Final Fantasy 9 Reveals New Vivi Lore 25 Years After Launch

25 years after Final Fantasy 9 was released on the original PlayStation, fans now know an interesting tidbit about resident Black Mage Vivi – the origin of his name. Final Fantasy 9 introduced gamers to many memorable characters, and one of the most popular is Vivi Ornitier, a young wizard who befriends Zidane Tribal in the game’s early chapters and proves himself a valuable asset to the party thanks to his powerful magical abilities. Much of Vivi’s personal story arc in Final Fantasy 9 is centered around his mysterious past, as well as his learning to become a stronger person in the face of the dark truth behind his origins.

Final Fantasy fans adore Vivi thanks to his cute design, sweet personality, and surprisingly tragic backstory. He has since appeared in spin-off games like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 2, and World of Final Fantasy. Many fans also enjoy cosplaying as Vivi or modeling their in-game character after him in other titles like Destiny 2. However, there are still many things that Final Fantasy 9 fans don’t know about the lovable Black Mage who stood strong with his friends against the dark forces threatening the world of Gaia, even over two decades after he first appeared on the original PlayStation.

Final Fantasy 9’s Rumored Remake May Miss The Boat, With An Asterisk Attached

Final Fantasy 9’s anniversary is almost here, but one missing piece leaves fans questioning what Square Enix is planning next.

Earlier this week, Square Enix released a new Final Fantasy 9 picture book set before the events of the game, titled “Vivi and Grandpa On the Day of Departure.” It is written by Final Fantasy 9 event designer Kazuhiko Aoki, with illustrations by original character designer Toshiyuki Itahana. As its name implies, this picture book tells the story of Vivi and his adoptive grandfather Quan in the days leading up to Vivi’s fateful trip to the kingdom of Alexandria.

Final Fantasy 9 Prequel Book Explains Vivi’s Name

At one point, it is shown that when Quan first found Vivi, the young Final Fantasy 9 Black Mage didn’t have a name. Some fans believe that Vivi’s given name is short for Vivienne, which roughly translates to “alive” or “lively” in Latin. However, the official reason for the name is a bit more straightforward: when Quan was measuring his adoptive grandson, his height reached 6’6 while standing on his tiptoes and accounting for his fully straightened hat. The numbers on the wall are in Roman numerals, meaning that the measurement reads VI’VI – hence “Vivi.”

For the past few years, there has been speculation that Square Enix is developing a modern remake of Final Fantasy 9 in the style of its successful Final Fantasy 7 Remake series, but members of the original development team have denied working on such a project. This hasn’t stopped fans from theorizing that a remake is coming, especially after Square Enix updated the official Final Fantasy 9 webpage with new artwork of characters like Zidane and Vivi earlier this year.