Stats are a very important part of most RPGs, and Final Fantasy is no different. Stats determine a character's capabilities and help players figure out what role each party member does best.
One very important stat in many Final Fantasy games is Speed, which is occasionally referred to as Agility or Dexterity. Speed usually determines how fast a character's turn comes up, though it can also affect some other stats like Evasion. Here are some of the fastest Final Fantasy characters in the game with the highest Speed stats.
8 Krile Mayer Baldesion – Final Fantasy 5
Stats in Final Fantasy 5 are fairly unique: they do not increase on level up, meaning a character's stats remain the same from level 1 to 99. The only way to increase stats is to master jobs, after which a character will receive a permanent bonus to their stats. Since all characters can use the same jobs, this means most characters have the capability to be the fastest character in the party.
However, of the five playable characters in the game, Krile Mayer Baldesion has the highest base Agility, which means she can reach the highest speed out of all the characters. This makes Krile the fastest character in the game with her Agility of 28, though it is not by much.
7 Balthier – Final Fantasy 12
The sharpshooting sky pirate Balthier is the fastest character in Final Fantasy 12, with his Speed capping at 38 when he reaches level 99. Since Speed determines how fast the action bar fills in Final Fantasy 12, having high speed can give Balthier the edge in tight situations.
Speed also increases the damage of certain weapons, such as bows, ninja swords, and daggers. It also determines the chance for a character to land a counterattack should they be capable of that ability. If a player wishes to utilize such weapons or abilities, Balthier is most likely the best option.
6 Irvine Kinneas – Final Fantasy 8
Final Fantasy 8 has a very unique system that doesn't rely on level-ups to increase a character's stats. As a result, a character's base stats generally don't change much just by leveling up. This makes Irvine the fastest character in the game with a Speed of 39 at max level.
The best way to increase stats in Final Fantasy 8 isn't by leveling up, but by junctioning. By junctioning the many Guardian Forces that appear throughout the game, players can increase their characters' stats depending on how they wish to allocate them. While any character can increase Speed like this, Irvine is most likely to have the highest potential Speed.
5 Locke Cole – Final Fantasy 6
The self-titled treasure hunter Locke Cole is one of a myriad of characters that appear throughout Final Fantasy 6, and among them all, he is the fastest, with a Speed stat of 40. While equipping magicite can certainly be used to increase stats, there are very few magicite that help to boost Speed.
Speed determines how fast the ATB gauge fills up, meaning that faster characters can take their turns more often. With very few ways to increase speed, and stats not increasing on level-up, Locke's high Speed can be very valuable in a pinch.
4 Zidane Tribal – Final Fantasy 9
The sprightly thief Zidane Tribal is unsurprisingly the fastest character among the cast of Final Fantasy 9. Stats in Final Fantasy 9 do not increase very much with just levels, but Zidane still manages to beat out the rest of the cast with his Speed of 32.
Equipment plays a big role in character development, as they boost stats and also teaches characters new abilities. Equipment can help Zidane boost his Speed all the way to the max of 50, which not only makes him take his turns faster but also improves the damage of his Thievery skill.
3 Edge Geraldine – Final Fantasy 4
The ninja prince of Eblan is a shoo-in for the fastest character in Final Fantasy 4, with his base Speed reaching 54 by the time he reaches level 70. Speed in Final Fantasy 4 doesn't just increase the rate at which the ATB gauge fills, but also how fast spells are cast. That gives Edge a boon when he uses his various ninjutsu skills.
Final Fantasy 4 has a unique mechanic in which characters past level 70 will start receiving stat upgrades at random. For Edge, who already has extremely high speed, this can mean that his Speed can go as high as 99 provided he is extremely lucky with his growth.
2 Rikku – Final Fantasy 10
Final Fantasy 10, unlike most Final Fantasy games, is completely turn-based. As a result, Agility does not determine how fast the ATB gauge moves but how many turns a character gets. A character with considerably high Agility could potentially gain multiple turns before an enemy could even get one.
While the sphere grid can potentially allow any character to obtain all of the various abilities and stats boosts available, Rikku's path on the grid sports the most Agility nodes, giving her an Agility of 60 once she obtains all the Agility nodes on her path. While all characters can eventually max out the entire grid and max out Agility, Rikku will serve as the fastest party member in the game for a long time.
1 Red XIII – Final Fantasy 7
As in many games, Dexterity determines how fast a character's ATB gauge fills up, as well as boosts their physical evasion. Stats in Final Fantasy 7 have random growths, meaning the same character can have slightly different stats throughout various playthroughs.
While that variation can cause differences in actual results, Red XIII is theoretically the fastest character in the game, with his Dexterity generally hovering between 71 and 78. With his incredibly high Dexterity stat, Red XIII is easily not only the fastest character in the game, but one of the fastest characters in the franchise.