The Undiscovered Secrets of Final Fantasy IX

I wanted to talk about the mythology of FF9 a couple of months ago, when I did my first video on FF9. I made the decision not to because it would have conflicted with the core focus of that other video, which was existentialism. There is so much sophistication to Final Fantasy lore... and I'm kicking myself for not bearing witness to it earlier in my life. I can't wait to see what the next few games have in store for me!
My FFX Video: • The Undiscovered Secre...
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#finalfantasy
#ff9

[@maxderrat]

In regards to the origins of the name Ash, this is something one of my Discord server members told me. Might be true, might not be. "Now as for Ash, Ash is one of the old names for Baphomet. I think its either from Syriac, or Phonetician. Its also derived from a term that is equal I think to Daemon. I think the root word is Ashera/Ashura. It also could be due to Ash, the ancient Egyptian god of Oasis's. Who in some depictions has a Goat head, or a Crane head."

[@sicilianmammalian]

There was a ash that was Yhwhs wife too

[@sandelic1]

@@sicilianmammalian It's actually Asherah. But Ash is close enough, I guess.

[@sicilianmammalian]

@@sandelic1 ah derp 🙃

[@Spyderskorpian]

Asherah/Ishtar is also a goddess in the epic of Gilgamesh.

[@blaked7532]

Keep the idea of the Akashic Records in mind while playing FF7, mako is like an energy version of it.

[@richp4698]

The PS1 Final Fantasy games will forever be my favorite PS1 RPG's. 9's story was so unbelievably deep compared to most games at the time.

[@naikou1633]

Fun fact: Lich, Marilith, Kraken, and Tiamat are the bosses that guard the four crystals in the original Final Fantasy.

[@MrDalisclock]

That's pretty much how I read it in ff9.

[@omensoffate]

Pretty obvious for people that have played final fantasy games

[@maxspecs]

All four were originally taken from D&D, based on their power in first edition.

[@emmain1080p]

And also what is featured in ff1? A time loop, infinite to keep Chaos in power.

[@HentaiVictim]

ff9 is a homage to all previous games so its full of tie ins

[@abyss9316]

Final Fantasy IX long since been my favorite Final Fantasy game Some of the themes it tackled The unforgettable soundtrack The great assortment of characters showing different types of people and their wants and goals and outlooks of the world It really is a momentus game right in between the most pivotal shift In video game history This game is 90s nostalgia despite being released in the early 2000s

[@Echidneys]

nothing you just said is interesting in any way

[@abyss9316]

@@Echidneys thank you sir very insightful have anything else to add?

[@Echidneys]

@@abyss9316 I could add that FF9 was the last of its kind when it comes to the series, which was sorta disappointing but I still loved FFX. But that's about it. Thanks and sorry for being mean.

[@abyss9316]

@@Echidneys no worries man

[@not_emerald]

Final Fantasy IX is a game that deep down is about the origins of myths. Yes, all you said about the positive existential outlook in the previous video is 100% part of the game, but few people actually take a look at what Memoria, Ozma and the idea of "memories become part of the sky" mean in a less obvious manner. Great video, man.

[@thehater6189]

I truly think that mostly Final Fantasy is just a story about an unlikely group of heroes overcoming adversity. Youre right about people overlooking that symbolism but fundamentally it is a hero’s journey of several heroes. existentialism is a big deal in it as well obv

[@not_emerald]

​@@thehater6189 To be fair most vidya (or maybe more accurately most rpgs) is about a journey of heroes. You basically described the first Final Fantasy game lol Since we're talking about FF, I wouldn't say, for example, that IX is about the same thing as VI or XII or X, though each of them tells a different hero's journey.

[@thehater6189]

@@not_emerald Indeed, FFIX borrows heavily from FF1 that's why I said it. These over the top interpretations are fine but fundamentally FFIX is about a variety of heroes coming to terms with who they are and overcoming their prescribed destinies. That is an existential crisis for the majority of the cast, including some NPCs. The story isnt about Ozma lol nor am I personally compelled by the circular reasoning required to conclude that vivi has died. As a kid, I assumed he was one of the black mages in the CGI and that his kids were just roaming around. There are just a lot of leaps involved in a lot of the reasoning behind the meaning of FFIX imo. I personally took it to be a return to form with actual likeable heroes that do not have long term crises where the focus is on overcoming and an actual happy ending which is a sort of rarity in FF games.

