft, they were siblings.

45:17In another, they were lovers. By the final draft, Zack had been created and had the role of Aerith's

45:23late boyfriend. The similarities in Sephiroth and Aerith's appearances remain in their final designs

45:29despite the changes and help subtly communicate their narrative roles, as we'll discuss later.

45:51Aerith's sacrifice was decided because of the impact it would have. In every FINAL

45:56FANTASY thus far, a heroic character akin to Barret would sacrifice themselves for

46:00the rest of the party. The writers of FINAL FANTASY VII wanted to change this tradition

46:05and find a way to make it a speaking point on life, the game's core theme.

46:09[HIRONOBU SAKAGUCHI]: When we were creating FINAL FANTASY III, my mother passed away and

46:15ever since I have been thinking about the theme, life. Life exists in many things,

46:22and I was curious about what would happen if I attempted to analyze life in a mathematical

46:27and logical way. Maybe this was my approach in overcoming the grief I was experiencing. This is

46:36the first time in the series that this particular theme actually appears in the game itself.

46:43This would become one of the most iconic moments in video game history because of its emotional

46:48impact. The idea of a classic FINAL FANTASY sacrifice being depicted as murder of an innocent

46:57heroine motivated Nomura, Kitase, and Nojima to create a second mainstay heroine who would not

47:03pass on. Because of this, Aerith was separated from Tifa, inheriting some facets such as being

47:10pursued by the Turks, and some original ideas were left behind with Tifa's name's etymology.

47:15Tifa's name could be derived from Tiferet, the sixth Sefirah discussed in the book of numbers.

47:22Tiferet means beauty, or glory, and is the center of the tree of life, balancing out opposite

47:28energies against each other. Tifa's name, drawing from the same source material as Sephiroth's,

47:33suggests an early conceptual link and hints at a duality between Aerith and Sephiroth before Aerith

47:39was fully distinguished as her own character. Her final name is derived from the word Earth,

47:43as it is pronounced in Japanese. This Japanese pronunciation tripped up the FINAL FANTASY VII

47:49localization team, leading to a never-ending debate among American fans over Aerith's

47:55true name. Her new look includes a long dress, contrasting with Tifa's miniskirt. She wears a

48:01pink ribbon in her hair. This is the focal point of her design. In it, she hides her white Materia

48:07which can cast the spell holy to counteract meteor and protect the Planet. This Materia can only be

48:13seen on her battle model, her field model during the wall market sequence, and in her death scene.

48:20The fringes of Aerith's hair are very similar to Sephiroth’s due to the original plan for them to

48:25be siblings. Things changed, but the fringes stayed. They admittedly slipped past Nomura,

48:30but it's a welcome accident, as their matching haircuts help display the

48:34dynamic between these two. You see, Aerith is the last surviving member of the Cetra,

48:40an ancient people able to communicate directly with the planet. While Sephiroth was created by

48:45Shinra through experiments attempting to replicate Cetra abilities by implanting cells from the

48:50extraterrestrial being Jenova into a human fetus. Aerith and Sephiroth's lineage is also depicted

48:57in their eye color. Aerith's eyes are green. Her and her late mother Ifalna are the only two

49:03characters in FINAL FANTASY VII with green eyes. This symbolizes their connection to the planet.

49:10Mako eyes are characterized by their vague green hue, a great visual indication toward the true

49:16purpose of Sephiroth and the SOLDIER program. Like Zack and Sephiroth, Aerith's design is

49:22symmetrical. Considering her fringes, eye color, and interactions with Cloud, we can infer that

49:28the symmetry in her design is yet again a conscious choice made to contrast with Cloud

49:33from a different angle. With Zack, Sephiroth, and Aerith, we have Cloud's design being challenged by

49:40a friend who pushes, encourages, and takes care of him, a rival to whom he has a personal vendetta,

49:47and a woman who can counter his brooding and break through to his emotional core.

