Summary
- Final Fantasy parties evolved from basic to diverse, with some members being stronger than others for battle.
- Final Fantasy 6 showcases a mix of powerful party members - mages, sword users, and even a suplex expert.
- Final Fantasy games feature strong party members across the series, with diverse abilities like magic, summoning, and weapon prowess.
Final Fantasy has traditionally always had strong parties in the series' many games. The first game starred the Four Warriors of Light, and while they didn’t have strong characteristics, they were noble heroes aiming for a righteous cause. As the games carried on, the parties became more diverse, from boisterous ninjas to food-hungry monsters.
Based on weapon prowess, magical abilities, and keen strategies, which Final Fantasy parties are the strongest collections in their respective games? Who would win in a Civil War fight to the death? Let’s calculate the odds and rank their combined power levels. It’s not just about numbers either, so Final Fantasy 6 isn’t an automatic win. Or is it?
6 Final Fantasy 6
Main Party Members (14): Celes, Cyan, Edgar, Gau, Gogo, Locke, Mog, Relm, Sabin, Setzer, Shadow, Strago, Terra, and Umaro
Final Fantasy 6
- Released
- October 11, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 6 does indeed make the cut, but it’s not because it has the most party members in any mainline FF game. There are a lot of duds who are more or less just characters a team could use for distractions or canon fodder in a real fight. While they have their uses in battle, Edgar, Gau, Gogo, Locke, Mog, Relm, Setzer, Strago, and Umaro aren’t going to do much damage.
On the other side of the coin, Terra is a powerful mage who can transform, Super Saiyan-style, into a god. Celes, Cyan, and Shadow are all gifted sword users who have some other potent talents as well. Then there’s Sabin, who is a powerhouse without any weapons and can suplex a train for crying out loud.
5 Final Fantasy 9
Main Party Members (8): Amarant, Eiko, Freya, Garnet, Quina, Steiner, Vivi, and Zidane
Final Fantasy 9
- Released
- July 7, 2000
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Final Fantasy 9 is a classic return to the old-school Final Fantasy games, but the party’s powers are anything but old. Eiko and Garnet can use White Magic to heal the party, and they are also Summoners, making them the strongest party members by far. Vivi is another gifted magic user, but he casts Black Magic instead and can even imbue Steiner’s swords with the elements.
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The aforementioned Steiner starts a bit weak as a knight, but the more he grows, the more powerful his blade skills become. Zidane and Amarant are skilled thieves, but not exactly the strongest on their own. The biggest questionable character in the party is Quina. Overall, though, every party member can use Trance to unlock additional abilities, sort of like Terra’s power in Final Fantasy,6 but better.
4 Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Main Party Members: Ash, Jack, Jed, Neon, and Sophia
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
- Released
- March 18, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is one of the weirdest games in the series, set up as a prequel to the original game. The main character is Jack, who is an absolute beast in battle. All characters can switch Jobs in the game, but Jack can inherit them all, from a Ninja to a Summoner.
His powers are vast, making facing Jack alone dangerous. Jack’s wildest power is his ability to turn enemies into crystals, which he destroys with his bare hands afterward like some type of wild animal. His co-stars, Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia, can hold their own as wel,l whether they are borrowing the power of a Red Mage or unlocking the secrets of a Monk.
3 Final Fantasy 7
Main Party Members (9): Aerith, Barret, Cait Sith, Cid, Cloud, Red 13, Tifa, Vincent, and Yuffie
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Final Fantasy 7 is one of the most beloved games in the series and has an unbeatable cast behind it. Cloud is the breakout star as he wields one of the biggest swords in the series and has genetic enhancements to make him strong even without Materia. Everyone becomes more powerful with Materia, but the remakes have shown that these characters have inherent skills too.
Aerith is a healer, Tifa is a brawler, Barret’s gun arm is incredibly cool, and Yuffie has ninja magic. Vincent uses a gun as well, and he can transform into various monsters in the original game, but he hasn’t been made playable yet in the remakes. He did get his own spinoff though, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7, which cranked up his skills considerably. Cid has not been shown fighting in the remakes yet either, and both Red 13 and Cait Sith are not that great either, so they are the weakest links in the party chain.
2 Final Fantasy 10
Main Party Members (7): Auron, Kimahri, Lulu, Rikku, Tidus, Wakka, and Yuna
Final Fantasy 10
- Released
- December 17, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Most of Final Fantasy 10’s party could destroy a city block in the right situation. Even though Tidus is the main character, he is not that powerful. Wakka, Rikku, and Kimahri join that list of underwhelming heroes physically.
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Auron is first up to bat in the strong category, wielding a massive blade and defying death just to see his friends’ wishes come true, which is a total badass move. Lulu is one of the strongest Black Mages in the series, and also one of the weirdest dressed. Finally, there is Yuna, who is a gifted White Mage and a powerful Summoner with tons of Aeons at her beck and call, from Bahamut to Yojimbo. If one dies, another can take its place, which is why Yuna alone could stop entire parties from other games in their tracks.
1 Final Fantasy 16
Main Party Members (5): Cidolphus, Clive, Jill, Joshua, and Torgal
Final Fantasy 16
- Released
- June 22, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Final Fantasy 16’s party is small, especially since players can only directly control Clive for most of the game. However, the party members who do stick by his side are some of the strongest in the series. To start, the world of Final Fantasy 16 is filled with people who house Eikons within them called Dominants.
Dominants can summon the power of their Eikons while in human form; Clive can use fire because of Ifrit, for example. At full blast, Dominants can become their Eikons temporarily, and players will do that a lot with Clive. Jill is the Dominant of Shiva, and Cidolphus is the Dominant of Raiden, and they will not turn during combat, but the potential is there for a Final Fantasy versus setup. Also, Joshua, Clive’s brother, can die and be reborn again as the Dominant of Phoenix. Then there's Torgal, who is just the best boy.
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