The RoV Jesus Theory

[Creaper609]

Hi everyone! I've been thinking pretty hard about the RoV missions and cannot help but notice some religious overtones to Christianity. I've been working on a fan theory that, basically, says the player character is an allegory for Jesus. I've just finished my first draft of it and would like some feedback. My ultimate goal is to put a little video together about the theory. The feedback I'm looking for should concern general accuracy and persuasiveness of the theory. If my evidence is used incorrectly, let me know. If there is any other suggestions that help or hurt this theory, let me know, and try to direct me towards that evidence. Without further ado, here is my RoV Jesus theory:

The Adventurer (player character) from FFXI during the Rhapsodies of Vana'Diel storyline is an allegory for Jesus. As many may already know, the Final Fantasy series often takes inspiration for story, characters, and imagery from world religions. Take, for example, the reoccurring summoned monsters. The sea creature Leviathan and towering beast that is Behemoth are taken from Hebrew mythology while Odin and Shiva are taken from Nordic and Hindu mythology respectively.*1 FFXI is no different in the series.

Rhapsodies of Vana'Diel is, thematically and artistically, a mix of Christianity and traditional Japanese culture. While the Japanese connection is apparent through its location Reisenjima, being a Japanese looking island complete with shrines and bamboo, as well as through two of the main characters Tenzen, being an experienced Samurai, and Iroha, whose attire is similar to that of a shrine maiden. The Christian connection is a bit more difficult to see. Take the two new zones introduced in the Rhapsodies storyline for example: Escha- Zi'Tah and Escha- Ru'Aun. These two zones are essentially a reskin of the old zones The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah and Ru'Aun Garden. However, the 'Escha' prefix is our Christian link. Escha is short for Eschatology, the study of the end times.*2 And that is exactly what Rhapsodies is all about, a future where Vana'Diel is no more. One of the themes Christian Eschatology speaks of is the 'great tribulation', or a time of siege and the calamity of war.*3 There is a key item in the Escha zones which is a reference to this, the Tribulens. The Tribulens is a special lens which allows the players to see, “threats within Escha”*4 and, from a gameplay perspective, commence a battle with a specific notorious monster. Two of the three new zones introduced feature a lifeless world devoid of all color and filled with horrifying monsters; what Vana'Diel looks like during the apocalypse, the end times.

If still not convinced, let us look at some of the dialogue from the English translation of the game. When you first meet the female protagonist of the story, Iroha, she identifies herself as the player characters 'disciple'. She refers to herself as your disciple during RoV mission 3-28, Nary a Cloud in Sight, as well. Elementary knowledge of Christianity reminds us that Jesus had disciples, followers he instructed. Iroha is the player characters disciple.

The allusions to Jesus do not end there. Three days after Jesus was crucified and died, it is believed that he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven over the course of the next forty years.*5 This is a widely well-known belief among Christians and perhaps even non-Christians around the world. Similarly the same thing happens to the player character in FFXI. After the final battle with the main antagonist of RoV, Iroha states the player character, “suffered grievous wounds” during the conflict and had to be brought back, “to the world of the living”.*6

The most compelling piece of evidence I can offer up to solidify the link to Christian Jesus is found within the final credits of FFXI. In mission 3-35 of RoV, at the end of the cutscene, the player character is credited as the, “Savior of Vana'Diel” just how Jesus is considered the savior of all mankind by Christians. You do not use the word 'savior' to describe someone unless you want to regard that person with the veneration of a religious figure. You can thank Googles definition for that one.

Describe Jesus as basic as you can and the allusion becomes clear. He was an exceptionally important being in human form that influenced everyone he met. He had various disciples and followers during his journey. He was crucified, died, and rose from the dead to ascend to heaven. At the end of the day, he was regarded as the savior of all. The player character is the same. Over the 14 years FFXI has been alive, the player character has traveled far and wide, fighting all kinds of evil monsters and beasts, only to find his or herself saving the world from utter destruction. At the end of his/her journey, he/she finds himself/herself training a disciple. During the final battle to determine the ultimate fate of Vana'Diel, it is implied he/she dies and is resurrected. If that all is not enough to convince, the game itself credits the player as a 'savior', denoting religious connotation.

With this context in mind, we cannot help but wonder how literal a Jesus allegory the player character is supposed to be. The player character is certainly directly chosen by the Goddess of FFXI, Altana, to do good for Vana'Diel, but is he/she directly incarnated by the Goddess herself? This is mostly unclear and difficult to determine. Literally nothing is known about the player character at the start of the game. He/she just shows up one day in one of three starting nations and begins his/her divine quest. In RoV 3-26, The Winds of Time, two halves of the player character(one pure light, one pure darkness) meet the Goddess Altana for the first time. Altana decides to bestow both halves of the player with a portion of her power in hopes the resulting conflict would be enough to push back the main antagonist of RoV. At one point, she even refers to the two as “fledgling Gods”. What is most intriguing from this transmission of godly power is the fact that the dark half of the player is transformed into the physical form of Promathia, the other God of Vana'Diel, for the upcoming conflict.

