Final Fantasy volumes are mostly standalone, not sequels
Hironobu Sakaguchi created the Square (now Square Enix) science-fantasy franchise that began in Japan on 18 December 1987. Mainline games are numbered volumes with new worlds and casts; the brand also spans tactics, action, and online genres and ranks among gaming's commercial giants.
Sixteen numbered main entries have appeared since 1987. Each primary game is a standalone role-playing story with its own world, plot and leads, usually a band of heroes fighting a great evil, yet recurring mechanics and character names tie the series together. Beyond role-playing, the brand has moved into tactics, action, online multiplayer, racing, shooting, fighting and rhythm games, plus films, anime, manga and novels.
Sales above 200 million copies make it one of the best-selling game franchises, and several entries rank among the greatest games ever made. The original reached North America in 1990 after its Japanese debut on the NES, and Final Fantasy IV in 1991 introduced the Active Time Battle system, though it was sold in North America as Final Fantasy II. Final Fantasy VII, in 1997 on the PlayStation, swapped 2D art for polygonal 3D characters on pre-rendered backgrounds and a more modern setting. Final Fantasy X in 2001 added fully 3D areas and voice acting, and its 2003 follow-up X-2 was the series' first sub-sequel.
The first online entry, Final Fantasy XI, launched on PlayStation 2 and PC in 2002. Final Fantasy XIII arrived in Japan in 2009 and became the first mainline game with two sub-sequels, released in 2011 and 2013 to form the first official trilogy. Some North American Final Fantasy titles were rebrands, such as the SaGa games sold as The Final Fantasy Legend, while Mystic Quest was built specifically for American players. Dissidia Final Fantasy, a 2009 fighting game, gathers heroes and villains from the first ten main games. On screen, Final Fantasy: Unlimited ran 25 episodes in 2001 on TV Tokyo, and the CGI film Advent Children followed on DVD in 2005.
Source: Final Fantasy
