This is the last part of my Top Ten Final Fantasy Characters by me, Nirvanaphoenix (or Joe, if you want to be less formal) and while I've had fun teasing you and seeing your reactions and opinions and more importantly, writing mine out, I want to get back to normal GS blogging.

Although you can scroll down a bit to find my number one, I'd rather you relive the Top 9 with mefirst:

Ultimecia

Zidane

Barret

Kuja

Rikku

Steiner

Sephiroth

Auron

Vivi

And Number 1 is...

NOT Quina!

It is in fact

1: Tidus (Final Fantasy X)

-SPOILERS FOLLOW-

Now you've all stopped gasping in shock, let me begin explain why I love Tidus. He's real (Well okay, he's a Dream of the Fayth) but his behaviour is far more realistic than any other leading protagonist and the series, unlike over-dramatic Emo Squall. He is a bit self-centered and whiny at the start, because he's used to his pampered life****as I'm sure many of us are, when he arrives in Spira he is a fish out of water. He LEARNS from his experiences and matures greatly. You can tell when you hear his narration of scenes where his inexperienced self is asking silling questions or not realising the bigger picture. Instead of being some selfless hero who takes everything on the chin, Tidus realises the monumentousness of his task and reacts accordingly, which is what makes him captivating.

What's great about him is his relationships with other characters. He is outspoken and not afraid to offer his opinions even if others believe them hereticist (is that a word?) which isa great and refreshing change.His relationship with his father is heart-wrenching and piercing, espescially if you've been through something like that. Tidus hates his Dad because his Dad is abusive to his Mother and is unsympathetic when he vanishes, saying its Jecht's fault she's sad. Of course it's never explained how Jecht travelled to Spira and ended up being a hero, but it's implied it's because of Tidus' wish. Tidus also has a blossoming relationship with the beautiful young Yuna which is the best in any game, FF or not. Through their awkward moments, promises and his narration and that moment of realisation in the Woods, it's something to behold. Of course, it ends tragically.

You learn about the world of Spira through Tidus' eyes and his narration leads you through the story making him the first protagonist who is really telling the story instead of the default character you control and events center around. It is his firm beliefs in two absolutes that affects the way the game plays out: you should never sacrifice yourself and there is always another way. If he didn't inspire everyone to believe in the impossible (he is an example, he came from Zanarkand) then the cycle would've carried on, but it was Tidus' short time in Spira that changed the world. It came at a cost though as he disappears in Yuna's arms...

His cheerful dispostion and strong beliefs leave his mark on the characters, and drives Yuna's determination throughout the entirity of X-2 to be with him again. Their reunion is one of the happiest moments in Final Fantasy and the perfect ending to struggles overcome with positive thinking and fierce determination in the odds of it all.

Feel free to comment

Wow, I can't believe that this is nearly then end. And if you've read IGN Top 25 Final Fantasy Characters, then there's only one suprise in store: The identity of He/She/It a Number 1, because like IGN, my 2nd fave FFcharacter is...

2: Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)

-SPOILERS FOLLOW-

"How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist..."

-I'm sure there's an iPhone app for that :)

Yep, Vivi. This little guy probably sums up everything about Final Fantasy and why it's great. He's a Black Mage, and an echo of the original designs from the very first Final Fantasy yet he has a complex and interesting personality and discovery about himself that only the late SNES and PlayStation generations and beyond can deliver. In Final Fantasy IX, he is the prototype Black Mage for the army of these souless dolls Kuja is creating to conquer the nations of Gaia. Vivi is different in that he has a soul, and later on learns that he doesn't have as limited a lifespan as the others, who die after about a year.

What's great about is that he worries about this, he worries he's going to die, and wonders if he exists in the first place. He is also a coward, afraid of the dangers his powers can cause. Add being very gullable (which makes for hilarious moments) to the list and you've got a character with a lot of issues to get over/through. And he does, throughout the game he has one of the greatest character development in the entire series. Vivi's predicament and reactions are totally believable when he has to fight the evil Black Mages, or meets a Village of them with their own personalities.

Vivi is also one of the only Black Mages to be useful throughout an entire game in the series, Black Magic usually becomes obsolete sometimes about halfway through a game but Vivi is always a valuable party member (not in Oeilvert), which helps because he is in the party for a lot of the game. Even when you get to pick your party, there's a good chance this little guy will be part of it. Did I mention he's adorable?

