SaGa series creator reveals inspiration behind Final Fantasy II character 37 years later
Blog Andrew Joseph 22 Oct , 2025 0
Posts about upcoming games on the official Japanese Twitter/X account final fantasy discord duel The reply received came from none other than veteran developer Akitoshi Kawazu, who surprised users by revealing new information about the inspiration behind the Final Fantasy II character.
Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy is an upcoming free-to-play mobile game from Square Enix, expected to be released in 2026. Featuring cel-shaded graphics, Dissidia Duellum brings beloved Final Fantasy characters from the RPG series' history to modern-day Tokyo, where they engage in 3-on-3 battles with monsters. Two teams of Final Fantasy characters will race to outrun roaming monsters and defeat the boss faster than the other. The game will also include audio story segments.
Dissidia Duellum not only lets you add protagonists like Cloud, Squall, and Lightning to your party, but a slew of other characters are also returning, some with special abilities. X official account was recently revealed Minwua character from 1988's Final Fantasy II, will empower your party with his teleportation abilities.
Minwoo's Chinese character is written as “Wu Ming”. The model is Wu Qi from the Warring States Period. Judging from Sun Wu's military tactics, he is considered to be as famous a military tactician as Mr. Sun.
— Akari Kawazu (@SaGa30kawazu) October 19, 2025
Senior developer Akitoshi Kawazu, combat designer on Final Fantasy I and II and primary creator of the SaGa series, responded to this article with some insight into Minwu's original inspiration. Hejin revealed in the post that the prototype of Minwu is Wu Qi, a real-life military general and philosopher during China's Warring States Period. He explained that when Minwu's name was written in Chinese characters, it contained the same “wu” character as “Wu Qi” (“呉” in Japanese and “武” in traditional Chinese). In the Japanese release of Final Fantasy II, Minwu's name was written in katakana (a type of writing used for foreign loanwords) pinyin, just like other characters in the game, so it was not clear to players that Wu Qi was mentioned.
In Final Fantasy II, Minwu is a white wizard from Mysidia who temporarily joins your party. He served as an advisor when an attack by the Palemesian Empire forced the exiled Flynn royal family to flee. He played a key role in organizing the rebels and finding the Ultimate Book.
Another reason why Minwu's inspiration is not easily apparent is his appearance. He wears a turban and has dark skin, and he doesn't look similar to Wu Qi. However, his strategic role as an advisor, and his loyalty to the Flynn royal family and Princess Hilda, do have some similarities with Wu Qi's appointment as monarch of Chu and his loyalty to King Dao. Unfortunately, both ended tragically.
Kawazu's comment drew many compliments from other users. “It's great to receive new information about FFII in this day and age. Thank you,” one person said commentator. Others Eager to learn more about the 37-year-old game: “I wonder if there were any behind-the-scenes revelations or inspiration for other Final Fantasy II characters?”
Dissidia Duellum is scheduled to launch on iOS and Android in 2026. Players in Canada and the United States can register November beta Get early access to the game.
Verity Townsend is a Japanese freelance writer who worked as an editor, writer, and translator for the gaming news site Automaton West. She also writes about Japanese culture and film for various publications.