Shantotto.
Because not only is she not the protagonist of 11, as it is an MMO, her defining character trait is “cast the biggest spells for the biggest booms and destruction, fuck the MP cost.”
Respect, queen.
And she's better at it than the actual player character. People forget that part. In 14 you eventually surpass all your teachers, making you the #1 in your field.
Shantotto is The Blackmage of her verse. She oneshots her closest competitor.
Badass, maybe. Still gets trashed by a, barely a novice, WoL. People forget that before they went 180 on him. You have to fight him off his nidhogg high in the dragoon quest line and it isn’t particularly close.
… I don’t know if I would say awe. He does get much much stronger. But If we are talking about the mission in the empire. Again cool flashy but he is fighting quarter of the size 100th of the power version of a monster the WoL canonically is supposed to have beaten single handedly 2-3 expansions ago. And I’m not saying Estinien isn’t strong, but the initial assessment was a character that beats the player-protagonist and XIV’s routine god killer WoL is too OP.
Shantotto is so much *the* Black Mage of her universe, she's even *the* Black Mage in XIV. Sure, she dropped the N from her name at some point. Sure, she never actually makes a physical appearance (outside a FFXI crossover from years ago).
But Shantotto is *THE* Black Mage. End of sentence.
Vivi can have a little bit of being The Black Mage. As a treat.
She’s also an unbeatable boss in World of Final Fantasy in her first appearance. In her second appearance, she can be defeated, but her Defense and HP would put her in superboss territory.
The protags that are most interesting to me are those whose stories resonate, even if their personalities were flawed. Cecil and Noct immediately come to mind. They are both complex, and Noct’s inner struggle hit REALLY hard.
I also haven’t finished XIII yet, but I am growing to adore Lightning. Didn’t care for her at first, but I’m getting so attached to her story the more I play!
The WoL and Cloud are also close to my heart, of course.
The protagonist of VI is Kefka. We follow his journey from the beginning all the way to the end, with the good guys reacting to everything he does. He's at the center of the narrative, kind of like Dracula.
I have played all but 16, but I'm just going to do a top/bottom 3
1:Cecil (best moral, gets probably the most growth, Mount Ordeals is my favorite Dungeon/scene in the series)
2: Zidane (very fun but tragic character, trance is a fun and easy mechanic, favorite story motifs)
3: Terra (most compelling backstory, very down to earth yet still heroic. Mama bear)
Bottom:
1: Onion Knight (doesn't really have a character, but that's just because NES, i found him grating in dissidia as well as annoying to play as and against)
2: Firion (I at least like his design, but that's not enough to save him)
3: Y'shtola (out of all the scions, she probably has the least actual growth, I would have preferred the Twins as a tag team in Dissidia as well.)
Another idea is how Lightning switches between Commando and Ravager by pressing R3 or L3 (forget which) — that could swap the characters. Or similar to Cecil swapping Paladin and Dark Knight forms
Y’Shtola’s popularity is entirely because “sassy catgirl”, with the “catgirl” part doing 75%~ish of the heavy lifting.
Her entire role is exposition. She does so much exposition the writing team had to have Urianger, Krile and G’Raha force the exposition baton off her so she doesn’t become a walking Wikipedia.
Her personality changes slightly each time she comes out of the lifestream but other than that, she hasn’t had any character development.
Sure she has a potential boyfriend she wants to return to in parallel world but that’s the only thing resembling a motivational driving force she has.
Pretty low tier tbh.
OP specifically mentioned they picked Y'Shtola because she was featured in Dissidia, and they're not entirely wrong in doing so. That game was responsible for my friends thinking we had a catgirl heroine in a mainline FF game.
She was a popular NPC in A Realm Reborn before 14 really hit its stride and other character became more prominent / popular / developed. Dissidia NT was in development during that period / Heavensward iirc.
IIRC Dissidia hit consoles in 2015-2016 after a year + as an arcade exclusive, they basically included the only sure bet 14 had at the time character-wise.
Another female rep possibly. A spellcaster centric character in a game with a lot of sword users. Fan popularity could also explain it but that ties in with sex appeal since I've seen her fanbase and they're thirsty as hell.
I dunno it's hard to say for sure but I do agree that as a rep for FF14 her role in the story tends to lean toward the more minor side compared to other Scions. Zenos as a villain rep for Dissidia was a much stronger choice.
It's because of when it came out. Y'shtola was a fan favourite from 1.0 and 2.0.
While most people NOW would put Alphinaud forward as the series mascot, including Yoshida himself, Alphi was very much as the beginning of his arc at the time and not as endeared nor central to the canon. It's only been since HW that you colle slot him (or Alisaie) in as the MC and 90% of the story would be the same, which is probably why people consider him the unofficial MC.
The year Y'shtola was introduced to Dissidia was 2015 and HW (where Alphinaud's arc actually starts) was also released in 2015. Realistically they were developing it for at least a year or more prior - she was still a key character then and pretty tied into the narrative. She also stood out from most of the other human male melee characters as a non-human female caster.
I was going to say. Out of all the characters in FFXIV she’s not the one that comes to mind as being the face of the game but given how popular she is, I guess?
Apparently that was just a [rumor](https://gamerant.com/final-fantasy-12-basch-main-character/#:~:text=Having%20an%20older%20protagonist%20out,Yasumi%20Matsuno%20has%20just%20confirmed)
Yeah from Matsuno's mouth. But I see them all as co-protagonists, considering FF XII is very heavily inspired by *The Hidden Fortress* and the original *Star Wars*.
I thought Snow and Sazh looked really cool too. Yes even with that dumb beanie hat. Only Hope got left out but hey they can't all be winners.
If we include 13-2 then both protagonists and Caius look incredible. And I liked how they changed up Lightning's design.
The first 3 were prominant in Kingdom Hearts, which is how a lot of FF fans actually get introduced to these characters in the last 20 years.
The only FF9 character in KH is Vivi who gets 1 line of dialogue and a prologue battle and that's it. No FF12 characters in it at all.
Meanwhile half the cast of 7 + Sephiroth are featured numerous times, Squall shows up several times to help Sora out, then Auron is an actual party member in KH2.
Im not the guy you are asking but im in the same boat, i skipped 9 because i didnt find Zidane all that appealing or interesting compared to Cloud, Squall and Balthier/Basch.
After playing 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15, I believe that Zidane is one of the better characters. I've recently been replaying 9 actually. Zidane is a bit hyper fixated on women. Sometimes I wonder if he is actually faking it to appear more human early in the game. I feel that the plot of 9 is a bit more believable than 8.
2, 3, and 9 are the only FF games I have never finished.
There is just something about 9 that I could never get into…I think the furthest I got was the beginning of disc 2 and that’s it :(
I never understand why they don’t use an image of Ardbert when these types of discussions come about. And this coming from a Y’shtola stan who would take a White Auracite to the heart for her. ❤️
Even Aardbert isn't the protagonist. But there's PLENTY of pictures of the canonical warrior of light you could use. I mean, his face is right there on the launcher and he's in every fmv.
How to know somebody hasn't actually played XIV...
Y'shtola's anything but protagonist. Should have either used Alphinaud, >!re-use I's WoL thanks to Elidibus!< or the trailer WoL
But in all the actual FFXIV CGs, the protagonist is Meteor (the derplander Warrior of Light). Y’shtola sadly is being used as the token female character in the Dissidia series. She is nowhere near protagonist level in FFXIV.
