Summary
Since theFinal Fantasyseries began in 1987, it’s given JRPG fans 16 main installments as well as countless sequels and spinoffs. The series has given us some of themost influential turn-based JRPGs ever made, known for their amazing gameplay and casts of memorable characters.
Final Fantasyhas given fans a lot of awesome characters over the years,many of whom are iconicin the gaming world. What makes a character iconic is up for debate, but for this list, we’ve considered how memorable each character is, their popularity, their design, and the impact they’ve had on the gaming landscape as a whole.
To put this tactfully,Tifalikely became popular among male gamers back in 1997 for the same reason Lara Croft became so popular in 1996. Her simple white tank top/short black shorts combo quickly became iconic, and countless cosplayers have recreated it countless times over the years.
There’s a lot more to Tifa than just her character design, though. The originalFinal Fantasy 7,as well as the modern remakes, have made it clear that Tifa is a total badass. She’s a strong woman who can handle herself in a fight and will do anything for her friends. Many fans consider her to be one ofthe best female characters in the franchisefor a reason.
A Trend Setter
Final Fantasy 4
The Kingdom of Baron sent their elite airship fleet, the Red Wings, to attack the surrounding countries. Distressed by his mission, Cecil, a dark knight and captain of the Red Wings, decides to fight against the tyrannical Baron with his trusted friend and his paramour at his side. In his search for the crystals, Cecil must travel over land, under the ground, to the Land of Summons, and even to the moon. Join forces with Kain the dragoon, Rosa the white mage, Rydia the summoner, and many more skilled allies.FFIV is the first title to introduce the dynamic “Active Time Battle” system, where time moves even during battle, giving the players an exciting sense of urgency.Thanks to the wide appeal of the game, this revolutionary system would be implemented in many future titles in the series.Witness the dramatic story and dynamic battles in this fourth installment of the FINAL FANTASY series!
Final Fantasyhas a reputation for havinglots of angsty characters, a trend that began inFinal Fantasy 4withCecil Harvey.The game starts with Dark Knight Cecil and his friends committing a war crime, and somehow, things only get darker from there.
Cecil became iconic for a couple of reasons. Firstly, his character design, even in pixel-art form, was really cool, both as a Dark Knight and a Paladin. Secondly, he was one of the firstFinal Fantasycharacters to experience actual growth. In one of the franchise’s most memorable scenes, Cecil is forced to fight a dark version of himself, becoming a Paladin in the process. Anyone who has played the game will remember it clearly, making Cecil one ofFinal Fantasy’smost unforgettable characters. Younger fans or people who haven’t played the remakes, however, likely have no idea who he is.
Final Fantasy’s Joker
Final Fantasy 6
The War of the Magi caused magic to disappear from the world. A thousand years later, humanity relies on machines - until they find a young woman with mysterious powers. The magicite system allows players to customize which abilities, magic spells, and summons the party members learn. All the playable characters have their own stories, goals, and destinies. Journey through their interwoven fates in this sweeping melodrama.The pinnacle of the FF series at the time of its release, FFVI remains critically acclaimed and beloved to this day.
Final Fantasy 6is often considered as one of, if not the best game in the series. Its pixel art was beautiful, its story compelling, and its turn-based combat was some of the best in the franchise. Its story had a unique structure where there wasn’t one main protagonist, but several. All ofFinal Fantasy’s 6’sparty members are brilliant, but it’s hard to call any of them truly iconic.
Outside of perhaps Terra, it’s unlikely anyone who hasn’t played the game would recognize them. Even then, Terra isn’t all that different from other female characters who would come later. The game’s main villain, however, is iconic. One ofthe most evil characters inFinal Fantasyhistory,Kefka’sdesign and demeanor are legendary. He’s basically a killer clown who hates everyone in the world so much that he makes himself a god, just so that he can destroy everything. Wanting to see Kefka again is one of the main reasons so many people are clamoring for aFinal Fantasy 6remake.
The Black Mage has been a staple of theFinal Fantasyseries since the first game. Before the franchise began to mix things up, and before graphics began to improve, Dark Mages were always represented the same way - a blue cloak and a big pointy hat that covered their face. By the timeFinal Fantasy 9rolled around, that traditional depiction of a Black Mage hadn’t been seen for a while.
