Legendary 'Final Fantasy' Designer Leaves Square Enix

Square Enix, developer of the beloved Final Fantasy series, has been in the middle of a company restructure for quite some time, and now, one of the core artists behind some of its most popular games is stepping away.

In the early morning of January 5, 2026, Toshiyuki Itahana, best known as the character designer for Final Fantasy 9 and the character concept artist for Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, announced his departure from Square Enix on X and other social media platforms.

"After concluding my work on the FINAL FANTASY IX 25th Anniversary project, I left Square Enix at the end of last year. From this year onward, I will be working as a freelance illustrator," the post reads.

Itahana directed fans to his full post on Note for more information. "With the illustration work and supervision related to the 25th anniversary now complete, I feel a strong sense of accomplishment in having fulfilled the role entrusted to me. At the same time, I felt this was the right moment to draw a line under this chapter and take on new challenges," Itahana wrote.

Itahana made it clear: he is not retiring. He continued his message, writing, "From here on, I will be working as a freelance illustrator and character designer. While remaining deeply grateful for all the connections I’ve been fortunate to receive through my work so far, I hope to draw upon my experience and continue creating a wide variety of new artwork."

Itahana also took a moment to thank fans for all their support over the years, writing, "To everyone who played the games I worked on at Square Enix, and to all those I had the pleasure of working with over the years, thank you very much. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude, and I sincerely hope for your continued support in the future."

Since the massive NVIDIA video game leak back in 2022, the leaked information has been compiled and updated by -LastGrail- on Reddit, and one game that seems to be on gamers' minds is a purported remake of Final Fantasy 9. Itahana returned to create new artwork for the game's 25th anniversary in 2025, but a remake has yet to be confirmed.

With Itahana's departure from Square Enix, if the rumored remake exists, it might be further along in development than once believed. That, of course, is just speculation, and no information about the rumored game has been confirmed.

Itahana signed off his message, wishing everyone a great year, writing, "May this new year be an exceptionally happy one for all of you."