Final Fantasy 16: What Clive’s Face Tattoo Means For Magic In Valisthea

gameinformer.com:

If you’ve seen Final Fantasy XVI protagonist Clive Rosfield, you’ve likely noticed he has a black face tattoo on his left cheek. This tattoo connects more widely to the world of FFXVI, Valisthea, and magic’s place in it. 

During my cover story trip to Tokyo, Japan, to speak to developer Creative Business Unit III, I learned a lot about magic in FFXVI and how it affects Clive’s life and everyone in this world. The special tattoo on Clive’s face is the mark of a Bearer, which indicates he can use magic. This might seem like a great ability, but the nations of Valisthea view Bearers as something other than human. These nations brand their Bearers to show they are enslaved, and nations trade Bearers across borders based on who needs their magical abilities. When Clive receives this branding, his life is forever changed. 

In my hands-on time with FFXVI, I saw various other people in The Grand Duchy of Rosaria, Clive’s home at one point, with the same mark. They were completing tasks like fetching water, carrying heavy objects, and more. Flashing forward past the game’s opening hours, Clive is on a mission to assassinate a key figure in a war, and he’s joined by a few other soldiers also bearing the mark. Before this trip, I thought Clive’s tattoo was unique to him, but the mark of a Bearer isn't as unusual in Valisthea as I initially thought. 

Valisthea’s reliance on the magical work of Bearers speaks to its greater reliance on magic in general. While the main scenario will drive Clive’s story forward, localization director Michael-Christopher Koji Fox says the world of FFXVI isn’t all politics, intrigue, and Clive’s story all the time, and CBUIII worked hard to inject minor, everyday problems into the world. Those problems