Final Fantasy and Philosophy: The Ultimate Walkthrough (15 page)

Because Lifestream permeates the planet, it resembles Shinto’s idea of a
kami
-filled world. The problem comes when scientists and politicians disregard the Shinto notion of a
kami
-filled world in pursuit of selfish goals. The German philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), in “The Question Concerning Technology,” said that with modern technology, we no longer perceive the sun as the sun or a river as a river but as resources with the potential to be put to work for energy storage and distribution. Perhaps this is why one of Shinra’s chief advisers takes Heidegger’s name.
¹⁹
By forsaking nature’s sacredness, these individuals birth mutations such as the monsters at Nibelheim, the Sephiroth clones, and Sephiroth himself (in one manifestation, Sephiroth is a distorted angel with a wing for one arm). By adapting the way of the
kami
to the ubiquitous ideologies of globalization and the modern subject, however, not only can we address ecological concerns, but Japan can preserve its cultural heritage while evolving with the times.

By saying that
FFVII
invokes Shinto imagery, I am not saying that it attempts to reinstate the “old” in place of the “new.” Rather, the presence of Shinto imagery acts as an invitation to the contemporary gamer to partake in its redefinition—and in turn, the redefinition of Shinto ontology—in relation to a modernized and technologized world. (For instance,
AC
replaces the image of the sinking Holy Materia in
FFVII
with a glowing cell phone.) Suggesting that Lucrecia alludes to technology’s rape of nature is not to say that
FFVII
is antitechnological. There are characters who advocate a harmonious relationship between humans, technology, and nature (Bugenhagen, for example). It is when science and technology overlook the ecological value orientation Shinto provides that things go wrong. “I . . . was defeated,” Hojo laments, “by my desire to become a scientist.” Geostigma and Meteor, with their environmentally apocalyptic overtones, are instead the consequence of capitalist greed and belligerent technologization. Shinto offers a way to cope with this memetic legacy, by inflecting itself on modernization so that the two coexist, rather than remain in a state of conflict. In this way, both threats are resolved through a convergence of value orientations that reorients a progress-obsessed mentality for one of ecological cohabitation.

When the Lifestream appears at the end of the game and Aerith’s face flashes across the screen, the game contextualizes an ecologically Shinto attitude of cohabitation within the historical memory of environmental disaster. We recall the real-life mutative effects of nuclear fallout and the casualties of war. Rufus reminds Kadaj that “The Lifestream courses through our planet back and forth across the borders of life and death. If that cycle is the very truth of life then history, too, will inevitably repeat itself. So go on, bring your Jenovas and your Sephiroths. It won’t matter. We’ll do as life dictates and stop you every single time.” This is to say, by remembering the past encounters of different philosophical perspectives,
FFVII
replays the productive solutions of biological and cultural symbiosis.

NOTES

1
Although thinkers such as Motoori Norinaga—a seventeenth-century figure who revived the texts and advocated a cleansing of Shinto from its foreign influences—would read them as such. In addition, despite the proliferation of definitions for Shinto that say, “Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan,” I agree with John Nelson that readers should “be aware (as well as beware!)” of the problematic subtext in such statements (to what does “indigenous” refer?). So it seems dangerous to speak of Shinto as a philosophical framework, despite the fact that many compare it with religions that do possess long philosophical traditions. See John K. Nelson,
A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine
(Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996).

2
Thomas Kasulis described Shinto as a way of life, an “orientation in living,” and Ueda Kenji argued that “Shinto, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, represents the value orientation of the Japanese people in the various forms it has taken and the developments it has undergone throughout Japanese history—including contact with foreign cultures.” See Thomas P. Kasulis,
Shinto: The Way Home
(Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2004), and Ueda Kenji,
Religion in Japanese Culture
, edited by Noriyoshi Tamaru and David Reid (New York: Kodansha International, 1996).

3
It resembles a
zaibatsu
in the way it wields considerable political power. The major of Midgar, Domino, confesses, “Actually, I’m mayor in name only. The city and everything in it is really run by Shinra, Inc.”

4
Materia is one of the game’s battle aids and in many ways is an analog for industrialized weaponry.

5
Though the term
kamikaze
refers to the suicide attacks of Japanese pilots,
kamikaze
(“divine wind”) originated as a concept with the typhoons that protected Japan from Mongolian invasion in the thirteenth century.

