I always liked Squall as a character. He came across as an introvert who preferred to do things on his own, but over the course of the story, he learns to accept others into his life and rely on them as comrades, rather than burdens. That's called character growth, and we love to see it.

I was surprised you didn’t mention Squall is Laguna’s son and Rinoa is Julia’s daughter. Laguna and Julia were star crossed lovers that never wound up together due to circumstances beyond their control. Both moved on with their lives but their children ultimately fulfilled the fate they were not able to make happen.

Growing up made me like squall a lot more. As a kid I was seeing squall as an adult that was kind of a jerk. But now that I'm 10 years older than squall I see a child soldier forced into responsibilities he should never have to deal with. This changes so much of how I read the character.

Edea and Cid knew Squall was fated to defeat Ultimecia but they didn't knew the path he needed to take to reach his destiny so they make him the leader of the garden during the invasion, a 17 yo kid, not knowing how he could win, but only knowing that he would save them in the end

Mat: (The whole video) Me: Yes. Absolutely. Mat: (pronounciation of characters names that differ from my own) Me: (Clutches pearls in shock)

I DEEPLY resonated with Squall as a teen. My mother abandoned me when I was 6, I knew EXACTLY what he was going through, had exactly the same kind of walls up and playing Squall was like playing an insert of myself. I was introverted, aloof, and distant to many people, but especially my family. Everything Squall did made perfect sense to me and his deep relationship with his friends echoed in myself as I learned to reach out to people outside of my family and form close bonds with them. Many of whom have told me I was the best friend they ever had. The "Whatever" line comes down to tone. As a teen I mimicked it but I did so the same as how I interpreted it, which was as a despondent tone rather than sarcastic one. The tone shifts how others react to it, a sarcastic tone is blatant disregard said explicitly to trivialize and belittle a persons thoughts or feelings often followed by an eyeroll, a despondent tone is a passive dismissal of interest or affect accompanied by a shrug. Squall shrugs.

The story makes infinitely more sense on repeat playthroughs, when you realise that even upon the start of their lives, they are chess pieces being used by Ultimecia, not fate. So they set out to free their timeline from her time sorceress' grasp

There's one thing I feel like you missed in regards to the team's lack of reluctance to kill Edea. Yeah, it's not expressed very well by most of the party, but think back to the assassination attempt scene. Where Irvine is allegedly freezing up because he "always chokes before a shot". Maybe he isn't hesitating because it's too much pressure. Maybe he just really doesn't want to kill his Matron, whom he 100% remembers, unlike the others.

Edea, by the way, comes from the name of a Muse from Greek mythology - Aoede (Italian spelling - Aedea, Spanish - Aede). Aedea with her two sisters: Melete and Mneme represent steps in creation of a stageplay, Melete - composition/writing, Mneme - rehersal, and Aoede - performance. So Edea is the Muse which leads actors - her children on stage through their "lives" predetermined by the script, which she is handed by Squall at the end of the game.

Honestly, I was never put off by Squall’s “whatever”s. And as I’ve gotten older, I’m totally more amused by it haha. The refusal of Zell’s handshake and all. Especially since I think one of the Timber resistance guys also won’t shake his hand. Poor guy😂. I always found it funny.

12:30 - The last battle music is *wondrous* . I saved it in a CASSETE TAPE back then! I *treasured* that tape *so much*

I've never clicked on a video so fast after finding it. FF8 was pivotal for my teen years. This game was so overlooked but the plot was so ahead of its time.

I remember when the trailer first came out. We only had dial up internet. So me and my friend ( I was 15 he was 13) started watching it piece by piece as it slowly loaded throughout the day. Probably took 4-5 hours if I'm not mistaken. Then once it was fully loaded, we watched it like 50 times lol. Coming off of FF7 and playing that to death, this was all we could think about. We were obsessed. Overall it was a great game. Didn't hit the same way FF7 did, but we played the game nonstop for a year or more, and still loved it.

16:55 They climbed inside the robot boss they were fighting. Thats why they were reunited after Squall's group destroys it later.

Good take, only 1 thing: That love expresses itself at "inappropriate times" makes it that much more real and relatable. It's touches on a deeper dimension.

The whatever line made Squall so much more relatable to me. His character type is one that cant arsed to really push himself or to worry about other peoples feelings, until later in the game ofc. The constant "whatevers" (in his head, never spoken out much) is very realistic and relatable to an outcast teenager.

One cannot make a video about FVIII without mentioning the amazing score by Nobuo Uematsu. I think especially in this game and in relation to what was said in the video the music plays a very significant role to support the game.

