FF Character Tournament - Winner revealed!

[Del Murder]

After long await, it's back! That's right, this is the


2010
http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/f/final_fantasy_logo-1970.jpg
Character Tournament

68 of your favorite Final Fantasy characters will duke it out March Madness style to crown a champion. You will determine who moves on to the next rounds by voting in polls. You may vote based on strength, usefulness, general likeability, or any other criteria you choose. The choice is yours!

Here are the general rules:

Vote in the poll for one character per 'match'. The matches are labeled by letters. For example, if you see in the poll:

A. Cloud (VII)
A. Locke(VI)
B. Bartz (V)
B. Rydia (IV)

it means Cloud is facing off against Locke and Bartz is facing off against Rydia, so you should vote for one character in each of those matches. The polls will be multiple choice so you will be able to vote in each match. Each poll will last only a couple of days so get those votes in!

Before we get on to this year's tournament, let's first honor those in the FF Character Hall of Fame (past winners):

Cloud (FFVII)
http://www.freewebs.com/legendnintendo/Cloud_strife.jpg

Rydia (FFIV)
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/thumb/b/b4/FFIV-RydiaSprite_DS.jpg/160px-FFIV-RydiaSprite_DS.jpg

Since they already won they won't be in this tournament.

So I said 68 characters up there, but if you follow tourament brackets you know that they usually only contain 64 slots. Well 60 of those slots are filled, and the remaining 8 characters are going to compete in the 'play in round' for the last four spots. That round begins now.

Play in Round Matchups

Benjamin (FFMQ) vs. Tristam (FFMQ)

Beowulf (FFT) vs. Setzer (FFVI)

Garnet (FFIX) vs. Aeris (FFVII)

Paine (FFX2) vs. Llyud (FFXIIRW)

Fight on!

[Shiny]

I hope Sezter wins!

[Vermachtnis]

Llyud is a stupid name.

[Raistlin]

I'd like for there to be some competitive FFT characters in this, but Beowulf cannot beat Setzer. And I'd pretty much vote for anyone over Aeris. The other two I didn't have any opinion on so I just voted randomly.

[Del Murder]

FFT is in a very tough division this year so it would be hard to see them go far. We'll see though!

Looks like Garnet is wiping the floor with Aeris.

[Raistlin]

So your stupid bracketing is going to screw over FFT just like it screwed over Setzer in the FF6 tournament? :mad2:

[qwertysaur]

:dagger:

[eestlinc]

Beowulf is nothing special, but Setzer sucks.

[Wolf Kanno]

Come on Setzer :ffvisexy:

Interesting brackets and I ended up having to make some really odd choices as well.

[Flying Mullet]

Benjamin against Tristam, why must one character from FFMQ be guaranteed to fall so early? :(

[qwertysaur]

Yes, there will be some very hard choices to make in the near future, and I predict a very close race for the championship :choc:

[Del Murder]

Looks like it's a blowout in 3 of the matches but we do have one close one.

[Raistlin]

I am heartily amused by the Aeris beatdown.

[Depression Moon]

Only one I really like or mostly know of on this list is Garnet so I'm for her.

[Del Murder]

As a teaser, I will be doing a character spotlight on the top seed for each division before it is posted. This first spotlight is on the top seed from the Old School Division: Cecil. Please beware that this will contain spoilers of FFIV.

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m280/tokyo_rose505/cecil-1.jpg

Cecil is the main character from FFIV and the only character in that game who you have in your main party the entire time. This is a rare occurence in the FF series as most of the games allow you to switch out your characters even if they feature a true 'main' character.

In FFIV Cecil starts out as a Dark Knight serving the king of Baron in his quest to acquire all the crystals. He later shuns his dark side and transforms into a Paladin which allows him to unleash his true power against the darkness. With the help of his friends he defeats his brother Golbez and the dark forces controlling him to prevent the power of the crystals from falling into the wrong hands. He then takes the throne as the king of Baron alongside his queen, White Mage Rosa.

Cecil is also the representitive of FFIV on the Cosmos side in Dissidia. He has a unique ability to change between his Dark Knight and Paladin jobs mid-battle, which highlights the duality of light and darkness residing in the character.

In the first FF character tournament, Cecil made it to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by eventual winner Cloud. In the second tournament he was defeated in the second round of the Glory Days division by Locke. This year he is in a much softer division with no popular FFVI or FFVII characters in his way, so let's see if this helps him improve his standing. Cecil was not part of the FFIV mini-tournament as I decided to automatically include all of the 'final five' characters from FFIV in this tournament (excluding previous winner Rydia).

[Xaven]

Looks like it's a blowout in 3 of the matches but we do have one close one.
Which was the close one? Now they're all at least 2:1.

:dagger:

[Flying Mullet]

Beowulf/Setzer was close for a while.

[Del Murder]

Ok all the matches are now out of hand so I am going to end this early. Here are the play-in round results:

Benjamin (FFMQ) - 4
Tristam (FFMQ) - 18

Beowulf (FFT) - 8
Setzer (FFVI) - 18

Garnet (FFIX) - 27
Aeris (FFVII) - 5

Paine (FFX2) - 19
Llyud (FFXIIRW) - 8

These winners will move on to the main tournament.

Now for the big dance itself. We'll start off with the division separate because I can only use 20 poll options. First up is the Old School Division, featuring FFI-IV and MQ. Here are the round 1 battles:

1. Cecil (FFIV) vs. 16. Tristam (FFMQ)

8. Cid (FFIV) vs. 9. Minwu (FFII)

5. Maria (FFII) vs. 12. Ingus (FFIII)

4. Firion (FFII) vs. 13. Refia (FFIII)

6. Edge (FFIV) vs. 11. Luneth (FFIII)

3. Light Warrior (FFI) vs. 14. Yang (FFIV)

7. Rosa (FFIV) vs. 10. Guy (FFII)

2. Kain (FFIV) vs. 15. Josef (FFII)

I have a bracket but I left it on another computer so I'll have to wait to post it.

[Vermachtnis]

Cecil is probably in my top 5 favorite FF main characters, but my vote for Tristam will probably be the only vote he gets xD
Cid's beard is awesome.
Maria was my favorite character in II and didn't really care for Ingus.
I gave Refia all the strong physical classes in III DS, so she saved me a lot.
Edge is just awesome.
Yang as a strong kick.
Guy speak beaver.
I didn't care for Josef.

[Raistlin]

Not many here I feel particularly strongly about. Cecil and Kain should win, and I voted Light Warrior just to help out FFI.

[Rebellious Eagle]

More people should vote for FFIII characters. :<
And wow, Josef, I forgot about him until now...

[demondude]

I can't stand Cecil.

[Breine]

Cecil is cool.

Anyway, voted in this round. Looking forward to the next.

[Del Murder]

Some smart alec voted for everyone. :mad:

[eestlinc]

light warrior gets a tough draw, going against Yang, who should be rated much higher.

[Del Murder]

Cid won the FFIV mini tournament and that's what forced Yang down so low. He had to be below all the other FFIV characters by design. I do agree Light Warrior got a bad matchup to start with.

[Saber]

Sp far everyone I voted for is winning!

[Flying Mullet]

Some smart alec voted for everyone. :mad:
Hmm, not a bad strategy...

[Del Murder]

I know it was you Mullet.

Sorry for the delay in getting round 2 up but I've been busy. I'll do it later today.

