It would be impossible to talk about some of the most popular and legendary gaming franchises around without mentioning Final Fantasy, a franchise that has been running strong ever since a struggling Square released the first game in this series way back in 1987. The series has shown no signs of stopping anytime since, rekindling the fires of a dying company and helping them achieve immense success, to the point where Square Enix has now become one of the biggest companies in the gaming industry.
Each mainline game features a different story, setting, and — of course — cast. Playing around with the arrangement of the main characters can prove to be quite fun as players try and figure out the best combination of party members that they can bring into battle. This can allow them to discover characters who might seem completely powerless, but end up being massive powerhouses in combat!
Meanwhile, there are characters that people won't stop gushing over online... only for a player to realize that these characters aren't all they're hyped up to be at all. Keeping this in mind here are five of the most overrated party members in the Final Fantasy series, coupled with five of the most underrated ones.
10 OVERRATED: Amarant Coral (FFIX)
For the most part, one can state that pretty much every character in Final Fantasy IX is a viable party member — yes, even Quina. However, there's one sole exception to this golden rule.
Amarant might seem like a cool and powerful character at first glance... but he's nothing more than just a powered-down version of Freya. Players are better off just having the latter in their final party instead of a liability like Amarant.
9 UNDERRATED: Locke Cole (FFVI)
Thieves are the black sheep of the Final Fantasy class system, with most people absolutely hating this particular class for some truly mind-boggling reasons. Their Steal and Mug skills can prove to be extremely useful, and no other character personifies this more than Locke from Final Fantasy VI.
Not only is Locke an excellent character from a story point of view, but his thievery is a massive help in a game like Final Fantasy VI, where some of the best items in the game can only be obtained by stealing them.
8 OVERRATED: Edge Geraldine (FFIV)
The player's party in Final Fantasy IV keeps on changing over time, before finally settling on the final five members that the player needs to use for the rest of the game. For the most part, these party members are excellently scaled in every sense of the word... except for Edge.
Not only is Edge the last party member to join the adventurers — something that is a red flag in most JRPGs — but he also boasts some of the lowest overall damage out of all the party members. While his Throw ability might help salvage his character somewhat, it's still not nearly enough to make players stop hating the sheer uselessness of this character.
7 UNDERRATED: Selphie Tilmitt (FFVIII)
Selphie is one of the more annoying characters in Final Fantasy VIII — a massive achievement, given the overall unlikability of the main cast — which is why most players prefer not using this character in battle at all.
However, Selphie is easily one of the most OP and broken party members because of one ability alone — The End, which defeats each and every enemy in the game without fail. It's incredibly rare to get this ability, but succeeding in doing it can prove to be quite an exhilarating experience indeed.
6 OVERRATED: Irvine Kinneas (FFVIII)
Irvine is another party member that joins last, which is not a good sign at all — something that we've already discussed before. The major reason why most people prefer Irvine is because of his Limit Break, with Fast Ammo hitting for a ton of damage if Irvine's Junctions are near-perfect.
However, grinding out the resources for forging Fast Ammo, coupled with how boring the mechanic feels compared to Zell's Armageddon Fist or Squall's Lion Heart, makes Irvine a rather annoying party member to use.
5 UNDERRATED: Rinoa Heartilly (FFVIII)
Instead of Irvine, Rinoa is a more enjoyable party member to use in battle, which is why it's a shame that most people choose not to keep her in their final party.
Rinoa's Limit Breaks might be slightly more unreliable, but Wishing Star is still extremely damaging. Of course, if the player isn't fine with this situational advantage, they can always just game the system and have Rinoa infinitely cast Meteor while under the effect of Angel Wing, which can deal a ridiculous amount of damage indeed.
4 OVERRATED: Tifa Lockhart (FFVII)
Tifa might be one of the best girls in the Final Fantasy series, but she's absolutely horrid as a party member.
She might have the third-highest Strength potential in the game, but her other stats aren't really anything to write home about. Along with this, there's also the fact that her Limit Break doesn't have a ton of damage potential, as opposed to some of the other hard-hitting moves in the game.
3 UNDERRATED: Yuffie Kisaragi (FFVII)
At a glance, it's easy to see why Yuffie is one of the least-used party members in Final Fantasy VII. Her stats are below average and her character as a whole isn't all that appealing for the player to really bother investing in.
However, it's her ultimate Limit Break that truly redeems her character. All Creation looks absolutely cool and hits for a ton of damage as well. The fact that attaining this Limit Break in itself is quite a memorable affair does redeem Yuffie's character to an extent as well.
2 OVERRATED: Rikku (FFX)
Rikku is beloved by many as one of the best party members in Final Fantasy X, mainly due to her Mix ability. However, using Rikku as a permanent character is only a viable option for completionists or gamers who are opting for a challenge run.
For a normal playthrough, the materials required for Mix can prove to be quite a pain to get, and most players won't even know how to use this ability to its fullest without a proper guide. It's absolutely tedious and sucks out a ton of fun from a brilliant experience.
1 UNDERRATED: Tidus (FFX)
Most people absolutely hate Tidus, going so far as to calling him one of the worst Final Fantasy protagonists of all time. While that aspect of his character might be debatable, there's no denying that he's a massive asset in battle.
His attack output might be nothing to write home about, but his ability to cast Haste early on coupled with the amazing Quick Hit can turn the tide of battle in the blink of an eye.