Final Fantasy 15 had a blowout when it launched in 2016. Square Enix was seemingly not satisfied with just releasing that game after ten years of development hell. It was like they wanted to milk that time sink for as long as possible which is why there was a CG movie, anime, and spinoff games.
The related media all had varying degrees of success. One of the cooler aspects of Final Fantasy 15’s extended universe was the DLC episodes. The main party got additional side stories which were all good. Final Fantasy 16 should get that treatment as well for the following characters to help answer some questions.
WARNING! Spoilers ahead.
8 Cid
Cid would be the fan favorite amongst all of the characters in the game. He is one of the best versions of Cid in the series and he unfortunately dies too quickly in Final Fantasy 16. A DLC episode could explore his life leading up to the rescue of Clive and Jill. What was the falling out Cid had with Benedikta? How long had he been rescuing Branded individuals from the kingdoms? The DLC could jump around to defining moments in his life.
7 Joshua
There are too many questions surrounding Joshua that a lack of a DLC episode seems wild. How did he survive the attack with Ifrit as a child? Presumably, the power of Phoenix revived him in Final Fantasy 16, but what was that escape process like after? Was Jote there the whole time or did another member of The Undying rescue Joshua instead? How could Joshua survive for so long and what was his research all about? It’s even stranger that in all that time, he never got back together with Clive until eighteen years had passed.
6 Leviathan’s Dominant
There are a lot of Eikons in Final Fantasy 16 from Ifrit to Titan, but there was one that was only mentioned by name. Leviathan is nowhere to be seen in the game and yet there apparently was a Dominant that could wield the power of water at one time.
Of all the missing plotlines in the game, this seems like the most likely to get answered. Why would the game even mention Leviathan if that wasn’t the case? A DLC about its Dominant either in the present or past could be interesting.
5 Gav
Gav goes on a lot of missions for Cid and Clive during the game. He becomes a party member sometimes too, but usually, he is off on his own doing missions. While his tasks don’t have any burning questions attached to them, Gav would be a fun character to play as. He is one of the best characters in Final Fantasy 16 because of his blunt humor. Imagine a DLC episode wherein players could stealth around the world to do spy missions for The Hideaway. Final Fantasy 15 added a spy thriller via its Prompto episode, so it is possible.
4 Jote
Jote is a big enough of a mystery to focus an episode on separate from Joshua. Like Gav, Jote presumably did a lot of spying on behalf of Joshua. Even though he was a Dominant, Joshua wasn’t in the best of health. Using magic as a human or turning into Phoenix took a lot out of him. That’s probably why a majority of the action was handled by Jote and other members of The Undying. A mini Assassin’s Creed mission could be fun to see in this universe via Jote or some other member of her organization.
3 Torgal
There are a lot of things different about Final Fantasy 16 compared to its predecessors. Clive doesn’t have a constant party with him that players can choose between. The only constant is his dog Torgal who is useful in battle. The battle animations are already there for Torgal, so why not give him a DLC episode too?
The Final Fantasy 7 Remake team could even give the Final Fantasy 16 team some help since they are in the process of making their own dog-like creature, Red 13, playable in the next game. This could be a sillier DLC episode involving Torgal running into iconic monsters like Moogles, Cactuar, Chocobos, and more.
2 Byron
Byron is the other fun character in the game akin to Gav. Byron is much goofier though which could translate into a silly DLC episode like Torgal’s. Between the scene involving him wolfing down a big bowl of Chocobo stew or drinking water as he has never seen it before, it is clear Byron was put in the game for comedic effects. The DLC could also take a more serious tone with players having to command resources. Where should Byron spend money to help the most amount of oppressed people behind the scenes? That is apparently what he was doing for eighteen years.
1 Clive
Clive is already programmed into Final Fantasy 16 mechanically, so the team wouldn’t have to change too much for a DLC episode. Various points in his life could be focused on. How was he as a teenager within his kingdom as a Shield for Joshua? What was he doing as a Branded for the Empire? What did he and Jill do in that five-year time gap? And finally, is Clive truly dead or is he still alive? That may be what fans want to know the most about him.
Final Fantasy 16 was released on June 22, 2023, and is available on PS5.