Rank the FF10 Characters!

This is the seventh of my series of threads and polls, asking all of you for your personal rankings of the characters from each FF game in the numbered games. You can base them on personality, usefulness in gameplay, relevance to the story, general enjoyment of each character, or even frivolous things such as their character themes. Whatever you want to base them on. Also included is a poll on which you can vote for your absolute favorite from each game.

This is my seventh one. It's for FF10! And I'm sure many of you were waiting for this one! The rankings were easy for my top three, but it got a bit sketchy for my bottom four, because this game shares something with the next two games' casts: I didn't really . . . hate anyone in this. I either liked or loved them all. So since I'm once again only basing this one completely on personality, this one was a matter of separating those I found to be truly great from those I found to merely be good.

So here are my rankings:

1. Rikku: Once again, the requisite "perky young girl" rules all for me! I had to step back before absolutely cementing her here, but when I realized that every time I played FF10, I went through everything as quickly as I could just to get to the scene of her reunion with Tidus and her subsequently joining the party, that's what made me realize that she's the tops for me. Love her excitement, her energy, and her basically being willing to call other party members on their BS. And I like it when she's the one to talk to Tidus in Guadosalam about Yuna's marital situation instead of Lulu, and when she rides the machina with him to the temple instead of her. And you know she's got something special to her when pretty much everyone in the party likes her. (Lulu thought she was fun to be with, Kimahri thought she should always stay the way she is, Tidus bonded with her over being the sole two people opposed to what Yuna would have to do, Yuna had the family bond with her, Auron stood up for her in front of that guard at Macalania Temple, and after getting over her being an Al Bhed (and before, too, I guess), Wakka was very friendly with her. And even then, despite largely being the party's mascot of sorts, she even proved to be sort of deep -- she could stand up for what she believed in, and she openly spoke up against the wrongness of Yevon's teachings. If not for her, Yuna would've gone ahead and died at the end of her pilgrimage! So for pretty much everything I said here, Rikku's number one.

2. Kimahri: Part of it is the nonhuman factor, I admit. Another part of it is that there's something about his "strong and (mostly) silent" act that I liked. I mean, really liked. I think it's because the first time I played, I wondered if I'd ever hear him do more than grunt when attacked in battle, and then was shocked that he not only did speak, but that he spoke much earlier than I expected him to. One thing I both admired and kind of resented (though only at first) was his loyalty and dedication to Yuna. (Resented only because . . . sheesh, Tidus was new, yes, but it wasn't like he was gonna kill or rape her. But after he got past that stage, I was cool with it.) And even despite being mostly secondary compared to everyone else, he even got his own neat little storyline of his rivalry with Biran and Yenke. That battle's a bitch, to be sure, but it's a good way of bringing his character arc full circle. Too bad he's crap for abilities due to the Sphere Grid. But yeah, I love Kimahri, anyway. So number two for him.

3. Yuna: Not once have I ever seen a soft-spoken, meek-sounding female character manage to actually come off as strong and confident at the same time, but damn it, Yuna did it and did it well. I liked her quiet confidence, her need to protect everyone she cared about no matter what the cost (including sacrificing herself), and, as Seymour and others pointed out, her commendable resolve. Actually, Yuna's character, in general, was a big part of my enjoyment of both the game and the story. And I'll flat-out say it. Of every FF love story I've seen, she and Tidus had, by far, the best one. Because it was the first one in which I felt that the game was one-hundred-percent showing us how and why they fell in love rather than just telling us and expecting us to buy. (FF8 was mainly telling on Squall's end, but showing on Rinoa's, and FF9 was all telling from both Zidane and Garnet's ends.) Her steadfastness was probably a minus against her (especially when not telling everyone else what she was going to do about the marrying Seymour thing), but other than that, I quite enjoy her. So number three for her.

