Star Wars' Influence in Japan

by Raiden

When our dear friend Mr. Pliska submitted his comparison between Final Fantasy VI and Star Wars, I couldn't help but grin all the way through it. When I first played the game, I often found myself laughing my head off at the similarities, and I wasn't at all surprised to hear of someone else who thought the same. You see, I'm a Star Wars buff, and it made the game all the more enjoyable to count all the similar characteristics. (Of course, after the turning point of the plot and the beginning of the World of Ruin, I was so infuriated with the game designers I hardly enjoyed the rest of the game at all...but that's a different debate completely, so let's not mention it)

What puzzles me is why anybody would find it necessary to counterargue this subject. Perhaps it was the accusatory last remark Monsieur Pliska ended with? Maybe people take their video game plots too seriously? Well, one thing's for sure, video game stories aren't exactly Emmy- award winning material. It's just a game, and all in good fun. This is exactly why I've written this; to give a nod and a wink to all the RPG fans out there who played FFVI (or rather, III, to us Americans) and enjoyed the similarities between it and our favorite sci-fi movie.

I've always insisted that the Japanese must have immensely liked the Star Wars trilogy. If you start watching science-fiction anime, you'll see all sorts of elements from Star Wars: the easiest to recognize are lightsabers, frequently using the exact same sound effects. Star Wars mixed in many traditional elements from romantic fantasy, such as the single hero destined to save the civilization, swordfights, and the importance of good and evil; while the blending together of science-fiction and fantasy is extremely popular in Japan -- take a look at manga and anime series such as Nausicaa and Magic Knights Rayearth to see what I mean. Also, the Force strongly resembles "chi," or lifeforce, an idea the Japanese have used in their literature for a long time. It's no wonder that the Star Wars influence has found it's way into the Final Fantasy series; it has great appeal to them.

When I hear people argue that there is no similarity between the two, I wonder where they are getting the idea. Of course, Final Fantasy VI was not a direct copy of the Star Wars plot. It was a completely different story; written for an original role-playing video game. But nonetheless, I'd bet that the game designers took a lot of influence from the movie: the sheer number of classic elements is undeniable! Just for the record, I'll go through my... "favorites."

- In both there is the recollection of a horrible war long past, and the fearful promise that it might happen again. And once again, we have the setup of a small group of Rebels taking on an all- engulfing Empire led by a corrupt Emperor. How many times have we seen this? The Empire's foot soldiers all look alike, and even use visors to hide their eyes.

- I can't believe no one has mentioned this: Biggs and Wedge. These two soldiers are a recurring joke who were also carried on for a cameo in Chrono Trigger, and even Final Fantasy VII! It's an open wink to Star Wars fans, as far as I"m concerned, and I'm sure that even Square would admit it...off the record, that is, to avoid copyright infringement. ;)

- Magic vs. the Force. Now here's one many will debate. Probably FFVI's most unique trait is that magic is completely foreign to its world; some people are even afraid of it. Well, let's get down to the facts: in Star Wars, the Force is a mystical power that hardly anyone believes in anymore, and even fewer can manipulate. Gradually, a small few who use this power teach the main characters to accept in it. In FFVI...umm...isn't all that the same?

The best example of their likenesses has got to be rescue of Celes, and I don't believe it's been done justice. Those arguing against it forget that Celes was imprisoned for being a traitor, just as Leia was. Both were respected leaders who officially swore allegiance to the Emperor, but broke their promises. Both were put to torture. Locke finds her in the midst of his own escape plan, which ironically involves dressing up like an Imperial soldier. If Locke is still wearing the soldier uniform during her rescue, the line Celes responds with is almost exactly the same as Leia's: "Aren't you a little short for a soldier?" All in good form, they go on to have an awkward relationship, which both would deny if asked.

Then there are the smaller similarities.... how Locke is dressed just like Han Solo, even down to the vest... how the party seeks the assistance of a gambler who flies a one-of-a-kind ship, not to mention a second one named the "Falcon"... the clan of fuzzies who make funny noises, the uncanny resemblance between Atma Weapon and a lightsaber, and the recurrence of lines like "I've got a bad feeling about this," and "It's not my fault!!"

But I won't mention them all, because this editorial is long enough as it is. Perhaps there are still those out there who insist on debating that there is no likeness between the two, but for the most part I doubt there is much validity to their arguments. Not to be insulting, of course...it is true that FFVI had an original plot overall, but for most of us the similarities are as plain as day. Though FFVI was far from a xerox copy of the Star Wars movie, I can still quote enough parallels to crack up all of my RPG player friends who've seen FFVI, which is something exclusive to that game. Let us Star Wars fanatics have our fun -- and if one of your friends renames his party after the cast of characters from a certain 70's sci-fi trilogy, don't be too surprised. :)