This list will contain my personal favorite final fantasy characters. The key point of this is characters who had a large effect on the story, so heroes, villains, and maybe even some side characters will be in this.
25: Galuf
The reason I picked him is because of all the heroes in FFV, I felt he was the best, and primarily because of his death scene. Unlike Tellah from FFIV, when he fought against the Big Bad ExDeath, he actually "killed" him. Tellah managed to hurt Golbez, but you knew right away that Golbez wasn't really dead. ExDeath remained "dead" for a while longer only to reform himself from a sliver of wood.
24 and 23. Biggs and Wedge.
Biggs and Wedge are two characters that appear in multiple Final Fantasies, and though they differ in each game, they are tied with the story. My first encounter with the pair was FFVII, my first of the primary FF games. They were a part of the Eco-terrorist group Avalanche.
22. Balthier
Every game needs their own Han Solo. He is by far the best character in FFXII. I felt like he had the most development, and he had great reasons for being part of the story, especially because his own father worked for the empire, and for a time he was a Judge.
21. Cloud
Despite the fact that I love FFVII more than any other game in the series, I felt like Cloud lacked in some ways. Granted, some of these defects were great for developing his story, and he is perhaps the most iconic hero in the series, one single plot hole was never explained. How exactly did he defeat Sephiroth? And I mean this as before he was genetically modified by Hojo, I mean their first encounter in the mako reactor near Nibelhelm.
20. Mog
Mog appears in multiple games, first appearing in FFVI. He switches from a playable character, to puppet/video game, to mail carrier. He is one of the more iconic creatures, only bested by the Chocobos.
19. Barrett Wallace
Barrett Wallace was the first black character to appear in a Final Fantasy. And though there was some racial stereotyping, he was a very strong character. He wanted to save the world the only way he knew how, so his daughter could live in a better world. He fought the demons of his past and never gave up, no matter how hard the going got.
18. Kain
I hated this asshole. He went from friend to foe, back to friend, back to foe. Sure, maybe he was brainwashed by Golbez, but he aggravated me to no end. However, he helped drive the story forward and stands out as a strong character.
17. Kuja
Okay, so maybe he is a bit to feminine. I have heard rumors that he was actually a she in the japanese version, but I don't know whether or not that is true. Kuja stands out to me because he manipulated the heroes, and Queen Branhe. You weren't too certain what he was planning until he finally snaps.
16. Tidus
Goofy laugh scene or no, Tidus was a strong, compassionate, if naive, hero. He wanted to help, even if it would only aid him to return to his home of Zaanarkand. It was refreshing to play as someone so vibrant in a game, and even after he found out that he was merely a dream of the Fayth, he kept going, for Yuna's sake.
15. Cid FFIV
There was something awesome about that gruff airship builder. The first playable Cid in the final fantasy series, he was badass. He could scan enemies, smash them with hammers, and build airships in the blink of an eye. And he just wouldn't die.
14. Gilgamesh
I love Gilgamesh. Especially when is he voiced by the same guy who does Bender from Futurama. He first appears in FFV, as the flunky of ExDeath, who eventually turns against ExDeath to help the heroes. After that game, he would appear either as a summon, a bonus boss, or just rumors floating around. He collects rare swords and can hop between dimensions.
13. Dr. Hojo
I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate him. But he was one of the two major villains in FFVII, and I don't mean Sephiroth. If it wasn't for him and Jenova, Sephiroth would never have come into being. Hojo twisted people's lives, for science and his own selfish desires.
12. Zidane
Ah, Zidane. The thief with a tail. His history is a mystery, but love at first sight drives his quest. He was a thief with morals, and he soon was pushed up against impossible odds, and an enemy not so different from himself.
11. Cait Sith
The first time I played through FFVII, I was too young to understand much about him. But in my more recent playthrough, I realized something about him I didn't before. Reeve, the pilot of the robot Cait Sith, may have been a spy for Shinra, but once he found out the real deal with what was going on in the world, he helped them. He betrayed Shinra to help Cloud and Co' to stop them, to stop the Weapons, and to stop Sephiroth. He stands out more than the other characters because he had some very difficult choices on where to lay his loyalty.
10. Wakka
Wakka may have been goofy, and have a goofy name, but he was a very strong character in FFX. He had to give up on his favorite thing in the world, Blitzball, because of a mix of reasons, most prominent, his promise to guard and protect Yuna. He always tried to stay upbeat and protective no matter what happened.
9. ExDeath
You know, ExDeath may not have been as evil, or out there as some of the other villains. But the concept of what he was is what sold his character for me. Over thousands of years, evil demons were sealed with a sacred tree. Their evil leaked into the tree and slowly brought it to life. And all that ExDeath wanted, was to destroy everything, to return it to the void. FFV may have been more campy than the other FF games, but I still feel he had the potential to be the greatest FF villain.
8. Tristan
Okay, maybe Mystic Quest is one of the side games, but Tristan was the coolest character in the game. A ninja/thief, he gave you bombs, and the most powerful claw weapon in the game. He would pop in from time to time, and leave when he felt like it.
7. Kefka
As if clowns/jesters couldn't get any worse, Kefka shows up. And practically becomes a god. He was insane, and the strongest and most vibrant character in FFVI. He is also, in my opinion, the best FF villain.
6. Jenova
Jenova, the entity that fell from space, the creature that was pulling Sephiroth's strings the entire game. This thing, straight out of H.P. Lovecraft was horrifying. It came from who knows where, and it tried to kill or corrupt the world. And of course, scientists felt like they should mess with it.
5. Cecil
Out of all the main characters, I think I like Cecil the most because I find his journey, his development as a person, to be the most complete in the series. Once a dark knight, now a Paladin, he fought against his own kingdom after witnessing the tragedies that Baron was inflicting upon the world.
4. Ramza
You know, it's kind of hard to deal with something terrible. But a game of terrible things happening to someone would normally aggravate the piss out of them. However, Ramza was a strong character, trying to protect his friends and country. Some compare his story akin to King Arthur. He had to fight against friend, foe, brother. Against an evil religion summoning demons, and in the end, he won, and was marked as a traitor.
3. Cid FFVII
Cid Highwind was a badass. His only goal in life was to make it into outer space. An airship designer, badass pilot, and skillful warrior, he stood out to me because he had an even fouler mouth than Barrett, and his backstory was tragic. He was going to launch a rocket into space, but one of the technicians became trapped near the engines, so he had to abort the mission. He joins the heroes mostly because he is bored and wants some payback.
2. Vivi
There are only three times I was brought to tears by a final fantasy game. Aerith's death, the ending to FFX, and Vivi's fight against the black Waltz on the airship, when you see the dead bodies of the black mages falling from the ship and the look of sadness on his face. I loved Vivi's story, despite how sad it was. He was perhaps one of the finest characters in fiction.
1. Auron
There is only one word that can describe Auron. Badass. He journeyed with Jecht and Braska on the pilgrimage. Witnessed his friend become the final summon, and kill Sin...then kill Braska...and then witnessed Jecht turn into a new Sin. He went back to Yunalesca, and fought her, only to be killed. But not even death would stop him. He journeyed to the Dream Zaanarkand, and helped bring Tidus to reality, so that he could end the cycle of Sin and the sacrifices of the summoners. He stands out as the strongest and most devoted character in all of the final fantasies. Unlike other characters who fought and died against pure evil, he came back, to do it all over again.
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