Details about Final Fantasy 16 have still been sparse, leading to a healthy amount of speculation from fans. The game's official site and its singular trailer are the only sources for official information so far. With that, every piece of information or visual clue is being dissected to guess at what the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy 16's story will entail. One detail that's small but fairly noticeable is the marking that appears on Clive's face after the game's apparent time skip.
Many are assuming that Final Fantasy 16 will feature a jump forward in time fairly early on in the story. The events shown in the trailer seem to leave new protagonist Clive in a much darker place than before, presumably after failing in his oath to protect his brother Joshua. The older version of Clive appears sporting both a more somber disposition and an interesting mark or brand on his face, an image of two crossed axes. This relatively small detail has some possibly huge implications.
Clive's Marking May Hint At Final Fantasy 16's Story
After the apparent time skip Clive is now marked with a symbol of crossed axes on his cheek. He is also seen traveling with other soldiers that bear the same marking. It seems fairly clear that this marking is a reference to Final Fantasy 16's Iron Kingdom. The game's official site provided information about the different kingdoms in the game's world, Valisthea. Having originally come from the neighboring Rosaria, it seems Clive has fallen into some kind of alliance with members of the Iron Kingdom.
This could have some big implications for the story, and Clive's classic Final Fantasy protagonists attitude, merely by virtue of the Iron Kingdom's theocratic and authoritarian leanings. In the world of Final Fantasy 16, each of its different kingdoms has a different view of the Dominants and Eikons. Eikons are the newest iteration of the iconic summon monsters that have varying levels of narrative importance in the series, and Dominants are the mortals that are born with a distinct connection with one of the Eikons.
In nations like Rosaria, the Dominants are seen as special beings who are held in high regard due to their connection to magic, and by extension, the crystals that help fuel magic energy throughout the world. In contrast, the Iron Kingdom's Crystalline Orthodoxy sees Dominants as an abomination that must be exterminated. This information has helped perpetuate many theories about Final Fantasy 16 and gives Clive's involvement with the Iron Kingdom a more sinister overtone.
Along with information about each kingdom, the official site also revealed images of the different nations banners. The Iron Kingdom's banner features two crossed axes suspended over two anchors. The axes seem an obvious clue about the soldiers that Clive is seen traveling with. The brand or mark on their cheeks resembles the banner of the Iron Kingdom in a way that's difficult to ignore.
There are many small details about Final Fantasy 16 that point at bigger things. But this one seems pretty blatantly apparent, perhaps inferring Clive has become obsessed with destroying the Eikons in retribution for the (likely) death of his brother. The circumstances around him joining are yet unknown, but it seems fairly clear that Clive has joined soldiers of the Iron Kingdom perhaps even as some sort of special kind of warrior.
Final Fantasy 16 is in development for the PlayStation 5.