What Final Fantasy Tactics Gets Right (And Wrong) About SWANA Representation

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After 28 years, Final Fantasy Tactics is back as part of The Ivalice Chronicles, and it’s receiving fantastic reviews. Fans, both longtime players and newcomers, are enjoying the enhanced gameplay and performances. The game’s creator, Yasumi Matsuno, noted the release feels timely, mirroring the original’s debut during a period of “inequality and division” and a potential loss of hope. Though a fantasy story set in a made-up world, Tactics drew inspiration from real historical events like England’s War of the Roses. It’s poignant that history seems to be repeating itself, but it highlights how enduring the game’s themes are and the importance of characters like Rapha and Marach Galthena to the narrative.

While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing for decades, recent events have brought it to the forefront of global discussion. This has unfortunately led to increased prejudice against people of Arab descent. That’s why the inclusion of Rapha and Marach in The Ivalice Chronicles feels particularly meaningful to me and many other gamers from Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA). It’s incredibly welcome to see actors Elham Ehsas and Lara Sawalha portray these characters with such authenticity, especially considering how SWANA characters have often been portrayed negatively or stereotypically in video games – usually as exotic dancers, caricatures, or villains, as seen in games like Metal Slug and Counter-Strike. Rapha and Marach offer a different kind of representation – a more complex and relatable story that reflects the real challenges faced by our community, both in 1997 when the game was released and even more so today.

Rapha and Marach were orphans taken in by Duke Barrington, a powerful man who saw them as tools due to their unusual abilities. He didn’t just use them as child soldiers; he systematically recruited and trained many orphans, creating a network of young fighters. As Ramza observes, Barrington carefully selected and shaped these children to serve his purposes. While it seems like something out of a villainous story, this method of recruitment unfortunately mirrors tactics used by groups like the Taliban today. The story cleverly avoids portraying Marach and Rapha as simple enemies; instead, it gives them a sympathetic background, explaining why they fight for the opposing side. Rapha, in particular, is key to showing how manipulated she and her brother were, and she desperately tries to make Ramza understand this, even though he’s initially resistant.

Even with the careful way the Galthenas siblings are presented, there are still some issues. The fact that they’re the only characters with mantra abilities leans into a problematic stereotype, portraying the game’s only characters with Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) coding as ‘exotic.’ On top of that, Rapha and Marach aren’t very well designed in terms of gameplay, making them less popular among Tactics fans. While it’s possible to improve their performance by changing their abilities, it’s not immediately clear how to best use them in battle. This lack of clarity could discourage players from including them in their parties, which is a shame and suggests a lack of attention to detail from Square.

Another significant issue is a particular scene that portrays Marach in a negative light. When Rapha and Marach are first shown in The Ivalice Chronicles, they’re already arguing. Marach is upset because Rapha spoke badly about the man he believes rescued them as children. He then slaps her when she reveals that Barrington was actually responsible for their parents’ death, stating he won’t tolerate her disrespect. This moment implies Marach strongly supports Duke Barrington and is angered by any criticism of him, even from his sister. However, this also reinforces a harmful stereotype about men of Southwest Asian and North African descent being prone to violence, especially towards women. The scene is even more confusing considering it’s later revealed that Marach actually wants to escape Barrington’s control and isn’t loyal to him.

This updated version of Tactics received many improvements, including a completely rewritten story. However, I believe removing the physical violence from the argument between Marach and Rapha would have been a good choice, as it could unintentionally promote harmful stereotypes. The Final Fantasy series has revised characters before – for example, Cid, who was originally portrayed with abusive tendencies in Final Fantasy 7, was reimagined as a charming and positive character in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

The original Cid from Final Fantasy VII was generally a gloomy person, but Marach is more complex – flawed, but not malicious. He deeply cares for his sister and proves it by taking a bullet for her when Duke Barrington finally confesses to being the villain. Once Rapha revives Marach with the Scorpio Stone, both siblings join Ramza’s team, and for the first time, they consciously decide what they’re fighting for and who they’re fighting with. Optional conversations during the Hashmal/Folmarv battle reveal that Rapha and Marach hope this will be the last time they ever have to kill anyone, a surprisingly progressive trait for characters of their archetype in 1990s games and still relatively uncommon today.

Rapha and Marach’s story in Tactics might be brief, but it’s meaningful. What makes it stand out is that it shows SWANA characters as complex individuals – flawed and good, just like everyone else. While it would be great if they were more powerful in the game, the Galthena siblings are still a fantastic representation of SWANA characters, and I’m hoping to see more characters like them in future games.

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2025-10-27 23:10