TheFinal Fantasyseries has seen a multitude of different mascot characters over the years. These creatures are often the subject of merchandise in the games and in real life because of their adorable or unique appearances.
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Mascot characters can be friendly creatures that you meet on your Final Fantasy adventure, like with Moogles; helpful allies that are useful to you as you traverse the respective game’s world, such as the Chocobo; or even monsters that are deceptive-looking, as is the case with the Tonberry. No matter the type of character, these mascots are emblematic of the series and have designs that you instantly recognize as being part of Final Fantasy.
7Healing Ruby - Carbuncle
Carbuncles usually appear as summons with supporting magic to heal and guard your party. In Old English, ‘carbuncle’ refers to a red gemstone, which is seen through the ruby typically found on their forehead.
In lots of entries in the series, Carbuncles are teal with a feline appearance, though their designs vary greatly with some Carbuncles having alien or dog-like designs. Sometimes, Carbuncles have split tails,reminiscent of a kitsune. While the Carbuncles tend to only have a summon role, they’ve become a mascot because of their cute appearance, which is especially used in merchandise.
6Weird But Cute - Namazu
Final Fantasy 14has its fair share of mascot-type characters,including Odder Otterand Fat Cat, but the Namazu are by far the most popular. Namazu have silly, catfish-like appearances with big round heads and friendly expressions, and are typically seen wearing golden bells around their necks.
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They’re endearing creatures whose likeness has been used for a variety of different merchandise both in the game and in real life. This is unsurprising, considering the fact that they’re weirdly cute and completely unlike your typical mascot design.
5Running Cactus - Cactuar
Appearing as enemies and summons, Cactuar, as the name suggests, are cactus-like monsters capable of dispelling their needles to cause significant damage. Their cartoony appearance is instantly recognizable, especially because of their perpetual running pose paired with their shocked facial expression.
InFF8, Cactuar is a summonable Guardian Force you’re able to obtain by beating the Jumbo Cactuar, and in FF6, you can obtain the Cactuar Magicite to summon it into battle. The mascot has had various cameo appearances in other series too, includingAssassin’s CreedandDragon Quest.
4Looks Can Be Deceiving - Tonberry
The first time you saw a Tonberry, you were probablyfooled by its cuteness. It looks completely harmless - until you see the knife in its hand, that is. Designed by Tetsuya Nomura, the Tonberry has green skin, a fish-like tail, and round yellow eyes, and is usually seen carrying a lantern and a sharp knife.
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The Tonberry moves slowly towards your party, forcing you to whittle down its high HP before it can deal devastating damage - or, if you’re unlucky, instantly kill you - using its Chef’s Knife. It’s this combination of a seemingly innocent creature with its dangerous potential that makes the Tonberry so iconic and memorable.
3Ride In Style - Chocobo
Typically bright yellow and ostrich-like, the helpful Chocobos are known for their friendly temperament and ability to run fast, which characters often use for travel. Across the series, the Chocobo theme is lively and fits the cheerful personalities of the Chocobo well.
Some notable Chocobos include Bartz Klauser’s Chocobo, Boko, from FF5, and Bobby Corwen, a Chocobo nurtured by Black Mages No.33 and No.111 inFF9. There’s even a unique variant of the Chocobo affectionately known as the Fat Chocobo, whose huge size sets it apart from the rest of the species. You may be on a mission to save the world, but there’s always some time for Chocobo breeding and racing.
2Cute And Helpful, Kupo! - Moogle
Theadorable Moogles first appeared in Final Fantasy 3, where they had imp-like wings, a red nose, and white fur. This design has remained mostly consistent throughout the series, but there have been a few differences in their appearance across games, such as inFF12where they resemble a rabbit.
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While Moogles are cute mascots, they’ve also appeared as party members. In FF6, Mog the Moogle is a playable character, and inFF7, Cait Sith rides a robot Moogle. Moogles are such popular mascots that they have even appeared in other series, such asKingdom Hearts, where they run shops. And, of course, who could forget their signature catchphrase - Kupo!
1Powerful Wizards - Black Mage
As the name implies, Black Mages have a mastery over offensive elemental magic. They have been a part of Final Fantasy since the first game on the NES and have a simple yet effective design. It captures Final Fantasy’s fairytale aspects, with a black silhouette, tall hat, glowing yellow eyes, and a blue robe.
While there have been various Black Mages across the series, Vivi Ornitier in FF9 encapsulates the elements present in the original and builds on them at the same time. Black Mages in the original Final Fantasy were actually magic-wielding humans, but the design of Vivi, and the other Black Mages in FF9, stays true to the sprite’s mystical appearance. The Black Mage’s wizard appearance is easily recognizable and has become synonymous with the series itself.
