Dissidia: Final Fantasy Characters guide

Introduction

Hi ya all, now assuming I'm a pro at Dissidia: Final Fantasy (A great player, not those sick bastards who know even how many frames and attack has, those are posers who don't understand the nature of the game), I thought that I could begin to write a Dissidia: Final Fantasy character guide. No it's not over yet. Don't state anything about the Fighter Description, because I will add more info there later. While most of the list is very subjective, taken from my own personal opinions, I'll try to be objective while stating the characters Pros and Cons. But first of all there are some rules you have to follow before you can read my guide.

Rules

• 1. You need to have (or at least have played) Dissidia: Final Fantasy (duh?)
• 2. You don't need to have beaten the game, but I suggest to beat it first: I will spoil.
• 3. To understand my advanced (Relative) language, you should at least beat all the Destiny Oddiseys, Shade Impulse, maybe Distant Glories, and at least have played Duel Colosseum.
• 4. You at least need to have the entire roster of characters. Believe me, you are no one if you don't have them.
• 5. You don't need to be a Final Fantasy player (This was my first FF game).
• 6. I am NOT, I repeat, I am NOT, a native speaker of English, so expect a lot of grammar mistakes.
• 7. You have to like the game.
• 8. You need to have a main character.
• 9. I will Spoil.
• 10. Every comment you have for this Guide, or Dissidia in general, please put it at my talk page.

Stucture

Now that you know, and follow the rules (You can leave if you haven't) I will explain how am I going to do things here.

• 1st. Name and Picture of the character (duh).
• 2nd. Backstory from the original game.
• 3rd. Design.
• 4th. Role in Dissidia.
• 5th. Fighting description.

I could put more detail, but for you, it's better to take a look on the list now.

Warriors of Cosmos

The protagonists of the game. They consist on perhaps the largest joint of androginous characters the world has ever seen. And it gets worse for Dissidia 012. They are the protagonists of their respective Final Fantasy games, some hold no memories of other things (Yay for amnesy?), and they are extremely weak ideologically and emotionally. They follow Cosmos, in a battle to save the world by collecting crystals (Nice creativity, Square), but the villains, show up to oppose them, with the most pathetical schemes and traps, that only the most pathetic characters would fall in. Yup, I'm talking of our Warriors here. And the story begins with our first guy:

Warrior of Light

Oh yeah, the "Protagonist" of the very first Final Fantasy, who sailed on a quest to rescue a princess and save the world... This Wiki is quite useful, because I never actually played the game, and still even if I had, I still couldn't write anything else here, because, well, he technically only exists in artwork and videos of the game, so you get it...

In Dissidia he takes his appearance of the Origins FMV, showing an androgynous face and a badass armor. And for Dissidia 012 he got his Sex change operation (Courtesy of Tetsuya Nomura). The artwork is particulary strong, and the armor at his CG Render is truly an amazing thing, I advise you to take a look. His character model is very similar to the artwork. His alternate features a purple armor, which makes him look gay. Stay with the original.

Character-wise, Warrior of Light is a funny character for me. Not because he is actually fun, in fact all the opposite, he, like Cloud and Squall, never makes a single smile in the game (Well Squall is smiling on his CG render, but that doesn't really matter). No, no. The reason he is so funny, is because he contrasts everything the other Warriors of Cosmos fight so hard to get. Motivations, friendship, something to defend, redemption; he lacks all of them. He's just an empty vessel thrown in the game as a protagonist, but lacks of personality to carry it. He's just heroic and loyal. That's it. Too much of an standard hero, but even standard heroes have personality, like Ramza. What bothers me even more is that the last story I played was his, and after hours of finding reasons, friends, protecting others, and every other ridiculously complex motivation the characters spend too much time into; they give me a character who not only doesn't have memories or motivations, but fits perfectly in the Emperor's description of Firion's (which he fights and succeeds to prove wrong), that he is "just a Tool of War". Dissapointing. His voice actor is Grant George, who gives his lines in the most heroic way possible, even when stating he's just going to the bathroom, and it's pretty annoying.

