The character blurbs and accompanying comments from Creative Director Maehiro Kazutoyo published in the 2024.10.03 issue of the Japanese gaming mag Famitsuu.
Key characters including Clive, the protagonist, and the Dominants. Introducing them along with commentary on the characters from Creative Director Maehiro Kazutoyo!
Clive Rosfield
VA: Uchida Yuuma (young Clive), Uchida Yuuya (adult Clive)
Dominant of Ifrit
An “avenger” on the side of justice
The game’s protagonist. He is born as the eldest son of House Rosfield, the ducal house of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria, but the power he was originally expected to inherit as the Phoenix’s Dominant never awoke within him, and instead that role falls to his younger brother, Joshua. For this reason, Clive trains in swordsmanship in order to protect his younger brother and wins the title of First Shield in a tournament held before the Archduke. Having officially become Joshua’s shield,* he is conferred the “Blessing of the Phoenix” and becomes able to wield a portion of its power. However, thereafter he is swept up in a great tragedy and loses Joshua. And so he lives as an avenger, pursuing the mysterious Infernal Eikon who brought the tragedy to pass.
*n.b. The English term ‘Shield’ becomes ナイト (naito), i.e. ‘knight,’ in Japanese, whereas here they’ve used the Japanese word for shield—tate (盾)—i.e. shield in the metaphorical sense.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
As the protagonist, [Clive was] the very first character created. To make him a proper FF protagonist, we made ‘possessing the strength to, in the end, shoulder everything and stand against evil’ the heart of Clive’s character. I put a great deal of effort into writing each and every one of his lines so that his actions in the game, the gameplay experience, and psychology of the player following each phase of the story fit together and lead there seamlessly, as they constitute the journey of reaching that end. Though he’s serious and earnest at his core, by adding a slight ‘air headedness’ that he displays from time to time, I think he became a very charming character.
Joshua Rosfield
VA: Fujiwara Natsumi (young Joshua), Otsuka Takeo (adult Joshua)
Dominant of the Phoenix
The younger brother who ended up obtaining the power of a Dominant
Dominant of the Phoenix, Warden of Fire. He is the second prince of the Grand Duchy of Rosaria and Clive’s younger brother by blood. He’s 10 years old. He respects his older brother Clive and, while being highborn, has an unpretentious and openhearted manner, interacting with others equally and impartially. His personality is such that he prefers books to the sword and, being delicate of health, believes Clive ought to have awakened as the Phoenix rather than him. He mislikes carrots. Just like Clive, Joshua, too, gets swept up in a great tragedy.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
One of the central points of the narrative of FFXVI was “the story of the brothers of fire.” Within that, Joshua was created to be the ‘devoted younger brother who loves and admires Clive, who at times depends on him and at times is depended upon by him.’ Because the character art that we received from character designer Takahashi early on in development was a super ikemen (attractive man), we increased the number of scenes in which he plays an important role so that he could shine in the game. I’m personally quite fond of the scene where the brothers fight.
Jill Warrick
VA: Han Megumi
Dominant of Shiva
The childhood friend from whom they were forever parted*
Since she was entrusted to House Rosfield by the northern tribes as a sign of peace when she was young, Jill was raised alongside Clive and Joshua at Rosalith Castle and the three share a sibling-like relationship. Polite, and kind and caring towards Clive and Joshua, Jill understands the brothers well. However she finds herself at the mercy of the vagaries of fate and is parted from Clive and Joshua, eventually awakening as the Dominant of Shiva, Warden of Ice.
*n.b. The word used here means “to be parted for a lifetime,” i.e. for good, which is what we’re left to believe until CH07.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
Jill was created as a partner who would always be there* for the protagonist Clive. In the early stages of development she was a bit more innocent [and unburdened], but as the story writing progressed she became progressively more mature, arriving at her current characterization. It was difficult to express her inner strength in a way that wouldn’t get in the way of Clive = the player’s actions, but to that same extent, I think she became a wonderful character.
*n.b. The verb here 寄り添う (yorisou) means very literally “to nestle close to” and can used both physically and emotionally. The image is that not only is she physically by his side, but also that she understands and provides comfort and support to him emotionally by “nestling close to” his heart.
Torgal
Clive’s partner
A wolf of northern stock. Clive and Joshua’s father, Elwin, finds Torgal, who’d gotten separated from his pack, on an expedition of the North and brings the pup home where he’s raised by House Rosfield. Torgal, having escaped the great tragedy of their youth, eventually reunites with Clive. He becomes a stalwart companion who accompanies Clive on his arduous journey.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
The idea for Torgal came from a conversation I had with the main director, Takai, where we agreed we wanted to travel with a beloved dog. Of course this applies to the game system as well, but Torgal was also ideal to be the first character that Clive, who had been so long in solitude, opens his heart to. As the worldbuilding became more concrete, he changed from a dog to a wolf, but I think we were able to write him as a dependable partner who possesses both cuteness and strength. Torgal’s name came from a character in Last Remnant, which Takai and I had previously worked on together. Also, Clive’s uncle Byron owned a longhaired cat, and in the scene where he first appears it had an interaction with Torgal, but unfortunately the cat dropped out due to production considerations.
