Merchandise

Final Fantasy VIII goods licensed by Squaresoft.  

These are notes on most of the Rinoa related merchandise that I own. My childhood room actually had an army of Rinoas lined up by size, waiting to battle against the mountain of Final Fantasy plushes. Since there's a lot of repeated merchandise like chibi figures, keychains, posters and stationery, I will only focus on the major items.


Official Replicas

  • Rinoa Ring and Necklace Set
    The Rinoa's Model silver necklace set by Squaresoft is no longer being produced. It was released in .925 silver. It comes with a long 27" sterling silver bead chain that looks nothing like the original design so I bought a nicer chain. Both rings are huge – Rinoa's is size 6.5 and Squall's is size 10. The Sleeping Lionheart ring was reissued with more detail in 2003 by Square-Enix.

  • Rinoa & Siren Statue
    This limited edition cold-cast sculpture is about 40cm high and 25cm wide. It also comes with a serial number card. Siren was likely chosen to be depicted with Rinoa because they both have wings. The sculpture can also be bought unassembled and unpainted for those who like to customize their own.

  • Dance Scene Diorama
    This highly limited edition Cold Cast Collection diorama depicts the dance scene at Balamb Garden with Squall and Rinoa. It comes with a serial number card and a display stand for the card. It isn't perfectly detailed but since only 3000 were ever made, it has become highly sought after.


Rare Jewellry

  • Rinoa Wing Heart Gold Pin
    This is a rare gold lapel pin made in the shape of Rinoa Heartilly's elegant angel wing symbol. It is no longer being produced. The beautiful die struck design does not use any color - the smooth sandblasted outline creates shine and contrasts against the recessed symbol's antique metalwork finish. If you're lucky, you can still find it for sale on etsy.


Official Figures

  • Rinoa 1/6 Scale Statue
    Standing at about 10" tall, the WING HEART statue is limited edition and each one comes with a serial number card. A soft vinyl and resin cast version were issued, as well as an unpainted resin kit. The statue is true to design, except Rinoa's eyes are dark violet – like how she appears in the "Destiny" poster.

  • Rinoa Play Arts Action Figure
    A fully posable 8" PVC Rinoa figure was released in 2005. It comes with a stand and an extra pair of hands: a left hand in a fist for the weapon and a right hand pointing like in the FMVs. The paint job and design is very close to how she looks in the game, making this the best looking Rinoa figure. Like on the 1/6 scale figure, her eyes are violet. The only things slightly off are her boots, necklace, and the colour of the plastic used for skin.

  • Rinoa Extra Soldier
    The Extra Soldier series are mass produced 6" action figures by Bandai. Rinoa comes with a clear plastic stand, removable Pinwheel and removable blaster edge. I didn't plan on getting this but Bandai gave the whole set directly to my older brother.

  • Trading Arts Rinoa
    Volume 1 of the Final Fantasy Trading Arts was released in 2004 and it contained two versions of Rinoa: full colour and chrome. The figures are about 10cm, require a little bit of assembly and come with a stand. Although true to design and character, Rinoa's boots are off and the zippers on her shorts aren't painted.

  • Trading Arts Mini Rinoa
    Volume 1 of the Final Fantasy Trading Arts Mini was released in 2007 and it contained Rinoa. The figures are about 5cm tall and come with a stand. The design is based on the way Rinoa appears in the game Itadaki Street. Her eyes are gray and her eyebrows are coloured brown like the streaks in her hair. She also isn't wearing a black ribbon on her arm.

  • Trading Arts Kai Mini Rinoa
    The Final Fantasy Trading Arts Kai Mini of Rinoa was released in 2013 and comes in a box. The design is based on the Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade version of Rinoa but her eyes are violet. The set comes with her regular outfit, her party dress and Angelo. The lines for "You're going to like me", "hug hug", and the "Angelo Rush" command are included.


Official Books & CDs

  • FF8 Ultimania
    Digicube published this massive 500 page guide in 1999, a month after the game was released in Japan. It has every recorded piece of gameplay related information, a scenario walkthrough, secrets, image galleries, developer comments and developer interviews. If you're going to get any book related to FF8, it has to be this one.

  • FF8 Memorial Album
    Also from Digicube was "Wish you were here", the memorial album of FF8. It contains the full script of the game's major story events and sidequests. Game screenshots accompany the text while the FMV scenes get several screenshots each. Of note, all the optional dialogues from Squall happen to be the nicer ones, in my opinion. The optional scenes and parties also always have Rinoa in them if possible.

  • FF 20th Anniversary Ultimania – File 1: Character
    This book is the first of three in a series of FF series compilation books released in 2007. Although they repeat the content of previous Ultimanias, there's just enough niche information to make the purchase worthwhile. The character book has some new interviews, artwork images and character insights – much of which was previously unknown. The other two books in the series are File 2: Scenario and File 3: Battle.

  • FF 25th Memorial Ultimania – Volume 2
    This book is the second of three in a series of FF series artbooks released in 2012. The hardcover book focuses on the artwork of Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX. Although it repeats the content and artworks of previous Ultimanias (again), there are more pre-production artworks and sketches previously unseen to make it worth purchasing. There are still some unreleased artworks though, expect a FF 30th Anniversary book!

  • Whole FF8 Book
    This 100 page book was released soon after the game in Japan. It has an introductory section on the characters, guardian forces, world map, game system and merchandise goods. There is also some artwork and lengthy interviews not found in the Seal Book or Materials & Visual Guide, focusing on things seen early in the game.

  • FF8 Materials & Visual Guide
    This 200 page book was released soon after the game in Japan by V-Jump. It has extended character profiles, gameplay charts and a walkthrough for the beginning of the game. Of note there is a lot of rare concept artwork, including all of Amano's artwork and very long interviews.

  • FF8 Desktop Accessories
    This PC software package was released in late September 1999 for Japanese region Windows 95/98. It contains high resolution wallpapers, icons, screensavers and a playable Triple Triad game for use on a LAN. The main feature was Final Fantasy VIII Mail, which had uniquely styled memos and stamps.