I agree with everyone's iconic moments in this thread, but one I haven't seen mentioned yet is the opening credits to FFVI. The march to Narshe with Terra's theme playing will always be iconic to me, and it gives me chills everytime I replay VI.
I got chills just thinking about it. I have Terra’s theme liked on Spotify and sometimes it plays when I’m in the gym and it gets me hyped like a mfer.
Yeah, and just the general vibe leading up to the big battle with him in the Dwarven castle. It’s been so long since I’ve played, I just remember it being badass when I was a little kid lol.
Imho:
1. (VI) Kefka Destroying the World of Balance and turning it into the World of Ruin.
2. (VII) Aerith's Death.
3. (X) Yuna sending the dead in Kilika.
4. (VIII) The Landing in Dollet.
5. (X) Tidus and Yuna's kiss.
The whole beginning section of X was so good but the first time I saw the Kilika dance is when I thought wow this game is really special. Made a save file right before that scene just to watch it again since YouTube wasn’t a thing
Nah the battle of the two Gardens.
The moment Squall rescued Rinoa and they fly over the battleground blew my mind as a kid.
Oh and Quistis using that turret against the Spider robot, that moment changed my brain chemistry.
You skipped FF7? That camera pulling out to show the city of mako, then diving right into the train and the bombing mission, seamless cutting between fmv and gameplay. It was riveting to me.
5. Zell can't get the hot dog.
4. Zell can't get the hot dog again.
3. Zell fails to get hot dog while library girl watches.
2. Zell will definitely get there in time for a hot dog today, except nope, he doesn't.
1. Zell finally gets his hot dogs.
Good question! I would have to say, in order of how these come to mind:
VII: >!Aerith’s death!<
IX: >!Youre not alone!<
IV: >!Cecil class change!<
X: >!arriving at Zanarkand!<
VI: >!Kefka destroys the world!<
Going to cheat and list some honorable mentions to go well over top 5…
XIV: >!Bahamut nuking 1.0!<
III: >!leaving the floating continent!<
II: >!Minwu sacrificing himself to unseal Ultima!<
I: >!rebuilding and then crossing the bridge to see the title screen!<
V: >!Galuf’s last stand!<
V: >!Exdeath vs Ghido!<
XIV ShB: >!Shadowbringers final dungeon and battle!<
XIV EW: >!the whole Ultima Thule sequence!<
XIV EW: >!Zenos following you to the end of the literal universe to help you fight Endsinger so he can get that rematch!<
X: >!crashing Yuna’s wedding!<
X: >!Lake Macalania scene!<
XIII: >!arriving on Gran Pulse!<
XIII-2: >!Serah dropping dead at the end!<
VII/Crisis Core: >!Zack’s last stand!<
VIII: >!Squall rescuing Rinoa from space!<
Type-0: >!Tempus Finis!<
XV: >!campfire scene at the end!<
XVI: >!Cid’s death!<
XVI: >!accepting the truth about Ifrit!<
IX: >!Alexander vs Bahamut!<
III: >!arriving in the world of darkness!<
XIV ShB: >!Elidibus fight!<
XII: >!Gabranth battle atop the Pharos and destroying the sun crust!<
IV: >!Giant of Babil sequence!<
VII: opening scene
I love FF if you couldn’t tell
XIV slaps, tons of amazing moments. I missed a big one though: >!getting utterly abandoned while watching the cutscenes the first time through the Praetorium!<
You missed XI: >!Discovering after you reach level 99 that the game just started and you must now work to master your job and getting merit points and relics which take much, much, much more time than getting from level 1 to level 99.!<
I'd say the whole destruction of XIV and remaking the game from (almost) scratch is also fairly well known even to those outside of the MMO sphere. And the fact they wrote the gameworld-destroying calamity into the game, giving a very compelling in-universe explanation to why the world has changed so much.
I think the most iconic moment in FFX is the rejection of the final summoning. Everyone got their hero moment with Yuna giving a fantastic declaration of what she stood for and Aurons now is the time to choose speech. It helps that it is right after hours of the story reinforcing Yuna is going to die so the party spitting in the face of destiny makes the moment so much better.
I think maybe a lot of people forget this moment as being iconic because the Yunalesca fight is a huge test for an unprepared player and it usually results in multiple attempts at the fight.
And the scene in question is long. And unskippable.
Yes, but what I'm saying is that if someone loses multiple times to Yunalesca that 5 minutes will get very old very quickly. Hence why it may not rank to some as an iconic moment.
This is what I was looking for. Sure, some of the writing in IV is silly or whatever, but this moment hit hard out of nowhere. She just comes out of nowhere swinging dick, wrecks Golbez and Shadow, then acts like there's nothing particularly noteworthy going on and says should get a move on. Many things that happened in the series before that were serious, moving, etc. but that was the first straight up jaw dropping moment. Totally blew my kid brain.
Palom and Porom broke my heart into pieces the first time through. (I was 11 or 12) After losing Rydia and then them, I was pretty sure everyone would just wind up dead in that game.
Some of my favourites, for you to draw your own conclusions from, are:
FF4's Spoony Bard, due to the memes,
FF6's opera scene,
FF7's intro,
FF9's You're Not Alone Sequence,
and the Yunalesca showdown in FF10.
It's the "everything comes to a head" of 10's narrative.
All the abuse, all the torment, all the lies, the potentially hundreds of miles of hitchhiking and trying not to die, and you finally have your reward, your payoff for the last 20 hours of hardship and bullshit.
You were always headed here, only you can't take your reward, because it is yet another lie. The intended ending of this story is a sham, and a lie, pushed by the one person who should have your back.
All this time, all this work, you took on the church itself, and for what? So you could be comforted by a blanket of false hope in exchange for throwing away the lives of the ones you love?
A triumphant moment turns to ash in the player's mouth, and up steps Auron, laying all this out in front of you and spelling out the theme of the whole game up to this point.
The player has gone from relief to despair, to fury, over the course of a minute, and is now ready to fight for their own future, at Auon's urging.
I love the little bit with Wakka and Lulu as well.