As a Fighter, Warrior of Light is Standard, because his primary drawback is his Air game, which is akward and weak, and his magic, which sucks. Whoever his Ground game is fairly strong and unpredictable, and most of his BRV attacks chain into HP attacs. His arsenal of HP attacks is weak, and is better for you to rely on chains. His Ex-Mode Class Change heavily raises his defense, and grants Lights that hit during attacks, dealing extra damage. It's great. His Ex-Burst "Oversoul", is an standard, multiple hit attack, is fairly easy to execute, and deals medium damage. I only advise you to use the Warrior of Light if you like him, but he can (and he will) get raped in the air. Remain in the ground with him most of the time if you can.

Firion

Yup, the very first real Final Fantasy protagonist. Firion comes from Final Fantasy II, a game which I did not play, but I read it has a chaotic gameplay, but great story. Firion is left wounded by the evil Empire and joins a rebellion. He joins a group with his family and some guest characters, and, as usual, he and a group of normal people defeat a powrful evil who can enslave the world. As in the game he is too... blank, Dissidia explores him more.

In Dissidia, he takes his appearance of his Amano artwork in Final Fantasy II., featuring a silver-blue armor, with weapons all over him, a bandana and spiky silver hair. The only thing you have to know about his alernate is that it sucks. His character model is very similar to his artwork, only that his skin is slightly less dark. Overall Firion may look pretty standard, but he is fairly strong you know. Carrying that armor with all those weapons every day is tiresome but he does it. And the armor looks badass in his CG render, which is great.

Character wise Firion begins as a weak character. He, much like the Warrior of Light, fights just to end the conflict. However, and unlike the Warrior of Light, as he is psichologically owned by the Emperor, who calls him a tool of war, Firion discovers his dream, and why he fights: To protect his dream. Okay, it's not spoiling much to say his dream is a "free world, full of wild roses". Okay, I used to believe that dream was really childlike and idiot, however there is a cutscene for that dream. Cloud talks with Cecil about Firion's dream, and Cloud comments just what I stated above, however Cecil owned me and Cloud with this phrase: "Honest men, have honest dreams". Well never actually thought about that, but it sure made some sense. And Firion thought that dream was enough to die for, so we can call him really strong minded. He ends on a high note. His voice actor, Johnny Yong Bosch, is something weird. While he delivers his lines greatly, when Firion sees an enemy he talks like he's ben tired for hours, and it's annoying. So it's cool to listen to him at cutscenes, but not at combat.

As a fighter, Firion is mostly strong. While he is really really weak in some aspects, Firion owns sometimes. Firion is slow, and is a ground fighter, which means his air games sucks (and it sucks really hard). When you start with him, Firion has acces to his aerial magic, which can be used as a distraction, but nothing else; and ground attacks. But Firion has the worst HP attack in the entire game, called "Straightarrow", which never(EVER) hits, has a long time to cast, and can be blocked. And not only that, but also i t's the only HP attack he has access to, for a long time. And it makes a pain in the ass leveling him. That's also why his story is the hardest, you'll have to win every battle using only Straightarrows, which even the most stupid AI could dodge. However if you take your time with him, Firion can really own. His aerial attacs can be used as a distraction, all of his grond BRV attacks chain into HP attacks, and he gains new, (and fucking better) HP attacks. His Ex Mode, "Blood Weapons" makes the HP damage dealt by Firion, to be restored in him. So hit eith a 7000 HP attack, and you have 7000 HP more in your health, which is really useful. His Ex Burst is "Fervid Blazer" which is though for begginers, hits with several weapons, and deals Medium-High damage. In the end, I recommend Firion to everyone who has patience to level him up and master him, which can be really though. But even then, only players who like slow, tactical and powerful fighters will take him as a main. Personal recommendation.

Onion Knight

Ah, the legendary Onion Knight... wait, what? Yeah, taken from the onion knights of the NES version of Final Fantasy III, comes this little bastard. I don't really know why this kid is in this game, when a protagonist for Final Fantasy III DS was created before, Luneth. Okay, don't get me wrong, Luneth is mostly a blank character, but heck, most of the characters of Dissidia were blank in their original games and are explored here. So I would have preferred Luneth 10 times over the Onion Knight. But I don't know what was happening inside Nomura's mind when he chose the characters for the game. As for his original story... well it's a normal tale of some 4 kids who get chosen to save the world by crystals, to defeat a powerful evil being (Again). Anyways, I can't describe the character in the original game, since he doesn't really exist outside Dissidia.