I haven't play FF8 in probably 15-20 years but I gotta tell you, man, that music and the end plus the dedication for your wife got me right in the gut. Literally one of the most beautiful soundtracks of any FF game, and just such a wonderful story. I think you nailed the video here, well done. I remembered the majority of what you went over but there's always some things that get lost in the memory banks over time, so it was a lovely refresher.

This was my first FF game and I honestly loved it. I did think that the orphanage scene was pretty stupid but I enjoyed the growing relationship between Squall and Rinoa. lol I had a lot in common with Squall so he spoke to me as a character.

Regarding the translation: the Italian version was translated directly and more literally from Japanese, so there are very few instances of the infamous "Whatever...". So when the Japanese translation appeared I could instantly recognize its Italian equivalent, and was surprised of how close they were. Another thing where the Italian translators did better, imo: the English version translated "Arutimishia"'s name as Ultimecia, deriving it from the "ultimate spell" Ultima, but I think the correct translation of the name is the Italian one, Artemisia.

This is one of the absolute best introspective videos about FF8. I had no idea about the infamous "Whatever" noy being so prevalent with a Japanese equivalent. Also lovely art from your wife! FF8 is still my favorite and was my very first FF in the series. I LOVE the junction system.

5:15 - Squall wasn't meant to be likeable in the begginings. But his visual is the absolute best from any other game, be another Final Fantasy, JRPG or game at all. Of all medias, he really is the "best looking guy here". Black on white, a pair of red belts. I wear two belts when I dress up to go somewhere to this day!

Thank you very much for covering my favorite game of the entire series. When I first played it I was in the middle of dealing with a traumatic childhood and there was a clear resonance. I understood where Squall was coming from even with the overly simplified translations. I think it helped me get through some of my own stuff going on Squall's journey.

Awesome insight for this game! Your essay also got me thinking about Laguna's fate which paved the path for Squalls fate. I've always felt a sense of tragedy for Laguna because fate intervened in his two possible loves - Julia and Raine. With your attention on acceptance of fate, it helps me feel better about Laguna since he exemplifies the acceptance of fate in order to end the revolution - and how that acceptance was a necessary precursor for Squall and Rinoa's fate. Man... what a great game lol

It's a closed time loop. It's also a time paradox. It is also a death dream. Every time I play it I will use these three theories and let my thoughts go in their directions. It gets very dreamy and screwy like that. The music and some of the settings and graphics also lend a surrealistic feel to this game too.

Dude, you have been consistently been making videos about some of the most influential things in my life. Things like Silent Hill, Neir, Metal Gear, lately you did the Enter the Void video which I haven't herd anyone talk about in like 10 years and now your doing FF8? Dude keep it coming, I'm always interested hearing your take on these things.

I was 23 when I beat the game. Never before and never since have I cried after finishing any song movie or book..... my heart burst into tears not only because of the depth and beauty, but because my adventure was also over. It is the most beautiful and profound works of art I have ever enjoyed. A master piece

20:35 - Max, this *MUST* become a thing in your videos. I love it, I absolutedly *adored* those bits.

Beautiful video. I genuinely believe one of the reasons FF8 remains so controversial to this day is the fairly lackluster English translation. Squall's "Whatever" is only one example of how much they dumbed down the original Japanese script. Another example, which I find equally egregious, is Ultimecia herself, who had much of her dialogue reduced to maniacal laughter in the English translation, robbing her of some of the depth given to her by the original text. The role fate plays in FF8's narrative also deeply affects Ultimecia's story. Everything she does is motivated by her obsession to defy her fate of being killed by a "legendary" SeeD. By the time Ultimecia was born in the distant future, she was already known across generations as the evil, time-traveling sorceress who would one day plunge the world into chaos. Perhaps that knowledge and the hardship she had to endure as a consequence of it was the thing that drove Ultimecia to villainy in the first place. It is very possible that Ultimecia wasn't even her real name, but after many years of persecution by SeeDs, one sorceress proclaimed that, if they wanted Ultimecia, she would give them Ultimecia. Time compression was the way she attempted to defy fate, by taking control over time itself, which, of course, backfired massively and ironically led to the exact downfall fate had in store for her. I really love FF8. A big chunk of the story's richness is buried deep in the game's themes and subtext, which doesn't work for everyone and I totally get that, but for some reason, it really resonates with me.

Edit: That banner at the end is very cool! The major barrier to FFVII's greatness is the simple fact that half of its story was never implemented. Laguna's segments were meant to occupy a much larger percentage of the story, and would have shown how Laguna and Squall effectively took the same journey to the same destination. That's why his reveal as the president of Esther kinda just comes out of nowhere. But... well... they ran out of time, so large swathe of the narrative just end up not connecting the way they were meant to. I've come to appreciate more about FF8 as I've gone older, but I'll always wish that we'd gotten that more complete version of the story.