I think the best way to sum up Vivi is the end of IGN's bit about him in their number 2: He's amazingly endearing just at a first glance - thanks to Yoshitaka Amano's timeless Black Mage design -- while his search for an identity and a purpose in life only makes him that much more sympathetic. If you can't love the little guy, you must have checked your soul at the door.

So, there we go: a character who represents both old and new(ish) Final Fantasy that many fans love. My Number1 is probably going to be quite... controverisal; its a character that many fans love and others loath. So with this in mind, and the fact I've teased you by saying who He/She/It is at Number, how many of you have added Marmite Character + He/She/It together and started to tremble... :P

Sorry that this is a late blog, just come back from a trip to London, wasn't all fun though, 5 o clock start, 4 hours there, 4 hours back and 2 hours at the Holocaust Museum. It's obviously a monumental historical event, but does suck the fun out of the coach trip.

So here's my Number 3 FF character, and Number 1 Cool. You have put forward Zack (hmm), Garland (?) and... Squall (?!?). Clearly no. It is in fact...

3: Auron (Final Fantasy X)

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Sir Auron, the Legendary Guardian: serving alongside Yuna's Father on his Pilgrimage as a young, by the book disgraced monk, Auron is the sole survivor and carries with him his unique Katanas and a wealth of knowledge about the darker side of Yevon and Zanarkand. Of course, Auron is so cool he only reveals such imformation when he wants to because he has a sharp foresight of events and reprocussions. He also has a dark secret about himself; he an unsent, killed by Yunalesca (who probably distracted him with her nakedness) but refuses to be at peace because of promises he made to Jecht (Tidus' father), which is why Auron travels to Dream Zanarkand and acts as a father figure to Tidus. Auron takes Tidus to Spira so he can 'live' and whenhe rejoins the party, he is a source of guidance. And he owns in battle, while his hefty sword misses most fiends, he is so powerful that he invaluable against Bosses.

So, that's a little oversight of his character and him in battle. But you can't summise Auron's coolness on paper (a still image doesn't do him justice either), you need to see him in the game to totally experience his badassness, which is off-the-scale. Forget Balthier, stuff Sephiroth (well not entirely, he is #4) Auron is just the epitome of cool. He's got an amazing theme tune, and his voice actor delivers his great one liners with a spot on dry with. He's so cool, even the villains from Yevon respect and admire him, and when they turn on him, he cuts them down to size. Stuff Yuna, Final Fantasy X is the story of how Auron turns his back of the Pilgrimage and Yevon, they try and stop him and fail. And he's the person who defeated Braska's Final Aeon and most of the possessed Aeons (in my game anyway, First Strike + monumental strength and accuracy and Overdrives = WIN).

I've notcied this blog is a bit small so let's just include some of his best quotes:

Legendary guardian? I was just a boy. A boy about your age, actually. I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story.

Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave!

Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!

The red carpet has teeth

Auron also makes a cool cameo as a party character in Kingdom Hearts II, looking a lot younger and trimmed and gets to fight with Cerberus, which is not what Hades was expecting when he wanted to summon an undead evil warrior:

Hades: Let's cut to the chase. Here's the deal I'm gonna offer you. I let you out of the slammer-no strings-you'll be free as a bird. And all for one little job. Fight Hercules, in the Coliseum...to the death!
Auron: This is my story. And you're not part of it.
Hades: Did you forget who you're talking to? I am the Lord of the Dead!
Auron: Heh... No wonder nobody wants to die.

Oh and I forgot to mention he looks a little bit old but still fights better than the young uns, he also only fights with one arm, even though he's perfectly capable of using two, he's so badass. And he carries a jug on his hop of.... something.

Now that I've fleshed this blog out a bit (even though I don't need to, you all should know how cool he is) it's time to end it. And just to tell you the Top 2 characters aren't as cool as Auron but are characters who go through lots of emotional highs and lows and come out fighting, and I'm not saying that because Auron is the coolest, that I'm done with Final Fantasy X....

