Final Fantasy 7is one of the most popularJapanese Role Playing Gamesever made. Its cast includes the most recognizable characters in the series. Some characters such as Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith are even among some of the most recognizable characters in the gaming industry.
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There are nine party members in the original release, with seven being obtained in the main story and two being optional. So far the remake continuity uses the same cast, but Yuffie gained a new exclusive story expansion.
9Cait Sith
Cait Sith is a reoccurring name in the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 7’s Cait Sith is one of the most well-known due to being playable, but he is one of the least impactful characters when compared to the rest of the cast.
Cait Sith does help detonate a bomb that no one else could’ve done in one part of the story, but his role beyond that is minimal. Additionally, he’s one of the easiest party members to dislike due to his traitorous actions early on.
Yuffie was an optional character in the original PS1 release. It’s entirely possible for players to go through the entire game without knowing she even exists. This doesn’t make her a bad character, but it does mean that many players have never learned anything about her.
The Advent Children movie, the Intergrade chapter in Remake, and spin-offs like Crisis Core have blended her into the storyline more clearly, but not enough to really make her stick out compared to the others quite yet.
Cid is a reoccurring character archetype in the Final Fantasy series. He is typically portrayed as an intelligent man that is associated with transportation. 7’s Cid is the last main story party member players come across, meaning there’s less opportunity to get attached to him.
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Still, he leaves a nice impact on the story. He is the pilot for the team’s airship, fights with a staff, and has a backstory about trying to reach space.
Tifa is the physical powerhouse of the party. Her mighty strength and fan-favorite design have made her one of the most popular characters in the series. What she lacks is a unique storyline. Barret, Red XIII, Cid, and the other party members all have fleshed-out backstories and motivations.
Tifa’s backstory is in comparison essentially just being a character from Cloud’s home village. She has more screen time than a lot of other characters, yet has less of a story arc than what they offer. Tifa even gets a lot of attention in Advent Children, but still doesn’t get much depth to her writing.
Red XIII gets an average amount of attention throughout the story. He is the fifth character introduced and has a dedication section of the story related to his backstory. It’s not as important to the overall plot compared to the backstories of characters higher on this list, but it’s interesting enough for Red XIII to be in the center of the rankings.
Animal characters are often happy little mascots of the games they appear in, but Red XIII is an exception. He is a serious character that is treated with as much respect as human characters get. This helps set the tone for the world. The Midgar section of the story only focuses on humanoid characters, but this is a fantasy world with many other species. While most are extinct or rare, Red XIII’s presence in the main party helps solidify them as an important part of the world.
Vincent is an optional party member like Yuffie. Unlike her, Vincent’s involvement with the narrative is actually quite large. The woman he loved became the mother of Sephiroth, and Hojo is his long-time rival. Vincent received his own spin-off game called Dirge of Cerberus, in which his story is expanded even further.
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Villains From Dirge of Cerberus have already been incorporated into Remake’s story. Their inclusion and Yuffie getting an enhanced role make it very likely for Vincent to become an important part of the new continuity moving forward. His vampire aesthetic and combat abilities have made him a fan favorite despite the ability to skip over him in the original game.
Barret is the first character Cloud meets on his adventure through Midgar. He is a strong military man that also has a very kind heart beneath the surface. He takes every chance he gets to make sure his adopted daughter is taken care of. Barret is also the character that initially brings a lot of the cast together. As a result, he is vital to the overall story.
A lot of the plot would’ve unfolded completely differently if he wasn’t present as the leader of Avalanche. Despite Avalanche becoming less relevant after leaving Midgar, Barret does not. He continues to get a good chunk of screen time, and plot twists involving his backstory even show up in the latter half.
Aerith is one of the most important characters in Final Fantasy 7’s story. She is one of the last members of an ancient race, her death is one of the most well-known scenes in the history of the series, and she continues to stay relevant even after dying.
Her soul helps stop the meteor from destroying the planet, and her ghost returns again to help in Advent Children. This makes her vital to the story of both the game and the movie. Aerith is also one of the most compassionate characters in the party, making her easy to like.
Cloud is more than just the protagonist of Final Fantasy 7. He’s the most popular character in the series, and one of the most recognizable JRPG characters. He’s a gaming icon. Popularity doesn’t always mean quality, but Cloud does have quality too.
A lot of plot points directly involved his backstory with Sephiroth, and his false memories make for an interesting story structure. He is at the core of the story, as all protagonists should be.
