Final Fantasy Producer Yoshinori Kitase Cites Star Wars as Key Inspiration for Characters and Mechanics

Longtime Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase told IGN that Star Wars was a major influence on his work. He said Final Fantasy 7's Wedge and Biggs are named after Star Wars rebellion characters, and Final Fantasy 10's Blitzball drew directly from the podrace in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Kitase called this cycle of creators inspiring each other "beautiful," while noting he was always careful not to copy Star Wars directly.