10FinalFantasyCharactersWho

AlmostRuinedTheirOwnGames
http://www.gamescdkey.com/news/10-final-fantasy-characters-who-
almost-ruined-their-own-games
No matter what happens in future installments, Final Fantasys legacy is secured. No other
franchiseingaminghistorycouldpossiblyhopetoaccomplishasmanyfeatsasFinalFantasyina
25yearlongreign.Sinceitsinception,theserieshasbecomerenownedforasenseofinnovation;
alwayswillingtoexperimentwithgameplay,visualsandstoryinwaysthatcapturetheimagination
anddrawyouintoitsvariousworlds.PerhapsthemostintriguingaspectofFinalFantasysimmense
successisthedivisionitinspireswithinitsownfanbase;everybodyhastheirownfavouritegame;
their own favourite character; their own favourite villain It doesnt matter how many times
peopletryandclassifyoneaspectofonegameasthebest;otherswillalwaysbewillingtostep
upandfightthecorneroftheirfavourites.Thisallstemsfromthehighstandardofgameweexpect
fromaFinalFantasyreleaseanditsthesehighstandardsthathaveperhapsledtoaslightdiminish
within the series. Final Fantasy XIVs failed launch was seen by many as the first major blunder
withinthefranchise,thoughotherspinpointthebeginningoftheseriesdemiseasfarbackasFinal
FantasyVIII.Allofthatisirrelevantthough.EvenifSquareEnixreleaseadozenfailedMMOs,the
qualityandstandardoftheFinalFantasygamesleadinguptoitwillnotbediminished.Still,within
thesegames,thereareelementsthatareslightlyoffputtingtousasplayers.Withawidevariety
of characters and story arcs, youd expect to be more interested in certain characters ahead of
others; thats simply human nature. Interestingly though, some characters seem to be placed
withintheseriessimplytoannoyus.Whyelsewouldyouintroduceheroiccharacterswithwildly
inflated egos and aggravating personalities? This article seeks to highlight ten characters who
challengeduswiththeirappearancesthroughouttheseries;characterswhoannoyedus,upsetus
oroffendeduswiththeirpointlessways.Whetheritwasanannoyingpersonalityorhabitoran
infuriating sidequest which wasted our time, these ten characters should be ashamed for their
crimesagainstustheplayers.Ofcourse,asalreadystated,thisisntadefinitivelist.Everybodys
opinions will be different here so please feel free to disagree and add your thoughts to the
commentsbelow;Idwagerthattheresatleastonecharacteronthislistthateverybodycanagree
onthough.
10.Umaro(FinalFantasyVI)
Interestingly,FinalFantasyVIwascreatedwithnomainprotagonistinmind;itscharactersform
more of an ensemble than any other Final Fantasy game. As such, theres a range of creative
characterswithmanyoptionalchoicesthatcanbemissedentirely(especiallywhenintheWorld
ofRuinwhererediscoveringcertaincharactersisoptional).Ofcourse,whenyoureintroducinga
widerangeofcharacters,notallofthemaregoingtobehits.Umaroisaremarkablystrangechoice
foraplayablecharacter,evenbyFinalFantasystandards.Hesaberserkeryetiwhodoesnttake
anycommandsfromtheplayer;hesimplyusesphysicalattacksandgenerallydoeswhateverhe
wants.Notexactlythesortofpartymemberyouwantaroundwhenthegoinggetstough.Even
strangeristhewayyourecruithimintotheparty.IntheWorldofRuin,Umaroisencounteredina
mine and after a battle, if Mog is in your party, the Moogle will command Umaro to join you;
apparentlyMogknowshowtocontrolhim.Itsabizarrepartnershiptosaytheleast;sobizarrein
factthatwhenheldupagainstthemorematurestorylinesinFinalFantasyVI,itkindoffallsapart.
Theres various ways to get the most out of Umaro in battle but with little story and character,
whenallissaidanddone,onequestionreallyremainsaboutUmarowhy?