[@thehater6189]

@@not_emerald And I somewhat disagree about them being about different things. Sure, there are nuances but the journey of Terra is nearly identical to that of Zidane and Cloud with the "who am I" arc, the "oh this is who I am arc" and the "I accept it" conclusion. The same can also be said about Tidus' story as well. FFXII is a bit different due to there being no real protagonist where the story, IMO, is mostly pushed by Venat and Cid. I would say that most believe FFIX to be a pseudo FFI where the world is saved and everyone lives happily ever after. Obviously its more detailed but some of these analyses seem over the top though I accept Max' views as well as yours as being within the realm of reason, it is difficult to shake the other evidence that suggests that the game is meant to be taken much like FFI was taken.

[@adamc5914]

Meaning is interactive. Art doesn’t have meaning without a viewer. It’s an interaction between the art creator and the art viewer. The viewer brings the meaning, which means each viewer brings their own. Arguing about authorial intent is useless and unimaginative. You can’t tell someone “No, you didn’t have those thoughts about this piece of art.” This goes for discounting surface level interpretations, and more complex “over the top” interpretations. The meaning someone else brings to a piece of art doesn’t supersede your own; they can’t be “right” and then suddenly your experience is null and void. So rather than get defensive and say other meanings are invalid, it’s better to expand your mind by listening to what they have to say and trying to understand why they said it. If your response to someone’s comment is “No, it’s about THIS, not THAT” or “It’s more about THIS than THAT”, not only are you robbing yourself of a chance to learn something new about your human kin (and therefore, yourself), but you’re missing the point of art in general. I understand being insecure about the validity of your interpretation and I understand wanting other people to listen to your interpretation, but if you engage with others’ interpretations respectfully instead of discounting them for your own, people will be a lot more likely to listen to you and pay you the same kindness.

[@akiinmoonlight79]

I think FF9 is simply the best jrpg ever made 😭❤

[@jessehenderson2967]

Its story definitely!

[@Pneubeteube]

I would like to take this time to thank Max Derrat's Patrons for all of us who aren't able to help financially support this awesome content

[@cyberlingbot3d896]

same here, if Max had a join button for his channel though I'd for sure pitch in.

[@DanLuxe]

About Final Fantasy 7, one major thing I think should be mentioned, analysis and explored, is Sephiroth name’s origin, and how every character in the story is a representative/embodiment/symbolism of one of the Sephiroth in the Hebrew Kabbalah. Also, there are many, MANY, videos and articles about exploring and analyzing FF7. I’m sure some could be of good use. Keep up the great work!

[@octosalias5785]

I love IX, but the deeper aspects have always eluded me, so thank you for this

[@AdamEmond]

FFVII: "and the meek shall inherit the earth"

[@michaelj4669]

i wonder how much will get ret-con with the remake

[@Starcat5]

6:48 Lich: The "Ch" is one sound in this case. Like "Church".

[@jaimedeleon1194]

And anyone that disagrees can Lich a nasty thing

[@Dehumanizer22]

Sephiroth is named after the Sefirot in Kabbalah which are the ten steps or emanations to which G-d reveals itself.

[@xxXXRAPXXxx]

Same with Tifa or Tifereth. If i remember correctly.

[@death09210]

I never thought that I would find a channel that merges mythology/spirituality and gaming together, thank you for making this wild dream possible. All the best! Keep it going!

[@spencermiller8411]

you might enjoy a deep dive into the PSx game "Xeno gears" some layered insanity from religion there. also epic game.

[@IvanBlues]

Agree. Max You HAVE yo play Xenogears

[@Suzakuux]

Yes, Xenogears also has heavy Jung influences.

[@maxderrat]

I intend to get into it very soon.

[@Alexandr9966]

Xenosage I, II and III don't forget

[@dlbyrd-gasca2730]

😄

[@devilpantsu]

To shed some light on some of the monsters in that video: The use of Lich, Marilis, Kraken, and Tiamat is a reference to their use as the Four Fiends of the Elements in the original Final Fantasy, as servants of an evil entity called Chaos. They correspond to corruptions of the four elements (Lich as earth, Marilis as fire, Kraken as water, and Tiamat as wind). While Kraken and Tiamat have origins in real-world mythology, Marilis is a bit tricky because she's originally from Dungeons & Dragons, where there's a type of demon called a Marilith -- it was changed to Kary (a mistranslation of Kali) to avoid copyright concerns, but the original Marilith from D&D was obviously inspired by Hindu myth. Lich is also a D&D reference, being powerful undead creatures in that game that were inspired by fantasy fiction. The original Final Fantasy devs really loved Dungeons & Dragons. 😊

[@robTCGZ]

I'm loving the FF dissections you've been doing lately. Hopefully you'll continue down the rabbit hole with the rest of the games. Can't wait for you to get to 7 and 8.

