Final Fantasy pushed storytelling in RPGs to a new level. It may have started as a clone to Dragon Quest in the eyes of many Japanese gamers, but it would eventually differentiate itself. Since it’s been around for over three decades now, one can imagine the series has seen many twists and turns then.Â
Specifically, the main series has been through a lot from character deaths to endings that left players with their mouths open. What sticks out the most and are there still questions waiting to be answered? As if it needs to be said, there will be spoilers in here for the whole franchise.Â
10 Final Fantasy IV: Riding A Whale To The Moon
There are a lot of twists and turns in Final Fantasy IV. The more often shared plot point involves Cecil going from like a dark knight to a paladin along with finding out Golbez is his brother, but there is something more grand worth mentioning for the series. That’s the trip to the moon. Space is still uncommon in the series but this was the first big one that shocked all and is still the best.Â
9 Final Fantasy V: Galuf’s Death
Final Fantasy IV has a lot of death fake outs in the story. There were some actual, irreversible deaths too like Tellah, but even with him, it wasn’t that big as party members came and went.
In other words, it was hard to get attached to anyone. Galuf was a party member throughout the entire adventure in Final Fantasy V though, so to see him die and get replaced by his granddaughter, Krile, was a big surprise.Â
8 Final Fantasy VI: The World Ends
Most games in this series and or RPGs in general are about saving the world from destruction. Final Fantasy VI is the big, if only example, of a game where the hero’s fail and the world is indeed destroyed. It gets pretty depressing after that point with Celes thinking about suicide, but eventually she picks herself up gets the gang back together in order to make things right. Did the Russo Brothers play this game for Avengers: Endgame inspiration?
7 Final Fantasy VII: Aerith Dies
Galuf was a twist, but only for the Japanese audience. Prior to that game coming over here, Final Fantasy VII shocked players with the death of Aerith first. As the game was more mature and graphically more intense than Final Fantasy V, that helped it stick more in the mind of players. That sword through the gut followed by the sad piano of Cloud sending Aerith down to her watery grave is still heartbreaking. Plus there was no replacing her party slot unlike Krile.Â
6 Final Fantasy VII: Cloud Was Zack All Along
Another big twist in Final Fantasy VII were Cloud’s memories. Savvy players had to know something was up with him the way he told stories and through his visions and intense headaches. Who could have guessed he was making it all up and the true hero that did most of those stunts was his friend, Zack? Let’s not also forget that Zack gave his life for Cloud which might be even sadder than Aerith’s death especially if one plays Zack’s PSP spinoff game, Crisis Core.Â
5 Final Fantasy VIII: GFs Erase Your Memories
Summons first appeared in Final Fantasy III and have remained a big part of the universe ever since. Their roles in the story go off and on in-between entries though. For example, they were crucial to the plot in Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI but not Final Fantasy V or Final Fantasy VII. Never had they been so detrimental to characters as in Final Fantasy VIII though wherein they, GFs, erased the party’s memories. This made them forget the big bad, Edea, was once their teacher.Â
4 Final Fantasy X: Tidus Was A Dream
“I see dead people.” That quote from The Sixth Sense is the quintessential spoiler phrase from the 2000s. Final Fantasy X seemingly wanted to up the ante by having there be not one, not two, but dozens of revelations involving people who were actually dead. Auron is one example, but after him was the main character Tidus who appeared to be just a dream of the Fayth. It’s still puzzling players twenty years later.Â
3 Final Fantasy XV: Prompto Is A Clone
Final Fantasy XV is mostly a straightforward adventure. An evil empire is threatening the world so a prince, Noctis, and his mighty leather clad bros go on a road trip to save the day. Then, toward the end of the game, things get wild. Prompto is revealed to be a clone which is a revelation that comes out of nowhere and isn’t really explained. He gets more details in his DLC but even that has left players scratching their heads unless they did thorough research online to better clarify things.
2 Final Fantasy XV: The Time Skip
After Prompto’s revelation, there is also the fact that the game experiences a time jump. The world is in chais after Noctis wakes up, but it’s not as grandiose of a disaster as Final Fantasy VI.
What’s more impactful is that after everyone reassembles for one last push. After the the day is won, all four heroes sacrifice themselves giving this game one of the bleakest endings to a Final Fantasy game ever.  Â
1 Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Not A Remake
For those that haven’t played Final Fantasy VII Remake, this may come as a big shock. It should be called Final Fantasy VII Reimagined or something with a subtitle like that because there is a big implication with the end of this game. This either involves creating multiple universes, time travel and or multiple timelines. There’s a lot to unpack with the end of the game but Zack revealing himself to be alive is one of the craziest given the aforementioned death in the original game.Â