About 5 days ago, The Gamer published an article titled “Final Fantasy Creator Says Games Need To Be Political“. Obviously, this generated a large controversy in social media forums. I assume The Gamer‘s article was shooting for massive clicks and controversy, as going deeper into the actual Inverse interview with Final Fantasy Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, I could not find a single instance in which he used the world “political” to describe what Final Fantasy games should be about.
Then, there is also the fact that the man is Japanese. Japan, for the most part, has had little part in the inclusive practices (and controversies) that have overtaken the west’s entertainment media forefront when it comes to casting and creative direction of certain franchises.
Japan is not a very diverse country, and as such, they have different political issues.
So, What Was Sakaguchi’s Actual Quote?
Here is the quote that sparked controversy:
“I understand and know that this is a very widely debated topic, but I really think it has turned into something that has a different meaning for everyone. If I had to give some kind of core ingredient, I would say it’s the story and world. These two are a must for any Final Fantasy and the common denominator across all of them. The world setting needs to contain some kind of thematic element that is loosely tied to current events. I think the world itself needs to have some kind of thematic backbone or message that gives a different perspective, or a thought-provoking prompt for players.” – Hironobu Sakaguchi
As you can see above, Sakaguchi did not really talk about any controversial issue. Final Fantasy has, especially in Final Fantasy VII, tackled global social, and environmental issues.
Example: Shinra.
Apart from Jenova, Final Fantasy VII‘s major antagonist is a mega corporation/Empire exploiting workers, and the planet. The company literally created a military state, and experimented in sick ways with humans (Sephiroth being a product of this), and other creatures.
These are political themes. But these are political themes that anyone – Right or Left- can sort of come together to understand without entering into too much controversy.
A good sci fi story has to include certain realistic elements in order to provoke some fascination and thought within its consumers. This is likely what Sakagchi talked about here.
Given the divisive nature of our western world at this stage, it is obvious that the word “political” will spark fiery debates, but Sakaguchi never suggested that the Final Fantasy series should go “woke”.
Perhaps, we have The Gamer’s headline to blame for the chaos.
Once again, the Japanese (and I might be wrong) likely debate about different issues to those that we – on the west – do when it comes to politics. The company did, however, during the remake phase of the game (FFVIIR) softened the “eco-terrorist” nature of Avalanche’s 1997 representation.
I assume that post 9/11 Square Enix decided to portray its cast of “heroes” differently in order to avoid backlash from certain segments. So yes, even Japanese companies can hold back when it comes to issues that might be considered offensive in certain markets.
Fiction Often Mimics Real Life in One Way or Another
Final Fantasies have, for the most part, utilized tried and true themes of war, rebellion, evil empires, genocide, etc, in its storylines. The aforementioned topics make for compelling playing and reading material. All of these themes have taken place in human history which is why they lend a level of authenticity to what has largely been a fantastical universe rooted in crystals and magic since its inception.
Whether you lean far left, or far right on the political spectrum, we can all agree that these are global themes that generate interest, and fascination within the human mind. I believe these are the kind of topics that Sakaguchi was referencing when he made that statement.
I do not think Sakaguchi meant to suggest that Final Fantasy should go the way that other Western Media companies have gone, and let us remember that Final Fantasy XVI went ahead with its predominantly White character design despite a loud outcry from some players on the far left side of western politics.
I do not think the Japanese, at least for now, have been to0 influenced by our political issues, and personally, I would be glad if things remained that way for the foreseeable future.
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