4. Wakka: Four through seven is where things get dicey and difficult to call. But in the end, Wakka is at number four because I felt like he gave me the most laughs. Actually, I kinda liked that he was like another Steiner -- he had both funny and serious moments and could be deep just like Steiner did, and in a lot of ways, his character arc paralleled Steiner's. I loved his big brother/little brother relationship with Tidus, and I really loved it when he put him in headlocks twice (once in Besaid, once on the Thunder Plains). And I enjoyed hearing his Islander accent -- all of his "ya's" and "bruddas." And dare I say it, I liked the subtle hints planted of something blossoming between him and Lulu. I basically dig Wakka, in general. But he's at number four because he tops the list of the characters I merely like.

5. Tidus: Oddly enough, Tidus almost got to number four. In fact, I initially put him there when I was writing out this poll, but quickly erased him when I remembered something about him that bugged me. First, the good. Basically, four things he said or did put him above the bottom two: screaming really loud at Kilika Temple (causing an awesome moment of camerawork and some great reactions from the other party members), his hilarious delivery of "Hey, gimme a break!" in Luca (when he, Wakka, and Auron were surrounded by too many fiends -- and it was a saying that, after I asked Bob twice to incorporate it into AFFR and he even said he would, I was disappointed not to see show up), his nearly slipping up and revealing that Rikku was Al Bhed to Wakka on the Moonflow, and just yelling at Seymour, "And stay up there!" But aside from those four moments, I did like his character arc, as well, and the relationships he forged with the other party members. Plus, I found myself needing him in battle a lot, even if not all the time. His Blitz Ace and Energy Rain rocked, as far as I'm concerned. The reason he's down here, though? His daddy issues. He hated his father just because his mother never paid attention to him when he was around? Um . . . okay. Talk about an Oedipal complex. Though I liked how he ended things with Jecht at the end of the game, though. And yes. He's a dork. But I like dorks. So . . . Tidus.

6. Lulu: I liked Lulu quite a bit. I liked her being smart and knowledgeable about nearly all things in Spira. I liked her being the calming influence on the party during the early goings. And I even liked the moments she was capable of actually demonstrating some humor. Her deep-seated regrets about Chappu and Ginnem also added interest to her character. But really, other than those things, she just didn't pop to me as much as the five characters above her. I really liked her, but at the same time, she somehow didn't interest me much. Not to mention her black magic just couldn't and didn't do it for me.

7. Auron: But not to say I dislike him. I do like him. His personality type is just not one with which I've historically identified. Unless said personality type is attached to the right type of character. What I liked: how calm he could nearly always be under fire, how he immediately took charge of the party the moment he joined up with them, and even the times he showed a lack of humility in battle. (During the early goings with him, if he is KO'd and revived and Lulu's in the battle with him, she'll ask him if he's all right, and he'll just write it off as a warmup.) There is one really mean thing he does that I really don't like and really don't get why he did it -- laughing right Tidus's face when he freaks out on him in Luca. I . . . just don't get why he did. The dude's alone and scared in a time he knows absolutely NO ONE in. So there it is. Auron's last.

But these are just my rankings. How about everyone else's?

Appreciate the votes, but seriously, people! Looking for some actual rankings here, too!

1. Rikku
2. Everyone else

1. Auron overall for just being a badass and sticking to what he set out to do. Voice is also superb. Some how he's dead and aging which blows. Needs to take up Wolverine powers.

2. Kimarhi talks the least and he has a defect. He was also short by Ronso standards which I could relate to cuz I'm short by human standards.

-88. Tidus and Yuna for that God awful laughing scene. Random NPC boy who wants to be a Blitzball is ranked higher than them.

Oh, I guess I could squeeze Auron in on a second place, then put all the rest on a split 3rd. I had forgotten how awesome he was.

Seriously?! This was for everyone to rank and comment on!

Here goes, I'll try to keep it short;

1: Auron. Does what he needs to and does it well. Used to be ignorant but he learned the hard way.

2: Wakka. Goes from ignorant die-hard Yevon believer to killing a Maester, turning his whole world upside down and deals with it.

