Rank the FF6 Characters!

[Rodney]

This is the third 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 third one. It's for FF6! And this was another tough set, because I actually didn't hate anyone in this game.

So here are my rankings:

1. Relm: I realize my tastes will be sort of unorthodox compared to the rest of EoFF's, but frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Whenever I started a new FF6 game, I always tried to do all of my grinding and story material in a hurry so I could get to Thamasa. I don't care how irrelevant to the story she allegedly was. I loved Relm's personality and how she spoke her mind whenever she had to. And while her Sketch ability was useless nearly every time in battle, I came to find that she was actually one of the better mages. At least third- or fourth-best. Also, I liked how quickly she bonded with Interceptor. Even now, I still can't quite figure out how or why she did so quickly. Oh, and yes, she gets the "perky young girl" character benefit to be up so high.

2. Sabin: Surprisingly, one and two were neck-and-neck. If there was anything I loved about Sabin, it was that he could be bold and brave, yet also had a comical side to him. (See: all of his "dancing" with Gau, and his moments of frustration with keeping Gau under control.) His contrasting personality with Edgar was another plus. I was always quite surprised that story-wise, the newcomer to the party (at the time) got the longest scenario when the party split up. Also, if we're adding battle abilities into the equation, a good monk is always valuable. And Bum Rush rocks. Enough said.

3. Gau: Another one I don't care was useless story-wise. Gau just cracked me up, from his simple unkempt appearance and manner to his inability to grasp basic social cues, I absolutely loved that wacky kid! Also, being the "energetic young boy" character (an archetype used much less often compared to Relm's archetype) Now, battle-wise, I didn't necessarily use him a lot unless I needed one really crucial Rage of his. That Rage? Gold Bear. Gouge is the tit. Trust me on this.

4. Celes: I can't necessarily put my finger on why I have her so far up here, but I really did quite enjoy Celes, too. It may have been her sense of nobility and her eventual choice to finally turn on the Empire after previously being their plant. Or it may have been her willingness to try new things whenever they came her way. (See: being an opera star.) But there was just something about the woman that made me really like her. She's one of those "like him/her a lot, but I don't know why" characters. Plus, her magic saved me whenever I really needed it, so she was useful that way.

5. Cyan: What can I say? People who use archaic, medieval-type speech just do it for me. At least when they're among cast members who don't speak like that. (If they're from games where nearly everybody does, they're not as fun.) I liked Cyan's own brand of nobility and how he was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. And I found it oddly touching that he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness to make the poor girl in Maranda happy. Deceptive? Yes. Doomed to failure once she found out? Yes. But it was nice of him to at least show his selflessness. Also, the look into his own guilt and grief for not saving Elayne and Owain was a good bit of insight into his character. Also, the Cyan/Gau bond, however little it was focused on, was another one of my favorite things about Cyan (and Gau, as well). Also, his Bushido skills were something very much valued by me.

6. Edgar: I admired Edgar's craftiness and his ladies' man ways. I liked that he could charm the pants of women and hold the respect of men so easily. I enjoyed his contrast with Sabin, as well. If there was anything I didn't like about him, it was using his Tools in battle. Other than Drill and Chainsaw, I never really had a lot of fun using them.

7. Shadow: Shadow said one sentence. Just one. And he had me: "Leave us. The dog eats strangers." I don't know why, but it hooked me. I think it's because the designers were going for giving him that feeling of being a bad-ass not to be trifled with. And that very sentence made it work. And even then, he had a softer, more understanding side to him, as shown by lending an ear to Terra on the ship to Thamasa. I absolutely appreciated his ninja skills in battle, too, although I hated risking having him throw things that I may have needed later. If there was one thing I hated, though, it was his tendency to leave early in the game whenever he reached his required amount, and then never being able to find him again. I don't think that was ever possible to recruit again until he was given to the party to head to Thamasa with him.

8. Terra: I actually really liked Terra (even despite plotholeman's venomous rants about her), so I'm kinda surprised to be putting her in the lower half, especially considering the fact that I'm giving her the benefit of being the first female main protagonist FF history, a distinction she held for a long time before Lightning came along in FF13. I guess I just like the seven characters above a lot more. Unlike he who runs this board, I could totally get her situation. Enslaved for most of her life, being forced to know only the feelings of servitude and obligation, and not knowing how to express affection, or have it expressed to her. That could leave nearly any character messed up. So I never minded her wanting to know and feel what love was. I liked her arc as she slowly came to realize exactly what that was. Her backstory was a unique one, too. Daughter of a human and an Esper? Never been done again since then. (Though man, picturing that conception makes me cringe every time I, well, picture it.) Plus, in battle, her magic was probably either tops or second-best, depending on whether you developed her or Celes more. Also liked her transforming ability.

9. Mog: Yeah, story-wise, he was another useless one. But again, I don't care. He gets the benefit of avoiding the bottom group for being the first-ever moogle party member. That's another thing that's never been done since this game. That's pretty much it, though it's a killer getting all of his Dances. Did you all know that that's only possible if you obtain him during the World of Balance? I hate what going through the Serpent Trench with him and then walking all the way back around to the Blackjack does to my fingers. Still, if I based the rankings purely on gameplay, I can tell you all now that he'd probably be at the bottom, if not close to it. But since personality and storyline usefulness also count . . . ninth place.

10. Locke: So now, we start my moderate like/neutral group. I did like Locke, sort of, but at the same time, there was something kind of . . . cookie-cutter about his heroics. I mean, it was a chance that such a heroic guy was a thief and not a swordsman, but . . . I don't know. I did like the parallels of him wanting to protect Terra and Celes after failing to protect Rachel. That was a good story arc for him. But other than that . . . he was sort of "meh" for me.

11. Strago: As of now, the second-oldest character in all of FF history (behind FF9's Quina). I don't have a lot to say about him except for at least sort of liking his elderly freak-outs. And actually being one of the calmer authority figures in how he dealt with Relm wanting to put herself in dangerous situations. (Very calmly and easily just saying, "I don't think so" to her requests of going along with the party.) Granted, he was a failure at doing even that, but still . . . He also was a blue mage during the era of having to take an attack to learn the move, so that kept him out of my party quite often. (I much preferred -- and still do prefer, actually -- Quistis, Quina, and Kimahri's methods of learning blue magic.) So he's down here.

12. Setzer: I know many others love him, but I was so unbelievably neutral about Setzer. Rogue characters are usually appreciated by me, but not those that crash operas to kidnap the leading ladies. Also, aside from being the airship guy, what else was there to him? And who in their right mind would see his Lady Luck/Gambler class as the tiniest bit useful?! Again, meh.

13. Umaro: The bottom two were slam-dunks for me. Love occasionally having a good powerhouse Berserker (especially one who can occasionally throw his own friends!), but other than that, who is Umaro? What is Umaro? Just some yeti who lives in the Narshe mines? What's his backstory? What kind of personality does he have? Other than growling and roaring a lot, that is? So for the total lack of substance, Umaro's down here.

14. Gogo: Well, if I just knocked on Umaro for lacking a distinct enough personality, I have to knock even harder on Gogo for it. He was just a Mime who barely even spoke. Hell, he only spoke once (when you first meet him). Love his Mimic ability, especially when I use a strong magic spell or a strong special ability and need it repeated a second time. But we really don't get any look into his character at all. He's even more of a blank slate than Umaro, so he's at the bottom.

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