Best Boys in Final Fantasy?

I'll just name the ones that stand out to me from the FFs that I played, I'm a VII and up kinda girl.


VII

Cloud & Reno

VIII

Zell

IX

Blank

X

🤷‍♀️

XII

Vaan & Balthier

XIV

Thancred
 
Haven't played all the games in the series, but FFIX Zidane has always been a favorite of mine. His character & personality is very charming to me despite his selfish behavior at the beginning, but that made his character development much appreciated by the end of the game. I think these kids of personalities in real life are very annoying but in the game it doesn't come off as obnoxious to me. IDK :D Just my #1 favorite by default. I've been a fan since I was like 8 or 9 years old :tearjoy:

I also enjoy Cloud & Reno from FFVII! Completely different personalities for sure but I enjoy both types of characters. Actually a lot of the cast in FFVII I enjoyed, but Cloud and Reno were also my favorites like Six said :D

I also really enjoyed Auron in FFX. I just recently finished playing this game since my last play through a few years back. I really like how he really kept the group moving & well grounded, and yet you see he was just like the rest of them in all the flashbacks & sphere videos of his younger and former self.

Nyx from Kingsglaive. Mostly just aesthetic though 👀

Aaaaaand Laguna from FFVIII I think. Another charming silly character that is capable of still being serious and put together at crucial times. I can't handle characters like, for a bad example, Quina, who seem like they're there just for comedic relief and are otherwise just annoying.
 
In FFIX, it's a tie between Zidane and Blank. Zidane was a nice departure from the more gruff, perma-frowny protagonists that came before him, and the fact that I find him quite cute, and Blank's design who I really like.
FFX. Jecht is hot. Nuff said.
(Damn, I've gotta get some more FF games under my belt lol.)
 
I'm just gonna list down my favourite boys in no particular order (maybe):

  • Vincent Valentine (FFVII)
  • Noel Kreiss (FXIII-2)
  • G'raha Tia (FFXIV)
  • Estinien Wyrmblood (FFXIV)
  • King (FF Type-0)
  • Aymeric de Borel (FFXIV)
 
I take it we're not going for those bad boys, just the goodie ones - that's fine :britt:

In that case:

Kain Highwind (FFIV) - Ok I know this is a grey area, but girl's trying here!

Zack Fair (FFVII Crisis Core) - This guy had serious happy vibes that was actually endearing rather than irritating, kudos!

Cloud Strife (FFVII) - The quintessential brooding hero but with a secret tender heart that makes him more than the kiddie pool deep protagonist of other titles (here's to you Squall)

Zell Dincht (FFVIII) - He is genuinely funny and has a good heart

Estinien Wyrmblood (FFXIV) - See Kain Highwind

Thancred (FFXIV Shadowbringers) - Really digging his vibe in the Shadowbringers expansion, talk about character development

Ignis Scientia (FFXV) - Although more of a man less of a boy, this guy has this amazing mix of being super responsible and super chill at the same time

Noctis Lucis Caelum (FFXV) - Guy has some mad hair skills which even defy the frickin' rain. That has me impressed! In seriousness, I just like the way he was written, flaws and all. He's weirdly humble for a Prince.

King (FF-Type 0) - Those guns :jess:
 
I don't feel comfortable with mentioning Thancred here. That dude is a MAN, not a boy. The Man. Thancred the Mancred.
But yeah, I guess he gets high scores. He's cool, interesting, cheeky, but (for me more importantly) he has recently had some really, really awesome character development. He's no longer just another character who says a few wisecracks here and there. I actually care about the things he has been through and how he'll be going forward.


From Final Fantasy VII, my favourite male human character must be Barret. Not only is he badass, but he is also quite nuanced, I feel. Cloud is interesting too, mainly from a psychological perspective in his case.

From Final Fantasy IX I'd probably put Master Vivi's name in the hat here. His sad search for meaning, and his acceptance of his fate, all whilst remaining sweet and loyal to the party make him a forever favourite in the franchise.

From Final Fantasy VI I would probably say Sabin. He is probably the closest Final Fantasy has been to giving us Heracles. He is awesome in his strength, but he also has a very powerful storyline shared with his brother Edgar.


Whereas Balthier is one of my absolute favourite things from Final Fantasy XII, although I don't think he works on his own. He needs to bounce off Fran to be at his best.


But no clear winner when it comes to favourite male characters for me.


Miko said:
Nyx from Kingsglaive. Mostly just aesthetic though 👀
Click to expand...

Six said:
MY BOY NYX. Yes, yes, him too. For reasons.
Click to expand...

Nyx is a great character voiced wonderfully by Aaron Paul… But I suspect that you are thinking more about his likeness, which is taken from a French model called Johan Akan/Picard. If ever you wanted to look him up for research purposes, etc.