9.Edward(FinalFantasyIV)
Isitpossibletohaveaplayablecharacterwhowasplacedinagamejustforoneline?Edwardsfirst
appearanceinFinalFantasyIVseeshimbeinginsultinglyreferredtoasaspoonybardbyTellah.
Itsanexampleofthesillinessoftheseriesaswellassometerrificallypoortranslationthroughout
theyears,butitssomehowincrediblyapt;thereissomethingratherspoonyaboutEdward,after
all.AtleastpartofTellahsexclamationisrightanyway;Edwardisabard.Hesalsoaprincebuthis
loveformusicfaroutweighshisloveforpolitics.Hisstoryfeaturesanearlytragedywhenthelove
of his life, Anna, is killed by Golbez (who also steals Edwards airship for good measure) and it
doesntgetmuchbetterfromthatpoint.Hespendsalotoftimemopingabouthislostloveand
therestofthetimeactingcowardlyandveryunprincely.Healsoendsupbedriddenformostof
thegame(althoughhedoeshelpthepartyoutgreatlyfromthecomfortofhisbed),furthermaking
himlookweakanduseless.Inbattle,hisstatsareprettypoor(theyskyrocketafterLevel70butin
theoriginalSNESversion,yousimplyarentgoingtogethimthathigh)andhisabilities,mainlySing,
are fairly useless. He also uses Hide when his health is low, saving him from death while
simultaneouslymakinghimunusuable.Edwardmightnotbemuchofafighter(oracharacterin
general)butwellforeverrememberhimastheSpoonyone.
8.Squall(FinalFantasyVIII)
Squall offers something of a dilemma; as the central character, hes imperative to Final Fantasy
VIIIs narrative yet his irritating personality and unsociable habits mean that its hard to root for
him.Hesacharacterthatdividesopiniononanincrediblescale;someviewhispersonalitytraits
asinhuman(andtherefore,highlyproblematic)whiletheresalsoanargumentthathiscynicaland
cold ways make him an intriguing character one that we want to see more of. Squalls stoic
personalityderivesfromanintensefeelingofloneliness;acombinationofhislifeasanorphanand
afeelingofabandonmentfromthegirlhelooksuptoashisoldersister.Whenthisstorylineactually
develops,itsaninterestinglookatourhero,givingus thechancetopeelbackhisrigidexterior
andseewhatliesbeneath.Sadly,itcomesverylateinthegameandforsome,thedamagemay
havepermanentlybeendone.Yousee,Squalldoesntseemtogetonverywellwithpeople.His
talents allow him a leadership role within the SeeD organisation (specifically leading Zell and
SelphieontheirfirstassignmenttoTimber)buthisdismissiveattitudemakesyouwonderwhyhes
entrustedwiththisrole.Eventhosewhofollowhimmockhimforhispoutyways;QuistisandRinoa
bothpreemptivelycopyhimwithhiscatchphraseWhatever.Hesreallynottheworldsbiggest
badass.Yes,SquallsdevelopmentiscentraltoFinalFantasyVIIIandseeinghimfinallyopenupis
agenuinelyawesomemoment.Still,youcanseewhysomanyfeltthatthejourneytogetthere
simplywasntworthit.NotthatSquallreallycareswhatwethinkanyway.
7.CaitSith(FinalFantasyVII)
Youhavetobeespeciallyabnormaltobetheweirdestcharacterinagamefeaturingavampire,a
manwithagunforanarmandatalkinganimal.CaitSithisdefinitelyabnormalthough;hesagiant
stuffedanimalcontrolledbyaroboticcatwithamegaphone(whosactuallybeingcontrolledby
ReeveofShinrayouknow,thebadguys).UponjoiningthepartyintheGoldSaucer,CaitSithacts
asaspyforShinra.Cloudquicklysuspectsthatthegrouphasaspywithinitsmidstsbutdoesnt
seemtosuspectthenewguyatall.Lateron,hestealsakeyitemfromthegroup(thekeytothe
TempleOfTheAncients)andhandsittoShinra.Whencaught,herevealshistruecoloursbutthen
announceshesholdingBarretsdaughterhostage,forcingthegrouptokeephimaround.Itsfair
to say that hes not a team player. Cait Siths redemption arrives in the Temple Of The Ancients
when he sacrifices himself to get the Black Materia. However, mere minutes later, an identical
replacementshowsup,makingtheentiresacrificeordealirrelevant.Ontopofallofthis,inbattle,
hislimitbreakisentirelyrandomandhasachancetogiveyouanimmediateGameOverscreen;
CaitSithmightbethefirstcharacteryouveeverwantedtoliterallyknockthestuffingoutof.
