World of Final Fantasy/Allusions

This article lists allusions present in World of Final Fantasy. The simple appearance of characters from past Final Fantasy titles is not listed as allusions on this page. For a full list of characters from past games who appear in World of Final Fantasy, refer to the game's main page. Music based on past Final Fantasy titles is not listed here either; refer to the World of Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack article for a list of music tracks from the game.

Final Fantasy series

The stone tablet in the Pyreglow Forest depicting Lusse Farna's supposed summoning of the Heralds depicts her with a horn on her forehead. Summoners are often depicted with horns, often as a head accessory.
The name Plaza 99 alludes to the fact that 99 is usually the highest level characters can reach on Final Fantasy games.

Final Fantasy

The Captain of the Guard turning into the Champion Warrior of Light alludes to the original Final Fantasy whose main cast consists of a group of nameless people, but in the first Dissidia Final Fantasy one of them was redesigned into his own character.
The Warrior is puzzled on how he possibly saved Princess Sarah previously, but cannot recall the event. This alludes to the original Final Fantasy, in which the four Warriors of Light rescue the original Princess Sarah from Garland.
Upon ending his signature attack Oversoul, the Warrior enacts his pose from his artwork by Yoshitaka Amano (), before warping into four orbs of light. The four orbs are colored identically to the elemental Crystals from Final Fantasy.
Cornelia and Caravan are both locations in the original Final Fantasy.
During the intervention "Ifrit Meets His Match", Rikku says the line, "I will knock you all down!" made famous by Garland.
In Castle Cornelia, there is a portrait of four Warriors of Light which echoes the drawbridge scene from the opening of the original Final Fantasy.
The Sunken Temple shares similarities with the Sunken Shrine from the first Final Fantasy. Both share the same Japanese name, (海底神殿, Kaitei Shinden?), and both require a special item to allow travelers to breathe underwater—oxyale in Final Fantasy, and poxyale in Grymoire. Lann and Reynn are first sent underwater via barrels, which is how the original Warriors of Light descend underwater to find the Sunken Shrine. However, the twins exit the barrels and swim the rest of the way.
During the fight with Buer and Kraken, Tama says "You fools these dark depths shall be your tomb!" This alludes to the fiend of water that said the same thing in the Water Shrine before facing him.

Final Fantasy II

The Mirage Manual's entry for Imps mentions how players might have "traumatic memories of a little ability called Confuse XIV". This alludes to Imps in Final Fantasy II being able to cast this ability on the player's entire party.

Final Fantasy III

Saronia is named after the kingdom of the same name. Its leader is Takka, the name of Refia's adopted father in the 3D version of Final Fantasy III, who in World of Final Fantasy is her uncle.
In Grymoire, Saronia is annexed by the Bahamutian Federation, with the true identity of its leader being a Bahamutian Soldier. The original Saronia was in the middle of a civil war, caused by Gigameth who mind-controlled King Gorn. The true form of Gigameth was the monster Garuda.
A girl is Port Besaid says "Zehapido Muwu Kaine... Did it work!? I heard that shouting those words turns you into an expert diver." Doga says words similar to those, Zehapido Mu Kayne, to give the Nautilus the ability to dive into the ocean.

Final Fantasy IV

Rydia's first appearance in World of Final Fantasy is in the Babil Region, which alludes to her growing up in the Underworld, as well as the Tower of Babil which is in that area.
- Her familiar Mirage is Mist Dragon, the summon of her mother in Final Fantasy IV.
In Grymoire, Rydia's fear of fire is caused by the destruction of her hometown Mist by the Bahamutian Federation, just like in Final Fantasy IV where the destruction of Mist was caused by Bombs sent from the Kingdom of Baron. In Valley Seven, she must overcome her fear of fire to put out a wall of fire in Lann and Reynn's path, just as she does with the wall of fire on Mt. Hobs.
Lann and Reynn being washed out of Valley Seven by a strong flood of water, with Rydia captured shortly after, references the catastrophe in Final Fantasy IV that separated Rydia from the rest of the party. Both cases were caused by Leviathan, who in Final Fantasy IV is the king of the Eidolons, and in World of Final Fantasy was released after the twins obtained the Key of Flames.
Similar to Palom and Porom, Lann and Reynn are twin siblings. In both cases, the sister was born first and sees herself as being the older, more responsible sibling.
Two posters in Figaro Castle reference Kaipo, a Final Fantasy IV town located in the desert, and a missing Sand Pearl with a note to contact an antlion, which was part of the Antlion's Den quest taken to heal Rosa.
The text of the Mysidian Legend is found on a poster inside Sherlotta's Solace.
The bestiary entry for Behemoth states that its Heavy Counter "is enough to make even the spooniest bard sorry he swung his lute." The term "spoony bard" was originally spoken as an insult to Prince Edward.

