Some Final Fantasy sign start strong, or at least be presented as powerhouses. For example, when Cloud jumps off the train in the opening of Final Fantasy 7with Buster Sword, it is clear that he is the main character. The size of that sword also shows how strong he really is.
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As the solo playable character of Final Fantasy 16Clive is another good example, as he can tap into other people's powers and even turn into a Summon. Other Final Fantasy the characters take longer to become strongbut once they reach certain levels they can become invaluable to the party. The following characters may not be the best party members in the following games, but they certainly get stronger where they start.
There will be spoilers too Final Fantasy 4 and Final Fantasy 16.
Who is that character?
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Rydia
From girl to woman
Rydia is a young mage whom Cecil and Kain rescue early on Final Fantasy 4. As young as she is, Rydia is useful in battle thanks to her low-level summons and black magic. Since Cecil and Kain can't use spells, she's a good utility, but also very weak when it comes to resisting attacks.
She leaves the party and later returns after going to a dimension that ages her faster. In this process she learns more powerful magic in all forms, plus she is gifted with whip abilities, giving her more powerful normal attacks as well. In this ever-changing party list, Rydia becomes one of the final five party members, and the group's go-to mage at the end.
Gau
Wet And Wild
Gau from Final Fantasy 6 can join the party quite early in Sabin's adventure. Abandoned as a child, Gau found his way to The Veldt, a plain where monsters roam and wander from all over the world, which is how he was raised. Gau is a blue mage, meaning he can learn abilities from monsters, but only from monsters in The Veldt.
Players can keep returning to Veldt to learn new moves, but there is a time crunch. That said, if they invest enough time into Gau's abilities, they could turn him into a powerhouse. However, they have to ask themselves if it's worth it compared to raising some other character's Esper abilities instead.
Irvine Kinneas
Looking for ammo
Irvine is a party member from final fantasy 8, originally employed as a sniper to take out the dark sorceress Edea. He is a trained marksman in battle, and what makes each character unique is their Limit Breaks, called Auras in this game. Players can buy and craft ammo for Irvine to use during his Aura attacks, and while they can get in some good shots early on, Irvine isn't at his best when he first joins the group.
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He's far from weak, but after players unlock Pulse Ammo, and they learn to be quick with the triggers, they can easily rack up tens of thousands of damage. With Pulse Ammo at the ready, players will never want to remove Irvine from their party again.
Eiko Carol
Oh, holy night
Like a grenade, Eiko is from the Summoner tribe i Final Fantasy 9but she is much younger when she joins the party. Her Summon list is more limited than Garnet's, and she uses most of the same White Mage spells. Between her less than stellar set of abilities and Summons, players will rarely use Eiko when Garnet is clearly better at this point in the game.
That said, Eiko gets a lot of exclusive White Mage spells that make her a better White Mage than Garnet over time. She can use Full-Life to fully revive someone, and Esuna to cure any disease. The grand finale is Holy, the only White Mage spell that deals non-elemental damage, which is just as devastating to a Black Mage spell as Flare.
Penelo
Dance into the enchantment
Penelo is an early party member of Final Fantasy 12. She is someone close to the protagonist Vaan as a friend and potential love interest. When players have no choice, Penelo is obviously a good companion, although her attacks are weak and she can't take many hits. Penelo's advantage is her White Mage abilities, which take time to unlock with the License Board.
The more players branch out, the more different they can make Penelo, so she's not just skilled at spells. If players stick to spells, they can turn Penelo into a devastating mage, but like Gau from Final Fantasy 6it will take time and commitment to do so.
Oerba Dia Vanille
More than a cute face
Vanilla is probably the cutest character in the Final Fantasy 13. She means well, but isn't exactly a strong character. She has the best early magic production, but the rest of her stats are unbalanced. The odd one out Final Fantasy 13 is that players cannot choose their party members until much later in the game, so whenever Vanille is playable, players are stuck with her.
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The worst couple is the first one, Hope and Vanille. They are the two weakest characters in the game, and then go on to become two of the strongest (at least in terms of magic). Once players get to choose their party members, they can stick with cooler characters like Lightning, Fang, and Sazh, but every good party also needs a mage, and Vanille is worth building for that role.
Thorgal
He is evolving!
Thorgal is Clive's loyal canine companion in Final Fantasy 16. Clive is the only primary playable character in the game, so anyone joining Clive will be actively doing their own thing. It is less a party system and more a series of temporary companions. The only exception is Torgal, who rarely leaves Clive's side and is just a normal dog that can do various melee attacks. But towards the end of the game, Torgal will have an awakening when he becomes dominant to Eikon Fenrir.
Eikoner is Final Fantasy 16's version of Summons, and Dominants are select individuals who can tap into and sometimes even temporarily transform into Eikons. For example, Clive can transform into Ifrit. After this revelation, Torgal is able to reach a sort of Limit Break status in battle to use Fenrir's powers, giving him a massive power boost. Besides, at the end of the day, Torgal is just the best boy out there Final Fantasy.
Cloud battle
Busted Down
Cloud can start as a commodity Final Fantasy 7but he is shockingly weak when players bring him in Final Fantasy Tactics. As a secret character that can only be accessed late in the game, Cloud will join the party at level 1 at a point in the game when players will probably be level 50. All of Cloud's blade techniques are unique and powerful, callbacks to moves from Final Fantasy 7 like Omnislash and Blade Burst, but leveling him up is a chore.
This was true in the PS1 and PSP versions of the game, but the latest remaster, Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chroniclesmade Cloud's starter build much stronger. He still needs a lot of work to make him the best, though Final Fantasy 7 fans can accept the challenge.
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