6.Zell(FinalFantasyVIII)
PerhapsitsintentionalthatnearlyeveryFinalFantasygamehasacharacterthatsbeenperfectly
designedtoannoyyouonaconstantbasis;howelsecanyouexplainZellsexasperatingroleinFinal
Fantasy VIII? Zell is a neardisastrous mix of arrogance, stupidity and speech in capital letters,
meaning that when hes not annoying you by trying to fight everyone, hes saying or doing
somethingthatsboundtogetyourpartyintotrouble.Theresagreatexampleofthisduringthe
partysearlymissioninTimber.ThePresidentofGalbadia(whothegrouphavebeentaskedwith
kidnapping)ismakingaspeechontelevisionbutbeforethegroupcanputtheirplansintoaction,
Seiferstormsinandholdshimhostageinfrontofthenation.WhenyouarriveintheTVstudio,Zell
blurtsoutthatSeiferisfromGarden,despiteSquallsdesperateattemptstoshuthimup,directly
leadingtoGalbadiatakingmilitaryactionagainstthethreeGardens.Greatjob,Zell.ZellandSeifers
rivalry is actually a running plot thread through the early stages of Final Fantasy VIII and its
unbelievably silly. Seifer likes to call Zell a chickenwuss which, despite being one of the worst
insultsevercreated,getsunderZellsskinforsomereasonandusuallyleadstohimfiringupina
big,melodramaticfashion.Hedoesbringsomegoodqualitiestothetable(particularlyinbattle
wherehislimitbreakseeshimperformingwrestlingmovesonfoes)butZellsannoyingqualities
willundeniablyhaveyoufacepalminglikeSquallonaconstantbasis.
5.Vaan/Penelo(FinalFantasyXII)
Whenareyourmaincharactersnotactuallyyourmaincharacters?WhentheyreVaanandPenelo.
FinalFantasyXIIsmainstorydealswithAshesquesttoaccumulatepowerandregaincontrolof
herkingdomafteritsoverthrownbyabetrayal.VaanandPeneloaccompanyheronthisjourney,
actingasviewpointsonthevariousevents.Thisseemsstrangethough,giventhattheyrethefirst
characters introduced in the game (aside from thetutorial section which features Vaans soldier
brother Reks). For the majority of the game, youll be controlling Vaan, yet in a narrative sense,
hesnotreallythemaincharacter.PerhapsSquarefeltthatAshestalewastoldbetterfromathird
personperspectivebutitalsounderminesVaanscharactersomewhat.Vaansmaindevelopments
centeraroundhisdesperatewanttoobtainanairshipandbecomeaskypirate.Lateron,headmits
that this is driven by a desire to leave the memory of his brother behind. Penelo serves as his
companionandthatslegitimatelyprettymuchit.Together,theylearnabouttheworldofIvalice
duringtheirtravelsbutbeyondthis,anystoryfocusedonthemascharactersisprettymuchnon
existent.VaanandPenelosproblemisntevenreallytodowiththemascharacters;itsmoretheir
frustratingrolewithinthestory.Theyregivenlittleopportunitytostandoutandbytheendofthe
game, theyre only slightly better off than they were before. Plus, theres a section of the game
where youre required to run around as Vaan and yell Dont listen to Ondores lies! in the
smuggestvoicepossibleyeah,thesetwodefinitelyneededmorework.
