Ultimecia Theory

Sugarbear

I've been playing Final Fantasy for years now, but I just happened to stumble across an article related to Final Fantasy VIII's character Ultimecia, in which it gives some ideas about Ultimecia being Rinoa from the future! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimecia I honestly didn't pick up on this while I was playing the game, which was years ago. Just wanted to know what anyone else thinks of this theory? Or if anyone actually thought of the theory themselves?

grimloch

I have been playing VIII on and off for some years now and Ultimicia has just appeared as it were.

I had no feckin' idea where in the name of God she came from but I attributed that mainly to my disjointed playing.

On second thoughts I'm going to refrain from reading the article for now until I actually complete the game.

Sugarbear

I've played it again recently and most of the information from the article does make a lot of sense. I was kind of disappointed with Ultimecia being the villain of FF8 and having absolutely no reason for wanting to destroy earth, but the article really has kicked the storyline 10 notches up for me. You should definitely read it when you're done playing

Retr0gamer

I don't think it holds up at all. Never really liked the story of FFVIII. Thought it was cliched, simplistic and was an attempt by square to cash in on Titanic fever that had gripped japan and the rest of the world (remember FF has a huge female following compared to most games especially in japan). Ultimicia appeaqrs out of nowhere near the end of the game with no explanation given and no reference to her at all up to that point. I'd like to know if this is just bad storytelling or something more but the theory presented here isn't very satisfying.

elekid

I'd like that theory to be true just because it would make the story a bit better and Ultimecia would be a lot more interesting villain. It's kind of like the way Necron just pops up out of nowhere at the end of FFIX without any mention of him being made before that

Sugarbear

Well theories are only theories really. I'd love to be able to say that this is the definite meaning for Ultimecia's path of destruction, but I can't. I’ll admit to being a fan of the theory, but this is probably because I was extremely disappointed with Ultimecia’s reason for wrecking havoc in the first place. This really does come into light when compared to Square's previous instalment FFVII, in which Sephiroth's path of destruction has a definite meaning and detailed past to back it up. I think the detail in which people would go to try to back Ultimecia’s story up is brave and innovative, but ultimately born out of the lack of story in the first place.

Retr0gamer

elekid wrote:

It's kind of like the way Necron just pops up out of nowhere at the end of FFIX without any mention of him being made before that

There's another one that annoys the hell out of mean and even more so because beating him was such a random event. When I was playing it a second time I think there is one very obscure reference to a creature that wants to destroy everything in that library place on the island with the waterfall but it's a bit blink and you'll miss it.

FF has a habit of throwing out a final boss that has nothing to do with the main story. Zeromus from FFIV is a good example. In fact quite a few J-RPGs do this. I think it kind of ruins the ending of a game a bit. Game like FFVI, FFVII and FFX have much more effective endings because you are fighting a character you have come to know during the course of the game, a character you have grown to hate and/or pity.

PAINLESS

Yeah that creature in the library was called OZMA and was this big blue sphere thing. he was a complete bastard to beat.
9 kinda lacked in the big bastard boss dept so it was cool to get suprised like that near the end
As for the whole Rinoa and Ultimecia thing.. It would be cool if this was true and if it is then square shoulda been less subtle about it..
intersting theory though..

Laguna

No I don't think Rinoa is Ultimecia, I mean why would she be?. The article on Wikipedia relies on no real facts and on interpretations of game events (such as the piano in the castle playing Squall & Rinoa's theme). I her inclusion is usual Square bull****, if you look at FF8 and FF9, both have bosses which are literally tacked on at the end, with no introduction or characterisation. Besides if Rinoa WAS Ultimecia, why would she attack Squall and a younger version of herself, if all she wanted was to compress time and be with Squall again?

