There aren’t that many video game series that are more prolific than the Final Fantasy titles. The popular role-playing game franchise has been around for decades, produced dozens of main titles and plenty of spin-offs, and has been on a myriad of systems that has spanned from the Nintendo to the PlayStation to the PC. Much like The Simpsons, it feels like there will never be an end to the Final Fantasy games and that they’ll eternally exist like the Crystals of Light.
One of the most impressive things about Final Fantasy is that even though other series like Sonic and Mario titles have also been around for decades, the Final Fantasy titles have drastically re-invented themselves over the years. The series has seen its ups and downs and there have been spans of time where the games fell out of favor or were at a particular low, but it’s this fluid nature of the titles that allows them to survive and remain relevant. Due to the many titles in the series and the sprawling places that the games explore, it seems only appropriate to dig into the best and the worst when it comes to these games. Accordingly, here are the 10 Strongest (And 10 Completely Worthless) Final Fantasy Characters, Ranked.
Strongest: Cloud Strife (FF VII)
Some Final Fantasy fans think that it’s sacrilege to have a list of this nature without Final Fantasy VII’s Cloud and thankfully he just makes the cut here.
Not technically a member of SOLDIER and deemed mentally unstable for the Mako injections, but Cloud still holds a lot of power.
He’s a fantastic swordsman and the character eventually gains a handful of dangerous Limit Breaks.
The truth is that Cloud’s biggest accomplishment is that he defeats Sephiroth (and survives against him twice), who is drastically stronger than him– planet-destroying stronger. That fact and Cloud’s admirable resilience and endurance in battle are his real strengths.
It’s also not easy to comfortably wield a thirty-pound gargantuan sword with one hand, so clearly Cloud has some core strength.
Worthless: Kimahri Ronso (FF X)
Kimahri looks like a ferocious, effective warrior, but he likely looks so cool because he’s trying to overcompensate for his middling skills.
Kimahri requires so much time and dedication to get to a usable place and there are so many other party members that are good to go and have strengths from the start, so why bother with him?
While other regrettable characters like Wakka still have advantages to take down enemies, Kimahri doesn’t have any. C
ould Final Fantasy X really not play into his past more and give him a unique handicap in battle? He’s supposed to be a warrior, after all.
Sure, there’s the argument that he can acquire Ultima early on in the game and be super powerful, but it requires a Level 4 node to attain, so it’s not like it’s exactly easy. Kimahri has a lot of potential… but that’s about it.
Strongest: Gilgamesh (FF IV; Multiple Titles)
Gilgamesh first appears as the colossal boss in Final Fantasy IV, but after that point, he takes on a more fluid Cid-like status.
Sometimes he’s a summon, an obstacle, or an ally, but the common denominator is that he’s always super strong. Gilgamesh also occasionally makes meta references and breaks the fourth wall, which requires a certain mastery of the medium that most characters don’t possess.
The mere fact that Gilgamesh is a boss and can change his form means that he’s super powerful. He can also slip in and out of worlds and realms, which is no easy feat (although he can’t control it).
Final Fantasy VI also positions Gilgamesh as the most powerful Esper in the world. He’s even able to take down Necrophobe by himself.
Worthless: Wakka (FF X)
Kimahri is a real slog to play with in Final Fantasy X, but Wakka is no picnic either.At least Kimahri looks interesting whereas Wakka’s smug, annoying face just makes you want to punch him.
Wakka’s whole demeanor turns him into a major weak link in the decent Final Fantasy title. Wakka is petulant and acts like a child through the whole adventure, while many others characters that are younger than him show a lot more maturity. He’s the frat boy of Final Fantasy characters.
On top of all of that, Wakka’s weapon is a volleyball. How is that supposed to compare to everything else?
It’d be one thing if his awful attitude at least had strong stats to fall back on, but this is just someone who attacks people with balls and, overall, it’s pretty embarrassing.
Strongest: Jecht (FF X)
Jecht is one of the deepest characters to come out of Final Fantasy X. It’s easy to lose track of all of the 1000 year lore between Dream Zanarkand and Spira, but Jecht plays a very crucial role in making sure that this endless cycle of Sin’s destruction and rebirth finally comes to an end.
He’s able to pull off something that’s never before been possible and thus ultimately changes history.
If these bold acts weren’t enough to prove Jecht’s strength, he also never fails to show off strong, varied attacks in battle.
This might have something to do with the fact that Jecht just happens to be Sin incarnate. It may be no big deal or anything, but that title obviously comes with some rather hefty skills.
Worthless: Selphie Tilmitt (FF VIII)
Healers are always a mixed bag. They can often be a huge asset in battle, but they require patience and the knowledge of how to effectively level them up.
Final Fantasy VIII certainly doesn’t make this easy when it comes to Selphie. In fact, it actually feels like the game goes out of its way to make her obtuse.
Final Fantasy VIII is all about its Limit Breaks and how they distinguish the fighters apart. Selphie employs a roulette-style attack, which is really more trouble than it’s worth.