In Dissidia he takes his appearance of the sprites of the onion knights of the original Final Fantasy III, and he is the worst artwork in the entire game. Not only it's hard to tell if his a girl or a guy (Took me weeks, and yeah, he is a guy), but also he features the most ridiculous outfit I've ever seen. And don't even let me begin eith the hat. His in-game model is like his artwork, just that his eyes are 2x bigger (Expect it on some other characters). His CG model isn't strong, it only makes him look more like a woman.

Character-wise, the Onion Knight is lame. But I mean real lame. He undeniabily thinks he is intelligent and strong, yet he spends most of the game being really clumsy and idiot, and, what's even more annoying, very stubborn. He is also a bloody coward. He gets rid of Exdeath by using a child voice and poopy eyes (Note: Lamest moment in Dissidia). What's worse, he even states that he doesn't fight anyone he can't beat. He travels with Terra for unknown reason, stating he can protect her (...). Maybe he thinks Terra will someday fall in love with him. Sadly (For him, not us), when he miserabily fails, Cloud takes his place, and succeeds. That's badass Cloud. His voice actor, Aaron Spann, is fucking annoying. He talks with a nasal voice of sueriority and it's too fake.

As a fighter, the Onion Knight is weak in several aspects. While he is fast, he is the weakest of all the characters, with the lowest Base Attack. His arsenal consists on 4 BRV attacks and 4 HP attacks. While all of his BRV attacks can chain into other BRV attacks, and HP attacks, his limited arsenal and weak magic, is his very doom. His magic is difficult to hit with and the other two attacks become extrmely predictable after some time, because he is forced to use the same pattern over and over. And his HP attacks will never hit and have poor range. His jumping capabilities are far too weak as the jumps are too low. On the bright side, he is very evasive, and even when he's open for counterattacks, he can easily dodge, and when he lands a hit, he has options to chain into HP, which is an advantage in most ways. However, his very low damage, means he desperately needs criticals, because his attacks won't let him steal much brave. In the end, I don't personally recommend the Onion Knight. While persons who like the "weak, but fast" type tend to like him, other characters like Zidane or Tidus prove him wrong.

Cecil

So we come down to the SNES era. Cecil here, is the protagonist of Final Fantasy IV. He was the first protagonist to get serious character, relationships, and plot development. In the game, he was a Dark Knight who worked for an evil king, thus doing evil things. As his self doubts increased, he was exiled and embarked on a journey to save the world, eventually redeeming himself, transforming into a Paladin, discovering his lost brother, and marrying at the end. That's badass. And considering Final Fantasy IV has one of the most esteemed stories and characters, you can't lose anything playing it. Plus, it has Kain in it. Nuff said.

In Dissidia he takes his appearance of his original artworks. As a Dark Knight, he wears a black, badass armor that covers his entire body. As a Paladin, he wears a silver "armor", which is significantly less badass. It has a really akward design for an armor. He also takes his helmet off, revealing the trademark effeminate face of all the protagonists of Final Fantasy. His alternate consists in slight color changes on minor details. However his new outfit for Dissidia 012 is too great. It's his appearance of FFIV DS. His Dark Knight form gets an even more badass armor, and his Paladin armor actually looks like an armor. So I'll stay with that.

Character-wise, Cecil is likeable, he values friendship and fraternity over anything else, and that's what gives him strenght. Most of his story in Dissidia features him developing friendhip with his comrades, and trying to bring his brother Golbez back. Golbez leaves him with many self-doubts, revealing how weak he is emotionally and ideologically, but he overcomes them by having the strength of his friends. And that's something I particulary think is remarkable. His voice actor, Yuri Lowenthal (Voice of Sasuke in Naruto), is one of the best in Dissidia. He proves that, unlike the Warrior of Light, sounding heroic can be cool sometimes.

As a fighter, he is fairly strong, but diffucult to master. The reason is his Dual Job ability, which lets him change jobs any time he uses an HP attack. Because Dark Knight and Paladin are meant to contrast each other (DK focuses on ground, slow but powerful moves, while Paladin focuses at air, fast and agile moves), handling him can become difficult. Most of the people tend to stay within the Dark Knight form, because it's the starting form of every battle, and therefore, they have many problems with him. Cecil's BRV game is great and strong, while in ground with the Dark Knight, and during the air with the Paladin. However, Cecil's weakness lies in his HP game. He cannot chain BRV to HP attacks, and his 4 HP attacks have a hard time hitting. It's a matter of knowing when are you going to strike. And the opportunity is scarce on high difficulties. His Ex Mode, "Job Augument", lets him change his job at any time (which is a huge advantage), and makes his power deal 1.5x more damage. Sweet. His Ex Burst is "Soul Shift", the easiest to execute in the game, and consist of him dealing attacks while he changes jobs, to finish with a splendid cross swordslash. It deals medium damage. In the end, I strongly recommend Cecil to everyone who can take his time mastering him and his Dual Job style. Cecil can be deadly at the right hands.

