Romance is part of mostFinal Fantasygames in some shape or form, but not every game includes a romance plot for the main characters. Among the games that do, some of the romances are much more memorable than others. Some romances feel tacked on, while others are some of the most memorable parts of their respective games.
Final Fantasy 7’s romancesare among some of the best known in the franchise, but I actually wouldn’t consider them the best. I also have a soft spot for the retroFinal Fantasygames, even if their stories and romances can sometimes be underdeveloped.The bestFinal Fantasycouples are the ones that have meaningful interactions and good chemistry, while the weakest are the ones that are largely forgettable.
Firion and Maria From Final Fantasy 2
Firion And Maria’s Romance Is Only In The Novel
Final Fantasy 2was the first game in the series that had named party members, so it was alsothe first time a romance between party members was possible. However, it falls short of other major Final Fantasy romances for one key reason: it isn’t actually part of the game.
Final Fantasy 2protagonists Firion and Maria’s romance is only confirmed through the game’s novelizationFinal Fantasy II Nightmare’s Labyrinth, which came out a year after the game itself. If I hadn’t been checking to make sure I didn’t miss any romances on this list i honestly wouldn’t even have known this one existed despite having playedFF2. There may be some subtext that one could pick up on if they played the game knowing the pair was a couple, but I didn’t catch it. So, while this romance involves two important characters, it barely registers as a romance at all and there are many more exciting options inFinal Fantasy.
Noctis and Lunafreya From Final Fantasy 15
Noctis And Luna Don’t Have Much Chemistry
Although Noctis and Luna’s relationship is much more explicit than Firion and Maria, seeing as it’s actually a part of the game’s narrative, it isn’t much more exciting. The marriage is largely political in the story, so maybe it was intentional that the pair don’t have a lot of chemistry. Still, it’s hard to rank the pair over other romances fromFinal Fantasywhentheir interactions are pretty boring.
It doesn’t help that Noctis has more chemistry with other female characters he meets, like Iris, who I’ve seen some players say they prefer as a potential romance for Noctis. As it is, the romance inFinal Fantasy 15doesn’t get too much focus. While it seems like Luna may have some interest in Noctis, it doesn’t seem to be strongly reciprocated from what we see.
Snow and Serah From Final Fantasy 13
Snow And Serah Are Often Separated By The Story
AlthoughFinal Fantasy 13’s protagonist, Lightning, isn’t involved in a romance, I am going to count Serah as a main character, since she is the protagonist ofFF13-2.Serah’s romance with Snow Villiers plays out across the trilogy, and it’s… fine. There isn’t anything that stands out to me as a major downside to it, but there just isn’t much to get excited about. This is because it’s used more as motivation for Snow in the first game (with Serah largely absent), and is sidelined in future installments.
Serah spends most ofFinal Fantasy 13-2traveling through time, and while her and Snow’s relationship isn’t completely absent from the game,it also isn’t a major focus. Serah then spends a lot ofFinal Fantasy 13-3dead or as a spirit. While the pair eventually reunite, we don’t get a lot of time dedicated to their dynamic. There’s just a lot more pining after one another while they’re absent, making the romance feel more like it is just here for plot motivation than because of the characters' chemistry with one another.
Cecil and Rosa From Final Fantasy 4
Cecil And Rosa Are Sweet But Boring
Cecil and Rosa’s relationship inFF4is sweet. They both clearly care about each other a lot, but that’s also what makes it somewhat boring. The only obstacles in the game keeping these two apart are external, so once Rosa is rescued, there isn’t much development for their love story. That’s not to mention the fact that the damsel-in-distress aspect of this plotline is pretty cliche, so I’m docking a few points for that.
Cecil and Rosa’s relationship is the kind you’d probably want in real life (minus the kidnapping and Cecil murdering all the people at the beginning of the game).Two people loving and supporting one another is a good foundation for a relationship. That said, it just isn’t that exciting in terms of romance fiction. It’s more exciting when there’s at least some initial tension between characters, giving the relationship a place to grow. Still, it’s nice to see this pair make it through the game and actually get married, something that not a lot ofFinal Fantasycharacters do on-screen.
Clive and Jill From Final Fantasy 16
Clive And Jill’s Relationship Feels Very Natural
Clive and Jill’s romance inFinal Fantasy 16is pretty understated, butthat works well with the game’s more grounded tone. Clive and Jill are childhood friends, a time-tested trope in romance stories. Given the hardships that both Clive and Jill go through following the game’s first time-jump, it’s nice that they have someone from their past to reconnect with.
Although there are no over-the-top romantic moments,it’s easy to feel the chemistry and affection that these two characters have for one another. It feels like a more natural connection, so there is a bit more subtext here you’ll have to read into, but I think that fits best forFF16. It’s also unique for the franchise, as many of the other romances are more heightened and dramatic in comparison. That isn’t a bad thing in the other games where it fits the tone, but it’s still nice thatFF16mixes things up.
