Final Fantasy is one of the most successful and longest-lasting video games in history. For over 30 years, there have been games that have hit every console since the first Nintendo Entertainment System and have been part of almost every system since. There have been 15 games in the numbered series, as well as numerous spinoffs, sequels, and prequels for each of those releases.
Through it all, there have been many memorable -- and a few less than desirable -- characters. These have ranged from the weakest and least interesting characters in video game history to some of the most overpowered and unbeatable characters. This includes both the heroes that gamers can choose to play as and the villains that these players have to somehow find a way to beat.
The weakest characters are almost always the heroes that players either have to try to win as or the ones that gamers will do everything they can to avoid. However, the strongest characters vary. While some are good, others are evil, but regardless of what side they're on, there is always something interesting about these fighters. These are the characters that make Final Fantasy so popular with fans.
With dozens of main characters to choose from, here is a look at The 15 Strongest (And 15 Weakest) Main Final Fantasy Characters, Officially Ranked.
STRONG: GOLBEZ
Golbez is also known as the Man in Black and went from being an unplayable character in Final Fantasy IV to a playable one in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He is the bad guy in Final Fantasy IV, as he is a very powerful sorcerer who is after the crystals.
His greatest power is due to his many spells.
Golbez has high HP and stamina and a nice level of intelligence and ttrength. He knows most Black Magic spells and is also a powerful fighter, with a wide range of weapons choices. He also can't perish, so there is that advantage.
WEAK: CAIT SITH
It is easy to start off a list of the weakest Final Fantasy characters ever with one of the most despised characters from the entire franchise: Cait Sith. This character has appeared as an enemy, an ally, as well as a monster, and has shown up in numerous games. Gamers could even play as Cait Sith in Final Fantasy VII.
Cait Sith is a frustrating character to control and, honestly, he will almost always cause his entire party to perish before he even hits an enemy.
STRONG: SEIFER ALMASY
Seifer Almasy is the antagonist in Final Fantasy VIII. He is also a temporary playable character. He is basically the mirror image of the main hero, Squall Leonhart, in the game. He was one of the best fighters at the Garden, but he was also also arrogant and reckless, which hurt his advancement.
He is very powerful, though, especially when using his gunblade. He also has fire spells, but that is something that he really only uses once he becomes a boss in the game. His Aura spell is what really delivers the most damage, since it always causes a Limit Break.
WEAK: QUISTIS TREPE
Quistis Trepe is a playable character in Final Fantasy VIII. She is a Blue Mage and a child prodigy, becoming the youngest trainer a the Garden. This alone makes it seem like she would be a great character to play as.
However, she is a Blue Mage, which is lower than other classes, and her Blue Magic is her Limit Break. Her spells also have a varied effect on ememines depending on the Crisis Level. At the end of the day, there are many stronger characters in the game to play as, and Quistis is a liability most of the time.
STRONG: SQUALL LEONHART
Squall Leonhart is the main character in Final Fantasy VIII and is the mirror image of the villain, Seifer Almasy. He is a mercenary in the game and uses the powerful gunblade as his primary weapon, which makes him very dangerous.
He is easily the most powerful member of his party and he always starts with his EXP bar half-way filled at Level 7.
He also has high stats compared to everyone else in his party, and his hit percent is always at 255% due to his weapon. He also has the best Limit Break in the game.
WEAK: FRAN
Fran is a playable character in both Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings. She is a Viera and the only non-human character in the main cast. Her battle skills make her a good long-range fighter and she can use any weapon as long as the player gets the license.
However, with that said, she has low stats in all areas, although in the Job System release, her Vitality was raised to an impressive Level 99. However, even then, her attacks do the least damage of her group and her spells are average at best.
STRONG: LIGHTNING
Lightning is the main character in Final Fantasy XIII. She also returns as the main character in Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. She starts off as someone who needs to save her younger sister Serah, and by the time she returns in the next game, she is tasked with saving people's souls before the world ends.
Lightning is a soldier and utilizes the gunblade. She is not only both a physical and magical fighter, but she is also very fast. She has the second highest attack stat and the second highest magic stat. Her downfall is her lower HP, but she is a master at Elude and can avoid taking damage.
WEAK: BENJAMIN
Benjamin was the main character in the game Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Unfortunately, he had a very limited power set. This is because his level caps out at level 41, so while he has access to every spell and piece of equipment, he is the weakest of almost every major character in any other game.
When he levels up, he only gains 40 HP per level, which means that he caps out at 2,000 hit points.
His other stats also hold him back and, because of this, he is probably the worst main character in the entire franchise based on strength alone.
STRONG: TERRA BRANFORD
In Final Fantasy VI, Terra Branford is someone who has both the powers of espers and magic. She was raised as a human weapon, was forced to serve Chaos against her own will, and ended up fighting on the side of the Cosmos with no memory of her past. This limits her somewhat due to her fears of her own humanity.
Despite this, she is one of the most powerful magic users in the game. She is also a very powerful physical fighter, since she can use all swords. Her physical fighting is incredible for both close range an distance, as well as during fights in the air or on the ground.
