Inclusivity isn't the strongest trait of the Final Fantasy series, as members of the LGBTQ+ community have been largely absent from the franchise. So did something change with Final Fantasy XVI? Multiple reports regarding this topic made players wonder if there are any Final Fantasy 16 gay characters. Here's what we know.
Which characters are gay in Final Fantasy XVI?
While it's certain that the main character in FF16 is not queer, we can confirm that Dion and Terence are gay characters in Final Fantasy 16. Terence is Dion's right-hand man and most prominent ally, although he has no official army or nobility rank. In a spirited Reddit debate regarding LGBTQ+ representation in Final Fantasy 16, Dion Lesage was the most spoken-about queer choice in FFXVI. It turns out the players were right!
The story behind LGBTQ+ characters in FF16
While Square Enix didn't divulge any information regarding LGBTQ+ characters in Final Fantasy XVI, there were some indications that they were in the game. One of the clues that there are gay characters in FFXVI is the official Arabic PlayStation game site, where the game is unavailable for purchase. That's strange, as the game is localized in Arabic.
But knowing the laws in that region, we assume the reason for game unavailability was the LGBTQ+ content that didn't pass censorship. Apparently, Square Enix didn't want to change content for the Middle East (or any other region). This was most likely because of the inclusion of queer characters in Final Fantasy 16.
For more information on FF16, check out Did Clive kill Joshua in Final Fantasy 16 on Pro Game Guides.
Nebojša Prijić is a staff writer at Pro Game Guides. He's an old-school gaming journalist that loves real-time strategies, shooters, and RPGs. He remembers the first Diablo, PC games on a single floppy disk, and playing Mortal Kombat on the keyboard.