Final Fantasy Is Now Star Wars Canon

Even though Disney purchased the franchise and essentially restarted the entire expanded universe, the "Star Wars" franchise is full of lore and an extensive history. Over the last decade, "Star Wars" fans have been treated to a multitude new properties — video games, spin-off films, TV series, and more — that have added extra layers to the sci-fi juggernaut's galaxy and its inhabitants. Apparently, these deeper dives into the universe in "Star Wars" aren't only rife with established in-world tropes or callbacks to older films — other IP have also joined the canon.

A new "Star Wars" novel, "Brotherhood" by author Mike Chen, peels back more layers of the saga's overarching narrative, especially as it pertains to the relationship between Jedi stalwart Obi-Wan Kenobi and his all-but-doomed apprentice Anakin Skywalker. But "Brotherhood" isn't just another character study on Obi-Wan and Anakin's interesting and complicated relationship, it also references other big-time players in the universe, such as Cal Kestis from "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order." But by far the most unexpected reference contained in "Brotherhood" is one that has nothing to do with "Star Wars" history. As a matter of fact, it's from an entirely different intellectual property: "Final Fantasy." In an interesting turn of events, a fan favorite sport from "Final Fantasy" has essentially become a piece of "Star Wars" canon.

For the few who haven't yet played "Final Fantasy 10", Blitzball is a high-octane underwater sport in which two teams of six must find a way to sneak a ball into the opposing team's goal. It's actually a really cool concept, combining real world sports with fantastical elements. And while it's certainly a victim of wonky early-2000s controls and animation mechanics, Blitzball plays a pretty big part in the game's story. The minigame has become a true cult favorite among "Final Fantasy 10" players, to the point where some fans have even expressed a desire for a standalone game. and is actually a pretty huge element to the game's story. Apparently, author Mike Chen liked it so much, he included a reference to it in "Star Wars: Brotherhood."

"There's a reference to a sport called Blitzball played in a local lake," Chen said while listing off some of the book's Easter eggs on Twitter. "Blitzball is basically underwater hockey played as a minigame in 'Final Fantasy X.' As a former NHL writer, I freaking loved Blitzball and spent hours winning leagues." Talk about an ambitious crossover.