The concept of Square Enix’s new Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin is still settling with fans of the franchise - amidst all that Chaos. However, Nomura’s vision was clear from the beginning, when he planned to have an “angry man” as the protagonist.

Square Enix Presents debuted our first look at Stranger of Paradise during E3 weekend, and while the project is still in development, it didn’t quite manage to win viewers over.

In order to explain the stern-looking lead, the rougher environment in contrast to Final Fantasy’s ethereal past, and the apparent obsession to kill Chaos, Nomura and scenarist Kazushige Nojima shared their thought process.

Tetsuya Nomura’s Vision of an “Angry Man”

Once Stranger of Paradise had been unveiled, Square Enix sent the official Japanese website live, where developers, including Nomura and Nojima, dissected the title’s origin.

Nomura explained how Stranger of Paradise was inspired by Dissidia 012 Duodecim, and the savage nature of the fighting game. This evolved into a plot to create a challenging location for characters to find triumph.

Another idea involved Nomura’s desire to follow “a story focusing on an angry man”, and Stranger of Paradise soon mixed both concepts into one.

We translated all of the website comments from developers here.

Stranger of Paradise FF Origin Jack Art

The Filibuster Blog

The Angry Man and His Plan to Kill Chaos

At the root of this angry man’s story, referencing the strong-jawed Jack we see in the trailer, is a compulsion to kill the game’s antagonist Chaos.

Nojima shared some of Jack’s inner thoughts, such as “I want to kill Chaos...it’s like a hunger...a thirst”, which clearly demonstrates the character’s revenge-fueled motive.

We will have to wait and see why Jack and his fellow Warriors of Light, Ash and Jed, are so hellbent on bringing about Chaos’ demise, but the game’s violent nature will also be heavily reflected in the combat Team Ninja has given to the origin title.

Stranger of Paradise FF Origin Warriors of Light

Rock Paper Shotgun

When Will Stranger of Paradise FF Origin Release?

  • Stranger of Paradise has a 2022 release window.

There may be a year’s wait for the full game to release, but fans have until June 24 to test the trial version on PS5.