3: Kimahri. Actions are louder than words.

4: Tidus. His world goes upside down too. Despite all the hate, I always liked the fellow.

5: Yuna. She's alright.

6: Lulu. She's alright too.

7: Rikku. Never liked her. Her actions seem a little random, the party is way too forgiving after she attacked them and she acts childish too.

Only Tidus knew she attacked them, though. I don't think the rest of them found out till LONG after that.

1. Wakka. He's a bro, has a great accent, and he has the most interesting character growth arc throughout the game, regarding the reality of Yevon and his faith and how Wakka deals with the disillusionment, as well as overcoming his prejudices.

2. Lulu. Lulu has large breasts and is a stern, domineering woman.

3. Rikku. Rikku's just a fun, perky character, and is voiced by Tara Strong which is always a plus. I also like how she's just about the only one calling bulltrout on what Yuna has to do for the longest time.

4. Yuna. Like Rodney says Yuna seems meek and lacking in confidence when actually she's a strong, defiant person who is doing something incredibly dangerous solely because it's expected of her.

5. Tidus. I actually like Tidus a lot and think he's probably the best FF protagonist ever, he's just in such a great game that he comes in relatively low. But he's a really funny character, great in combat, and despite his undeserved reputation as whiny he mans up pretty seriously throughout the game.

6. Auron. Again I like Auron a lot, but he's kind of a more stereotypical character, even if the stereotype is very well-executed.

7. Kimahri. He's a pretty decent character in himself but again, he's surrounded by really good ones. I like how he seems to be such a badass but as actually seen by his own people as kind of a pussy, until he shows them up pretty hard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by I'm my own MILF

Rikku's just a fun, perky character, and is voiced by Tara Strong which is always a plus.

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Wait what

You didn't know that? xD Rikku - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "She is voiced by Tara Strong and Marika Matsumoto in the English and Japanese versions respectively."

This will be an enjoyable ranking...

1. Auron - I'm shocked to see Auron so low on the majority of written lists. Auron, to me, is one of the coolest characters in any RPG I have played. I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of his character, and every conversation he had. He also was incredibly strong, and a straight bad-ass. He had a deep back-story, and he always seemed to have a strong knowledge of what was going on. Auron is easily my favorite character.

2. Rikku - Despite her being incredibly weak, and me not caring for her abilities much, I loved Rikku. She was sassy, spunky, and intelligent. With the right sphere grid paths and proper boosting, I enjoyed Rikku even more on my most recent play through. I thought her back-story was interesting, and she always seemed prepared and level headed. I wish she would have been a little stronger in her abilities (Mix didn't tickle my fancy), but I really enjoyed her prescience.

3. Yuna - I'm surprised to find myself typing her name, as my first play through I didn't care a great deal for Yuna. She felt weak and whiny to me; so she sat at a VERY comfortable number 5. However, I played the game again in the past year and really became attached to Yuna. Her struggle and uncertainty appealed to me more as an adult; and her relationship with Tidus was less annoying. Yuna is also an absolute powerhouse when built the right way. That was pretty fun to experience. I also felt her story with Tidus to be the strongest love story of any and was genuinely touched. Yuna was a great character, and I was quite happy to see her return in X-2.

4. Waka - I always ride the fence with Wakka. On one side, I enjoy his comedic relief and that kinda, "middle-aged toughness". I thought it was cool that he was nearing the end of his playing career and wanted one more shot at the glory. Despite him having a stupid weapon, I really got into Waka. Despite being an atheist, I was ok with Waka's fierce religious beliefs. I thought it tied in well and it also allowed him character development and struggle. The more I type, the more I realize that Waka needs to be higher on my list, so I am moving him from 5 to 4. He may lose some points for knocking up his brothers ex, but at least he's keeping it close to the family?

