Quote Originally Posted by Cilia View Post
Ohh boy... this is complicated.

The problem with that is that we are the hero, not the protagonist. The two are often conflated, but this isn't always the case.
And the problem with focusing too hard on the rigid distinctions between the two is that the directorial intent in Final Fantasy XIV is rather clearly to conflate them. It's not that I don't generally agree with your analysis, just that the "message" embedded in the work and how it seeks to achieve that are frequently at odds.

It really wants to stress on you, the player, your potential, your responsibility, your importance in shaping the future. At its best, you get Alisaie, who is inspired by your example to understand her own potential. At its worst, you get G'raha, who extols your capabilities while taking actions that deny his own individual worth entirely.

There certainly are stories like 50-60 Miner, where your involvement is shoehorned in at best (and it's not even really about mining), but for the majority you serve as not only a catalyst but a unifying element connecting people and events that would otherwise never be connected, which would keep the story from advancing in the way it does towards that specific conclusion.

Is the only thing keeping those points from connecting a contrivance of the format? Frequently, sure. This is why so many gal game adaptations can scrap the male PoV character entirely: they're merely a necessity of the original format and not integral to the story being told.

At the same time, there are also certain kinds of blank slate hired-muscle PoVs (i.e. Adol Christin) who don't really grow much as characters, but end up with a reputation that becomes crucial to advancing the story and can't simply be removed or transferred. A G'raha who ran around tearing up zombie emperors and first-rung voidsent on his own wouldn't have the inferiority complex that convinced him that sealing himself in the tower was the only way to validate his existence. It would be a different story, arguably a better one.


Final Fantasy XIV leans towards the latter, but instances of the former do still crop up here and there. The Dark Knight analysis is indeed accurate in the broad strokes, but it is merely the most cynical extreme, and not necessarily applicable to every single scenario presented.