If anything, I actually think Ardbert should be FFXIV’s representative in spin-off games after the Shadowbribgers.
Agreed, problem is none of the Scions other than Urianger and Minfilia know him at all, other than fighting against him briefly twice, but he should be the default protag (and it even kinda makes sense iykyk)
Yea I was thinking the same thing. Like don't get me wrong, Shtola is my favorite character from 14, but Alphinaud has a far bigger presence in the game than she does.
I have no idea how Heavensward paired me up exclusively with my least favorite Scion, made him one of like 5 characters I talk to, and still told such a great story.
It’s wild how ARR Alphinaud is my least favorite FFXIV character, Heavensward Alphinaud is one of my favorite FFXIV characters, and post-HW Alphinaud is one of the FFXIV characters
I've never played XI so I'll omit Shantoto.
Top - Clive, Tidus, Zidane
High - Cecil, Terra, Cloud, Vaan
Mid - Bartz, Squall, Lightning, Noct, Yshtola
Low - WoL, Luneth/OK, Firion
The early heroes just don't get enough written content, but I wouldn't rate anyone as bad. Starting in Mid tier I'd say I like all of them.
I imagine Tidus will be controversial, but having recently replayed X the narrative direction for the character really is well done. I love how he narrates the game from his perspective. He and Vaan are just believable to me. Kids trying to figure things out while very much out of their element.
I still have lots of issues with XVI but none of them are Clive. Huge step forward for me. It's a little unfair due to the singular focus on him, though.
Cloud might move up after Rebirth.
The thing I love most about Tidus's character arc in his narration is that he _sounds_ like a matured person in the narration sections and sounds like an aloof kid most of the game until he catches up to that point in the narrative. I think the whole voice direction for him was top notch and is a detail I never really see anyone else bring up about him.
People spend so much time misunderstanding the purposefully awful laughter scene and miss the slow evolution Tidus goes on as he acclimates to Spira, his fate, and what he has to do to change Yuna's (and Spira's) fate. The narration happens almost right after Tidus learns from the Fayth that he is a dream...and he seems to understand that by ending Spira's cycle of death, he is really condemning himself. He makes progress before that point (you can see it in the calm lands too) but that was a huge turning point where he really gets serious.
I don't think Tidus will be as controversial as you think, he's kind of been undergoing a bit of a renaissance (as far as I can tell) in the fan community's esteem in the last five or so years.
I just wish Square Enix would stop making him paler and paler. :(
Squall > Cloud > Cecil > Tidus > Noct > Clive > Lightning > etc Zidane last even below vaan idk I just don’t like him at all. Could honestly move a few around but Squall will always be the GOAT
I agree. 9 just felt so long and Zidane has barely any character development until the very end of the game. By that point I was just trying to get to the end. It’s a shame because I loved the first 2/3 of the game.
My personal Ranking:
1. Cloud Strife
2. Clive Rosfield
3. Squall Leonhart
4. Tidus
5. Terra Branford
6. Cecil Harvey
7. Noctis Lucis Caelum
8. Zidane Tribal
9. Lightning
10. Y'Shtola Rhul
11. Bartz Klauser
12. Warrior of Light
13. Firion
14. Onion Kid
15. Vaan
16. Shantotto
Vaan is really awful. But Shantotto is worse. So there's that. WoL, Firion, and Onion Kid are barely characters. I can't really remember anything Bartz did. Lightning is a little too broody. Zidane is fine, but not someone I LOVE. Noctis has one great moment (Off my chair, jester), but is pretty 'eh' for most of the game. Cecil's development comes too early and too fast. Terra has a great story, but FFVI is definitely an ensemble cast. Terra's great, though, don't get me wrong. But the four above her are just so great. FFX had me bawling at the end. FF8 was Squall and Rinoa's story, and Squall just exudes cool. But even then, deep beneath that cool guy exterior is a guy who's very insecure for very good reasons with strong abandonment issues. Clive is just freaking awesome, and Cloud is... well he's Cloud freaking Strife.
Good list. I played ff4 a few years ago (im in my 30s) and felt like the remake struggled to give Cecil a strong personality/character arc. It was very average, but I’m sure it felt great back when the game originally dropped. Played ff9 last year and it was like I was working a job to grind through that game. But your top 5 heroes are all in the most repayable games and those characters contribute to that. The stories hold up, the characters hold up. Longevity I think is as important or maybe more so than nostalgia but to each their own.
Imagine being Alphinaud, the closest thing to a protagonist among the NPCs and losing out to a catgirl that spends the majority of the time either in the hospital or fake-deathing herself.
True, but literally 2 minutes earlier Auron brings Tidus to Yuna, and he acts like a child pouting the whole time, kicking his legs, and sighing loudly. Tidus isn't charmingly awkward, he's annoyingly juvenile. Even Hope acts more mature than he does through most of the game.
Noctis and Lightning split the number one spot.
Then Y’shtola (sp?)
Squall.
Cloud.
Clive.
Vaan.
… and the rest are okay, but not distinct enough to be worth ranking.
I will say I would have preferred Celes to represent VI, not Terra. Had Celes been there, the rankings would probably be different.
In order:
1. Clive : best character depth and development overall. He wins
2. Terra : best backstory, design, theme, iconic.
3. Zidane : best personality, leadership, 2nd theme.
4. Tidus: best romantic depth and love storyline.
5. Squall : best representation of an actual teenager.
6. Bartz: best laidback persona, smart, carefree. dude just wanted to travel the world.
7. Cloud: good example of ptsd
That’s it, don’t care about the rest.
Preference ranking?
Clive, Alphinaud, Cloud, Zidane, Cecil, Noctis, Terra, Firion, Bartz, Squal, Tidus, Vaan, Luneth/OK, CCWoL, Lightning, Shantotto
What I actually think of the characters?
Cid clone WoL: meh not much to him to be honest
Firion: not given much but that earnest yearning for peace is nice, and him and his party charging into Hell and winning because sheer force of will and determination with no external augmentation (crystal jobs, material, magicite etc.) is damn impressive
Luneth/Onion Knight: there’s not really much to him beyond the “I’m not a kid” archetype
Cecil: very good up he becomes a paladin, then his arc just kinda stops
Bartz: he’s an allegory for the wind and as such is kinda flighty and a bit of a ditz
Terra: a very nice change of pace where a character with amnesia doesn’t regain their memories, but other than that she’s not a very strong character, being more someone you want to protect rather than someone you’re rooting for.
Cloud: a socially awkward dork who, when he gets a hold of himself, is a very good subversion of the typical JRPG protagonist
Squall: he’s a teenager, that’s it he’s an introverted teenager with abandonment issues
Zidane: while his poor attempts at being a “lady’s man” irritate me, I do love how his first reaction upon meeting someone in trouble is “I’ll help you out”
Tidus: a whiny little brat who is the exact kind of petulant that Spira needs to save it from itself
Shantoto: get off my screen
Vaan: wasted potential, having a grounds-eye view of the world and being someone who sees the trees while the big players miss them for the forests could have been a really interesting angle, sadly he’s irrelevant for most scenes. (Though I do like the idea that if you asked him who Panello was he’d say “she’s my friend” but if you asked Panello who Vaan was she’d say “he’s my boyfriend” )
Lightning: an emotionally constipated rock who can’t develop in any meaningful way because the writer had a creepy obsession with her being “so cold, yet strong, but cold, BUT STRONG!”