But for myself, I like the character Nyx in that film for story purposes, and I also like Libertus. He has a complete and satisfying story arc.
 
FFIV: Kain Highwind was my favorite. While it was annoying how he kept being kidnapped/mind-controlled, I liked his overall personality and dedication to his best friend, Cecil. I also love dragoons.

FFVI: I hate Locke. Just getting that out there. It's hard to choose between Edgar, Sabin and Cyan. I enjoyed the relationship between Edgar and Sabin and how they played off one another. They also had fun personalities. Cyan's story was so sad and his resilience in the face of such tragedy was impressive.

FFVII: I used to love Cid when I first played. His gruff exterior obviously shields a very broken man who is still dealing with the pain of having his dreams dashed. But as an adult, his verbal abuse of Shera is hard to stomach, especially after having been in and witnessed abusive relationships in my past. He does show a lot of growth later in the game, which kind of redeems him. I have a lot more appreciation for Barrett these days. He is a pretty nuanced character, as Dionysos stated above. He watched his town be destroyed by Shinra, lost his wife and best friend, adopted his best friend's daughter, started running a branch of an eco-terrorist organization, and this was all within the span of a few years. Watching him try to balance his duties as a father with what he feels are his duties to the planet (and the people from his past that he lost) is interesting and his character develops a lot over the course of the story.

FFVIII: I loved Zell. His personality and exuberance were fun and it was clear that he really liked being a part of the team and cared about his friends. I also had a crush on Seifer when I was younger. There, I said it.

FFIX: Zidane has always been my favorite and probably my favorite overall FF protagonist. He was a refreshing change from the brooding Cloud and Squall from the previous installments. He was friendly and caring and always willing to help others. I also loved Vivi. Not only was he adorable, his story was quite sad and poignant but also incredibly beautiful. Kuja gets an honorable mention just for being a fun villain.

FFX: Auron all the way. His personality which hinted at deeper secrets from his past made him interesting to me. He was also a good mentor to Tidus and the overall party. He would even occasionally crack a joke. When I played through again a few years ago, I had a deeper appreciation for Tidus' character development throughout the game. He was whiny but he had an absolute trailer-trash douchebag loser for a father and an inattentive mother (who apparently didn't think her child was reason enough to live after her trashbag husband disappeared). I would have liked him more if the voice acting wasn't so cringeworthy. It made it very difficult to feel anything less than annoyance for the character. Also, if it wasn't clear yet, I hate Jecht.

FFXII: Larsa. For a twelve-year old, I thought Larsa was quite mature and responsible. He clearly understood a lot about the situation and also understood why the party was reluctant to trust the empire. He adored his older brother but was not afraid to stand up to him when he believed he was wrong. A lot of weight to put on the shoulders of such a young person. Vayne. I thought he was actually a pretty nuanced villain, especially with the political nature of the XII's plot. He was a politician through and through, knowing what to say to people to encourage their devotion while scheming to further his plans. His plans weren't simply "destory the world" either, which was refreshing. I also thought his obvious love for his younger brother, Larsa, added a nice touch of humanity to him.

FFXIII: Snow is the fucking worst. From the few hours I played before nearly dying of boredom, I enjoyed Sazh. His personality was interesting and he had a Chocobo in his hair.

FFXV: Gladio. He was good at reminding Noctis of what his duties were and didn't mince words. While it may seem harsh sometimes, having a person who isn't afraid to give it to you straight is really invaluable.
 
IV

1. Golbez
2. Kain
3. Fusoya

VII

1. Red III

IX

1. Amarant

XII

1. Basch

Tactic

1. Cidolfus Orlandeau
 
Boy: Alphinaud from FF14. Young boy who was forced to be a grown-up because of circumstances. Awesome kid.

Man: Raubahn from FF14.

In-between boy and man: Irvine from FF8 because despite his frivolities with the ladies, the dude was actually more mature than both Squall and Zell. Here's what I mean...

Remember that scene where Irvine pulled Squall into the supposed concert spot to have Squall-the-leader cheer up Selphie? What does that tell you? Not only does he care about his friends, he is willing to do kind things for them. Squall and even Quistis are not at that level of caring. Also, at the ending scene, he said something very philosophical and profound and DEEP. "By the limited choices I had, I chose certain things that put me in this spot in my life. That's why I value this path I chose." I'm severely paraphrasing but that's the general message. Whether or not his philosophy is accurate or weak, it's something only a deeply introspective person can come up with and speak about. (EDIT: My bad. Now that I recall, it wasn't the ENDING scene. It was the semi-late game scene where the characters recall their childhoods. Silly me.)

(Edited. I edited the spoiler because of an embarrassingly stupid mistake. Please reread if you can.)
 
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