Brotherhood Final Fantasy 15: Square Enix announces anime OVA tie-in series for YouTube

Square Enix has announced a five-part anime series that will act as a prequel to anticipated RPG Final Fantasy 15, and will be available for free viewing on YouTube. The series will focus on the friendship of Final Fantasy 15 protagonist Noctis and his three comrades, Ignis, Prompto and Gladiolus.

The stunning animation comes from Japanese studio A-1 Pictures, otherwise known for its work on Black Butler, Sword Art Online and Fairy Tail. A-1 previously worked on video game adaptations of Persona 4: Golden, Valkyria Chronicles and the upcoming Ace Attorney anime.

The first episode titled, Before The Storm, explores one of the darkest moments in Noctis' life, during which he sustained a major injury. It also features some light-hearted moments involving the group joking over a few burgers while on a road-trip and chatting around a campfire, in addition to some action sequences with soldiers and monsters.

You can view episode one below:

The franchise has previously adapted a few titles into anime productions including Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals and Final Fantasy Unlimited, however these were not as connected to other games in the series which the new anime series promises to be.

The next four episodes will be released before Final Fantasy 15's launch. Square Enix's eagerly awaited entry in the long-running RPG franchise will arrive worldwide on 30 September for PS4 and Xbox One.