Spoilers of The Maiden's Rhapsody FFXI, I can't believe this, XI and XIV crystals

[Fenral]

Cilia's right on this one. They're all connected and disconnected at the same time. I'd argue that the VII-X link is in the same boat, since in practical terms it amounts to little more than Kazushige Nojima patting himself on the back for writing multiple beloved main-series entries.

Having now finished the event myself, I kind of appreciate the "twist" that Iroha's still stuck in Eorzea. Lightning left because she had a job to do, but Iroha seems to be stuck here after finishing what she needed to do in Vana'diel. It's an interesting "fate" for a character who's new even to her own source material. Either there's a part 2 that will come out at a later date, or this is the hook Yoshi-P wanted to bring over specifically FFXI elements into XIV (like Samurai).

[Jonnycbad]

-FF1 and FF9 are linked. Necron is like an advanced final form of Chaos, then there's the 4 orbs/crystals of light (Desert Star/Falcon's Claw/Maiden's Earring etc) which are shards of Alexander-plus the 4 Fiends are there. I know FF9 was a medley of all FF themes, but FF1's were the strongest present.

-FF7-X are linked. Sphere and Materia are synonymous. Orbs of energy that contain memories, whether it's a video recording, or teaches the user magic. FF7 probably takes place on a different planet from FFX maybe tens of thousands of years in the future, when Spira's machina has advanced enough for space travel or something.

-FF12 and FFT are linked. According to the FFT creator, FFT takes place thousands of years after FF12, when a great calamity destroys the advanced civilization.

-I wonder if FF8 is linked to another FF? There's some much Lore in the game that's never fully developed. The Centra had these mobile 'shelters' which are really like Airship cities. There's also this Lunar Cry business which is never explained really, and the whole story of the Great Hyne who split his body and created the Sorceresses. Hyne was a great Mage in FF3. There's also the Tomb of the Unknown King, which is never explained either.

[Jonnycbad]

Having now finished the event myself, I kind of appreciate the "twist" that Iroha's still stuck in Eorzea. Lightning left because she had a job to do, but Iroha seems to be stuck here after finishing what she needed to do in Vana'diel. It's an interesting "fate" for a character who's new even to her own source material. Either there's a part 2 that will come out at a later date, or this is the hook Yoshi-P wanted to bring over specifically FFXI elements into XIV (like Samurai).

She also represents Phoenix, which is associated with rebirth and new life. Her model wasn't just directly imported like Shantotto's was, it looks like they made her from the ground up. Or maybe they made her FFXIV model first, and then ported her into FFXI with lower resolution. Either way she looks really good in FFXIV. I could see her 'importing' the Samurai soulcrystal from her memories of Tenzen, into Vana'diel, which would mean FFXIV's SAM would/should have many abilities and skills like FFXI if that were the case.

[Februs]

I always assumed that this was the case. I mean, Mother Crystals, lifestreams, and playing with time and space have kind of been the staples of the series since... forever... and it's been pretty well established that the games are connected.Not only that, there's been evidence in several of the games that states that the repeating characters and entities in each FF game are not only mirrored dimensional versions of one another, but are sometimes actually identical and have simply crossed between worlds using the Void.

The Void is probably the biggest piece of evidence, as it has been referenced in several games (sometimes directly in plot and sometimes in specific character lore), and is explicitly described as a place that exists between dimensions. Gilgamesh, for example, is said to have traveled between game worlds using the void, meaning he is the same Gilgamesh in every game, and there are several deities and repeated monsters that have ties to the void (Diabolos, being a notable one). So, it's been implied that the void is the space between the universes that exist in the FF Multiverse.

