The party is less than Final Fantasy VI’s diverse cast, but Final Fantasy VII has more of a quality over quantity situation. It allowed for Square to develop a deeper story with only a set amount of characters. Two of which were optional which sort of created some plot hole elements, but that is neither here nor there.
From the main game to the spinoffs to the film adaptations, these characters are some of the most beloved in the franchise. That said, only the original game will be taken into account to minimize the scope and focus in on this class. In no particular order, who among the cast of NPCs are the strongest other than Gaea?
10 Reno
Reno is the first Turk the party will come across in Final Fantasy VII. He’s in pursuit of Aerith but doesn’t do much until the tower section before it blows up. He will be in a boss fight by himself at the tower. He’s never too strong in any confrontation but his confidence and unwillingness to die make him stand out amongst the Shinra ranks.
9 Rude
Rude is about on equal footing with Reno in Final Fantasy VII. However, in the remake, he’s shown to be an even stronger opponent. Who wouldn’t want to have a party member with infinite sunglasses? As said in the intro, only characters introduced in this first game count. But that doesn’t mean other games won’t be brought to light to reference power levels.
8 Elena
Elena shows up in the Advent Children movie but she doesn’t get to fight. She also doesn’t appear in the remake so all of her strength will be purely measured in the original. She’s a newbie and isn’t as prepared to dish out the brutal takedowns compared to Reno and Rude. That said she is a Turk and presumably has the strength to back that title up. Hopefully she will get her shining light in the second part of the remake.
7 Rufus
Rufus only has one boss fight in Final Fantasy VII. It’s not even that hard especially compared to the remake which seemingly rectified not only this character, but his strength as well. Battle prowess aside, Rufus is able to survive a full on collision with a WEAPON blast and survive as seen in Advent Children. If that doesn’t prove Rufus is worth keeping around then there isn’t anything else that can be convincing even if it doesn’t make sense.
6 Hojo
Hojo may seem like a weird choice. He’s only a scientist after all and as a human, as smart as he is, he doesn’t show much power. That is until he transforms at the end of the game.
That may be a bit of a cheat since he does just become an irreversible monster but maybe he could have turned back if he wanted. After all, Vincent can turn into beasts for his Limit Breaks and turn back to normal.
5 Zangan
Zangan doesn’t get much air time in Final Fantasy VII. He can be seen in the flashback with Sephiroth burning down Nibelheim. He’s supposed to be a strong martial arts fighter but dies quickly. One never sees him in fight exactly, but his strength could be shown through Tifa as he was her teacher. It would be interesting to see a training montage flashback with Tifa and Zangan in one of the remake sequels.
4 Dyne
If Dyne can fall down a trench and only loose his arm then surely he can do it again. That is to say even after the fight with Barrett he may still be alive, waiting out there. He’s one of two gun armed men in this universe which is cool to begin with without even knowing that backstory. Like Zangan and Tifa, Dyne being playable in a flashback with Barrett would also be a cool interjection into one of the remake sequels.
3 Godo
Godo is Yuffie’s father. He doesn’t get much limelight in the main story. In fact, one doesn’t have to meet him at all as Wutai is an optional area.
Even after the main quest of this optimal venture, Yuffie can go back and challenge her father and his warrior guardians. Like Hojo, he can somehow transform into a giant monster and a strong one at that. Will Yuffie someday inherit this power as well?
2 Sephiroth
Sephiroth is like some kind of god, or in this case, at least a demonic angel. He keeps coming back no matter how many times Cloud strikes him down in the various iterations of Final Fantasy VII. Can he ever be truly killed? As long as fans demand more of this particular brand, the answer is probably no. Don’t mess with this one winged angel with mommy issues.
1 Zack
Zack is almost on par with both Sephiroth and Cloud. He isn’t playable in the game and doesn’t get a lot of background story. Most of it is optional. That said, sacrificing himself for Cloud is a true test of strength. This is even more true in his prequel game on the PSP, Crisis Core. Hopefully he too will get more playtime in the remake at some point.