Board 8 > SMFFFC 25th Anniversary Tournament - Bracket and Discussion Topic

(+) Yeah! (+)

I never have played XIV, but I still voted Good King because his song is a lot of fun (and I'm not a huge fan of Sabin).

There are numerous characters I'd have voted Moggle Mog over, but Sabin was not one of them.

lotta Nightmare Before Christmas fans

still can't believe Danny Elfman didn't sue Soken there tbh

Day 2 Results:

(17) Ramza Beoulve (FFT) --VS -- Venat (FFXIV) - 25-8
Venat is named after the Occuria of the same name from FF XII. Like the XII character, the XIV character is a rogue and heretic who defied the wishes of their race.

Clyde "Shadow" Arrowny (FFVI) --VS -- Red XIII (FFVII) - 15-21
Tetsuya Nomura is best remembered as the lead character designer for FFVII and FFVIII as well as other future entries in the Final Fantasy series. However, the first playable characters that he designed were Shadow and Setzer in FFVI.

Black Mage (FFI) --VS -- Dad (SaGa 2) - 25-10
Dad's design was inspired by Indiana Jones. His artwork has him with a leather jacket, a fedora, and whip.

Ardyn Izunia (FFXV) --VS -- (16) Zell Dincht (FFVIII) - 20-15
In the game's North American version, Zell loves hot dogs, but in the original Japanese version, Zell's favorite food is flavored bread. In the French version, his favorite food is pretzels.

Zell is the first SMFFFC champion to be knocked out of the tournament. Im sure many others will be joining him in the winners losers lounge soon enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQEii6Fd2Qw

Day 3 Results:

(9) Rydia of Mist (FFIV) --VS -- Setzer Gabbiani (FFVI) - 29-10
Setzer is likely based on the concept of bakuto, itinerant gamblers in Japan from the 18th century to the mid-20th century who were one of the forerunners of the modern Japanese crime gangs known as yakuza.

Dr. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa (FFXII) --VS -- Barret Wallace (FFVII) - 6-33
Dr. Cid is the first Cid in the Final Fantasy series to be an antagonist.

Faris Scherwiz (FFV) --VS -- X-Death (FFV) - 24-15
Although X-Death himself does not appear, he is mentioned in the Japanese version of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars as one of the incorrect answers in Dr. Topper's quiz questions, specifically "What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault?" It is one of many nods to the Final Fantasy series found throughout the game.

Alphinaud Leveilleur (FFXIV) --VS -- (24) Reno (FFVII) - 12-22
Looks like the new Fall Guys skin wasnt enough to get Alphinaud to the next round.
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/6/6/AAKo_HAAE6eC.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/6/7/AAKo_HAAE6eD.jpg

Day 4 Results:

(25) Terra Branford (FFVI) --VS-- Noctis Lucis Caelum (FFXV) - 18-16
With his appearance in Tekken 7, Noctis is the third Final Fantasy character to cross into a third-party fighting game. Cloud Strife and Sephiroth made appearances in Super Smash Bros.

Aki Ross (FF: The Spirits Within) --VS-- Minwu (FFII) - 9-19
Aki Ross was one of the first ever photorealistic computer-generated human characters to be created and used in film, and was intended to be the world's first computer generated "virtual actress".

Beatrix (FFIX) --VS-- Theodor "Golbez" (FFIV) - 20-14
Golbezs character pays homage to Darth Vader from Star Wars, as stated by Takashi Tokita. He is also the only non-playable character in FFIV to have a character portrait.

Baralai (FFX) --VS-- (8) Tidus (FFX) - 7-25
The English version voice actor for Baralai (Josh Gomez) is the younger brother of the voice actor for Gippal (Rick Gomez). Gippal just missed out on this contest. He wouldve been the next eligible wild card behind Vayne.

so close

I'm surprised Aki has done well enough in these contests to even make this bracket.

to be fair, you literally only need to do well in 1 contest to make the bracket, but yeah she had a 16th and a 29th in contests XV and XVI... don't know who was behind those runs besides FFDragon, and so long ago that who even knows if the others are still around <_<

Hear that FFD, Aki Ross's last proper run in SMFFFC was 9 years ago - picturing you instantly decaying like in The Last Crusade right now, lol

KommunistKoala posted...

so close

pretty good effort considering Terra is what, the top of the 2nd-place seeding I guess? yeah that checks out with the stats...

I was trying to help aki Ross and Ashley riot in those days

Fiop posted...

I'm surprised Aki has done well enough in these contests to even make this bracket.