Look, for me it's as simple as this. FF8 is the best FF game ever, based on that opening cinematic alone. I can still remember the first time I saw it, with my best friend, we were rendered speechless. Even now, 25 years later, just THINKING of it can sometimes give me goosebumps. And if I rewatch it, I get goosebumps every time. There are VERY few things I've experienced in my life that hit me like that cinematic did.

Squall is definitely rude at the beginning of the game but throughout the game, he becomes more and more "human" or "normal", as far as social behaviours are concerned.

In terms of the "mistranslation", I shall give my input as a professional translator: the most important part to us is sense and context. While "my bad" and "get off my back" may not that rude in English, in Japanese, it might be incredibly rude. Remember that Japanese people have a huge politeness culture and they pick their words carefully. So the "whatever " may not be that far fetched. We try to transmit media from one culture to another.

How Saejima once have said: "You gotta go balls deep, Kido"

Squall is emotionally damaged because Ellona (sp) more or less abandoned him that was his older sister. I have 4 sisters and I can relate to him to squall, being emotionally unavalable or seeing people as NPC's. its Rinoa that gets him to open up. love this game. thank you Max

I've always hoped you would talk about this game in a part of me, this was the first game I ever played that created an interest in something deeper than just a game to complete, with the characters, the way the world had so much intrigue and mystery, the politics you were swept up in, even the complexity of how deep you could get into the item refinement system, this created the "Wonder" inside me that I carry into every game I play, thank Max

8 is my favorite final fantasy game. Still have my original copy that I got for Christmas that year it came out🙏 *you're right about the junction system it's amazing. If you take the time to master it it can be unbelievably satisfying. Also shoutout to Triple Triad, that is such a cool mini game

You don't have to draw magic if you know the system deeply enough. *point to head meme* The trick is actually to refine items to magic. You can fight monsters for them, but level beyond that is playing the card game Triple Triad to get the items. The less you understand the system, the harder it is because you grind more, whether levels or drawing magic, or fighting enemies for items. The more you know, the less you grind, and subsequently the easier the game becomes. So it ends up breaking down like this: Grinding levels Drawing magic from enemies Taking advantage of draw points Refining magic from items from monsters Refining magic from items from cards The more you understand, the lower down the list you go.

I never considered saying "whatever" as being jerkish or offensive, just that Squall seemed to feel like it wasn't worth trying to explain his thoughts to people. He always came off to me as a good person that just can't emotionally connect to others openly. I also identify the most with Squall out of any final fantasy character, maybe any fictional character.

Huge thanks for your videos, Max. I truly appreciate what you're doing. I can't recall exactly when I started following you, but I've enjoyed every single one of your videos and the way you explain things so deeply, making them understandable. Your videos always resonate with me and they come as a perfect synchronicity. FF8 was my first game, and I don't even remember why I bought it, but it's my absolute favorite. It feels like I find all my answers in your videos. Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, Carl Jung, the movie 'The Network', 'Enter the Void', and everything else seems like synchronicity because whenever I'm pondering one of these topics, it's not long before you upload a video discussing exactly what's on my mind. Please keep doing what you're doing; it's unique, and I'm deeply impressed by how you interweave gaming, philosophy, and esoteric themes so insightfully. Considering your interest in philosophy and the occult, I'd like to recommend two other channels that I believe you and your viewers would appreciate: Agrippa's Diary and Eternalised. Agrippa's Diary offers a fascinating insight into the world of Alchemy, Esotericism, and the secretive history of ancient societies. Eternalised, meanwhile, focuses on infusing life with meaning and value, exploring deep philosophical and spiritual topics. ❤

i never clicked something so fast!!! my first final fantasy was 7, and then i played 8 right away and i loved it!!

I remember seeing FF8 in a playstation magazine after obsessing with FF7 and when i played it, i had such a good time. It really was such a great game, I was confused at the time that it wasnt a sequel, or attached in any way. But i have always had this game in my heart even though it was so confusing to me at the time

Squall was so similar to me in personality as a kid that it felt like I wrote my own self-insert. I've never viewed FF8 as about fate, though I see that reading, but as dealing with your internal struggles in light of existential conflict. And people like Squall because he's genuine.

So glad to see you cover FFVIII in a video. I always had a soft spot for this game, and love the world and story they built, even if it wasn't always perfect. I also really enjoyed the unique gameplay decisions they made in this game. I honestly always thought this game was beautiful, and brilliant in its own way.

