Seifer Almasy
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Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...
'', a 1999 best-selling
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
by Squaresoft, features an elite group of
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...
called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its release, ''Final Fantasy VIII'' had earned more than
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
50 million in sales, making it the fastest selling ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...
'' title at the time. The game has shipped 8.15 million units worldwide as of March 2003. Additionally, ''Final Fantasy VIII'' was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine ''
Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...
'' in 2006. The game's characters were created by
Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer and director working for Square Enix (formerly Square). He designed characters for the ''Final Fantasy'' series, debuting with ''Final Fantasy VI'' and continuing with various later installments. Addit ...
, and are the first in the series to be realistically proportioned in all aspects of the game. This graphical shift, as well as the cast itself, has received generally positive reviews from gaming magazines and websites. The six main
playable characters A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not contr ...
in ''Final Fantasy VIII'' are
Squall Leonhart is a fictional character and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a role-playing video game that was produced by Square (now Square Enix). In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Squall is an 17-year-old student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious mil ...
, a loner who avoids vulnerability by focusing on his duty;
Rinoa Heartilly is the fictional character and co-protagonist of Square's (now Square Enix) 1999 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VIII''. She is a teenaged member of a resistance faction known as the Forest Owls. After she recruits protagonist Squall Le ...
, an outspoken and passionate young woman who follows her heart; Quistis Trepe, an instructor with a serious yet patient attitude;
Zell Dincht ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its ...
, an energetic
martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
with a fondness for hot dogs;
Selphie Tilmitt is a fictional character from the 1999 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VIII''. She is introduced as a recent transfer student from Trabia Garden to its rival school Balamb Garden, a prestigious military academy for elite mercenaries (kn ...
, a cheerful girl who loves trains and flies the airship Ragnarok; and Irvine Kinneas, a
marksman A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting using projectile weapons (in modern days most commonly an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle or a sniper rifle) to shoot at high-value targets at longer-than-u ...
and womanizer who uses his charm to mask his insecurities. Temporarily playable characters include
Laguna Loire '' Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after ...
,
Kiros Seagill ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its ...
, and
Ward Zabac ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its ...
, who appear in "flashback" sequences; SeeD cadet-turned-antagonist
Seifer Almasy ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Square (video game company), Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenary, mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various natio ...
; and sorceress
Edea Kramer is a fictional character and a major antagonist in ''Final Fantasy VIII''. Protagonist Squall is sent to assassinate her, though it is later discovered that the Sorceress Ultimecia had Edea under mind control. It is also revealed that Edea was ...
. The main antagonist is
Ultimecia ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Square (video game company), Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenary, mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various natio ...
, a sorceress from the future who wishes to compress time.


Concept and design

In ''Final Fantasy'' games, scenario writer
Kazushige Nojima is a Japanese video game writer. He is best known for writing several installments of Square Enix's ''Final Fantasy'' franchise—namely ''Final Fantasy VII'' and its spin-offs ''Advent Children'' and ''Crisis Core'', ''Final Fantasy VIII'', and ' ...
stresses the dynamic of the relationship between the player and the main character; thus, he puts significant thought into how that relationship will develop. With ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertai ...
'', protagonist
Cloud Strife is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Square's (now Square Enix's) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII'', its high-definition remake, and several of its sequels and spinoffs. In ''Final Fantasy VII'', Cloud is a m ...
's reserved nature led Nojima to include scenarios in which the player can select Cloud's responses to certain situations and dialogue. With ''Final Fantasy VIII'', which also features a reserved lead protagonist in Squall, Nojima wanted to give players actual insight into what the protagonist is thinking, even while other characters remain uninformed: this led to the inner dialogues Squall has throughout the game. Character designer Tetsuya Nomura, while exchanging e-mails with director
Yoshinori Kitase is a Japanese game director and producer working for Square Enix. He is known as the director of ''Final Fantasy VI'', ''Chrono Trigger'', ''Final Fantasy VII'', ''Final Fantasy VIII'' and ''Final Fantasy X'', and the producer of the ''Final Fa ...
between development of ''Final Fantasy VII'' and ''Final Fantasy VIII'', suggested that the game should have a "school days" feel. Nojima approved of the idea, as he already had a story in mind in which the main characters were the same age. Thus, they created the concept of military academies, called "Gardens", in which students would train to become "SeeD" mercenaries. Nojima also planned for the two playable parties featured in the game—Squall's present day group and Laguna Loire's group from twenty years in the past—to highly contrast with. Laguna's group consists of a close-knit group of battle-hardened friends in their late twenties. On the other hand, Squall's party is young and inexperienced, and Squall himself does not initially understand the value of friendship. Kitase desired to give the game a foreign atmosphere ("foreign" being in relation to
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
), ultimately deciding on a European setting. The first character Nomura designed specifically for ''Final Fantasy VIII'' was Squall, initially giving him longer hair and a more feminine appearance. However, Kitase was unsatisfied and asked Nomura to shorten his hair and make him appear more masculine, which led to the design seen in-game. When designing Cloud, Nomura gave him distinctly spiky, bright blonde hair to emphasize his role as that game's protagonist. With Squall, Nomura wanted to try a unique angle to establish his role, giving him the characteristic gunblade scar across the bridge of his nose. A complete history was not yet conceived, so Nomura left the explanation for Squall's scar to Nojima. Squall's design was flourished by a fur lining along the collar of his jacket, included for the purpose of challenging the game's
full motion video Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games feature FMVs as a way to present information duri ...
designers, who were also developing the CGI film '' Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within'' at the time. This is but one example of the demands he has consistently extended to the programmers of the series as technology has advanced. Most ''Final Fantasy'' games include summons: creatures who are brought into battle to attack enemies or support the party. In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', summons are called "Guardian Forces", or GFs. Nomura felt they should be unique beings, without clothes or other human-like concepts. This was problematic, as he did not want them to "become
ike Ike or IKE may refer to: People * Ike (given name), a list of people with the name or nickname * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II and President of the United States Surname ...
the actual monsters", so he took great care in their design. Ramuh—an old wizard summon from earlier ''Final Fantasy'' games—was replaced; other human-like designs were re-imagined as nude figures or with creature-like elements. Nomura, also the director of the Guardian Force animation sequences, wanted to create a greater impact than the summon cinematics of ''Final Fantasy VII''.
Leviathan Leviathan (; he, לִוְיָתָן, ) is a sea serpent noted in theology and mythology. It is referenced in several books of the Hebrew Bible, including Psalms, the Book of Job, the Book of Isaiah, the Book of Amos, and, according to some ...
was created as a test and included in a
game demo A game demo is a trial version of a video game that is limited to a certain time limit or a point in progress, which leads to the player buying the game if they liked it. A game demo comes in forms such as shareware, demo disc, downloadable sof ...
. Garnering a positive reaction from players, Nomura decided to create the remaining sequences in a similar fashion. In a '' Famitsu Weekly'' interview with Kitase, Nomura, and Yuusuke Naoi, the team agreed that ''Final Fantasy VIII'' reflects Nomura's preferred technique, as opposed to ''Final Fantasy VII'', which featured characters that "weren't really his style". The team also decided to use realistically proportioned characters. The higher level of full motion video technology would have otherwise created an inconsistency between the in-game graphics and the higher definition full motion video graphics. Additionally, Kitase explained that the main logo of the game—Squall and Rinoa embracing—was inspired by the team's efforts to express emotion through body language.


