Characters of Final Fantasy XV

Concept and creation

The concept and setting of Final Fantasy XV, initially a spin-off titled Final Fantasy Versus XIII (ファイナルファンタジーヴェルサスXIII, Fainaru Fantajī Verusasu Sātīn), was created by original director Tetsuya Nomura. Initially in development for PlayStation 3, Versus XIII was shifted to the eighth generation consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. During this transition, Final Fantasy Type-0 director Hajime Tabata became co-director; later in development, he assumed full directorial duties from Nomura. The development period ultimately lasted about ten years, although Tabata now refers to Versus XIII and XV as different games. The game was originally part of Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy, a collection of games united by a common mythology and shared themes. When it was renamed, XV "disconnected" from Fabula Nova Crystallis; although the mythos was retained, its role in the story was reduced and its unique terminology was removed to provide XV with an individual identity. A surviving theme from the mythos was the struggles of humans chosen by a divine crystal. The central concept behind the world of XV is "a fantasy based on reality": the setting is based on the real world and the fantasy elements grew out of familiar settings. Realizing this aspect of the game was quite difficult for Nomura before the game's move onto eighth-generation hardware. While the story was similar to other entries, he wanted to create more realistic characters. His ambition was to make XV "about man in the real world", including less fantasy elements. He also described XV as the darkest entry in the series, acknowledging that this atmosphere might narrow its target audience while feeling that the time was right for such characters.

The initial story themes were "misery" and "bonds", with all characters representing these themes through their actions and circumstances. It was intended to be a painful story that emphasized the power of friendship. The theme of bonds was represented in XV by the relationships between Noctis and his comrades, as well as Noctis and his father, Regis. A key narrative element was Noctis' personal journey from prince to king. The original script was written by Kazushige Nojima, who described his story for Versus XIII as "Myth vs. Reality". When Versus XIII became XV, multiple aspects were changed. A scene that was removed was the original opening, in which Noctis met another character at a treaty-signing party, then had to escape Lucis when the forces of Niflheim attacked; those scenes were changed to have the group being away at the time of the invasion. However, other characters revealed during earlier trailers were retained and would have important roles in the story. When consulted over how his original draft could be reworked, Nojima said that he would be content as long as the overall concept remained faithful to the original. This gave the team the confidence to rework and realize the original story within XV. This rewriting was primarily done by Saori Itamuro, who was credited as "Lead Scenario Designer".

In contrast to many previous Final Fantasy titles, the playable cast of XV is all male. This concept was chosen by Nomura from the outset, and agreed upon by Tabata despite some later reservations on his part. Nomura wanted to depict a story centered on a group of men traveling the world, much like that of a road movie. This approach was inspired by experiences from his youth, in which he often witnessed single-gender groups taking extended trips. He also not want the protagonists to be drawn together by a grand destiny, instead being natural friends confronted with bizarre and dangerous situations. Women still have significant roles in the story, and director Tabata noted in an interview that it is “not healthy to have a bias in genders.” The story takes place over a ten-year period, and the characters' appearances were altered as they aged: this bucked the trend of many similar JRPGs, with the team wanting to properly represent the characters growing through their journey. The game's opening depicts a scene late in the game; this approach was inspired by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, which featured a conclusion linked to the original Final Fantasy VII. In both cases, the developers wanted players to experience a sequence of events leading up to a known conclusion. The ending was left deliberately ambiguous so that players could develop their own interpretations. For both Versus XIII and XV, game staff stated that it would likely be the saddest Final Fantasy story to date.

Character design

The game's main cast was designed by Nomura. The clothing for characters was designed by Hiromu Takahara, lead designer for Japanese fashion house Roen. Takahara's involvement principally came due to the detail needed for the costumes, which were inspired by western fashion: designing them himself would have been time-consuming for Nomura to do along with his other duties, which included designing characters for Final Fantasy XIII. He also wanted to continue to express the game's realism through the character outfits. The design trait for the main characters was "jet-black", while all the character clothing in the game utilized Roen's distinctive asymmetrical styling. Roen's designs were kept in the game when it became XV, as the team felt it would be wrong to remove them. In-game, the color match between characters was explained as it being a special color associated with the royal family and the nobility. The characters of Ardyn, Gentiana, Iris, Aranea, Umbra, Cindy, Cid, and Verstael were all designed by Roberto Ferrari, who had previously done work on Type-0 and was involved with the project from its earlier development as Versus XIII. These designs were completed by 2010, when the project was still known as Versus XIII. To help maximize the realism of the characters, their hair was first created by a hairstylist using a mannequin's wig, then rendered into the game using the technology of the Luminous Studio engine. The same technique was used for Agni's Philosophy, the engine's demo at E3 2012.