49:54Thankfully, even though Aerith was extracted from her, Tifa's name still makes perfect

49:58sense in her final characterization. Tiferet in Judaism symbolizes the heart, compassion,

50:05and the attribute of truth. It also represents the harmony of opposite energies such as mercy and

50:11justice. Considering her relationship with Cloud, Tifa's name makes perfect sense. She is the most

50:18emotionally mature and empathetic character in the party, but isn't afraid to kick some ass when

50:23needed. While Cloud fights with a sword as tall as he is, and Barret shoots from a gun prosthetic,

50:29Tifa kicks, punches, and slaps her way through their adventure with sheer strength. All the

50:34while, she is Cloud's tether to his past, and helps him sort out his fragmented identity

50:39when he is incapacitated. Tifa's outfit is asymmetrical, similar to Clouds, including

50:44additional armoring on her left elbow and foot. Her outfit contrasts with Aerith’s as it is

50:50form-fitting and shows off more of her skin. Her hair is fashioned like a dolphin tail at its ends,

50:55as she is thematically connected to the animal. Dolphins are a symbol of peace and harmony.

51:01Tifa's breasts are the focal point of her design. The developers had nicknames for each character

51:06during the game's production. These nicknames were left unused in the game's code, and Tifa's

51:12nickname was “Miss Busty”. While designing her, Nomura wrote out the measurements for her bust,

51:17waist, and hips. These measurements make her bra size about a 32 DDD in American bra sizes.

51:25Because of this, she would go on to become a sex symbol in pop culture to this day. The

51:30issue I'm discussing here is not her breasts specifically, but the intent behind them. Her

51:35development nickname is pretty revealing as to how Tifa was seen by the game staff,

51:40and that is the problematic part. For reference, Aerith and Yuffie's nicknames made no comment on

51:46their physical appearance. Thankfully, she wasn't downplayed in the writing room and,

51:50as mentioned before, Tifa's personality is a strong point of her character.

51:57Despite being one of the first characters designed for FINAL FANTASY VII, Barret

52:01Wallace's development wasn't explicitly touched upon by the team in interviews. By

52:06piecing together some early character profiles available in the FINAL FANTASY VII Ultimania,

52:10I've only been able to find a few things. Firstly, his name might derive from the

52:15Japanese pronunciation of the word “bullet”. Secondly, he was going to hold a gun in his

52:20open hand as well, but this was removed to keep the attention on the gun arm, which

52:25became his signature character piece, similar to Cloud's Buster Sword. Thirdly, and lastly,

52:30is that his origin story is generally the same as it was in earlier drafts of the game, albeit

52:35the first few concepts saw Marlene as Barret's biological daughter and Dyne named Duel, among

52:40other small differences. His final appearance depicts him as a tall, buff man with a gun

52:47grafted on his right arm instead of a prosthetic. Of course, this gun arm is the focal point of his

52:52design. He wears a rugged combat getup that echoes B.A. Baracus, a character played by

52:58Mr. T in the A team. The English localization of FINAL FANTASY VII also played into this, providing

53:05Barret with a more bombastic characterization than before, including calling Cloud, “foo”.

53:13As he is the first playable black character in a FINAL FANTASY game and one of the only

53:18black characters in the game, much discourse has endured discussing whether or not his

53:22portrayal is a racist one. Nomura and the others would consider this going forward.

53:28Though Barret's design and personality have generated some controversy, he is a well-developed

53:33character with a distinct and compelling backstory, and his portrayal becomes more nuanced

53:38when considered within full narrative context, instead of focusing on surface level traits alone.

53:44Alongside Barret, Cait Sith was one of the earliest character concepts Nomura had long

53:49wanted to create. What he neglected to mention, was that he already had.

53:55Cait Sith first appeared as an Esper named Stray in FINAL FANTASY VI with an appearance nearly

54:00identical to his final design for VII. The only new additions are his crown and moogle robot. Cait

54:08Sith originates from Scottish folklore. Cat-Sith are black cats the size of a dog with a white spot

54:14on their chests and walk with their hind legs. They are fairies that bring misfortunes to people.

54:20The concept of the black cat depicted in Halloween paraphernalia originates from the Cat-Sith. The

54:26most popular legend related to the fairies goes like this: A man is out alone and sees nine black

54:32cats carrying a coffin with a crown on it. They tell him to tell Tom Tildrum that Tim

54:37Tolrum is dead. Dazed, the man returns home and confides in his wife what had just taken place.

54:44As he does, the couple's own black cat perks its ears, rises, and says in a human voice,

54:50"Then that means I am the king of cats!" It runs up the chimney, and it is never seen

54:55again. Artifacts of this legend can be seen all over Cait Sith's design. Though it would appear

55:01in later installments, Cait Sith did not have a Scottish voice in the original FINAL FANTASY VII.

