10 Final Fantasy Characters Nobody EVER Used

One of Final Fantasy VIII’s most notable flaws is that of the six characters that make up the playable party, only Squall and Rinoa are particularly important to the plot, with Zell, Selphie, Quistis and Irvine simply there for the ride. The Junction system in the game does at least mean that each of the six are fully customisable and can be slotted into any battle role, with only their weapons and Limit Break abilities to differentiate them.

Whilst Zell’s input-based melee attacks, Selphie’s magical slots and Quistis’ powerful Blue Magic limits all have significant endgame uses, Rinoa’s pet-based (and random) support abilities are of limited effectiveness by comparison but the rare instances in which Invincible Moon or Wishing Star are activated can make a huge amount of difference, which cannot be said about Irvine’s Shot limits.

The main downside of these is the fact that they consume ammunition, of which there are eight types. Six of these can be bought in shops, but the best two can only be refined from a handful of items, some of which are extremely rare. Obtaining 12 Pulse Ammo for Squall’s Ultimate Weapon is a considerable effort, so getting more to throw away on limits that pale in comparison to the likes of Renzokuken is an arduous undertaking.

Couple this with the fact that Irvine is poorly written (he has seemingly no character traits apart from being a bit of a lech) and you have one of the series’ more forgettable heroes.