The 20 Greatest Final Fantasy Characters of All Time

Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise is, has been, and will continue to be an essential name in the gaming world so long as there will be a console to host them. For decades now, we've fallen in love with the games that Square Enix has created for us, starting with the original Final Fantasy and all the way up to the newer, next-gen titles we play today. After all, who could forget those deep-in-your-feelings moments you had playing games like Final Fantasy VII or FFX? The importance that these titles have to the history of gaming cannot be understated.

And neither can the characters that inhabited these respective universes. What would these games be without heroes and heroines like Terra Branford or Cloud Strife? Or how about the villains we went up against, such as Sephiroth or Kefka Palazzo? They were integral to the experience, each and every one of them. With the recent relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV, and the announcement of the upcoming FFXV for the PS4 and Xbox One, we got to thinking: who are the Greatest Final Fantasy Characters of All Time? Can these new titles even hope to add to this historic roster? Take a look for yourself and see. But be warned, spoilers are aplenty here. This one is for true Final Fantasy players only.

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Debut title: Final Fantasy X
Year released: 2001

Final Fantasy X's voluptuous sorceress, Lulu, took the idea of a black mage to a whole new level. Endowed with some ample cleavage and smoky, sensual voice, Lulu was not only FFX's sexiest character, but also one of the most powerful. With the ability to cast spells of all elements and power levels, Lulu was an essential party member for anyone looking to get a little more bang for their buck on the battlefield. On top of that, Lulu also represented a voice of reason against the blind, fervent trust associated with the game's primary religion of Yevon. A smokeshow who's also smart? Sign us up.

Debut title: Final Fantasy XIII
Year released: 2010

Often referred to the "female Cloud Strife," Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning was sullen in all the same ways as Strife, but also brought that same badass edge to the table with her powerful attitude and Blazefire Saber. FFXIII will never be looked at as the high mark of the franchise, but many could agree that Lightning is a welcome addition to the lineage of female leads in the series. Even if she is a Cloud Strife look-alike, Lightning still changed the discussion it came to assessing the role of women in gaming.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

An NPC in Final Fantasy VII, former SOLDIER, Zack Fair, is remembered poignantly by fans of the game for the role he played as the fallen friend of Cloud, and lost love of Aeris. The wielder of the Buster Sword before Cloud, Fair passes the blade onto his blonde-haired successor when he dies trying to escape a genetic experimentation facility. Though he wasn't originally intended to be in the game at all, Fair serves as a crucial, emotional bridge between Aeris and Cloud, and adds an essential layer of meaning to the title as a whole.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VIII
Year released: 1998

What's better than having a gun and a sword in your arsenal? Having a gun that's also a sword instead. The Gunblade is right up there with the Buster Sword in terms of unforgettable weaponry in the Final Fantasy series, and its wielder, Squall Leonhart, is certainly one of the franchise's most recognizable figures as well. The cold, angsty protagonist of Final Fantasy VIII, Leonhart's scar remains unique when we talk about character design in the series. And though some were a little fed-up with Leonhart's attitude by the end of the game, you still have to admit that the guy looked the part of hero.

Debut title: Final Fantasy Tactics
Year released: 1998

Final Fantasy Tactics will always be one of the most underrated titles of the FF series, so we wanted to be sure to include its lead mercenary, Ramza Beoulve, on this list. Originally obsessed with upholding his family's name through his fighting, Ramza eventually evolves to become a hero focused on protecting victims of injustice in the world. More importantly, Ramza learns that gaining recognition is never what's important when it comes to doing the right thing. In terms of moral lessons, Ramza stands out as a paragon of virtue in the Final Fantasy universe.