FFXIV's summon/primal lore has indicated that summoned beings are twisted manifestations or copies of original beings that once lived. It's implied that those original beings lived in FFXIV's universe (Bahamut being the main example), but there's no definitive proof that every summon's original form comes from FFXIV's universe. It's possible that the incarnations we see in FFXIV are actually summoned versions of real beings from other Universes in the FF Multiverse, or vice versa. The fact that these beings actually spring out from aether before dissipating back into nothingness is a pretty heavy implication, especially because certain games (FFIX, is one that I remember) outright stated that the summoned beings had their own world/universe from which they are called from when summoned. That's not to say its the same world for all of them, but it at least implies that there are alternate dimensions. The fact that several summons exist between different game universes but all assume a different shape and purpose depending on who is summoning them also follows the FFXIV's lore (though it does make me intensely curious where each of the original versions spring from, and what they were actually like, given we've only seen various types of copies).

Aside from that, there's also the repeating theme of crystals within the FF Multiverse. FFIX's entire plot revolved around the idea that each world had it's own Mother Crystal and the entire conflict was about the villain trying to merge the Mother Crystal of one planet with another. Mother Crystals are not present in every FF title, but in the one's that they are missing there is evidence of them or something similar. In FFVII, for example, there is no mention of a mother crystal, however there is a lifestream (which IX and XIV confirm springs from or is tied to the Mother Crystal in some way).

The list just goes on and on. I always assumed that it was just a widely accepted part of FF lore (and an excuse for SE to recycle various concepts and ideas in a convincing way).

[Kaiser-Ace]

It all comes back to The Grand Multiverse Theory in which all Final Fantasy Worlds are parallel dimensions loosely connected to each other via the great void and while many if not most share similarities and coincidences (Like how each world coincidentally has a scientist/engineer named Cid) they are all their own unique worlds that only interact with each other at all in rare occasions (Like Gilgimesh bumbling through the void willy nilly) . Vana'diel, Hydaelyn, and Ivaliace seem to interact with each other more than normal though.

Also, fun fact, In the Lightning Event Lightning was never physically IN Eorzea but her soul/spirit was being projected to harden her will to succeed in Nova Crystalis.

[Pinkie_Pie]

It all comes back to The Grand Multiverse Theory in which all Final Fantasy Worlds are parallel dimensions loosely connected to each other via the great void and while many if not most share similarities and coincidences (Like how each world coincidentally has a scientist/engineer named Cid) they are all their own unique worlds that only interact with each other at all in rare occasions (Like Gilgimesh bumbling through the void willy nilly) . Vana'diel, Hydaelyn, and Ivaliace seem to interact with each other more than normal though.

Also, fun fact, In the Lightning Event Lightning was never physically IN Eorzea but her soul/spirit was being projected to harden her will to succeed in Nova Crystalis.

I love all the talking about this, this was driving me crazy about this ever since the lightning event started to happen and all these characters came to our world and then watching the XI final storyline just added more connections to each other. Many wasn't noticing this cause many didn't play XI but those who cared, noticed BIG time! The Grand Multiverse theory is a head bang desk kinda thing, THIS is the reason why doctor who didn't go into that sorta thing.

[Februs]

(Like Gilgimesh bumbling through the void willy nilly) .

To be fair... the poor guy did get banished into the void. I don't think he has any control over where he gets deposited... which would probably serve as a good explanation for why he is confused about what's going on and where he is in every single game he's appeared in. The only thing that remains consistent about him is his fixation on acquiring the best of the best weapons. He is often seen sporting a collection that includes weapons from various games, including Cloud's buster sword... which he probably stole off of Zack's grave... So... he's not the most morally upstanding character, but he's lovable at least lol.

[Februs]

-I wonder if FF8 is linked to another FF? There's some much Lore in the game that's never fully developed. The Centra had these mobile 'shelters' which are really like Airship cities. There's also this Lunar Cry business which is never explained really, and the whole story of the Great Hyne who split his body and created the Sorceresses. Hyne was a great Mage in FF3. There's also the Tomb of the Unknown King, which is never explained either.

