My Top 50 Final Fantasy Characters: The Winner (+ more)

Hey everyone,

We've finally arrived at the end, sorry if it took longer than you wanted it to! 52 days ago I started this (two days I couldn't post), and have been revealing one by one my favourite 50 characters in the amazing Final Fantasy series. Naturally I've been preferring the more recent games, I did start with Final Fantasy VII after all, but I have respected the earlier games by at least having one character from each game. Anyway, as a recap, here is the other 49 in reverse order:

• #50 - Garland (FF1)
• #49 - Doctor Tot (FF9)
• #48 - Xande (FF3)
• #47 - Cyan (FF4)
• #46 - The Emperor (FF2)
• #45 - Golbez (FF4)
• #44 - Galuf (FF5)
• #43 - Garland (FF9)
• #42 - Kain (FF4)
• #41 - Barret (FF7)
• #40 - Leo (FF6)
• #39 - Gilgamesh (FF9)
• #38 - Reno (FF7)
• #37 - The Nero Brothers (FF9)
• #36 - Seifer (FF8)
• #35 - Kimahri (FF10)
• #34 - Ba'Gamnan (FF12)
• #33 - Vincent (FF7)
• #32 - Zorn and Thorn (FF9)
• #31 - Squall (FF8)
• #30 - Lulu (FF10)
• #29 - Jenova (FF7)
• #28 - Rikku (FF10)
• #27 - Sabin (FF6)
• #26 - Cid (FF9)
• #25 - Bugenhagen (FF7)
• #24 - Irvine (FF8)
• #23 - Locke (FF6)
• #22 - Brother (FF10)
• #21 - Cloud (FF7)
• #20 - Baku (FF9)
• #19 - Shadow (FF6)
• #18 - Jecht (FF10)
• #17 - Quina (FF9)
• #16 - Red XIII (FF7)
• #15 - Steiner (FF9)
• #14 - Ultros (FF6)
• #13 - Laguna (FF8)
• #12 - Seymour (FF10)
• #11 - Hojo (FF7)
• #10 - Edgar (FF6)
• #9 - Beatrix (FF9)
• #8 - Auron (FF10)
• #7 - Kuja (FF9)
• #6 - Cid (FF7)
• #5 - Balthier (FF12)
• #4 - Zidane (FF9)
• #3 - Sephiroth (FF7)
• #2 - Vivi (FF9)

Without further ado, here's my favourite character:

#1: Kefka

Full Name (to knowledge): Kefka Palazzo

Game: Final Fantasy VI

Role in Game: The Main Antagonist

Best Quote: "Life...dreams...hope...Where do they come from? And where do they go? Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!" 

I'd just like to say to a certain someone - no, it's not because I've just done an article on why I want a Final Fantasy VI remake.

Kefka is my number 1. It wasn't easy to make this decision, the Top 4 are really a big elite 4 in my eyes and there's little to seperate them in my heart. But I have chosen Kefka and I'm sticking to it.

Kefka or Sephiroth? Kefka, definitely. Why? There is one thing that Kefka does that no other character to my knowledge does. He actually becomes a god. So many tried, they all failed, but Kefka. Kefka becomes the lord of the world. He destroyed the world and reduced it to very little. No Sephiroth, no Kuja, no Sin, no one, was able to do this. (as I said I've not finished FF13 so if I'm wrong don't let me know!)

There are a few other things that I love about Kefka. That cackle, man, it's just brilliant. It's a shame that it can't work in a modern game, because it's truly a beautiful sound. You just want to kick his ass whenever he laughs, that laugh alone, nevermind what else he does.

And by what else he does I mean a lot. Yes he destroyed the world. But he did much more than that. He made Terra into a slave, he made her kill 50 of his own army. Why? As a test subject. That heartless bastard. You want more? He set fire to Edgar's castle, he almost succeeded if it wasn't for the fact that Edgar can make his castle burrow underground, getting rid of the flames. But the act that stands out for me, more than most acts, is him poisoning the castle of Doma. Everyone died of poison, bar Cyan and his sentry. What a sick, vile man. He does more here, nevermind destroying the world, than most villains do. And he wasn't even finished! He killed General Leo, not with magic, that weakened Leo. He stamped him to the ground, he used his own feet, the same ones that he demanded the Gestahlian army members to clean earlier in the game, to crush Leo into the ground. What a vile image, an image I desperately want redone in 3D. Then he killed his boss, and destroyed the world.