[@infinimetrical]

There are several interconnections of the FF games. The Lifa tree reminds me of a Mako generator. The roots tap into the life stream, converting Mako energy into mist that creates living beings. The primordial crystal is materia. A naturally formed crystalline soul consciousness, innately magical.

[@MrDoreius]

The life tree is there to purify the souls, the mist itself has nothing to do with the life stream, but is a byproduct of the purifying procces.

[@Deadflower20xx]

For any FF7 video Max, I recommend you read "Norse myths that inspired Final Fantasy VII", a book you can get on amazon if you like. It's well made and probably goes most in-depth on any topic regarding that game and religion.

[@kalypsodeepsea982]

Thalassa, she isn't only the mother of us all, she is our unconcious mind, for no one knows all what lies beneath her 🧜🏼‍♀️🌊🙏🏻. Only She could birth us. And She flows through our veins

[@taylorniall5756]

Max and Final Fantasy. INSTANT WATCH!!

[@stapuft]

its "tea-ah-maht" and "mar-dook" NOT "tie-uh-mat" and "mar-duck"

[@maxturbo45]

What if life is just one huge memory?

[@marcuslee3051]

You’re in for a wild ride once you start getting into the Persona series.

[@toreeschiellerd4680]

You ever think that the Ouroboros is a representation of liquids in general, especially uncovered ones. As if the serpent, the liquid, that has no discernible head or tail is eating itself, when it is evaporating over time, and diminishes in size.

[@hugofontes5708]

I didn't use too, but I guess it makes sense

[@Alex_Lagogianis]

For your ff7 question - the gaia hypothesis is in full swing in this game. The planet is characterized as a conscious organism that acts as a network of physical, chemical, and biological processes in unity. The imbalance addressed early in the game by AVALANCHE of extracting spirit energy from the lifestream and processing it into mako energy is only understandable through a lens of Gaian mythology.

[@A7XPWD93]

I reckon this is some far-fetched straw grasping, looking for details that aren't there. Very cool ideas, don't get me wrong. But no way was there all this thought put into Memoria's enemies.

[@theamazingcowlet]

Why do you think so?

[@baddragonite]

If you're interested, I've always thought that ff9 and FF Crystal Chronicles took place in the same world. They both have a very similar art style with characters that have similar proportions, they came out near the same time, both involve a mist that creates monsters and using crystals to keep them away, the magic wielding race in CC are animated suits of armor/dolls similarly to how the black mages are animated dolls, even characters show up like Stiltzkin the travelling moogle with a similar costume design. Just some interesting things I noticed back in the day.

[@turdferguson3091]

In ff7 you could draw comparisons to Hinduism with the idea of reincarnation and the hindi idea of the oversoul, with the way the lifestream works

[@UnusualBox]

Final Fantasy 7, Exogenesis/Panspermia. I could speculate on ff7 for a long time, but I'm not sure I have a good knowledge on Abraham and Promised Land lore, others would do a better job than me I think. Really the only concept that come to my mind is that of Exogenesis, really not sure how deep that is though.

[@matthewwilliams5407]

Final Fantasy VII is a little easy to understand with religious undertones even though I've never played it (save Crisis Core). The first and foremost is Sephiroth himself being derived of the Sephirot. What's interesting about the connection between the two though is how similar they are in their nature whereas the Sephirot Tree Kabbalah is the manifestation of life, energy, i.e 'God' Sephiroth himself wants to do the same; become one with the planet so he can manipulate the Lifestream and become a God. Sephiroth is a literal perversion of the Sephirot in his nature. Barret is interesting because what I've noticed about his design is that he's rough, dark brown, wears green and light brown attire but he is reinforced with iron & steel with his gun-arm. He's an agent of the Earth/Terra but like the world of FF7, he too is manipulated and enhanced by metal and engineering. Though he's one of the good guys he's somewhat apathetic to those who are afflicted through his cause (this is especially profound in the remake), much like the planet itself when it summons the Weapons as a defense mechanism for itself. The Lifestream is also interesting as like Crystals or chocobos in the Final Fantasy franchise it is a concept that is a staple in the series but most importantly an opposite of a concept that was around since the beginning of the game: the Void. Diehard fans will recognize it as a place of nothingness and where otherworldly monsters form (Final Fantasy 3, 5, and 14 hits on the topic heavily). Like Sephiroth, the Void seeks to absorb and utterly destroy all life and those who are around it are malformed by it (Final Fantasy XIV touches heavily on this concept with series like the FF3 raids, Void Ark, and the big-bad Ascians); it is the very manifestation of nihilism. In short, FF7, to me, is more of a game of life, death, and loss as the series creator Sakaguchi lost his mother around the time and wanted the theme to reflect around death and how it effects us (which is why despite Jessy, Biggs, and hell a whole bunch of other FF characters dying Aerith's death sticks out the most because of how special she was to both Cloud and the Player) and it's a weight we have to carry.

