In-Depth : Final Fantasy 15’s (FFXV) Luna (Lunafreya)

Last Updated: July 13, 2018

Final Fantasy XV is now available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and one of the most divisive characters has proven to be Lunafreya.

FFXV-Luna

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, or Luna, is the princess of Tenebrae, a kingdom taken over by the Niflheim Empire years prior to the start of the game.

She is also the youngest Oracle in history. Final Fantasy XV’s Oracles are people with the power to speak with the gods and cleanse the world. According to legend, the Astral Bahamut chose the first Oracle and gave her his trident. Ever since then, the power of the Oracle has been passed down from generation to generation.

The Oracle’s goal is to stop the Starscourge, a plague that lengthens the nights and allows demons to appear. The Oracle keeps the Starscourge at bay until the True King, from the line of Lucis, can stop it forever.

Luna and Noctis were childhood friends, and although they were separated before the events of the game and haven’t seen each other in years, they still share a strong connection and communicate with each other through written messages.

Personality

Luna generally appears calm and composed, even when in dangerous circumstances. She is fully devoted to her duty as Oracle, and in Kingsglaive, she says that she does not fear death. Rather, she fears “doing nothing and losing everything.” This can be seen even in Luna’s childhood, when she gives up her chance to escape from the Empire to help Regis and Noctis get away.

She shows great compassion when interacting with people, as well as forgiveness. In contrast to her brother, Ravus Nox Fleuret, she doesn’t hold anything against Regis for what happened in Tenebrae. She also continues to love Ravus after he allies himself with the Empire, and does her best to make Ravus see why she has placed her faith in Noctis.

In Kingsglaive, Luna shows little faith in magic and prefers not to rely on it. However, in Final Fantasy XV, Luna uses magic herself. The reason for this inconsistency is unclear, although it may be that she views her god-given powers as an Oracle as something quite different from the power Nyx and the other members of the Kingsglaive use. Likewise, she does not use magic in Kingsglaive, but she doesn’t have the Oracle’s trident, which might be necessary in order for her to use her powers.

Although Luna is almost always depicted as focused on her duty, she doesn’t lack other emotions. Although the game’s circumstances prevent us from ever seeing a carefree Lunafreya, a child in Tenebrae tells Noctis about how happy Luna was when she saw her wedding dress. This, among other signs, points to Luna genuinely loving Noctis.

Luna’s Role in FFXV

What makes Luna such a divisive character, though, is her role in the game. The story begins with Noctis traveling to marry Luna in a political union, accompanied by his friends.

Short flashbacks to their childhood show us the two of them together, and we also see Luna healing someone and reassuring the people. She also sends messages to Noctis with her dog, Umbra, in the form of a journal.

When Noctis and the others finally reach Altissia, where Luna is, she gives a speech and prepares to summon the Astral Leviathan. However, aside from this critical scene, her importance to the overall premise of the Starscourge, and her passing on the Ring of the Lucii to Noctis, Luna plays only a small role in the game.

She is important to the story, but only has a few moments in it. Many fans dislike this, as Luna is considered one of the main characters. Her on-screen interactions with Noctis are also few enough that some players were unable to get a genuine sense of their bond.

Luna vs. Stella

Of course, some criticisms stem from the differences between her and the heroine of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Stella Nox Fleuret. Stella was planned to be a very different sort of character from Luna, an assertive young woman forced into combat against Noctis despite their friendship.

During the transition from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Final Fantasy XV, the story underwent changes that the team felt no longer had a place for Stella. As such, she was removed from the game, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was created instead.

Playable Luna

Square Enix has plans to make additional characters playable through Final Fantasy XV updates and DLC. While no solid plans are in place to let you play as Luna, they have said they will consider it for future DLC since the demand is fairly strong.

Interesting Facts

Interested in learning more about Luna? Here are a few pieces of Final Fantasy XV trivia to share.

  • Luna’s full name can be broken down into four separate pieces, each of which has its own meaning:
    • “Luna” means “moon.”
    • “freya” comes from Freya or Freyja, the Norse goddess of many things, including love, beauty, war, and death.
    • “Nox” means “night.”
    • “Fleuret” is both the name for a small fencing sword and the word for “blossom,” like the flowers that appear in so many scenes with Luna.
  • The blue flowers that appear in several scenes are called sylleblossoms, and they are Luna’s favorite type of flower. They strongly resemble the real-world flowers called gentianas, a name shared by the Messenger who guides Luna, Gentiana.
  • Luna’s wedding dress was designed by a real-world designer, Vivienne Westwood.

What are your thoughts on Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, or Luna, and her role in Final Fantasy XV?