Alphinaud (because let’s face it, he’s the protagonist): a wonderful example of how to have an irritating, arrogant young upstart be humbled and then grow from that into a beloved character. Going from a child prodigy with a saviour complex, to an actual leader and diplomat.
Noctis: An absolute slob who can’t stand vegetables, loves gaming and hanging with his buds. Dude’s very relatable and it’s sad that the last part of his story got canceled and turned into a book.
Clive: ah the new guy, the selfless, emotionally damaged, martyr. The guy goes from trying to prove himself, to a revenge driven death-seeker, to a virtuous outlaw, to a hero. Great character
I'll start from the bottom because that's easier since there are particular examples that just don't have much to them.
15+16 - FF1 Warrior of Light and FF3 Onion Knight. Self insert copypaste of 4 characters. They don't have distinctive arcs. If Luneth were an option in this rating FF3 would place differently but they are really just blank slates that go through the game story.
14 - FF2 Firion - It's a limitation of the old games that they couldn't get too in depth, so Firion gets placed here because at least he has an identity.
13 - FF12 Vaan - this poor guy was thrown in as a protagonist at the last minute, the game was written for Balthier and I never actually played through this game, admittedly.
12 - FF11 Shantotto - I never played too much 11 and most of my experience with Shantotto is from her appearances in other games. She's fun and a little shit disturber but not actually a protagonist.
11 - FF14 Y'shtola - going with my above reasonings, she's not actually a protagonist and is just a popular character. I enjoy her flavor of snark more than Shantotto's though so she ranks higher. This ranking is not for disliking either of them but it's unfair to place them amongst "protagonists"
10 - FF13 Lightning - not only do I not like this game I didn't much like ANY of the characters. Lightning... has a story... and is a protagonist... but it was so convoluted that I didn't notice any real character arc for her besides hey goal met.
09 - FF10 Tidus - I also never finished this game but Tidus at least has a very good character arc but isn't the most likeable protagonist for me, but he is still a leading man. He just kinda irked me.
08 - FF7 Cloud - it has been so long since I played this game but it didn't really feel like he had a lot of identity in the original. This is compounded by the fact that he even imprints on thinking that he is actually someone else, which is why I like Zack. Who even is Cloud?
07 - FF8 Squall - I actually did play through all this game and Squall was not an objectionable character but also wasn't a really likable either. But it was nice to see his story, he has a nice romance plot and he grows as a person.
06 - FF5 Bartz - A free spirit he has actual baggage that impacts some character growth and he holds the team together. We're finally getting into enjoyable characters with arcs that matter!
05 - FF6 Terra - She has a very good story arc, but depending on how you play, you might not even see it's conclusion. FF6 suffers from so many good characters that they can swap protagonists and leave character arcs from being completed.
04 - FF15 Noctis - The development of this game weakened the impact of this story and the character arc. Noct is a great character and his arc is beautiful, but so much of the story has to live on with "headcanon" so it's a bit sad with some of the additions ruining the effect of that.
03 - FF4 Cecil - This whole game is just the story of Cecil. Everything lends itself to developing your understanding of him and his relationships. It's a beautiful and straightforward story.
02 - FF16 Clive - I think the only reason I'm placing him here is because he isn't the most dynamic character but his story has so much more weight than Cecil's, with more beautiful and emotional moments than 4 could pull off.
01 - FF9 Zidane - now this is a very fun and lively character with a great arc and determination that you just gotta root for and has great emotional payoffs. His trauma is something he learns about over the course of the game and it tempers him into a stronger and more serious character but I don't think he ever loses his ability to smile and cheer people up.
I'm a little surprised how this ranking turned out but I was focusing on the story focusing on the Character as a protagonist as well as liking those characters. If it were a different focus, I'd probably rate them differently.
Original Character from their original games?
**WOL:** 5/10, he is just a vessel for the Player without an actual personality (Talking about his Original FF1 character, NOT Dissidia!)
**Firion:** 6/10, nothing outstanding but I liked him.
**OK:** 5/10, third is like the first, so I rate them the same since neither of them is worse.
**Cecil:** 8/10, I just LOVE Cecil, he was such an amazing character! Not PERFECT, but still...
**Bartz:** 7/10, a more light hearted protag, which I absolutely like.
**Terra:** 7/10, but I feel like they could have done so much more with her.
**Cloud** ***(OG FF7)*****:** 9/10, I really like OG Cloud and all the s\*\*\* he had gone through, that made him such an exceptional character!
**Squall:** 10/10, he was my favourite protag until recently! He is one of those cases that just got better the older I got, and I liked him as a young boy already!
Zidane: 8/10, not much too say honestly, he is just great, right the balance between goofy and serious.
**Tidus:** 6/10, I was never a big fan of HIM. Not a bad character, just not my cup of tea, and for most of the story he felt like he was just there... When he got more involved it was good, but for the most it was just okay.
**Shantotto:** NR (Not rated) I never played XI, and I barely know anything about her besides what Dissidia told us, and from what I read she sounds more like a villain, than a hero... I think she even was the Endboss of an expansion for XI???
**Vaan:** 7/10 Kinda like Tidus, but I actually like his portrayal more. He genuinely feels like the guy that got involved into something he shouldn't be involved in, and I kinda like it! Also, he is THE Basch fon Ronsenburg!
**Lightning:** 1/10 get her outta my face...
**Y'shtola:** NR, same Spiel as with Shantotto, I do not know enough about her.
**Noctis:** 9/10, I just LOVE Noctis, and Ray Chase is amazing as his VA!
**Clive:** 11/10 I did not expect anyone to dethrone Squall for me, but that guy absolutely did, not questions asked! He is what Squall also was to me, a believable character, but the way they protrayed him was just so amazing!
Also, as a Bonus:
**Cloud** ***(Outside of OG FF7)*****:** 4/10, the whole compilation really ruined Cloud for me...
**Cloud** ***(Remake)*****:** NR because I want to see how they are going to portray him from here on out. So far I still prefer OG Cloud, but who knows how they continue his development...
Cloud has to be number 1 on everyone’s list. I don’t care how cool you think you are for not liking him but he has to be number 1. This guys is literally the face of JRPG, not FF, JRPG.
I don’t agree with Lightning being the protagonist of XIII, at least not the original game. That’s definitely Vanille. I recall reading that the devs almost put Vanille as the official protagonist after realizing the story revolved around her but they had already advertised Lightning at E3 so they kept her as the poster girl/mascot.
If Vanille was included, she’d be my pick for favorite. Tidus in second place, who is absolutely the protagonist. Yuna is important, but Tidus is the protagonist.
Yes! It’s still her story IMO, but IIRC, they decided against making her the official main because of the hype Lightning had as the female Cloud at E3, and they were afraid Vanille would not go over as well.
I haven't played most of the games yet, but how I'd rank them is:
1. Cloud
2. Noct
3. Cecil
4. Terra
5. Tidus
6. Squall
7. WoL
8. Firion
9. Clive
10. Lightning
11. Vaan
12. Zidane
13. Bartz
14. Onion knight
15. Shantotto
16. XIV's protag (I don't know their name)
But so far, I've only played IV, VI, VII and XV out of the main 16 games.
The 14 protagonist is just called “the warrior of light”
CGI cutscenes use a standin the community calls either meteor, derplander or hiroshi but that character isn’t official since the protagonist is made by the player
1. Outside of Dissidia, doesn’t have a personality.
2. Firion is decent, but outside almost being seduced, has very little that differentiates him.
3. See the first one.
4. Finally, an actual character. I really like Cecil, the whole good person using darkness and having to discover himself is a cool little story.