Max, this is your best video yet. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for it. Pointing the bad translation and giving us the guide to understand Squall better literally makes me rethink about myself, because FF VII and VIII had a *huge* impact in my growing up. This video made me cry tears of joy and laugh at some bits. I'm at a loss of words here. So *much* respect, and please come to Brazil.

I'll always remember as one of my personal TOP videogame moments, Angelo randomly dealing the final blow to Ultimecia 😂

love this game and I love your analysis! its always been one of if not my favorite games and I notice something different every time I start a new run. like you I find that I identify with Squall so much more than it seems other people do. I suppose it makes sense that more gregarious and outspoken protagonists are more approachable as characters. hard to pull off someone who is closed off. but thats why I love it so much. the mirroring of Squall and Laguna's journeys makes me think of all the coincidences that connect Rinoa and Squall. through Laguna's actions and love the connections to people tie everyone together so they can meet. If Squall had chosen to continue cutting everyone out, closing himself off he's be lost to time, fade out and never survive. He calls Laguna an idiot after witnessing him fumble and gush to Julia, showing his love courageously and unashamedly. to put himself out there. to Squall he was a fool but as the Laguna's story continues he is indelibly drawn to others and he never wavers in his commitment to those he cares about. crossing half the world doing all sorts of odd jobs, favors, and writing to save Ellone. His loss of Raine did not stop him or deter him from saving love. Squall looks to the image of Griever, a Lion as a symbol of great strength and courage but he doesn't truly attain these qualities until he learns to embrace the fear of losing the things he cares about. he has to be like Laguna and let people in. to truly care and love with his whole chest. real strength does not come from self-reliance but from passion. love and loss and hurt can scare us into a hole that we sometimes never come out from. but Rinoa found her way into his heart. 2 people who born from a twist of fate from Laguna, Raine, Julia, and Caraway's connection. not to mention Edea and Cid and the rest of the gang. Squall defeating Griever in his battle against Ultimecia shows us which Lion is truly stronger. one of severance and self reliance, avoidance of pain, and one of love. true courage that binds us all through time and makes us real.

Kinda ironic that the Final Fantasy series leans so heavily into fate when it it was FF8 that changed the course of my life (fate?). FF8 that got me back into, of all things, Chinese Mandarin. Sounds weird that a Japanese game would get someone into Mandarin, but since the ending song Eyes on Me was sung by Asian megastar Faye Wong, the game led me to get into her music, and by extension Mandarin (and Cantonese, but I focussed on Mandarin). From there I met a Chinese lady, fell for her and went to live in China. It didn't work out in the end, but the experience of living there has also changed how I view Western culture and its value system as well. By extension, the game stopped me being an NPC, accepting things at face value and led me to ask more questions...and to be honest that's more difficult and dangerous in Western society than you might expect.

Played this game for the first time back in 1999 when it first came out. I was ten. It was my first FF game, and will always remain my favourite no matter what. Funny thing is I've always made it to the end but never finished it.

One of the major aspects of the story I was enlightened to in my own personal life also includes a western perspective vs an Eastern in regards to love, surrender, faith and yin/yang Sorceresses represent the Yin/Feminine. Their Knight is the Yang/Masculine. As we oppose the truth about who we are, faith in our partner, we become more distorted like the sorceresses. Especially in terms of the Yin/Feminine. Which I why sorceresses like Adel took on male features - she didn't want to give into the truth of her femininity and thus manifested male parts in her distortion. The Yin/Feminine role is faith in the unknown/outside of the self. Being represented by the Yin is a scary journey and one many within the Yin dynamic often lose faith with because of how the world continues to change. The way others treat you, influences the Yins journey toward distortion, until Yin is willing to see the truth. In regards to Ultimecia, she wanted to be the only one to exist. She's designed to oppose Rinoa in extreme form. When we shut ourselves out from love out of trauma and fear - this is the ultimate result, to create a world where only we can exist. Ultimecias evil I'd argue is strongly based in trauma, living in a world that fears her where a knight can't even come to balance her out because he's so terrified of her. She's consumed by those emotions because at the end of time, the dichotomy between someone like Rinoa (the peak example of someone who embraces her femininity and her trust in the unknown) has grown so great - she desires to ruin the ultimate example of the knight in time - Squall because deep down, it's what she wants but can't have because she refuses to let go and trust the process, the pain... The cultural understanding is a bit lost because of how integrated so much of these concepts of Yin and Yang are so interwoven into their culture. It's something that I'm sure people don't think to contextualize to the outside. My own spiritual understanding of love helped me to understand this game, and every major character. Love isn't something we always understand. And rarely does it ever look like Squall and Rinoa. But, like you said, when you embrace fate - that's how you get there. The truth about who you are, accepting your own flaws.... letting go and trusting.

