The MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV often borrows concepts and characters from other parts of the RPG series. However, for the main NPCs in the new expansion Endwalker, they directly took inspiration from the most popular FF game.
This is Final Fantasy VII: The JRPG classic was originally released on January 31, 1997, for the PlayStation and immediately became a massive hit. As the first 3D title in the series, it shone with groundbreaking graphics at the time and a story that moved countless gamers to tears.
The player takes on the role of Cloud Strife, a super mercenary who once worked for the big corporation Shinra. Now part of the rebel group Avalanche, Cloud sabotages Shinra’s Mako reactors, which consume the planet’s life energy and slowly but surely destroy it.
Since its release, FFVII has sold over 18 million units worldwide according to the Japanese magazine Famitsu. This makes it by far the best-selling FF game and it is also regarded as the most popular one. That’s why the first part of the major remake of the RPG was released in April 2020.
Once Upon a Time Long Ago
For old Square-Enix fans, the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is a treasure trove of references, Easter eggs, and allusions to the other parts of the RPG series. An FF fan will discover something familiar at every corner.
The latest expansion Endwalker has also deeply reached into the Easter egg chest. Specifically, the main characters in the story, the Ascians, are based on the Cetra race from FFVII.
This is the Cetra: Also known as “the Ancient People,” the Cetra traveled the world of FFVII 2,000 years ago. Members of this race had the special ability to hear the voice of the planet and communicate with it.
Wise and selfless, they led a nomadic lifestyle, wandering from place to place to make them more fertile. They were also capable of wielding powerful magic and summoning creatures through the planet’s energy.
They lived in harmony with the planet and were its guardians, cultivating and nurturing it. At the end of their journey, they returned to the planet and thus became part of the life stream, which is the life energy of the planet.
This is the Ascians: Throughout the Shadowbringers story, players learn that there is also a similar race in FFXIV. Before the split from Hydaelyn, there was only one race on Etheirys that was wholly devoted to serving the planet.
The Ascians used their creation magic to create new useful (and sometimes less useful) creatures and perfect life on the planet until they would create a perfect world.
One of the last true Ascians, Emet-Selch, refers to the race as the “Servants of the Planet.” When the great task assigned to them was fulfilled, they too returned to the planet. They became part of the planet’s life stream again.
Both the Cetra and the Ascians are referred to as “the Ancients” in the English version of their respective games.
And Then Everything Went to Hell
The Cetra and Ascians are similar not only in their existence but also in their demise. While the details and story progression after the extinction of both races, of course, differ, the core of the catastrophes that befell them is the same: The causes of their demise came from outer space.
This is how the Cetra died: The extinction of the Cetra began when a meteorite struck the planet, carrying the alien life form Jenova. The impact created a deep crater that was like a severe wound for the planet. It was called “The Calamity from the Sky.”
Jenova spread like a virus and infected the Cetra with its cells. The fight against Jenova claimed countless lives, but in the end, it was defeated and sealed away by the few survivors. The Cetra sacrificed themselves to save the planet, but they could never recover.
This is how the Ascians died: The downfall of the Ascians began on their planet Etheirys but disappeared into the depths of the universe, heralding the end of days (known as End of Days or simply The Calamity).
Meteion and her sisters, corrupted by hopelessness and despair, built a nest at the edge of the world and sang the song of doom. Gradually, it stagnated the protective ether flow of the planet and destroyed its balance.
The laws of nature lost their effect and reality began to crumble. A meteor shower fell from the sky, earthquakes shook the world, and creation magic spiraled out of control.
Similar to the Cetra, in the end, the Ascians sacrificed themselves to save the planet and their loved ones. They summoned the primal Zodiark to get the stagnant ether moving again.
This also stands out: The Ascians have another notable feature that draws parallels to FFVII: In Endwalker, they all have glowing eyes. People with such bright eye colors also exist in FFVII. It’s said that they have “Mako eyes.” This is a sign that the person’s life energy was injected: Mako.
This happens to members of the special mercenary unit of Shinra: SOLDIER. People who have received a Mako treatment include the legendary Sephiroth, Zack Fair, and also Cloud Strife (though not entirely voluntarily).
The Ascians are the only ones in FFXIV that exhibit such strikingly bright eye colors. They differ from other living beings primarily in that they possess far more ether, or life energy. This abundance of ether could be the reason for their luminous eye colors, which could in turn be an allusion to the Mako eyes from FFVII.
However, there is one major difference between the two races from FFXIV and VII. The Cetra were a nomadic people. They traveled to the various regions of the planet to make them fertile and livelier.
This was a key part of their culture and, according to Sephiroth, also the reason they could communicate with the planet at all. When the last surviving Cetra settled and built settlements, they lost their abilities and their connection to the planet.
In contrast, the Ascians even built massive cities like Amaurot, which with their skyscrapers and paved streets are not at all inferior to our modern cities. They had a government and various administrations that dealt with the affairs of the world.
What do you think of the parallels between the two races? Do you believe that the Cetra served as inspiration for the Ascians? What other parallels have you noticed? Let us know in the comments.
More Endwalker lore is available here:
FFXIV: The most important item in Endwalker originates from an ancient legend we all know