It's been a long time since I played any of the original games, but I'm pretty sure there are ties between FFIII and FFVIII. The maps in those two games, for example, are very similar, you've already pointed out Hyne and the sorceresses.There's actually a fan theory that asserts that it is possible that FFVIII's world is actually FFIII's world, but much further in the future. Personally, I think it's a bit of a stretch, but it uses a lot of convincing evidence. The most convincing evidence for this (in my opinion) were:

• The theory that the first Lunar Cry mentioned to have happened once in the past in FFVIII was actually the time in which the Crystal Pillar falls from the moon in FFIII. It's theorized that the Crystal Pillar is actually within Lunatic Pandora (Lunatic Pandora was built around it... also, gotta love that name, right?), and that it is the lit up section we can see within the structure when Adel is drawn out from the Lunar Cry. This would also explain why some of the building is mechanical, while other parts remain crystalline (as seen when you actually go into it), and it is stated in one of Laguna's flashbacks that the Estharians (??) were excavating the structure and building something around it (the one where They almost die and have to jump from a high cliff).
  
• Hyne is referenced several times in FFVIII as the progenitor of the sorceress line (when Rinoa is named a sorceress they refer to her as Hyne's descendant), and that the continuing theme of Gardens raising SeeD (essentially child soldiers) to fight Sorceresses is a continuation of the war against Hyne continued all the way from FFIII (which also involved children fighting against him).
  
• Battleship Island (the Deep Sea Research Facility) is in the exact same spot as the floating island in FFIII. It is assumed that it was built over top of the crashed island (unable to stay aloft without the one person who kept it that way) and that the Research being conducted there was related. The fact that Bahamut is found there serves as proof, as it is also the same place in which he is found in FFIII. His line of questioning, in which we have to give the "secret answer" for why we fight to obtain him ("Because it's our nature") is also considered to be a reflection of the events concerning children being caught in a conflict with Hyne. It basically says flat out that it's their legacy, and Bahamut agrees to it because he bore witness to it in both games.
  

That's just a few, and aside from those it's stated that any other geographical discrepancies are caused by hundreds of thousands of years of continental shifts and the damage caused by the events of FFIII... and, honestly, looking back on it now, it actually does sound kind of convincing, but I'd have to play III again before I committed to it. It's been way too long, and I don't remember all the details.

[Dualblade]

snip

While I wouldn't put such an act past him (Why waste a perfectly good sword!), its noted in XII that the weapons he used there are just VERY good copies, with a few things added that make it obvious they aren't the right weapon (Like having a chocobo on the Buster Sword)

[Cilia]

-FF1 and FF9 are linked. Necron is like an advanced final form of Chaos, then there's the 4 orbs/crystals of light (Desert Star/Falcon's Claw/Maiden's Earring etc) which are shards of Alexander-plus the 4 Fiends are there. I know FF9 was a medley of all FF themes, but FF1's were the strongest present.

Necron is a physical manifestation of death, sort of we think. Chaos is a demon lord.

The four crystals in I are elemental. In IX, they're all non-elemental (or rather Holy elemental).

The Four Fiends are there as fanservice, as IX deliberately homaged many previous franchise titles and took the series back to its European fantasy roots after VII and VIII's more modern / postmodern settings.

-FF7-X are linked. Sphere and Materia are synonymous. Orbs of energy that contain memories, whether it's a video recording, or teaches the user magic. FF7 probably takes place on a different planet from FFX maybe tens of thousands of years in the future, when Spira's machina has advanced enough for space travel or something.

This actually has sketchy canon confirmation.

-FF12 and FFT are linked. According to the FFT creator, FFT takes place thousands of years after FF12, when a great calamity destroys the advanced civilization.

This is canonically true, but I tend to leave Tactics out of things since, despite being one of the most beloved, it is a side game.

