Final Fantasy XIV is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in 2013, because of the disastrous launch of the game in 2010[1]. The story follows the Player Character through a timeline of stories, where they are introduced to other protagonist's and antagonist's throughout their journey of Eorzea. Ayumi Namae is credited as one of the lead character concept artists and was involved in a lot of the characters base identities and released merchandise[2]. Some of their stories are written into the main scenario questline and side-quests found within Final Fantasy XIV and were developed by Kazutoyo Maehiro in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward; and Natsuko Ishikawa and Banri Oda in Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers and Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.
There are a plethora of characters found within Final Fantasy XIV; a considerably notable group called the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, originally named The Circle of Knowing in the first version of the game, who assist the Warrior of Light (the player character) throughout their journey in version 1.0 and onwards. This group consists of 17 notable members, all lead originally by an 18th member, Louisoix Leveilleur, a respected Elezen sage who had a goal of saving Eorzea from the seventh umbral calamity. Some of the characters of these groups consist of but are not limited to; Minfilia Warde, the successor and new leader of the Scions; Thancred Waters, an ex-thief Hyur who was asked to join for his talents; Y'shtola Rhul, a powerful Mi'qote student of Matoya; Yda Hext, a pugilist Hyur reigning from Gyr Abania; Papalymo Totolymo, a Lalafel thaumaturge and companion of Yda; Urianger Augurelt, an Elezen scholar, later becoming an astrologian with the release of Heavensward; Alphinaud Leveilleur, grandchild of Louisoix; Alisae Leveilleur, grandchild of Louisoix and twin sister to Alphinaud; Tataru Taru, a Lalafel receptionist for the Scions of the Seventh Dawn; G'raha Tia, a powerful student of Baldesion and Estinien Wyrmblood, or known as Estinien Varlineau, the azure dragoon hailing from Ishgard.
The characters within this game have been the basis for merchandise products created by Square-Enix, such as dolls, plushies and action figures. Characters within Final Fantasy XIV have been subject to mostly positive reviews, praising both the voice acting and character design of the game, but have still been subjected to some scrutiny by fans and critics at the earlier stages of the games creation.
Louisoix Leveilleur (ルイゾワ・ルヴェユール) was the original leader of the Circle of Knowing group in Final Fantasy XIV, before being renamed to the Scions of the Seventh Dawn[3]. Louisoix is an old Elezen (as shown by his tall slender stature and pointed ears) sage, from Sharlayan, a city found in Eorzea. On the day of A Realm Reborn, Louisoix travelled from Sharalaya to travel closer towards the red moon Dalamud, which was shattering. When it shattered, it released a dragon primal named Bahamut, the red moon was acting as its lunar prison. As a result of Dalamud breaking, Bahamut rained down chaos onto the people of Eorzea, which promted Louisoix to summon the power of the Twelve, Eorzea's Gods, to subdue the primal and protect Eorzea from falling to the seventh umbral calamity [4], leading to his death. This battle against Bahamut was then named the Battle of Carteneau within Final Fantasy XIV's story. During the game, you learn small details about Louisoix, but not a lot, as he is not physically found within the game as a character fighting alongside the player, he is mainly involved with the lore and history of Final Fantasy XIV and is portrayed as a much older individual who has dark skin, white hair and wrinkled skin. Louisoix is a well-respected character by most, and is thought of highly as being a saviour, which is emphasised by the fact he was a sage, a now healer type job which was recently introduced in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker[5].
The fifth in a five-part series of memoirs, The Tale of Louisoix's Wake[4] tells this story and of his passing, and delves into the history of Louisoix, who the player does not know too much about, as they do not get to meet him in game. He also appears within the Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - A New Beginning[6] prologue video, in which he is seen protecting Eorzea like what is detailed within his memoir. This trailer marked the change from the original failed version of Final Fantasy XIV, to a Realm Reborn, in which received a more positive response by fans and critics, receiving a metacritic score of 83[7] as opposed to its original version which received a score of 49[8].
Louisoix is voiced by David Lodge in the English dub of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, and voiced by Motomu Kiyokawa for the Japanese voice of the same game expansion[9].