Final Fantasy V

The Big Bridge is where the party faces Gilgamesh.
The Sealed Weapons appear as Brandelis's weapon arsenal during the penultimate fight against his Exnine Bahamut form.
Faris makes her first appearance apprehending Lann and Reynn who attempt to steal her ship, which is exactly how she first met Bartz, Galuf, and Lenna in Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy VI

Edgar rules the desert kingdom from his moving castle, which shares its name with the concept it refers to.
- The kingdom of Figaro's alliance, and subsequent escape, from the Bahamutian Federation references its original relationship to the Gestahlian Empire in Final Fantasy VI.
Celes's relationship with Cid in Grymoire is a reference to her relationship with Cid Del Norte Marquez in Final Fantasy VI. Celes comments that the library in Tometown, where she and Cid are stationed, rarely has visitors due to the vampiric plague on the townspeople. In Final Fantasy VI, she and Cid were alone on the Solitary Island after the end of the world.
During the intervention "Operation Opera", Cid offers Celes to play a part in an opera. She claims she's "not some opera floozy", the wording she used when offered the job in Final Fantasy VI. During a rehearsal she sings a part of the opera "Maria and Draco", indicating that this opera is the one Cid offered. Ultros interrupts the rehearsal in a similar manner like he did in Final Fantasy VI by dropping in from above.
Celes's Champion Medal is one of two summons that deals ice damage, referring to how she naturally learns all Blizzard spells in Final Fantasy VI.
Similar to her original game, Terra is forced to fight Lann and Reynn against her will. She fights alongside the esper Maduin. In Final Fantasy VI, Terra is initially working with the Gestahlian Empire under the effects of a slave crown placed upon her, and Maduin is her esper father. Like Kefka Palazzo who subjected Terra to experiments, Segwarides takes over this role in Grymoire.
Segwarides and Pellinore have their appearances based on the espers Zona Seeker and Valigarmanda, respectively. They also use same and similar abilities to them.
Activating Joyride in the Ice Region with Magitek Armor will cause the game to play a remixed version of "Terra's Theme," a reference to game's opening sequence with Terra piloting Magitek Armor through the snow fields.
The game's battle themes include the themes "Mega World of Battle," "Giga World of Battle" and "Terra World of Battle." As this would normally be spelled "Tera" in this context, the titling of this last would seem to be a humorous reference to the character of Terra. This is supported in that the game's original Japanese titling of the song, テラバトル・ワールド?, translates as "Terabatoru Wārudo" or "Tera Battle World."