We had one year with a big push iirc. I know I was one of the people pushing her in that year at least.

To be fair, Aki does have an interesting history, particularly the idea of her becoming the first "virtual actress". It's just, I saw FF: Spirits Within once around the time it came out, and hardly remember anything about her or the movie. I guess maybe others have stronger memories about FF: SW than I did. Square Enix seems to want us to forget it existed anyway.

Day 5 Results:

(5) Vivi Ornitier (FFIX) --VS-- Gaius van Baelsar (FFXIV) - 34-3
Gaius's armor resembles suits worn by the Archadian Judges of FF XII, and in particular, Ghis. Having also voiced Gabranth in Final Fantasy XII, Gaius's voice actor Akio Otsuka jokingly said he thought he was playing a Judge again due to Gaius's similar attire.

Relm Arrowny (FFVI) --VS-- Ghido (FFV) - 15-24
If you never heard of the RPG Secret of Evermore released on the Super NES, I dont blame you. It does, however, hold the distinction of being the only game developed wholly by Squaresoft's North American branch, never to be released in Japan. The game also includes a guest appearance by Relm and other FFVI party members as they appear amongst the crowd of spectators at the gladiator battle of Antiqua.

Garnet "Dagger" Til Alexandros XVII (FFIX) --VS-- Irvine Kinneas (FFVIII) - 30-8
Tetsuya Nomura wanted to strike a balance with Irvine to not overshadow Squall and not be too attractive, and so he gave Irvine a handsome appearance, but with a casual personality. Keeping with this idea, Nomura gave him goggles, but this idea was abandoned in favor of a cowboy-like appearance to set him apart from other goggle-wearing characters in the Final Fantasy series.

Edward "Edge" Geraldine (FFIV) --VS-- (28) Tifa Lockhart (FFVII) - 14-25
The name "Edge" is a combination of the first two letters of his first and last names, Edward Geraldine. What would your FF nickname be with those same set of rules?

guffguy89 posted...

Relm Arrowny (FFVI) --VS-- Ghido (FFV) - 15-24

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/6/7/AANyLIAAE67v.png

Well, a dress made up of belts and a nickname similar to Lulu certainly goes well together at least!

I have a belt made of dresses. I think I did something wrong.

Also oof poor Irvine. I was hoping he could keep it respectable at least.

Day 6 Results:

(21) Oerba Yun Fang (FFXIII) --VS-- Layle (FFCC) - 21-13
Layle's jacket emblem can be changed by giving materials and gil to the Emblem Shop moogle. Some of these Emblems are homages to previous Crystal Chronicles games.

Fran (FFXII) --VS-- Doomtrain (FFVIII) - 20-15
In the debug menu, accessible only via a cheat device, a menu refers to Doomtrain as "Death Express". This may have been Doomtrain's intended name, but it was over the character limit. In the Japanese version of the Debug Room, Doomtrain's name is Devil Thomas, likely a reference to the fictional steam locomotive Thomas the Tank Engine.

Yuna (FFX) --VS-- Sazh Katzroy (FFXIII) - 21-16
Though the subject of naming it is frequently mentioned, Sazh's chocobo chick remained unnamed during FFXIII. In FFXIII-2, it is revealed that the chick is female and Dajh had named her Chocolina. In case you were curious, Chocolina has 4 contest appearances and is currently 122nd in stats.

Apollo (SaGa 2) --VS-- (12) Gilgamesh (FFV) - 3-29
Apollo is named after the Greek god of the Sun. His second form is of Garuda, who is a Hindu deity that is both the god of birds and associated with the Sun, coinciding nicely with the Greek counterpart that is his namesake.

I'm not sure if that's a case of Yuna underperforming or Sazh overperforming.

guffguy89 posted...

Layle's jacket emblem can be changed by giving materials and gil to the Emblem Shop moogle. Some of these Emblems are homages to previous Crystal Chronicles games.

Facts people would know if they watched my sig playthrough movie! I change Layle's emblem a few times: with the Little King Leo emblem at 01:01:25, and Mira at 01:18:48!

but yay 13 votes beating the 50% line is as good as I could expect

ok so fun stat, guffguy's seeding is actually working out pretty well so far since, of the 24 matches to date, Fran is only the 2nd "upset" from a seeding perspective (after Ardyn > Zell).

Of course, "so far" is the key phrase there...

"Death Express" and "Devil Thomas" are both sick names though, damn, robbed by the character limit.

mnk posted...

