Tuesday, 18 December 2012

The Top Ten


Here we go, the final post. The top ten. The post where I have to draw out the introduction as much as possible to build the suspense. And what better way to do that than to do a recap of the honourable mentions, and numbers 100 to 11? Here’s the list so far:

Honourable mentions
Angeal Hewley (CC)
Paddra Nsu-Yeul (XIII-2)
Al-Cid Margrace (XII)
Tellah (IV)
Gippal (x-2)
Chocobo (Various)
Luneth (III)
Jenova (VII)
Barthandelus (XIII)
Brother (X)
Edward Chris Von Muir (IV)
Penelo (XII)
No. 100 to 71
100. Emperor Mateus (II)
90. Eiko Carol (IX)
80. Rufus Shinra (VII)
99. Agrias Oaks (Tactics)
89. Odin (Various)
79. Wakka (X)
98. Rosa Joanna Farrell (IV)
88. Selphie Tilmitt (VIII)
78. Shiva (Various)
97. Cait Sith (VII)
87. Cid (X)
77. Amarant Coral (IX)
96. Garland (IX)
86. Rude (VII)
76. Bartz Klauser (V)
95. Barthello (X)
85. Ultros (VI)
75. Sabin Rene Figaro (VI)
94. Hope Estheim (XIII)
84. Cid Fabool IX (IX)
74. Cidolfus Orlandeau (Tactics)
93. Ultimecia (VIII)
83. Cid Raines (XIII)
73. Genesis Rhapsodos (CC)
92. Anima (X)
82. Golbez (IV)
72. Caius Ballad (XIII-2)
91. Leo Cristophe (VI)
81. Mog (Various)
71. Garland (I)
No. 70 to 41
70. Firion (II)
60. Quina Quen (IX)
50. Yuffie Kisaragi (VII)
69. Adelbert Steiner (IX)
59. Delita Heiral (Tactics)
49. Galuf Halm Baldesion (V)
68. Bahamut (Various)
58. Seymour Guado (X)
48. Snow Villiers (XIII)
67. Cidolfus Demen Bunansa (XII)
57. Edea Kramer (VIII)
47. Paine (X-2)
66. Irvine Kinneas (VIII)
56. Gabranth (XII)
46. Noel Kreiss (XIII-2)
65. Faris Scherwiz (V)
55. Cid Pollendina (IV)
45. Freya Crescent (IX)
64. Vaan (XII)
54. Setzer Gabianni (VI
44. Zell Dincht (VIII)
63. Questis Trepe (VIII)
53. Reno (VII)
43. Basch Fon Ronsenburg (XII)
62. Edge Geraldine (IV)
52. Gilgamesh (V)
42. Serah Farron (XIII)
61. Cyan Garamonde (VI)
51. Edgar Roni Figaro (VI)
41. Kimahri Ronso (X)
No. 40 to 11
40. Oerba Dia Vanille (XIII)
30. Barret Wallace (VII)
20. Sephiroth (VII)
39. Kuja (IX)
29. Celes Chere (VI)
19. Kefka Palazzo (VI)
38. Seifer Almasy (VIII)
28. Rydia (IV)
18. Cecil Harvey (IV)
37. Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca (XII)
27. Aerith Gainsborough (VII)
17. Cid Highwind (VII)
36. Jecht (X)
26. Oerba Yun Fang (XIII)
16. Laguna Loire (VIII)
35. Ramza Beoulve (Tactics)
25. Rinoa Heartilly (VIII)
15. Tifa Lockhart (VII)
34. Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (IX)
24. Sazh Katzroy (XIII)
14. Rikku (x)
33. Locke Cole (VI)
23. Fran (XII)
13. Zack Fair (VII)
32. Beatrix (IX)
22. Red XIII (VII)
12. Terra Branford (VI)
31. Shadow (VI)
21. Tidus (X)
11. Vincent Valentine (VII)

Now, with that outta the way, here’s the top ten.

10. Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy IX)
Ooo, soft...
Hey look, a monkey. How could anyone seriously think this guy is an Angel of Death? Zidane was created by Garland (NOT “Knock You Down” guy) to cause unrest and death, after branding his brother Kuja a failure. This infuriated Kuja, who left him in Lindblum in hopes he would never know of or even complete his purpose. He was raised by Baku, a member of the Tantalus Theatre Group. Zidane thinks of himself as quite the ladies’ man, hitting on many of the women in the game, even conducting an experiment to find out how soft Garnet’s butt is.

