Among other things, the Final Fantasy franchise is known for its fantastic main protagonists. The likes of Cloud, Tidus, and Lightning have all helped to dramatically improve their respective outings, as too have some of the many party members who have helped them to achieve their goals. Whether or not certain playable characters pitch in at all though can sometimes depend entirely on the player.
Several of the series' mainline installments feature optional party members, who players can go out of their way to recruit in order to give themselves a little extra firepower. With the high cost of voicing characters and the shift towards more narrative-driven gameplay, optional party members aren't really a thing in modern Final Fantasy games, but there are still plenty of memorable ones in some of the older titles.
5 Gogo (Final Fantasy 6)
If Lost taught the world anything, it's that mystery for the sake of mystery does not equate to good storytelling. Even so, it's difficult not to be just a little curious about the origins and motivations of Final Fantasy 6's Gogo. The genderless being lives inside a giant purple sandworm known as the Zone Eater and can only be recruited by allowing the party to be swallowed whole by the terrifying creature to gain access to its insides.
Unlike other party members, Gogo is given no real backstory, neither in the game itself nor in any of its supplementary material. It doesn't speak much either, and, at the end of the game, appears to return to the Zone Eater's belly to live out the rest of its days in solitude. It's worth recruiting though, as Gogo is not just one of the strangest Final Fantasy party members ever created, but also one of the most unique thanks to its fantastic Mime ability.
4 Vincent (Final Fantasy 7)
Vincent may be the most well-known optional party member in Final Fantasy history, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best. He's not too far from it though. The former Turk can be found sleeping in a coffin down in the basement of the Shinra Mansion in Nibelheim and agrees to lend his gun to the party's cause in order to put a stop to Sephiroth and Hojo once and for all.
Though there is some interesting lore connected to the character (which is explored in a lot more detail in the 2006 spinoff, Dirge of Cerberus), Vincent is one of the worst party members in Final Fantasy 7 due to his awkward limit breaks. Vincent's Ultimate Weapon, the Death Penalty, is also fairly underwhelming when players first get their hands on it, although, with a considerable amount of grinding, it does have the potential to be the very best weapon in the game.
3 Mog (Final Fantasy 6)
Together with Chocobos, Tonberries, and Cactuars, Moogles are seen by many as one of the main mascots of the Final Fantasy franchise. Perhaps the most famous Moogle is Mog, whose first appearance came in Final Fantasy 6, which, almost three decades later, remains one of only a handful of titles in which Moogles have been playable. That said, players will need to go a little out of their way a little if they want to recruit him.
The first opportunity that players will get to recruit Mog is in the World of Balance, where they'll need to rescue him from Lone Wolf in the Narshe Mines. After the Cataclysm, they'll again be able to find Mog in the mines, even if they failed to recruit him before the world's destruction. Mog isn't the only playable Moogle in Final Fantasy 6 either, with ten more of them showing up as guest characters to help rescue Terra during the early stages of the game.
2 Yuffie (Final Fantasy 7)
Unlike Vincent, finding Yuffie in Final Fantasy 7 requires a certain degree of luck. She'll randomly appear in certain forests on the world map, after which, players will need to select the right dialogue options in order to recruit her to the party. Doing so is highly advised, as it grants access to a whole new side quest in the Wutai area in which players can gain access to the Trine Enemy Skill, not to mention a whole lot of lore.
Though Yuffie has always been popular among certain sections of the fandom, her starring role in the INTERmission DLC for Final Fantasy 7 Remake helped to provide an extra layer of depth to the character, making her infinitely more likable. The DLC episode also fleshed out Yuffie's combat style and abilities quite a bit, making it feel a lot more unique and a lot more fun to use than it was in the original game.
1 Shadow (Final Fantasy 6)
What a lot of people may not realize is that pretty much all of the possible party members in Final Fantasy 6 are optional to a certain degree. This is because, following the great Cataclysm, players only need Celes, Setzer, and Edgar to complete the game. Of course, they do have the option of re-recruiting ten of the other eleven possible party members if they so wish. Shadow is a little different, however.
Shadow can be recruited at numerous points throughout the story, but it's also possible to kill him off for good by failing to wait for him before fleeing the floating continent. This would be a real shame, as Shadow is one of the coolest characters in the series and even comes with his own dog, Interceptor. He also boasts the highest Evasion stat in the game and excels in both the Speed and Strength departments, making him a useful addition to any team.