Characters of Final Fantasy VIII: Difference between revisions

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Square Co., Ltd.'s bestselling computer role-playing game Final Fantasy VIII deals with the activities of an elite group of mercenaries called SeeDs, as well as a number of soldiers, rebels, and political leaders of various nations and cities. Thirteen weeks after its release, Final Fantasy VIII had earned more than US$50 million in sales,^[1]^[2] making it the fastest selling Final Fantasy title. Additionally, Final Fantasy VIII was voted the 22nd-best game of all time by readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu.^[3] The following are major characters, their role in the plot, as well as their creation and influence. The game's characters were created by Tetsuya Nomura.^[4]

The main playable characters in Final Fantasy VIII are Squall Leonhart, a loner who keeps his focus on duty and avoids letting himself care for others to avoid vulnerability; Rinoa Heartilly, a passionate young woman who follows her heart in all situations and does not hesitate to speak her mind; Quistis Trepe, an instructor with a serious, patient attitude; Zell Dincht, a martial artist with a passion for hot dogs and battles; Selphie Tilmitt, a cheerful girl who loves vehicles and flies the spacecraft Ragnarok at a late stage in the game (If she's in the party Zell or Quistis will drive); and Irvine Kinneas, a marksman and consummate ladies' man who falls in love with Selphie. Playable supporting characters include Laguna Loire, Kiros Seagill, Ward Zabac (playable characters in "flashback" sequences), and antagonists Seifer Almasy and Edea Kramer.

Cast creation and influences

Tetsuya Nomura's designs of three of the female protagonists: Selphie (left), Rinoa (center) and Quistis (right)

Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima has expressed that the dynamic of players' relationships with the main character in Final Fantasy games is something of importance to him, and that he puts a lot of thought into how that relationship will develop. With Final Fantasy VII, he explains that protagonist Cloud Strife's reserved nature led him to write the story in such a way that the player would be put in the position of deciding for themselves what Cloud was thinking, something reflected by the game's style of having the player frequently select Cloud's responses to certain situations and dialogue. With Final Fantasy VIII, which also features a reserved lead protagonist in Squall, Nojima explains that he wanted to give players actual insight into what the character was thinking, even while other characters in the game were not privy to this information.^[5]

Character Designer Tetsuya Nomura — while exchanging e-mails with Director Yoshinori Kitase during the period between the development of Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII — suggested that the game should bear a "school days" feel, and as Kazushige Nojiima already had a story in mind in which the main characters were the same ages, the idea worked, taking form as the Garden military academies. Nojima also planned for the two playable parties featured in the game (Squall's present day group and Laguna Loire's group of seventeen to twenty years previous) to highly contrast with one another. This idea was conveyed through Laguna's group consisting of characters who were in their late twenties and had a lot of combat experience. They were also close friends who had fought together for a long time and come to trust one another. Squall's party, on the other hand, was young and inexperienced, and Squall himself does not understand the value of friendship at the game's beginning.^[6]

As part of a theme desired by Kitase to give the game a foreign atmosphere ("foreign" being in relation to Japan), the objective with the character designs was to give them largely European appearances. The first character Nomura designed specifically for use in Final Fantasy VIII was Squall,^[7] initially giving him longer hair and a more feminine appearance. However, Yoshinori Kitase didn't feel that this design worked, and asked Nomura to shorten his hair and make him look more masculine, which lead to the final design of Squall seen in-game. When designing Cloud Strife, Nomura gave him distinctly spiky, bright blonde hair, to emphasize his role as that game's main character. With Squall, Nomura wanted to try another unique angle to establish Squall's role, giving him the now trademark gunblade scar across his brow and the bridge of his nose. There was not yet a complete history conceived for the character, so Nomura left the explanation for Squall's scar to Nojima. Squall's design was completed by a feather motif along the collar of his jacket, included by Nomura for the purpose of challenging the game's FMV designers, being but one example of the demands he has consistently extended to the programmers of the Final Fantasy titles as technology has advanced.^[6]

In a Famitsu Weekly interview with Kitase, Nomura, and Yuusuke Naoi, the team agreed that Final Fantasy VIII reflects Nomura's preferred style, as opposed to Final Fantasy VII, which featured characters that "weren't really his style".^[7] The team also decided to make realistically proportioned characters because of the higher level of FMV technology, which would create an inconsistency between the in-game graphics and the realistic FMV graphics. Additionally, Kitase states that the main logo of the game — Squall and Rinoa embracing — was inspired by the team's efforts to express emotion through body language.^[7]

Main playable characters

Squall Leonhart

Squall Leonhart (スコール・レオンハート, Sukōru Reonhāto) is the main protagonist and a young student at Balamb Garden, recognized by the scar by his left eye given to him by Seifer. He does not talk much and has the reputation of being a lone wolf.^[4] As Squall's story progresses, he becomes fascinated with and falls in love with Rinoa,^[4] despite neither blatantly expressing it until the ending.^[8] Squall is also characterized by forlorn memories of standing out in the rain at the orphanage where he grew up, wondering where "Sis" (Ellone, an older girl he saw as a sister-figure) went.^[9]^[10] Squall's weapon is a gunblade, a sword using components of a revolver to send vibrations through the blade when triggered.^[11] His Limit Break is a series of sword attacks called Renzokuken.^[12]

Rinoa Heartilly

Rinoa Heartilly (リノア・ハーティリー, Rinoa Hātirī) is the main female protagonist of the game. She is the 17-year-old^[4] daughter of General Caraway, a high-ranking officer in the Galbadian army; and Julia Heartilly, a successful pianist and singer. Rinoa is a member of the Forest Owls, a small resistance faction seeking to liberate the small nation of Timber from Galbadian occupation. When the party helps the resistance movement fight Galbadia, Rinoa decides to stay with them. Consequently, she eventually falls in love with Squall,^[8] despite not displaying it physically until the final cutscene. In battle, she uses a weapon that is called a Blaster Edge,^[13] which has one shot that returns like a boomerang. Her Combine Limit Break is a combination of attacks from Rinoa and her dog, Angelo.^[12] As the story nears completion and Rinoa gains Sorceress powers she gains a second Limit Break, Angel Wing, which reflects her increased spell-casting powers.

Laguna Loire

Laguna Loire (ラグナ・レウァール, Raguna Rewāru) is a playable character in the game. Most of the experiences involving Laguna appear in the form of "dreams" experienced by the six protagonists. His weapon is the machine gun, and his Limit Break, Desperado,^[14] involves a rope hanging in midair, a grenade, a lot of fire from his gun, and some action-movie-style camera angles. It is revealed to the player in segments that he is a twenty-seven-year-old soldier in the Galbadian army, and is traveling with his two companions, Kiros Seagill and Ward Zabac.^[4] He is also described as a passionate writer who prefers to use writing as his weapon of choice against his enemies.^[4]

During the first two segments, the team is shown constantly getting lost and frequenting the hotel where singer Julia Heartilly, Laguna's crush, performs.^[15]^[16] After a scouting mission at Centra, the three are separated and Laguna is injured. He is taken in and nursed to health by Raine,^[17] a young woman in a town known as Winhill, whom he falls in love with and marries. However, he is drawn away from his new home when a young girl in their care, Ellone, is kidnapped. Laguna tracks her down in Esthar, where he helps the people of Esthar liberate themselves from the rule of Sorceress Adel. The people of Esthar elect Laguna their President of Esthar, and Ellone is sent back to Winhill. He does not return due to his new responsibilities in Esthar. After Raine dies, her child (implied by Ward and Kiros to be Squall), along with Ellone, is sent to an orphanage. Laguna is unable to leave his post to go see her and is still in Esthar in the present day as President.^[18]^[19]^[20]

The party meets Laguna when the White SeeD ship that Ellone is on is discovered by the Galbadians, and is rescued by one of Esthar's ships. Ellone and Laguna, who share a close relationship, are reunited in space.^[21] With professor Odine, Laguna helps the party prepare their endgame against Ultimecia. Laguna appears again at the end of the game, standing at Raine's tombstone, smiling as he remembers the night he proposed to her. Ellone comes to find him, and the two share a moment together.

The concept of two main protagonists was planned since the beginning of the game's development. Noruma decided that a contract between Laguna and Squall's occuptions was necessary, so he suggested that Laguna be made a soldier as opposed to Squall, who was to be made a student and mercenary. The designers intended to turn Laguna into a character more similar to the previous protagonists in the series, as opposed to Squall, who is different than previous main characters.^[6]

Seifer Almasy

Seifer Almasy (サイファー・アルマシー, Saifā Arumashī) is a classmate and rival to Squall. During the introduction sequence, he cuts Squall downwards across the left side of his face, leaving a scar. Squall then slashes Seifer upwards across the right side of his face, also leaving him with a scar. He is said to have met and dated Rinoa during the summer before she met Squall.^[22] Seifer is also part of the discipline committee, and is often seen or described as bullying other people, such as Zell,^[23] and acting independently.^[24]^[25] Seifer, like Squall, wields a gunblade;^[26] his is called the "Hyperion". His Limit Break is called the Fire Cross, although he will later develop more powerful techniques such as No Mercy.