Bartz

So here we come, Final Fantasy V, the well known Black Sheep of the series. His protagonist, Bartz is the guy we have on the left. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy, but Final Fantasy V's story and characters were mediocre at its best. To the point we didn't care when one of the main characters died (If you think what I'm saying is heartless and that I'm spoiling, you truly never played the game). It was a story were normal people are chosen by a crystal to save the world from an unknown powerful being (I wonder what's happening a those guys' heads when they create the stories. They are even less creative than me, and believe me that's not saying much). Yeah, yeah, I know... But FFV's charm resided in the gameplay: A bloody difficult, with tons of hours of grinding and AP farming, job-classes, mutherfucking game. It only appeals the hardcore, belive me. At least it has good music.

In Dissidia, Bartz takes his appearance of his original Amano artwork, and not his sprite, which is really annoying since Amano artworks suck. Bartz is... well... weird. I dunno why. Maybe for the weird boots? Maybe for the weird leggings? Maybe for the weird skirt? Maybe for the weird fabric he uses as a shirt? Maybe for the weird look he has on his face? Maybe for the weird haircut? I don't know, but I'll let you decide. His in game model is like the artwork, just that he has bigger eyes. Which makes him weirder. His alternate features him with a zebra-like outfit, which is even weirder. And his CG render is... well... you see it, then we talk. However, for Dissidia 012, he gains his appearance of his FFV sprite, which is waaaaay cooler, since it's very simple, and that's what makes it great. And wait... it's not weird! Hooray!

Character-wise, Bartz is childlike. Seriously. I don't know what's wrong with this guy, but he is just fucking dumb. He thinks he is playing every time. And Ultimecia notes it too (Battle quote of Ultimecia, when battling Bartz: Is his head empty?), and I heavily agree with her. He just never get fucking serious until the very end, and maybe that's the reason many people do not take him seriously, not even as a fighter. However, and while it may not seem so, this motherfucker is bloody strong. But I mean really strong. He can carry Cloud's sword with one hand, and Squall's gunblade with the other. Not only that, but he can handle them with high ability like he's making no efforts. Truly surprising. His voice actor, Jason Spisak, is actually good. He is never too fake, and I think he perfectly suits Bartz.

As a fighter, Bartz is pretty Solid. Most people complain he is too standard, and that he is not good because he "steals" other moves. That's not right. His relaxed style of play is liked between advanced and new players alike. His brave game includes most of the good melee combos of most of the Warriors of Cosmos, while mixing them. He also has special "effects" with all of his attacks. For example, Solid Ascension has a Minor Counterattack effect, which makes him really useful. The other reason people do not like him is because of his reputation of "Holy spam", which is untrue, since it's only the AI of the game, which is programmed to massively attack with holy, and not that the character is actually a spammer. Bartz primary weakness, much like Cecil, is his HP attacks, which are taken from other characters. It's not that they never hit, but rather they lack of a consistency against some characters during battles. His Ex Mode, "Job Mastered", however, fixes this. It only gives him one tiny abilty. Goblin Punch. And that's all he needs. I think I never lost a battle with Bartz in Ex Mode. Goblin Pundh is the fastest attack in the game, and it's a HP attack. While only for close range, this ablity will almost always hit, and it's hard to dodge. Not only that, but if the enemy is at your same level, it deals extra damage. His Ex Burst goes by the name of "Spellblade-Dual Wield-Rapid Fire". Yeah it's ridiculous, but it's easy to execute, it's great, and deals Medium-High damage. In the end, it's hard not to recommed Bartz to anyone that does not dislike him, as his style is easy to use and his combos are cool. Don't judge a book by it's cover, believe me.

