7 most overrated party members in Final Fantasy history

Everyone has a favorite Final Fantasy party member, but some of them really feel like they’re overrated. A few just have a lot of hype, while others have an aesthetic that is incredibly popular among the fanbase. Whether they have a tragic backstory or just a skillset that appears to be overpowered, we’re going to look back at a few characters that just don’t live up to the hype.

Of course, this is just one writer’s opinion, so your thoughts on overrated party members in Final Fantasy may vary. I looked at what the party members can do compared to similar character archetypes - Dragoons, Gunmen, Mages, et cetera - to determine if they belonged on this list.

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

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Which Final Fantasy party members are the most overrated?

1) Tidus (FF10)

Final Fantasy 10 is easily one of my favorites in the franchise, but honestly? Tidus really isn’t that great. He has a few things that are really valuable in his skill tree, but that’s it.

Quick Hit and Hastega are amazing abilities, but other than that? At best, he gets Haste and Cheer. Other melee characters are better than him and have more potent baseline abilities - like Auron. Or just use Yuna, the team’s real powerhouse.

His ultimate weapon isn’t worth getting - you can just make a similarly powerful weapon or use a different party member. Tidus might be the primary protagonist, but before too long, you can use Wakka or Kimahri to be your speed-based melee and Auron for everything else.

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2) Mog (FF6)

Final Fantasy 6’s Mog is an adorable little slamdancer. Without him, you can’t recruit one of the two optional characters: Umaro! Other than that, his moveset is a bit too chaotic for my liking. It also requires you to do some potentially very serious backtracking; after all, you can miss one of his dances permanently.

If you don’t take the time to bring him to one of the World of Balance’s rivers, he’ll never get Water Rondo. He can also fail on dance attempts outside of the genome he’s on, and you get zero control over what he uses. This might be one of the best games in the series, but it has a few mediocre characters.

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3) Irvine Kinneas (FF8)

I like Irvine Kinneas as a character; his background makes him interesting, and it was kind of nice to have a sniper/sharpshooter in the party. That’s a pretty rare slot to fill in a Final Fantasy game. Sure, his Limit Break to use Fast Ammo is pretty fantastic, but is it worth the grind?

Not really. Farming special ammo is really quite frustrating, and when it can only used in very specific situations? Not really crazy about that. Even Zell and Selphie are more useful than Irvine. He might look cool, but that coolness is only skin deep.

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4) Quina Quen (FF9)

Blue Mages really vary wildly in their power levels in the Final Fantasy franchise. Honestly, Quistis, Quina, and Kimahri all felt mediocre when it came to their overall power levels. Only using rages occasionally just felt disappointing instead of powerful.

Quina is amazing when you first recruit her, but she falls off very swiftly. Her stat growth isn’t anything to write home about; enjoy the hungry Blue Mage while she’s relevant because it won’t last that long compared to the rest of her team.

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5) Kain Highwind (FF4)

Kain Highwind has an incredibly powerful impact on the overall narrative of Final Fantasy 4. His needs and desires are powerful, and this allows him to be mind-controlled by Golbez to serve Zemus’ evil plans. This means that for a large chunk of FF4, he’s barely in the game.

You have him for the first hour or so, and then he appears as an antagonist and ultimately rejoins the party again - only to leave one final time. Even his ultimate gear, the Dragoon/Dragon armor set, isn’t exclusive to him - Cecil can wear it too. However, Kain cannot wear the Crystal Armor.

He does solid damage, but he pales in comparison to what Cecil can do with just an Avenger Sword.

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6) Edgar (FF6)

At the beginning of Final Fantasy 6, Edgar feels godlike. He has your first free AOE attacks - Crossbow, Bio Blaster, Sound Blaster, Flash. Unlike the Mtek attacks, you get to keep what Edgar has to offer. He’s also fantastic at dealing single-target damage with Drill and Chainsaw.

That said, by the time you get him back in the World of Ruin, he’s another mediocre member of the party. While you can make his stats be anything you want, his Tools can’t compare to the other more basic combos that anyone in the game can use.

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7) Vincent Valentine (FF7)

Sorry, Final Fantasy 7 fans, but I’m just going to be honest: Vincent Valentine isn’t really as great as you say he is. He has an amazing aesthetic, and he also wields shotguns. I get the appeal. He’s a moody vampire players can recruit if they want to - he is optional and missable in FF7. He’s often used on my teams, especially when grinding the Arena in the Gold Saucer.

What makes him so mediocre, though? His Limit Breaks. While sure, having the right one in the right situation can be great. Again, though - it comes down to a lack of control.

If he could pick from all his forms without having to set a specific Limit Level, that might help. The lack of control during his Limit Breaks really dampens how useful he is in any given situation.

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This is just one writer’s opinion on the most overrated Final Fantasy characters of all time. With each new entry, however, this list could change. It also depends on what you value in your party members.