Magic is a major focal point of the Final Fantasy franchise. Each new game has a unique world built around a distinctive magic system that governs both the narrative and mechanics of the title. Given this central importance, it should be unsurprising that magic users frequently have a starring role in the series, and while almost all party members are capable of various feats of sorcery, some are wizard hat, head, and shoulders above the rest.
It takes more than a high magic stat to stand out from the crowd in Final Fantasy. The following characters are not merely capable of dealing loads of damage with Ultima or Firaga—they perform magical feats that beggar belief and reshape the world around them. In many cases, these characters are defined by their connection to the supernatural, and their magical powers (or burdens) steer the overall course of their respective game.
Square Enix follows certain patterns with their characterization of magic users. While FF protagonists like Squall, Tidus, and Cloud tend to have solid, all-around stats, they are generally better known for their distinctive swordsmanship rather than their wizardry. As a result, Final Fantasy heroines and villains generally compete for center stage where magic is concerned. There are a couple exciting exceptions to these rules, however.
Please note that this article will have SPOILERS for various Final Fantasy games.
Aerith, Rinoa and Other Heroines
A short list of leading ladies with obscene magic abilities include summoners like Rydia and Yuna as well as those hailing from powerful magical bloodlines like Aerith and Terra. Rydia is a pureborn summoner, able to communicate and command eidolons in battle, which proves to be a tide-turning force in Final Fantasy 4. Like Rydia, Yuna possesses the inborn ability to summon powerful divine beasts, known as Aeons, and is fated to die in a ritual to spare her world from obliteration. Aerith helps save Gaia by drawing on her Cetra bloodline to cast Holy (even if the spell has a long wind up). And Terra has become the face of Final Fantasy 6 for good reason. Her half-Esper heritage affords her truly awesome magical powers and is central to the game's plot.
The most powerful of Final Fantasy's maiden mages, however, is arguably Rinoa Heartilly of Final Fantasy 8. Rinoa has the bloodline of a sorceress, which (when certain criteria are met) can transcend and compress time. This potentially apocalyptic power leads the hidden nation of Esthar to attempt to cryogenically seal her away. Fortunately, Squall has the sense to save her, and the party manages to defeat Ultimecia—another sorceress, or possibly Rinoa's unspeakably evil, potential future form, and the game's big bad. At the game's conclusion, Rinoa even manages to rescue Squall from a void between space and time without breaking a sweat.
Kefka, Sephiroth, and Other Villains
The heroes require credible threats to oppose them, however, and in Final Fantasy, that means they must be terrifying forces to be reckoned with. Exdeath, for example, is the exceedingly powerful warlock who serves as Final Fantasy 5's biggest bad. He's something of an Anti-Captain Planet, using evil magic to cause widespread natural disasters that wipe out entire regions of the world. And once he masters the powers of the force known as the Void, he becomes a Thanos-grade threat to reality.
Even though he is most renowned for his elegant swordplay, Sephiroth is another serious contender for most wicked wizard. In the original Final Fantasy 7, He manages to mind control Cloud repeatedly, repeatedly conjures weird horrors from the corpse of Jenova (his dead 'mother'), and uses the Black Materia to summon Meteor: a spell whose attack animation not only destroys Gaia, but its surrounding solar system. Final Fantasy 7 Remake seems to be doing right by the character's powerful legacy so far, but Remake Part 2 has a chance to really raise the stakes with Sephiroth.
There can only be one champion though. While Sephiroth and Kefka duel for the title of best "Final Fantasy Villain," there is at least one region where the clown prince is the undisputed king: magic. Many villains aspire to destroy the world and ascend to godhood—including Sephiroth and Exdeath—only one Final Fantasy villain has truly realized those devilish dreams. Kefka literally becomes the God of Magic, and uses that power to destroy the known world on short order. His evil origin story is also sorcerous, as he was driven insane when he first gained the ability to use magic. Kefka's desire for chaos is equal to the Joker, and possibly crueler. Meteors are cute by comparison.
Vivi, Noctis and Other Heroes
If magic was measured in wholesomeness, there would be no competing with Final Fantasy 9's Vivi, but the kindhearted black mage packs a magical punch regardless. While many characters are frightened by their lack of power, Vivi fears his own destructive capabilities, which serves as the root of his nervousness and lack of self-confidence.  Vivi's glowing eyes and shadow-obscured skin are a visual hallmark of his power—along with a tragically shortened lifespan. Fittingly, his (seemingly) dying words serve as the game's touching final monologue.
Noctis' blood is the source of Final Fantasy 15's magic. The other members in the party have to essentially mooch off of him just to cast spells. Noctis can also summon an entire arsenal of weapons from thin air. He's can also warp from point to point, indefinitely to attack and evade at will. He's also a summoner. When it comes to magic, Noctis' abilities are so over the top that they seem more like super powers than traditional spellcasting.
It is still debatable, however, whether Rinoa's time compression bloodline, or Notcis' fantasy superhero bloodline can stand up to literal, evil godhood. But the old franchise standby of Magical Crystals is making a return in Final Fantasy 16 alongside impressive eidolon entities. Given this setting, and the series' track record of including powerful spell-slingers in every title, it will be interesting to see what surprises the next title holds for would-be wizards.