9. Lulu (Final Fantasy X)
"No matter how dark the night, morning always comes, and our journey begins anew."
Wow lady, who died? Other than your parents. And your summoner. And your boyfriend. Lulu is one of Yuna’s original three guardians. Yuna is her third summoner, after Lady Ginnem (died getting Yojimbo) and Father Zuke (quit in the Calm Lands). When Yuna decided to be a summoner Lulu was against it, but changed her mind because Yuna chose this path knowing what would happen. Despite the fact Wakka says she has a short fuse, Lulu is actually fairly patient with Tidus (whom she acts as a mentor for). No-one knows how she controls the dolls she uses as weapons.

8. Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII)
"Maybe Cocoon is past saving, but it's our home. And we'll protect it or die trying! We live to make the impossible possible! That is our Focus!"
Finally, a clear female protagonist. On Lightning’s 21st birthday, her sister Serah drops two bombshells on her: she’s fated to be a Pulse l’Cie and that she’s engaged to Snow (leader of NORA whom Lightning bitterly dislikes). Lightning refuses to believe either of these until she finds out there’s a Pulse fal’Cie in the Vestige. She tries to save Serah with the help of Sazh, but after attacking Anima everyone present was branded a l’Cie. Her real name is Claire Farron, but she changed it to Lightning because “it flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys”.
Please note: Of the ten characters from Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2 to make the list, Lightning ranked the highest.

7. Balthier (Final Fantasy XII)
“Ah, the prison repository of wrested relics and raiments.” “So, our things are in here?” ”That's what I said.”
One of the perks of being the leading man is that you can never die. Ffamran mied Bunansa (or Balthier) is a sky pirate and ex-Archadian Judge (quite the career change). He is also the son of Dr. Cid, one of the game’s main antagonists. He speaks with a British accent, and has a tendency to be extremely calm in almost every situation (often making witty comments in the process). He is a kind-hearted person, though he tends to mostly be motivated by money or anything valuable. He is also “good friends” with Fran, despite the age and race difference.
Please note: Of the seven characters from Final Fantasy XII to make the list, Balthier ranked the highest.

6. Kain Highwind (Final Fantasy IV)
"I owe His Majesty much, but not so much I'd soil the Dragoons' name in his."
You know that fine line that separates good and evil? Well, this man plays jump rope with it. The first Dragoon of the series who can actually Jump, Kain is Cecil’s best frienemy. The two have been rivals since childhood, with Cecil usually winning (from the love of the king to the love of Rosa). At the start of the game when Cecil is being relieved of his duty as head of the Red Wings, Kain steps in to defend him, but gets demoted too. Throughout the game, Kain frequently gets possessed by Golbez, who is being possessed by Zemus.
Please note: Of the seven characters from Final Fantasy IV to make the list, Kain ranked the highest.

5. Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy VIII)
“Someday you're bound to lose everything. Everybody around will be gone. Then what are you left with? Nothing. Nobody... It's so miserable. And inevitable. It's so hard to recover from something like that. I never want to deal with that again. I can't. Even if it means being alone.”
“Hey Squall, you’re on the list of the most popular Final Fantasy characters of all time”. “Whatever”. Maybe this is where nearly every teenager gets their standard response to everything from. The gunblade wielding emo from the eighth instalment has some serious abandonment issues, stemming from the unexplained disappearance of his sister Ellone. However, he does still have emotions; they’re just being very heavily suppressed. Squall is the SeeD commander, and also has a long standing rivalry with Seifer Almasy, another orphan who uses a gunblade. During a fight between the two, they gave each other almost identical facial scars.
Please note: Of the ten characters from Final Fantasy VIII to make the list, Squall ranked the highest.

4. Yuna (Final Fantasy X)
“My father... my father wanted... to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!”
Sweet and innocent. Those are the first words that come to mind whenever someone mentions Yuna. She is extremely kind-hearted and strong willed, though these traits are actually faults because she can’t say no when someone asks for help. Despite the fact she is constantly surrounded by death (on many occasions of those she cares for) there is only one occasion when she has been reduced to tears, when the group had just fled Bevelle as traitors and Yuna had been forced to marry an unsent Seymour Guado (her clenched fist as she kissed him is something I’ll never forget).

3. Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
"I pity you. You just don't get it at all... there's not a thing I don't cherish!"
Wow, Cloud made the list? Who’d have thought that would happen? At the start of the game, Cloud is a mercenary for hire, who has been hired by anti-Shinra group AVALANCHE to help take them down. He doesn’t really care about their goals, as long as he gets paid. That is, until he finds out that Professor Hojo experimented on him, making him think he was Zack, an old friend of his. Cloud’s rivalry with Sephiroth is not only the series’ most famous and bitter rivalry, but one of the gaming world’s most famous rivalries (sorry Pokemon’s Red and Blue).
Please note: Of the fifteen characters from Final Fantasy VII and related games to make the list, Cloud ranked the highest.

2. Vivi Orunitier (Final Fantasy IX)
How do you prove that you exist...? Maybe we don't exist..."
Aren’t you a little young to be here? Vivi is a black mage (in case you couldn’t tell from his clothes) created by Kuja for Queen Brahne. However, he escaped by falling off the cargo ship. He is first seen after getting a ticket to see “I Want To Be Your Canary”, which unfortunately is a fake. Vivi sneaks in, but is discovered in the crowd. He is chased onto the stage where he casts a fire spell to defend himself. However, it misses and hits Garnet’s cloak. While often unconfident about his abilities, he’s actually a powerful black mage.
Please note: Of the twelve characters from Final Fantasy IX to make the list, Vivi ranked the highest.

And now, the number one spot goes to...

1. Auron (Final Fantasy X)
“Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain, or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!”
Why can I smell death? Oh, that’s right, because not even the Grim Reaper can stop this badass samurai. Auron is easily Spira’s most famous guardian, not only defending Braska ten years prior to the events of the game, but then defending his daughter Yuna, who brought the Eternal Calm (spoiler alert). He is the strong, silent character of the game, partly to keep some of the dark secrets of Yevon from the rest of the party. However, he has no problem with telling Tidus these secrets, including that his father Jecht is Sin. He’s this game’s oldest playable character.
Please note: Of the thirteen characters from Final Fantasy X and X-2 to make the list, Auron ranked the highest. In case you haven’t been paying attention to the numbers.

There you have it everyone. Auron took out the top spot. Now that's it's over, what did you think of the list? Did it seem right to you? Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think. To all of you I say: Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday you celebrate) and a Happy New Year...assuming the Mayans don't kill us on Friday. I'll see you in 2037 for the top 200 characters of all time.

Tuesday, 11 December 2012

No. 20 to 11


I can’t believe it. Next week this is all over. Seems like it only just began, and now it’s about to end. Well, let’s get into it. Numbers 20 to 11. The characters who missed out on a top 10 position.

20. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)
“Tell me what you cherish most. Give me the pleasure of taking it away.”
“Oh my god, he killed Aerith”. “You bastard”. This one winged angel came to being as a result of Professor Hojo injecting Jenova cells into the foetus that Lucrecia Crescent was carrying. As a result, they created what is essentially a super soldier. Sephiroth was told that his mother was a woman named Jenova, who died during childbirth. Later in life, he was driven to insanity when he found documents that caused him to think that Jenova was a Cetra, and that the human race betrayed the Cetra 2000 years ago. This causes him to take his vengeance on mankind.

19. Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)
"Life... dreams... hope... Where do they come from? And where do they go? Such meaningless things... I'll destroy them all!"
Was this guy in The Dark Knight? Nah, he wasn’t this crazy. A lot of things spring to mind when Kefka is mentioned: psychopath, maniac, evil and destructive barely cover the extent of this clown’s mental instability. Very little is known about his early life. It is known that he was made into a Magitek knight sometime prior to the game, giving him extraordinary magical abilities at the cost of his sanity. He also gave a slave crown to Terra, which he tested the effectiveness of by killing Imperial soldiers. His evil laugh has been rumoured to scare Chuck Norris.
Please note: Of the twenty three villains on this list, Kefka is the highest ranked of them. If you can call some of them villains.

18. Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy IV)
"I've worn this darkened armor for so long now, there's no mote of light left in me. Not even... in my heart."
And now, we have a moon-man. No, seriously. Cecil is the child of a human mother (Cecilia) and a Lunarian father (Kluya), just like his brother Theodor (also known as Golbez). After the death of their mother, Theodor abandoned Cecil outside of Baron, where the king found him. As he grew up, he made friends with Kain and Rosa (the latter of which he eventually marries). Cecil was a talented knight and leader of the Red Wings before he spoke out against the king stealing the crystals. Vowing to never take orders from the king again, he becomes a paladin.

17. Cid Highwind (Final Fantasy VII)
"Shut up! Sit your ass down in that chair and drink your goddamn TEA!"
If Bender from Futurama was a human being, this is most likely who he’d be. The foul-mouthed chain-smoking dragoon has had dreams of going into space since he was born. However, when he finally got the chance to, he hit the emergency stop so the blast wouldn’t kill Shera who was doing a safety check. Shinra then cut funding to the space program, and Cid blames Shera for never achieving his dream. He forgives her though when he is accidentally launched into space and one of the oxygen tanks explodes. He’s so thankful he even names an airship after her.
Please note: Of the seven Cids to make the list, Cid Highwind was the highest ranked. Like we didn’t @#^%ing see that coming.

16. Laguna Loire (Final Fantasy VIII)
“But...who cares!? I speak with passion, from the heart! That's what matters most.”
“Squall, I am your father”. “Whatever”. As a young man, Laguna joined the Galbadian Army, though his dream is to be a journalist. While in the army, he meets his friends Kiros and Ward. Laguna was in love with Julia, but before they could progress their relationship Laguna and his friends are sent to Centra. While on the mission, Laguna throws the team off a cliff to avoid being killed. Laguna ends up in Winhill being cared for by Raine (who he later marries) and her daughter Ellone. When Ellone is kidnapped, Laguna leaves a pregnant Raine to find her.

15. Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)
“Words aren't the only way to tell someone how you feel.”
BOOBS! Sorry, but really, BOOBS! What else is there to think about with Tifa? The owner of Final Fantasy’s best rack is a member of the anti-Shinra resistance group AVALANCHE, and hires Cloud (her neighbour when she was growing up) to work for them. Little does she know that Cloud was in their hometown of Nibelheim when it was destroyed. Tifa is the person to restore Cloud’s mind back to normal after his memories got mixed up and made him think he was Zack. Oh, and there’s one last thing I think I forgot to mention about Tifa: BIG BOOBS!

14. Rikku (Final Fantasy X)
“You can cram your happy festival, you big meanie!”
Those eyes, they’re freaking hypnotic. The energetic Al Bhed girl saves Tidus by convincing her friends not to kill him, then taking him on their ship. The two were separated when Sin suddenly attacked them. They meet again on the Moonflow, after Tidus and Wakka had defeated a machina (that Rikku was controlling) that had kidnapped Yuna, which she’d done to stop Yuna dying on her pilgrimage. For a while she keeps her lineage hidden from Wakka, due to his hatred of Al Bhed. However, she was forced to speak Al Bhed in front of him to stop Brother attacking.

13. Zack Fair (Final Fantasy VII)
“That kid, he told me the natural sky scared him. As I thought, it felt fulfilling. Those wings, give them to me too. Because it kinda feels... nice. If you meet Aerith, I'll be counting on you. Hey... Now I've become a hero, right?”
Ladies and Gentlemen: Zack Fair. The man Cloud wished he could be. From a young age, Zack always dreamed of becoming a SOLDIER 1st Class like Sephiroth, and with the help of his mentor Angeal Hewley, he succeeds. Zack was killed before the events of Final Fantasy VII; however he is the main protagonist of Crisis Core. Zack was killed in a huge gunfight, where he handed his Buster Sword over to Cloud before he died. However, Cloud’s mind (having been heavily traumatised by Professor Hojo’s experiments, Tifa getting wounded, Mako poisoning and Zack’s death) makes him think he’s Zack.