[Del Murder]

Here are the Old School round 1 results:

1. Cecil (FFIV) - 17 vs.
16. Tristam (FFMQ) - 5

8. Cid (FFIV) - 16 vs.
9. Minwu (FFII) - 5

5. Maria (FFII) - 12 vs.
12. Ingus (FFIII) - 9

4. Firion (FFII) - 15 vs.
13. Refia (FFIII) - 7

6. Edge (FFIV) - 17 vs.
11. Luneth (FFIII) - 4

3. Light Warrior (FFI) - 9 vs.
14. Yang (FFIV) - 13

7. Rosa (FFIV) - 18 vs.
10. Guy (FFII) - 4

2. Kain (FFIV) - 20 vs.
14. Josef (FFII) - 2

Only one upset, with Yang edging out Light Warrior, the only FFI representitive. Maybe it was a tough draw but thems the breaks! Sometimes characters would get a seed lower than some would expect.

Also all of the FFIII & FFMQ characters were eliminated, leaving only FFII and FFIV left in this round. Let's see what happens in round 2! Here are the matches:

1. Cecil (FFIV) vs. 8. Cid (FFIV)

5. Maria (FFII) vs. 4. Firion (FFII)

6. Edge (FFIV) vs. 14. Yang (FFIV)

7. Rosa (FFIV) vs. 2. Kain (FFIV)

Also, here is a bracket as promised.

[Raistlin]

Go, Edge! Avenge Light Warrior's death!

[Vermachtnis]

Wow it's pretty close, except in one fight. No one respects the beard. :(

[eestlinc]

Edge sucks. Yang should crush him.

[Wolf Kanno]

Man, this is going to end with Cecil vs. Kain and then I'm really screwed... :(

[Flying Mullet]

Old man Cid's not doing well. :(

[Rantz]

SO CLOSE TO SYMMETRY.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/729269/Images/closetosymmetry.png

Who's the bastard not voting on bracket 3? :nonono:

[Raistlin]

Edge sucks. Yang should crush him.

Your face sucks. :mad2:

[Del Murder]

In this next character spotlight we will look at the top seed from the Polygon Division: Vivi! Beware as this does contain FFIX spoilers.

http://www.iforgot.org/images/psp/FFIX/Vivi.png

Vivi is one of the principal characters of FFIX and is with the party for most of the game. He is the black mage of this game, and the only one with access to the trademark Final Fantasy elemental spells like Fire and Blizzaga. So if you need to do magical damage to an enemy Vivi would be the one you rely on! His spells are very powerful and can be made even more powerful when combined with abilities of his comrades, like Reflect x2 or Steiner's magic sword. Also with the right gear his ultimate attack Doomsday can do massive damage while also healing the party.

Like all the black mages in the game, Vivi was created as a tool of war, but this mage was special. Vivi's abilities to think and feel surpass those of the other models (he's also a lot cuter). He often is found contemplating deep philosophical subjects. At some point he was able to escape Kuja's forces and was then found and raised by his 'grandfather' Quan, a member of the Qu clan. He first travels with the group to learn more about himself and his kind, but after finding a tribe of self-aware black mages like himself, he seeks to defeat Kuja to facilitate a world safe for his kind.

In one memorable scene you can elect for Vivi to get 'married' to Quina which results in Quina's famous line: 'I...so happy.' Sadly, at the end of the game it is implied that Vivi has passed away due to the short life span of black mages. But he is survived by his cute little black mage children (is Quina the mother? :eek:). Vivi later appears in Kingdom Hearts 2 but it's just a cameo.

In past tournaments Vivi has done pretty well. In the first tournament he made it to the second round but was defeated by FFVII's Cid. In the second tournament he made it to the Elite Eight but lost in the Teen Angst Division finals to eventual runner up Vincent. In the FFIX mini-tournament he placed first, which resulted in his top seed here!

[Breine]

I like these character spotlights!

Vivi is a great character by the way.

[eestlinc]

Edge is the total fifth wheel in the final party of ff4. Cecil and Kain deal big physical damage. Rosa and Rydia kick butt with magic. Edge does moderate physical damage and can throw stuff, and use mediocre magic. He is useful as a damage tank and the extra physical attacks are nice, and a well timed throw can salvage a lost cause of a battle. But really, Edge is the least important character in that party. Yang, by contrast, is hugely important during the time he is in your party, and he sacrifices himself to save the party, and his wife is a bad ass too.

[Del Murder]

When I first played this game I wanted to replace Edge with Yang but I was so sad that I couldn't.

[Vermachtnis]

When I first played this game I wanted to replace Edge with Yang but I was so sad that I couldn't.

Me too, good thing IV Advance lets you.

[Wolf Kanno]

Except the DS version actually makes Edge awesome (OMG he can actually dodge!!!!) respect the Ninja who fights with Cid and flirts with Rydia. :cool:

[Slothy]

Edge does moderate physical damage and can throw stuff, and use mediocre magic.

Back in the days of the duplicate item glitch, he was a damage dealing machine with an item bag full of Excalibur.

[qwertysaur]

Yay vivi :vivi:

[Raistlin]

Except the DS version actually makes Edge awesome (OMG he can actually dodge!!!!) respect the Ninja who fights with Cid and flirts with Rydia. :cool:

Yeah, I've only played much of the DS version. Apparently the original one had Edge being much less awesome.

[Mercen-X]

Who's the bastard not voting on bracket 3? :nonono:

Don't blame me. I voted for every single one.

[Del Murder]

Here are the round 2 results for the Old School Division. The winners advance to the Sweet 16 round:

1. Cecil (FFIV) - 15
8. Cid (FFIV) - 7

5. Maria (FFII) - 12
4. Firion (FFII) - 10

6. Edge (FFIV) - 10
14. Yang (FFIV) - 11

7. Rosa (FFIV) - 7
2. Kain (FFIV) - 15

Some very close matches, with Yang edging out another victory. Can this underdog go any further? His match with Kain will be the toughest challenge left. Also does the lone FFII combatant Maria have any chance against top seed Cecil? You'll have to wait for the Sweet 16 round to find out.

I now present the Polygon Division. This division contains the games FFVII, FFVIII, and FFIX. A tough division to say the least, as VII and IX had many memorable characters. VIII not so much but we'll see what they do. Here's the matches for round 1:

1. Vivi (FFIX) vs. 16. Garnet (FFIX)

8. Red XIII (FFVII) vs. 9. Rinoa (FFVIII)

5. Vincent (FFVII) vs. 12. Zell (FFVIII)

4. Squall (FFVIII) vs. 13. Quina (FFIX)

6. Tifa (FFVII) vs. 11. Steiner (FFIX)

3. Zidane (FFIX) vs. 14. Quistis (FFVIII)

7. Barett (FFVII) vs. 10. Eiko (FFIX)

2. Cid (FFVII) vs. 15. Yuffie (FFVII)

[Vermachtnis]

Voted for Vivi, Red XIII, Zell, Quina, Steiner, Zidane, Quina, Eiko, and Yuffie.

[Saber]

I voted Garnet, Red XIII, Zell, Squall (no one likes Quina its an easy win for Squall), Tifa, Quistis, Barret, and Yuffie.

This is the rounds I've been waiting for. I just have to wait to see the rest though.

[Del Murder]

No one likes Quina? Quina's in the lead!

[Saber]

I just seen that >_> Guess I was wrong. Quina has a chance against Squall. Wow.

[Depression Moon]

Thank goodness for the multiple choice option. I didn't want to have to choose between Vivi and Garnet.