4.Quina(FinalFantasyIX)
AfterthesemirealisticworldsofFinalFantasyVIIandVIII,Squaresdecisiontoreturntoitsmore
bizarrefantasyworldsinFinalFantasyIXallowedthemtobringtheirimaginativecreationstothe
foreonceagain.Howelsedoyouexplainthedecisiontocreateahumanoidleadcharacterwho
hasatailfornoreason?TheresplentyofweirdandwonderfulcharactersinFinalFantasyIXbut
nonecomeclosetothebizarreappearanceofQuinaQuen.ItsalmostimpossibletodescribeQuina
inwords,thoughthefirstthingtopointoutisthatQuinaisactuallygenderless(aprettyannoying
charactertraittowriteabout,asitturnsout).QuinaspeaksinbrokenEnglish,forcinghim/herinto
aJarJarBinksesquerolewithinthegame;notthebestroletobeplayinginanything,really.Quinas
definingcharacteristicisaloveforfoodwhichisprettymuchthecharacterssolepurposewithin
the game. S/he initially joins your party on his/her own quest to discover new foods and s/he
regularly departs the group while chasing down foods, conveniently returning when its time for
the group tomove on. Annoyingly, this is pretty muchQuinas role throughout the entire game.
S/hell pop up in several Active Time Events or when the group first enters an area and usually
makeacommentaboutcuisinebeforedisappearing.Itsrepetitivetosaytheleast.Onapositive
note, Quina can be quite useful in battle as s/he acts as the Blue Mage of the party in battle,
learningenemyskillsbyeatingthem.Ofcourse,theproblemwithanyBlueMageclassisthatin
ordertomaximisetheirusefulness,youhavetospendtimetrackingdowneveryskillforthem.If
yourefullyinvestedinFinalFantasyIXandlookingforasmuchadventureaspossible,thatsfine.
OtherssimplywontbotherandQuinasimplywontmatchuptootherpartymembers.IfQuina
hadsomeactualstory(andagender),s/hemighthavebeenadecentcharacterinFinalFantasyIX,
despitehis/herbrokenEnglishandannoyinghabits.Sadly,s/hesrelegatedtosimplecomicrelief
andlikeJarJarBinks,halfthetime,itsimplyisntfunnyenough.
3. Tidus(FinalFantasyX)
Itshardbeingstuckinyourwaysandthensuddenlyfindingyourselfcompletelyoutofyourdepth
inawholenewworld.Well,atleast,thatswhatTidusstoryinFinalFantasyXtellsus.TheStar
Player Of The Zanarkand Abesis transported to Spira when Sin destroys his home of Zanarkand
andhefindshimselflostinaworldwhichisalmostcompletelydifferent.Youreallyhavetofeelfor
theguy.Ornot.MaincharactershavedividedopinionintheFinalFantasyseriesbefore,butTidus
iseasilythemostconflictcausingprotagonistofall.Hisnaivetyandignorancemeansthathesa
prettygoodcharactertocontrolaswe,theplayer,learnaboutSpiraourselves,thoughthiscauses
alotofawkwardsituationsthatjustmakeourherolookstupid.Akeyexampleisearlyinthegame,
whenWakkawarnshimagainsttellingpeoplehesfromZanarkand(inSpira,itsregardedasaholy
place.Plus,itsbeendestroyedforathousandyears).Despitethis,Tidusproceedstotelleverybody
thatlllistenthathesTheStarPlayerOfTheZanarkandAbes,completelydisregardingWakkaswise
warnings.Whilethisneveractuallycausesanyconflictwithinthegame(well,hedoesgetbranded
aheathenbyanoldwoman),ithardlypaintsTidusasthesortofintelligent,heroicfigurewewant
tobeplayingas.
2.Hope(FinalFantasyXIII)
ItsfairtosaythatthereareveryfewredeemingfactorsinFinalFantasyXIIIssixmaincharacters.
Lightning, Sazh, Snow and Fang can bestbe describedas alright and Vanille is one of the series
mostdivisivecharacters.Still,nonehavedrawnasmuchhostilityasHopeandforgoodreason.A
lotofHopesproblemsstemfrombiggerproblemswithFinalFantasyXIIIscharactersingeneral.
