Final Fantasy Resonance Mod Restores Ariana Grande and Other Beloved Characters

If you were disappointed that Ariana Grande wouldn't appear in Final Fantasy Resonance, a new mod is here to fix that. For those who missed it, Square Enix's upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance is set to be the franchise's first true HD-2D game when it launches next month, and it also serves as a partial remake. The original game, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, was a free-to-play, turn-based RPG that hit iOS and Android in 2015 and shut down in 2025—but what does that have to do with Ariana Grande?

The singer behind hits like "break up with your girlfriend, i'm bored" and star of the recent Wicked films as Galinda isn't new to the Final Fantasy universe. In 2017, Grande was added to Final Fantasy Brave Exvius as pixelated characters, including one inspired by her Dangerous Woman era bunny outfit. The announcement even included in-game references to her song "Touch It." However, for Final Fantasy Resonance, it seems Grande's contributions to the series will be a thing of the past.

Producer Keisuke Nakashima recently told Kotaku that Grande "unfortunately" won't be in the October release. It appears Square Enix gave the decision careful thought.

"It's also part of the worldview, you know?" Nakashima explained. "Ariana Grande's character would not fit within the vibe that we've created for Final Fantasy Resonance."

Modders, however, beg to differ. As highlighted by the FFR Vision Studio mod (via Eurogamer), Grande can seamlessly return to Final Fantasy Resonance alongside other guest characters. This means you can also add characters like Sora from Kingdom Hearts and 2B from Nier Automata to your party with just a few clicks.

It's worth noting that this all happens more than a month before the game's actual release. From Grande to Sora, these characters are only available in the recently released demo. The demo does allow players to carry their save data into the full game, so it wouldn't be surprising if these former Final Fantasy Brave Exvius characters make their way into the final version as well.

Final Fantasy Resonance launches on October 22, 2026, for PC, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. In the meantime, you can check out IGN's final preview for the game.