"You. It's What's For Dinner" -Paine, FFX-2

Well, I've just put a quote from Final Fantasy X-2 character Paine there, its one of her many good quotes. Yesterday I told you number 4 on my list would wear black, like Final Fantasy X-2 character Paine, have silver/white hair, like Final Fantasy X-2 character Paine and wield a powerful and unique sword, like Final Fantasy X-2 Character Paine. Personality-wise, this character doesn't talk much but gets some great one-liners, and in the past, were friends with a group of 3 warriors before numerous betrayals, all these fit the Final Fantasy X-2 character Paine.

Guess who it is?

NOT Paine.

4: Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

"Bells Frogs, Bing Cherries, Jingle Bells, Magic Cheese- SE-PHI-ROTH!

SPOILER WARNING

I know that I put Final Fantasy VII in brackets, as the game old' Seph originated from but I think that I wouldn't like Sephiroth half as much if it wasn't for his secret boss appearances in the KINGDOM HEARTS games, as well as his omniscient appearances in the Compliation Of Final Fantasy VII. His little character sprite never did him justice in VII, while seeing him in 3D with his cape flapping around, his long hair flowing, the feathers on his wing and the way he gracefully swings his huge sword around with ease.... I'm losing track a bit. Sephiroth is immensely cool on a purely visual level alone, and when you combine that with various arrangements of his signature theme tune, One Winged Angel then he becomes an instant icon, topping many peoples list of Villains of FF Characters. But Sephiroth is so much more, let's go back to the start....

In Crisis Core, you see a younger Sephiroth and basically, he's perfect. Everyone in SOLDIER idolises him and probably joined because of him, he takes on Genesis AND Angeal without breaking a sweat and carries out all his mission with a cool demeanor. The reason why is, he was born that way, through dodgy experiments involving the demented Professor Hojo injecting an unborn baby with the cells of an alien who arrived on the Planet to take it over. He says "I knew ever since I was a child, I was not like the others. I knew mine was a special existence." and that he is destined for something great.Upon leaning of the terrible experiments that made him, and about Jenova and its mission, Sephiroth becomes warped and twisted into thinking he is a monster as well. He goes on a murderous rampage in Nibelheim, with certain party members suffering greatly, until he is defeated by an empowered Cloud and seemingly disappeared forever.

Imprisoned in the Shinra Building, the party follows a trail of blood and find the President is dead and that Sephiroth is very much alive. Well, not as alive as you think. His real body is in the North Cave and he has taken telepathic control of Jenova, using its morphing abilties to create a 'shadow' of himself, appearing as he did before he vanished. Cloud follows the trail of this 'shadow' all around the world, although Sephiroth is manipulating the team to find the Black Materia and bring it to him in the Reunion at the North Cave, where he waits for Cloud in his Crystal casing, with only half a body. From the safety of his barrier, he uses the Black Materia to call Meteor and absorb the energy the Planet would use to heal itself and fufill his God Complex and become 'The Chosen One'.

In VII, you see Sephiroth as pure evil, with a plan on a scale not really seen before in games. He doesn't appear much, either in his real body or the 'shadow' of himself but you KNOW when he appears. He has a second signature theme tune, called Those Chosen By The Planet that is incredibly haunting, whenever you hear it, you know something bad is going to happen. And it usually does, Sephiroth isn't afraid to kill anyone, including your own party members, for which he will always be remembered for. In Crisis Core, you see another side to him, his is heroic and professional, although he has a strong bond with his three SOLDIERS friends (Angeal, Genesis and later Zack) and often disobeys orders for their welfare. Throughout the game, his fall from grace is geatly presented and both saddening and spine-tingeling at the same time.

So if Crisis Core explores the character in great depth, the main FFVII explores the return from the dead and revenge plan then his brief appearances in Kingdom Hearts I & II and Advent Children show him as a true force to be reckoned with. Sephiroth's sword is probably a mile long and he wields it incredibly skillfully and quickly, proving he is a dangerous swordsman. He also has many iconic attacks, performed when he powers up and his giant black fallen angel wing appears, his motif. Sephiroth is extremely powerful and dangerous as a boss, he nearly killed Cloud in Advent Children after stabbing him once, imagine what would've happened if he subjected Cloud to the punishment he deals out in Kingdom Hearts (of course in Kingdom Hearts, the tone is lighter and Sora can survive unscatched). Every attack of Sephiroth's is brutal, from his version of Ultima, with giant fire pillars to his smaller-scale yet still destructive Meteor attacks and his trump card: Heartless Angel. This attack can basically kill you unless you have the right defense, and then you are left with 1 HP and no MP, that's when he comes in for the kill... He is truly a wonder to fight in both games, and watch in Advent Children, and is a highly memorable and interesting character in CC and VII, I can't wait to play as him in Dissidia, because like everyone else, I love Sephiroth.

