Originally releasing in 2006, Final Fantasy 12 returned players to the world of Ivalice and delivered a story full of political intrigue and warring nations. Overall, the narrative is one of the most mature the Final Fantasy series has ever seen. While fans now know Vaan as the main protagonist of the game, FF12 almost had a completely different lead hero.
There's a lot to love about Final Fantasy 12. Many of the main characters are compelling, and the world is full of history, lore, and various environments and cultures. From sky pirates and street urchins to runaway princesses and fallen knights, there's a lot happening in the story. And in terms of gameplay, there are a ton of side quests, bounties, and hidden bosses to find in FF12. However, one of the more divisive elements of the game is its main protagonist: Vaan.
Vaan is a young orphan living in the desert kingdom of Rabanastre, and he dreams of owning his own airship and the freedom that comes with it. Outside of this, there's nothing else that interesting about him. Many fans have complained he's completely unnecessary to the story, and Vaan is considered one of the most annoying protagonists in the Final Fantasy franchise. When compared to more interesting characters like Basch, Balthier, and Ashe, Vaan feels tacked-on to the story. It turns out, there's a good reason for this.
How Vaan Almost Wasn't The Main Protagonist In FF12
In an interview with developers on the fansite Final Fantasy Ring (which is in French, but can be translated using Google Translate or a similar app), it was revealed that during development of Final Fantasy 12, the original main protagonist was an older male hero closer to middle-age. However, developers at Square Enix were worried fans - especially teenage fans - wouldn't identify with him. They were also worried because Vagrant Story (which also takes place in Ivalice) had featured an older protagonist but had underperformed in sales. Because of this, Vaan was introduced as the main hero of Final Fantasy 12 instead.
Presumably, many of the original hero's traits went to Basch (who arguably fits the role of main protagonist better, anyway) while others when to Balthier. It's also interesting because this plan seems to have backfired. Basch and Balthier are both beloved characters from the game, while Vaan is usually one of the least liked characters in Final Fantasy 12. So, perhaps Square Enix should have stuck with the original hero, after all.
The biggest problem with Vaan is that the character feels unnecessary to the story and underdeveloped. This is likely a side effect from including him later on, instead of using FF12's original hero. No matter how fans feel about Vaan, though, it's still interesting to think that the main protagonist of Final Fantasy 12 was almost someone else entirely.
Source: Final Fantasy Ring