VIII is important to me. I always sent in those registration cards that were in old instruction manuals. One day, Squaresoft sent an email saying I could get Final Fantasy VIII's soundtrack for free, that all I had to do was reply to the email with my address. I did so, and the four-disc soundtrack showed up about two weeks later. That was my first video game soundtrack and what stared my collection.

16:45 it's not completely off the radar because Irvine, who still remembers the past, did not struggle to snipe Edea because of his fear of missing but he knew who Edea was. Irvine was aware that he is about to kill their matron and was flooded by so many thoughts and worries if it's the right thing to do or not. As for Seifer he still remembers Edea and not only had the chance to protect her for who she was but he got to live his childhood dream of becoming a sorceress' knight, an idea he got from the movie where Laguna fights the dragon in the mountains, plus his Gunblade stances mimic that of Laguna

Nice job summing up the game's genius. The fact is that you nees to play this game multiple times to get everything out of the story: I actually love that. It's like an orange that never loses the satisfaction of the SQUEEZE

I played this as my first final fantasy at the age of 15 or 16. I fucking loved squall. his disassociation from everyone and everything around him felt familiar. this is and will always be my favourite ff. also junction system is goat

Thanks Max, I think I finally found the answer to the ending, thanks to you I can finally and basically time compressed this chapter of my life, and more, perhaps if faith cannot be broken then we should reach the end and compress that time into an unending loop, locking it away and well, pretty much live anew ever after by repeating the process all over again, even if it has to be stacked up, thanks to this I believe I could even understand myself better as a whole, I’m glad faith got us here, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to come to an end with this hellish loop of mine, ty!

Always great to see my favorite FF and protagonist get some love (and deserved credit)! Thanks Max. I'm glad you included a segment abou the "Whatever" translation problem. It perverted Squall's perception in English-speaking communities, though I think It's starting to become common knowledge thanks to videos like this one.

The amnesia point reminded me Final Fantasy Type-0 has a cool concept where if somebody dies, the people who knew that person quickly lose all memories of them. It's another issue where the game's story just goes nowhere with it. It's really only relevant for the prologue, and then it feels like the game ironically just forgets about it.

The japanese script is sooo good translated.... edea has cooler lines too Anyway, so this is Ultimecia's speech in Deling City: "It reeks. Filthy rabble. Since time immemorial, we sorceresses have existed within a fantasy world, a world you so foolishly made up in your heads. Sorceresses in black dresses, sacrificing pious citizens in dark rituals. The merciless sorceress who uses dark magic to burn your fertile land and to chill your homes at night. Such drivel. And now, that the sorceress from your fantasies appears in front of you as a friend to Galbadia, are you lulled into a false sense of security? Which one of us is living in a fantasy now? Reality isn't so sweet, not sweet at all, and all that remains for you fools is this: *kills the president* So, run back to your fantasies. Hide, and I shall continue to dance for you in that illusionary world. I shall dance for eternity as the sorceress who brings ruin. You and I, together we shall create the final fantasy, and within it, life and death will be nothing but mere dreams. Eternal shall be the sorceress, and also Galbadia, her loyal servant. A sorceress needs dark rituals, a sacrifice has to be made."

Loved FF8 as a kid and it still holds a special place in my heart. Squall really resonated with me. I always just saw him saying whatever as a defense to not wanting to open up. As an adult, I'm glad to know that the responses were a mistranslation, because it does seem a lot colder, replaying it years later.

I had to go listen to that song before even finishing this video and kudos for editing Homer into this. I hope to see more in the future! Keep up the great work and I like this style, it's refreshing!

FF8 is my fav game of all time. Nice to see someone else appreciate the depth and character growth.

Thank you for this, FF8 is my personal favorite in the series...and I always related to Squall because like him, I also deal with abandonment trauma...and you by far gave the best interpretation of that ending by far. So, again...thank you.

I never quite understood the final scene with Squall and Rinoa finding each other, but now you've put it into context, it actually made me tear up a bit. :')

This is my new favorite video, I've come back to rewatch it in its entirety twice now. I love final fantasy, but especially 8. Your observations has helped me appreciate the game so much more. I got the remastered one on the PlayStation, but i can't get past the music being slightly off.

I unironically love 8, so you've made my day today. Do you plan to do any dragons dogma videos? I don't know what you could cover, but im sure the comments section could have plenty of ideas

My first FF game and I love it to this day!!! Yeah, it was drawn out in parts and the story was kind convoluted, but something just appealed to my teenage brain about it. I think the fact that the characters themselves were also teenagers can account to some of the behaviors, especially Squall's. I soooo remember trying to shut people out or being embarrassed to show my feelings, and hot him it was compounded so much by his trauma as well. I also LOVED the art, the portraits, the video, it was amazing!