Final Fantasy VII

Tifa is from Nibelheim, her hometown from Final Fantasy VII. Both are near a Mako Reactor.
The towering building built over Nibelheim town resembles Shinra HQ in Midgar.
The area of the town seen in the game resembles the Midgar Slums with a selection of shops and a love hotel, which resembles the Honey Bee Inn.
A Townsperson mentions the town is run by Shinra, and that they use energy extracted from volcanoes to turn into electricity. In Final Fantasy VII Shinra Electric Power Company uses Mako extracted from the planet itself as an energy source.
The party can fight a black chocobo chick named Hyperion. Reynn will comment it has a memorable name, and Tama informs the group there was once a chocobo by this name and color famous at the Gold Saucer. Lann says the Gold Saucer is an amusement park. Hyperion from Final Fantasy VII, called Teioh in the English localization due to a name length limit, is a black chocobo who participates in chocobo races in the Gold Saucer.
During the intervention "A Duo of Three", Tifa uses Somersault against an Ahriman, launching it into the air, and Meteor Strike on the Tonberry, Cactuar Conductor, and Moogle stack, smashing the ground with her fist, the impact breaking the stack. These are her Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII.
Zangan is mentioned to be Tifa's master, just like in Final Fantasy VII.
During the intervention "Operation Opera", Cid offers Cloud to play a part in an opera. This refers to Cloud taking a part in a play at the Gold Saucer.
During the intervention "The Unwritten Future," Squall says to Shelke that he wants to fill the world with flowers in an attempt to make her feel better, thinking that she has no desire to continue living. This alludes to Aerith's dream in Final Fantasy VII.
Cait Sith appears as a stuffed toy in the Twins' Room.
The "Who's Who" entry for Tifa states that her dream in Grymoire is to open up a restaurant and would be "in seventh heaven" if she does, referencing the name of her bar and restaurant in Final Fantasy VII.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

Tifa dons her cowgirl outfit like she does in Crisis Core.

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

During the intervention "For Friends or Vengeance," Cloud initially abandons Lightning and Terra to hunt a "silver-haired swordsman." After a stern talking-to from Terra, he joins the two just as their battle with a fierce Mirage is about to get serious, stating that he will no longer abandon those he cherishes. When Lightning asks if this means he now cherishes them, he responds "There's not a thing I don't cherish," echoing his line from the film.

Dirge of Cerberus -Final Fantasy VII-

In the Libra description for Cerberus, Vincent Valentine and his gun, also named Cerberus, are mentioned.
During the intervention "The Unwritten Future", Squall mentions his dream is to fill the world with flowers and was hoping Shelke would help him, possibly referencing Shelke's appearance in a field at the end of Dirge of Cerberus.
In Shelke's "Who's Who" entry, the note of "Colorless and expressionless" references the two readings of her Japanese epithet.

Final Fantasy VIII

Squall mentions the drawing technology several times. According to the intervention "Investigating the Garden" the drawing technology comes from Balamb Garden, the institution Squall attends in Final Fantasy VIII.
Balamb Garden is a large Mirage named "Eden", referencing the possible link to Final Fantasy VIII Gardens and their technological prowess; in World of Final Fantasy that connection being the mechanical Cogna. The ultimate Guardian Force in Final Fantasy VIII is Eden, named after the Garden of Eden of mythology in the real world.
A model of the Ragnarok airship can be seen atop a pillar in Balamb Garden.
Although Balamb Garden is used as the headquarters of the League of S and only a small portion of it is explorable, the 1F directory is shown and is laid and labeled exactly the same as it appeared in Final Fantasy VIII.
World of Final Fantasy has a similar UFO side-game to Final Fantasy VIII, including collectible issues of Occult Fan that can be found in treasure chests.
A poster in Balamb Garden can be examined, which mentions a Triple Triad tournament taking place, and that the Card Club group can be challenged. Triple Triad is a popular card game in Final Fantasy VIII and the player can do a sidequest with a card club in Balamb Garden.
The design of the Gigantuar Mirage is based on the Jumbo Cactuar boss of Final Fantasy VIII. Also, the Cactuar Conductor's "Who's Who" entry implies that the jagged animation of the Cactuar mirage was inspired by Final Fantasy VIII.
Squall, at first believing that he lives for nothing but battle and has nothing to go back to following the conflict in Grymoire, eventually decides that he wishes to plant flowers throughout the world because they help relax people and make things peaceful. In Final Fantasy VIII, when Squall is tortured in the D-District Prison, if the player chooses to have him lie, he will state to the guard that the secret mission of SeeD is spread flowers throughout the world to make people docile, allowing them to invade. Following the battle with the Cogna alongside Shelke, Squall states that his flowers idea was "the only thing [he] could come up with."
The Underground Prison underneath Figaro Castle is directly based on D-District Prison; it is located in the desert, can submerge underground, and Squall makes his first appearance in World of Final Fantasy to help the twins escape danger, just as he did to rescue his SeeD teammates in Final Fantasy VIII.
The Chainroad leading to Castle Exnine is a literal, massive chain, similar to the line of chains used to arrive at Ultimecia Castle.
Diabolos's first appearance in Grymoire is linked to rumors of Balamb Garden summoning a demon. In addition to Final Fantasy VIII being his first appearance, the original Magic Lamp from which he was summoned was given by Cid Kramer, the headmaster of Balamb Garden.

