Yoshi-P is baffled that FFXIV players love Bakool Ja Ja, but it makes sense

As players continue to enjoy exploring Tural in Final Fantasy XIV's Dawntrail, director Naoki ("Yoshi-P") Yoshida has not only stayed on top of sharing updates on what's still to come in the expansion but also how the FFXIV community has responded to it so far. For instance, there are always certain new story-related characters that players tend to gravitate toward, but one that caught Yoshi-P by complete surprise was the boisterous Bakool Ja Ja.

Note: The following article contains extreme spoilers regarding major characters in Final Fantasy XIV's Dawntrail, so read at your discretion.

Yoshi-P has been continuing his international media tour for Final Fantasy XIV's Dawntrail expansion, which is now underway and is resonating strongly with players new and old. At a recent sit-down Q&A interview in France, he touched on several different topics about upcoming content, and at one point mentioned a hilarious community-related tidbit about, of all characters, Bakool Ja Ja.

Thanks to a thorough translation of the interview posted in full by Reddit users 'BlackmoreKnight' and 'Iluna Minori', we were able to find out that Yoshi-P remarked how he and his entire development team were utterly baffled by how players have been, quite literally, simping for Bakool Ja Ja. They may have expected another character like Koana or even Sphene, but the standout thirst trap in Dawntrail is apparently Bakool Ja Ja who gave Wuk Lamat a considerable amount of grief during the story's Rite of Succession chapter.

FFXIV is certainly no stranger to having its villains revered by the community in past expansions, with ones like Zenos Galvus, Emet Selch, and even Stormblood's Yotsuyu earning their pedestals. However, a giant two-headed Mamool Ja is probably the most left-field entry we've had so far.

Not only was Yoshi-P laughing wholeheartedly about it, but even Bakool Ja Ja's English VA, Javier Prusky, chimed in via X (formerly Twitter) soon after Dawntrail's launch, remarking how "this is going a different direction than I ever imagined tbh". Since then, he's shared his heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelmingly positive reception to his performance.

After their initial shock, the FFXIV team actually embraced this eccentric fandom by making a post of their own, asking players how they're enjoying Dawntrail so far with Bakool Ja Ja front and center, no other context clearly needed.

While the fandom surrounding Dawntrail's Bakool Ja Ja seems downright bizarre on the surface, on one front it makes perfect sense. For those who have finished the expansion's MSQ, Wuk Lamat's brother, Zoraal Ja, clearly served as Dawntrail's overarching dramatic villain, bringing the story to its unexpectedly emotional and riveting peak. His downward spiral not only captivated many of us and even pulled at our heartstrings, but his character was also the perfect foil to Bakool Ja Ja.

As described perfectly in a response by 'smashbrawlguy' to another Reddit post by 'MidoriTea' about the Q&A talking point, "there's something so charming about petty, loudmouth, low-stakes villains realizing that they're actually a lot happier helping people instead of bullying them".

Bakool Ja Ja's borderline comic book villain arc starts essentially from the moment we first meet him in the story, as one of Wuk Lamat's rivals for Tuliyollal's throne. He's brash, unfettered, outspoken, and stands out as the only competitor not related to the current Dawnservant, Gulool Ja Ja. He spends a good portion of the contest for the throne using underhanded means to get ahead, whether it's cheating or even briefly kidnapping Wuk Lamat to hinder her progress.

However, his reckless actions and overall attitude towards the contest gradually start to backfire and culminate in a surprise twist at the village of Mamook in Yak T'el, his homeland. There we learn of the lengths his clan went to facilitate the birth of "blessed" two-headed Mamool Ja like him, the pressure he was unfairly burdened with, and soon enough his boisterous facade crumbles.

His subsequent redemption arc is when he truly starts to become a likable character, as he puts himself on the frontlines to protect Tuliyollal during Zoraal Ja's attack and puts his full support behind Wuk Lamat's ascendancy. He regrets how he acted before, but holds no resentment at all going forward and puts the well-being of Tural first.

That's when we know who he truly is beneath the bravado, and why the player community resonates so strongly with a character like him. As for the "thirsty" fan art, well, we wouldn't take it that far but to each their own.

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