Hi everyone! I have seen a lot of topics about best character, favorite villian, favorite character, favorite couples, so on and so forth and I hope you don't mind but I have one I would like to ask but please write why you feel the way you do, don't just list.

My questions is this- out of the heros and heroines of the FF Series which one is truly the most heroic?
*
Warning spoilers*
For me I believe Yuna (FFX) to be the most heroic and strongest of all them. I say this because even though all most all of the FF hero/heroines decided to take on the conflict they were facing, Yuna chose her path from the beginning. She was the daughter of the last summoner to bring the calm so expectations were absolutely huge. She also knew she was going to die and not only did she decide to do go on anyway she was mostly upbeat, always had to deal with crowds, she had to send those who had died and deal with the grieving loved ones, and was torn between duty and her own wants because she was falling in love. She then also agreed to marry creepy Seymor to try to solve another of Spira's problems. She had support but there were certain aspects that none of her companions could understand so alot of the time the burden was her's alone.

I would probably put Cecil from FFIV next because he decided to defy his King and do what was right but he was still semi thrown into the situation.

Agree? Disagree? I look forward to your thoughts! :aeris:

Aerisbolt don't mind CIML she has no life, *shurgs*

Anyways I honestly think that Aerith is the best Heroine, and its not because of her relationship with Cloud, Its because one Final Fantasy VII was my first Final Fantasy ever and because I felt that even though she died she helped and tryed to make sure everything would work out for Cloud in the end, she was a good fighter/spellcaster, and tried to keep from being depressed she pressed forward even though she wasn't asked to but did it because she knew she had to making her very stronge indeed, Thats why I think she's the best Heroine although most of you already know that about Aerith

My next Heroine would be Dagger though, But anyways I'll type that out later

Squall would have to be what I consider the best Hero (its acturally hard to choose because I like Cloud a tiny bit more again considering it was my first FF I'm more into those character) The reason for picking Squall would be because Squall was in the beginning a loner and soon by the time you got to disk 4 he was someone who wouldn't keep it all hidden and had changed slightly while still fighting in a different time deminsion(SP).

Although not very good reasons...ya....

My next would be Cloud, but I will type that out later too....

You will get no complaints from me Tenshi Aerith! Aeris will always be my favorite and her sacrifice is still the most compelling to me out of all the games, I think a lot of it has to do with the way she died, I always felt it was doublely(is that a word) cruel the way Sephiroth killed her...him coming out of no where, from behind, not even giving her a chance to fight. And with an audience too, I believe it was that moment with the smirk on his face that makes him the most cruel and one of the main reasons why Aeris is so beloved....uh does this make sense? :blink:

Anyway getting back to the topic at hand I look forward to hearing your reasons on Squall. For me I would almost put him as the least heroic of all of them so I am excited to see your views on him! :D

Oh this maybe a dumb question but who is CIML? Is that the jerk who originally posted an answer on this topic? In any case thank you for that, I appreciate your support :huggle:

*Edit*I have seen other post about CIML now so you don't have to tell me :blush: sorry about that.

Call me crazy, but I'm going to say Tifa. That is only if the story favors Cleris.

All through the game all she wanted was Cloud and could often be called clingy. She stuck by him all through the story. When Cloud was in Mideel possibly unable to ever walk or talk again, Tifa was willing to still take care of him. As much as that part bothers me sometimes, it still shows that she did really love Cloud. And even though she was mostly responsible for the whole life stream scene happening, she at least was there to fix her mistakes. And then after defeating Sephiroth, Cloud makes it clear that he loved Aeris and always will, and Tifa while looking saddened, accepts it and even seems happy for him. Being able to accept the fact that the one you love loves someone else, is a very hard thing to do. And Tifa handled it very gracefully especially with everything they went through together.

Two years later during Advent Children, she's still taking care of him and putting up with him. During the movie, it seemed like she was still in love with him, but she knew that she wouldn't ever have a chance with him. I think she was happy being his friend.

When I first played the game, I hated the Highwind scene because I was in favor of Cloud and Aeris. Now when I watch it, it breaks my heart because Tifa if lying her head on Cloud's shoulder absolutely in love with him and Cloud is sitting there with his arms folded acting like a pimp. And the very next day she was going to have her heart broken.

