The Best Streamers To Watch If You Love Final Fantasy
Spanning several decades, "Final Fantasy" is one of the longest-running and most popular JRPG franchises in the world. It started out as a single game that was intended to compete with games like "Dragon Quest," but quickly evolved into a long-running series with its own unique identity. There are 15 numbered entries across multiple formats and platforms with dozens of direct sequels, remasters, and side games all bearing the "Final Fantasy" name. There are also three more major titles on the way with Square Enix, which announced "Final Fantasy 16" at this year's PlayStation showcase. Additionally, "Final Fantasy 7: Remake 2" is officially in development, and "Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin" is set for release in 2022.
With such a large metaverse to choose from, it can be difficult to find a streamer to sit down and watch for a while. Many "Final Fantasy" streamers focus on the two MMORPG titles in the series, since they're the easiest to stream on a regular basis, but there are some who try to speed-run the more linear games. There are still other RPG fans who simply enjoy mixing the odd "Final Fantasy" title into their variety streams. Here's a list of the best streamers to watch for viewers who love "Final Fantasy."
Asmongold doesn't just stream WoW
Fans of fantasy RPG streamers have probably already heard of Asmongold. He's widely known as the biggest "World of Warcraft" streamer on Twitch, with 2.4 million followers. So, it was big news when he decided to take a break from the MMORPG he made his name on and switch over to "Final Fantasy 14" for a while.
"A lot of people have been asking me to play this game," he said on his stream. "And I have been against it ... and the reason for that is that is just purely because of the fact that the theme of the game has just always been slightly off putting for me, I'll be honest. However, I'm willing to give it a chance." Despite his initial protests, however, the streamer quickly fell in love with the game, blasting through the main campaign and finishing the "Heavensward" expansion back in August. He's recently been on a break since his mom suffered from a terrifying accident in early October and he will likely remain on break for a while since he announced on Twitter that she passed away a few weeks later. In a recent Just Chatting stream to discuss the delay of the new "Endwalker" expansion, he announced that he doesn't know when he'll be coming back from his break, but he's going to play more "Final Fantasy" when he does. "Whenever I come back," he said. "I want to go through and do the entire MSQ."
richwcampbell is a regular top Final Fantasy 14 streamer
Asmongold may have the most followers of anyone on this list, but he isn't the only big streamer who plays "Final Fantasy 14." richwcampbell has a respectable 408,000 followers and averages around 8,000 viewers according to TwitchMetrics. According to Top Twitch Streamers, Campbell got his start when he filled in for another player during a "World of Warcraft" tournament. Esports host StarLadder watched Campbell play and decided to contact him, "inviting him to cast a Hearthstone tournament for them in Ukraine the next day. He accepted and he soon began receiving more and more jobs until that became his main role at MLG and in eSports in general. In July 2019, he was released from the AWC and now focuses on building his stream. He often streams with Asmongold and EsfandTV."
He doesn't just stream with them, however. Rich Campbell is a founding member of the OTK Network along with Asmongold, Mizkif, Esfand, and Tips Out. That means he often engages in collaborative content with other big-name streamers, yet he regularly manages to linger near the top of the "FF14" StreamCharts.
ejin_caitsith is helping to keep Final Fantasy 11 alive
"Final Fantasy 14" is the newer, more flashy MMORPG in the series, so it's easy to forget that it isn't the first or the only one still being supported by Square Enix. "Final Fantasy 11" is still very much alive and has its own community of gamers. Enter ejin_caitsith. His About page on Twitch states that Ejin is "passionate about all things Final Fantasy, but mostly XI. [Ejin has] always tried to maintain a positive community presence with helpful posts, guides, Youtube videos and finally streaming on Twitch." Ejin also states that he has been playing "FF11" since 2011 and that he specializes in multiboxing, melee method, samurai class play and getting distracted. The helpful information he provides on stream make him a popular choice among new streamers who are interested in learning about the game.
According to TwitchMetrics, Ejin streams daily and averages just over a hundred viewers. His YouTube channel has dozens of videos. Some of them just feature gameplay from his streams, but he's also put together several guides like his full Samurai class build guide which players who are interested in playing the game can watch in order to get some helpful advice. Fans of the series might enjoy checking out Ejin for a flashback to this older MMORPG with a smaller community.
Calebheart42 doesn't spend a lot of time in Midgar
MMORPGs tend to get all of the attention on streaming services since they never really end and are therefore inherently easier to play over an extended period of time. That said, most of the titles in the series are not MMOs at all. One of the most popular of the mainline games is "Final Fantasy 7."
Caleb "Calebhart42" Hart is a speedrunner who has 193,000 followers on Twitch. According to Speedrun.com, he took second place in the world record for "Final Fantasy 7" in 2021, beating the game in 6 hours, 59 minutes, and 50 seconds — losing to the record holder by a single second. He claims on his Twitch About page to be the world record holder for beating the game with 100% completion in 20 hours and 24 minutes, though this is not tracked on speedrun.com due to the undefined nature of a 100% run. His any-percent record has since been bumped down to sixth place, but viewers on his Twitch channel can still watch as Hart routinely performs new speed run attempts on stream.
Yunalescka lives Final Fantasy
Watching people play the games is cool and all, but sometimes it's nice to be able to follow someone dedicated to bringing the characters to life. Yunalescka is a variety streamer with over 50,000 followers on her Twitch channel and a soft spot for retro JRPGs. She regularly plays "Final Fantasy 14" in addition to several of the other mainline titles from the series, but her love for the franchise outside of the games themselves is what sets her apart.
She states on her website that, "from the music, to the artwork, and engaging stories, Final Fantasy is a huge part of my life. I even have a tattoo of Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI on my back. My love for Final Fantasy extends past just playing the games though. I have one of the largest Final Fantasy collections of memorabilia in the world." She regularly posts pictures of items from her collection to her Instagram page as well as cosplays she has done of the characters. Not only that, but she also runs an Etsy store called EssentialRunes that sells game-inspired keychains, like a blue resin Buster Sword, as well as candle and bath products.