When one talks about some of the most iconic gaming franchises of all time, then it's only a matter of time before the words "Final" and "Fantasy" are strung together in one sentence. Anyone with even the minutest knowledge of JRPGs in the gaming mainstream can understand why this is the case — the Final Fantasy series is considered by many to be one of the most legendary franchises of all time, and one need only look at the hype surrounding the Final Fantasy XVI release to realize just how much people loved this beloved series.
Each Final Fantasy numbered title is a self-contained story with some common elements shared across the series. One such aspect of the series that has remained constant to this day is the monsters featured across the games. Most of these enemies are pushovers that are featured in the early to mid-game of most Final Fantasy titles. However, not every monster is like this — some of these fearsome creatures have consistently served up some of the biggest challenges in Final Fantasy, with the following ten monsters considered by many Final Fantasy fans to be the toughest monsters in the entire series.
10 Bomb
The Bomb is an iconic Final Fantasy enemy that can create instant problems for the party with a massive explosion.
That being said, this extremely damaging move is the only thing in the bomb's arsenal — seasoned Final Fantasy players can easily alter their strategies to take care of these enemies with damaging attacks.
That being said, no one can deny that having this enemy blow up in their face was a very humbling moment that taught them something — the tide of battle can switch instantly in turn-based battles.
9 Ochu
Plant-based enemies end up sporting a deadly combination of a cutting offense and debilitating status effects. The Ochu is a great example of this.
This enemy can prove to be a massive annoyance, especially for players that have already been weathering the storm of random battles for some time.
This enemy would've easily been the most damaging plant-based enemy... had it not been for another legendary monster — the name of which most people have already guessed at this point.
8 Adamantoise
The Adamantoise has had its most powerful iteration present in Final Fantasy XV, which dwarfs most of its other contemporaries that are scattered across the games.
All these enemies can force the players into a fully offensive strategy due to their high defense, but getting lulled into a reckless offense can allow the Adamantoise to exploit weak points in the party, forcing players into a tight corner at inopportune moments.
7 Iron Giant
The Iron Giant is an iconic enemy with a multitude of iterations across Final Fantasy games. These enemies have excellent physical attributes, forcing most players to get into a magical battle with them.
The fact that one of these creatures was used as a superboss in Final Fantasy III's remake should enough to prove just how highly the Iron Giant is regarded in the Final Fantasy series.
6 Catoblepas
The Catoblepas was a fairly strong enemy featured throughout the Final Fantasy series, but — just like the Adamantoise — its status was elevated to a completely different level in Final Fantasy XV.
The Catoblepas normally appears in games as tougher foes that will always give the party a fair challenge, with one misstep in the player's strategy proving to be costly for their chances at surviving this encounter.
5 Cactuar
The Cactuar might look rather amusing at first glance, but don't let that fool you — these cacti have really sharp thorns.
These enemies attack with needles that always cause a set amount of damage, and this value can be so high at times that it even breaks the damage limit at times!
Granted, by one point. But it's still an indication of how dangerous this enemy is.
4 Behemoth
Sporting one of the most iconic monster looks in Final Fantasy, the Behemoth is not an enemy to be trifled with by any means.
This enemy's programming is full to the brim with counters, which means that players either have to play the long game or risk an embarrassing loss by going all-out to defeat this dangerous enemy as soon as possible.
3 Demon Wall
The Demon Wall is almost always featured as a boss — with rare exceptions — which is proof enough of just how powerful this enemy is in the Final Fantasy series.
Most fights with a Demon Wall generally run on a timer that ends with instant death. This makes it imperative to unleash as many damaging attacks as possible so that this enemy doesn't end up triggering a premature Game Over.
2 Tonberry
The Tonberry is in the same vein as the Cactuar — an enemy that may look extremely adorable... until they reveal just how sharp and pointy their attack really is.
In fact, the Tonberry is infinitely deadlier than the Cactuar, especially its upgraded variants. Aside from having an insta-kill move that's as foreboding as one can get, the Tonberry also has a powerful move up its arsenal called "Everyone's Grudge", which hits a party member as a proportion of how many enemies they've killed over the course of the adventure. Since the Tonberry generally comes in the later stages of Final Fantasy games, this move can prove to be quite deadly indeed.
Any person who only uses a set party and never switches would rue the day they encounter a Tonberry.
1 Marlboro
But of course, there was only one enemy who could take over the crown of being the most threatening monster in the history of the Final Fantasy series.
The Marlboro is one of the most iconic enemies in Final Fantasy history... even though the reasons for it might not be appreciated by veterans of the series. This plant-based monstrosity can inflict every single status on all party members with just one infamous move — Bad Breath.
It's this move alone that puts the Marlboro in an entirely different league when it comes to monsters that can be encountered across the Final Fantasy series.