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.