WEAK: SAZH KATZROY
Sazh Katzroy is a playable character from Final Fantasy XIII. He is a pilot who lost his wife and is searching for his son. He also has a pet Chocobo that actually lives inside his hair. He is a very friendly character and has a great character arc in the game.
However, his fighting skills are nowhere near as great as a character like him deserves. The biggest problem with Sazh is that his animation speeds are extremely slow. While he has the Blitz attack, which is very powerful, his stats are subpar and he is a weak link in the group when fighting.
STRONG: GENESIS RHAPSODOS
Genesis Rhapsodos is the main antagonist in Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII. He is a First Class soldier from the Jenova Project. At one time, he wanted to be a hero. However, when a genetic degradation held him back, he led a revolution to find a cure. In his own mind, he is the hero of this story.
Genesis has mastered both combat and magical skills. He is also stronger than most other warriors, since he has superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, and stamina. He can also use his magic to enhance his weapons, which makes him very hard to defeat.
WEAK: LULU
Lulu is a playable character from Final Fantasy X who is one of the guardians of Yuna. Interestingly, Yuna is superior to Lulu in just about every way. Lulu grew up with Yuna and considers her as a younger sister. She specializes in BLK Magic and has many offensive spells.
Since she is a Black Mage, her attacks are weaker than most other characters initially.
Her hit points, strength, agility, and accuracy are also low, which doesn't help. This makes her a liability to the team. However, she does have strong defensive stats.
STRONG: SEPHIROTH
Sephiroth is the main villain in Final Fantasy VII and has been a major antagonist with spinoff appearances in other games through the years. He is the main enemy of Cloud Strife and is a part of Cloud's past that haunted him. He is a very powerful soldier and a great warrior who was idolized by the public until he went insane.
Before he went bad, he never lost a single battle. After turning evil, he set out to destroy the world and became what might be one of the most powerful antagonists in Final Fantasy history. While his true level of powers will never be known, Cloud said that he is more powerful than even his accomplishments let on, which means that you really don't want to mess with him.
WEAK: UMARO
Umaro is a playable character in Final Fantasy VI. He is a Yeti who uses primitive stone tools. He is an optional character from the World of Ruin. He has high physical stats and uses a non-ending splurge of physical attacks. However, he doesn't typically follow commands.
The biggest problem here is that he is a Berzerker, so players cannot control any of his actions. This means that he is unreliable in battle, as he randomly chooses one of four attacks and the player can only guess which one he'll use next.
STRONG: ULTIMECIA
Ultimecia is the main antagonist in the game Final Fantasy VIII. She is a powerful sorceress and her goal is to become a god by compressing all of time and space. She is also one of the most manipulative characters in the game.
She is a master of many powerful spells, including Meteor, Quake, and Bio, and she can also absorb any party members who falls into time. She also has an attack called Hell's Judgement, which will reduce every party member's hit points to one.
WEAK: HARLEY
Harley is a playable character from Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. She works as Edward's secretary and is a scholar. She has the ability of knowledge, which can increase the power of an attack item.
She has low stats overall, with the exception of her intelligence, which is surprisingly high. However, even her intelligence stats are lower than that of Black Mage characters. Her intelligence also has very limited practical applications, which makes her ineffective in most areas of the game.
STRONG: KEFKA PALAZZO
Kefka Palazzo is the main villain in Final Fantasy VI. He was the court mage for Emperor Gestahl, but he worked behind-the-scenes to try to achieve his own goals. Unlike other villains in the franchise who were ruthless and distant, Kefka is an overblown villain who is extremely destructive. This is bad because he is also very dangerous and very powerful.
He has the power to eliminate many espers at once and is also immune to all of their magic.
He also became the God of Magic at one point and he became more powerful as the story wore on.
WEAK: CINQUE
Cinque is a playable character in Final Fantasy Type-O. This spinoff was mostly an action combat game and players had a lot of characters to choose from to fight with. Unfortunately, Cinque was not one of the characters who provided much in the way of success.
She is a melee character who uses a mace. This makes her attacks slower, albeit strong, but she is so slow that it is almost impossible to for her to actually hit anything during a fight. She is also vulnerable to quick enemies and, for this reason, is one of the worst characters to use in active gameplay.
STRONG: AERITH GAINSBOROUGH
Aerith Gainsborough is one of the main characters from Final Fantasy VII, though she also appeared in a number of spinoff games as well. She is the last remaining member of the Cetra race and has many powerful magical abilities, which allowed her to go on the run since she has been hunted throughout her entire life.
While her attack powers are not as strong as others, her healing abilities makes her extremely powerful. She also has powerful magical abilities and her Limit Breaks are mostly supportive, as she can make the party temporarily invincible.
WEAK: CEODORE HARVEY
Ceodore Harvey is the main character in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He is similar to his father, Cecil Harvey, but he falls below even his father's weak skillset and is the weakest member of his entire party despite his status as the main character.
Though he does have higher MP and spirit than other member in his part, his hit points and strength are mediocre compared to his companions. He can boost his stats with Awaken, but this will wear off when his hit points go into the single digits.