Final Fantasy: 10 Best Protagonists In The Series, Ranked

Lightning (Final Fantasy 13)

There are people who don’t love Final Fantasy 13. Some people don’t really like Final Fantasy, or maybe any video game for that matter. But, as seems to be the norm with more recent mainstream games, FF13 is pretty controversial. But here’s the thing. Lightning is broken, but that’s not really her fault, whether we love it, hate it, or aren’t sure about it. The same goes for Lightning Returns, the third and final game in the FF13 trio, which also features Lightning’s comeback as the main character.

Lightning has a very sharp sense of humor, a unique personality, and a good enough character arc. The story has never been good enough for her, and the voice actress Ali Hillis has never been given a writing that matches her talent. But in most of the lists made by people who never liked Lightning’s games, the character isn’t the main focus. Lightning is much more than the “female Cloud” that people called her before she came out. She is a shining example of right and wrong in a sea of stories.

Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy 4)

In Final Fantasy 2, the heroes were given names for the first time. However, Cecil in Final Fantasy 4 has the first full-fledged main arc in the series. When Cecil starts the game as a bad knight who is told to do horrible things, he can’t help but question what his king is telling him to do. Because he has strong morals, he can become a knight at a key point in the story and then play a more standard lead role afterward.

Many of us think that Cecil loses a lot of his personality when he turns into a knight. This is fine in the bigger picture of Final Fantasy 4, but it keeps him from becoming one of our all-time faves. Still, he has a great journey, even though we don’t find out where he came from at the end.

Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy 9)

We’ll get right to the point: Zidane makes some people mad. His desire to have relationships with women doesn’t work so well these days. In one scene, which was clearly meant to be funny, he shocks the main actress, Princess Garnet, by touching her inappropriately, so… yeah.

Having said that, and we don’t blame anyone for ignoring Zidane’s better traits, Final Fantasy 9’s hero is a welcome change from the previous games’ more somber main characters. His friends have a lot more hope because of his cheerful outlook. Because Zidane is honestly relaxed, he reaches the edge of his personality, but it’s his friends who he has helped on his trips who make him happy again. There are many touching moments in Final Fantasy 9, but this is the best of them all.

Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy 8)

In the same vein as those more somber key figures, here is Zidane’s direct predecessor, who was also the most somber. But don’t blame this hero for that. Squall is easily one of the most complicated characters in Final Fantasy. His story shows how he slowly but surely opens up to the people who care about him. The guy’s pessimism is also very addictive. Squall’s views about society are often funny and make you think.

We do believe that Squall’s personality is shaped too much by his love interest, Rinoa Heartilly. Don’t get us wrong—we know and respect that Final Fantasy 8 is a love story at its core. Our only complaint is that we think the big focus takes away from how interesting Squall’s friendships are. No matter what, he’s always cool, and that’s very important. Also, take a look at that gun blade. Not useful? Yep. Good job? Yes, of course.

Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy 15)

Fans are likely to have the same feelings about Final Fantasy 15 as they did about FF13, though for different reasons. The story’s multimedia approach is clipped by the game’s strangely weak beginning. Patches and DLC have made a huge difference, but the big adventure will always feel strangely half-baked at times.

You don’t have to be in a great game to be a great hero, though. Lightning was a great hero too. Noctis is likeable right away, and his group of lively best friends make him a “bro among bros.” The Crown Prince goes on a simple road trip to meet his future bride. But things quickly go wrong, and war breaks out. He only loses his sense of humor when it would be silly not to. This guy only wants to fish, sleep, and play a mobile gacha RPG. The first two are so true that we can forgive him for the third.

Terra Branford (Final Fantasy 6)

Also, when it comes to games with great stories, Terra Branford from Final Fantasy 6 is our pick for the main character. There are a lot of opinions about this game, which is almost 30 years old. Finally, Celes Chere really shines in the second part of FF6’s story. What are we to do with that? Can Terra still be the lead?

We do think we can, yes. The story of Final Fantasy 6 is mostly about the connection between two races. One of them is humanity, which is unfortunately greedy. Much of the story is about Terra, the child of two different peoples, who is used as a slave by a kingdom but fights and becomes a symbol of faith. Terra isn’t sure if she can handle the challenge, which makes sense, but she does it anyway, being the very picture of hope in a world gone crazy. Terra’s quest is to find out more about herself, and the story is wonderfully told.

Clive Rosfield (Final Fantasy 16)

The ads for Final Fantasy 16 made it look like Clive Rosfield might always be angry and hard to deal with. When Spacebar Clicker came out, we knew (maybe too well) what the plot’s turning point was, and that’s what gives this hero his sad personality. But would that ever change? Thank goodness the answer is “yes.” Clive’s character arc is one of the most interesting in the series. The people closest to him change his angry behavior, and he learns to fight for much better reasons.

Also, Clive Rosfield is pretty cool, because FF16’s story is based mostly on him, in a way that hasn’t been seen before in the series. Again, a newer core Final Fantasy game finds new ways to divide fans down the middle. This focus on detail is often given as a key reason why some people don’t really care about the game. We don’t care what we think about it; the attention to Clive is a win in the end, at least for Clive himself, because it’s managed so strongly. 

The Warrior Of Light (Final Fantasy 14)

The Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy 14 was by far the hardest character for us to rank as the best main character in a Final Fantasy game. There was no doubt that they would show up somewhere, but how far can a character really go when they don’t say a word and only start to give players chances to fully describe them in more recent expansions? What kind of person would honestly say that a character who doesn’t seem to help the player grow is one of the best in video games?

Final Fantasy 14 does it in some way. It’s crazy to think about how many events this person has been a part of, and they’ve led to so many deep bonds, battles, and other things. These ties between fully developed characters have led to many of Final Fantasy’s most classic and great scenes. The Warrior of Light gets along very well with their peers, no matter what species, sex, or personality the player chooses.

Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)

Cloud Strife would have made this list even if the Remake trilogy wasn’t going on, but he wouldn’t have come in second. He’s great in the first FF7. Do not misunderstand us. But it might not be that great. Final Fantasy 7 Remake has given this character so many great one-liners and added so much to his famous character that it’s taken him to a whole new level. In later parts, we can’t wait to see Cloud’s mental journey continue.

Much could be said about the deep psychological study of Cloud in the great 1997 film, but now we’re seeing so many more of the parts of his personality that make him who he is, whether they are’real’ or not. This is what Tifa thinks when she sees Cloud in a dress. “Great job. I understand. Getting ahead.” This part has been stuck in our minds for years thanks to Cody Christian, who voices Cloud in English. His delivery is so deadpan, like he wants to get rid of the subject quickly.

Ramza Beoulve (Final Fantasy Tactics)

When most fans of Final Fantasy Tactics think of the game, Delita Heiral, the badly behaved main character, is the first person that comes to mind. One of the most loved characters in all of Final Fantasy is Delita. His schemes and sarcastic personality make him even more popular. However, we still like Ramza Beoulve better, who is the movie’s underrated hero.

People who raised Ramza to believe in society treat him badly and don’t let him in. It’s not easy for him to live in a wealthy family. His family hates him and tries to eliminate him as a rebel. Legends about the time he lived in don’t mention him, and people who did remember him remember him badly, if at all.

Ramza never gives up. He has the worst image in his community of all the main characters in the story, but he faces it head-on, with all the courage his father taught him and the beliefs he builds through all this trouble. He does all of this without ever seeming ridiculous. Instead, he comes across as a troubled young man who can only move forward in a world that his childhood friend Delita treats like a personal chess game. Ramza is the best.