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I’ve been a fan of this game since the first time I played it. I’ve never heard of this theory. While it’s interesting, I won’t recognize it as canon until the creators say that was the intent. I like the happy ending. And there’s nothing wrong with Ultimecia having some mystery. Reality is like this too. You’re not always going to have some deep backstory revealed to you about everyone you’ve encountered. But, I agree with you OP. Live in the FFVIII universe you want to live in.

I gotta say, i love 8 with a passion. It was my first FF. But i tend to avoid watching videos about it because i feel like most people just dont get it. However, i clicked your video on a whim and loved it. Well done <3

If it's a stable time loop, wouldn't that mean that Ultimecia would remember contributing to her own defeat in the past as Rinoa, and thus realize that her plan was destined to fail, so even attempting it was pointless?

I always felt like this game was rushed.

Can we have both a happy ending and her being Ultimecia? Maybe our playthrough prevents Rinoa from become Ultimecia. Like how in Groundhogs Day the time loop is eventually broken when you get it right.

Isn't it a bit self-entitled for you to force the actual writer to accept your changes to the story THEY made?

Squall only succeeded because of Zell's epic tap dancing.

I personally can’t understand why fans get so emotionally invested and angry over such things. If you like the theory and makes the game better for you, then go with it. But if someone else does not, why is it a big deal? We all have our own imaginations and all works of art and fiction are up to the audience to interpret or take from it what we do. That everyone else has to follow my imagination or the game is ruined for me….🤔 doesn’t make sense. It’s a single player game!!! You can pretend that Selphie is the ultimate villain! I don’t care! If that is how you enjoy it, then good for you. On a personal note, I’ve been a FF player since 1994. My OPINION, is FFVIII is in the top 3 worst. The story wasn’t good to me, the characters were poorly developed. (Generic). The junction system was garbage. But that is my opinion. If you loved it, then good. I’m glad you enjoyed it. My top 3 are 6,9,and 12. But I see a lot of hate for 12, but it’s still one of my favorites. (Turn off targeting lines!😂).

Never heard this but a fun knowledge bomb from the past

The video thumbnail proves Rinoa killed Polnaref's sister.

Funny how the theory seems so widespread I, as somebody who never played through the game, thought it was canon because people keep saying it is.

I like their romance

😂 your video had me cracking up 🎉

Thank you so much for these! These videos border on therapy for me. When I played FF8, I lacked the conceptual tools or adult experience to muster anywhere near this depth of analysis. But it spoke to me enough that I still pull out my Rinoa costume now and again after all this time. Out ballroom dancing this Halloween, I explained to people who asked about the costume that the character famously brings in the loner who thinks they can't dance and makes it a good time for them regardless. But there's more to it, and your videos are supplying more layers for my connections with these characters. I hope you keep making them!

Why’d they change squall’s hair and face? They made him look like an idiot 😢

Its called a honey trap

Question Game Dove: are you Irish or Scottish?

I dont like the r=u theory as it really stretches the story to shoehorn a sad ending in. The game is already deep enough if you take the time to properly understand it. I dont mind people personally liking the theory but when people insist its true it annoys me because no matter how much you love it fanfiction is fanfiction till the authour makes it cannon and one of the authors off ff8s story has said it is not, so it isn't.

"We"

That's interesting and I didn't know that. I think it would have made their relationship and attraction to each other more natural and believable. 😂

Lol, so instead of giving rinoa a more appropriate dress. they just ended up changing the dance movements.

I like the theory but didn't mind tbh. Like, she's a sorcererous from the future indicating things never actually improved? All the war and prejudice clearly intensified to a point her time compression focus was the plot and that's dark enough for me tbh

Simple, the theory gives FF8 the much needed depth... that someone actually put real braincells to work on it. Shuts those people who call it "just a love story" the F up.

I like the theory about Ultimecia being a corrupted Rinoa from an alternate timeline, as it help gives Ultimecia some depth, as well as giving the time travel elements in Final Fantasy VIII more meaning. I don’t think it ruins FF8’s story or ruins both Rinoa and Ultimecia as characters, as it pretty much provides more backstory to the time travel elements of VIII, and having Ultimecia as a future Rinoa and a Squall who died in another timeline allows the current Squall & Rinoa (the ones from the events of FF8) to change their own paths and erased their original fates, so they could live in a brighter future together.

I think the best thing we can do is assume the writers were high when they wrote the script for the game-a fan theory that makes a lot of sense.

*my answer to all the dumb FF8 theories* Or...or...or... FF8 is just badly written. That's why nothing makes sense.

