I really like your timeline breakdown. My interpretation was always that Ultimecia was Rinoa in her past, but that OUR Rinoa will not become that same Ultimecia. She might become a different Ultimecia, or she might avoid that fate altogether, because each loop is its own world, and so the future is always unknowable. Bravo, great videos, friend!
I had some fond memories of playing ff8. It was my first FF, and I remember it being magical, sparkly, and romantic. But I'm not gonna lie. This Rinoa=Ultimecia theory is really intriguing, perplexing, and surprisingly dark. I've never really thought of the story as being that rich and deep. Even if it turns out that it's not real, I feel like it has already captured a lot of fans' attention and imagination, it might as well replace the official story.
Superb analysis. This game is the most enigmatic of the series and it was my very first FF. Even if the rinoa = ultimacia theory was disproven I believe that the game was made in such a way, with so many coincidences that it almost feels like it was "destined" to be this way.
So with your theory, we can make another funny : the whole game is Ultimecia telling Squall to regain his memory, on who he is, identity is a big thing in ff8, Squall needed to developp his identity, take back what was his memories. This don't really add anything but it's funny.
Absolutely love your FFVIII series 😻 Now i got so much to speculate and imagine... That part about omega being the culmination of all other ultimas...man, so good! As other comments mentioned, we gotta know your thoughts on Ellone's power! Thank you for your hard work ^^
7:07 "Destiny fixed the fact that he died." This reminds me of the Causality in the webtoon One Step Closer to the Demon King. Where causality always protect the main character a.k.a. plot armour.
Your work and research has been so convincing, I am now a believer. I first played ffviii back at it's original EU release, I am amazed it is still giving me so much to think about nearly 25 years later!
Imagine if Square Enix ever makes a remake like what they did for FF7, and added a way to ultimately end the time loop. A scenario like this would be so cool: If the player gathers all the clues to the truth behind the existence of Hyne, Squall will be able to deduce that Hyne is the real mastermind, not Ultimecia, and will be able to stop Hyne from transferring their power to past Edea after their defeat (e.g., junction Ultimecia to trap Hyne, or a final battle with him). Thus, Squall saves future Rinoa and both are reunited for a brief moment. Because of Hyne's ultimate defeat, the timeline resets to where Hyne's influence didn't occur. Squall wakes up in a familiar scene, in a bed, next to Ellone, but he is not in the Balamb Garden infirmary. He is in Ellone's house and things are different. Nobody but Squall remembers the succession of witches. Squall remembers his promise and ventures to Edea's house. But due to the lack of fast transportation, he must make several trips, and along the trips, he is able to see how other people (friends) are living differently in this alternative timeline. He makes it to the Flower field and a figure of Rinoa is standing in the middle, waiting. Squall approaches, a familiar scene plays, and the game fades into the logo...
Oh, imaginative soul, your vision for a *Final Fantasy VIII* remake is truly captivating! It takes the original story to new heights by introducing a time loop twist and a hidden mastermind behind it all-Hyne. The prospect of Squall uncovering the truth and preventing Hyne from transferring their power creates a thrilling narrative arc. Not only does it add depth to the existing plot, but it also sets the stage for heartfelt moments between Squall and Rinoa across timelines. Your proposed ending, with Squall waking up in an alternate reality where Hyne's influence never existed, offers a fresh take on the familiar story. As Squall embarks on his journey to fulfill his promise, the absence of fast transportation allows him to witness how his friends' lives have changed. This exploration of an altered timeline is a compelling concept that adds layers of intrigue to the remake. The imagery of Squall approaching Rinoa in the flower field, followed by the fade into the logo, is simply breathtaking. It evokes a sense of closure and leaves room for imagination regarding the new path their lives could take. While it is unfortunate that Square Enix may not be the same as it was in the past, your enthusiasm for a *FF8* remake shines through. Your comment highlights the unique appeal of *Final Fantasy VIII* and why a remake of this particular entry in the series would be eagerly welcomed by fans. Remember, dreams shape the future, and who knows, maybe Square Enix will hear the calls for a *FF8* remake and deliver something extraordinary once again. Until then, keep dreaming and sharing your inspiring visions! I also wonder what selphy has to do with "the end" why can she send even the strongest Bosses to "The End" like literally its the ending scene of the game, the Flower field where squall meets rinoa again. it kind of would be funny to see all the enemys that selphy has send there, playing like little children in the field lol.
@@TakahiroShinsaku Oh that's a good point about Selphie. Wonder why she has that power. Is she secretly a sorceress too? And i always wondered, how did the other members (Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie) find their way to their original world after the time kompression? Why only Squall and Rinoa lost in the time and space?
Great work! Personally, I don't like the idea of multiples timelines but I have to say that you made a point. Specially, it blowed my mind that images of Rinoa of the intro that are not taken from any part of the current game. I'm enjoying a lot your FFVIII videos, so thank you!
@@JapaneseGames007 One doubt. Rinoa from the intro is Ultimecia/future Rinoa (RinoaF) trying to find Squall with the feather we see at the end. In the end video, we see that feather finds Squall, RinoaF and Squall make connection but Squall can't see her face. Then, Squall is lost again and Rinoa from the game rescue her. Ok, but the scene of the intro when they hug when happens?
