Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Heroes

Final Fantasy XII’s Vaan probably has the distinction of being the franchise’s most disliked leading character. Bland and contributing little to the overarching story, he was supposedly a relatively late addition to the game, as a teenaged hero was deemed to be more marketable to target audiences than a gruff middle-aged equivalent.

Basch was the game’s lead during initial development and he arguably maintains that role from a narrative standpoint in the finished product, cast as a disgraced knight desperately seeking redemption for his failures and vindication from the crimes attributed to him by the nefarious actions of his brother Gabranth.

Though it could be argued that both Vaan and Ashe are too quick to accept him, given that the main charges against him are the betrayal of the latter’s Kingdom (which incorporated the murder of the former’s brother), Basch is a formidable presence and the parallels between him and his brother, who gradually becomes disillusioned with the tyrannical regime that he has helped to facilitate, is one of the most gripping things to see played out across the game’s runtime.

Fiercely protective of both Ashe and eventually Larsa despite the knowledge that he will always be vilified as honourless, Basch’s eventual prevail over his sorrow and regret is one of the biggest rewards for investing in the game, giving him a well-deserved ending befitting of such a well-crafted character.