Summary
- Cloud Strife may be iconic, but other Final Fantasy protagonists like Cecil and Zidane have arguably greater strength and backstory depth.
- Terra struggles with her power as a half-esper, while Zidane's creation as the Angel of Death gives him immense potential strength over Cloud.
- Lightning evolves from mortal to a god, surpassing even Cloud by defeating and becoming the new God in her universe.
Ask someone in the street to name a Final Fantasy protagonist, and chances are they're going to name Cloud Strife from the Final Fantasy 7 series. As the poster boy for the franchise, he's arguably the most iconic Final Fantasy character. A super soldier infused with both Mako and Jenova cells wielding a sword that can cut through almost anything, Cloud is a force to be reckoned with.
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But is he the strongest protagonist in the franchise? No, not by a long shot. The series has several other protagonists who are arguably much stronger. This topic will examine Final Fantasy canon/lore and feats while mostly ignoring each entry's actual gameplay. It will also be limited to the main entries, not the franchise's almost infinite number of spin-offs, although sequels are included. Finally, because of its MMO status, messy lore, and the fact that the story isn't finished yet, the Warrior of Light from Final Fantasy 14 will be excluded. No disrespect intended...
6 Cecil - Final Fantasy 4
A Half-Lunarian Super Soldier
Final Fantasy 4
Cecil has quite a bit in common with Cloud. They're two of the most angsty characters in the Final Fantasy series and soldiers with troubled pasts. Cloud has Jenova cells running through him, while Cecil is half Lunarian (a race of moon people). It's pretty debatable who is stronger.
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Whether it’s Final Fantasy 7’s Cloud or Tales of Symphonia’s Lloyd, these characters tend to stick with their players.
But the argument for Cecil is fairly strong. Cloud might be a super soldier, but from an early age, Cecil was trained to be a powerful Dark Knight. After realizing the error of his ways, he becomes an even more powerful Paladin, infused with white magic. Also, while Lunarians look human, they're smarter and have a greater affinity for magic. This could give Cecil an edge compared to Cloud, who was born a boring old human. Cloud arguably has some cooler feats, but that's likely because, in 1991, Square Enix didn't have the technology to give Cecil flashy action sequences.
5 Terra - Final Fantasy 6
Half Esper Heroine
Final Fantasy 6
Famously, Final Fantasy 6 doesn't officially have a main protagonist, unlike pretty much every other Final Fantasy game. However, many fans consider Terra to be the game's protagonist. She's one of the best female characters in the series and easily one of the most powerful.
Like Cloud, she's a former soldier who is both gifted at magic and in the use of melee combat. Unlike Cloud, though, she's also half-esper. Espers are Final Fantasy 6's version of summons, meaning Terra has the potential to be incredibly powerful. However, throughout the game, Terra struggles with her true nature, and fans never get to see that many impressive feats from her. Her ability to transform into her Esper form and use powerful spells makes her more powerful than Cloud but weaker than most of the other protagonists here. Also, the game's ending makes her a plain old human with no magical powers.
4 Zidane - Final Fantasy 9
The Angel Of Death
Final Fantasy 9
Zidane, the good-natured thief with a monkey tail, might seem like cannon fodder for the likes of Cloud. Most of his feats aren't particularly impressive, and his trance moves might look cool, but every Final Fantasy protagonist has cool moves. So what makes Zidane so special?
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Zidane may be one of Final Fantasy's most selfless heroes but he was also created to be the Angel of Death. Zidane and Kuja are both genomes created by Garland for the express purpose of wiping out all life on Earth. Kuja was Garland's first attempt, but he considered him to be a failure, which led to Zidane's creation. It's stated in the game's lore that Zidane, if he reached his true potential, would be more powerful than Kuja. Considering Trance Kuja was capable of blowing up a planet, that certainly should make Zidane stronger than Cloud. Since players never see his full potential, however, Zidane gets a middle ranking.
3 Clive - Final Fantasy 16
Can Absorb Eikons
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
This is where Final Fantasy's power scaling starts to get a little bit broken. As the Dominant of the dark Eikon Ifrit, Clive can summon the powerful beast and manifest fire at will. What makes Clive special, though, is his ability to absorb other Eikons' aether, allowing him to use multiple Eikonic abilities at once. Basically, Clive can absorb summons, which makes him very, very powerful.
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It's not just his ability to use Final Fantasy 16's Eikons that makes him more powerful than Cloud, though. He also has some impressive feats. In his Ifrit form, Clive tanked Bahamut's Zettaflare attack, an attack supposedly powerful enough to destroy the planet. He also essentially defeats his universe's version of god, Ultimate and Omega (the creator of the universe), all solo. Of course, lots of Final Fantasy characters have killed gods and powerful monsters; it's a staple of the series, but few of them can do it solo.
2 Noctis
The Power Of Kings And The Ring Of Lucii
Final Fantasy 15
- Released
- November 9, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Noctis is easily one of the most underrated Square Enix protagonists. It's easy to see why. A lot of fans weren't happy with the direction Square Enix took the franchise with Final Fantasy 15, and in battle, Noctis often felt underpowered. He seemed like a classic case of style over substance. Take into account the game's mind-boggling lore, however, and Noctis is easily one of the franchise's most powerful protagonists.
As the heir to a line of kings who wield the power of the Crystal, Noctis has some amazing abilities. He can teleport, use magic, and summon weapons out of thin air. His Armiger and Armiger Unleashed states allow him to use multiple weapons at once and tank unbelievable hits. After gaining the favor of the Six Astrals, he can also summon the power of gods like Leviathan and Ramuh in battle. Towards the end of the game, Noctis spends ten years absorbing the power of the Crystal and wears the Ring of Lucii to become the True King. This makes him an immensely powerful being whose power is almost unparalleled. With the Ring of Lucii alone, Noctis can simply delete poor Cloud.
1 Lightning
Kills God, Becomes God
Final Fantasy 13-3
- Released
- February 11, 2014
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Cloud has battled a lot of powerful foes, but he's never soloed his universe's God. Lightning has. The Final Fantasy 13 series has truly broken power scale and by the end of the third installment, Lightning is incredibly powerful.
Not just one of the franchise's best-dressed protagonists, Lightning is basically a god. While lots of Final Fantasy protagonists have killed gods (little g), Lightning killed her universe's version of God (big G), Bhunivelze. She then became the new God and recreated the whole universe. But she didn't just recreate it. The ending of Lightning Returns implies she created a better, happier universe. For these feats alone, she's not just stronger than Cloud, she's arguably the strongest protagonist in the whole franchise.
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