Bravely Default: The true meaning of the ending (spoilers!)

Bravely Default's ending is thoroughly confusing, that much cannot be denied. However, a consensus of sorts has been reached regarding that complicated matter since the game's release. Most players now agree on the fact that Tiz was possessed by some entity at the very beginning of the game, which allowed him to wake up from his coma and play an active part in saving the world. There are still some disagreements regarding the exact nature of the entity that made themselves at home in Tiz' body, though: some claim that said entity was Airy's sister whilst others firmly maintain that said entity was none other than the player themselves, assuming the identity of a being from another dimension. The debate is still ongoing and no satisfying solution has been found to this riddle so far.

My own conclusion regarding the exact nature of the events unfolding in Bravely Default discards the two aforementioned options to focus on a third way that was never seriously pondered by the game's aficionados—at least not to the best of my knowledge. That conclusion is based on a bold premise: although everybody assumed that it was the case, absolutely nothing tells us that Tiz was the sole party member to be possessed by an entity. My conclusion goes as such: Tiz was indeed possessed by Airy's sister, whilst the player was taking control of none other than Agnès.

Yes, Agnès. The crystal Vestal herself. Although this theory may seem ludicrous at first sight, there are actually a lot of elements that support it in the game itself. Here are my five proofs that the player does in fact possess Agnès:

Proof#1: It may seem like I'm stating the obvious, but Agnès is the true main character of Bravely Default. She's featured prominently in the game's official art—including the European cover of the game, which shows her in the foreground—and the game's story revolves around her quest to reawaken the Crystals. Tiz may be the first party member to be introduced, but he joins Agnès in her mission, not the opposite. Since she's the main character, it only makes sense that the player should possess her rather than one of her sidekicks. 

Proof#2: The opening AR sequence shows Agnès begging us, the player, to intervene in order to save the world. Since she's the one who's begging and since the world's rescue is directly tied to the Crystals that are in her care, it makes considerably more sense that the being from another dimension incarnated by the player should choose to possess her body in order to lend a hand in saving the world rather than the body of a random boy who has no link whatsoever with the Crystals. Now, one could argue that the AR movie closes with Agnès uttering the words "become my Warrior of Light", which obviously refers to another person who's very likely Tiz; however, this was "added in translation", so to speak. The original Japanese text ends a bit differently, with Agnès begging you to save the world "as a Warrior of Light" ("Anata ga Hikari no Senshi to shite"). Not her Warrior; a Warrior. And since all four party members are referred to as "Warriors of Light" throughout the game, this term can technically apply to every one of them—including Agnès herself. Moreover, it's worth noting that Agnès is the only party member who interacts with us during her AR sequence. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Proof#3: Airy's sister appears only at the very beginning and at the very end. The question is: where is she in the meantime? If she wants to save the world that badly, to the point of recruiting the player, then surely she should lend a hand with that paramount enterprise, right? This apparent contradiction evaporates as soon as one postulates that Airy's sister does indeed lend a hand, using Tiz as her vehicle whilst the player uses Agnès as theirs. It only makes sense that Airy's sister should monitor the party's progression and take an active part in saving the world rather than leave such an important business in the hands of a random being from another dimension, be they genuinely motivated to help. Moreover, the way she talks to the player during the closing sequence suggests that she knows exactly what transpired and that herself and said player have been performing a collaborative work, which implies that she must have been around rather than hidden away.

Proof#4: During the final fight, Ouroboros dons Tiz' form and addresses him, claiming that a celestial lurks within him. One could easily assume that said celestial is the player; however, Ouroboros describes the celestial realm as "prosperous, full of love, beneficent, reverential and orderly" and adds that "it knows no war or strife". That description can hardly apply to our world, which means that the celestial must be someone else than the player. (On top of that, the idea that Ouroboros could want to destroy our world is totally absurd and would fall flat in the most pathetic way.) It makes sense to assume that the celestial is Airy's sister, all the more so as the nature and origin of the Crystal Fairies is never precised in the game; Airy serves Ouroboros, but nothing prevents her from being a celestial. And if Airy's sister occupies Tiz' body, then the player must be hosted by another party member—i.e. Agnès.

Proof#5: A.k.a. the ultimate proof: the possession of Agnès by the player is totally and utterly consistent with the events unfolding in the game's alternate ending. Not only does the uninterrupted pressing of the x button correspond to an in-game action performed by Agnès, i.e. the injection of energy into the Crystal, but the rest of the crew states in no uncertain terms that they will align with Agnès' decisions and support her actions. Tiz being the party member possessed by the player would totally undermine the importance of that alternate ending and create a massive contradiction: it would make no sense at all that the game's supreme gift of free will to the player would be performed by another character than the one supposedly possessed by said player. Moreover, this argument can be expanded to all the rituals of awakening performed on the Crystals throughout the game: the player is one with Agnès during these phases and is very literally lending their energy to her by pressing the x button. If Agnès is channeling us during the rituals of awakening, then it only makes sense to assume that she's doing so at all times.

Proofs aside, this theory can very conveniently explain and justify a lot of elements in Bravely Default—on top of reconciling both theories regarding who exactly possesses Tiz. For instance, Tiz being so eager to follow Agnès in her quest barely five minutes after meeting her can be justified by RPG conventions for sure, but also by the fact that Airy's sister is possessing him and prompting him to act that way. This theory also nicely explains why both Tiz and Agnès are considerably more transparent than Edea and Ringabel personality-wise: that's because they are vessels of other beings and as such, a part of their personality is suppressed. Of course, it doesn't solve every single contradiction lurking in Bravely Default's story; however, most of these contradictions are inherent to the use of the "meta" theme. Meta is just like Time Travel: it looks like a perfect concept bound to give birth to thrilling developments on paper, but it's basically impossible to include it in a story without generating a milling mass of paradoxes and plotholes. In Bravely Default, the main paradox is the imperfect inclusion of the player in the game: on one hand, we are supposed to inhabit one of the party members' body, but on the other hand, we are at times required to take control of other party members and we generally have to perform plenty of actions as a fully external player aware that they are playing a game—like saving, watching cutscenes, changing the party members' order and equipment, choosing actions for all characters in battle and so on. The meta-isation of the story is incomplete, so to speak, and is bound to remain so no matter which party member the player is actually possessing.

I like to imagine that this setting was designed as an Easter Egg of sorts, a plot twist that can only be uncovered through a minute examination of the game's story. Of course, I could also be completely wrong; but I fancy thinking I'm right on this one. The proofs are here, and let's be honest: the idea of being hosted by the authentic main character of Bravely Default is indoubtedly more alluring than the idea of playing second fiddle into one of her sidekicks. Thanks for reading, and be my guest anytime!