Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV - Final Fantasy
Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV is an original net animation series based on the backstory of Final Fantasy XV, a role playing fantasy style video game produced by Square Enix. The series aired from March 30, 2016 to September 17, 2016 online and features some of Final Fantasy’s most iconic characters, including Noctis Lucis Caelum and his closest friends. The series centers on a conflict between the Empire of Niflheim and the throne of Lucis. After the Niflheim empire steals a magical crystal from the Lucian throne, Noctis is called upon to recover the crystal and subdue the Niflheim Empire.
Reviews of the animation series were generally positive and reached a high number of views on the streaming platforms. In addition to Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, another spinoff animation production based on the same plot introduced in Final Fantasy XV is Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV. Brotherhood was produced as one element of the Final Fantasy XV Universe and it is also related to Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy.
Characters
- Noctis Lucis Caelum - Heir to the Lucian throne who takes on a mission to save Eos and recover the stolen crystal.
- Ignis Scientia - Noctis’ longtime friend and advisor. He is skilled in formulating strategies. He cooks drives and for his friends.
*Gladiolus Amicitia - Noctis' sworn bodyguard and old friend. His mission is to protect the king at all costs.
*Prompto Argentum - Noctis' best friend from high school friend. A commoner, he wishes to prove himself worthy.
*Cor Leonis - Crownsguard member who once fought with King Regis.
*Iris Amicitia - Gladiolus's younger sister who befriended Noctis in her youth.
*Aranea Highwind - A mercenary recruited by the empire. She is a commodore within the imperial military.
Plot and Setting
Brotherhood takes place on a planet resembling Earth called Eos. The kingdom of Lucis is the caretaker of the world’s last magical crystal, and they have been at war with the technologically advanced Empire of Niflheim for many years. Eventually, Lucis and the empire of Niflheim reach a peace treaty. As part of this treaty, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the son of King Regis and heir to the throne of Lucis, must marry Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, former princess of Tenebrae and hostage of Niflheim. As he sets out for Tenebrae with his companions, the empire of Niflheim betrays the Lucian throne, invading the city, killing Regis, and stealing the crystal. In the aftermath of these events, Noctis is tasked with recovering the crystal and subduing the evil empire of Niflheim. Since the game has so much overlap with the anime series, those familiar with the game will have an easy time understanding the story and events that occur.
Episodes
Each episode of the 5-episode series was streamed online and available to fans for free through YouTube and Crunchyroll.
List of the episodes:
- Episode 1: Before the Storm
- Episode 2: Dogged Runner
- Episode 3: Sword and Shield
- Episode 4: Bittersweet Memories
- Episode 5: The Warmth of Light
Production
One of the main reasons for deciding on production for the adaptation of Final Fantasy XV into an animation series was the original game production crew. The crew felt that the Final Fantasy XV storyline and plot was deeper than actually portrayed in the game. To the extent that they could have made multiple games from one story. Therefore the decision was made to elaborate on the Final Fantasy XV game story in another form of media. Also creating another method to introduce the games characters and their deep backgrounds. Brotherhood Final Fantasy XV shows how Noctis and his friends came together and this anime allowed fans to learn more about their favorite characters. Also, another way to help new fans familiarize themselves with the story before playing the actual Final Fantasy XV game. Upon the planning of this anime series, members of Square Enix were hesitant in the idea of incurring production costs for an anime that would be streamed online for free.
Production Cast
Director: Soichi Masui, Producer: Kazuki Adachi, Akio Ofuji (Square Enix). Written by Akio Ofuji, Yuniko Ayana. Music by Yasuhisa Inoue and Susumi Akizuki.
Reception
The reception to the series went better than the production team had originally expected, receiving a significantly higher number of views than originally estimated. In November 2016, the episodes had the highest number of views on the official YouTube channel for the game. As of November 2016, the anime episodes were among the most viewed within the game category of their official YouTube channel. The first episode of the series "Before the Storm" was the most popular on the channel, with over 2,330,000 views.
The second episode "Dogged Runner" was fifth with over 614,000; while "Sword and Shield" and "Bittersweet Memories" were at #13 and #14 with over 431,790 and 344,000 views respectively. The final episode had the lowest viewing figures, with just over 110,000 views at the time.