That being said, there are some aspects of the lore that have confused long-time fans to this day. Whether it be plotholes, inconsistencies, or just contradictions — there are several aspects of Final Fantasy’s lore that need a better explanation. Here are ten of the most egregious inconsistencies that need to be ironed out in the Final Fantasy series.
10 Shinra Became A Massive Company Despite Their Questionable Decisions (FF7)
The concept of Shinra itself is downright ridiculous. It’s one thing to subtly deplete the natural resources of the Planet, it’s another thing to do it on such a large scale that the Planet is wasting away in from of everyone’s eyes.
And yet, even after committing all these egregious crimes, Shinra doesn’t really face any major opposition. The only thorn in their side is Avalanche, and even they end up being Public Enemy No. 1 for some reason.
9 People Weren’t Aware Of Guardian Forces Affecting Someone’s Memory (FF8)
The fact that Guardian Forces ended up leading to amnesia is one of the biggest plot twists in Final Fantasy 8. However, it’s hard to imagine that no one knew about this fact in the universe of this game.
Given the sheer number of people using Guardian Forces, this problem of memory loss is bound to have serious repercussions for many. However, no one bats an eye at this serious fact and lets students lose their memory to cast some fancy spells.
8 The Slave Crown Is Barely Used (FF6)
Terra is shown to be controlled by the Empire via a Slave Crown. This mind control device has the potential to become one of the most popular devices in the game… if it was used correctly, that is.
Unfortunately, the Slave Crown is barely used for the rest of the game, which is quite odd. Such a powerful device should’ve been commonplace, but ends up being nothing more than a lazy plot device.
7 Somehow, People Are Okay With Being A Dark And Evil Knight (FF4)
The idea of being a Dark Knight should be one of the most unappealing jobs of all time. However, level-headed people like Cecil and Kain find this designation to be extremely alluring for some reason.
In fact, they’re also willing to carry out some horrible atrocities as a Dark Knight as well, which makes no sense. Cecil himself has a moral conscience but chooses to complete heinous tasks that are clearly for the sake of accomplishing an evil objective.
6 Turning An Entire City Into A Monster Arena Is A Horrible Idea (FF9)
Lindblum is one of the biggest cities in the world of Final Fantasy 9. However, the fact that people are completely okay with evacuating the city and letting it get populated by monsters makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
It’s impossible to believe that no other area was deemed suitable for such a barbaric festival. It’s easily one of the biggest plot holes in an otherwise great title.
5 No One Thought Of An Alternate Way To Defeat Sin Before The Main Cast (FF10)
The idea of sacrificing summoners time and time again to make Sin go away is one of the worst parts of living in the world of Final Fantasy 10. Thankfully, the main characters understood the futility of their quest and embarked on a new quest to get rid of Sin once and for all.
It’s hard to believe that no other summoners and their bodyguards thought about the same. Resigning themselves to such a grim fate only for short-term respite seems rather stupid, and any level-headed person would’ve tried to find out a different way to get rid of Sin.
4 There Was No Reason For The World To Turn On Ardyn (FF15)
Ardyn’s story is one of the most tragic personal tales in Final Fantasy 15. It also feels extremely contrived in a bid to make a riveting antagonist and nothing else.
The sacrifices he undertook to mitigate the effects of the Starscourge should’ve been celebrated by many. Instead, everyone — including the Gods themselves — change their mind about Ardyn and drive him into a corner, forcing him to turn into a malicious entity who hated the world and everything in it.
3 The Geostigma Feels Like A Contrived Excuse For More Tragedy (FF7)
One would think that the protection that Holy and the Lifestream provided against Meteor should’ve been good enough to remove any tragedies from the Planet. However, the massive success of Final Fantasy 7 led to Square milking this universe even further.
This led to the emergence of a mysterious disease called Geostigma, caused by the Lifestream’s protective effects. This disease feels completely unnecessary and goes to show just how ridiculous the idea of continuing Final Fantasy 7’s story really was!
2 The Concept Of Time Travel Is Handled Very Poorly (FF8)
Final Fantasy 8 features copious amounts of time travel scattered all across the plot. However, the end result is a mess due to the unclear nature of these time travel mechanics.
The idea of time compression is still something that most people don’t understand to this day. This, coupled with Ultimecia’s hamfisted inclusion in the game, makes for a rather unsatisfying twist in the story that was clearly integrated just to allow for a bombastic conclusion.
1 The Occuria Don’t Really Play A Huge Role In The Story (FF12)
Final Fantasy 12 features the classic Summon system, this time in the form of Espers. These powerful figures were created by the Occuria, the most powerful beings in the world of Ivalice.
So, it’s rather odd to see that these figures don’t really play a major role in the events of Final Fantasy 12. In fact, the entire story would’ve been perfectly functional without the inclusion of these figures at all!
More: Ranking Every Mainline Final Fantasy Game By Its Battle System
