I know that Final Fantasy IV is among the first JRPGs to incorporate a character driven story, but even considering that, the cast has a distinct "feel" that I don't think has been replicated in the games that followed. The majority of the characters are technically guest characters, with Cecil being the only constant (and Edge, but he shows up pretty late). The game always feels like Cecil's story; while many RPGs take care to give the other characters the spotlight, they are footnotes in Cecil's struggles against Golbez (significant footnotes, but Cecil is always center stage).

Do you like FFIV's cast? Hell, let's broaden the question. Do you like this approach to characters? I can think of some other RPGs that do this (typically games with large casts a la Fire Emblem or Suikoden), but they feel more like soldiers in an army rather than characters with their own agency who enter and leave as your story dictates.