To help convey the road movie theme, the team created towns featuring both strange and familiar elements, taking inspiration from the opening scenes of Back to the Future Part II. Alongside the serious plot, several elements of light comedy were added as a counterbalance. A large amount of dialogue was conveyed using in-game conversations instead of cutscenes. He also wanted the dialogue to sound "natural and not game-like or lofty". The changeover from Versus XIII to XV resulted in the redesign of characters such as Regis, and the replacement of the previous main heroine Stella with the similarly-named Lunafreya. It also meant that many of Ferrari's character designs went unused, something he was openly frustrated about as he considered these unseen characters more visually striking than his surviving designs. Ferrari was brought on board the project in 2010 after an unidentified female designer resigned as her art was repeatedly rejected. Many of his character designs were altered during later development. Gentiana's design was altered and her role changed from Stella's liaison between Tenebrae and Niflheim to her current formal, and the dog Umbra was a ninja-like character similar to the Kingsglaive. Ardyn and Aranea remained mostly unchanged.

Final Japanese voice casting for the game began in 2010. The English localization of XV was led by Dan Inoue. One of the aspects of the localization was using different accents to show the characters originating from different regions of the world: a cited example was Ignis, who spoke with a British accent while the other main characters spoke with an American accent. One of the early issues—which drew public attention with the release of Episode Duscae—was Noctis's voice in the English dub; it was pitched rather low, making the character seem older and less energetic than his Japanese counterpart. This was explained as being due to tight scheduling removing the opportunity for Tabata to catch the issue and re-record before it was time for release. After Episode Duscae, the voice work was redone to better convey Noctis's personality. Different issues raised later included Ignis's localized lines, which changed aspects of the character interaction, and the alteration of Cindy's name from the original "Cidney". In an interview with Famitsu during Gamescom, Tabata revealed that the main reason for the delays in XV's release were related to the game's localization and debugging, as the team wanted to bring the game out in the west close to its Japanese release. In addition to being released with French and German dubs and text translation for those respective regions, it was also localized for Latin America with Latin American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese text: this was the first time a Final Fantasy title was localized into these languages.

Noctis Lucis Caelum

Voiced by: Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Japanese); Ray Chase (English) Young Noctis Voiced by: Miyuki Satō (Japanese); Hyrum Hansen (English)

Noctis Lucis Caelum (ノクティス・ルシス・チェラム, Nokutisu Rushisu Cheramu) is the protagonist and sole playable character of XV. The crown prince and protector of Lucis, he was granted magical powers from a near-death incident in his childhood. At the game's beginning, he is en route to the city of Altissia for his arranged marriage with Lunafreya when he receives the news of Lucis's invasion by Niflheim.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Voiced by: Rina Kitagawa (Japanese); Amy Shiels (English) (XV) Voiced by: Shiori Kutsuna (Japanese); Lena Headey (English) (Kingsglaive) Young Lunafreya Voiced by: Liliana Chomsky (English)

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret (ルナフレーナ・ノックス・フルーレ, Runafurēna Nokkusu Furūre), "Luna" (ルーナ, Rūna) for short, is the main heroine of Final Fantasy XV and the "keystone" of the Final Fantasy XV Universe. A princess of the royal family of Tenebrae and a childhood friend of Noctis, she was held prisoner by Niflheim after they invaded her homeland. Her standing as the nation's magically-gifted Oracle grants Tenebrae relative autonomy under imperial rule and sees her revered worldwide. As part of the peace treaty between Lucis and Niflheim, Lunafreya becomes Noctis's prospective bride. Following the events of Kingsglaive, Lunafreya escapes Insomnia and travels across Eos, awakening the Astrals Titan and Ramuh in order to aid Noctis against the empire. However, she is mortally wounded while attempting to forge a pact with Leviathan, and perishes during the Astral's rampage. Her spirit then appears to Noctis one last time in his dream, giving him the Ring of the Lucii before fading away.