[@Mr_Grunt]

You're pretty much on point. Crisis Core is where the association to religion gets involved further with the Banora White Apple, Angeal's association to the 7 Sins, Minerva appearing in side missions.

[@laithamekir5778]

"Its a weight we have to carry." Sephiroth fans: "Do we?" Great points hope you smiled.

[@chaosvincent3480]

I just want to correct that Sakaguchis mother did not die around the time VII was made, it was earlier, but he used it as a source of inspiration for the themes in VII, yes. Otherwise great points and I agree.

[@chrisbird4913]

There is something you should consider, Vivi, who deserves his own video. In many of your videos you describe the human condition and question the existence of an afterlife. Vivi represents an answer to this question, if we have no imortal soul, what is the point of virtue in life? Why learn and grow if it is all snuffed out in the end. Vivi dies, but he dose also lives on in multiple ways, the most human of these ways being the passing on the torch to the next generation, the most personal of this being having childeren, for that is our immortality in a very real, physical and tangable way. This also answers other similar questions like coppying human concousness, the copy becomes the child of the origonal at the moment of divergance. Everyone thinks individuality is a thing, it is not, you understand this, we are made by others for others and for the purpose of carrying the torch, dispite any parents blind idea of being selfless towards their child, when that child infact is their immortality. This is also why termanally childless people have such a strong compultion to leave a legecy.

[@billyalarie929]

please put a warning in the description that, starting at 2:57, there may be issues for those who may have a disability pertaining to sensory overload and the like, or are prone to epileptic events.

[@shermhart7617]

😂😂 no

[@Sawngawkuh]

About FFVII, some symbolic elements that might fly under the radar due to the poor translation of the game are Sephiroth's two boss forms' names. Bizarro Sephiroth is supposed to be "Rebirth Sephiroth," reflecting his evolution into a higher being, hence the cocoon like elements to its design. The translator presumably misinterpreted "Rebirth" as "Reverse," and came up with "Bizarro" (used to refer to opposite versions of characters, like Bizarro Superman or Bizarro Jerry) to spice it up. It's very much meant to be "Rebirth" (alternatively, "Reborn" is apt too). For the final form, it's commonly believed to have intended to be "Seraph," however, that it is incorrect, as the katanana for the word "Seraph" is different, and the translator himself would've known as such, since he had properly translated "Seraph Comb," one of Red XIII's items. The more accurate name that's usually agreed upon is "Sepher Sephiroth," meaning the Book of Emanations/Numerations, referring to more Hebrew wordplay and possibly Alister Crowley's occult book. With that said, it's not 100% certain, as it may also actually just be "Sefa Sephiroth," with "Sefa" being an Okinawan pun alluding to the holy land where the goddess of creation made landfall (which is interesting in itself to note, given the surface level similarity to Jenova, only with her being the antithesis of life and creation as a being of destruction). Either way, it's definitely not "Seraph Sephiroth."

[@EAN743]

The Four Fiends are mostly generic monsters influenced and even borrowed from D&D. in D&D Tiamat is the Evil Dragon Queen and Bahamut counterpart.

[@yoghurtpak]

I love listening to you exploring these things. Thank you for sharing.

[@ABrickinTime]

It could be fun to explore the religious symbolism in the Golden Sun series as well!

[@storage3763]

Zelda Majoras Mask . Zelda Majoras Mask. Zelda Majoras Mask , talk about the stone tower temple and how it relates to Babylon or talk about how the children’s game theme is death

[@Morraak]

Interested to see your videos on the rest of the final fantasy series!

