Final Fantasy 9’s Most Misunderstood Character Is Also The Franchise’s Most Enduring
Small character, big voice.
During the lengthy ending sequence of Final Fantasy 9, there’s one moment that’s simply a letter – the final words of a little Black Mage named Vivi, whose short life has come to an end. He thanks the protagonist Zidane and the rest of the party for taking him on wondrous adventures, and teaching him that life doesn’t last forever. “That’s why we have to help each other and live life to the fullest.”
Final Fantasy 9’s smallest character has the most profound impact, especially on a ten-year-old sitting hunched over a tiny CRT TV, trying to forget the crushing weight of a world that felt like it didn’t accept them. While I didn’t know it at that exact moment, Final Fantasy 9 was the game that changed my life forever.
Each game in the Final Fantasy franchise has large overarching themes, oftentimes philosophical ones. Final Fantasy 7 is about ecological preservation and a sense of self, and Final Fantasy 10 heavily explores both nihilism and theological prejudice. Final Fantasy 9, however, is one of the more profound explorations of existentialism that video games have ever seen; a truly complex look at the nature of free will, fate, belonging, and purpose.
Vivi’s story encapsulates the experience of growing up and losing your innocence.
We see this question injected into every facet of Final Fantasy 9, from the parasitic relationship of the twin worlds Gaia and Terra, to the individual storylines of each party member. Every major character grapples with the question of their place in the world, from Steiner’s moral crisis of his role as a knight versus doing the just thing, to Freya’s lost memory and the slow genocide of her people.
Final Fantasy 9’s bright and cheery veneer belies some of the series’ darkest and toughest questions, and nowhere is that more keenly felt than with Vivi. The diminutive, faceless Black Mage’s role in the narrative is some of the most compelling storytelling the Final Fantasy series has ever done. Vivi’s tale is one of acceptance, of feeling “othered,” overcoming, and finding peace. What makes Vivi so fascinating is how his story is a twist on the typical coming-of-age tale, exploring the moment so many people face where the veil of the world is lifted — where you learn about the reality of the world and how your adolescent brain’s interpretation of how things worked, simply isn’t the case.
Vivi grew up with his grandpa, Quan, his entire life, and after Quan’s untimely demise, the mage is forced to venture into the world on his own, later ending up in Alexandria and meeting Zidane. But Vivi is also woefully unprepared to meet the realities of the world — he’s young and naive, and because of that, struggles the most out of the entire party.
And that’s before you hit the big twist of Vivi’s story, where you learn about his true nature as a Black Mage — artificial beings created by Kuja as nothing more than tools of war. This is where Vivi’s entire image of his life and existence fractured. He’s told he exists for a specific purpose, that he’s not like everyone else, and he has to be a certain way. He has to be a machine. Can he defy this fate, and does he have the free will to do so? Has he always been just a cog in the machine?
How Vivi Comes To Life
A big part of what makes Final Fantasy 9 so remarkable is that each and every character has their own dedicated arc, with the party growing and changing together.
I might not have realized it at the time, but Vivi’s story resonated with me on a level deeper than I could have imagined. When I was ten, my divorced parents were in the thick of an awful custody battle. During that time I had to see countless therapists and child advocates, and afterwards, one of my parents would grill me on everything I said to make sure I didn’t make them look bad. It’s fair to say I was a tool in my parents’ battle at that point — in a twisted way, I was being used to prove which one was in the right. It was at that same time I started to question my sexuality, something exceedingly difficult in the face of a family that had always taught me to “be a man.”
In short, I didn’t have any place I belonged, and felt like I had to hide my true self with everyone. As the years have gone on and I’ve replayed Final Fantasy 9 over a dozen times, I’ve started to see the duality between my experiences and Vivi’s — the struggle of accepting who you are, even when those around you won’t.
Vivi’s existence as a Black Mage is emblematic of the role people are often instantly expected to play in their lives and society.
Vivi’s story, as dark as it is, is a story of hope. In the Black Mage village, Vivi meets other mages who have achieved sentience, and the heartbreaking truth that, after a while, mages just stop moving. It’s one of the most harrowing sequences in the game, seeing these mages grapple with the idea of death — how they don’t understand why their friends simply cease to function. In that moment, Vivi has to come face to face with the idea of mortality, but also sees how the other mages have found peace with their lot in life, with who they’ve become.
It’s a remarkable moment where the character realizes our life’s worth isn’t simply ascribed by the nature of us existing, but what we choose to do. Final Fantasy 9 posits that the “worth” you find is what you, and the people around you, make. The relationships you forge, the things you create, and even the simple moments that form memories. After the world told Vivi what he had to be, he found a different answer. There are so many themes that come to a head in Vivi’s arc — the idea of found family, accepting your true self, and forging your own purpose in life.
Find Hope In A Hopeless Situation
Vivi’s journey is a harrowing looks at the nature of life, and how we find satisfaction in it.
Vivi’s is an experience that so many people can relate to, anyone who’s been told in their life that they had to be a certain way; it’s certainly applicable to the LGBTQ experience.
Over time, I came to the realization that there were people who would never truly understand or accept me for who I was, no matter how hard I tried. This was cemented when I came out to my mother as bisexual, and the first thing she said was she worried about the woman I was dating – because what happened if a woman wasn’t enough for me? A prebuilt box that was already assigned to me, just like Vivi’s role as a Black Mage.
Vivi’s story is, intrinsically, about finding your own joy and purposes in life, and surrounding yourself with people who recognize how important that is – people who can help you grow in new ways. I was ready for my childhood to end and face the difficulties I knew would be there on my own terms.
My own parallels with Vivi’s story weren’t something I could conceptualize as a kid, but over the decades and a dozen playthroughs, it’s a story that’s only grown more poignant and near to my heart.
Despite all of Final Fantasy 9’s grandiose existentialist questions on the meaning of life and purpose, it’s not a game that simply makes you want to question things. It wants you to find an answer.
It’s a true testament to the quality of Final Fantasy 9 that its most unassuming character has left the biggest impact. Despite his short life, Vivi finds reason and purpose – a view that what we do matters, no matter how much or how little. Vivi’s struggle of acceptance and meaning is one I’ll carry with me until my very last day. His final words, a perfect encapsulation of Vivi’s lasting impact:
“My memories will be a part of the sky…”