[eestlinc]

Yuffie is a 15 seed? 15? 15??? Against Cid??? the committee is off its rocker! :elk: (and garnet should be higher than 16 as well).

[charliepanayi]

Making me choose between Squall and Quina :(

[Flying Mullet]

Ahh, it brings me great joy to vote against any FFVIII character. :)

[Saber]

I guess I got different taste then others here since alomst all the characters I voted for are losing. Oh well I love all Final Fantasy characters so its not bumming me out.

[Mo-Nercy]

Quina's beating Squall, Steiner's beating Tifa, Eiko's beating Barret.

EXPLAIN!11

[Vermachtnis]

Quina's beating Squall, Steiner's beating Tifa, Eiko's beating Barret.

EXPLAIN!11

Easy, Quina is too weird for Squall to comprehend and he just stands there dumbfounded. Tifa cut herself on Steiner's rusty armor and got lockjaw. Eiko told Barret she was a school yard chum of Marlene and cheapshotted him with Holy when he was distracted.

[Flying Mullet]

I thought it was because Squall and Tifa are girls and Barret's black.

[Del Murder]

Wow, these are all really close, except for Zidane running away with his match. Like I said, I think this is the toughest division.

The seeding was based on their performance in past tournaments, the mini-tournaments I made in the individual game forums, and input from some members. It's as fair as I can get!

[Kyros]

surprise, I'm outdone by people's FFIX favoritism combined with FFVIII hate, also how did Barrett get even 1 vote? I never liked his stupid face :P

[Raistlin]

Ahh, it brings me great joy to vote against any FFVIII character. :)

Yes.

Also Garnet has outlived her usefulness. And I kinda like Yuffie, but it's her tough luck going up against one of my favorite FF characters in the first round.

[charliepanayi]

surprise, I'm outdone by people's FFIX favoritism combined with FFVIII hate, also how did Barrett get even 1 vote? I never liked his stupid face :P

My FFVIII love combined with my FFIX love means I was left agonising over my choices far more than should be normal.

[Kyros]

I would go on about how I think most of the FFIX cast consisted of retards, but I'll be nice and keep this thread away from turning into a flame war. I'm still not getting some of the votes in general though (mainly Steiner vs Tifa and Rinoa vs Red).

[charliepanayi]

Steiner's great is why.

There has to be other people out there who like all the PSX era games!

[Rantz]

Steiner's great is why.

There has to be other people out there who like all the PSX era games!

I do, I do! I love them all :D

[Kyros]

Steiner's great is why.

There has to be other people out there who like all the PSX era games!

These are all PSX era games what are you talking about with that? Also, I must have missed the entirety of Steiner's greatness when I played through the game somewhere during his persistent nagging that made me want to take his sword and stab it through his fat face.

[Del Murder]

Looks like a few of these have pulled away. Also it's not looking good for the FFVIII crew!

[Wolf Kanno]

I would be surprised by all the choices being made if it wasn't for the fact I know this forum has a lot of love for FFIX :love:

With that said, I'm sad that Squall is not going to see later rounds thanks to the Quina groupies. I'm very happy to see Garnet, Rinoa, and Yuffie get the shaft early though. Its a shame Red XIII and Eiko lucked out and will be able to advance though. :colbert:

Now for the next branch which will prove to be the most difficult. :(

Though I am going to make my first bet and say that this branch will end with Cid vs. Vivi

[eestlinc]

I know I ranked Yuffie a lot higher.

[charliepanayi]

Steiner's great is why.

There has to be other people out there who like all the PSX era games!

These are all PSX era games what are you talking about with that? Also, I must have missed the entirety of Steiner's greatness when I played through the game somewhere during his persistent nagging that made me want to take his sword and stab it through his fat face.

I mean the fact that this thread (and others) usually has evidence of someone hating at least one of the PSX era games (usually FFVIII but all get some stick).

As for Steiner, I think FF in general does the 'grumpy older guy' character really well (FFVII Cid, Steiner, Auron etc).

[Slothy]

I'm still not getting some of the votes in general though (mainly Steiner vs Tifa and Rinoa vs Red).

Steiner is awesome and Rinoa was an idiot. I thought that was obvious. :p


With that said, I'm sad that Squall is not going to see later rounds thanks to the Quina groupies.

I'm sorry, but my hatred of Squall outweighs my indifference toward Quina.

I actually wish I could vote for Garnet, but won't for reasons that don't need explaining.

[charliepanayi]

There are even big fans of FFVIII (ones I know anyway) who dislike Rinoa. You're doomed to defeat in these polls if you can't even get 100% support from fans of the game!

[Breine]

Dang, some tough match-ups this time around.

[Del Murder]

Eiko vs. Barret has ended in a tie. The first person to chose one of them will decide the winner. It doesn't matter if you already voted.

[Vermachtnis]

:eiko:

Does she win?

[Del Murder]

Yep. Thanks! Results coming shortly.

[Del Murder]

Here are the results of the tightly contested Round 1:

1. Vivi (FFIX) - 18
16. Garnet (FFIX) - 9

8. Red XIII (FFVII) - 15
9. Rinoa (FFVIII) - 11

4. Vincent (FFVII) - 15
13. Zell (FFVIII) - 11

5. Squall (FFVIII) - 11
12. Quina (FFIX) - 15

6. Tifa (FFVII) - 12
11. Steiner (FFIX) - 13

3. Zidane (FFIX) - 19
14. Quistis (FFVIII) - 7

7. Barett (FFVII) - 13
10. Eiko (FFIX) - 13

2. Cid (FFVII) - 15
15. Yuffie (FFVII) - 11

Very close matches with many 'upsets'. One match decided by one vote and one match ended in a tie! Let's see if round 2 is as exciting. Here are the matches:

1. Vivi (FFIX) vs. 8. Red XIII (FVII)

4. Vincent (FFVII) vs. 12. Quina (FFIX)

11. Steiner (FFIX) vs. 3. Zidane

10. Eiko (FFIX) vs. 2. Cid (FFVII)

[eestlinc]

I voted for Eiko in honor of Yuffie.

[Vermachtnis]

If Quina eats Vincent will she learn Nightmare?

[Raistlin]

Tifa. :( Oh well, Vivi and Cid are destined to meet, anyway.

[Wolf Kanno]

Damn, I was hoping Steiner would do better. Where the hell is Vivisteiner when you need him. :mad2:

[eestlinc]

Quina should be doing better.

[Clyde's Shadow]

COME ON VIVI!! YOU CAN DO IT!!

[Kyros]

I'm pretty sure everyone I voted for save 1-2 is gone =/ Whats wrong with Rinoa anyway?

[Wolf Kanno]

She suffers from "Molly Syndrome"?

[Del Murder]

We have a tightly contested battle between Vincent and Quina! The others seem pretty much decided.

[Vermachtnis]

She suffers from "Molly Syndrome"?

That's not on Wikipedia or TvTropes. What is that?