[@mvdoom2659]

FF VII through X is, in my humble opinion, by far the best streak in gaming ever. Maybe because i grew up on them but the storytelling, worldbuilding, music; villains, summons, characterprogression, sidequests; optional bosses etc. etc. Back then they were in a league of their own and most of it holds up roughly 25 years later. I recently platinumed I through VI, and especially IV and VI, i must add them too the legendary status listed above. Storytelling is on a level only matched by a few games nowadays and rivals the storytelling in games like Witcher 3 and RDR2, 2 fxcking SNES games. It is and always will be a gameseries that holds a very special place in my heart and if it wasnt for bs like the jumprope trophy in IX i would platinum them all.

[@XcaramelkingX]

This has been my favorite game of all time since I was in elementary school. It makes me beyond happy to see it pop up after all these years, people falling in love with this game that was so overlooked in the franchise! I love seeing the YT essays and everyone sharing in their passion for this creation. Seriously thanks for making things like this, it brings me a lot of joy!

[@modeus9592]

I know. It was the first FF I completed all the way through

[@TheBeird]

I love this game. It's the best of Final Fantasy.

[@sandelic1]

Lich - /lɪtʃ/ "litch", isn't it? Also, it's tee·uh·mat, not ta·ya·mat for Tiamat.

[@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777]

Thanks for leading me to the FFX video! I havent played FFIX, so I wasnt so sure if I wanted to watch this.

[@cyberlingbot3d896]

I can talk about this stuff all day everyday, for now though I just want to appreciate what Max has done here. Thank you for everything you do Max Derrat.

[@CycloneFox]

Most of the religious and psychological things found in Final Fantasy VII are actually leftover fragments from the original script by Tetsuya Takahashi and his wife Soraya Saga, which ended up becoming its own game: Xenogears. They originally submitted the script of Xenogears to become the next Final Fantasy, however Square Soft ultimately decided, that the script was too convoluted and dark for their mainline franchise, which was also targeted at the west. So instead of a Final Fantasy entry, it became its own game and in Final Fantasy VII there is a reference where Cloud says something about angels and "Xenogears" while in a fever dream. Xenogears sadly didn't have the high budget it would have needed. It is still a great game with the ambitious story and all, but it was cut short and only explains what happens after CD1 in a presentation form on CD2 with occasional boss fights in-between. And while the soundtrack is great, its rather slim for the game length and you will hear some tracks once too often here and there. Later Takahashi and Saga went on to form their own independent studio Monolith Soft and produced Xenosaga with Namco and later Bandai Namco and during development of Xenosaga Episode III they were purchased by Nintendo and today help them with the open world Zeldas as well as their own RPG series, which Nintendo suggested to call "Xenoblade" in recognition to Takahashi's lifework. And it's not like there is no relation between Xenogears, Final Fantasy VII and Xenoblade: Xenosaga both continued and rebooted the universe of Xenogears. And now Xenoblade still has connections and references to Xenosaga and handles similar themes. Legally they are not connected universes, (other than the character KOS-MOS which is part of both world and came to be in Xenoblade because of a cooperation between Bandai Namco and Nintendo) but if you follow all three stories, you will see the connections.

[@frozenaorta]

Tiamat was associated with wind in the Final Fantasy universe since the first game. Since FFIX was intentionally a tribute to the classic games, that stuck, as did Kraken with water, Lich with earth, etc. Even Garland is back.

[@SDE1994]

meanwhile in the FF production office "ooh that monster looks cool lets use it"

[@greenhowie]

Looking forward to the FFVII video, always wondered about the design inspirations and symbolism of the Bahamut summons in that game. The quest for Bahamut-ZERO is a long one and if you think about what it actually means regarding materia it makes your brain hurt as well, so that's fun.

[@steamsoldier]

Very well done!

[@infinimetrical]

FF 4 and 9 are similar in connectivity with the summoners, the elementals, and space with the moon's and Moon beings. Namingway is involved.

[@DarklordofBarovia]

Awesome video - great insights into both the game and the history! One small note: I think whenever you say amalgamation you mean amalgam. Amalgamation is the process of creating the amalgam.

[@chaosstorm8307]

Ff7 was based on Norse mythos. The remake even doubled down on this by introducing the harbinger of fate. Anyways they are called the norns. And sleepezi's videos here on KZbin explains it fairly well.

[@FantomMC2]

Mmm... while I agree with most of this, I believe that cosmological perspective of Tiamat where the planet was split in half, which half became the vault of heaven (the 2nd heaven; inner solar system closest to the sun, the first being the sky of earth), i.e. the asteroid belt that separates the inner and outer halves of the solar system. The other half became part of what would form Earth and where a lot of its gold comes from. Anyway, great video!