It's not just what he does though it's how he does it. It's his manic laugh, his brilliant quotes, he is flamboyant as well as destructive, how many people can pull that off. He's a fucking mad man! But he does it so much that you can't help but love him, but want him dead there and then. Kefka is a cold, heartless, evil clown, but he does it with such style such swagger that he is just that one thing better than anyone else. Kefka is my favourite character of all time, well, for the first twelve games anyway!

Note: Kefka is the eighth and final character from Final Fantasy VI in this list.

 

This trophy is for Kefka!

Thanks for reading my list, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it, I had a lot of fun. I just want to go through some consolation characters, that came close, but inevitably had to be dropped from the list. There in order of game, not in preference so don't read into why they are in the order they are in.

Chaos (FF1), Minwu (FF2), Doga (FF3), Cecil (FF4), Tellah (FF4), Cid (FF4), Cagnazzo (FF4), Rubicante (FF4), Bartz (FF5), Faris (FF5), Exdeath (FF5), Gilgamesh (FF5), Gau (FF6), Setzer (FF6), Mog (FF6), Banon (FF6), Cid (FF6), Interceptor (FF6), Tifa (FF7), Rude (FF7), Heidegger (FF7), Mayor Domino (FF7), Zack (FF7), Don Corneo (FF7), Selphie (FF8), Ward (FF8), Edea (FF8), Cid (FF8), Ellone (FF8), Dr. Kadowaki (FF8), Raijin (FF8), Wedge (FF8), Amarant (FF9), Stiltzkin (FF9), Yunalesca (FF10), Barthello (FF10), Cid (FF10), Maechen (FF10), O'aka XXIII (FF10), Rin (FF10), Fran (FF12), Basch (FF12), Vossler (FF12), and, Venat (FF12).

I already said before, but I haven't played FF13, but based on the two and a bit discs (XBox 360 version) I have played, three characters I really like are Sazh, Vanille and Barthandelus. So that's 47 characters, so you could make an arguement that it's my Top 97, in no particular order.

Some statistics. In the Top 50 list the most represented game is Final Fantasy 9, with 13 entries. If you include the other 47, then it's beat by Final Fantasy 7, with 16 entries (FF9 would have 15). It's no surprise, they are my two favourite games in the series. I could do more stats, but I don't know if I can be bothered at this moment of time.

Game (brackets are the other 47 as well):

FF1 1 (2) FF2 1 (2) FF3 1 (2) FF4 2 (7) FF5 1 (5) FF6 8 (14) FF7 10 (16) FF8 4 (12) FF9 13 (15) FF10 7 (13) FF12 2 (6) FF13 0 (3)

Based on each characters role in the game, the most popular role in the list is that of the Major Protagonist, which means the main characters in the game, but not the focal character.

Role (brackets are the 47 as well):
Main Protagonist 4 (6) Main Antagonist 4 (6) Major Protagonist 19 (33) Major Antagonist 12 (21) Minor Protagonist 7 (23) Antihero 4 (8)

I touched on it before, but I don't believe Squaresoft/Enix have put as much emphasis in their female cast as their male cast, so it's natural in my opinion that there are more men in the list than women.

Gender (brackets are the other 47 as well):
Male 44 (74) Female 3 (12) Other 3 (11)

Once again, thanks for reading my list and sharing your views. I don't mind if you agree or disagree, it's all part of the debate. I just wanted to go through my personal list, but I'm not ruling out doing an unbiased list (Top 50/100 most important/popular characters) some time in the future. I'll also be going into doing lists in other media too (I've finalised my Top 50 wrestling catchphrases, but it won't be a day to day job like this. That will be up in a week or so). So stay tuned! I'm hoping this is the beginning of something really big here at my site, I hope I can keep you all hooked with my views on different manners of media. Until next time, take care!

See other parts in the listing!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | The Winner (+ more)

Retro Review: Final Fantasy XII

Hallo everyone, it's unlikely I'll be able to get another retro review in until my computer is fixed, but here is my review on Final Fantasy XII, which I did in April 2008. It's possibly the last review I did, I can't remember doing one since. But as that was the highest vote tally in my first poll, I'll do my first proper review on this site as a video game review. To your right is four options of game review, choose which game you're most interested in. Anyway, onto the review.

 

"It has great qualities, but it’s just when you compare it to the storytelling of previous games, it’s just disappointing."

It's hard to review this game and give it a rating because as everyone who knows me is aware I adore this series with a passion. But, it's a disappointment. I asked my girlfriend, “What would you rating FF12?” She replied, “6 or 7 at the most.” But I gave it an eight, because it's not a bad game. Not by far. It's a great game in fact, but when you put it up on the wall next to Final Fantasy VI, VII and IX it really does not shine out.

