The Gamer.com - 6/22/17 - "The 15 Most INSANE Glitches In Final Fantasy History"

Original link: http://www.thegamer.com/the-15-most-insane-glitches-in-final-fantasy-history/

The 15 Most INSANE Glitches In Final Fantasy History

It goes without saying that nothing in this world is perfect, and video games are certainly no exception. Glitches are a common presence in any game and can range from harmless graphical bugs to traumatic sensory nightmares. However, it’s understandable that even the most brilliant and able of game programmers can lose track of a few wayward lines of malicious code from time to time and, in some cases, the glitches result in some of the most hilarious and entertaining gameplay moments ever.

…unless the glitches in question are anything like the ones we have found in our beloved big name franchises. Without word or warning, the mighty grip of Count Glitch-ula will suddenly devolve the gaming experience from whimsical and amusing to horrible and confusing, as evident in games like GTA, Mortal Kombat, and even Minecraft. Today, we will turn our gaze to the glitches found in another popular game franchise: Final Fantasy. Yes, Square Enix’s beloved brand child has undergone several evolutions through the years, but one thing still remains true: where there’s a game, there’s a glitch.

Got a glitch-ridden horror story of your own? Share your Final Fantasy freakouts in the comments section below!

15. Cid Jumps Through Walls (Final Fantasy III)

This delightful display of defying physics can be seen when you meet with Cid at his home in Canaan. After giving his wife an Elixir, talking to Cid will net you his gratitude, as well as an invitation to his hidden storage room. At the end of his spiel, he will actually hop over a couple spaces to the right, as if to show you where to go to access the storage room. Speaking to him again where he stands will repeat the entire sequence, including the hopping. Apparently no one told Cid how physics work because he will jump through the walls of his home as if they weren’t there, even through the far wall and into the nondescript darkness of the side screen, never to be reached again.

14. Marooned On The Moon (Final Fantasy IV)

This Twilight Zone-level glitch is exclusive only to the DS remake of FFIV, so you classic cartridge carriers need not worry. After you exit the Lair of the Father and walk around the moon to return to your airship, the Lunar Whale, you will find that…well, you can’t find it anymore. Curiously, the Whale still appears on your map, but does not appear where you originally parked it on screen. Online sources suggest walking back the same way you came in around the moon, but if you have been walking around for a while, that may not even bring the Whale back into existence. Your best bet is to try to reload an earlier save file, assuming you haven’t already thrown your DS across the room in frustration.

13. Scumbag Save Crystal (Final Fantasy VII)

Among the many memorable moments in FFVII, this one (regretfully) stands out as a classic. At the entrance of the cleverly-named Northern Cave, you will come across a Save Crystal that allows you to make a save point anywhere in the cave. Sounds wonderful at first, but as it turns out, the Save Crystal is housing some very fickle lines of code. Using the Crystal comes with a chance of trapping you in the room you use it in by literally not allowing you to leave the room when you attempt to exit. Although this occurrence seems random, some players report that it is more likely to happen in rooms where the party members split up, sometimes even limiting you to one path and not allowing you to go down the other.

12. Ghost Car Drivers (Final Fantasy XV)

While it was expected that the demos of FFXV would have its fair share of bugs, a good number of insane things still managed to endure into its debut. This strange sighting was apparently a common one across all international releases of the game. Yes, that’s an NPC driving an invisible car, casually waiting for an unseen traffic light to turn green in the middle of the wilderness, while you are slaughtering the local fauna for food just a few yards away. Perhaps we can chalk it up as one of the hazards of open-world games; codes and numbers are bound to get crossed somewhere. Still, despite all the amazing and monstrous things you could encounter out in the world, it is the displaced ghost drivers that continue to mystify and bewilder us.