6
Although spelled “Aeris” in the game, her name is elsewhere spelled Aerith. Wikipedia noted that the developers intended the name to resemble the English word
Earth
. I use
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
’s spelling.

7
Ben Hourigan, “You Need Love and Friendship for This Mission!: Final Fantasy VI, VII, and VIII as Counterexamples to Totalizing Discourses on Videogames,”
Studies in Contemporary Culture
6, no. 1 (2006).

8
Floyd Hiat Ross,
Shinto: The Way of Japan
(Boston: Beacon Press, 1965), pp. 32 and 33.

9
Kasulis,
Shinto: The Way Home
, p. 24.

10
Ross,
Shinto: The Way of Japan
, p. 19.

11
Kasulis,
Shinto: The Way Home
, pp. 47-48.

12
Aizawa Seishisai,
New Theses
, translated by Bob Tadashi Wakabayashi in
Anti-Foreignism and Western Learning in Early-Modern Japan: The New Theses of 1825
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1991), p. 200.

13
Wakabayashi, pp. 140-141; and Seishisai,
New Theses
, pp. 147-277.

14
Aizawa,
New Theses
, p. 200. Or again, “[The Western barbarians] all believe in the same religion, Christianity, which they use to annex territories. Wherever they go, they destroy native houses of worship, deceive local peoples, and seize those lands,” p. 168.

15
Harry Harootunian,
Overcome by Modernity
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2000).

16
The game’s spelling of her name is Lucrecia. To differentiate, I use Lucrecia to refer to the
FFVII
character and Lucretia for her Roman model.

17
Stephen Large, “Nationalist Extremism in Early Showa Japan: Inoue Nissho and the ‘Blood-Pledge Corps Incident,’ 1932,”
Modern Asian Studies
35, no. 3 (2001): 533-564.

18
Sephiroth says, “They took that which the Cetra and the planet had made without giving back one whit in return. Those are your ancestors.” Sephiroth’s story changes over the game, but it is interesting to note that it begins with an incorrect, idealized vision of the past.

19
It is also likely that this mentality is what gives Shinra its name. Rather than following a “divine way” (Shin-
to
), it seeks to capture the divine (Shin-
ra
).

10

KUPO FOR KARL AND THE MATERIALIST CONCEPTION OF HISTORY

Michel S. Beaulieu

Vivi Orunitia begins
Final Fantasy IX
as a nameless kid in the town of Alexandria. As he wanders around trying to figure out who he is and what he needs to do next, you discover that a theatrical troupe is in town and you have a ticket for their show. Though the ticket turns out to be a fake, you meet Rat Kid, who asks for your help with a ladder. Like most of the town’s people, Rat Kid and you will watch the show from the rooftops. As you follow Rat Kid, you read a sign in a side alley that says, “Proletariat Patrons’ Movement.” You naturally wonder, Who are the “proletariat”? But the game doesn’t answer this question directly. So we need a little help from our philosopher friends.

The Job System and Class Consciousness

The
proletariat
is a term most often associated with the writings of Karl Marx (1818-1883), who predicted a movement in history that would lead to the breakdown of capitalism and the establishment of a communist society (basically, one in which class-based conflict would no longer exist). This final transformation of society comes near the end of a series of historical epochs (tribalism, primitive communism, feudalism, capitalism, and communism), the defining character of which is determined by the clash between those who control the means of production and those who don’t. At a certain point in each stage of development, the material productive forces of society come into conflict with the existing relations of production, and an era of social revolution begins.
¹
Consider Marx’s most famous statement: “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle.”
²
This means that society and history are understandable as a struggle between two classes: the proletarians (those who sell their labor) and the bourgeoisie (those who have wealth). Power in this struggle rests with the capitalists (another term for those who hold the wealth). Over time, however, the balance shifts as the proletarians become aware of their oppression and find common cause with one another to advance their position. The same holds true for the bourgeoisie, who will form alliances to protect their interests. The coming together will eventually develop “class consciousness,” in which a group, acting as one, produces real historical change.
³

Returning to the world of
Final Fantasy IX
, the Proletariat Patrons would be the class of citizens in Alexandria who must sit on rooftops and crowd into narrow areas to view the entertainment that the upper classes enjoy. The poster implies a certain level of resentment, a very public display of class tension. In fact, we see such class tension throughout the worlds of
Final Fantasy
. Steiner and other members of the elite have a clear disdain for those who are not part of their class. Despite being one of the “heroes” in one moment in the City of Treno, Steiner blames the oppressed for their lawless ways. In
Final Fantasy VII
, AVALANCHE, largely composed of elements from the laboring lower segments of Midgar, opposes Shinra. And Shinra’s leadership clearly has disdain for its laborers, going so far as to drop the plate on Section 7, killing the entire population in an attempt to suppress any opposition.