12. Terra Branford (Final Fantasy VI)
“It's not the net worth of one's life that's important. It is the day to day concerns, the personal victories, and the celebration of life... and love!”
The “main” character of Final Fantasy VI, Terra is the daughter of a human named Madeline, and an Esper named Maduin. At the age of two, she was kidnapped by Emperor Gestahl when his empire raided the Land of Espers. As a result, she became a WMD for the empire. However, Kefka had other plans for her, and gave her a slave crown which made her kill many elite soldiers. She is a very powerful red mage, and has the unique ability to turn into an esper. The short version is: do NOT, under any circumstances, piss Terra off. Ever.
Please note: Of the eleven characters from Final Fantasy VI to make the list, Terra ranked the highest.

11. Vincent Valentine (Final Fantasy VII)
"That was my sin, and this...this is my punishment."
Holy crap, a vampire! Okay, not quite, but he does have the superhuman strength and speed, regeneration, immortality, sleeping in a coffin and shape shifting (still more vampire than Edward Cullen). Despite only being a secret character in Final Fantasy VII, his popularity has led to him having an appearance in all parts of this arc, including main character in Dirge of Cerberus. Even though he isn’t actually seen in Crisis Core, Zack mentions seeing someone in a coffin, before closing the lid and walking away. Unlike most characters in this arc, Vincent’s attire changes very slightly (if at all).

That’s it for this week. The top ten are next week. Can you guess who will make it to number 1? How about a little game? The picture below is a hint for all the characters in the top 10. Can you figure it out from that? We’ll see. See you next week.

Tuesday, 4 December 2012

No. 30 to 21.


Alright, here we go, down the home stretch. Today, we begin the top quarter of the list, as well as three of the nine Final Fantasy VII characters in the top 30 (spoiler alert). Here’s the next ten characters in this countdown (now with 200% more black guys):

30. Barret Wallace (Final Fantasy VII)
“It's cuz of that !@#$ 'pizza' that everyone down here is suffering.”
He pities the fool who won’t join AVALANCHE. Barret was born in the town of Corel. He helped Shinra build a Mako reactor when his wife falls ill. When the original AVALANCHE takes over the town, Barret tries to help the Turks take it back. Shinra destroy the town because they believe they were helping AVALANCHE. Barret and his friend Dyne returned to the town and were gunned down by Shinra. Barret tried to save Dyne when he fell off a cliff, but their hands were shot off. Afterwards, Barret found Dyne’s daughter Marlene and adopted her as his daughter.

29. Celes Chere (Final Fantasy VI)
"You're awfully short for a soldier..."
Don’t you just hate, hate, hate, hate, HATE it when your trusted general stabs you and sides with your enemies? Kefka does. Celes was one of The Empire’s generals, as well as a Magitek Knight. However, after speaking out against Kefka’s poisoning of Doma, she’s sentenced to death. Luckily, Locke comes along and saves her before that can happen. Celes is one of the only three characters that must be recruited in the World of Ruin (among Edgar and Setzer). She looks up to Cid as a father (and later grandfather) since he’s known her since she was a child.

28. Rydia (Final Fantasy IV)
“This battle is ours as much as anyone's. Cecil said so himself. And having some Eidolons along can't hurt, can it?”
I know parents say their kids grow up so fast, but this is ridiculous. After Cecil and Kain accidentally kill her mother and burn down Mist, Rydia summons Titan to defeat them. However, she only succeeded in separating the two and injuring herself. Cecil takes her to the nearby town of Kaipo to rest, where Baron Soldiers attempt to capture the girl. When Cecil defeats them, Rydia finally trusts Cecil. Later, she is swept off a ship en route to Baron by Leviathan, who takes her to Feymarch. Here, time moves rapidly, so when she leaves she’s all grown up.

27. Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)
"I never blamed you. Not once. You came for me...that's all that matters."
The last of her species, AND a love interest? Surely they won’t kill her? Within three weeks of her birth Aerith and her mother were kidnapped and experimented on by Professor Hojo. Seven years later, the two of them escaped, but Aerith’s mother was wounded and only got her as far as a train station. Elmyra adopted her as a daughter at the request of her mother. At age fifteen she began dating Zack, but two years later he disappeared. She teamed up with AVALANCHE four years later. Her death is one of the most shocking video game scenes ever.

