Final Fantasy XVI characters: Meet Clive, Joshua and Jill

Square Enix has published the official website for Final Fantasy XVI, introducing three of the main characters.

A month ago, during the PlayStation Showcase, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy XVI. It was a fresh take on the fantasy RPG franchise, with a darker tone and an intriguing, yet still vague premise. Today, Square Enix divulged a bit more information, fleshing out the world of Final Fantasy XVI along with the three main protagonists.

Clive Rosfield

First up is Clive Rosfield, the main playable protagonist in FFXVI. We were introduced to Clive in the initial teaser as he referred to himself as “Josua’s shield,” sworn to protect him. He’s the firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria, one of the six realms of Valisthea, a land blessed in the light of the Mothercrystals (the setting for FFXVI).

Clive dedicated his life to mastering the blade and is dubbed “The First Shield of Rosaria.” We also now have a bit more clarity as to what it means to be Joshua’s shield. Here’s what the website says:

"His practice pays off when, at just fifteen years of age, he wins the ducal tournament and is dubbed the First Shield of Rosaria—tasked to guard the Phoenix and blessed with the ability to wield a part of his fire. Alas, Clive’s promising career is to end in tragedy at the hands of a mysterious dark Eikon, Ifrit, setting him on a dangerous road to revenge."

Although Clive is not the Dominant of the Phoenix, he does seem to possess a part of his fire ability. Perhaps it’s linked to the Ifrit tragedy that strikes.

Joshua Rosfield

This brings us to Joshua, the younger brother of Clive (by five years) and the second son of the Archduke of Rosaria. Joshua is the Dominant of the Phoenix. Basically, each of the six realms has a Dominant, “a single man or woman who is blessed with the ability to call upon their dread power” (aka Eikons, or referred to in previous Final Fantasy games as summons).

Joshua doesn’t seem keen on being born as the Dominant of the Phoenix and would’ve much rather preferred it be his “stronger, braver brother.”

Interestingly, both descriptions mention a tragic event that changes Clive’s life forever and in the teaser we see Clive existing in two different periods of time. What could this life-changing event entail?

Jill Warrick

The third and final character to be detailed is Jill Warrick, our first female lead in FFXVI. Jill was born in the fallen Northern Territories but taken from her homeland at a young age to become a ward of Rosaria, tasked with securing peace between the two warring nations. Although she is not biologically related to either Clive or Joshua, she was raised alongside them and is very much considered part of the Rosfield house.

So now that we have a bit more of the premise fleshed out along with who we’ll be playing as, it’s a bit easier to start getting hyped for this game. The Dominants for the other five realms remain a mystery, but will hopefully start getting revealed soon as well.

Final Fantasy XVI was announced as a PlayStation 5 exclusive. No release date has been announced.