the oracle games, like all zeldas, were recognized as zeldas simply by looking at them. just like bravely default is recognized as final fantasy with a single look. <- Only by you

"I mean if you like FF:T4HoL as much as a main FF game and want to give it due credit, you are free to do so."

the whole point of this discussion was proving there is no main series and the likes of t4hol are as numbered as the numbered ones. 

whatever. at least you kept debating.

Everyone is against you, you're just to stubborn to accept it. You said that there can't be a main series if there is no bridging story. I showed you that there is a connected story, so your arguement is dead.

Plus how can you say that t4hol is the same as the numbered ones when the actual title of the game is FF Gaiden (Final Fantasy Side Story in Japan). You can argue that there is no main series all you like fine, but T4HoL is still a side game, and this is why it's become its own franchise (Braverly Default). FF:T4HoL is as much of a Final Fantasy game as Dragon Quest.

you showed nothing.

by your logic, many numbered final fantasies are as much of ff as pokemon. think of it like this, if I take ff 6 and change it's name, does it make it a spin off? and for example, nintendo could switch the characters of 3d world and it would remain an obvious mario title.

So now you're going to argue that Kain from FFIV doesn't actually exist? I told you, he's the son of Richard from FFII. and explained to you how all older Final Fantasy's are related. You even accepted that.

If you took FF6 and took away the huge budget, as well as the number 6, and took away all links to other FF games (so no it would have to take place in a different world, and never reference the War of the Magi), then yes it would be a spin off. This is what FF: Mystic Quest is, a Final Fantasy game, on a console, with no a small budget, no links to other FF games, etc.

The problem is games like FF I-XV have huge budgets, and are nothing like the small budget side games which are internally classified as Side Stories.

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Anyway think what you want, but everyone else here disagrees with you, and I showed you that FF:T4HoL is classified by the developers as Gaiden (Side Story).

I mean look at your Mario logic, you said Mario is still Mario despite gameplay, but would you consider something like Yoshi's Island a Mario game? It is after all a sequel to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, which is a Mario game. Or do you not consider Yoshi games as spin off's too?

the yoshi games are different enough from mario.