FFXIV director Yoshi-P explains why there’s more to his fashion than meets the eye

Naoki Yoshida, the beloved director of Final Fantasy XIVis definitely a character. Dexerto sat down with the erratic Yoshi P to discuss his reputation in the industry, the legacy he will leave behind, and… even find out where he buys his clothes.

Yoshi-P is ostensibly the figurehead of FFXIV. The director has taken the reins again in A Realm Reborn, turning the MMORPG into a title that fans around the world have come to love.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Yoshida during his time in Melbourne for PAX Australia 2024 and rest assured we discussed all kinds of topics, including getting to the bottom of his iconic fashion sense.

A director among the fans

Yoshi-P is more than just loved by the community; the director is practically heralded as the face of the game. And now that the MMO is impacting millions of people around the world, fans are always praising Yoshida as someone who changed their lives immensely.

While it was never the director’s intention to become a figurehead of the MMORPG, and while he’s happy for people to see him in that regard, he honestly feels more embarrassed than anything. This is especially true at in-person events, where fans can meet the legendary developer in person.

“Of course I’m always happy to get support from all our fans and players, but there are times when I’ll be at physical events like at the Tokyo Game Show in Japan and when I meet some fans they’ll just burst into tears when they met me. And I’ll just be there thinking, ‘hmm, what do I do?’” Yoshida shared.

Despite being well known within the community, the director wanted to point out that the game only exists thanks to the hard work of the entire team.

“Our game exists because of our development team and also our operations teams. I’m at the top there and I’m the representative of the team. But I am very grateful for all the support we receive as a whole team from all our fans.”

A stylish companion

As the most front-facing member of the development team, Yoshida is constantly under the eyes of the fans. With the director in the spotlight so much, many have noticed his impeccable sense of style, and it turns out there’s a reason why he dresses so well.

“First of all, I want to say that I am very grateful that people find me stylish,” Yoshida blushed. “But there’s actually a reason for that.

“When I entered the games industry, it was about thirty years ago. So at that time I was on the game design team and we had two team supervisors. In my department there was a supervisor who wasn’t very fashionable, or, at least, didn’t really wear good clothes and wasn’t the kind of person who bathed much.

“So he’d be there, his hair would be really greasy and he’d be wearing all these clothes that really scream, ‘I’m a game developer!’ When you went to Akihabara in Tokyo at that time, it was that kind of fashion that you saw and that he wore. But of course when I look at it, I think that if that’s what makes him happy, then that’s fine.

“But there was one time when he was representing the team and he had cover in Famitsu, so he was actually representing the team. So I can’t get that memory out of my head when I open Famitsu and see him there and get the disappointment from everyone on the team.

Conversely, Yoshida’s other supervisor at the time was the opposite, offering what he called a very “gentle and stylish” fashion sense.

Yoshida is aware of his position as director of Final Fantasy XIV and makes sure he always gives his best when representing the team.

“I am very aware of all the personal thoughts and ambitions that everyone on my team has, and I am responsible for representing the team. So if I was going to represent our game and take part in an interview, I wanted to make sure I was doing the best for my team as well,” the director explained.

“I didn’t want them to think, ‘Oh, I wish this guy had a little more fashion sense,’ so with all that in mind, that’s one of the reasons why I’m very careful about how I dress.”

However, as Yoshida gets older, he believes some members of the team may not feel the same way.

“I’m sure everyone is thinking, ‘Hey you, you’re already over 50, it’s about time you stop wearing these flashy shirts,’” he admitted with a smile. “At every FanFest, I’m sure there are people on the team who see this old man coming on stage decked out in this weird cosplay for the new job.”

And to some extent, he usually agrees with the team, which would certainly make some fans sad.

“Hey, at the end of the day, I don’t want to cosplay myself.”

If you ever wanted to don a Yoshi-P cosplay, we asked where the director shopped, and the developer mentioned a department store called Isetan. According to Yoshida, they stroll through the men’s section and pick out what suits him, with no specific brands in mind.

Legacy

There’s no doubt that Yoshida has left a huge mark on the Final Fantasy series and its community, as evidenced by player reactions and the sheer number of changes the game has undergone. However, the director claims he didn’t put much thought into his impact on the grand scheme.

“Final Fantasy all has a very long history and I literally grew up with the Final Fantasy franchise. So to be able to get into this position and work on a numbered title in the franchise is a huge deal,” Yoshida noted. “A lot of people would aspire to that, but they wouldn’t actually be able to get to that point. So for me it’s a huge deal, and I’m incredibly happy that I was able to do that.

“Of course I’m not done with my work at the moment. I’m still working on Final Fantasy XIV, and even if I die, Final Fantasy XIV will continue. So I guess it doesn’t matter that much in terms of legacy. I think the most important thing is now.”

Even then, Yoshida admitted that he is not the type of person to think about things, and that he would rather live his life again if he had the chance.

“Of course, when I die, I’m going back into the Ethereal Sea, and I’m the kind of person who just wants to erase my memory and reset and repeat everything.”

The director noted that no one knows what the future holds for him, and joked about possibly leaving a bad mark on history.

“You never know, a huge mistake could happen and I would leave a bad mark on history. Maybe you know, leaves me so mentally damaged that I’ll just go to the data center with a bomb! Yoshida joked playfully.

“But again, this shows to me how often I don’t think about it. The fun part for me is that we just keep working on the game and creating it with the rest of our staff, and having fun while we’re doing it.”