Of course, if the story ended up being Cloti, Tifa would only serve the purpose of being the girl who Cloud gets in the end and her character would lose everything that made her interesting and likable.

The most heroic for me would be between Aerith and Yuna.

I don't remember FFX all that much as I haven't touched it in years, but if I remember correctly, Yuna was willing to sacrifice her life and the chance of marrying someone she loved for the happiness of Spira. I admire such selflessness.

Aerith would probably end up winning if I really thought about it. Just her theme song reminds me of the compassionate, cheerful flower girl whose eventual martyrdom is the most poignant, unforgettable moment of Final Fantasy VII and possibly even the entire series. She is very much a Christ figure, her death being the salvation of humanity. And yet, her character wasn't cliched IMO. Aerith was not the predictable archetype of a martyr, the ethereal and mystical saint whose omnibenevolence makes her just a bit too perfect. Aerith was friendly, upbeat, and sarcastically playful. She almost resented the burden put on her as a Cetra while other heroes like Yuna would embrace it as their opportunity to save people. In essence, I think Aerith was the angelic but undeniably human character who sacrifices her safety for the betterment of the Planet-- a decision that directly causes her death. In both summoning Holy and calling the Lifestream out over the land to combat Meteor make her the most heroic character of Final Fantasy. She is not perfect and she is not a saint, but she saves humanity nonetheless.

Wow people responded to one of my first threads I ever did, that's great :D

Rinchan: I do not think you are crazy at all for naming Tifa, obviously she is not my first choice but I agree that many times Tifa gets overlooked thanks to her Rabid fans and the constant notion that it has to be Aeris vs. Tifa which I will never agree with.

I won't bore everyone by repeating what I wrote in another link about Tifa's character design but I do think that in many way her devotion and loyality to Cloud is a great strength of hers but it also a great weakness but there is so much more to her than just the Cloud aspect if you will. She is a great complex character that is definately worthy of being considered a heroine.

Sadhana: I could not have given a better explanation on why Aeris is th most heroic and I do not disagree with you. You have given many of the examples of why Aeris is my favorite character. You are persuasive in your reasons but for me I still give Yuna the nod because she choose a path that she knew would end in tragedy and was willing to sacrifice what little happiness she had left for her people and take on bringing Mr. Guado to justice.

Aeris knew there was great danger and she gave up her freedom to save Marlene which is just as noble but she didn't know for sure that she would die, it was always a risk yes but due to her nature she probably was able to hold on to hope that she could and would survive through everything.

With Yuna I found her disposition amazing because though she had the knowledge that if she succeeded she would save everyone, she would always have to sacrifice her own happiness and relationships (life) which, you would think, leave little hope in a person. Yet she seemed to have hope anyway.

All in all though I think Yuna and Aeris make a really good 1 and 2 and could defiantely be interchanged. Both are amazing heroines. Plus they both seemed willing to deal with their guy's issues ;)

Well, I'm torn between Aeris and Yuna.... *cries*

But.... If I absolutely have to decide, I'm going to have to go with... Yuna. Don't get me wrong, Aeris was amazingly heroic. She was willing to give up her life for the world. She was so bright, cheerful, up-lifting, and all out unforgettable. You wouldn't think that someone so happy would have a lonely, sad past. She was the only Cetra, making her feel alone. You'd image if you were alone like that, you wouldn't be so cheerful as Aeris was. But, Aeris didn't let her loneliness get in the way. Aeris is such a inspiring example. Really, I see her as something we should all take a lesson from. (I know, I'm weird XD)
But, I choose Yuna. I've watched and played Final Fantasy X, as well as played Final Fantasy X-2.
Yuna, was amazing to me. She's the type of person who never wants to burden anyone. She'll say "sorry" ten times in one sentence for the simplest mistakes. Yuna was willing to give up her life for the sake of humanities happiness. Her father sacraficed his life before her, and she was willing to follow. She would of married a guy with evil intensions, just too see her people happy. All she wants is to make her fellow humans happy and content with living. She had a strong determination to aquire all the Aeons, and defeat Sin. Even if it meant to part from the people she loved most. Lulu and Wakka tried to convince her to not choose such a tragic path, because they cared for her so dear. They saw her as a little sister. But, Yuna kept steady with her journey to defeat Sin.
But, in the game she did hesitate at times to finish her pilgrimage. Tidus was the love of her life, and she didn't want to part from him. She and him wanted to go to Zanarkand, and live a happy life with all her friends. But, she choose to continue her journey. That, I think is truely heroic.

