Final Fantasy is one of the most beloved JRPG franchises of all time, featuring a wealth of amazing characters and epic storylines that will take players on grand adventures. The scope of the story evolves over time, with the bosses ranging from usual dungeon monsters to a variation of god that appears at the end of the game.
However, while the villains of Final Fantasy are pretty heinous in their own right, this doesn't mean that the heroes are completely infallible by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, some of the heroes in this series have committed their fair share of atrocities... even if they were manipulated or controlled into doing the same.
8 Cid Repeatedly Abusing His Wife (Final Fantasy 7)
Every Final Fantasy has a Cid who fulfills the role of a mechanic and aids in the acquirement of an airship in some way or the other. Sometimes, a version of Cid can also be recruited into the party, with Final Fantasy 7 being a great example of the same.
However, the Cid in this game is far from a stand-up dude. After his endeavors to go to space were halted by Shinra, he became a bitter old man who verbally abused his life while drinking like a madman!
7 Terra Carrying Out The Will Of The Gestahlian Empire (Final Fantasy 6)
While Final Fantasy 6 may not have a main protagonist per se, many people feel that Terra fits this bill since she's the first character to be introduced in the game. However, she didn't really endear herself to the audience, given that she was actively helping the empire carry out its reign of tyranny.
Of course, there's a huge asterisk attached to this — Terra was being controlled by a slave crown created by none other than Kefka himself! It's only after she's freed from the influence of this item that she manages to fight back against Emperor Gestahl and the empire for good.
6 Barret And AVALANCHE Carrying Out Acts Of Terrorism (Final Fantasy 7)
For what it's worth, Barret had his heart in the right place when he decided to fight back against Shinra's tyranny. However, the manner in which he went about it is questionable at best.
The man gathered a bunch of eco-terrorists to blow up reactors and destroy structures, which could potentially kill many innocents if these massive explosions led to unexpected casualties. The fact that Barret committed all these atrocities yet is still labeled as a good guy is hard to understand, even if his heinous activities pretty much stop after players leave Midgar.
5 Noctis Pushing Prompto Off A Train (Final Fantasy 15)
Noctis is a pretty immature protagonist, being born with a silver spoon and having people around him who took care of him. As a result, there are times when he comes off as a spoiled brat throughout the events of the game, especially after Ignis loses his sight and Noctis doesn't really apologize to his friend for making this sacrifice.
The events of the train ride are pretty harrowing, with Noctis even going so far as to push Prompto off the vehicle after confusing him for Ardyn! However, this turns out to be a blessing in disguise for Prompto, who teams up with Aranea and realizes the truth of his existence.
4 Cloud Gives The Black Materia To Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)
The dynamic between Cloud and Sephiroth is an interesting one, with the latter having the ability to manipulate the Jenova cells in Cloud to make him do his bidding at times. The first instance of this is seen when the one-winged angel almost compels Cloud to kill Aerith, before ultimately deciding to do the deed himself.
However, in one particular instance, Cloud is manipulated into pretty much destroying the world itself after he hands the Black Materia to Sephiroth. He had managed to fight off this brainwashing attempt before, so it's a shame that Cloud didn't manage to do this at a time when the fate of the entire Planet was hanging in the balance!
3 The Entire Party Agreeing To Sacrifice Yuna (Final Fantasy 10)
During the events of Final Fantasy 10, Tidus' cluelessness serves as a great way to educate the player about the world of Spira and its traditions. However, one revelation that comes pretty late in the events of the game is the fact that Yuna is a Summoner who must give up her life to take Sin out.
Suffice it to say, Tidus doesn't accept this fate and promises to save Yuna while eliminating Sin once and for all. However, this begs the question — why were the other party members totally okay with sacrificing their close friend?
2 Cecil And Kain Destroying The Town Of Mist (Final Fantasy 5)
The King of Baron is actually one of the Archfiends in disguise, who manipulates Cecil to carry out heinous acts of violence against innocent people over and over again. After finally questioning his orders, Cecil is dismissed from his position and sent along with Kain to the town of Mist with a sinister package.
Not only do their actions lead to the death of Rydia's mother, but the duo carelessly opens the package and unleashes a bunch of Bombs on the village that burn everything in sight. Cecil may have been tricked into this act... but he should've still known better.
1 Celes Serving The Empire For Quite Some Time (Final Fantasy 6)
Celes is a fascinating character, and watching her romance with Locke blossom into something meaningful makes for a great time indeed. However, there was a time when Celes serves as a general in the empire's army, meaning that she's probably carried out some serious atrocities firsthand.
While it's great that she finally questioned the motives of Emperor Gestahl, surely that should've happened eons before she even ascended to the rank of General? That being said, it's really hard to hate Celes for this reason, given how she's easily one of the best characters in the game.
Final Fantasy 16 is set to release on June 22 for PS5.