26. Oerba Yun Fang (Final Fantasy XIII)
"Don't even think of trying to help us, or bring us back, or whatever stupid plan you might come up with. Don't you dare. You worry about yourselves, you hear me?"
Hmm, she looks pretty good for a five hundred and twenty one year old. Too bad she’s a lesbian. Fang is quite possibly the Final Fantasy franchise’s oldest playable woman, even if physically she’s only twenty one. This was caused by Fang and Vanille’s crystallisation after Fang attempted to destroy Cacoon. Five hundred years later, the two awoke, with Fang having no memories of her purpose. While trying to figure out what their purpose is, the two of them accidentally cause the crystallisation of Dajh and Serah. Fang has been described as “stronger than Lightning and more stubborn than Snow”.

25. Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy VIII)
"I like it like this. I liked having my mom hold me. My dad, too, back when we got along. But now... Squall, you're the one who gives me the most comfort. Comfort and happiness... and annoyance and disappointment, too!"
“Squall, I love you”. “Whatever”. Rinoa is a member of freedom fighter group the Forest Owls, who rebel against the Galbadian military (which Rinoa’s father is a commander in). She first meets Squall and the group at the SeeD inauguration party, where she somehow convinced Squall to dance. While there, she convinced Cid Kramer to let them use three SeeDs to aid their cause: Squall, Selphie and Zell. One year before the events of the game she had a romantic relationship with Seifer, however the end of the game sees her with Squall (what’s it with her and gunblade users?)

24. Sazh Katzroy (Final Fantasy XIII)
"I need to protect the future for my son, even if it means... even if it means putting my life on the line. Heads or tails. Life or death."
Seriously? Isn’t the hair a little stereotypical? Sazh was taking his son Dajh to see a Sanctum fal’Cie, when Dajh wandered away and was turned into a l’Cie. Unknown to him, the cause of this was Fang and Vanille, his future allies. When trying to find a way to save him, he meets Lightning in Bodhum and the two agree to help each other reach the Pulse fal’Cie Anima. When they reach it, they find Snow, Hope and Vanille there already. When he and Lightning try to use force to save Serah and Dajh, the fal’Cie makes them all l’Cie.

23. Fran (Final Fantasy XII)
"I have discarded Wood and village. I won my freedom. Yet my past has been cut away forever. No longer can my ears hear the Green Word. This solitude, you want, Mjrn?"
How old is this woman? I probably won’t find out by asking her directly. Fran is Final Fantasy XII’s most mysterious character, with the least backstory revealed. She left her home of the Eruyt Forest over 50 years ago. Sometime after that, she met Balthier. That’s about all anyone knows of her history. This is probably because she’s a viera, making her a bit unsocial among other races. She is very sensitive around mist, which once caused her to go crazy and violently attack several enemies by herself, prompting Balthier to say one of my favourite lines in Final Fantasy.

22. Red XIII (Final Fantasy VII)
“I am Nanaki, son of Seto... I am afraid of nothing... it's all right, all right. I'm Nanaki, the son of brave Seto... I'm not afraid of Sephiroth...”
Who says all playable characters have to stand on their hind legs? Red XIII (also known as Nanaki) is a member of an unnamed species from Cosmo Canyon. He was kidnapped by Turks about a year before the events of the game, before being experimented on by Professor Hojo. However, he was saved by Cloud and his team before Hojo could interbreed him with Aerith (who’s also of a rare species). Because of his long lifespan, he realises that throughout the course of his life he will encounter many losses. However, Vincent agrees to meet him every year in Midgar.

21. Tidus (Final Fantasy X)
"Listen to my story. This... may be our last chance."
Does Tidus really count as a character? He isn’t even real. The star player of the Zanarkand Abes blitzball team may seem carefree and happy on the outside, but on the inside he has deep contempt for his father Jecht. During a tournament in his father’s name, Tidus is taken from Zanarkand to Spira by a monster named Sin. While in Spira, he learns many disturbing things, like Sin is Jecht, he and his Zanarkand are merely dreams, and Yuna will die if she summons the Final Aeon. All this evolves Tidus from an arrogant teenager to a sensible adult.

There you have it, numbers 30 to 21. Next week, the characters who just missed out on the top 10. See you then.