FF Topics

FFTCG’s First Art Book Available for Pre-Order!
Take a Look Inside Here!

FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME’s first official art book “FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME ANNUAL 2018-2020 Original Illustration Art Book” is available for pre-order now!

We hope that not only FFTCG players but also fans of art will enjoy this book, which features works by a total of 12 illustrators.

The FF Portal team received a sample of the book, so we’d like to give you a brief look at its contents!

The book’s cover. It’s packed to the brim!

Multiple illustrations from each artist!

Promotional cards included with the game. Look at that striking black and white color scheme!

And before the book’s release, we here at FF Portal would also like to introduce each artist, one of their featured illustrations and a section of their interviews!

Check the details for “FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME ANNUAL 2018-2020 Original Illustration Art Book” at the links below!

Toshiyuki Itahana

Notable work includes titles such as FINAL FANTASY IX, Chocobo’s Mysterious Dungeon, and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES. More recently character designer for mobile title MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY IX
◦ FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Ring of Fates
◦ MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY
◦ FFTCG Original: FINAL FANTASY Mascots

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“Yuri cares deeply about his twin sister, Chelinka, and is determined to protect her, so here he is mid-battle. Though the Clavat are a peaceful race that detests conflict, he was forced to grow stronger at one point during the story, which is something I’ve also tried to portray. I’ve arranged him with his back turned toward us, something I can’t do with pieces for reference. Speaking of arrangements, I drew Yuri and Cu Chaspel as if they were a set, with their backs facing one another. I can picture a red moon in the sky watching over them as they clash...but maybe that’s just me. [laughs]”

Akira Oguro

Character designer for FINAL FANTASY IV (Nintendo DS), FINAL FANTASY IV THE AFTER YEARS, and FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS. Other involvement includes titles such as FINAL FANTASY X and the Hanjuku Hero series.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY IV
◦ FINAL FANTASY IV THE AFTER YEARS
◦ FINAL FANTASY DIMENSIONS

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“I referenced overseas fashion shows and fashion magazines. I was inspired by designs in a fashion show for the puffy silhouette of Alba’s skirt. That’s also where I got the inspiration to paint the soles of dragoon Barbara’s heels red.”

Toshitaka Matsuda

Past work includes FINAL FANTASY titles such as FINAL FANTASY IX (Back Ground Art), FINAL FANTASY X-2 (Concept Art), and FINAL FANTASY XIII (Main Art Designer), and others such as KINGDOM HEARTS, and art director for Blood of Bahamut, FINAL FANTASY XII: Revenant Wings, and MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY
◦ FINAL FANTASY II
◦ FINAL FANTASY III
◦ FINAL FANTASY V
◦ FINAL FANTASY VI
◦ FINAL FANTASY IX
◦ MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY
◦ FFTCG Original

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“Well, I did everything I wanted to do with the first one for MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY. When I received the request for FFTCG, I decided to capture his humanity this time around. For MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY, I focused on creating a beautiful drawing, but for this, I wanted to convey his determination, passion, and loyal nature. The light shining on him also signifies his brief yet noble and selfless life. I was moved by this character and his story, and I wanted to make it feel as though he were alive. It took about a day to finish this illustration.”

Ryoma Ito

Past work includes titles such as FINAL FANTASY IX and FINAL FANTASY XII. Was the main character designer for FINAL FANTASY XII: Revenant Wings, and character designer for CRYSTAL DEFENDERS, FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE, and FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY XI
◦ FINAL FANTASY XII: Revenant Wings
◦ FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE
◦ FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“I decided on a consistent pop-style background of various colors. I also thought it would be fun to show a side of the characters not seen in the game, to depict a candid moment in their daily lives, especially for characters like Illua, who generally has such a cool demeanor. I instead gave her a soft expression with a subtle smile, but I may have gone too far because the FFTA2 team wanted it redone, and she ended up with her usual look.”

Roberto Ferrari

Character designer for FF titles such as FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0, FINAL FANTASY XV, DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY, and FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, and others such as THE LAST REMNANT, SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes, and Rampage Land Rankers.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“I hadn’t (had many opportunities to draw these characters after FF Type-0’s release), so I was grateful for this FFTCG request. The characters’ original designs have been used in materials like the Ultimania [Japanese strategy guide], but there’s never been a close-up of their faces. I’ve been wanting people to get a better look at the details, so I was glad for this opportunity.
Kurasame is a coolheaded, no-nonsense character, but he’s also passionate and has a strong sense of justice. I’ve conveyed in his gaze the fire he holds within.“

Kumiko Koike

Job designer and Echo costume designer for MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY. Designer for other titles including Grand Marche Dungeon and SaGa SCARLET GRACE.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FFTCG Original: Monsters
◦ FFTCG Original: Jobs

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“I envision bombs making their homes in a volcanic area and their self-destruction ability a part of their daily routine, like a snake shedding its skin. I knew I wanted to give it a terrifying expression too. [laughs] I feel I was able to best express the image I had in my head with this piece.”

Yasuhisa Izumisawa

Main character designer for FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time, FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King, and FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a Darklord. Art director for WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY, and involvement with Xenogears and SaGa Frontier 2.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY VI
◦ FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time
◦ FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: My Life as a King
◦ WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“The Undead Princess is my favorite character that I’ve designed so far, so much so that I asked the WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY director to bring her back in his game. She was originally an obscure boss character, but the scenario leader saw the design and added some fun lines, and she was “promoted” to a character with actual dialogue. She was a big hit with the dev team. When she reappeared in WOFF, the high spec of the console allowed me to add a bit of detail, like the heart on her tombstone. The FFTCG piece was a single illustration, so I added even more detail, such as the cracks and dirt on her tombstone.”