11. Final Boss Frog-tality (Final Fantasy II)

What is most useless form of magic in any RPG game? Status spells. Heck, spells like Sleep, Blind, and Frog are hardly ever effective against normal enemies, so what are the odds they’ll work against a final boss? Well apparently, in a spectacular display of developer oversight, the seemingly innocuous combination of the Wall and Frog spells is the key to one-shot any boss, including the big baddie known as The Emperor. It’s a bit long-winded to explain, but basically the Wall spell is a hot mess of coding that bypasses The Emperor’s spell defenses, and a technicality involving spell animations erases The Emperor off the screen and replaces him with a frog. It is perhaps the most literal and comedic cases of “seeing is believing”; the game sees the final boss disappear, and believes you actually beat him.

10. Cyan The Angry Imp (Final Fantasy VI)

Dubbed the “Psycho Cyan” bug, this one-man murder spree begins with Cyan’s bug-tastic Bushido skill, Sky. This ability basically functions like a counterattack, setting Cyan in a state of “Sky status” that is triggered and expended when he is attacked. Some very screwy coding makes the “Sky status” not go away if something affects Cyan’s state of being. Like say, getting turned Imp with a status spell. Because Imps can only use basic attacks, the Sky skill’s specific counterattack is never expended, leaving Imp Cyan in permanent “Sky status.” On top of that, the same screwy coding for the Sky ability also causes Cyan’s own attack animations to trigger the counterattack, causing him to endlessly attack all enemies on screen until they are dead, all on the same turn the bug is triggered. And believe it or not, this trick even works in boss fights.

9. Land Of Mass Suicides (Final Fantasy IV)

Yet another example of how coding continues to be the bane of a game developer’s existence. To track your location between the overworld, underworld, and moon, the game continuously stores several memory addresses as you go along, and uses this data to load the different monster encounter tables for each realm. As you can imagine, this can lead to some horrific data processing mishaps. Several locations, including the basement areas of Troia (which can only be exited via the Exit spell), have memory addresses that are very similar to the point where even when you leave them, so the game thinks you are in the overworld when you are actually in the underworld. As a result, the game is prone to load the wrong monster table, resulting in random encounters where enemies are forced to use the Stone spell on themselves and each other until they are all dead.

8. Surprise Sky Dives (Final Fantasy XV)

Imagine that you’re stalking through the wilds, hungry for your next meal/bounty. From over the ridge, you spot it: a mighty rhino, ripe with fresh meat and valuable hide. You hurl your sword, channeling the power of your family’s ancient kingly ancestors to pull yourself to your prey. Closer and closer and closer you get, until –*WHOOSH*- you suddenly find yourself several stories high in the air, and only have a few short seconds to reevaluate your life choices before plummeting to your death. Such is the case for several players who, during their time in the world of FFXV, have experienced what we like to call the “Spontaneous Sky Dive Effect.” While its exact cause is unknown, its frequency coupled with its hilarity kind of softens the blow. For the player, not for Noctis. It still sucks for Noctis.

7. The Edge Of Oblivion (Final Fantasy VII)

If there is one thing in FFVII that is scarier than Bizarro Sephiroth, Hojo’s experiments, and the fashion sense of the franchise as a whole, it’s the edge of the world. More specifically, it is the blacked-out edges that appear on the screen randomly as you’re flying around in the Highwind. This is reportedly a phenomenon caused by an error with the game disc, though we think it’s more likely the influence of an entity from the Outer Realms for the following reason: attempting to fly into those blackened areas will sometimes cause the entire screen to black out, with only a disc reading error icon and the world map music to keep you company. The only known solution for the PlayStation version of the game is to hard restart the game, but that probably won’t do much for your newfound fear of random dark edges on your screen.

6. Surreal Sketches (Final Fantasy VI)

Relm’s artistic abilities certainly are a force to be reckoned with when she successfully replicates an enemy using Sketch, but enough uses of it will eventually uncover a horrifying secret: her Sketch skill is capable of breaking reality. A missed or failed Sketch attempt often has catastrophic, Fourth Wall-breaking results, including but not limited to: filling your inventory with random items, freezing the game, and even erasing your data. Whether or not this was intentional by design, what’s even scarier is how easily this glitch can happen while playing. Aside from the inherent miss/failure chance of the Sketch skill, enemies who render themselves invisible, such as the Gabbldegak, also have a high chance of Sketch failure. Seriously, if Relm is the spawn of some Cthulhu-type monstrosity, a warning would be appreciated.