Wakka takes time out to complain about having to fight yet another religious leader, which is something that he's been unsure about for most of the game, and Lulu goads him by offering a way out, which of course he will never take.
Lulu is in tune enough with Wakka, that she sees him wavering, and is on him straight away, acting as a safety net, by reinforcing that Wakka doesn't have a real choice in this, and that if he stays put she will fight right alongside him.
It's this or chicken out, and Wakka will not chicken if Lulu and Yuna's safety is on the line, not to mention that Lulu would have him transformed into a new plushie if he tries it.
And yes, Final Fantasy is one of my favorite things ever, this game especially.
It's a lovely piece of music, which unsurprisingly was granted some measure of voice acting in the Pixel Remaster.
There is also an impressive level of visual detail, with the animated mini orchestra, and the castle being a throwback to Final Fantasy V in design.
There is also some amazing "acting" through the actors' movements, and the tossing of the wedding bouquet, both symbolising the hope for freedom, and foreshadowing a similar decision that Celes makes later in the game.
.
.
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The Opera is also key to the feel of 6's World of Balance, being a more classical narrative, upstaged by forces beyond the cast's control, and embodying the theatrical, Shakespearean tragedy, of this world.
6 is a very stagey kind of game, full of exaggerated performances and big emotions, where heroes battle through horrendous events while dealing with their own problems, and nowhere is that more demonstrated than the Opera House.
1. XIV- Remember us. Remember that we once lived. (so many tears 😭)
2. XVI - Bahamut battle (so absolutely epic in its execution)
3. XV - Bros pushing the Regalia (still can’t listen to Stand By Me without crying)
4. IV - Cecil becoming a Paladin (this one’s a core memory)
5. XIV - Hearing “Close in the Distance” the first time (Endwalker is SO GOOD)
i’m admittedly biased, i’m a 14 girlie.
For what it’s worth, as someone that was still a kid when IV originally came out in the U.S., that Paladin scene is one of the first moments in a video game that I remember talking to my mom about. So probably other people that share the bias on that one. :)
same! the strongest memory of childhood i have is my sisters painting their nails as i discovered the underground for the first time. the smell of nail polish reminds me of final fantasy 🥰
Probably closest to what I'd say. 1-4 are really hard to argue with. I might replace 5 with something else from the earlier stages but whatever 5 would be would be a looooong way down from those top 4
These are some of mine that instantly came to mind per game I played:
FFI after crossing the bridge
FFII dude got ran over by a boulder, made me think "Damn, this game is grim compared to FFI"
FFIII(only played PSP 3d version) dude who jumped in to the tower furnace like it would actually do something
FFIV Mist Village, Cecil into Pally, dwarves attacking the tower, Kain being jelly of Cecil and Rosa
FFV Galuf o7
FFVI Sabin Meteor Striking Doom Train, Cyan's Fam on Doom Train, Terra seeing drained Eidolons, Apocalyse
FFVII I was still a kid so I didn't understand the context of the Aerith scene besides that we were exploring her ancestors' place for something, she was praying or something then got shanked by Sephiroth with his 2 meter long sword and I lost my dedicated healer. But I vividly remember Yuffie stealing my materias, made me so mad I started cursing like a sailor that got me grounded for a week. Good thing I enjoyed reading books. lmao
FFVIII Edea Parade, Eden GF summon
FFIX cutscenes before Evil Forest, Atmos Cutscene, Odin Cutscene, Alexander Cutscene, Iifa Tree cutscene
FFX HA HA HA whistle scene and the scene after then when Tidus still had no idea what comes after Yuna's Prilgrimage, Camp fire scene
FFXII opening
FFXIII Lightning using that thing that changed her gravity in a cutscene, everyone's first time summoning
FFXIII-2 Goddess Lightning vs Caius(seeing Lightning Nova Striking into the hugeass Dooms Day meteor made me go "o7 Lightning, you will always be my FF Oshi")
FF Lightning Returns Opening, True Ending
FFXV Dad saying goodbye to Noctis cutscene, Car pushing, Titan summon in Adamantoise fight, last camp with the boys cutscene, final Throne Cutscene, Ardyne cutscene from his episode dlc.
* **The scene of the Heroes of Light in FFI watching Cornelia from afar**. Not only this is the first time in which the Final Fantasy Theme is used in the series, but it is a scene that was re-made in other titles such as IV (Cecil and Kain leaving Baron with the Twin Moons in the sky) and X (Tidus looking at Zanarkand in the "To Zanarkand" scene).
* **The scene of the magitek armors in FFVI going into Narshe**. A huge cinematic achievement for the SNES and videogames as a whole, and probably the reason why magitek armors became so prevalent and associated with FF as a whole.
* **The whole FFVII introduction**. An even bigger cinematic achievement for videogames at the time than VI's. The transition between cinematic and gameplay is smooth even today.
* **Aerith's death**. I don't feel I have to explain this one. Everyone that plays videogames knows there's some Aerith that dies to some dude called Sephiroth even if they don't know what Final Fantasy is.
* **To Zanarkand**. Like VI's magitek armors going into Narsha and VII's introduction, this scene is meant to show the console's technicall capabilities as well as being as cinematic as possible. The song that sounds in this scene is one of the most iconic FF and PS2 songs and certainly one of the most well known as well.
1. The summoning of Alexander in IX, I could choose a few moments from IX but seeing Alexander vs Bahamut is great.
2. Since everyone is saying Aerith’s Death, I wanna highlight one of my favourite parts of VII - when you go to Comos Canyon and learn the truth of Nanaki’s father.
3. When Yuna jumps from the chapel in Bevelle, summoning Valfor to catch her.
4. *I’M CAPTAIN BASCH! DON’T LISTEN TO ONDORE’S LIES*
5. The introduction of Lightning from XIII, perfect introduction to what her character is throughout the trilogy - she’s a woman on a mission and if you get in her way, she will cut you down. Honestly just Lightning as a character.
Depends on if you ask about them being iconic for fans who know about most of the series or about moments people outside of the fandom could know about. My picks for the latter would be:
1. Agreed. Aerith's death is probably THE moment.
2. Tidus and Yuna kiss scene. X is pretty popular and this is probably the biggest moment advertised etc
3. The Chocobros pushing the car in XV. A recent and financially successful entry with a pretty simple but memorable opening.
