In the fantasy MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV , the bunny-like Viera were almost to become the new race, but there were issues with the male representatives of the species.
In the last live stream, the creators of FFXIV revealed a lot: The reptilian Au Ra were not the first choice for a new race in Heavensward. For a long time, the “Viera” were ahead. The rabbit-eared ladies first appeared in Final Fantasy Tactics, were later present in Final Fantasy XII – here especially Fran (cover image) captured the hearts and sympathies of the fans as a cool and independent, mysterious Viera lady. And the Viera would have fitted well into FFXIV, aesthetically speaking.
But there was a problem: Only the female Viera had appeared in the FF universe so far. And they did not want an “all-female” race. While male Viera exist in the lore, they remain isolated, are extremely competitive, and have their own villages separate from the women. This wouldn’t have been an insurmountable problem, as the FF14 artists had also created “male Viera.” However, the developers ultimately decided on the Au Ra and thus on a separate race that is closer to the dragons present in the expansion.
The concept of the new race Au Ra gradually evolved from the initial Viera idea.
