40. The Destruction Of Sector 7 (VII)
'They destroyed an entire village just to get to us! They killed so many people....'
After thwarting the AVALANCE's group destruction of a second Mako reactor early on in Final Fantasy VII, the Shinra Company seeks to permanently eliminate the threat by using a sleazy underworld figure called Don Corneo to obtain intelligence about where its members call home. This happens to be the sector seven slums, a small and insignificant part of one of eight sectors of the city of Midgar, which consists of eight elevated plates inhabited by the affluent that revolve around a central structure (the Shinra building) and stand above polluted shanties inhabited by the impoverished. Shinra's operatives destroy the pillar that supports the sector seven plate, making it fall onto the slums below. The number of fatalities, both rich and poor, is unimaginable and though player characters Cloud, Barret and Tifa manage to avoid the destruction after learning of it and trying to prevent it, their comrades Biggs, Wedge and Jessie (who all look up to Cloud despite his dismissal of their attention) are amongst those killed fighting in vain for the survival of their home. The game needed to do something early on to instil a hatred of Shinra into players, allowing them to share its character's motivations for opposing them. With this, they succeeded, showing that the company are inhumane enough to condemn an eighth of their city to death in order to try and eradicate a mere few troublesome individuals.
39. Cloud Versus Sephiroth, Mark II (AC)
'I will...never...be a memory'
At the start of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, it is unclear why the villainous trio of Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo seek to resurrect Sephiroth by collecting the world's remaining sources of Jenova cells, until it is revealed that they have been formed as physical manifestations of his will from the afterlife. Taking the alien being's head from its holder, Rufus, the trio then proceed to gather citizens (mostly children) of the world who are infected with Geostigma, a new and widespread disease that transpires to have been born from the release of Sephiroth's (and by extension Jenova's) cells into the Lifestream that flows below the planet. Using his body as a vessel, Kadaj becomes Sephiroth, forcing Cloud (himself afflicted with Geostigma) to engage him in combat as he did previously in the game. What follows is a highly impressive and lengthy computer-animated spectacle as the two battle on foot and in the air, all whilst an excellent rearrangement of 'One Winged Angel' plays in the background. Rarely in the series has there been a scene that personifies good versus evil as much as this one does and given the impressiveness of the graphics, it's a shame that it had to end.
38. Squall Rescues Rinoa (VIII)
'I don't want the future. I want the present to stand still. I just want to stay here with you...'
At the start of Final Fantasy VIII, you'd consider it a long shot that stoic protagonist Squall would become part of a love story. After considerable character development over the space of two discs, however, he begins to realise his love for Rinoa, who begins to open up his cold demeanour and have him express his feelings rather than bottle them and suffer in silence. The two are introduced during a beautiful dance sequence early in the game, but they develop a mutual dislike for each other shortly afterwards when she hires him and his companions to assist a resistance movement she is a part of. This is eventually eroded, though the fact that Rinoa was previously in a relationship with Squall's rival Seifer continues to both complicate matters and makes them more interesting. Rinoa is rendered comatose after inheriting the powers of Sorceress Edea, who is broken free from the mind control of Sorceress Ultimecia after a battle with the party. This devastates Squall, who single-handedly carries her to the advanced city state of Esthar in search of a way to wake her up. Storyline developments lead to Rinoa being awakened and then herself possessed by Ultimecia, who makes the young woman release Esthar's former tyrant Sorceress Adel from her tomb in orbit before relinquishing her control and abandoning Rinoa in the cold, black vacuum of space. This prompts a selfless Squall to abandon his own vessel (an escape pod from a lunar base destroyed by Adel's release) to pursue her, leading to an annoying space rescue mini-game that undoubtedly had many throwing their controllers at the screen in frustration. Upon its completion, however, Squall and Rinoa are left alone in an airship, finally free to admit their feelings for one another despite the uncertain future that lies ahead for both of them. There's no actual kiss between the two until the game's ending, but this is certainly the game's most romantic moment and is scripted superbly.
37. The Kiss (X)
'I'll continue. I must. If I give up now...I could do anything I wanted to, and yet...Even if I was with you, I could never forget'
Some call them soppy, but deep down we're all suckers for a good love story and the one featured in Final Fantasy X is unquestionably the deepest and most emotional that has ever been featured in the series. Having reunited with her friends after being rescued from an unwanted wedding, Yuna seeks to be alone when they come to a halt in a forest, wishing to contemplate the future of her journey to defeat Sin after she has been branded both a heretic and a traitor for her actions against the Yevon faith. She is joined in a spring by Tidus, who attempts to talk her out of continuing their quest, wishing for the two of them to be together. Ultimately though, she decides that her responsibility of defeating Sin is too great and she must continue for the sake of the rest of the world, even though it will come at the cost her life and she will not be acknowledged for it. She breaks down into tears, which end only when Tidus moves in to comfort her and their mutual feelings are finally expressed in a long and passionate kissing sequence. Whilst tame, the scene is the furthest that the series has ever gone with regards to displaying romantic affection, serving effectively to emphasise the beauty yet seemingly ultimate futility of the love that the two hold for each other.
36. Tellah Casts Meteor (IV)
'I brought this...on myself...letting hate consume me so... please...avenge...Anna...'
The sage Tellah is something of an oddity in combat in Final Fantasy IV, failing to gain stat points when he levels up. The reason for this is initially unclear when the game's lead character, Cecil, fights alongside him for the first time, which culminates in Tellah confronting the bard Edward over his daughter Anna's death before exiting proceedings. It becomes apparent the second time he is encountered, however, when Tellah states his intention to avenge Anna's death by eliminating Golbez, the man responsible, with the legendary Meteor spell, which he learns but is restricted from using in normal battles due his fixed MP total of 90 (the spell costing 99 to use). Accompanying Cecil on his quest to rescue Rosa from the clutches of Kain and Golbez, Tellah comes into contact with the latter and musters the strength to use the mighty spell just once, severely wounding (but not killing) his daughter's murderer, who flees. Unable to handle the effects of the magic's power in his old age, Tellah passes away out of exhaustion, his quest for revenge unfulfilled and passed on to the rest of the party. Unlike Palom, Porom, Yang and Cid, whose supposed deaths are all later reversed, Tellah is the only character in the game that stays dead, making his passing hit home much harder, particularly considering how pointless it was in the grand scheme of things.