Thanks for watching the video and reading the comments! We are running a Kickstarter campaign for a brand new initiative; a book called The Legacy of the Crystal that will take a journey through the Final Fantasy franchise from 1987-2021 in our typical granular style. If that sounds interesting, here's a link to the campaign: www.kickstarter.com/projects/finalfantasyunion/the-legacy-of-the-crystal-an-unofficial-final-fantasy-book
Thank you for making this, as a female player I find all of her designs appalling, she reminds me of a str ipp er, I really can't connect with her at all. But Final fantasy 16, I finally can, I think she has a sophisticated look that I can finally stand by. I cannot stand the no clothes/bikini garbage.
10 is still my favorite of her designs, but I really love to see all the variations, and honestly see how each one is building off of the history while still being unique
Yeah, 10 looked like an exotic ice queen you worship without question. That design always felt like it was grounded in reality while still being obviously fantastical.
10 had the best design! I wish they’d give her a back story like how her hairs locks had chains or why she had a cloak and why’d she remove it making Yuna catch it. Or something that would tell a story
FFX Shiva's design is my favorite. She has a very otherworldly feel to match (but also stand out from) the other aeons, and the cool confidence in her stance and animations is just so fricken good.
I would have to say that the Shiva from FFX is still my favorite. I just always loved those huge hunks of hair with all of the decorations and huge rings.
I’d have to say my Favorite is Shiva from XV. Primarily because of her active role in the story, and second because she got her over due massive power boost that was well deserved. Second favorite and almost tie is Shiva from X. However, I have always been fond of shiva.
"active role in the story"? Ah yes, her total absence in Kingsglaive when Luna would've needed the help, and her total lack of non-cryptic presence until Chapter 11 of the game, with the reveal that Gentiana was Shiva the whole time, could freeze Ardyn with a single touch, and already formed a pact with Luna but didn't stop Ardyn from stabbing Luna at all and didn't forge the covenant with Noctis until after Luna was dead. And instead of facing down Ifrit herself, she let the bros handle it and simply dealt a finishing blow when Ifrit was weakened. THAT active role and power boost in the story.
@@andrieputra Yes, she was Ifrit's lover only AFTER he showed true compassion to humanity and granted them the gift of fire. She confessed she coldly murdered humans and thought of them and their dreams as foolish. She was *not* compassionate until Ifrit showed compassion, then she followed his lead. Later she brainwashed Luna at the age of 4 to sacrifice herself for Noctis, and did nothing to save either her or her mother. Shiva only has care for stopping Ifrit. She does not care for Luna, for Noctis himself, or any part of the rest of the world. She was only there to stop Ifrit.
@@belias360 Hey, bonus points for the Dawn trailer that shows Luna getting thrown around by an Imperial soldier. If that trailer is still canon (implied that it is canon by Ravus's actions to Caligo in Episode Ignis) then Gentiana stood by and allowed it to happen. She has flowery speech covering a lot of her mistakes and the fact that the mythology is wrong. She allowed the worst parts of Luna's life to happen but she still gets credit for "benevolence" "generosity" "love of humanity". Shiva only awakened when she sensed Ifrit being corrupted by Ardyn, which we now know couldn't even have happened 11-12 years prior to the game since Ifrit appeared to Insomnia 30 years prior.
FF7 was the first time i saw shiva and was in LOVE! but i love the ancient look shiva has in FFX along with her sassy attitude throwing her scarf at yuna like “hold this you peasant” lol
Well she is still weaker than the other aeons but still underrated until you use items to give her other attributes to keep her as strong as ifrit and ixon...
I'd really love to see a Odin Complete Evolution. As for my favorite iteration of Shiva, it's a toss up between 8, 10, and 13, although I'm leaning more towards 10's iteration.
Ff10 had my favourite iteration. Though not particularly powerful compared to the likes of bahamut, her raw speed made her useful even into the end game. The different ways summons were useful was a great aspect of 10
I like how Shiva can solo the Symour boss fight in the Macalania temple. It became a bit of a tradition to me to end Seymour boss fights with diamond dust except ofcours fore the last encounter where I finish it with Oblivion.
"Fools... you would stoke the fires of conflict?" Its worth noting that XIV's rendition of Shiva added a light aligned version in Shadowbringers. The most well known abilities being Light Rampant in the Savage difficulty, the bane of many Statics at the time.
I know it falls pretty heavily into spoiler territory but I'm surprised you didn't bring up the Ryne's version of Shiva was both Ice aspected AND Light aspected, which is a very unique take on Shiva
Beautifully done. 14 and 15 are among my favorite versions of her, but I've liked Shiva the best of all the "summons" in the game since 7. (smirking) She's just so cool.
I appreciate Shiva so much more now. She was always graceful, even as just a sprite in earlier games. 1 leg up while standing means she was light and floatly. My first Shiva was FF7, but after this video I need to play FF9 and Chocobo Dungeon. And my God, there's a baby Shiva!?
