Highlights
- Odin's Dominant Barnabas is the biggest villain in Final Fantasy 16, but his background and upbringing offer little explanation for his character.
- Barnabas and his mother came to the continent of Ash from another land, suggesting that there are other lands outside of the two major continents.
- Questions arise about the origins and awakening of Dominants like Barnabas, and if other lands have Mothercrystals or possess different Eikons. The mysteries surrounding Eikons may never be fully resolved.
There are plenty of villainous characters in Final Fantasy 16, but Odin's Dominant Barnabas serves as perhaps the biggest next to the final boss. Slowly but surely, players will learn about his faith, his incredible power, and his overwhelming boredom, as no fight has been able to challenge him in years. It's not until his final fight with Final Fantasy 16 protagonist Clive Rosfield that Barnabas even shows any real emotion.
For a villain who seems so broken, one might think that his background hides the answers. It does not. While it's clear the teachings and death of his mother has an impact on him, there's not much else to show why he is who he is in Final Fantasy 16. All there is for him is the present really, but if someone does look at his background, some serious questions can be raised.
A Dominant Not From The Land of Storm or Ash
Final Fantasy 16 lore reveals that Barnabas' mother brought him to the continent of Ash at some point in his youth. She was said to have been very strict and orderly, perhaps suggesting why Barnabas pursues leadership but is ultimately subservient. The degree of her discipline is not mentioned, but she dies at some point after their arrival in Ash. Whether that's when Barnabas is a child or during his conquest of Ash remains unclear, but the latter seems likely. Perhaps, to some degree, it's even his fault. Perhaps her death is what made Barnabas awaken as the Dominant of Odin, which now seems odd. A Dominant in Valisthea, land of the Mothercrystals, makes sense, but it has been implied that Dominants are born with the power. Barnabas, notably, was not born in Storm or Ash.
His background reveals that he and his mother came to Ash from some other continent, which isn't too surprising given a handful of other references to other lands in Final Fantasy 16. Nothing is really known about them, but they were thought to be something separate from the two major continents entirely. It's also plausible that, without the power of the Mothercrystals, they all succumbed to the Blight well before the events of Final Fantasy 16, explaining why Barnabas and his mother came to Ash. However, that doesn't explain how Barnabas awakened as Odin. Either he was born with it like the other protagonists, revealing that Dominants and Eikons are not bound to Storm and Ash, or a Dominant can be chosen/awaken without being born with such power. After all, it's not clear when Barnabas' conquest and awakening would have taken place.
Either is interesting. For example, while many fans believe that Final Fantasy 16's Medicine Girl is the unawakened Dominant of Leviathan, this would open the door to other possibilities - like Leviathan appearing in other lands. The latter would be an interesting case because part of Anabella's motivations (Clive's mother) was a pure bloodline with the power of the Phoenix, who perhaps could've been awakened in Clive later if he weren't Mythos. Other possible questions raised by this is how the other Dominants were selected, if that's possible, or if other continents had Mothercrystals of some form too.
Ultimately, it's unlikely that many of the mysteries regarding Final Fantasy 16's Eikons are ever resolved, at least in part to any "rules" tied to their Awakening. It's also possible that there's something else not mentioned here that would answer the question, but exactly how Eikons awaken is an interesting point. Especially in Leviathan's case, it'll be interesting to see if this is something Square Enix tackles in Final Fantasy 16 DLC.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now for PS5.
