This is an extension of the thread I started about Final Fantasy. The debate rages about such things in the RPG community about who tops these lists and why. So I'll give my opinion and then feel free to share yours.
Heroes/Heroines
5. Auron (FFX): A badass with a sword, but in a good way. Auron had the machismo and the mystery, yet the cool demeanor that makes him a favorite in the series. While not the hero of the story, he certainly stands out as one of the better party members and overshadows Tidus and Yuna's story due to his mysterious swagger.
4. Zidane (FFIX); The more light-hearted hero of FFIX, he was the princess rescuing type. He was unique in that he wasn't a sulking hero yet not an annoying whiner. He is the perfect balance of character for me.
3. Terra (FFVI): The intricacies of Terra's character can't be explained really. But she goes from entranced Imperial war tool to a woman awakening to her true form and potential. An intriguing character and one of the stand-outs in the series.
2. Locke (FVI): I like FFVI so I picked two here. Locke is a great hero. He is brave, dashing, funny, unselfish, all the the things that make a roguish hero popular. He's sort of the Han Solo of the FF world. When you think he's all bravado, he actually has a deeper side.
1. Cecil (FFIV): The man with a dark past who sheds his power in order to save the world. Cecil is best hero because his is a story of redemption (which I always enjoy). Despite giving up his awesome dark knight powers, he morphs into something even more powerful by becoming a paladin. He helps many people along the way and becomes to me a true representative of what a hero in FF should be.
Villains
5. Kain: (FFIV) I almost picked Golbez for this spot, but Kain I think is one of the most intricate villains in all of FF. Not only is he a party member at one point, but his jealousy of Cecil and love of Rosa causes him to do strange things throughout the game. Is he really be controlled or is he acting on his own? His betrayal actually hurt me when I first played this game and that's saying a lot.
4. The Archadian Judges: (FFXII) This is my "they look badass" pick. While not necessarily memorable individually, Bergan, Drace, Gabranth, Ghis, and Zargabaath are the types of villains that invoke fear into a gamer. Upon seeing these armored terror knights stalking together, it actually made me cringe. These Judges had an aura of fear about them, making them the type of villains you want in a game.
3. Sephiroth (FFVII): Usually everyone's number 1 spot, Sephiroth is to me one of the most iconic villains in FF history. While some may criticize his ranking as being too high or too low, my defense is that he is the only FF villain to do this:
SPOILER! Skip over the italics if you don't want to know.
He actually kills a party member in Aerith. If that doesn't get him a spot, I don't know what does. Even if not for storyline purposes, he kills one of your best characters in the game! That was enough for me to hate him. And the shock of the moment resonates in gaming history.
He has little emotion, is intimidating, and is the type of villain you want to see die at the end. So for that he gets a top spot on my list.
2. Sin: (FFX) A world-eating monster. This villain never spoke, but to me was one of the most terrifying villains in FF. I rank him so highly because of the urgency of killing him, the fear he invokes, the dread of having to face him, and his awesome appearance. These kind of villains are sometimes the most effective because they don't have any real purpose. Just a mindless machine of destruction. That's cool to me.
1. Kefka: (FFVI) The laugh. That creepy laugh. My top villain is Kefka simply because he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He's also insane, a FF version of the Joker. An enemy that can't be rationalized with and just keeps destroying everyone that gets in his path. The true face of evil to me is when you face a villain that just cannot be changed. There is no hope for Kefka. The embodiment of chaos, he devastates humanity in order to achieve more and more power. Awesome villain. One of the best in video game history.
So that's my list. Of course you don't have to be so in-depth with yours, but what do you think? What are your top 5 heroes/heroines and villains?
Heroes/Heroines
5. Auron (FFX): A badass with a sword, but in a good way. Auron had the machismo and the mystery, yet the cool demeanor that makes him a favorite in the series. While not the hero of the story, he certainly stands out as one of the better party members and overshadows Tidus and Yuna's story due to his mysterious swagger.
4. Zidane (FFIX); The more light-hearted hero of FFIX, he was the princess rescuing type. He was unique in that he wasn't a sulking hero yet not an annoying whiner. He is the perfect balance of character for me.
3. Terra (FFVI): The intricacies of Terra's character can't be explained really. But she goes from entranced Imperial war tool to a woman awakening to her true form and potential. An intriguing character and one of the stand-outs in the series.
2. Locke (FVI): I like FFVI so I picked two here. Locke is a great hero. He is brave, dashing, funny, unselfish, all the the things that make a roguish hero popular. He's sort of the Han Solo of the FF world. When you think he's all bravado, he actually has a deeper side.
1. Cecil (FFIV): The man with a dark past who sheds his power in order to save the world. Cecil is best hero because his is a story of redemption (which I always enjoy). Despite giving up his awesome dark knight powers, he morphs into something even more powerful by becoming a paladin. He helps many people along the way and becomes to me a true representative of what a hero in FF should be.
Villains
5. Kain: (FFIV) I almost picked Golbez for this spot, but Kain I think is one of the most intricate villains in all of FF. Not only is he a party member at one point, but his jealousy of Cecil and love of Rosa causes him to do strange things throughout the game. Is he really be controlled or is he acting on his own? His betrayal actually hurt me when I first played this game and that's saying a lot.
4. The Archadian Judges: (FFXII) This is my "they look badass" pick. While not necessarily memorable individually, Bergan, Drace, Gabranth, Ghis, and Zargabaath are the types of villains that invoke fear into a gamer. Upon seeing these armored terror knights stalking together, it actually made me cringe. These Judges had an aura of fear about them, making them the type of villains you want in a game.
3. Sephiroth (FFVII): Usually everyone's number 1 spot, Sephiroth is to me one of the most iconic villains in FF history. While some may criticize his ranking as being too high or too low, my defense is that he is the only FF villain to do this:
SPOILER! Skip over the italics if you don't want to know.
He actually kills a party member in Aerith. If that doesn't get him a spot, I don't know what does. Even if not for storyline purposes, he kills one of your best characters in the game! That was enough for me to hate him. And the shock of the moment resonates in gaming history.
He has little emotion, is intimidating, and is the type of villain you want to see die at the end. So for that he gets a top spot on my list.
2. Sin: (FFX) A world-eating monster. This villain never spoke, but to me was one of the most terrifying villains in FF. I rank him so highly because of the urgency of killing him, the fear he invokes, the dread of having to face him, and his awesome appearance. These kind of villains are sometimes the most effective because they don't have any real purpose. Just a mindless machine of destruction. That's cool to me.
1. Kefka: (FFVI) The laugh. That creepy laugh. My top villain is Kefka simply because he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He's also insane, a FF version of the Joker. An enemy that can't be rationalized with and just keeps destroying everyone that gets in his path. The true face of evil to me is when you face a villain that just cannot be changed. There is no hope for Kefka. The embodiment of chaos, he devastates humanity in order to achieve more and more power. Awesome villain. One of the best in video game history.
So that's my list. Of course you don't have to be so in-depth with yours, but what do you think? What are your top 5 heroes/heroines and villains?
