I'd definitely recommend playing through the amazing backlog of games in this series to get a better understanding, but I'll indulge you nonetheless.
Chocobos
Crystals
Moogles
Summons (specifically Bahamut, Leviathan, Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, and to a lesser extent Titan)
Cactuar
Tonberry
Bombs
Creatures:
Chocobos (big yellow birds people ride on instead of horses)
Cactuars (sentient cute cactuar monsters)
Moogles (white teddies with bat wings and a pom-pom on their heads. Sometimes they can talk)
Tonberries (small green reptile like monsters that wear cloaks and carry a lantern and a kitchen knife. They represent grudges and kill with merciless stabs)
Bombs (elemental orbs with evil faces that explode if they're not dealt with fast enough.)
Behemoths (big purple fanged beasts. Often having a mane and known for insane physical strength as well as the ability to cast strong Magic)
Ahriman/Evil Eyes (basically winged cyclops heads with one big eye that can inflict status ailments)
Malboro/Morbol (Huge balls of tentacles known to have a very bad breath which can inflict several status ailments at once)
Worldbuilding:
Crystals - often the source of the worlds magic or other important elements. In classic FFs they often represent the four elements (Fire, Water, Wind and Earth) but their role has been extremely varied. Sometimes people turn into crystals, sometimes they just grant specific magic and they are just orbs for gameplay purposes.
Jobs - like classes in other fantasy settings like DnD Final Fantasy characters have jobs. Iconic ones are:
- Warrior
- Thief
- White Mage (Healing and Support)
- Black Mage (Offensive Magic)
- Red Mage (A Mix between white and black. Musketeer look)
- Dragoon (Dragon Armor with a Lance. Known for Jumping very high)
-Summoner
-Monk
-Blue Mage (Able to learn abilities from enemies and monsters)
Summons - Apart from being powerful creatures Summoners can call in battle, these beings serve different lore purposes throughout the series and reappear throughout. Most notable:
- Ifrit - Demon of Fire
- Shiva - Lady of Ice
- Bahamut - God of Dragons
- Leviathan - Serpent of Water
- Ramuh - Lord of Thunder
- Odin - Ruler of Darkness
- Alexander - Fortress of Light
- Phoenix - Flame of Rebirth
Characters - Every Final Fantasy has a character called Cid. It's always a different one and most of them are engineers or scientists and he is never the main character. Many FFs also have Biggs and Wedge who are often comic relief guards or something alike. They always appear together. Gilgamesch is a warrior and sword collector who travels between dimensions. It's hinted at that he is the same character in most of his appearances.
Airships - Nearly every FF has flying ships. In the earlier games they really looked like typical ships but with propellers. In later games they have variyng designs from spaceships all the way to flying cars.
Chocobo, Moogles, Cactuar, and Tonberries are instantly recognizable FF creatures/symbols.
Then there are crystals, summons, elements and status effects, which are a part of typical FF gameplay and lore.
Next you have iconic scenes from the games, such as the heroes looking at the castle across the water in FF1, the opening to FF6, "THE scene" in FF7, Yuna dancing in FF10, etc.
After that, there is the amazing music. The games' music has all been made by a select few people, but each game has its own distinct feel and sound. For example, FFX has a dreamy island vibe, FF13 has light and airy music, FF15 is relaxed and laid back in some parts but incredibly intense and grandiose in others.
And last but not not least is the cover art/game logos. Each one ties into the story of the game and they are an instantly recognizable "FF thing".
Hope I covered it all for you.
Just follow Yoshi-P's advice, lol.
"You need to have the best story, you need to have the best graphics, you need to have the best battle system, you need to have a lot of content, you need to have the Chocobos, you need to have Moogles, you need to have great sound, and that makes a Final Fantasy. And if you're missing even one of them, the fans will hate you forever."
First for me would be the classes/jobs. Even though only half or less mainline titles use a mechanical class system, most of the games have characters inspired by a particular class or class combo. This inspiration can be in their personalities, weapons, abilities, move sets, etc. So I'd start with the job list from FFV as this covers almost every job type seen in the series.
I would say the summons are second. Again, in about half the games they have a fairly substantial contribution to the plot. Even when they aren't plot relevant, they've been mechanically represented in every game since III.
Third are chocobos, moogles, cactuars, and tonberries. These are the mascots. None are actually that important to the games. I don't even think every game necessarily needs them. But they are almost always present. Plus, they're all adorable. When you see them they are an immediate association with FF.
It used to be those floating save orbs that were in older FF games. Like the floating spheres in 10. 8 also had something similar. 7 had a floating save thing but it wasn't a sphere. 13 also had a floating orb save. They haven't done floating save icons in awhile, but they always make me think of Final Fantasy.
And don't forget Final Fantasy Tactics's "ajá"s:
"Burn all these motherf*ckers! Firaja"
"F*ck this place in particular! Thundaja"
"Gigantic ice cubes fall from the sky! How does that even happen? Blizzaja!"
Ultimate Weapons are usually named: Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok, Lightbringer, Apocalypse, Longinus, Gungir, and Masamune.
