Final Fantasy VII: All Characters RANKED!
Final Fantasy VII is a revolutionary game for many reasons, and one of those reasons is its diverse cast of characters! Though the characters can become equally as strong in terms of Materia, due to each character's special equipment and Limit Breaks, some characters are leagues above the others. Now without further ado, RPG Ranked presents... Final Fantasy VII: All Characters RANKED!
D Tier
9. Vincent
When I made my YouTube tier list for this game, I made the grave mistake of putting Yuffie lower than Vincent on my tier list… that couldn’t be more wrong. Vincent is easily the worst character in Final Fantasy VII. Sure, he looks incredibly cool and is a cool bonus character, but he brings hardly anything to the table as a playable character. Basically, his three perks are 1) his 255% accuracy weapon 2) his high magic stat and 3) his long-range weapons. Otherwise? He is the worst character in the game. His Limit Breaks make him uncontrollable, which would be okay if they were powerful, but they are hardly different from just using strong magic or abilities. He also has the worst Ultimate Weapon in the game, as it requires you to participate in so many battles that by the time you can deal 9,999 with his weapon, you probably will be at max level and be guaranteed to deal that much damage anyway. Sure, setting up Deathblow, Counter, Magic Counter, and Ultima is super fun, but it can’t compare to attacks like Omnislash, Highwind, or even Cait Sith’s slots. Overall, Vincent is still playable and has some perks that set him apart from the other characters, but he is definitely the weakest character in the game.
C Tier
8. Cait Sith
Alright, let me set this straight: I don’t love using Cait Sith. I’m not one to try to manipulate slots to do my bidding. However, if you master Cait Sith’s Slots command? He can become one of the most broken characters in the game. He can instantly win any battle. However, other than manipulating his slots, Cait Sith is a pretty bad character. I didn’t really know where to put Cait Sith, so I just put him here. He can be higher if you use Slots, or lower if you don’t. Overall, Cait Sith is a mixed bag, so I just put him near the bottom of the list.
B Tier
7. Red XIII
For casual players? Red XIII is really just good because of his Seraph Comb earlier in the game and for his supportive Lunatic High and Blood Fang abilities. But with Stardust Ray and sources, Red XIII can become one of the more powerful characters in the game! However, since Stardust Ray only hits ten times, he can’t deal as much damage as the next characters on this list. He also has pretty bad weapons, so I put him below Tifa. Overall, Red XIII has some nice early game abilities and can be decent with sources, but his Limit Breaks and weapons are worse than the next characters on this list.
6. Tifa
I also biffed it by putting Tifa below Red XIII. My bad. I’m correcting it here! Anyway, I digress. Not accounting for Limit Breaks, I would argue Tifa is the strongest attacker in the game. With a 255% hit rate weapon, a decent Ultimate Weapon, and two fantastic normal weapons (Powersoul and Master Fist), Tifa is my favorite character to use in regular battles. However, her Limit Breaks can’t quite be as strong as Cloud, Barret, Cid, or even Red XIII. Without sources, Tifa’s Final Heaven will be stronger than attacks like Highwind or Catastrophe, however, I will be taking sources into account since most dedicated players use them. Overall, Tifa is a great attacker as a whole and a great character for more casual characters, but she can’t reach the potential of the next characters on this list.
5. Yuffie
Here we go! This is where Yuffie truly belongs. Yuffie is one of the best characters to use for about the first half of the game. Her ability to multiply her damage and hit all enemies with her limit break attacks is obscenely powerful. Her long-range attacks are also incredibly useful as well! And for later in the game? With her Doom of the Living, she can hit for just as much damage as Omnislash as long as you power her up with a decent amount of sources! Overall, Yuffie is a very solid pick for a pretty decent portion of the game, falls off for a bit, but comes right back with a source-powered Doom of the Living!
A Tier
4. Aeris
If Aeris was available for the second half of the game, she would be in S Tier. But due to her being the only character with healing Limit Breaks, she is an incredibly useful character to have in your party! Her Great Gospel Limit Break is, in my opinion, the best Limit Break in the game. Sure, it is a hassle to get and she doesn’t have it for long before she leaves the party, but she is well worth using for the first disc. She also has the highest Magic stat in the game, making her the best spell caster in the game. Overall, Aeris is the best support character and best magician in the game, but since she is a temporary character, I couldn’t put her any higher on this list.
3. Barret
With Angermax, Catastrophe, and long-range attacks, Barret can deal more damage than any other character in the game. The only problem? It takes a whole lot of Sources. But even if you don’t have any sources, Barret is an incredibly powerful character. He dishes out tons of damage with each of his Limit Breaks throughout the entire game! Overall, there’s not much to say about Barret except can potentially be tied with Cid as the strongest character in the game.
2. Cid
Cid is basically Barret, but without long-range attacks and with a slightly stronger Limit Break and better weapons. He, like Barret, needs some sources to reach his full potential, but his Highwind ability is incredibly powerful! It is a bit stronger than Angermax, so I ranked him above Cid. Sure, Barret has long range weapons, but Cid also has better weapons as a whole, with a better Ultimate Weapon and a Triple AP weapon. Overall, Cid and Barret can both be the strongest attackers in the game, but I just had to give Cid the slight edge over Barret.
S Tier
1. Cloud
With the best stats in the game and with him being the highest leveled due to him being required in your party, Cloud is already a great character. But with Omnislash being the strongest Limit Break for the majority of players, and with him having a great selection of weapons, it would almost be sacrilegious to put Cloud anywhere else on the list. Sure, Barret and Cid are better for hardcore fans, but if you want very powerful attacks without source farming, Cloud is easily the best character in the game. That’s about all I have to say so… goodbye!
As a bonus, here are my favorite party recommendations:
Best Party (Disc One) - Cloud, Aeris, Barret
Best Party (Disc Two/Three) - Cloud, Barret, Cid
Best Party (With hacks and a buttload of sources) - Barret, Cid, Aeris
Worst Party - Cait Sith, Yuffie, Vincent
My Favorite Party Character-Wise - Cloud, Aeris/Barret, Tifa
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