I have a weakness for shiny new figures from the franchises I like, especially if they’re as detailed as, say, an illustration from artist Yoshitaka Amano. Amano is known for his artwork in the Final Fantasy series along with anime like Gatchaman and Casshan (just to name a few), so when I saw that Square Enix was releasing a figure based on his Final Fantasy 6 art I knew it would be an absolute vision. Amano’s work is stunning and immediately recognizable when you see it.
What I didn’t know was that I’d only be able to afford Square Enix’s latest collectible release if I went on The Price Is Right, got to spin the wheel, and landed on $1 TWICE so I could get that $11,000 cash prize.
What is the statue?
The statue features Final Fantasy 6 heroine, Terra Branford, riding atop Magitek Armor—which is featured in the logo of the game and in Amano’s artwork. Of course, no gigantic Final Fantasy statue would be complete without a couple of Moogles lounging around.
When initially asked about his thoughts on the statue replica, Amano’s response was, “Wow, it really exists.” I can’t say I blame him. The statue is HUGE, as we can see when it’s placed on a table in front of Amano.
Part of Square Enix’s Masterline series, the statue is an astonishing 78 centimeters tall and 58 centimeters wide. It’s weight? 34.2 kilograms. Basically, it’s the size of a small human – once you assemble it, of course – and has a price tag of 1,485,000 yen (a little over $11,500 USD). That price includes tax, by the way, in case you need that to sweeten the deal or… something.
Related: Vincent Valentine Voice Actor Says Character Recast for FFVII Rebirth on Siliconera
Fans, and Hironobu Sakaguchi, are appalled at the price tag
As to be expected with Square Enix’s announcement, there were a lot of “lol what” reactions on Twitter. Some even went so far as to point out that Square Enix’s other statue in the Masterline Series (from Nier: Automata) isn’t nearly as much (it’s close to $3,000, which is still a lot, but it’s not 11 THOUSAND DOLLARS). While the Nier statue isn’t as big as the Final Fantasy 6 one, it’s still a fairly decent size at 24.5 inches tall and 21.7 inches wide. In comparison, the Final Fantasy 6 statue is about 30 inches tall and close to 23 inches wide.
Then? Hironobu Sakaguchi, the original creator of Final Fantasy, chimed in.
これは、ないな。
— 坂口博信 (@auuo) April 24, 2022
FANTASIANのジオラマ制作費用からしてもｗ
ちょっとヤバいのでは？
だいじょうぶスクエニ？ https://t.co/QFtEoHVpl3
And here’s a quick translation of that tweet.
Square Enix announces a statue of Terra riding Magitek armor from FF6 to come out next year, costing over $11,000 USD. ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.
— Kaylyn Saucedo – MarzGurl ➡️ Fighting the Yakuza (@MarzGurl) April 24, 2022
FF creator Hironobu Sakaguchi comes in, LAUGHS, says even the dioramas for Fantasian didn’t cost that much, and asks, “SE, are you OK?” https://t.co/qVGitcIK0M
Fantastian is an RPG developed by Mistwalker (the studio founded by Sakaguchi in 2004 after he left Square) that was released in 2021. According to Destructoid, the developers used over 150 real-life dioramas to illustrate the environments in the game. Basically, Sakaguchi’s saying that the dioramas the team created for their game didn’t cost as much as this single statue, then goes on to ask Square Enix if they’re okay.
I’m not gonna lie, that Final Fantasy 6 statue looks impressive as hell, but it’s clearly meant for one of those “I don’t know what to do with all this money so I buy a car for every day of the week” houses that I see on TV. That’s not to say someone who isn’t overly wealthy can’t buy this (I can’t tell you how to live your life), it’s just a LOT of money to invest in ONE item. That being said, if you’re someone who can actually afford it so you’re considering hitting that preorder button, please feel free to let a camera crew walk through your home so I can see a luxuriously decorated Final Fantasy-themed room with a statue that’s nearly half my height.
(Featured Image: Tediferous/Square Enix)
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