Enemies that players are smitten with are as core toFinal Fantasy 14as the ancients or the crystals of light. The latest boss that has players’ attention is none other than theArcadion wrestler Honey B. Lovely.
Final Fantasy 14executive producer Naoki Yoshida, better known as Yoshi-P, has said in previous interviews that he’s not a loyal drone of the queen bee. His favorite Arcadion boss is heel wrestler Brute Bomber, but he also told Game Rant in an interview at Gamescom (via a translator) that he’s happy the fanbase is so enamored with her.
Be Her Honey
Within a day of the release ofthe Arcadion raids, the community’s darling quickly became the boss of Light-heavyweight M2, Honey B. Lovely. She even had roleplayers on Twitter in less than 24 hours. A copypasta spread proudly declaring the poster one of the “million lovely little servant bees” of the wrestler, who uses the soul of a Queen Bee in the ring to grant herself the powers and abilities she uses in battle.
Yoshida told Game Rant, with a laugh, that he’s happy she caught on, admitting her design was a bit of a gamble on the part of developers.
Honestly speaking, Honey B. Lovely is like a really cutesy character, so I thought there were going to be people who like her and don’t like her. I was wondering how the general consensus was going to be swayed because there hasn’t really been this kind of character in14before. She’s a really standout character, and it turns out that a lot of people really like that. In that regard, I have a sense of relief.
Part of the appeal of Honey B. Lovely comes from that cute design, more reminiscent of a pop idol than a wrestler. Part of it comes from the way she uses pheromones in combat to draw players into being her servants, and another part of it comes from the appropriately bright and energetic theme.
Bee My Honey
The song’s name is, fittingly, “Bee My Honey.” The song’s lyrics also give a hint into what kind of views and person she is, drawing fans in just like her pheromones onFinal Fantasy 14’s player community. The excited nature of “Bee My Honey” is reminiscent of Titania’s theme fromShadowbringers, “What Angel Wakes Me,” in its use of quick vocals setting a tone that feels far from the frantic battle scene that plays out alongside it. However, where Titania’s theme feels playful and appropriately fae in nature, “Be My Honey” is a more typical idol theme, boasting about Honey B. Lovely’s allure and grandeur to an upbeat and poppy melody that asks listeners to be her drones.
Out of the first three matches, hers is the only one without spectators–the only way to watch a Honey B. Lovely match, in canon, is through a drone where players are represented in the stands by a little bee graphic.The Warrior of Lightcan resist the pheromones Honey B. Lovely employs combat to a point, but spectators have no such defense and quickly succumb to the effects if they attend in person.
She’s used to having everyone throw themselves at her due to her pheromones, her singing skills, her beauty–and as the Warrior of Light keeps progressing the fight, Honey B. Lovely gets more and more furious that they haven’t given in. This gets so extreme that her Savage enrage is throwing a temper tantrum and wiping the raid. She’s a very different kind of character from the other Arcadion bosses and from most of the characters inFinal Fantasy 14overall,joining otherDawntrailsurprise starslike Wuk Evu and Bakool Ja Ja in fans’ hearts. It’s fitting, then, that at the end of the day, Honey B. Lovely’s goal in the ring is to be an idol and put on a good show.
Cheerfully, she asks, “No hard feelings if I kill you?”