Final Fantasy IX

Oglops are referenced in an advertisement for "Oglopicide" in Cornelia. Oglops are an insecticidal pest on Gaia.
Vivi appears along with many Black Mages within Mako Reactor 0. They are like artificial Mirages referring to the concept of black mages from Final Fantasy IX being constructs.
Eiko appears as a protector of the Big Bridge, which is known as "Alexander." Alexander is a powerful eidolon associated with the summoner tribe in Final Fantasy IX. Her familiar Mirage is Fenrir, which is commonly associated with her outside her original appearance.
Tometown of the Ancients is a partially flooded town with many towering bookshelves; a resemblance to the secret town Daguerreo. Left of the town's entrance features a statue of the Tantarian, a secret boss that could be fought by examining the bookshelves within the library of Alexandria Castle. The town is located in a region of permanent night, like the city of Treno in Final Fantasy IX.
The four items required to unlock Reynn and Lann's extra mirajewel slots are the same as the four items that must be won at Treno Auction House to unlock the secret weapon.
Eiko assists Princess Sarah in Cornelia during the invasion of the Cognas, which might be a reference to Princess Garnet, who was born with the name Sarah.

Final Fantasy X

Yuna first appears in the Forest Lake at the end of Pyreglow Forest, which resembles the pond from Macalania Woods where Spherimorph was fought in Final Fantasy X. She performs the sending and fights the party with her Mirage Valefor, her first aeon in Final Fantasy X.
The name of the Pyreglow Forest alludes to the pyreflies of Final Fantasy X.
During the intervention "Finger-Whistle Crisis", Yuna asks Tidus to whistle when he is in trouble and "she'll come running". In Final Fantasy X Tidus asks Yuna to whistle whenever she's in trouble promising to "come running".
In the English version Lann mimics Tidus's iconic laugh in an Easter egg scene upon arrival in Besaid, saying the weather is so lovely he wants to laugh out loud.^[1] Reynn says she doesn't know how to react and that she will thus ignore him. The scene is different in the Japanese version.^[2]
The title of the intervention "I Hate Lightning!" alludes to a scene in the Thunder Plains during Final Fantasy X where Rikku breaks down because she fears lightning.
The boss's name, Nirvalefor, is a combination of the words Nirvana and Valefor, serving as a reference to Yuna's Celestial Weapon of the same name. In addition, Nirvalefor's color scheme is based on the Nirvana weapon.
Shantotto refers to Tidus as a "jock with gills." This alludes to the fact that Tidus could spend limitless amounts of time underwater without assistance in Final Fantasy X
- When Tidus complains that she could call him by his name, replies "Think I care about your name? Surely you jest," possibly a reference to his character almost never being referred to by name in Final Fantasy X or Final Fantasy X-2.
During the intervention "The Sad Spiral", Yuna encounters a girl named Ami who believes that her trying to lure away the Cogna will give people hope, even though it almost certainly means her death. Yuna pleads that this is a false hope, mirroring her situation in Final Fantasy X in which she declares that she will live "without false hope." She also states to Nirvalefor that she will not have a world of loss or sacrifice, similar to her feelings in Final Fantasy X-2.
A poster in Port Besaid advertises the "Blitzball Tournament XXIII". The numeral XXIII was used by O'aka XXIII.
Tidus is introduced in World of Final Fantasy to swim the party down to the Sunken Temple, whereas in Final Fantasy X, the first location he swims to is the underwater ruins of Baaj Temple.
Tidus and Yuna are sent out to fight Bismarck, a whale-like beast, just as they faced Sin who has a whale-like body.
Yuna alerts Lann and Reynn to the disappearance of her fellow summoners, Rydia and Eiko, just as she is kidnapped by the Plumed Knight. This references the Al Bhed's kidnapping of summoners in Final Fantasy X to prevent them from completing their pilgrimages to defeat Sin. Tidus pursuing the Plumed Knight to save Yuna might reference his and Wakka's fight against the Extractor as soon as they saw Yuna was taken away.