Definately Aerith. FFX-2 whored Yuna out like Jessica Simpson's bleach.

Aerith did the ultimate in heroism. She gave her life for the planet without complaint, and even afterwards she did all she could to guide Cloud and help the others. That's pretty much it for me. Yuna was good in FFX since she was ready to give her life, but after playing FFX-2, her character was utterly ruined. There is nothing left of the hero she was in FFX.

See comments like these make me sad. I am by no means a fan of X-2 Yuna's wardrobe and yes she did not appear to be as deep of a character the second time around but I think that people have really thrown this character under the bus for her wardrobe and I think that is unfortunate. In the X thread I went more into what I thought of X-2 and Yuna's wardrobe, but in any case I used Tifa as an example, there is more to her than her wardrobe and I think that sometimes that aspect could be used to add to the complexity of a character. To me there are many layers to Tifa as there are to Yuna because of how they dress is not how you would think when looking at their personalites. I think that in X-2 Yuna was trying to figure out who she really was after everything that had happened and I personally think that she wasn't done in figuring that out in X-2.

Am I disappointed in what they did in X-2, yes, but I don't think that Yuna looses all of her presence as a great heroine because of it.

But it is interesting to see how each person views a game or character and this is just one example but it makes for interesting conversation.

True hero? I choose Aerith.

IMO, she really shines outward to the people around her because her personality is so against the nature of the situations they come across. To be be able to remain so high-spirited all the time, that's heroic to me. As strong as Yuna is, she would never be able to pull that kind of thing off. Even with all those guardians who fully understood her surrounding her and supporting her through her journey, her personality was just way too gloomy.

I feel Aerith, alone, truly stands out as "the light in the darkness".
Even though she's classified as a damsel in distress, she has been quite alone and independent all her life. Most importantly, unlike Yuna, she carried her burden alone. Even though her companions were all there for her as well, no one had truly understood what kind of a burden she carried until after her death.

Ok, this one is probably a stretch, but what about Polom and Porom from IV? They were willing to turn themselves to stone in order to save the party. Sure they were unstoned later in the game but there was that possibility that they could have been stoned(maybe I should write that differently, lol!) for eternity.

Rinchan: Very nice! I do not think it is a stretch at all to bring them up. They did sacrifice themselves for the group, knowing very well what was going to happen to them. And I do not think they knew they could or would be cured when they chose to do the act so it was defiantely selfless. Plus they were both very young which makes it more tragic and so to see the maturity they show beyond their years makes it all the more compelling. Plus you could argue that being "stoned" :lol: for eternity is much more cruel because maybe they would be unable to go to whatever afterlife taht storyline had? Maybe I am being to hypothetical but I still think that make a very strong case for being the most heroic. Of course the ending helps negate the sacrifice of their act because they get to live and yay for happy ending, but that still shouldn't take away from the act itself.

I wonder if some possible reasons why they are not thought of more often is because they were not main characters and perhaps the lack of technology to be able to show what happens to them keeps it from being as heartrenching as say Aeris' death?

In any case I really am happy you brought them up, plus FFIV is such a great game it is nice to talk about it and it's characters.

I'm going to put in two more candidates. You guys are going to think I'm crazy but:

Wakka and Lulu.

Both of them immediately jumped at the chance at becoming Yuna's fayth. If the characters had carried out the original plan, Yuna would have gone to the Far Plane and one of them would have been stuck being Sin until another Summoner came along.

Even though they cared very much for Yuna and viewed her as a little sister, they both chose to accompany her on her pilgrimage. In a situation like this, it would have been much easier to choose not to go and appoint another guardian for her. Plus, Wakka gave up Blitz Ball in order to be her guardian.