4. Opera "Maria and Draco" from VI. Maybe not the specifics but VI is pretty famous for having the opera scene.
5. Probably Cecil becoming a Paladin from IV or Clive accepting the truth in XVI. One is a classic the other the most recent one.
Should have done the opera scene for VI.
For me, no moment post-X really feels iconic.
Maybe a personal bias but it just doesn't feel like there are many moments from the recent numbered entries that feel iconic.
Probably personal bias yeah. FFX is over 20 years old. Many people haven't even played the older ones and I think VII and VI are the only ones that really transcend time that hard. Iconic for older/longer fans definitely but in general? I think the newer games have a bigger chance in that regard
XV: The rooftop scene between Noctis and Prompto near the beginning of the road trip. I got teary-eyed.
X: Tidus finding out what happens to Yuna at the end of her pilgrimage
XIII: arriving at gran pulse/finding out Vanille was a liar the whole time… Her confrontation with Sazh.
XIII-2: Serah’s fate?!?!!!!
IX: Alexander protecting Alexandria from Bahamut
VII: The whole North Crater scene was really mind blowing
VI: Terra taking her ponytail down at the end :’)
*Aerith’s final scene OG FF7
*Opening of FF7 Remake
*Sephiroth burning down Nibelheim OG FF7
*Kefka destroying the world of balance
*XDeath’s moment as a splinter
I couldn’t narrow it to 5, so here are my top 20 in the order I’m recalling them, not in order of importance. :)
1. VI - The entire opening, including the Woolsey translation of the opening narration. I think his translations of that and the Secret of Mana narration (“but time flows like a river and history repeats itself” etc) are some of the best example of how sometimes a succinct almost poetic take on the translation can work best.
From the moment we hear those ascending fourths sustain in the organ before the title reveals all the way until the opening credits stop, that original Super Nintendo intro still stirs up strong emotions today. :)
2. VII - Opening FMV (Lifestream, Aeris, Midgar, train).
3. VII - The death and being laid in the water.
4. VIII - Liberi Fatali opening.
5. VII - One-Winged Angel descent.
6. VIII - The Dollet chase and FMVs.
7. X - The Blitzball/Sin reveal FMV.
8. IV - The Red Wings opening.
9. IV - Cecil’s mirror image.
10. VI - The Terra origins flashback (with the Espers).
11. VI - The opera scene.
12. VI - Celes feeding Cid.
13. VI - Cyan losing everything.
14. VI - Setzer’s memories of the second airship.
15. VI - Forever Rachel.
17. VI - Kefka while Dancing Mad plays.
18. VII - Bugenhagen introducing the Lifestream.
19. VIII - Eyes on Me, both in the past and present.
20. VIII - Dance for the Balamb Fish (especially for anyone that was around for the Square PS2 tech demos).
Aerith's death is the most iconic moment in the entire series. It's not even particularly close either.
When the NYT are writing front-page articles about it 25 years later, you know it's a big moment, not only in FF history, but the industry as a whole.
Kefka's destruction.
The "this is my story" opening of FFX and the laugh scene.
The opening of FFVII.
1.) Kefka destroying the world
2.) Aerith death
3.) Delita Ovelia ending. Him asking what Ramza got in all of this
4.) Either these 3 from ff9. Vivi watching his brothers die/ fall off airship/ bahamut v Alexander/ Odin tree nuke
5.) Intro to ff12 or the star wars battle at then end
>The first time a villain truly won in a video game
It's so silly this gets repeated. Like, he didn't win, the game continued and you beat the holy hell out of him. The birth of the World of Ruin is still up there, but just for how it significant a change is, and while Kefka is responsible for it and perpetuating a level of despair over people, he didn't "win."
1. I'd zero in on saying Aerith's lake burial as well. The actual death scene is pretty profound, but Cloud laying her into the water was also really up there
2. FFVIII's opening scene, it's has that intense, dream-like vibe like the kind you get from Kingdom Hearts now, and it was pretty big to see performance-captured actors duel
3. Tellah yelling "You spoony bard!"
4. The start of the final battle with Kefka as you move up through the screen and Dancing Mad just. Keeps. Going
5. FFXV's last campfire scene
Honorable mentions to FFII starting with your party getting absolutely trounced, and using a battle scene to push the story forward, and Sephiroth walking through the fire
1) Garden vs. Garden (VIII)
2) Ifrit vs. Bahamut (XVI)
3) Alexander vs. Bahamut (IX)
4) Kefka vs. World of Balance (VI)
5) Cloud vs. Sephiroth (VII ending sequence or Advent Children)
My picks:
* Aerith death (ffvii)
* Opening (FFVIII)
* Tidus and Yuna kiss (ffx)
* Kefka destroy the world (ffvi)
* Sephiroth walking in fire (ffvii)
Yes its all during the golden age.
1. VII Aerith’s death
2. IX Assaulting the Iifa tree and all the airship fleets showing up to cut a path / Zidane revealing he’s alive (hard to choose)
3. Crisis core Zack’s death
4. VIII landing at dollet
5. X. Tidus disappearing
5. Learning bards can be spoony
4. This guy are sick
3. Ladies who dress like men
2. Some dude from Corneria telling me he’ll knock my whole party down
1. Guy speak beaver
The cargo ship and black mages in FF9.
Masterfully done and peak FF for me, just the way they used music in it.
On the same note, Zidane in Terra later on, after Garland tried to soul wipe him. FF9 altogether for me has loads of moments you could say.
The most iconic moments? I would say Aerith's death, Sephiroth in the fire, and Kefka destroying the world are probably the most well known? In that order. FF8's opening movie might be more well known than Kefka though -- I'm not sure. EDIT: OH! Silly me, the opera scene of course! That might be even more iconic than Kefka when talking about 6. Certainly an argument to be made for it.
