A Final Fantasy 9 fan just brought the adorable and endearing Vivi to life with an impressive cosplay. The long-running Final Fantasy franchise is home to countless memorable characters for players to dress up as, from popular heroines like Final Fantasy 7’s Tifa Lockhart and Final Fantasy 10’s summoner Yuna to the mysterious Aranea Highwind of Final Fantasy 15. Cosplay is a fun and exciting way to celebrate characters, and even the most unsuspecting personalities can make amazing cosplay opportunities.
While 2000’s Final Fantasy 9 may not be as recognizable to mainstream audiences as Final Fantasy 7 or Final Fantasy 10, it is still regarded by many to be one of the best mainline installments thanks to its colorful medieval setting and likable cast of characters. One of the most notable of these is Vivi Ornitier, a cute and mysterious Black Mage that assists Final Fantasy 9’s protagonist Zidane Tribal as he journeys to save the world of Gaia from the wicked Queen Brahne of Alexandria and the sinister sorcerer Kuja. At the start of Final Fantasy 9, Vivi has no memory of who he is or where he comes from, but he is eventually revealed to be one of the more tragic characters in the Final Fantasy franchise. Due to his surprisingly poignant backstory and adorable design, Vivi remains a popular character even two decades later, and he has made numerous guest appearances in other Square Enix-owned series like Itadaki Street and Kingdom Hearts.
Recently, a TikTok user by the handle of Personifiedmineral posted a brief video showing off their impressive cosplay of Final Fantasy 9’s Vivi as he dances to the classic Final Fantasy victory jingle that plays after every battle. Everything about Vivi’s look, from his wizard-style hat and coat to his featureless black face and glowing yellow eyes, is captured near perfectly, and Personifiedmineral has gotten several likes and comments from other TikTok users praising them for brilliant cosplay.
While Final Fantasy 9 doesn’t currently have the kind of spin-off games or tie-in media of Final Fantasy 7, an animated adaptation of the original game was announced last year by Cyber Group Studios, with an official first look set for The Licensing Expo later this week. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 9 character artist Toshiyuki Itahana previously expressed a desire to continue the game’s story in a sequel in the future, though Square Enix is currently busy on other projects like the ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake series or the long-awaited Final Fantasy 16.
Even as fans eagerly wait for new Final Fantasy 9 content, Vivi remains one of the series’ most endearing and recognizable characters thanks to his simple and cute design. Personifiedmineral has done an incredible job in capturing both this design and Vivi’s childlike personality through their recent cosplay video, which helps bring the lovable sorcerer of Final Fantasy 9 to life like never before.