Terra

Final Fantasy VI. Hands down the game with most quiality I've ever played. I'm not a fan of the Final Fantasy series, but I recognize that they are bloody good games, and Final Fantasy VI blew me away. And here we have it's protagonist, Terra. Altough FFVI had a lot of characters, don't let anyone tell you wrong: Terra is the true protagonist of the game. Fuck those fanboys who say Celes is the protagonist, because Celes isn't nearly as interesting as Terra. Well anyway, Terra is one of the most beloved Final Fantasy characters. And by beloved I don't mean a sex slave like Tifa or Rydia for men, and Sephiroth for women. No, no, I'm talking about really beloved characters, like Aeris, Vivi, Zack, and here, Terra. It was the first time Square introduced a protagonist we could actually care about. She begins the game as an slave for an Evil Empire, however she is relased by an Esper, and left with amnesy (Told ya). She is rescued and joins a rebellion, then she learns about her past, and her nature of half-esper, half-human. Eventually, she discovers what true love is and the meaning of her life. Yeah, I know this may not be the best way to tell her story, but that's why the Wiki exists. You need to play the game.

In the Dissidia, she takes her appearance of her Amano artworks, by far the only Amano artwork I actually like. She has blonde hair and a red vest. Her sprite appearance with green hair is her alternate costume, so feel free to use whatever you want. I stick to the first, because it looks good. Her artwork and CG render is one of the best in the game. However, her character model is something near awful. It's because it gives her weird BIG eyes, and somehow destroys her great appearance.

Character-wise, Terra is weak. Not because she is actually weak. It's because in FFVI we knew her story, and we could care about her. Here, aside that she doesn't know anything, her voice actress Natalie Lander, can't put feelings into her sentences, thus crushing anything Terra has to say.. She spends most of the game with the Onion Knights, until he miserably fails in protecting her, and then she goes with Cloud. Unlike the Onion Knight, Cloud proves himself useful, and saves her. She then goes with Kefka and defeats him, granting her the crystal, and tells him the meaning of a life. Not really that interesting except for Kefka's line. You watch that scene.

As a fighter, Terra is great. Although her attacks and patterns become predictable at times, she still manages to get a crown. Terra only uses magic, that sword is only for decorating. Most of her BRV attacks are great, such as Meteor, which will always hit, and Holy Combo, which chains to Ultima. Her main weakness is her HP attacks. Tornado is great, but lacks of range, and Meltdown will never hit. And don't even give a look on Flood, it sucks. Terra's main appeal for players, however, is her Ex Mode. Like Squall, Cloud, and Gabranth, her Ex Mode: Trance, makes her a beast. It doubles all of her attacks. Not only that, but also it makes Holy Combo 10 times better and it guarantees almost instant breaks. Her Ex Burst Riot Blade is one of the least cool lookings, but deals pretty High Damage. Terra is recommended to everyone that likes her and Mages. She's not a spammer. But players who prefer physicals might want to stay away from her.

Cloud

This is it. Final Fantasy VII. The Final Fantasy. Call it what you want: "Overrated", "My Favorite", "The Best", yeah whatever your thoughts about the game are, you have a place for this game inside you. Whether you love it, whether you hate it, you know enough about this game. Millions do. It's the most succesfull game in the franchise series and has considerably the largest fanbase. Come on, when you hear Final Fantasy, the first image that comes to your head has a 95% of chances of being about this game. The protagonist, Cloud, is the guy we'll talk about in this little section. Cloud is the most well-known Final Fantasy protagonist. Don't deny it. The spyky hair. That massive sword. His even more massive publicitary campaign. His personality. Cloud revolutionized the whole protagonist concept for Final Fantasy. While Cecil was like the first true protagonist with story, the whole thing didn't go around him unlike Cloud. He starts as a cold, asshole mercenary, former SOLDIER 1st class, who only does things for money. However as the story progresses, he discovers a plot about his former rival, Sephiroth, who tries to conquer the world. Coupled with the fact that his girfriend is killed, Cloud embarks on ajourney to stop Sephiroth and save the world with his party. He is perhaps one of the most well developed characters of the video game world. His personality changes, and he's more natural, something that gets blown apart for Advent Children, which gives him a Squall like personality. Final Fantasy VII is an excellent game, it redefined storytelling on video games, and introduced massively RPGs in North America. I assume you already played it?

