Current Events > So there's only 1 real female protag in the mainline FF games, right? *spoilers*

(+) Yeah! (+)

And it's Lightning, right?

I've seen Shantotto and Y'shtola used as Dissidia reps for 11 and 14, but they're just side characters as they're MMOs where you make your own protagonist. And from what I understand Terra isn't the only protag in FF6?

So is Lightning really the only full fledged female protag in the 16 main FF games thus far? That's kinda sad if true.

EDIT, since some need clarification:
1 = unnamed Warriors of Light with no set gender
2 = Firion (male)
3 = either unnamed Onion Warriors with no set gender, or Luneth (male)
4 = Cecil (male)
5 = Bartz (male)
6 = no set protagonist, but most consider it Terra (female) and/or Ceres (female)
7 = Cloud (male)
8 = Squall (male)
9 = Zidane (male)
10 = Tidus (male)
11 = no set protagonist since it's an MMO
12 = Vaan (male)
13 = Lightning (female)
14 = no set protagonist since it's an MMO
15 = Noctis (male)
16 = Clive (male)

So only 13 has an actual, unambiguous, undisputed female lead, right?

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Terra and Celes crying in a corner

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Yuna?
Ashe?
Dagger?
Terra?
Celes?
they are all fairly important to the plot from the games they are in

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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Terra and Celes crying in a corner

Can anyone in 6 really be considered the main character like Cecil, Butz, Cloud, etc?

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AlisLandale posted...

Can anyone in 6 really be considered the main character like Cecil, Butz, Cloud, etc?

Yes, Terra and Celes.

Oh, also Yuna

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Xerun posted...

they are all fairly important to the plot from the games they are in

I mean like the MAIN main character. Tidus, Squall, Noct, etc

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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Yes, Terra and Celes.

Oh, also Yuna

Yuna is not the main character, Tidus is lol.

6 was mostly ensemble. <_<

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AlisLandale posted...

Yuna is not the main character, Tidus is lol.

6 was mostly ensemble. <_<

Umm excuse me, Yuna is the protagonist of FFX-2, the official sequel to FFX.

Also Yuffie soon.

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AlisLandale posted...

6 was mostly ensemble. <_<

It was, but Terra is still the pretty clear main character.

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LordFarquad1312 posted...

Yuna is the protagonist of FFX-2

I'm asking about the main 16 games though

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Which 16 are you counting?

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slmcknett posted...

I mean like the MAIN main character. Tidus, Squall, Noct, etc

Yuna has X-2

12 doesnt really have a main character but Ashe is pretty much the central driving force of the plot.

Terra is the main character of 6

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EmbraceOfDeath posted...

It was, but Terra is still the pretty clear main character.

So much so that even if you deliberately avoid recruiting her in the World of Ruin, she will *still* show up for the finale no matter what. The game literally begins and ends with her.
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KainWind posted...

Which 16 are you counting?

The...the main 16?

FF1, FF2, FF3, FF4, etc.

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there's only 15
And 2 of them are mmo
U

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None of the main cast have been Inuit, we better get on that.

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Terra is most definitely the protagonist of VI, so much so she's literally the only character that will come charging in for the ending regardless of whether or not you recruited her in the second half. Celes isn't even all that relevant in what's supposed to be her half of the game. Lightning's spot as protagonist is far more arguable, though it'd otherwise probably land on Vanille so still a woman.
Also, Yuna is the protagonist of X. And it's been a while since I played XII, so I can't remember who stays more plot relevant throughout, but the protagonist for that game is either Ashe or Balthier(maybe both?). Vaan and Tidus only exist to be the idiots the other characters have to explain everything to for the player's benefit.

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Big_Nabendu posted...

there's only 15

16 was announced last year.

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is it out?
No its not

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AlisLandale posted...

Yuna is not the main character, Tidus is lol.

6 was mostly ensemble. <_<

eh....

I think a decent argument can be made that, while Tidus is the POV character, Yuna is the real star of the show.

I generally think of them as close deuteragonists that are essential to the game.

Main character for FFXIV is female for me. I guess I am just really progressive.

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Garnet would only be arguable if Kuja didn't exist, since she was brought up. The whole game centers around him being a little bitch over Zidane being better than him.

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Big_Nabendu posted...

is it out?
No its not

Did I say it was? I don't know why this is what you're focusing on.

BLAKUboy posted...

Also, Yuna is the protagonist of X.

Maybe in a "Lucy is the protagonist of Fairy Tail" kinda way. Tidus is def the focal character, though.

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updated post 1 since i guess what i'm asking about is confusing?

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Esrac posted...

eh....

I think a decent argument can be made that, while Tidus is the POV character, Yuna is the real star of the show.

I generally think of them as close deuteragonists that are essential to the game.

Tidus literally says This is MY story!

I kid, I kid! But Im approaching this from a gameplay/branding standpoint. Narratively Yuna is definitely as essential as Tidus. But when TC is bringing up Lightning that narrows down how we should be looking at this.

Like in FFXII, Vaan is unfortunately the main character, no matter how stupid that is. >_>

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terra is the main character of ff6

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Dissidia essentially settles the main character argument. Terra is the main character of FF6.