Really "cool" evolution of Shiva, Can't wait for you to tackle on Odin, one of my favorite summon with my favorite attack name associated "Zantetsuken"
To add on information with Shiva from FFXIV, while I myself have not done all of the side quests, it does give more information on who Shiva was within its universe and how she essentially ended a war between humans and dragons (although briefly), and how she was an actual being before her eventual death.
@Duc Nguyen I assume that some of the side quests may go into deeper info about it, if not then what we got is interesting enough considering the depth it went into
I think 7, 8 or 10's Shivas are the most memorable because of their blatant color palates. 13, 14 and 15 are definitely the most.....recent? though. I don't know how I feel about a motorcycle Shiva.
The interesting thing about WoFF is that it establishes that the summon names we know such as Ifrit and Shiva are just the name of their species/clan, which they go by when interacting with people outside their clan. They each have an actual given name, but I don't believe any were revealed other than Bahamut's, who let it slip while in a fit of rage. This means that every single Shiva summon in the entire franchise can exist simultaneously, with each simply being a different individual rather than a single entity changing her appearance every game for some reason.
That's really interesting to know, and casts a new light on the FFXV crossover event in FFXIV. In it, the Garuda from FFXV is summoned by the Ixali, instead of the FXIV one, and they run past you saying something like "It looks like our goddess, but it is not our goddess!" Cementing the fact that there are indeed multiple connected Garduas out there. I haven't played/seen the FFXIV Garuda in FFXV so I can't comment on that side of the crossover.
Small correction -- the hindu god Shiva does have more similarity to the FF version. The hindu god is said to live in the Himalayas atop Mt. Kailash. This could be seen as part of the ice interpretation in FF. The hindu god is also almost always depicted with blue skin!
Shiva does have a small claim to fame in 7, simply for being the *only* summon in the entire game that's unmissable. Even ifrit can be skipped if you just dont pick up his materia after the birth fight.
Shiva is in fact missable, if you have enough Materia to fill up your limited inventory, Priscilla will keep Shiva until you have space and go back to get it.
This happened to me the first few times I played 7. I didn't realize I had missed Ifrit until I printed out like 200 pages of online guides to try to get everything and 100% the game when I was like 13 lol
I personaly think Shiva's inspiration isn't from any other mythology than Japanese. I see her as a Yuki-Ona who chose a name. In every game she appears in, she's either an ennemy or an ally, and when she's en ally, there is always a component of protection in her background. Yuki-Ona, or ice ladies if you want, are yokai who appears in snow storms and either try to freeze people to death for a perceived threat or for fun (some are awfully evil) or guide them to safety or protect them. It actually fit her to a "T" and theu usualy are depicted with very pale skin (almost blue if not outright blue) with white or blue hairs so her appearance also fit that Yokai. Now, why would she be called "Shiva" instead of a Japanese name? That I do not know. Maybe it's because a lot of Japanese people think oversea names sound way cooler like Effrit, Siren, Bahamut and the likes. Those names actually make me think it could be something like that.
I don't know if this is true but I've heard the name may not be a reference to the Hindu god at all but rather just a Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Shiver."
@@Bloodhawk713 That may very well be the case indeed. I mean, not all of this series' summon and espers are inspired or named after mythology. Maduin from FFVI isn't as far as I know, as is Zoneseek or Bismark. Many just have cool sounding names, so them using an English word in a way they would say it isn't really that much of a stretch.
I am pretty sure it's from japanese trying to pronounce Shiver, they do that all the time with English words, she's ice and "Shiva" from hinduism is a dude with no relation to ice...
YAS (Ice) QUEEN!!! Go slay with that Diamond Dust! As an FFRK player, it's interesting to note her affinity with mobs ever since V. It makes me appreciate the Ice Wall mechanic she has!
Final Fantasy X was the best you could have summons stay in battle and command them, that was the best mechanic but needed more control and to be able to summon more than 1 by end game for them to duo attack special moves ;D
I always thought that the Shatter Heart Quickening from Fran in FF12 was a reference to Shivas Diamond Dust, was expecting you to mention it, but maybe i'm wrong.
In Final Fantasy Brave Exvius they have some of the characters tied to the espers as units and in Shiva’s case she is tied with Lasswell and both of them even have a fusion where when they fuse Lasswell wears Shiva’s crown, his clothes have some of her gold plating, and also wears her hair ornaments and his hair also becomes a bit more purple like Shiva’s.
The ffxiv heavensward and shadownbringers appearances are my favorites Ysayle was a great character and the music that plays when you fight Ryne (Return to Oblivion) is the best.
In FF9, I actually tried the grinding to boredom outside of Treno. No, this is not the new ones or emulator, but on my (then) new PSX(as it was called then, damn I feel old now...) But the game had locked out the summons for Garnet, I got her MP slight above Shiva (or who it was that was the cheapest) but you still coudnt summon it. This was a PAL version game, cant say for the others.
I'm hopeful that you guys are able to play FFXIV some time. I love your videos but often feel underwhelmed when you get to your XIV coverage. I would argue that Shiva's role in XIV is probably the most iconic of all the FFs. There's so much lore and story there to be explored. Great video nonetheless though :)
I loved to see a video on Ramah since in some of the games he is the god of lighting but also has some power over time in games that don't also have Alexander.
