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.

40 to 31.

                Last week, we saw the ten characters who only just managed to slip into the top half of the list. This week, we have ten characters that were a little more secure in their positions (including two princesses who are just asking to be kidnapped . . . literally). Let’s get into it, numbers 40 to 31.

40. Oerba Dia Vanille (Final Fantasy XIII)

"All of Cocoon was against us. With us dead, they were sure everything would go back—back to the way it was before."

Good to see Australian accents in Japanese games. Five hundred years prior to the game, Vanille and Fang became l’Cie and were given the Focus of becoming Ragnarok to destroy Cocoon. Vanille couldn’t do it, so Fang became an incomplete Ragnarok. However, she only managed to scar it. The two were soon crystallised, and when they awoke five hundred years later found that Fang had almost no memories of what happened. Vanille has retained her memories, but pretends to have none in the hope of preventing other innocent people getting hurt. Unfortunately, Serah and Dajh also get marked as l’Cie.

39. Kuja (Final Fantasy IX)

“What comedy! Zidane, isn't it hilarious!? I'll die just like the black mages I so despise! I single-handedly brought chaos unto Gaia, but in the end, I'm nothing but a worthless doll! ... I won't let it happen. I won't... I won't let this world exist without me!”

When Sisqo sang “The Thong Song”, he didn’t have this in mind. Kuja was originally created by Garland to be an Angel of Death; however he was deemed a failure because he couldn’t go into Trance Mode by himself. When Kuja found out Garland made Zidane to replace him, he kidnapped and abandoned him. When Garland banished Kuja from returning to Terra, Kuja began scheming against Garland. He knew Garland feared eidolons, and desired to gain the most powerful of these (Alexander) to defeat him. When he learned he was only mortal, he destroyed Terra and attempted to destroy Gaia.

38. Seifer Almasy (Final Fantasy VIII)

“This is great... I have a Chicken-wuss and a guy who just reached puberty in my squad...”

“You’re going down Squall”. “Whatever”. Seifer is Squall’s rival and Rinoa’s ex-boyfriend. Even though he’s considered to be an antagonist in the game, he’s not exactly evil. Seifer has tried several times to become a member of SeeD, but his wild behaviour keeps preventing him from doing so. After he hears Squall, Selphie and Zell were on a mission to liberate Timber, he tries to help them by holding the Galbadian President hostage. Ultimecia convinces him to come with her when it becomes apparent this was a bad idea. He was assumed dead until the party were in Deling City.

37. Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII)

“You're sky pirates, aren't you? Then steal me! Is that too much to ask?”

Finally, a princess so tough she has to ask to be kidnapped. At the age of seventeen, Ashe married Lord Rasler in a political marriage, so that Dalmasca and Nabradia would have a stronger bond against the attacking Archadian Empire. Unfortunately, Rasler was killed soon after wards, and Ashe’s hatred for the Archadian Empire grew. After Basch was framed for her father’s death, Ashe assumes the name Amalia and makes an alliance with Vaan’s team. She is appalled when she finds out Basch is still alive, but teams up with him when Ghis decides to execute her as an “impostor”.

36. Jecht (Final Fantasy X)

"You can't do it, kid. But don't worry, my boy. You're not the only one. No one else can do it. I'm the best!"

He’s manliest man on this list. I mean, in Final Fantasy. I mean, in the universe. Jecht is a star blitzball player in the Dream Zanarkand created by Yu Yevon. One day, while training out at sea, Jecht accidentally went too far out and encountered Sin. Sin dragged him to Spira, where he was arrested as a crazy drunkard. Braska visited him in prison and asked him to become his guardian and offered him a way home if he could find one, ignoring Auron’s protests. Along their travels, Jecht constantly got them into trouble; however he matures along the journey.

35. Ramza Beoulve (Final Fantasy Tactics)

You don't know the truth. You don't realize you're just pathetic puppets, dancing for the bad guys!

*shuffles through papers* I can’t find any records of you from the fourteen games. Ramza wants to be a hero and keep the Beoulve name honourable. He attends the Academy in Gariland with his friend Delita. He gets drawn into a struggle against a group of rogue knights called the Corpse Brigade. While fighting them, Ramza and Delita start to question their country’s actions. Ramza is branded a heretic, and as such is refused to be buried by the church. The point of his character is to show people will do things for justice, whether there’s a reward or not.

Please note: Of the four Tactics characters to make the list, Ramza ranked the highest.

34. Garnet Til Alexandros XVII (Final Fantasy IX)

“Mother... Zidane... No... I can't depend on them anymore! As the queen of Alexandria, I must protect my kingdom.”

Introducing, Sarah. Sorry, Garnet. Sorry, Dagger. MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Which one are you? Garnet was originally born under the name Sarah in the summoner tribe of Madain Sari. Her mother tried to escape with her by boat when the Invinsible attacked the town. However, the boat was destroyed and her mother died. Sarah washed ashore where she was found by the king. Since she looked so much like the deceased Princess Garnet, she was made the replacement princess. She adopted the alias Dagger after Zidane’s weapon, to avoid attracting attention (though her grand speech patterns almost blew that cover).

33. Locke Cole (Final Fantasy VI)

“Hey! Call me a treasure hunter, or I'll rip your lungs out!”

And now, a thief. Sorry, Treasure Hunter. Before the game, Locke lived happily with girlfriend Rachel in Kohlingen. However, Rachel’s father did not approve. It didn’t get much better when Rachel saved Locke from nearly dying and got amnesia in the process. Locke left the town when she told him to leave, feeling guilty for what happened to her. Rachel regained her memory and declared her love for Locke, but she was soon killed in an Imperial invasion on the town. When Locke heard about this, he joined the Returners. While escaping South Figaro, he meets his next love, Celes.

32. Beatrix (Final Fantasy IX)

“I once killed a hundred knights single-handedly... To me, you two are nothing more than insects.”

This woman killed a hundred men and silenced a crying baby. She is NOT to be pissed off. Little is known of Beatrix’s life prior to the game, except that she has shown a great talent in swordsmanship since she was young. She never backs down from any opponent who poses as a threat to the Alexandria Royal Family. During the game Beatrix defeats the player’s team several times, but sides with them because she realises Queen Brahne is evil. At first, she considers Steiner a rival, but part way through the game the two of them fall in love.

31. Shadow (Final Fantasy VI)

“In this world are many like me who've killed their emotions. Don't forget that.”

I didn’t realise a ninja could get beaten up that many times. Prior to the game, Shadow was a train thief with another guy named Baram. However, after pulling off a huge heist, Baram is wounded and begs Shadow to kill him. Shadow can’t do it and flees, eventually reaching Thamasa where he fell in love with a woman and fathered a child. However, he couldn’t escape his past, and left the town with a dog named Interceptor. During the game, he can be met seven times, join the team up to five times, and is found wounded two times.

Well, that’s it for this week. Next week, we cross into the top quarter of the list, as well as about half the cast of FFVII (in case you weren’t expecting them to dominate the list). I’ll see you next week.