This may be interesting in concept, but it is broken in practice. Selphie’s best ability is “Full-cure,” but it’s a bitter irony that the best time to use this is when your party is at death’s door.
However, her Limit Break continuously makes the user repeatedly turn to “Do Over” until it connects. It’s the perfect way to frustrate the gamer.
Strongest: Kuja (FF IX)
Kuja is one of the stronger magical wielders throughout the Final Fantasy series. He’s so proficient in the field that he even figures out how to use his Trance ability simply by watching someone else do it.
The game is quick to point out Kuja’s insane magic proficiency every opportunity that it gets. Kuja is only in his early twenties, yet he already has incredible magical abilities and is able to control an entire army of black mages to do his biding due to his mastery of the Mist.
If that wasn’t enough, Kuja also destroys an entire planet with a frenzy of Ultima attacks, so it’s not like Kuja’s bark is worse than his bite.
It’s one thing for a character to be able to kick someone’s butt, but it’s a whole other situation when someone is able to blow up Terra because they’ve had a bad day.
Worthless: Irvine Kinneas (FF VIII)
Final Fantasy VIII is essentially Squall and Rinoa’s story, so it’s not surprising that the rest of the main characters turn out to be rather flawed– they’re simply not as fundamental to the plot.
Irvine looks pretty cool with the whole cowboy outfit and double gun arsenal, but there’s unfortunately not much substance in this package.
Irvine’s a dud because of his poor stats overall, which get coupled together with a rigid and incomprehensible “junction system” and an equally powerless Limit Break. What’s the point of him?
Irvine is basically that wimpy voice that always pipes up to remind the party that they all used to be besties before this pesky case of amnesia cleared out their memories.
That might be helpful in the larger scheme of things, but it’s also deeply annoying. The guy can’t even follow through when it’s time to take out Edea.
Strongest: Sephiroth (FF VII)
Sephiroth is the sort of villain who would go absolutely ballistic and let the world know his pain if he didn’t make the list. Some people may think that Sephiroth should rank a little higher on here, but his abilities often get exaggerated and have been blown out of proportion throughout the years.
Yes, Sephiroth has the power of an entire planet at his disposal, but as far as Final Fantasy games go, this has become a less and less impressive feat.
That being said, just because the series has turned into showcases for characters with superhero-like strength, it’s important not downplay Sephiroth.
He can still destroy half the solar system with one spell and reincarnate himself to live forever, so to speak. Even the strongest Final Fantasy characters aren’t able to come back to life, so Sephiroth definitely has some handy skills.
Worthless: Relm Arrowny (FF VI)
Relm is a tragic figure because her entire claim to fame is that she’s not a warrior, a mage, or even some adeptly powered creature, but an artist.
Not only that, but she might not even be a very good artist. In fact, it’s easy to argue that she has very minimal talent in the field.
Accordingly, Relm has control of a “sketch” ability that features a terrible success rate because the stronger enemies in the game are too “difficult” to draw.
So even when sketching can be useful in the game, it’s still ultimately broken.
In Relm’s defense, though, she does possess some of the highest magic stats of anyone in the game. However, they’re coupled with abysmal physical stats. Impressive magic isn’t very useful if it means that Relm continually gets destroyed before she’s able to cast any of her attacks.
Strongest: Kefka (FF VI)
There may be stronger villains out there, but there are few who are more obsessed with power than dear Kefka. He’s also by far the most terrifying villain out of all of the Final Fantasy games, as he looks like a creepy clown. In fact, he might even be a little more intimidating than Pennywise from IT.
Kefka’s megalomaniacal tendencies cause him to not only create Magicite, but also leads to his ascension into the God of Magic.
Yes, Kefka literally turns himself into a God, which is more than most can say, and frankly it’s more impressive than those who started as Gods.
Additionally, Kefka is so substantial and powerful that after his death, magic actually ceases to exist. You know a character is extremely strong when their death irrevocably changes the development of the planet.
Worthless: Gogo (FF VI)
Gogo is the sort of character who seems fascinating in concept, but it takes an incredibly skilled hand to actually make the fighter halfway decent.
Gogo’s basic skills aren’t very strong to begin with and his big trademark– his mimic ability– is wildly inconsistent because it depends on the other characters in your party.
What this means is that mimic is very difficult to wield with successful results and it largely turns into a lost cause.
Plus, Gogo absolutely fails as a standalone character because his strength comes from those around him. Those segments are particularly painful and a testament to the character’s weaknesses.
It’s the same reason why nobody plays Pokémon with a single Ditto in their party– it just doesn’t make sense.
Strongest: Shantotto (FF XIV)
She may look cute and small, but Shantotto is not someone to underestimate. She has incredible magical abilities at her disposal and she can even cross over into different worlds or realms whenever she wishes to.
Not many characters have such a skill, and those who do often struggle to control it (like Gilgamesh), but not Shantotto.
Additionally, Shantotto was offered the chance to take her powers even further and become a stronger supreme being, but when it started to impact her brain and memories, she opted out.
