What do you feel makes this cast so memorable?

[Wolf Kanno]

So this was a question asked to Hironobu Sakaguchi about PAX the other day and he talked about how he got a bit of advice from a friend who was a manga writer concerning the importance of strong characters helping to flesh out a world. So what about you? What do you feel makes this game's cast so memorable, I mean even though the game is over twenty years old, people are still talking about it fondly and characters like Kain and Rydia remain fan favorites for old and new fans of the game. So what do you feel makes the characters stand out?

[VeloZer0]

Honestly I don't know how FF4 has a reputation for memorable characters in the face of subsequent titles. It's not a knock against FF4, but when I think of the game I think of the scope of the adventure across the surface, underground and eventually the moon. For me it is more plot driven than character driven. (Which I like.)

[Pumpkin]

Maybe its because there's such a large cast its hard not to find someone you like

[Forsaken Lover]

All the Heroic Sacrifices.

Also Tellah was the best because his stuck.

[Colonel Angus]

They all had some pretty quirky personality traits. From the silly twins, to the cranky geezer, to the rambunctious geezer, there was something unique about each one.

I know subsequent adventures had the same, but this was the first. A lot of people really didn't play II & all I really remember as having a strong personality was the Lennie Samall-esque Guy.

Forsaken Lover is also right about the sacrifice aspect, as people became attached to characters, to see them give/risk their lives really sticks w/ people.

[Sephiroth]

I don't find it very memorable. 25-50% of the cast were not very appealing to me. Just like in almost every Final Fantasy.

[Sephex]

For many older fans/gamers this was the first cast that showed more personality in a video game other than "This is the dude you are controlling."

Otherwise, I feel the cast does a good job establishing themselves in a limited amount of space/time if you compare it to newer titles. It helps that nearly everyone has some sort of arc, and you see people grow and change for the better. Basic stuff, but that sort of thing was rare at the time.