Creatures and races

The world of ''Final Fantasy VIII'' is predominantly occupied by humans. Another prominent race is the "Shumi", a small tribe of creatures with yellow skin and large arms. The tribe lives in an underground village on the Trabian continent. The Shumi frown upon showing off their large hands;
NORG Norg is a village in the northeastern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Noordenveld, Drenthe. It used to be an independent municipality until 1998. Norg is home to two windmills. History Norg is an ''esdorp'' which developed i ...
, the owner of Balamb Garden, was exiled from the tribe for his ostentation. All Shumi undergo a biological
metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...
at some point in their lives; a qualified Shumi will become an Elder while another may become a mute "Moomba". Moombas are covered in red fur, which the Shumi attribute to "the passionate ingenuity in their hearts". Additionally, Moombas have appeared in several ''Final Fantasy'' spin-offs, including ''
Chocobo World is a role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a characte ...
'' and ''
Chocobo Racing ''Chocobo Racing'', known in Japan as , is a racing game developed by Square Co. for the PlayStation. The game was released in Japan in March 1999, followed by North America and Europe in August and October, respectively. The game's star and nam ...
''.
Chocobo The is a fictional species created for the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise by Square Enix (originally Square). A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in ''Final Fantasy II'' (1988), and have since featured in ...
s—large
galliform Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...
birds common throughout the ''Final Fantasy'' series—are featured in the game. In this title, Chocobos are generally undomesticated and can be found in various forests throughout the world. Each forest has a minigame where the player must corral baby Chocobos to locate the mother. If the player catches a bird, a baby Chocobo (a Chicobo) named Boko will follow the player around. Boko has his own game called ''
Chocobo World is a role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a characte ...
'' that can be downloaded from the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
disc onto a
PocketStation The PocketStation is a memory card peripheral by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation home video game console. Categorized by Sony as a combination of a Memory Card and a miniature personal digital assistant, the device features a monoc ...
game unit. Series composer
Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Jo ...
created two Chocobo themes for ''Final Fantasy VIII'': "Mods de Chocobo" and "Odeka de Chocobo". ''Final Fantasy VIII'' also features an array of common real world creatures, such as cats and dogs. The game also includes numerous monsters, many of which have appeared earlier in the series. Popular recurring monsters include Adamantoise, Behemoth, Bomb, Cactuar, Iron Giant, Malboro, and
Tonberry ''Final Fantasy'' is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video ga ...
.


Playable characters


Squall Leonhart

is the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy VIII''. He is a young student at Balamb Garden who is identifiable by the scar on his face that a fellow student, Seifer, inflicted. He rarely speaks and has the reputation of being a lone wolf. As Squall's story unfolds, he becomes fascinated with and falls in love with Rinoa, despite never outwardly expressing such until the ending. Squall is characterized by forlorn memories of standing out in the rain at the
orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
where he grew up, wondering where " Sis" went. Squall's weapon is a gunblade, a
sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
that uses components of a
revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...
to send vibrations through the blade when triggered. His Limit Break is a series of sword strikes called ''Renzokuken''.


Rinoa Heartilly

is the primary female protagonist of ''Final Fantasy VIII''. She is the 17-year-old daughter of General Caraway, a high-ranking officer in the Galbadian army, and Julia Heartilly, a successful
pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
and singer. Rinoa is a member of the Forest Owls, a resistance faction seeking to liberate the small nation of Timber from Galbadian occupation.Kiros: "Heard she recently got married." / Raine: "Oh yeah! To some army general, right? General Caraway or something?" / Kiros: "I'm not too sure." / Raine: "I read in a magazine that her true love went off to war and never came back. General Caraway comforted her while she was feeling down. That's how they got to know each other." (''Final Fantasy VIII''Squall: "Where's Rinoa?" / General Caraway: "She has not receive the type of training you all have, and may become a burden. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation." / Selphie: "So you're Rinoa's father?" / General Caraway: "I can't remember the last time she called me that." / Zell: "So the father's a top military officer, and the daughter's a member of an anti-government faction!? That's bad... Really BAD!" / General Caraway: "Yes, indeed. It's a serious problem. But it doesn't concern you. It's our problem." {''Final Fantasy VIII'') When Squall and his party of SeeD help the resistance movement fight Galbadia, Rinoa decides to stay with them; as a result she ends up falling in love with Squall. She has black hair with brown highlights and dark eyes. Outspoken, spirited, emotional, and honest with her feelings, she speaks her mind without reservation. Because of her ambition, she can often be stubborn. In battle, she uses a weapon called a "Blaster Edge", which consists of an arm holster and a projectile that returns like a
boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning b ...
. In her ''Combine'' Limit Break, she attacks in unison with her dog, Angelo. When Rinoa gains Sorceress powers, she acquires a second Limit Break, ''Angel Wing'', which increases her spell-casting ability, along with rendering her in a state of "magic" berserk for the remainder of the battle.


