5 best animal companions in Final Fantasy history

Final Fantasy has a wealth of adorable and helpful animals across the franchise, but some are simply more useful than others. Some sacrifice themselves to help the party in tight situations, while others provide the most powerful attacks through the course of a game.

Animals have been helping the Warriors of Light since Final Fantasy 2, when beavers aided the heroes in the acquisition of the Goddess Bell. While not every animal across the series does as much as these, they’re all certainly worth taking note of. Animal characters and companions are just as important as the humanoid members of a team.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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Which are the best animals in the Final Fantasy franchise?

For this list, an animal or group of animals that were in the game itself and assisted the party in some fashion will be considered. Humanoid races like the Ronso don’t quite make the cut, nor does Mog from FFVI, but the Moogles themselves as a whole can.

Quite a few animal companions and allies almost made the cut for a variety of reasons. For example, Interceptor from FFVI does lots of damage and protects Shadow from being attacked in a great many instances.

However, there’s nothing to Interceptor other than being a dog and showing up to parry for Shadow. Shadow also spends such a small portion of his time in the party, which also leads to him not making the cut.

Sazh’s Chickabo companion is another one worth mentioning. The Chickabo may not do anything to help the party, but it brings some light and warmth to an otherwise incredibly grim and dark Final Fantasy entry.

Best Final Fantasy animal companions

• Boko (FFV)
• Syldra (FFV)
• Moogles (FFIX)
• Sant’ Angelo di Roma (FFVIII)
• Red XIII (FFVII)

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5) Boko (FFV)

Bartz Klauder’s trusty friend and ally, Boko, is one of the most helpful and useful friends in Final Fantasy V. In the early bits of the game, he shows up to ferry Bartz and his party across a few areas and even winds up having a family.

Boko and Koko mate, having cute little Chocobo chicks, and the yellow bird continues to aid the party throughout the game. Though players cannot cross many bits of terrain while riding Boko, there are no random encounters. He also aids the party in finding the Mirage Vest, which is a powerful piece of armor.

Thanks to this first appearance of Boko, he wound up becoming a staple of the franchise, showing up in several other Final Fantasy games over the years.

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4) Syldra (FFV)

The faithful companion of Faris Scherwiz, Syldra, is a Sea Dragon (also called a Hydra, despite having one head). Though Syldra cannot speak, Faris always seems to know what her friend is thinking. Syldra also pulls around Faris’ pirate ship in Final Fantasy V, for the brief time the party has access to it.

Before FFV, Syldra saved Faris’ life, and the two bonded as a result. The sea dragon did her part in the story as well, saving the party from Walse Tower as it was sinking, resulting in a heartbroken Faris. Even in death, Syldra helped the party, becoming a level 4 summon for the group. While terribly sad, the sea dragon is useful long after she passes on.

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3) Moogles (FFIX)

While many Moogles can speak throughout the series, the Moogles in Final Fantasy IX are especially helpful. The Mognet system allows players to send and deliver letters to a variety of Moogles throughout the world, and Stiltzkin often shows up to sell items to the party.

Completing the Mognet side quest also gives the party Kupo Nuts and the Protect Ring and is also a requirement for the Ocean Chocobo.

Among the Moogles are Artemicion, the head of Mognet, Mene, who serves as the only friend to Choco (of the Hot and Cold minigame), and Mog. Mog is a female Moogle that has an unusual orange pom-pom, and hangs out with Eiko.

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2) Sant’ Angelo di Roma (FFVIII)

Though the player in Final Fantasy VIII can rename Angelo to whatever they want, she serves as Rinoa Heartlily’s pet and is a part of her Limit Breaks. Angelo can also show up on her own throughout the game in combat. Players can learn new moves for it via Pet Pals magazines and can be set via Rinoa’s status screen.

Angelo helps other party members too. There’s a chance that the dog will show up in combat to counter when one of the party members is attacked. Rinoa has several iconic attacks starring her dog. Angelo Cannon, Angelo Strike, Invincible Moon, and Wishing Star.

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1) Red XIII (FFVII)

A beast with fire-red fur, Red XIII (or Nanaki) calls Cosmo Canyon home and is a proud warrior, like his father before him. He was captured by Professor Hojo and tattooed with the designation he uses in Final Fantasy VII, Red XIII. He’s more of a guest character in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, but there’s no telling if that will change in the future.

He has one of the best songs in the entire game, and his Limit Breaks are incredibly useful. He starts off with the mediocre Sled Fang but then receives Lunatic High, which hastens the party and increases his own personal defense.

Later, he receives multi-hit moves like Earth Rave and finishes up with the powerful Cosmo Memory attack. That area-of-effect move hits for 7.8125x his normal weapon damage, so it has the potential to be devastating to a group. Red XIII is a loyal ally, and while he’s a party member, he’s also an animal, allowing him to make the list.

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There are plenty of animal creatures in the Final Fantasy franchise that help in a wide variety of ways. Some join the party. Others are just abilities that the party can call upon, such as FFV’s “Animals” ability.

No matter where they come from, animals that help the heroes against the forces of evil are always going to be a welcome addition to any game.