(A Casual Intro to the Series)
Final Fantasy is not really a series. It is more like a collection of unrelated stories that have similar themes.
Trivia
:edit: My friend pointed out an interesting fact: even though the Final Fantasy series is neither a series nor related plot-wise up until FF X, there are TWO common things in all of the games, starting at Final Fantasy II (the actual 2 such as in Japan, not II SNES). Question: Can you name the two common features? (the answer is at the bottom of this page.)
One obscure theory is that the odd-numbered games in this series focus on gameplay, and the even-numbered ones focus on plot.
Final Fantasy X is the first Final Fantasy game to have a direct sequel, X-2 (XI is not related to either, and is an MMORPG like XIV is). Not until later were spinoffs based on FF7 made (including sequel Advent Children, which is only a movie).
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