On the SeeD field exam, Seifer is punished by SeeD for acting independently from Squall and Zell; consequently, he is punished and is not promoted to SeeD.^[25] Spurred by dreams of a brighter future, he joins with the Sorceress Edea out of the promise to be a 'knight' in her new world order.^[27] From Seifer's point of view, Squall and the others are "evil" and he recognizes himself as the hero.^[28] His Balamb Garden friends, Fujin and Raijin, join him as they search for Ellone and seize Lunatic Pandora for Ultimecia (who was merely using Sorceress Edea as a host early in the game);^[29] the group is often cited as a "posse".^[30] At the end of the game, Seifer, who no longer has the opportunity to be the 'knight', is seen fishing with Fujin and Raijin.

Seifer enrolled in Balamb Garden at a very young age, unable to stay with a foster family for a long duration because of his attitude. Seifer had previously been living at an orphanage with many of the other main characters, which was run by Edea, before she was controlled by Ultimecia. Although the characters have lost most of their memories, subsequent flashbacks reveal that his disdain for Squall and tendency to bully Zell started at the orphanage.^[31] When he was studying in Balamb, Seifer would usually start a fight with Squall, since he wanted to be the center of attention and Squall would often ignore him.^[32]

With Seifer, Nomura had originally intended him to be not just Squall's rival, but to also be at the center of a love triangle between himself, Squall and Rinoa. Though this concept was not thoroughly explored in the final version of the story, Seifer did remain as Squall's rival, and his appearance was designed to serve as a contrast with Squall's. Not only did they both have scars on their faces that ran in opposite directions, but their jackets were opposing colors (black and silver), and of opposite length (Squall's short and Seifer's long). Furthermore, both characters ended up with a gunblade for their weapon, though Squall's (based on a revolver) is particularly bulky and requires two hands to be wielded effectively, while Seifer's (based on an automatic pistol) is much lighter, and can be wielded with one hand.^[6] Additionally, Seifer appears as a member of Twilight Town's Disciplinary Committee in Kingdom Hearts II.^[33] In the English version, he is voiced by Will Friedle.^[34]

Quistis Trepe

Quistis Trepe (キスティス・トゥリープ, Kisutisu Turīpu) is an eighteen year old instructor at Balamb Garden, where Squall, Zell, and Seifer are students.^[4] She has an unofficial fan club known as the "Trepies". Quistis uses chain whips in battle,^[35] and her Limit Break is Blue Magic.^[12] In terms of personality, Quistis is fairly insecure and prone to depression, although she does have a calm persona.^[4] Early in the game, Quistis is discharged as an instructor because she supposedly "lacks leadership qualities".^[36]

As the game progresses, the main characters eventually regain their childhood memories and discover that Squall, Seifer, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine were raised at the same orphanage. They also remember that Squall's characteristic morose and unfriendly behavior began when Ellone, a girl who was an older sister figure to Squall, left the orphanage unexpectedly. As a result of these revelations, Quistis decides that what she thought were romantic feelings for Squall is really more of a big sister complex that began with her childhood attempts to comfort him over the loss of Ellone.^[37] Later in the game, she criticizes Squall when he nearly decides to abandon Rinoa, his romantic interest.^[38] Like Zell, Quistis was removed from the orphanage and then placed with foster parents, but never developed a close rapport with her new family and eventually moved to Balamb Garden at the age of ten.^[39] She proved to be exceptionally gifted in the arts of combat, becoming a SeeD at fifteen and eventually being elevated to the rank of instructor two years later.^[40]^[4]

Quistis was to originally be designed with a skirt, but in the end was given a long skirt worn over pants. With Rinoa wearing a mini-skirt over shorts, this led to a conflict with the intended notion that one of the female characters would wear a skirt. Tetsuya Nomura was also surprised that the writers decided to make her a teacher, as she was about the same age as the rest of the group.^[6]

Selphie Tilmitt

Selphie Tilmitt (セルフィ・ティルミット, Serufi Tirumitto) is a main character in the game. Her first appearance comes when she runs into Squall while late for her class. She asks Squall to show her around because she has just transferred to Balamb Garden from Trabia Garden. Selphie's next appearance occurs when she delivers a message to Squall, Zell, and Seifer during the SeeD exam mission.^[41] She joins the party once Seifer runs off. Spunky and hyper,^[4] Selphie aids the party on several occasions. During the game, she runs her own website, disarms missiles, and pilots the starship Ragnarok.^[42] She wields nunchaku in battle,^[43] and her limit break is "Slot", which involves determining a series of magical spells or abilities.^[12] Throughout the game, she revisits her childhood closeness with Irvine,^[44] who serves as her copilot on the Ragnarok.

Selphie's design came around as a compromise. Quistis was to originally be designed with a skirt, but in the end, was given a long skirt worn over pants. With Rinoa wearing a mini-skirt over shorts, this led to a conflict with the intended notion that one of the female characters would simply be wearing a skirt. The aforementioned compromise was made in this regard with Selphie's design. She was originally intended to be wearing overalls, but Nomura decided that her outfit should be something of a combination of overalls and a mini-skirt.^[6]

A younger version of Selphie also appears as a non-player character in the Kingdom Hearts series with Tidus and Wakka.^[45] By Kingdom Hearts II, Selphie is a little lonely as she and the boys (who are absent in Kingdom Hearts II) drifted a bit and are now into different things.

Zell Dincht

Zell Dincht (ゼル・ディン, Zeru Din) is a student at Balamb Garden with Squall and Seifer. At 17 years old,^[4] Zell is a martial artist; his weapons are gloves,^[46] and his limit break is a combination of punches and kicks called "Duel".^[12] Zell grew up in the town of Balamb, where his mother still lives. His motivation in enrolling at Garden to join the mercenary organization SeeD is to live up to the memory of his grandfather, who was a famous soldier.^[4] Zell shows a persona of impulsive behavior and overconfidence in his own skill; however, he tries to be loyal.^[4] Later in the game, it is revealed that Zell is adopted, having originally grown up in an orphanage with many of the other protagonists; Seifer's bullying also started at the orphanage.^[47]

Zell is often used as comic relief; for example, when Seifer calls him a "chicken wuss," he loses his temper.^[48] In the Americanized version of Final Fantasy VIII, Zell has a passion hot dogs, which are often sold out by the time he reaches the cafeteria. Zell is unable to eat the hot dogs until the final full motion video of the game, upon which, he chokes on them as he tries to eat them too quickly.

Zell's design was achieved with the notion in mind that he would look and act like the main character from a shōnen manga (Japanese comic books intended primarily for boys), a concept reflected by how his neighbors from the town of Balamb view him in-game.^[6] Their opinion of his behavior and personality, as described in the Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide, is that he's something of a "'comic-bookish' type of hero."^[49]

Irvine Kinneas

Irvine Kinneas (アーヴァイン・キニアス, Āvain Kiniasu) is a student at Galbadia Garden, one of three elite mercenary academies featured in the game. He is deemed one of the elite sharpshooters of Galbadia Garden.^[50] Irvine was originally scheduled to make a cameo appearance in Kingdom Hearts, but he was replaced by Wakka in the final version of the game. He was named after the city of Irvine, California, which is located near Squaresoft's North American offices. Irvine is depicted as a cowboy: tall and fair-skinned with long brown hair that he wears pulled back in a ponytail.^[6] He is also frequently shown wielding a rifle, his weapon of choice in combat.^[51] His limit break is "Shot", a series of gunshots with damage and effects based on the type of ammunition equipped.^[12]

Early in the game, Irvine flirts with the female protagonists.^[52] Over the course of the game, however, Irvine comes to focus his romantic attentions more and more exclusively on his teammate Selphie;^[53] a flashback at one point implies that he has had a crush on her ever since they were small children.^[44] Though seemingly a carefree, yet misunderstood loner,^[54] during his mission to assasinate Edea, he explains to Squall that he always chokes under pressure.^[55] After the assassination plan is foiled, Irvine avoids imprisonment, and is ordered by General Caraway to rescue Rinoa from the D-District prison; however, Rinoa coerces Irvine to rescue the others as well.^[56] The assassination attempt and breakout makes Irvine a fugative in Galbadia, with convinces him to join the party indefinitely.

