The first non-Square Moogle (Mario Hoops and Mario Sports Mix)
As a personal stamp on the two Mario sports games it developed for Nintendo, Square Enix tossed in a Moogle to act as a secret character, joining Mario's gang in a blood-pumping sportsball competition. Appearing in both Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for the DS and Mario Sports Mix for the Wii, they most closely resemble the Moogles from Crystal Chronicles, obvious in their oversized ears (but confused by their obviously existent forelegs). The Mario Moogle is able to fly around the court, speaks entirely in 'kupos', and does a magical dance on top of the basketball whenever it shoots a free-throw, which I'm sure doesn't get at all annoying for the other team.
The first full-package Moogle (Final Fantasy 13-2)
Where FF13 stumbled with its distinct lack of Moogles, FF13-2 made up for it by doubling down on the adorability of its main Moogle, Mog (that's not a joke - the director straight-up said so). Excluding its time-traveling abilities and jewel in place of a pom, this Moogle as traditional as it gets, from its chubby body and tiny ears, to the fact that it's named after the Moogle of renown from FF3. It also can't go a single sentence without tossing in a 'kupo' or two, and is aggressively too cute (seriously, listen to that voice). It feels like we've reached maximum Moogle saturation here.
First avant-garde Moogle outfit (Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13)
Mog does make an appearance in Lightning Returns, along with a whole Moogle village that Lightning helps protect, but what really steals the show here is Lightning's Moogle Queen DLC costume. Just putting her in a giant Moogle mascot ensemble wasnt bold and brassy enough though, so instead of sporting a giant foam head, Lightning goes full Lady Gaga with an outfit entirely covered in stuffed Moogles. While it does offer a nice ability boost, what really makes it 'unique' is the item description: "The wishes of the moogles to protect Lightning go beyond any known bounds, kupo!" Including the bounds of personal space, apparently.
The first time you took Moogles seriously (Final Fantasy 14)
This is where things get serious. While the Moogles are as charming as ever (with a tuft of fur under their chins to make them look extra-fluffy), the story of their people is mired in myth and fraught with drama. Once servants of the gods, they descended to the realm of mortals when war made it impossible for them to live among deities, and they were forced to leave behind legendary Good King Moggle Mog XII (basically King Arthur with a fuzzy face). Generations later, the zealous guardians of the Moogles summon the dream of their ancient king through some pretty intense wizardry, and put all of their kind in danger by exposing them to the creature's soul-consuming ways. That's pretty heavy, yeah. But on the bright side, there's also delightful delivery Moogles who wear postman hats, so it's not all doom and deadly ritual summoning.
Where Moogles are now (Final Fantasy Type-0)
I officially cannot anymore. Far from being mere decorations or funny side-characters to coo over, MOOGLEs in Type-0 are military academy professors, geniuses in their fields with more qualifications than you have digits to count with, and so freaking adorable it's hard to stand. Every MOOGLE professor in Akademeia, collectively called the Cranberry Knights (*choke*) is assigned to one of the school's top classes, and is entirely responsible for overseeing the class syllabus, study materials, mission training, and basic daily needs. Also, MOOGLE isn't just a silly name here, but an acronym: their official title is Military Operation Organization/Guidance Logistics Expert. I've never wanted to boop a professor's nose so much in my entire life.