Lunafreya's place in XV was originally held by the similarly-named Stella Nox Fleuret (ステラ・ノックス・フルーレ, Sutera Nokkusu Furūre), who was to be the main female protagonist of Versus XIII. The relationship between Stella and Noctis was originally designed to be platonic rather than romantic, as Nomura felt a preference towards portraying a different kind of relationship between male and female protagonists. He also wanted to make her the first female character to "stand out from all previous [Final Fantasy heroines]", A key scene for Stella was the meeting and conversation with Noctis during the game's opening. While Nomura deliberately designed her against his usual tastes, he grew fond of her design over the years. Stella's design underwent alterations between 2011 and 2013, mainly to make her more beautiful. She was intended to be a very polite person, with that politeness conveyed through specific dialogue traits in her speech. During the rebranding process, it was planned for XV to be a single, complete experience rather than span multiple games; Stella was thus redesigned to play a more active and important role in the reworked story. However, as fans already had a fixed image of her at that point, the development team felt that this radical change of her character would not be well received. It was then decided that Stella would be dropped and replaced with Lunafreya.

Both Tabata and Lunafreya's English voice actress, Lena Headey, have described her as a strong-willed and independent character, as well as her relationship with Noctis being more complex than a typical love story. To convey Lunafreya's strong will and her high-born status, Naora consulted a professional hairstylist and makeup artist; the way makeup was applied to her eyes and mouth was changed accordingly, and her hairstyle was done to resemble "something that would require the assistance of a handmaiden". Care was taken not to make her too prim, so that players could relate more to her.

Gladiolus Amicitia

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Chris Parson (English)

Gladiolus Amicitia (グラディオラス・アミシティア, Guradiorasu Amishitia) is the eldest son of a noble family pledged to the protection of the Lucian royal family. While he acts as Noctis's guardian as tradition demands, his bond with Noctis is more akin to that between brothers.

Gladiolus's original design was dubbed a "straight muscleman" by Naora, but was redesigned to appear more intellectual for XV. His eyes were also narrowed to give him a "sultry gaze off into the distance". For the musculature of his chest and midriff, martial artists and other similar real-life figures were used as references. As with the rest of the party, he is dressed in black due to its specific significance to the Lucian royal family.

Ignis Scientia

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Adam Croasdell (English)

Ignis Scientia (イグニス・スキエンティア, Igunisu Sukientia) is a man raised alongside Noctis to be his advisor. Provided with an extensive education, he developed a collected composure and tactical instinct. Ignis serves as their voice of reason and the peacemaker, often displaying a dry sense of humour and a sarcastic wit, though not above making theatrical proclamations about discovering new recipes. Throughout the first part of the game, Ignis functions as the chauffeur, tactical advisor, and cook for the group; the meals he cooks when the group decides to spend the night at a campsite can affect player attributes depending on the dish selected. In battle, he is the support member who focuses on exploiting enemy weaknesses, healing party members, and has the highest affinity towards magic other than Noctis. During a midgame battle in Altissa, Ignis gets blinded, and his status as a functioning, contributing member of the group later becomes a source of conflict between Noctis and Gladiolus, the latter of whom accuses the former of being insensitive to Ignis's condition. After a tense mission, Ignis settles the quarrel by deciding of his own free will to continue traveling with the group "until the end". Gladiolus objects to this on the basis that a disabled ally is a liability in battle, but Ignis reminds him that it's not his place to decide. After Ignis's blindness, he can no longer drive or cook, and he has limited skills in battle with access to only one technique. After a late game time skip, it is discovered that he is still blind but has regained his cooking and fighting skills due to self-training.

Ignis was originally created by Tetsuya Nomura for Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but like the other main characters, his design went through some modifications over the years. Ignis's original design for Final Fantasy Versus XIII had him wear a white dress shirt under a jacket and jeans. When Japanese fashion house Roen signed a contract with Square Enix to have their clothing featured in Final Fantasy Versus XIII, the character designs of all four main cast members and Cor Leonis were redesigned to wear Roen-designed clothing. The contract Square Enix had with Roen regarding the characters wearing Roen-designed clothing persisted through the game's name change from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Final Fantasy XV. Art Director Yusuke Naora further redesigned Ignis and the other main characters by making graphical and technical refinements to their designs due to the game's platform switch from the Playstation 3 to the Playstation 4.

