Final Fantasy, in its 30+ years of history, has had plenty of recurring themes, motifs, music, and characters that fans of the series recognize as trademarks of the beloved and long-lived series. Even casual fans will know right away when they’re playing a Final Fantasy game.
Two recurring characters, Biggs and Wedge have been appearing in the series since Final Fantasy 6 was released in 1994, being a reference to Luke Skywalker’s Red Squadron Wingmates in Star Wars, Biggs Darklighter and Wedge Antilles. Their appearances range from small and non-speaking roles to important characters in their own right, as antagonists, supporting cast, and neutral parties, and here are the best ones, ranked.
Spoilers ahead, for various Final Fantasy games!
7 Gibbs And Deweg, Post-Abandoning Soldiers (Final Fantasy 12)
This is an edge case, considering that their names are different, but these two are still clearly an anagram twist on the classic naming convention and are interesting enough to warrant a mention, even with their short appearance in the game.
Gibbs and Deweg are soldiers of the Archadean empire, with Deweg being of higher rank. They guard the way between Nalbina Fortress and the Mosphoran Highwaste. Gibbs is particularly interesting because of his immense dislike of Chocobo due to his time on a Chocobo farm and being rejected romantically due to smelling like one – something you can leverage by riding up to them on one to send him running, causing both soldiers to abandon their post.
6 Biggs And Wedge, Original Baddies (Final Fantasy 6)
The original Wedge and Biggs of Final Fantasy, these two are actually the first characters you see in Final Fantasy 6, along with a mind-controlled Terra, all piloting sweet Magitek armors on the not-so-sweet mission to fight their way through the neutral town Narshe to get an esper, one of the series’ signature summons.
These Gestahlian soldiers are Terra’s handlers, with Wedge likely being the senior officer, though their time in the game is short as they are obliterated by the esper they sought, lacking the power to withstand its radiance. Biggs was originally translated to Vicks in the SNES, something later games sometimes like to riff on. Their names also show up in non-Final Fantasy titles, namely Kingdom Hearts and Chrono Trigger.
5 Biggs And Wedge, Pro Blitzballers Extraordinaire (Final Fantasy 10 And 10-2)
Guards who were largely relegated to NPC status throughout Final Fantasy 10, this iteration of Biggs and Wedge can still be quite memorable if you enjoy Blitzball and employed these two in your team.
Because of their stat growths, these two are some of the best team members you can get in the game, with both being excellent at low-level, Wedge being excellent in mid-level, and both of them being respectable at high-level. Wedge also has the distinction of being the second-best high-level goalie in the game. They both are also in Final Fantasy 10-2 as members of the Gullwings Blitzball team.
4 Biggs Callux And Wedge Kincaid, Consummate Soldiers (Final Fantasy 15)
Perhaps the most competent soldiers to hold the Biggs and Wedge title, Callux and Kincaid are in the employ of the antagonists, the Niflheim Empire. But unlike other iterations, this does not make them villains, since their true loyalty lies with Aranea and the citizens of Niflheim, rather than the government, and they are shown helping Noctis and Co. when Aranea throws in her lot with them.
Biggs is a higher rank than Wedge and tends to be more chatty whereas Wedge isn’t much for talking. After the time skip, they are shown to be leaders in their own right, with the duo having an army and each of them leading a unit of their own.
3 Biggs And Wedge, Stalwart Engineers (Final Fantasy 14)
Though Biggs and Wedge have always had different stature, Final Fantasy 14 is the most extreme example, Biggs being a Sea Wolf Roegadyn, the tallest race in the game, and Wedge being a Lalafell, the shortest race in the game. The latter also has a crush on one of the bravest characters in the game, Tataru.
The two are engineers under the employ of Cid Nan Garlond, and all three are defectors from the Garlean army. Their collective exploits are too numerous to list here, given that they have shown up in every expansion as well as the base game, but some examples are helping you against Alexander and showing up like the cavalry to rescue you from a collapsing rift.
2 Biggs And Wedge, Military Comic Relief (Final Fantasy 8)
Perhaps the funniest Biggs and Wedge, these two are soldiers in the Galbadian army – Major Biggs in red and Lieutenant Wedge in blue, who have the misfortune of repeatedly meeting the main characters. You first meet them in Dollet where they finish the communication tower in time for you to lay the beatdown on them, only for them to get swept away by Elvoret, the real boss fight.
Their luck gets worse when they are demoted to Lieutenant and Private, respectively, and sent to work in a desert prison, only to meet the party again, with predictable results. By the third time you meet them, they don’t even bother fighting, choosing instead to abandon their posts. Though their fights are not too tough or interesting, they have some of the best banter in the game, and in the second fight, if you hit them with the Confuse status effect, you get even some extra lines.
1 Biggs And Wedge (And Jessie), Ecoterrorists With Hearts Of Gold (Final Fantasy 7 Remake)
These guys were members of Avalanche in the original Final Fantasy 7, and while they were mildly interesting, they died before they could develop into truly interesting characters. Fortunately, they walked so their Remake iterations could run, straight into our hearts. Truly, from writing to design, they have had one of the best glow-ups in history.
We learn a lot about the other Avalanche members in Remake: Wedge with his cats and guilt over being an ecoterrorist, and Biggs with his big-brother confidence become loveable characters in their own right. And Jessie, though not qualifying for this list, still deserves a mention as she is an inseparable member of the trio and one of the most charming characters in the game. It’s sad that they seem to have met the same fate as in the original games, though certain events in the game throw that into question…