FFX was my first Final Fantasy when it came out on the PS2, and the moment she snapped her fingers like a DIVA GODDESS during Diamond Dust I knew I was gay. Her fierceness would not be contained.
I will always remember Shiva as my very first summon. Not knowing about Choco/Mog she was the first summon materia I got and she remains one of my favorites. X, XIV (both versions but Ysayle will always have a special place in my heart) and VII are my top 3 variations
Shiva and Bahamut are the best! I like pretty much all Shiva versions. I think 10 was the best until 15 came out, love her in that one, and she technically plays a big role there much like 14. One of my fav cutscenes in any FF game is at the end of 15 when she just pops up and is like lets go! FFR7 was a good Shiva too.
One note about the Hindu god Shiva : A large percentage of his depictions show him in his abode in the Himalaya mountains, and so a background of icy mountains is very very common in his images. So there IS a connection to cold/ice in that sense.
There is a story about him becoming a woman for a bit isn't there? I know a Indian friend mentioned it (However I can't remember if they were talking about Shiva or Vishnu, but it is his avatar)
My overall favorite Design of Shiva has to be the Eden raid version from FFXIV. I know that its basically just a bigger Rhyne, but still, i like her design the most.
Might I add that she had an appearance as a card in Tetra Master. While it is called a mini game, it was it's own entity in the playonline launcher included with FFXI until they discontinued it.
Interesting thing about Shiva in the revamp of Legends II and the premium versions of Dimensions II is, Shiva's Ice Bow was redesigned to resemble the Icebow/Diamond Bow from FFXIV. So it is indeed an intended reference to the FFXIV version. A lot of this is likely due to Tokita and Yoshi P being in contact during the development of all versions of Dimensions II, its why Yoshi P is credited as a Special Thanks.
Ff8 Shiva was 👀💦 for my 12 or so year old self. (FF8 was also my first game, outside of some very casual Pac-Man/Tetris/Mario Bros 1,2,&3) Then FFX Shiva was so badass. And, possibly unpopular opinion, I loved the Shiva sisters from FF13! And me being a huge FF14 addict, the Ysayle story arc was so great.
Spoilers Aww you missed all the lore about saint shiva and the bond between her a hraesvelger and her ties to the dragon song war. Other than that awesome job with the video.
If I understand correctly, Shiva in Final Fantasy 9 was inspired by The Ice Queen, in the game "Stone Keep"; a first-person fmv dungeon crawler, released in 1995.
There was an iteration of Shiva in Final Fantasy XII, though not in the traditional sense. It was implied that the Esper Mateus captured Shiva and chained her to his body to use as a shield. He also makes an appearance in Final Fantasy XIV as a boss in a raid, though whether the ice goddess chained to him is a form of Shiva, I'm not sure.
Mateus is associated with the element of Ice and the zodiac sign of Pisces, the Fish, which is reflected by the fish-like aspects to his appearance. He is also referred to as the Meena Ascendant, which is the Sanskrit name of its zodiac sign as used in Jyotish (Hindu) astrology. Mateus is the creature with multiple limbs wielding a trident. The blue female is the goddess he uses as a living shield. I googled and found this ^^' so the itterations of fish and water shivas could be an alusion to Mateus - while Mateus himself is a reference to the emperor in Final Fantasy II
The usual summons appear as the ships used by the Arcadian empire in XII. Shiva is one of the earliest ones with Ifrit getting blown to shreds. The ship appears prominently in promotional material as well.
Looking forward to Alexander, or maybe the several thunder summons (Quetzalcoatl remains my favourite, despite not being seen often). As for Shiva, favourite version is either X for overall design, or XIV due to the plot surrounding her and those who channel her.
She is fighting so artistic in Final Fantasy 14, she is fighting wildly in 7 Remake( especially in weapon VR challenge ), she is looking awesome in XV and XVI, has cool riding skills in FFXIII 💙 Conclusion : She amazes me in every Final Fantasy game.
Shiva's Diamond Dust from FF VIII is my first memory of my experience with the franchise. I was nine or ten at the time, and my cousin who was in high school, was playing the game when her signature move played on screen. My jaw dropped when I saw that clip. She was majestic, and my imagination went wild. Shiiva (although I didn't know her name) made that much of an impression on me. Years later, when trying to find the animation, I honestly searched "naked woman ice final fantasy" on RUclips (by the way, I'm female). I stumbled upon it, and her name, eventually, haha. Shiva will always remind me of the awe I had, and still have, for her and Final Fantasy in general. :)
An interesting detail I noticed with FF7R's iteration of Shiva: Her earrings are decorated with the same kinda rings that the shakujou staffs of certain Buddhist monks were equipped with... Though it's taken a long time for Shiva to lean into any particular source of inspiration, it appears she's finally settling into a Hindu/Buddhist image.