In Dissidia he takes his original appearance of Final Fantasy VII. Now that's the best Artwork in the entire game. Cloud is, perhaps, the most stricking looking of all the Final Fantasy characters. Look at his Spiky Hair. Look at that Sword. Look at his outfit. His design is one of the bests Nomura has created. His CG render, as usual, makes him look like a chick, but still his design is cool. His in game model is fairly similar to his artwork. His alternate is his costume for Advent Children. It's perhaps the best looking alternate in the game, and the one I actually use even more than the original. It's perhaps because it's an original outfit created for a movie about him, not taken from ugly Amano artworks. Then again, Dissidia 012 proves me wrong, with an alternate taken from an Amano artwork (Hint: Don't use it, it looks gay).

Character-wise, Cloud is Not Intersted. He spends most of the game looking for a reason to fight, and looks hevily unintersted, in contrast of most of his comrades, who only fight. His antagonist is Sephiroth, who taunts Cloud and tells him he is a puppet (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?). However, Cloud manages to find his reason and defeat Sephiroth. Wit, is that a spoiler? I don't think so, and I don't care. After that he goes with Terra prividing her of good protection that Onion Knight could never give her. Now that's cool. I like the guy, however, if you don't like characters that don't smile, Cloud is not for you. He's voiced by Steve Burton, which heavily fits Cloud's uncaring personality. Though in the game he sounds a little bit uninterested if you ask me.

Now, before you say something, Cloud is my main. As a fighter, Cloud is Strong. Now believe me when I say he's strong and slow. His attacks and movements are slow and predictable, but compensates for high power. He's ideal for players who like the slow but powerful type. Warning: Fights with and/or against Cloud, do not accept mistakes. When playing as Cloud, most of his attacks are easy blockable/evadable, therefore, meaning he is left for the enemy's mercy easily when he fails. When playing against Cloud, mistakes in blocking and evading are not allowed, because of his high power. Failing to dodge Clouds attacks will result in a severe BRV loss, and most of the time, coupled with HP chains and heavy Wall Rush. Because of that, it's better to play tactically with Cloud. His combos are fairly great, with Slash Blow chaining into Omnislash version 5. It's one of the best and most damaging combos in the game, and it has Wall Rush, so it's advised to use it whenever you can. Cloud's main weakness are his slow attacks, which are slow and blockable on reaction. However, with his Ex-Mode "Eqquiped Ultima Weapon", it's gone. Aside from raising Cloud's damage heavily depending on his HP, it also makes his attacks Crush Guards, meaning they can be blocked. This means Cloud is trnasformed into a brutal machine during his Ex Mode. That doesn't mean his attacks can't be dodged as easily, but then again, crushing guards is always great, and Double Cut is unpredictable. His Ex Burst "Omnislash" is the strongest in the entire game, if you have full HP. And it has cool effects. However his failed Ex Burst, actually looks better for me, and it's more simple, so I use it often. As I stated before, Cloud is my main, and I don't care if someone tells me he sucks, or that he's too slow, or that I am a fanboy (False, this is my first Final Fantasy game). However I need to point the facts: If you don't like slow characters, the Cloud is not definetely for you. However, if you like the "slow but powerful" archetype, feel free to use Cloud, even if you don't like him. I don't lose fights with him, but hey, I always play as him, so to fully use Cloud with a tactical style, which is recommended, you'll have to work a few hours with him. Personal Recommendation.

Squall

Squall. Note the italics. I hate his character. Not only because of his personality, but because I'm pretty sure he would hate me as he hates everyone. Final Fantasy VIII is the game of the franchise I aprecciate the least, and it's one I have not passed simply because lack of interest. It's story. Hint: Squall is the story, something you learned before with Cloud. And such, the story is not that interesting unless, you are a fan of Squall, or you particulary identify with him. I think the story failed to draw me in, as IV, VII, and IX perfectly succeeded. Sure, it's quite good, but there is a point where the story, coupled with the deeply flawed gameplay (Draw, and the chaotic Junction System), takes me away form the game, not wanting to beat it. Sad. But I suppose I could enlighten you with some of the story, I won't go deeply with it, cause that's why the Wiki is here for. You are Squall, a student from a military academy. Squall represents everything ideal of the "Asshole" RPG protagonist: He is not friendly, nor happy, he's very skilled and loyal, and of course, he's an asshole. About 50% of Squall's dialog boxes are like this "Squall: ...". That's it. Get accostumed to see a lot of "..." in this game. Not only that, but the player can also read Squall's thoughts, which mainly revolve in insulting people, which makes the character even more hateful. Still I have to give Squall some credit. As long as alienated, hateful, and motherfucker Squall's character is, he's pretty deep. As the story progress, you'll learn more about him, his past, and his motives, and he finally reaches a serious romantic relationship. That's called development. Not particulary strong when you don't like the character, but pretty deep.