Out of the main cast, Ignis went through the least changes despite the technological improvements. To reflect his position as Noctis's protector from a young age, he was made to look more toned and his musculature was developed, particularly around the neck. Care was taken to retain his intellectual look. As with the rest of the party, he is dressed in black due to its specific significance to the Lucian royal family.

Prompto Argentum

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (Japanese); Robbie Daymond (English) Young Prompto Voiced by: Aki Kaneda (Japanese)

Prompto Argentum (プロンプト・アージェンタム, Puronputo Ājentamu) is a friend of Noctis from a lower-class family, dating back to their teenage years. On their journey, Prompto acts to lighten the atmosphere of the party, taking on burdens for others and lifting their spirits with his antics. It is revealed later on that Prompto is an engineered Magitek trooper from Niflheim. However, he escaped and eventually found his way to Insomnia, where he was adopted by the Argentum family. A running gag throughout the story sees Prompto develop an immediate crush on any female character he meets, particularly Cindy, Iris and Aranea.

Prompto's facial features and hairstyle underwent multiple redesigns, the more recent ones based on negative feedback from fans, so that he would have international appeal. As with the rest of the party, he is dressed in black due to its specific significance to the Lucian royal family. Prompto proved to be the starting point for Brotherhood, as producer Akio Ofuji conceived the series based around wanting to expand upon a backstory created by staff surrounding his difficult childhood.

Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII

Voiced by: Tsutomu Isobe (Japanese); Jim Pirri (English, XV); Sean Bean (English, Kingsglaive)

Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII (レギス・ルシス・チェラム113世, Regisu Rushisu Cheramu Hyakujūsansei) is the king of Lucis and Noctis's father, and the guardian of the crystal's power. Regis's connection to the crystal causes him to age at an accelerated rate, as his own life energy is needed to sustain the Wall, the magical barrier protecting Lucis from the outside world. He is the second central character of the film Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV alongside Lunafreya.

A character carried over from the original concept for Versus XIII, Regis underwent a major redesign during development, becoming an older character in appearance. This was due to Regis's expanding role in Kingsglaive and the new technology available. The development team wanted to create a more expressive character and aged him to properly convey his stature as a king. Due to this, his in-game incarnation was redesigned to better fit with his portrayal in Kingsglaive. The redesign was also chosen as his original design no longer fit into the reworked story of XV. As with the rest of Lucis' royalty, he is dressed in black due to its specific significance.

Ardyn Izunia

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese); Darin De Paul (English)

Ardyn Izunia (アーデン・イズニア, Āden Izunia) is the main antagonist of XV. The chancellor of Niflheim and Aldercapt's chief advisor, he acts as the main political force running Niflheim in Aldercapt's stead, and is the one responsible for the empire's most recent Magitek technology. Ardyn is ultimately revealed to be Ardyn Lucis Caelum, one of the original kings of Lucis and a gifted healer who cured people by absorbing Daemons into his body. While he was initially chosen to be the True King and cleanse the world of the Starscourge, he was rejected by the Astrals due to his exposure to the Daemons. He was branded as the "Accursed" and exiled from Insomnia, adopting the name Izunia. Having been granted immortality from his exposure to the daemons, Ardyn set about exacting his revenge by increasing Daemonic influence across the world to hasten the onset of the Starscourge. As chancellor, Ardyn provides the means for the Empire to create magitek troopers by infusing souls with the essence of daemons, then manipulates events that start the war with Lucis and allow the Empire to steal the crystal. He subsequently turns the magitek troopers on the people of the Empire, turning the Imperial capital of Gratea into his own personal fortress. Ardyn also aids Noctis to gain access to the Astrals and kill their physical forms. When Noctis disappears after absorbing the Crystal's power, Ardyn plunges the world into a state of perpetual darkness. He is killed by Noctis upon his return, who then cleanses the world of the Starscourge and dies in the process; in the afterlife, Ardyn's spirit is destroyed by the Lucii.

Ardyn was designed by Roberto Ferrari; his design stood out from the other cast members', with one notable feature being the fedora he wore. He is described by the staff as "an interesting and strange character", with a unique personality and using his attire to express it, comparing it to the outfit of Kefka Palazzo, the main antagonist of Final Fantasy VI.

