JRPGs let gamers live out a lot of different fantasies, but one of the most satisfying is the fantasy of being a millionaire. It's a great feeling to win a battle in a Final Fantasy game and see your wallet get fatter with gil. But like most things in the series' expansive world-building, there is way more to gil than just being the in-game currency. Like the rest of Final Fantasy, the money has evolved over 15 games and counting. Here are just a few points about that evolution.
10 It Never Looks The Same
Gil is rarely shown in-game to begin with, but when the currency is shown the look varies from game to game. Most often gil comes in coin form - paper notes are only mentioned once in Final Fantasy Tactics A2. This is probably because Gil started as just generic gold coins. Even the denomination symbol changes. It's always some kind of "G" but how elaborate the design is varies. FF9 has the fanciest symbol.
9 It's Based On Real Currency
The best look gamers have had at Gil yet is in Final Fantasy 9. That game was the first in the series to not just show Gil coins, but coins of different values. Astute economists have noted a certain resemblance to the coins' design. Specifically, they look a lot like Japanese Yen and ancient Chinese coinage. The hole in the middle is a dead give away. Makes sense considering Final Fantasy's East Asian origins. Some fans have even found that the exchange rate for Gil matches the Yen.
8 It Can Be Used In Battle
Throwing your money at people isn't the best offensive tactic in real life. But it seems to work rather well in Final Fantasy. Since FF5, the move Gil Toss, or Zeninage in Japanese, has let gamers literally throw money at their problems. Gil Toss is actually an effective area of attack move. Of course, it does drain your wallet. Believe or not, this move is actually a pop culture reference. It's based on a 30s novel series about a detective who caught criminals by throwing coins at them.
7 Final Fantasy 8 Gives You A Salary
In most Final Fantasy games, the only way to earn Gil is by fighting monsters and finding treasure chests. FF8 decided to shake things up a bit by doing something new. They gave main character Squall a salary. And just like in real life, it varies on your work ethic. The salary is based on the player's SeeD ranking and is paid after Squall walks a certain number of steps. Theoretically, one could game the system to earn extra Gil. But without fighting monsters, your SeeD Rank drops, and your salary with it. Life's hard for a working man.
6 The Biggest Wallet
Once you start to earn Gil, the next is naturally how much you can earn. Which Final Fantasy game has the biggest wallet to fill? For the longest time, the answer was Final Fantasy 2. That game let players hold a maximum Gil of 9,999,999. Almost 10 million dollars, or coins we suppose. But that record was broken by the PC re-release of Final Fantasy 7. It increased max Gil to 99,999,999. Actually earning that much nets you an achievement.
5 Achievements In Thriftiness
Hoarding money and items in RPGs is a common joke among fans of the genre. Even on the final boss, you can't use any of your 1000 health potions in case you'll need them later. But while this is silly, one Final Fantasy game will actually reward you for it. In the mobile and Steam versions of Final Fantasy 4, saving up one million Gil earns players the "Fun to Save, Fun to Use" achievement. Although it doesn't have any benefits beyond bragging rights.
4 Insert Coin To Save Game
Gil hasn't only appeared in mainline Final Fantasy games or the Tactics spin-offs either. The currency also played an odd role in the already bizarre game Ehrgeiz: God Bless The Ring. A Squaresoft fighting game, Ehrgeiz is probably best remembered for its roster of Final Fantasy 7 characters putting in cameo appearances. Gil came over too, used as currency in the game's Quest Mode. Even weirder, players had to pay Gil to save their game. Using in-game money to save? Okay...
3 The Origin Of The Name
Ever wonder why the money in Final Fantasy is called Gil? Someone must have, because despite the name being around since the first game, it wasn't until Final Fantasy 4 that we got an explanation. Turns out that Gil is short for Gilbart, the name of the ruling family of the Principality of Dalmycan. Presumably the family founded the country's first mint. Though unconfirmed, it's theorized this in-game name comes from James William Gilbart, a 19th English banking theorist. Yet another money connection.
2 Gil Farming
Extra money is always a good thing. That's where the somewhat infamous practice of Gil Farming comes into play. Gil Farming is just the fan name for various ways to game the system and earn more cash for routine things. Usually it's done by battling high-level monsters with huge Gil drops, waiting for a dungeon's enemies to reset, and then doing it again. But Gil Farming has taken more forms in Final Fantasy. The funniest might be in FF8, where the player's salary is paid when Squall walks a certain number of steps. Steps on Chocobos accrue faster, so gamers can just ride in circles around the open world and get paid twice as often.
1 No Counterfeiting
Final Fantasy has built a great many fantastic worlds over its 30 year tenure, but Gil has never been much more than the currency. Aside from FF4, where its history got tied into party member Edward's backstory, the coin doesn't have much lore. Until Final Fantasy 11 added a neat tidbit to its world's version of Gil. In that game, it's stated that the treasury mints each Gil coin with a special enchantment to prevent counterfeiting. It's small, but a cool explanation as to how the economy stays stable in a world full of magic.