In Dissida, he takes his appearance of Final Fantasy VIII. His design overall is great, that's what people tend to like about Squall. He's one of the manliest protagonists in the series (Relative). Except his CG renders in which he looks like a tomboyish japanesse girl. Ugh. His in game model is great, one of the bests coupled with Gabranth and Cloud. His alternate costume is the outfit of the Seed academy. I don't find it perticulary cool, so I'll stick with the original.

Character-wise, Squall is still an Asshole. He keeps his motherfucker FFVIII persona, this time with Bartz and Zidane, who, while being friendly to him, he just ignores them, insisting he can do things alone. He is never shown smiling, much like Cloud. He's tricked by Ultimecia (The only one in the storyline that is justifiable, because she was disguised as Cosmos), to fight and reach his objective alone. Eventually he finds out that it's wrong, and decides to help Bartz and Zidane, after he gets his crystal. He is voiced by Doug Erholtz, and I think he suits him well, even if he has a tendency to drag words.

As a fighter, Squall is Badass. It's the best description I could find for him. His BRV game is hands down the best of the game, and he represents the perfect melee fighter. His combos are fast, skilled, and powerful, something you won't find often. His primary and only drawbacks are his ranged game and his HP attacks. He lacks long range moves, and his magic, while useful, only covers medium range. He posseses an attack called Beat Fang, which is a burtal attack. This attack in NOT blockable on reaction, meaning you need to block before he makes the attack, but in a certain amount of time. It's easily evadable, but it's a pain in the ass. His HP game, is not the worst available, but it's certainly not a strong one. They're all limit breaks from FFVIII, and while they look cool, they are fairly predictable. Specially Rough Divide. However, he excels in BRV melee fighting, and he is a brutal character. He's best suited by people who want to rape their opponent as much as they can, then finish them off. Because that's what his BRV attacks are: Rape. And wait for his Ex Mode: Equipped Lion Heart. It turns him in a brutal killing machine. It's one of the best Ex Modes in the game, coupled with Cloud, Terra, and Gabranth. It makes his attacks have greater range, and strike twice. This means, that, coupled with criticals, Squall can easily make a Break in one attack. His Ex Burst is "Renzokuken", which is easy to do, but deals Low damage, a serious drawback. In the end, Squall is an appealing character, many people use him, from begginers, to expert players alike. Keep in mind that you'll have to suffer to land a HP hit, specially with stronger enemies, but use him. He is a great character. Personal Recommendation.

Zidane

Now, Zidane here, is a special case. He's the protagonist of Final Fantasy IX, a game which Tetsuya Noumra (The main character designer) was not involved in. Therefore, Zidane, overall, is not exactly the same as he was back in FFIX, but retains most of his persona. In the original game he's presented as a care-free, ladies man, who worked for a group of thiefs. Their main objective is to kidnap the princess of a kingdom, Princes Garnet. Now, if you want to know the rest of the story, then screw you, the game is too extense to cover. Besides you always have the Wiki to investigate. Final Fantasy IX, in my opinion, is how a Final Fantasy should be. It's a return to the main core of the series, in which Final Fantasy VIII departed. The game presents a "Quest with a Story" structure, rather than a "Story with a Quest", presented since Final Fantasy IV. This is important, cause it makes the game return to the series roots. Overall the game is almost a perfect representation of a Final Fantasy: A huge story, heavy character development, random battles, awesome music, a great protagonist. But it fails in one thing, and a very important one: The Battles. They are too fucking slow. Your character's gauge will move like they have Slowga. And the wait before the attacks, which was seamless in VIII, now it's too loong, therefore battles that lasted seconds, now last minutes. And that's a pain in the ass for grinding. Still, FFIX is a great game, and Zidane is one of the best protagonists in the series, because he's a simple guy, and is one of the only protagonists you can actually care of. However, his relationship with princess Garnet is simply awful. They don't have chemistry. It didn't work. Sadly.