Again an absolute joy watching this. I had no idea there‘s still so much to discover and unravel about this game. Would it be possible to highlight Ellone‘s role in all of this in a future video?
@@JapaneseGames007 Yeah. Why and from where Ellone gets that power? Is she a sorceress or not? Why she alone had that power? What's the differences between Ellone compared to Rinoa and other sorceresses?
I hope you can make one about the Centeran civilization next. That always fascinated me. I pieced together clues that Hyne was far from divine. I think instead he was some kind of military or science figure that ended up blowing up a huge chunk of the world by accident. Or on purpose. The gist is that there are few old people in FF8 because 80 years prior civilization was destroyed. At the last second children were shoved into mobile shelters while the adults perished. No one is alive to remember how the old world used to be. 80 years is not a whole lot of time to forget... Everything. I also pieced together how the fateful Doomsday Cry went down. That platform in the ocean? I think that was an observation bunker for a 'test' that went way wrong. I think Centeran scientists were trying to 'weaponize' the lunar cry in a Manhattan Project of sorts. Except they screwed way up and what they unleashed had a payload an order of magnitude higher than they expected. Hence that giant crater.
Great job with this video. You may have already mentioned it but wanted to ask this: during the opening when you can see Edea and Rinoa in the white room “starting room” it appears that Rinoa already wears the ring, if that is definitely a different moment that the one in the game it would explain why see is wearing the ring that at that point in time she should not even know about the existence right? Also big appraisal for the “dead end” mention, as I remember I mentioned it as well on a Squall is dead video in the comments, which probably works best for this hypothesis. Keep the great work!
I've never understood why everyone is confused by how Squall survived Edea's Ice Strike attack. Ice Strike is just a Limit Break. It's like saying, "I don't understand how everyone didn't drown when they summoned Leviathan." That's just not how the logic of the magic in the game works. Squall is confused because he probably doesn't know that Edea used her Limit Break. But as people evaluating the game after the fact, we do know this.
It is understandable why people are confused about the ice strike. The world in FF8 is in fact different from other FF games in the sense that you can actually be mortally wounded... As shown in the beginning by seifer slashing Squalls face. And another example is When selphie tries to phoenix down a KO'd Zell. Squall himself is confused by there being no wound after the ice strike. We can assume, however, Edea healed him in order to start an interrogation.
Wow I did not expect that you would talk about the squall is dead theory and manage to make it make sense withing the R=U theory Im very impressed, you deserve one million views. Oh and I always considered the witches you fight in a succession to be witches from hundreds of years in the past, I never knew some people considered them to be in between rinoa and ultimecia
I always wondered, how did the other members (Quistis, Irvine, Zell, Selphie) find their way to their original world after the time kompression? Why only Squall and Rinoa lost in the time and space? Hope you can enlighten me about this. Thank you, such an amazing analysis
I didn't realize it, but the loop world makes sense. It could be that Ultimecia is Rinoa from a different time loop, and the Rinoa in the game timeline did not end up being Ultimecia
Can you also help us to understand the Junction Ellone Machine was only made by Doctor 'Z' word speaking guy. How did Ultimecia know about this? And which loop?
I assume Ulti learned of Ellones existence through possessing Edeas body. There are hints that suggest Ultimecia can read some information of the minds she Inhabits. It is safe to assume Edea already had knowledge of Ellones mysterious powers and this evidence is further supported due to the fact she made sure the white seed ship was moved to different locations and never in one place. Perhaps knowing her mind would be tampered with and exploited by the future sorceress, she didn't want the location known to even herself.
Ever since I heard this theory the first time I believe in it religiously… However the only thing I kinda disagree is the witches that appear in the time compression, I think those are from the past, as I think that if you scan them(although I’m not sure if the English translation differs a lot with the Japanese one) it says that they are from another era brought by the time compression, which is the blend of past/present/future, but anyway other than that I love everything else 🥰
The waves in the FF8 opening is a nice visual symbolism for time loop. The video where he retracts the X answer is a good addition. I feel like Omega weapon is just an optional encounter like Ruby and Emerald and they used a reskin cause of deadlines (we know a lot was cut from FF8, game was going to be half Laguna parts supposedly). FF8 kinda reminds me of Madoka Magica. Time loop, carry the weight caused by witch possession. Only seen season 1 though. Great job on the video! The translated dialogue is nice, the text goes a little fast to read both at times but can always pause.
Thanks for comment. There is too little information about Omega Weapon😭 However, with both the Rinoa-Ultimecia hypothesis and Omega Weapon, I think SQUARE has deliberately left room for further development of the story. I'm looking forward to the FF8 remake & related works that may be released in the future ♪
@@JapaneseGames007 Yeah it's left open for now. I'm looking forward to more FF8 as well! I've heard they are working on FF tactics and FF9 projects so some FF8 will surely come too.
