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Most developed, fleshed out Final Fantasy character?

L

Lights and Waves

Member
Quite a few games to choose from, and lots of really poorly written, underdeveloped characters to choose from. But let's look on the bright side.

Who are the most well-rounded, developed Final Fantasy characters?

I think a lot of people would say Cloud, but eh...the story of Final Fantasy VII kinda jumps off the deep end during Disc 3 and Advent Children pretty much backtracks on all of Cloud's character development.

My choices:

tumblr_mifomuogOV1qg1v6ho1_250.gif

Having a sequel really helped Yuna receive a robust story arc filled with character development not only once, but twice. The transition of her personality from X to X-2 just felt so real. I enjoyed the way she came out of her shell once she realized she wasn't going to die and through caution to the wind, allowing herself to feel things like jealousy and selfishness unapologetically.

tumblr_o9ukkaHkQ61qbdgqxo3_r1_250.gif

The fact that Serah starred in her own game, alongside a male character, had a love interest, and was still written as a strong character whose development and motives didn't in any way rely on the validation of men was an achievement in itself. There are few women in video games, especially, jrpgs, whose actions aren't completely defined by their love interests or their male counterparts.

There was just enough of her in FFXIII to keep you interested, enough in XIII-2 to make you like her, and enough in LR to make you want to bring her back to life.


And last but certainly not least...the most developed character in the history of Final Fantasy:


tumblr_ns46kqIujU1r3yumqo7_400.gif

Fight me.
 
O

Omnistalgic

Member
Cloud

It doesn't jump off the deep end at disc 3, just pay attention to the story. Advent children and Crisis core flesh him out even more.
 
H

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
There are several from Final Fantasy Tactics you could choose, not sure which I would pick.
 
L

Lothar

Banned
Yuna for sure. Even if it was just FFX, it would still be her. She changes so much in the game and has so much depth. But FFX-2 puts her way over the top. It's not close.
 
T

TheJollyCorner

Member
For me: Squall Leonhart.

0iT9RL9.jpg


Goes through a full character arc, we get into his actual thoughts, learn a good deal about his childhood, and he doesn't have to rely on sequels/spin-offs like a few other characters already listed to feel fleshed out from start to finish in VIII.
 
A

Arkeband

Banned
My opinion is Lightning would have felt more like a real character if she had embraced her name Claire. Continuing to go by her goofy codename just made her seem more like a caricature.

Tidus told the most three dimensional character within the boundaries of one game. He's a son of an abusive drunk father, his mother died, you watch him discover his father's recordings of a similar fantasy journey when he thought his father abandoned them, he falls in love with someone, he matures, he confronts his father, learns to forgive, and then has to help Yuna let go while still giving her a reason to go on.
 
T

Transistor

Banned
I'm honestly willing to say Cloud. If you go through all the side stuff in the game, you basically see him from childhood all the way through adulthood.

In fact, with the exception of Cait Sith, you see fleshed out stories for all of the characters in VII. I absolutely LOVE Cid's backstory. Sacrificed his dreams to save someone he cared for, even if he wouldn't admit it.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
It's got to be Yuna. FFX/FFX-2 are probably the FFs that strike the best balance between world-building and character development, and Yuna (as a Grand Summoner *and* the daughter of a Grand Summoner) is very well served by both, and both games spend a lot of time giving you essentially a detailed portrait of her character.
 
K

KidB

Member
FFVII Cloud is handled very well, he's probably the most interesting protagonist in the series, at least before they ruined him in AC.
 
K

Kyari

Member
Omnistalgic said:
Cloud

It doesn't jump off the deep end at disc 3, just pay attention to the story. Advent children and Crisis core flesh him out even more.
Click to expand...

Yeah I really liked the way advent children ignores the way he grows over the course of VII so that he can be emo for no real reason for 90 minutes.
 
R

Ralemont

not me
Kyari said:
Yeah I really liked the way advent children ignores the way he grows over the course of VII so that he can be emo for no real reason for 90 minutes.
Click to expand...

No real reason? He gets infected with a plague that he thinks is caused by Aeris/The Planet wanting revenge against humanity for how its been treated.

Cloud has legit reasons to be emo in AC. Like, Cloud doesn't feel guilty because Aeris died, he feels guilty because he thinks Aeris is blaming him for her death by giving him the plague.
 
T

Transistor

Banned
Kyari said:
Yeah I really liked the way advent children ignores the way he grows over the course of VII so that he can be emo for no real reason for 90 minutes.
Click to expand...

Fuck Advent Children. Beautiful movie with some great action sequences, but absolutely shit story
 
Go_Ly_Dow

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
For me it's both Tidus and Yuna. My favorite parts of FFX are in the beginning segments,
Zanarkand > Luca/Mihen,
I loved learning the world through Tidus narration, along with all the dreams, flashbacks and other small snippets of internally narrated information.

+

Tidus theme.

Yuna theme.
 
T

TheJollyCorner

Member
Kyari said:
Yeah I really liked the way advent children ignores the way he grows over the course of VII so that he can be emo for no real reason for 90 minutes.
Click to expand...

Well, I mean simply besting Sephiroth isn't going to automatically erase years of mind-fuckery. Cloud's entire young adulthood seemed fairly traumatic- from the moment he left his home town to join Shinra and everything he goes through, including the events of VII.

The guy is a mental mess, likely dealing with a strong helping of PTSD.

I actually like that Cloud was still troubled in AC. Guess I'm in the minority.
 
