Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi requested a Kappa or Japanese Water Imp suit in the game, and FF14 director Yoshi-P made that dream come true. Read on to learn more about this cute folklore creature!
Rogue Imp On The Loose!
Limited Edition Kappa/Imp Suit Released In FF14
The mastermind behind critically acclaimed series Final Fantasy, creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, has been spotted in the world of Final Fantasy 14 donning an unusual Kappa, or Imp, mascot suit. His official Twitter (X) has been full of pictures he’s taken with other Kappa-wearing players, in various colors and poses.
Back in 2022, he made the strange request to FF14’s director and producer, Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida. Two years later, in May, the full-body suit of the cute green-hued folklore creature made its debut in the game itself as a limited event reward. Needless to say, he’s been enjoying the experience so far.
Sakaguchi began his Final Fantasy 14 journey in 2021 and is incredibly active within the community. He runs his own fashion brand, cleverly named SakaGUCCI, in the game, selling limited edition items; he also set up a "Square Developer’s Office" inside his Free Company’s (which is also called SQUARE) house. Fans are welcome to visit anytime and take pictures inside as well.
Unfortunately, the campaign for this exclusive Kappa suit has already ended. But even if you can’t get your own anymore, you can probably still spot Sakaguchi’s Lalafell character all suited up in all its cuteness.
Kappa Krazy Sakaguchi
What is a kappa in the first place? A kappa, or a Japanese water imp or water sprite, is a reptilian mythical being from Japanese folklore. Commonly depicted with a scaly green complexion with webbed hands and feet, and sporting a carapace on their backs similar to a turtle, they are seen as the deity of the water and can either be benevolent or the opposite, depending on the tale.
Sakaguchi seems to have a fondness for the cute versions of the kappa, enough to request Yoshi-P to put in the game so that he could wear it any time he wanted to. While waiting for the kappa costume to come out in game, Sakaguchi had other outlets to showcase his appreciation for the aquatic creature. Yoshi-P presented the concept art of the suit back in September of 2023, to which the Final Fantasy creator was immensely pleased. "Yoshi-P, all of the developers, thank you. I will treasure it forever," he reacted in a Twitter (X) post. Fast forward to January 2024, during the FF14 Fan Fest in Tokyo, Sakaguchi surprised all of the attendees when he strolled onto the stage with his custom-made full-body kappa suit. "I finally got to wear a kappa costume for the first time, in Tokyo Dome too. I came back from Hawaii to become a kappa!" he joked on stage.
Glad to see that he is living his best kappa life now. If you’re lucky enough, you can find the kappa-loving creator in Final Fantasy 14!