The Yuki onna Spirit of japanese myth, was The basis of Shiva Summon. Some Buddhist monks claim they can tap into spirits as familiars, almost like pokemon. As such Yuki onna is a low level yokai. But in shinto Buddist belief, as more The Spirit/ esper gets called the more powerful it becomes, and evolves as humanity does. Hence Shiva, being low level gets summoned more and grows. Final fantasy as we All know draws much from myths. In Japan, they dont disbelief things as Christians do. They just "maybe its real" and sometimes miracles do happen. Final fantasy changed my life in ways that transcend reason. And i know more who experience The same.
The Hindu god, Shiva the destroyer, is often related to the Himalayas. Iirc Shiva resides in the mountains, and the rivers running down the mountain are thought to be Shivas hair. Given that Himalayas are the tallest mountain range, and the fact that if you are high enough above the sealevel it gets cold as heck, the ice resemblence does exist. The color of summon-Shiva's skin matches the color of the god-Shivas skin as well. Forgive me if I come out rude with my comment, for it is not my intention, but I'm pretty much certain of the fact that the god-Shiva is the inspiration for the summon-Shiva.
![The Evolution of Final Bosses [PART 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/L9Cqhy5sfmY/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for watching the video and reading the comments! We are running a Kickstarter campaign for a brand new initiative; a book called The Legacy of the Crystal that will take a journey through the Final Fantasy franchise from 1987-2021 in our typical granular style. If that sounds interesting, here's a link to the campaign: www.kickstarter.com/projects/finalfantasyunion/the-legacy-of-the-crystal-an-unofficial-final-fantasy-book
you forgot about final fantasy tatics for the ps1
Thank you for making this, as a female player I find all of her designs appalling, she reminds me of a str ipp er, I really can't connect with her at all. But Final fantasy 16, I finally can, I think she has a sophisticated look that I can finally stand by. I cannot stand the no clothes/bikini garbage.
The way Shiva covers an enemy in ice and just snaps her fingers was one of the coolest things in FFX.
FFX was the coolest thing in Final Fantasy
I remember summoning her for the first time in that fight with Seymour and Anima. Such a moment
My favorite version of her
10 is still my favorite of her designs, but I really love to see all the variations, and honestly see how each one is building off of the history while still being unique
Yeah, 10 looked like an exotic ice queen you worship without question. That design always felt like it was grounded in reality while still being obviously fantastical.
I love the snap style
FFX Shiva is my favorite design as well. I also like FFXV Shiva.
10 had the best design! I wish they’d give her a back story like how her hairs locks had chains or why she had a cloak and why’d she remove it making Yuna catch it. Or something that would tell a story
Not to mention she awakened something inside me
Imagine pitching shiva for new FF game and say "ok listen it's Shiva but it's a motorbike"
😂 LOL! I know, I still can't believe they went with that.🤦♂️
Today it would be "Okay listen it's Shiva... But a black lesbian amputee trans woman."😊
FF10 with that sassy finger snap 😂 my favorite Shiva of them all.
FFX Shiva's design is my favorite. She has a very otherworldly feel to match (but also stand out from) the other aeons, and the cool confidence in her stance and animations is just so fricken good.
I would have to say that the Shiva from FFX is still my favorite. I just always loved those huge hunks of hair with all of the decorations and huge rings.
I’d have to say my Favorite is Shiva from XV. Primarily because of her active role in the story, and second because she got her over due massive power boost that was well deserved. Second favorite and almost tie is Shiva from X. However, I have always been fond of shiva.
"active role in the story"? Ah yes, her total absence in Kingsglaive when Luna would've needed the help, and her total lack of non-cryptic presence until Chapter 11 of the game, with the reveal that Gentiana was Shiva the whole time, could freeze Ardyn with a single touch, and already formed a pact with Luna but didn't stop Ardyn from stabbing Luna at all and didn't forge the covenant with Noctis until after Luna was dead. And instead of facing down Ifrit herself, she let the bros handle it and simply dealt a finishing blow when Ifrit was weakened. THAT active role and power boost in the story.
@@ultimamage3 also sh e was ifrit lover ... but she with bahamut and other oppose ifrit . .in the war she sacrifice herself for make ifrit lose
@@andrieputra Yes, she was Ifrit's lover only AFTER he showed true compassion to humanity and granted them the gift of fire. She confessed she coldly murdered humans and thought of them and their dreams as foolish. She was *not* compassionate until Ifrit showed compassion, then she followed his lead. Later she brainwashed Luna at the age of 4 to sacrifice herself for Noctis, and did nothing to save either her or her mother. Shiva only has care for stopping Ifrit. She does not care for Luna, for Noctis himself, or any part of the rest of the world. She was only there to stop Ifrit.
@@ultimamage3 THAT part. XV's take on Shiva was easily the worst iteration of her I've ever seen.
@@belias360 Hey, bonus points for the Dawn trailer that shows Luna getting thrown around by an Imperial soldier. If that trailer is still canon (implied that it is canon by Ravus's actions to Caligo in Episode Ignis) then Gentiana stood by and allowed it to happen. She has flowery speech covering a lot of her mistakes and the fact that the mythology is wrong. She allowed the worst parts of Luna's life to happen but she still gets credit for "benevolence" "generosity" "love of humanity". Shiva only awakened when she sensed Ifrit being corrupted by Ardyn, which we now know couldn't even have happened 11-12 years prior to the game since Ifrit appeared to Insomnia 30 years prior.
