| Faris Scherwiz | |
|---|---|
| Final Fantasy character | |
 Faris Scherwiz inFinal Fantasy Brave Exvius. | |
| First game | Final Fantasy V (1992) |
| Created by | Hironobu Sakaguchi |
| Designed by | Kazuko Shibuya[1] Yoshitaka Amano (promotional art)[2] |
| Voiced by | EN:Emily O'Brien JA:Rie Tanaka |
Faris Scherwiz (Japanese:ファリス・シェルヴィッツ,Hepburn:Farisu Sheruvittsu) is a character in theFinal Fantasy series. She first appears inFinal Fantasy V as an earlyantagonist and later one of itsprotagonists. She was born Princess Sarisa Scherwil Tycoon, but was lost at sea and raised as a boy by pirates. She joins the group, hoping to understand why protagonistLenna Charlotte Tycoon has the same pendant as her. She was created byHironobu Sakaguchi and was based on the protagonist of themangaPrincess Knight. Her promotional artwork was created byYoshitaka Amano.
In the first English version ofFinal Fantasy V, she spoke with apirate accent, which was changed in theGame Boy Advance port ofFinal Fantasy V. The accent was the subject of criticism. Faris was otherwise well-received, identified as a standout of the game's cast and a strong female character.
Faris Scherwiz is a pirate captain who was created as a protagonist forFinal Fantasy V byHironobu Sakaguchi, who based the idea of her being a Princess disguised as a man on themangaPrincess Knight.[3] Standing 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) tall,[4] Faris is a purple-haired woman with apeek-a-boo hairstyle obscuring her right eye. She was designed byKazuko Shibuya,[5] who also designed her in-game sprites. The overall process was demanding for Shibuya due to the large number of "Job" options in the game, each requiring their own sprite set.[1] The outfit she designed for the Dancer Job drew inspiration from Japanese singerLinda Yamamoto's look, in particular the pants and exposed stomach.[6]
Promotional art ofFinal Fantasy V's cast was commissioned from artistYoshitaka Amano, who identifies her as one of his favorite characters.[2] Amano's art of Faris art differs significantly from her in-game depiction, removing the peek-a-boo hairstyle and making her blonde instead. This design has been used in some later appearances of the character, such asFinal Fantasy Brave Exvius.[7] Amano additionally drew several unused pieces which depicted her wearing a red outfit with a flowing cape she could wrap around herself, exposed upper thighs, and a see-through section of her top that exposed her midriff.[4]
In the Japanese version, Faris uses the masculine pronounore to present a tough and masculine image.[8] The name Faris isArabic for "Knight", while her birth name Sarisa is derived from a type ofMacedonian spear.[9] Unlike the Japanese version, the first official English translation in thePlayStation version ofFinal Fantasy V featured inFinal Fantasy Anthology had her speak in apirate accent. This was changed in theGame Boy Advanceport.[10] She is voiced byRie Tanaka in the Japanese version ofWorld of Final Fantasy and by Emily O'Brien in the English version.[11][12]
Faris first appears inFinal Fantasy V, where she is the captain of a pirate ship disguised as a man.[3] Before the events ofFinal Fantasy V, she was raised as Sarisa Scherwil Tycoon, the daughter of King Alexander Highwind Tycoon and sister of Lenna Charlotte Tycoon. She is lost at sea at a young age and discovered by pirates, who name her Faris after she has trouble pronouncing her name. She befriends a sea dragon named Syldra who helps move her ship without wind. ProtagonistsBartz Klauser, Lenna Charlotte Tycoon, andGaluf Doe attempt to steal her ship in order to find and protect three Crystals after a first has already been shattered. She captures them and tries to hold Lenna ransom due to her being royalty, but decides to help them find the Wind Crystal when she realizes that she and Lenna share the same pendant. Faris becomes one of the Warriors of Light along with the other protagonists to protect the other Crystals. Syldra protects Faris from an attack and is lost at sea, causing Faris grief and forcing them to find another means of transportation. Her true gender is discovered by Bartz and Galuf. She is later shown a vision of someone she cares about, who turns out to be King Tycoon, leading her to suspect that she and Lenna are related.
