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Since its inception in 1987, the Final Fantasy series has won the hearts of gaming fans. The series has gone through a variety of changes from being turn-based to including more RPG elements now. And the series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has called the latest entry, Final Fantasy XVI, his ultimate selection for the series.

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The fans are, however, curious about how the Square Enix series got its name. The origin behind the series’ title is equally fascinating, as series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi recently revealed.

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Final Fantasy creator shares how the series got its name

It has been 35 years since the game series has come out. To commemorate Final Fantasy’s 35th Anniversary, Square Enix brought together the personalities that were present during the early stages of the game.

Square Enix’s series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, Pixel artist Kazuko Shibuya, who has been creating pixel art from the very beginning, and Brand Manager Yoshinori Kitase came together to talk about the secret stories behind the creation of Final Fantasy.

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During their conversation, the reason for naming the series came forward. Sakaguchi shared, “For our game, we wanted it to be shortened to something using the Roman alphabet. So it came from ‘FF’.” 

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After deciding on the acronym ‘FF’, however, the team was not getting their preferred name ‘Fighting Fantasy’. Reluctantly, the team decided to name the game ‘Final Fantasy’ and the series has ruled the hearts of the fans ever since.

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Sakaguchi revisited his childhood memories after the name of the series

He shared, “We reluctantly went with Final Fantasy as a last resort. We were like ‘It’s got Final’, yeah that will do.”

And the inspiration for the name came from Sakaguchi’s school days. “There was once a primary school English teacher who wrote ‘Final Fantasy’ on the whiteboard,” he said. After the series became popular in Japan, Sakaguchi’s childhood friends sent him postcards about the name of the game too.

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The name, according to Sakaguchi, means ‘The Last Illusion’ which he felt completely summarises the series. What are your thoughts on the nomenclature of the gaming series? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch this Story | Long Running MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV Could Become a Live-Action Series in the Near Future, Reveals Director

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Ajitesh Rawat

1,222 Articles

Ajitesh Rawat is a WNBA and College Basketball Writer at EssentiallySports, where he leads the outlet’s Strategy Desk. With a research-driven approach and a reader-first mindset shaped during his stint as a Content Analyst, he covers the mechanics of the game with depth and precision. From injury reports and roster depth charts to player trades and transfer portal moves, Ajitesh brings clarity to the decisions that shape outcomes. Known for highlighting under-covered talent across the women’s game, his reporting has also earned him a spot in ES’ Journalistic Excellence Program. Beyond basketball, Ajitesh’s versatility has seen him spearhead LPGA and LIV Golf coverage while contributing to esports and FPS gaming guides, a reflection of his background as both a game developer and digital strategist. That unique blend of technical expertise and editorial instinct allows him to navigate fast-moving sports landscapes while connecting fans to the tactical and cultural undercurrents driving the games they love.

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