Minfilia (ミンフィリア・ウォード) is a member of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, and became the appointed leader of the group after Louisoix's death[10]. Minfilia is a major NPC in the games. Minfilia originally hailed from Ala Mhigo, who is portrayed as a pugilist in any in-game battles, and went by the original name of Ascilia. After her father's death, she became an orphan, and was later adopted by an Uldahn woman (a place she was taught was filled with bad people), who named her Minfilia. It was after her father's death in which she met Thancred who was 5 years her senior.[10]. Minfilia did not have the best relationship with her new mother. The members of the Scions share a similar power called the Echo. The Echo, or referred to as "the Path of the Twelve" by some, is a gift some people have, including the player character, which means they can see the past of peoples souls, but cannot interfere with that past. They also can speak the languages of all races found in Eorzea. Louisoix had this self-same power. Minfilia directs the player on different missions to aid the guilds of Eorzea as a part of the Scions. During one of these quests, the base of the Scions is invaded by Livia, an antagonist of the Garlean Empire. Many of the scions are killed during this planned attack, but Minfilia is captured for being the leader, and in order to use her power of the Oracle of Light. Minfilia threatens to take her life, in order to protect them from abusing her gift, if any more of her friends get injured. This results in a counter-attack by the Scions, in which they destroy the Ultimate weapon- a device meant to bring around a new calamity. Towards the end of A Realm Reborn, Minfilia along with the other Scions, after a planned attack on the leader, Nanamo who was assassinated, in which is blamed on the player-character. As a result, Minfilia along with the others "sacrifice" themselves for the Warrior of Light (player-character), so they can escape and spread the truth of what really happened during that assassination and how the player is being wrongfully accused.
Minfilia's character throughout the expansions of Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward, Minfilia is seen less. It is the players job to try to recover Minfilia from the sea of light. However, it is learnt that the mother of the light, Hydaelyn (in the past known as Venat), needs Minfilia to be the new word of the mother. This seals her fate and is the moment in which the physical version of Minfilia is lost.
The player learns more about her power of the Oracle of the Light in Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers. Minfilia is a name given specifically to the Oracle of the Light. When the oracle of Light dies, a new one is created, and they receive the same name. For decades, there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of Minfilia's who have fought with the same power. In Shadowbringers you meet the new oracle of light, originally also named Minfilia. She is a much younger version however and is not very adept in being able to use these powers. Throughout Shadowbringers, you help increase her capabilities so she can use her powers correctly to help protect the planet of the First (12 Planets, where some have already been destroyed by calamities, the first is currently experiencing a Calamity, and it is the players job to stop this from happening). The player learns Minfilia uses these girls as vessels to spread her skills as an incorporeal being. The player is visited by Minfilia one last time towards the end of Shadowbringers, where she asks the new Minfilia whether she wants to continue as Minfilia, or host this power with her own will, and if she is willing to choose her own destiny. The young girl wishes for this, and Minfilia allows her to fully take over as the Oracle of Light, and is renamed by Thancred, as Ryne.
Minfilia is voiced by Amy Bolton in the English dub of Final Fantasy XIV, and voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro is the Japanese voice actress for the same character[11].
Thancred Waters (サンクレッド・ウォータース), a major Non-player character, otherwise known as NPC in the game, who plays an integral role throughout many of the different expansions. He is portrayed as quite a flirt, and in an official bio of the character is described as a charmer[12]. Thancred too makes an appearance in the short memoir alongide Minfilia and Louisoix, Tales of the Calamity: The Walkers Path[10]. Thancred was an ex-thief who would snatch purses from citizens to make his money. A key moment was when Thancred failed to thieve the respected Louisoix Leveilleur. As a result of being caught red-handed, Louisoix asked him to join him and aid him with his skills, as opposed to getting him in trouble. Thancred accepted and became a Scion of the Seventh Dawn. The player initially meets Thancred if they pick a job starting in the Ul'Dahn territory, such as Thaumaturge, Pugilist or Gladiator. Thancred asks the player after discovering of them having the gift of the Echo to clear a refugee woman's name, and in doing so takes the player to the Horizon to introduce the player to Minfilia and the other Scions (The person assisting you depending on which stater zone you choose). Through the story of A Realm Reborn, the player interacts with Thancred less and less due to missions, and later they discover that he has been possessed by Lahabrea, an Ascian antagonist. The Ascian uses Thancred's body to gain power in the mortal realm, and as a result, the player character must defeat Lahabrea as Thancred. Luckily, Thancred is not mortally wounded after the battle, after they purged Lahabrea from his body, allowing the Ascian to die, and not lose Thancred in the meantime. After the attack on Nanamo, Thancred also sacrifices himself to protect the Warrior of Light, and is too sucked into the Lifestream. Thancred soon emerges out, albeit without any clothing, and stays within the Dravanian Forelands.