5. Tidus - I dug Tidus a lot. I know most people thought he epitomized the worst of the JRPG cliche; but I was cool with Tidus. I think mainly because he was a speedy dude and I enjoyed his growing relationship with Yuna. Sure he was Angsty, and sure he had some MAJOR daddy issues. But I just down right enjoyed his emotional struggles and abilities throughout the game. I, surprisingly, have no real qualms with Tidus other then his daddy issues. Though his daddy issues did lead to the COOLEST boss theme music ever. <3 Jecht Theme

6. Lulu - Despite having a cool outfit, yes her boobs are a perk, purple eyes, cool hair and carrying a moogle; Lulu sort of falls short with me. I loved her abilities and the fact that she is required for a huge portion of the fights keeps her high in my eyes. Her back-story is a little weak for me and the fact that she goes from Chapu to Wakka bothers me. It's weird that I can't think of a lot of positive to say about Lulu, I think it's mainly because towards the end I gravitated away from her and towards Rikku/Yuna as my black mage. Sorry Lulu, you had great quibs and were a cool character; but you don't go much higher.

7. Kimahri - This rating is unfortunately based highly on his weakness as a character. I hated where he started on the Sphere Grid, and offered nothing unique or original. Because of this, I played with him less than any other character, and had to forceably go out of my way to level him. I loved that he was a fierce guardian and loyal to his people. I felt bad for him with his back-story; but I just kinda lost the care since I didn't play with him that much. A true crime as I think Kimhari could have had a ton of potential. If only they would have developed his skills better...Fun list!

I'm amazed at how detailed these ranking lists are, here's hoping mine is any good!

1) Rikku, and this is for several reasons. Firstly, in terms of the story line, while she does miss a relatively large part of the game, just her mere presence seems to lift the story for me. The game would have been a gloomier place without Rikku running around. I like the whole race acceptance thread that runs through Rikku and Wakka's interactions also. game-play wise, Rikku is a joy to play as well, her quirky battle comments helps through the monotony sometimes, and she is very useful, boasting surprising high HP and even strength values, especially after progressing through Wakka's section.

2) Wakka involvement with Rikku is what really appeals to me, and is why he earns a Number Two spot. At first, Wakka is portrayed as a fun loving, middle aged sportsman with a heart however this slowly begins to erode as bad interactions with the Al Bhed start decaying his "niceness", far enough for him to even be branded xenophobic by some. However, with the arrival of Rikku, this is eventually resolved. At first, I assumed Wakka to be one - dimensional, but in actual fact, he had lots to give. His strong religious convictions are shaken, and the game portrays this quite well, as well as his eventual realization about Yu Yevon. Wakka is really a character we care about, mainly because despite his few misgivings, can we really stay mad a Wakka? Hell,. Wakka as a playable character is also excellent, his role as a physical striker is boosted by his status effects, and can also cure in a pinch too.

3) Auron is the epitome of the Ronin, and his purpose throughout the game is "tour guide" and giver of complex information. It's no wonder he is the daddy of the party, Auron just knows all. While his story is simple enough to understand, the fact that he would stick to Jecht's promise illustrates his sense of loyalty, something which is highlighted several times. However, Auron's main point is his power in battle. he hardly ever left my party during boss battles. When you need power, he is there to deliver. Warning though; a confused Auron can be disastrous.

4) Like Rodney, the last four are more difficult. Lulu is a surprising fourth, and it's understandable to be slightly perplexed. Throughout the game, Lulu is something of a dark horse, often being forgotten. In actual fact, Lulu functions similar to Auron, as a giver of information, and perhaps being better at it, Auron can be slightly cold when giving information. Lulu may appear like any other Yevonite, but is also rather liberal in her practices; she readily accepts Rikku into the group, appears to be questioning Yevon practices more so than other characters, and is quicker to accept the death of Yunalesca than Wakka or Yuna. In this capacity, Lulu is the healthy skeptic, still having faith in Yevon, but more willing to let certain teachings slide, or eventually disregard her religion altogether. I actually like Lulu, especially in battle. For much of the game, Lulu and Auron will be your heavy hitters, her tier three magic can hurt if gotten early.

