Squaresoft's Final Fantasy 9 released in 2000 for the PlayStation and was the last Final Fantasy to release for this console, as the franchise's next installment, Final Fantasy 10, released for the PlayStation 2. Though it generally isn't held in the same regard as the legendary Final Fantasy 7, Final Fantasy 9 is considered to be one of the series' best titles.
The game was a refreshing change of pace for long-time fans, as the setting was medieval rather than the futuristic environments of the two more recent predecessors. Final Fantasy 9 also featured a fantastic storyline, brilliant characters, and dared to tackle some darker themes. One character in particular that resonated with fans is Vivi Ornitier, so unsurprisingly, players have shown their love with some amazing cosplays.
10 Black Mage
This awesome cosplay by epi-corner presents a classic rendition of everyone's favorite black mage - Vivi Ornitier. As Vivi has no real face, it must be a daunting task to try and cosplay this character, but this cosplayer has managed to pull it off with some paper maché.
Though Vivi is initially fearful of his powers, as he befriends the other main characters he decides to use his black magic to protect his friends. Vivi's magic tends to be heavily elemental in type, but he can also inflict status ailments.
9 Amano Inspired
This highly detailed and vibrant cosplay by deme08 doesn't follow Vivi's standard in-game appearance that players know and love. Instead, this outfit is based upon the concept artwork of Vivi by Yoshitaka Amano.
Vivi's initial design was a lot busier and brighter, and while the main shape and style of the character stayed the same for release, Vivi lost the more eccentric qualities of his outfit. Instead, Vivi's costume became more like the stereotypical black mage design, as seen in earlier games, consisting of a blue body piece and brown steeple hat.
8 "Those dolls they were making underground... Did you think they look like me?"
This cosplay by Ryo manages to capture the strange glowing eyes that this character possesses. Vivi is one of the many manufactured Black Mages that appear in the game, made by Kuja to create an army for Queen Brahne.
However, unlike most of the other black mages, Vivi is not a mindless doll, likely due to him being a prototype. Vivi was raised by his "grandfather," a Qu named Quan, who initially, had decided to fatten Vivi up to eat him. Luckily, Vivi remained oblivious to this.
7 The Littlest Black Mage
This cosplay features Ken Hopkins as Vivi Orunitia for edenfilms, which created a fan-made film based on the game. This cosplayer has cleverly made the costume so that it looks proportionate when they kneel on the floor, using their knees as Vivi's "feet."
Vivi is the youngest playable character to ever feature in a Final Fantasy title. He originally believes that he is nine years old, but in actual fact, he is only a few months old due to the limited life span of the manufactured mages.
6 From Concept to Cosplay
This beautiful cosplay by Cosplayer Athena is another rendition of Amano's early concept idea of how Vivi would look, arguably giving the character a lot more style and personality. Of course, the core features of him being a black mage remain the same, such as the steeple hat and faceless visage.
Interestingly, in the game, trance mode changes the appearances of the characters; Vivi's trance results in him getting a fully white outfit with more ornate details. Additionally, his steeple hat that is normally crooked at the top gets a perfect point to it.
5 "Sorrow. How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist..."
This cosplay by Jay shows Vivi's age, with the young character playing on a swing and seemingly lost in thought. This is a rather apt presentation of Vivi, as the character is plagued by doubts and questions about his own existence.
It is revealed in the game that not only was Vivi manufactured along with the other black mages but that all of them have a finite lifespan of roughly a year. These revelations cause Vivi to have an existential crisis and a fear of death, but he manages to find peace by the end of the game, which he explains in his closing letter to Zidane.
4 Staff Wielder
This highly detailed cosplay of Vivi by Monielponi has managed to capture the proportions of the character, featuring the balloon-like appearance of his pants and oversized feet. This cosplayer has also perfected the glowing eyes that are synonymous with black mages.
This cosplayer has also opted for a weapon different from Vivi's default staff, utilizing more LED technology to perfectly recreate the Oak Staff weapon from the game. Vivi is the only character in Final Fantasy 9 that is able to use staves.
3 Chocobo Rider
This cosplay features Carlos Espitia as Vivi, with photography by Paolo Cellammare. This cosplayer has cleverly blended their costume to make it look like two characters - Vivi riding atop a Chocobo. Of course, in reality, the legs of the Chocobo are that of the cosplayer, while Vivi's legs are just fabricated.
The detail that has gone into this cosplay is simply phenomenal, with the Chocobo having each of its feathers individually applied to create this rather awe-inspiring creation. Not only is this cosplay well executed, but it is also really fun and likely a main focal point of any convention that this cosplayer attends.
2 Miss Vivi
This cosplay features byndogehk as Vivi and the photography is by dtjaaaam. This cosplayer has remixed Vivi's normal look, not only presenting a gender-bend version of the character, but also a humanoid one too. This cosplay is rather refreshing and works really well.
The staples of the character's designs are still there, but they have been adapted for a female figure, with the balloon-like pants becoming shorts, the top becoming more revealing, paired with a shorter jacket, and the boots becoming knee-high.
1 "I have to find out who I am..."
The cosplayer here is Erdbeerprinz as Vivi, while the photography is by theDevil-photography. This cosplayer has also chosen to represent Vivi's original conceptual design and has really done it justice with the level of detail that they have poured into their outfit.
It's interesting to think that if Final Fantasy 9 was a modern release, it likely would have received this concept design as an alternative outfit DLC for this character at some point. However, in the days of the PlayStation 1, there was no such thing as DLC.