[@user-dm2yv8it2b]

Hi Max. I know it's off topic, but I think you shold check out Submachine. It's a series of 2D science fiction/puzzle games made by Mateusz Skutnik, and in my option, one of the best puzzle games ever made, although it's very nieche and underrated. It has a well written, thought provoking lore and story with themes of religion and spirituality, alternate dimentions, etc. I know that you like to provide an original take, and Submachine is just perfect for that, so I think it's right down your alley. I would love to hear your thoughts on it!

[@maxderrat]

I got a guy in my Discord server recommending that game to me at the moment. Very curious about it.

[@kalypsodeepsea982]

@@maxderrat I think I also told you about Submachine. Very good game. But it's long

[@felipebisi4145]

Baphomet probably wasnt named Baphomet because of SMT LOL

[@lyotheleon]

Your video is truly awesome. You give a whole new meaning to the game i loved as a child.

[@dracoerrarus4834]

Final Fantasy 9 is the opposite of FF1. In FF1, Garland uses the power of the four archfiends to loop time and thus escape death. In FF9, Kuja uses the same 4 archfiends to end time and bring everyone to their deaths. These responses to existentialism are two sides of the same coin. The protagonists in both games restore time so people can live to its fullest in the face of an eventual but certain death. Good luck with FF7. Besides the themes of death and sacrifice for the good of society, the game delves into materialism with its focus on mako energy. This could be alluded to with Ahriman appearing throughout the final dungeon, but that’s a stretch when he’s been a common FF enemy throughout the series. I mean… this is the same dungeon with Christopher and Ghigee, apparently a David Bowie reference.

[@MarkofQuad]

I'm ready for more mind-blowing content!

[@mr79843]

The Xenosaga trilogy also has a ton of religious idea and stuff too. If you are interested in all that and if you like RPGs and sci-fi you should check it out. I love it anyway.

[@HeloIV]

These creatures are not representation of the absolute, or at least they are highly imperfect, they are monster (whose etymology is show, demonstrate). They are a confusion of opposites not union, representations of chaos trying to encompass totality but with no hierarchy and order. The ouroboros can also represent a state of never ending and self feeding confusion, a closed feedback loop. From these chaotic patterns arises a kind of order which however is not from above, hence it is a "perverted" order which feeds on itself and accentuates the confusion/chaos.

[@ebesonen]

I do own Final Fantasy 9 for original PS1 but I have never beaten it, I had no idea FF 9 world was made up people's memories and dreams alike, this is a fascinating subject Max thank you for explaining it and I hope it can continue ✌️

[@abryant9166]

I really hope you eventually do a video for Final Fantasy VIII. It is certainly the most underrated of the FF games from the PS1-PS2 era. The story was really complex for when it came out and I recently replayed it and was blown away by some of the philosophical concepts within it. I know people rant and rave over FFVII because it was the first on the PS1, but there was always some major pet peeves with that one for me (story-wise).

[@charleskulvet4911]

I feel like he's going to resonate with Squall, lol VIII is up there, only behind FF Tactics: War of Lions.

[@abryant9166]

@@charleskulvet4911 Squall has such a great character development over the course of the game and that’s why I never understood the infatuation with Cloud being so one-dimensional throughout most of VII. I feel like most of the first disk of FFVII was dealing with Cloud’s complaining and edge lord status, meanwhile Squall started with the whole “my feelings are none of your damn business BRO” and then gradually he opened up across the events. Plus, gun blades are probably the coolest weapons in the whole series.

[@AlphaCross64]

Dream zanarkand was actually a place you could travel too. It is a summon of the fayth which means it is in physical form. It's somewhere near baaj temple according to the novella. Also to back this up Auron rode sin to dream Zanarkand

[@MrPartywithmepunker]

Hey Max, you seem to have a good grasp of gnostic philosophy. Is there a good book you'd recommend on learning more gnostic things. I have Nag Hammadi, thanks to Philip k dick ref's, And I know Jung was into it. Just wondering if there's a user friendly good text to learn the gist of it all.

[@Jamys]

Very interesting video Max, such a revolutionary game

[@zyrondevalno1954]

Tiamat is pronounced tee-uh-mat ...by 7:45 I almost had a stroke, had to take a break to write this.

