15. Bahamut Versus Alexander (IX)
'It's so beautiful...Alexander...the legendary Eidolon...So, you wish to defend the castle with your brilliant wings? How admirable...your powers even transcend Bahamut's...Alexander, I've been waiting for you'
The summonable beings known as Eidolons are utilised as a powerful weapon by Brahne and subsequently Kuja during the events of Final Fantasy IX, as the former uses their power to destroy cities on the planet of Gaia and the latter seeks to utilise them in his mission to overthrow Garland and take his place as the ruler of the planet of Terra. One of the most powerful is Bahamut, which Brahne attempts to use on Kuja when he turns on her, only for him to take possession of it and use it to kill her instead. He then proceeds to use the being in an attempt to kill Brahne's daughter, Garnet, (who poses a threat to him as an individual capable of summoning herself), whilst her guardians Steiner and Beatrix are preoccupied with his Mistodon minions. Her fellow summoner, Eiko, (whose community, a home of summoners, was destroyed by Kuja before the start of the game), returns to her side after a trip to the city of Treno with Zidane, however, helping Garnet to summon the seraphic robot Alexander. Alexander and Bahamut, two iconic summons of the series that represent the forces of light and darkness respectively, proceed to duke it out in a blistering sequence. Alexander prevails by blasting his opponent with a beam of holy light, only to be obliterated himself soon after by Kuja's creator, Garland, who has caught wind of his creation's plan and is trying to stop it. Watching the two fight is simply breathtaking, though it is somewhat disappointing that Alexander can never be summoned by the party in battle as a result of his destruction (though Bahamut can).
14. Vincent's Lie (VII)
'Lucrecia...Sephiroth is dead...'
Unlike most of the other love stories featured throughout the series, Vincent Valentine's is one-sided, as he harboured an unrequited affection for a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent several decades prior to the beginning of Final Fantasy VII. His rival for her affections was Hojo, who married and impregnated Lucrecia before experimenting on their unborn child, who became Sephiroth. Opposed to the use of humans as test subjects, Vincent confronted Hojo, only to be shot. Rehabilitated by Lucrecia, Vincent believed himself responsible for an illness she developed shortly after Sephiroth's birth, sealing himself away in a coffin as penance, where he can be found by the party after thirty years of solitude. Learning about what Sephiroth has become and how he may encounter Hojo once again, he joins their fight and can reunite with Lucrecia, who has lived in solitude in a cave for a considerable amount of time after being left by her husband and never allowed to even hold her son, having failed to succumb to death even after a suicide attempt because of the Jenova cells in her body. Asking Vincent about the fate of Sephiroth, who she frequently dreams about, he doesn't have the heart to tell her the horrifying truth, lying to the woman he has loved for so long in an attempt to preserve her already ruined psyche. If anybody has ever deserved a happy ending for their suffering, its Vincent, though even in Dirge of Cerberus (his own game), he receives almost nothing in the way of consolation for his pain.
13. Garden Versus Garden (VIII)
'We gotta win, no matter what!'
Disc two of Final Fantasy VIII is action-packed almost all the way from start to finish, encompassing a prison break and a missile attack before slowing down to incorporate a lengthy exposition sequence about the backstory of several main characters that feels very convenient and out of place. What follows, however, is perhaps the game's best series of action sequences as the mobile Balamb Garden (the side of good) encounters the also mobile Galbadia Garden, which is playing host to the then-possessed Sorceress Edea and her guardian Seifer (the side of evil). A battle ensues between the two structures, beginning with the party fending off an assault from their adversaries that includes infantry, aerial combat, rocket-propelled motorbikes, jet packs and paratroopers before planning and executing a counterattack. This incorporates a visually spectacular head-on collision, Squall battling an enemy soldier for control of a jet-pack with fighting erupting all around them and the rescue of Rinoa from a near death situation, before Seifer and Edea are eventually located, confronted and defeated. The event is a rollercoaster from beginning to end, and is perhaps the game's finest hour.
12. Cecil Becomes A Paladin (IV)
'Forsake the darkness you once embraced, or the light will find no hold. Vanquish the dark knight! You and he are one no more!'
Cecil Harvey (sounds more like a member of the House of Lords than a hero from fantasy fiction, but I digress) begins Final Fantasy IV as a 'dark knight', wielding the power of darkness in his blade, a weapon that he continues to use even after he sees the error of his ways and wishes to stop his Kingdom of Baron's quest for Crystal acquisition. Washing up on the shores of Mysidia following an accident at sea, he is informed by the magical town's elder that he is still corrupted by darkness and cannot truly succeed on his mission until he casts it aside and accepts the power of light, becoming a 'paladin'. To do this, he is tasked with the ascension of Mount Ordeals, a holy mountain that has a mirrored room at its summit. Entering this room, Cecil is addressed by a mysterious voice that refers to him as 'son' (hinting at his status as a Lunarian) and is pitted against an avatar of his dark knight self in combat. A frustrating part of the game for non-logical players, the only way to emerge victorious in the battle is to refuse to raise a sword against darkness. Cecil does so, conquering his hate and becoming a holy knight, complete with a sword of legend, in the process. The transformation is a somewhat spiritual and surreal moment, but serves as the highly memorable point where Cecil truly becomes a hero, even if his new look does come with the inexplicable addition of blue lipstick.
11. Kuja Destroys Terra (IX)
'Why should the world exist without me? That wouldn't be fair. If I die, we all die!'
To carry out his plan of overthrowing his creator, Garland, and ruling over Final Fantasy IX's two worlds (Gaia and Terra), Kuja initially seeks to use the power of Eidolons, only for Garland to catch wind of his plan and thwart it by destroying Alexander, the most powerful of the beings. This forces Kuja to formulate another plan involving Trance, a powerful magical state brought on by emotional surges. Though without emotions himself, he absorbs several captive souls from the pool of Gaia's deceased (including Queen Brahne) and harnesses the power, wishing to kill enough people and absorb enough souls to sustain the state (which is achieved by party members in battle from time to time in lieu of a Limit Break system) permanently. He travels to Terra, encountering the party after they have fought Garland in battle and kicking his creator from a high ledge before casting a powerful spell and departing. Garland, however, remains omniscient despite dying, speaking to Kuja from the afterlife and informing him that his intentions are meaningless, as he was created mortal and will inevitably die. Kuja rages at this revelation, destroying the entire Terran planet in an impressive sequence before he seeks to do the same to Gaia, his original plan now overruled by his insane wish to destroy all life, as he doesn't believe it deserves to continue without him.