Summary
Final Fantasyis a series with millions of fans worldwide, so there will inevitably be discussions about who thestrongest charactersin the franchise are from time to time.
For all those fans who are hellbent on knowing who are the ten most powerful characters in the series (including heroes and villains), here is a definitive ranking, based not only on the stats of the characters but the lore, their abilities, and the role they play in the story.
This ranked list of the strongest characters inFinal Fantasygames contains spoilers.
1Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII Series)
Former Lu’cie, Ascended To Godhood
Lightning is the nickname of Claire Farron, themain character ofFinal FantasyXIII, and one of the Lu’cie destined to save the world from destruction. In the first iteration of the games, Lightning is only a Section Captain in the Guardian Corps of Cocoon, but after a fateful encounter with Fang, she becomes a Lu’cie, a being branded by the gods and granted great power in return.
After discovering an encroaching conspiracy in her homeland, she becomes a proscript. Battle after battle, she and her allies gain strength and overcome hundreds of enemies until she is the only one left to fight. The years pass, and as she ascends to a demi-god (sort of) being, the Creator God burdens her with the difficult task of saving the entire world. A goal she struggles to complete, but upon realizing who the true enemy is, she faces him head-on, breaking her chains and ascending to godhood, becoming the strongestFinal Fantasycharacter of the entire series: a being that has transcended time and space.
2Gilgamesh (Final Fantasy V - And Other Games)
Antagonist, Recurrent Trope, Summoned Spirit, Living Legend
Gilgamesh started his long career in theFinal Fantasyfranchise as an antagonist who tries to stop the Warriors of Light on their quest to stop Exdeath. Upon crossing swords with Bartz, they both became lifelong rivals, and this has been part of the lore of the games ever since because Gilgamesh is the character who has made more cameos in the history of FF. He has even appearedinFinal Fantasy VIIIas a Guardian Force, after picking up Odin’s spear and arm in a confusing cameo that has intrigued fans for years.
Each time he appears, he might have a slightly different design. Still, certain common elements are maintained in each of its incarnations: He is a swordsman who appears to have many arms and wields many legendary weapons (including the Excalibur and its counterfeit version, ‘the Excalipoor’). He appears mysteriously and vanishes without a hint of where he goes, and when he speaks, he always manifests himself as a wandering swordsman on the path to perfection. Most of the time, he is accompanied by Enkidu, a mysterious being that might take the shape of a green demon, a dragon-like dog creature, or even a knight, depending on the circumstances. Gilgamesh is a being that transcends worlds, seems to be immortal, wields a ton of Legendary Weapons, and is accompanied by another transcendental being. He must be the character nearest to a God in theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
3Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
Crazed Amalgam Of Human And Planet-Ender Alien
Created using the cells of Jenova, a mysterious Alien Entity that was aiming to destroy the world, Sephiroth was never entirely human to begin with. Raised in a laboratory without an ounce of love, he grew to despise and hate all other humans, and only followed Shimra’s directives as their Strongest First Class Soldier because he believed that was his sole purpose.
Sephiroth discovered he was the byproduct of genetic experimentation when his cells resonated with the dormant Jenova imprisoned in the Nibelheim Mako Laboratory, and went on a rampage until he figured out the truth.A villain through and through, he decided to follow Jenova’s will to destroy the world, using the powerful Meteo Magic to obliterate all life. He is so powerful that it took all of Avalanche’s forces (and a little bit of plot armor) to defeat him once and for all. In the originalFF VIIgame, players had to suffer endless hours of Chocobo Racing grinding just to get the best Weapon to turn this deranged demi-god into mincemeat.
4Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy XV)
The King Of Kings (Allegedly)
Born to rule, destined for greatness, Noctis is a one-man army and heir to the throne of Lucis. Heir to the powers of the Lucian royal bloodline, he is able to channel the power of Light to call forth the weapons of past Lucien Kings, wielding them in combat and using their knowledge to brandish them with masterful prowess.
He is one of the most overpowered main characters in theFFgames, so much so that it has been discussed by fans that all the rest of his party members are mere ‘spectators’ in his journey to power. Be it as it may, his strength is undeniable, and he is placed among the top 5 most powerfulFinal Fantasycharacters.
5Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)
The Most Powerful Black Mage. Luckily, He Is The Kindest Character Ever
Vivi was a homunculus, an artificial being created using Black Magic to be a Soul Vessel, a receptacle or substitute of a controlled soul made with the sole purpose of being used as a weapon. Though, at some point, he fell from the ‘production line’ and ended up living with Quan, a Master Chef and Blue Magician who raised him as his grandson.