Final Fantasy X-2

Rikku appears wearing her default Final Fantasy X-2 outfit, the Thief dressphere. She is treasure hunting, like she was sphere hunting in Final Fantasy X-2.

Final Fantasy XI

Similarly to Final Fantasy XI, Shantotto is researching a spell.

Final Fantasy XII

The Mimic Queen boss during the second Intervention Quest with Rikku is based on the boss of the same name from Final Fantasy XII.
The crystals used for teleportation in the Crystal Tower use the same model as the ones in Final Fantasy XII.

Final Fantasy XIII

Snow's familiar Mirage is called Shiva-Ixion, and resembles a fusion of the Shiva Sisters, his Eidolon in Final Fantasy XIII.
- The "Who's Who" entry for Shiva-Ixion states that Ixion is her name and Shiva is the name of her tribe, referencing the naming convention used by the people of Gran Pulse who state their village and clan names before their given names.
Snow's Champion Medal is one of two summons that deals ice damage, a reference to his affinity of the Ice element.
Lightning's Champion summoning animation includes elements of Army of One and Zantetsuken, her signature moves from Final Fantasy XIII.
Lightning first appears during chapter 13.
During the hunt for the Pleiad's Seven, Lightning encounters Odin, a reference to her Eidolon in Final Fantasy XIII.
When Snow meets Lightning during an intervention where she helps him defeat the giant flan, he calls her "Sis" much to her dislike, similarly to their interactions in Final Fantasy XIII. He tells her she should visit her sister Serah at the village. In Final Fantasy XIII, Serah is Lightning's sister and Snow's fiancee.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Chocolina appears under the alias "Chocolatte", and like in Final Fantasy XIII-2, she serves as the game's shopkeeper. Her "Who's Who" entry clarifies that Chocolina changed her name to Chocolatte due to being aware that Sazh and Dajh Katzroy, who originally named her, were not in Grymoire.
- The Chocochick atop Chocolatte's head, who is revealed to be her Master, references Chocolina's original identity as Sazh's chocobo chick, as well as the chick's placement in Sazh's afro.
Snow's fight against the Golden Flan references his fight against the Royal Ripeness in Final Fantasy XIII-2, both of which he was required to beat down to prevent from growing in size. In the latter he fights it to protect the crystal pillar, while in World of Final Fantasy the flan is under a constant growth and attacks towns.
During the intervention "Two Different Conversations", Snow asks Gilgamesh if they hadn't known each other in some past life. This refers to the Coliseum's downloadable content where both Snow and Gilgamesh can be encountered.
Both Final Fantasy XIII-2 and World of Final Fantasy feature a musical theme during their ending sequence titled "World of Hope." While it is unclear if the title match is deliberate, both games end with a downer ending, though the ending of Final Fantasy XIII-2 is resolved in its sequel, while that of World of Final Fantasy is resolved by continuing to play to get the "good/true ending."
The player party in World of Final Fantasy is composed of similar members like Final Fantasy XIII-2—a boy, a girl, a traveling companion, and an array of tameable monsters. Both parties can also travel through gates to various locations throughout the world.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Lightning dons her Equilibrium garb and her Champion summoning animation includes elements of Army of One's Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII animation.
Lightning's sword snaps in two during her fight with Odin, similarly to how Lumina broke her sword during the introduction of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy Type-0