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I don't really consider Vaan the main character.
I don't think anyone's who's played FFXII would consider him the main character either.

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ApherosyLove posted...

I don't really consider Vaan the main character.
I don't think anyone's who's played FFXII would consider him the main character either.

Vaan's entire existence is irrelevant.

But he's the main character. Which is one of the many reasons 12 is bad. >_____>

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I see no reason X-2 shouldn't be counted as a mainline game. It's a proper sequel, not like a spin-off.

Also Terra is definitely the protag of VI. She's the first character you meet and she's more central to the plot than anyone else.

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terra, yuna, lightning, serah

those 4 have been the main character of final fantasy games
yes i count x-2 and xiii-2

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There's really no reason why Yuna, Garnet and Ashe weren't the protags in their games.

They were literally the most important characters pushing the entire story.

They just don't have a tiny floppy penis so apparently marketing says people won't buy their game

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The protagonist is the person who moves the plot. Yuna is the protagonist of FFX.
The main character is the person inpacted by the plot. Tidus is the main character of FFX.

The classic example of this difference is The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is obviously the protagonist, but the narrator is obviously the main character.

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yusiko posted...

terra is the main character of ff6

Tyranthraxus posted...

Dissidia essentially settles the main character argument. Terra is the main character of FF6.

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Stories aren't limited to one main character, ya know.

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TC: "Except for all the FF games that have a female main character no FF games have female main characters"

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slmcknett posted...

I mean like the MAIN main character. Tidus, Squall, Noct, etc

Still Yuna.

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AlisLandale posted...

Yuna is not the main character

Yes she was.

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AlisLandale posted...

Tidus literally says This is MY story!

I kid, I kid! But Im approaching this from a gameplay/branding standpoint. Narratively Yuna is definitely as essential as Tidus. But when TC is bringing up Lightning that narrows down how we should be looking at this.

Like in FFXII, Vaan is unfortunately the main character, no matter how stupid that is. >_>

I always view 12 as if it's just told from vaans point of view. There are books like that where the narrator who is a part of the story is not the main character. I find it a weird style of story telling but it exists.

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Didn't know there was such intense discourse about who the protag of FF10 was lol

Dakimakura posted...

TC: "Except for all the FF games that have a female main character no FF games have female main characters"

I clearly specified which games I was asking about from the jump. People wanting to bring up sequels and stuff is up to them, but it's not what I was discussing.

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yusiko posted...

the protagonist is the character we follow through the story
which isnt yuna

No, thats just the perspective character/narrator. The protagonist is the one most central to the plot, which is Yuna. The entire story could happen whether or not Tidus was there, his biggest contribution is being Yunas love interest.

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Big_Nabendu posted...

is it out?
No its not

...so? We know who the main character is.

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BLAKUboy posted...

The entire story could happen whether or not Tidus was there, his biggest contribution is being Yunas love interest.

Regardless of whether Yuna is the protagonist or not, this is completely false. Tidus is the reason they take out Sin for good instead of just letting Yuna be sacrificed. Auron retrieves Tidus at the beginning of the game specifically for that purpose.

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BLAKUboy posted...

No, thats just the perspective character/narrator. The protagonist is the one most central to the plot, which is Yuna. The entire story could happen whether or not Tidus was there, his biggest contribution is being Yunas love interest.

Technically, Tidus's "biggest contribution" is being Jecht's son. And half the plot doesn't happen without Tidus.

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BLAKUboy posted...

No, thats just the perspective character/narrator. The protagonist is the one most central to the plot, which is Yuna. The entire story could happen whether or not Tidus was there, his biggest contribution is being Yunas love interest.

thats the reason my post was deleted before you ever posted yours
i posted what i thought was true but also looked it up to find out if maybe i was wrong and got a couple of sources that said i was mistaken so i deleted my post

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12 is definitely Ashe's story. Vaan and Penelo are basically there to serve as the personification of Dalmasca's struggle in Ashe's eyes.

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Penelo having any reason to exist is a bit of a stretch.

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TheGreatEscape posted...

12 is definitely Ashe's story. Vaan and Penelo are basically there to serve as the personification of Dalmasca's struggle in Ashe's eyes.

It could be argued as baschs story as well. And he was originally gonna be the MC. He has a story of redemption after abandoning his homeland and then framed for killing his new king. Iirc ashe didnt trust him much at first but he insisted it was his sworn duty to protect her and see her reclaim the throne. Points for the main rival character and poster boy for the game being his brother who framed him in the first place.

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mooreandrew58 posted...

It could be argued as baschs story as well. And he was originally gonna be the MC. He has a story of redemption after abandoning his homeland and then framed for killing his new king. Iirc ashe didnt trust him much at first but he insisted it was his sworn duty to protect her and see her reclaim the throne. Points for the main rival character and poster boy for the game being his brother who framed him in the first place.

I never really thought of it that way but that's a very interesting way to perceive the story.

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slmcknett posted...

Didn't know there was such intense discourse about who the protag of FF10 was lol

I clearly specified which games I was asking about from the jump. People wanting to bring up sequels and stuff is up to them, but it's not what I was discussing.

So you were just cherry picking the ones that fit with your "there's only one" answer. There's no reason to not include X-2 and the XIII sequels. They are mainline entries.


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