Tomorrow will be a later blog because I'm on a trip, but I'm sure you can handle waiting for the first of the Top Three. And at Number Three is the one character more cool and badass than Sephiroth, and he also wields an interesting sword...

-"Are we having fun yet?

-"The time of my LIFE!"

:)

With that little quotraduction over, let's get into the real intro. Hi, I'm Nirvanaphoenix (AKA Joe) and for the last week I've been tormenting you by slowly revealing my Top Ten Final Fantasy Characters, and it's annoyed you because it's not who you've been expecting. Ultimecia, Kuja, BARRET?!? RIKKU :O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O:O

My Top Five might be a bit more... conservative, then again I'm not sure everyone will agree with certain choices (including who He/She/It gets to make it to number 1) but there is one common theme. People often pass Final Fantasy off as swords and sorcery games, which they're not. But looking at my Top 5 all the characters wield some sort of sword, or are a Mage, or use a Sword AND Magic and the best example of that is Number 5 himself...

5: Steiner (Final Fantasy IX)

-"My name's not Rusty, it's Sir Aldebert RUSTY"

What you get if you name him RUSTY :P

Ahhh Steiner, what is about you that makes me (for lack of a better word) love you? Is it for that the first quarter of the game, you're a totally panto bad guy who would turn on Zidane at a moments notice for the pride of Alexandria (the Queen of which is sending killer Black Mages at you and you don't NOTICE?!?)? Is it your devotion to Princess Garnet til .... Bedtime, and how your decisions, no matter how rash, are for her benefit in a parental kind of way? Is it because you give Vivi the respect he deserves? Is it coz you kick @$$ in battle?

It's all of those. And more. Steiner is a great twist of the stock Knights of Final Fantasy. He's overweight, clumsy, commands a useless team (FURY!) and can't ever sneak up on someone because his armour makes 'clank clank' sounds EVERWHERE he goes. Of course, he's loyally devoted to protecting the Princess and in battle, he's a great asset. His normal Attacks are incredibly powerful, espescially in Trance and when he teams with Vivi, his Sword Magic is brutal. Even then, you can't take this seriously.

He's brilliantly ridiculous, in the way he looks and what he says. His arguments with Zidane throughout most of Disc 1 and his public scolding by Dagger/Garnet in Disc 2 are hilarious (the only person funnier than him barely resembles a 'person' :P) and for a long time, as a player you can't trust Steiner. He's loyal to Garnet, but to her mother who's being manipulated by Kuja, and you ask yourself will Steiner do something stupid and get Garnet kidnapped? He doesn't in the end, but does have a great change of character moment and becomes a valued member of your party.

One of my favourite little sub-plots that involve Steiner is his romance for Beatrix and the letter mix-up that nearly sets them up together. And in the end, he's PULLED. The 40-year old loser pulls one of the coolest characters in the game and the series, the only reason she's NOT in my list is she DOESN'T join the party. Darn her. :( But back to Steiner, he's great.

Right so comment in the usual place and look forward to tomorrow where it'llk be a white haired sword wielder who dresses in black. Okay, it's either Paine or Sephiroth. Have fun guessing, just remember, when have I been conservative?

I can't believe its number six on my countdown already. And I can't believe Micheal Jackson has died. It's a sad time for his family and fans at the moment, so we need to be cheered up. Who better to do so than...?

6: Rikku (Final Fantasy X & X-2)

Well, Rikku. This girl could not be more removed from Vincent (who people have incorrectly guessed my next charatcer would be, TWICE!), she's bright, bubbly and a lot of fun. There are tons of reasons to like Rikku, but most importantly: she makes me smile.

