LogFAQs > #962065420

I was watching some videos and was reminded of some debates which used to rage about the Final Fantasy games, especially about who is/are the main characters of each game in the franchise.

Mind you, some games the main character is clearly established like in Final Fantasy tactics although some people still scream to this day Delita was the main character, sigh... Hell, some people even claimed the main character was Orran, because he was technically the silent narrator who told the real story, not fabricated by the church, despite being in the game for like, what, 1 fight and a few cutscenes? FF IV is also a good example of a game where the main character is quite clear.In other games, it's not so clearly established and people still fight tooth and nails, to this very day, about who the main character is. Such an example being Final Fantasy X and XII, XII probably being the worst of the bunch.

As far as X is concerned, the first character you play as is Tidus, he's the narrator, he's basically in your party for most of the game (despite switching mechanics), he has the most screen time, but nearly the entire game is about Yuna's pilgrimage, her difficulty to live up to her father's rep, and coming to terms with what ending her pilgrimage entitles. Also, pretty much the majority of interactions with other characters in your party (other than Yuna) ends up being about Yuna in one way or another. Oh sure, we got the issues with grand wizard Wakka, but pretty much everything comes back to Yuna.

On the other hand, you have XII, where the game tries to shovel Vaan and Penelo down your throat, but past maybe 20% of the game, they're basically spectators who's sole purpose is to make you cringe (Vaan) every now and then. So even if people are misguided enough to claim Vaan is the main character, it mostly comes down to Ashe and/or Balthier (IMHO, Ashe is the main character).

Also, FF VI is also arguable, since Terra is pretty much the poster girl for the game, but a lot of the characters, especially Celes (WoR), get a lot of representation and development.

What's your opinion?