Squall and Rinoa From Final Fantasy 8
Squall And Rinoa Have A Fun Dynamic And A Touching Story
I could easily see someone puttingFinal Fantasy 8’s Squall and Rinoa a bit further down the list if they aren’t a fan of this style of love story. Personally,I’m a big fan of the slap-slap-kiss dynamic where characters start out butting heads but eventually get together. I like that Squall and Rinoa’s relationship actually starts out with some mutual attraction when they dance early on in the game, but then when they meet again they don’t initially get along.
Maybe it’s theStar Warsreferences present when you first meet the Forest Owls, but Squall and Rinoa’s relationship dynamic reminds me a lot of Han Solo and Princess Leia’s inThe Empire Strikes Back, at least early on.There’s also some tension with Rinoa initially having feelings for Seifer, which also intensifies the rivalry between Squall and Rinoa. It’s also rewarding when Squall finally opens up to Rinoa and the pair connect on a deeper level. It’s a nice moment of personal growth as well as the development of their relationship.
Zidane and Garnet From Final Fantasy 9
Zidane And Garnet’s Relationship Ties Into The Game’s Themes
There is a lot to like about Zidane and Garnet’s relationship inFinal Fantasy 9. Zidane can be somewhat flirtatious, and it’s always nice to see a character like that develop true romantic feelings for another character the way he does for Garnet.This is an easy shorthand to tell the audience that this relationship is more meaningful to Zidane than anything he’s previously experienced. I also just appreciate that the pair have a more natural dynamic. Similar to Clive and Jill, it feels a bit more grounded, and develops nicely over time.
I also enjoyed seeing Garnet grow closer to Zidane and the rest of her party.A big theme in her story is finding where she belongsand the game in general has a big focus on found-family. Although this doesn’t necessarily need to be romantic to work, I thinkFinal Fantasy 9does a good job working in a romantic subplot that feels natural for the characters and preserves the necessary themes.
Locke and Celes From Final Fantasy 6
Locke And Celes Are Flawed Characters Who Complement Each Other Nicely
AlthoughFinal Fantasy 6’s de facto protagonist is Terra Blanford, you could make a very strong argument for Celes Chere being an equally important character. It’s also hard to make a list ofFinal Fantasyromances and not include the best one from the retro games:the relationship between Locke and Celes. This pair both start the game in need of some serious development, and they grow both individually and as a couple throughout.
I’m a sucker for a good Redemption arc, and the fact that these two characters go on parallel ones throughoutFinal Fantasy 6makes their dynamic very interesting. It also creates tension between them when Locke, who is already cautious about falling in love again,thinks Celes was lying and betrayed the party.
There is no outright declaration of love between these two, but it works better that way since both are afraid of opening up. Instead, we get moments like Locke awkwardly telling Celes she’s beautiful at the opera, the pair playing lovers on stage, and Celes' powerful reaction when she realizes Locke is still alive after Kefka creates the world of ruin. You don’t need the characters to say yet love each other because you can actually feel it, so when the pair are the only main party members to share a screen in the credits, it’s more than enough confirmation of their romance.
Cloud and Aerith Or Tifa From Final Fantasy 7
Final Fantasy 7 Is The Only Game With Options
Final Fantasy 7is an interesting case when it comes toFinal Fantasyromances, becauseplayers have some say in how it turns out. While romance options aren’t exactly unique in RPGs, this is the onlyFinal Fantasygame that has them. Two of its options are also two of the strongest romances in the series.
Both Tifa and Aerith have good set-ups for a romance with Cloud. Cloud and Aerith have a meet cute, and I like how the remakes play up how Aerith pushes Cloud to come out of his shell more.Aerith’s death also turns the pair into star-crossed lovers, a dynamic that’s hard to beat in romance fiction.
While Cloud’s relationship with Tifa is less dramatic, and therefore a bit less engaging in my opinion, it still has a solid foundation. Childhood friends reunited is a nice trope, and it helps that Tifa’s kind heart and determination make her very likable.This is the rare love triangle where I can completely understand either choice.
Tidus and Yuna From Final Fantasy 10
Tidus And Yuna’s Love Story Is Central To FF10
Tidus and Yuna are easily one of the most iconicFinal Fantasycouples, which honestly made me a little nervous when I sat down to playFinal Fantasy 10for the first time. I was worried their dynamic may have been overhyped and that I was over 20 years late to fully enjoy it. Luckily, I was quickly proven wrong when I met the characters.
It helps thatTidus and Yuna are both individually likable. Tidus' cheery and excitable nature was a nice change of pace off the back ofFinal Fantasy 7RebirthandreplayingFinal Fantasy 8. Yuna’s kindness is ever-enduring and her ability to push through difficult times and still do what is expected of her is admirable. I also like that Yuna becomes a little less serious inFinal Fantasy 10-2, which feels like it could be a side effect of her growing closer to Tidus.
There’s a sweet simplicity to Tidus and Yunas relationship, similar to Cecil and Rosa’s. However, because we get to follow the story from before they meet, we get to watch their romance grow from that initial spark of attraction, giving it the arcFinal Fantasy 4’s romance lacked. With Yuna initially considering marrying Seymour out of a sense of duty, there is also an interesting hurdle for the two to overcome and be together. We’re just going to quietly ignore thatFinal Fantasy’s best couple canonically breaks up according to an audio drama included inFF10’s remake.