[Wolf Kanno]

Term my friend and I came up with after watching too many episodes of the English Sailor Moon. Molly is Sailor Moons best friend in her school life but has this uncanny knack for always being in the wrong place at the wrong time and winds up walking into the center of every villains plot to destroy the world and kill SM. They don't even know who this girl is but if someone is going to get kidnapped, brainwashed, have their life force sucked out their body, or put into a life or death situation it always seemed to be this girl. She basically exist to be a constant damsel in distress. Even Luna, SM's talking cat makes a funny comment about this in the english version where she basically says, "wow this girl has bad luck". Hope that explains it. ;)

[Del Murder]

For the next character spotlight we look at the top seed from the Franchised Division: Auron! Warning as this does contain FFX spoilers.

http://anshiro.free.fr/Final%20Fantasy%2010/personnages/Auron.jpg

Auron is an important character in FFX's storyline, being the only person to have made the Sin pilgrimage, and acting as Yuna's guide on her journey. He is known for his cool demeanor and wisdom, however for much of the game he remains short sighted that the Sin cycle cannot be broken. Later, he is instrumental in coming up with the plan that ultimately defeats Sin and Yu Yevon and ends the sacrificing of summoners in Spira.

Auron is unique in the party in that he is an unsent being. During the first Sin pilgrimage he was killed along with Braska and Jecht, but his promise to Jecht to look after Tidus allowed him to keep close ties to Spira and he was allowed to remain without turning into a fiend. At the end of FFX he is finally sent to the Farplane by Yuna. For that reason he doesn't appear in the sequel, FFX-2.

Even though the sphere grid system allows all players to essentially learn all abilities (save overdrives and Yuna's summons), for much of the game Auron's sphere 'path' has access to many strength nodes and 'break' abilities. This makes him a great powerhouse when dealing physical damage in battle, and weakening the enemy. He is probably the strongest character physically for much of the game, making him a great asset. His overdrives allow him to do even more physical damage and even obliterate enemies.

In previous tournaments Auron has done exceptionally well. He has made it to the Final Four in both the earlier FF character tournaments, losing to eventual runners up Locke and Vincent. In the FFX mini-tournament he place first which resulted in his top seed here. He is a formidable character and I don't doubt he'll do well in this year's tournament.

[Breine]

Zidane over Steiner? Are you serious!?

[charliepanayi]

Zidane over Steiner? Are you serious!?

That was a tough call :(

Quina edges back ahead of Vincent!

[Kyros]

Way to represent something that's not FFIX Cid w00t!!!! Now put out your cigs in the FFIX casts' eyeballs please ^_^

edit: lol at 'torunament' in the title

[charliepanayi]

Way to represent something that's not FFIX Cid w00t!!!! Now put out your cigs in the FFIX casts' eyeballs please ^_^

edit: lol at 'torunament' in the title

Someone has definite anger management issues with FFIX ;)

[Del Murder]

Sorry for the delay but I got a bit busy. I'll have the new round up tomorrow.

[qwertysaur]

If I had access to the internet I would have voted for Vivi, Quina, Zidane and Eiko :p

[Del Murder]

Here are the anticipated round 2 results of the Polygon Division:

1. Vivi (FFIX) - 18
8. Red XIII (FFVII) - 9

5. Vincent (FFVII) - 12
13. Quina (FFIX) - 14

11. Steiner (FFIX) - 10
3. Zidane (FFIX) - 16

10. Eiko (FFIX) - 8
2. Cid (FFVII) - 18

Quina vs. Vincent was very close with many lead changes throughout. Vincent has fallen far after being very close to winning the last tournament. Does this signify a shift in people's opinions? Or is it just due to the cult following Quina has at this forum. We'll find out when Quina faces his/her biggest challenge, Vivi in the Sweet 16 round.

Before we get to that let's start our third division: the Franchised Division. These feature the latest games in the series and their various spinoffs and sequels: FFX, FFXII, Tactics Advance, and Kingdom Hearts. This division by far is the most diverse with a total of 9 games represented. Many games that were not in previous tournaments are featured in this division so it's anyone's guess what will happen.

Here are the round 1 matchups:

1. Auron (FFX) vs. 16. Paine (FFX-2)

8. Yuna (FFX) vs. 9. Basch (FFXII)

5. Lulu (FFX) vs. 12. Adelle (FFTA2)

4. Rikku (FFX) vs. 13. Vaan (FFXII)

6. Ashe (FFX) vs. 11. Riku (KH:CoM)

3. Sora (KH) vs. 14. Luso (FFTA2)

7. Fran (FFXII) vs. 10. Roxas (KH:358/2)

2. Balthier (FFXII) vs. 15. Marche (FFTA)

[eestlinc]

I voted against anyone from a KH game out of principle.

[Raistlin]

I voted against anyone from a KH game [and X-2] out of principle.

[eestlinc]

I voted against anyone from a KH game [and X-2] out of principle.
that too, but picking Auron over Paine is easy enough regardless of any aversion to X-2.

[Kyros]

I voted for a couple a people from KH even though this is supposedly a FF competition :P

Also, I don't have anger management issues with FFIX, I just can't help that several of its cast members are retards.

[Slothy]

Also, I don't have anger management issues with FFIX, I just can't help that several of its cast members are retards.

You think some of FFIX's delightful cast are retards and yet wonder why Rinoa got knocked out? :p:D

[Wolf Kanno]

Yeah, I'm voting against Kh as well cause they have no business being here :colbert:

How is Basch losing to pukey, weak-willed, pain in the ass, dumber than dirt, with the personality of interactive furniture, Yuna?

[charliepanayi]

I voted for a couple a people from KH even though this is supposedly a FF competition :P

Also, I don't have anger management issues with FFIX, I just can't help that several of its cast members are retards.

*assumes doctor stance* Stubbing out cigarettes in eyeballs is generally a worrying sign of anger I find. Maybe we should call it an extreme case of FFIXphobia!

[Mo-Nercy]

I voted for Paine. She's just bloody hot. =]

Strangely enough, I found the Balthier vs. Marche matchup to be the hardest to choose between. But in the end, I went for Balthier. I think Marche is terribly underrated.

[Vermachtnis]

How is Basch losing to pukey, weak-willed, pain in the ass, dumber than dirt, with the personality of interactive furniture, Yuna?

Now that's just mean, interactive furniture as a lot more personality than that thing.

Seriously, how is Basch losing?

[Del Murder]

Yuna's personality wasn't that great, but as the only summoner she had access to some of the coolest and most powerful attacks in the game.

I included the KH characters because those games did feature some FF characters and elements. Sora is rated pretty high because one of my rankers put him at number 1. Guess who. :p

[eestlinc]

I put Yuffie #1 and she was still a 15 seed.

[Kyros]

*assumes doctor stance* Stubbing out cigarettes in eyeballs is generally a worrying sign of anger I find. Maybe we should call it an extreme case of FFIXphobia!

I'm still not seeing the anger management issue since I manage to stay pretty consistent with my hate towards most of the cast :) The game wasn't too bad, but I doubt I'll ever understand why people would like some of those characters for their personalities.

[charliepanayi]

*assumes doctor stance* Stubbing out cigarettes in eyeballs is generally a worrying sign of anger I find. Maybe we should call it an extreme case of FFIXphobia!

I'm still not seeing the anger management issue since I manage to stay pretty consistent with my hate towards most of the cast :) The game wasn't too bad, but I doubt I'll ever understand why people would like some of those characters for their personalities.

Probably because it's the most likeable cast in any FF game.

FFIX and the Cult of Quina to march on! :p

[Del Murder]

I put Yuffie #1 and she was still a 15 seed.
You made Yuffie number 2. Here were the seeds I got for Yuffie from my participants:

16
9
15
2
9

[Del Murder]

Here are the Franchised Division's round 1 results. A pretty one sided round, except for one battle.