“And for some reason heels were added.”
A diva needs no reason to wear heels whenever she pleases!
*deva
@@SpiritoftheWolf28232 wouldnt work as well.
Hot take: The lore of Shiva in ff14 heavensward is hands down the best period. Best Design, hands down is ff10
World of Final Fantasy is her best design ^^
I too, think dragon vore is a great backstory.
Her story is amazing. She's a great villain turned ally
FF7 was the first time i saw shiva and was in LOVE! but i love the ancient look shiva has in FFX along with her sassy attitude throwing her scarf at yuna like “hold this you peasant” lol
Well said hahahaha
Well she is still weaker than the other aeons but still underrated until you use items to give her other attributes to keep her as strong as ifrit and ixon...
@@pot_of_greed2414 she makes up for it with evasion. And sexiness.
The only reason why I’d summon her was because I was a Stan and wanted to see her perform 💙.
@@Harpsibored
Hehehe 😂
Ahh yess Shiva My favorite Final Fantasy Summon .
It's the tits right? I agree 👍
I can imagine why.
Guys are so funny probably you boys have motives 😂😂😂😂
@@alenaduplantier4505 I dunno lol. I'm a straight woman and even _I_ like looking at her 🤷🏼♀️
Maybe you admire her looks and want to look like her?🤔🤔 Since men and women have different reason on liking a character
I'd really love to see a Odin Complete Evolution.
As for my favorite iteration of Shiva, it's a toss up between 8, 10, and 13, although I'm leaning more towards 10's iteration.
Ff10 had my favourite iteration. Though not particularly powerful compared to the likes of bahamut, her raw speed made her useful even into the end game. The different ways summons were useful was a great aspect of 10
I like how Shiva can solo the Symour boss fight in the Macalania temple. It became a bit of a tradition to me to end Seymour boss fights with diamond dust except ofcours fore the last encounter where I finish it with Oblivion.
I loved how all summons interacted with yuna like how Shiva would throw her shawl and yuna would grab it to not have it hit the ground
16 is the best shiva
"Fools... you would stoke the fires of conflict?"
Its worth noting that XIV's rendition of Shiva added a light aligned version in Shadowbringers. The most well known abilities being Light Rampant in the Savage difficulty, the bane of many Statics at the time.
Loved her in 10, Remake and Dissidia NT. But her appearance in 10 is what made me a fan.
I know it falls pretty heavily into spoiler territory but I'm surprised you didn't bring up the Ryne's version of Shiva was both Ice aspected AND Light aspected, which is a very unique take on Shiva
Beautifully done. 14 and 15 are among my favorite versions of her, but I've liked Shiva the best of all the "summons" in the game since 7.
(smirking) She's just so cool.
I appreciate Shiva so much more now. She was always graceful, even as just a sprite in earlier games. 1 leg up while standing means she was light and floatly. My first Shiva was FF7, but after this video I need to play FF9 and Chocobo Dungeon. And my God, there's a baby Shiva!?
Really "cool" evolution of Shiva,
Can't wait for you to tackle on Odin, one of my favorite summon with my favorite attack name associated "Zantetsuken"
-Shin-Zantetsuken
@@adamraserovaquera Which Final Fantasies was that one from?
@@brianlam7879 FFVI, the regular Zantetsuken it's there too, but this as like a higher % of instakill or something (the Esper also teach other spell)
@@adamraserovaquera ahh interesting, never played FF6.
10 is my favorite design but i am also partial to 15. I love seeing my powerful goddess ravage the world in ice.
I love the 10 version, she is so beautiful and exudes sexuality.
Dumb question: What exactly do you mean by “sexuality?”
@@shateeqsmith You're right, that IS a dumb question!
@@vodsanity4861 So…….if I’m guessing correctly, this person is talking about the capacity for sexual feelings?
X is my favorite version. I adore her design there! I even cosplayed as her. Great video!
Totally agreeeee💕
Would love to see that. Link?
Aye good tastes
To add on information with Shiva from FFXIV, while I myself have not done all of the side quests, it does give more information on who Shiva was within its universe and how she essentially ended a war between humans and dragons (although briefly), and how she was an actual being before her eventual death.
@Duc Nguyen I assume that some of the side quests may go into deeper info about it, if not then what we got is interesting enough considering the depth it went into
FF8 Shiva is the best for me until today.. Though FF15 is my most favorite, FF8 Shiva still wins..
same I love 8 10 and 15
out of all Shivas, 14's Shiva, both Iceheart and Ryne-Shiva, are the most memorable, next to 15 and 13, in order.
Really? Cuz I really enjoyed FFX Shiva as well. 13 was a wild departure tbh.
I think 7, 8 or 10's Shivas are the most memorable because of their blatant color palates. 13, 14 and 15 are definitely the most.....recent? though. I don't know how I feel about a motorcycle Shiva.
@@TShadowStalker What? You don't like sisters scissoring each other while a man rides them?
