There are many people who consider Final Fantasy VIII to be the black sheep of the franchise — a rather unfortunate outcome that arose mainly due to the fact that the game failed to fill the shoes of its wildly successful predecessor… which was a task that would’ve proven to be nigh impossible from the get-go as is.
However, people who managed to look at this game on its own merit instead of comparing it to Final Fantasy VII all the time will definitely realize that the title has its own charm that makes for a unique gaming experience, coupled with a combat system that — while somewhat complicated — still lends to some wildly entertaining moments indeed.
A big part of what makes Final Fantasy VIII such a memorable experience is its protagonist, Squall. While he might be the butt of most emo jokes, the self-doubt and hatred that Squall harbors are something that most people would be painfully familiar with. Here are ten things about this character that most people had no idea about.
10 He Is The First Character That Nomura Designed For Final Fantasy VIII
With Squall being the protagonist of the series who plays a focal role in the tale, it’s only fitting that he’s the first character who was designed for the series.
The tone of the tale was set with Nomura’s design of this iconic character… although there were several changes that were made from the original design.
9 He Initially Had Longer Hair And Looked Way Less Rugged
Initially, Nomura’s plan was for Squall to have way longer hair than what appeared in the final version, along with having more angular and elegant facial features to boot.
However, Yoshinori Kitase was not a huge fan of this initial appearance and asked Nomura to crop his hair and make his appearance more rugged. This led to the character design of Squall that we all know and love to this day.
8 The Scar Marring Squall’s Face Was A Spur Of The Moment Decision
There’s a reason why Cloud’s hair is so over-the-top — Nomura wanted a unique aspect of Cloud’s character design that would be the first thing people notice about this character.
This same mentality was applied to Squall’s scar as well, which was added to the character way before the origin of this scar itself was established.
7 The Fur Lining On Squall’s Jacket Served As A Intentional Challenge For The FMV Animators
Nomura definitely went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to his character designs, and one need only look at the motive surrounding the inclusion of Squall’s fur-lined jacket to understand why this is the case.
Apparently, Nomura included this kind of jacket in Squall’s design simply to challenge the FMV animators, which is a rather sadistic move if one really thinks about it.
6 River Phoenix Was A Major Source Of Inspiration For Squall’s Look
Nomura has openly admitted the fact that Squall’s look was heavily inspired by one particular actor who was all that rage at that point.
That actor was none other than the late River Pheonix, older brother of Joaquin Phoenix. One need only look at a few of this actor’s pictures to understand where the similarities lie.
5 There’s A Scene During The Concert In Fisherman’s Horizon That Kitase Wants To Remove
Most people write off Squall as this edgy character who has a ton of angst just for the sake of it, but people who are able to look past the seemingly annoying nature of Squall’s behavior will be able to understand the turmoil that this man goes through on a daily basis.
However, there’s one scene where writing off his behavior is harder than usual — during the concert that happens in Fisherman’s Horizon, Rinoa ends up teasing Squall to the point where he actually tries to lash out at her physically, only for Rinoa to dodge his blow.
Regardless of how he may have felt at the time, there’s no excuse for Squall to raise his hand on Rinoa — something that Kitase addresses in later interviews in an apologetic manner, as he remarks about how he would’ve loved to erase that particular moment form the game altogether.
4 There’s Some Interesting Dummied Dialogue Between Squall And Rinoa
Dummied dialogue is a staple in most text-heavy games, and Final Fantasy VIII is no exception to this. In this instance, this dummied dialogue is spoken when Squall rescues Rinoa and takes control of the Ragnarok.
In this conversation, Rinoa goads Squall into getting jealous of her previous relationship with Seifer, but the protagonist doesn’t feel frazzled by this information at all. This causes Rinoa to remark about the fact that Squall isn’t really bothered about anyone’s past.
3 His Name Is A Pretty On The Nose Allegory For His Character
Squall refers to a small yet intense storm — a direct reference to the inner turmoil that Squall experiences due to his feelings of self-doubt and not having a sense of belongingness when it comes to anything.
Meanwhile, Leonheart is a pretty direct reference to the word Lionheart and refers to Squall’s courage, which definitely picks up over time as he starts believing in himself and guiding his team to save the world itself.
2 Laguna Is Strongly Implied To Be His Father
While this fact hasn’t been confirmed outright, the implications are heavy enough for people to confidently say that Laguna is Squall’s father.
After all, Raine was pregnant when Laguna left Winhill, and it’s not that hard to believe that both their child and Ellone were taken to Edea’s orphanage after Raine’s death.
The fact that Kiros and Ward talk about Squall’s father in a cryptic manner also adds some weight to this theory as well.
1 The Theory About His Death Has Been Disproven By The Creators
One of the most interesting and well-thought-out theories in gaming history involves Squall dying after getting pierced by Edea’s attack, following which the rest of the game being a dream sequence that feels way more steeped in fantasy, with a ton of ridiculous events happening in quick succession.
While Kitase himself has rejected this theory, he has nevertheless expressed interest in exploring this angle further down the line in case Final Fantasy VIII ever gets the coveted remake treatment.
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