SPOILERS FROM -HERE- ON IN

Rikku is the first party member met when Tidus' Dad turned into a whale monster at the end of an ongoing ritual to defeat said whale monster (told you there'd be spoliers) whisks him into Spira. She is presented as a good hearted yet mysterious Al Bhed and luckily, she speaks English. As you (and Tidus') only source of conversation and information, Rikku is very important during the crazy time Tidus is having. You don't see her again until she strips off (her diving suit) in a FMV and learn she's a young girl who's a bit clumsy. In Guadosalam and the Thunder Plains you find out she's hiding her Al Bhed heritage from the Yevon followers in her party and she's desperately afraid of thunder. The scenes on the Thunder Plains are pure hilarious. And what's more, whenever she's hit with a Thunder spell in the game, she squeals.

Her innocence is a strong factor in the game;her and the AlBhed are guilty of stealing Summoners even though she has good intentions: to stop them sacrificing themselves. Rikkuprovides Tidus with support against Yuna doing the same, her strong feelings of protection towards her cousin make her totally compelling.Rikku is bright and cheerful even when she faces persecution for what she is at the hands of Wakka. Awwwwbless her.

"Y. R. P. in position. It's showtime girls!"

In X-2 the whole situation is a lot lighter and so is Rikku. The antics and friendship of the three Gullwings is one of the best parts of the game's story and Rikku often finds herself either cheering up everyone up (again) or the butt of everyone's jokes. She gets plenty of laughs and one-liners, espescially in battle which nicely leads to the next section, entitled Rikku in Battle.

Rikku in Battle.

Rikku in Battle is, well, interesting to say the least. She's not got the best stats in X (well naturally anyway, taking her all around the Sphere Grid is a different matter) except she's VERY speedy. Her default job is Thief/Machinist and she is valuable in stealing from enemies. X has the best stealing system in any FF, you steal something practicallty all the time and its always useful for something. Rikku teaches you how to use these items to give your weapons new abilites and her trump card in Battle is to Mix these items together. You can get tons of different results from these, and by earning the best items in the Monster Arena, you can unleash Rikku's most potent abilities. Against Dark Aeons and Penance, she's an essential part of the team.

And why wouldn't you want Rikku on your team if you're out with a band trying to save the world by sacrificing themselves? For her role as team-cheerer-upper, player cheerer-upper and her ability to just make me smile, Rikku is well deserving of this place in the Top Ten.

NEXT TIME: The Top Ten continues on MONDAY and the character will be another comic character who wouldn't use even DRINK a potion, thinking it to be poison, let alone try mixing it with a Chocobo Feather.

In other news, I bought SUPER STARDUST HD off PS Store for the discount price of 1.59 and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for a bout a tenner. Good times. Unfortunately online PLAY on my PS3 ain't happening because of stupid Sky Broadband.

I've been having an internal debate over whether this character should be at number 7, because I do think Barret is a better character. BUT this guy you just want to hate so bad, and he was the first Final Fantasy Final Boss I defeated, and boy, was I happy when I did :):):)

7: Kuja (Final Fantasy IX)

SPOILERS FOLLOW

Yes, Zidane may have been intended for the job, but throughout Final Fantasy IX; Kuja was the Angel of Death. And what a description of him it is. His appearance is harmless (except maybe to little children, only joking) and he looks.... pure (read HIGHLY effeminate) but Kuja is pure EVIL! He has a truly dramatic flair, and is often reciting his evil plans through poetic and sinsiter dialogue. I wouldn't consider him panto, but he is definately someone you want to boo when he takes centre stage.

Kuja is a great villain for many more reasons. At first he is a shady character and his appearance is linked to a once peaceful Queen's recent streak of declaring war on neighbouring countries with an army of murderous Black Mages (of which Kuja created). He does not speak much at first, and his mysteriousness is highlighted in the Disc 1 end FMV when he stares at a beaten Zidane and summons a silver Dragon to fly off on. You just KNOW he's evil. In Disc 2, he has eyes on Garnet, who is vulnerable and alone with only Steiner in Treno. He reveals he has big plans for her and you know he means danger. By the end of Disc 2, he has taken control of the Eidolon Bahamut and killed Brahne, cementing his place as the biggest threat Gaia has to face.