I mean memorable, it stuck with me as "hey that's an awesome iteration of shiva!" the rest seems..."copied assignment but edited a bit"
Her appearance in VIII will always be my favorite
The time you guys put into your videos to be thorough and detailed is impressive. Good work. Keep it up
Final Fantasy Unlimited comes up:
95% of the people here: "the heck is Final Fantasy Unlimited?"
Me: "HE ACTUALLY INCLUDED IT!"
Your not the only one! I was suprised it was mentioned too.
I'm so happy someone actually knows what it is
Me when FF Explorers gets (rarely included
So true 😭😂
Final Fantasy XV has my favorite Shiva design.
Ff8 Shiva was the coolest, her sleek minimal design & storyline connection with Ifrit had me imagining they fought in the past.
The interesting thing about WoFF is that it establishes that the summon names we know such as Ifrit and Shiva are just the name of their species/clan, which they go by when interacting with people outside their clan. They each have an actual given name, but I don't believe any were revealed other than Bahamut's, who let it slip while in a fit of rage. This means that every single Shiva summon in the entire franchise can exist simultaneously, with each simply being a different individual rather than a single entity changing her appearance every game for some reason.
That's really interesting to know, and casts a new light on the FFXV crossover event in FFXIV. In it, the Garuda from FFXV is summoned by the Ixali, instead of the FXIV one, and they run past you saying something like "It looks like our goddess, but it is not our goddess!"
Cementing the fact that there are indeed multiple connected Garduas out there.
I haven't played/seen the FFXIV Garuda in FFXV so I can't comment on that side of the crossover.
Small correction -- the hindu god Shiva does have more similarity to the FF version. The hindu god is said to live in the Himalayas atop Mt. Kailash. This could be seen as part of the ice interpretation in FF. The hindu god is also almost always depicted with blue skin!
Shiva does have a small claim to fame in 7, simply for being the *only* summon in the entire game that's unmissable. Even ifrit can be skipped if you just dont pick up his materia after the birth fight.
Shiva is in fact missable, if you have enough Materia to fill up your limited inventory, Priscilla will keep Shiva until you have space and go back to get it.
This happened to me the first few times I played 7. I didn't realize I had missed Ifrit until I printed out like 200 pages of online guides to try to get everything and 100% the game when I was like 13 lol
I personaly think Shiva's inspiration isn't from any other mythology than Japanese. I see her as a Yuki-Ona who chose a name. In every game she appears in, she's either an ennemy or an ally, and when she's en ally, there is always a component of protection in her background. Yuki-Ona, or ice ladies if you want, are yokai who appears in snow storms and either try to freeze people to death for a perceived threat or for fun (some are awfully evil) or guide them to safety or protect them. It actually fit her to a "T" and theu usualy are depicted with very pale skin (almost blue if not outright blue) with white or blue hairs so her appearance also fit that Yokai.
Now, why would she be called "Shiva" instead of a Japanese name? That I do not know. Maybe it's because a lot of Japanese people think oversea names sound way cooler like Effrit, Siren, Bahamut and the likes. Those names actually make me think it could be something like that.
I don't know if this is true but I've heard the name may not be a reference to the Hindu god at all but rather just a Japanese pronunciation of the English word "Shiver."
@@Bloodhawk713 That may very well be the case indeed. I mean, not all of this series' summon and espers are inspired or named after mythology. Maduin from FFVI isn't as far as I know, as is Zoneseek or Bismark. Many just have cool sounding names, so them using an English word in a way they would say it isn't really that much of a stretch.
I am pretty sure it's from japanese trying to pronounce Shiver, they do that all the time with English words, she's ice and "Shiva" from hinduism is a dude with no relation to ice...
YAS (Ice) QUEEN!!! Go slay with that Diamond Dust!
As an FFRK player, it's interesting to note her affinity with mobs ever since V. It makes me appreciate the Ice Wall mechanic she has!
I always loved the FFX design of Shiva.
My favorite is the version from FF8, although I really like the one from World of Final Fantasy too.
Final Fantasy X was the best you could have summons stay in battle and command them, that was the best mechanic but needed more control and to be able to summon more than 1 by end game for them to duo attack special moves ;D
100% agree.
I always thought that the Shatter Heart Quickening from Fran in FF12 was a reference to Shivas Diamond Dust, was expecting you to mention it, but maybe i'm wrong.
I hold the same theory. It's very reminiscent of FF10's Diamond Dust.
FF X Shiva was the best design.
FFVIII was my first time seeing Shiva so that one will always be iconic ❄️
My favorite Shiva? Yes. >.> Of all the summons, I look forward to seeing her and Bahamut the most.
I’m just waiting until FFU does Alexander and Fenir.
In Final Fantasy Brave Exvius they have some of the characters tied to the espers as units and in Shiva’s case she is tied with Lasswell and both of them even have a fusion where when they fuse Lasswell wears Shiva’s crown, his clothes have some of her gold plating, and also wears her hair ornaments and his hair also becomes a bit more purple like Shiva’s.
The ffxiv heavensward and shadownbringers appearances are my favorites Ysayle was a great character and the music that plays when you fight Ryne (Return to Oblivion) is the best.
