Final Fantasy 9 Has The Greatest Ensemble Cast In JRPG History
JRPGs are made by their characters. You can have extravagant worlds to explore and dense battle systems to learn, but if the personalities that underpin each passing moment aren’t pulling their weight you might as well throw in the towel. It matters more than you think.
Bravely Default 2 is a perfect example of a cast falling short. The game’s gorgeous visuals and engaging combat shine, yet the characters it expected me to fall in love with were so boring that I didn’t even bother seeing things through to the end. Eternal Sonata, Resonance of Fate, and every Star Ocean game for the past 15 years are also guilty of this shortcoming.
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Final Fantasy has seldom fallen victim to boring characters and stale worlds however, with Square Enix understanding that each entry needs to feel fresh, exciting, and subversive in the face of whatever came before it. Granted I’ll never be a super stan of 8 or 13, but I can still look at everything they’ve accomplished and understand what the team was aiming for.
Despite not gelling with specific entries, they were still so easy to appreciate as thousands of other fans gravitated towards them. Whether it’s a main entry, a sequel, spin-off, or bizarre side project, Final Fantasy very rarely falls short when it comes to exemplifying its own creativity. There is a reason it remains the biggest JRPG franchise on the planet, a name with household recognition that its publisher is always eager to continue building upon.
In a series filled with high points, Final Fantasy 9 will forever remain my favourite. It’s a love letter to an older time in the genre's history modernised with timeless visuals, a heartfelt narrative, and an
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