Balamb Garden, where Squall, Quistis, Zell, Seifer, and eventually Selphie were all trained, encourages the practice of junctioning powerful magical beings called Guardian Forces, or GFs. However, the junctioning process causes severe long-term memory loss as a side effect.^[57] Because Galbadia did not follow this practice, Irvine is at first the only character who remembers that he, Squall, Quistis, Zell, Seifer and Selphie were raised at the orphanage run by Edea.^[58]

Irvine's design also gave Nomura various difficulties, as he felt that making him too handsome would overlap with Squall's appearance, while not making him attractive enough would be rejected. He settled for giving him a handsome appearance, but a laid-back and casual personality, leaving the overall expectation that he would come off as less attractive than Squall due to this. As part of this non-serious appearance, he was given goggles, but — with this being an accessory Nomura had previously given to both Reno and Cid Highwind in Final Fantasy VII — he decided to give him the appearance of an American cowboy, including the traditional hat and boots.^[6]

Kiros Seagill

Kiros Seagill (キロス・シーゲル, Kirosu Shīgeru) is Laguna's close friend and comrade in the Galbadian Army. He fights with dual blades called "katal" that he wears on both arms; his Limit Break, Blood Pain, is a barrage of attacks. Following the disastrous mission in Centra, Kiros was separated from Laguna and Ward. He heals quickly and decides to leave the Galbadian army, but soon finds life without Laguna is lacking excitement. Kiros resolves to discover his whereabouts, a search that takes the better part of a year to complete and finally brings him to Winhill.^[59] When Laguna is forced to leave Winhill to find Ellone, Kiros accompanies him, helping him earn money as an amateur actor to fund the expedition.^[60] Kiros remains by Laguna's side throughout his adventures in Esthar, earning a place as Laguna's advisor when he becomes president. Like Ward, Kiros' interations with Laguna are based on the staff's interactions during development.^[6]

Ward Zabac

Ward Zabac (ウォード・ザバック, Wōdo Zabakku) is Laguna's other close friend. During one flashback, he loses his voice in a battle with Esthar soldiers.^[61] He is very large; he throws a large harpoon in battle, and rides it down in his Limit Break (Massive Anchor). He becomes an advisor to Laguna when he becomes president of Esthar, directing affairs with gestures and ellipses. However, Laguna and Kiros can understand what he is saying by his reactions.^[61] Like Kiros, Ward's interations with Laguna are based on the staff's interactions during development.^[6]

Edea Kramer

File:Tetsuya Nomura--Edea Kramer.jpg

Edea Kramer (イデア, Idea) is presented early in Final Fantasy VIII as a power-hungry sorceress who seizes control of Galbadia from President Deling.^[62] Her motives are initially unknown, but SeeD is dispatched to assassinate her. It is eventually revealed that Edea is being possessed by sorceress from the future called Ultimecia.^[63] When Ultimecia releases Edea, Edea takes the side of the SeeDs in the struggle, and for a short time joins the party. Additionally, Edea accidentally gives her powers to Rinoa, making her a sorceress.^[64] She is also the wife of Headmaster Cid,^[65] and was known as "Matron" to Squall and his friends during the time when they lived with her at the orphanage in the continent of Centra.^[66] She attacks with magical bursts of energy, and her Limit Break, Ice Strike, forms and hurls a giant icicle. This Limit Break is depicted in a scene at the end of Disc one when Ultimecia uses it on Squall while possessing Edea's body.

Edea is one of three character concepts, along with Fujin and Raijin, to have been created before the development of Final Fantasy VIII. Edea had been a design that Nomura created before even Final Fantasy VII's development, based on the style of Yoshitaka Amano.^[6]

Other major characters

Adel

Adel (アデル, Aderu) is a sorceress who rose to power in Esthar and is the initiator of the Sorceress War. As the ruler, she had her soldiers abduct every girl who might serve as her successor, such as Ellone.^[18] During the revolution, she was tricked by Laguna and placed in suspended animation in space.^[67] Seventeen years later, after losing control of Edea, Ultimecia possessed Rinoa and used her to free Adel to serve as a new vessel.^[68] Adel was later revived in the Lunatic Pandora and was defeated by Squall and his party when she tried to absorb Rinoa.

Cid Kramer

Cid Kramer (シド・クレイマー, Shido Kureimā) is the respected headmaster of Balamb Garden. The loyalty of the Balamb student body is tested when an internal staff conflict is sparked between Cid and the Garden Master, NORG;^[69] however, many of the students and faculty remain loyal to Cid and return him to power. Afterward, Cid aggressively confronts NORG, who started the SeeD civil war over financial issues.^[70] Cid and his wife, Edea, are estranged for most of the game; they are leaders of opposing factions in the early part of the game, until Ultimecia transfers her conciousness to Rinoa.

As each Final Fantasy title included a character named "Cid" — usually being someone who is knowledgable about the game's airships or some other key element of the plot — Nomura wanted to design someone who was similar to the past Cids in Final Fantasy, but also someone who was markedly different. He decided on giving him the appearance and personality of an older, benevolent character who would watch over Squall's party and offer them advice about things which they didn't know, but with which he was thoroughly affiliated. In the end, Nojima decided that this type of good-natured, kind-hearted character would work best as the headmaster of Balamb Garden.^[6]

Ellone

Ellone (エルオーネ, Eruōne) is a mysterious girl who wanders in and out of Balamb Garden, and who knows Squall from his past; she is the missing "Sis" he has been looking for.^[10] It is later revealed that she has the ability to send a person's consciousness back in time and into the body of another, so they can watch and sometimes influence the actions of said other. She uses this talent to send Squall and his friends into Laguna's past adventures in the hopes that they will be able to alter the past; however, she eventually concedes that history cannot ever be altered.^[71] This power is needed for Ultimecia to achieve time compression, which is why she has Galbadia search the world for her.^[72] Ellone's parents were killed by Galbadian soldiers during an occupation, and she then lived with Raine until she was captured by Esthar soldiers.^[18] She shares a close relationship with her de-facto "uncle", Laguna.

Fujin

Fujin (風神, Fūjin) is a young woman with pale skin, short silver hair, and an eye patch. She is a member of the Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee with Seifer and Raijin; the three of them form a close "posse",^[30] even when Seifer joins with Edea and, later, Ultimecia. Fujin speaks in single-word sentences, which she normally exclaims (such as "RAGE!" and "LIES!"). Towards the end of the game, her speech pattern returns to normal, when she states to Squall and his companions that she is breaking ties with Seifer because of his changes.^[73] In battle, Fujin wields a chakram and uses wind-based magic. She shares her name with the Japanese god of wind, Fujin.

Like Raijin, the concept and design of Fujin was initially going to appear in Final Fantasy VII; however, the addition of the Turks made the designers feel that the characters were unnecessary.^[6] Additionally, Fujin appears as a member of Seifer's gang in Kingdom Hearts II, going by the name "Fuu". In the English version, she is voiced by Jillian Bowen.^[34]

Raijin

Raijin (雷神) is the partner of Fujin. He is a member of Balamb Garden Disciplinary Committee with Seifer and Fujin;^[74] together, the three form a close "posse", as he calls it.^[30] He always ends his sentences with "ya know." Like Fujin, he stands loyally by Seifer even as he turns away from SeeD and Garden and sides with the enemy, the Sorceress Edea. Near the end of the game, Raijin comes to the realization that Seifer is headed down a path that he cannot follow. He stands by Fujin's speech to Squall and the others to help save Seifer from himself.^[73] In battle, Raijin uses a long staff with two large battering weights on either end. He is shares his name with the Japanese god of thunder, Raijin. In the ending FMV, he is celebrating the fact he caught a large fish until Fujin kicks him off the pier into the water.

Like Fujin, the concept and design of Raijin was initially going to appear in Final Fantasy VII; however, the addition of the Turks made the designers feel that the characters were unnecessary.^[6] Additionally, Raijin appears as a member of Seifer's gang in Kingdom Hearts II, going by the name "Rai". In the English version, he is voiced by Brandon Adams.^[34]

Ultimecia

Sorceress Ultimecia

Ultimecia (アルティミシア, Arutimishia) is the sorceress that SeeD was formed to defeat, and is the antagonist of Final Fantasy VIII. She is discovered late in the game, as she operates through the body of Edea Kramer before her revelation. While possessing Edea, Ultimecia gains control of Galbadia, and later possesses Rinoa to release Sorceress Adel from her tomb in space. Afterward, Ultimecia abandons Rinoa, leaving her to die in space, but Rinoa is rescued and Ultimecia is soon fought and defeated. A sorceress from the future, Ultimecia is capable of reaching back through time via a special machine to possess other sorceresses, and seeks to cast a spell called "Time Compression," which would cause all eras to merge.^[75] ^[76] It is through her desire to alter the past and cheat her fate that she is defeated at the hands of Squall Leonhart and his comrades,^[76] and perpetuates the cycle that will lead to the formation of SeeD.^[77]

Minor characters

Biggs and Wedge

Biggs and Wedge are members of the Galbadian Army. Biggs is of a higher rank than Wedge.^[78] They cross paths with the party on three occasions; the duo are bested by the main characters each time and demoted in rank as a result.^[79] The last encounter in the game does not result in conflict. Their names keep with the Square tradition of naming two minor characters in most Final Fantasy games Biggs and Wedge, and they also share their names with two pilots in Star Wars: Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles.