5. A Rodent In Time (Final Fantasy VI)

Cockroaches may be capable of surviving a nuclear event, but the rats in FFVI are malefic wielders of time and space. To test this theory, simply leave one of the rats in the rafters of the Opera House in the World of Balance alive, then return to it in the World of Ruin and allow it to defeat you. Without rhyme or reason, when you regain your senses, you will find that you are back in the World of Balance, unable to return to the World of Ruin forever. Not only does this prevent you from ever completing the game, but there is also the possibility of the game freezing when you reload, as if to illustrate how definitively destroyed your save file is. Thankfully, this glitch only exists in the Japanese Super Famicom version of the game.

4. The Head And The Horror (Final Fantasy XV)

By now, random appendages and body glitches in games probably don’t phase you. But it is screenshots like this from early playthroughs of FFXV that remind us of the dreadful reality that something watches us from beyond the mortal coil. These disturbing double-headers look like Square Enix’s tribute to The Grudge. The fact that everyone looks so jolly in Prompto’s nightmare-inducing selfies only adds to the disturbing story. And these ungodly conjurations aren’t limited to just Prompto’s photos: at any given moment, a head can appear through walls, doors, and even people’s stomachs, peeping at you lifelessly. At least it’s just the heads; random arms and legs would probably make it worse. Though based on how glitchy the game has proven to be so far, we wouldn’t count out that terrifying possibility either.

3. The Ghost Of Aerith (Final Fantasy VII)

One of the most infamous glitches among the FF community as a whole, this shocking sight has been the subject of many theories regarding our beloved flower girl. The “ghost” in question is a split-second appearance of Aerith in the Sector 5 Church in Midgard some time after her demise at the hands of Sephiroth (I sincerely hope that’s not news to anyone reading this). Some suspect that this one-time occurrence, coupled with certain items found in game and lines of code found within the game’s programming, teases at the possibility of resurrecting Aerith. Still others maintain the (more likely) stance that it was an intentionally evocative tribute meant to resonate with the players. The cynics, meanwhile, tout that it is just a coincidental bug, since character models are prone to freak out or disappear throughout the game anyways.

2. A New World? (Final Fantasy XV)

The world of Niflheim was already huge before the recent release of DLCs, but a bit of Christopher Columbus-style exploration by players has revealed an entirely new area within the game. It has since been identified as the island of Angelgard, the island where Noctis awakens after his 10 year slumber, though the most anyone ever sees of it during normal gameplay is the path to the getaway boat, as well as the occasional landscape sighting from the windows of the train. The only way to access the area for exploration is to use a Chocobo to swim to it. While the exact purpose of this zone has yet to be determined, its completeness and polished appearance suggests that it may be the setting for future DLC releases. The presence of colossal swords and the island’s wing-shaped coastline also seemingly allude to Bahamut, adding more intrigue to the speculation surrounding Angelgard.

1. Exploit Causes Mass Player Bans (Final Fantasy XI)

While all the previous entries have had significant effects within the game, this one tops our list for its effects outside the game. Known as the “Salvage Duplication Bug,” this glitch had a severe consequential impact on the game’s integrity and economy through exploiting an oversight in the Salvage event’s treasure system. Understandably, Square Enix, in an attempt to conduct damage control surrounding this issue, released a patch to do away with the Duplication Bug. However, players had been reporting this issue for several months following the release of the Salvage event, yet Square failed to patchfix the issues until they “discovered” it two years after the Salvage event’s release. But wait! There’s more! They took it a step further by investigating a year’s worth of game logs, determining which players exploited the bug and to what degree they did so, then proceeded to carry out some retroactive retribution against the exploiters. This resulted in the suspension and/or perma-banning of nearly a thousand players, and by extension destroying any shred of faith and credibility they had left. Rarely does an in-game issue have massive implications that go beyond the mouse and monitor, but apparently it’s not just an anime-only occurrence anymore.

