Against all odds, we’re still yet to hear anything concrete about the rumoredFinal Fantasy 9Remake that’ssupposedly been in development for a number of years. This is despiteSquare Enixdoing its best to tease fans at every opportunity,quoting the game on social media,updating its anniversary site, andreleasing tons of new FF9-themed merch.
At least Final Fantasy 9 fans are getting something though, and we actually got a pretty big lore bomb ina new prequel picture book that was revealed and released earlier today(thanks Famitsu). The title of the book is ‘Vivi and Grandpa On the Day of Departure’ and was written and illustrated by FF9 event designer Kazuhiko Aoki and the game’s character designer, Toshiyuki Itahana. It’s all about Vivi and his grandpa and the run-up to Vivi’s journey to Alexandria just before the events of the game.
Final Fantasy 9 Prequel Picture Book Reveals How Vivi Got His Name
Now, if you’re yet to play or finish Final Fantasy 9, then you may want to duck out now,as we’re about to get extremely spoiler heavy. Final Fantasy 9 fans will know that Vivi’s backstory is one of the major parts of the game’s plot, as it’s discovered he’s actually a clone with a limited lifespan, and that most of his time in the game has him grappling with his own mortality.
Being a clone, it means Vivi was created without a name. We know that Vivi’s grandpa gave him his name, but the meaning behind it has been the cause of speculation for quite some time. A lot of fans believe that it was chosen due to its Latin origin, as Vivi is short for Vivienne, which roughly translates to “alive” or “lively”. Given the struggles of Vivi in Final Fantasy 9, it makes sense.
However, that’s not the canon reason behind Vivi’s name, as this picture book has revealed exactly why Vivi is called Vivi in an adorable illustration of the character and his grandpa. At the 46-second mark of the trailer above, we can see Vivi’s grandpa measuring his height against a wall, with Vivi on his tiptoes and his grandpa straightening out his hat to get the maximum height possible.
At his absolute tallest, Vivi comes up to six feet and six inches, which is marked on the wall next to him in Roman numerals, the same way in which the Final Fantasy games are numbered. You can do the math from there, as 6'6 in Roman numerals is VI’VI, which is an incredibly goofy origin for a name. I wouldn’t have it any other way though, so please never change FF9.
