HAND IT TO ‘EM

This official Final Fantasy 16 merch must be some kind of sick joke

Remember when Hugo Kupka wanted to throw hands? Well, Square Enix does, and I think it’s having a laugh at his expense.

Image credit: VG247

Article by Dom Peppiatt Editor-in-chief

Published on July 20, 2023

There are a lot of intense moments in Final Fantasy 16; even from the very start of the game, where you’re engaged in a massive-scale chase scene involving a pair of broiling Eikons, Square Enix keeps the adrenaline high in 2023’s biggest RPG hit. But one of the most standout moments involved one of the game’s big bads – Hugo Kupka – and the god that resides within him, Titan.

Warning: Spoilers for mid-to-late game Final Fantasy 16 ahead

The Titan fight – foreshadowed and telegraphed since practically the beginning of the game – is a big one. No pun intended. Taking place across multiple locations, and in multiple phrases, the grudge match between grizzly protagonist Clive Rosfield and human mountain Hugo Kupka is one of the central conflicts studied in the game.

And with good reason; both men think they’re vindicated in their hatred for the other, both would lay their lives on the line to defend their idea of justice. Both are stubborn, and self-destructive in their pursuit of their ideals. This one conflict, in essence, lionises a lot of the major themes in Final Fantasy 16. So it stands to reason the (eventual) fight between the two is so climactic, and is such a large part of the game’s focus.

Anyone that’s managed to subdue Titan at least once knows the fate of poor Hugo’s hands; he is quite literally disarmed by Clive in the final moments of their first earth-shattering meeting. Kupka is quickly withdrawn, though; squirrled away by forces unknown to a secret location that Clive later sets about finding like the bloodhound he is.

But that moment – seeing Clive’s blade rising and slashing and burning with white hot flame – is quite impactful. Just moments ago, Titan bragged that he’d ‘end your life with his bare hands’. Oh, the irony. For the player, it’s a moment of wonder; Clive, with his untrained, unreliable power, can sever the hands of a god. His power is only just beginning to show itself.

A Play Arts Kai figure of Hugo Kupka from Final Fantasy 16, standing tall with a series of hands laid out in front of the model. — Gotta hand it to 'em. | Image credit: Square Enix

So to see Square Enix release one of its very high-quality Play Arts Kai figures of Kupka with replaceable hands… it’s very funny. I will note that it’s perhaps a bit of a missed opportunity, though – in the image to the side, you can see there are a series of expressive hands you can fit on the model, but there are no metal hands (the ones you’ll see Kupka fitted with later in the game, when it all ‘gets a bit Jamie Lannister’).

Kupka isn’t alone: there is also a figure for every Dominant/Eikon in Final Fantasy 16, as well as best boy Torgal. Each figure will set you back a pocketful of gil, weighing in at $129.99. Square Enix notes that shipments are expected to occur at various times over the next year.

Is this the sort of thing you’re interested in picking up? I’m going to include an image of Torgal in this piece, too, because – well, look at the quality of it!