The game is set in a world called Ivalice, the world of Final Fantasy Tactics, where the main character Vaan and his childhood friend Penelo dream get caught in a war between Archadia and Rozarria, two nations where the battlefield is about to be set in their kingdom of Dalmasca which was taken over by Archadia two years prior the beginning of the game. Ashe, the princess of Dalmasca and Basch both thought to have died two years ago eventually join forces and create a resistance movement against Archadia. Balthier and Fran are sky pirates along with Vaan and Penelo who get caught in the resistance movement. That's… pretty much the storyline. It's not great to be honest, and when you compare it to some of the others, it's as brief as comparing the Saw series to Cabin Fever. I mean, when people ask me to describe Final Fantasy VII's storyline, I gasp and say “Well… it's complicated.”

The graphics on the game are absolutely fantastic, there are no glitches no patches and they are as smooth as can be – it gives the Playstation 3 a run for its money. There is a small load scene between FMV's and the action but apart from that the scenes move smoothly. The best word to use here as you have probably already noticed is smooth. There is some gorgeous scenery in the game, especially in the latter stages of the game.

The sound is great – the voice acting is better than Final Fantasy X's and the soundtrack is decent. Once again if you compare it to some of the soundtracks of the other series then it stands out as pretty bad.

When it comes to replay value, something that the Final Fantasy series masters, it's not bad. I mean there is actually only one really, which is disappointing. It's called “Mark Hunting” which is basically hunting a monster that is pestering people in the game, they get harder and harder and eventually you go against some of the hardest monsters in the game. There is no “Blitzball” or “Card Game” like in the other series which is disappointing. Even the smaller side quests don't offer much.

The main thing I would like to talk about is the battle system. Ever since Final Fantasy IX the people at Squaresoft/Square Enix believed they had to change the battle system. In the old series, there was an ATB gauge, and until it fills up the characters stand still and do nothing. In Final Fantasy X they got rid of the ATB gauge which made the game flow much more. In X-2 they brought it back but instead got rid of all the waiting and delays and made the fighting flow even more. Final Fantasy XII works in exactly the same way but you can control the character in a 3D environment rather than in a set screen battle like the other games. The world map and battlefield is the same field this time around, the monsters can be seen as you scroll across the deserts, mountains and plains you go through. This sounds like a vast improvement doesn't it? My only problem is, the original way of fighting in the Final Fantasy series was not a problem whatsoever in the first place. I have no idea why Squarsoft/Square Enix think they need to improve the battle system. I've never seen anyone complain about it. Yes it has gotten mocked over time but games do! How many games in the past have got mocked but have kept the system the same over time? Game Developers always think they need to improve the game if it gets mocked, mainly games that contain scrolling or 2D graphics. Sonic went downhill and only makes one or two decent games every five years now because they tried to go 3D – Mario as good as their 3D games are no match for 2D Mario.

The Final Fantasy series has not been “great” since Final Fantasy IX, and this game follows that trend. Look how much time has past since Final Fantasy X – six years nearly? Six years and they make a tolerable but simple storyline with an improved battle system. It really isn't good enough. Where is the plot is twist? The complex storyline? The dark/hidden side of the main protagonist? The great female counterpart? The sick but great villain? The scenes that make you want to cry, that get you hooked on the game? There is nothing. Oh, but the battle system is good and improved. So for the past six years they think that all these things are best to be sacrificed in order to get a super battle system. Also, the storyline is so basic, they make you travel the whole world and stretch out the small storyline by making you have hours of battles in between. Basically, you go to one place which is all the way across the world, fight loads of monsters for hours, get there, beat the boss and *Insert story progression here*. And repeat. It's not good enough. Vaan, supposedly the main protagonist has nothing to do with the storyline, nothing, well he lives where the Archadian army took over. That's it. There's no love story, the villain is disappointing, Penelo is just annoying. The best qualities this game has, is Balthier, the awesome sky pirate who is arrogant, witty and sounds like David Bowie, it's fantastic! The graphics are great the battle system is good too. That's about it.

As you can tell judging on this review I should be giving it less than 8/10 but it is a good game. It has great qualities. All the series does. But it's just when you compare it to its great history of storytelling, it's just disappointing.

Overall: 8/10

 

I do maintain the opinion that FF12 is just a shadow on the Final Fantasy games around it, Final Fantasy 13 is a much better game, although I'm yet to complete it, so can't do a full review on it. I'll hopefully be doing a review in the next fortnight, we'll see how fortune works in my favour first. Have a good day.

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