The two pretty much supported her through out the entire game and with every decision she made from choosing to become a summoner and sacrificing herself, to go against Yevon, (although Wakka was against it at first) and defeat Sin for good.

Rinchan: I love that you bring secondary characters into the mix. Those two did put her first above everything else and that kind of loyality is honorable and touching. And they may be two of the easiest characters to be able to relate to because they were the friends in the background (yes they could fight and Lulu was a black mage) but most peole who lay games probably have a loved one or friend that they would want to protect at all costs and if it really every came time to do so, we could only hope that we would be brave enough to step up to the plate. They followed, were willing to die for her and allowed her to go on this mission as just strong supporters, not knocking her down. I do believe they both grow during the game as well since Wakka was closed minded and Lulu seemed so cold and I think that growth of a character is always a must when you think of a hero.

Very nice again Rinchan!

I am surprised I haven't seen any examples from FFVI. That game had a lot of wonderful characters in it. Would it be Terra or maybe Locke?

I think Aerith would be the most heroic type in all the FF series. She's the only female who risked her life for the Planet even though for the heaviest cost to leave someone she loves, to leave Cloud. When I read MoTP, even if she was not living anymore, she was still doing something to save the Planet. And at AC, you could see she's helping Cloud and co. to again save the Planet. She did not only saved Cloud, so as Tifa- remember the time she was kidnapped at Don Corneo's mansion? And how many times did she saved Cloud's butt in the FF7 Series? :rolleyes: That was nice.

I also think Tifa is close to Aerith. She also tries her best to help and she's so persistent to help anyone. Some may find it annoying, but I think she only shows she cares. She really cares about Cloud, Marlene, Denzel, Aerith (let's not deny) and the rest.

Are we talking men or women?

Of the menfolk, the most obvious hero is Cecil, of FFIV. None of this dark and emo crap (after he changes class, anyway) and none of the whining, either. Cecil does what must be done and needs no other reason. Further, he's the only male hero with real supernatural purity. None of the later heroes have that.

Of the womenfolk...mmmm.

Both Yuna and Aerith had two chances to express their concern for the world. In the first game, both were willing to die, but only the second one had to do it. The second time around...Yuna's still willing to die for what she believes in, but Aerith has ascended to a state of being in which most things are not a threat to her anymore. Yuna can still get hurt, Aerith can't, really. Not unless something threatens the planet itself. As such, Yuna takes greater risks, overall. Yuna also managed to be reunited in the flesh with the one she lost. Yuna successfully went through the saving the world bit...twice...as a mortal. And where she really wins is that she successfully got her lost love back. Aerith reclaimed Cloud, in a way, but I believe Yuna was slightly more effective at the idea of reclaiming one's man, despite the fact that Aerith is far, far more powerful then Yuna could ever dream of being. By more effective, I refer to the fact that even the most spiritually fulfilling spirit relationship cannot produce a family. Yuna and the resurrected Tidus can have a family. Yes, that's not necessarily important to Cloud, but...I believe most ladies around here would think it a damn shame if Cloud's DNA went to waste, so to speak.

But then we go into the fact that Aerith had to sacrifice more, despite her greater powers. She could have easily kept Cloud with her when Yazoo shot him. She did not, believing his time in the world wasn't yet done. Even though it'd mean more painful waiting, she chose not to bring him to the promised land due him...but to wait.

So...what're we measuring heroism by? Sacrifice, or effectively accomplishing goals?

I was just going to add Cecil. But you beat me to it. Along with what you said, Cecil questioned what the king was doing and even disobeyed because he didnt feel right about a mission. He ended up getting demoted and after delivering a ring that blew up a villiage, he renounced his loyalty to the king.

And I dont think Cecil was ever emo in the game which is a plus.

I might actually consider him the most heroic of all the characters.

I need to play VI again so I can mention one or two of those characters.

I think what this question is asking is Which Final Fantasy hero is truly heroic. Many of them are often out for their own well being but there are those who do truly care about the world and do some amazing things whether it be sacrifice or whatnot.

