The developers of Final Fantasy 9 have revealed a scrapped idea for the idea, where a different character would have provided the final narration, potentially saving a party member from dying.

The ending of Final Fantasy 9 features a sad narration interspersed between scenes showing what happens to each character after they defeat the final boss. The one person who is missing is Vivi, with the narration implied to be his dying words, as he’s a mechanical Black Mage with a limited lifespan who likely died not long after the party defeated Necron.

2025 marks the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 9. To celebrate the anniversary, Famitsu interviewed some of the developers. Art Director Hideo Minaba revealed a significant detail about the ending, as the final narration was originally intended to come from another character.

Final Fantasy 9’s Ending Narration Was Originally Kuja

According to Minaba, it was actually Kuja, not Vivi, who gave the final narration. The game is ambiguous about his fate, though it’s likely that he also died. If the narration belonged to him, then it would have confirmed that he passed after the end boss battle.

It’s unclear whether this means that Vivi would have survived, though based on the fact that his kids are spotted in the ending, but he isn’t, it’s likely that he would have perished regardless.

Minaba also confirmed that there were different ideas for the end boss, which is something hinted at in the many guidebooks released over the years. Originally, Hades was planned to be the final boss, along with an incarnation of the Grim Reaper, but in the end, a creature called Necron was used instead.

The devs made the right call by making the end narration about Vivi. It’s hard to feel sad about Kuja dying when he was a mass-murdering scumbag for most of the game, and giving him a soppy final narration wouldn’t have been as effective as the one fans got from a beloved party member.