When I was growing up, it was standard practice for games to oversexualise women, squeezing them into itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny outfits that no one in their right mind would actually go adventuring in. Lara Croft might be afforded a more realistic outfit these days, but in the ‘90s, it seemed that, despite her wealth, she could only afford a tank top and shorts. At least she had attitude, though. Many female characters were reduced to hotties with no real personality, often fulfilling the part of the damsel in distress or a minor plot device to move things along.
Even my favorite gaming female role models from my childhood are undeniably flawed. I admired Broken Sword’s Nico for her intelligence, but she was always playing second fiddle to George. Monkey Island’s Elaine was great, an accomplished politician and captain with the skills to save herself, but somehow, she still needed Guybrush to save her. In my gaming collection, some of the best representations of female characters were found in Final Fantasy titles, but even these were far from perfect.
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Though some might border on stereotypical, theFinal Fantasywomen had unique personalities. Out of each game’s cast of characters, no two women were the same. Most still fell into the trap of wearing revealing outfits, but not all. Aerith dressed pretty conservatively, for example. There are some great examples of clever, resourceful, and influential women in these games, but they were still too often overshadowed by male protagonists. It seemed that the stronger a woman was, the greater the flaw she was given to even it out. Despite their skills, they somehow still needed some dude to hold their hand and solve their problems.
It wasn’t until Final Fantasy 13 that we saw a woman take center stage in the series (no, Celes and Terra don’t count, as Final Fantasy 6 was an ensemble cast). It was a refreshing change, but it felt like Lightning was created just to prove a point. The poster girl of female protagonists to show female representation was alive and well, but the gesture was a little hollow. Shedidn’t feel like a true individual and came across more as a female rehash of Cloud. 13 made me realise I wasn’t too fussed about a woman being in the spotlight. I just wanted female characters to have the same standing as the males. No more shallow personalities, a decent wardrobe, and some independence — is that asking for too much?
It didn’t bother me that Final Fantasy 15 was a sausage fest with only male protagonists because the whole point was that it was some epic, bromantic road trip. What bothered me was that the female side characters were done dirty. Did Cid need to be reduced to eye candy? Could they not have given Lunafreya and Aranea some better depth, some real plot development? As long as you could see Aranea’s tits squeezed into her armor, that seemed to be all that mattered.
With Final Fantasy 16 on the horizon, there’s disgruntled chatter about the male-centric party again, but I would rather have a decent cast of characters — even if they are all men — than have a basic female character shoe-horned in just to tick a checkbox. As long as the women in 16 are given the care and attention they deserve, I will be happy.
Despite the ups and downs as the series evolved, it has arguably managed to perfect female representation already.Final Fantasy 14treats male and female characters the same way — for the most part, at least. A few weird armor sets still show a little more skin when equipped on female characters, a flash of tummy, or a skirt instead of shorts, but it’s not as ridiculously overly sexualised as other MMOs. Besides, the male characters can also be kitted out in little skimpy pants too, should you wish — equality at its finest.
From the moment you first step foot in Eorzea, there are superb examples of female characters all around you. Each of the three main city states have women in positions of power: Nanamo, Kan-e-Senna, and Merlwyb. None are sporting threadbare outfits, and they’re not two-dimensional lacklustre characters being used to further the plot for some more critical male role. They all have unique personalities with detailed backstories, which don’t fall into female stereotypes, and more importantly, all three deserve their roles. These are highly intelligent, skilled characters who command respect. They’ve not been shoved in with their tits and ass on display just to serve as eye candy.
No game is perfect, and there are undeniably some smaller female characters in FF14 that were neglected in development or seem too stereotypical, but I would argue that this has improved with each expansion. Some male characters also fall victim to the same issue.
Each expansion has featured prominent female characters, and they improve in quality with each launch. It doesn’t matter whether they’re a main character, a side character, or a villain, the expansions have always taken care to emphasise the prominence of women in the game. A Realm Reborn’s Livia wasn’t the greatest character, despite being an important antagonist, especially when you compare her to a later villain like Yotsuyu, whose development is layered so intricately. You start off hating her, but as the story unfolds, you learn about how she came to be that way, and while this doesn’t excuse her actions, she becomes a sympathetic villain, and it feels like such a shame her arc came to a close.
The beauty of Final Fantasy 14’s female representation is that it feels effortlessly done. These aren’t heavy-handed inclusions to prove a point. It feels as though the team applied the same process to all the characters, regardless of gender or race, to create a meaningful, emotional journey for players to enjoy. Because of this, the end result feels more natural.
When you compare the female characters of 14 to those who came before, you can’t help but see just how far Final Fantasy has come in regard to female representation. One of the most exciting parts of 14 was the climactic end to the A Realm Reborn arc that saw the characters ambushed, but they didn’t all sit around twiddling their thumbs waiting to be saved. FF4’s Rosa might have needed a man to save the day, but FF14’s Y’shtola is a kick-ass mage who invoked the ancient spell of Flow to save herself and Thancred.
FF8’s Rinoa wouldn’t have gotten far in her little resistance group without the help of Squall, and she often falls into the background as far as her grand plans go. FF14’s Lyse might also have relied on others to secure victory, but she never became lesser for it. She was always a clear figurehead for the resistance, she was a leader, and it made all the difference.
Despite all her summoning power and conviction, FF10’s Yuna was robbed of her heroic finale. Everyone looks back at Tidus as being the one who saved the day and applauds him for his involvement, even though he knew he’d fade away as a result, as if we’re all forgetting that Yuna was willing to sacrifice herself too. FF14’s Minifilia didn’t let anyone steal her thunder, she sacrificed herself so that Hydaelyn could be saved.
Final Fantasy 14 lets the women shine and have their well-deserved moments, without their actions being cheapened by some guy having to get involved, or come in at the last moment and take the credit. I hope the series continues in this direction and learns from their past triumphs as well as their past mistakes. While 16 might not have female characters in the leading roles, I’d like to see characters like Jill and Benedikta have the same effort put into their development as the FF14 ladies received. Given the crossover of the development teams, I’m hopeful they will.
