Highlights
- Final Fantasy 16's strong sales and high ratings prove that the franchise has rebounded from previous challenges.
- Titan's lore plays a central role in Final Fantasy 16's storyline, making it worth exploring his backstory.
- Clive absorbing Titan's powers leads to an epic showdown against the Ultima collective, ultimately putting an end to the existence of Dominants and Eikons.
The Final Fantasy franchise has made its bread and butter off of the deeply intertwined lore of its characters, from the legendary series protagonists to seemingly unimportant NPCs. After a few lackluster releases, it's fair to say the Square Enix product has rebounded strongly from its previous challenges with Final Fantasy 16, as Final Fantasy's latest installment posted record sales numbers in its first week and garnered high ratings across the board. Clive Rosfield's noble quest to absorb every Dominant's powers lead to an epic showdown against the Ultima collective, which proved to be an enthralling storyline, and the Titan Eikon's lore contributed immensely to the overarching plot's success.
Final Fantasy has a few characters that come to mind when trying to recount its decades-long history, and Titan is one such mainstay that has seen the highs and lows of the series. From the early days of Final Fantasy 3, Titan has wowed players as a summons, and his role seems to expand with each new title that is added to Square Enix's discography. The Eikon plays a pivotal role in Final Fantasy 16's proceedings, and there's been a question of which Final Fantasy title represented Titan's qualities best, but his lore had never been quite as central to an edition's story as the latest installment. Appearing at crucial points in Final Fantasy 16's narrative, it's worth taking a second to get familiar with Titan's backstory.
Titan's Tale in Final Fantasy 16 is Filled With Destruction
A force to be reckoned with and a graphical design masterpiece, Titan (also known as the Warden of the Earth) is the Eikon controlled by Hugo Kupka, his current Dominant. The Aspect of Earth has a fearsome appearance; a towering giant with skin comprised of flesh and stone, and the threat of his wrath is enough to keep nations in check. He serves the Dhalmekian Republic through the bloodlines of the Motes of Earth tribe on Valisthea. Hugo wields Titan's powers with ambition, gaining the role of economic advisor in the Dhalmekian Parliament because of his association with the Eikon.
Fueled by his irreplaceable nature as the defense of the Republic, Hugo believes controlling the Titan makes him a god, and he builds himself an honorary castle inside the Drake's Fang Mothercrystal. Titan's might was demonstrated in the Battle of Nysa, when he defended the Republic single-handedly, smashing the invading Iron Kingdom's Shiva Eikon in combat. Since most Eikons adopt the personality of their Dominants, Titan inherits Hugo's obsession with revenge for the death of Benedicta Harman, and at Cid's hideaway, Hugo primes to Titan and commits a mass murdering atrocity to exact his rage.
On learning that FF16's protagonist, Clive Rosfield (also known as Cid the Outlaw), was a student of the deceased Cid, Hugo lures the Dominant of Ifrit to Rosalith Castle, semi-priming Titan to battle him. However, his quest ends in defeat. Since Clive plays the predestined role of the Ultima collective's Mythos, he absorbs Titan's powers, and Hugo can no longer use magic. Clive's hunt for the Drake's Fang Mothercrystal led to another confrontation between the two, with Hugo priming Titan for the last time using aether directly from the Mothercrystal.
This action grew the already gigantic Titan to mammoth proportions, towering over Ifrit in their battle, although the significant height advantage doesn't help Hugo as he loses to Clive's Eikon, and he becomes afflicted with the crystal's curse. Due to his victory, Clive absorbs Titan, but can only semi-prime him, unlike Hugo. In Final Fantasy 16's endgame of Clive Rosfield's clash with Ultima, where the protagonist dons his Logos moniker, the Ultima collective harnesses some of Titan's abilities. However, with Clive emerging victorious and destroying the realm's magical source, Dominants and Eikons have ceased to exist, putting a final punctuation on Titan's legendary tale.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now on PS5.
