Toshiyuki Itahana, one of the main character designers of the beloved Final Fantasy IX, as well as the character designer for the Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and Chocobo series, left Square Enix at the end of 2025. This comes as the 25th anniversary for Final Fantasy IX comes to an end.
Itahana’s message on his retirement, in both Japanese and English, is linked here. He does not look to be retiring as an artist, only as a full-time role for working for Square Enix.
