With so many characters in the Final Fantasy series, do you often wonder who the strongest protagonist is? Or who the weakest Final Fantasy character is? It’s a fair question without any direct answers from the source material, as each game comes with its own dramatically different world, magic systems, and powers that are hard for you to compare.
Final Fantasy has a long and storied history, spawning multiple games and spin-offs. Due to this, the strongest protagonists differ in several ways. From Cecil Harvey, Yuna, Serah, Tidus, Cloud, and so many more, this is likely where each Final Fantasy protagonist would line up according to their strengths and weaknesses.
Updated May 17, 2023, by Jack Webb. This article has been updated to improve readability and ensure all information is accurate. Upon reflection, some characters have been moved around in this list.
21 Warrior Of Light (Final Fantasy)
Sadly, the Warrior of Light errs on the side of being bland compared to every other follow-up. Due to NES limitations, his appearance was only a sprite. That is, until Final Fantasy: Dissidia reworked his design, becoming his canon appearance in other games and media.
He’s a standard RPG hero and lacks depth, belonging to the perennial good guy trope. This can be chalked up to him being the first main character in the series. He can change into several Jobs like Knight, Mage, or Thief. Each Job in Final Fantasy has powerful weapons and abilities but is rather bog-standard.
20 Firion (Final Fantasy 2)
A continuation of the previous game, Firion is similar to the Warrior of Light. Firion is portrayed as a jack of all trades and a master of none. That being said, he also isn’t impressive in strength, even though he’s more recognisable in terms of looks. Otherwise, there isn’t much to separate Firion from the Warrior of Light.
While Firion is versatile, he can only use one class at a time, so he can’t use his multiple talents simultaneously. At least this time, he has a proper name and storyline. This is a big step up from the Warrior of Light, but that doesn’t grant him much in the way of original powers that match up to the abilities of later characters. Firion's design was also reworked for Dissidia.
19 Reynn & Lann (World Of Final Fantasy)
These twins come together since they are two parts of a whole in the game they first appear in. Their strength comes from the ability to tame and capture the monsters of the Final Fantasy universe. This isn’t summoning, so they are eligible for the list. Reynn and Lann can tame some of the strongest beasts of Final Fantasy, like Behemoths, but they aren’t necessarily as powerful by themselves.
They rely on the power of the monsters they summon into battle, meaning they likely wouldn’t keep up with most other characters. The strongest Final Fantasy protagonists are plenty capable of defeating monsters, so if Reynn and Lann aren’t using their objectively best options, they can’t survive long.
18 Luneth (Final Fantasy 3)
Luneth falls into the same old category of an adaptable main character like Firion. However, Final Fantasy 3 has more job classes and character options than its predecessor, so Luneth has far more options thanks to the polished mechanics. This gives Luneth more versatility in battle, but it’s hard to describe this early character as being too much stronger.
At this point, you may be getting sick of the standard bland heroes with no set role or Job. Thankfully, when the Final Fantasy games started breaking the limits of medieval fantasies and ventured into more unique worlds, there were tons more options that could give the heroes more to talk about, rather than every main character being job-swapping neutral faces.
17 Bartz (Final Fantasy 5)
Bartz has better strength stats than magic, so you want to make him a physical class like warrior or monk. His higher relative stats mean he can make the most of these jobs, making him more of a threat than Luneth or Firion.
This gives him more of an identity as a fighter, and he is substantially stronger than the heroes mentioned before. Plus, with pure physical damage, Bartz sadly does not measure up to other heroes in later Final Fantasy games, especially hybrid mixed-damage characters.
16 Ace (Final Fantasy Type-0)
This game features a large cast, not specifying a main character. That said, Ace is generally considered the most prominent one. Ace is on the cover and most of the marketing material, but unlike the earlier heroes, he is more of a mid-range mage, attacking with magic-infused playing cards that can cut through foes.