5) Probably Yuna, though it is a tough call. At first glance, Yuna appears to be this shy, respectful girl, perhaps too much so. The amount of times I have heard Yuna exclaim "oh, I am so sorry" or a simple "oh...." in awe of something can be grating. But look past this and you see quite a developed character. Her love story, I completely agree, was handled well, and captured a fine balance, though that lake scene was slightly creepy, if you assume Kimahri stood and watched it all. Yuna has a hidden amount of stoicism, which when it first visibly appears does surprise, firstly during the proposal, and then with her dramatic leaping off the temple. All of it is quite admirable, as well as her devotion to defeating sin, first through the Final Aeon, then to dismantling the religion she believed and trained in her entire life. In terms of the battle, she was O.K. I hardly used her, because it weren't often I need a powerful injection of health.

6) Kimahri and he beats Tidus because he does not allow his emotions to get the better of him. If you thought Yuna was stoic, Kimahri is something else. Biran and Yenke beating you up? Stiff upper lip! Yuna needs to escape Bevelle? Single handedly take on Seymour (For hours, if you use the very good training area on the highbridge)! Entire race wiped out by hated enemy? Move on with hardly a whimper or emotional outburst. This is why I like him, he never exaggerates any events too much so that they seem faked, he adds a level of seriousness and maturity not seen in other characters (hint hint). His initial approach to Tidus may be quite severe, unless he had an irritability detector, in which case his annoyance was quite understandable, but he does warm to him, and Rikku, and everyone. He may not show his affection, but Kimahri loves you. Unless you kill his people. I forgot about battle! Kimahri is a jack of all trades, and your sole good source of steal before Rikku, in this regard, he takes on her role quite well, in fact he is a decent all rounder.

7) Oh Tidus. If you wern't so damn whiny all the time I might have liked you. But if Tidus behaved like this in the real world people would have just gave up on him. It's fine to be slightly nervous when entering a new temple, but if the priest says not to go to the cloister of trials, don't damn well disobey him! Similarly, don't ask annoying and embarrassing questions. No wonder Lulu felt so annoyed around him. Don't get me wrong, if you look past the aggro his love story with Yuna is compelling, and the father-son relationship dynamic is intriguing, but most of the game is the building up to these climaxes, and trust me, Luca is one hard slog. Thankfully, he has haste, which is reason alone to like him again, right?

This was actually quite enjoyable!

1. Auron: a badass who is cool and interesting, and, most importantly, never annoying.

2. Rikku: She only gets props for yelling at Wakka for being a willfully deluded bigot. Otherwise she's just the requisite young, perky girl stereotype (see: Yuffie, Selphie).

3. Kimharhi: he doesn't talk much, which makes it impossible for him to annoy me.

4. Lulu: an obnoxiously sexist display to go along with her stereotype, but an otherwise tolerable character. I never really got her dating Wakka's brother, though. It just didn't seem to fit.

-10. Everyone else.

I voted for Lulu, so my ranking would be:
1- Lulu, I love her strong, in your face, persona. I also love her hair, her outfit and her dolls.
2/3- Tie for Wakka and Rikku, this ranking is tougher than what I thought it would be. I sort of disliked them in the beginning, Wakka being such a numbskull and Rikku being so "hoooooooo, what does this button do?", but in the end you could see that underneath it all, they were just trying to protect something important to them, so I could relate, especially with Rikku being Al Bhed, ie an outcast and all
4- Yuna. You could see throughout the game that she is strong, willing and somewhat confident, but I didn't really like her. Maybe because of the voice actress and the way the scenes are animated. It's king of amazing how they look so european in the normal cutscenes, but in the actual videos they look so asian. She was cute in her wedding dress though.
5- Auron, he's an unsent, period. His flashbacks back from when he was with Braska to me almost feel like they're from a different person. I like how he is now, but you then see how he was before and you kind of get lost in the middle
6- Kimahri, he hardly ever talks, his celestial weapon is the hardest to get because of the stupid butterflies and even if you do, he pretty much sucks as a character. I found the scene where he smiles to Tidus quite funny, but that's about it
7- Tidus, he's annoying, doesn't really fit in and I didn't particularly like his voice actor. To be honest, I didn't like his or Yuna's and they are the main characters, so go figure..

