Welcome to another art post here in the community.
When I decided to watch Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew it was a short anime made to complement the game Final Fantasy XV, by Square Enix, but I didn’t imagine it would capture me so much. For those who don’t know, the anime has only five episodes, each about 10 to 15 minutes long (the game’s cutscenes are similar in length...), so it’s not a big production with many episodes or a huge story.
What caught my attention right from the start was the focus on the friendship between Noctis Lucis Caelum, who is the prince and main character of the game, and his three closest friends: Gladiolus Amicitia, Ignis Scientia, and Prompto Argentum. Each episode tells the story of one of these characters, showing how they met and how they built the strong friendship we see in the game.
I’ll be honest here.
The episode that impacted me the most was Prompto’s overall; he’s a character who, in the game, has some funny lines as comic relief, but in the anime, he shows a more vulnerable, insecure side, trying to fit in with a group of nobles and warriors. It’s pretty easy to relate to his struggle to be accepted and to value true friendship. This gives a depth that isn’t so clear just by playing.
Gladiolus is the strong, rough type, kind of the shield for Noctis. In his episode, we see how he grew as a protector and friend.
Ignis, who is kind of the “brain” of the group with his intelligence and calmness, also gets an episode showing how he became the prince’s loyal advisor.
I really liked this because, in the game, sometimes we don’t have time to feel these bonds so intensely.
The anime was produced by A-1 Pictures, a studio known for works like Sword Art Online and Your Lie in April, so the animation is pretty nice, though simple. Don’t expect something on the level of Ufotable that makes Demon Slayer, but it’s competent for the short format it has.
But not everything is perfect. The short duration of each episode makes the story somewhat fragmented. There isn’t a continuous narrative line between episodes; it’s more like small tales about the characters. If you don’t know the Final Fantasy XV universe, you might feel a bit lost or think the anime doesn’t make much sense.
Also, Brotherhood doesn’t have much action or magic, which we normally expect from a Final Fantasy anime franchise, famous for epic battles, fantastic monsters, and powerful magic. Here, the focus is more on drama and relationship building, like a slice of life with a more mature tone. If you like animes like Anohana or Clannad, which also explore friendship and growing up, you might enjoy the vibe, but if you want fight and adventure, you’ll miss it.
There’s also the matter of game dependency, of course.
Brotherhood was made for those who will play or have played Final Fantasy XV.
It’s practically a prologue in anime form.
Without knowing the game’s story, it’s hard to care about what’s happening.
In the game itself, released in 2016, you can feel some things lack context, and the anime helps fill in those gaps. Oh, and there’s a bonus episode focusing on Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Noctis’ fiancée and an important character in the game. This episode isn’t among the main five and usually only appears in special editions of the game. Lunafreya is important to the main plot, but in the anime, she barely appears, since the focus is really on the prince’s crew.
Regarding the relation to other games in the franchise, Brotherhood has a vibe that reminds one of Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy X, where the personal relationships of the group are the center of the story, not just the battle against evil. But visually and thematically, it’s much more modern and realistic, different from the exaggerated fantasy of the classic games.
In the end, I think the best way to enjoy this anime or miniseries is as a bonus for fans of the game, or for those curious about the characters. It helps you better understand the group dynamics and makes us care about them even before starting to play. I, personally, felt more connected to Noctis and his friends after watching. But if you’re the kind of person who wants an anime with heavy action, epic battles, monsters, and magic, this isn’t the place. The main experience of all this is in the game itself. The anime is just the “making of” of friendship, the behind-the-scenes of the story, to give more meaning and emotion to what happens in the game.
Brotherhood was officially released on YouTube by Square Enix, so it’s easy to find, free, and with subtitles in several languages. I highly recommend checking it out before starting to play, especially if you like diving into story and characters.
Right below you can watch the released trailer.