Final Fantasy started its life on the Famicom and the original games had sprite heroes. Squaresoft switched to 3D models starting with the PsOne. For Final Fantasy’s 25th birthday, Square Enix asked pixel artist Kasuko Shibuya to make sprites for Cloud, Lightning, and Gilgamesh.

Shibuya worked on the Famicom Final Fantasy games as a character and monster artist. Square Enix asked fans in Japan which characters they want to see as sprites for the Final Fantasy Tribute – Thanks – album. This CD has tunes from 25 artists including Aoi Teshima and De De Mouse who are working on the Final Fantasy IX theme song "Melodies of Life." Here’s a list of other artists participating in the Final Fantasy Tribute – Thanks – project.