Final Fantasy 9 Cartoon Confirmed, Will Air in 2028
Final Fantasy 9 won’t get a remake anytime soon, but news of an animated series have resurfaced. Originally announced in 2021, the Final Fantasy 9 animated series was going to begin production in 2022. Unfortunately, the original studio behind the cartoon, Cyber Group Studios, closed down in April 2025. However, RPGSite reported that news of a new FF9 animated series would be in production by French studio Euro Visual. The series is expected to come out in 2028.
The Story of Final Fantasy 9’s Cartoon
The animated series, according to a report from French magazine Écran Total, will focus on six Black Mages – Mel, Kolm, Luciola, Théa, Fala, and Doc – children of Vivi, one of FF9’s protagonists. Apparently, Vivi’s legacy is set to haunt his descendants. The anime will have 13 22-minute episodes and is targeted towards children from age six to age 13. The show will reportedly be in 2D, so any CGI or AI-generated imagery is unlikely.
An kid-friendly animated series based on Final Fantasy 9 will be a great way to introduce audiences, both young and old, to the franchise. It’s a bonus that each of the Final Fantasy games are standalone, meaning you can start on either game without being confused about the primary plot (excluding the sequels Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Final Fantasy XIII: Lightning returns).
Who’s Vivi?
Vivi is one of Final Fantasy IX’s protagonists. In the game, he is a reluctant part of Zidane’s plan to kidnap Princess Garnet during a play. Later in the game, Vivi discovers a Black Mage factory and discovers that he is a prototype Black Mage, while the newly manufactured Black Mages are brainless footsoldiers sent to help Queen Brahne conquer the Mist Continent.
Final Fantasy 9 recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, released for the PlayStation in 2000 in North America and Japan. The European release was on February 16, 2001, approximately two months and 23 days after the PlayStation 2’s launch in Europe (November 24, 2000). RPGSite playtested every available version of FF9, from the original PlayStation to the Nintendo Switch version and determined that the best versions to play were the PS4/PS5 remastered version and Steam or the Steam Deck (once you install the Moguri mod).
