Timeline

Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He began his career in 1967 at Tatsunoko Production working on anime such as Speed Racer and later became the creator of iconic and influential characters from anime such as Gatchaman, Tekkaman, Honeybee Hutch, and Casshern. In 1982 he went independent and became a freelance artist, finding success as an illustrator for numerous authors, and worked on best-selling novel series, such as The Guin Saga and Vampire Hunter D. He is also known for his commissioned illustrations for the popular video game franchise Final Fantasy.

Nobuo Uematsu (植松 伸夫, Uematsu Nobuo; born March 21, 1959) 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. Uematsu joined Square in 1986, where he first met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The two later worked together on many games at the company, most notably in the Final Fantasy series.

Final Fantasy is a 1987 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series, created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. The story follows four youths called the Warriors of Light, who each carry one of their world's four elemental crystals which have been darkened by the four Elemental Fiends. Together, they quest to defeat these evil forces, restore light to the crystals, and save their world.

Chocobo are a fictional species created for the Final Fantasy franchise by Square Enix. A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in Final Fantasy II (1988), and have since featured in some capacity in nearly every Final Fantasy title, usually as a means of transport. Chocobos or chocobo-themed characters have played story roles in multiple titles, notably in Final Fantasy V and XIII. A recurring Chocobo also acts as protagonist of the Chocobo spin-off series.

Moogles are a sentient fictional species created for the Final Fantasy franchise by Square Enix. A white-furred creature usually sporting wings and a pom-pom-tipped antenna, they were first introduced in Final Fantasy III (1990), and have since featured in various capacities in multiple mainline and spin-off Final Fantasy titles. Some Moogle characters recur in major roles, such as Mog who appears in a playable or supporting role across several mainline and spin-off games, and the moogle Montblanc from the Ivalice setting.

Final Fantasy IV, titled Final Fantasy II in its initial North American release, is a 1991 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth main installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game's story follows Cecil Harvey, a dark knight, as he tries to prevent the sorcerer Golbez from seizing powerful crystals and destroying the world. He is joined on this quest by a frequently changing group of allies. Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general. Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in five subsequent Final Fantasy games and, unlike prior games in the series, Final Fantasy IV gave each character their own unchangeable character class — although at a few points in the story, members of the cast change or evolve their vocation to suit the narrative.

Cecil Harvey is the protagonist of the 1991 video game Final Fantasy IV. He is a Dark Knight, and spends much of the game grappling with the actions he committed while serving the kingdom of Baron. He eventually overcomes his demons, abandoning his role as a Dark Knight and becoming a Paladin. He has been recognized as a standout protagonist in the Final Fantasy series, with his transformation into a Paladin receiving commentary, particularly as a representation of abandoning violence.

Tetsuya Nomura is a Japanese video game artist, designer, producer, and director working for Square Enix. He was hired by Square initially as a monster designer for Final Fantasy V (1992), before being shifted towards secondary character designer alongside Yoshitaka Amano for Final Fantasy VI (1994). Final Fantasy VII (1997) had him working in the original story alongside Hironobu Sakaguchi, and marked his debut as the lead character designer, a capacity he would retain for several future installments of the series, as well as other Square Enix titles such as The Bouncer and The World Ends with You. He also created the characters Cactuar, Gilgamesh, and Tonberry.

Final Fantasy VI, titled Final Fantasy III in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the Final Fantasy series, the final to feature 2D sprite based graphics, and the first to be directed by someone other than series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi; the role was instead filled by Yoshinori Kitase and Hiroyuki Ito. Long-time collaborator Yoshitaka Amano returned as character designer and concept artist, while composer Nobuo Uematsu returned to compose the game's score, which has been released on several soundtrack albums. Set in a world with technology resembling the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story follows an expanding cast that includes fourteen permanent playable characters.

Kefka Palazzo is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1994 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VI, developed by Square. Yoshitaka Amano created his visual design and director Yoshinori Kitase wrote his scenes. He is one of the most well-known and well-received villains in the Final Fantasy series. He was given a featured role in the fighting game Dissidia Final Fantasy and its sequels. He also appears as an enemy boss character in games including Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Artniks, Final Fantasy XIV, and Final Fantasy All the Bravest.