I'm not sure if that's a case of Yuna underperforming or Sazh overperforming.

replaying XIII definitely rekindled my liking him!! but it may be Sazh overperformance, I'll be voting Yuna over Gilgamesh at least but I'm sure there's Yuna voters who'll go Meshy. We'll see the over/under performance next round...

MartinFF7 posted...

ok so fun stat, guffguy's seeding is actually working out pretty well so far since, of the 24 matches to date, Fran is only the 2nd "upset" from a seeding perspective (after Ardyn > Zell).

I noticed that. I wonder how long it will stay true to that. I imagine it will deviate at some point, but maybe not.

I'm pretty sure a seeding upset is happening today!

v_charon posted...

I'm pretty sure a seeding upset is happening today!

I think Cloud can pull this one off actually.

Let's go Dangerous Ariana

Day 7 Results:

(13) Cloud Strife (FFVII) --VS-- Lenna Charlotte Tycoon (FFV) - 31-5
Lenna is the only protagonist in FFV with a direct music theme. "Lenna's Theme" (or "Reina's Theme") plays in her flashbacks or any heartwarming scenes with her.

Quistis Trepe (FFVIII) --VS-- Seymour Guado (FFX) - 22-16
You made Little Seymour cry. I hope you all are proud of yourselves!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/8/8/AAKo_HAAE7VE.jpg

Ultros (FFVI) --VS-- Dangerous Ariana (FF Brave Exvius) - 32-6
Dangerous Ariana is based off pop singer Ariana Grande's alter-ego, Dangerous Woman, and is featured in the collaboration event involving Grande, the Dangerous Woman Tour Event.

Adelle (FFTA2) --VS-- (20) Lulu (FFX) - 7-32
Adelle is also based off the pop singer Adellejust kidding. Her name is actually short for Adelaide. She is also known by her nickname Adelle the Cat due to her agility and swiftness.

Boooooooo justice for Dangerous Ariana

Day 8 Results:

(29) Aerith Gainsborough (FFVII) --VS-- Judgemaster Cid Randell (FFTA) - 36-2
In the Japanese version, Cid's original introductory scene has him drunkenly introduce himself to Mewt's friends. In the global releases, he is never mentioned to be drunk, with his introduction being changed. Cid's drunken portrait was replaced with his portrait originally used during the game's finale.

Gau (FFVI) --VS-- Rikku (FFX) - 8-32
Gao is the Japanese onomatopoeia for growling and snarling sounds made by large beasts, making Gau a fitting name for the feral child.

Agnes Oblige (Bravely Default) --VS-- Rufus Shinra (FFVII) - 15-22
Agnes appeared as a limited edition cameo summon in the original free-to-play version of the mobile game Final Fantasy Dimensions II in 2015. As with other cameo characters, she was removed from the premium release of the game in 2017.

Paine (FFX) --VS-- (4) Celes Chere (FFVI) - 12-27
Many of Paine's battle lines reference real-world pop culture: the quote "Ice, ice baby", the title of a song by Vanilla Ice, and "You. It's what's for dinner", a play on an ad campaign for beef. She is occasionally heard saying, "Knowing is half the battle", a reference to the G.I. Joe cartoon's Public Service Announcements.

We made it halfway through Round 1!

Only 4 of the 32 matchups so far have had upset victories, with Rufus joining that list with a minor upset over Agnes. It is however the third straight day with an upset.

I suspect that Agnes got some antivotes for not technically being a FF character. Unacceptable!

I have to imagine she did, since I think she'd beat Rufus in a general RPG contest.

I didn't vote for her because she's not a good character.

But I'll be sad when Edea gets anti-voted. :(

Just wait until Rufus hits that Rebirth boost.

I just got my Edea pop-up figure today
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/6/2/AAeYFbAAE7na.jpg

mnk posted...

I didn't vote for her because she's not a good character.

+1

although i also forgot to vote that day whoops sorry celes

maaan Aerith/Rikku round 2 really is rough but that's the way the cookie crumbles I guess... fifth (of 11) 2nd places vs first-ranked 3rd place based on stats. Winner's gotta make the quarterfinals at least!!!

Day 9 Results:

(3) Squall Leonhart (FFVIII) --VS-- Chocobo (Chocobo Series) - 27-14
Chocobos are an iconic creature and seen all throughout the Final Fantasy universe. However, this particular chocobo is the primary protagonist of his very own spin-off games that delve into a variety of genres such as RPGs, racing, board games, card duels, minigames, etc. Several of the games have only been released in Japan.