Iedolas Aldercapt

Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (Japanese); Bob Joles (English, XV); David Gant (English, Kingsglaive)

Iedolas Aldercapt (イドラ・エルダーキャプト, Idora Erudākyaputo) is the emperor of Niflheim and an antagonist in XV. At the game's beginning he has withdrawn from frontline politics, delegating the task of administrating his empire to his chancellor Ardyn. Nevertheless, he retains an active role within Niflheim's political scene. Aldercapt is depicted as being hungry for power, seeing the Crystal as a prize and his possession of it a symbol of his control over the nations of Eos. This makes it easy for Ardyn to manipulate him into starting the war. When the party arrives in the imperial capital of Gralea, they find that Ardyn has transformed Aldercapt into Foras, a gargoyle-like Daemon. Nevertheless, Aldercapt's desire for the Crystal remains, and he claims it as his own even as the party defeats him.

Aldercapt was initially voiced in Japanese by Shinji Ogawa, who passed away during XV's development.

Ravus Nox Fleuret

Voiced by: Yūichi Nakamura (Japanese); Trevor Devall (English) Young Ravus Voiced by: Zachary Gordon (English)

Ravus Nox Fleuret (レイヴス・ノックス・フルーレ, Reivusu Nokkusu Furūre) is Lunafreya's older brother and a former prince of Tenebrae. He bears a grudge against Lucis and the Caelum dynasty for abandoning his homeland, joining the imperial army in order to exact his revenge. During the events of Kingsglaive, Ravus attends the treaty-signing as part of Niflheim's delegation, subsequently participating in the empire's invasion of Lucis. He attempts to wield the Ring of the Lucii, but it rejects him and burns his arm. Upon the death of General Glauca, Ravus is promoted to supreme commander of Niflheim's armies, with his maimed arm replaced by one made of Magitek. For these actions, he is largely viewed as a treacherous character, but reveals that his decision was driven by love for his sister as Lunafreya's contact with the Astrals was slowly killing her; a price Ravus felt to be too great for the sake of the world.

Ravus initially appears as an antagonist, expressing doubt in Noctis's ability to fulfil his duty and believing that allowing Noctis to do so could end in disaster, particularly for Lunafreya. To this end, he maintains possession of King Regis' sword, but expresses a will to pass it on should Noctis prove himself worthy of leading. While he is widely reported as having been executed for his failure to contain the Astral Leviathan, Noctis finds his body under a collapsed platform in Gralea's central fortress, having been killed when Ardyn's magitek troopers turned on the imperial forces.

Cor Leonis

Voiced by: Hiroki Tōchi (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

Cor Leonis (コル・リオニス, Koru Rionisu) is a guest character in XV. The Marshal of the Crownsguard and a famous warrior of Lucis, he follows the party in order to protect the prince and his group, occasionally joining them in battle. He fought alongside King Regis against the forces of Niflheim in his youth, and his reputation earned him the moniker of "the Immortal General" (不死将軍, Fushi Shōgun). While Cor initially assists the party by organising the search for tombs holding the Royal Arms, he is later referred to as suspending the search to assist the hunters in dealing with particularly difficult Daemons. He admits to Noctis that he struggles to deal with his failure to protect King Regis, and is last seen sitting alone, implying that he leaves the Crownsguard.

Cor's Japanese voice actor, Hiroki Tōchi, was originally cast as Noctis's chauffeur in Versus XIII before its transition to XV.

Gentiana

Voiced by: Sayaka Kinoshita (Japanese); Renee Faia (English)

Gentiana (ゲンティアナ, Gentiana) is a non-playable character who serves as Lunafreya's lady-in-waiting. She plays an important role in the game; where Lunafreya, as Oracle, speaks to the Astrals so that they may know the will of the people, Gentiana acts as Messenger, speaking to the people—through Lunafreya—so that they may know the will of the Astrals. Gentiana is ultimately revealed to be the human form of the Astral Shiva.