It's good to keep this bumped imo.

Not surprised so many people voted for Auron, though I'm a little surprised at how many voted for Rikku considering how many times I see people complain about how annoying she is. I think most by now can probably guess who's my number one is but I'll list them anyway

1.) Yuna
2.) Auron
3.) Wakka
4.) Tidus
5.) Lulu
6.) Rikku
7.) Kimahri

This is actually kind of difficult.

1) Auron: Oh Auron, oh AURONNNN. His back story is just awesome and.. well, hes SMURFING AURON
2) Rikku: I liked her character design, and I loved how out of place in the party she was for a while. She was just tagging along for a while and wasnt super welcome, but I liked how that was developed.
3) Wakka (after much thought, I used to hate this guy with such a passion). I hate his hair, but I do enjoy his interactions with Rikku quite a bit. Also I loved his battle with faith. He wanted so hard to believe but the religion he followed just kept stabbing him in the back. It was fascinating.
4) Lulu: Indifferent
5) Kimahri: Indifferent
6) Tidus: Just stop talking please. No, this isn't your story. It's yunas. Get out.
7) Yuna: Oh, you need to be rescued again? Ugh, fine. It may be your story, but you're becoming quite a burden.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ryanraze

It's good to keep this bumped imo.

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bumping this for the upcoming PS4 release

I'll have to choose Tidus as my personal favorite....even though he has huge daddy issues.

1. Tidus (yeah, I found him touching and funny at the same time. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but he's one of my favorite main character in FF games)
2. Auron
3. Lulu
4. Yuna
5. Wakka
6. Rikku
7. Kimahri

Tidus is a pretty realistic character. Everyone is like "yea i would totally be able to deal with being ripped out of my own smurfing dimension and thrown into a world full of monsters better than him" but I doubt most people actually would.

1)Yuna
I really enjoy how strong and selfless she is as a person and her devotion to the people. Even when everyone is against her, she still never gives up trying to make the world better for everyone.
2)Kimahri
I like how devoted he is to Yuna and everyone else and how he tries to protect her. He's very sweet and his back story makes him seem like an even more kind and dependable guy. I also enjoy his scenes with standing up to Biran and Yenke.
3)Lulu
I don't like everything about her, but it is nice when she explains things to Tidus and she has some wisdom to her that I can appreciate.
4)Rikku
I like how upbeat and positive she is overall and she also has some wisdom to her whether she sees it or not.
5)Auron
He's alright. I can't think of much I like or dislike about him.
6)Wakka
I enjoy his character development
7)Tidus
Just not my type of dude

1. Rikku - She's the most interesting character in the game. She's joyful, smart and honest. She had a big impact on Yuna's pilgrimage. And yeah, she's freaking hot! <3
2. Auron - He's the tough guy, his back story is very interesting (Thank you, Jecht Spheres!) and I respect him, because he's a man of honour. :3
3. Lulu - She's a wise and strict, yet caring and loving woman, she's an ideal mother/teacher-type character to me.
4. Tidus - He's a very adorable dork and I loved how he developed his attitude during the pilgrimage.
5. Yuna - She's a good girl, but she's too shy and a bit boring in my opinion. She should be more charismatic as a daughter of Braska.
6. Kimahri - I never was into the silent types, so I didn't care about him actually. The game would be fine without him too. XD
7. Wakka - He's the most annoying character in the game, I swear! I hate close-minded goofy-like people like him, simply.
I wonder why he and Lulu are a couple... The same goes to Tidus and Yuna. XD