Twenty-five years since the release of Final Fantasy 9 on the original PlayStation, fans have just discovered a fascinating fact about the cherished Black Mage, Vivi: the story behind his name. Vivi Ornitier, the young sorcerer who becomes an essential character alongside Zidane Tribal, is loved not just for his powerful magic but also for his compelling backstory that raises questions about his dark origins.

Fans adore Vivi for his cute design and sweet personality, despite his tragic background. Over the years, he has appeared in various spin-offs, including Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts 2, and World of Final Fantasy. Many also create cosplay of him or base their in-game characters on him in titles like Destiny 2.

In a newly released picture book titled “Vivi and Grandpa On the Day of Departure,” designed by Kazuhiko Aoki with illustrations by Toshiyuki Itahana, the storyline follows Vivi and his adoptive grandfather, Quan, leading up to Vivi’s journey to Alexandria.

The book reveals that when Quan found Vivi, he was unnamed. Some fans suspect that Vivi is a derivative of Vivienne, a name meaning ‘alive’ in Latin. Interestingly, the official explanation is that during a measurement, Quan measured Vivi at 6'6” using Roman numerals, which gave way to the name: ‘VI’ for six and ‘VI’ again, thus forming ‘Vivi’.

This revelation sparks speculation that Square Enix may be revisiting this universe, even though past development teams have denied work on a remake, which continues to fuel ongoing fan theories.