-I wonder if FF8 is linked to another FF? There's some much Lore in the game that's never fully developed. The Centra had these mobile 'shelters' which are really like Airship cities. There's also this Lunar Cry business which is never explained really, and the whole story of the Great Hyne who split his body and created the Sorceresses. Hyne was a great Mage in FF3. There's also the Tomb of the Unknown King, which is never explained either.

The lore of VIII is pretty sketchy, or rather, more deliberately spelled out in an Ultimania, but that's because the main focus of VIII was Squall and Rinoa's romance. We don't need an in-depth history lesson of VIII's world to understand that.

In III, Hein (not Hyne) was a minor villain who uprooted an important tree (whose name escapes me at the moment) and used it as a mobile fortress. The Warriors of Light offed him, so he couldn't pass his power down to future generations of women.

• The theory that the first Lunar Cry mentioned to have happened once in the past in FFVIII was actually the time in which the Crystal Pillar falls from the moon in FFIII. It's theorized that the Crystal Pillar is actually within Lunatic Pandora (Lunatic Pandora was built around it... also, gotta love that name, right?), and that it is the lit up section we can see within the structure when Adel is drawn out from the Lunar Cry. This would also explain why some of the building is mechanical, while other parts remain crystalline (as seen when you actually go into it), and it is stated in one of Laguna's flashbacks that the Estharians (??) were excavating the structure and building something around it (the one where They almost die and have to jump from a high cliff).

Nothing falls from the moon in III. The Crystal Tower is just there, unexplained, like many things in the game.

The Lunatic Pandora was built around a Crystal Pillar Esthar excavated for the purpose of making the Pillar mobile, that Sorceress Adel might use it as a weapon. Nobody's quite sure when the Pillar fell from the moon, but it can be used to trigger calamitous Lunar Cries, so the Esthar government under Laguna sank it. (Then Seifer got it back during the game's events, and... yeah.)

• Hyne is referenced several times in FFVIII as the progenitor of the sorceress line (when Rinoa is named a sorceress they refer to her as Hyne's descendant), and that the continuing theme of Gardens raising SeeD (essentially child soldiers) to fight Sorceresses is a continuation of the war against Hyne continued all the way from FFIII (which also involved children fighting against him).

True, but III's villain is named Hein, not Hyne. Semantics aside, Hein is a minor villain and was killed in the first half of III.

Gardens raising SeeD to fight Sorceresses was an idea a time-displaced Squall gave to Edea Kramer after the final boss in VIII, making a time loop.

• Battleship Island (the Deep Sea Research Facility) is in the exact same spot as the floating island in FFIII. It is assumed that it was built over top of the crashed island (unable to stay aloft without the one person who kept it that way) and that the Research being conducted there was related. The fact that Bahamut is found there serves as proof, as it is also the same place in which he is found in FFIII. His line of questioning, in which we have to give the "secret answer" for why we fight to obtain him ("Because it's our nature") is also considered to be a reflection of the events concerning children being caught in a conflict with Hyne. It basically says flat out that it's their legacy, and Bahamut agrees to it because he bore witness to it in both games.

Surprisingly, comparing the two maps between the games does show some similarity...

... but anyway. This is pure speculation. It's a possibility, but there are endless possibilities. As I've noted twice before, Hein in III was killed by the Warriors of Light about halfway through the game, and had no lasting effect on the storyline. If he were VIII's Hyne, I'd imagine he would have a greater impact on the story. He's just a flunky to make the Scholar class necessary for a fight. (Hein changes his elemental weakness often, and Scholars can identify it with ease. This is also why XIV Amon - who was based to a degree on Hein - can use every elemental spell in his fight.)

EDIT
-Hein and Hyne are spelled the same way in Japanese, so the mistake is understandable. Still, III Hein was a minor villain drunk on the power of darkness who was killed off almost immediately upon his introduction, while VIII Hyne is more or less the original god of the world (hence Sorceress' ability to use real magic instead of relying on Odine's para-magic draw system, since they have a small fragment of his essence).