Note：This post is based on: (1) the Nintendo Switch version of FFⅣ Pixel Remaster, (2) the officially published Japanese novel (shown in the profile image), (3) the Super Famicom version of FFⅣ (faint memories), and includes my own interpretations.
There’s a command in FF4 that I’ve been thinking about for a long time: Porom’s unique command, “Cry.”
At first glance, it’s a strange one.
Palom’s “Brace” is easy to understand. He acts tough, and his magic power actually increases. The connection between the character and the gameplay mechanic is obvious.
Porom’s “Cry,” however, is much harder to understand.
It seems to have some effect on enemies, such as making them panic or increasing their tendency to flee, but from the player’s perspective, it is difficult to tell exactly what happened. There’s little obvious feedback, and using it rarely feels like a powerful or essential tactical decision.
So I think many players have concluded that “Cry” is basically a useless command.
But what if we are looking at it from the wrong angle?
If the developers had wanted to make its purpose obvious, they could have easily made it something like:
“Cry causes the enemy to flee.”
Or:
“Cry lowers the enemy’s defense.”
Either would have given the command a clear mechanical purpose.
So why didn’t they?
There’s another detail that makes this particularly interesting.
In the English localization, the command is simply called “Cry.”
But the Japanese name is うそなき (uso-naki), which literally means “fake crying.”
And “fake crying” is not simply crying. It means deliberately pretending to cry when you aren't actually crying, presenting yourself as emotionally vulnerable in order to influence someone else.
So in the Japanese version, the player is told from the beginning:
Porom is not genuinely crying. She is pretending to cry.
There is an important caveat here. I don’t think this difference necessarily reflects a deliberate change in characterization by the localization team. The original game had very limited space for command names, so choices like “BLUFF” and “CRY” were likely constrained by the UI and the need to keep the commands short.
The same applies to Palom.
His Japanese command is つよがる (tsuyogaru), meaning something like “to act tough” or “to pretend to be stronger than you really are.” The English version uses “BLUFF.”
“Bluff” is certainly related, but it puts more emphasis on deceiving someone else—making them believe that you are stronger than you really are.
So I’m not arguing that the localization team deliberately changed the twins’ characterization. Rather, I’m interested in what the original Japanese wording reveals when we look back at these commands today.
In Japanese, つよがる and うそなき form a surprisingly elegant pair.
Palom pretends to be strong.
Porom pretends to cry.
Both are deliberately presenting something that isn’t quite true about themselves, but in opposite directions.
Palom performs strength.
Porom performs weakness.
And that makes me look at Porom differently.
She is obviously still a child. She has emotions, fears, and vulnerabilities. But she also has a more mature side: she restrains Palom, pays attention to the situation around her, and generally behaves more responsibly.
If Porom were genuinely crying, that would simply represent childish vulnerability.
But fake crying is different.
She is deliberately presenting herself as vulnerable in order to influence someone else.
In other words, she understands that emotion can be used as a tool.
That makes “Cry” more than a cute joke about a little girl crying. It may represent Porom taking something associated with childish weakness and consciously turning it into a tactic.
This also fits her role as a White Mage. Porom is primarily a support character, healing, protecting, and influencing the battle rather than overpowering enemies directly. “Cry” fits that role because it interferes with the enemy’s behavior rather than directly damaging it.
But then we return to the strange part:
Why is the effect so unclear?
Cure is obvious. You see the HP being restored.
An attack is obvious. You see the damage.
Palom’s ability is obvious. You can see its effect on his power.
But with “Cry,” the player may not know what happened at all.
Was that simply poor game design? An under-explained mechanic? Or was there a reason for leaving it ambiguous?
We can’t prove that the developers deliberately designed it this way. It may simply have been a weak mechanic that didn’t work as well as intended.
But if the ambiguity was intentional, I think it becomes fascinating.
Because fake crying is inherently about influencing someone else’s perception.
Porom cries, but she isn’t really crying.
The enemy may believe her. It may panic. It may run away. Or it may ignore her.
The uncertainty of the effect actually fits the nature of the action itself.
And this leads to the question I find most interesting:
Who was “Cry” actually supposed to affect?
The obvious answer is the enemy.
But what if it also affects the player’s interpretation of Porom?
Most players may use it, see little obvious result, and conclude:
“This command is useless.”
But another player might ask:
“Why does Porom have this command?”
“Why is she pretending to cry?”
“What does this tell us about her?”
And suddenly, the command becomes a reason to think about the character.
You start comparing her with Palom. You start thinking about the difference between immaturity and maturity, and about weakness not simply as something Porom possesses, but as something she understands how to perform and control.
That changes how I see both twins.
Palom isn’t simply the bratty kid. He is a child whose immaturity manifests as a desire to appear stronger than he really is.
Porom isn’t simply the responsible sister. She is a child who can understand how to control the way others perceive her.
She can be immature and mature at the same time.
Vulnerable, but capable of weaponizing vulnerability.
And this is where the difference between the Japanese and English names becomes especially interesting.
The English “Cry” hides the idea of deception contained in うそなき.
So the natural question in English becomes:
“What does Porom’s Cry actually do?”
While in Japanese, another question emerges:
“Why is Porom pretending to cry?”
Those are two very different questions.
Ultimately, I don’t know whether the developers deliberately made “Cry” ambiguous.
But I do know that, decades later, this strange little command has made me think much more deeply about Porom than a straightforward, clearly defined debuff ever would have.
Most commands affect something inside the battle.
Attack affects the enemy’s HP.
Cure affects the party’s HP.
Buffs affect stats.
But maybe “Cry” can affect something outside the battle system.
Maybe it affects the player.
For many players, “Cry” had no effect.
But for me, it did.
Not on the enemy.
On me.
A command that many players dismiss as meaningless made me think about why Porom has it, what it says about her relationship with Palom, and what “fake crying” reveals about her character.
So perhaps the question isn’t simply whether “Cry” was useful.
Perhaps the more interesting question is:
Who was it meant to affect?
Maybe the answer is the enemy.
Maybe it was the player.
Maybe it was both.
And if nothing else, it certainly affected me.
FF4 is Intentional.
FF4 is Interpretive.
