By Jeremy Parish

Most gamers probably attribute the “look” of the Final Fantasy series to longtime character designer Tetsuya Nomura, or the stylized paintings of Yoshitaka Amano. Sitting on the proverbial sidelines, however, is the equally talented Akihiko Yoshida, who has contributed character designs and illustrations for games such as the Final Fantasy Tactics series, Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy XII, and most recently, the DS adventure Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light. With that game almost ready for release in America, 1UP recently had a chance to ask some questions of Yoshida, his process, and his influences. Alongside that, Square Enix provided several pieces concept art from 4 Heroes of Light, interspersed below. Enjoy!

1UP: What were your early artistic influences?