Moving Pictures: Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV

So, when Final Fantasy XV was released, there was a lot of promotion for it. While the critical reception of the game itself has been mixed (I for one, enjoyed it a lot), and the movie, Kingslaive wasn’t exactly popular — although, I’ll touch upon that in my article about that specific film — Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV was a collection of five short original video animations (OVAs) that delved into the relationships and histories of our main cast: Noctis, Gladiolus, Ignis, and Prompto.

The first episode, Before the Storm, is only around eleven minutes long and focuses on Noct’s past, and his country’s history with the Niflheim Empire. The story begins with the fiend that nearly killed Noct when he was but a child. We also see the dynamics, where Gladio and Ignis are essentially taking care of Noct, while Prompto, his best friend, is along for the ride. They need to all keep Noct’s identity secret, as the Empire assumes he’s dead, along with the rest of the royal family, but they’re not above fighting the Empire, as the latter half focuses on their battle with an Empire convoy on their way to get to the ferry at Cape Caem. While there, they show how long the Empire has been at war with them, as the same fiend from Noct’s past, has been released by the Empire, and in a burst of rage, the episode ends with him going head-to-head against the monster.

Dogged Runner is the second episode, and it’s an insight into Prompto’s history with Noct, after Prompto stops the Regalia to help an injured puppy on the road. Noct and Prompto went to school together as children, but Prompto was shy and overweight but maintained a strong passion for photography and animals. It’s through his interest in animals that he runs into Pryna, one of Lunafreya’s puppies, injured on the side of the road. He takes Pryna home to nurse her back to health, and Luna is grateful, mentioning how she hopes Prompto and Noct will be friends. Although he tries to approach Noct, he feels unworthy after he trips up and Noct comments on him being heavy as he helps him up. Despite this, Noct appears to have no negative feelings towards Prompto, notices him trying to approach him more than once, and was concerned when he doesn’t see him. Once Prompto loses enough weight by running, he finally introduces himself to Noct properly, and the two commence their friendship upon going to a new school. However, in all this time, Prompto hasn’t forgotten Luna’s encouragement, and hopes he can meet her once they reach Altissia.

Gladio takes centre stage in the third episode, Sword and Shield, where we go back to his and Noct’s early days. While the two share a casual rivalry in the present day, back in the past, Gladio only saw Noctis as a stuck-up brat. With a belief that he would never be king, Gladio resents his role as the prince’s future Shield. However, his sister, Iris, is intrigued by Noct and demands to meet him at the palace. However, while Gladio is frustrated she’s there, the palace staff ask Noct for an audience with her. Noct accepts it, but he notices beforehand that she’s left the waiting area. Iris, having been distracted by a cat, runs away from the palace, and outside the city parameters, where she gets lost. Noct helps her get back, and even covers for her, claiming that it was all his fault. Gladio is naturally furious, but Iris comes clean when they return home, and Gladio decides to forgive Noct, and accept him as the future king. Upon getting to the present day, the two are still competing, but in a friendly manner, and Noct is annoyed that he can’t surpass Gladio, who laughs it off, repeating that he would never make it easy for him.

Ignis is in the starring role of the penultimate episode, Bittersweet Memories, where he agrees to have the team rest in Lestallum for the night. While Prompto and Noct go out to explore, Gladio is curious about what sweet Ignis is baking, and it’s revealed that for the past several years, he’s been attempting to recreate Noct’s favourite dessert from Tenebrae. For years, Ignis has been looking after Noct, and while Noctis lives alone in an apartment away from the palace while he’s in highschool, Ignis has been ensuring to bring different desserts each time he visits. However, with his visits, he has also been getting frustrated with Noct’s blase attitude towards his future role — or how he perceives it. In reality, Noct doesn’t want to think of his father dying and taking the throne, and he reveals this to Gladio when he sees him. Gladio, like the Shield he is, serves as a mediator between the two when they argue, and they eventually reconcile over Cup Noodles.

Finally, we have the finale. The Warmth of Light takes us in a circle back to the battle against the fiend, revealed to be a daemon. Throughout this, we see how Noct struggled with the idea that his father cared for him, and didn’t remember much of what happened. Ignis revealed that Regis was unable to defeat the daemon, and attempts to persuade Noct to flee, but he refuses. Despite almost being defeated, Noct, remembering more of the events of the past, returns to the fray, and his trio of friends join him in battle. With the group of them teaming up, they’re able to defeat the daemon, and Noct finally comes to terms with the death of his father, Regis, and grieves for him. With that in mind, the group agrees to take down the Empire once they reach Altissia.

Honestly, when it comes to Brotherhood, I can’t deny that it’s a lot of fun. While the episodes are short, it really shows us the bond between all four protagonists. It shows Noct’s personality well, especially the compassion he has towards others. We see how they first saw Noct, and how they all became so close. Plus, the art, animation, and soundtrack are absolutely delightful. Each episode maintains strong animation, which I have to admit, isn’t surprising, as A-1 Pictures is a good animation company.

It’s a great introduction to Final Fantasy XV, and we can see how much Square Enix wanted to expand on it without going into many spin-offs. Plus, you don’t even have to be a fan of FFXV to enjoy it, but if you did like it, then I wouldn’t hesitate to check out all the episodes, which are up for free to watch on YouTube.