The second Crystal is shattered, and Syldra appears to rescue them, but Syldra's wounds are too great and she drifts into the current. They attempt to save the Fire Crystal but are unable to do so. Faris tells Lenna that they are sisters, and they discover King Tycoon on their way to find the Earth Crystal. Tycoon then proceeds to attack the group. They are saved by Galuf's granddaughter Krile who brings him to his senses. The Earth Crystal shatters and releases antagonist Exdeath, leading the King to sacrifice himself to protect the group. Faris battles against Exdeath in another world, where he shatters that world's Crystals and kills Galuf. Faris wakes up in Tycoon Castle where her return is celebrated, but she dislikes this and she and Lenna reunite with Bartz and Krile. She also discovers Syldra's spirit, who grants Faris the power to summon her. They battle against Exdeath and their spirit reforms the Crystals to bring back peace to the worlds. Faris returns to Tycoon Castle to serve as Queen, but soon returns to a life of piracy. She reunites with the other Warriors of Light years later.
She has appeared as a playable character inTheatrhythm Final Fantasy,Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia, andFinal Fantasy Record Keeper.[13][14][15] She appears inWorld of Final Fantasy as a supporting character.[12]
Since appearing inFinal Fantasy V, Faris has received positive reception, particularly as a female video game character. In a Japanese poll on players' favoriteFinal Fantasy women, Faris ranked eighth, tied withGarnet fromFinal Fantasy IX.[16] She is also regarded as the most memorable and interesting character inFinal Fantasy V by Heidi Kemp ofGamesRadar+, author Chris Kohler, andIGN staff, the latter which identified her as the 11th bestFinal Fantasy character.[17][3][18] Marshall Lemon ofEscapist Magazine also regarded Faris highly among its cast, questioning why she does not have her own game.[19]Nintendojo staff described her as among the best female video game heroines due to her physical strength, valor, and defiance of stereotypes as a woman and princess.[20][21]
Shayera the Starsword ofRPGamer enjoyed her character archetype and noting her as an exception to a lack of cool female characters inFinal Fantasy.[22] Chad Concelmo ofDestructoid praised Faris' outfit for being an interesting spin on pirate's garb and for being complex in a similar way to Faris. They took issue however with the raised collar and "too-high boots".[23]RPGamer writer Cassandra Ramos considered Faris one of her favorite characters, saying that her character development was subtle, but was nevertheless noticeable, making Faris a memorable character for her. She appreciated Faris' relationship with Syldra, as well as how she comes to accept both her life as a pirate and as a princess.[24]
In an observation of howFinal Fantasy V improved the surrounding franchise, Sarah Prado ofGameRant cited Faris specifically. In one aspect she drew attention to how the character introduced the concept of crossdressing to the franchise. In particular she noted that some of Faris' in-game outfits appeared masculine, a tone later shared by some outfit options provided forFinal Fantasy X-2'sPaine andFinal Fantasy XIII'sLightning. Moreso though Prado felt Faris helped pave the way for stronger female characters in the franchise, noting that while the series prior had strong women they were often portrayed as delicate and feminine. Faris on the other hand "is brash and tough" with "tomboyish" aspects that were echoed by female characters in laterFinal Fantasy titles that were portrayed as being "a little rough around the edges" than their fellow female party members.[25]
Jonathan Remoiville in the bookLa Légende Final Fantasy IV & V praised Faris' journey of self discovery, and how her interactions with the party not only allowed her to open up but also display her bravery and resourcefulness. He further added that despite being a princess, her rejection of a luxury life of a princess but also preferring her traveling companions over her previous pirate life illustrated her evolution of character. He additionally noted the symbolism in her names, feeling they helped further illustrate her fighting spirit, while also showing the developers wanting to give her an "exotic side" in Remoiville's eyes. He further drew comparison between her artwork and in-game sprites; while the artwork portrayed her as a pirate, her sprites invoked imagery of a thief through the use of a bandana and bracelets. This coupled with the imagery of her name illustrated the two sides of her character to Remoiville: the warrior and the ruffian. He closed with describing her as "a colorful heroine, associated with many questions about the relationship to gender and self-acceptance", fitting withFinal Fantasy V's adventurous spirit.[9]
Herpirate accent in thePlayStation release ofFinal Fantasy V was controversial for not matching the original Japanese dialogue.[26][10] Writers Aaron Lakuszka, Jeremy Parish, and Joe Juba forNintendo World Report,1UP.com, andGame Informer respectively particularly appreciated the English version ofFinal Fantasy V Advance for removing this aspect of her dialogue and found it one of its highlights.[10][27][28]
bySquare Enix (formerlySquare) | |||||||||
| Main games | |||||||||
| Subseries | |||||||||
| Other games | |||||||||
| Related series | |||||||||
| Films and animation | |||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