Iris Amicitia

Voiced by: Megumi Han (Japanese); Eden Riegel (English)

Iris Amicitia (イリス・アミシティア, Irisu Amishitia) is a guest character in XV. The younger sister of Gladiolus and a childhood friend of Noctis and Ignis, she currently resides in the town of Lestallum, having escaped Insomnia during Niflheim's invasion. Iris is depicted as having a carefree attitude and is close to all four of the party members; particularly Noctis, whom she is implied to have a crush on. While Gladiolus is very protective of her, he acknowledges that she is capable of taking care of herself. Following Ardyn's conquest of the world and Eos' descent into eternal night following the Starscourge, Iris becomes one of the most notorious Daemon hunters in the world being dubbed Iris the Daemon Slayer.

Cid and Cindy

Cid Sophiar Voiced by: Nobuyuki Katsube (Japanese); Jack Angel (English) Cindy Aurum Voiced by: Yū Shimamura (Japanese); Erin Matthews (English)

Cid Sophiar (シド・ソフィア, Shido Sofia) and his granddaughter Cindy Aurum (シドニー・オールム, Shidonī Ōrumu, "Cidney") are supporting characters who act as mechanics for Noctis's car. In his youth, Cid fought alongside Regis and Cor against the forces of Niflheim.

Cindy was designed by designers Roberto Ferrari and Yusaku Nakaaki, among others. A character crucial to the story and gameplay, Cindy was first introduced in the Episode Duscae demo. Tabata described her as "the kind of girl who is very good at dealing with men". In response to negative comments about her appearance in player feedback for Episode Duscae, Nakaaki stated she had not been deliberately sexualized, but that the team had perhaps put too much "heart and soul" into her design. They chose to make adjustments so players would be more comfortable with her. Originally, Cindy's breasts jiggled so much that Tabata had to ask the team to tone it down.

Aranea Highwind

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English)

Aranea Highwind (アラネア・ハイウィンド, Aranea Haiuindo) is the captain of the Third Army Z-Corps 87th Airborne Units, a group of Daemon hunters and mercenaries employed by Niflheim. Due to her prowess in aerial combat, she is known as "the Dragoon". Over the course of the story, she becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the empire's actions—particularly in capturing Daemons for experimentation—and ultimately cuts her ties to them, instead using her resources to aid refugees.

Aranea was designed by Roberto Ferrari. Tabata has described her as a recurring character, but otherwise holding no special significance to the main story. Aranea's English voice actress, Kari Wahlgren, has described her as "edgy" and "street smart", though her loyalty and morals remain ambiguous due to her status as a mercenary.

Nyx Ulric

Voiced by: Gō Ayano (Japanese); Aaron Paul (English)

Nyx Ulric (ニックス・ウリック, Nikkusu Urikku) is the main protagonist of Kingsglaive, and a member of the titular elite guard that defends Lucis from the invading forces of Niflheim. In his youth Nyx was saved by King Regis, and thus is fiercely loyal to him in return.

Reception

Ignis has been given the 2016 Best Sidekick of the Year award from Game Informer, who cited "...the multifaceted ways he helps the group and the sacrifices he makes to ensure their journey is successful" as their reasoning for their choice. Ignis also came in second in USGamer's Best Sidekick of the Year award; USGamer's Kat Bailey, in her reasoning for nominating Ignis for Sidekick of the Year, said that "...Ignis still makes his mark in the latter part of the story. In fact, the turn his character takes and the effect that it has on the party is ultimately why I think he's the most significant of Final Fantasy XV's secondary characters."

Fan reception to Ignis is positive, and he is frequently named as the best "chocobro" (the fan name given to the four main characters) in fan polls. Ignis has also inspired an internet meme, "That's it! I've come up with a new recipe!", which arose based on Adam Croasdell's delivery of the line and the numerous amount of times the player hears it while playing the game, which, depending on player actions, can lead to Ignis sometimes saying the line in humorously out-of-context or inappropriate situations. The meme involves fans on message boards referring to recipes as "recipehs" (or other variants) to match Croasdell's delivery of the line and the creation of humourous image macros, drawings, or videos that satirize Ignis's love of discovering new "recipehs". The popularity of "That's it! I've come up with a new recipe!" has been acknowledged by Croasdell on Twitter, who also frequently retweets Ignis memes created by fans.

Cultural impact

There has been an internet meme focused on Noctis and his friends in the Regalia looking at photoshopped images. Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto found it comical and motivated fans to produce more in order to increase people's interest in Final Fantasy XV.