Aerisbolt

I try. lol! I like mentioning the characters that often get overlooked in the games. I think people get so focused on the main characters that the things some of the subcharacters do tend to be forgotten. People often think that Yuna is so amazing for what she was willing to do that they often forget that someone would have had to become Sin in order for her to be successful. Wakka and Lulu jumped right at the chance without a second thought.

Wow yay for more posts! Okay I wll try to comment on all the latest posts.

Resha: I find it interesting that you brought up Tifa and I am glad you did. While I do not agree that she is the most heroic, for me she really looses a chance at that status when she clings to Cloud while he is sick while the rest of the group needs her. It is not that I think her devotion to Cloud is weak or horrible, I just could never handle someone putting one person over the needs of many if there is a crisis going on. She went on her feeling for one over what needed to be done and that is not my definition of heroic.

Now having said that I think that she does sacrifice for others aways before herself which is noble and can be heroic. She was willing to protect Cloud at all costs, even sacrificing her own happiness to help him see his mission through which is a quickly debateable characteristic but seeing it as heroic is understandable to me. She also trys to protect the children in AC as you said. And just because she doesn't always succeed doesn't mean the act itself isn't extremely heroic. So all in all why I don't neccessarily agree with your 2nd pick I like that you spoke for a character that many times is knocked or bashed for her actions.

Angelalex242: You never disappoint with your posts and this is just another example of wonderful thoughtout points and explinations. To answer your questions it can be man or woman, secondary characters or main characters. Whover you believe is the most heroic.

As for the measurements on heroism, though I may sound like I am avoiding the question, that is not my intent, that question is one of the main reasons I brought up this topic for discussion, to see what people's views were on what makes someone a true hero. My idea of a hero may be different from yours but that is why I wanted everyone to explain why they pick who they pick. I do think we could go ahead and discuss the characteristics of a hero such as a perfect hero vs. a flawed hero or then again if a character is badly flawed can they still be a hero? I think redemption plays a role many times, compassion, courage, and like you said, sacrifice. But by doing a heroic act label you a hero forever or can the act just be heroic and not give you that label? I don't even really know now where I am going with this but I think the definition of a hero is in the eye fo the beholder as it were. It is different for each person.

What is your criteria for a hero? Or do you disagree and think there is a definate definition of the word hero?

Rinchan: Both you and Angelalex242 brought up Cecil which I love, I had him down for most heroic male but like both of you said renoucing everything you have known because you beleive it is wrong takes a lot of strength and courage. I could see Cecil making a strong arguement for most heroic overall.

Whew sorry that was alot I know...I never so know when to shut up. :blush:

Can't. think. of. anymore!

I'm going to play VI again soon. Haven't played it for along time, and then I'll definently have more. I just don't want to be like Terra, because... she did this and that and I think she did this!

Well right now my top three in order would be:
1. Cecil
2. Aeris
3. Yuna

Maybe we can make a poll sometime?

So which characters did amazing things but weren't in it for themselves and were truly doing it for the good of the world?

In VII really only Aeris and to some extent Red XIII were really only in Avalanch for the good of the world. Everyone else had their own reason for being there, such as chasing Sephiroth, angry at Shinra, spying ect...

A Poll? Hmm, would you like me to do a poll, or do you think that is redundant? But just to take your lead if I were to rank I would probably go in this order
1. Yuna
2. Aeris
3. Cecil

Aww, Rinchan, you don't have to try to think of anymore, you have put in great examples and thoughts. But if you do discover anymore I will look forward to hearing what you have say.

Just an observation I have had noone choose any character from the following Final Fantasy games: V, VI,VIII,IX....I am not including the first three due to the first game just has them known as warriors, II and III many people haven't played. I just find it interesting that all those games have up to this point have not had any character examples.

Hmm... maybe we could do it by putting up the best candidates? And then have an other option if someone thinks that someone else would make a better hero. It would be interesting to see who most people would think is the most heroic character.

I am going to replay VI very soon, so I will most likely have some candidates from that game. I havent played it in a long time though.

From VIII, I think Laguna would make a good candidate. I will post my reasons for this later.