The Monomyth Of A Seed: A Literary Analysis Of A Jrpg Character’s Hero Journey

Abstract

Purpose: Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) such as the famous Final Fantasy series usually carry imaginary wonders and  magical elements. They show exceptional tales that express an extraordinary journey of their characters. This study aimed to  analyze the hero quest of JRPG character named Squall, the main protagonist in Final Fantasy VIII. He is a student in a military  academy called Balamb Garden who strives to be a SeeD mercenary. Starting as a lone wolf in his story, Squall’s adventure has  him gradually change and open up to people more as he and his found friends get involved in a mission of saving the world from  sorceresses. This paper also sought to show that video games like JRPGs has hero stories that follow the narrative framework of  the Hero’s Journey. 

Design/Methodology/Approach: This research used literary criticism, which applied the monomyth to address the research  questions. The data was taken from the scripted narrative content of Final Fantasy VIII. In other words, these were the cutscenes,  dialogue and other predetermined narratives that were watched and read rather than played with. I, the researcher, collected the  data by identifying and classifying relevant citations from the game. I also analyzed the data by explaining or describing game 

scenes based on Caserta’s version of the Hero’s Journey. 

Findings: The conclusion of the study found Squall to be a complex hero. From a teenager who broodily expressed inner angst,  he gradually had his persona of aloofness and indifference slowly crumble beneath the burden of problems that piled up on and  around him, as well as the personal feelings that started to form within him. The gradual changes had him progress and complete  the twelve stages of Caserta’s monomyth model and overcome his obstacles. 

Originality/Value: To the author’s knowledge this is the only study to explore the Hero’s Journey of Squall in Final Fantasy VIII.  The study also implies the potential use of JRPGs like Final Fantasy as objects of study in English and literature classrooms. This  invites a discussion and provokes a conversation about the role of video games in educational settings. Also, the findings add to  the literature on literary, narrative, and instructional value of video games.