60. Zack Meets Aeris (CC)
'Don't step on the flowers!'
Yeah, first things first, I refuse to go along with the whole 'Aerith' bandwagon. Aeris becomes part of a love triangle with lead character Cloud and his childhood companion Tifa during the events of Final Fantasy VII, but in the game's prequel, Crisis Core, the object of her affection is actually Cloud's friend Zack. Following an attack on Shinra's headquarters by the renegade SOLDIER operative Genesis, Zack is sent plummeting into Midgar's slums, awakening atop of a flowerbed inside a church. Initially believing himself to be dead, Zack is awoken by Aeris, who he believes to be an angel before she corrects him and reveals that she merely tends to the flowers. He then manages to secure himself a date with the young woman, buying her a pink ribbon that she proceeds to wear from that point forward. Though the relationship develops into a loving and serious one, those familiar with Final Fantasy VII know that Zack will disappear and never return (something we'll cover in due course). This makes his fateful first encounter with the love of his life hard to watch, particularly due to the presence of 'The Burdened', a sombre yet beautiful violin-led musical accompaniment.
59. The Sending (X)
'The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate. They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see, they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that pray on the living. Sad, isn't it? The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace'
The enigmatic being known as Sin is relentless in its assaults during the opening hours of Final Fantasy X. One such assault takes place on the small village community of Kilika, the first destination for Yuna on her summoner's pilgrimage following her departure from her home of Besaid. She and the rest of the party witness the death and destruction brought by Sin first-hand as their ship is caught in proceedings, and are then forced to traverse a ruined community in which numerous people have been killed. To prevent the souls of the departed returning as vengeful undead monsters, summoners are able to perform a ceremony that sends them peacefully to the Farplane (the games equivalent of the afterlife). Yuna performs such a ritual in a surprisingly serene and majestic sequence that sees her dance as the pyreflies (visual representations of the dead) pass on peacefully, all whilst a bewildered Tidus looks on in awe. It's one of just many beautiful scenes that litter Final Fantasy X's long storyline, but is certainly one of the best given its timeliness, demonstrating to players that Yuna can be a bastion of hope in a world that has already seen so much despair and destruction in the few hours that they have been familiar with it.
58. Motorcycle Chase (VII)
'May I suggest that we think of a way to get out of here?'
Soon after being hired by Barret at the start of Final Fantasy VII, Cloud becomes separated from his newfound companion and his childhood acquaintance Tifa when they are ambushed by Shinra operatives on a mission. Sent plummeting into the slums, he winds up in a church and is found by Aeris, much like his friend Zack once was. The two are unaware that they are actually connected through Zack, but form a makeshift alliance when Aeris is pursued by Reno of the Turks and is eventually kidnapped after reuniting Cloud with his allies, prompting a rescue. Knowing that Aeris has been taken to the Shinra headquarters, the tower that dominates the skyline of the city of Midgar, the trio infiltrate the facility and find her, joining forces with a captive wolf-like beast named Red XIII in the process. The group are captured themselves shortly after, however, though their captivity is short-lived when Sephiroth, introduced for the first time five years after his supposed death, pays the facility a visit in a successful search for the body of Jenova, the alien being whose cells live within him. Following a trail of blood, the party are soon pursued again when Shinra's President Rufus orders their recapture and detention after being bested in combat by Cloud. Not allowing themselves to be taken a second time, the party flee the scene, with Barret, Tifa, Aeris and Red XIII commandeering a car as Cloud goes full-on macho and locates a motorcycle, cutting down pursuer after pursuer with his sword to facilitate their safe escape. Mini-games are a dime a dozen in the Final Fantasy series, but this one was rare in that it was both enjoyable and plot relevant, showcasing Cloud's combat skills in excellent fashion.
57. Kuja Leaves Burmecia (IX)
'Now what do we have here...? Another filthy rat, and...Hmm...This boy could become a problem...'
The character of Kuja is the primary antagonist in Final Fantasy IX (provided we all agree to forget that the ridiculous Necron ever existed), though comparatively little becomes known about him or his intentions until late on in the game. He (who looks like a she, at times) first appears seemingly as a minion of the warmongering Queen Brahne, providing her with weapons (such as the black mages) to use against the cities of the world of Gaia. It later transpires that Kuja is an otherworldly being, having been artificially created on a failing planet called Terra by its overseer, Garland, with the intent of being used as an 'Angel of Death' to kill people on Gaia, allowing their souls to be replaced with the ones belonging to the inhabitants of Terra (who have waited in stasis for thousands of years awaiting rebirth) after Garland's planned assimilation of the two planets. Discovering that he was considered a pawn by Garland, who intended to dispose of him due to his remorselessness and the power of his will, Kuja defied his master, kidnapping the second 'Angel of Death' (who turns out to be lead character Zidane) created to succeed him and abandoning him on Gaia as a child, before continuing his mission to create death (by manipulating Brahne to incite warfare) with the ultimate intent of overthrowing his creator and ruling over both planets. Long before any of this is revealed, however, he makes his first appearance, which is the one that lives longest in the memory. Witnessing Zidane and his companions Freya, Vivi and Quina succumb to defeat in a battle against Beatrix, he observes the floored Zidane briefly, hinting at a connection between the two before making a visually impressive exit aboard his silver dragon mount.
56. Defying The Occuria (XII)
'I am no false saint for you to use!'
The character of Reddas is perhaps the most intriguing of Final Fantasy XII's three major guest characters, being a former Judge Magister of the Archadian Empire responsible for atrocities involving the use of Nethicite as a weapon before seeing the error of his ways and fleeing to a life of piracy. His intentions are unclear when the party first meet him, but he is an active member of the anti-Archadian resistance movement, which is contemplating open conflict against their enemies but is wary of doing so whilst they continue to possess weaponised Nethicite. Discovering that the Sun-Cryst, a powerful source of the material, is located at the Pharos of Ridorana, he ascends the facility with the party, who seek to use it to destroy the Empire once and for all and return control of the nation of Dalmasca to its Princess, Ashe, who lost her husband Rasler in the Archadian conquest of it. This is also the plan of the godlike Occuria, who wish for Ashe to rule over the world as their figurehead, much as her ancestor King Raithwall had once done. Despite wishing to avenge the loss of her beloved and her Kingdom, however, she ultimately refuses to become their puppet, attempting to destroy the Sun-Cryst despite the fact that the power released by its destruction would claim her life. Knowing that Ashe is more important to the world than he is, Reddas sacrifices himself to destroy the artefact, redeeming himself for the actions of his past and effectively bringing an end to Occurian manipulation of world events as the game enters its final hours.