1. Auron (FFX) - 16
16. Paine (FFX-2) - 5

8. Yuna (FFX) - 14
9. Basch (FFXII) - 7

5. Lulu (FFX) - 14
12. Adelle (FFTA2) - 6

4. Rikku (FFX) - 17
13. Vaan (FFXII) - 4

6. Ashe (FFXII) - 18
11. Riku (KH:CoM) - 3

3. Sora (KH) - 10
14. Luso (FFTA2) - 9

7. Fran (FFXII) - 14
10. Roxas (KH:358/2) - 7

2. Balthier (FFXII) - 19
15. Marche (FFTA) - 2

For the first time in this tournament, all the top seeds have advanced! Sora barely made it though. Here's round 2's matches, which should be a lot closer:

1. Auron (FFX) vs. 8. Yuna (FFX)

5. Lulu (FFX) vs. 4. Rikku (FFX)

6. Ashe (FFXII) vs. 3. Sora (KH)

7. Fran (FFXII) vs. 2. Balthier (FFXII)

How interesting that we have 4 FFX characters in the top half of this bracket and 3 FFXII characters (and Sora) in the bottom half. Also, best pals Fran and Balthier are going head to head this round which should be interesting.

[Kyros]

Am I the only one noticing that a lot of times people from the same game are facing each other more often than characters from other titles?

[Del Murder]

Well the divisions are limited by titles. For example the last division was only characters from FFVII, VIII, and IX. When all of the VIII characters go out in the first round you'll expect to see people from the same game playing each other.

In this division it was just luck of seeding.

I like having it this way because it allows for more games to be represented in the later rounds.

[Raistlin]

Go Balthier!

[Kyros]

I think I'm the only person that didn't think Auron was completely awesome and just mediocre =/ He was alright but was mainly just there to go first so I could guarantee easy arena kills

[Slothy]

I think I'm the only person that didn't think Auron was completely awesome and just mediocre =/ He was alright but was mainly just there to go first so I could guarantee easy arena kills

I think you're mistaking liking Auron more than Yuna (understandably) for thinking he's super awesome. At least that's why I voted for him. I could name at least a dozen characters from every FF I would vote for over him anyday.

[Breine]

I'm kinda surprised by the fact that so many people prefer Balthier over Fran.

They're both awesome characters, though.

[Slothy]

I wasn't aware anyone could prefer Fran over Balthier. He's just so dreamy. :love:

Then again, I don't understand how Rikku is still in the game. Perhaps I'm just out of touch with what the kids are into these days.

[Raistlin]

I think I'm the only person that didn't think Auron was completely awesome and just mediocre =/ He was alright but was mainly just there to go first so I could guarantee easy arena kills

It is not difficult to prefer him over every other (annoying) character in the game.


I'm kinda surprised by the fact that so many people prefer Balthier over Fran.

I am not. Fran was an interesting character, but Balthier was awesome.

[Del Murder]

Yes I agree. Thats why I put him at a number 2 seed. :)

[Del Murder]

Now it's time to take a look at the final division, the eestlinc's Favorites Division. By process of elimination you should have been able to figure out the games in this division. At least eestlinc should have. For this character spotlight we look at the top seed from this division, FFVI's Edgar.

http://www.wikisquare.com/_media/ff6/personnage/edgar.jpg

Edgar is one of the major characters in FFVI's ensemble cast. He is one of only three characters who must join the party in both the world of balance and world of ruin, therefore, you cannot beat the game without him. Also, since you first encounter him so early in the game, he is probably the character who travels with the party the longest in terms of length of the story. This is a good thing, because Edgar's specialty, Tools, is one of the best the game has to offer. At first he has the highly useful auto crossbow, which deals (pretty decent) physical damage to all enemies for no cost. Later he gets the drill which can pierce the enemy's defenses and do some good physical damage. And finally, we all love the chainsaw, capable of doing great amounts of damage or even killing the enemy outright.

Edgar is the king of Figaro, a desert empire. He is quite knowledgeable about machines (hence the Tools ability), and quite fond of the ladies. He first joins the party to protect Terra, as he is secretly against the Empire and a member of the Returners. He uses everything in his power to help their efforts to thwart Ghestal and Kefka's plans, including submerging his whole castle into the sand to transport the party. After Kefka destroys the world of balance, Edgar dons an alias as a plan to sneak back into Castle Figaro to reclaim it as his own. He then meets up with Celes and decides to join her effort to find their friends and stop Kefka once and for all.

In the first FF character tournament Edgar made it to the Sweet 16 round before being eliminated by Auron. In the second tournament he only made it to the second round of the Glory Days Division before being beaten by Terra. However, he has proven himself recently by winning the highly-competitive FFVI mini-tournament, which has resulted in his top seed here. eestlinc's Favorites has many great characters so he has a tough battle ahead of him if he wants to make it far this year.

[VeloZer0]

I'm kinda surprised by the fact that so many people prefer Balthier over Fran.
I found Fran to be an exceedingly boring and uninspired character. I also really disliked the animations of Vera in general.

[Del Murder]

Round 2 of the Franchised Division is now over. Here is the results:

1. Auron (FFX) - 16
8. Yuna (FFX) - 7

5. Lulu (FFX) - 12
4. Rikku (FFX) - 11

6. Ashe (FFXII) - 17
3. Sora (KH) - 7

7. Fran (FFXII) - 4
2. Balthier (FFXII) - 19

A very close battle between Lulu and Rikku. Also the Kingdom Hearts gang are now finally out of it, to the joy of many I'm sure. These four will make the Sweet 16 round. Now here is the first round of the final division, the eestlinc's Favorites Division.

1. Edgar (FFVI) vs. 16. Setzer (FFVI)

8. Faris (FFV) vs. 9. Orlandu (FFT)

5. Ramza (FFT) vs. 12. Agrias (FFT)

4. Bartz (FFV) vs. 13. Lenna (FFV)

6. Celes (FFVI) vs. 11. Mog (FFVI)

3. Terra (FFVI) vs. 14. Cyan (FFVI)

7. Sabin (FFVI) vs. 10. Galuf (FFV)

2. Locke (FFVI) vs. 15. Shadow (FFVI)

I think this will be an interesting round because people's impressions of these characters are so varied. Also looks like we have that anticipated Edgar vs. Setzer rematch.

[Vermachtnis]

SO this is where Faris was hiding. Was waiting for her to show up. Too bad she's up against Thunder God Cid in her first match D:

[Wolf Kanno]

This was a nasty round... Tactics vs V vs VI...

I'm going to make a prediction and say this will end exactly like the VI tournament with Terra vs, Edgar.

[eestlinc]

bartz v lenna is tough, but i guess people hate lenna for some reason.

[Raistlin]

I'm rooting for Orlandu and Galuf for the upset, though they won't win it all. I'm hoping Ramza goes far, though.

[eestlinc]

Ramza is the best ff character ever.

[Del Murder]

Cyan's only vote so far is from the person who votes for everyone. :p

[Kyros]

Some of those matchups made me sad to choose a person :(

[Wolf Kanno]

Cyan's only vote so far is from the person who votes for everyone. :p

Its because you put him up against Terra in the first match up :mad2:

[NeoCracker]

I voted Cyan. :p

[eestlinc]

Cyan is one of my least favorite characters in ff6.

