Summary
- SOLDIER is a prestigious division in Final Fantasy 7, only accepting the most competent warriors.
- New characters like Roche and Nero showcase the power and desperation within SOLDIER.
- Iconic characters like Sephiroth and Zack prove their strength as some of the most powerful SOLDIERs in the series.
Final Fantasy 7 boasts many iconic elements that help it stand out as the greatest game in the series. The elite Shinra warrior group known as SOLDIER is one such element shown in the game , and it boasts some of the most powerful warriors in Final Fantasy.
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Despite Cloud being one of the most powerful combatants in the game, his skills still weren't good enough to help him become a part of this elite division. This should be enough to make it clear that only the most competent warriors around will even get a chance of becoming a part of SOLDIER. With that in mind, these are SOLDIER's strongest warriors, ranked.
7 Roche
A New SOLDIER Who Loses Himself In His Quest To Defeat Cloud
- Debut: Final Fantasy 7 Remake
Roche is a new character introduced in Final Fantasy 7 Remake who annoys Cloud during his travels. He faces off against the protagonist repeatedly, only to be defeated handily every single time.
In Rebirth, he becomes so desperate to defeat Cloud that he becomes a willing guinea pig for Hojo's experiments. However, this still isn't enough to help him defeat his rival, and he's promptly abducted by the black robes not long after.
6 Angeal Hewley
Zack's Mentor, Who Passes On The Buster Sword To Him
- Debut: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
Angeal is one of the many characters introduced in Crisis Core who establishes his worth as a member of SOLDIER in no time. He serves as Zack's mentor and aids him in his quest to become a powerful SOLDIER, only for a cruel twist of fate to destroy their relationship.
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After learning of Project G and realizing that his life had been fabricated from the moment he was born, Angeal refuses to live dishonorably and forces Zack to fight his twisted, monstrous form. The protagonist tearfully kills his mentor, allowing Angeal to die a noble death as he passes on the Buster Sword to a worthy warrior.
5 Genesis Rhapsodos
Another Experiment Injected With Jenova Cells To Become Stronger
- Debut: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7
Genesis can be a downright cartoonish villain at times, but his power as a member of SOLDIER can't be underestimated. He's another experiment whose cells are rapidly degrading after being fused with Jenova's DNA.
He refuses to give in to his fate and walks down the path of darkness in his search for a cure, eventually coming to blows with Zack. He's one of the few characters to survive in Crisis Core. He's also one of the few characters who displays his fondness for the epic LOVELESS by quoting lines from it, and he shows his strength in battle numerous times.
4 Nero The Sable
Wears A Suit That Constantly Supplies Him With Mako And Lets Him Wield The Power Of Darkness
- Debut: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7
One good thing about the Remake continuity is that it has allowed otherwise forgotten Final Fantasy 7 characters with a ton of potential a chance to shine. This includes Nero, a special SOLDIER who could harness the power of darkness and make it serve his will.
However, to use this power, he needed to wear a suit that gave him a steady supply of Mako. This is precisely why fighting him at the end of "Episode INTERmission" can be so challenging, with players having to pull out all the stops with Yuffie and Sonon to beat this powerful foe.
3 Weiss The Immaculate
A Superboss Who Takes No Prisoners
- Debut: Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7
Weiss is another SOLDIER who didn't get the time in the spotlight he deserved, but this changed with his appearance in the Remake continuity. The data on this foe is recorded in Chadley's battle simulator, which fans can access to take on one of the toughest superbosses in Final Fantasy history.
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Players who fail to stagger Weiss will be obliterated by his powerful attacks time and time again. His dual gunblades hit like a truck, Phase Shift lets him use the movesets of his comrades, and Immaculate End is an attack Weiss uses after the battle has gone on for too long to deal 9999 damage to the entire party and instantly end the fight, unless players have ridiculously high HP and have used Barrier to lower this damage value.
2 Zack Fair
Boasts Incredible Strength And Takes On Some Of The Strongest Warriors In Final Fantasy 7
- Debut: Final Fantasy 7
Zack, the protagonist of Crisis Core, played a huge role in Cloud's life and transformed from a rookie into one of the most competent members of SOLDIER. Players could transform this happy-go-lucky hero into a powerful hero who can become so strong that even Minerva can bend to his will.
Of course, this requires a massive grind that most players are unwilling to deal with. However, even after keeping this aside, Zack was strong enough to survive and win fights against powerful characters like Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis. This shows just how strong this SOLDIER is.
1 Sephiroth
An Iconic Antagonist And Possibly The Most Powerful SOLDIER Ever
- Debut: Final Fantasy 7
Sephiroth is the most iconic Final Fantasy antagonist of all time, and his reputation speaks for itself. This silver-haired warrior was the perfect SOLDIER created by the Jenova cells, which caused him to lose his mind after learning the truth regarding his origins.
The fact that he became stronger after being dunked into the Lifestream is a testament to Sephiroth's resilience. He's pretty much a god by the time players encounter him in the Northern Crater. By that point, he is able to summon a meteor that destroys all the planets in the universe, just to deal incredible damage.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- January 31, 1997
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Cross-Platform Play
- ps, pc
- Cross Save
- Players who have already started their adventure on iOS or Android can take advantage of cross-save capabilities
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