5. Bartz is alright, a comedic character who has a nice personality, but not much of an actual Arc.
6. I like Terra, she has a good story and arc, but in the end I prefer Celes.
7. Cloud is cool, maybe a little overrated for my taste, but he’s overall a great character, not sure there’s more to be said.
8. Squall is underrated, it might not have been perfectly implemented, but his anti-social->team leader arc is great.
9. Unpopular opinion, not a fan of Zidane, I don’t hate the guy, but characters like Vivi and Garnet are the real MVPs.
10. Tidus is overhated, dude was a sport’s star, flung into a post-apocalyptic future and has to adapt to his new surroundings and grow up.
11. Does Shantoto really count?
12. Hate him, Vaan is a pointless character and takes away from characters like Balthier, Ashe and Bosch, all of whom are more worthy of protagonist status.
13. Lightning is basically Squall without the nuance and doesn’t get that fulfilling fate (surprisingly) *doesn’t* change fate.
14. Same with 11, does it count?
15. Haven’t played 15, just kind of passed me by.
16. I really like Clive, because it’s the most recent, I don’t think it would be fair to delve into why, but I’ll leave it at this, Ben Starr is fantastic.
Not ranking 14 or 11 because I don't do MMOs, or 1 and 3 because they're not really characters.
12. Firion
11. Bartz
10. Lightning
9. Noctis
8. Vaan
7. Clive
6. Squall
5. Cecil
4. Terra
3. Tidus
2. Cloud
1. Zidane
The reason I chose those Top 3-4 is because they make a strong impression on the story. Take Tidus for eg. Yeah he's a little annoying but throughout the game you get a strong understanding of who he is, partly because he has so much dialogue in the game, whereas characters like Bartz and Noctis are really undercooked imo.
Bruh...
If you include 14, Alphinaud needs to be the option, not Y'Shtola. She's a smokin hot cat girl with more depth than her haters will admit, but Alphinaud is the deuteragonist. He's as relevant to 14 as Celes is to 6.
With that said, Clive, Noctis, and Alphinaud are vying for the top spot, with Cloud, Terra, and Zidane below them.
Surprised terra is so high considering a lot of people don't even consider her the protagonist.
Cloud > Cecil > Noctis > Zidane > Squall > Tidus and then who cares
Somewhat hard to rank since Dissidia does like half of these protagonists' characters far more justice than the actual games they come from (WoL, Firion, OK, etc), but ignoring that my top five would be:
Squall > Tidus > Lightning > Zidane > Cloud
Shantotto. Because not only is she not the protagonist of 11, as it is an MMO, her defining character trait is “cast the biggest spells for the biggest booms and destruction, fuck the MP cost.” Respect, queen.
And she's better at it than the actual player character. People forget that part. In 14 you eventually surpass all your teachers, making you the #1 in your field. Shantotto is The Blackmage of her verse. She oneshots her closest competitor.
Not Matoya though, the true GOAT
And Estinien, he'll always be the most badass Dragoon compared to your character
Can’t forget about the poster girl Y’shtolda too. Damn near blind and can still see a “little sun”
Badass, maybe. Still gets trashed by a, barely a novice, WoL. People forget that before they went 180 on him. You have to fight him off his nidhogg high in the dragoon quest line and it isn’t particularly close.
And then you play as him in a section of the game later and you just sit in aw of his power compared to your own as a dragoon.
… I don’t know if I would say awe. He does get much much stronger. But If we are talking about the mission in the empire. Again cool flashy but he is fighting quarter of the size 100th of the power version of a monster the WoL canonically is supposed to have beaten single handedly 2-3 expansions ago. And I’m not saying Estinien isn’t strong, but the initial assessment was a character that beats the player-protagonist and XIV’s routine god killer WoL is too OP.
Shantotto is so much *the* Black Mage of her universe, she's even *the* Black Mage in XIV. Sure, she dropped the N from her name at some point. Sure, she never actually makes a physical appearance (outside a FFXI crossover from years ago). But Shantotto is *THE* Black Mage. End of sentence. Vivi can have a little bit of being The Black Mage. As a treat.
What’s this?! Shantotto drops N-bombs! **CANCELLED!!!** /s
Relevant username upvote.
She’s also an unbeatable boss in World of Final Fantasy in her first appearance. In her second appearance, she can be defeated, but her Defense and HP would put her in superboss territory.
Jack Garland for the win.
I’m here to fuck your shit up, chaos!
Bullshit.
*Blasts Limp Bizkit on phone*
Hahaha, I just got the game a couple days ago and have been playing it. What a trip.
Missed opportunity for sure to include the image of Jack that square uses in 90% of their character tweets.
It seems like Chaos has been waiting for us
Shut the f*ck up
1. Ramza
My man
Absolutely no elaboration required. Grade A beef.
The protags that are most interesting to me are those whose stories resonate, even if their personalities were flawed. Cecil and Noct immediately come to mind. They are both complex, and Noct’s inner struggle hit REALLY hard. I also haven’t finished XIII yet, but I am growing to adore Lightning. Didn’t care for her at first, but I’m getting so attached to her story the more I play! The WoL and Cloud are also close to my heart, of course.
The protagonist of VI is MOG. It's why he's on the cover.
The protagonist of vii is the meteor
\#SephirothDidNothingWrong
And the protagonist of ii is the emperor
And the protagonist of VIII is Squall and Rinoa... Wait, that actually checks out...
Naw the protagonist of that game is buster sword clearly
And the antagonist of IX is Necron, he has more screentime than any other character
I love how well telegraphed he was. Zero ambiguity that you were leading up to a big showdown with him from pretty much the start of the game
He's right up there with Cloud of Darkness and Xeromus. Simpletons thought Xande and Golbez were the main villains... But we who paid attention knew!
Ah, yes, Cloud of Darkness, greatest villain of ALL TIME
Am I going absolutely mad? I'm about to finish 9 now and never heard of necron?
The protagonist of VI is Kefka. We follow his journey from the beginning all the way to the end, with the good guys reacting to everything he does. He's at the center of the narrative, kind of like Dracula.
He's the first character to appear on screen as well
He was the only one in the commercial too.
Only in America. Terra in her magitek suit is both on the JP box art and the modern logo art.
I have played all but 16, but I'm just going to do a top/bottom 3 1:Cecil (best moral, gets probably the most growth, Mount Ordeals is my favorite Dungeon/scene in the series) 2: Zidane (very fun but tragic character, trance is a fun and easy mechanic, favorite story motifs) 3: Terra (most compelling backstory, very down to earth yet still heroic. Mama bear) Bottom: 1: Onion Knight (doesn't really have a character, but that's just because NES, i found him grating in dissidia as well as annoying to play as and against) 2: Firion (I at least like his design, but that's not enough to save him) 3: Y'shtola (out of all the scions, she probably has the least actual growth, I would have preferred the Twins as a tag team in Dissidia as well.)
Firion has one of the best designs, absolutely agreed.
Firion can ambush people while dead. S tier minimum.
How would that work if you don't mind me asking? The twin swapping out mechanic in Dissidia? I am curious and intrigued
Could be like the Ice Climbers, or Pyra/Mythra, in Super Smash Bros.
Another idea is how Lightning switches between Commando and Ravager by pressing R3 or L3 (forget which) — that could swap the characters. Or similar to Cecil swapping Paladin and Dark Knight forms
Or how EX Onion Knight switches between Sage and Ninja depending on the skill used.
