Summary
One week afterFinal Fantasy 9showed off new artwork of fan-favorite characters like Zidane, Square Enix filled out the game’s roster with additional character pieces featuring Freya, Eiko, Quina, and Amarant.Final Fantasy 9updated its 25th anniversary with these new character art designs, which gave fans new hope over a long-rumored remake.
Originally released in 2000,Final Fantasy 9was a metaphorical swan song for the original PlayStation console.FF9was a four-disc adventure that hearkened back to theFinal Fantasyfranchise’s medieval roots, featuring colorful environments and whimsical characters. In late March, Square Enix began theFinal Fantasy 925th Anniversary celebrations by unveiling various pieces of merchandise, including vinyl albums and a Vivi-inspired mug.Final Fantasy 9will also be featured aspart of theMagic: The Gathering x Final Fantasyexpansion set, featuring cards of various characters and moments fromFinal Fantasy’s history.
Over a week afterFinal Fantasy 9shared new artwork of characters like Zidaneand Garnet, Square Enix completed the roster with some more character art for the game’s 25th anniversary. As spotted by Aitai Japan CEO Audrey Lamsam on Twitter,theFinal Fantasy 925th Anniversary site was updatedwith new artwork featuring Freya Crescent, Eiko Carol, Quina Quen, and Amarant Coral. Each character fulfills a different Job archetype in the party, with Freya acting as a Dragoon and Quina’s skills being a unique form of Blue Magic.
Final Fantasy 9 Anniversary Artwork Now Includes Freya, Eiko, Quina, and Amarant
Like the previous website update, each piece of the new character art was done byFinal Fantasy 9’s original character designer, Toshiyuki Itahana. The new artwork depicted Freya and Quina in battle-ready poses with their signature weapons, Eiko playing her flute next to a moogle, and Amarant staring into the distance.
The reveal ofFinal Fantasy 9’s new character artwork came with less than nine days to go until Summer Game Fest, which listedSquare Enix as one of its main participating partners. Although rumors of aFinal Fantasy 9remake have persisted since the Nvidia GeForce Now leaks of 2021, the timing of the new character artwork so close to Summer Game Fest has raised questions from fans on social media.
Between the ongoingFinal Fantasy 925th anniversary celebrations and potential news forFinal Fantasyto release more games on Xbox consoles, curiosity about the series' plans continues to grow. It remains to be seen what Square Enix will show off at Summer Game Fest for theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