Kuja is cold and ruthless, in his treatment of the Black Mages who he creates, forces to work for him and lets them die and his uncaring nature at the destruction of Alexandria shows how devoid of compassion he is. What makes him more dangerous (and more interesting as a character) is he's always one step ahead of you; he has various plans in motion to get what he wants, and knows of various means (Gulug Stone, Alexander) to achieve his goal of overthrowing the one who created him. Kuja is presented as a character who has no weakness.

Upon learning of Zidane's origins and his relation to Kuja, the villain is enraged at the fact he is not the perfect being and coldly kills Garland and attacks the party. It's a fight you've been waiting for a long time, and of course upon defeating Kuja, he enters Trance to become even more powerful and sets about destroying the planet Terra. Knowing he is going to die, Kuja goes totally mental and decides everyone else should die as well, its the god complex that really fascinates me about Kuja; he is presented as the perfect enemy, emotionless and with no flaws, but when you chip away at that facade, he descends into madness and becomes all the more dangerous for it.

Trance Kuja has one of the best Final Battle (well he's not the FINAL battle but he's a fight beyond the point of no return) themes going: Dark Messenger. A totally adrenaline pumping version of a theme that has been his motif throughout the game, his theatrical appearance and manerisms, as well as that haunting piano make sure you know who the spotlight is on and I am totally glued to him every time he appears.

NEXT TIME: Someone from my favourite Final Fantasy game (and possibly game of all time) and its spin-off; a game which I rate as highly as most of the main series. And it's probably not who you were thinking, unless you were thinking it was

(ends blog)

Well Transformers was a proper rockin' film, super loud and good looking, it may seem shallow but I think Micheal Bay makes action films an art. But back to business, number eight of my Top Ten. I teased you by saying this character was a character from Final Fantasy VII who shoots people, and as I KNEW you would, some of you jumped and said it was Vincent.

Well....

8: Barret (Final Fantasy VII)

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

Barret is one of the best characters in Final Fantasy VII, and one that is tragically overlooked by many. You first meet him as an angry black dude who talks like Mr T with incosistent swearing (and censoring:P). But as you learn more about him and his tragic life story, he becomes so much more. Barret hates the Shinra with all his being because they're detroying the Planet, although thats not his only-or main reason. It's because of their betrayal of him, his best friend and his village.

These events from his past are the reason he looks after Marlene and defends her with his life. He has to make so many tough decisions, such as leaving her behind while he goes off on terrorist assaults. The village of Corel has been ruined partly because of his actions, the three members of AVALANCHE die under his lead, and Shinra destroy Sector 7 because of him. Barret doesn't always make the right decisions, and he knows that fact, as many characters tell him; heis definately a flawed man, but he deals with it and that's what makes him such a compelling character.

It's not all doom and gloom with Barret, he irregularly translated swear words, as well as his.... interesting metaphors make him definately memorable, as well the infamous sailor suit and his quick temper at times. In battle he's a character you'll want to have, he's better at shooting people from the back row than Vincent and has incredible Limit Breaks. His Gun-Arm is a very unique weapon and he uses it to great effect in his Ungermax Limit, and his Satellite Beam is one of my favourite over-the-top moves in Final Fantasy.

All in all, Barrets a great leader, a caring father figure, an excellent fighter with a sense of justice. But he's definately flawed, he makes decisions that are very tough to make and he carries all the scars for it and throughout the entire game, he's entirely absorbing and likeable. Lots of people only focus on the stereotype and similarity to 'the Snickers Man off that 80s show who does the World Of Warcraft ads' instead of focusing on the aspect of having to make impossible choices. If you don't like Barret, then "Quit yo Jibber Jabber!"

Next Time: "The weak lose their place in theTop Ten to the strong"

Okay, so people were a bit shocked at my character choice for part Ten. Number Nine is definately more expectable, considering he's the hero of my second fave FF game, which is a throwback to all the games in the series before the PSone.

Yes. That's right. When you take one of these:

and make them a :

you get:

9: Zidane (Final Fantasy IX)

SPOILERS FOLLWING!

Yes, some of you alrerady guessed it, Zidane is number nine in my top ten. And he deserves to be, he's the hero of the game that took Final Fantasy back to its roots with setting and battle/ability systems. FFIX isn't jsut a nostalgia tour, it tells an amazing story and presents many amazing characters, and one or two will appear again in the list (shall it spoil who He/She/It is??? :P).