The Gamer.com - 6/12/17 - "Every Main Character In Final Fantasy Ranked From Worst To Best"

I am pleased to announce that I am now a contributor to The Gamer, an online news and entertainment source focused on all things gaming. My first article was published today, and I have reposted here for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

Original link: http://www.thegamer.com/every-main-character-in-final-fantasy-ranked-from-worst-to-best/

Every Main Character In Final Fantasy Ranked From Worst To Best

When Final Fantasy XV was first revealed at E3 2013, feelings were understandably mixed. Initial excitement and curiosity were mired by apprehension following the wake of Square Enix’s second botched attempt at making an online game. Upon its release just three years later, however, all doubt was quickly extinguished, as FFXV quickly captured the hearts of gamers and online culture buffs worldwide. Among the many strengths of FFXV were the popularity of its main cast of characters: Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladiolus, better known across the Internet as “The Chocobros.” They were relatable, entertaining, and spoke to our modern-day sense of aesthetics and culture. And of course, who could forget their meaningful contributions to our love of dank memes?

The Chocobros are the latest example of what makes the Final Fantasy series of games successful: interesting and diverse characters whose unique flavor and perspectives help shape and evolve a dynamic and engaging story. We have explored the colorful cast of Final Fantasy titles before, from the best to the worst to the stupidly overpowered. Today, we will rank the best and worst main characters throughout Final Fantasy’s cherished legacy from crystals to Cup-o-Noodles, and see who is Ultima Weapon status and who should have stayed on the Start Screen. Every game from the main series will be covered here, so spin-offs and standalone titles such as Brave Exvius and Crystal Chronicles won’t appear here. And as always, potential spoilers await you, so read with caution!

Do you agree with our rankings? Did your favorites make the cut? Let us know in the comments section below!

15. Vaan (Final Fantasy XII)

On paper, Vaan’s character concept seems innocent enough. Amidst a backdrop of political intrigue, Vaan serves as the rambunctious “Aladdin-type” street urchin who injects lightness in an otherwise heavy-handed plot. It is worth noting that Vaan was purposefully designed to be younger and more inexperienced compared to typical FF protagonists, in an attempt to appeal to both Western and Eastern gamer demographics.

Unfortunately, this shake-up of the norm seemed to work a little too well, as many felt that Vaan was overly bland and uninspiring. In fact, it is noted by several critics that following Vaan along for the game’s length is so tiresome that it made other characters such as Basch and Balthier much more rewarding to observe. And the key word here is “observe”; part of the aforementioned design decisions also intentionally made him disconnected from the main story, acting as a mere vehicle through which the player can see the story unfold without being an actual driving force in it. At that point, Square Enix might as well have given the title to Telltale Games so they could at least turn it into a decent interactive graphic adventure.

14. “The Poster Boy” (Final Fantasy XIV)

I know what you’re thinking: “Who the heck is The Poster Boy?” Community sources have coined this name for the generic male character that appears on all of the promotional media for FFXIV, and even appears in pre-rendered cutscenes where the player’s actual character can’t be used. In other words, this nameless stranger is intended to be you. To anyone who poured countless hours and brain cells into this tedious MMO trying to make their character awesome, this was adding insult to injury. Imagine persevering through the game’s agonizingly slow pace, convoluted interface, and numerous bugs and performance issues, only to be represented as some cookie-cutter Beta version NPC.

Consider this: FFXIV was such a critical flop that Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada actually issued a public apology for the damage it caused to the FF brand. The worst thing they could have done was give their failure a face for people to recognize and despise. Yet somehow, they found a way to kick it up a notch by implying that you are the face of the MMO from Hell.

13. Warriors Of Light (Final Fantasy I)

You know the best way to avoid creating a main character that your players will grow to hate? Make your protagonist completely devoid of personality, emotion, and even a name. Your players may not like him necessarily, but they won’t hate him either. Want to up the ante? Make the entire main cast empty husks as well. More is better, right?