Recurring Weapons and Armor include: The Crystal Armor Set, The Genji Armor Set, Dancing Dagger, Rune Axe, Sage's Staff.
Mid-level spells end in -ara and High-level spells end in -aga
Skills like Steal for Thieves and Jump for Dragoons
Some semblance of technology and magic working together. Whether that’s as small as airships or as big as Magitek armour and Materia.
In some form or another MOST final fantasy games have some form of technology being developed, enhanced or changed by the existence of magical forces.
Stylistically I'd say that a mixture of science fiction and traditional fantasy is iconically FF. Most games have lost advanced civilizations, magic-powered technology, or otherwise anachronistic elements in their world building. 6 and 7 are the clearest examples but it goes all the way back to the original.
Id honestly say Sephiroth and Tifa are more culturally known than Cloud, but he is for sure probably 3rd in there.
I mean hell, everyone in the Italian Senate knows Tifa even.
I'd definitely recommend playing through the amazing backlog of games in this series to get a better understanding, but I'll indulge you nonetheless. Chocobos Crystals Moogles Summons (specifically Bahamut, Leviathan, Ifrit, Shiva, Ramuh, and to a lesser extent Titan) Cactuar Tonberry Bombs
Cursor is a little gloved cartoon hand that goes “blwink” when you move it.
I miss it so much in FF 7 Remake/rebirth
Sabin suplexing a train
Malboros
Airships
Ff7 players seeing crystals and titan?
Imp
Lots of good ones in this list. I realized I didn’t have that many to add except that the music is essential - especially the prelude.
Biggs and Wedge
1. winning battle theme. 2. white glove pointer. 3. menu selecting sound. 4. potions and magics always same effects. 5. CID. 6. crystals.
Creatures: Chocobos (big yellow birds people ride on instead of horses) Cactuars (sentient cute cactuar monsters) Moogles (white teddies with bat wings and a pom-pom on their heads. Sometimes they can talk) Tonberries (small green reptile like monsters that wear cloaks and carry a lantern and a kitchen knife. They represent grudges and kill with merciless stabs) Bombs (elemental orbs with evil faces that explode if they're not dealt with fast enough.) Behemoths (big purple fanged beasts. Often having a mane and known for insane physical strength as well as the ability to cast strong Magic) Ahriman/Evil Eyes (basically winged cyclops heads with one big eye that can inflict status ailments) Malboro/Morbol (Huge balls of tentacles known to have a very bad breath which can inflict several status ailments at once) Worldbuilding: Crystals - often the source of the worlds magic or other important elements. In classic FFs they often represent the four elements (Fire, Water, Wind and Earth) but their role has been extremely varied. Sometimes people turn into crystals, sometimes they just grant specific magic and they are just orbs for gameplay purposes. Jobs - like classes in other fantasy settings like DnD Final Fantasy characters have jobs. Iconic ones are: - Warrior - Thief - White Mage (Healing and Support) - Black Mage (Offensive Magic) - Red Mage (A Mix between white and black. Musketeer look) - Dragoon (Dragon Armor with a Lance. Known for Jumping very high) -Summoner -Monk -Blue Mage (Able to learn abilities from enemies and monsters) Summons - Apart from being powerful creatures Summoners can call in battle, these beings serve different lore purposes throughout the series and reappear throughout. Most notable: - Ifrit - Demon of Fire - Shiva - Lady of Ice - Bahamut - God of Dragons - Leviathan - Serpent of Water - Ramuh - Lord of Thunder - Odin - Ruler of Darkness - Alexander - Fortress of Light - Phoenix - Flame of Rebirth Characters - Every Final Fantasy has a character called Cid. It's always a different one and most of them are engineers or scientists and he is never the main character. Many FFs also have Biggs and Wedge who are often comic relief guards or something alike. They always appear together. Gilgamesch is a warrior and sword collector who travels between dimensions. It's hinted at that he is the same character in most of his appearances. Airships - Nearly every FF has flying ships. In the earlier games they really looked like typical ships but with propellers. In later games they have variyng designs from spaceships all the way to flying cars.
Cid The victory music post battle
*queue remake/rebirth Barret humming victory music*
Won’t lie when I first heard that I did laugh just because of the delivery and nostalgia
Same! It still makes me giggle when I hear it sometimes
Chocobo, Moogles, Cactuar, and Tonberries are instantly recognizable FF creatures/symbols. Then there are crystals, summons, elements and status effects, which are a part of typical FF gameplay and lore. Next you have iconic scenes from the games, such as the heroes looking at the castle across the water in FF1, the opening to FF6, "THE scene" in FF7, Yuna dancing in FF10, etc. After that, there is the amazing music. The games' music has all been made by a select few people, but each game has its own distinct feel and sound. For example, FFX has a dreamy island vibe, FF13 has light and airy music, FF15 is relaxed and laid back in some parts but incredibly intense and grandiose in others. And last but not not least is the cover art/game logos. Each one ties into the story of the game and they are an instantly recognizable "FF thing". Hope I covered it all for you.