Debut title: Final Fantasy XII
Year released: 2009

When your occupation is "sky pirate," it's hard to argue that you're doing anything wrong. Final Fantasy XII's Balthier was certainly no exception. The main character for the game, Balthier was a suave, gregarious, and self-assured hero who, interestingly enough, fell more into the conventions of a Western protagonist. Oft-compared to fictional heroes like Jack Sparrow, Han Solo, or James Bond, Balthier has managed to distinguish himself in the Final Fantasy series as being on the franchise's most outwardly-expressive leading males.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

Out of the many Final Fantasy characters given the name "Cid," Highwind stands out from the bunch as being a crude, cussing chain-smoker with a heart of gold. A party member for Final Fantasy VII, Highwind accompanies Cloud Strife and the others in their mission to defeat Sephiroth, but Cid gets his moment in the sun when he realizes his life-long dream of going up in space. For a character as hard and, sometimes, just plain mean as Cid, the fulfillment of his dreams and the change that took place in his character after the fact showed us that anyone can be redeemed so long as their intentions are good.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

Though just an optional character in Final Fantasy VII, Vincent Valentine became something of a cult hero among fans of the Final Fantasy series because of his dark past and unique attire. The tattered red cloak and long, black hair gave Valentine a look that was immediately recognizable, and gamers quickly fell in love with him when he joined their party. He became so popular that Valentine eventually got to take over the lead role of a game when he starred in Dirge of Cerberus. Not bad for a guy who originally wasn't even going to be used as a playable character at all.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

Next to Lara Croft and Samus, Tifa Lockhart stands out as one of gaming's most independent and empowered females ever. A member of the eco-terrorist group, AVALANCHE, Tifa enters Final Fantasy VII as the childhood friend of Cloud Strife, as well as a member of the love triangle formed by her, Aeris, and Cloud. Tifa was a feminine foil to the more girlish Aeris, but didn't sacrifice any of her looks to do so. If you're talking about video gaming babes, you better be talking about Tifa.

Debut title: Final Fantasy IX
Year released: 2000

In search of his real home for much of Final Fantasy IX, Zidane Tribal was an enthusiastic addition the Final Fantasy family and still remains today as one of the most likeable characters in series history. A thief by nature, Zidane was a vibrant, flirtatious kid full of boundless energy for his party members to gravitate towards. When Zidane reveals himself to be alive at the end of the game—after we had thought him to be killed by the collapse of the Iifa Tree—you couldn't help but give a sigh of relief that our hero had managed to escape his brush with death. Good guys like him should never have to go.

Debut title: Final Fantasy IX
Year released: 2000

Vivi Ornitier stands out as one of the franchise's greatest characters mainly because of how iconic his overall appearance is. One of the central protagonists for Final Fantasy IX, Vivi gave a spark of personality to the franchise's signature black mage look by endowing the design with a sense of purpose as well as rich layers of emotion. On the search to find out what the meaning of his existence is, Vivi represents a classic human struggle, wherein we all must find out what truly makes us unique in the world. With Vivi, we were all to happy to accompany him on his journey of self-discovery.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VI
Year released: 1994

If there's anyone who represents psychotic, sociopathic evil more than Kefka Palazzo, then we have yet to meet him. The main villain for Final Fantasy VI, Palazzo's transformation from a court jester to hell-bent demon is equal parts haunting and hypnotizing. We want to tear our eyes away from the cruel, vicious insanity of Palazzo but, at the same time, we can't help but feel somewhat entranced by the pure mania of his ways. Literally the only thing that Kefka seems to enjoy is the killing of other human beings. Does it get more sinister than that?

Debut title: Final Fantasy IV
Year released: 1991

Raised by the King of Baron to become a Dark Knight, Final Fantasy IV's Cecil Harvey is a swordsman of nearly unsurpassed talent, but conflicted emotions. Always reluctant to accept his role as a Dark Knight, Harvey's transformation to the role of a Paladin is one of the most evocative moments in Final Fantasy's history, bringing rich, new meaning to the idea of the battle between dark and light. At the end of the game, when Cecil is finally able to marry the love of his life, Rosa, we can't help but be thrilled for the man who has finally managed to conquer all of his inner-demons.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

Seemingly just a simple flower girl, Aeris Gainsborough revealed herself to be much more than that in Final Fantasy VII, serving as one of Cloud Strife's primary romantic interests in the title before meeting her untimely and tragic demise. Was there anything crazier than seeing Aeris take Sephiroth's Masamune straight through the chest? Throughout the entire game, we'd come to fall in love with Aeris' upbeat, joyful edge, and the way that she sought to lift up an otherwise somber atmosphere time after time. But in one fell swoop, Aeris was gone, and so was the last pure spark of innocence in the game. That was cold, Square. Real cold.

