Summary
Ask someone in the street to name aFinal Fantasyprotagonist, and chances are they’re going to name Cloud Strife from theFinal Fantasy 7series. As the poster boy for the franchise, he’s arguablythe most iconicFinal Fantasycharacter. A super soldier infused with both Mako and Jenova cells wielding a sword that can cut through almost anything, Cloud is a force to be reckoned with.
But is he the strongest protagonist in the franchise? No, not by a long shot. The series has several other protagonists who are arguably much stronger. This topic will examineFinal Fantasycanon/lore and feats while mostly ignoring each entry’s actual gameplay. It will also be limited to the main entries, not the franchise’s almost infinite number of spin-offs, although sequels are included. Finally, because of its MMO status, messy lore, and the fact that the story isn’t finished yet, the Warrior of Light fromFinal Fantasy 14will be excluded. No disrespect intended…
Cecil has quite a bit in common with Cloud. They’re two ofthe most angsty characters in theFinal Fantasyseriesand soldiers with troubled pasts. Cloud has Jenova cells running through him, while Cecil is half Lunarian (a race of moon people). It’s pretty debatable who is stronger.
But the argument for Cecil is fairly strong. Cloud might be a super soldier, but from an early age, Cecil was trained to be a powerful Dark Knight. After realizing the error of his ways, he becomes an even more powerful Paladin, infused with white magic. Also, while Lunarians look human, they’re smarter and have a greater affinity for magic. This could give Cecil an edge compared to Cloud, who was born a boring old human. Cloud arguably has some cooler feats, but that’s likely because, in 1991, Square Enix didn’t have the technology to give Cecil flashy action sequences.
Famously,Final Fantasy 6doesn’t officially have a main protagonist, unlike pretty much every otherFinal Fantasygame. However, many fans consider Terra to be the game’s protagonist. She’s one ofthe best female characters in the seriesand easily one of the most powerful.
Like Cloud, she’s a former soldier who is both gifted at magic and in the use of melee combat. Unlike Cloud, though, she’s also half-esper. Espers areFinal Fantasy 6’s version of summons, meaning Terra has the potential to be incredibly powerful. However, throughout the game, Terra struggles with her true nature, and fans never get to see that many impressive feats from her. Her ability to transform into her Esper form and use powerful spells makes her more powerful than Cloud but weaker than most of the other protagonists here. Also, the game’s ending makes her a plain old human with no magical powers.
Zidane, the good-natured thief with a monkey tail, might seem like cannon fodder for the likes of Cloud. Most of his feats aren’t particularly impressive, and his trance moves might look cool, but everyFinal Fantasyprotagonist has cool moves. So what makes Zidane so special?
Zidane may be one ofFinal Fantasy’s most selfless heroesbut he was also created to be the Angel of Death. Zidane and Kuja are both genomes created by Garland for the express purpose of wiping out all life on Earth. Kuja was Garland’s first attempt, but he considered him to be a failure, which led to Zidane’s creation. It’s stated in the game’s lore that Zidane, if he reached his true potential, would be more powerful than Kuja. Considering Trance Kuja was capable of blowing up a planet, that certainly should make Zidane stronger than Cloud. Since players never see his full potential, however, Zidane gets a middle ranking.
This is whereFinal Fantasy’s power scaling starts to get a little bit broken. As the Dominant of the dark Eikon Ifrit, Clive can summon the powerful beast and manifest fire at will. What makes Clive special, though, is his ability to absorb other Eikons' aether, allowing him to use multiple Eikonic abilities at once. Basically, Clive can absorb summons, which makes him very, very powerful.
It’s not just his ability to useFinal Fantasy 16’s Eikonsthat makes him more powerful than Cloud, though. He also has some impressive feats. In his Ifrit form, Clive tanked Bahamut’s Zettaflare attack, an attack supposedly powerful enough to destroy the planet. He also essentially defeats his universe’s version of god, Ultimate and Omega (the creator of the universe), all solo. Of course, lots ofFinal Fantasycharacters have killed gods and powerful monsters; it’s a staple of the series, but few of them can do it solo.
Noctis is easily one ofthe most underrated Square Enix protagonists. It’s easy to see why. A lot of fans weren’t happy with the direction Square Enix took the franchise withFinal Fantasy 15, and in battle, Noctis often felt underpowered. He seemed like a classic case of style over substance. Take into account the game’s mind-boggling lore, however, and Noctis is easily one of the franchise’s most powerful protagonists.
As the heir to a line of kings who wield the power of the Crystal, Noctis has some amazing abilities. He can teleport, use magic, and summon weapons out of thin air. His Armiger and Armiger Unleashed states allow him to use multiple weapons at once and tank unbelievable hits. After gaining the favor of the Six Astrals, he can also summon the power of gods like Leviathan and Ramuh in battle. Towards the end of the game, Noctis spends ten years absorbing the power of the Crystal and wears the Ring of Lucii to become the True King. This makes him an immensely powerful being whose power is almost unparalleled. With the Ring of Lucii alone, Noctis can simply delete poor Cloud.
Cloud has battled a lot of powerful foes, but he’s never soloed his universe’s God. Lightning has. TheFinal Fantasy 13series has truly broken power scale and by the end of the third installment, Lightning is incredibly powerful.
Not just one ofthe franchise’s best-dressed protagonists, Lightning is basically a god. While lots ofFinal Fantasyprotagonists have killed gods (little g), Lightning killed her universe’s version of God (big G), Bhunivelze. She then became the new God and recreated the whole universe. But she didn’t just recreate it. The ending ofLightning Returnsimplies she created a better, happier universe. For these feats alone, she’s not just stronger than Cloud, she’s arguably the strongest protagonist in the whole franchise.