This is a tough one because the events, how ever they unfold for the player, are the exact events squall needed to succeed, because he does. That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have done the same and had a sister or whatnot… to be clear I personally agree with the op. No one sane would support child soldiers… unless(jk)..

i played ff8 as a 16/17 year old. I did just about everything in the game apart from all the queen of TT card fights. I thought R=U to be more convoluted then the actual story... the actually story is not all that simple... its a clear coming of age story ina world who has only really known war. there was an ancient civilization prior to the ones we see in game who wad high-tech and used high magics. Their left overs being used to build the gardens after Cid and his wife learned if the future tragedy. My guess to help ease the minds of the orphans... they implored the use of the guardian force.. which help erase their earlier memories... only for Irvine not getting a GF till much later, still remembering their target as the matron of the orphanage... which causes a lot of the events to transpire. each character carries with them some baggage even in their teen years like squeals rival having an complex against squeal, while trying to live up to being a knight... based on a movie he saw. with All the back end planning Cid did coming to fruition, they go ahead and confront their end goal of the witch who started this all. With al the character coming into their own and bonding from the shared experience. With squeal the MC opening up his heart that he had guarded.... and learned to trust that he isn't alone inn the world, that he does have friend and someone who cares.

Good video but I'm curious about something. You only have four videos total at the moment right? How did you manage to get 1500 subs in two months?

Whether you like the R=U ending or not likely comes down to how much you bonded with the characters. If you love the characters, you’ll prefer they have their happy ending. If you found them dull and unlikeable, you’ll choose the theory that makes them more feel more interesting, deep, and pitiable.

Really great video!

First played the game in 2005 and only just now hearing about this theory. It really just boils down to schizos on the internet being schizo because of modern-day writing tropes that weren’t so heavily present back when the game came out.

I like your take on this. I grew up with FF8 and absolutely love it, but I never knew about this theory. I do find it strange that people are divided about it. Why can't both possibilities exist? (i.e., R = U, but they finally break the loop and get their happy end?) It is rather fascinating to say the least and I will have to think about that the next time I play it.

I dunno why but this fan theory really looks like anime Re:zero. The main villain is the lover of the main character from the future. That she love so much she make him when he dont pick the right path of the timeline he will die but revive again until he pick the right path.. She make him immortal and have restart point. And the main villain is a witch that controls time that so strong she is feared

Got a copy of Brave Fencer Musashi when I was a kid with ff8 demo disk. I probably spent ten hours with what was basically 1 fight. Great video! There’s never enough ff8 content that’s a new take. Thanks.

Hearthbreaking when you find a cool new channel and they only have four videos! haha.

I don't feel betrayed by the canon clarification. it's just that the game story is pretty terrible if it's not true. That doesn't make the theory canon. Maybe I just don't take it seriously. But this video makes any fans of the theory sound like psychos.

A lot of people dislikes overcomplications from fictional stories, while at the same time try to add complications to stories they deemed as lacking in complication. But almost everyone felt the appeal of feeling smart about themselves. The problem is then when people just simply don't perfectly understand the existing complications within the story that's written by the author, and feel the need to fixed it with something that their limited brain can understand. This is what Rinoa = Ultimecia for those so hard for it as you presented above is actually showing. And it's showing not just from that specific theory, and not limited to FF8 either. The Squall is dead theory is also a showcase of how a lot of people just are not on the necessary height of brain power to get the complication written by the author. FF7 Remake story is one of the most recent example, where lot of people are criticizing it as convoluted. They're mostly incapable of seeing and understanding things that's not written and explained for them as clear cut as possible. In reality, if we understand how things works and many popular scientific theories, most of those theories can easily be debunked with the simplest explanations. Like for example, Squall can't die because of the grandfather paradox. The reality itself will always restore Squall's condition because whatever kills him won't happened if he dies due to how he's the one that tells past Edea about his journey of killing Ultimecia. The effect can't erase the cause. Now what is the simplest explaination that counters R = U, aside from the author'a own words? 1. Griefer is simply being drawn and summoned from Squall there and then at the final battle. What? You don't think that Ultimecia out of everyone there incapable of using "Draw", right? 2. Sorceress of FF8 world are not all immortals and none are invincible. Not even Ultimecia, at any point, canonically described as an immortal. Adel is also not an immortal. Elone already dies for long by the time of Ultimecia. Every single known sorceress is FF8, none of them are immortal...and they can die whenever they want. So again, in my opinion, it's just people wanting to feel smart about themselves, whenever they're not actually smart enough to understand what they read. They need the theory to "fix" it, to replaced things that they don't understand. Majorities of people only like complications that they personally can understand.

I love FF8. Even before I heard the REU theory. That being said I love the REU theory.

I’ve heard of this theory as early as 2000, very intriguing

What does Ultimecia do all day in her castle? I asked myself that over 20 years ago when I first played FF8. It may have been because I had a weird crush on her...

Its 2024 and people can not stop making video essays about a 25 yo game. Gotta love it!

I do not believe that theory is true, but I wouldn't bemoan people who would believe in it either. I believe art is a personal relationship

Hold up. I kinda want to know more about this FF3 and FF8 theory. XD

Think it as Oedipus' (Edipo) story, but Yocasta was Ultimecia, Oedipus was Squall and Laius (Layo) was Cid. Oedipus' destiny was to fall in love with her mother and k1ll her father, no matter how hard he tried to run away from his destiny, he couldn't... because everything he did to escape from it, was necessary to fulfill it. Garden and Cid were necessary for Squall to fulfill his destiny :3

this is so true . these where war childeren , everything you said i wanted to say to people ,this story is deeper then you think .