General Caraway

General Caraway is a member of the Galbadian military, who advises the main characters in the game on their mission to assassinate Sorceress Edea. Based on the chain of events, his decision to help SeeD begins immediately after Sorceress Edea's rise as Galbadian ambassador. When Laguna went to war and did not return, Caraway comforted Julia; eventually, they married and bore Rinoa.^[80] Caraway and Rinoa have a problematic relationship, in which Rinoa refers to Caraway as "that man"; however, he does not want to see her get hurt, as demonstrated when he attempted to lock her in a room while the assassination plot takes place,^[81] as well as his efforts to free her from the Galbadian Desert Prison. After the assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, he is dismissed of his duties as General.

Vinzer Deling

Vinzer Deling is the President of Galbadia. During the game, Deling appoints Sorceress Edea as a so-called "peace ambassador" to resolve problems Galbadia had with other nations.^[82] For protection against SeeD and the Forest Owls resistance group, he uses a body double named Gerogero.^[83] However, Deling was killed by Edea during the welcoming ceremony he arranged for her at Deling City, immediately before the assassination attempt on Edea.^[62]

Mayor Dobe and Flo

Mayor Dobe is the mayor of Fisherman's Horizon. He and his wife, Flo, detest violence and oppose the Garden's presence in his territory.^[84] Squall and his party save the Mayor from certain death when Galbadia invades Fisherman's Horizon.

The Forest Owls

The Forest Owls is a small resistance faction against Galbadia, based in Timber. It comprises Zone as their leader, Rinoa, and Watts; additionally, most of Timber is affiliated with either the Forest Owls or another resistance group.^[85]

Julia Heartilly

Julia Heartilly (ジュリア・ハーティリー, Juria Hātirī) is a resident lounge pianist at a Galbadian hotel frequented by Laguna during his days as a Galbadian soldier. After being admired by Laguna from afar for some time, Julia approached him and introduced herself one night.^[86] Julia confessed to Laguna that she had always dreamed of writing her own songs and becoming a singer. Some time later, she established herself with the song "Eyes On Me" (which is also the game's theme song).^[87] Laguna was shipped out on new orders the following day and ensuing circumstances prevented him from returning. Julia eventually married Galbadian military officer General Caraway and had a daughter, Rinoa.^[80] She was killed in an automobile accident just before Rinoa turned five years old. Julia is the only character in the game with a named character theme, Julia, which is a piano arrangement of Eyes On Me.

Raine Loire

Raine was Laguna's second love, whom he met after she found him lying injured at the bottom of a cliff and brought him back to her home town of Winhill to recover. She was irked at first by Laguna's bad habits and reluctance to express himself outright,^[88] but the two eventually married, as is portrayed in the ending FMV sequence. After Laguna became President of Esthar, his duties as President stymied his efforts to return to Winhill, and thus Raine died without Laguna at her side. She died after giving birth to a child, who, along with Ellone, was taken away to Edea's orphanage.^[18] It is strongly implied in the game that Squall was that child.

Martine

Martine was the head of Galbadia Garden and was ordered to use SeeD members to carry out the assassination plot against the Sorceress. Squall and his team travel to Galbadia Garden after fleeing Timber, and Martine tells them that it is their responsibility to assassinate the Sorceress in hopes that he would remain safe and place the blame on Balamb Garden's master, NORG.^[89] Consequently, his actions helped trigger the conflict within Balamb Garden when Garden Master NORG tried to kill Headmaster Cid to appease Sorceress Edea after the failed assassination plot.^[90] Edea, Seifer, and the Galbadian army seize Galbadia Garden and Martine flees to the pacifist city of Fisherman's Horizon.

Minor SeeD members

Card Club — the Triple Triad fanatics of Balamb Garden. They consist of: Jack, who is the first to mention the CC Group to Squall; Knight Club, a quiet man; Princess Diamond, who are a pair of female Galbadian students; Prince Spade, who gives Squall his first deck of Triple Triad cards; Queen Heart, who is Xu; Magician Joker, who appears in several locations throughout the game; and Master King, who is Quistis and was formally Dr. Kadowaki.
Dr. Kadowaki — the Balamb Garden doctor who tends to Squall's wounds after the fight with Seifer in the opening sequence. She also helps Headmaster Cid after his confrontation with NORG.
Nida — a student at Balamb Garden who passes the SeeD exam along with Squall and later pilots the Balamb Garden mobile base.^[91]
Xu — a high ranking SeeD who helps Squall throughout the course of the game, such as revealing where Headmaster Cid is during the Balamb Garden civil war.^[92] She is friends with Quistis and a member of Squall's staff once he becomes the leader of Balamb Garden.^[93]

NORG

NORG is an exiled Shumi residing on the lower B1 floor of Balamb Garden. He lent Cid the money to build and develop the Garden roughly ten years before the game, and took the position of Garden Master on its completion.^[94] NORG is more concerned about the revenue acquired by SeeD as a mercenary organization rather than their noble duty of opposing the Sorceress; he is considered a "black sheep" of the Shumi tribe.^[94] After hearing about a failed assassination attempt on Sorceress Edea, NORG begins to distrust Headmaster Cid and attempts a coup of Balamb Garden, causing a minor 'civil war' to erupt between factions loyal to the Headmaster and Garden Master. Feigning loyalty to the Sorceress, he attempts to kill the SeeDs who carried out the failed assassination.^[90] After he is defeated in battle, he enters a cocoon-like state.

Dr. Odine

Dr. Odine is a scientist and magic researcher whose lab is in the capital of Esthar. It was he who discovered the GFs and Junctioning, and who engineered a machine that mimicked Ellone's power.^[75] He developed the necessary technology to allow Laguna to entomb Adel. As a researcher into Lunatic Pandora,^[95] he also played a significant role in the attempt to stop it from reaching Tears' Point and initiating a Lunar Cry.^[96] Odine also plays a role in the plot to destroy Ultimecia, and explains to Squall and his friends how to survive Time Compression.^[76]

Merchandise

The characters of Final Fantasy VIII have spawned action figures, jewellery and other goods in their likeness. In 1999, action figure lineups were distributed in Japan by Bandai, Kotobukiya, Banpresto, and Coca-Cola. In 2004, action figures of Squall, Rinoa and Selphie were distributed in North America by Diamond Comics.^[97] Posters of individual characters or a collage of characters are available on fan websites, including Final Fantasy Spirit.^[98] Other information available at the aforementioned store include mouse pads, keychains, and pens depicting individual characters or a set of characters.^[99]

Reception and criticism

The characters of Final Fantasy VIII have generally been cited as one of the game's better aspects. The Gaming Age reviewer was originally concerned with the shift to consistently realistically proportioned characters, but he found them more appealing.^[100] Moreover, the review stated that the character designs and graphical quality allowed the characters to "convey emotions much more dramatically".^[100] Game Revolution cited similar praise, agreeing that the change "really makes the graphics impressive".^[101] IGN commented that the "low-polygon characters of FFVII are gone, replaced with sometimes surprisingly realistic high-polygon models that only look better the closer they get".^[8] For their part, GameSpot agreed with the transition, claiming that "involving, personal, and emotional stories are far more believable when they come from, well, people, not short, bizarrely shaped cartoon characters".^[102]

The cast itself has received criticism from some reviews. In terms of character relationships, IGN criticized certain aspects of the manner in which character interactions play out, that "considering that the love story is so integral to everything that happens -- not to mention forming the central image of the box art -- it's incomprehensible why no one says "I love you" to anyone, ever."^[8] In terms of Squall, IGN felt that "FFVIII does break one cardinal rule: when your story is character centered, you'd better center it on a character the audience can care about. Squall, unfortunately, just doesn't fit the bill".^[8] However, GameSpot felt that Final Fantasy VIII shifts the story from the "epic" concepts of Final Fantasy VII to the "personal", in that "the characters and their relationships are all extremely believable and complex; moreover, the core romance holds up even under the most pessimistic scrutiny".^[102] Although the reviewer at Electronic Gaming Monthly agnowledged possible fears over a romantic storyline, they stated that "it's only later in the game, once you are really attached to all the distinct and complex characters, that the more emotional themes are gradually introduced".^[103]

