Localization is a common term many players are familiar with, especially if they love the many great games made in Japan. Games that get localized are changed in many interesting ways to appeal to international audiences, although this practice isn't the norm anymore with more and more titles preserving their cultural integrity nowadays.
Final Fantasy is one such series that has an interesting relationship with localization, with the games seeing several interesting changes while being adapted for audiences outside Japan. In fact, many character names in Final Fantasy have changed quite a bit while being localized for Western audiences, with the most notable changes of the bunch being mentioned below.
10 Frioniel — Firion (Final Fantasy 2)
Firion is one of the four main playable characters in Final Fantasy 2. This game, while having some good ideas of its own, ultimately failed to live up to the promise of the original title because of a broken leveling mechanic.
It's a shame since this game was the first attempt by Square to tell a story in a Final Fantasy game. In the Japanese version, Firion's name is actually Frioniel, which was changed due to character limitations.
9 Golbeza — Golbez (Final Fantasy 4)
Square finally got the ball rolling with story-heavy Final Fantasy games when Final Fantasy 4 came out. This game features a great story that employed all the classic Final Fantasy tropes to tell a truly riveting tale.
The antagonist for a major chunk of this game is Golbez, who hounds the player every step of the way. In the original version, his name was Golbeza, but his name was changed for Western audiences to make the name easier to pronounce.
8 Tina — Terra (Final Fantasy 6)
Terra is the first character introduced in the ensemble cast of Final Fantasy 6. She has a pretty mysterious background, being able to use magic, which is a rarity in the world of Final Fantasy 6.
Her name was Tina in the Japanese version before being changed to Terra, making her name seem pretty exotic in the process. The fact that she can turn into an Esper makes for a great twist in this game's amazing plot.
7 Gitan — Zidane (Final Fantasy 9)
Final Fantasy 9 is a love letter to the classic tropes of the series, arriving right after two games that had a darker tone and focused on futuristic concepts. In contrast, the ninth mainline title was steeped in a high fantasy setting with little to no modern technology whatsoever.
Interestingly enough, his name was actually Gitan in the Japanese version before being changed to Zidane. Many people appreciate this change since this Westernized version made Zidane's name infinitely more memorable as the protagonist of Final Fantasy 9.
6 Ryukku — Rikku (Final Fantasy 10)
Final Fantasy 10 was a great entry into the PlayStation 2 for Final Fantasy and the last mainline title developed under the Squaresoft name before the company chose to merge with Enix instead.
This game features several beloved characters, including the Al-Bhed Rikku. Her name was distinctly Japanese in the original version, but "Ryukku" was ultimately changed to the more popular moniker most people remember now.
5 Balflear — Balthier (Final Fantasy 12)
Final Fantasy 12 was a massive change for the series' formula, which saw pretty mixed results. The game experimented with an ensemble cast as well, despite Vaan being labeled by many people as the de facto protagonist of the game.
One of the characters in the game that fans absolutely adore is Balthier, who was actually called Balflear in the Japanese version. This change was made to make this name's pronunciation easier for Western audiences, which was definitely a smart move.
4 Vanilla — Vanille (Final Fantasy 13)
Final Fantasy 13 is considered by many to be the black sheep of the series, with the shift to a linear structure and a complicated story bogging the whole game down. While the graphics and combat of this title were definitely stellar, the departure from the series norm was a bit too much for most fans to bear.
It didn't help that some of the characters in the series were pretty annoying, with Vanille being a key example of the same. Her name was outright called Vanilla in the Japanese version before being changed for the international release, although this still didn't help her character stand out in the slightest.
3 Cidney — Cindy (Final Fantasy 15)
Cindy Aurum is a character who was made solely for fanservice purposes, which is a shame since the character didn't really need to adhere to this outdated trope. She's still a pretty great mechanic who helps out the player multiple times in the game.
Her name was perfectly serviceable for all audiences, but it was still changed to Cindy, one of the most common names out there. It's possible that this change was made to make her name sound more normal...which is odd given how flamboyant most of the other character names are in this game!
2 Mash — Sabin (Final Fantasy 6)
Sabin is an excellent character in Final Fantasy 6 that fans love to control. His Blitz ability allows players to carry out numerous special moves by inputting some button combinations, with stronger moves requiring quite a few button presses to set up.
Sabin's name has probably witnessed the biggest change in Final Fantasy localization, with his actual moniker being Mash. This name was possibly given since players do have to mash buttons to carry out his special moves, although this definition is a bit of a stretch.
1 Tiida — Tidus (Final Fantasy 10)
Tidus is one of the most divisive protagonists of all time. Some players love the energy brought by this Blitzball star, while others hate just how jubilant and goofy he becomes, especially in scenes where this boisterous personality feels completely out of place.
His name was Tiida in the Japanese version, but it was clear that this name would be a nightmare to pronounce for Western audiences. This led to the name change...which is quite amusing since many fans still mispronounce his name and argue about which pronunciation is the correct one out of Tee-dus and Tide-us.