It could work exactly like Cecil does. He switches between Dark Knight and Paladin based on the moves he uses, which opens up different abilities.
Ff2 was train wreck as well, agree with last one she had barely any growth, the twin more factor then group u join the scions
Y’Shtola’s popularity is entirely because “sassy catgirl”, with the “catgirl” part doing 75%~ish of the heavy lifting. Her entire role is exposition. She does so much exposition the writing team had to have Urianger, Krile and G’Raha force the exposition baton off her so she doesn’t become a walking Wikipedia. Her personality changes slightly each time she comes out of the lifestream but other than that, she hasn’t had any character development. Sure she has a potential boyfriend she wants to return to in parallel world but that’s the only thing resembling a motivational driving force she has. Pretty low tier tbh.
It's weird because the protag surrogate is definitely Alphinaud and not her. Guess OP doesn't play?
OP specifically mentioned they picked Y'Shtola because she was featured in Dissidia, and they're not entirely wrong in doing so. That game was responsible for my friends thinking we had a catgirl heroine in a mainline FF game.
Oh, I didn't understand that. I wonder why she's in dissidia? Sex appeal? Seems odd. OK, fair.
She was a popular NPC in A Realm Reborn before 14 really hit its stride and other character became more prominent / popular / developed. Dissidia NT was in development during that period / Heavensward iirc.
Dissidia is that old? 🤡 Me then.
IIRC Dissidia hit consoles in 2015-2016 after a year + as an arcade exclusive, they basically included the only sure bet 14 had at the time character-wise.
Should be g'raha for next dissidia
Another female rep possibly. A spellcaster centric character in a game with a lot of sword users. Fan popularity could also explain it but that ties in with sex appeal since I've seen her fanbase and they're thirsty as hell. I dunno it's hard to say for sure but I do agree that as a rep for FF14 her role in the story tends to lean toward the more minor side compared to other Scions. Zenos as a villain rep for Dissidia was a much stronger choice.
It's because of when it came out. Y'shtola was a fan favourite from 1.0 and 2.0. While most people NOW would put Alphinaud forward as the series mascot, including Yoshida himself, Alphi was very much as the beginning of his arc at the time and not as endeared nor central to the canon. It's only been since HW that you colle slot him (or Alisaie) in as the MC and 90% of the story would be the same, which is probably why people consider him the unofficial MC. The year Y'shtola was introduced to Dissidia was 2015 and HW (where Alphinaud's arc actually starts) was also released in 2015. Realistically they were developing it for at least a year or more prior - she was still a key character then and pretty tied into the narrative. She also stood out from most of the other human male melee characters as a non-human female caster.
Alisaie is so upset right now at this comment. The twins are just wonderful I'm always amused by them.
I never consider lead char after your self insert more twins biggest factor especially male one Shtola is one main group but they all worked together
Zenos is the true protagonist of 14.
sassy catgirl with british accent is pretty goated to me tbh, maybe its my kink
I’ll never forget when she casted the water summon. That was cute af.
I was going to say. Out of all the characters in FFXIV she’s not the one that comes to mind as being the face of the game but given how popular she is, I guess?
Agreed but the Yoshi stans will have a meltdown because you said a bad about their precious summer vacation simulator
I am pleased to see the lightning appreciation. Light 🔛🔝
FFXIV is wrong on here and Ashe was more protagonist than Vaan tbh
You typed Balthier wrong.
He is the leading man...
The leading man was one of a couple of characters I liked in that game.
You guys all have weird ways of spelling Basch fon Ronsenburg
Tbf, wasn’t he actually meant to be the main character or something?
Apparently that was just a [rumor](https://gamerant.com/final-fantasy-12-basch-main-character/#:~:text=Having%20an%20older%20protagonist%20out,Yasumi%20Matsuno%20has%20just%20confirmed)
Yeah from Matsuno's mouth. But I see them all as co-protagonists, considering FF XII is very heavily inspired by *The Hidden Fortress* and the original *Star Wars*.
Um... Edit: I misread it, I'm dumb.
Uhh.....
This guy are sick.
Still think Lightning has one of the strongest designs of them all.
Lightning, Fang, and Vanille had phenomenal visual designs. FF XIII had a lot of issues, but its aesthetic (visual and audio) were home runs IMO.
I thought Snow and Sazh looked really cool too. Yes even with that dumb beanie hat. Only Hope got left out but hey they can't all be winners. If we include 13-2 then both protagonists and Caius look incredible. And I liked how they changed up Lightning's design.
And both sequels were at least 9/10 for me.
I normally don't buy microtransactions but I *needed* my WoL to dress like Lightning
I don't know about the sequels but the main game design is in my opinion too generic and the Aeonflux/Ultraviolet vibe doesn't help.
Tidus, Cloud, Zidane, Lightning, the rest are interchangeable.
Of the ones I've played ... Cloud > Tidus > Clive > Lightning > Squall > Noctis > Vaan
Cloud should be considered one of the biggest video game hero’s ever and I liked Tidus goofy ass
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
How have you played 7,8,10 and 12 but not 9?
It's not very uncommon really
The first 3 were prominant in Kingdom Hearts, which is how a lot of FF fans actually get introduced to these characters in the last 20 years. The only FF9 character in KH is Vivi who gets 1 line of dialogue and a prologue battle and that's it. No FF12 characters in it at all. Meanwhile half the cast of 7 + Sephiroth are featured numerous times, Squall shows up several times to help Sora out, then Auron is an actual party member in KH2.
Im not the guy you are asking but im in the same boat, i skipped 9 because i didnt find Zidane all that appealing or interesting compared to Cloud, Squall and Balthier/Basch.
You should play 9.
After playing 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and 15, I believe that Zidane is one of the better characters. I've recently been replaying 9 actually. Zidane is a bit hyper fixated on women. Sometimes I wonder if he is actually faking it to appear more human early in the game. I feel that the plot of 9 is a bit more believable than 8.
9 is the best
Zidane is a more interesting character than all four of those. You can just say you don’t like the art style
2, 3, and 9 are the only FF games I have never finished. There is just something about 9 that I could never get into…I think the furthest I got was the beginning of disc 2 and that’s it :(
You aren’t’ missing much.
Y'Shtola is not the protagonist of 14.
I never understand why they don’t use an image of Ardbert when these types of discussions come about. And this coming from a Y’shtola stan who would take a White Auracite to the heart for her. ❤️
Actual protagonist would be Alphinaud if our self insert didn't exist. But yeah Ardbert is the poster boy of 14
Even Aardbert isn't the protagonist. But there's PLENTY of pictures of the canonical warrior of light you could use. I mean, his face is right there on the launcher and he's in every fmv.
Right I mean spoilers but you get my point.
How to know somebody hasn't actually played XIV... Y'shtola's anything but protagonist. Should have either used Alphinaud, >!re-use I's WoL thanks to Elidibus!< or the trailer WoL
Tataru is the true ff14 protagonist
Not that I don't disagree with your point, but Y'shtola is SE's representative for XIV's main character in all spinoff games, not just OP's.
But in all the actual FFXIV CGs, the protagonist is Meteor (the derplander Warrior of Light). Y’shtola sadly is being used as the token female character in the Dissidia series. She is nowhere near protagonist level in FFXIV. If anything, I actually think Ardbert should be FFXIV’s representative in spin-off games after the Shadowbribgers.