References

^ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (1999). "FFVIII Sells Six Million Copies Worldwide". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ IGN staff (1999). "FF8 Breaks Sales Records". IGN.com. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Campbell, Colin (2006). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Next Generation. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Square Electronic Arts, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII North American instruction manual. Square Electronic Arts. pp. 6–9. SLUS-00892GH.
^ Square-Enix North America Site Staff (2001). "Behind The Game The Creators". Square-Enix North America. Retrieved 12 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Shella (2003). "Tetsuya Nomura 20s". FLAREgamer. Retrieved 13 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c Coxon, Sachi (1998). "Interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi". PlayStation Japan. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lundigran, Jeff (1999). "IGN: Final Fantasy VIII Review". IGN. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "ignreview" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ Squall: "I was always waiting for 'Sis' to come back." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Squall: "Elle...Ellone. So, Ellone was 'Sis'. She was a bit older than us, and we all used to call her 'Sis'. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, Ellone and myself... Yeah... I'm not sure what the meaning behind all this is, but we were definitely together. (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Studio BentStuff, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square-Enix. p. 43. ISBN 4-925075-49-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Square Electronic Arts, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII North American instruction manual. Square Electronic Arts. p. 21. SLUS-00892GH.
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Rinoa". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Laguna". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Kiros: "Don't tell me we're lost again." / Laguna: "Anyway... We're goin' home. Deling City, here we come!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Ward: "So, Laguna... Julia should be making her appearance soon. You goin' for it tonight?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "I was bed-ridden for over 6 months. It seemed like every bone in my body was in pieces." / Raine: "I nursed him back to health." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Laguna: "...Ellone was raised by Raine who lived next door. And I came to know her. Then there was another massive hunt for a successor in Esthar again. Elle was taken away..." "...so I rescued her and sent her off to Winhill. Shortly after that, Raine died. And Ellone was sent straight to an orphanage..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "A fierce debate ensued about who should govern this country after Adel was gone. I wasn't paying close attention while they made me up to be this hero of the revolution, and I ended up being president." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "My job kept me busy. I was left here thinking about this and that and before I knew it, all this time had passed." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "Ellone followed me out to space. Little Elle was all grown up... Then she told me everything." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Rinoa: "I don't really know. I... I think it was love. I wonder how [Seifer] felt...? ...It was last summer... I was 16." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Boy: "NAH-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAH!!!" / Boy Zell: "Stop teasing me, Seifer!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Zell: "H-Hey!!! Not again, man! There goes Mr. Ego..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Headmaster Cid: "Seifer. You will be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior. You must follow orders exactly during combat. But I'm not entirely without sympathy for you. I don't want you all to become machines. I want you all to be able to think and act for yourselves. I am..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Seifer". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Seifer: "I was hoping you'd be there, Squall. So...how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled. I've become the sorceress' knight." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Seifer: "What did you say!? Passed out cold, eh? This is the scene where you swear your undying hatred for me! The tale of the evil mercenary vs. the sorceress' knight... The fun's just started, Squall. Don't disappoint me now!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Rinoa: "Oh, my loyal knight, Seifer. The sorceress is alive... The sorceress demands." / Squall: (Ultimecia!? The future sorceress is inside Rinoa!? ...Transferred from Edea? Where's Rinoa!!!?" / Rinoa: "Find the legendary Lunatic Pandora... Only then shall the sorceress provide you with dreams again." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b ^c Raijin: "Seifer has a lot of followers, but we're his only friends... We're a posse, ya know...? The Galbadian soldiers are only listening to Seifer 'cause they fear the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have a posse, ya know...?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Seifer: "NAH-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAH!!!" / Boy Zell: "Stop teasing me, Seifer!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Quistis: "Yes! That's right! Seifer was a kid who always needed to be the center of attention. But Squall always used to ignore him... But eventually they would end up fighting." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Gouskos, Carrie. Kingdom Hearts 2 "gamespot.com". Accessed December 15, 2006
^ ^a ^b ^c "Kingdom Hearts II (2005) - Full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Quistis". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Quistis: "They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities."(Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Quistis:"I couldn't stop thinking about Squall. I thought it was... love. I had to hide my feelings because I was an instructor, but I've come to realize it wasn't. It was my childhood feelings as a big sister that lingered... Oh well..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Quistis: "Oh! Stop that! What are you talking about!? Why did you go all the way out into space to save Rinoa!? To hand her over to Esthar!? So that you might never see her again!? No, right!? Wasn't it because you wanted to be with Rinoa? You're a fool." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Quistis: "I... remember. Yes, I remember now. Things didn't work out too well at my new home. So I came to Garden at the age of 10. That was when I was first noticed Seifer and Squall. Seifer and Squall were always fighting." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Quistis: I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17."
^ Girl: "Are you...Squad B? Wait a minute...You're the guy who showed me around, right!? Thanks! I don't so lost anymore. Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm...a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Selphie: "I'm on the missile base infiltration team! I have to be! They launched missiles at MY Trabia!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Selphie". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ ^a ^b Irvine: "I really liked this girl, and it made me so happy just talking to her." / Boy Irvine: "Sefie, wha'cha playin'!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ""Kingdom Hearts (at Square-Enix.com)". 2002. Retrieved August 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Zell". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Zell: "I don't care if I forget about my childhood, when Seifer used to pick on me. What's important to me now is having the power to protect my parents in Balamb. They adopted me. There's no way I'm lettin' go of that power!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Seifer: "Stop that...It's annoying. ...Chicken-wuss." Zell: "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"
^ BradyGAMES Staff, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide. BradyGAMES Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 1-56686-903-X.
^ Martine: "Don't worry about it. Let me introduce an elite sharpshooter from Galbadia Garden. Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Irvine". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Irvine: "Call me Irvine. I'm a pretty lucky guy. Hand in hand with two beautiful girls!" / Selphie: "Irvy Kinnepooo! I'll make you happy!" / Squall: (Did I say something terrible? Women... I don't understand women.) (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Irvine: "Selphie... We're destined to be together!" / Selphie: "Y-Yeah right...!" / Irvine: "A sigh of love?"
^ Irvine: "No one understands me... Sharpshooters are loners by nature... We hone our instincts, pour our whole being into a single bullet. The pressure of the moment... An instant of tension... That's what... I have to face alone... ...It's not easy. So like... Just do me a favor, and let me be! You get my drift?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Irvine: "I...I can't...I'm sorry, I can't do it. I always choke like this... I try to act all cool, joke around, but I just can't handle the pressure..." / Squall: "Forget it. Just shoot." / Irvine: "My bullet... The sorceress... I'll go down in history. I'd change the history of Galbadia... Of the world! It's all too much..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Rinoa: "My father pulled some strings with the military. He told them to get me, and only me, out." / Irvine: "Then..." / Rinoa: "So this guy here... He came and got me. Just me! Knowing you were all captured!" / Irvine: "Alright, alright...! I said I was sorry. That's why I'm here to help!" / Rinoa: "After I scratched you to death." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Squall: "...Why is it that we forgot? We grew up together as kids... How's that possible...?" / Irvine: "How about this? ...The price we pay for using the GF. The GF provides us its power. But the GF makes its own place inside our brain..." / Quistis: "So you're saying that the area is where our memories are stored? No...! That's just a rumor the GF critics are spreading." / Zell: "So if we keep relying on the GF, we won't be able to remember a lot of things?" / Quistis: "There's no way Headmaster Cid would allow such a dangerous thing!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Irvine: "Then how is it that I remember, while everyone else has forgotten? Well...? In my case, I hadn't junctioned a GF until recently. That's why I remember a lot more than you guys." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Kiros: "Thank you, for taking care of Laguna. I was able to recover in about a month or so. Ever since then... I've been searching for you." / Laguna: "Why?" / Kiros: "After leaving the army... Well, just killing time I guess. Life's pretty boring without you as entertainment, my man." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "Why the heck do I have to do this!?" / Kiros: "'Cause we have no money." / Ward: "......" / Laguna: "Alright, I'm sorry!!! Yeah, so it's kinda my fault that we stayed at the hotel so often. But heck, I'm not cut out to be an actor!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Kiros: "Oh, and he never got his voice back. You could basically tell what he wants from his facial expressions." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Edea: "...Lowlifes. ...Shameless filthy wretches. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations. Have you no shame? What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler. HAHAHAHAHA." / President Deling: (...?) / Edea: "A new era has just begun." / President Deling: "E-Edea... Are you alright...? Ede...!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Edea: "You are SeeDs. You cannot back out of a battle, I know. You were magnificent. However, it is not over yet. At anytime, I may... ...I have been possessed all this time. I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Squall: (Ultimecia!? The future sorceress is inside Rinoa!? ...Transferred from Edea? Where's Rinoa!!!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Laguna: "The owners of the orphanage were Cid Kramer and his wife Edea." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Irvine: "Look alike? Nah, that's not it. Matron's name is Edea Kramer. Matron IS Sorceress Edea." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Narrative: Adel was careless. She may be a sorceress, but after all, she was human. We succeeded... But...we couldn't keep such a dangerous sorceress around as a trophy. We had to do something... So...we decided to send her far, far away... Some place very far... Into outer space..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Piet: "If that's the case, we definitely have to stop her. If she plans to free Adel, she'll have to go out there. The Level 2 Seal is located on Adel's Tomb." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Raijin: "I dunno. At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up the SeeDs, ya know!? Now, everyone's either sidin' with the Garden Master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, ya know!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Headmaster Cid: "Dammit! I should've never trusted you! I wish I could go back ten or so years. To tell myself that you're nothing but a money grubbing son-of-a-bitch! Then I would've never built this place." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Ellone: "You can't change the past. I just found that out. When I was kidnapped, Uncle Laguna went on a journey to find me... But because he did, Uncle Laguna wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Rained wanted to show Laguna her new born baby... Raine kept calling out for Laguna. So no matter what, I wanted Laguna to stay in the village... But it didn't work. I can no longer make it back to that moment... And also... I can only send you inside someone I've met before." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Edea: "Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone." / Edea: "Ellone's mysterious power... Sending one's consciousness back into the past." / Zell: "So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?" / Irvine: "I get it. Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past." / Zell: "What's she going to do in the past?" / Edea: "Time compression." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Fujin: "POSSE... We are. We always will be. Because we're a posse, we want to help you. Whatever it takes to fulfill your dream, we're willing to do. But... You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall! It's sad... Sad that we only have Squall to rely on... Seifer! Are you still gonna keep goin'?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Squall: (Fujin and Raijin tagging along as usual...Guess that makes up the whole disciplinary committee.) (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Doc Odine: "It may only be a toy right now, but in ze time of Ultimecia, it iz an impressive working machine! Which means there iz a machine which imitates Ellone's power. It iz I who made ze first model of zat machine. I named ze machine 'Junction Machine Ellone'! It iz a vonderful thing to know that my invention is used in ze future!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b ^c Doc Odine: "There iz only only one way to defeat Ultimecia. You must kill her in ze future. ...There is no normal way to jump to ze future under normal circumstances. But there iz still a way! It iz because Sorceress Ultimecia plans to compress time. Compressing time with magic... Vat good will it do for ze sorceress to compress time? There may be many reasons, but it doesn't matter. ...In order for Ultimecia to exist in this time, she must take over ze body of a sorceress from ze present. But ze machine must have a limit. Ultimecia probably needs to go back further in time to achieve time compression. Only Ellone can take her back further into ze past. Zat iz why she iz desperately seeking her. We must take advantage of Ellone's power. ...Once Ultimecia iz in ze past, she'll use ze time compressoin magic. ...Ultimecia also goes back to her own world. Vat would be left is ze time compressed world. Past, present, and future will all get mixed together. You will keep moving through ze time compression toward ze future. Once you're out of ze time compression, zat will be Ultimecia's world. It's all up to you after zat." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Edea: "You called me Matron. Who...are you?" / Squall: "A SeeD. A SeeD from Balabm Garden." / Edea: "SeeD? Garden?" / Squall: "Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress." (Final Fantasy VIII(
^ Guy: "T-These are the prisoners, Lieutenant Biggs, Private Wedge." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Biggs: "I was demoted because of you! I'm only lieutenant now!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b Kiros: "Heard she recently got married." / Raine: "Oh yeah! To some army general, right? General Caraway or something?" / Kiros: "I'm not too sure." / Raine: "I read in a magazine that her true love went off to war and never came back. General Caraway comforted her while she was feeling down. That's how they got to know each other." (Final Fantasy VIII
^ Squall: "Where's Rinoa?" / General Caraway: "She has not receive the type of training you all have, and may become a burden. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation." / Selphie: "So you're Rinoa's father?" / General Caraway: "I can't remember the last time she called me that." / Zell: "So the father's a top military officer, and the daughter's a member of an anti-government faction!? That's bad... Really BAD!" / General Caraway: "Yes, indeed. It's a serious problem. But it doesn't concern you. It's our problem." {Final Fantasy VIII)
^ President Deling: "Unfortunately, there are some trifling problems standing between Galbadia and other nations, and they must be resolved. I plan to convene with other nations' leaders immediately to resolve these problems. At this time, allow me to introduce the ambassador who will be my representative for the conference." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ President Deling: "...I'm not the president. I'm what they call...a body double." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Mayor Dobe: "We don't want military organizations in FH. You rely on force to solve problems. That is in direct defiance of our principles." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Rinoa: "She's the leader of the 'Forest Fox'. Almost everyone's a resistance member in this town. But right now, we're the only ones that are really active." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Julia: "Did I interrupt anything?" / Laguna: "N-N-N-Not at all. P-Please, s-sit down." (Oh man, oh man, it's really HER! What do I do!? Kiros? Ward? HELP! What do I say!? But man, she is pretty...) (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Raine: "Then the first song she released was 'Eyes On Me'?" / Laguna: "H-How does the song go?" / Raine: "You don't know?" / Laguna: "Well, you never let me hear it!" / Raine: "I didn't think you listened to music. The song's about being in love... I really like it." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Raine: "A guy like that? He was carried in here crying like a baby, and I was the one who had to take care of him... His crude way of speaking... I don't know if his aspirations as a journalist are going to come true... Every time I try to have a serious converation, he avoids it... I can't stand his snoring and he talks in his sleep..." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ NORG: "Bujurururu! THAT-SLY-WEASEL-MARTINE-USED-YOU-AS-A-LAST-RESORT-FOR-THE-ASSASSINATION. HE-GAVE-THAT-ORDER-TO-PLACE-THE-BLAME-ON-ME! THAT-THAT-BASTARD." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ ^a ^b NORG: "Bujurururu! OFFER-THE-SeeD's-HEAD-ON-A-SILVER-PLATTER-AND-PRETEND-WE-OBEY-THE-SORCERESS!" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Nida: "What!? Oh, man, it's me. We passed the SeeD exam together. I can't believe you forgot!" / Squall: "Oh yeah..." / Nida: "Gee... Well, it's just like you to forget. By the way, you know how the FH technicians were fixing the Garden, right? They just finished. Meaning... The Garden's ready to go anytime. Oh yeah. I'll be piloting the Garden. FH technicians taught me everything about piloting this thing. Let me know when you want to go." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Squall: "Where is [Headmaster Cid]?" / Xu: "In his office. We made it look like he's hiding, but he's been there all along. Follow me." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Xu: "We thought you should have a title. So Quistis and I decided on commander." / Quistis: "Sorry to carry things out on our own, but Xu and I assigned duties." / Xu: "I'll take care of all the supplies needed in the Garden."
^ ^a ^b Headmaster Cid: "He is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to find funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden. NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing into the Garden. And the Garden began to change. Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up... That's probably enough. In the end, it was my fault, for giving up control." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Doc Odine: "Oh! You vant to hear my story? Zat iz nice. I would be happy to tell you. I've been investigating ze Pandora since it was excavated." (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Doc Odine: "It will not attack us. This city iz not ze target." / Doctor's Assistant: "I hope so... I hope you're right." / Doc Odine: "But Tears' Point...... Hmm?" (Final Fantasy VIII)
^ Lynch, Elissa. "SQUARE-ENIX PRESENTS DYNAMIC FINAL FANTASY VIII PLAY ART ACTION FIGURES". Retrieved 2007-03-14.
^ "Posters - Final Fantasy Spirit". Final Fantasy Spirit. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
^ "Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts Merchandise". FFSpirit.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
^ ^a ^b McTague, Bob (1999). "Gaming Age Review - Final Fantasy VIII". Gaming Age. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Liu, Johnny (1999). "Game Revolution Review Page - Final Fantasy VIII". Game Revolution. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ ^a ^b Vestal, Andrew (1999). "Final Fantasy VIII for PlayStation Review". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^ Editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly (2004). "Final Fantasy VIII PS Review". 1UP.com. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

