Xenogears is a cult-classic JRPG that may not have been as big of a deal as its contemporary, Final Fantasy 7, a game that resonated much more with the masses and became a legend in its own right. That said, I would like to argue that Xenogears did a much better job of exploring its main character Fei’s psyche, and providing a much more interesting–and consistent–psychological twists than everyone’s favorite blonde hero, Cloud Strife.
To kick things off, let’s touch on what Cloud and Fei have in common. Both of them start off with straightforward, one-dimensional personalities, then get quickly thrown into a world of political intrigue, ancient legends, and larger-than-life revelations. The two of them also grapple with the weight of their repressed traumatic memories, struggle to come to terms with their past actions, and reach fulfillment through finding peace within themselves and their dissociated identities, thus becoming more whole and complete as people in their respective processes of self-discovery.
Final Fantasy 7 has Cloud acting as a deconstruction to brave mainstream heroes by revealing that even those perfect people can end up flawed and have some internal strife (pun intended). There’s a fine line though between exploring the complexity of heroes, and forgetting that an Arthurian hero’s original role is traditionally to lead and inspire with their stoicism and grace. Because Cloud has a genuine admiration for these qualities in heroes, he adopts a more hard-boiled demeanor similar to his mentor Zack. Yet the game heavily pushes Cloud later for abandoning his idealism, even though his desire to become strong and steadfast in character is an integral part of who he really is.
I mean I get it. There are many who identify with Cloud coming into terms with his own weak, genuine self, feeling it’s more ‘real’ than the happy-go-lucky Zack or the perfect Sephiroth. For me though, it seems as if he discards his dreams of wanting to become something more than himself and transcend his limits. The scene where Tifa delves into Cloud’s subconscious and helps him recollect his shattered soul does feel sweet and intimate, but it doesn’t reflect any actual growth, just acceptance of the status quo, as if sending a message that it’s okay for Cloud to abandon his young ideals and dreams under the pretext of creating a more relatable character.AI love everything about the kind and complicated Cloud, and I get the narrative direction is in-character for him, but I wanted the story to inspire me to be more like him, instead of the story making him more like me, and Xenogears gives me just that. Fei’s mental state is even more of a nuanced mess than Cloud, with three personalities resembling Freudian ideas of the id, ego and super-ego, but the story doesn’t stop when Fei reconstructs himself. Instead, it goes even beyond that to portray how can a human being become “Whole” in the true sense of the word.
Through imbuing Fei with the memories and traits of his past reincarnations, the game is able to make him an incredibly layered character on a much higher scale than Cloud, with the lives of Fei’s ancestors reflecting many complicated societies and the challenges they go through. This often involves many topics that pertain to humans across all history, not just Fei’s present. For Fei, reaching fulfillment means resolving his inner conflicts about not only his psychological dissociation, but as many generational wars and existential conflicts involving religion and spirituality.
The conflict with Xenogears’ antagonist Karellen portray the weight of Fei’s mental fortitude. Karellen exhibits severe nihilism, despairing with the world and its present state, wanting nothing more than for humans to return to God’s embrace. That’s his answer to all the pain and atrocities he witnessed throughout history. The German philosopher Nietzsche–one of the game’s inspirations–warns, however, about this idea of other-worldliness embraced by many religions around the world, as it leads people to be detached from enjoying life on Earth, only believing their life has value in the heaven beyond. Fei does not only have to come to terms with his past, but resolves these existential questions to prevent mankind from giving up on life and hope altogether.
Fei goes through many trials that feel relevant to our modern day, with the confrontations between Fei and Karellen capturing an awe-inspiring philosophical scale. By contrast, the clashes between Cloud and Sephiroth feel unsatisfying on an intellectual level. Final Fantasy 7 never really explores the depth of Sephiroth’s new-found god complex like Xenogears does with Karellen, nor how Cloud’s internal dilemma actually reflects on his approach to Sephiroth’s mindset.
Xenogears reflects the true transcendence of human beings and genuine acceptance, since our personalities are not only defined by our traumas and past insecurities, but our culture, history, politics, religious beliefs, and everything that defines us as human beings. Cloud–despite his story having a strong emotional core–doesn’t give me the answers I always sought after, while Xenogears clearly addresses my questions through Fei’s multilayered character. Questions not only about myself, but the life I’m given and the world I’m born in. It really makes me feel complete in the same way both stories strive to achieve.