The orchestral version you can get from the mogstation is the best. It's so Serene.
There are 3 variants to Shiva in Shadowbringers, but the Ryne's Ice queen one is my favourite. I like how FF16 Shiva feels very familiar to FF14.
@@DiMacky24 FF16 is being directed by Yoshi-P so it has a similar feel to it.
@@Kittykaut Indeed, + the main scenario writer for FF16 is the guy who wrote Heavensward.
Evolution of Shiva: From an icy goddess to a goddamn motorcycle.
In FF9, I actually tried the grinding to boredom outside of Treno. No, this is not the new ones or emulator, but on my (then) new PSX(as it was called then, damn I feel old now...)
But the game had locked out the summons for Garnet, I got her MP slight above Shiva (or who it was that was the cheapest) but you still coudnt summon it.
This was a PAL version game, cant say for the others.
It’s great to see all her iterations, good job
I'm hopeful that you guys are able to play FFXIV some time. I love your videos but often feel underwhelmed when you get to your XIV coverage. I would argue that Shiva's role in XIV is probably the most iconic of all the FFs. There's so much lore and story there to be explored. Great video nonetheless though :)
I loved to see a video on Ramah since in some of the games he is the god of lighting but also has some power over time in games that don't also have Alexander.
FF 10 Shiva is the best design no question. I love every design but 10 is just so memorable cause she looks so unique!
10s Shiva is definitely the best visually.
FFX was my first Final Fantasy when it came out on the PS2, and the moment she snapped her fingers like a DIVA GODDESS during Diamond Dust I knew I was gay. Her fierceness would not be contained.
I will always remember Shiva as my very first summon. Not knowing about Choco/Mog she was the first summon materia I got and she remains one of my favorites. X, XIV (both versions but Ysayle will always have a special place in my heart) and VII are my top 3 variations
She a baddie. Need Squeenix give us anything more?
IX and X will always be my favourites.
Amazing video guys! Do Alexander or Diabolos next if you haven't already.
Shiva and Bahamut are the best! I like pretty much all Shiva versions. I think 10 was the best until 15 came out, love her in that one, and she technically plays a big role there much like 14. One of my fav cutscenes in any FF game is at the end of 15 when she just pops up and is like lets go! FFR7 was a good Shiva too.
When you're a living Antarctic zone, you don't really need a lot of clothing
in ff8 shiva had the coolest entry. shiva was always my favorite to summon. she is just so damn cool :O
so true
By far Shyva and Bahamut are my favorite summons, and FFX have the best mechanic for summons.
One note about the Hindu god Shiva : A large percentage of his depictions show him in his abode in the Himalaya mountains, and so a background of icy mountains is very very common in his images. So there IS a connection to cold/ice in that sense.
There is a story about him becoming a woman for a bit isn't there? I know a Indian friend mentioned it (However I can't remember if they were talking about Shiva or Vishnu, but it is his avatar)
My overall favorite Design of Shiva has to be the Eden raid version from FFXIV. I know that its basically just a bigger Rhyne, but still, i like her design the most.
The FF14 Shiva fight is so good. It blew my mind when I saw her do diamond dust for the first time.
Might I add that she had an appearance as a card in Tetra Master. While it is called a mini game, it was it's own entity in the playonline launcher included with FFXI until they discontinued it.
In FFXIV Endwalker, Shiva returns for a minor but quite important part in the penultimate story dungeon (level 89) for the expansion...
Interesting thing about Shiva in the revamp of Legends II and the premium versions of Dimensions II is, Shiva's Ice Bow was redesigned to resemble the Icebow/Diamond Bow from FFXIV. So it is indeed an intended reference to the FFXIV version. A lot of this is likely due to Tokita and Yoshi P being in contact during the development of all versions of Dimensions II, its why Yoshi P is credited as a Special Thanks.
Ysayle from XIV is probably my favorite Shiva
but 10 is a close second with the Celtic braids and jewelry look
Ff8 Shiva was 👀💦 for my 12 or so year old self. (FF8 was also my first game, outside of some very casual Pac-Man/Tetris/Mario Bros 1,2,&3) Then FFX Shiva was so badass. And, possibly unpopular opinion, I loved the Shiva sisters from FF13! And me being a huge FF14 addict, the Ysayle story arc was so great.
Her XV and XVI and FFVIIIremake design is so godess like, i just can't help but loving them
Great evolution video, thank you for sharing!
Spoilers
Aww you missed all the lore about saint shiva and the bond between her a hraesvelger and her ties to the dragon song war. Other than that awesome job with the video.
Yeah the tend to ignore ffxiv. I don't understand why because of all the final fantasies they really flesh out all things 😕
it's not the first time they do, which is sad :(
@@nnymeia7663 oh I know might as well call the channel FF10/7 ubi9n
If I understand correctly, Shiva in Final Fantasy 9 was inspired by The Ice Queen, in the game "Stone Keep"; a first-person fmv dungeon crawler, released in 1995.
