[Coinspinner]

There's also that bit about the Taru learning magic then going out to conquer, which is kinda like what Japan did after industrializing.

[IfritnoItazura]

Originally Posted by Malacite

Windurst fits Japan rather nicely I find.

Warring tribes (Feudal Era) eventually united by a Holy Leader. You could also argue the small people aspect but... tarutaru are taking that to the extreme >_>

The emperor was divine, but Feudal Era Japan was united by military general(s), and not priests or holy men of any sort.

Windurst Wall with its water and tree does seem to be combining two Japanese images of holiness, though.

However, if anything is especially Japanese is the rather untypical insight that Tarutarus (placeholder for "Japanese" people) are a very pacifist bunch--with a very violent past. Most Japanese tend to focus on the pacifism, and not dwell on its history of (and the still present potential for) violence and cruelty.

Stretching it a bit, the lively Mithra can be considered in-game counterpart to "gaijin"--foreigners and foreign influences which have helped to shape the post WWII Japanese society. The fact that Mithras are a good looking people tend to reinforce that idea. >_> <_<;

Windurst may be a closer analogy to Japan of today than past, IMO.

[Mhurron]

Originally Posted by Coinspinner

There's also that bit about the Taru learning magic then going out to conquer, which is kinda like what Japan did after industrializing.

San d'oria went out and conquered when they were united are they also Japanese? Bastok went out and began to expand it's might with its military as San d'Oria entered its twilight, are they also Japan?

San d'Oria was also fighting tribes until they were united. Mithra continue a very tribal culture, are they also Japanese.

Conquest and Tribalism are pretty universal in human history. It's pretty silly to assign them as characteristics that point to a specific people for the origins of game cultures.

The opening FMV has lyrics in Esperanto so that it would not be associated with any one people. There has been a lot of work to make FFXI as culturally generic as possible.

[Malacite]

Actually he was, and it has remained a tradition in Japan to this date Itazura.

Even though Japan is officially run by the P.M., they still have a holy emperor.

[Mhurron]

The emperor of Japan was required to renounce his divine right as per the terms of the surrender of Japan.

While to many the status of the Emperor did not change, technically it did drastically.

[IfritnoItazura]

Originally Posted by Malacite

Actually he was, and it has remained a tradition in Japan to this date Itazura.

Even though Japan is officially run by the P.M., they still have a holy emperor.

The point was that the emperer didn't (re)unite Japan--the shogun did. It was a military (and diplomatic) conquest, nothing akin to the Star Sybyl and her guiding light.

[Coinspinner]

Originally Posted by Mhurron

San d'oria went out and conquered when...

...it was corroborative. Chill.