‘Final Fantasy IX’ Remake Looking Unlikely As Character Designer Toshiyuki Itahana Exits Square Enix After Uneventful 25th Anniversary
With its 25th anniversary coming and going with less fanfare than is usually given to the company’s mobile games, the recent decision by Final Fantasy IX character designer Toshiyuki Itahana to formally exit Square Enix suggests that all hopes for the game’s long-rumored remake are officially dead in the water.
Given that Zidane and crew first set out on their mission to stop Kyja from destroying the universe on July 7th, 2000, one would have expected last year to have been filled to the brim with various Final Fantasy IX-related announcements, most notably an update on either the game’s supposedly in-development anime adaptation or aforementioned remake, the existence of which first suggested as part of the 2021 Nvidia upcoming games leaks.
And while the game did receive some love across the year, including a Japan-exclusive pop-up café, new character illustrations from Itahana, and a handful of new merch, 2025 ultimately came to an end without any real news as to just what was going on with the game’s multimedia ambitions.
And unfortunately for those fans who were hoping to catch another performance by the Tantalus Theater Troupe, the odds of either project truly moving forward took a significant blow today courtesy of Itahana’s surprise resignation from Square Enix.
Explaining his decision in both English and Japanese in a post made to his personal Note.com blog page, the artist recalled, “As I began thinking seriously about preparing myself to continue drawing for many years to come, I decided to leave Square Enix at the end of last year.”
“Last year marked a major milestone with the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX, a truly significant event, and I was deeply grateful to see so many people celebrating FFIX.”
“With the illustration work and supervision related to the 25th anniversary now complete, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment in having fulfilled the role entrusted to me. At the same time, I felt this was the right moment to draw a line under this chapter and take on new challenges.”
To this end, Ithana then announced, “From here on, I will be working as a freelance illustrator and character designer.”
“While remaining deeply grateful for all the connections I’ve been fortunate to receive through my work so far, I hope to draw upon my experience and continue creating a wide variety of new artwork.”
“At the moment, I’m still finding my way—listening to advice and learning from senior freelance illustrators—but if you happen to come across my work somewhere, I would be truly happy if you could support me.
Closing out with a thankful nod to his time at Square Enix, during which he also served as the lead character designer on the Chocobo’s Dungeon and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, Itahana ultimately asserted, “While remaining deeply grateful for all the connections I’ve been fortunate to receive through my work so far, I hope to draw upon my experience and continue creating a wide variety of new artwork.”
“To everyone who played the games I worked on at Square Enix, and to all those I had the pleasure of working with over the years, thank you very much. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, and I sincerely hope for your continued support in the future. May this new year be an exceptionally happy one for all of you.”
Thus, with the man behind its original creative vision now gone and the latest whispers suggesting that its remake is currently “on ice“, it seems safe to say that if Square Enix ever does revist Final Fantasy IX, it won’t be at any point in the foreseeable future.
