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The end of the Final Fantasy IX 25th anniversary celebrations brought with it a big announcement at Square Enix. Not that the game is getting the remake treatment that it so obviously deserves, but the man behind the character designs for the game is leaving Square Enix. Toshiyuki Itahana left his role at Square Enix at the end of 2025.

In a statement, Itahana explained that he left Square Enix at the end of 2025 to become a freelance illustrator and character designer.

“Last year marked a major milestone with the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX, a truly significant event, and I was deeply grateful to see so many people celebrating FFIX. With the illustration work and supervision related to the 25th anniversary now complete, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment in having fulfilled the role entrusted to me. At the same time, I felt this was the right moment to draw a line under this chapter and take on new challenges.”

Toshiyuki Itahana had been at Square Enix for more than 25 years and served as the character designer for Final Fantasy IX. Since then, he has worked on several subsequent Final Fantasy entries, including Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and was an animator for 2017’s NieR: Automata. Itahana said in the same note that he is “listening to advice and learning from senior freelance illustrators” as he looks to establish himself as an independent contractor in the video game industry.

2025 marked the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy IX and, as it turned out, it also signalled the end of one of Square Enix’s longstanding employees’ time at the company.

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