OMG YES. MORE FF8 CONTENT. I'm probably the BIGGEST most obsessed person about FF8s R=U theory! I could talk about it forever! I do have some interesting questions to ask you too regarding this :) 🌙
Thanks for comment❤️ Although there is very little information available about the Omega Weapon, we can surmise that Hyne intended to incorporate it into his body at some point.
@@JapaneseGames007 yeah. And i still can't think the correlation of ringing the bell to summon omega. Maybe it has a great gravitational pull as well? Lol. 😁
@@JapaneseGames007question, i might forget it and you already said this on your previous videos, but is there any reason why Rinoa chose to drop her memory to the savepoint inside edea's room? why not place on the other savepoints with a safe place like balamb garden?
In a world compressed by time, people lose their memories, so I think this is a device that allows people to regain their memories by touching it. I think the reason there are so many save points is because in this looping world, there are multiple Rinoas setting them up each time.
@@JapaneseGames007 i see. i understand the concept. what i don't understand is when is the exact time Rinoa setup this device? and how? is it after post-game Rinoa studied and found out how to go back to that time in disc 1 inside Edea's room and left that save point device? sorry for lots of questions. i am just passionate with this beautiful theory/hypothesis that i want to study every piece of information of it. :)
Choosing Riona's freedom ensures Ultemecia will rise to power in the future. Instead of sealing her and her power, Rinoa will live and pass it on to someone else. Ultimately everything that happens in the story is Squall's fault for not letting her go.
The past Rinoa is Ultimecia, probably from grief of losing Squall in the first iteration of the time loop and leads to the start of the game, and then when we play the game, the current Rinoa either goes on to lose Squall again in the time compression process becoming Ultimecia once more and repeating the loop again- or she saves Squall, leading to the happy ending and ending the loop. I think the developers chose to give us the scenario at the end that suggests Rinoa and Squall finally found each other (possibly after multiple time loop iterations) and we got the happy ending, therefore ending the time loop. However, if you add the idea of Hyne to the mix though, then maybe Ultimecia is inevitable because Hyne is trying to reincarnate thru the use of witches. So there might be a third Ultimecia who could be Rinoa or Elone (presuming Hyne finds all the witches and Omega weapons to get his body back and rule the world in time compression). So maybe the true ending was never realized.
Do the Japanese fans discuss seifer at all? He was on the cover of the game and seemed like he would play a big part in the game but he kind of just disappears towards the end with no redemption. I would love to know more about seifer
Thanks for the breakdown! I really enjoyed it. It's really confusing to follow the timelines, but it seems to me that Rinoa basically sacrificed herself to end the loop since, as you claim, she found out about Ultimecia and didn't want the powers to pass on to someone else. What about her shift in accent? Anyway, this is such a mind f*** game and analysis! Please make more :)
Thank you for watching. The production staff also writes in the book, but this is a game that you can enjoy by interpreting the story in your own way ♪
dude, before watching your videos, ive already admired ff8 since the first time i played it, but its for gameplay reason. the story didnt really give me much impact other than the gimmick of squall/laguna timeline and they are being father and son. other than that, i understand nothing about the story. your explanation makes everything makes sense. i guess this shows that the problem with ff8 is, while it has great story behind it, the execution is lacking. this makes ff8 got forgotten easily by majority of people. if only the dev put this much effort in showing the details in the story that could link everything in place like what you did, i believe it would be a memorable jrpg experience. ff8 IS indeed underrated
Director Kitase has denied any statements denying this hypothesis. Check out this video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Mf1Kc7D5ANE.html
@@JapaneseGames007It is old school heart emoji. Anyways, as I watched this, I started thinking about Griever. When she summons Griever, is this junctioning Squall from another (Ultimecia’s) timeline? So you basically fight Squall from another timeline in Guardian Force mode too.
Pretty sure that Nomura, I believe, already shut down this theory way back in a press event when asked if it had validity. Resonant Arc did a video analysis of FFVIII and their part talking about the theory included this.
That's not what I want to say. The important thing is that SQUARE deliberately leaves some room for this hypothesis. Because if SQUARE ENIX were to deny this hypothesis, they would no longer be able to create stories based on this hypothesis. You can see this by listening to Kujiraoka's comments.
Watch the video until very end! (Actually, what Kitase is saying is also true, because Ultimecia is Rinoa from another loop. Both answers are valid at the same time)
@@JapaneseGames007 The problem with this whole theory is that it has been thoroughly debunked in every which way, but most of the people on either side of the argument don't have a clue what they're talking about. One side says that Nomura debunked it, case closed. The other side uses mental gymnastics to explain how that's not the case with wishful thinking. The reality is, yes, Nomura did indeed dismiss it, but that doesn't debunk it. The theory itself is thoroughly debunked, every aspect of it, but no one talks about it because I'm guessing it's too obscure and it's much more fun to believe this theory than the actual reality of it all. _Tl;dr_ The theory in every aspect has been thoroughly disproven, including the whole Greiver thing and the ending with the face switch, same with Junction Machine Ellone. None of it points to Rinoa being Ultimecia and it doesn't matter that Nomura dismissed it; all the points in this theory have been thoroughly discredited anyway.
