MovieChat Forums > Fainaru fantajî VIII (1999) Discussion > Is Zell Gay?

Is Zell Gay?

posted 10 years ago by takashi_kupo
12 replies | jump to latest

I hope so.

I have played most of the Final Fantasy games and I don't know if there are any gay characters off the top of my head which makes this post all the more poignant. We need to have minorities in these games so that they will reflect real life and the people who play them. I identify with a lot characters on many levels, sure. But I want to identify with a character as someone who is gay.

I think Zell fits that profile:

- He never once mentions his attraction to anyone throughout the game.
- He's a pretty boy/ takes care of his apperance
- He's fit
- Gets picked on a lot (symbolism)
- Always wants hot dogs

What do guys think?

Let's be friends!

[–] JessieWalsh 10 years ago

He's not gay. Sorry to burst your bubble but one of the little side quests is to keep talking to some girl in the library throughout the game. She asks about Zell and later you see her in the hotel in Balamb, they flirt Zell is blushing and she give you one of those magazines. Pleased you didn't ask for some trolling homophobic reason. Oh and they never say one way or the other but Kuja in FF9 might be gay. He's a real pretty boy and likes plays and stuff. Though he's the villain not a character you get to use.

[–] RatedSophisticated 10 years ago

Kelfka from FF6 might be gay too.

[–] takashi_kupo 10 years ago

Suuuuuuuck it reality!

I'm going to have to play this sidequest and see for myself. Maybe Zell doesn't respond in the way you think he does? I dunno. It'd be a let down if he were straight. I mean, there's like three black NPC's in the game and one asian. I'm sure we'd be hard pressed to find a gay character but there has to be one.

Let's be friends!

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] takashi_kupo 10 years ago

I've been mulling over Kiros and his position in the game and I'm kinda hoping that it's not him. Final Fantasy VIII lacks a lot of minorities to begin with and placing all the minority status on one character (a very small role and supporting character at that) would kinda be a slap in the face. I'm still hoping that the Zell sub-plot with the girl is just a misunderstanding and one day the writers come out and say, "Yep. He's gay." Because it would be great to have a main character to relate to.

I can't imagine any black people playing the game and thinking, "Geez. I wonder where all the black people are at?" Because honestly, Kiros and that one Trepie don't really count

Let's be friends!

[–] ricky_says_hi 9 years ago

Well he could be, since he doesn't tell us otherwise. There are hints of an attraction between him and the girl from the library - but that's mainly from the girl's perspective and we never hear Zell's feelings on the matter

The reasoning probably comes from Zell being the only male lead character who doesn't get paired up with anyone. The media kind of hammers it home that any man in the cast has to hook up with someone. Squall and Rinoa are an official couple. Irvine and Selphie are strongly implied. Cid is married to Edea and Laguna was married to Raine. Seifer and Rinoa were an item some years previously. So that leaves Zell as the only dude without a love interest, aside from the library girl with a crush on him. Quistis is left on her own too but she's often forgotten since she says that she *thought* she loved Squall. She does say that she quickly realised her feelings weren't that, so you never know about her either

I'm gonna die of long hair!

[–] Druff 9 years ago

- Always wants hot dogs

People always bring this up in their "Zell is gay!" theories. In the original Japanese script, Zell is obsessed with "pan," i.e. bread. In Japan, pan comes in call kinds of yummy flavors and is an exotic treat, which is why it's always gone by the time Zell gets to the cafeteria. Being excited about bread makes no sense to Americans or Europeans, so they had to change it to something else. You see him eating pan in the ending, so they had to come up with something that matched what is shown. The pan he's scarfing down looks a bit like hot dog buns. So there ya go. =P

[–] johnnymike91 9 years ago

Balthier from 12 is gay

[–] Fusion72 8 years ago

Wasn't he always playing up to the ladies around the centre? Also, I got the impression he was desperate to snatch Squill's girl off him, because he wasn't making any progress with her.

I didn't think he was gay. Just eccentric.

[–] david_hokey_16 8 years ago

I love Zell and if he were gay then that'd be great. But as a gay man I can tell you your reasons for thinking he might be are flawed. There are plenty of gay men who are not the 'pretty boy' type and there are plenty of straight men who are. There are plenty gay men who are not fit nor care about exercise while there are plenty of straight men who are gym rats. Zell is often picked on by Seifer who is mean to everyone. Furthermore, being picked on doesn't mean you're gay - people will make fun of someone for their weight to their acne or even wearing glasses. Many gay teens are openly accepted by their peers though of course not all have it so lucky. Furthermore, an obsession with hot dogs is a stretch - do all the straight guys in the game have an obsession with corn beef? No, so that's a stupid reason to assume someone is gay. Besides, as another poster pointed out his favorite food was changed during localization to make more sense to players outside Japan. Now that all of that is out of the way I'm going to assume Zell is gay but only because he has no female love interest in the game and I like the idea of playing as another gay man.

[–] johnnymike91 8 years ago

What about Balthier?

[–] Druffmaul 7 years ago

Provide one single shred of evidence that Balthier is gay, and maybe someone will reply to you. Idiot.