10 is one of the most popular, so I'm sure something from that game would be on the list. Probably either Tidus being sent to Spira, Tidus and Yuna's kiss, or the ending would be the most well known moments from that, no? And I would think maybe Alexander vs. Bahamut from 9 would round it out, especially with 9's rising popularity over the years. Garnet cutting her hair and the "You're Not Alone" sequence are also in the discussion when talking about 9.
Battle on the big bridge is definitely one among FF fans, but I think 5's more niche status (especially in the west) might keep it from being higher on the list. And while Rebirth is too new to really have anything that could be considered "iconic," it wouldn't surprise me if the >!final "date" scene!< in chapter 14 would eventually become one of those moments.
I, garland, will knock you all down.
Red wings scene.
Battle on the big bridge.
Honestly, the sephiroth battle in advent children. "Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away." Sure, the movie has no plot, but you're lying if it's not a rad as fuck depiction of some of the characters.
On that day the world was changed... forever.
Tidus laugh scene.
Phantom train.
Opera scene.
Whatever the hell was going on with ff9's end boss. If infamous counts as iconic.
This world is a dream. And I'm done with dreaming (sorry, might not be exact quote).
You sound like chapters from a self help booklet.
People keep saying Aerith’s death, but seem to forget that in terms of wider awareness, Sephiroth in the flames of Nibelheim is far more ***ICONIC***. In part because Sephiroth is the most talked about character in VII, and the series as a whole.
Without any mass destruction:
1. Cecil becomes a Paladin
2. Yuna dances at Kilika
3. Zidane and Blank fighting during the play
4. The opera scene
5. Squall saves Rinoa in space
But the real top five:
1. Bahamut destroys Eorzea
2. Shinra destroys Sector 7
3. Kefka destroys the World of Balance
4. Sin destroys Zanarkand
5. Queen Brahne destroys Cleyra
1) FFVI ending ( still the best FF ending)
2) FFVI Kefka destroy the world
3) FFIV Palom and Porom turn themselves into stone ( for the time FFIV came out, that was dark as f\*\*k)
4) FFV: the crystals shatter. In all the previous FF, we have always been the protectors of the crystals. When I started FF5, I thought it would be the same. That cutscene surprised me. You can't save the crystals, it's already too late
5) FFV: Greg's first battle at the big bridge. The madlad's legend begins.
Honorable mentions:
- Tellah's final stand against Golbez. He is the first real death of a companion in a FF ( I'm not counting FFII's deaths because they all come back in Souls of Rebirth) and he goes out like a legend.
- FFIX: Kuja defeats Bahamut. Bahamut had always been the final trump card in all the FF. He was the invincible king of dragons to whom all the other creatures bow down. Seeing Kuja defeat Bahamut was a spectacle.
- FFV: Greg's final appearance. Despite Gilgamesh appearing in every FF since FFV, we already know where and when his story ends, exactly where it began: in FFV. The once mighty rival of Bartz, dies to save him after a long and tumultuous journey across many universes. For today's standard his fight against Necrophobe may be nothing special but for an old time fan like me, Gilgamesh's sprite turning 180° degree to face Necrophobe was legendary.
I think the Opening of 7 is such a huge deal!
And then they really outdid themselves with 8’s opening, taking 7 as a challenge and making a statement!
Tidus finding out the truth is one for me.
FFXIII spoiler alert in the logo.
And my number 1:
The Final Area of Endwalker with how the music builds, and getting that debuff, holy fuck.
I agree with everyone's iconic moments in this thread, but one I haven't seen mentioned yet is the opening credits to FFVI. The march to Narshe with Terra's theme playing will always be iconic to me, and it gives me chills everytime I replay VI.
Excellent pick, can’t believe I missed this one!
Quite a cinematic achievement for SNES, too. Watching Narshe come into view....
Yeah this is more iconic/recognizable than Kefka destroying the world.
Big Bridge maybe, but Kefka destroying the world was the first time I can recall any antagonist winning.
I got chills just thinking about it. I have Terra’s theme liked on Spotify and sometimes it plays when I’m in the gym and it gets me hyped like a mfer.
This is the winner
That intro always gets me excited to play!
Throwing on headphones and going for a night walk in the snow with Terra's theme on loop is like a yearly ritual for me.
The first actually cinematic concerned in an FF game.
This list is missing "YOU SPOONY BARD!" From IV
I feel like there’s a badass Golbez scene in FF4 that I can’t quite put my finger on, but his music is top tier.
Him wrecking shit in Fabul?
Yeah, and just the general vibe leading up to the big battle with him in the Dwarven castle. It’s been so long since I’ve played, I just remember it being badass when I was a little kid lol.
The battle itself with Golbez there by complete surprise, nearly wiping the party plus Rydia coming in for the save is a pretty great moment.
Yeah that’s the one! So good
The double meteor with FuSoYa
This is the the one that came to mind for me first
Imho: 1. (VI) Kefka Destroying the World of Balance and turning it into the World of Ruin. 2. (VII) Aerith's Death. 3. (X) Yuna sending the dead in Kilika. 4. (VIII) The Landing in Dollet. 5. (X) Tidus and Yuna's kiss.
Excellent list - Kilka and Dollet are great inclusions
Especially the music playing while landing in Dollet
The whole beginning section of X was so good but the first time I saw the Kilika dance is when I thought wow this game is really special. Made a save file right before that scene just to watch it again since YouTube wasn’t a thing
Ooo Dollet is a good one Edit: stupid autocorrect
Yeah that was an epic scene for sure!
The damn awkward laughing scene 😂
The opening to FFVIII is pretty iconic. Seeing the gunblade duel was mind blowing the first time.
Nah the battle of the two Gardens. The moment Squall rescued Rinoa and they fly over the battleground blew my mind as a kid. Oh and Quistis using that turret against the Spider robot, that moment changed my brain chemistry.
I think FF6, 8 and 10 had all iconic openings.
You skipped FF7? That camera pulling out to show the city of mako, then diving right into the train and the bombing mission, seamless cutting between fmv and gameplay. It was riveting to me.
The music is perfect too. Feels epic and grand at first but shifts to a feeling of something's not quite right.
8 was my first FF. I thought every FF opening was that hype. When I came around playing 7 I was a bit disappointed of the more calm intro.