Were given little motivation to care about their plight or themselves as characters and they
developveryslowlyduetoalackofinteractionthroughoutthegame.Infact,thegroupissplitfor
thevastmajorityofthegame,preventingusfromseeingthevariousdynamicsofthepartyatwork.
Perhapsworstofallthough,thisallservestohighlightHopeasthegamesmostirritatingcharacter.
His mothers extremely unsurprising death early on in the game is clearly intended to attach us
emotionallytothecharacter,yetitfallsflatasheproceedstoblameeverybodybutactualkillersfor
herdeath,drivingawedgebetweenhimselfandthegroup(especiallySnow)fornexttonoreason.
Heconstantlymoansaboutthegroupssituation,ratherthanembracingitandyouconstantlyget
thefeelingthathesimplywantstocurlupinaballandgiveup;hardlythemostheroicofactions.
Thankfully, Hope is redeemed slightly with his appearances in XIII2 and Lightning Returns (or
FFXIII3)wherehesfarmorematurewithhishighintellecthelpingyouthroughoutthetwosequels.
Sadly, in Final Fantasy XIII, theres little of that on show. Again, Final Fantasy XIII wont be
remembered fondly for its characters but Hopes constant lack of hope (intentional irony?) will
haveyourollingyoureyeseverytimehesonscreen.Asahero,Tidusdevelopslateoninthegame,
especiallyduetohislovestorywithYunabecomingmorecentraltotheplot.Sadly,togettothat
point,wehavetoendurehisirritatinglycockyattitude,hisinabilitytolearnbasicmannersanda
laughsceneinLucawhichhaslivedininfamyforbeingoneoftheworstscenesintheentireseries.
Plus,hefitsintothedumbblondestereotypeperfectly;timetobuckupyourideas,Tidus.
1.Yuffie(FinalFantasyVII)
Optionalcharactershaveittoughintheworldofroleplayinggames.Duetotheiroptionalstatus,
they very rarely get involved in major plot events and their own storylines may be significantly
worsethanothersinthegame.YuffiemaybeanoptionalacquisitioninFinalFantasyVIIandthats
perhapsforthebest;ifyouknewthetroubleshewasgoingtocauseyou,inhindsight,youmight
have turned her away. Yuffie first appears as a random encounter on the world map in a forest
region (the earliest possible location is just outside Junon Harbour). After battling her, youre
transportedtoanopenfieldwhereyouhavetopickthecorrectresponsestoherquestionsinorder
togethertojoinyou.Ifyousomuchasopenamenuortrytosaveatthenearbysavepoint,she
willrobyouandleave;apparentlyshehaslittleworriesaboutmakingagoodfirstimpression.If
youhaveYuffieintheparty,shellmakeafewhumorousappearancesthroughout(suchaswhen
she gets a job at a Materia store parttime, only to rob them when leaving with the party) with
littletooffend.YuffiecomestotheforewhenthepartyarrivesinherhomenationofWutai.Here,
sheleavesthepartytemporarily,takingthegroupsMateriastashwithher.Thisleadstooneofthe
gamesmostfrustratingsegments;withnoMateria(andthereforenomagic),thefightsinWutai
becomemuchtougheranditsimpossibletoleavewithoutfinishingthestoryline,whichinvolves
chasingYuffieallovertheplace.Great.Forthemajorityofthegame,Yuffieisaninoffensiveyet
unimportantcharacter.Sheappearsinseveralscenesandhassomefunnylinesbutapartfromthat,
shedoesntdoalot(shedoesntevenappearinthegamesclosingFMV).HerstorylineinWutaiis
achorethoughandwhileitsoptional,youllundoubtedlyfindyourselfstumblinguponitduring
yoursearchfortheTempleOfTheAncients.Here,Yuffiesannoyingqualitiescometolightandits
hardforhertoregainourtrustafterputtingusthroughsuchagrueling,testingtime.
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