Laguna Loire

is a man whose past and relation to the main characters are revealed slowly throughout the game. Most of the sequences involving Laguna appear in the form of "
dreams A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...
" experienced by the primary protagonists. Squall always experiences these dreams from Laguna's point of view, although he does not think too highly of Laguna. Laguna attacks with a
Machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
and his Limit Break is ''Desperado'', which involves a swinging rope, a grenade, and a barrage of bullets. During the dream segments, he is a twenty-seven-year-old soldier in the Galbadian army who travels with his companions,
Kiros Seagill ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its ...
and
Ward Zabac ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its ...
. He is also an aspiring
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
. During the first two dream segments, Laguna and his team are shown getting lost and visiting the hotel where singer Julia Heartilly, Laguna's romantic interest, performs. After a scouting mission at Centra, the three soldiers are separated and Laguna is injured. A young woman named
Raine Raine is a name derived from any of several personal names (such as Raymond or Lorraine), and may refer to: ;Given name * Raine Baljak (born 1996), Filipino-Australian beauty queen titleholder * Raine Karp (born 1939), Estonian architect * Raine ...
nurses him back to health after he is brought to Winhill. He falls in love with and marries her. However, he is drawn away from his new home when a young girl in their care, Ellone, is kidnapped. Laguna tracks her down in Esthar, where he helps liberate the nation from the despotic rule of Sorceress Adel. The people of Esthar elect Laguna as their president and Ellone is sent back to Winhill without him. After Raine dies, her child (whom Ward and Kiros imply to be Squall in a conversation aboard the ''Ragnarok'') and Ellone are sent to an orphanage. Laguna is unable to leave his post to visit her and remains president of Esthar to the present day. Ellone and Laguna are reunited in space, and Laguna helps the party prepare for their fight against
Ultimecia ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Square (video game company), Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenary, mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various natio ...
. The concept of two main characters was planned since the beginning of the game's development. Nomura tried to create a contrast between Laguna's and Squall's occupations; thus, Laguna became a soldier with a light-hearted charisma, and Squall became a reserved mercenary student. The designers intended Laguna to be more similar to the previous protagonists in the series to complement Squall, who is different from previous main characters. Laguna is ranked seventh in ''Electronic Gaming Monthlys list of the top ten video game politicians. Laguna Loire appears in ''
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' (pronounced as ) is a 2011 fighting game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department and released in J ...
'', where he is voiced by
Hiroaki Hirata is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is the founder of Hirata Production. He is best known for voicing Vinsmoke Sanji in ''One Piece''. His other known roles include Sha Gojyo in ''Saiyuki'', Kotetsu T. Kaburagi in '' Tiger & Bunn ...
in the Japanese version and Armando Valdes-Kennedy in the English version. He is featured in his youthful ''Final Fantasy VIII'' appearance while his older and his Galbadian soldier forms. His costume of a knight is also available as
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
. Laguna was also planned to appear in ''
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios for the PlayStation Portable, serving as the sixth installment in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series. The game was relea ...
'' as the head of Mirage Arena.


Seifer Almasy

is a classmate and rival of Squall, who can only be controlled by the player during the Dollet sequence. He reappears as a
boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...
later in the game. He acts as a
foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
to Squall in many respects, having dated Rinoa before she met Squall,Rinoa: "I don't really know. I... I think it was love. I wonder how eiferfelt...? ...It was last summer... I was 16." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') and assuming a leadership position among his friends.Raijin: "Seifer has a lot of followers, but we're his only friends... We're a posse, ya know...? The Galbadian soldiers are only listening to Seifer 'cause they fear the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have a posse, ya know...?" (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Like Squall, Seifer wields a gunblade which he calls " Hyperion". His Limit Break, ''Fire Cross'', allows him to use an attack called ''No Mercy''. He later uses the more powerful techniques ''Demon Slice'' and ''Bloodfest'' against the player. Seifer has a short temper and is often depicted as a bully who desires attention.Quistis: "Yes! That's right! Seifer was a kid who always needed to be the center of attention. But Squall always used to ignore him... But eventually they would end up fighting." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') He is also fiercely independent and is often punished for his recklessness.Headmaster Cid: "Seifer. You will be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior. You must follow orders exactly during combat. But I'm not entirely without sympathy for you." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') He is the leader of Balamb Garden's disciplinary committee with his friends Fujin and
Raijin , also known as , , , and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. He is typically depicted with fierce and aggressive facial expressions, standing atop a cloud, beatin ...
. After joining Ultimecia, he becomes the leader of the Galbadian army. During the introduction sequence, Seifer cuts Squall across the left side of his face with his gunblade, leaving a scar. Squall retaliates with a backhand slash that leaves Seifer with a mirrored scar. At the following field exam in Dollet, Seifer acts independently from his teammates Squall and
Zell Zell may refer to: Places Austria * Zell am See, in Salzburg state * Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol * Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia * in Upper Austria: ** Bad Zell ** Zell am Moos ** Zell an der Pram ** Zell am Pettenfirst Germany * Zell im Fichtelgebi ...
, abandoning them; consequently, he fails and is not promoted to SeeD. Spurred by dreams of a brighter future, he defects to Sorceress Edea so he could be her "knight".Seifer: "I was hoping you'd be there, Squall. So... how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled. I've become the sorceress' knight." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') From his point of view, Squall and the others are "evil" and he recognizes himself as a hero. As Seifer is brainwashed by the sorceress, he alienates himself from his friends. Eventually, Fujin and Raijin abandon him and he is defeated shortly afterward.Fujin: "You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall!" (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Following Edea's defeat, the party confronts Seifer one last time as he now serves Ultimecia, and either they or
Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assyr ...
defeat him. Seifer escapes, kidnapping Rinoa and bringing her to Adel. At the end of the game, Seifer is seen fishing and having fun with Fujin and Raijin. Nomura had originally intended Seifer not only as Squall's rival, but also as part of the
love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
between him, Squall, and Rinoa. Although this concept was shelved in the final script, Seifer remains Squall's rival and his appearance was designed to contrast with Squall's. They have equivalent but mirrored scars on their faces and their jackets are of opposing color and length. Both characters use gunblades; Squall's gunblade is larger and requires two hands, while Seifer's gunblade is lighter and can be wielded with one hand. A younger version of Seifer makes an appearance in ''
Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), King ...
'' as a member of the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee with Fujin and Raijin. Seifer in the virtual Twilight Town is a rival of the main character, Roxas, and at one point mentions that he does not wish to cooperate with destiny. He is voiced by
Takehito Koyasu is a Japanese voice actor from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.Doi, Hitoshi"Koyasu Takehito" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. He is affiliated with and representative of T's Factory, a voice acting agency he founded ...
and
Will Friedle Will Friedle () (born August 11, 1976) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for his role as Eric Matthews on the ABC sitcom ''Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000). In animation, he voices Terry McGinnis / Batman on ''Batman Beyond'' (19 ...
in the Japanese and English versions, respectively. He is also featured in the rhythm game ''
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy ''Theatrhythm Final Fantasy'' is a Rhythm game, rhythm video game, developed by indieszero and published by Square Enix for Nintendo 3DS and iOS. Based on the ''Final Fantasy'' video game franchise, the game involves using the touch screen in time ...
'' as a sub-character representing ''Final Fantasy VIII''. The book "Converging Traditions in the Digital Moving Image: Architectures of Illusion, Images of Truth" discusses that while Seifer is seen as a show-off and a troublemaker, protagonist
Squall Leonhart is a fictional character and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a role-playing video game that was produced by Square (now Square Enix). In ''Final Fantasy VIII'', Squall is an 17-year-old student at Balamb Garden, a prestigious mil ...
identifies with him.
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
listed Seifer as the 91st best video game villain, stating that he makes for a great rival due to the similarities between him and Squall.


