are a fictional species of diminutive, sentient creatures and a
recurring element of the ''
Final Fantasy
is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' video game franchise, starting with their initial appearance in ''
Final Fantasy III''. They also appear in the ''
Mana
Mana may refer to:
Religion and mythology
* Mana (Oceanian cultures), the spiritual life force energy or healing power that permeates the universe in Melanesian and Polynesian mythology
* Mana (food), archaic name for manna, an edible substance m ...
'' and ''
Kingdom Hearts
is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...
'' series.
Moogles serve a variety of purposes in the various games in which they appear. They sometimes provide opportunities to record game progress or access shops; occasionally they assist in battle or may even become a playable character.
Moogles became a popular character amongst fans and critics, and are considered one of the
mascot
A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
s of ''Final Fantasy''. Their original appearance and role was largely praised, although their change in design for the ''
Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy
is a series of games within the ''Final Fantasy'' video game franchise. It was primarily developed by series creator and developer Square Enix, which also acted as publisher for all titles. While featuring various worlds and different characte ...
'' sub-series was contentious.
Character design
Influences
Moogles were created by object designer
Koichi Ishii
, sometimes credited as Kouichi Ishii, is a video game designer best known for creating the ''Mana'' series (known as ''Seiken Densetsu'' in Japan). He joined Square (now Square Enix
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational hol ...
, who later became the president of
Grezzo. He stated they were based on a creature idea he drew in Elementary School based on an all-white
koala
The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...
. The creature could float by expanding their body and used their wings to control direction in midair. In an interview with
Hiromichi Tanaka, the producer of ''Final Fantasy III'', said that the Moogles were only meant to be a race of cave-dwelling people, and were not originally planned to be series mascots. Additionally, the Moogles were inspired by ''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...
'', specifically the "Infravision" ability to see in the dark used by non-human races such as elves and dwarves.
In ''
Final Fantasy XIV
''Final Fantasy XIV'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced ...
'', the "Good King Moggle Mog"
boss was created after the fights for the Primals Leviathan and Titan had to be cut from the game due to the
earthquake and tsunami in 2011, as the "Tsunami" and "Earthquake" moves they used would have been in poor taste.
Characteristics
''Mōguri'', the Japanese transliteration of "moogle", is a
portmanteau
In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together. of the words and . Moogles typically have white fur, and an
antenna protruding from the head with a small red or yellow ball (called a "pompom") at the end. They have small red or purple wings, and their ears are shaped like those of a cat or rabbit. They tend to end their sentences with . Despite originating in ''Final Fantasy III'', 'kupo' first originated in ''
Final Fantasy V
is a 1992 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainmen ...
''. A Moogle's favorite food is the Kupo Nut.
Moogles are frequently featured as creatures that may be summoned by the Summoner or Caller class of playable characters. Typically, moogles are lower-level summon spells acquired earlier in a given game.
Appearances
In the ''Final Fantasy'' series
The first appearance of a Moogle was in ''
Final Fantasy III'' (1990), as the bodyguards of master wizard Doga.
''
Final Fantasy VI
also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' ser ...
'' (1994) was the first time a Moogle talked, was a playable character, and had a pom-pom on their head.
Moogles appeared in almost every subsequent ''Final Fantasy'' game, with different roles and slightly differing appearances over time. They also appeared in spin-off games such as ''
Final Fantasy Tactics'' and ''
Crystal Chronicles''.
Moogle-themed attire has appeared in several of the games, with ''
Final Fantasy X-2'' including a wearable Moogle mascot costume for the character
Yuna, and ''
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII'' having a dress made of Moogle dolls.
A Moogle mascot costume also appears in ''
Final Fantasy XVs Moogle
Chocobo Carnival.
In other video games
They first appeared outside of the ''Final Fantasy'' series in ''
Secret of Mana
''Secret of Mana'', originally released in Japan as is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game ''Seiken Densetsu'', released in North Ameri ...
'' (1993), where they have a different, tan color palette and look catlike in appearance.
"Moogle" also became a status effect in the ''Mana'' series where the playable characters are turned into moogles for a period of time or until the effect is healed. In the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, Moogles run the Synthesis workshops, where the player can use materials dropped by enemies to make items, equipment, and weapons.
Promotion and reception
Like other series mascots the Chocobo and the
Cactuar, the Moogle has been subject to numerous licensed merchandise connected to the ''Final Fantasy'' theme, sometimes in collaboration with third parties such as
Universal Studios Japan
is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Destinations & Experiences, Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operat ...
and
Sony Interactive Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
for the 2017 video game ''
Everybody's Golf''. Examples of merchandise which feature the Moogle as its iconography include stuffed toys, key chains, Christmas-themed cakes, wedding confectionary, and so on.
Square Enix partnered with a Japanese bridal company to introduce a real-life ''Final Fantasy'' wedding service that includes a giant virtual Moogle. A giant Moogle bed was created as a contest reward for the Japanese convenience store
Lawson.
''Official Australian PlayStation Magazine'' stated that "nothing sums up the dichotomy of cutesiness for adult players quite like a Moogle", calling them "cool little critters who wouldn't be out of place sitting atop your computer screen at work", but also "so sickeningly cute that thoughts turn to the business end of a hammer drill". Mike Fahey of ''
Kotaku
''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier.
History ...
'' called the Moogle "my favorite video game characters ever" and "awesome and adorable", though criticizing their design in ''Final Fantasy XIII-2'' as "gross".
Jason Schreier
Jason Schreier (born May 10, 1987) is an American journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for ''Kotaku'' from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several Investigative journalism, investig ...
of the same publication called Good King Moogle Mog "one of ''Final Fantasy XIV''s most memorable bosses".
However, that game's Fat Moogle mount, which was released for US$40, was seen as "exorbitant" in price by fans.
Julia Lee of ''Polygon'' praised the Moogles of ''
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles'', calling them "adorable cat-like creatures", but criticized them for having English
voice acting
Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-sc ...
, saying it "ruin
dtheir tiny adorable appearance", and calling Mog, the player's Moogle helper, "annoying". Robert Ramsey of ''
Push Square
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
'' criticized the Moogle voice acting in ''Final Fantasy XIII-2'' and ''
Type-0'', saying "we're desperate for a return to Moogles that don't sound like they're helium enthusiasts".
In markets outside of Japan, the playable Moogle named Mog used as a mascot for ''Final Fantasy VI''. To this end, it appeared on its box art and print advertisements casually holding a dagger, as well as in
claymation
Claymation, sometimes called clay animation or plasticine animation, is one of many forms of stop-motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually plasticine cl ...
television commercials speaking with a gruff voice to showcase the individual monsters. Sebastian Deken in his book examining ''Final Fantasy VI'' and its themes was highly critical of how Mog was used in this manner, especially coupled with the slogans implying the game was highly difficult, an aspect also unique to Western advertising. He felt that it was overall at odds with how Amano had portrayed the character in his artwork as cute and joyful, undermining both the character and the game's public perception in those markets. He further summarized the campaign as using "an adorable little cuddle-bear in a direct appeal to macho (or macho-aspiring) gamers" and "
kawaii
''Kawaii'' is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. ''Kawaii'' culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime ...
repackaged for the JV football team."
See also
*
Chocobo
*
Cactuar
References
{{Final Fantasy series, FF=Moogle, state=expanded
Final Fantasy species
Video game characters introduced in 1990
Video game mascots
Video game bosses
Mana (series)