FF8 was my very first FF i played back in 1999 and i love it since then! For me, Squall was always more relatable then Cloud, Zidane or Tidus. I also loved the combat system and especially his Renzokuken :) :D

Final fantasy 8 is one of the first video games I ever played. The Ps2 was already out a few years at this point I was very young and barely could read and I Fell in love with it immediately I will always love this game. (I didn't beat it for years because I was a dumb kid) Everytime I play it I like it a little more.

FFVIII was the RPG that got me into the genre and, in my opinion, stomps on the story of FFVII. FFVII was my first, but the story and characters of FFVIII resonated with me so much more. Squall has an infinitely better character development compared to Cloud, and while I understand the nostalgia around VII, VIII will always be THE Final Fantasy game for me. Next to VIII, IX is probably my favorite, with VI being the probably the best in the series overall.

Kefka and Sephiroth were such great villains because because of the buildup to the reveal that they are the true antagonists. Not only are the twists cool, but being in conflict with each of them throughout their respective games, makes it feel more personal and satisfying when you finally confront them. Kefka directly kills family members of main characters (poisoning Doma and the Figaro royalty for example) and Sephiroth murders the entire hometown of Cloud and Tifa, not to mention almost killing Tifa herself. Ultimecia, on the other hand, is only vaguely hinted at and never has the opportunity to build a personal relationship with the main characters. She seems to come out of left field and never really develops beyond a vanilla - destroy everything type of villain. This is also my main complaint about FF9. Kuja was a great villain, despite not being very original (he’s Vegeta and Zidane is Goku) , but why the hell was Necron necessary? Also, the junction system was trash. The plot was interesting at least.

15:19 - Now that was my formation in every gameplay. Zell's limit breakers are fun to imput and Quistis Blue Magic Limit Break is the best (unless you are very lucky, then pick Selphie).

Oh wow Thank you Max Derrat!! Wonderful video, and I absolutely Loved Relm’s Theme from FF VI. Beautiful song, great video, awesome game!!!💜🔥💜

I commented on another topic, but now I have a new gripe with the video, you disliking squall because he says whatever too much and claiming he's a jerk. This argument bothers the hell out of me because it tells me that the player is not invested enough into the story to understand the character, or they simply lack the awareness of what it might feel like to be in that characters shoes. Why doesn't squall shake zells hand? Why doesn't he give rinoa a hug when asked? Why does he completely blow off his teacher when she's flirting with him and wants to know why he won't reciprocate? Is it because he's a jerk? No. Why SHOULD he have to do those things? All of these scenarios are instances where people are forcing themselves on him when he just wants to be left alone and do his job. Zell is a hyper class clown that squall probably thinks it's not only a liability, but likely to get himself killed. Why be friendly with someone who may very well end up dead soon? Why risk building a bond with someone who's a liability in war? With Rinoa, she's not only a complete stranger, but a client of the company he works for. It's strange for her to ask him for a hug. For his teacher, she lies to him just to corner him in a place where teenagers sneak off in the middle of the night to make out, just to unload her feelings and problems on him as if she's entitled to do so and he has no choice, but to mention that at that point on the game, she's still his teacher, making it all the more inappropriate for her to do that. Take into consideration that these characters are just teenagers, 17 and 18 years old, coupled with the fact that the main character is literal conscripted into what is essentially the army from childhood, and it's no wonder why he A) is incredibly serious all the time, B) distant and disassociated, and C) lacking social skills. If you pay attention to the ending, he is bred to be an assassin. From childhood his one job is to learn how to kill people, namely, the sorceress. Squall is my favorite character in gaming because he is a fantastically written introvert, and his character arc of finally accepting how to care about people is executed perfectly. He's a very relatable character for introverted people. He is not a jerk in the game, he's not edgy, he's not broody, he's just very serious because he was taught to be since he was a child, and he doesn't understand how to be social, he didn't understand much of anything other than being a soldier, all at the age of 17.

this is one of the best reflections on ff8 ive ever seen, im a huge lifelong fan of the series and i has been one of my favorites ever since its release, i have a gunblade tattooed on my right arm, and this is so refreshing as there are so many unremarkable not very deep or well thought out takes people throw around about the game that dont even seem to comprehend much of the story or concepts within, thank you, i loved this ✨

Sweet video! So glad to see FFVIII getting some love and attention. It is my favorite videogame of all time and it really influenced me in my teen years. Thank you!

Thank you for the video, it was my first game in ps1 and then I played the rest the console had to offer. Any thoughts on FF8 Rinoa/Ultimecia theory and Faceless Squall? Can there be a video analysis of it?