Cidolfus Telamon
VA: Shirokuma Hiroshi
Dominant of Ramuh
[Leader of] a resistance movement against the world
He goes by Cid. He advocates for the creation of a world in which “people can die on their own terms*” and leads an organisation that shelters Bearers and Dominants. He’s active in many fields, including research into “the Blight.” Cidolfus, the Dominant of Ramuh, Warden of Lightning, once professed arms to the Kingdom of Waloed and seems to be acquainted with Benedikta, as well.
*lit. ‘anyone can die as a human being’
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
Since this is a numbered FF title, the character of “Cid” was a must. For FFXVI, we imagined him as a mentor to the protagonist, Clive, from a very early stage of development. His dandy image is also something I admire as someone who couldn’t become that way. “Cids” that have appeared in past FF series are often associated with airships or are mechanics, but incorporating that into the world of Valisthea was quite difficult. We came up with the idea for the “Fallen” as a way of reconciling that.
Benedikta Harman
VA: Higuchi Akari
Dominant of Garuda
A woman caught between her [humble] birth and [desire for] approval
Dominant of Garuda, Warden of the Wind. Due to her uncommon skill with a blade and ability to carry out her duties, she serves as Commander of the elite Royal Intelligencers of Waloed under Barnabas. Her cold and cruel personality was shaped by the harsh life she experienced from childhood onwards. Upon meeting Clive, she comes face-to-face with her past, but.......
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
I was previously in charge of the scenario writing for “FFXIV,” and I was particularly fond of a character called Garuda the Foreign God that appears in it. In the process of imagining an enemy character, the idea that I might be able to adapt Garuda the Foreign God for FFXVI* was how Benedikta came to be. While hammering out the details of her character, her individuality as Benedikta and her past with Cid were born and she became a character with depth. Because Benedikta is an early game enemy, there are many things about her that have never been shared. It would be nice if there is an opportunity to announce them someday...
*n.b. The Japanese says XIV, but I’m pretty sure it’s a typo.
Hugo Kupka
VA: Mamiya Yasuhiro
Dominant of Titan
The man made a fool of by Benedikta
The permanent economic advisor to the Dhalmekian government.* He was just one more of the Dhalmekian rank and file until he awakened as the Dominant of Titan, Warden of Earth, and gained status and wealth that could determine the nation’s fate. Hugo ought to have had it all, but upon meeting Benedikta, greatly derails his life.
*lit. ‘Advisor to the Parliament of the Dhalmekian Republic,’ but I’ve used his title as given by Vivian in her State of the Realm report.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
Actually, Hugo is the character whose image changed the most during the production process. At first, he was more slender and an academic intellectual type. However, in part because he is the Dominant of Titan, we made him more built so that he gives off a similar impression to Titan, resulting in his current design. While leaving some intellectual elements, we added power and instead gave him the weakness of being easily swayed by his emotions, which fit together well, and he became an important character responsible for the core* of the narrative.
*n.b. I believe this is referring to him being the main villain of the game’s central/middle arc.
Dion Lesage
VA: Nakamura Yuuichi
Dominant of Bahamut
Resplendent wings dogged by dark shadows
The imperial prince of Sanbreque. He is highly trusted by both the people and his subordinates, and as the Dominant of Bahamut, Warden of Light, he has achieved divers feats of arms on numerous battlefields. The sight of him charging across the battlefield has become the topic of many a tale and is sung of by bards [the realm over]. However, a creeping darkness hanging over his nation was threatening to cast a dark shadow over his shining wings.......
*lit. ‘a disquieting shadow,’ but I used Dion’s phrasing from the English version. The first and second instance of the word ‘shadow’ in the final sentence use two different kanji to represent the same word: kage (影・陰). The former is used to describe a concrete shape that an object creates when it blocks light, while the latter has a more abstract meaning and can refer not only to a physical shadow, but also to the hidden parts of an emotion or situation.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
If we were to make the protagonist, Clive, the shadow, we assumed that there would be a protagonist of light, which was how Dion was created. We imagined a model student who, though blessed by circumstance, has a deep emotional wound, and his character remained unchanged from the early stages of production to the last. Furthermore, in the very early stages of production we considered an omnibus format in which the player follows Clive, Joshua, and Dion’s stories in turn, but [the latter two] were omitted in favor of telling the story of Clive’s life to the fullest.
Barnabas Tharmr
VA: Tsunashima Goutarou
Dominant of Odin
Unifier of Ash
Despite being a blow-in from the Continent, he rose in rank to become the King of Waloed; the Dominant of Odin, Warden of Darkness. He leads Waloed, a land where beastmen walk abroad that had been perpetually war-torn, and personally wields his sword on the battlefield. His eyes contain an uncanniness to chill the blood as they gaze upon chaotic Valisthea.
Comments from Creative Director Maehiro
Barnabas was created to be Clive’s rival. We assigned him two characteristics: that you can’t read what he’s thinking or trying to accomplish, and that on top of that, he’s strong. He’s positioned as the enemy darkness to Clive’s darkness*, and we imagined his character as a sort of sword versus katana. Also, in order to portray Barnabas’ unnerving unnaturalness, there was an even more “risky” scene, but due to production considerations and that fact that it was “dangerous” in various senses, it was unfortunately cut.
*n.b. Refers to the fact that Dion was created as a white knight foil to Clive’s dark night, while Barnabas was created as a second foil in the form of an enemy dark knight.
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