There’s a lot out there on Final Fantasy, but who has the time to scroll through over 40 tidbits on the franchise, you’d probably rather be playing it. So we’ve compiled 5 awesome facts that you might not know, so you can return to roaming Eorzea undisturbed.

The Final Fantasy…literally!

Created as a last ditch effort by Hironobi Sakaguchi, the Final Fantasy franchise went on to become incredibly popular. Sakaguchi wanted to leave Square Enix (formally Square) on a high and created his final fantasy, with every intention of leaving a legacy, little did he know that with over 15 games later, the turn based pixel action game would have sprouted MMOs, open worlds and epic storylines.

The Olympic Swimming Team Performed To Final Fantasy VIII Music

That’s right, the US swimming team performed to Final Fantasy VIII music at the Athens 2004 Olympics. They took to the water and performed a graceful Synchro Duet and received a bronze medal to the hauntingly beautiful and fierce melody taken from the popular gaming franchise.

Final Fantasy Featured Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Dance!

Cause this is thriller, thriller right! Damn right it’s thriller and the iconic Michael Jackson hit has moonwalked its way into Final Fantasy. The bizarre thriller spoof appears in the parade scene of Final Fantasy VIII. A bonus scene in the film Final Fantasy Spirits Within is also dedicated to the song. Someone was a fan of MJ…

Sephiroth's Theme 'One Winged Angel' Was Inspired By Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze'

Possibly the most popular in the series, Final Fantasy VII featured the mesmerising soundtrack called One-Winged Angel. Nobuo Uematsu composed the piece and as a lover of rock, drew his inspiration from Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze. Can you hear it?

There's A Character Named Cid In Every Game Except The First One

As well as that fun fact, there’s also a Moogle in every Final Fantasy apart from the first one, maybthe game just wasn’t ready for these characters. Cid appears in all the Final Fantasy games, apart from the first one and has become almost a trademark for the series. However, Cid is changeable, he means something different to each game and normally takes on an older, wise character. Two other recurring FF characters are Biggs and Wedge, named after the Star Wars duo Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles. These characters have become fundamental in shaping the franchise. A chocoboless Final Fantasy? No thanks!

There you have it folks, 5 wonderful facts that you might not have known about Final Fantasy!