To be fair, the developers of Final Fantasy drew upon tabletop roleplaying game tradition to conceive the character-less main characters, in order to allow players to customize their party to their individual liking as one would in Dungeons & Dragons. This was also intended to be the final project that Square would develop and if the last 30 years of console gaming are any indication, it worked out to greater things in the end. So in a sense, it is kind of forgivable to have your first series title feature emotionless Play-Doh characters with no personality. Kind of.

12. Cid (Final Fantasy XI)

For those unacquainted with the Final Fantasy universe, it is important to know that every title in the franchise has a “Cid” character. His role, relevance, and appearance varied from game to game, but among the quintessential elements of FF games, Cid ranks up there among chocobos, moogles, and pint-sized knife-wielding serial killers.

Unfortunately for this iteration of Cid, he is featured in the almost-there attempt that is lamented as Square’s first crack at porting their franchise to the online realm. With how unrewarding it was to play through the game, Cid offered a sense of reliability and stability in an otherwise mercurial game title. While it is assumed that your created avatar is the “protagonist” of this MMO title, Cid makes a strong case for himself as a main character due to his relevance in the Republic of Bastok quest area and later in the Chains of Promathia expansion pack. I would go so far as to wager that being able to play as Cid in FFXI would have greatly improved the game’s reception.

11. Luneth (Final Fantasy III)

Considered a strict improvement over the original Final Fantasy, FFIII takes the concept of customizable main characters from the first game but gives the base avatars actual names and personalities. Enter Luneth, the “true” protagonist of FFIII. Luneth represents the cheerful courage and reckless heroism that is becoming of a great hero in any fantasy series. The game’s innovations of the job class system and rewarding play that mixed exploration and grinding only furthers the story and sets the foundations for a classic FF title.

What stops Luneth from placing higher on this list, however, is how FF games and protagonists evolved in the following years. The 2006 Nintendo 3DS remake of FFIII felt like a classic, but failed to hold up when compared to then-current titles such as FFXII. As a result, Luneth and the gang would be pushed to the wayside in the wake of more appealing FF characters such as Cloud and Squall. The Light Warriors v2.0 were even left out from Dissidia Final Fantasy, eschewed in favor of the Onion Knight to represent FFIII. Truly a harsh way to end a legacy.

10. Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)

This pink-haired protagonist is an interesting subject. On one hand, she is praised for being a standalone warrior who, unlike previous female characters, did not share the spotlight with a man who outshone her. She also forgoes the typical “feminine traits” of being over-the-top or subdued, instead displaying strong leadership and combat skills, as well as a cold and dismissive demeanor that is atypical of female characters.

On the other hand, remember that she followed in the steps of other cold and stoic characters such as Cloud, and her coldness offers more or less the same “dark and brooding” disconnection that we’ve hashed over already in previous games. Some even argue that Lightning is just a Cloud clone with less personality, and offers nothing new other than aesthetic appeal. Perhaps there’s some weight to this, given that Lightning was given an entire trilogy of games to develop whereas Cloud only had one game, so in terms of potential and development, Lightning is interesting but ultimately falls short as a protagonist in general.

9. Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)

The new edgelord on the block finds a welcome spot on our list, though his low placement may surprise some of you. Before you raise your plastic forks and empty Cup-o-Noodles containers in protest, let me start by saying that Noctis is actually a really well-written character. He brings a brooding and forlorn attitude that FF fans can connect with while showing growth through acceptance of his duties as a royal heir and the last hope of his kingdom. He’s also a capable fighter, especially in conjunction with the rest of the Chocobros, and combat always feels epic and fun when you’re zipping across the battlefield with an entire armada of magical weapons at your beck and call. And I must admit, very few people can make black pants, black button-ups, and a terrible haircut look as awesome as Noctis can.

