Quina Quen
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is a character in the
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
''
Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...
'', being one of the playable characters that can be used. They are a Blue Mage, a ''
Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...
'' class that gains enemies' powers by defeating them, and is invested in eating food. They have an ambiguous gender, referred to with both male and female pronouns in the English version of the game. They join the protagonist,
Zidane Tribal is a video game character in the ''Final Fantasy'' series and the main protagonist of ''Final Fantasy IX''. He was conceived and written by Hironobu Sakaguchi, while his appearance was designed by Yoshitaka Amano and re-interpreted by Toshiyuki ...
, as part of their own quest to learn about life beyond food.


Concept and creation

Quina was created for the 2000
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
''
Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...
''. They are a member of the Qu race, and have a food fixation. They have white skin, a long tongue, and wear a chef outfit. Quina has a tendency to look for food to enjoy in new area, and often serves as comic relief. The original concept art for Quina was created by
Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He began his career in 1967 at Tatsunoko Production working on anime such as '' Speed Racer'' and later became the c ...
, and the final version was created by Toshiyuki Itahana, as well as Shunkou Murase and Shin Nagasawa, who also handled the in-game version of the character. Their character design was meant to strike a balance between realism and a comic-like style, while taking inspiration from the style employed for the characters in the film ''
The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...
''. Quina's pronoun usage varies from region to region. In the English version of the game, they use both male and female pronouns interchangeably, as well as ''s/he''. In Japanese, they use the pronoun ''aitsu'', which has no gender tied to it, meaning it can be translated as ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''that person''. The Spanish and French versions use female pronouns for them.


Appearances

In ''
Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...
'', Quina is first seen working as a cook in Alexandria Castle. Zidane and the others later encounter Quina in Qu's Marsh, where they are trying to catch a frog. When Zidane catches a frog for them, the head Qu, Quale, calls Quina lazy, asking Zidane to take Quina with him so that they may find frogs elsewhere and improve their cooking skills. During the quest, they often split off in towns and cities so they may try out their culinary dishes. In Cleyra, during the attack by Black Mages, they opt to flee on foot instead of joining Zidane and the others on an airship due to their fear of heights. Cleyra is destroyed, and Quina is presumed dead. Zidane later finds Quina back at Qu's Marsh, having survived. They then help the group progress in their quest while trying to find frogs. An optional scene can occur, where a marriage ceremony between Quina and Vivi, another party member. They are eventually left behind, appearing occasionally before permanently joining the party. Quina will later be able to visit Quan's Dwelling, where Quina hallucinates a feast, though becomes confused when it turns out there's no food. Quan's ghost appears, scolding Quale as an inferior gourmand to Quina due to Quale's lack of imagination. After the antagonists Kuja and Necron are defeated, Quina returns to serve as the cook at Alexandria Castle under
Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. Garnet minerals, while sharing similar physical and crystallographic properties, exhibit a wide range of chemical compositions, de ...
's rule. Quina received a figure in the Play Arts series, released alongside a figure of
Eiko Carol ''Final Fantasy IX'', a PlayStation role-playing game consisting of four CD-ROMs,''FINAL FANTASY IX'' English game manual, Published by Square Electronic Arts L.L.C., 2000. features a cast containing various major and minor characters. Players c ...
.


Reception

Quina has received generally positive reception, identified as the most original role-playing game character ever by ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
''. Their sidelining was commented on, with ''IGN'' writer Dale Bashir feeling it was inevitable due to the cast's size. ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' writer Ashley Davis discussed the tendency of role-playing games to feature a character who is "cute as all get-out but useless in battle, annoying, or a combination of the two," noting that Quina is the character that made her write the article. She talked about how ''Final Fantasy IX'' "blew eraway" due to its characters, world, and cinematics; yet, despite thinking they were the "most interesting creature I’d ever laid eyes upon in a game," she was ultimately disappointed with how one-dimensional Quina turned out to be. ''Hardcore Gamer'' writer Shawn Reynolds felt Quina served as comic relief, but also that they "represent the joy in life," feeling that Quina stands out among the cast. Their gender has been the subject of discussion by critics and fans, the latter debating over Quina's gender. ''Fanbyte'' writers John Warren and Steven Strom were both disappointed with how Quina's gender was played for laughs, with Strom appreciating their lack of gender despite this. ''RPGamer'' writer Zach Welhouse identified them as one of their favorite characters in ''Final Fantasy'', appreciating that Quina does not fit into the gender binary. Despite this criticism, ''Comic Book Resources'' writer Ryan Bamsey felt they were "surprisingly great non-binary representation," not believing that their gender was the butt of the joke. Writer Blythe Adams discussed how androgyny and non-binary representation tends to be depicted as “presented as variously humorous, pitiable, or monstrous, and often all three," with writer Lauren Lacey noting Quina as an example, calling them comic relief.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quen, Quina Final Fantasy IX characters Non-binary characters in video games Video game characters introduced in 2000