Final Fantasy VIII character category — Final Fantasy Wikia

Template:FFVIII

[6million-1] Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (1999). "FFVIII Sells Six Million Copies Worldwide". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[breaksrecords-2] IGN staff (1999). "FF8 Breaks Sales Records". IGN.com. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[famitsu-3] Campbell, Colin (2006). "Japan Votes on All Time Top 100". Next Generation. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[Manual6-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Square Electronic Arts, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII North American instruction manual. Square Electronic Arts. pp. 6–9. SLUS-00892GH.

[interviews-5] Square-Enix North America Site Staff (2001). "Behind The Game The Creators". Square-Enix North America. Retrieved 12 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[shella-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Shella (2003). "Tetsuya Nomura 20s". FLAREgamer. Retrieved 13 April. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[development2-7] Coxon, Sachi (1998). "Interview with Hironobu Sakaguchi". PlayStation Japan. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[ignreview-8] Lundigran, Jeff (1999). "IGN: Final Fantasy VIII Review". IGN. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "ignreview" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

[9] Squall: "I was always waiting for 'Sis' to come back." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Ellone-10] Squall: "Elle...Ellone. So, Ellone was 'Sis'. She was a bit older than us, and we all used to call her 'Sis'. Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Seifer, Ellone and myself... Yeah... I'm not sure what the meaning behind all this is, but we were definitely together. (Final Fantasy VIII)

[ff8ult-11] Studio BentStuff, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII Ultimania (in Japanese). DigiCube/Square-Enix. p. 43. ISBN 4-925075-49-7.

[LimitBreak-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Square Electronic Arts, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII North American instruction manual. Square Electronic Arts. p. 21. SLUS-00892GH.