Quistis Trepe

is an eighteen-year-old instructor at Balamb Garden, where Squall, Zell, and Seifer are students. She uses a
chain whip The chain whip, also known as the soft whip, is a weapon used in some Chinese martial arts, particularly traditional Chinese disciplines, in addition to modern and traditional wushu. It consists of several metal rods, which are joined end-to-e ...
in battle, and her Limit Break, '' Blue Magic'', a common ability found throughout the ''Final Fantasy'' games, allows her to imitate monsters' attacks. Early in the game, Quistis is discharged as an instructor because she " acksleadership qualities". Afterwards, she maintains a more informal relationship with the other characters as a fellow member of SeeD. As a child, Quistis stayed at an orphanage with most of the main characters. She then lived with
foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family memb ...
, with whom she never developed any intimacy, before moving to Balamb Garden at age ten. She became a SeeD at fifteen and an instructor two years later. By this time, she has become very popular, having a number of fans who identify themselves as "Trepies". For her part, Quistis never shows any indication of being aware of their existence. Quistis initially joins Squall to prepare him for his upcoming field exam. She later takes Squall into her confidence and tells him personally about her demotion. Squall rudely tells her to go "talk to a wall", a famous comical line in the game, and not to burden him with her problems. This furthers the player's perception of Squall's awkwardness and anti-social tendencies. When Irvine refreshes the main characters' memories about the orphanage, they remember that Squall's asocial behavior began when Ellone, an older sister figure to Squall, left the orphanage unexpectedly. As a result of these revelations, Quistis recognizes that her feelings for Squall are more sisterly than romantic.Quistis: "I couldn't stop thinking about Squall. I thought it was... love. I had to hide my feelings because I was an instructor, but I've come to realize it wasn't. It was my childhood feelings as a big sister that lingered... Oh well..." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Later, she criticizes Squall when he nearly abandons Rinoa, his romantic interest. When designing the characters, Nomura had wanted at least one female character to wear a skirt. Quistis was originally supposed to fill this part, but Nomura decided a long skirt worn over pants would look better. The role was eventually passed to Selphie. Nomura was surprised when the writers cast her as a teacher, despite being around the same age as the rest of the group. Quistis also appears in ''
World of Final Fantasy ''World of Final Fantasy'' is a role-playing video game developed by Tose (company), Tose and published by Square Enix. It is a spin-off of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise, featuring characters from across its mainline and supplementary entries. ...
'' where she is voiced by
Miyuki Sawashiro is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. She has played voice roles in a number of Japanese anime including ''Beelzebub'', Bishamon in ''Noragami'', Petit Charat/Puchiko in ''Di Gi Charat'', Mint in ''Galaxy Angel'', Sinon in '' Sword ...
in Japanese and Kristina Pesic in English.


Selphie Tilmitt

is a student at Balamb Garden who recently transferred from Trabia Garden. Selphie first appears when running into Squall while late for class. She asks Squall to show her around because she recently transferred. During the Dollet exam, Selphie joins Squall's team after Seifer abandons them. She becomes a full-fledged SeeD with Squall and Zell, and the three are assigned to the same team. She participates in many extracurricular activities, such as planning the Garden Festival and running the school's website. Selphie wields
nunchaku is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...
in battle, and her Limit Break ''Slot'' allows the player to cast a random spell numerous times as well as certain magic used exclusively in her limit break. She also pilots the Ragnarok starship.


Zell Dincht

is a student at Balamb Garden with Squall and Seifer. Seventeen years old, Zell is a
martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
who fits the role of unarmed character, just like
Tifa Lockhart is a character (arts), character who debuted in Square (video game company), Square's (now Square Enix) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was created as a foil to her teammate Aerith Gainsborough by members of the developmen ...
did in the previous game, ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertai ...
''. Zell attacks with punches and kicks, his weapons being gloves, and his Limit Break, ''Duel'', requires the player to input button combinations on the controller to deal damage. Zell is slightly impulsive and overconfident in his own skill; however, he is loyal to his friends. Seifer gives him the nickname "''chicken-wuss''", which infuriates him. He also has a passion for hot dogs; a recurring gag is that they are always sold out by the time he reaches the cafeteria. Zell lived at the same orphanage as many of the other protagonists; this is where Seifer first began to bully him. He was later adopted by the Dincht family in the town of Balamb. His motivation for enrolling at Garden is to live up to the memory of his grandfather, a famous soldier. Zell was designed to look and act like the main character of a shōnen
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
(Japanese
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s intended primarily for boys); his neighbors in Balamb describe him as a "'comic-bookish' type of hero". He also thinks of himself as Seifer's rival, despite not being the main character. The inspiration for the tattoo on his face came from an
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
that featured a man with a
full body tattoo A body suit or full body suit is an extensive tattoo, usually of a similar pattern, style or theme that covers the entire torso or the entire body. They are associated with traditional Japanese tattooing as well as with some freak show and circ ...
. Zell's ultimate weapon is named ''
Ehrgeiz , fully titled ''Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring'', is a 3D fighting video game developed by DreamFactory and published by Namco in 1998 for the arcade platform. It was first ported to the PlayStation and published by Square Co. in 1998, then to J ...
'', directly referencing the game of the same name which came out around the same time ''Final Fantasy VIII'' did. Also, continuing the similarities to
Tifa Lockhart is a character (arts), character who debuted in Square (video game company), Square's (now Square Enix) 1997 role-playing video game ''Final Fantasy VII''. She was created as a foil to her teammate Aerith Gainsborough by members of the developmen ...
of ''
Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Published in Japan by Square, it was released in other regions by Sony Computer Entertai ...
'', Zell has a limit break called ''Dolphin Blow'' as does Tifa, Zell's final limit break is ''My Final Heaven'', while Tifa's was called just ''Final Heaven''. He is voiced by
Noriaki Sugiyama is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. He voices Sasuke Uchiha in ''Naruto'', Uryū Ishida in ''Bleach'' and Shirō Emiya in ''Fate/stay night''. Filmography Anime ;2002 * ''Naruto'' (Sasuke Uchiha) * '' Beyblade: V-Force'' (Blader DJ) * ''Mi ...
in Japanese.