When you look at Zidane from the basics, he's alot like Locke from Final Fantasy VI, a Thief (TREASURE HUNTER!!) who is a bit of a flirt but always rasies the party up with their cheerful disposition. What Zidane has going for him over Locke is the factthat Zidane throughout the game is constantly looking for an ideaas to where he comes from. And wen he does, he finds that he was created on a different planet by FFI throwback Garland to be the Angel Of Death, his sole purpose to destroy the planet Gaia. (Another reason apart from his tail and Trance-Form that he's like a Saiyan). The scenes where he goes off in his despair against monsters while his team try to snap it out of him (while one the best pieces of FF music plays in the background), you realise how he's affected all the characters and you, as a player.

Zidane's love story with Princess Garnet is also one of the highlights in the game, as well as his loyalty to his brother Kuja in the endgame. Over the four discs, Zidane and his actions will make you laugh, cry and become utterly absorbed in his adventure, because of totally believeable scripting and direction, which is why Final Fantasy is such a success. As well as experiencing the story through Zidane's eyes, he is almost always in your party and it helps he's a great character. He's a brilliant Thief, which helps that Stealing is an important part of this game, and his Dyne moves kick behind. Close to the end of the game, if you've successfully stolen enough, you'll find Zidane is one of the few character who can deal max damage every turn. So all in all, he's one of the best lead characters in of the best Final Fantasy games.

- Come back tomorrow for number 8 tomorrow. In the meanwhile I'll be enjoying Transformers: Rise of the Fallen tonight with my family as a Father's Day thing, and Spyro 2 on PSone disc which I lent off a friend (the audio has skipped in a few cutscenes :( ) so I'll leave you with a clue for tomorrows character:

He shoots people and he's from Final Fantasy VII. Vincent-fangirls, are you paying attention?

After yesterdays non-numbered special mentions, its time to begin my Top Ten Final Fantasy Characters for real, with.... number TEN! So be warned, SPOILERS from here on in...

Every character in this list is from VII, IX and X not necessarily because those characters are the coolest, its because these games are longer and take much more time to flesh out the characters than the first 6, the Ivalice games and other spin-offs.

But in this case, less is more...

10: ULTIMECIA (Final Fantasy VIII)

Ultimecia doesn't appear in much of VIII but she is such a scene stealer, she is easily the best character in the game. Most of the time she does appear, it's in possession of other characters and is it her most evil inhabiting the body of Edea. Ultimecia is from the future and travelling back in time, she rises through the ranks of the Glabadian Military to become a dictator, killing the previous President while a mesmerized crowd watches and she gives one of the bets speeches ever, thank god for copy and paste:

"...Lowlifes. ...Shameless filthy wretches. How you celebrate my ascension with such joy. Hailing the very one you have condemned for generations. Have you no shame? What happened to the evil, ruthless sorceress from your fantasies? The cold-blooded tyrant that slaughtered countless men and destroyed many nations? Where is she now? She stands before your very eyes to become your new ruler. A new era has just begun. This is reality. No one can help you. Sit back and enjoy the show. Rest assured, you fools. Your time will come. This is only the beginning. Let us start a new reign of terror. I will let you live a fantasy beyond your imagination."

After Edea's defeat, Ultimecia posses the main female lead and forces her into a coma. The scene where she awakens inside Rinoa aboard and space station and proceeds to smash it up from the inside, release and posses another evil Sorceress AND release a wave of monsters into the world. That is my favourite momentsin VIII, it tingles with tension and evil excitment, its possibly one of the best moments on Final Fantasy.

When she does reveal herself in her true form, she is one of the best designed villains in the game. You see otherworldly motifs of her earlier in the game but when you do finally see her (after she's caused all Time to collapse on itself and you've battle your way through a wonderfully gothic castle) you know you're in for a fight against a bad guy who's pure evil. Coupled with brilliant music motifs that make sure you KNOW when she's on the scene, Ultimecia is like the greatest evil Disney villain, only far less menacing.

-Make sure you come back for tomorrows number NINE! in the countdown. And if you want to hazard a guess then I'll give you a clue: SUPER SAIYAN + WOMANIZER = ???