[13] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Rinoa". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[14] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Laguna". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[15] Kiros: "Don't tell me we're lost again." / Laguna: "Anyway... We're goin' home. Deling City, here we come!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[16] Ward: "So, Laguna... Julia should be making her appearance soon. You goin' for it tonight?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Ellonenursing-17] Laguna: "I was bed-ridden for over 6 months. It seemed like every bone in my body was in pieces." / Raine: "I nursed him back to health." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Lagunastory1-18] Laguna: "...Ellone was raised by Raine who lived next door. And I came to know her. Then there was another massive hunt for a successor in Esthar again. Elle was taken away..." "...so I rescued her and sent her off to Winhill. Shortly after that, Raine died. And Ellone was sent straight to an orphanage..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Lagunastory2-19] Laguna: "A fierce debate ensued about who should govern this country after Adel was gone. I wasn't paying close attention while they made me up to be this hero of the revolution, and I ended up being president." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Lagunastory3-20] Laguna: "My job kept me busy. I was left here thinking about this and that and before I knew it, all this time had passed." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[21] Laguna: "Ellone followed me out to space. Little Elle was all grown up... Then she told me everything." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[22] Rinoa: "I don't really know. I... I think it was love. I wonder how [Seifer] felt...? ...It was last summer... I was 16." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[23] Boy: "NAH-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAH!!!" / Boy Zell: "Stop teasing me, Seifer!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[24] Zell: "H-Hey!!! Not again, man! There goes Mr. Ego..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[CidSeifer-25] Headmaster Cid: "Seifer. You will be disciplined for your irresponsible behavior. You must follow orders exactly during combat. But I'm not entirely without sympathy for you. I don't want you all to become machines. I want you all to be able to think and act for yourselves. I am..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[26] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Seifer". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[27] Seifer: "I was hoping you'd be there, Squall. So...how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled. I've become the sorceress' knight." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[28] Seifer: "What did you say!? Passed out cold, eh? This is the scene where you swear your undying hatred for me! The tale of the evil mercenary vs. the sorceress' knight... The fun's just started, Squall. Don't disappoint me now!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[29] Rinoa: "Oh, my loyal knight, Seifer. The sorceress is alive... The sorceress demands." / Squall: (Ultimecia!? The future sorceress is inside Rinoa!? ...Transferred from Edea? Where's Rinoa!!!?" / Rinoa: "Find the legendary Lunatic Pandora... Only then shall the sorceress provide you with dreams again." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Posse1-30] Raijin: "Seifer has a lot of followers, but we're his only friends... We're a posse, ya know...? The Galbadian soldiers are only listening to Seifer 'cause they fear the sorceress. Without us, Seifer wouldn't have a posse, ya know...?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[31] Seifer: "NAH-NA-NA-NA-NA-NAH!!!" / Boy Zell: "Stop teasing me, Seifer!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[SeiferSquall-32] Quistis: "Yes! That's right! Seifer was a kid who always needed to be the center of attention. But Squall always used to ignore him... But eventually they would end up fighting." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[KH2gamespot-33] Gouskos, Carrie. Kingdom Hearts 2 "gamespot.com". Accessed December 15, 2006

[IMDB-34] "Kingdom Hearts II (2005) - Full cast and crew". Internet Movie Database, Inc. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[35] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Quistis". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[36] Quistis: "They told me that I failed as an instructor. Basically, that I lacked leadership qualities."(Final Fantasy VIII)

[quistislove-37] Quistis:"I couldn't stop thinking about Squall. I thought it was... love. I had to hide my feelings because I was an instructor, but I've come to realize it wasn't. It was my childhood feelings as a big sister that lingered... Oh well..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[38] Quistis: "Oh! Stop that! What are you talking about!? Why did you go all the way out into space to save Rinoa!? To hand her over to Esthar!? So that you might never see her again!? No, right!? Wasn't it because you wanted to be with Rinoa? You're a fool." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[39] Quistis: "I... remember. Yes, I remember now. Things didn't work out too well at my new home. So I came to Garden at the age of 10. That was when I was first noticed Seifer and Squall. Seifer and Squall were always fighting." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[40] Quistis: I was a SeeD by the age of 15, got my instructor license at 17."

[41] Girl: "Are you...Squad B? Wait a minute...You're the guy who showed me around, right!? Thanks! I don't so lost anymore. Oh yeah, I haven't told you my name yet. I'm...a messenger. Name's Selphie, from Squad A." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[42] Selphie: "I'm on the missile base infiltration team! I have to be! They launched missiles at MY Trabia!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[43] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Selphie". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[Selvine-44] Irvine: "I really liked this girl, and it made me so happy just talking to her." / Boy Irvine: "Sefie, wha'cha playin'!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[KingdomHearts-45] ""Kingdom Hearts (at Square-Enix.com)". 2002. Retrieved August 3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[46] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Zell". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[47] Zell: "I don't care if I forget about my childhood, when Seifer used to pick on me. What's important to me now is having the power to protect my parents in Balamb. They adopted me. There's no way I'm lettin' go of that power!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[48] Seifer: "Stop that...It's annoying. ...Chicken-wuss." Zell: "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?"

[battle-49] BradyGAMES Staff, ed. (1999). Final Fantasy VIII Official Strategy Guide. BradyGAMES Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 1-56686-903-X.

[50] Martine: "Don't worry about it. Let me introduce an elite sharpshooter from Galbadia Garden. Kinneas! Irvine Kinneas!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[51] "Final Fantasy VIII Characters - Irvine". SquareEnix.com. Retrieved 2007-03-15.

[52] Irvine: "Call me Irvine. I'm a pretty lucky guy. Hand in hand with two beautiful girls!" / Selphie: "Irvy Kinnepooo! I'll make you happy!" / Squall: (Did I say something terrible? Women... I don't understand women.) (Final Fantasy VIII)

[53] Irvine: "Selphie... We're destined to be together!" / Selphie: "Y-Yeah right...!" / Irvine: "A sigh of love?"

[54] Irvine: "No one understands me... Sharpshooters are loners by nature... We hone our instincts, pour our whole being into a single bullet. The pressure of the moment... An instant of tension... That's what... I have to face alone... ...It's not easy. So like... Just do me a favor, and let me be! You get my drift?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[55] Irvine: "I...I can't...I'm sorry, I can't do it. I always choke like this... I try to act all cool, joke around, but I just can't handle the pressure..." / Squall: "Forget it. Just shoot." / Irvine: "My bullet... The sorceress... I'll go down in history. I'd change the history of Galbadia... Of the world! It's all too much..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[56] Rinoa: "My father pulled some strings with the military. He told them to get me, and only me, out." / Irvine: "Then..." / Rinoa: "So this guy here... He came and got me. Just me! Knowing you were all captured!" / Irvine: "Alright, alright...! I said I was sorry. That's why I'm here to help!" / Rinoa: "After I scratched you to death." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[57] Squall: "...Why is it that we forgot? We grew up together as kids... How's that possible...?" / Irvine: "How about this? ...The price we pay for using the GF. The GF provides us its power. But the GF makes its own place inside our brain..." / Quistis: "So you're saying that the area is where our memories are stored? No...! That's just a rumor the GF critics are spreading." / Zell: "So if we keep relying on the GF, we won't be able to remember a lot of things?" / Quistis: "There's no way Headmaster Cid would allow such a dangerous thing!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[58] Irvine: "Then how is it that I remember, while everyone else has forgotten? Well...? In my case, I hadn't junctioned a GF until recently. That's why I remember a lot more than you guys." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[59] Kiros: "Thank you, for taking care of Laguna. I was able to recover in about a month or so. Ever since then... I've been searching for you." / Laguna: "Why?" / Kiros: "After leaving the army... Well, just killing time I guess. Life's pretty boring without you as entertainment, my man." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[60] Laguna: "Why the heck do I have to do this!?" / Kiros: "'Cause we have no money." / Ward: "......" / Laguna: "Alright, I'm sorry!!! Yeah, so it's kinda my fault that we stayed at the hotel so often. But heck, I'm not cut out to be an actor!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Wardvoice-61] Kiros: "Oh, and he never got his voice back. You could basically tell what he wants from his facial expressions." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Edeaspeech-62] Edea: "...Lowlifes. ...Shameless filthy wretches. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations. Have you no shame? What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler. HAHAHAHAHA." / President Deling: (...?) / Edea: "A new era has just begun." / President Deling: "E-Edea... Are you alright...? Ede...!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[63] Edea: "You are SeeDs. You cannot back out of a battle, I know. You were magnificent. However, it is not over yet. At anytime, I may... ...I have been possessed all this time. I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[64] Squall: (Ultimecia!? The future sorceress is inside Rinoa!? ...Transferred from Edea? Where's Rinoa!!!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[CidandEdea-65] Laguna: "The owners of the orphanage were Cid Kramer and his wife Edea." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[66] Irvine: "Look alike? Nah, that's not it. Matron's name is Edea Kramer. Matron IS Sorceress Edea." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[67] Narrative: Adel was careless. She may be a sorceress, but after all, she was human. We succeeded... But...we couldn't keep such a dangerous sorceress around as a trophy. We had to do something... So...we decided to send her far, far away... Some place very far... Into outer space..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[68] Piet: "If that's the case, we definitely have to stop her. If she plans to free Adel, she'll have to go out there. The Level 2 Seal is located on Adel's Tomb." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[SeeDWar-69] Raijin: "I dunno. At first, they were sayin' somethin' 'bout roundin' up the SeeDs, ya know!? Now, everyone's either sidin' with the Garden Master or the headmaster and fightin' everywhere, ya know!?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[70] Headmaster Cid: "Dammit! I should've never trusted you! I wish I could go back ten or so years. To tell myself that you're nothing but a money grubbing son-of-a-bitch! Then I would've never built this place." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[71] Ellone: "You can't change the past. I just found that out. When I was kidnapped, Uncle Laguna went on a journey to find me... But because he did, Uncle Laguna wasn't able to be by Raine's side when she died. Rained wanted to show Laguna her new born baby... Raine kept calling out for Laguna. So no matter what, I wanted Laguna to stay in the village... But it didn't work. I can no longer make it back to that moment... And also... I can only send you inside someone I've met before." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Ultimecia-72] Edea: "Ultimecia's objective is to find Ellone." / Edea: "Ellone's mysterious power... Sending one's consciousness back into the past." / Zell: "So, Ultimecia wants to use Ellone's power, right?" / Irvine: "I get it. Ultimecia wants to send her consciousness from this period further into the past." / Zell: "What's she going to do in the past?" / Edea: "Time compression." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Fujinspeech-73] Fujin: "POSSE... We are. We always will be. Because we're a posse, we want to help you. Whatever it takes to fulfill your dream, we're willing to do. But... You're being manipulated, Seifer. You've lost yourself and your dream. You're just eating out of someone's hand. We want the old you back! Since we can't get through to you, all we have now to rely on is Squall! It's sad... Sad that we only have Squall to rely on... Seifer! Are you still gonna keep goin'?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[74] Squall: (Fujin and Raijin tagging along as usual...Guess that makes up the whole disciplinary committee.) (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Odine1-75] Doc Odine: "It may only be a toy right now, but in ze time of Ultimecia, it iz an impressive working machine! Which means there iz a machine which imitates Ellone's power. It iz I who made ze first model of zat machine. I named ze machine 'Junction Machine Ellone'! It iz a vonderful thing to know that my invention is used in ze future!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[Ultimeciaplot-76] Doc Odine: "There iz only only one way to defeat Ultimecia. You must kill her in ze future. ...There is no normal way to jump to ze future under normal circumstances. But there iz still a way! It iz because Sorceress Ultimecia plans to compress time. Compressing time with magic... Vat good will it do for ze sorceress to compress time? There may be many reasons, but it doesn't matter. ...In order for Ultimecia to exist in this time, she must take over ze body of a sorceress from ze present. But ze machine must have a limit. Ultimecia probably needs to go back further in time to achieve time compression. Only Ellone can take her back further into ze past. Zat iz why she iz desperately seeking her. We must take advantage of Ellone's power. ...Once Ultimecia iz in ze past, she'll use ze time compressoin magic. ...Ultimecia also goes back to her own world. Vat would be left is ze time compressed world. Past, present, and future will all get mixed together. You will keep moving through ze time compression toward ze future. Once you're out of ze time compression, zat will be Ultimecia's world. It's all up to you after zat." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[77] Edea: "You called me Matron. Who...are you?" / Squall: "A SeeD. A SeeD from Balabm Garden." / Edea: "SeeD? Garden?" / Squall: "Both Garden and SeeD were your ideas. SeeDs are trained to defeat the sorceress." (Final Fantasy VIII(