I've never played the 'Final Fantasy' series but I love all your videos, please keep it up! I appreciate all your work, and your wife is a phenomenal artist, you two complement each other perfectly.

I just love how this game comes up again and again. The twist that comes later on still hits me, that, "It", was there the whole time. They still tried to wrap everything up by the end of Disc three. This was my first one.

amazing video, im not a very analytical person when it comes to storys like these, but your explaination hit the nail on the head as to why this was my favourite ff game. thank you for your time and effort

13:17 can somebody tell me the name of the song in the background please? I can’t recall the name but I swear I have listened before 😢

24:24 - Fantastic art, Wife-of-Derrat! I'm glad you've got this connection and such a positive relationship with love itself.

First off thank for this video. When I was younger (27) now. I loved this game than played again around (19) and I 100000% connected with squall in the sense of wanting to let go of the thought in your head and seeing everyone around you. Have a good time. His social anxiety at times were definitely something I resonate with. But Rinoa was the extrovert he needed to never give up on him and really (give him the light) he needed to keep in trucking. Again my opinion but hands down my favorite in the series I’d pay big bucks to have it remastered in the same ratio as ff7

eff, i luv how you explained this. So well done! I have a fussy and warm feeling inside after watching this. you have yourself a new sub, damn straight! big up, mate!

Had to pause and read that reddit post about Squall's trauma. Goddamn, I just learned there's a name for it, and I'm basically Squall. Thanks for the video, Max. I learned a lot from this, surprisingly. You actually gave me hope toward overcoming the distance. I'm basically Squall--I even look like him--so it was kind of profound to watch this. Thanks again.

I hate how people view Squall as an A-hole automatically. I tend to see him as a little shy, perhaps a bit anti-social. But Mostly I have always seen him as a Quiet soldier with a poor memory, Confusion, and possibly some level of PTSD. He was forced to deal with so much, at an age so young, just because he seemed good at what he did, doesn't mean he was mentally prepared for any of it. I loved Squall. I felt that Squall represented a lot of things I was thinking and feeling as a teen "..." & "Whatever" were my reaction to a lot of annoying, Dramatic or overly "energetic" people. Not liking other People in general, and not having certain Base-Coping skills isn't something he can really be faulted for. He is a walking Trauma-Case, I love him for it, and I forgive him for it.

I've always loved Final Fantasy VIII, and cite it as a major influence on my understanding of what it means to love someone. It's a game that has moved me to tears every time I've replayed it - and your brilliant analysis here has done the same again. Incredible work, Max!

That ending art was great. Does it exist online anywhere? Would make for a great desktop wallpaper.

Wow Max. Thank you man. This was incredible to me. FFVIII was always the one in the series I disliked the most for many reasons and the biggest 2 reasons you convinced me I was wrong. Most people don't know what they love or enjoy until it's gone. And that's something I've realized for a long time but this actually makes me understand on a whole knew level. This game would definitely benefit from an expanded story to hit home on a few points such as the most important one to me being When Squall realized he loved Rinoa felt forced. That was always to me the biggest problem with this game as that felt completely unnatural even to the point that it made me despise the game. Now however, being a little older, and with your exceptional dedication to understanding and providing the points that were lost on me, I realize I was wayyyyy too preemptive in judging their connection with each other. The last point you made at the end where they actually used their will to embrace their fate was something I needed to understand better. You're awesome Max.

Much like Max, I am an adult (31M) with autism. I'm a later diagnosis (and knowing it now Illuminates a lot that I wish I knew when I was younger). When I was a kid with FF8 as my first FF I was really drawn to Squall in the same way I was drawn to Raven from Teen Titans. They're loners who self-isolate both to protect themselves and because they feel isolation on a deep emotional level. It's hard for them to reach out, it's hard for them to connect, it's hard for them to overcome their need for isolation to process the world not because they feel no one understands them but because (in my reading) they sincerely wanted connection. When Squall says "whatever..." I knew it was abrasive and others saw it as rude, but I also internalized that that abrasiveness as protective masking - Squall is Squall, warts and all. He wants to be seen And accepted, but he knows it will take someone needing a lot of patience to let him process, and he knows that's a huge ask. That, granted, was my reading of him at the time and I can't fault others for having a different, more annoyed read of him. To me, that is part of Squall's masking. It's a form of masking I envied (and informs a lot of why I really got into Sex Pistols and British Punk), because my masking is the opposite. I fawn and chameleon and worry my identity is too open, and seeing a closed-off, cold, abrasive, and, yes, rude character like Squall gave weird power fantasy; one where I could be in control of how others saw me instead of feeling the other way. As an adult i understand it's a "the grass is greener on the other side" situation because it's essentially the same form of intimacy issues but far more lonely. At 12/13 I looked up to Squall, at 31 I wanna give him a hug and tell him "I gotchu, fam" even if he'd shrug it off and say "whatever..." because it hurts to hurt like that.

