KFC’s Colonel Sanders is now canonically a black mage in Final Fantasy 14

The world of Final Fantasy 14 is no stranger to visitors from beyond the MMO, though its latest addition to the canon is its wildest. 

As part of a teased collaboration with KFC in Japan, we see Colonel Sanders – looking a bit like Godbert Manderville, it must be said – taking in some of Eorzea’s most tranquil vistas. If that alone isn’t enough to convince you that he is among the culture, we then learn he’s a black mage. Given the job’s access to fire magic and the colonel’s love of firing chicken, that tracks, right? Kugane Fried Chocobo confirmed.

Considering the in-game ramifications of this marketing effort, fans are showing concern for their beloved Chocobos. Others, meanwhile, recall what happened the last time Final Fantasy 14 and KFC came together. Back in 2019, KFC ran a Final Fantasy 14-related promotion in China offering players the Fat Black Chocobo mount if they chowed down on a family deal for four. You didn’t have to tackle the feat by yourself, but the deal was limited to one code per meal, and so the KFC Black Chicken (Ultimate) memes were born. 

Funnily enough, the sight of Sanders in Final Fantasy 14 isn’t completely new to the MMO community. One popular in-game roleplayer has been assuming the appearance of the colonel has been seen over the years photobombing others or posting short skits of their efforts to take down a giant chicken – it’s basically that Family Guy skit, just remixed in Final Fantasy 14 by two players dressed up as Colonel Sanders and a big ol’ chicken. Will the real Sanders meet their clone? We can only hope. Whatever the latest collaboration brings kicks off on October 4. 

One Final Fantasy 14 player spent 450 hours and $5,000 immortalizing their MMO character with a life-size bronze statue.