Just a simple tweet from Square Enix with an adorable picture of those fun-shaped creatures, and gamers just lost a step. “They’re actually friend-shaped 😻,” said the tweet, followed by that cute image, and the replies exploded into a frenzy over who really has the best non-human companions in any of the Final Fantasy games. Utter chaos ensued; many responses were passionate and hilarious at the same time.
Spoilers: Final answer, Moogles win. These cute Final Fantasy creatures got zip in over half of the responses. People were just outright obsessed; one gamer just rose up and shouted, “Kupo…. Kupo… and Kupo…” in what could be described as a Moogle tantrum. Another one just dropped a picture of a Moogle saying, “Do you even have to ask?” and justifiably so.
But it was not just about Moogles hogging all the goodness. Torgal from Final Fantasy XVI was also a big hit. Some would swear to him being the best doggo-to-gracious memory, while others gave him full nomination to the Best Video Game Doggos Club. The guy was awarded bonus points for crying that you get to pet him in real life—top marks, of course.
Then the unexpected came through. Like, who would’ve thought somebody would mention the literal BOOK from NieR Replicant? Yet here we are, with a VTuber standing up and saying “The motha fuckin bag from Nier” as their favorite. No further explanation needed, honestly.
Dragon Quest fans can’t be silent either. Inkings for Healie of Dragon Quest IV; someone was seemingly smack-dab throwing in Crocodine from Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai like it was the most obvious pick ever. Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts aficionados were fighting for their lives defending DLD’s awkward little Dream Eaters.
And that was the same crowd that tasted Legend of Mana’s blood, crashing the scene fueled by passion for Lil’ Cactus as a buddy. One player collar-bashed Square Enix for another Mana game—same!
This was moldered with nostalgia and memes, for pixelated (or HD remastered) cuties. Some desperately went into an emotional free fall, reminiscing that Final Fantasy “started to get weird” after FFXV and missing out on the old-school charm. Others just spammed their favorites’ pics with no context, and tbh? Mood.
So what’s the verdict? There isn’t. Square Enix has made too many iconic non-human companions, and gamers would go to war over this one. One thing is for sure, though: Whether it’s Moogles or Torgal or a sentient book, these creatures are not just friend-shaped; they’re family.