L

Lt.Chips

Member
Cheers to anyone who mentioned Kain the Dragoon from FFIV

Conversely, on bottom of the list is Cecil, the oh-so-perfect protagonist who had it all (except a personality)
 
S

SpecX

Member
Transistor said:
I'm honestly willing to say Cloud. If you go through all the side stuff in the game, you basically see him from childhood all the way through adulthood.

In fact, with the exception of Cait Sith, you see fleshed out stories for all of the characters in VII. I absolutely LOVE Cid's backstory. Sacrificed his dreams to save someone he cared for, even if he wouldn't admit it.
Click to expand...

Have to agree here, FFVII did this very well. You even got character development with the optional team members if you acquired them and went through areas that triggered their engagement.
 
D

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Lightning had the most development. Sure, it was shitty and nonsensical, but if we're being literally she is the "most developed".
 
S

Sola Scriptura

Member
None of the sequels to the mainline entries should exist in the first place, so the choice of a character that is based in any part on his or her story arc in a sequel is entirely irrelevant, in my opinion.

Come at me, bros.
 
K

Kyari

Member
TheJollyCorner said:
Well, I mean simply besting Sephiroth isn't going to automatically erase years of mind-fuckery. Cloud's entire young adulthood seemed fairly traumatic- from the moment he left his home town to join Shinra and everything he goes through, including the events of VII.

The guy is a mental mess, likely dealing with a strong helping of PTSD.

I actually like that Cloud was still troubled in AC. Guess I'm in the minority.
Click to expand...

The entire third act of FFVII revolves around Cloud coming to terms with his past and moving past it with the support of Tifa and his friends though?
 
G

Gaffi

Member
Ralemont said:
No real reason? He gets infected with a plague that he thinks is caused by Aeris/The Planet wanting revenge against humanity for how its been treated.

Cloud has legit reasons to be emo in AC. Like, Cloud doesn't feel guilty because Aeris died, he feels guilty because he thinks Aeris is blaming him for her death by giving him the plague.
Click to expand...

This. Although Square likes to use AC Cloud attitude wise for alot of his cross overs and general attitude which I don't really agree with. Cloud in AC is completely justified, it's just the time gap in between the game and the movie makes his attitude change a little jarring.
 
O

orioto

Good Art™
773px-Amano_Cyan_II.jpg


That's the whole thing about FFVI, it's not the numbers of lines, the complicated story.. like in other games, this man has 2 simple stories, that defines him and his life.
 
D

Disagree Guy

Member
It's CELES from FF6 without doubt.

I've played all the final fantasy and don't get me wrong, people like Tidus and Yuna and Vivi do invoke real emotions while you play with them, specifically during the finale of FFX which is probably the greatest game storyline of all time....

But Celes feels so real, so relatable and most complete.
 
K

kromeo

Member
Sola Scriptura said:
None of the sequels to the mainline entries should exist in the first place, so the choice of a character that is based in any part on his or her story arc in a sequel is entirely irrelevant, in my opinion.

Come at me, bros.
Click to expand...

They should if the stories are done well, not the nonsense spin-off feel of X-2 and XIII-2

Hopefully the inevitable XV-2 doesn't go that route
 
J

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
There are a few to choose from, but only one really jumps out at me immediately - the homie Vivi

Vivi.Ornitier.full.1048914.jpg
 
T

TheJollyCorner

Member
Kyari said:
The entire third act of FFVII revolves around Cloud coming to terms with his past and moving past it with the support of Tifa and his friends though?
Click to expand...

Coming to terms with the past doesn't fully remove the mental trauma, though. It helps him dig deep in a critical situation and, with the help of the team, defeat the larger threat, but what happens when the fighting is over and things calm down?

That's what AC deals with to some extent. Cloud reverts back in on himself, traveling around, not answering his phone, dealing with the residual effects of a fucked up life. Obviously getting the geostigma illness likely amplifies his need to do this, but did you really expect someone like Cloud to walk away from VII and be everyone's cheerful buddy? :p

AC is just another step of Cloud dealing with his inner demons and trying to find peace/forgiveness. As there is no direct follow-up to AC (yet :p), whether fans choose to believe he completely exorcises his demons at the end or is still dealing with his PTSD is up to the individual.
 
T

TheJollyCorner

Member
orioto said:
773px-Amano_Cyan_II.jpg


That's the whole thing about FFVI, it's not the numbers of lines, the complicated story.. like in other games, this man has 2 simple stories, that defines him and his life.
Click to expand...

Love this choice.
His story in WoR is really powerful to me, especially considering what he experiences in the early game.
 
M

Mesoian

Member
Don't get me started on Lightning. She's literally bipolar until one day she meets Carbunkle and decides to not be bipolar. Her characterization is a fucking trainwreck.


The real answer is probably Zidane. It's not often we see the swings that a young male protagonist has to do in order to make a puckish rogue persona work, and it's really interesting to see how it wears on his teammates, eventually forcing him to gradually change who and what he wants to be.

Second place is likely Yuna. The only reason I don't put her as first is because she's literally hiding her motivations and true feelings from the player for the first 2/3's of the game, so her change and growth is more of a shock to the observer than a slow state of fleshed out change. And if you're counting FFX-2, I feel like all of her growth into a "real girl" happened off screen. I love bubbly Yuna, but we never see her make the switch. Her grieving, her growth, her understanding of herself, it's all done off screen with occasional allusions and stories about how she got over things. For a game that is all about Yuna, FFX2 spends a lot of time in the shoes of the characters around her, tip toeing around Tidus' death, how she's coping with the truth about everything she ever knew and how she's filling the void by actually bettering herself.
 
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