Motomu Toriyama is a Japanese game director and scenario writer who has been working for Square Enix since 1994. He initially worked on cutscenes in Bahamut Lagoon and Final Fantasy VII before serving as one of the three directors on Final Fantasy X under Yoshinori Kitase where he was in charge of cutscenes, music, voice and motion capture.

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first game in the main series to have a PAL release. The game's story follows Cloud Strife, a mercenary who joins an eco-terrorist organization to stop a world-controlling megacorporation from using the planet's life essence as an energy source. Ensuing events send Cloud and his allies in pursuit of Sephiroth, a superhuman who seeks to wound the planet and harness its healing power to be reborn as a god. Throughout their journey, Cloud bonds with his party members, including Aerith Gainsborough, who holds the secret to saving their world.

Cloud Strife is a character and the protagonist of the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII by Square . He is also the protagonist of its remakes Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), as well as its animated film sequel Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005), with appearances in several other installments in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and the wider Final Fantasy series. He has also appeared in other media, including the Kingdom Hearts series by Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and the Super Smash Bros. series by Nintendo.

Sephiroth is a character and the main antagonist of Square's 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. A former soldier of the megacorporation Shinra and the coworker of Zack Fair and superior of Cloud Strife, he possesses superhuman physiology as a result of an experiment in which Shinra injected him with cells from the extraterrestrial lifeform Jenova when he was still a fetus. Upon discovering this, Sephiroth becomes consumed by rage and vengeance, decides to take control of the Planet by harnessing its life force and annihilating all life on it to become a god amidst the destruction. Sephiroth's background and role in the story are expanded upon in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. Additionally, he appears as a guest character in other video games and media, such as a recurring boss in the Kingdom Hearts series and as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is the first game of the Tactics sub-series within the Final Fantasy franchise, and the first entry set in the fictional world later known as Ivalice. The story follows Ramza Beoulve, a highborn cadet placed in the middle of a military conflict known as The Lion War, where two opposing noble factions are coveting the throne of the kingdom.

Masayoshi Soken is a Japanese video game composer who has worked for Square Enix since 1998. He is best known for being the lead composer and sound director of Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XVI.

Final Fantasy X is a 2001 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for PlayStation 2. The tenth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it is the first game in the series to feature fully three-dimensional areas (though some areas were still pre-rendered), and voice acting. Final Fantasy X replaces the Active Time Battle (ATB) system with the "Conditional Turn-Based Battle" (CTB) system, and uses a new leveling system called the "Sphere Grid". Set in the fantasy world of Spira, a setting influenced by the South Pacific, Thailand and Japan, the city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan has been cited as an inspiration for Zanarkand.

Yuna is a character from Square Enix's Final Fantasy series. She was introduced as the female protagonist and one of the main playable characters of the role-playing video game Final Fantasy X (2001). She appears as a summoner embarking on a journey to defeat the world-threatening monster, Sin, alongside her companions, including the male protagonist, Tidus. Yuna reappears in Final Fantasy X-2 (2003) as the main protagonist, searching for Tidus two years after his disappearance. Yuna has also appeared in other Square Enix games, including the fighting game Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (2011).

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a series of video games within the Final Fantasy franchise developed by Square Enix. Beginning in 2003 with the game for the GameCube, the series has predominantly been released on Nintendo gaming hardware and covers multiple genres, including action role-playing. The Crystal Chronicles series takes place in an unnamed world inhabited by four tribes. Recurring themes include creating objects from memory and the importance of family. The gameplay, which has always been aimed at as wide an audience as possible within a genre, generally involves either multiple players or a large group working together.

Hironobu Sakaguchi is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the Final Fantasy franchise, in addition to other titles during his time at Square. At Mistwalker, he is known for creating the Blue Dragon and Terra Battle series among several standalone titles like Lost Odyssey, as well as later moving away from home consoles and creating titles for mobile platforms.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a 2005 Japanese animated science fantasy action-adventure film directed by Tetsuya Nomura, written by Kazushige Nojima, and produced by Yoshinori Kitase and Shinji Hashimoto. Developed by Visual Works and Square Enix, Advent Children is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII series of media, which is based in the world and continuity of the 1997 role-playing video game Final Fantasy VII. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was released on DVD and Universal Media Disc with Japanese voice acting in Japan on September 14, 2005, and on April 25, 2006, with English voice acting in North America and the United Kingdom.