Debut title: Final Fantasy X
Year released: 2001

The lead love interest for Tidus in Final Fantasy X, developers felt that Yuna made such a profound impact on the title that she should be able to star in one of her own games. As the lead heroine in Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna showed that girl power could reign supreme in the FF universe, as she tore it up in her own title with Rikku and Paine at her side. Some critics wanted to hate on the redesign her outfit was given in X-2, saying that it was overly-sexualized, but we found the change to be an expression of her power more than anything. Yuna was no longer a shy, teenage summoner in X-2. Now she was a confident, ass-kicking heroine with the wardrobe to match. Best power suit we've ever seen.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VI
Year released: 1994

The daughter of a human and an esper, Final Fantasy VI's Terra Branford served as a physical embodiment of the clash of man and magic that has defined much of the FF franchise. Terra is a benchmark for all female protagonists in the series, made unique by the multi-dimensional aspects of her personality and backstory. As the game unfolds, and we get deeper and deeper into Terra's story, we can't help ourselves from attaching to her on an emotional level. What characters like Yuna and Aeris continued, Terra started.

Debut title: Final Fantasy X
Year released: 2001

Much like Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife, FFX's Auron first caught gamers' eyes with the big, badass blade he had strapped across his back. In the end, though, it was more than his sword that riveted the imagination's of his fans. Auron became well-known in the series because of the Sixth Sense-style twist about him that became one of FFX's most memorable moments. Spoiler alert: Auron was dead the whole time. Didn't make him any less of a badass, though. Actually, yeah, wait, Auron being dead the whole time definitely made him way cooler in our eyes.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year released: 1997

Hands-down, Sephiroth is the best villain of the entire Final Fantasy franchise. A super-human science project gone wrong, Sephiroth is so calm, calculating and evil that his defeat seems almost impossible for much Final Fantasy VII. Like Cloud, Sephiroth is a former member of the Shinra military division, SOLDIER, but, unlike him, Sephiroth's DNA happens to be infused with that of an extraterrrestrial lifeform who once attempted to take over the world. Needless to say, this doesn't make him the friendliest guy around. The burning of the village, Nilbelheim, will always stand out as one of Sephiroth's most powerful moments, and the killing of Aeris Gainsborough was unforgettably ice-cold. Out of any NPC in the Final Fantasy universe, Sephiroth is the character that every gamer would choose to play as if given the option.

Debut title: Final Fantasy X
Year released: 2001

Some people absolutely hate Tidus which, admittedly, we can understand somewhat. The voice acting for Tidus was fairly unheroic, and his general attitude could be sort've whiny at times, but what was important about Tidus was the way that he managed to challenge the archetype for the typical Final Fantasy protagonist. A blonde-haired, generally cheerful pro athlete, Tidus was bounds away from tortured, brooding alpha males like Cloud or Squall Leonhart. Despite this, though, Tidus still manages to rise to the challenges presented to him in Final Fantasy X. Additionally, his relationship with Yuna is one of the franchise's most powerful and deeply woven connections. If there was any guy who was going to make you cry in Final Fantasy, it was Tidus.

Debut title: Final Fantasy VII
Year teleased: 1997

In what is often considered the best Final Fantasy game in the series' history, lead hero, Cloud Strife, manages to stick out as the title's most compelling character. A mercenary-for-hire with a troubled past, Cloud appealed to gamers everywhere with his no-bullshit attitude, compelling narrative , and, of course, the Buster Sword. Though the weapon previously belonged to his fallen friend, Zack Fair, Cloud made it all his own in Final Fantasy VII. With a killer backstory, iconic weaponry, and a great game to boot, Cloud makes a serious case for the franchise's greatest character ever.