14 DAY TRIAL // The Final Fantasy 25th Anniversary Ultimania, a book detailing some of the series' story and production lore, has revealed that Hades was intended to be the original final boss for Final Fantasy IX.
More than 13 years after its release, Final Fantasy IX seems to be an endless source of surprises. Only a few months ago, an American player browsing the Japanese Final Fantasy IX Ultimania guide stumbled upon a previously undiscovered side-quest.
The side-quest was not covered in any of the walkthroughs or FAQs outside of Japan, meaning that for 13 years, non-Japanese FFIX fans were completely unaware of it.
Now this marvelous piece of information surfaces, regarding the rather difficult-to-beat hidden boss Hades. He is a recurring presence in the franchise, being usually tied to darkness and status-effect magic, according to Pixelitis.
The concept art in the Ultimania book reveals Hades as the originally intended final boss of the game.
Ultimately, the game's final boss ended up being Necron, whose appearance is never explained in depth in-game, just being summoned by the villain Kuja's desire to return all to oblivion.