[Del Murder]

Round 1 results of eestlinc's Favorites Division:

1. Edgar (FFVI) - 13
16. Setzer (FFVI) - 7

8. Faris (FFV) - 11
9. Orlandu (FFT) - 9

5. Ramza (FFT) - 12
12. Agrias (FFT) - 8

4. Bartz (FFV) - 14
13. Lenna (FFV) - 6

6. Celes (FFVI) - 15
11. Mog (FFVI) - 5

3. Terra (FFVI) - 18
14. Cyan (FFVI) - 2

7. Sabin (FFVI) - 11
10. Galuf (FFV) - 9

2. Locke (FFVI) - 15
15. Shadow (FFVI) - 5

Once again all the top seeds advance. Will this happen again? Here's the matchups:

1. Edgar (FFVI) vs. 8. Faris (FFV)

5. Ramza (FFT) vs. 4. Bartz (FFV)

6. Celes (FFVI)vs. 3. Terra (FFVI)

7. Sabin (FFVI) vs. 2. Locke (FFVI)

[qwertysaur]

Go Bartz!

[Raistlin]

How the hell is Ramza only tied? More people need to actually play FFT.

[VeloZer0]

How the hell is Ramza only tied? More people need to actually play FFT.
No kidding.

[Del Murder]

Yeah Ramza kicks ass and is one of the best developed FF leads while Bartz is just kind of there.

Terra vs. Celes is going down to the wire! Every time I check back a different one is leading. I expected this to be a good one.

[Raistlin]

Since I made that post, Ramza has received six straight votes. G'job, EoFF, or at least the 66% that knows anything.

[Rebellious Eagle]

Go Bartz! And Celes! And Locke! They're all my favorite characters. x3

[eestlinc]

Terra should win because Celes tries to kill herself.

[Del Murder]

The much anticipated Sweet 16 round is coming tomorrow!

[Del Murder]

Hopefully we get another vote within the hour so that the Terra vs. Celes tie is broken!

[Flying Mullet]

Done.

[Del Murder]

Thanks! (and at the same boo because Terra is my favorite)

[Del Murder]

Round 2 results of the eestlinc's Favorites Division:

1. Edgar (FFVI) - 16
8. Faris (FFV) - 5

5. Ramza (FFT) - 14
4. Bartz (FFV) - 7

6. Celes (FFVI) - 11
3. Terra (FFVI) - 10

7. Sabin (FFVI) - 8
2. Locke (FFVI) - 13

And now all the divisions come together for the...

Sweet 16 Round

One of these 16 characters will be crowned the champion! Let's take a look at the matchups for each division. We should see some good battles.

Old School Division

1. Cecil (FFIV) vs. 5. Maria (FFII)

14. Yang (FFIV) vs. 2. Kain (FFIV)

eestlinc's Favorites Division

1. Edgar (FFVI) vs. 5. Ramza (FFV)

6. Celes (FFVI) vs. 2. Locke (FFVI)

Polygon Division

1. Vivi (FFIX) vs. 13. Quina (FFIX)

3. Zidane (FFIX) vs. 2. Cid (FFVII)

Franchised Division

1. Auron (FFX) vs. 5. Lulu (FFX)

6. Ashe (FFXII) vs. 2. Balthier (FFXII)

All the #1 and #2 seeds are still alive, but will they survive this round? Let's vote!

[Wolf Kanno]

Done.

You are dead to me now. :mad2:

[charliepanayi]

I salute you Bandito!

[Slothy]

Done.

You chose well.

[Wolf Kanno]

El Bacon Bandito (Mulley)
charliepanayi
Vivi22Looks like I have a few people I need to "purge" from the forums... :shifty:

[eestlinc]

too bad for Terra, but hopefully Locke has a slightly easier path now against Celes than against Terra.

Ramza should beat Edgar, but will he?

Yang's run appears to be at an end.

I wonder if Cecil will beat Maria.

[Raistlin]

Ramza definitely should beat Edgar. And Cid should beat Zidane. The rest I don't care as much about.

[NeoCracker]

Why must I be forced to once again watch as Sabin is unrightfully denied the victory he deserves. :(

[Del Murder]

Looks like Balthier and Auron are destined to meet. The same can probably be said about Kain and Cecil. The other matches are still very much up in the air, except Vivi over Quina.

eestlinc's Favorites in particular is very tough to call. All four seem to have an equal chance!

[Del Murder]

Why are people not voting in Edgar vs. Ramza? All the other pairs add up to 25 but this one adds up to 22...

Also it's tied, which makes it hard to do the results! But I bet once someone votes and the tie breaks it will just cause a tie in Locke vs. Celes. Such a close round.

[Depression Moon]

I voted and yep it made the tie in with Locke and Celes also Zidane and Quina.

[Del Murder]

Well that's just great then. :mad:

[Rantz]

I didn't vote in Edgar vs. Ramza because I don't know those characters.

[charliepanayi]

Poll closed - with two ties!

[Del Murder]

Poll reopened for sudden death. Only votes in Edgar vs. Ramza and Zidane vs. Cid will be counted, and only the first vote on each will be counted. Someone get their friend or their second account to vote.

[charliepanayi]

Oh well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad :(

[Del Murder]

Here are your Sweet 16 results, which were very close in a few cases:

1. Cecil (FFIV) - 24
5. Maria (FFII) - 1
Maria was overconfident about this one. She has always been in the back row, making Cecil's sword attacks ineffective. But she forgot that when she is alone, the back row becomes meaningless. With her poor defense Cecil was able to make quick work of her.

14. Yang (FFIV) - 8
2. Kain (FFIV) - 18
Kain's timing was on fire today. Every time Yang was about to strike, Kain started a jump attack, making the monk whiff at nothing but air. Unfortunately Yang didn't have any cheap way to defend Kain's blows, and since monk's defense sucks to begin with he was literally stomped on.

1. Edgar (FFVI) - 12
5. Ramza (FFT) - 11
Ramza started out as the Knight job, but Edgar was able to drill through those defenses. Then he tried to nuke from afar with the Wizard job. Edgar's autocrossbow was much more effective. Finally he switched to the Squire class, and with his Scream ability he gained a power and speed advantage, and with dual wielding Excalibur and Save the Queen, it looked like it was finally over for Edgar. But then a miracle happened. Out of nowhere the Ragnarok esper flew down and turned Ramza into an item, giving Edgar the victory.

6. Celes (FFVI) - 13
2. Locke (FFVI) - 13
These two have a history with each other, which made this battle very tough and very close. Locke knew that spells would be ineffective with Celes's runic ability, so his first action was to steal her equipment. This was what Celes anticipated, so she brought a spare change of clothes, her opera outfit. As she started singing Locke forgot all about the battle. He was momentarily distracted by preparing for his big entrance moment of the opera, and Celes took this opportunity to tag him with a blizzaga.

1. Vivi (FFIX) - 19
13. Quina (FFIX) - 8
Quina's mouth watered at the thought of finally being able to eat the little black mage. So he/she tried just that as Vivi powered up Flare. Silly Quina! No can eat Vivi! Quina realized his/her mistake and tried a last minute Frog Drop but by that time Vivi had completed his spell and sent poor Quina to the marsh in the sky.

3. Zidane (FFIX) - 13
2. Cid (FFVII) - 13
Zidane and Cid traded blows one by one. These two were pretty evenly matched so this battle lasted a while, and eventually each received limit break. Zidane tranced out and prepared a Dyne attack, while Cid called the Highwind to his aid. The airship repelled most of Zidane's attack while his tranced out state provided the defense to withstand the bombs. They were at a stalemate. So they decided to call it a truce and become friends. Cid found out Zidane was from another planet and decided he could help him with his rocket. When it was ready for takeoff Zidane realized his tail was caught in the door and was unable to get free as the rocket blasted him into space.