In Heavensward, Thancred learns of Minfilias fate, and is broken because of this due to the childhood they both spent together. As a result, Thancred acted different to his usual chipper personality, and gets quite physical with some of the characters. However, he does go back to his old self towards the end of the expansion after saving Alisae and helping the Warrior of Light fulfill Minfilias wishes.
In Stormblood, Thancred is not as apparent in this expansion and spends most of his time in the background, helping the character at a distance. He also meets a Hrothgar who teaches him how to become a Gunbreaker, a tank class of Final Fantasy XIV. At the end of this expansion, the Crystal Exarch pulls Thancred's soul to the First, to help save the planet from a calamity.
After being brought to the first, the player discovers Thancred has been there for many years, whereas back in Eorzea, it has only been an hour or so. Time on this new planet moves quicker, so Thancred has aged a little since the last time the player has saw him. He joins a group to help fend off against the sin eaters, creatures corrupted by the light. The light has flooded the First and is slowly transforming the citizens of the planet into sin eaters and creatures. Thancred learnt of the new Minfilias existence in this world, and saved her from Eulmore, a corrupt city being run by a powerful sin eater. Thancred is still in love with Minfilia, and becomes quite cold to the firsts current iteration of Minfilia, as he misses his lover. Thancred throughout his journey, goes through another powerful story arc, and comes to the realisation after almost dying in a battle versus Ranjit, a powerful being, that he will let her choose her own path, rather than trying to get his Minfilia back. To aid in her new journey, Thancred, in a father-like fashion, decides that the new Minfilia shall be named "Ryne" to help start her new journey and life. Thancred is inseparable from Ryne and protects her throughout the remainder of the expansion and is emotional when it is time for them to depart back to the Seventh, their original world.
In Final Fantasy XIV's latest expansion Endwalker, Thancred and other Scions depart for Sharlayan, a city the characters knew of, but most never visited or returned, after being shunned for leaving. Thancred helps assist the alchemists who are working together in order to find a way into the tower-of-zot, a structure which randomly manifested one day, which spawned terrible creatures and was shooting a beam of red light up towards the moon. Thancred in constant concern over Ryne, asks on many occassions for the player to check up on Ryne as they are the only person who can travel back freely to the first, the others do not have that ability. Towards the end, Meteion, a familiar set to bring about the calamity, assassinates the Scions, knocking them all out unconscious, except Thancred, who stands up and attempts to fight her. When the player wakes up, they notice they are able to breathe the air in this new realm and can traverse the map, and the Scions discover that Thancred sacrificed himself in order for them to do so. At this point, Thancred is said to be dead. When the player confronts Meteion. they pull out a stone, which contains Thancred's and the other Scions souls, resurrecting them alongside Emet-Selch in order to stop Meteion and save them from the Calamity. There is still some story to be finished, but has yet to be released, so Thancred's character is still developing .
Thancred was originally voiced by Taliesin Jaffe in A Realm Reborn for the English Dub. The voice actor for Thancred changed with Heavensward, to Peter Bramhill, who has voiced every other iteration of Thancred since. Thancred is voiced by Yuichi Nakamura for the Japanese version of the game[13].