Basic Citation

1. Religious allusions in Final Fantasy, http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Religious_allusions_in_Final_Fantasy.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Tribulation
4. https://www.bg-wiki.com/bg/Tribulens
5. Resurrection of Jesus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resurrection_of_Jesus#cite_note-1
6. RoV 3-35, A Rhapsody for the Ages.

So... Yeah! That's my current theory. We are all the FFXI version of Jesus Christ. Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Stompa]

I really enjoyed reading your post.

I do think that a lot of what you wrote could be taken in a more general non-Christian sense too.

"Eschaton" is of course Ancient Greek, and means "final." What we term Ancient Greece predates Jesus by a thousand years, and the language even further back.

The Eschaton, meaning the final something, is also used by Gaia Theory, the gnosis of a living world, a Mother Goddess. They see the Eschaton as an object in hyperspace, which humanity is being drawn towards. Human society is speeding up, the pursuit of technology and novelty are accelerating, and this is seen as a collective response to a future eschatological event.

So Escha is not Christian, it was just appropriated to be used for the close of Pisces 2000-year cycle as we see it today. Jesus was of course associated with fish, fisherman family, four of his Disciples were fishermen, feeding people with fishes etc. He arrived at the close of the age of the ram, Aries, as told by Moses and John, "the lamb of God is coming." Jesus arrived at the start of age of Pisces, the fish. We remained in the age of Pisces for 2000 years, during which time Christianity was a popular even dominant global faith.

Age of Pisces ended in 2000, it is now the age of Aquarius. Aquarius is associated with volatility, because water can be both a "saviour" and a "destroyer." This is our current age, and many people of all religions see this age of Aquarius as the final age, an "eschatological / final" era where things are speeding up and reaching something completely new, something final in our current perspective.

A saviour doesn't have to be religious. An injured motorist can say "the ambulance men were my saviours."

A disciple can also be a student of any religion, or academic "discipline." In the East, a disciple can be somebody who studies martial arts or Buddhism, for example.

Jesus was said to be resurrected. Some see it also as a rebirth. He was "different" when he returned. This is similar to really ancient Eastern religions with their views on rebirth, reincarnation. It is also similar to ancient Shamanism (which dates back 200,000 years) a Shaman is said to "die" in the trance state, and return to the world with vision riddles and new-found healing powers.

I see FFXI as a unique thing, sometimes based on historical lore, but in a very pick-and-mix way. "RoV" is a mix of various cultural influences, just like the rest of FFXI is. Odin for example, in ancient Ull cult worship, was nothing at all like FFXI Odin. They have used historical lore as an influence, they generated a fantasy realm version, and I see "RoV" as more of the same, and a sort of nexus point where the various threads finally weave together.

I really enjoyed reading your essay, and I hope you will keep up with your investigations. You do write beautifully.

[Creaper609]

Escha is not Christian

Yes, I am aware there are other types of Eschatology. The link I attempt to make to Christianity is through the Eschan zone key item 'Tribulens'. One of the events Christian apocalypse speaks of is 'The Great Tribulation', a time of conflict. The Tribulens in FFXI is a combination of 'Tribulation' and 'Lens' and it's purpose in game is to start a conflict.

Could you provide me a link to what you say about the age of Aquarius and increased use of 'savior'? That looks interesting.

FF games love to use world religion and mythology as inspiration for their games, I certainly agree with you there. It really feels like RoV took two big scoops from Christian end times.

[Stompa]

Yes, I am aware there are other types of Eschatology. The link I attempt to make to Christianity is through the Eschan zone key item 'Tribulens'. One of the events Christian apocalypse speaks of is 'The Great Tribulation', a time of conflict. The Tribulens in FFXI is a combination of 'Tribulation' and 'Lens' and it's purpose in game is to start a conflict.

Could you provide me a link to what you say about the age of Aquarius and increased use of 'savior'? That looks interesting.

FF games love to use world religion and mythology as inspiration for their games, I certainly agree with you there. It really feels like RoV took two big scoops from Christian end times.

Yes but "tribulation" just means "a lot of trouble." From [Old French] "tribulum" - a threshing board.

> "Her childhood was filled with trials and tribulations."

This only becomes a Christian word as Tribulation and used in religious context.

A Tribulens has a capital because in FFXI most items and key-items have capitals. Tribulens means "trouble lens" or a portal into trouble, which makes sense in NM popping scenarios.

A "saviour" can be anyone who saves you. The person you fall in love with, can be your saviour, if you were very lonely and sad. Etc.

Ages of Aries and Pisces and Aquarius are commonly viewed as 2000-year cycles. There are Wikipedia things on this stuff.

After you get past the physical realities of astronomy, you enter the realm of lore and belief. Age of Aquarius is water, is associated with fluidity and change, and volatility. If you think of water, it can save your life if you are thirsty, or it can end your life if you are lost at sea. So many people view Aquarius as a make-or-break, volatile time, a time of great change, etc.