45. Tidus Learns That Yuna Will Die (X)
'Was I the only one who didn't know? Tell me why! Why were you hiding it? Why didn't I know?'
Many games in the Final Fantasy series have explored the existence and development of romantic relationships between characters, from Cecil and Rosa in Final Fantasy IV to Vanille and Fang in Final Fantasy XIII. Considerable emphasis was placed on the growing love between leads Tidus and Yuna throughout Final Fantasy X. It's somewhat unconventional, given that he is from a city that predates her existence by a thousand years, but is believable and far from cringeworthy most of the time (if we all agree to forget the terrible laughing scene). During the game, the party becomes partial to the knowledge that a number of summoners like Yuna have been vanishing during their pilgrimages. They discover that the Al Bhed race are responsible (though it is not initially revealed why) when Yuna disappears following a Sin attack, venturing to the race's desert Home only to find it under attack by the Guado, who have kidnapped Yuna for her marriage to Seymour. During events in this location, other summoners previously encountered during the party's travels, such as Dona and Isaaru, are met as Tidus (something of a 'rabbit in the headlights' given his unfamiliarity with the world) wonders what interest the Al Bhed have in taking summoners in the first place, reasoning that guardians such as himself can protect them. Everybody is silent for several seconds before the bombshell is dropped and it is revealed to him that the completion of Yuna's pilgrimage and the defeat of Sin will come at the cost of her life. Players can easily put this together by themselves (given that every summoner said to have defeated Sin, including Yuna's father, is deceased), but prior knowledge fails to take away any of the magnitude (POP POP!) from the situation.
44. Interactions With Ultros (VI)
'Oh, all right, Uncle Ulty REALLY wants you to paint his portrait!'
What the f**k? That was the likely reaction of many players around the world when, a few hours into Final Fantasy VI, they were accosted by a talking octopus. Little did they know that they had had their first encounter with one of the most humorous (and ridiculous) characters to ever grace the series. Inexplicably appearing at a number of points throughout the game, Ultros doesn't have any motivations for his actions, being more of a nuisance than a true villain. He is nevertheless capable of lightening any scene he is in with his bad jokes and lecherous behaviour towards female party members though. His highlights include working as a receptionist in a coliseum in order to pay off debts, attempting to disrupt an opera with Wile-E Coyote style anvils and trying to steal some golden statues from a cave, the latter of which results in him making party member Relm (a young girl) cry when he refuses to allow her to paint his portrait, relenting when he is berated for this and being defeated by his own image. I don't know who dreamed this guy up (I suspect hallucinogens may have been involved), but their creation has gone down in history as one of the series' most memorable characters.
43. Fighting For Alexandria (IX)
'I cannot face the Princess until we destroy all these beasts. On my honour, I vow to protect the Princess, the citizens of Alexandria, and... Beatrix! I...I shall protect you!'
One of Final Fantasy IX's most notable deaths comes when Queen Brahne, the ruler of Alexandria, is killed by her supposed underling Kuja after she has outlived her usefulness. This prompts the accession of her daughter, Princess Garnet, to the throne, making the outlook for the world optimistic given her capability to reunite its warring nations in peace. Unfortunately, the villainous Kuja isn't willing to let things be so simple, perceiving Garnet as a threat to his scheme to become the ruler of both the Gaian and Terran planets due to her ability to summon Eidolons and seeking to kill her. He does this by calling forth a horde of hideous monsters called Mistodons and commanding them to indiscriminately attack Alexandria. Despite initially possessing a mutual dislike for one another due to their professional rivalry, Steiner (the commander of the lowly Knights of Pluto who joins the player's party at the beginning of the game) and Beatrix (the commander of Alexandria's all-female arm) fall in love with one another soon after Garnet's accession and team up to defend both their home and their Queen, engaging monster after monster in a glorious show of both unity and one-upmanship.
42. Fighting The Aeons (X)
'Strike me down', 'Extinguish me', 'End it right here', 'Please defeat me', 'Soon...eternal rest', 'Take my life', 'Thus I atone', 'Stop the suffering', 'Don't cry', 'Gotta say my goodbye'
In most games in the Final Fantasy series (barring Final Fantasies VI and VIII), summons are merely battle accessories that, whilst awesome to look at, contribute very little to the plot. As Aeons, however, they are an important part of Final Fantasy X, as Yuna travels across the world of Spira to acquire their services. In the game's climax, the player's party ventures inside the monstrous Sin to defeat it from within. At the end, they encounter Sin's creator, Yu Yevon, who proceeds to make things personal by taking possession of every Aeon in Yuna's collection. The tides are then turned as every single one must be fought by the player in turn, with the process made all the more haunting by the fact that each one pleads for the release of death. More tragic still is the fact that the Aeons are all human, being individuals who have voluntarily sacrificed their souls and become sealed in statues as 'Fayth' in a process known only to those that inhabited Zanarkand. Preserved in a permanent dream state, they have offered their services to righteous summoners time and time again in the endless and futile battle against Sin, though their final defeat ensures that after a thousand years they and their counterparts across the world of Spira can finally be at peace. Their downfall also allows Yu Yevon to be engaged and defeated, ending the vicious cycle of his creation once and for all.
41. Wiegraf's Downfall (T)
'I sow the seeds of chaos in the world of men, and reap the anguished cries of the weak. But worry not, Ramza. Yours is a special case. I shall kill you myself!'
First appearing as the leader of the Corpse Brigade, a terrorist group formed by peasant soldiers denied their pay after the Fifty Years War that acts as a precursor to the events of Final Fantasy Tactics, Wiegraf Folles is an ambitious individual that seeks to end the noble classes' control of Ivalice and put power into the hands of the people. He first comes into contact with lead character Ramza when Gustav Margriff, one of his senior officers, makes an unsanctioned kidnap of a high-ranking nobleman and the youngest member of House Beoulve launches a rescue attempt. Bad blood between the two doesn't develop until shortly after, however, when Wiegraf's sister Milleuda confronts Ramza on the battlefield and is slain. This prompts him to try and settle the score, but he flees after failing to best Ramza in battle and seemingly disappears, leading to the disintegration of his organisation. It is not until one year later that he reappears, being approached at his sister's grave by a member of the Knights Templar and convinced that they share his goals of ridding the world of the aristocracy. He later faces Ramza in battle and loses once more, dying only to be revived by the Lucavi in order to flee and return during the Horror of Riovanes. Here, in a tragic turn of events, Ramza tries to convince Wiegraf that Milleuda would not have wanted him to become a monster, only for him to counter that he no longer cares about his sister, his people or his somewhat honourable revolutionary intentions, now wanting only to bring chaos and destruction to the world. This forces Ramza to individually take on the man one final time, finally putting his rival to rest with his dreams unrealised in one of the game's most dramatic and emotional battles.