The WORST Party Member In Every Final Fantasy Game

The Worst Party Member in Every Final Fantasy Game

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we are picking out the worst of the best, the bottom of the barrel, the dregs if you will, we are working out the worst party member in every Final Fantasy game. Some entries are objectively bad, affecting the gameplay and being useless. Some are subjectively bad, being annoying characters with grinding personalities. Regardless, they’re all the worst. We are leaving Final Fantasy 1 and 2 off this list due to the parties limited personality, and Final Fantasy 16 as there is only one party member. Let’s go!

Onion Knight

“Final Fantasy III” (1990)

In a game where character depth takes a backseat to job focus, the Onion Knight stands out as the epitome of ‘nightmare’. Initially handicapped with basic attacks and limited item use, its stats remain pretty damn average during the early levels, making it the least favorable choice. However, once you hit level 50, watch out, as its stat gains accelerate to match or surpass other job classes. By level 90, its growth skyrockets to unparalleled levels, boasting the highest stat increments in the game. None of this matters, because those early 50 levels are like getting repeatedly stomped on the crotch, again, and again, and again… And again... On the crotch, you guys.

Edward

“Final Fantasy IV” (1991)

Imagine only joining the party for a brief section of the game, and still managing to grind our gears worse than Khimari and Zell combined. As a bard, Edward from Final Fantasy IV lacks the ability to deal significant damage, and even his unique abilities fail to do anything worth writing a song about. Although he undergoes some lovely and poignant story-driven character development, culminating in a boost of confidence, this storyline fails to alleviate the frustration experienced when controlling this wannabe rockstar. For all I care, Edward can shove that lute right up his arse.

Krile

“Final Fantasy V” (1992)

When somebody embodies the ‘Mary Sue’ character archetype, they can become incredibly underwhelming, incredibly quickly. Inexplicably competent across all domains, gifted with unique talents or powers, liked or respected by most other characters, unrealistically free of weaknesses, extremely attractive, innately virtuous, and generally lacking meaningful character flaws… I’d rather s**t in my hands and clap than follow this person’s tale. Krile from Final Fantasy V consistently demonstrates wisdom and cautious behavior, rarely acting recklessly and always appearing to possess a clear sense of direction. I know this might sound nitpicky from anyone else's perspective, but I genuinely want to run her over with my car.

Gau

“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)

Not only does Final Fantasy VI have the biggest party roster in all of Final Fantasy, but almost every single character is pretty damn cool… But if we had to pick a worst, it’s not actually that hard. Gau, the young boy encountered by Sabin, serves as a representation of the Blue Mage class seen in most FF games. The blue mage stuff is really cool, and his ability to learn enemy skills (although annoying to manage) is actually pretty dope. However, his incomprehensible speech renders his role in the narrative insignificant. Following his initial encounter, he fades into obscurity, a fact that is totally fine by me... And probably you.

Cait Sith

“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)

This was not a hard choice at all. What the hell even is Cait Sith? To begin, the mechanics behind Cait Sith raise several perplexing questions. Controlled by Reeve within Shinra, one wonders about the logistics of this arrangement, given how Cait Sith is always there, and never shuts the f*** up. Despite how notably awful he is in a fight, it's baffling how Reeve manages to fulfill any of his actual duties efficiently, considering for most of his day he’s playing this goddamn scottish cat computer game, and considering Reeve's significant role within Shinra, one might question how he escapes detection. Also, he’s not just controlling the cat, he’s also controlling the big Moogle thing. I just hate it so much I can’t even put it into words.

Quistis

“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999)

Quistis initially presents as a promising character in Final Fantasy VIII, showing decent potential. She is in control, and boasts significant combat proficiency. Yet, as the game unfolds, it becomes increasingly evident that several other party members surpass her in various aspects. Being the third Blue Mage featured in the game, it becomes apparent that she's not the optimal choice, which seems to be a recurring problem on this list. Similar to Kimahri, Quistis' proficiency lies in her limit break, making her Blue Magic abilities more annoying to use than they need to be. Her personality undergoes a weird change fairly early in the game, turning her proficiency into a thin mask she wears, and showing us that behind the mask, is kind of nothing worth seeing.

Quina

“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)

Loving Quina feels like a challenge set by the developer. Much like Jar Jar Binks, we must continually ask ourselves “What the f*** is going on right now?” It's a continuous, unfunny joke centered around gluttony that disrupts the flow of the narrative, and the character lacks any redeeming qualities. Even if Quina was enjoyable, or compelling, it’s still an aesthetic mess that is difficult to look at, with its design starkly contrasting with the more cohesive and thematically consistent character choices seen in Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and X. In Final Fantasy IX, there seems to be a haphazard approach to character design, as if the creators decided to throw in unconventional characters like a hippo lady and a wolf man without much consideration for coherence.

Kimahri

“Final Fantasy X” (2001)

I know, I know, some people love Kimahri, but just for the next 30 seconds, shut up. Not only does Kimahri lack personality, (and no, a compelling backstory and goals are NOT a personality) but his position on the Sphere Grid further diminishes his distinctiveness in gameplay. His character is lame, AND his gameplay is lame, the devil's duo. Kimahri falls quickly behind in skills and stats, requiring considerable effort to catch up to the starting points of other characters on the Sphere Grid. While this discrepancy can be mitigated with specific special Spheres, many players opt to sideline Kimahri and concentrate on more promising party members.

Vaan

“Final Fantasy XII” (2006)

The issue with Vaan lies in his lack of relevance to the game’s narrative. Despite some initial story connections, his and Penelo's presence adds little significance to the main storyline. In Final Fantasy XII, Ashe takes center stage, making Vaan's aspirations to become a pirate seem trivial in comparison. Oh, you want to be a pirate? I don’t care. Shut up for 2 seconds of your damn life.

Hope

“Final Fantasy XIII” (2009)

With the exception of Sazh and Lightning, the characters in Final Fantasy XIII, including both protagonists and antagonists, generally fail to impress, OR AT LEAST FAIL TO IMPRESS ME! Please chill in the comments. While arguments could be made for each of them (and I mean it, we could make a separate list), Hope stands out as particularly unbearable. He epitomizes the archetype of a crybaby, which significantly affects his likability. He’s a pick-me boy, if you will. Although in the sequel he undergoes a serious character overhaul, there’s no ignoring where he started. You can make Raiden in MGS4 as cool as you want, I’ll never forget that cartwheeling cuck in MGS2 till the day I die.

Ignis

“Final Fantasy XV” (2016)

I’ll never do this again, but I wanted to put Prompto in this spot. I know, I know, my filthy opinion has been given without warning. That being said, the internet has spoken, and it seems the least loved is our boring and often underwhelming Ignis. He primarily serves as a support character rather than a frontline fighter, focusing on buffing allies and debuffing enemies, which can lead to him feeling less exciting. While Ignis has his own personal storyline and struggles, some players feel that his character development is not as fleshed out as that of other main characters like Noctis and Prompto. His tools as a party member are incredibly watered down. Although important, it’s hard to ignore the difference between a massive sword swinging goliath like Gladdy, and a soft spoken British nerd.