Final Fantasy XII writer puts long-standing Vaan rumor to rest

You’ve gotta love it when a long-standing rumor is finally squashed from someone directly tied to the story. That’s exactly what’s happened with Final Fantasy XII’s Vaan and a debate over his role in the game.

Pretty much since the game’s original launch back in 2006, some Final Fantasy XII fans have thought that the lead character, Vaan, wasn’t originally meant to be the protagonist. The internet lore suggested that Basch, another character in the game, was supposed to be the lead in Final Fantasy XII, but issues between the writers led to Vaan getting the spot.

It seems all the confusion stems from a French published alongside the original release of Final Fantasy XII. In that interview, we learn that Basch was the first character to be created, and Vaan was added late in the game. With that being the case, you can see why some thought that Basch got the shaft due to Vaan, but now we know that to be completely untrue.

This decades-old rumor is now 100% debunked, thanks to Final Fantasy writer Yasumi Matsuno. Matsuno saw the discussion bubble up once again on Twitter recently, and this time he decided to chime in. Plainly put, Matsuno said the Vaan/Basch rumor was a ‘fake story,’ so now we finally have a definitive answer. Like it or not, Vaan was always the go-to guy for Final Fantasy XII!