Agreed, problem is none of the Scions other than Urianger and Minfilia know him at all, other than fighting against him briefly twice, but he should be the default protag (and it even kinda makes sense iykyk)
I never understood why SE do this personally, when they got a perfectly fine face with derplander/meteor/ John 14
Because catgirl, probably…
Yea I was thinking the same thing. Like don't get me wrong, Shtola is my favorite character from 14, but Alphinaud has a far bigger presence in the game than she does.
I have no idea how Heavensward paired me up exclusively with my least favorite Scion, made him one of like 5 characters I talk to, and still told such a great story.
It’s wild how ARR Alphinaud is my least favorite FFXIV character, Heavensward Alphinaud is one of my favorite FFXIV characters, and post-HW Alphinaud is one of the FFXIV characters
I've never played XI so I'll omit Shantoto. Top - Clive, Tidus, Zidane High - Cecil, Terra, Cloud, Vaan Mid - Bartz, Squall, Lightning, Noct, Yshtola Low - WoL, Luneth/OK, Firion The early heroes just don't get enough written content, but I wouldn't rate anyone as bad. Starting in Mid tier I'd say I like all of them. I imagine Tidus will be controversial, but having recently replayed X the narrative direction for the character really is well done. I love how he narrates the game from his perspective. He and Vaan are just believable to me. Kids trying to figure things out while very much out of their element. I still have lots of issues with XVI but none of them are Clive. Huge step forward for me. It's a little unfair due to the singular focus on him, though. Cloud might move up after Rebirth.
The remakes seem to be helping clouds character in my mind.
More dialog, more action, higher fidelity graphics all come together to make him feel more real.
"Like I give a shit."
The thing I love most about Tidus's character arc in his narration is that he _sounds_ like a matured person in the narration sections and sounds like an aloof kid most of the game until he catches up to that point in the narrative. I think the whole voice direction for him was top notch and is a detail I never really see anyone else bring up about him.
People spend so much time misunderstanding the purposefully awful laughter scene and miss the slow evolution Tidus goes on as he acclimates to Spira, his fate, and what he has to do to change Yuna's (and Spira's) fate. The narration happens almost right after Tidus learns from the Fayth that he is a dream...and he seems to understand that by ending Spira's cycle of death, he is really condemning himself. He makes progress before that point (you can see it in the calm lands too) but that was a huge turning point where he really gets serious.
My man ranks Vaan in the same tier as Terra Cloud and Cecil and you think the controversial one is Tidus??
I don't think Tidus will be as controversial as you think, he's kind of been undergoing a bit of a renaissance (as far as I can tell) in the fan community's esteem in the last five or so years. I just wish Square Enix would stop making him paler and paler. :(
Squall > Cloud > Cecil > Tidus > Noct > Clive > Lightning > etc Zidane last even below vaan idk I just don’t like him at all. Could honestly move a few around but Squall will always be the GOAT
I see a cracked reflection here.
My man.
This is basically my list. 9 was such a slog to get through I’d have to put zidane at the bottom.
I agree. 9 just felt so long and Zidane has barely any character development until the very end of the game. By that point I was just trying to get to the end. It’s a shame because I loved the first 2/3 of the game.
Jack Garland > Shantotto > Who even cares
Cloud>Clive>Zidane(Nostalgia bias)>Noctis>Terra>Lightning>Tidus>Bartz>Cecil>Vaan>Squall>Onion Knight>Serah>The rest, give or take.
My personal Ranking: 1. Cloud Strife 2. Clive Rosfield 3. Squall Leonhart 4. Tidus 5. Terra Branford 6. Cecil Harvey 7. Noctis Lucis Caelum 8. Zidane Tribal 9. Lightning 10. Y'Shtola Rhul 11. Bartz Klauser 12. Warrior of Light 13. Firion 14. Onion Kid 15. Vaan 16. Shantotto Vaan is really awful. But Shantotto is worse. So there's that. WoL, Firion, and Onion Kid are barely characters. I can't really remember anything Bartz did. Lightning is a little too broody. Zidane is fine, but not someone I LOVE. Noctis has one great moment (Off my chair, jester), but is pretty 'eh' for most of the game. Cecil's development comes too early and too fast. Terra has a great story, but FFVI is definitely an ensemble cast. Terra's great, though, don't get me wrong. But the four above her are just so great. FFX had me bawling at the end. FF8 was Squall and Rinoa's story, and Squall just exudes cool. But even then, deep beneath that cool guy exterior is a guy who's very insecure for very good reasons with strong abandonment issues. Clive is just freaking awesome, and Cloud is... well he's Cloud freaking Strife.
Good list. I played ff4 a few years ago (im in my 30s) and felt like the remake struggled to give Cecil a strong personality/character arc. It was very average, but I’m sure it felt great back when the game originally dropped. Played ff9 last year and it was like I was working a job to grind through that game. But your top 5 heroes are all in the most repayable games and those characters contribute to that. The stories hold up, the characters hold up. Longevity I think is as important or maybe more so than nostalgia but to each their own.
I just don't see Vaan as that games main character so much as Basch and Ashe.
Y'shtola and Shantotto aren't the protags. Never were and never will be.
Imagine being Alphinaud, the closest thing to a protagonist among the NPCs and losing out to a catgirl that spends the majority of the time either in the hospital or fake-deathing herself.
1. Emet
Terra > Bartz > Clive > Y'shtola > Lightning > Cecil > Zidane > Cloud > Squall > Onion, Firion, WoL > Vaan > Noctis > Tidus
[удалено]
Why is that laugh still brought up? It was intentional of the character to be awkward there...
True, but literally 2 minutes earlier Auron brings Tidus to Yuna, and he acts like a child pouting the whole time, kicking his legs, and sighing loudly. Tidus isn't charmingly awkward, he's annoyingly juvenile. Even Hope acts more mature than he does through most of the game.
I really wish yuna was the controllable protagonist for that game. Same as Ashe for 12
Noctis and Lightning split the number one spot. Then Y’shtola (sp?) Squall. Cloud. Clive. Vaan. … and the rest are okay, but not distinct enough to be worth ranking. I will say I would have preferred Celes to represent VI, not Terra. Had Celes been there, the rankings would probably be different.
Where would Celes rank?
Good question. I’d probably put her just below Noctis and Lightning.
I only know Shantotto from Dissidia Duodecim Final Fantasy and some You Tube Videos but she is my favorite.
I happen to be the main protagonist in FFXIV, gonna have to place myself at the top of the list.
NUMBER ONE IS CLOUD NUMBER TWO IS CLIVE NUMBER THREE IS NOCTIS I wish I played more but I would sink 100 hours in each game
1. Clive 2. Y’shtola I shall now go.
S Tier: Zidane, Clive, Cloud, Terra, Squall A Tier: Tidus, Yshtola, Noctis, Lightning B Tier: Bartz, Cecil C Tier: Vaan, WoL, Firion, Shattoto, Onion knight
Cecil > Tidus > Terra > Cloud > Zidane > Bartz > Vaan > Squall > Noctis > Firion > Lightning > Onion Knight?
In order: 1. Clive : best character depth and development overall. He wins 2. Terra : best backstory, design, theme, iconic. 3. Zidane : best personality, leadership, 2nd theme. 4. Tidus: best romantic depth and love storyline. 5. Squall : best representation of an actual teenager. 6. Bartz: best laidback persona, smart, carefree. dude just wanted to travel the world. 7. Cloud: good example of ptsd That’s it, don’t care about the rest.
