Names!

[Vickii]

So.. just my opinion but I wonder why Square give such odd names to characters in their later games.

Cloud, Aeris, Tifa.. Relm, Strago, Celes... Zidane, Lulu, Cecil.

These stand out. They're so easy. Let's take some other games...

Garrosh Hellscream. Luca Blight. Lara Croft. So you can have surnames too...

Ifrit, Titan, Leviathan, Shiva.

So what is Raya-O-Senna and Midgardsomr and Gaius Van Baelsar and Glasya Labolas all about? They did this with war of lions too and i can't remember a single character from that!! Do people like these names?

[Ortamus]

The names are not terrible, but I don't think they're memorable.

Midgardsomnr was first used in FF3 (I think, he's known as different names in different places)

[Amiaze]

I personally do. I think it speaks more to the different cultures of the people we're dealing with in Eorzea, whereas names such as Cloud, Tifa, etc. are simply easier to remember for the player. They might sound cool, but most don't really have much meaning behind them.

The Garleans actually have a specific naming convention, according to some of the info in a Heavensward dungeon.

[Ortamus]

I forget to add, the names I do like.

Nero
Gaius
Yda
Thancred
Thordan

[Cilia]

Lots of names in vidja games (and especially Final Fantasy) are taken from various mythologies.

So.. just my opinion but I wonder why Square give such odd names to characters in their later games. ... So what is Raya-O-Senna and Midgardsomr and Gaius Van Baelsar and Glasya Labolas all about?

If memory serves me, someone said that all Padjal names are based on Ainu, the native people of Hokkaido. Don't remember who and can't find a source, but...

Midgardsormr was (is?) a gigantic serpent from Norse mythology, so massive he is able to wrap around the Earth (Midgard) and bite his own tail. I think he clashes with Thor at Ragnarok and dies? Never studied Norse mythology much, to be honest.

Gaius van Baelsar... Gaius was the name Julius Caesar took on after crowning himself emperor (his full name, rarely quoted, was "Gaius Julius Caesar"). "van" is his title and station within the imperial army. Not sure where Baelsar comes from.

Glasya Labolas is one of the 72 demons in the Ars Goetia, a book for sorcerers.

I forget to add, the names I do like.

Nero
Gaius
Yda
Thancred
Thordan

Nero is also the name of a Roman emperor. Translated from Latin it means "black."

See above for Gaius.

Not sure about Yda and Thancred.

Thordan is probably a slight extension of "Thor," the Norse god of thunder (played by hunk Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). Kind of fits, since Thordan is at odds with Midgardsormr (if only indirectly) and fights dragons.

[Billeffingmurray]

Midgardsormr was (is?) a gigantic serpent from Norse mythology, so massive he is able to wrap around the Earth (Midgard) and bite his own tail. I think he clashes with Thor at Ragnarok and dies? Never studied Norse mythology much, to be honest.

Jormungander (Jormungand) is the name of the serpent that surrounds Midgard. He is the son of Loki Skywalker (the trickster), and brother to Fenris (Fenrir) and Hel. Thor slays him at Ragnarok, but as he dies he vomits venom over Thor killing him. I love all the Norse mythology in this game.

[Cilia]

jormungander (jormungand) is the name of the serpent that surrounds midgard. He is the son of loki Skywalker (the trickster), and brother to fenris (fenrir) and hel. Thor kills him at Ragnarok, but in his death throes he vomits venom over thor killing him. Love all the Norse mythology in this game.

Jormungandr is just another name for Midgardsormr.

[Billeffingmurray]

Jormungandr is just another name for Midgardsormr.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I've never seen that in any translation. He is sometimes referred to as the Midgard Serpent though, so maybe sormr=serpent.

Edit: found it on wikipedia Old Norse:Miðgarðsormr
It should be noted that referring to Jormungander as Midgardsormr is kinda like referring to Odin as All Father or Thor as The charioteer. They are kind of nick names.

[Fevelle]

Lore. Look at my surname, for example, it is quite hard to spell and pronounce, but it has a deep lore explanation. Personally I love these names, they give a sense of freshness to Eorzea.

[Sakuraluna]

I think that, given this is an mmo, the character names are based off of the naming conventions for the in-game culture those characters are part of in order to make the world seem bigger. The more recent single-player Final Fantasies have had more simplistic, easily memorable names too.