I imagined I might as well do one of these, considering the fact that I actually love analyzing a game to it's core and it's no secret Final Fantasy VIII is my favourite Final Fantasy of all, I thought I might talk about it's protagonist, a character I felt very tied to, and whom I hear people say all sorts of things like "emo" or "whiner". I thought I might delve deep into the mind of this inner monologuing asshat teenager and see what we can find.
As all people who have played Final Fantasy VIII can tell you, the main characteristics Squall has are: The fact he speaks in his mind more than in his mouth every waking second, the fact that he's kind of a dick, and also that deep down he truly is a nice guy (EX: When he jumps several stories to save Zell) and does care deep down about his teammates. But why does he act like this? Well for this we need to go back to when Squall was a child. Squall lived in an orphanage, with pretty much every other party member (sans Rinoa) and Seifer. Her mother, (who was confirmed to be Raine) died at childbirth, and his father was too busy being the president of Esthar. The one person Squall felt a very deep connection to was her sister Ellone (they weren't blood related, but they were as close as brothers). However Ellone one day leaves, leaving a very deeply emotionally traumatized Squall, whom resolved to be strong and not needing anyone in his life to be able to not feel the pain of being abandoned anymore. This, however is NOT the only reason of his attitude. Now let's remember what a Garden is in the context of the game, it's an academy. A military academy in which Squall got enrolled at 5. He was a child soldier.
Now throughout the game we see Squall is a very skilled leader, with a very rational mind and a very proffesional attitude. This is because he had been taught how to be a soldier as soon as he was 5 years old. This comes at the cost at failing miserably at being anything close to a healthy human being. He closes himself in a way that making him open up is impossible (just like Quistis discovered, and she tried for YEARS). But why does Rinoa triumph then? What makes her special? What makes her have the skill of making such a freaking stubbornly close guy suddenly open? That's because he didn't, she FORCED her way into him. Remember the dance scene? Squall was very adamant in not wanting to dance (to the point he even makes himself look like a doofus in part of the dance until he begins to take the dance seriously and enjoys himself.) Rinoa literally takes him by the arm to the dance floor in a very playful manner (there's also the subtext of her seeing a guy with a freshly made scar being sulky and basically wanting him to lighten up a little bit since she thought he might be deppressed). This act changes everything. Up to this point, we've seen people try to make Squall be open. Zell tried, and when he saw he wasn't interested, he just left it at that. Quistis too, but even though she tried, she never went as far as Rinoa did. Rinoa is the only character in the game that forces herself into Squall, and that's why he leaves an everlasting subscontious impact on him throughout the game that evolves in every step of the way.
Remember the running gag in the game that Squall never shakes anyone's hand? It's mostly played for laughs, but if one notices, Squall shakes someone's hand at one point in the game. The only person he shakes his hand to? It's Rinoa. You can tell by that moment that even though he doesn't admit it, he's subsconciously already made Rinoa special. Not only that, as the game advances we see this stoic, skilled leader do things a leader isn't really supposed to do. (Like jumping SEVERAL STORIES to save a teammate or to carry an unconscious Rinoa all by himself to Esthar). This is the game making us see by ourselves that Squall is turning into a more humanized person, all culminating in opening up to an (unconscious) Rinoa, having realized the feelings he had for her all this time is love. And bowing to protect her from anything and everything so that she doesn't get taken away from him. Ever since Rinoa showed up, not only has he opened up to her, he's been opening up to every party member. He doesn't see them as team members anymore, he sees them as friends. Squall's development throughout the game is subtle, but it's noticeable. He eventually realizes that his viewpoints crumble around him and that he needs people as much as their friends need him. His profesional attitude too begins to fade little by little and becomes more personal as he becomes much more human. (EX: The part where he shows discomfort at the thought of people speaking of him in past tense)
Another thing that defines Squall is Pride, he's a very prideful warrior, which is another thing he probably got as a child soldier. He's very determined, so determined he literally self-taught himself one of the most complicated weapons in his world lorewise: the Gunblade. He's so determined he's literally compared to a lion. He freaking walks several kilometers of a bridge on the slim chance to get her to Esthar, a country that has been secluded for years, on an even slimmer chance that they might help him. He's that relentless, determination might as well be his middle name. Hell, Renzokuken translates to "Continuous Sword" just to make a point.
Squall's worldviews are also something that comes up. He doesn't see the world in a "good and evil" kind of way, in his mind, no one is black or white. Everybody, for him, just has different views and mindsets that make fighting a necessity, he himself even explains that he wishes that the world would be peaceful, but that isn't a possibility since people will always think differently, and that difference may or may not lead to violence.