The introduction of the “job system” in
Final Fantasy III
reinforces the class-based nature of the societies our heroes inhabit. Classes of characters are introduced, each with its own attributes and status. Although the previous games clearly had classes,
Final Fantasy III
allows us to become much more active in creating a customizable class-based society. We do not merely partake passively in such a society; rather, we reinforce our class prejudices. As a fan of Mages, I tend to treat them as the better class. Knights, on the other hand, I treat much like Thieves—laborers who get the job done but are not the leaders. The lowest classes, Moogles, are also introduced for the first time in
Final Fantasy III
(more on them later).

As Marx saw it, history is the story of the development of human productive power. In the preface to
A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy
, he said, “It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but their social existence that determines their consciousness.”
⁴
The materialist conception of history suggests that human activity, rather than thought, shapes history.
⁵
For example, in
Final Fantasy XII
, Vaan’s position within Rabanastran society is defined by both his relationship with the merchants of the city and, by extension, the Rabanastran relationship with the Imperials. As a “careful listener” tells Vaan, anything, including moving back into the city from Lowtown, is possible with money. Vaan’s activities, like those of most heroes in the
Final Fantasy
series, are dependent on making gils. He does not choose the hunts, set the price of goods, or even set the standards for the licenses he must accumulate. Yet his actions shape society and alter his relationships and social standing. Early in the game, the caravans from Dalmasca Estersand or Dalmasca Westersand, on which the supplies for the city depend, will (if one believes the people whom Vaan talks to) ultimately end if someone (Vaan) does not defeat the Fiends blocking them.

Fiends and Feuerbach

In many respects, the act of playing
Final Fantasy
, an agreement that your characters can take action to change both their individual status and the nature of society, is in keeping with the Marxist conception of history. In his
Theses on Feurebach
, Marx argued that “the philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is, to change it.”
⁶
He added, however, that “Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given, transmitted from the past.”
⁷

Why should the Light Warriors in
Final Fantasy I
battle Fiends if the outcome will have no effect on society? In
Final Fantasy VI
, why should Cloud take on Shinra if their quasi world government is not going to end? Even Yuna’s physical (leveling up) and philosophical (coming to grips with her impending death) preparation in
Final Fantasy X
to take on Sin (the embodiment of the ultimate rejection of an industrial and capitalist world) can be accomplished only through action. Only by actively changing the world can the social and philosophical problems our heroes face be solved. On the surface, while each game in the
Final Fantasy
series is unique and (aside from the rare sequel) its own self-contained plot, the stories and the histories they often develop or reveal are in keeping with this concept. Typically, heroes face a quest of some sort in a world wrought by an uprising or rebellion against an economic, political, or religious Power. Bent on maintaining its control over the world, sometimes with the desire to destroy it, this Power works to preserve its rule and view of how society should be structured and run. The player is often thrust into the action, controlling a character or group of characters who band together in common cause and struggle against oppression.

Every game eventually reaches a climax in which the main protagonist faces off against the main antagonist, and victory is achieved in some form. Notice that this change does not have to be positive. In fact, if one assumes the Marxist position that society will undergo a number of changes before reaching a utopian existence, then it stands to reason that periods of hardship will be necessary for progress. The end of
Final Fantasy VII
, for example, is not entirely the positive experience gamers may have hoped for (Aeris, after all, is killed and Midgar largely destroyed). Similarly, at the end of
Final Fantasy X
, change has occurred when Sin is banished for good, but it is unclear whether this is a positive development.

