Sure, the convenience store-exclusive tastes great, but what’s even better is the surprise at the register.

One of the absolute all-stars of the Japanese snack food world is Karaage-kun. The bite-sized pieces of fried chicken are the flagship foodstuff of convenience store chain Lawson, and are so popular the company has even installed a fried chicken-cooking robot in one branch.

But while regular Karaage-kun is extremely tasty, what’s even better are the special seasonal flavors, the latest of which is Final Fantasy Limit Break.

Named after the high-powered charged attacks that heroes and heroines have been using since the video game series’ seventh installment, the Limit Break Karaage-kun’s special ingredient is garlic oil. So if you’re ordering a pack, and you’re too self-conscious to ask for the Limit Break flavor, you could also just ask for the “garlic oil Karaage-kun.” Another alternative would be to just point to the only box that has an adorable Final Fantasy Moogle on it.

▼ Kupo!

Obviously, Karaage-kun isn’t free, but at just 221 yen (US$2) for a six-piece pack, it’s pretty easy on the wallet. Making the transaction even easier to agree to is that the act of paying for the Final Fantasy fried chicken is actually one of the best things about the experience, as shown in our video below.

▼ Wait for it…waaaait for it…

As soon as the cashier keys in your payment, Final Fantasy’s “Victory Fanfare,” which has punctuated victory in battle over foes in Final Fantasy since the series started in 1987, bursts forth from the speakers, showering you with glory at having completed your quest. Then, like an adventurer receiving rare items from slain monsters, you’re given your fried chicken.

If you’re from a country where the term “convenience store-cooked fried chicken” immediately sets off warning signals, put your mind at ease. Lawson’s Karaage-kun is tender, juicy, and flavorful, and the Limit Break flavor upholds the tradition while adding an enticing spicy garlic sensation.

Really, our only bit of disappointment is that we weren’t lucky enough to get one of the one-in-700 pieces of Limit Break Karaage-kun that bear the mark of Meteo, Final Fantasy’s forbidden black magic.

By the way, those of you with good memories or an intense devotion to Final Fantasy might recall that this is the second time Lawson has rewarded customers with the “Victory Fanfare.” This is the first time for the chain to use the arrangement from Final Fantasy XIV, however, since the Limit Break chicken is promoting that particular arc of the franchise,

However, Lawson promises that between January 29 and February 4, customers buying the Limit Break Karaage-kun will be rewarded with a different sound at the register, so counting our unfulfilled desire to find a Meteo piece, we’ve now got two reasons to go back.

Meteo Karrage-kun photo: Lawson

All other photos ©SoraNews24

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Follow Casey on Twitter as he continues his quest to eat as much Final Fantasy-themed food as possible.

[ Read in Japanese ]