[@andreadotta5241]

Ash is fitting name but that name in the Italian version of the game is translated as "Assur" (Assurbanipal an ancient Mesopptam king

[@jimmyjenkins0198]

I've known the connection between memoria and the mind for a while now saw a picture in a psychology book that looked a lot like a place in memoria. I enjoyed further details why they are connected couldn't quite explain it though.

[@BdFln_uzilya]

That was really entertaining, I enjoyed it alot

[@abominablesnowman876]

One of the Islamic reference I saw in FF series is the Ifrit. This come from an arabic words. And the representation was matching with the Islamic representation of Ifrit because Islam believe Ifrit made from fire and very strong thus.. the power of Ifrit summons was fire too in Final Fantasy 8.

[@wamoejenou]

So i have had this one theory for years and i dont know if others talked about this as well but i think there is a link between garnet and christianity. In france theres a place by the shore that believes that Jezus had a wife magdalena?) and a daughter named Sarah. They fled from bethlehem to france on a boat. Theres also a statue in that town tributed to this tale. Now there is a sidequest in ff9 in which you can find out about daggers real name being......Sarah! At the very begining of the game you see dagger and her mother in a boat crossing the sea. Its my little theory and i like the idea of this having some truth to it.

[@RaymondTywaif]

Nothingness vs Infinity, the opposites and their balanced state of unity, the philosophical direction and analysis in this video remind me of 无极 wuji and 太极 taiji, 阴阳 yinyang and their extensions 两仪四象八卦. Maybe you'd be interested in those philosophical concepts, and the book 易经 (English title: I Ching) too.

[@Azdaja13]

Marilith, Lich, Kraken and Tiamat are the Four Elemental Fiends from Final Fantasy I so their inclusion is a reference to that game. However, to tie them into the idea of the infinite, the role of the Four Fiends in Final Fantasy I is to send Garland, the game's main villain back in time where he is resurrected and then Garland creates the Fiends and unleashes them, creating a time loop where Garland effectively lives forever.

[@Kyojinsei]

Jenova can be seen as the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse

[@AirTails]

I think the only significance of Tiamat being Wind element is that the 4 Chaos Guardians are a direct pull from Final Fantasy I. The main objective of the game was to restore power to 4 elemental crystals, and each of these bosses presided over those 4 elements, with Tiamat being wind. I don't think there's a deeper reason than them just mimicking FF1. As for why FF1 did it...who knows! For FF7, I'm sure Sephiroth's name is an obvious one. I think the nature of the Lifestream, and everything described in the Cosmo Canyon observatory FMV is the biggest religious tie; also Gnostisism and the Ancients/Cetra - persecuted until they faded away. I'm not that well-versed in religious themes, so my observations are only shallow, but there's the Jenova-Jehovah connections, with her being an ironic false god (demiurge?). Cloud's revelatory journey through the lifestream before "enlightenment". The mythical Promised Land being reminiscent of the Bible, and I assume many other religions. One more observation, it is said that Holy will eliminate all that is deemed bad for the planet, and it's ambiguous where humanity falls on those scales until the ending, or arguably the sequel material. Has similar vibes to Judgment Day (which is also the name of the track that plays in the final dungeon) - when the manifestation of God returns and people are judged for their beliefs / sins.

[@JamesFenczik]

Shoutout to playing FF7 for the first time! hell yea haha. Ever since I played that game I have been fascinated with comets. Fun relations to look into, though not specifically religious..: Earths history of temples and comets (comets impacted earth 12k year ago - Gunung Padang is a pyramid at least 20k years old.) This has always reminded me of FF7's "The Ancients" and the themes of the game.

[@jasonblundelldobebussing]

Knock-Knock *тук-тук*

[@ugandahater]

... necron is a cherubim angel.. he has the rings to prove it. Kuja is a fallen angel. The ring is behind him as well

[@pkthunder416]

I highly suggest the book "Final Fantasy and Philosophy". It'll beef up any theory you already have in religiousThebes in the series at large, but there really seems to be a through line that final fantasy's universal font works like summoning in ffx, but applied to literally EVERYTHING. Everything is made of pyreflies, mako, mist, which are all types universal imagination energy. That's why Everything is based on real world myths. You could say this better probably.