Unfortunately, despite how hip, modern and meme-worthy Noctis is, he is not a new recipe for a main character. He doesn’t reinvent the formula for FF heroes and instead comes off as more of a tribute to past FF protagonists packaged in a angsty shell. While he makes for a great introduction into the world of Final Fantasy, especially for new players who have no knowledge of the franchise’s history, he lacks his own unique flair and interest, and his entire character draws upon the tired traditions that are typical of most FF heroes.

8. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)

Created as a rebuttal to the previous stoic protagonists of Cloud and Squall, Zidane brought the FF series back to its roots of compelling fantasy stories revolving around courageous lighthearted heroes. Capturing the elements of relatable characters who exhibit growth throughout the game, Zidane didn’t stray too far from the darkness either, boasting a complex and grim backstory that is revealed as the player progresses.

What’s especially notable about Zidane is that he not only breaks the mold of his predecessors, but he is also supported by party members that are in of themselves very diverse and interesting. Zidane’s “Robin Hood-esque” charm and flair is a refreshing change of pace from the “reluctant heroes” from previous titles and injects a much-needed sense of purpose and determination. Add in effective and memorable character foils such as the not-so-helpless damsel Garnet, the goodhearted oaf Steiner, and the enigmatic yet hilarious Vivi, and you’ve got a cast that can carry this title through the lingering hype of FFVII and FFVIII.

7. Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)

The original edgelord, Squall, is beloved by the FF community for picking up Cloud’s mantle and setting a new standard for brooding characters in the franchise. Just about everything about Squall is memorable, from his anime-esque scar to his ridiculous choice of weapon. If you thought Cloud was disconnected and distant, Squall takes it up to the next level, exhibiting a standoffish nature that makes you wonder if he’s even human.

In fact, his excessive coldness and grounding sense of cynicism have resulted in many polarizing opinions concerning Squall’s character, with some calling him “the ultimate antihero” and others berating him as “a pouty jerk.” Regardless of how you feel about him, Squall’s impact and relevance in the FF universe is undeniable. If nothing else, Squall is singlehandedly responsible for popularizing and permanently injecting the gunblade into popular gaming culture, resulting in some awesomely ridiculous endeavors to recreate it.

6. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)

Whereas Zidane was meant to rebuff the moodiness of Squall, Tidus finds himself in a happy medium between the two. Cheery and optimistic, yet haunted by his past, Tidus offers a genuine human connection into a world that curveballs from the normal into the surreal. While character development was present in other FF games, the story of Tidus is the most prominent and apparent of the first ten protagonists. We watch him laugh, we watch him cry, and we watch him grow into the hero that he is called to be.

The only real drawback to Tidus’ character actually lies the final resolution to his story in the spin-off sequel, FFX-2. The revelation of Tidus’ true nature towards the end of FFX is a highly emotional plot point that was one of the top shocking moments in gaming. However, as memorable as that moment was, it was that much more disappointing when the whole arc was seemingly invalidated by Tidus’ apparent “resurrection” in X-2. Rather than stick to its guns and leave us with a sad yet satisfying sense of catharsis, FFX-2 leaves us stuck with a unearned and cliche “happily ever after” ending. In short, Tidus would have been a perfect character if he stayed dead.

5. Bartz Klauser (Final Fantasy V)

In contrast to the nuanced character arc and singular focus in FFIV, FFV went back to basics, focusing on a small number of developed characters and bringing back the classic themes of elemental crystals and a more condensed job class system. Enter Bartz, who served as one of four centerpieces for the story alongside Lenna, Faris, and Galuf/Krile. While everyone in the main cast carried a significant amount of the story in their own ways, Bartz stands out as the most developed of the bunch, showing a depth of character and progression from beginning to end.

In many ways, Bartz was the template and forefather of future FF protagonists. Much like Tidus and Zidane, Bartz brought an easygoing attitude, a sense of morals, and a level head in the face of personal and external adversity. Whether it was preventing the cataclysmic machinations of X-Death or reconciling with the death of parents, Bartz consistently displays a solid character foundation that grows throughout the game and helps to temper the more extreme personalities of the party, like Lenna and Faris.

4. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)

Much like the game he is from, Cloud is the most iconic and, at times, overrated representative of the FF universe. Maybe it’s the haircut that reaches to the heavens, an indication of his hidden power. Maybe it’s the ridiculously huge sword that has since then become typical of main characters in popular media. Maybe it’s the fact that FFVII was the first successful forays into 3D movement and graphics in console gaming, and Cloud was the pilot through which the player experienced this strange new world. Whatever the case, Cloud is an undeniably popular character in FF lore.

Perhaps it’s Cloud’s intentional appeal that makes him so popular. His hair is flawless. He’s athletic and fit. His weapon is shamelessly huge and powerful. He even rides a damn motorcyle. Everything about him is memorable and cool, and renders every character after him a mere copycat. And rounding out his character is an engaging backstory: he’s an amnesiac ex-SOLDIER who turns out to be an unwitting part of a silver-haired pretty boy’s self-serving machinations and seeks a sense of identity and purpose, ultimately finding it in acceptance of his past and present. Also, he moonlighted as an escort to rescue Tifa. No, really, he did.

3. Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy IV)

Unlike the early FF games, which played more to the conventions of traditional RPGs, Cecil did away with sharing the story among a generic cast of characters and embraced the role of the centerpiece for the game’s plot. He notably went further by avoiding the tropes of the Light Warriors and the hero of destiny, presented instead as a complex and flawed protagonist who rose to the top through talent and effort. Even in the initial scenarios of FFVI, it is made clear that Cecil does not start out as the hero and has to evolve into the role of the hero through many trials and tribulations.

The most intriguing part of Cecil’s character, however, is his class change from Dark Knight to Paladin, which not only marks a dramatic change in his abilities, but importantly, a huge turning point in his personal growth. His shift into Paladin acts as a culmination of his bonding with others and realization of his identity and self-worth; his former Dark Knight persona acts as a symbol for his hatred, which he overcomes. While both incarnations of Cecil are badass in their own right, it is rare that for a character to display such a literal character shift in visual appearance and ability and have it effectively tie into the story.

2. Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI)

Fifteen years before Lightning descended upon our consoles, another woman took up the mantle of the main heroine and shook up the conceptions of fantasy gaming. The mysterious magic user Terra was Final Fantasy‘s first female protagonist and, despite sharing the spotlight with other strong characters such as Locke, her presentation and progression in FFVI easily eclipsed every other character in depth and magnitude.

Terra’s journey represented many different forms of rising up and defying the odds. Her break away from the normal role of the female in video games was represented figuratively in embracing of her Esper heritage and powers, while it emerged literally in breaking the Empire’s mind control over her early in the game. Her personal struggles with identity and eventual acceptance of her duties as an Esper propelled her above the typical background role of women in games, and introduced a trend of growth and rounded development for future female characters such as Yuna and Lightning.

1. Firion (Final Fantasy II)

With an ever-growing universe of exciting and diverse characters, it was difficult to settle on one that topped them all. In the end, it came down to looking at the classic titles that set the stage for the future titles to come. Without these forefathers of the Final Fantasy world, we would not have the heroes and heroines that we celebrate now. For this reason, Firion tops our list as the best protagonist in Final Fantasy history.

Firion is the classic vision of a main character who, like Cecil, would rise to prominence through talent and determination. His duty to his people and country are reflected in his willingness to overcome all obstacles and take on difficult challenges despite being a hero of circumstance, not destiny. Compared to protagonists that came before and after him, Firion represents a “pure” incarnation of the FF hero. He is marked by courage that is not mired by a dark past and portrays the “everyday” man who lacks special qualities initially but grows into a legend. While certainly not as appealing nor edgy as his successors, Firion harkens to the high fantasy roots of Final Fantasy while establishing himself as a definitive character in the FF mythos, even getting the nod in Dissidia Final Fantasy with his inclusion and visual reimagining. Even the monsters he seeks to slay can’t help but love him.