Irvine Kinneas

is a student at Galbadia Garden, one of the three mercenary academies in the game. He is one of the Garden's elite sharpshooters, always carrying his rifle. His Limit Break is ''Shot'', which deals damage and inflicts
status effect In role-playing games, a status effect is a temporary modification to a game character’s original set of stats that usually comes into play when special powers and abilities (such as spells) are used, often during combat. It appears in num ...
s depending on the type of ammunition. Irvine is depicted as a
cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
, tall and fair-skinned with long brown hair that he wears pulled back in a ponytail. He also enjoys
flirting Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language. It is either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person or, if done playfully, for amusement. It ...
with the female characters, being known as well for his marksmanship as his charm. He acts like a carefree, but misunderstood loner; however, this is merely a façade to charm women and hide his lack of confidence.Irvine: "I... I can't... I'm sorry, I can't do it. I always choke like this... I try to act all cool, joke around, but I just can't handle the pressure..." / Squall: "Forget it. Just shoot." / Irvine: "My bullet... The sorceress... I'll go down in history. I'd change the history of Galbadia... Of the world! It's all too much..." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') When Sorceress Edea becomes the Galbadian ambassador, Balamb and Galbadia Gardens order Squall's team to assassinate her; Irvine is introduced as the sniper for the mission. Moments before the assassination attempt, he explains to Squall that he always chokes under pressure. In spite of his nerves and under intense pressure, he fires an accurate shot, but Edea uses magic to stop the bullet. At Trabia Garden, Irvine reveals that he and most of the other party members had lived in the same orphanage, run by Cid and Edea Kramer. However, the others could not remember this because of their use of Guardian Forces (GF), magical beings who cause severe long-term
memory loss Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use o ...
as a side effect. Because Irvine had not used a GF until he joined the party, he is able to remember his past. During the game, Irvine gradually draws closer to Selphie, acting on the feeling he has had since living with her at the orphanage.Irvine: "I really liked this girl, and it made me so happy just talking to her." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') With Irvine, Nomura tried to strike a balance between not overshadowing Squall and not becoming too unattractive. He gave Irvine a handsome appearance, but a casual personality, hoping that this would make him less attractive than Squall. Keeping with this idea, Nomura gave him goggles; however, this idea was abandoned in favor of an American cowboy-like appearance to set him apart from other goggle-wearing characters in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. He is voiced by
Daisuke Hirakawa is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Daisuke can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *大輔, "big, assist" *大介, "big, mediate" *大祐, "big, bless" *大助, "big, help" *大典, "big, law/rule ...
in Japanese.


Kiros Seagill

is one of Laguna's comrades in the Galbadian Army. He wields a pair of katar (कटार) or gauntlet-daggers, with which he repeatedly slices his enemies in his Limit Break, ''Blood Pain''. His weapons' name is given as "katal" in the English localization of the game. Following the failed mission in Centra, Kiros is separated from Laguna and Ward. He heals quickly and decides to leave the Galbadian army, but soon finds that life without Laguna lacks excitement. His subsequent search for Laguna brings him to Winhill after nearly a year. When Laguna is forced to leave Winhill to find Ellone, Kiros accompanies him, helping him earn money as an amateur actor to fund the expedition. Kiros remains by Laguna's side throughout his adventures in Esthar, earning a place as Laguna's advisor when he becomes president. Like Ward, Kiros' interactions with Laguna are based on the staff's interactions during development.


Ward Zabac

is Laguna's other comrade. An imposing man, he wields a large harpoon in battle; in his Limit Break, ''Massive Anchor'', he uses it to crush his opponents from above. During the incident at Centra, he loses his voice in a battle with Esthar soldiers.Kiros: "Oh, and he never got his voice back. You could basically tell what he wants from his facial expressions." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') After being separated from Laguna and Kiros, he becomes a janitor at the D-District Prison. When Laguna becomes president of Esthar, Ward joins Kiros as an advisor, directing affairs with gestures and ellipses. Laguna and Kiros can understand what he is saying by his reactions. Like Kiros, Ward's interactions with Laguna are based on the staff's interactions during development.


Edea Kramer

is initially presented as a power-hungry sorceress who seizes control of Galbadia from President Deling.Edea: "...Lowlifes. ...Shameless filthy wretches. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations. Have you no shame? What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Her motives are unknown, but SeeD dispatches Squall to assassinate her. The mission fails after Rinoa is taken over by an unknown entity and Edea sends a bolt of ice through Squall's chest. Later, it is revealed that Edea is actually the wife of Headmaster Cid,Laguna: "The owners of the orphanage were Cid Kramer and his wife Edea." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') and was known as "Matron" to
Squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
and the other kids that lived at the orphanage. It is eventually explained that Edea was not acting of her own will, but was
possessed Possessed may refer to: Possession * Possession (disambiguation), having some degree of control over something else ** Spirit possession, whereby gods, demons, animas, or other disincarnate entities may temporarily take control of a human body *** ...
by a sorceress from the future named
Ultimecia ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Square (video game company), Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenary, mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various natio ...
. When Ultimecia's control is broken, Edea takes the side of the SeeDs in the struggle and joins Squall's party for a short time. However, she accidentally gives her powers to Rinoa, making her a sorceress. Being a sorceress, Edea attacks with magical bursts of energy and her Limit Break, ''Ice Strike'', consists of a magically conjured
icicle An icicle is a spike of ice formed when water falling from an object freezes. Formation and dynamics Icicles can form during bright, sunny, but subfreezing weather, when ice or snow melted by sunlight or some other heat source (such as ...
, hurled like a
javelin A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon, but today predominantly for sport. The javelin is almost always thrown by hand, unlike the sling, bow, and crossbow, which launch projectiles with th ...
.


Other characters


Adel

is a sorceress from Esthar who initiated the Sorceress War some years ago before the start of the game. As the ruler of Esthar, she ordered her soldiers to abduct every girl to find a suitable successor for her powers, including the young Ellone. During the Esthar revolution,
Laguna Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
and Dr. Odine devised an artifact to cancel the sorceress power, and placed her in
suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...
in outer space. In the present, after Edea is released from Ultimecia's control, Ultimecia possesses the new sorceress, Rinoa, and commands her to free Adel, so she can become Ultimecia's new and more powerful vessel. Adel is successfully freed, so Rinoa is discarded as a host. However, in order to defeat Ultimecia, Dr. Odine plans for Ultimecia to once again possess Rinoa. Eventually, Squall's party defeats Adel when she tries to absorb Rinoa at the Lunatic Pandora, thus Adel's powers transfer to Rinoa, Ultimecia possesses her again, and using Ellone's powers, they start "Time Compression", which leads to the final battle.