55:11Nomura's always had some out- of-the-box ideas. Like Cait Sith, Red XIII is one of those. It is

55:18highly likely that he was inspired by Nomura's favorite animal, the lion. His weapon is his

55:23headdress, which was inspired by Native American culture. Nomura decided to call him Red XIII

55:29because a name that didn't sound like a name could sound interesting. His true name, Nanaki,

55:36was coined by event planner Jun Akiyama. With Red's design, we can see Nomura's fascination

55:42with tattoos shine through. Barret has a tattoo, but it's just one on his left shoulder. Nanaki's

55:49body is covered in ink. On one hand, it could be Nomura experimenting with things that look cool,

55:56but considering Red's headdress, it might also be inspired by tattooing practices in some

56:01Native American cultures. Red XIII's species is still unnamed in the lore of FINAL FANTASY VII,

56:08but his kind are known to live for hundreds of years. The only other kind of his species

56:13shown in the game are his late father, Seto, and his two children from 500 years in the future.

56:30The behind-the-scenes design process of Cid Highwind reflects Nomura's ambition to create

56:35his own characters capable of overtaking the popularity of the FINAL FANTASY IV

56:39party. Cid Highwind derives both his surname and dragoon association from Cain Highwind of FINAL

56:46FANTASY IV, who in turn inherited them from Ricard Highwind of FINAL FANTASY II. As the

56:53third instance, Cid helps establish Highwind as a recurring dragoon surname within the series. He is

57:00also technically the second playable Cid in the series after FINAL FANTASY IV's Cid Pollendina.

57:06Nomura's goal all throughout was to “do something different with Cid in this FINAL FANTASY.” The

57:12Cids of FINAL FANTASY past often functioned as reliable guide characters who assisted with

57:17party progression and transportation. Cid Highwind still fulfills this traditional role within FINAL

57:23FANTASY VII, but in a more flawed and constrained way. He brings with him the Tiny Bronco,

57:30which continues the series airship progression, but it is badly damaged and can only travel

57:35across the sea rather than fly freely, limiting its usefulness compared to earlier entries.

57:41This sense of limitation mirrors aspects of his characterization,

57:44as well, as Cid is portrayed as a verbally abusive potty mouth, often taking his anger

57:50out in his assistant Shera and habitually smoking after battles, which leaves us with

57:55a rough-edged and emotionally unpolished version of the traditionally dependable Cid archetype.

58:03Early drafts of Yuffie Kisaragi portrayed her as a foul-mouthed 25-year-old ninja and ex-SOLDIER

58:09mercenary dressed in red who followed the party across the world in pursuit of a large bounty on

58:14Cloud. In this version, Yuffie had wanted posters displayed worldwide depicting her at various ages

58:21and appearances. The most recent poster the player saw determined her stats the next time the party

58:27encountered her. Yuffie's final appearance depicts her at 16 years old. Her characterization is quite

58:33different from her original concept. Instead, placing her as the daughter of her homeland,

58:38Wutai's leader, and her backstory centers on the decline of Wutai after its war with Shinra,

58:44which left her homeland politically weakened and culturally diminished. This weakened state

58:49leads Yuffie to develop an insatiable desire for Materia, which she justifies by believing it could

58:54be used to strengthen Wutai and make her homeland capable of defeating Shinra once and for all.

59:01Like Aerith and Tifa, Vincent Valentine's design was adapted from an early draft of

59:05Sephiroth. Tifa's appearance was originally Aerith’s and Aerith and Sephiroth were once

59:11planned to be siblings. This makes Vincent's hair and eye color intriguing as they are the

59:16same as Tifa's: black hair with red eyes. He was named by Yoshinori Kitase and his

59:23design is aesthetically centered around horror. In his first backstory draft,

59:27Vincent was portrayed as a detective sent by a corporate rival of the Shinra Corporation to

59:32investigate and expose the unethical practices of Dr. Hojo. This version of the story included Hojo

59:39drugging and forcibly experimenting on Lucrecia Crescent with Vincent attempting to save her out

59:44of ethical duty instead of the deeply personal and emotional motivation depicted in the final game.

59:50The detective role seems to be an homage to the original Detective Joe concept for the game. He'd

59:56be the only character able to trigger his limit break on the field, allowing him to transform into

1:00:00different horror themed monsters and non-combat settings and determining different trajectories

1:00:05for cutscenes based on his appearance. The focal point of his design are his red cloak and head

1:00:10wraps. He is the only member of the FINAL FANTASY VII party to not have iron plating in his design.

