Final Fantasy 7’s Materia was nearly renamed, but creator Hironobu Sakaguchi wisely chose a more understandable term for Japanese players.

Final Fantasy series producer Yoshinori Kitase recently shared insights into the creation of Materia in Final Fantasy 7, revealing that the name was inspired by series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.

In a conversation with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, Kitase reflected on how the Materia system was initially intended to be called the “Sphere System.” He explained, “At that time, the planner… Materia is a spherical object so the setting was named the Sphere System.” However, Sakaguchi felt that “Sphere is difficult to understand,” leading to the name change.

When translating from English to Japanese, words are often rendered in katakana, which is a straightforward script: > マテリア = Materia. Japanese speakers tend to find English words appealing, but スフィア (Sphere) can be tricky to pronounce due to the ‘fee’ sound. The Japanese term 球体, pronounced kyuutai, literally means sphere. Ultimately, Materia has a cool vibe in both languages.

Nearly 30 years later, Materia remains a beloved element of Final Fantasy lore, and Kitase believes the name change was a wise choice: “Looking back now, I think many players find Materia easy to say, and it’s really pervasive, rather than a English pun like Sphere. Materia has just four characters [in Japanese] and has a nice ring to it, so I think Sakaguchi had brilliant foresight.”

Interestingly, Final Fantasy would later introduce Spheres in a different context with Final Fantasy 10’s Sphere Grid. While not the same as Materia, which fits into characters’ weapons, the Sphere Grid allowed players to select skills for their party. Kitase didn’t draw a direct connection between the two, but it does raise the question of whether the original concept of Spheres lingered in the minds of the developers for years.