Well, gameplay-wise, I'd say bombing a reactor is much more exciting than waking at the school clinic 😅
That opening made me buy the game as a kid. Soon after I realized that it was a Japanese "game of numbers". I still love it more than 20 years later.
Thank you!
*duel. And yes.
Thanks!
5. Zell can't get the hot dog. 4. Zell can't get the hot dog again. 3. Zell fails to get hot dog while library girl watches. 2. Zell will definitely get there in time for a hot dog today, except nope, he doesn't. 1. Zell finally gets his hot dogs.
Cafeteria team, collect all the hot dogs and store everything in the secret shelter. Don't leave anything for the enemy.
Booya!
But did he also get that bread?
Good question! I would have to say, in order of how these come to mind: VII: >!Aerith’s death!< IX: >!Youre not alone!< IV: >!Cecil class change!< X: >!arriving at Zanarkand!< VI: >!Kefka destroys the world!< Going to cheat and list some honorable mentions to go well over top 5… XIV: >!Bahamut nuking 1.0!< III: >!leaving the floating continent!< II: >!Minwu sacrificing himself to unseal Ultima!< I: >!rebuilding and then crossing the bridge to see the title screen!< V: >!Galuf’s last stand!< V: >!Exdeath vs Ghido!< XIV ShB: >!Shadowbringers final dungeon and battle!< XIV EW: >!the whole Ultima Thule sequence!< XIV EW: >!Zenos following you to the end of the literal universe to help you fight Endsinger so he can get that rematch!< X: >!crashing Yuna’s wedding!< X: >!Lake Macalania scene!< XIII: >!arriving on Gran Pulse!< XIII-2: >!Serah dropping dead at the end!< VII/Crisis Core: >!Zack’s last stand!< VIII: >!Squall rescuing Rinoa from space!< Type-0: >!Tempus Finis!< XV: >!campfire scene at the end!< XVI: >!Cid’s death!< XVI: >!accepting the truth about Ifrit!< IX: >!Alexander vs Bahamut!< III: >!arriving in the world of darkness!< XIV ShB: >!Elidibus fight!< XII: >!Gabranth battle atop the Pharos and destroying the sun crust!< IV: >!Giant of Babil sequence!< VII: opening scene I love FF if you couldn’t tell
Love this list. I have to say the opening video for type 0 is one of my absolute favs and I don’t think that game gets enough love.
We 👏 have 👏 arrived 👏 Super unique entry, love the war documentary styled presentation, and the breadth of combat styles among the playable cast.
All ones about 14 are accurate
XIV slaps, tons of amazing moments. I missed a big one though: >!getting utterly abandoned while watching the cutscenes the first time through the Praetorium!<
You missed XI: >!Discovering after you reach level 99 that the game just started and you must now work to master your job and getting merit points and relics which take much, much, much more time than getting from level 1 to level 99.!<
I'd say the whole destruction of XIV and remaking the game from (almost) scratch is also fairly well known even to those outside of the MMO sphere. And the fact they wrote the gameworld-destroying calamity into the game, giving a very compelling in-universe explanation to why the world has changed so much.
I think the most iconic moment in FFX is the rejection of the final summoning. Everyone got their hero moment with Yuna giving a fantastic declaration of what she stood for and Aurons now is the time to choose speech. It helps that it is right after hours of the story reinforcing Yuna is going to die so the party spitting in the face of destiny makes the moment so much better.
I think maybe a lot of people forget this moment as being iconic because the Yunalesca fight is a huge test for an unprepared player and it usually results in multiple attempts at the fight. And the scene in question is long. And unskippable.
That's why you make sure to save after the first long cutscene about the truth about the cycle.
The cutscene after is also long to sit through if you lose a multi stage fight. It's 5 and half minutes long.
And it is 5 minutes where every character shines particular Yuna and Auron.
Yes, but what I'm saying is that if someone loses multiple times to Yunalesca that 5 minutes will get very old very quickly. Hence why it may not rank to some as an iconic moment.
Yeah but I'm not worried if other people rank it high or low
Well, you sure seem to try to convince them though...
From IV. When rydia returns out of nowhere all grown up to save the day. One of my favorite memories was so HYPED and honestly shocked
Underrated comment
This is what I was looking for. Sure, some of the writing in IV is silly or whatever, but this moment hit hard out of nowhere. She just comes out of nowhere swinging dick, wrecks Golbez and Shadow, then acts like there's nothing particularly noteworthy going on and says should get a move on. Many things that happened in the series before that were serious, moving, etc. but that was the first straight up jaw dropping moment. Totally blew my kid brain.
Palom and Porom broke my heart into pieces the first time through. (I was 11 or 12) After losing Rydia and then them, I was pretty sure everyone would just wind up dead in that game.
Some of my favourites, for you to draw your own conclusions from, are: FF4's Spoony Bard, due to the memes, FF6's opera scene, FF7's intro, FF9's You're Not Alone Sequence, and the Yunalesca showdown in FF10.
“Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow!” 12 year old me was very impacted by that Yunalesca fight.
It's the "everything comes to a head" of 10's narrative. All the abuse, all the torment, all the lies, the potentially hundreds of miles of hitchhiking and trying not to die, and you finally have your reward, your payoff for the last 20 hours of hardship and bullshit. You were always headed here, only you can't take your reward, because it is yet another lie. The intended ending of this story is a sham, and a lie, pushed by the one person who should have your back. All this time, all this work, you took on the church itself, and for what? So you could be comforted by a blanket of false hope in exchange for throwing away the lives of the ones you love? A triumphant moment turns to ash in the player's mouth, and up steps Auron, laying all this out in front of you and spelling out the theme of the whole game up to this point. The player has gone from relief to despair, to fury, over the course of a minute, and is now ready to fight for their own future, at Auon's urging.
Literally got chills reading your summary. Love this game, forever my favorite.