Final Fantasy XII is a 2006 role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 in March 2006. It added elements including an open world; a seamless battle system; a controllable camera; a customizable "gambit" system, which lets the player control the artificial intelligence of characters in battle; a "license" system, which determines what abilities and equipment can be used by characters; and hunting side quests, which allows the player to find and defeat increasingly difficult monsters. Final Fantasy XII also includes elements from previous Final Fantasy games, such as Chocobos and Moogles. The game takes place in Ivalice, where the empires of Archadia and Rozarria are waging an endless war.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is a 2007 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. The game serves as a prequel to the 1997 title Final Fantasy VII and is part of the metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which includes other products related to the original game.

Dissidia Final Fantasy is a 2008 fighting game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in North America on August 25, 2009, and in Australia and Europe in September, as part of the campaign for the Final Fantasy series's 20th anniversary. It was then re-released in Japan, based on the North American version, as Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning, on November 1, 2009.

Lightning is a character from the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy video game series by Square Enix, within the wider Final Fantasy series. She first appeared as a playable character and the main protagonist in the 2009 role-playing video game Final Fantasy XIII, in which she is a resident of the artificial world of Cocoon. After her sister Serah is declared an enemy of Cocoon, Lightning attempts to save her and is chosen by divine powers to destroy Cocoon. Lightning reappears as a supporting character in Final Fantasy XIII-2, acting as protector of the Goddess Etro. She is the sole playable character in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, wherein she sets out to save the people of her dying world. Outside the XIII series, Lightning has been featured in multiple Final Fantasy games and has cameo appearances in other video games.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy franchise. A co-production between Japan and United States, it was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010. The film stars the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin, and Steve Buscemi, and follows scientists Aki Ross and Doctor Sid in their efforts to free a post-apocalyptic Earth from the Phantoms, a mysterious, deadly alien race who has driven the remnants of humanity into "barrier cities". Aki and Sid must fight against General Hein, who wants to use more violent means to end the conflict.

Final Fantasy Type-0 is a 2011 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Released in Japan on October 27, 2011, Type-0 is part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries, a set of games sharing a common mythos which includes Final Fantasy XIII and XV. The gameplay, similar to Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, has the player taking control of characters in real-time combat during missions across Orience. The player also engages in large-scale strategy-based battles on the world map, and has access to a multiplayer option during story missions and side quests.

Final Fantasy XIV is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced the failed 2010 version, with subsequent support for PlayStation 4 in April 2014, macOS in July 2015, PlayStation 5 in May 2021, and Xbox Series X/S in March 2024. A Nintendo Switch 2 version is set for release in August 2026. Final Fantasy XIV is set in the fantasy region of Eorzea, five years after the devastating Seventh Umbral Calamity which ended the original version.

Final Fantasy XV is a 2016 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the Final Fantasy series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, Windows in March 2018, and as a launch title for Stadia in November 2019. The game features an open world environment and action-based battle system, incorporating quick-switching weapons, elemental magic, and other features such as vehicle travel and camping. The base campaign was later expanded with downloadable content (DLC), adding stand alone story content and further gameplay options such as additional playable characters and multiplayer.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a 2020 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 4. It is the first in a trilogy of games remaking Final Fantasy VII (1997), originally released for the PlayStation. An enhanced version, Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, was released for PlayStation 5 and Windows in 2021, followed by ports for the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S in 2026. Set in the dystopian cyberpunk metropolis of Midgar, players control the mercenary Cloud Strife.

Final Fantasy XVI is a 2023 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The sixteenth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, it was first released for the PlayStation 5, with a Windows version released in September 2024, and an Xbox Series X/S version released in June 2025. The game features segmented open environments and an action-based combat system involving melee and magic-based attacks. There are recurring series features including Chocobos for area travel, and summoned monsters called Eikons, which are both fought as bosses and used through channelling their power in combat.