Translating a text from one language to another can often become an incredibly arduous task, especially when certain aspects of one language are not present in another. The Final Fantasy series is no exception to this, with many of its entries harboring an array of comical errors.
Mistranslations can often lead to some hilarious moments, but they can also completely dismantle the motivations of a character depending on how their reworked lines are written. The Final Fantasy series houses some of the most iconic mistranslations in gaming, but some stand out more than others.
5 "Beacause, You Are A Puppet." - Final Fantasy 7
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
After besting the trials within the Temple of the Ancients and receiving the Black Materia as a reward, Cloud falls victim to the Jenova cells within him and hands the materia to Sephiroth. With Sephiroth now in possession of a materia capable of destroying the entire planet, the party ventures to the Forgotten City in an attempt to stop him from using its power to summon Meteor.
Cloud journeys to the depths of this Ancient City only to find that Sephiroth is awaiting him in the final room. As is tradition, Sephiroth flees the battlefield, but not before summoning a piece of Jenova to attack the party in his stead. Before he leaves, he informs Cloud that he has no right to feign anger or sadness, but before Cloud can ask why, Jenova attacks. When the battle with this ancient alien has concluded, Jenova finishes by saying "Beacause you are a puppet." Later releases of Final Fantasy 7 corrected this distracting spelling error, but it remains one of the more memorable mistranslations in the series.
4 "The Empire's Made Me A Rich Man." - Final Fantasy 6
Setzer is arguably one of the most mysterious characters present in Final Fantasy 6. He is a roguish gambler who harbors little love for the Empire, but his line in the Super Nintendo version of the game somewhat negates this. While introducing himself to the party, Setzer states that he owes his success to the influence of the Empire. This fact makes his character even more compelling when he decides to stand up and fight against them for the sake of humanity. Though his obsession with money is never doubted, the fact that he would risk it all to save the lives of millions of people suggests his avaricious tendencies do not define him.
However, the GameBoy Advance version released a decade later saw Setzer displaying an entirely different personality. Translator Tom Slattery explained that the Empire never made Setzer rich and that this line delivery was a mistranslation. He was actually driven to fight the Empire because it was "bad for business," a much less noble reason than the one he previously had. Celes responds to this by reminding Setzer of everyone else who had lost their livelihoods due to the Empire, inspiring him to join the party to avenge all those who suffer similar fates.
3 "This Guy Are Sick." - Final Fantasy 7
-(1).jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Upon meeting Aerith in the Sector 5 slums, Cloud will take it upon himself to ensure his new companion returns home safely. He decides to accompany her until she does, but the path forward is sprawling with frightening foes who seek to bring their venture to a halt. Eventually, the pair reach the Sector 5 Undercity and will be given the chance to explore the houses and stores of those who dwell there. If the player rushes through th game, they may miss one of the most comical mistranslations in video game history.
Awaiting at the town's entrance is a young woman who, when prompted, will inform the party about the man lurking in the pipe behind her. She explains that he is a "weird one" who can only respond with gibberish nonsense to all those who attempt to converse with him. If Cloud attempts to enter the pipe, Aerith will appear and say "This guy are sick" before swiftly morphing back into Cloud's body. This line marks one of the most hilarious translation slip-ups in Final Fantasy history. Fans now regard it as one of the most memorable lines in the original game but sadly, developers chose to discard it in the Remake.
2 "I'm Gonna Be A Blitzball When I Grow Up!" - Final Fantasy 10
Upon arriving in Kilika, Tidus and his companions will be given the chance to make use of the local merchants to restock their inventories before continuing their journey. If Tidus opts to investigate one item shop in particular, he will be greeted by a young Blitzball enthusiast in front of the counter who has an exceptionally questionable life goal.
Interacting with the young boy prompts him to inform Tidus that he intends to discard his human form in favor of becoming a spherical water ball. This mistranslation has become iconic due to how ridiculous it is, but also because of how charming it is when said by a child. Unlike most young children who hope to become world-star Blitzball players, this young boy decides to stand out by wishing for stardom in less conventional ways. Though it seems laughable at first, if Jecht can become Sin, what's to stop this child from becoming a football?
1 "Attack While It's Tail's Up!" - Final Fantasy 7
While infiltrating Mako Reactor No. 1, Cloud and Barret will be forced into a battle with the Guard Scorpion, the first boss of the game. Though it serves to be an excellent lesson in how to deal with enemies of this scale, the poor translation from Japanese to English will render the fight far more challenging than it was intended to be.
The most obvious error in "Attack while it's tail is up!" is its incorrect use of the apostrophe in "it's," but sadly, this isn't the worst part. If the player attacks the Guard Scorpion while its tail is up, it will counter with its Tail Laser ability, a powerful move that hits both Cloud and Barret for a frightening level of damage. The intended translation would have seen the player being advised against attacking while its tail is up, but the player is left to figure that out for themselves.