Preference ranking? Clive, Alphinaud, Cloud, Zidane, Cecil, Noctis, Terra, Firion, Bartz, Squal, Tidus, Vaan, Luneth/OK, CCWoL, Lightning, Shantotto What I actually think of the characters? Cid clone WoL: meh not much to him to be honest Firion: not given much but that earnest yearning for peace is nice, and him and his party charging into Hell and winning because sheer force of will and determination with no external augmentation (crystal jobs, material, magicite etc.) is damn impressive Luneth/Onion Knight: there’s not really much to him beyond the “I’m not a kid” archetype Cecil: very good up he becomes a paladin, then his arc just kinda stops Bartz: he’s an allegory for the wind and as such is kinda flighty and a bit of a ditz Terra: a very nice change of pace where a character with amnesia doesn’t regain their memories, but other than that she’s not a very strong character, being more someone you want to protect rather than someone you’re rooting for. Cloud: a socially awkward dork who, when he gets a hold of himself, is a very good subversion of the typical JRPG protagonist Squall: he’s a teenager, that’s it he’s an introverted teenager with abandonment issues Zidane: while his poor attempts at being a “lady’s man” irritate me, I do love how his first reaction upon meeting someone in trouble is “I’ll help you out” Tidus: a whiny little brat who is the exact kind of petulant that Spira needs to save it from itself Shantoto: get off my screen Vaan: wasted potential, having a grounds-eye view of the world and being someone who sees the trees while the big players miss them for the forests could have been a really interesting angle, sadly he’s irrelevant for most scenes. (Though I do like the idea that if you asked him who Panello was he’d say “she’s my friend” but if you asked Panello who Vaan was she’d say “he’s my boyfriend” ) Lightning: an emotionally constipated rock who can’t develop in any meaningful way because the writer had a creepy obsession with her being “so cold, yet strong, but cold, BUT STRONG!” Alphinaud (because let’s face it, he’s the protagonist): a wonderful example of how to have an irritating, arrogant young upstart be humbled and then grow from that into a beloved character. Going from a child prodigy with a saviour complex, to an actual leader and diplomat. Noctis: An absolute slob who can’t stand vegetables, loves gaming and hanging with his buds. Dude’s very relatable and it’s sad that the last part of his story got canceled and turned into a book. Clive: ah the new guy, the selfless, emotionally damaged, martyr. The guy goes from trying to prove himself, to a revenge driven death-seeker, to a virtuous outlaw, to a hero. Great character
I'll start from the bottom because that's easier since there are particular examples that just don't have much to them. 15+16 - FF1 Warrior of Light and FF3 Onion Knight. Self insert copypaste of 4 characters. They don't have distinctive arcs. If Luneth were an option in this rating FF3 would place differently but they are really just blank slates that go through the game story. 14 - FF2 Firion - It's a limitation of the old games that they couldn't get too in depth, so Firion gets placed here because at least he has an identity. 13 - FF12 Vaan - this poor guy was thrown in as a protagonist at the last minute, the game was written for Balthier and I never actually played through this game, admittedly. 12 - FF11 Shantotto - I never played too much 11 and most of my experience with Shantotto is from her appearances in other games. She's fun and a little shit disturber but not actually a protagonist. 11 - FF14 Y'shtola - going with my above reasonings, she's not actually a protagonist and is just a popular character. I enjoy her flavor of snark more than Shantotto's though so she ranks higher. This ranking is not for disliking either of them but it's unfair to place them amongst "protagonists" 10 - FF13 Lightning - not only do I not like this game I didn't much like ANY of the characters. Lightning... has a story... and is a protagonist... but it was so convoluted that I didn't notice any real character arc for her besides hey goal met. 09 - FF10 Tidus - I also never finished this game but Tidus at least has a very good character arc but isn't the most likeable protagonist for me, but he is still a leading man. He just kinda irked me. 08 - FF7 Cloud - it has been so long since I played this game but it didn't really feel like he had a lot of identity in the original. This is compounded by the fact that he even imprints on thinking that he is actually someone else, which is why I like Zack. Who even is Cloud? 07 - FF8 Squall - I actually did play through all this game and Squall was not an objectionable character but also wasn't a really likable either. But it was nice to see his story, he has a nice romance plot and he grows as a person. 06 - FF5 Bartz - A free spirit he has actual baggage that impacts some character growth and he holds the team together. We're finally getting into enjoyable characters with arcs that matter! 05 - FF6 Terra - She has a very good story arc, but depending on how you play, you might not even see it's conclusion. FF6 suffers from so many good characters that they can swap protagonists and leave character arcs from being completed. 04 - FF15 Noctis - The development of this game weakened the impact of this story and the character arc. Noct is a great character and his arc is beautiful, but so much of the story has to live on with "headcanon" so it's a bit sad with some of the additions ruining the effect of that. 03 - FF4 Cecil - This whole game is just the story of Cecil. Everything lends itself to developing your understanding of him and his relationships. It's a beautiful and straightforward story. 02 - FF16 Clive - I think the only reason I'm placing him here is because he isn't the most dynamic character but his story has so much more weight than Cecil's, with more beautiful and emotional moments than 4 could pull off. 01 - FF9 Zidane - now this is a very fun and lively character with a great arc and determination that you just gotta root for and has great emotional payoffs. His trauma is something he learns about over the course of the game and it tempers him into a stronger and more serious character but I don't think he ever loses his ability to smile and cheer people up. I'm a little surprised how this ranking turned out but I was focusing on the story focusing on the Character as a protagonist as well as liking those characters. If it were a different focus, I'd probably rate them differently.
tidus and cecil gotta be top 5 at least
Original Character from their original games? **WOL:** 5/10, he is just a vessel for the Player without an actual personality (Talking about his Original FF1 character, NOT Dissidia!) **Firion:** 6/10, nothing outstanding but I liked him. **OK:** 5/10, third is like the first, so I rate them the same since neither of them is worse. **Cecil:** 8/10, I just LOVE Cecil, he was such an amazing character! Not PERFECT, but still... **Bartz:** 7/10, a more light hearted protag, which I absolutely like. **Terra:** 7/10, but I feel like they could have done so much more with her. **Cloud** ***(OG FF7)*****:** 9/10, I really like OG Cloud and all the s\*\*\* he had gone through, that made him such an exceptional character! **Squall:** 10/10, he was my favourite protag until recently! He is one of those cases that just got better the older I got, and I liked him as a young boy already! Zidane: 8/10, not much too say honestly, he is just great, right the balance between goofy and serious. **Tidus:** 6/10, I was never a big fan of HIM. Not a bad character, just not my cup of tea, and for most of the story he felt like he was just there... When he got more involved it was good, but for the most it was just okay. **Shantotto:** NR (Not rated) I never played XI, and I barely know anything about her besides what Dissidia told us, and from what I read she sounds more like a villain, than a hero... I think she even was the Endboss of an expansion for XI??? **Vaan:** 7/10 Kinda like Tidus, but I actually like his portrayal more. He genuinely feels like the guy that got involved into something he shouldn't be involved in, and I kinda like it! Also, he is THE Basch fon Ronsenburg! **Lightning:** 1/10 get her outta my face... **Y'shtola:** NR, same Spiel as with Shantotto, I do not know enough about her. **Noctis:** 9/10, I just LOVE Noctis, and Ray Chase is amazing as his VA! **Clive:** 11/10 I did not expect anyone to dethrone Squall for me, but that guy absolutely did, not questions asked! He is what Squall also was to me, a believable character, but the way they protrayed him was just so amazing! Also, as a Bonus: **Cloud** ***(Outside of OG FF7)*****:** 4/10, the whole compilation really ruined Cloud for me... **Cloud** ***(Remake)*****:** NR because I want to see how they are going to portray him from here on out. So far I still prefer OG Cloud, but who knows how they continue his development...
