The 5 Best Characters of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation Series

Nearly every character in the Final Fantasy VII series is incredibly memorable. Their relationships, personalities, and appearances set them each as distinctive inclusions to the story. Excluding Cloud Strife and Sephiroth, the most obvious choices, here are the five best characters of the series.

Barret Wallace

Barrett Wallace is the tough guy with a good heart. With his gun-arm and massive muscles, he strikes an impressive and intimidating appearance, and his short temper supports that. However, he’s a character with depth, which we see through his interactions with his daughter, Marlene. Loyal and caring, he would do anything for his friends and for Marlene, but he understands that in order to protect the people he loves he must protect the planet first. He carries a great deal of guilt for spending so much time away from his daughter, making him a truly compelling character.

Red XIII

Red XIII is a memorable character for a number of reasons. At the time of Final Fantasy VII’s creation, developers knew it would be difficult to include a four-legged character in terms of animation. Nonetheless, they stuck with it, giving us a powerful, courageous character. He has an interesting backstory involving his dislike of his father, whom he believed abandoned his tribe but later learned sacrificed himself to save them.

Professor Hojo 

While the most attention is understandably given to the game’s main antagonist, Sephiroth, Professor Hojo is a pretty interesting villain in his own right. He’s the classic mad scientist type, willing to do anything to accomplish his experiments, even if that means experimenting on his unborn child. The attention given to Hojo and Lucrecia’s relationship in Dirge of Cerberus further develops his character into someone quite memorable.

Yuffie Kisaragi

Though Yuffie Kisaragi is originally an optional character in Final Fantasy VII, she’s a truly memorable part of the team if you find her. The somewhat self-obsessed and loud girl is one of the brightest characters of the game. She’s a typical teenager, rebelling against her father’s traditions and convinced that everyone’s in love with her. At the same time, Yuffie is a loyal companion, and her friendship with Vincent developed in Dirge of Cerberus makes her even more well-rounded.

Tifa Lockhart

And finally, no collection of fantastic Final Fantasy characters is complete without Tifa Lockhart. She’s badass and caring at the same time, a vicious fighter and an empathetic friend. She shows admirable strength by joining AVALANCHE after the destruction of her hometown rather than falling into despair like many others might have. In Advent Children, she’s the one who pushes Cloud to stop moping and do something with himself.