[@ConnorJG76]

There is a kickstarter active atm about Norse mythology and FF7 as it takes a lot from that game

[@Golnax]

Tiamat's association with the element of wind can be traced back to Enuma Elish as well. The reason that she is commonly associated with water is because her blood became the oceans in the origin myth, but before all of this, before her battle with Marduk, before she gave birth to monsters and gods, there was nothing but her and Marduk in the void. Nothing, but wind. The chaotic winds of creation. As a full entity, the monster Tiamat in FF9 thus has an association with wind because of this, for she was originally of the wind rather than of the water.

[@mauriciofarfan3937]

UFFFF great video

[@JoeLaFigue]

Great video ! I learned a lot regarding religions and myths. I would have one thing to say regarding this "Ash" thing though. I happen to be French, sorry about that. And back in the old days of the internet one particular French website on everything Final Fantasy used the French translation to analyse whatever they could about most monsters. The "Ash" monster you display in this video happened to be called Astaroth in the French version, and I widely accepted that this creature was inspired by the demon Astaroth, which I can't remember a damn thing about except that it takes demonology knowledge to get to. So bringing up baphomet, althought the imagery is veeeery obvious, caught me off guard, I was completing your sentence with "Astaroth" and you said "Baphomet" and I thought "I might be dumber than I think."

[@jaimedeleon1194]

I always had a weird feeling that FF9 felt a bit preachy

[@thyandyr7369]

Full moon, 365 videos by Max. Tumeric to stay Yellow.

[@mechablaziken1216]

I know Final Fantasy VII draws a lot of religious themes from Native American religions. I believe more from North American tribes, but there is also a mixture of some Norse and other religions.

[@acidtrungpa4760]

There's some strong confirmation bias related with those efforts to reinvent creators motives behind FF IX

[@Lavos243]

Final Fantasy 15 shares a lot of themes with Catholicism, from the idea of Covenants with the gods, to spirits that provide divine revelation to humans, to a figure that speaks to the gods on humans behalf.

[@davidgraham1580]

For me ff7 reminded me a lot of Christianity and Hebrew. Sephiroth was a form of Jesus, brought to earth to bring the end times and shift the world into paradise as he said or the promised land. His mother, who is a space traveling entity with un measurable power, is called Jenova which might be a play on the hebrews name for god, Jehovah.

[@oopsalldrip1376]

Have you considered checking out Cruelty Squad yet?

[@Eintracht-uy3cz]

Am I too late to the party? FF VII is *full* of references to Germanic mythology, think about Midgar, Nibelheim, the summon Odin... well those are the most obvious ones, but themes of Germanic mythology and symbols can be found everywhere in this game.

[@TheCreepyLantern]

i don't know why but seeing you ask for religious references we've noticed while on screen is the motorbike minigame was really funny

[@alfonsovw6339]

Did you finish Answer to Job?

[@guardianrandy]

Great video! In the future, though, you may want to make it a point to double check pronunciations online before recording. Hearing Tiamat mispronounced 30 times in a row was a gut punch every time I heard it. Haha

[@D.IronsWorld]

I'm blue so let's stay yellow together. Stay safe Max!

[@Guitar-Dog]

Insta like I played FFIX when I was 5 or 6 just playing Pokemon for the first time, love them both

[@Rhomagus]

If you're looking for some mythological background information regarding Final Fantasy VII I might suggest reaching out to M.J. Gallagher or any of the folks over at Baby Seal Team VII. The former literally has written a book on the subject and the latter has a fairly in depth knowledge of the Kabbalah to which VII makes many overt references.

[@marinobrajdo6488]

Can you tell us about the undiscovered secrets of Mikhaela Peterson? And compare her toughts on God with Jung’s Abraxas? Thanks!

[@rontia]

As far as FF7 goes look into Jenova 's origin and the pursuing war of the ancients. FF8 if curious look into The Great Hyne and the origin of Lunar Tear in both of these games these topics are mentioned very little yet fuel the stories of the games.

[@rontia]

Also the established canon of FFX being the distant (and I mean distant) past of the same universe in which FF7 exists. Not to mention the beta with Tidus and Buster Sword. In FFX2 Shinra the character who is also in FFX mentions he can harness the farplane for energy purposes. Given that the Vegnagun is essentially a proto Mako reactor FFX2 does add some definitive stepping stones between the two games.

[@rontia]

Also in the FF8 tutorial menu if you look at Triple Triad information it speaks of the game coming from a distant land the background of said menu is one of the main characters of Final Fantasy Tactics

[@paulogeracao683]

When you point that those facts "can't be coincidental" you point it out! We make our choices...you may point it out to something "magical" but it is what it is... :P