Due to certain circumstances, Vivi dived (and nearly drowned) into the Waters of Life hidden in a cave near Quan’s place, an event which extended his lifespan considerably and also made him capable of channeling Soul and Life Energy into his magic. Vivi is a powerful Black Magician, perhaps the most powerful who has ever lived, capable of summoning even the powerful Meteo Spell and controlling its destructive power (without bringing the end to an entire planet). He is also famous for having one of the most bittersweet endings in the entire franchise, with someending lines that will break the player’s hearts.
6Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI)
One Of The Most Powerful Main Characters, Above The Rubble
A half-human, half-esper born in Maduin, Terra Branford lost her memories after years of being used by the Gestahlian Empire as a Magitek Elite Soldier with nefarious purposes. As a result, she lost all of her emotions, though a figment of her humanity remained, which constantly manifested when surrounded by children or approaching animals. Terra was greatly distraught by her inability to feel emotions, and her personal quest drew her to form part of the Returners rebel group, which directly opposed the world domination plans ofthe hateful Kefka Palazzoand the Gesthalians.
As the story progresses and she unlocks her Command Skill (Trance), she becomes more attuned to her dual nature, re-acquiring her powers as an Esper, and unleashing her true potential. With time, she became a key member of the resistance and their secret weapon to defeat the vicious Kefka once and for all. Terra has made a re-appearance as one of the Playable Protagonists ofDissidia Final Fantasy,positioning herself as one of the top-tier characters in the game, not only because of her 3D stylized redesign but for her powerful skills.
7Garnet Von Alexandros (Final Fantasy IX)
Most Powerful Summoner Of The Series
Garnet was born as Sarah, a member of the Summoner Horned Tribe that lived in the distant hidden realm of Madain Sari, until Garland’s forces, led by Kuja, destroyed her peaceful homeland and forced Garnet and her injured mother to flee in a small boat. She arrived on the coasts of Alexandria, and her mother died on the shores. Adopted by Queen Brahne, she was made the Princess of Alexandria and sole heir to the throne of the realm.
Her summoning abilities have been greatly tuned down due to the consequences of her adoptive mother removing her horn, an appendage all Summoners have on their foreheads that allow them to communicate with the Spirit Eidolons. Still, she is the most powerful Eidolon Summoner (after Eiko), able to manifest the powerful Bahamut, the unrivaled Odin, and even the vicious alien-like entity Ark. She also has incredible White and Sacred Magic abilities, second only to Eiko (since she has better healing abilities). Though the destructive power of her summons has yet to meet a worthy rival.
8Rydia (Final Fantasy IV)
A Powerful Summoner With A Heart Of Gold
Rydia is one of the most versatile combatants in theFinal Fantasyseries, being able to use several types of weapons, Summoning Magic, and also Elemental Black Magic. Her true potential, locked behind a traumatic memory of her past (the destruction of the Mist village) was finally unlocked at some point during the adventure, and then she became far more powerful than everyone in the crew expected.
Also known as Rydia of Mist, her most powerful summons are Asura (Or Bashura) and Leviathan, two mythical Eidolons capable of terrible destruction. Since the loss of her parents in the tragic incident of Mist, she became unable to use White Magic, but if she was able to somehow recover her control of that type of Magic, she could becomethe most powerful Red-Mage/Summonerin the entireFinal Fantasyseries.
9Kuja (Final Fantasy IX)
One Of The Most Powerful Villains In The Franchise
Kuja was a Genome, an artificial being created by Garland to hold the soul of a Terran, and sent to Gaia to accelerate the flow of souls by waging war all across the realms so that he could move forward with his plan of fusing the worlds. Unfortunately, due to his sadistic nature and ever-growing power, Kuja became uncontrollable and ended up rebelling, which led to his awakening his true power through Trance.
Kuja is a skilled mage with access to Powerful Black Magic like Flare, Ultima, and Curaga, which makes many fans suspicious as to his true profession: He might be a Red Mage since he also has some advanced physical capabilities, though he sees physical exertion as something useless. Kuja might very well be one of the most powerful beings in theFinal Fantasy series, similar to Sephirothin his background design, and as powerful as Kefka.
10Sabin Rene Figaro (Final Fantasy VI)
The Strongest Martial Artist, No Doubt
Sabin Rene Figaro is one of the members of the Returners, the resistance fighters who are the protagonists ofFinal Fantasy VI. He is a skilled Martial Artist capable of using a unique ability called Blitz. In the original version of the game, players needed to use combos similar to those of a fighting game to effectively use the Blitz abilities, and their sheer power made Sabin one of the most fearsome combatants in theFinal Fantasyfranchise.
According to the lore, Sabine is also gifted with superhuman strength, and he can effectively lift a building or pull a huge train with his terrible might. Only for his physical and combat capabilities, Sabine should be considered the strongest protagonist in theFinal Fantasyseries, but in terms of overall power (and according to the lore), he only places tenth on the power scale. A pity, since he is a great character.
