Chrono Trigger: All Characters RANKED!
Chrono Trigger truly is a masterpiece. When I first heard about the game, I was in denial, as I just assumed everybody loved it due to nostalgia. But even playing it for the first time as a fifteen year old in 2022, this game was still just as great as everybody says it is. I’m still so sad that Chrono Break couldn’t come into fruition, but at least we got the severely underrated Final Fantasy Dimensions II that had some elements from the original idea of the game! Anyway, I digress. The characters of this game are all so fun and unique, and since they are all from different eras, they are great foils for one another! Though most of the characters have their own uses at different points in the game, there is no denying that some characters are much better than others… which means I had to rank them! So, without further ado, RPG Ranked presents… Chrono Trigger: All Characters RANKED!
7. Marle - D Tier
A wise person on GameFAQs once said: “F Tier: Water elementals, S Tier: all other characters.” Though I wouldn’t be that extreme, there is definitely some truth to that statement. As a healer? Marle is weak. As an attacker? Even weaker. There is never a time that Marle’s Cure or Cure II is really worth using. Why? Because not only does Frog also have Cure II, but Ayla’s Kiss and Robo’s Heal Beam are both more than capable of healing! If you want to heal multiple targets, you have to use a Dual-Tech, which is pitiful judging that Marle is supposed to be the game’s “best” healer! When it comes to damage, her best options are Ice II (which is incredibly weak for the majority of the game) and her final weapon, the Venus Bow, which only does 777 damage. Her only two abilities that are worth wasting your time on are Haste and Arise, but are they really worth having Marle in your party for? With the Haste Helm, you can have Haste anyway, and there aren’t really any enemies hard enough in this game to warrant the use of Arise! I’ve had some ideas on how to fix Marle to be a much better character: 1) get rid of her useless Allure ability and give her Starburst as her second to last ability and 2) get rid of Cure II (and let Frog keep it) and give her a new ability, Heal II. I think with those two fixes, Marle would be an A or S Tier character. But as it is, overall, as much as Marle is a fun character, she just sucks. Once you get four people in your party, get rid of Marle ASAP and replace her with a better healer like Robo.
6. Frog - C Tier
I don’t understand. Frog is a better healer and attacker than Marle… What's up with that? Frog has Heal, the second best healing ability in the game, as well as the powerful Masamune. He has some pretty good attacks, most notably Frog Squash, which can be incredibly powerful when fully-powered! However, like Marle, his Water magic is mid at best and terrible at worst, and he simply can’t dish out as high of damage as any of the next characters on this list. He feels like a Red Mage: great when you get him, but not so great later on. Even though Frog is the best character in this game plot-wise, overall, his great versatility is not enough to make him a character worth having in your party.
5. Lucca - B Tier
Lucca is amazing at one thing: dishing out huge magic damage. Her ability to nuke enemies with Fire magic is honestly insane, and as long as you buff her speed with equipment and speed capsules, she can be one of the best characters to have in your party! Her physical attacks aren’t all that bad, especially once you get weapons like the Turboshot, Wondershot, and Spellslinger! With these weapons, she can hit for damage similar to Crono or Frog! My personal favorite attack that Lucca has is Frog Flare, since it is the most powerful attack in the game when fully powered… However, it requires Frog to be in your party, so I don’t use it that often. Though Lucca is a very powerful character, she is probably the least versatile character in the game, so she cannot go any higher than B Tier. Overall, Lucca is incredibly powerful, especially later in the game, but her lack of versatility places her low on this list.
4. Magus - A Tier
Lucca is more versatile than Magus in terms of Double and Triple Techs, but Magus beats her in almost every other way. His equipment and stats are the best in the game, and with the right setup, he becomes a very strong physical attacker and magic attacker! His versatility in elemental spells, as well his super powerful Dark spells both make him a superb character! However, even though he can deal almost as much damage as Lucca, he still isn’t quite as good as the next characters on this list. Overall, Magus is a very versatile and powerful character in many ways, but his lack of Double and Triple Techs hold him back from being higher on this list.
3. Ayla - A Tier
Ayla has incredible speed and strength for the entire game! For most of the game, she is your best physical attacker, and her other abilities are not too shabby either! Her Kiss ability is a great single-target healing ability due to its super low cost and its status-healing abilities, and her Charm ability is essential in stealing some great items from enemies! If you take the time to level her up to level 72 and/or level 96, she will easily become the strongest damage dealer in the game due to being able to do 9,999 damage with a 35% critical hit rate and the ability to inflict Confuse! Overall, with insane damage dealing capabilities, as well as great support abilities in Kiss and Charm, Ayla is a must-have in the party.
2. Crono - A Tier
With amazing physical attacks, magical attacks, and versatility, Crono is everything that Frog fails to be. His Luminaire is one of the best magic attacks in the game, his Dreamseeker and Suzaku weapons are both incredibly powerful with their high critical rates, and with a decent enough magic stat, Crono’s Raise is just as good as Marle’s Arise! He is also very versatile due to being a keystone character in most of the best Double and Triple Techs! Sure, he isn’t going to deal as much damage as some of the other characters, but with his versatility in his Techs, overall, he is one of the best characters in the game.
1. Robo - S Tier
The only caveat to using Robo is his slow speed… but since that one weakness can be remedied with Speed Capsules, Robo is the most broken character in the game. He has just as much elemental versatility as Magus, with Light, Fire, and Dark attacks. He has the best healing tech in the game with Heal Beam, and with a decent amount of Magic Tabs, he can become by far the best healer in the game! His Crisis and Apocalypse Arms are downright broken, making him one of the best attackers in the game as well! Anybody who is not using Robo is missing out… he is honestly just an upgrade to Frog in every way of the word! Overall, with the best healing tech, some of the best physical damage, and great versatility with his techs, Robo is quite easily the best character in the game.
As a bonus, here are some of my favorite party recommendations:
My Favorite Party: Ayla, Robo, Magus
The Best Party: Crono, Ayla, Robo
The Physical Party (same as Best Party lol): Crono, Ayla, Robo
The Magic Party: Magus, Lucca, Marle
The Worst Party: Lucca, Frog, Marle