The Void
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The Void is a recurring theme in the Final Fantasy series. It can be taken in reference to either the physical phenomenon or the ideal of nothingness, though both tend to go hand-in-hand.
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[edit] Nature
The Void, as it is referred to as an actual, physical area in space, often takes a form that is chosen by the "wielder" or current denizens thereof. Though it is often seen against a backdrop of pure darkness or celestial atmosphere. The term "Void" is also used in reference to the power to distort, or remove entirely, large parts of space. This is the most present form of the Void in the series.
In most, if not all, instances in which the Void is prevalent, so too is the rampant nihilistic attitude of those seeking to make use of its power. Often times, this starts out as a simple desire for incredible power but inevitably leads to an intense desire to reduce all of everything to a state of non-existence. Whether this is due to the fact that The Void is an intelligent or sentient being or if it is merely the result of gaining the state of being to make use of such power is not known.
The Void is also hinted to be a connective dimension through which other parts of the Final Fantasy multiverse can be reached. Gilgamesh, Shinryu and Omega are all creatures who live in the Void, and appear in very similar forms across multiple games in the series. Famed Mimic Gogo in Final Fantasy V banishes himself into the Void, and seems to be the same character as Gogo in Final Fantasy VI. Dissidia Final Fantasy supports this concept, as several characters from different games speak of "The Void" as though it were the same dimension across all its appearances. Omega, Gilgamesh and Shinryu are also stated to be travelers of the Void, again suggesting their appearances across each game are variations of the same entities traveling between worlds via the Void.
[edit] Appearances
[edit] Final Fantasy
While never mentioned by name in the original game, Dissidia elaborates that it was the Void that allowed Garland to time-travel.
[edit] Final Fantasy III
In Final Fantasy III, the player finds their selves ultimately tasked with destroying the Cloud of Darkness which is attempting to use the power of The Void to reduce all of existence (at least as far as this particular world is concerned) to a state of non-being. The Warriors of the Dark that had been imprisoned within the Dark Crystals of the World of Darkness explain to the hero party that a delicate balance between the powers of Light and Darkness must be maintained in order to hold The Void at bay. They go on to state that whenever an imbalance or "flood" of Light or Darkness occurs, so too does the Cloud of Darkness appear to follow through with its plans. Whenever an imbalance occurs, four individuals are selected to become Warriors of Light or Darkness depending on the particular imbalance. (i.e. Light Warriors against darkness, Dark Warriors against Light). However, Xande's gross misuse of the power of Darkness led, once again, to the advent of the Cloud of Darkness, but with the consequence of creating an imbalance so great that The Void would be much easier to summon. Therefore, to combat the Cloud of Darkness and end its existence for good, the Dark Warriors decide to aid the Light Warriors in the battle that their combined powers of Light and Darkness may overwhelm it.
[edit] Final Fantasy V
- Main article: Void (Final Fantasy V)
The Void is a prevalent figure in the story. The evil warlock Exdeath escapes his imprisonment by the Warriors of Dawn by shattering the Crystals of Light, thus removing the seal on his prison. Once free, Exdeath returns to the world he came from in order to gather and ultimately shatter the Crystals of Darkness, which he accomplishes by tricking the heroes into breaking for him. With the two sets of Crystals destroyed, the two worlds once again merge into one as it had been separated 1000 years prior by the 12 sages who defeated Enuo that the Interdimensional Rift may be confined to the space between worlds with The Void inside it. Once the two worlds merge back into one, Exdeath is free to take control of the power of The Void. In order to defeat Exdeath, the Light Warriors must traverse the Interdimensional Rift, battling demons once sealed within, and attempt to reach Exdeath. In the final stand against Exdeath, the Light Warriors find themselves at a loss when Exdeath makes use of the power of The Void to consume their friends and loved ones as well as themselves. However, they manage to break free of this power and engage Exdeath in mortal combat. Finding himself bested, Exdeath seeks to use the power of The Void once again but finds himself engulfed by it instead. With his own power backfiring, Exdeath re-emerges as Neo Exdeath with a new desire to erase all of existence and then finally himself. The Light Warriors find themselves now battling for the sake of the universe against the very power of The Void itself which they emerge from victorious. With their victory, The Void seems to go into remission and replaces all the areas and people that Exdeath had engulfed.
[edit] Final Fantasy IX
Although not directly referred to as the Void, Kuja deems everything unfit to live with his sudden knowledge of his limited life span and goes out of his way to destroy the crystal. This would revert everything to nothingness. This passion is also shared with Necron who has deemed that life has no will to go on. Necron also shares similarities with another Void hungry character, Exdeath. Both are somewhat related to trees and both want to revert everything to nothingness.
[edit] Dissidia Final Fantasy
It is implied through the course of Shade Impulse that should Cosmos remain dead, Chaos's powers would cause the worlds that make up the battlefield for the Conflict of the Gods to sink into the Void, along with the heroes and villains who had been summoned to fight. Notably, Exdeath and the Cloud of Darkness retain their desires to return existence to The Void, and both of them sink into The Void when they are defeated for the last time. This may suggest that the Void in Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy V are the same thing, which would tie the games together with a common element. However, when fighting Cloud of Darkness, Exdeath will say "The Void that you desire is false.", which suggests otherwise, though whether Exdeath knows this as a fact is debatable. In any case, the Void is certainly an important element in Chaos and Garland's backstory, as mentioned in the section on Final Fantasy I.
