Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV is a 2016 Japanese computer-animated fantasy film directed by Takeshi Nozue and scripted by Takashi Hasegawa from a story by Kazushige Nojima and Saori Itamuro. Developed primarily by Square Enix's exclusive CGI studio Visual Works, Kingsglaive is based on the setting and story of the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV, which is thematically connected to the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries. Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV released theatrically in July 2016 in Japan by Aniplex, and received a limited theatrical run in August in North America by Stage 6 Films. Digital and physical home video versions were released in October 2016, and the film was bundled with different editions of Final Fantasy XV alongside Brotherhood: Final Fantasy XV.
Kingsglaive runs parallel with the events of Final Fantasy XV, focusing on Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, the father of main character Noctis. The main protagonists are from the Kingsglaive, an elite combat corps who share Regis's magical powers and defend the kingdom of Lucis and its Crystal from the invading empire of Niflheim. Faced with continued detrimental conflict, Regis accepts an armistice with Niflheim: as part of the peace treaty, his son must marry Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of the imperial province of Tenebrae. The treaty turns out to be a ruse for Niflheim to invade, and Kingsglaive soldier Nyx Ulric is caught up with Regis and Lunafreya in a battle to secure the future of Lucis. The movie's voice cast includes Gō Ayano, Shiori Kutsuna and Tsutomu Isobe in Japanese; and Aaron Paul, Lena Headey and Sean Bean in English.
Kingsglaive was made as part of a planned multimedia expansion of Final Fantasy XV to negate having to develop a series of games using the setting and characters. Beginning production in 2014 by the same team that created Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005), Kingsglaive used discarded concepts from the original version of Final Fantasy XV's story, with the aim being to create a self-contained experience with a dedicated cast and relatable plot. Multiple external studios were brought in to help complete the project within the short development time. Its announcement was delayed to 2016 due to the early reveal of Final Fantasy XV. Kingsglaive grossed $6.55 million during its limited theatrical run and earned a further $4.5 million in the United States from its DVD and Blu-ray releases. Reception to the movie was mixed, with praise going to the visuals and lead actors' performances, while the story and supporting cast were widely criticized.