Cy_Revenant

Sorry for this little bit of necromancy but the thread is still there and I just had to say to all the players who paid no attention during the game, Ultimecia is first mentioned in disk 2 of FFVIII and Necron ties up the storyline of FFIX rather nicely.

odhran

i apologise for this further act of necromancy (i'm a new member)....yes, she is mentioned on disc two, but her reasons for destroying the world are never elucidated- for all attempts and purposes, it apears that she's just doing it for the laugh

Cy_Revenant

odhran wrote:

it apears that she's just doing it for the laugh

Aren't we all? :cool:

odhran

yeah, there's nothing like megalomaniacal, super villian schemes to give me the chuckles....although seeing as ultimecia almost achieved her goal, it's probable inaccurate to refer to her as megalomaniacal...

hermione

While the theory does have some possibly interesting points; when the hell has a final fantasy game had a hidden meaning before? No normal person wants to read deeper into the meaning of the games to get what really happened; so my main reason for thinking the theory is wrong is because square would make it a little more obvious. I could go on and on, but there's no real point. FF endings are all the same, they are what you expect, and they are always happy. If Rinoa were destined to live on forever sad and eventually insane, it'd be a first. And why after a provocative, interesting ending would they go on to the old, linear, endings of 9 and 10.... The theory on Ultimecia is born out of trying to define a meaning for her wanting to get time compression, which no one really knows what it does which is why they try to define it with a cock and bull story about ultimecia being rinoa.

Adam

hermione wrote:

No normal person wants to read deeper into the meaning of the games to get what really happened; so my main reason for thinking the theory is wrong is because square would make it a little more obvious.

I've got two words and some roman numerals for you: Final Fantasy VII

If you've actually played and completed it you would realise that it has a beautifully complex story line below the base level of 'beat the bad guys', which is what made it such a friggin huge success! :rolleyes:

Secondly, how many of you actually read that article?? It does not equate Ultimecia to being/possessing Rinoa at all!

Thirdly, that whole plot was desperately obvious i thought, and occurred to me at the end of the game the first time i finished it! Ultimecia acts through Sorceress Edea, as is made obvious by the quote included in the article, and the last time i checked, a quote is usually considered factual basis for a theory...

Sometimes i wonder about the quality of the FF fan base... :v:

Retr0gamer

fade_to_grey wrote:

Thirdly, that whole plot was desperately obvious i thought, and occurred to me at the end of the game the first time i finished it! Ultimecia acts through Sorceress Edea, as is made obvious by the quote included in the article, and the last time i checked, a quote is usually considered factual basis for a theory...

It is deperately obvious and I think that every person who played it would have got that. The point is that it is also desperately silly. You find this out right before the end then enter her big funhouse of tricks for one of the biggest anti climaxs ever. What the article does is try to read into it more when there obviously isn't any more than Ultimecia acting through Edea as an excuse for a climax that doesn't work at all.

Cosine

ya I'm going to look like an absolute noob but I can't find this article. Aparently its gone cuz I get re-directed to the characters page.

There are somethings to look into in the whole Ultimetica = Rinoa theory making it possible at a stretch. Sorcerress are persecuted right? so what happens afterwards when Squall and lads kill Ultimetica? They go back to life as per usual cept everyone now knows that Rinoa is a sorcerress and might lock her away like they did Adel. Covering the time difference she somehow manages to escape and goes insane with the loss of squall etc. world power to bring him back etc. and then she trie to kill him........ wait I'm not helping myself here. Anyway it is possible (kinda) the only sticker is killing Squall.

IMO its likly since almost every character is connected by more then you initialy think, all the guys from balamb are from the same orphanage, rinoa's mother was kinda in love with Laguna etc.

Ditto to the lads on the early warning of ultimetia but I get kinda anoyed too when at the end of a game you beat a guy you've been chasing and then it is kinda taken away from you when you find out "oh, sorry no, he wasn't the big boss". But the endings arn't formula. The endings arn't all the same. Play a few games (not going to spoil anything) and you'll soon see. Hell X-2 has 4 that I know of