Yda Hext (イダ・ヘクスト) is another major NPC the player is introduced to. The player is first introduced to Yda if they choose a job hailing from the zone Gridania, such as a Lancer, Archer or Conjurer. Yda is also alongside the character Papalymo Totolymo. Yda was born in Ala Gannha, alongside her sister Lyse. They were raised and trained well to fight, and fought as a part of the resistance. However, the Garlean Empire invaded their village and slaughtered many people who lived there, including their father. Yda and Lyse escaped and began wandering around homeless to find a place to stay where they met Louisoix who brought them in as a part of the Scions. During this time Yda met Papalymo, where they became good friends who were inseparable. During a mission against the Garlean Empire, a girl named Fordola, who Yda was caring for, was followed by a group of imperials, which led to Yda being slain. Lyse was heartbroken, she had just lost her sister. Lyse, struggling to deal with the loss of her sister, someone who had the gift of the Echo, whereas Lyse did not, Lyse decided to use Yda's mask to conceal her identity so she would live as her sister. To everyone but her and Papalymo, the woman who died that day was Lyse, however the Yda the player knew was Lyse all along. For this the player does not really know too much about Yda, and when they do discover this truth, Lyse decides to leave the Scions, and instead joins the resistance again against the Garlean Empire, to seek revenge for her sister.
Yda Hext was voiced by Mela Lee in a Realm Reborn for the English Dub of the game, and was voiced by Aya Endō for the Japanese version of the game. Aya Endō also voice acts for Lyse in the future versions of the game, whereas Lyse is voiced by Laura Aikman for the remainder of the expansions. Behind the Voice Actors (2013d). Yda. [14].[15]
In conjunction to the game's release, Square Enix has produced a collection of merchandise in relation to some of the characters found within Final Fantasy XIV. Merchandise can be ordered online via the Square Enix store website, which includes merchandise for other titles within the Final Fantasy series. These include a figure statue of G'raha Tia; A trading card game, portraying the characters of Final Fantasy XIV, vinyls with artwork of Minfilia and Tataru on the cover; a jigsaw puzzle of some of the main characters of Final Fantasy XIV; Acrylic stands; Minion figurines of some characters and more merchandise portraying other facets/characters of the game not included within this article[16]. Final Fantasy XIV, produces a lot of merchandise and will most likely release more in the future due to it being an ongoing game. Final Fantasy XIV also has an online store in which players can purchase items such as glamours, mounts, pets, furniture items, emotes and more for added in-game bonuses. Some of these pets are miniature versions of the characters in the game, or even replicas of attire worn by the Scions of the Seventh Dawn.[17]
Some of the cast above has made several appearances in other games. These games include, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia[18],Pictlogica Final Fantasy[19], Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and Final Fantasy XIV Trading Card Games. These are mainly guest appearances, and are mainly used as skins for pre-existing characters and do not build on their lore. In the games listed, some of them have been archived and shut down, whereas others do not have many players. The characters of Final Fantasy XIV are known best in Final Fantasy XIV.
The characters in Final Fantasy XIV have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans and critics alike, even becoming increasingly more positive with each new expansion release. Anthony Labella for GameSpot found that for A Realm Reborn, "The guild quests prove far more interesting thanks to some charismatic characters"[20]. Leif Johnson for IGN.com reviews the characters of Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker saying, "Endwalker brims with emotionally stirring moments and spends much time with an endlessly endearing pair of characters I could’ve spent an entire game with"[21]. In regard to voice acting, after they changed the original voice actors, to new ones in Heavensward, Mike Williams says "the character voice acting is of good quality" and also says that the characters of the game become "more active", with the improvement of the games [22]. The characters of Final Fantasy XIV are constantly evolving and improving according to reviews, and shows the uphill slope that Final Fantasy XIV is climbing, leading to a plethora of rewards[23] and receiving the best ongoing game of 2021, beating out big name games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends, Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Warzone[24], because of their amazing work of not only the story, but the characters and their designs. In 2019, they received Game of the Year by RPGFan, and also received Best Supporting Character for their work of Emet-Selch in Shadowbringers, and in 2021, they received that exact same reward for their work of Venat in Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker.[25]