Even still, in Final Fantasy Dissidia, Shantotto is the Cosmos’ ultimate bodyguard and line of defense, which is a true testament to her power.
She doesn’t even have to be present for her battles, since she can psychically control a doll on the frontlines while she remains somewhere safe.
Worthless: Gau (FF IV)
Gau’s strength comes from his ability to copy the skills of “tamed” animals. This power isn’t terrible in theory, but the problem is that the animals in the game aren’t that strong so it’s not that great of a skill.
Unfortunately, there aren’t enough tamed dragons or wraiths for Gau to sap strength from.
The only way to make Gau not completely useless is to grind with him like crazy on the Veldt. However, this is such a laborious process and it’s all just for one character.
If grinding needs to be done, then why not do it in such a way that benefits the entire party? Sure, Gau can reach a powerful place, but it’s not worth all of the effort for a character who’s still kind of dumpy.
Practically everyone else in Final Fantasy IV wields better results (except a certain spoony bard).
Strongest: Ultimecia (FF VIII)
Ultimecia has all sorts of insane skills: time travel, possession, and psychic abilities. This is why her name can be so boastful and still not fall under its own weight.
She is powerful to begin with, but the scope of her evil mission truly illustrates how twisted and out of control she is. Ultimecia wants to go back in time and compress all of time and existence— the past, present, and future— into a single moment.
This seismic action would destroy everyone in the universe, except for her. She would then be able to successfully rule and rebuild.
It doesn’t get much bigger than that, and even when Ultimecia fails, she still creates a time loop that inadvertently provides her with her powers in the first place. Anyone who can mess around with time travel and not have it completely ruin them deserves some credit.
Worthless: Umaro (FF VI)
Umaro is a yeti, which is a really cool design for a character, but the problem is that he’s almost impossible to control. This is certainly an interesting touch in an attempt to create a “realistic” temperament for this wild snow beast, but it doesn’t make him very fun to play.
Umaro’s Berseker form is highly powerful, but it can’t be given commands.
That’s a lot of faith to give to a character with a mind of their own.
It also doesn’t help that Umaro’s yeti status makes him difficult to customize and equip. He can’t benefit from armor or magic, which leaves him limited to his unpredictable physical attacks. Unfortunately, this also means that he’s not even that helpful as support.
Strongest: Exdeath (FF V)
Exdeath has proven to be so popular and powerful that he’s made a number of appearances throughout various Final Fantasy titles, but he first shows up in Final Fantasy V and he’s got quite a crazy backstory.
In the Great Forest of Moore, all the malicious souls from the universe came together and formed the roots of a powerful tree. That tree grew for 500 years and cultivated and harnessed all of its hatred and evil. It then blossomed into Exdeath.
Exdeath has some insanely powerful abilities, and has been able to take control of The Void and destroy the fundamental Crystals.
Even when the good guys try to destroy Exdeath by banishing him into the Void, he only returns in his stronger form of Neo Exdeath. Exdeath also has complete confidence in the destruction of the universe, which makes his mission all the more intimidating.
Worthless: Edward Chris von Muir (FF IV)
Final Fantasy IV delights in its many classes and the degree of freedom in those areas. The game gives a lot of option to its players, but some of those are better in concept than in execution.
Edward is a bard, which means his skills are in his music. Edward has crippling physical and magical stats and all that he can really do in battle is sing and hide, which makes him pretty problematic. Edward’s stats receive a healthy boost after level 70, but who’s getting that far with this character?
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years recently did a lot of course correction for Edward. It introduced a new story that turns him into a ninja, but as far as the original FF4 goes, he’s still dead weight.
Strongest: Lightning (FF XIII)
Lightning is a popular face on Final Fantasy lists, especially ones that look at power, but it’s not without good reason.
She’s sort of a goddess, so Lightning understandably has skills. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Lightning has three games that tell her increasingly hyperbolized story, whereas most characters don’t get such a luxury.
This allows the titles to take Lightning’s character to insane places, like making her 500 years old in the final installment and revealing her to be the keeper of all human souls and humanity.
Lightning has faced incredible enemies like Caius and Bhunivelze and lived.
It’s worth mentioning that Bhunivelze is God– not a God, but the actual God and Lightning wipes the floor with him and absorbs his abilities.
Worthless: Cait Sith (FF VIII)
Some of the more abstract party members in Final Fantasy have led to some of the series’ best characters, but Final Fantasy VIII’s Cait Sith is just a disaster all around.
Cait Sith amounts to a comic relief character that feels ancillary and much more of a joke than someone who’s meant to be used seriously in battle.
Cait has a wealth of issues, like the fact that his stats are generally subpar.
However, the real issue is the character’s Limit Break, which is random. Yes, Cait Sith’s Limit Break is absolutely unpredictable and has just as good a chance of destroying party members instead of the enemies.
It’s actually irresponsible to use this attack and use Cait as a leading character. It’s hazardous to involve such a risk for absolutely no reason.
What do you think? Do you agree with our strongest and weakest Final Fantasy characters? Are there any other characters who deserve to be on here? Sound off in the comments!
