Final Fantasy is one of the biggest and oldest J-RPG series out there. Square-Enix has kept the series going since the NES era, and even now fans are eagerly anticipating the latest installment of Final Fantasy XVI. Deciding the strongest among Final Fantasy’s many characters is difficult. So many new ideas are added in each installment, such as summons, classes, and magic types.
Later games will then take some of those same ideas out to add others and keep things feeling fresh. Many of these protagonists have accomplished some amazing feats in their respective games. The villains they beat and the situations they overcome help decide which of these well-known heroes is the mightiest.
10 Squall Is A Mercenary Master Of The Gunblade
The calculating mercenary of Balamb Garden, Squall spent most of his youth training to be a mercenary. This leads to him becoming the leader of his own squadron, even if he finds the job more trouble than it’s worth. Squall’s weapon is the iconic Gunblade—literally a sword that can shoot people. Squall’s Lion Heart Limit Break is one of the most dangerous in the game, hitting for absurd amounts of damage. Final Fantasy VIII’s magic system means he’s no better or worse in pure skill than any other character in his universe, but he did help defeat a sorceress who could manipulate time and space
9 Cecil Wields The Power Of White Magic As A Paladin
Lead protagonist of Final Fantasy IV, Cecil starts out as a leader of the air force known as the Red Wings and a Dark Knight. Over the course of the game, Cecil transformed from Dark Knight to Paladin, changing out his abilities. In this new form, he’s more of a defensive fighter and tank for his group. His ability to use light magic in addition to being a swordsman make him versatile, but he has no singular ability that would put him in the class of some of the more powerful Final Fantasy protagonists.
8 Tidus Is Talented With Spells To Increase His Speed
Protagonist of Final Fantasy X, Tidus was an ordinary Blitzball player until he was transported to the world of Spira. His only chance at a way home? Help the summoner Yuna on her pilgrimage to stop Sin. On this journey, Tidus discovers his skill with swords and his talent for white magic.
Though he can technically learn a wide variety of powers thanks to the Sphere Grid system, his true talents lean towards speed. He even learns Haste and various attacks to slow his opponent down. Some of Tidus’s strongest abilities rely on him being at max strength though, which raises questions as to how good he is during longer battles.
7 Bartz Can Master All Job Classes
Bartz is supposed to be just “some guy” at first, but his contact with the crystals transform him into a Light Warrior. This gives him the responsibility of helping to protect the world, and fortunately he has the power of the crystals to grant him access to various jobs. Bartz can change jobs almost at will, choosing from the large number of jobs available in Final Fantasy V. In terms of pure versatility, he can’t be beat. Still, his true power comes from working with his friends rather than fighting alone.
6 Ramza Has Battled And Defeated A Group Of Demons To Save His Nation
The lead protagonist of Final Fantasy Tactics Ramza spends his life as an outlaw and heretic because of his desire to do the right thing. Ramza battles against the Lucavi to bring peace to Ivalice, successfully completing his mission before disappearing. Ramza has high all-around stats in a way no one else that joins the player’s party does. He’s basically able to do any job class in the game at a high level, even casting spells—which is why he can master the area of effect spell Ultima, the best non-elemental spell in the game.
5 Zidane Uses His Powerful Trance Attacks To Defeat Enemies
The dashing thief of the Tantalus Theater Troupe, Zidane is deceptively powerful. Though his special ability is usually just stealing from people, that’s only in basic situations. When things get serious, Zidane can enter a Trance state. In Trance, Zidane can rely on his Dyne abilities. Depending on what other abilities he has, Dyne will allow Zidane access to increasingly powerful attacks. The strongest one, Grand Lethal, is an area of effect attack that bombards enemies with energy directly from Zidane’s body. Though people who didn’t play Final Fantasy IX might discount Zidane’s powers, the villains he defeated combined with his own special abilities put him in the upper echelon of Final Fantasy protagonists.
4 Cloud Has Access To Powerful Materia And The Dangerous Omnislash Attack
Augmented by experiments to make him a SOLDIER, Cloud is already gifted with abilities beyond those of normal people. Just the ease with which he wields his Buster Sword should say plenty about how strong he is.
He also has access to a wide variety of materia that make him capable of a number of powerful spells, including summon spells like Bahamut or the Knights of the Round. His Limit Breaks are some of the strongest in Final Fantasy history, and Omnislash was able to take down Sephiroth despite his incredible power at that point.
3 Terra Is A Being Made Of Pure Magic Energy
While it’s supposed to be focused on an ensemble cast, its hard to pretend like Terra isn’t the main character of Final Fantasy VI. Terra is a top-tier magician, a master of magic in a party where not everyone is capable of spellcasting. She can also go into Trance, which transforms her into a being of pure magic known as an esper. Her powers as an esper make her capable of dealing even more magical damage. Terra’s power is so great that much of her story is centered around whether she’s willing to use it all, which does limit her ability.
2 Noctis Can Teleport Around And Attack With Invisible Weapons
As someone in line to become the next king, Noctis is outfitted with some pretty awesome powers. He can literally warp around the field to attack his opponents, summoning weapons to strike. With the power of Armiger, he can use all of his weapons at the same time, making it nearly impossible to know where he’s attacking from since the weapons aren’t even visible until he’s hitting people. He also has access to a suite of dangerous spells like Alterna, which literally breaks reality to destroy his enemies.
1 Lightning Wields Countless Game-Breaking Powers As A Goddess
There are plenty of fans that might not like Final Fantasy XIII. That doesn’t stop Lightning from being the strongest Final Fantasy protagonist of them all. Each sequel makes her stronger than the last, and by the time Lightning Returns comes along she’s a character that wields dozens of powers and is classified as a goddess herself. She also eventually fights a god who created existence in her realm. She won that fight by herself without really relying on a party.
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