Cid Kramer

is the headmaster of Balamb Garden. After the failed assassination attempt on Edea, the Garden Master,
NORG Norg is a village in the northeastern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Noordenveld, Drenthe. It used to be an independent municipality until 1998. Norg is home to two windmills. History Norg is an ''esdorp'' which developed i ...
, attempts to seize power from Cid and reconcile with Edea.NORG: "Bujurururu! Offer-the-seed's-head-on-a-silver-platter- AND-PRETEND-WE-OBEY-THE-SORCERESS!" (''Final Fantasy VIII'') This sparks an internal conflict, in which the students and personnel side with either Cid or NORG.Raijin: "I dunno. At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up the SeeDs, ya know!? Now, everyone's either sidin' with the Garden Master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, ya know!?" (''Final Fantasy VIII'') However, Squall and Xu quell the conflict and return Cid to power. Afterward, Cid aggressively confronts NORG, who started the conflict over financial issues. Cid is the husband of Sorceress Edea, with whom he ran an orphanage and founded the SeeD organization. They are estranged for most of the game, however, because they lead opposing factions until Ultimecia releases her magical possession of Edea. Because most ''Final Fantasy'' titles include a character named "Cid", Nomura wanted to design someone with differences from the past Cids in the series. He gave this version of Cid the appearance and personality of an older, benevolent character who would watch over Squall's party and offer them advice and motivation. Nojima decided that this type of good-natured character would work best as the headmaster of Balamb Garden.


Ellone

is a mysterious girl and the missing "Sis" of Squall's past. She has the ability to send a person's
consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...
back in time and into the body of another, so they can experience the actions of that person. She uses this talent to send Squall's party into Laguna's past adventures, hoping that they would alter the past; however, she eventually realizes that her abilities can only view history, not alter it.
Ultimecia ''Final Fantasy VIII'', a 1999 best-selling role-playing video game by Square (video game company), Squaresoft, features an elite group of mercenary, mercenaries called "SeeD", as well as soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various natio ...
needs this power to achieve "Time Compression", so she uses Edea and the Galbadian military to find her.Edea: "Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone." / Edea: "Ellone's mysterious power... Sending one's consciousness back into the past." / Zell: "So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?" / Irvine: "I get it. Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past." / Zell: "What's she going to do in the past?" / Edea: "Time compression." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Ellone is an important character in the story, tying the relationships between some of the characters, and being the primary objective of Ultimecia. However, Ellone's importance is mostly told in the flashbacks, and explained gradually. After Ellone's parents were killed by Esthar soldiers, under orders of sorceress Adel, she lived with
Raine Raine is a name derived from any of several personal names (such as Raymond or Lorraine), and may refer to: ;Given name * Raine Baljak (born 1996), Filipino-Australian beauty queen titleholder * Raine Karp (born 1939), Estonian architect * Raine ...
in the small Winhill village, where she also developed a close relationship with her adoptive uncle,
Laguna Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...
. These peaceful times lasted until she was finally captured by Esthar. Then, Laguna travelled to Esthar to rescue her, at the same time he participated in Esthar's rebellion to overthrow Adel. After Adel's incarceration in space, Laguna having to remain in Esthar as president, and then Raine's death, Ellone moved to
Cid CID may refer to: Film * ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film * ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film * ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film * ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film Television * ''CID'' ( ...
and Edea's
orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
, where she became an older sister figure to Squall and the other orphans, and eventually she also followed Cid to Balamb Garden. Early in the game, Squall's party finds Ellone in the library of Balamb Garden, but the characters don't have further interactions. It is later explained that the "Guardian Forces" (GF) which the SeeDs use in battle cause
memory loss Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use o ...
, thus explaining why Squall doesn't remember Ellone, Edea and his past in the orphanage.


Fujin

is a young woman with pale skin, short silver hair and an eye patch. She is a member of Balamb Garden's disciplinary committee with Seifer and Raijin; the three of them form a close "posse", even when Seifer leaves Garden. Fujin prefers to speak in terse sentences, often with only a single word, such as "RAGE!" and "LIES!" (in the Japanese version she only spoke in
Kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...
). However, near the end of the game, she explains to Squall that she will temporarily break ties with Seifer because of his recent behavior. In battle, Fujin wields a
chakram Chakram ( sa, , script=latn; pa, , script=latn) is a throwing weapon from the Indian subcontinent. One of its major purposes is to protect the turban and the head from sword/melee attacks. It is circular with a sharpened outer edge and a diamet ...
and uses wind-based magic. She shares her name with the Japanese god of wind,
Fūjin or is the Japanese god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods. He is portrayed as a terrifying wizardly demon, resembling a red-headed green-skinned humanoid wearing a leopard skin, carrying a large bag of winds on his shoulders. In Ja ...
. Fujin and Raijin were to appear in ''Final Fantasy VII''; however, the designers excluded them due to their similarity to the
Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
. In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', a younger version of Fujin, named , appears as a member of Seifer's gang. She is voiced by
Rio Natsuki is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Notable voice roles Anime *''Angelic Layer'' (Tsubasa McEnzie) *''Battle Athletes series'' (Akari Kanzaki) *''Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040'' ( Linna Yamazaki) *''Carnival Phantasm'' (Sion Eltnam Atlasia) ...
in the Japanese version and by Jillian Bowen in the English version.


Raijin

is a member of Balamb Garden's disciplinary committee with Seifer and Fujin; the three form a close "posse", as he calls it. He has a habit of ending his sentences with . Like Fujin, he supports Seifer when he betrays SeeD and Garden to side with Edea. Near the end of the game, he stands by Fujin's plea to the party to help save Seifer from himself. In the ending FMV, he celebrates catching a large fish until Fujin kicks him into the water. In battle, Raijin uses thunder-based magic and a
A ''bō'' (棒: ぼう), ''bong'' (Korean), ''pang'' (Cantonese), ''bang'' (Mandarin), or ''kun'' (Okinawan) is a staff weapon used in Okinawa. ''Bō'' are typically around and used in Okinawan martial arts, while being adopted into Japanese ar ...
staff with large weights on either end. He shares his name with the Japanese god of thunder,
Raijin , also known as , , , and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. He is typically depicted with fierce and aggressive facial expressions, standing atop a cloud, beatin ...
. Raijin and Fujin were to appear in ''Final Fantasy VII''; however, the designers decided against it due to their similarity to the
Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
. In ''Kingdom Hearts II'', a younger version of Raijin, named , appears as a member of Seifer's gang. He is voiced by
Kazuya Nakai is a Japanese voice actor and narrator who was born in Kobe, Japan. He is affiliated with Aoni Production. His most notable role is Roronoa Zoro from ''One Piece''. Other major voice roles include Toshiro Hijikata from ''Gintama'', Date Masamu ...
in the Japanese version, and by Brandon Adams in the English version.