Final Fantasy 9took the traditional Black Mage and turned it from a class into a race of puppets made from “Mist”. While most Black Mages were mindless automatons,Viviwas different. Short in stature, shy, and absolutely adorable, he quickly became a fan favorite. He stole every scene he was in, and many players felt deeply protective towards him in battle. While we haven’t seen much of the Black Mages in recent years, Vivi remains iconic.
PoorSqualldidn’t become iconic for the best of reasons. Moody, quiet, and one ofFinal Fantasy’smost cynical characters, Squall is iconic because he’s the poster boy for angsty male 90s RPG protagonists. That’s a shame, because Squall was actually a cool character.
He wasn’t so much angsty as he was shy and filled with self-doubt. Over the course ofFinal Fantasy 8,he grew a lot, and evolved into a likable protagonist by the end. Squall deserves to be remembered for his cool character design (even if the fur lining was a bit over the top) and awesome signature weapon. His Gunblade is as iconic as it is impractical, rivaling Cloud’s Buster Sword.
5Zidane - Final Fantasy 9
A Lovable Rogue
AmongFinal Fantasyfans,Zidaneis a legend. Despite being a thief, he’s the most heroic character inFinal Fantasy 9, willing to help anyone and everyone who’s in trouble. As the game’s main protagonist, he was lighthearted, funny, and charming, breaking the trendFinal Fantasyhad at the time of featuring moody heroes.
Zidane could either dual-wield daggers or combine them into one massive, double-edged sword, which, while not as iconic as the Buster Sword or Gunblade, was still pretty cool. Unfortunately for Zidane, unlike other characters higher on this list, people who haven’t played the game likely won’t recognize him.
Much like Squall,Tidusbecame iconic for the wrong reasons. His almost childlike innocence, rebellious nature, and sun-kissed surfer-boy style were all a recipe for success. Unfortunately, a lot of people who playedFinal Fantasy 10found him more annoying than endearing.
Instead, Tidus became an icon thanks to one single scene - the one in which he tries to teach Yuna how to fake a laugh. In the early 2000s, that scene was all over the internet, with everyone highlighting how cringeworthy it was. It still crops up on forums now and again as a meme, and is still the main thing Tidus is remembered for. That’s a shame, because Tidus was an interesting character with one ofthe most tragic fates in the game.
Lightningmight be a bit of a contentious pick here, since a lot of fans love to hate her, but the fact that everyFinal Fantasyfan recognizes her means she must be pretty iconic. Lightning was the lead protagonist in the highly controversialFinal Fantasy 13, a game that somehow received not one but two sequels.
A lot of fans were left feeling cooled by Lightning’s icy, standoffish demeanor at first, but the sequels did an excellent job of redeeming her. Precious fewFinal Fantasygames have female leads, and in a time when it was rare to have female video game leads in general, Lightning got to headline her own series. That fact alone makes her one of the franchise’s most memorable and iconic characters.
2Sephiroth - Final Fantasy 7
The Ultimate RPG Villain
Final Fantasy 7is one ofthe most innovative RPGs ever made.It has so many iconic characters that this could have easily just been a list of FF7 characters. Of them all, one of the most iconic has to beSephiroth, a character so famous that his name became synonymous with the term “RPG villain” for decades.
Everything about Sephiroth has become iconic. He’s famous for his flowing white locks, his anime-style oversized sword, Masamune, and his calm, slightly condescending demeanor. Over the years, he’s only become more iconic, asFinal Fantasy: Crisis Core, and then the recent remakes, went to great lengths to explore his character in even more detail. Sephiroth’s fame has outgrown RPG circles, and he’ll often crop up on lists of not just the best villains in RPGs or gaming in general, but the best villains in all of fiction.
1Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy 7
The Franchise’s Most Famous Character
Ever since his debut in 1997,Cloud Strifehas been one of the most famous characters in all of gaming. He’s mostly known for his spiky blond hair, cool demeanor, and, of course, his massive Buster Sword. His sword alone is a gaming icon. A whole generation of edgy 90s gamer boys wanted to be Cloud, so much so that he instantly became an icon and has remained one ever since.
The recent remakes have cleverly fleshed out his character in new ways, while not changing what many fans have loved about him for nearly three decades. It seems likely that in 10 or even 20 years' time, we’ll still be talking and writing about Cloud Strife.
