Final Fantasy 13has always had a complex relationship with gamers. Critics were largely positive about it on release despite concerns about its linearity, but the narrative seems to have shifted towards it being a big misstep for the series. This seems to even be reflected in modern Final Fantasy’s ever-changing gameplay and protracted development.
13 wasn’t just a critical success, though, it remains loved by fans and was successful enough to spawn two direct sequels. But what truly underpins the game’s continued draw is the queerness behind its empathetic themes.
Final Fantasy 13 Is A Story About Insiders Struggling To Belong
Perhaps there are more overtly queer Final Fantasy releases, even if queerness rarely gets little more than a nod in the series.FF7 Remakehas a section during the Honey Bee Inn drag show, which is welcome given the furious arguments against them right now.16, more notably, has the series’ first same-sex kiss, which happens at the centre of a key scene and features a major character.Not to mention all the small encounters you may have with queerness throughout Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 13 is not openly queer, yet it immediately resonates in ways other games in the series don’t. Social stigma is the instigator of the plot here, a weighty theme that doesn’t align with your typical blockbuster. Its lead characters begin as part of a group cast out of their homes, but soon find themselves in a more difficult situation when cast with the mark of the feared magical L’Cie.
There’s also the relationship between Vanille and Fang towards the end of the game, which while not explicit in its romantic intentions, has become an iconic part of Final Fantasy 13.
This turns the narrative from a fight against an oppressive force to a desperate, lonely escape from both a military force and a global society that hates them. The characters in the story aren’t like the heroes of many Final Fantasy games, bound by choice for some common cause. Lightning, Vanille, Hope, Snow, Fang, and Sazh aren’t fighting the good fight, they are trying to survive in a society that refuses to understand or accept them. They are bound together in ways that queer communities so often are, joined by their common separation from a world that rejects them.
What’s particularly interesting is how it presents a group of people awkwardly thrown together, and how it explores the conventional, somewhat naive idea of a found family. The term ‘found family’ is normally used within queer circles as a reflection of how essential queer friendships can be. Such bonds can be your only support when not just society, but your own family, decides to callously reject you. However, there’s an in-built natural expectation of easy happiness to be gained through finding people who understand you. Final Fantasy 13’s ragtag group doesn’t begin with such warm familial ties, but with antagonism, loneliness, and mutual distrust. It presents the difficult reality that like-minded communities are far from a magic bullet for your problems.
The Series Could Still Learn So Much From Final Fantasy 13
And yet, the story is ultimately a hopeful one. This perseverance is best represented in the complex, beloved character of Lightning. Her links to the queer experience are immediately evident. She took a new name to fit her chosen identity, albeit an identity she spends much of the game struggling to accept. She’s scornful of the people she ends up allied with, feeling a need to be self-reliant and closed off for the protection of herself and her sister.
She’s particularly judgmental of Hope, a young, emotionally driven character who can’t maintain such composure amidst all the turmoil. However, the narrative also has her realise the strength in opening up to emotional connection, and by the end she’s unashamedly optimistic alongside her ride-or-die allies as they take on a planet-threatening false god.
Some of the reasons why Final Fantasy 13’s ideas don’t get taken seriously are likely a result of how the series’ sincerity has frequently been mocked. The most notorious and frustrating example of this is the laughter scene between Tidus and Yuna fromFinal Fantasy 10, widely shared without the context that their fake-sounding chuckles are intentional.
Final Fantasy 13 has other emotional scenes likely to inspire similar derision. One such moment has the hunted and desperate team arrive at Hope’s childhood home in search of a potential refuge. His father, rather than turning him into the military, vehemently stands by his son. For anyone willing to view the game on its own terms, this scene moves beyond basic sentiment to being an immensely emotive moment. It’s both heart-wrenching and hopeful for anyone who has ever been rejected, or who longs for such unconditional support in their life.
This journey of discovery doesn’t just resonate with queer people, and struck a chord with me long before I came to terms with my own LGBTQ+ identity. Its message is one that doesn’t fall into the clichés of just believing in love and staying true to yourself, but recognises the risk and uncertainty in the ultimately empowering journey of challenging your preconceptions.
Encountering such messages undoubtedly fed into my world view. 13 is part of the reason I first ended up seriously exploring my name and gender with my character inFinal Fantasy 14, before taking the leap of faith of sticking by those decisions in real life. Games willing to tackle the complexity of identity, and the reality of the sometimes messy emotions underpinning it, can and do make a marked difference to people’s lives.
There’s still a lot that the games of today can learn from this underappreciated gem. Queerness doesn’t merely mean being open about your identity, it encompasses a multitude of ideas, ways of being, and understanding yourself. It’s a whole host of experiences both unique and widely recognisable.
Developers needn’t shy away from queer themes for fear of losing audiences, and Final Fantasy 13 is indirect proof that they can power a globe-trotting, spectacle-heavy adventure. It’s only in committing even more firmly to real ideas and experiences that such things can hope to be seen as something more than subtext. Embracing queerness is essential for the future of innovative, complex storytelling, and Final Fantasy 13 shows us how powerful it can be.
Final Fantasy 13
WHERE TO PLAY
Final Fantasy 13 is the first in a trilogy of RPGs from Square Enix, focused on the character of Lightning. She must battle against the authorities of Cocoon, and help save her sister in the process.