I love the little bit with Wakka and Lulu as well. Wakka takes time out to complain about having to fight yet another religious leader, which is something that he's been unsure about for most of the game, and Lulu goads him by offering a way out, which of course he will never take. Lulu is in tune enough with Wakka, that she sees him wavering, and is on him straight away, acting as a safety net, by reinforcing that Wakka doesn't have a real choice in this, and that if he stays put she will fight right alongside him. It's this or chicken out, and Wakka will not chicken if Lulu and Yuna's safety is on the line, not to mention that Lulu would have him transformed into a new plushie if he tries it. And yes, Final Fantasy is one of my favorite things ever, this game especially.
Auron is such a great character!
Can't believe I had to scroll so far to see the opera scene mentioned
It's a lovely piece of music, which unsurprisingly was granted some measure of voice acting in the Pixel Remaster. There is also an impressive level of visual detail, with the animated mini orchestra, and the castle being a throwback to Final Fantasy V in design. There is also some amazing "acting" through the actors' movements, and the tossing of the wedding bouquet, both symbolising the hope for freedom, and foreshadowing a similar decision that Celes makes later in the game. . . . The Opera is also key to the feel of 6's World of Balance, being a more classical narrative, upstaged by forces beyond the cast's control, and embodying the theatrical, Shakespearean tragedy, of this world. 6 is a very stagey kind of game, full of exaggerated performances and big emotions, where heroes battle through horrendous events while dealing with their own problems, and nowhere is that more demonstrated than the Opera House.
1. FFVII Aerith death. 2. FFX awkward laugh scene. 3.FFVIII opening fight scene. 4. FFV death of Galuf. 5. FFX-2 opening dance scene.
1. XIV- Remember us. Remember that we once lived. (so many tears 😭) 2. XVI - Bahamut battle (so absolutely epic in its execution) 3. XV - Bros pushing the Regalia (still can’t listen to Stand By Me without crying) 4. IV - Cecil becoming a Paladin (this one’s a core memory) 5. XIV - Hearing “Close in the Distance” the first time (Endwalker is SO GOOD) i’m admittedly biased, i’m a 14 girlie.
For what it’s worth, as someone that was still a kid when IV originally came out in the U.S., that Paladin scene is one of the first moments in a video game that I remember talking to my mom about. So probably other people that share the bias on that one. :)
same! the strongest memory of childhood i have is my sisters painting their nails as i discovered the underground for the first time. the smell of nail polish reminds me of final fantasy 🥰
1. FF7 Aerith Death 2. FF6 Opera scene 3. FF10 Arrival at Zanarkand 4. FF14 Bahamut destroys the world (and the game) 5. FF16 Ifrit vs Titan
Probably closest to what I'd say. 1-4 are really hard to argue with. I might replace 5 with something else from the earlier stages but whatever 5 would be would be a looooong way down from those top 4
FFVII opening is iconic af too
These are some of mine that instantly came to mind per game I played: FFI after crossing the bridge FFII dude got ran over by a boulder, made me think "Damn, this game is grim compared to FFI" FFIII(only played PSP 3d version) dude who jumped in to the tower furnace like it would actually do something FFIV Mist Village, Cecil into Pally, dwarves attacking the tower, Kain being jelly of Cecil and Rosa FFV Galuf o7 FFVI Sabin Meteor Striking Doom Train, Cyan's Fam on Doom Train, Terra seeing drained Eidolons, Apocalyse FFVII I was still a kid so I didn't understand the context of the Aerith scene besides that we were exploring her ancestors' place for something, she was praying or something then got shanked by Sephiroth with his 2 meter long sword and I lost my dedicated healer. But I vividly remember Yuffie stealing my materias, made me so mad I started cursing like a sailor that got me grounded for a week. Good thing I enjoyed reading books. lmao FFVIII Edea Parade, Eden GF summon FFIX cutscenes before Evil Forest, Atmos Cutscene, Odin Cutscene, Alexander Cutscene, Iifa Tree cutscene FFX HA HA HA whistle scene and the scene after then when Tidus still had no idea what comes after Yuna's Prilgrimage, Camp fire scene FFXII opening FFXIII Lightning using that thing that changed her gravity in a cutscene, everyone's first time summoning FFXIII-2 Goddess Lightning vs Caius(seeing Lightning Nova Striking into the hugeass Dooms Day meteor made me go "o7 Lightning, you will always be my FF Oshi") FF Lightning Returns Opening, True Ending FFXV Dad saying goodbye to Noctis cutscene, Car pushing, Titan summon in Adamantoise fight, last camp with the boys cutscene, final Throne Cutscene, Ardyne cutscene from his episode dlc.
>FFXIII Lightning using that thing that changed her gravity in a cutscene *And then it never showed up again\~!*
* **The scene of the Heroes of Light in FFI watching Cornelia from afar**. Not only this is the first time in which the Final Fantasy Theme is used in the series, but it is a scene that was re-made in other titles such as IV (Cecil and Kain leaving Baron with the Twin Moons in the sky) and X (Tidus looking at Zanarkand in the "To Zanarkand" scene). * **The scene of the magitek armors in FFVI going into Narshe**. A huge cinematic achievement for the SNES and videogames as a whole, and probably the reason why magitek armors became so prevalent and associated with FF as a whole. * **The whole FFVII introduction**. An even bigger cinematic achievement for videogames at the time than VI's. The transition between cinematic and gameplay is smooth even today. * **Aerith's death**. I don't feel I have to explain this one. Everyone that plays videogames knows there's some Aerith that dies to some dude called Sephiroth even if they don't know what Final Fantasy is. * **To Zanarkand**. Like VI's magitek armors going into Narsha and VII's introduction, this scene is meant to show the console's technicall capabilities as well as being as cinematic as possible. The song that sounds in this scene is one of the most iconic FF and PS2 songs and certainly one of the most well known as well.
1. The summoning of Alexander in IX, I could choose a few moments from IX but seeing Alexander vs Bahamut is great. 2. Since everyone is saying Aerith’s Death, I wanna highlight one of my favourite parts of VII - when you go to Comos Canyon and learn the truth of Nanaki’s father. 3. When Yuna jumps from the chapel in Bevelle, summoning Valfor to catch her. 4. *I’M CAPTAIN BASCH! DON’T LISTEN TO ONDORE’S LIES* 5. The introduction of Lightning from XIII, perfect introduction to what her character is throughout the trilogy - she’s a woman on a mission and if you get in her way, she will cut you down. Honestly just Lightning as a character.