1:00:17His surname, Valentine, might be as on the nose as they get, as in his final backstory,

1:00:23he is an elite agent for Shinra, known as a Turk, who served as a bodyguard for Dr. Hojo and

1:00:29Lucrecia Crescent while they worked on the Jenova project, which ultimately leads to the creation

1:00:34of Sephiroth. Vincent and Lucrecia fall in love during this period, but it was not to be. Lucrecia

1:00:41had already volunteered to bear Hojo's child in the name of science, her consent framed within

1:00:46institutional pressure and Hojo's authority over the project, leaving her little room for refusal.

1:00:53Back when they were an ex-SOLDIER and a detective, Yuffie and Vincent were nearly

1:00:57left on the cutting room floor. Their original concepts were far too hefty to include in the

1:01:02game before the deadline. Ultimately, they were kept and adapted by the team,

1:01:07as most ideas for the game were. Jun Akiyama was a large part in saving them from being removed

1:01:12and adapting their new stories. He was especially fond of Yuffie. Takashi Tokita would contribute

1:01:19to portions of Yuffie's final episode and Hiroki Chiba was in charge of managing Vincent. It is

1:01:25because of their near exclusion that Yuffie and Vincent's final stories are brief,

1:01:30optional, and don't hold much weight in the overarching narrative of FINAL FANTASY VII.

1:01:35The two also do not appear in any full motion video cutscenes due to their optional nature.

1:01:41Rufus Shinra and his Turks are the first organized group villain Nomura designed.

1:01:46Rufus' name is Latin for “red-haired”. His last name, Shinra, is derived from

1:01:51the Japanese word “Shinwa”, which means myth or legend. Despite his name meaning red-haired,

1:01:58he actually has blond hair. The only time he has red hair is in his chibi character model.

1:02:04He fights alongside a dog, similar to Shadow from FINAL FANTASY VI.

1:02:12Shinra's board of executives, the Turks, and the men in black robes should also be noted here,

1:02:18despite their simple designs. I can't find much to cite regarding their designs, but knowing Nomura's

1:02:24style and what's to come, the minor antagonists of FINAL FANTASY VII are just as noteworthy as the

1:02:29main cast. These characters show that Nomura can make unique groups in their own organized uniform,

1:02:35unique outfits, or even with obscured faces. In sum, the characters of FINAL FANTASY VII

1:02:42are a healthy mix of Nomura's favorite design choices. This healthy mix helps the main cast

1:02:48feel like a solid unit. He certainly succeeded in making an iconic bunch of characters to be

1:02:53remembered and loved by fans. It's been said so many times, but Nomura's character work here

1:02:59is brilliant. The characters in this game will be echoed in Nomura's future work quite a lot.

1:03:05FINAL FANTASY VII is the most popular FINAL FANTASY to date and one of the

1:03:09most important games of all time. The impact of this game cannot be overstated.

1:03:15This game was Squaresoft's first in-house 3D project on the brand new PlayStation, and contains

1:03:20a large number of firsts for the FINAL FANTASY series, the JRPG genre, and the gaming industry.

1:03:33For one last brief overview, FINAL FANTASY VII moved the FINAL FANTASY series to PlayStation

1:03:39and embraced the new format of CD ROM. With its massive story spanning three of these CD discs,

1:03:45FINAL FANTASY VII featured fully playable 3D characters,

1:03:49introduced the Limit Break system to the ATB combat system, and contains

1:03:53one of the best JRPG narratives in terms of scope, emotion, pacing,

1:03:58and presentation. The list goes on for what makes FINAL FANTASY VII such a cornerstone in gaming.

1:04:16Within 5 years at Squaresoft, Tetsuya Nomura advanced from debugger to character designer,

1:04:23story concept, and battle visual director on Square Enix’s most

1:04:27successful video game. By the time FINAL FANTASY VII launched, his work had reached

1:04:32icon status. Through relentless effort and willingness to pitch every single idea,

1:04:38Nomura achieved remarkable career success. From sketches of lions to giant kitchen knives,

1:04:43his creative journey was only just beginning. It stands as an inspiring story of perseverance,

1:04:49creativity, and authenticity. My name is Joe. I have talked. Thank you for watching.