Moogle, Cactuar Conductor, and Tonberry from the Coliseum form a group called the Cranberry Knights, a reference to a group name used for the moogles of Akademeia. "Who's Who" entries further reveal that the Cranberry Knights was an unused concept from "another game", which is possibly Final Fantasy Type-0, as all three creatures make appearances in Akademeia.
The Crimson Prophecy is similar to the prophecy of Tempus Finis in Final Fantasy Type-0. Lann and Reynn unknowingly collected all four keys which leads to chaos. In Final Fantasy Type-0, Rubrum not knowing the meaning of the prophecy has all the crystals united under one nation, which triggered Tempus Finis to judge whether Agito was born for salvation or chaos for the spirals to reset.
The Crystal Tower may have the similar design with Pandæmonium which is a tube-like tower with a large platform in the center with a glowing sphere as a backdrop. The way Crystal Tower appear is also similar to Tempus Finis. When Lann and Reynn get all four keys the Crystal Tower rises near the beach at Besaid Port. In a similar fashion when Class Zero united all the crystals under Rubrum control, Pandæmonium rises in the middle of the ocean behind Rubrum.
The Exnine Brandelis's final form has a similar design to Cid Aulstyne as The Rursan Arbiter Judge form, a figure with serpent like body attached as a neck to a bigger body. They both are the final boss of main story of their respective series.

Dissidia Final Fantasy

The Warrior of Light's Champion medal enables him to use Oversoul, his EX Burst from Dissidia Final Fantasy series.
The "divine force" the Warrior mentions that granted his Champion powers are the protagonists Lann and Reynn, but the term also alludes to Cosmos, the goddess of harmony.
Upon Lann and Reynn's first arrival in Grymoire, the first location they see is Cornelia, just as the Warrior of Light's ending showed him walking toward Castle Cornelia.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Lann's attempt to pronounce the word "cathedral" in Agarthir results in saying Theatrhythm, prompting Tama to ask if they fancy playing the rhythm music game.

Pictlogica Final Fantasy

The design of the Lilikin is based on the illustration designs for characters appearing in Pictlogica Final Fantasy.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited

The game shares many similarities with the anime:

Grymoire is similar to Wonderland as both worlds have vastly different landscapes that are separated by certain obstacles: in Grymoire each area is an island connected to another island with a bridge or similar structure, while Wonderland functions within the Ocean Puzzle that is built around adjacent cubes, each holding a different area.
Brandelis wishes to destroy the world like Earl Tyrant. To do this they both are collecting things: Brandelis collects four summoners to open the Ultima Gate to unleash Cogna upon the world, while Earl Tyrant searches for the fragments of Omega to gain even more power.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

Both parties are of special heritage: Reynn and Lann are Mirage Keepers, while Ai and Yu are parts of Chaos.

Spoilers end here.

Other Square Enix projects

Einhänder

The Einhänder Cogna is a reference to the PlayStation-era Squaresoft side-scrolling shooter by the same name. The boss's appearance is based on the game's titular spacecraft.

Sigma Harmonics

According to Who's Who entries, the Girl Who Forgot Her Name comes from the world of Sigma Harmonics, named after a Square Enix title for the Nintendo DS. Aya Hirano voiced both the Girl and the female protagonist from that game, Neon Tsukiyumi.

Xenogears

The XG Cogna is based on the Xenogears Gear from Squaresoft's PlayStation title Xenogears. In addition, the Cogna's appearance and all its special attacks are taken from Xenogears.

Non-Square Enix related

Culture

In the Miniventure "The Battle for Teatime - I", a woman says that thieves have stolen her tea leaves. The term "tea leaf" means thief in Cockney rhyming slang.

Television

The Warrior of Light's Who's Who entry describes him as a legendary warrior fighting for "truth, justice, and the Cornelian way", this alludes to the introduction of the Adventures of Superman TV series where Superman "fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way". Cornelia is the first town in the original Final Fantasy.
During a scene in the Crystal Tower, Lann jokingly tells Tama to prepare for Warp 11 as they touch a Teleport crystal. An annoyed Reynn tells them that Warp 10 is the limit and that they clearly weren't traveling at infinite velocity. This is an allusion to the idea of Warp Factor, an idea used in numerous science fiction works, the most famous being Star Trek.

Science

The design of the Castle Exnine dungeon is based on the form that the metal Bismuth takes when it crystallizes.

References

[1] ttps://youtu.be/BY1tbB21F_k?t=22s

[2] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCGB3lbZmeg&t=96m5s

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[2]