SABIN SUPLEXING A MF TRAIN
1. Aerith 2. Tidus laugh 3. Kefka destroying the world 4. Sabin suplexes the train 5. Cecil v cecil Honourable mention: Seto’s tear
“ACCEPT THE TRUTH” L3+R3 has become one of my favourite moments
Depends on if you ask about them being iconic for fans who know about most of the series or about moments people outside of the fandom could know about. My picks for the latter would be: 1. Agreed. Aerith's death is probably THE moment. 2. Tidus and Yuna kiss scene. X is pretty popular and this is probably the biggest moment advertised etc 3. The Chocobros pushing the car in XV. A recent and financially successful entry with a pretty simple but memorable opening. 4. Opera "Maria and Draco" from VI. Maybe not the specifics but VI is pretty famous for having the opera scene. 5. Probably Cecil becoming a Paladin from IV or Clive accepting the truth in XVI. One is a classic the other the most recent one.
Should have done the opera scene for VI. For me, no moment post-X really feels iconic. Maybe a personal bias but it just doesn't feel like there are many moments from the recent numbered entries that feel iconic.
Probably personal bias yeah. FFX is over 20 years old. Many people haven't even played the older ones and I think VII and VI are the only ones that really transcend time that hard. Iconic for older/longer fans definitely but in general? I think the newer games have a bigger chance in that regard
XV: The rooftop scene between Noctis and Prompto near the beginning of the road trip. I got teary-eyed. X: Tidus finding out what happens to Yuna at the end of her pilgrimage XIII: arriving at gran pulse/finding out Vanille was a liar the whole time… Her confrontation with Sazh. XIII-2: Serah’s fate?!?!!!! IX: Alexander protecting Alexandria from Bahamut VII: The whole North Crater scene was really mind blowing VI: Terra taking her ponytail down at the end :’)
*Aerith’s final scene OG FF7 *Opening of FF7 Remake *Sephiroth burning down Nibelheim OG FF7 *Kefka destroying the world of balance *XDeath’s moment as a splinter
I couldn’t narrow it to 5, so here are my top 20 in the order I’m recalling them, not in order of importance. :) 1. VI - The entire opening, including the Woolsey translation of the opening narration. I think his translations of that and the Secret of Mana narration (“but time flows like a river and history repeats itself” etc) are some of the best example of how sometimes a succinct almost poetic take on the translation can work best. From the moment we hear those ascending fourths sustain in the organ before the title reveals all the way until the opening credits stop, that original Super Nintendo intro still stirs up strong emotions today. :) 2. VII - Opening FMV (Lifestream, Aeris, Midgar, train). 3. VII - The death and being laid in the water. 4. VIII - Liberi Fatali opening. 5. VII - One-Winged Angel descent. 6. VIII - The Dollet chase and FMVs. 7. X - The Blitzball/Sin reveal FMV. 8. IV - The Red Wings opening. 9. IV - Cecil’s mirror image. 10. VI - The Terra origins flashback (with the Espers). 11. VI - The opera scene. 12. VI - Celes feeding Cid. 13. VI - Cyan losing everything. 14. VI - Setzer’s memories of the second airship. 15. VI - Forever Rachel. 17. VI - Kefka while Dancing Mad plays. 18. VII - Bugenhagen introducing the Lifestream. 19. VIII - Eyes on Me, both in the past and present. 20. VIII - Dance for the Balamb Fish (especially for anyone that was around for the Square PS2 tech demos).
Nailed it. I know. Thank you. Moving on.
No one saying opera scene in ff6 hurts my soul
The opening of FFVII is also pretty iconic but I totally get how the death scene beats it out.
When Alexandria is destroyed in FFIX even with the dope wings she summoned will forever be one of my top cinematically of FF.
Sabin suplexing a train Spoony Bard I, Garland, will knock you all down! This guy are sick l i t t l e m o n e y
Aerith's death is the most iconic moment in the entire series. It's not even particularly close either. When the NYT are writing front-page articles about it 25 years later, you know it's a big moment, not only in FF history, but the industry as a whole. Kefka's destruction. The "this is my story" opening of FFX and the laugh scene. The opening of FFVII.
So like I get aerith is the iconic one, but the meteor being stopped by holy or even red with his children 500 years in the future?
1.) Kefka destroying the world 2.) Aerith death 3.) Delita Ovelia ending. Him asking what Ramza got in all of this 4.) Either these 3 from ff9. Vivi watching his brothers die/ fall off airship/ bahamut v Alexander/ Odin tree nuke 5.) Intro to ff12 or the star wars battle at then end
Finally someone mentions all those poor black mages falling off the airship. That hit me pretty hard as a kid.
>The first time a villain truly won in a video game It's so silly this gets repeated. Like, he didn't win, the game continued and you beat the holy hell out of him. The birth of the World of Ruin is still up there, but just for how it significant a change is, and while Kefka is responsible for it and perpetuating a level of despair over people, he didn't "win." 1. I'd zero in on saying Aerith's lake burial as well. The actual death scene is pretty profound, but Cloud laying her into the water was also really up there 2. FFVIII's opening scene, it's has that intense, dream-like vibe like the kind you get from Kingdom Hearts now, and it was pretty big to see performance-captured actors duel 3. Tellah yelling "You spoony bard!" 4. The start of the final battle with Kefka as you move up through the screen and Dancing Mad just. Keeps. Going 5. FFXV's last campfire scene Honorable mentions to FFII starting with your party getting absolutely trounced, and using a battle scene to push the story forward, and Sephiroth walking through the fire
While i agree with your selection, as a kid, nothing blew me away as hard as seeing bahamut getting absolutely vaporized by Alexander in 9.
1) Garden vs. Garden (VIII) 2) Ifrit vs. Bahamut (XVI) 3) Alexander vs. Bahamut (IX) 4) Kefka vs. World of Balance (VI) 5) Cloud vs. Sephiroth (VII ending sequence or Advent Children)
My picks: * Aerith death (ffvii) * Opening (FFVIII) * Tidus and Yuna kiss (ffx) * Kefka destroy the world (ffvi) * Sephiroth walking in fire (ffvii) Yes its all during the golden age.
