OneFinal Fantasyfan looking for a unique gift for a friend came up with a hilarious homage to the franchise, printing a disturbingly buff version of the series’ Cactuar enemy. Square Enix’s beloved RPG franchise has experienced somewhat of a renaissance in recent years following the release ofFinal Fantasy VII: Remakeand the newCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and rumors of theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasterscoming to Nintendo Switchand PS4 indicate that even more may be in store for franchise fans.
Created by Square Enix character designer and game director Tetsuya Nomura, known to many gamers for his work as the lead character designer on the legendaryFinal Fantasy VII, the Cactuar are one of theFinal Fantasyseries’ most recognizable enemies. First appearing inFinal Fantasy VI, the stiff-limbed cacti with shocked expressions have become a series mainstay and a bane to gamers thanks to their 1000 Needles attack, which dishes out 1000 points of unblockable damage. In addition to appearing as enemies in the title, the Cactuar in thenewCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionwere also featured prominently in some of the game’s marketing.
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In a new post on r/FinalFantasy, Reddit user CivilizedPyscho showed off the hilarious and impressively ripped buff Cactuar that they made using their 3D printer. Created as a Christmas gift for a friend, the swole Cactuar’s trademark rigid limbs are arranged in such a way that the prickly foe is in a permanent flex, letting any would-be heroes know to keep their distance. While the Cactuar has taken on several different appearances over the years, even adopting a battle-ready pose in console and PCMMOFinal Fantasy XIV, this buff variant is one of the most bizarre yet.
Responses to the unusual Cactuar print on the subreddit were overwhelmingly amused with the unique creation, with many commenters jokingly asking if they could be CivilizedPyscho’s friend so they could get one as a gift. Other commenters, taken aback by the buff Cactuar’s slightly unsettling appearance and referencing status effects from theFinal Fantasygames, joked that it must be a cursed Cactuar. Offering guidance to those looking to make their own buff Cactuar, CivilizedPyscho noted in a response that they had used the file named “Cactuar Working Out” from popular 3D-printing site Thingiverse to create the gift.
From elaborate costumes to detailed paintings,Final Fantasyfans have made some truly unique homages to the franchise over the years, and this buff Cactuar is one of the silliest and most bizarre yet. For those looking for a slightly less prickly gift option for theFinal Fantasyfan in their life this year, though, the newly announcedgiant plush Buster SwordfromCrisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionmight be a better option.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunionis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
