At the heart of Final Fantasy XVI are the Dominants. People who wield the power of Eikons, this entry’s name for the franchise’s iconic summons. The story itself will focus on how these individuals are used by their kingdoms for war and to exert power over their subjects and enemies. As we learn more about Final Fantasy XVI more Dominants are revealed, yet one Eikon who we know very little about is Ramuh. But a new theory could reveal that Ramuh’s Dominant is hiding in plain sight.
What we know — The official Final Fantasy XVI site describes Eikons as the “most powerful and deadly creatures in Valisthea. Each resides with a dominant — a single man or woman who is blessed with the ability to call upon their dread power.” In a world full of bloody conflict, this has transformed these individuals into coveted weapons for the various political powers in the world.
Each Eikon is linked to one of several Mothercrystals across Valisteha as well as an elemental affinity. FFXVI’s main protagonist, Clive, is linked to the mysterious Eikon Ifrit while his younger brother Joshua is the Dominant of Phoenix. Both are Eikons of fire. In addition to these two, trailers have confirmed the identity of two other Dominants, those for Titan and Garuda.
This only accounts for three of the six major political entities in the game, with the Holy Empire of Sanbreque and the Kingdom of Waloed not revealing the identity of their Eikons yet. For the Eikons Odin, Bahamut, Shiva, and Ramuh remain Dominant less to the community so far.
The dog of thunder — But while other Dominants remain shrouded in mystery the identity of Ramuh’s Dominant could be an unexpected friend, man’s best friend. In the very first trailer for Final Fantasy XVI, Joshua is seen with an adorable puppy. Producer Naoki Yoshida later revealed that the dog had a name, Torgal and that he was much more like a wolf than a dog.
As pointed out by fans on Twitter, the etymology of Torgal can roughly translate to “Under the protection of Thor”. Thor is the Norse god of thunder. In the world of FFXVI, this could mean under the protection of the god of thunder. First appearing in Final Fantasy III, Ramuh is a classic summon in the franchise that takes the appearance of an old man with a bushy beard and staff. He is associated with thunder and lightning.
With Yoshida’s suggestion that Torgal might be a party member in the game, it brings the possibility that he could wield the power of Ramuh. As it is unclear which Eikons are affiliated with the remaining kingdoms, as well as the imbalance between the number of Eikons and political parties with Dominants, Torgal could hide a dormant Eikon.
Even if Torgal doesn’t hold this power, his name suggests he could have a connection to whoever the Dominant of Ramuh does end up being. With standout characters such as Interceptor in FFVI to Rinoa’s trusty Angelo who served as her Limit Break, Torgal will follow in a long line of good doggos in the Final Fantasy franchise. He doesn’t need Ramuh to be a good boy.
