Some Final Fantasy characters start strong, or are at least presented as powerhouses. For example, when Cloud jumps off the train in the opening of Final Fantasy 7, brandishing the Buster Sword, it's clear he is the protagonist. Also, the size of that sword showcases how strong he truly is.
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As the solo playable character of Final Fantasy 16, Clive is another great example, as he can harness the powers of others and even turn into a Summon. Other Final Fantasy characters take longer to become strong, but once they reach certain tiers, they can become invaluable to the party. The following characters may not be the best party members in the following games, but they do indeed get stronger from where they start.
There will be spoilers for Final Fantasy 4 and Final Fantasy 16.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Rydia
From Girl To Woman
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Square
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Rydia is a young mage whom Cecil and Kain rescue early in Final Fantasy 4. As young as she is, Rydia is useful in battle thanks to her low-level Summons and Black and White magic. Since Cecil and Kain cannot use spells, she’s a good aid, but also very weak in terms of withstanding attacks.
She leaves the party and returns later after going to a dimension that ages her more quickly. In this process, she learns more powerful magic in all forms, plus she is gifted with whip abilities, thus giving her more powerful normal attacks as well. In this ever-changing party roster, Rydia becomes one of the five final party members, and the group's go-to mage by the end.
Gau
Wet And Wild
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Square
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Gau from Final Fantasy 6 can join the party fairly early during Sabin’s adventure. Gau was abandoned as a child and found his way to The Veldt, a plain where monsters roam and migrate from all over, which is how he was raised. Gau is a Blue Mage, meaning he can learn abilities from monsters, but only from monsters in The Veldt.
Players can continue to return to the Veldt to learn new moves, but it is a time crunch. That said, if they invest enough time in Gau’s abilities, they can turn him into a powerhouse. However, they do have to ask themselves if it is worth it compared to leveling up some other character’s Esper abilities instead.
Irvine Kinneas
Looking For Ammo
Irvine is a party member from Final Fantasy 8, originally hired as a sniper to take out the dark sorceress Edea. He’s a trained gunner in battle, and what makes each character unique is their Limit Breaks, which are called Auras in this game. Players can buy and craft ammo for Irvine to use during his Aura attacks, and while they can get some good shots in early, Irvine isn’t at his best when he first joins the group.
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He’s far from weak, but after players unlock Pulse Ammo, and they learn to be quick with the triggers, they can easily rack up tens of thousands of damage points. With Pulse Ammo at the ready, players will never want to remove Irvine from their party again.
Eiko Carol
Oh, Holy Night
Like Garnet, Eiko is from the Summoner tribe in Final Fantasy 9, but she’s much younger when she joins the party. Her Summon roster is more limited than Garnet’s, and she uses most of the same White Mage spells. Between her less-than-stellar lineup of abilities and Summons, players will rarely use Eiko when Garnet is clearly better at this point in the game.
That said, Eiko gets a lot of exclusive White Mage spells that make her a better White Mage than Garnet over time. She can use Full-Life to revive someone fully, and Esuna to cure any disease. The grand finale is Holy, the only White Mage spell that deals non-elemental damage, which is equally devastating to a Black Mage spell like Flare.
Penelo
Dancing Into Wizardry
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Penelo is an early party member in Final Fantasy 12. She's someone who is close to the protagonist, Vaan, as a friend and potential love interest. When players don’t have a choice, Penelo is obviously a great companion, even though her attacks are weak, and she can’t withstand many hits. Penelo’s advantage is her White Mage abilities, which take time to unlock with the License Board.
The more players branch out, the more diverse they can make Penelo, so she’s not just skilled at spells. If players do stick to spells, then they can make Penelo into a devastating mage, but like Gau from Final Fantasy 6, it will take time and dedication to do so.
Oerba Dia Vanille
More Than A Cute Face
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Vanille is probably the sweetest character in Final Fantasy 13. She means well, but isn’t exactly a strong character. She has the best early magic output, but the rest of her stats are unbalanced. The odd thing about Final Fantasy 13 is that players cannot choose their party members until much later in the game, so whenever Vanille is playable, players are stuck with her.
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The worst pair is the first one, Hope and Vanille. They are the two weakest characters in the game, and then they go on to become two of the strongest (in terms of magic, at least). Once players do get to choose their party members, they may stick with cooler characters like Lightning, Fang, and Sazh, but every good party needs a mage too, and Vanille is worth building up for that role.
Torgal
He’s Evolving!
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Torgal is Clive’s loyal canine companion in Final Fantasy 16. Clive is the only primary playable character in the game, so everyone who joins Clive will actively do their own thing. It’s less of a party system and more a series of temporary companions. The only exception is Torgal, who rarely leaves Clive's side and is just an ordinary dog who can do various melee attacks. However, towards the end of the game, Torgal will have an awakening as he becomes the Dominant for the Eikon Fenrir.
Eikons are Final Fantasy 16's version of Summons, and Dominants are chosen individuals who can harness and sometimes even temporarily transform into Eikons. Clive can turn into Ifrit, for example. After this revelation, Torgal can reach a sort of Limit Break status in battle to use Fenrir’s powers, giving him a massive boost in power. Also, at the end of the day, Torgal is just the best boy of Final Fantasy.
Cloud Strife
Busted Down
Cloud may start as a brute in Final Fantasy 7, but he is shockingly weak when players get him in Final Fantasy Tactics. As a secret character who can only be accessed late in the game, Cloud will join the party at Level 1 at a point in the game when players will probably be in the level 50 tange. All of Cloud's blade techniques are unique and powerful, callbacks to moves from Final Fantasy 7 like Omnislash and Blade Burst, but leveling him up is a chore.
This was true in the PS1 and PSP versions of the game, but the recent remaster, Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles, made Cloud’s starting build much stronger. He still needs a lot of work to make him the best, but Final Fantasy 7 fans may take on the challenge.
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