This magical identity makes him more powerful than the physical and versatile fighters, but not by much. Ace could probably beat Final Fantasy characters like Firion or Bartz, but that is about it. Ace is fast and unique, particularly compared to other future Final Fantasy characters, but not by enough.
15 Rain (Final Fantasy Brave Exvius)
Rain is from a mobile game, making it harder to compare his power with everyone else due to its more unique mechanics. That being said, Rain is not overly impressive and is one of the weaker main characters in the franchise. He is stronger by having a simultaneous combination of ways to fight.
Rain is primarily a swordsman who can wield magic. Rain lacks access to multiple classes like others but is a solid knight in his own right with magic that can top the more mystical heroes of the franchise. His lack of a speciality or unique backstory powers keeps him stuck in the realm of being bland.
14 Zack Fair (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7)
Zack and Cloud are similar in strength, having both been injected with Jenova Cells to give them accelerated strength and similar backgrounds thanks to their training and experience within Shinra. What gives Zack a slight advantage is his limit break, Digital Mind Wave, which allows him to learn the abilities of others and use them for himself.
Unique magic gives an edge to Final Fantasy characters, and this is the case with the underrated Zack Fair. With that said Zack suffers from a glaring disadvantage that other Final Fantasy protagonists lack. Maybe he should steer clear of bullets and guns.
13 Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy 9)
Zidane is a sub-par physical attacker, ignoring that he is also a shameless philanderer with little depth. Not only does he have an insufferable personality, but he is also outclassed by almost every other character in Final Fantasy 9, apart from the equally disappointing Amarant.
His Trance and Dyne abilities are considerable in Final Fantasy 9, but his supporting cast is always more impressive. Think about it like this; if Zidane is at his strongest in Trace, how is it Beatrix can beat him singlehandedly without even having a Trance form? You can reach your conclusions on that point.
12 Squall Leonheart (Final Fantasy 8)
Squall’s main asset is his mastery of the gunblade, a unique weapon – as the game explains it is also hard to master – combining a sword and a revolver. Being the main character, Squall has well-rounded stats, and his magical abilities are good, but Squall’s power comes from the fact that everyone else in the world of FF8 is seemingly dumbed down.
He’s mostly just a fighter built on skill and technique. He doesn’t have a magical background or hidden cheesy protagonist powers like some other protagonists. Generally speaking, Squall is well-trained and keeps an incredibly level head in stressful situations, making him one of the most capable fighters that lack the tools to defeat his foes.
11 Serah (Final Fantasy 13-2)
The extent of what makes Serah unique is the Eyes of Etro, a curse that allows her to see visions of the future at the cost of a shortened life span. This gives her an edge in knowing what to do to save the world, but otherwise, the extent of her power is some skills with a bow and some alright general magic abilities.
Even with her abilities, she only seems like a strong character in Final Fantasy 13-2 because she is one of the two main characters. Lightning, the main star of Final Fantasy 13, spends most of her time trying to save her sister Serah, and Lightning is stronger in almost every way.
10 Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy 15)
Noctis can warp around the battlefield at intense speeds, but his magic abilities are limited, and his physical attacks are standard. The main characters of this game mostly fight using weapons with very few signs of augmentation or supernatural abilities and Noctis is nothing special.
Even with his Armiger and the Thirteen Royal Arms Noctis fails to leave an impression. In the confines of FF15, the Armiger is his Limit Break but is circumstantial as it relies too heavily on other aspects. That is not to say the Armiger is weak; Noctis is weak, and he can only use it thanks to his royal lineage.
9 Vincent Valentine (Dirge of Cerberus)
Vincent has a lot of mystery around him, and he loves to occupy the position of edgelord in FF7. He uses a gun, but there is a mystical quality to him that gives him an edge. Vincent can transform into beast forms, making him remarkably powerful when he's in another form.
In Chaos form, Vincent gets a massive power boost and new skills, and by the end of the game, he learns to control the transformation. Early Vincent likely would struggle to hold up against most of these characters, but he has some of the best potential of any great Final Fantasy protagonist.