“Champion of the Sewers Aspires to Noble Action”

For some of the games in the series, Marx’s ultimate social change—communism—is not even possible. As in Marx’s feudal stage of development, the political structure of many of the games is defined by the economic relationship between kings and nobility and villages and peasants. Often, members of both of these segments of society partake in the quest, so it is only natural that most of the games in the series do not seek to dramatically alter the political, social, or even religious status quo. Instead, they seek to replace it with something similar but more just. These endings, though, often speak to an opportunity to move beyond. For example, although the four Light Warriors of the original
Final Fantasy
seek to dramatically change the overall structure of the society in which they live, at the end of the game, with the defeat of Chaos they return to a social structure apparently unchanged politically, economically, and religiously. They have, however, ended the time loop paradox that had allowed Garland to live forever and, by extension, had prevented society from progressing beyond its current stage of development. They have changed not only the immediate future (one, ironically, in which their deeds are unknown) but also any potential future.

Players like to believe that the heroes of many of the games are cut from the cloths of revolutionaries. Zidane of
Final Fantasy IX
is a Thief fighting against the upper class, which is represented by the abusive power of Princess Garnet’s mother. Vaan of
Final Fantasy XII
is a poor orphaned resident of Lowtown, who, before the quest, can use only his labor (either through hunting beasts in the wastelands surrounding Rabanastre or in exchange for other odd jobs) to get gils. The character Dalan best expresses what the player thinks of Vaan’s role in the game world: “[a] Champion of the sewers [who] aspires to noble action.”

But, alas, many of the heroes in the
Final Fantasy
series, though noble, are not Marxist heroes. Their ultimate goal is to vanquish some badass evildoer, but they often have someone in mind as a replacement: themselves or another feudal lord. Some explanations, however, can be offered. As Marxism sees it, some individuals and groups of individuals may not be ready for a historical change—the social class has not attained enough “class consciousness” for the next stage of development. In
Final Fantasy II
, the four main characters (Firon, Maria, Guy, and Leon) seek to avenge their parents’ deaths at the hand of the Emperor of Palamecia. To achieve this end, they join the resistance and eventually overthrow the Emperor. In
Final Fantasy IV
, we have the Empire of Baron that attacks its neighbors in search of four crystals. After one of the king’s most loyal soldiers, Cecil Harvey, the leader of the Red Wings, begins to question his king (who we find out is being manipulated by the evil Golbez), Harvey sets out to destroy him. Harvey succeeds, marries, and is himself made King of Baron. Finally, consider the heroes in
Final Fantasy V
. The main character Bartz and three strangers set out to save the crystals that have begun to be shattered by Exdeath in order to release the Void, which will consume the world. The party defeats the Void and saves the world. In all of these games, the assumption is that the new rule will be benevolent and, perhaps naively, egalitarian—the “good guys” won, after all. But in the end, has anything really changed?

Moogles of the World, Unite?

What about the Moogles? First appearing in
Final Fantasy III
, they are the true proletarians of the various
Final Fantasy
worlds. In
Final Fantasy IX
,
Chronicles
, and the
Final Fantasy III
remake, they run a message service. In
Final Fantasy XI
, they are essentially vassals or serfs who take care of players’ houses, change jobs, and run events. By
Final Fantasy XII
, they are tradespeople (mechanics, and so forth), while in
Final Fantasy IX
, they are cartographers, merchants, and so on. It is only in
Final Fantasy Tactics
and
Tactics A2
that they are active, but even then their fate is not really their own.

Players or heroes never consider the plight of the Moogles. Not once do the events that unfold in the game address the simple but natural question: is this best for the Moogles? Perhaps they are the real strength behind the Proletariat Patrons Movement and, as a result, should be the ones to begin a revolution. A nineteenth-century Marxist might reply, “No!” Just as each
Final Fantasy
game is truly its own story and world, the same can be said for the ultimate rise of the Moogle proletariat. It truly depends on the game and the unique circumstances surrounding its individual stage of development.

Much of the
Final Fantasy
series is set in feudal political landscapes, even if the trappings of an industrial world are present. It is not until
Final Fantasy VI
that the social structure and the social relations more closely resemble the nineteenth century. The game presents a society that develops technologically following the War of the Magi. But its main character, Terra Branford, a human-Elf former slave, hooks up with the Returners, rebels seeking to overthrow the Empire. Terra battles the Emperor and Kefka (who kills the Emperor and takes control), and eventually the world is rejuvenated due to release of the magic.