Ultimecia

is the main
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
of ''
Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. Released in 1999, it is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, t ...
''. Because she operates through the body of a possessed Edea to gain control of Galbadia, Ultimecia's existence is revealed only after possessing Rinoa to release Sorceress Adel from her orbital prison to take as a new host. A sorceress from the future, Ultimecia is capable of reaching her consciousness into the distant past via a special "Junction Machine" to possess other sorceresses.Doc Odine: "It may only be a toy right now, but in ze time of Ultimecia, it iz an impressive working machine! Which means there iz a machine which imitates Ellone's power. It iz I who made ze first model of zat machine. I named ze machine 'Junction Machine Ellone'! It iz a vonderful thing to know that my invention is used in ze future!" (''Final Fantasy VIII'') She seeks to achieve "Time Compression", which would cause all eras to merge; this would extinguish all life but her own as she becomes an omnipresent goddess. This would give her power on a par to Hyne the Great, who, according to the background had created the world.Rinoa: "She's trying to achieve time compression. She's the only one who would be able to exist in such a world." (''Final Fantasy VIII'')Squall: "What exactly is it that you want?" /Ultimecia: "A world of compressed time--where you shall worship me, the eternal and solitary being!" (''Dissidia Final Fantasy'')Ultimecia Time compression. I shall freeze the hands of time/.../ and extinguish all other lives in this world but my own. (''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'') In fact,
Squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...
and the heroes do help Ultimecia start Time Compression, but they do so to confront her in her own time.Doc Odine: "There iz only one way to defeat Ultimecia. You must kill her in ze future. / ... / Ultimecia probably needs to go back further in time to achieve time compression. Only Ellone can take her back further into ze past. / ... / You will keep moving through ze time compression toward ze future. Once you're out of ze time compression, zat will be Ultimecia's world. It's all up to you after zat." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') After Squall and his party defeat Sorceress Adel, Adel transfers her power to Rinoa, then Ultimecia possesses Rinoa again, and Ellone uses her power to send their consciousness to the past, at which point Ultimecia starts Time Compression. At that moment, the heroes are able to travel to Ultimecia's distant future and defeat her. After the final battle and during an apparent decompression of time, the defeated Ultimecia transfers her powers to Edea at a point in the past. This action essentially triggers the sequence of events that form the game's plot, and creates a ''
causal loop A causal loop is a theoretical proposition, wherein by means of either retrocausality or time travel, an event (an action, information, object, or person) is among the causes of another event, which is in turn among the causes of the first-menti ...
''. Squall o Ultimecia "...You're alive!?" Edea: "...The sorceress?" Squall: "Yes, Matron. We had defeated her... Matron, stand back." Edea: "It's OK. There's no more need to fight. That sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her powers on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers. I know... for I am one, too. I shall take over that sorceress' powers. I do not want one of the children to become one." Sorceress Ultimecia: "I...can't...disappear yet." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') Ultimecia is the villainess representing ''Final Fantasy VIII'' in '' Dissidia: Final Fantasy'', ''
Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy ''Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy'' (pronounced as ) is a 2011 fighting game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. It was developed by the company's 1st Production Department and released in J ...
'' and ''
Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fighting game with action role-playing elements developed by Koei Tecmo's Team Ninja and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4. The game is a follow-up to ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' and ''Dissidia 012 Final Fan ...
'', where she is voiced by Atsuko Tanaka in Japanese and
Tasia Valenza Tasia Valenza (born April 5, 1967) is an American actress. Personal life Tasia Valenza is the daughter of former actor and restaurant consultant Frank Valenza and Gloria Valenza. Her twin brother is a former television writer and now solar mark ...
in English.


Minor characters


Biggs and Wedge

Biggs and Wedge are members of the Galbadian Army. Biggs is a major and Wedge is a lieutenant. After the main characters defeat the duo at Dollet, they are demoted in rank to lieutenant and private respectively. The protagonists encounter them again at the D-District Prison. A third meeting at the Lunatic Pandora does not result in conflict; instead, they quit the Galbadian army.Biggs: "Why the heck do I have to take orders from some kid?" / Wedge: "Well, he is our superior..." / Biggs: "Don't you think I know that!? I chose the wrong career. Being ordered around by some punk..." / Wedge: "Ha ha ha! That's pretty funny. Then why don't you quit and find another career, sir?" / Biggs: "...Hmmmm..." / Wedge: "Ha ha ha! Just kidding, sir." / Biggs: "You're right!!! You're absolutely right! I QUIT!!!" / Wedge: "Uhh..." / Biggs: "Wedge, let's go home and have a drink." / Wedge: "Oh... What!? Me, too?" / Biggs: "Of course. Now, come on." / Wedge: "But, but..." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') They continue the ''Final Fantasy'' tradition of including two minor characters with the names "Biggs" and "Wedge."


General Fury Caraway

General Fury Caraway is a member of the Galbadian military who advises the main characters on their mission to assassinate Sorceress Edea. When Laguna left Galbadia, Caraway comforted Julia; eventually, they married and had a child, Rinoa. Caraway and Rinoa have a problematic relationship; he attempts to prevent her from participating in the assassination attempt. However, he later arranges her freedom from the D-District Prison.


Vinzer Deling

Vinzer Deling is the President of Galbadia. He appoints Sorceress Edea as a supposed "peace ambassador" to resolve Galbadia's political problems with other nations. His body double is defeated by SeeD and the Forest Owls resistance group. Edea kills him during her welcoming ceremony at Deling City and seizes power in Galbadia.


Mayor Dobe and Flo

Mayor Dobe is the leader of Fishermans Horizon, a town in the middle of a transoceanic highway between the continents of Galbadia and Esthar. He and his wife, Flo, detest violence and oppose the Garden's presence in their territory. Squall and his party save the Mayor from certain death when the Galbadian army invades the town.


Forest Owls

The Forest Owls are a small resistance faction that oppose the Galbadian occupation of Timber, a town in the eastern part of the continent. A man named Zone is the leader, and Rinoa and Watts are members. Most people of Timber are affiliated with a resistance group, although the Forest Owls are the only active ones.