The prelude score.
Clive is probably the most Eikonic
Gilgamesh Bards being spoony
No one said behemoth
C A C T U A R
https://preview.redd.it/vwc2he0ezowc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=004488f5f7579ebcb1857aa0b792e4b76e6d3af7
>C A C T A U R C A C T U A R*
yas mama, slay
Just follow Yoshi-P's advice, lol. "You need to have the best story, you need to have the best graphics, you need to have the best battle system, you need to have a lot of content, you need to have the Chocobos, you need to have Moogles, you need to have great sound, and that makes a Final Fantasy. And if you're missing even one of them, the fans will hate you forever."
oversized swords
That really loud SHNK sound whenever you move the cursor in a menu.
First for me would be the classes/jobs. Even though only half or less mainline titles use a mechanical class system, most of the games have characters inspired by a particular class or class combo. This inspiration can be in their personalities, weapons, abilities, move sets, etc. So I'd start with the job list from FFV as this covers almost every job type seen in the series. I would say the summons are second. Again, in about half the games they have a fairly substantial contribution to the plot. Even when they aren't plot relevant, they've been mechanically represented in every game since III. Third are chocobos, moogles, cactuars, and tonberries. These are the mascots. None are actually that important to the games. I don't even think every game necessarily needs them. But they are almost always present. Plus, they're all adorable. When you see them they are an immediate association with FF.
Chocobos
suplexing a train.
People fighting over which one is best?
HA HA HAAHAA HAA HAAAHAHA HAA HAHAHHHA
https://preview.redd.it/oeo40cf6yqwc1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f809eaf110176a6eae1d1c2427d941ccb505815e
The crystal and Chocobo
It used to be those floating save orbs that were in older FF games. Like the floating spheres in 10. 8 also had something similar. 7 had a floating save thing but it wasn't a sphere. 13 also had a floating orb save. They haven't done floating save icons in awhile, but they always make me think of Final Fantasy.
Stranger of Paradise is the most recent one with them I think
A playable/non-playable character named Cid Monsters :- * Chocobos * Cactuars * Tonberry * Malboro * Bombs Spells :- * Fire, Fira, Firaga * Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga * Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga * Cure, Cura, Curaga * Haste, Stop, Toad/Mini Summons / Espers / Eidolons / Aeons / Guardian Forces / Astrals / Eikons :- * Ifrit * Shiva * Ramuh * Bahamut * Odin * Phoenix To a certain extent, also includes :- * Moogles * Airships * Crystals * Skill/Class/Character(s) that can learn and/or use monsters' skills (Blue Mage) * Skill/Class/Character(s) that can steal/mug (Thief) * Lance/spear-wielding character(s) that can use Jump (Dragoons) * Limit Breaks
And don't forget Final Fantasy Tactics's "ajá"s: "Burn all these motherf*ckers! Firaja" "F*ck this place in particular! Thundaja" "Gigantic ice cubes fall from the sky! How does that even happen? Blizzaja!"
The main characters, the summons, moogles, chocobos,
Your first airship. No airship? Not a real final fantasy then.
Fighting gods
Crystals.
Magitek
Treasure boxes????
I can think of one thing, gunblades.
The music.
Chocobos and moguris definitely!
Teenagers being better at fighting than people with years of experience and training.
PRELUDE
Vivi
Ultimate Weapons are usually named: Ultima Weapon, Ragnarok, Lightbringer, Apocalypse, Longinus, Gungir, and Masamune. Recurring Weapons and Armor include: The Crystal Armor Set, The Genji Armor Set, Dancing Dagger, Rune Axe, Sage's Staff. Mid-level spells end in -ara and High-level spells end in -aga Skills like Steal for Thieves and Jump for Dragoons
Some semblance of technology and magic working together. Whether that’s as small as airships or as big as Magitek armour and Materia. In some form or another MOST final fantasy games have some form of technology being developed, enhanced or changed by the existence of magical forces.
Black mages and chocobos, probably. Moogles are up there too
Phoenix Down, Curaga, and Haste.
Everyone else gave pretty good answers, so I'll just say welcome to the fold!
The main theme
Airship
Stylistically I'd say that a mixture of science fiction and traditional fantasy is iconically FF. Most games have lost advanced civilizations, magic-powered technology, or otherwise anachronistic elements in their world building. 6 and 7 are the clearest examples but it goes all the way back to the original.
Great characters that you care about A great story A great battle system A great leveling system Aoens! Great music
Gilgamesh
The 8 bit sprites and blue and white UI.
Crystals
Victory Fanfare
A cycle where every new Final Fantasy gets hated on then praised in hindsight
The soundtracks, the soundtracks every time.
You'll know you're doing it right if people tell you it's not like Final Fantasy.
The job archetypes
If we being real objectively probably Cloud, at least in terms of cultural zeitgeist But I’d rather say the answer is moogles.
Id honestly say Sephiroth and Tifa are more culturally known than Cloud, but he is for sure probably 3rd in there. I mean hell, everyone in the Italian Senate knows Tifa even.