Estinien Wyrmblood (FFXIV) --VS-- Porom (FFIV) - 19-15
This is the first win by FFXIV in the tournament. The game had gone 0-4 up to this point. It is also the 5th upset of the tournament, albeit another minor one, but it keeps the daily streak going nonetheless.

Gilbert "Edward" Chris von Muir (FFIV) --VS-- Dark Nation (FFVII) - 28-10
Rufus advanced to Round 2 yesterday, but his pet is not so lucky. Looks like Edward played a tune that put this doggo to sleep.

Braska (FFX) --VS-- (30) Laguna Loire (FFVIII) - 10-29
FFX-2 was actually supposed to be Braska's journey originally, serving as a prequel to the main game. However, the idea was scrapped for being too traditional and because the team didn't want a game with no female playable characters.

guffguy89 posted...

the team didn't want a game with no female playable characters.

how times have changed

lmao

first round where all characters hit double digits... even if two 10s, still counts!

guffguy89 posted...

the team didn't want a game with no female playable characters.

and then made a game with no male playable characters? is that really how we were robbed of FFX-0? damn... (edit: glossed over the "too traditional" so fair enough I guess)

Day 10 Results:

(19) Zack Fair (FFVII) --VS-- Y'shtola Rhul (FFXIV) - 19-14
Y'shtola, also known as Master Matoya, has become the "representative" character for FF XIV, typically representing it in crossover products. She was one of the three tournament wild cards, who have gone 0-2 so far with one yet to play.

Goffard Gaffgarion (FFT) --VS-- Vincent Valentine (FFVII) - 13-24
When pretending to be the executioner, you could tell it was Gaff before he takes off the cape and the hood as both his mustache and the mouth guard can be seen on the executioner's face picture.

Red Mage (FFI) --VS-- Quina Quen (FFIX) - 17-17
Our first tie of the tournament. The winner will be decided next round.

Blank (FFIX) --VS-- (14) Oerba Dia Vanille (FFXIII) - 10-26
Blank is the only one of the temporary playable Tantalus members to not be named after a character in the William Shakespeare play Julius Caesar. In FFXII, the Tantalus group is mentioned when a woman you walk past mentions how she just got tickets to go see them.

Day 11 Results:

(11) Kefka Palazzo (FFVI) --VS-- Dr. Mog (FF Record Keeper) - 34-3
Dr. Mog wears many hats as he assists Tyro on his adventures. He serves as the game's tutor, strategist, and occasionally as items dealer.

Garland (FFI) --VS-- Palom (FFIV) - 30-6
Palom, who is only 5 years old, is stated to be younger than his twin Porom in The After Years, which would make Palom the second youngest playable character in the Final Fantasy universe. Vivi, who is only around 6 months old, would technically be the youngest.

Agrias Oaks (FFT) --VS-- Ignis Scientia (FFXV) - 11-20
Agrias is voiced by Herdy Burress in the English version of FFT. Herdy also does the voice acting for Yuna in FFX.

Cait Sith (FFVII) --VS-- (22) Adelbert Steiner (FFIX) - 11-25
Cait Sith's job class was originally listed as "Toysaurus (Beastmaster)", his age would have been given as 9 years old, and instead of megaphones, he would have fought using whips and cards. While he is known for riding on his animated toy moogle, Cait Sith rides on the back of Red XIII in FFVII: Advent Children.

**TIEBREAKER**
Red Mage (FFI) --VS-- Quina Quen (FFIX) - 16-20 (17-17)
This match was 15-15 until Quina made a late push to break the tie and eatI mean beat Red Mage.

FYI - the next round will be delayed a few hours but will be posted sometime later tonight.

Day 12 Results:

(27) Yuffie Kisaragi (FFVII) --VS-- Montblanc (FFTA) - 31-9
Montblanc is a recurring character in the Ivalice series of games. In FFXII, he leads Clan Centurio, which gives Vaan various elite hunts.

Bartz Klauser (FFV) --VS-- Freya Crescent (FFIX) - 13-21
Bartz is known as Batz in FF: Legend of the Crystals, and hes known as Butz in Japan.

Basch fon Ronsenburg (FFXII) --VS-- Edea Lee (Bravely Default) - 21-14
Basch lives! And Bravely Default is out, with both participants going 0-2 in the tourney.

Leon (FFII) --VS-- (6) Zidane Tribal (FFIX) - 8-27
Leon is actually short for Leonhart. But even though he shares the same English spelling as Squalls last name in FFVIII, the names are spelled slightly different in Japanese. The FFII character's name is , while the FFVIII protagonist's last name is .

Very nice.