Julia Heartilly

is a pianist at a Galbadian hotel frequented by Laguna during his days as a soldier. After being secretly admired by Laguna for some time, Julia introduces herself, as depicted in one of the flashback sequences. Julia reveals to Laguna her dream of writing her own songs and becoming a singer. Laguna is shipped out on new orders the following day and the ensuing circumstances prevent him from returning. Julia eventually marries Galbadian military officer General Caraway and has a daughter, Rinoa. She also finds success with her song " Eyes on Me", which is also the game's theme song. She is killed several years before the start of the game in a car accident. Julia is the only character in the game with an explicit character theme, named "Julia", which is a piano arrangement of "Eyes on Me".


Raine

, later , is Laguna's second love depicted in the flashbacks. She finds him injured at the bottom of a cliff and brings him to her hometown of Winhill to recover. She is irked at first by Laguna's bad habits and reluctance to express himself outright, but the two grow close and marry. After Laguna becomes President of Esthar, his duties thwart his efforts to return to Winhill. Raine dies after giving birth to a child, who, along with Ellone, is taken away to Edea's orphanage. It is strongly implied by Ward and Kiros, as well as by gaming writers and fans, that Squall is their child.


Martine

Martine is the head of Galbadia Garden. His superior, Balamb Garden's master NORG, orders him to use SeeD members to carry out the assassination plot against Sorceress Edea. When Squall and his team travel to Galbadia Garden after fleeing Timber, Martine orders them to carry out the mission. He hopes that using Balamb Garden's SeeDs would deflect responsibility for the plot onto NORG. His actions trigger the conflict within Balamb Garden when Garden Master NORG tries to kill Headmaster Cid to appease Sorceress Edea after the mission fails. Afterward, the Galbadian military seizes Galbadia Garden and Martine flees to the pacifist city of Fishermans Horizon.


NORG

NORG is an exiled Shumi who lent Cid the money to build and develop the Garden and took the position of Garden Master upon its completion.Headmaster Cid: "He is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to find funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden. NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing into the Garden. And the Garden began to change. Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up... That's probably enough. In the end, it was my fault, for giving up control." (''Final Fantasy VIII'') NORG is more concerned about the revenue acquired by SeeD as a mercenary organization rather than its noble duty of opposing the Sorceress; he is considered a "black sheep" of the Shumi tribe. After hearing about a failed assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, NORG begins to distrust Headmaster Cid and tries to seize control of Balamb Garden, causing a conflict between factions loyal to NORG and Cid. Feigning loyalty to the Sorceress, he attempts to kill the SeeDs who carried out the failed assassination. After he is defeated in battle, he enters a cocoon-like state. Shumis from the Shumi village later appear at the site of his defeat. They appear to have removed him from his cocoon by cracking it open. They also apologize for NORG's behaviour.


Dr. Odine

Dr. Odine is a scientist and magic researcher from Esthar. He discovered the GFs and junctioning and engineered a machine that mimics Ellone's power. Seventeen years before the game, he developed the necessary technology to allow Laguna to entomb Adel. As a researcher of the Lunatic Pandora, he also helps to prevent it from reaching Tears' Point and initiating a Lunar Cry. Odine also plays a role in the plot to destroy Ultimecia, explaining how to survive time compression.


Minor SeeD members

Several other SeeD members assist Squall's party. Dr. Kadowaki is the Balamb Garden doctor who tends to Squall's wounds after his fight with Seifer in the opening sequence. She also helps Headmaster Cid after his confrontation with NORG. Nida (another ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' reference, along with Biggs and Wedge) is a student at Balamb Garden who passes the SeeD exam along with Squall. He pilots Balamb Garden after it becomes a mobile base. Lastly, Xu is a high-ranking SeeD who helps Squall during the Dollet mission and the Garden civil war between NORG and Cid. She is friends with Quistis and a member of Squall's staff once he becomes the leader of Balamb Garden.


Merchandise

The characters of ''Final Fantasy VIII'' have spawned
action figure An action figure is a poseable character (arts), character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; fictional or historical. These figures are ...
s,
jewellery Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry (U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a wester ...
and other goods in their likeness. In 1999, action figure lineups were distributed in Japan by
Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...
, Kotobukiya,
Banpresto (formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in the New Territories. Banpresto was a partly-own ...
, and
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
. Bandai also released them to Europe and Australasia the same year. In 2004, action figures of Squall, Rinoa and Selphie were distributed in North America by Diamond Comics. Posters of individual characters or a
collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...
of characters are available on many fan websites, including Final Fantasy Spirit. Other products available include mouse pads, keychains, and pens depicting individual characters or sets of characters.


Reception

The characters of ''Final Fantasy VIII'' have received praise by reviewers. The ''Gaming Age'' reviewer was originally concerned with the shift to consistently realistically proportioned characters, but he ultimately found them more appealing. Moreover, the review stated that the character designs and graphical quality allowed the characters to "convey emotions much more dramatically". ''
Game Revolution ''GameRevolution'' (formerly ''Game-Revolution'') is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots ...
'' cited similar praise, agreeing that the change "really makes the graphics impressive". Jeff Lundigran of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
commented that the " low-polygon characters of ''Final Fantasy VII'' are gone, replaced with sometimes surprisingly realistic high-
polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
models that only look better the closer they get".
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
agreed with the transition, claiming that "involving, personal, and emotional stories are far more believable when they come from, well, people, not short, bizarrely shaped cartoon characters". The cast itself has received criticism from reviews. Lundigran criticized the manner in which romantic interactions play out, stating that "considering that the love story is so integral to everything that happens—not to mention forming the central image of the box art—it's incomprehensible why no one says 'I love you' to anyone, ever". With Squall, he felt that "FFVIII does break one cardinal rule: when your story is character centered, you'd better center it on a character the audience can care about. Squall, unfortunately, just doesn't fit the bill". However,
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
felt that ''Final Fantasy VIII'' shifts the story from the "epic" concepts of ''Final Fantasy VII'' to the "personal", in that "the characters and their relationships are all extremely believable and complex; moreover, the core romance holds up even under the most pessimistic scrutiny". A later editorial by IGN's Ryan Clements echoed this sentiment, appreciating that Squall and Rinoa's single kiss during the finale serves "one of the player's main rewards for hours of dedication". Although the reviewer at ''
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine ''Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine'' (often abbreviated to ''OPM'') was a monthly video game magazine, published by Ziff Davis Media. It was a sister publication of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''. The magazine focused exclusively on PlayStation ...
'' acknowledged possible fears over a romantic storyline, he stated that "it's only later in the game, once you are really attached to all the distinct and complex characters, that the more emotional themes are gradually introduced".''Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine'' issue 50 (November 2001), p. 45


References


External links


Final Fantasy VIII character profiles
— Square Enix USA {{Final Fantasy series, FF=FFVIII Final Fantasy 08 Final Fantasy VIII