1. Auron (FFX) - 22
5. Lulu (FFX) - 4
Auron started off the battle with a Magic Break and that pretty much made Lulu useless after that. Being an honorable man he then wasted no time in cutting her down.

6. Ashe (FFXII) - 7
2. Balthier (FFXII) - 19
Ashe chose a sword and shield for this battle while Balthier used his trademark gun. Balthier used his agility and ranged advantage to never let the princess get close to him. Eventually his shots broke her shield and she was done for after that.

Probably the closest round we've ever had in this tournament. Now for the Elite Eight, aka the division finals:

Old School Division
1. Cecil (FFIV) vs. 2. Kain (FFIV)

eestlinc's Favorites Division
1. Edgar (FFVI) vs. 6. Celes (FFVI)

Polygon Division
1. Vivi (FFIX) vs. 2. Cid (FFVII)

Franchised Division
1. Auron (FFX) vs. 2. Balthier (FFXII)

Some tough choices! Who will make it to the Final Four?

[Rebellious Eagle]

This is so hard, especially Edgar and Celes. I love them both. >.<

[Vermachtnis]

Go for Gold Celes! You made it this far!

[Del Murder]

If anything these tournaments have shown me just how popular Vivi is. I think he's the favorite to win it all.

[NeoCracker]

...Am I the only one bothered by the fact we don't know what Ramza turned into?

[Raistlin]

Ramza lost? The results of this tournament are officially void due to voter stupidity.

I guess I gotta go with Cid for the upset now.

[eestlinc]

ugh. how did Locke and Ramza both lose?

[Wolf Kanno]

I'm surprised Kain is doing this bad.

[eestlinc]

well, Cecil has to beat Kain, right?

[Del Murder]

Elight Eight results are in! Sorry for the delay, kids, I've been under the weather.

1. Cecil (FFIV) - 13
2. Kain (FFIV) - 9
These two old friends finally met in battle. In true-FFIV fashion they traded dialog in the battle screen before doing anything:

ROSA WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE WITH YOU...
SHE IS MINE!

KAIN...
TRULY, WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU...
IF NOT COME TO YOUR SENSES THEN WE FIGHT

Knowing each other well, they were able to anticipate the other's attacks. But Kain forgot potions and Cecil had some white magic so he was able to outlast his friend.

1. Edgar (FFVI) - 8
6. Celes (FFVI) - 14

Another pair of teammates did battle here. Edgar thought he had it easy this time. Celes's runic blade was useless against his tools. So he confidently walked up to the battle only to find Celes...in a Magitek armor! She had out machined the machinist. Edgar tried chainsaw but Celes was immune to one hit KO in her armor. A couple powerful beams took down the king of Figaro.

1. Vivi (FFIX) - 16
2. Cid (FFVII) - 8

Cid had the upper hand with strength and was able to control most of the battle. He got Vivi's health down quickly with physical attacks. Then Vivi reached trance mode. Cid thought he was being smart by calling the Highwind to defend him during Vivi's trance. But the airship is made of wood and metal, things conductive to fire and thunder. As the ship came crashing down to Vivi's spells, poor Cid went with it.

1. Auron (FFX) - 7
2. Balthier (FFXII) - 15

Instead of fighting head to head these two decided to have a cool-off instead. Auron donned his shades while Balthier flashed his earring. Auron spit some no-nonsense wisdom while Balthier came up with some witty one liners. Eventually Auron decided to show off his blade skills, doing an impressive array of slices and thrusts with his sword. 'What do you have that can beat that?' he asked with a smug smile. So Balthier just took out his gun and shot him, Indiana Jones-style.

Here is your final four matchups:

Old School Division vs. eestlinc's Favorites Division
Cecil (FFIV) vs. Celes (FFVI)

Polygon Division vs. Franchised Division
Vivi (FFIX) vs. Balthier (FFXII)

Winners meet in the finals!

[Slothy]

I voted for Cecil, but I honestly thought Kain would beat him.

[Rebellious Eagle]

Go, Celes and Vivi! Vivi is so much better than Balthier. >.>

[Del Murder]

For our next character spotlight, we look at the champion of the eestlinc's Favorites Division: Celes. FFVI spoilers!

http://spawnkill.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/celes-final-fantasy-vi.jpg

Many would consider Celes the main protagonist of FFVI. She certainly is for the second half of the game, being the first character you control in the World of Ruin, and being the driving force in gathering the party back together in order to defeat Kefka.

Celes was once a general in the Empire's army, and being such she was infused with magitek energy. After seeing the horrors that the Empire was responsible for, she betrayed them and joined the Returners. For the first half of the game her loyalty comes into question by much of the party, but it was never necessary. Her loyalty to her friends never wavered.

Celes's special ability is Runic, which allows her to absorb her enemies' spells in her blade to recover MP. This is useful against spell-casting foes, but her true power comes from her innate magical abilities. She is one of only two characters to have access to spells early in the game, and can learn more powerful magic without the use of espers.

Despite her 6 seed this year, Celes has actually done pretty well in past tournaments. She is no stranger to the final four, making it there in the first tournament but losing to eventual winner Cloud. In the second tournament she made it to the elite eight of the Glory Days Division before losing to eventual winner Rydia. That's right, Celes has only ever lost to the eventual winners of these tournaments. Will she continue that trend, or will this finally be her time?

[eestlinc]

Celes? Her winning the "eestlinc's favorites" division is insult enough. but she is leading over Cecil? I'm not a Cecil lover, but come on. Celes isn't even the second or third best character in her own game! (Locke, Terra, Edgar, maybe Celes is fourth best, maybe)

[VeloZer0]

She's my favorite from the game.
The cliff scene was powerful stuff :)


And #3 or 4 from VI probably trumps #1 from IV in my book anyways.

[Vermachtnis]

Celes was my favorite in her game. And I like her more than Cecil. But what I wanna know is how Vivi is losing to Balthier. I mean I like Balthier and he was my favorite in XII, but Vivi is Vivi. And here I thought all the cool kids liked hating on XII.

[Raistlin]

Vivi is good, but overrated, and I have to vote against him because you horrible fanboys knocked off Cid Highwind. There was also a time when would've been a favorite in one of these.

Ramza still won this in my heart.

[Wolf Kanno]

This tournament has already been lost to me once Terra and Ramza go knocked out of the running. Secretly, I hope Balthier wins just to piss off all the XII haters in the forum. ;)

[VeloZer0]

Secretly, I hope Balthier wins just to piss off all the XII haters in the forum.
I've got nothing against Balthier, he is one of the few decent things out of that game :D

[Del Murder]

Whoa this is close. Right now only one vote separates each match. The final character spotlight is upcoming.

[Del Murder]

As promised, here is the final character spotlight: Balthier. FFXII and XII:RW spoilers within.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f273/scuromezzo/balthier.jpg

Balthier is the self proclaimed 'leading man' of FFXII. While that's not really true, he is an instrumental character in the plot. He first joins Vaan while trying to steal the Goddess Magicite from Rabanastre. Balthier is forced to join up with Vaan after their paths cross in his escape. A sky pirate like Vaan aspires to be, Balthier follows along first out of interest, but later for personal reasons. His father, Dr. Cid, is one of the main antagonists and is a driving force in the events of the game. Balthier pilots the Strahl, an airship that is instrumental in aiding the party on their journey. Balthier is probably best known for his great wit, and he has many of the best lines in the game.