There was an iteration of Shiva in Final Fantasy XII, though not in the traditional sense. It was implied that the Esper Mateus captured Shiva and chained her to his body to use as a shield. He also makes an appearance in Final Fantasy XIV as a boss in a raid, though whether the ice goddess chained to him is a form of Shiva, I'm not sure.
Mateus is associated with the element of Ice and the zodiac sign of Pisces, the Fish, which is reflected by the fish-like aspects to his appearance. He is also referred to as the Meena Ascendant, which is the Sanskrit name of its zodiac sign as used in Jyotish (Hindu) astrology. Mateus is the creature with multiple limbs wielding a trident. The blue female is the goddess he uses as a living shield.
I googled and found this ^^' so the itterations of fish and water shivas could be an alusion to Mateus - while Mateus himself is a reference to the emperor in Final Fantasy II
The usual summons appear as the ships used by the Arcadian empire in XII. Shiva is one of the earliest ones with Ifrit getting blown to shreds. The ship appears prominently in promotional material as well.
One thing that I would like to add is that the Shiva from Shadowbringers brought back some moves like Axe Kick and Double Slap.
Rydia's reappearance summoning Shiva and saving the party is, for me, one of the most iconic moments in the series
shiva and bahamut are the omnipresent summons of the series
VIII is still my favorite incarnation of Shiva, but I also really liked her Dissidia Arcade and WoF designs as well.
I am watching this for science.
Final Fantasy itself deserves so much science if you look at it a certain way due to it's giant history
World of Final Fantasy has easily the best Shiva. She’s adorable and fun.
Looking forward to Alexander, or maybe the several thunder summons (Quetzalcoatl remains my favourite, despite not being seen often). As for Shiva, favourite version is either X for overall design, or XIV due to the plot surrounding her and those who channel her.
She is fighting so artistic in Final Fantasy 14, she is fighting wildly in 7 Remake( especially in weapon VR challenge ), she is looking awesome in XV and XVI, has cool riding skills in FFXIII 💙
Conclusion : She amazes me in every Final Fantasy game.
One sentence about Ryne. Ask me how I know he hasn't cleared E8S.
Shiva's Diamond Dust from FF VIII is my first memory of my experience with the franchise. I was nine or ten at the time, and my cousin who was in high school, was playing the game when her signature move played on screen. My jaw dropped when I saw that clip. She was majestic, and my imagination went wild. Shiiva (although I didn't know her name) made that much of an impression on me. Years later, when trying to find the animation, I honestly searched "naked woman ice final fantasy" on RUclips (by the way, I'm female). I stumbled upon it, and her name, eventually, haha. Shiva will always remind me of the awe I had, and still have, for her and Final Fantasy in general. :)
We know how FF16 played out, a siblings love story.
An interesting detail I noticed with FF7R's iteration of Shiva: Her earrings are decorated with the same kinda rings that the shakujou staffs of certain Buddhist monks were equipped with... Though it's taken a long time for Shiva to lean into any particular source of inspiration, it appears she's finally settling into a Hindu/Buddhist image.
I would love to see the evolution of Carbuncle! I'm not sure if there's a whole lot of variations but it's been a favorite for a while :D
The Yuki onna Spirit of japanese myth, was The basis of Shiva Summon. Some Buddhist monks claim they can tap into spirits as familiars, almost like pokemon. As such Yuki onna is a low level yokai. But in shinto Buddist belief, as more The Spirit/ esper gets called the more powerful it becomes, and evolves as humanity does. Hence Shiva, being low level gets summoned more and grows. Final fantasy as we All know draws much from myths. In Japan, they dont disbelief things as Christians do. They just "maybe its real" and sometimes miracles do happen. Final fantasy changed my life in ways that transcend reason. And i know more who experience The same.
FF T-0 is best Shiva for me and she is playable in mission. So rare to use Shiva in action FF.
The Hindu god, Shiva the destroyer, is often related to the Himalayas. Iirc Shiva resides in the mountains, and the rivers running down the mountain are thought to be Shivas hair.
Given that Himalayas are the tallest mountain range, and the fact that if you are high enough above the sealevel it gets cold as heck, the ice resemblence does exist. The color of summon-Shiva's skin matches the color of the god-Shivas skin as well.
Forgive me if I come out rude with my comment, for it is not my intention, but I'm pretty much certain of the fact that the god-Shiva is the inspiration for the summon-Shiva.
FF8 is my first FF so her FF8 Shiva will always be my fave. FFX's right next to it.
I love FFTA version. Seeing her clad in armor with an icicle spike of a sword is so badass. I’d love to see a callback to that design someday
Never would I think Ff unlimited would ever be mentioned
Awesome Video, has Odin been doing yet? Or even Ramuh?
I liked Shiva in FF9, but FF8 will always be my favorite.
My favorite design of her is from FFX, she looks like such a beautiful queen :) Leviathan would good to see, or Bahamut :)
Type zero had the most interesting design. Her best use in type zero was in linear, time limited kill them all missions.
The most beautiful version of her summon spell was in FFXV. But you have to complete the main story first, before she really deigns to show herself.
I like FF14 story of shiva fall in love with a dragon really awesome.