Isamu Kamikokuryo

Worked as art director on FINAL FANTASY XIII as well as contributing to titles such as FINAL FANTASY X, FINAL FANTASY XII, and FINAL FANTASY XV.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY XII

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“I drew Judge Master Gabranth in the image of an oil painting, scanning in my own physical works for use as textures to really bring out an analog aesthetic. It feels to me like the world of FFXII might be well-suited to this style. FFXII also has a lot of fans outside Japan, so I received many messages about this illustration from people in various countries. On top of having a complex design, there have never been many illustrations of Judge Master Gabranth, so drawing him is difficult. Mr. Yoshida―Akihiko Yoshida: FFXII main character designer―has a unique way of creating characters with complicated 3D designs that are hard to get a grasp on, but if you can get the main points down like in this illustration, it’s very clear that it’s Gabranth.”

Akane Saito

Designer of WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY mirages and world assets. Now primarily handling background art design for DRAGON QUEST X ONLINE.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Echoes of Time

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“For Norschtalen, I’ve drawn that shocking scene where she’s singing that anyone who’s played the game is familiar with. [laughs] This came up in Mr. Izumisawa’s interview as well, but while Norschtalen and her mentor Waltrill have separate cards, the illustrations on the cards actually come from one single image. I left the background all white since I knew they’d be separated as cards, but once I started handling backgrounds I regretted not giving this a proper backdrop... And so, as something special for this interview, I added one!”

Rubi Asami

Handled character outfit and equipment design for MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY and Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon EVERYBUDDY!. Outside of FF series games, also contributed art for Labyrinth of the Grand Marche (Japan exclusive).

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ MOBIUS FINAL FANTASY
◦ FFTCG Original: Jobs

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“With the black mage as well, when I showed my first rough sketch to Mr. Itahana he said, “There’s no doubt this is a mage, but with this you can’t really tell that it’s a black mage,” so I looked up some of the defining features of black mages from FF. I started including some of the elements that feel black mage-y, like the distinctive triangular yellow hat that’s been around since FFI and the striped pants that came in the titles after that. Through these illustrations I learned that maybe the key point of each FF job class is a silhouette or coloring or things like that.“

Gen Kobayashi

Designer responsible for character and summon designs in FINAL FANTASY EXPLORERS. Also did character design for The World Ends with You and the package illustrations for FINAL FANTASY I&II Dawn of Souls.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY EXPLORERS

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“(About the illustrations for Amaterasu and Fenrir) This time, I was allowed to draw freely as please, so I aimed for a taste that has not been seen in previous FFTCG. I used effects and depth of field to create a realistic picture with a sense of movement, just like animation photography, so I think it would be interesting to see those “effects” and such.”

Yusuke Naora

Game creator and designer. He worked on the series starting with FFVI, and has since served as art director on numerous games including FFVII, FFVIII, FFX and FFXV.

◆Illustrations for FFTCG
◦ FINAL FANTASY XI

◆Interview Sneak Peek

“(For Esha’ntarl) I wanted to create an atmosphere that would lead people through the game. I’m doing this with another character, but I’m secretly incorporating the color of the title logo. Last year, I had the opportunity to see you guys actually play at an event in the US. I remember very well how you played with such enthusiasm. I hope you’ll pick it up and add it to your collection.”

And thus ends our introduction of some parts of the “FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME ANNUAL 2018-2020 Original Illustration Art Book”. Grab the full book to see the rest of the illustrations and interviews!

FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME ANNUAL 2018-2020 Original Illustration Art Book

Introducing a new art book containing magnificent original illustrations created for the FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME!

Includes all FFTCG original card illustrations from Opus IV through Opus XII: Crystal Awakening, as well as original promotional artwork created for FFTCG events!

Additionally, you can find a series of interviews held with a total of 12 illustrators, which garnered a very positive response when shown on the FINAL FANTASY Portal Site, as well as the results of the 2018 and 2019 World Championships.

Also, as a bonus, the book comes with three copies of an exclusive promo card, “Clan Gully [PR-085]” featuring the main cast of FINAL FANTASY TACTICS ADVANCE 2. This card is special, as the art was originally created to promote FFTCG events, and was illustrated by FINAL FANTASY series veteran, Ryoma Ito!

This collection contains approximately 100 pieces of beautifully illustrated art and celebrates the legacy of the FINAL FANTASY TRADING CARD GAME thus far. Excellent for any FINAL FANTASY fan!

Item Info:
・Page Count: 144 pages
・Trim Size: A4 (w 8.25 x h 11.75 inches, thickness 0.55 inches)
・Format: Soft cover
・Text: Japanese/English
・SRP: $39.99 / €37.99
・Release Date (NA): December 2020
・Release Date (EU): January 2021

What is FFTCG?

FFTCG is a one-on-one tactical card game featuring FINAL FANTASY characters and summons. Not only is there fun in collecting cards featuring familiar faces, the main draw of the game is the simplicity of the rules combined with the complexity of the gameplay. The art drawn for the game by famed illustrators is also a popular aspect of FFTCG!

Find out more about FFTCG, including upcoming products and events at:
NA: https://fftcg.square-enix-games.com/na
EU: https://fftcg.square-enix-games.com/en

Play the FFTCG tutorial:
https://sqex.to/FinalFantasyTCG

FFTCG Official Facebook (NA)
FFTCG Official Facebook (EU)