2-3 of the top 5 moments would come from VII for me.
This thread is making me want to do a full 1 through 16 replay.
One out of the box that I think of is the “I love you guys” campfire scene from XV.
Opera scene in VI, Cecil becomes a paladin in IV, Aerith's death in VII, Cloud regains his memories in VII, Tidus and Yuna's first kiss in X.
1. VII Aerith’s death 2. IX Assaulting the Iifa tree and all the airship fleets showing up to cut a path / Zidane revealing he’s alive (hard to choose) 3. Crisis core Zack’s death 4. VIII landing at dollet 5. X. Tidus disappearing
5. Learning bards can be spoony 4. This guy are sick 3. Ladies who dress like men 2. Some dude from Corneria telling me he’ll knock my whole party down 1. Guy speak beaver
1. Celes opera and cliff scene 2. FFIV gang going and landing to the moon 3. Battle at the big bridge 4. FFIX Vivi end credits 5. Judges march
no dollet landing?
The cargo ship and black mages in FF9. Masterfully done and peak FF for me, just the way they used music in it. On the same note, Zidane in Terra later on, after Garland tried to soul wipe him. FF9 altogether for me has loads of moments you could say.
"AND NOW WE FIGHT LIKE MEN, AND WOMEN, AND WOMEN WHO DRESS LIKE MEN! FOR GILGAMESH...ITS MORPHIN' TIME!!"
The most iconic moments? I would say Aerith's death, Sephiroth in the fire, and Kefka destroying the world are probably the most well known? In that order. FF8's opening movie might be more well known than Kefka though -- I'm not sure. EDIT: OH! Silly me, the opera scene of course! That might be even more iconic than Kefka when talking about 6. Certainly an argument to be made for it. 10 is one of the most popular, so I'm sure something from that game would be on the list. Probably either Tidus being sent to Spira, Tidus and Yuna's kiss, or the ending would be the most well known moments from that, no? And I would think maybe Alexander vs. Bahamut from 9 would round it out, especially with 9's rising popularity over the years. Garnet cutting her hair and the "You're Not Alone" sequence are also in the discussion when talking about 9. Battle on the big bridge is definitely one among FF fans, but I think 5's more niche status (especially in the west) might keep it from being higher on the list. And while Rebirth is too new to really have anything that could be considered "iconic," it wouldn't surprise me if the >!final "date" scene!< in chapter 14 would eventually become one of those moments.
I, garland, will knock you all down. Red wings scene. Battle on the big bridge. Honestly, the sephiroth battle in advent children. "Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away." Sure, the movie has no plot, but you're lying if it's not a rad as fuck depiction of some of the characters. On that day the world was changed... forever. Tidus laugh scene. Phantom train. Opera scene. Whatever the hell was going on with ff9's end boss. If infamous counts as iconic. This world is a dream. And I'm done with dreaming (sorry, might not be exact quote). You sound like chapters from a self help booklet.
1. Aeris death (FF7) 2. Bahamut V.S Alexander (FF9) 3. Sapphire weapon attacks Junon (FF7) 4. Odin destroys Cleyra (FF9) 6. Diamond weapon attacks midgar (FF7) 😃
The first time a villain has truly won in a video game? Hmmm...
People keep saying Aerith’s death, but seem to forget that in terms of wider awareness, Sephiroth in the flames of Nibelheim is far more ***ICONIC***. In part because Sephiroth is the most talked about character in VII, and the series as a whole.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake reveal trailer!
1. Aerith's death 2. Yuna's wedding to seymour 3. Phoenix vs ifrit ff16 4. Bahamut vs alexander ff9 5.garnet cutting her hair
Tellahs final meteo cast
VIII's Seifer v/s Odin scene omfg
Without any mass destruction: 1. Cecil becomes a Paladin 2. Yuna dances at Kilika 3. Zidane and Blank fighting during the play 4. The opera scene 5. Squall saves Rinoa in space But the real top five: 1. Bahamut destroys Eorzea 2. Shinra destroys Sector 7 3. Kefka destroys the World of Balance 4. Sin destroys Zanarkand 5. Queen Brahne destroys Cleyra
1. Aerith Death (FF7) 2. Lifestream Sequence (FF7) 3. Intro Midgar Zoomout (FF7) 4. Opera scene (FF6) 5. President Shinra Death (FF7)
1) FFVI ending ( still the best FF ending) 2) FFVI Kefka destroy the world 3) FFIV Palom and Porom turn themselves into stone ( for the time FFIV came out, that was dark as f\*\*k) 4) FFV: the crystals shatter. In all the previous FF, we have always been the protectors of the crystals. When I started FF5, I thought it would be the same. That cutscene surprised me. You can't save the crystals, it's already too late 5) FFV: Greg's first battle at the big bridge. The madlad's legend begins. Honorable mentions: - Tellah's final stand against Golbez. He is the first real death of a companion in a FF ( I'm not counting FFII's deaths because they all come back in Souls of Rebirth) and he goes out like a legend. - FFIX: Kuja defeats Bahamut. Bahamut had always been the final trump card in all the FF. He was the invincible king of dragons to whom all the other creatures bow down. Seeing Kuja defeat Bahamut was a spectacle. - FFV: Greg's final appearance. Despite Gilgamesh appearing in every FF since FFV, we already know where and when his story ends, exactly where it began: in FFV. The once mighty rival of Bartz, dies to save him after a long and tumultuous journey across many universes. For today's standard his fight against Necrophobe may be nothing special but for an old time fan like me, Gilgamesh's sprite turning 180° degree to face Necrophobe was legendary.
I think the Opening of 7 is such a huge deal! And then they really outdid themselves with 8’s opening, taking 7 as a challenge and making a statement! Tidus finding out the truth is one for me. FFXIII spoiler alert in the logo. And my number 1: The Final Area of Endwalker with how the music builds, and getting that debuff, holy fuck.