In FFXII characters can equip any weapons or use any abilities depending on how you develop them in the License Board. But even though he can technically equip any weapons, it is tough not to picture him not equipped with a gun. He has high natural strength and speed among the party members, making him a great ranged fighter.

Balthier also appears in FFXII: Revenant Wings as a playable character. In this game he dons his trademark gun as a ranged fighter with some good ranged abilities.

Balthier is new to this tournament since FFXII is one of the newest games in the series, but obviously he has some fans, drawing a number 2 seed and making it all the way to the final four. With his cool wit and marksmanship, he might have what it takes to win this thing.

[VeloZer0]

He also appeared in FFT for the PSP, which is worth more than his entire appearance in FFXII.

[Del Murder]

Hmm, I should get that game.

[VeloZer0]

Yes, yes you should. :D

[Breine]

Go Celes and Vivi!!

[Del Murder]

Pretty good turnout for this round yet the battles are still really close. Keep those votes coming because every vote counts here.

Should be an exciting finish.

Also, jammi, I'M ON TO YOU.

EDIT: And Vivi pulls ahead with 4 straight votes! This is exciting.

[Raistlin]

Dammit. We need to rally some Balthier and Cecil lovers.

[eestlinc]

I voted for Balthier and Cecil.

[Raistlin]

I already knew you did, eesty-pie. :love:

EDIT: Unless that means you were slow and just did, in which case I already knew you were going to!

[charliepanayi]

Vivi and Celes, you chose well voters!

[Del Murder]

Final Four results are in! A very close round.

Cecil (FFIV) - 14
Celes (FFVI) - 15
The two former commanders drew their swords and prepared for battle. At first they crossed blades for some swordplay, and were an even match for each other. Cecil prepared to heal, but Celes absorbed his spell with her runic blade. Seeing his magic was useless, he made a bold move, switching to his dark knight form for the added power. He unleashed souleater and dealt Celes some powerful attacks, weakening himself but doing some devastating damage to Celes. It proved to be enough, as Celes collapsed. Claiming victory, Cecil turned his back, and this is when Celes arose and dealt him the finishing blow, taking advantage of his weakened state after souleater. You see, as he was busy changing jobs she wisely cast the reraise spell on herself.

Vivi (FFIX) - 16
Balthier (FFXII) - 13
This battle was fought at a distance, with Balthier employing ranged attacks with his gun and Vivi blasting spells. Balthier made sure to fully buff up before the battle: bubble, haste, protect, shell, and most importantly, reflect. Vivi was unprepared for this clever planning and his first spell bounced right off and smacked himself in the face. Balthier took this opportunity to get in some gun shots as well. Vivi fell, weakened, and Balthier moved in to finish him off. With victory in hand, Balthier decided to take some time to mouth off a few witty one liners to his opponent in order to add insult to injury. What he failed to realize was that as he was talking all his buffs wore off. Vivi dug deep and gave all he had left, trancing out and emptying his MP with a barrage of spells. When the dust cleared Vivi emerged victorious.

Now to our final. One of these characters will be crowned the 2010 FF Character Tournament winner.

Celes

vs.

Vivi

Vote now!

[Raistlin]

I give up on this thing. :mad2:

[Rebellious Eagle]

Oh, this is too tough. But Celes and I go way back, farther than Vivi and me. So I'll go with her. :P

[Vermachtnis]

Woot! Go Celes! I'm kind of glad Balthier didn't make, cause then I'd be torn on who to vote for.

[Slothy]

I give up on this thing. :mad2:

Why? Don't you like great characters? :p

Anyway, I'd say which way I voted, but seriously, it should be pretty obvious.

[Depression Moon]

Vivi. VI's characters didn't leave too much of an impact on me.

[Jiro]

This did not turn out how I expected. I guess I shouldn't have forgotten about the contest :(

I'm with Vivi here. :vivi:

[VeloZer0]

I expected Vivi to be in the final round right from the get go. Celes was a surprise though.

(I voted Celes)

[eestlinc]

What a lousy final. I voted for Celes, as the representative of the eestlinc's favorites bracket.

[Breine]

Oooooh, how exciting!

I must say, I really like the outcome of this tournament. The two finalists are well-deserved.

[Del Murder]

I am impressed with the closeness of the last few rounds.

[Clyde's Shadow]

Couldnt really decide who to go with on this one.. both are some of my favourite characters..

Went with Vivi in the end, but the more i think about it.. the more i realise i actually like Celes a little more lol... but oh well, both are awesome :)

[Flying Mullet]

I wanted to say "Bro's before Ho's", but I had to vote for Celes.

Thus today it is "Ho's before Bro's".

[Del Murder]

One more day to decide people! Let's get more votes than we did last round at least.

[Rodarian]

Celes....

Not only she is a babe...But she can kick ass with her fighting and magic abilities!

Vivi is a wuss!

[charliepanayi]

He's no wuss! And he's won :)

[Del Murder]

It was a very close finish but we have a winner...

Celes (FFVI) - 12
Vivi (FFIX) - 14

Congratulations VIVI! He has won this year's Final Fantasy Character Tournament! (and poor Celes continues her streak of losing to the eventual champion)

He now enters the character hall of fame:

Cloud (FFVII)
Rydia (FFIV)
Vivi (FFIX)

This is the third game to be represented in the hall of fame.

I'll post some interesting stats later. For now take this time to chat about Vivi.

[Rantz]

Vivi is pretty cool.

[Slothy]

Vivi is pretty cool.

Why thank you.

[NeoCracker]

Vivi is pretty cool.

Went to :bou::bou::bou::bou: on his 22nd version though.

:jess:

[Slothy]

Why you gotta break balls man? :jess:

[Breine]

Yay Vivi!

[eestlinc]

Vivi is pretty good.

[qwertysaur]

:vivi:

[Depression Moon]

Congrats to my boy Vivi.

[Del Murder]

Sorry for the delay, but here are the much awaited final stats:

Total Votes - 1,454

Top 5 in Votes:
Vivi - 101
Balthier - 85
Cecil - 83
Celes - 80
Kain - 62

Top 5 in Votes per Round:
Balthier - 17.0
Vivi - 16.8
Cecil - 16.6
Zidane - 16.0
Kain - 15.5

Votes per Game:
FFIV - 252
FFIX - 239
FFVI - 236
FFXII - 156
FFX - 145
FFVII - 141
FFII - 61
FFT - 54
FFV - 52
FFVIII - 40
KH - 27
FFIII - 20
FFTA - 17
FFI - 9
FFMQ - 5

FFIV dominated probably because it was in the weakest division. I remember a time when FFVII would have dominated everything.

Votes per Seed (let's see how good the seeding was):
1 - 74
2 - 61
3 - 26
4 - 21
5 - 30
6 - 40 (Celes)
7 - 19
8 - 21
9 - 8
10 - 10
11 - 9
12 - 9
13 - 14
14 - 13
15 - 5
16 - 4

Not bad. Celes probably should have been higher, but it's tough to rank the FFVI characters.

I guess that's it. Thanks for your participation in this tournament. I love doing these.

[Flying Mullet]

Votes per Game:
FFIV - 252
FFIX - 239
FFVI - 236

Coincidentally these are three of my favorites. :)

[Jessweeee♪]

Hooray for Vivi~