One thing I find fascinating about FF8's development is how every other FF before had the design philosophy of 'light within darkness', as in theres always hope against unbeatable odds. FF8 chose the inverse of 'darkness within light', and I always found it fascinating to view FF8 through that lens. Theres a lot of themes of lost innocence, subtle manipulation and the overall conceit that things are not as they seem. The world isnt at peace, Edea isnt the final boss, Cid isnt the real leader of SeeD, etc.

I played every North American release in order as they came out beginning with NES Final Fantasy. I identified with Cloud a lot. Growing up very fractured and unsure who my memories really belonged to. I was in high school when the game was released and by then I was much the same as Cloud, being an entity of my own creation. "Why don't I remember joining SOLDIER? That's right, I didn't have to, because..." Then came FFVIII. While I could certainly relate with Cloud, he did not have my personality or motivations. Squall however was me, I am Squall. So much so that the idea that the character was literally based off of me is a very real possibility. Great video, I like your take on the game and I am glad you enjoyed it. 🦊🐾

This video is awesome! As someone whose first FF was 8, I love this and feel a little validated on loving this game. 😊 Will have to show my husband your video and the translation website you sourced.

I never expected to hear someone complain for 7 minutes about how a video game character responing with "whatever" as offensive.

I really loved how Squall would say one thing but think the other especially when dealing with adults. It really felt like he acted like his age. Most 90s-2000s video game heroes fully embrace the weight of the world, Squall was refreshingly reluctant. He didn't want to deal more than he had to, yet adults thrust all these responsibilities upon him just because they sees his potential. Sure he appreciates their trust, but he also resents the weight of their expectations. His introspection was also a thing of his time, with voice acted games nowadays, too much internal monologues would get annoying. He was also aloof and cold not because he sees his colleagues as beneath him, but because he was actually insecure and cared too much of how he was perceived that he pretty much gave up and acted negatively to be seen negatively. Because it's harder to act positively, yet be seen negatively, like the whole you can't please everyone mantra. It's very juvenile yes, but he's 17. When I was an 11 year old kid, I thought 17 was adult-ish, now in my 30s.. yeah that's pretty much checks out. The story overall gets a little muddled in the end, but I still like Squall as a character.

Omg the music you use at the beginning takes me back ... I absolutely ADORE Lost Odyssey ❤️

Thank you for the explanation about Squall's "whatever." That is bewildering that they did that and kept it in the remake. Makes me wonder what else was changed regarding characters throughout the FF series.

Great video as always. You should check out the game Scorn. So much to unpack with the world and imagery of the game. Ending reminds me of martyrs in some ways. Nothing is explained throughout the game, but so much to go wild on with theories and the like. Great visual storytelling at its finest.

Being very introverted as a kid, I really was able to associate myself with Squall. Much of his dialogue isn't spoken and as the game progresses, you really see how much Squall cares for his party members, while having difficulty expressing it. Growing up, people would often consider my silence to be rude or me being cruel to them, when I actually felt no ill will or antagonism against them at all, much like how NPCs would interpret Squall's responses. His "Whatever" line, translated or not, works just fine, because that's actually how someone who is introverted will act. They will seemingly be rude, despite it not being their intention. "Who would refuse to shake Zell's hand or hug Rinoa? What kind of weird person acts this way?!" type line of thinking is basically just you not understanding introverts at all. We don't like interacting with other people we aren't close with, especially at younger ages. Even today, if I were to go to a club with friends and they asked me to dance, I would immediately shut down. Introverts have VERY strong boundaries to their comfort zones and in the game, you can clearly see when Squall's comfort zones are being breached; he shuts down and refuses to interact. Meanwhile other FF protags either don't even have their own personality or copy someone else's...

Great analysis, I never thought of the theme of embracing fate being in the story and it completely blew my mind. Come to think of it, it seems like "embracing fate" theme is very similar to recent works such as "Attack on titan" and "Tenet", which all of them talks about predetermined fate may not be such a bad thing. Granted, probably because of the presentation of the story, it didn't hit as hard as it should be and I completed the game at least 4 times.

Great video man! FF8 has always been one of my favorite ff games right next to ff7. I feel like the game leaves a lot up to interpretation and that always seemed to me why it was so divisive. I would love to see you do a video on some of the deeper theories of the game lie the Rinoa=Ultimeca theory and the Squall dream theory. Would love to hear your interpretation on those.