Characters of Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV, an action role-playing video game released in November 2016, is the fifteenth main installment in the Final Fantasy series, and is thematically connected to Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, a subseries of games linked by a common mythos which includes Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0. The world and main characters were created by Tetsuya Nomura, the game's original director. Nomura also designed the main characters, with later revisions and additional characters being designed by Yusuke Naora: other character designers involved with the game included Roberto Ferrari and Yusaku Nakaaki.

The story revolves around a conflict between the nations of Lucis and Niflheim for control of the magical Crystal. The main protagonist is Noctis Lucis Caelum, the sole heir to the throne of Lucis. On his journey, he has three companions: Gladiolus Amicitia, the heir to a family of royal bodyguards; Ignis Scientia, Noctis's strategist and personal attendant; and Prompto Argentum, a friend and schoolmate from a lower-class family. A key character is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Noctis's fiancée through an arranged marriage. Other characters include Noctis's father Regis, the king of Lucis; Cor Leonis, a famous warrior of Lucis; Iris, Gladiolus's sister; the mechanic Cindy Aurum and her grandfather Cid Sophiar, who provide services for Noctis' car, the Regalia. The main antagonist Ardyn Izunia is supported by the forces of Niflheim under emperor Iedolas Aldercapt and his chief scientist Verstael Besithia, Lunafreya's brother Ravus Nox Fleuret, and the mercenary dragoon Aranea Highwind.

Originally a spin-off game titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the game changed multiple times during its ten-year development cycle, including the redesign or removal of characters and story elements. Additional media and merchandise based upon the world and characters of XV have been produced, with its expanded media being dubbed the "Final Fantasy XV Universe": these include the original net animation Brotherhood, the CGI feature film Kingsglaive, numerous pieces of story-based downloadable content (DLC), and a novel The Dawn of the Future based on a cancelled second series of DLC.

Reception of its characters has been mixed; while the playable cast and its interactions have been met with frequent praise, underuse of its supporting cast and handling of female characters like Cindy were frequently criticized. It also saw commentary on its portrayal of gender roles and character disability. The additional media saw mixed reaction; Brotherhood was praised for its character development, while Kingsglaive was met with frequent criticism. The DLC episodes received varied reactions, though many critics praised their expansions on the characters.

The concept and setting of Final Fantasy XV, initially a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII, was created by original director Tetsuya Nomura. Initially in development for PlayStation 3, Versus XIII was shifted to the eighth generation consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. During this transition, Final Fantasy Type-0 director Hajime Tabata became co-director; later in development, he assumed full directorial duties from Nomura. The development period ultimately lasted about ten years, although Tabata now refers to Versus XIII and XV as different games. The game was originally part of Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, a collection of games united by a common mythology and shared themes. When it was renamed, XV was "disconnected" from Fabula Nova Crystallis; although the mythos was retained, its role in the story was reduced and its unique terminology was removed to aid with marketing and provide Final Fantasy XV with an individual identity. A surviving theme from the mythos was the struggles of humans chosen by a divine crystal.

The central concept behind the world of XV is "a fantasy based on reality": the setting is based on the real world and the fantasy elements grew out of familiar settings. Realizing this aspect of the game was quite difficult for Nomura before the game's move onto eighth-generation hardware. While the story was similar to other entries, he wanted to create more realistic characters. His ambition was to make XV "about man in the real world", including less fantasy elements. He also described XV as the darkest entry in the series, acknowledging that this atmosphere might narrow its target audience while feeling that the time was right for such characters. Nomura wanted to depict a story centered on a group of men traveling the world, much like that of a road movie. This approach was inspired by experiences from his youth, in which he often witnessed single-gender groups taking extended trips. Nomura also did not want the protagonists to be drawn together by a grand destiny, instead being natural friends confronted with bizarre and dangerous situations. To help convey the road movie theme, the team created towns featuring both strange and familiar elements, taking inspiration from the opening scenes of Back to the Future Part II.

The initial story themes were "misery" and "bonds", with characters representing these themes through their actions and circumstances. It was intended to be a painful story emphasizing the power of friendship. The theme of bonds was represented by the relationships between Noctis and his comrades, as well as him and his father Regis. A key narrative element was Noctis' personal journey from prince to king. The original script was written by Kazushige Nojima, who described his story for Versus XIII as "Myth vs. Reality". When Versus XIII became FInal Fantasy XV, multiple aspects were changed. A scene that was removed was the original opening, in which Noctis met another character at a treaty-signing party, then had to escape Lucis when the forces of Niflheim attacked; those scenes were changed to have the group being away at the time of the invasion. However, other characters revealed during earlier trailers were retained and would have important roles in the story. When consulted over how his original draft could be reworked, Nojima said that he would be content as long as the overall concept remained faithful to the original. This gave the team the confidence to rework and realize the original story within XV. Around two thirds of the planned scenario ended up being cut. This rewriting was primarily done by Saori Itamuro, who was credited as "Lead Scenario Designer".

The story takes place over a ten-year period, and the characters' appearances were altered as they aged: this bucked the trend of many similar JRPGs, with the team wanting to properly represent the characters growing through their journey. The game's opening depicts a scene late in the game; this approach was inspired by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, which featured a conclusion linked to the original Final Fantasy VII. In both cases, the developers wanted players to experience a sequence of events leading up to a known conclusion. The ending was left deliberately ambiguous so that players could develop their own interpretations. For both Versus XIII and XV, game staff stated that it would likely be the saddest Final Fantasy story to date. Alongside the serious plot, elements of light comedy were added as a counterbalance. A large amount of dialogue was conveyed using in-game conversations instead of cutscenes. Nomura also wanted the dialogue to sound "natural and not game-like or lofty". Final Japanese voice casting for the game began in 2010.