Final Fantasy: The Real Hero?

One of the biggest RPG franchise’s of all time, Final Fantasy has made a huge impact on gamers since they released the original way back in 1987 and still continue to grip audiences 20 years later. Any game franchise spanning over three decades and released on over 12 different gaming platforms has to have a winning formula and Final Fantasy is no exception.

Although each of the games is unique in its own way, they do all share some minor similarities. Playing any Final Fantasy title you’ll usually find yourself faced with impending doom and total destruction of the universe that can only be stopped by a slightly emo-tised lead character with a bad attitude and dark horse type personality. The predictable heroic personality is usually presented with relationship challenges and opening himself to his companions while fighting off ancient evil monsters from the unseen depths and crazy love triangles that even hint at possible homosexual relations.. Even with slightly predictable outcomes the story lines in the Final Fantasy games are ultimately the main reason for its continual success and every story needs a hero. We decided to dig out the Playstation and give you guys a run down on our top Final Fantasy personalities.

Cloud
Crazy spiky hair and an over sized sword make cloud totally useless in a game of Guess Who but one of the most dominant Final Fantasy characters to date. One of the most iconic gaming heroes of all time and recognized by most gamers with a simple image of the Buster Sword, Cloud featured as the main character in Final Fantasy VII where he helped a rag tag rebel group known as Avalanche to defeat the mega corporation Shinra. Creating one of the most intense hero to antagonist relationships seen in a video game, Cloud and Sephiroth formed the foundations that helped Final Fantasy VII receive huge marks from critics and fans alike

Zell
Everybody loves a brawler and alongside Tifa, Zell was one of the best received. Given a laid back and humorous personality Zell created the perfect balance when played alongside the very secretive and silent Squall. His smart one liners and loyalty to the death attitude made Zell a huge hit with Final Fantasy VII fans and is easily recognised by some of the best looking facial art in the series.

Sephiroth
Where to start? Not just one of the best Final Fantasy bad boys but arguably one of the greatest gaming villains of all time. The result of an inhuman experiment from military giants Shinra, Sephiroth suffers with a serious god complex and is responsible for one of the greatest moments in RPG gaming history, the death of Aeris. Very few games have the balls to cut characters after the player has invested time and effort into developing them but this didn’t stop Tetsuya Nomura as he developed the seemingly emotionless Sephiroth with the intent of creating a never before seen type of villain that pushed boundaries and broke rules. If there is ever to be a true Final Fantasy VII remake, the death of Aeris scene will be one of the most anticipated.

Tifa
Easily the hottest Cosplay character outside of Dead or Alive, Tifa appeared to thousands of hungry adolescents as a strong, independent woman that really knew how to kick ass and was even dubbed as the pin-up girl of the gaming generation by The New York Times. Tifa is one of the most critically acclaimed female gaming characters in gaming history given several awards for the best female character and appearing on the bedroom walls of young gamers worldwide. Tifa convinces Cloud to fulfil his childhood promise to protect her and follow her and Avalanche to the battles ahead; it is this relationship that started one of the greatest gaming stories of all time.

Biggs and Wedge
A Final Fantasy game would not be complete without silent heroes and fan favorites, Biggs and Wedge. They originally appeared in Final Fantasy VI as homage to Star Wars but they’ve been remodeled into new characters into many of the Final Fantasy titles including FFVII, FFTactics, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX, FFX-2 and they also feature in a number of other titles from Square Enix. Although their personalities and looks differ from game to game, both characters are always linked in some form and often bring a smile to any fan of the series when they first meet them in the newest installment.

Cid
The Mr. Fix it of the Final Fantasy series, Cid has either appeared or been mentioned in every single Final Fantasy title since Final Fantasy II. Usually associated with mechanical engineering, Cid played a major part in Final Fantasy VII as the much loved spear wielding Cid Highwind that helped our heroes travel around in his fantastically designed airship. Much like Biggs and Wedge, fans would create uproar if their favorite traditions were ignored, it’s for this reason that we expect to see Cid featured in all the latest Final Fantasy games.

I could list a dozen more characters from the Final Fantasy games but we’re interested to see who your favorite hero is and why? So go ahead and leave a comment and see if your favorite is a true hero or a bit of a zero! Best posts will be added to the article.

Article by - Blaine Smith

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