[78] Guy: "T-These are the prisoners, Lieutenant Biggs, Private Wedge." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[79] Biggs: "I was demoted because of you! I'm only lieutenant now!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[CarawayandJulia-80] Kiros: "Heard she recently got married." / Raine: "Oh yeah! To some army general, right? General Caraway or something?" / Kiros: "I'm not too sure." / Raine: "I read in a magazine that her true love went off to war and never came back. General Caraway comforted her while she was feeling down. That's how they got to know each other." (Final Fantasy VIII

[81] Squall: "Where's Rinoa?" / General Caraway: "She has not receive the type of training you all have, and may become a burden. It's for the best that she stays out of this operation." / Selphie: "So you're Rinoa's father?" / General Caraway: "I can't remember the last time she called me that." / Zell: "So the father's a top military officer, and the daughter's a member of an anti-government faction!? That's bad... Really BAD!" / General Caraway: "Yes, indeed. It's a serious problem. But it doesn't concern you. It's our problem." {Final Fantasy VIII)

[82] President Deling: "Unfortunately, there are some trifling problems standing between Galbadia and other nations, and they must be resolved. I plan to convene with other nations' leaders immediately to resolve these problems. At this time, allow me to introduce the ambassador who will be my representative for the conference." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[83] President Deling: "...I'm not the president. I'm what they call...a body double." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[84] Mayor Dobe: "We don't want military organizations in FH. You rely on force to solve problems. That is in direct defiance of our principles." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[85] Rinoa: "She's the leader of the 'Forest Fox'. Almost everyone's a resistance member in this town. But right now, we're the only ones that are really active." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[86] Julia: "Did I interrupt anything?" / Laguna: "N-N-N-Not at all. P-Please, s-sit down." (Oh man, oh man, it's really HER! What do I do!? Kiros? Ward? HELP! What do I say!? But man, she is pretty...) (Final Fantasy VIII)

[87] Raine: "Then the first song she released was 'Eyes On Me'?" / Laguna: "H-How does the song go?" / Raine: "You don't know?" / Laguna: "Well, you never let me hear it!" / Raine: "I didn't think you listened to music. The song's about being in love... I really like it." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[88] Raine: "A guy like that? He was carried in here crying like a baby, and I was the one who had to take care of him... His crude way of speaking... I don't know if his aspirations as a journalist are going to come true... Every time I try to have a serious converation, he avoids it... I can't stand his snoring and he talks in his sleep..." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[89] NORG: "Bujurururu! THAT-SLY-WEASEL-MARTINE-USED-YOU-AS-A-LAST-RESORT-FOR-THE-ASSASSINATION. HE-GAVE-THAT-ORDER-TO-PLACE-THE-BLAME-ON-ME! THAT-THAT-BASTARD." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[NORGloyalty-90] NORG: "Bujurururu! OFFER-THE-SeeD's-HEAD-ON-A-SILVER-PLATTER-AND-PRETEND-WE-OBEY-THE-SORCERESS!" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[91] Nida: "What!? Oh, man, it's me. We passed the SeeD exam together. I can't believe you forgot!" / Squall: "Oh yeah..." / Nida: "Gee... Well, it's just like you to forget. By the way, you know how the FH technicians were fixing the Garden, right? They just finished. Meaning... The Garden's ready to go anytime. Oh yeah. I'll be piloting the Garden. FH technicians taught me everything about piloting this thing. Let me know when you want to go." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[92] Squall: "Where is [Headmaster Cid]?" / Xu: "In his office. We made it look like he's hiding, but he's been there all along. Follow me." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[93] Xu: "We thought you should have a title. So Quistis and I decided on commander." / Quistis: "Sorry to carry things out on our own, but Xu and I assigned duties." / Xu: "I'll take care of all the supplies needed in the Garden."

[NORGhistory1-94] Headmaster Cid: "He is from the Shumi tribe. A black sheep of the tribe, one might say. We met while I was running around trying to find funds to build the Garden. He became interested in building the Garden, and we hit it off. Thanks to his funding, it was completed. However, we needed an enormous amount of funds to run the Garden. So we began dispatching SeeDs around the world as a means of supporting the Garden. NORG's idea was right on the money. An enormous amount of capital began flowing into the Garden. And the Garden began to change. Lost sight of our high ideals, the truth was covered up... That's probably enough. In the end, it was my fault, for giving up control." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[95] Doc Odine: "Oh! You vant to hear my story? Zat iz nice. I would be happy to tell you. I've been investigating ze Pandora since it was excavated." (Final Fantasy VIII)

[96] Doc Odine: "It will not attack us. This city iz not ze target." / Doctor's Assistant: "I hope so... I hope you're right." / Doc Odine: "But Tears' Point...... Hmm?" (Final Fantasy VIII)

[97] Lynch, Elissa. "SQUARE-ENIX PRESENTS DYNAMIC FINAL FANTASY VIII PLAY ART ACTION FIGURES". Retrieved 2007-03-14.

[98] "Posters - Final Fantasy Spirit". Final Fantasy Spirit. Retrieved 2007-03-14.

[99] "Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts Merchandise". FFSpirit.com. Retrieved 2007-03-14.

[gamingage-100] McTague, Bob (1999). "Gaming Age Review - Final Fantasy VIII". Gaming Age. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[gamerevolution-101] Liu, Johnny (1999). "Game Revolution Review Page - Final Fantasy VIII". Game Revolution. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[gamespot-102] Vestal, Andrew (1999). "Final Fantasy VIII for PlayStation Review". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

[egmreview-103] Editors of Electronic Gaming Monthly (2004). "Final Fantasy VIII PS Review". 1UP.com. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

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