8 Vaan (Final Fantasy 12)
Vaan is another one of those balanced fighters who can adapt to any role. He has some of the highest attack stats in FF12 and is best suited for physical jobs. However, Vaan is no slouch with magical abilities, which can be incredibly powerful depending on which class you build him into.
The more grounded nature of Final Fantasy 12 might make him seem underwhelming and less magical, but he makes up for it with a wide variety of tank and DPS skills.
7 Tidus (Final Fantasy 10)
The poorly-dressed Tidus is skilled with a sword and can use White and Black magic. Tidus is spry, agile, and hits hard thanks to his athletic history, and his massive skill tree in Final Fantasy 10 only expands his power in physical and magical forms.
The main issue with Tidus is that he is not particularly high in the areas you want a protagonist to be. Speedy characters are great as side characters – but particularly with his childishness and egocentric nature – it is easy to have him fall to his demise through most of his game, meaning he’s likely to be behind most other protagonists that endure similar challenges.
6 Lightning (Final Fantasy 13)
Lightning is the protagonist of the Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, and she is easily more powerful than the others in those games. Lightning grows over the games, gaining skills and magic to reach a state in the third entry where she actively can wield the souls of humanity to help her defeat literal gods single-handedly with the title and powers of the Savoir.
Most people were disinterested in Lightning at the time of her debut, but it’s hard to argue with her martial prowess. She doesn’t need an alternate form, technique, or unique magical spell to reach her power, and instead keeps this immense amount of power by her side at all times. That said, her power eventually comes from a God, which isn't down to her ability.
5 Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy 4)
Cecil was a departure from the other main characters having something of a dual purpose. He starts as a Dark Knight, conflicting with his character and motivations. Due to various story events, Cecil embraces his true calling as a Paladin, increasing his power and giving him White Magic.
Owing to the depth of Cecil's character and struggles, his overcoming the various trials he faces serves to make him stronger. Casting aside his role as a Dark Knight, he is at his full power as a Paladin, able to wield some of the strongest swords in the game.
4 Yuna (Final Fantasy 10-2)
Take Tidus and add to that the versatility of Yuna's dresspheres, which can infuse her with more magic than nearly any Final Fantasy protagonist. She lacks physical strength, but being a pure mage comes with positives; having the widest range of spells among nearly any protagonist in the series.
Unlike most hardcore mages in your party, Yuna can adapt to whatever situation is required. In Final Fantasy 10-2, this gives Yuna an edge over the more limited Tidus. More than that, her magical prowess sets the standard for mage protagonists of nearly any JRPG and can push past a majority of the weakest members of this list without breaking a sweat. If Yuna was still a summoner at the time of Final Fantasy 10-2, she would be much more dangerous.
3 Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)
Despite his famous buster sword, Cloud is considered one of the best mixed-attackers in a Final Fantasy game. The Materia system of Final Fantasy 7 gives him a massive advantage, letting him abuse all sorts of spells and mechanics, and infuse his attacks with more power than nearly any other character in the series.
His Limit Breaks are extremely powerful as well. Attacks like Cross-Slash or Omni-Slash were good enough to slay Sephiroth, one of the strongest Final Fantasy villains of all time, much less the other characters on this list. It is no surprise Cloud has appeared in games like Super Smash Bros, as his power and skills are some of the most potent of the entire series.
2 Ramza Beoulve (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Ramza is the hero of Final Fantasy Tactics, and thanks to the mechanics of Tactics, he can be one of the most broken units in the game. There is a reason his Job is referred to as the Uber Squire; he can use Knight Swords such as Ragnarok, Save the Queen, and cast Ultima for good measure. His skill is based on your choices in Tactics, and he always becomes the best of the Jobs Ramza is in.
He can make enemies change allegiance, be a destructive Summoner, look after all his allies as a White Mage, and soar through the heavens as a Dragoon. Ramza is a veritable powerhouse, able to crush any foe who dares stand against him. Not to mention, he has one of the best story arcs seldom seen in modern Final Fantasy.