Final Fantasy: 25 Greatest Heroes

The end of Final Fantasy Tactics is still under debate almost twenty-five years on from its initial release. Orran, almost the only character of any note left standing at the end of the game, witnesses Ramza and his sister Alma ride off into the sunset on chocobos during the latter’s bodiless funeral, but it is never made clear if this is just a figment of his imagination.

Ramza certainly deserved to live, but absolutely nobody got a happy ending in Tactics. His sacrifice to bring peace to a world that would not acknowledge him for it, ultimately branding him a minor heretic in the annals of history, would be in keeping with the selfless heroism that he displays throughout the game.

Seemingly the only sane man in a mad world, Ramza is unwittingly caught between the various factions and entities vying for control of Ivalice and its people. Driven by the eradication of injustice, it could be argued that he is just a generic ‘good guy’, but the repeated burdens that he shoulders elevate him far above such an archetype.

From the betrayals of his best friend and eldest brother and his forced fratricide of his other brother through to epic showdowns with the likes of Argath, Wiegraf and Folmarv, Ramza’s resoluteness in the face of endless adversity is commendable and there is never a dull moment experiencing Tactics’ breathtaking story through his eyes.