6 more great FINAL FANTASY love stories
We remember some of the FINAL FANTASY relationships that will warm your heart… and belly.Warning: spoilers for FINAL FANTASY VIII, FINAL FANTASY IX, FINAL FANTASY X-2 and FINAL FANTASY XIII.
Romance is big deal in FINAL FANTASY – these epic games tell tales of the heart as much as they do high adventure.
Since it’s nearly Valentine’s Day, we thought it a good time for another look at some of the most memorable love stories in the series.
If you missed last year’s article, you can check it out here:
Or read on, as we start with a relationship that could best be described as… eventful.
Serah Farron and Snow Villiers in FINAL FANTASY XIII
Shakespeare once wrote “the course of true love never did run smooth”. While I’m fairly sure he wasn’t talking about FINAL FANTASY XIII, he may as well have been.
For poor Serah and Snow, the course of true love is an assault course – a sadistically designed one at that.
Their troubles start when Serah is branded by a fal’Cie – a powerful creature that assigns humans with a task that they must complete. Being marked in this way is one of the greatest taboos on the world of Cocoon, so to try to protect her beloved Snow, she tries to break things off.
But the Snow man says no ma’am – instead he doubles down asks Serah to marry him. And it’s all very lovely. Until she’s then taken prisoner by a fal’Cie. And turned into crystal. And shot out of the sky.
Add the extra complication of a sister-in-law who most certainly does not approve of the union, and it’s a whole lot for two people to go through. But when all is said and done, the two do manage find each other once more, and live happily ever after.
Or at least until the events of FINAL FANTASY XIII-2, but that’s a whole other story…
Garnet Til Alexandros XVII and Zidane Tribal in FINAL FANTASY IX
Garnet and Zidane come from very different worlds.
One’s a refined princess from one of the most powerful countries on the planet, the other’s a quick-witted rogue from the streets. Yet through adversity, tragedy and more than a little banter, the two conflicting personalities find a connection.
They first meet when Zidane enacts a daring plan to kidnap Princess Garnet. What he doesn’t expect is that the she wants to be kidnapped, and before long the couple are swept along on a daring escape through sky, field and dangerous forest.
It’s fair to say that their early relationship has some… friction. Zidane considers himself a ladies man and his constant flirting rubs Garnet the wrong way – after all, she’s dealing with a lot of problems and all of his shenanigans aren’t helping.
But over time, the two learn to rely on each other and Zidane realises that his feelings for the troubled royal are far deeper than he realised. It all adds up to one of the most charming, and uplifting love stories in the series to date.
Read more:
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- FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE's composers talk about the game
- 5 brutal bosses who wrecked us in FINAL FANTASY games
Lulu and Wakka in FINAL FANTASY X-2
One of the many joys of FINAL FANTASY X-2 is revisiting the characters people came to know and love in the previous game. Time has passed, the world has changed and the heroes have moved on to a different stage of their lives.
One of the most dramatic developments is that former party members Wakka and Lulu are now a couple. Not only that, but Lulu is pregnant with Wakka’s child.
It’s an interesting turn of events, because there’s a lot of history there. Lulu once dated Wakka’s brother, who sadly died in a battle with the aquatic menace Sin – a tragedy that’s still fresh in the mind for them both in FINAL FANTASY X.
But it’s also a coupling that makes sense. There’s an obvious familiarity and respect between the two all the way through that first game. They’re comfortable with each other and even when they disagree, which is fairly often, there’s no malice behind it.
What’s more, they complement each other perfectly. Wakka’s optimism and energy is perfectly balanced by Lulu’s more measured, realistic outlook. And let’s not forget – both of them are tough as nails too.
They’re Spira’s real power couple.
Rinoa and Squall in FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered
The perennial favorite. How can we talk about Valentine’s Day and not at least mention Squall and Rinoa once again?
It’s a real case of opposites attract, this one - Rinoa’s energetic and passionate, while Squall is cynical and withdrawn. But as they spend time together, their defences crumble and they grow closer, resulting in probably the most romantic spaceship ride in gaming history.
Plus, with the release of FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered, the two heroes are prettier than ever – now Squall really is the best-looking guy here.
Quina and Vivi in FINAL FANTASY IX
…what? I mean, they can get married.
Oh all right then. How about…
Quina and Frogs in general
I hope one day you can find someone who looks at you the way Quina looks at frogs.
You see, Quina adores our amphibious amigos. If s/he so much as catches a glimpse of green skin, s/he’ll be racing after it faster than you can say ‘ribbit’.
The excitable qu just loves them, craves them – s/he just wants to grab hold of a frog and lick it all over. And then guzzle it down because frogs are the character’s favorite food.
Okay, so this isn’t romantic, but this a level of affection for a particular meal must still represent some type of love, right?
…right? Okay, maybe this one is a bit tenuous. But at least we can all agree that we should probably keep Quina away from a certain Chrono Trigger hero.
As you can probably tell, love is always in the air in the FINAL FANTASY series. For example, even now the Valentione’s Day event is underway in FINAL FANTASY XIV Online.
Over the last few weeks, players have voted for the character they want to become the land’s new emissary of love. The results should be in now, so go check it out if you haven’t already.
That’s enough of our thoughts though – do you agree with our picks? What are your favorite FINAL FANTASY love stories?
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