I think that about sums it up, I hope I might have cleared up some doubts about why I love Squall so much, or perhaps even made you see him as a better character. Either way, thanks for reading and have a good day.
As all people who have played Final Fantasy VIII can tell you, the main characteristics Squall has are: The fact he speaks in his mind more than in his mouth every waking second, the fact that he's kind of a dick, and also that deep down he truly is a nice guy (EX: When he jumps several stories to save Zell) and does care deep down about his teammates. But why does he act like this? Well for this we need to go back to when Squall was a child. Squall lived in an orphanage, with pretty much every other party member (sans Rinoa) and Seifer. Her mother, (who was confirmed to be Raine) died at childbirth, and his father was too busy being the president of Esthar. The one person Squall felt a very deep connection to was her sister Ellone (they weren't blood related, but they were as close as brothers). However Ellone one day leaves, leaving a very deeply emotionally traumatized Squall, whom resolved to be strong and not needing anyone in his life to be able to not feel the pain of being abandoned anymore. This, however is NOT the only reason of his attitude. Now let's remember what a Garden is in the context of the game, it's an academy. A military academy in which Squall got enrolled at 5. He was a child soldier.
Now throughout the game we see Squall is a very skilled leader, with a very rational mind and a very proffesional attitude. This is because he had been taught how to be a soldier as soon as he was 5 years old. This comes at the cost at failing miserably at being anything close to a healthy human being. He closes himself in a way that making him open up is impossible (just like Quistis discovered, and she tried for YEARS). But why does Rinoa triumph then? What makes her special? What makes her have the skill of making such a freaking stubbornly close guy suddenly open? That's because he didn't, she FORCED her way into him. Remember the dance scene? Squall was very adamant in not wanting to dance (to the point he even makes himself look like a doofus in part of the dance until he begins to take the dance seriously and enjoys himself.) Rinoa literally takes him by the arm to the dance floor in a very playful manner (there's also the subtext of her seeing a guy with a freshly made scar being sulky and basically wanting him to lighten up a little bit since she thought he might be deppressed). This act changes everything. Up to this point, we've seen people try to make Squall be open. Zell tried, and when he saw he wasn't interested, he just left it at that. Quistis too, but even though she tried, she never went as far as Rinoa did. Rinoa is the only character in the game that forces herself into Squall, and that's why he leaves an everlasting subscontious impact on him throughout the game that evolves in every step of the way.
Remember the running gag in the game that Squall never shakes anyone's hand? It's mostly played for laughs, but if one notices, Squall shakes someone's hand at one point in the game. The only person he shakes his hand to? It's Rinoa. You can tell by that moment that even though he doesn't admit it, he's subsconciously already made Rinoa special. Not only that, as the game advances we see this stoic, skilled leader do things a leader isn't really supposed to do. (Like jumping SEVERAL STORIES to save a teammate or to carry an unconscious Rinoa all by himself to Esthar). This is the game making us see by ourselves that Squall is turning into a more humanized person, all culminating in opening up to an (unconscious) Rinoa, having realized the feelings he had for her all this time is love. And bowing to protect her from anything and everything so that she doesn't get taken away from him. Ever since Rinoa showed up, not only has he opened up to her, he's been opening up to every party member. He doesn't see them as team members anymore, he sees them as friends. Squall's development throughout the game is subtle, but it's noticeable. He eventually realizes that his viewpoints crumble around him and that he needs people as much as their friends need him. His profesional attitude too begins to fade little by little and becomes more personal as he becomes much more human. (EX: The part where he shows discomfort at the thought of people speaking of him in past tense)
Another thing that defines Squall is Pride, he's a very prideful warrior, which is another thing he probably got as a child soldier. He's very determined, so determined he literally self-taught himself one of the most complicated weapons in his world lorewise: the Gunblade. He's so determined he's literally compared to a lion. He freaking walks several kilometers of a bridge on the slim chance to get her to Esthar, a country that has been secluded for years, on an even slimmer chance that they might help him. He's that relentless, determination might as well be his middle name. Hell, Renzokuken translates to "Continuous Sword" just to make a point.
Squall's worldviews are also something that comes up. He doesn't see the world in a "good and evil" kind of way, in his mind, no one is black or white. Everybody, for him, just has different views and mindsets that make fighting a necessity, he himself even explains that he wishes that the world would be peaceful, but that isn't a possibility since people will always think differently, and that difference may or may not lead to violence.
I think that about sums it up, I hope I might have cleared up some doubts about why I love Squall so much, or perhaps even made you see him as a better character. Either way, thanks for reading and have a good day.
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