When one talks about some of the best video games of all time, then it goes without saying that Final Fantasy VII would be an inevitable part of the conversation. After all, the fact of the matter is that this game single-handedly led to the rise of the golden era of JRPGs on the PlayStation, with SquareSoft leading the charge as the PS1 was graced with a series of amazing role-playing titles that have remained legendary to this day.
There are several reasons why Final Fantasy VII was such a monumental success, and props must definitely be given to the combat and gameplay for freshening things up and allowing players to make a customized party that could tackle a whole host of situations in the most optimal manner possible. Ensuring this was the need of the hour, especially keeping in mind the fact that there are certain encounters in Final Fantasy VII that can completely wipe the floor with the party if the player isn't sufficiently ready to tackle these challenges.
Keeping this in mind, here are some of the strongest monsters in Final Fantasy VII.
10 Dorky Face
While the Dorky Face might technically be the weakest enemy on this list by quite some margin, there's no denying the fact that fighting this enemy can still prove to be a massive pain due to just one incredibly annoying move.
Dorky Face can cast Confuse on every single party member with their Funny Breath attack, turning fights into a complete mess as the player pleads for his party to not do something completely stupid in this addled state. These are one of the few enemies in the game where running away is actually recommended.
9 Iron Man
The Iron Man is Final Fantasy VII's version of the Iron Giant and is probably a victim of the game's infamously poor translation. Regardless, there's no denying the fact that this enemy is still quite a tough cookie indeed.
That being said, the player will mostly fight the Iron Man near the end of the game, meaning that they'll be more than prepared to deal with this foe without facing too much of a problem.
8 Scissors
The Northern Cave is full to the brim with some of the most challenging and annoying enemies in the entire game, and Scissors are a great example of this.
Don't let the simplistic name fool you — these enemies can instantly kill party members and are just a massive pain to deal with, in general.
7 Unknown
The Sunken Gelnika is an optional area that players can explore for some extra goodies... but they should definitely be prepared to deal with some of the hardest enemies in the entire game if they wish to thoroughly roam this area.
The worst enemy in this regard are the Unknowns, who can deal a ton of damage to the party and lead to a premature game over if the player doesn't get their bearings in order before or during this battle.
6 Marlboro
It would be impossible to make a list of the toughest enemies in Final Fantasy VII and not mention one of the most infamous enemies in the entire game that has consistently proven to be a thorn in the side of most Final Fantasy players — Marlboro.
It goes without saying that trying to fight this beast will prove to be a coin flip of sorts — Marlboro's Bad Breath can inflict numerous status effects on the player, which can prove to be rather frustrating indeed.
5 King Behemoth
King Behemoth is one of the toughest enemies in the entire game, and it's fitting that this enemy is fought at the last dungeon in the game.
Its Flare attack is powerful enough as is, but what makes things worse is its Comet2 counterattack, which can completely destroy most players without them even realizing what happened.
4 Dragon Zombie
The enemy that sports the missable Pandora's Box Enemy Skill is easily one of the toughest enemies in the entire game, and a hard fight that most players need to prepare themselves for if they don't want to be bombarded with powerful magical and status effect-inducing attacks.
Its Shadow Flare attack is insanely powerful enough as is... but the massive amount of status effect attacks that the Dragon Zombie has under his belt makes him even more of a threat, forcing the player to bring their A-game in this battle.
3 Master Tonberry
Tonberrys are challenging enough as is, which makes the idea of an upgraded Tonberry horrifying enough as is. This is exactly the emotion that Master Tonberry will strike in the hearts of players who encounter this enemy for the first time.
Along with the classic insta-death attack that it can inflict, Master Tonberry also counters most attacks with Everyone's Grudge — a move that can be lethal in the final stages of the game when this enemy is encountered.
2 Ruby Weapon
It was only a given that the toughest monsters in Final Fantasy VII would be the two legendary Weapons that have become infamous for obvious reasons. Out of these two weapons, Ruby Weapon is somewhat weaker due to a lower HP pool and more manageable challenges... but that's about it.
Having to deal with its tentacles becomes a major headache after a point, and that's not even mentioning the fact that the player needs to enter this battle with two of their party members dead, otherwise Ruby Weapon will just chuck them out of the battle.
1 Emerald Weapon
However, as hard as Ruby Weapon may be, it still doesn't hold a candle to Emerald Weapon, which is easily one of the hardest enemies in Final Fantasy history.
Literally everything in this battle is meant to screw the player over. There's a timer that adds additional pressure to the battle... that is, unless the player equips the Underwater Materia. However, that's also a double-edged sword — Emerald Weapon has an attack called the Aire Tam Storm, which can completely decimate players if they have too much materia equipped.