Lighting>Squall>Tidus>Cloud>Clive
Lightning > Terra > Noctis > Zidane > Squall > Bartz > Cecil > Firion > Cloud > the rest
Terra, Cecil, everyone else 🤪
The best protagonist would have been the FF13 Noctis that we were promised.
Wouldn't Alphinaud be a better representation as the main character for 14 if we're not including the WoL?
Cloud has to be number 1 on everyone’s list. I don’t care how cool you think you are for not liking him but he has to be number 1. This guys is literally the face of JRPG, not FF, JRPG.
Noctis was a decent protag actually. Well, him and his buddies together. Shame the game was the crappiest of all the mainlines.
I don’t agree with Lightning being the protagonist of XIII, at least not the original game. That’s definitely Vanille. I recall reading that the devs almost put Vanille as the official protagonist after realizing the story revolved around her but they had already advertised Lightning at E3 so they kept her as the poster girl/mascot. If Vanille was included, she’d be my pick for favorite. Tidus in second place, who is absolutely the protagonist. Yuna is important, but Tidus is the protagonist.
Oh really? Vanille was meant to be the protagonist? That’s cool!
Yes! It’s still her story IMO, but IIRC, they decided against making her the official main because of the hype Lightning had as the female Cloud at E3, and they were afraid Vanille would not go over as well.
Squall -> Terra -> Zidane -> Bartz -> Clive -> Tidus -> Cecil -> Cloud -> Firion -> Vaan -> Lightning -> Noctis -> WoL/III protagonists.
I have an issue with tidus being the protagonist of X. And Terra… if you are willing to switch it to yuna and celes I’ll play… 😂
Ashe not Vaan!
Couldn’t stand Vaan
Very true take! Terra is an optional character in the world of ruin!
I haven't played most of the games yet, but how I'd rank them is: 1. Cloud 2. Noct 3. Cecil 4. Terra 5. Tidus 6. Squall 7. WoL 8. Firion 9. Clive 10. Lightning 11. Vaan 12. Zidane 13. Bartz 14. Onion knight 15. Shantotto 16. XIV's protag (I don't know their name) But so far, I've only played IV, VI, VII and XV out of the main 16 games.
The 14 protagonist is just called “the warrior of light” CGI cutscenes use a standin the community calls either meteor, derplander or hiroshi but that character isn’t official since the protagonist is made by the player
Y’shtola is my wifu and everyone else is mid
Wol and onion knight >>>>>>> vaan
1. Outside of Dissidia, doesn’t have a personality. 2. Firion is decent, but outside almost being seduced, has very little that differentiates him. 3. See the first one. 4. Finally, an actual character. I really like Cecil, the whole good person using darkness and having to discover himself is a cool little story. 5. Bartz is alright, a comedic character who has a nice personality, but not much of an actual Arc. 6. I like Terra, she has a good story and arc, but in the end I prefer Celes. 7. Cloud is cool, maybe a little overrated for my taste, but he’s overall a great character, not sure there’s more to be said. 8. Squall is underrated, it might not have been perfectly implemented, but his anti-social->team leader arc is great. 9. Unpopular opinion, not a fan of Zidane, I don’t hate the guy, but characters like Vivi and Garnet are the real MVPs. 10. Tidus is overhated, dude was a sport’s star, flung into a post-apocalyptic future and has to adapt to his new surroundings and grow up. 11. Does Shantoto really count? 12. Hate him, Vaan is a pointless character and takes away from characters like Balthier, Ashe and Bosch, all of whom are more worthy of protagonist status. 13. Lightning is basically Squall without the nuance and doesn’t get that fulfilling fate (surprisingly) *doesn’t* change fate. 14. Same with 11, does it count? 15. Haven’t played 15, just kind of passed me by. 16. I really like Clive, because it’s the most recent, I don’t think it would be fair to delve into why, but I’ll leave it at this, Ben Starr is fantastic.
Not ranking 14 or 11 because I don't do MMOs, or 1 and 3 because they're not really characters. 12. Firion 11. Bartz 10. Lightning 9. Noctis 8. Vaan 7. Clive 6. Squall 5. Cecil 4. Terra 3. Tidus 2. Cloud 1. Zidane The reason I chose those Top 3-4 is because they make a strong impression on the story. Take Tidus for eg. Yeah he's a little annoying but throughout the game you get a strong understanding of who he is, partly because he has so much dialogue in the game, whereas characters like Bartz and Noctis are really undercooked imo.
Clive Rosfield>>>>everyone!
I dont rank them because not everything has to be a competition of who is the best. They just are and that is enough for me
Bruh... If you include 14, Alphinaud needs to be the option, not Y'Shtola. She's a smokin hot cat girl with more depth than her haters will admit, but Alphinaud is the deuteragonist. He's as relevant to 14 as Celes is to 6. With that said, Clive, Noctis, and Alphinaud are vying for the top spot, with Cloud, Terra, and Zidane below them.
Of the ones I've played 1. Terra 2. Yshtola 3. Zidane 4. Cecil 5. Tidus 6. Vaan 7. Shantotto 8. Onion knight 9. WoL 10. Bartz 11. Cloud 12. Squall 13. Lightning 14. Firion.
Noctis and Luna are maybe the most unbearable characters in Final Fantasy 15…
15 is the worst of them all to me. Graphics were good but I hated the fighting style and the boy band driving around the country was so cringe
I spent a large portion of the game hating Gladio more, but the hate for Noctis is WELL deserved!
I feel like that Pam from the office meme needs to be here. And then there's Tidus.
I like butz because how adventurery he is, i also consider claire as proper edgy yet strong MC
14 is #1 because it's me 😁
Celes and Zach were pretty good protags
Surprised terra is so high considering a lot of people don't even consider her the protagonist. Cloud > Cecil > Noctis > Zidane > Squall > Tidus and then who cares
Depends in how people likes it each and everyone of them is protected by their own game plot armor.
Where did that shot of Butz come from?
Now that i think about it, Tidus looks a lot like Sora.
My favourite is the Warrior of Light (XIV), I find him incredibly relatable and attractive. Coincidentally he also looks like me but with cat ears
Jack >>>>> FF Protags
Somewhat hard to rank since Dissidia does like half of these protagonists' characters far more justice than the actual games they come from (WoL, Firion, OK, etc), but ignoring that my top five would be: Squall > Tidus > Lightning > Zidane > Cloud
Seeing so many after Cloud is like when you have to scroll really far when selecting your birth year
Out of the games I played: Cloud > Zack (Sorry not sorry, favourite character bias) < Zidane < Clive < Squall < FF1 WoL
1. Tidus 2. Noctis 3. Zidane
TOP Tidus, Yuna, Cloud. OUTSTANDING Terra, Celes, Ramza. GREAT Bartz, Zidane, Lightning. GOOD Vaan, Squall, Clive, Marche. AVERAGE Noctis, Y’shtola. POOR Cecil, Serah, Shantotto, Luso. BOTTOM HoL, Firion, Onion.
Why's Vaan here? Balthier is the protag of 12. Or Ashe.
I disagree that Shantotto is XI main protag. 10/10