In Dissidia, he takes his appearance of Final Fantasy IX, though his design is redesigned by Tetsuya Nomura. In the original game, Zidane looks a bit like a monkey, here, he looks like a girl. His overall artwork design is great, he rivals with Cloud and Terra for the best artwork in the game. However his in game appearance is rather weird. Specially because of his hair. Oh, BTW, Zidane has a Tail, and I swear I didn't noticed it until the end of his story. His CG render, like usual, makes him completely unrecognizable as a boy or a girl. His alternate is just a palette swap. Shame. His voice actor, Bryce Paypenbroock (Don't know if spelling is right), is one of the most annoying in the game. I know Dissidia's voice acting isn't good, but this is way too much. He sounds like an overacted teenager. Ewk.

Character-wise, Zidane is Likeable, although his voice makes him annoying. Unlike his Final Fantasy IX self, Zidane is no a care-free, but is more childish, with his story being a race with Bartz. He has his bouts of despair (Showing how emotionally weak are these heroes), and Cosmos has to help him. He particulary doesn't want to fight Kuja, because he believes in his principles: "You don't need a reason to help people". Overall, Zidane's main failure in the game is that he is not that likable, because in Final Fantasy IX, he was a character you could truly care about. Here, he isn't that much... mainly because Nomura's lack of involvement in the original game.

As a fighter, Zidane is best described as his Dissidia stat, an Aerial Ace. Zidane is the ultimate badass in the air. He's very, very fast; his jumps are very, very high; and is fairly strong. His BRV attacks are mostly unpredictable and can take out opponents fairly quickly. His HP game is great too, one of the bests among the Warriors of Cosmos. His main weakness is his land game, meaning that when he's not in the air, he is not as good. However, his land BRV attacks easily launch opponents in the air, a huge advantage. While Zidane has some magic, they are long range and weak, and lack of good accuracy. His Ex-Mode Trance, lets him perform 10 jumps and grants invincivility during the time Zidane is jumping (jumping, not the whole time in the air). This one isn't really great, but sometimes, you can't notice how useful it is. Reaching Ex Mode with Zidane is rather hard, as he is one of the worst Ex-Builders in the game. His Ex-Burst is one of the worst (for me). It's rather simple, keep presing O, doesn't have cool effects, and is rather weak. As a whole, Zidane is not hard to recommend, as he is quite one of the best fighters in the game, and although he does have backdraws (Ex Mode), he is still an ace and a badass. Use him if whenever you want.

Tidus

Tidus. Look, another italics. He's the protagonist of Final Fantasy X, a game I did not and will not play, because I don't own a PS2. It may be a severe loss, I heard Final Fantasy X is quite well beloved in the Japanese fanbase (of course, we are talking to the guys who just happen to like Vaan more than Balthier), and it went fairly good with the critics, mainly because it's graphics, music, and improvement over past games of the franchise. Yeah, yeah, but as I don't know a single bit about this game, I will only talk about our character here. Yup, that's Tidus. He apparently got killed 1000 years ago (in the game), and he is set on a quest with his girlfriend, who has to die to save the world. Oh, wait, did I spoil? Screw you! The Wiki spoiled it on me so, I don't want to be alone. Now let's make myself clear: I don't like this guy. He's whinny, annoying, not to mention he is highly energetic, which only makes things worse. He's like a male version of Rinoa, and not a manly one. Tidus is friendly, yes, and highly skilled, but he's got one thing: He has daddy isssues. His father, Jecht (I.E. Badass) apparently treated him bad when he was a kid, now he hates him. What's his problem? I mean, he didn't get violated (Well maybe worse, he could have ended up as an Emo, and in the whole meaning of the word), and if you mention Jecht in front of Tidus is like to mention Capitalism in front of a Communist. And it's not funny. So let's get started.

In Dissidia, he takes an appearance that's highly similar to his original FFX appearance. His outfift is, well... akward. Well, Tidus as a whole is akward but hell... where does he buy those clothes. I mean, did you see the pants? His alternate costume is a palette swap, which makes his appearance closer to that of the original game. His artwork makes him see friendly and happy. Sadly you won't sympathise with him, believe me. His CG render makes him look even more girly and akward. And did you see his sword? I noticed it has bubbles when I had like 300 hours playing the game. Maybe I'm blind with those things...

Character wise, Tidus is Annoying. But in the whole sense of the work. You know, I told you the artwork made him look like he was friendly and likeable? Well, fuck that, because he's a whinny, talkative bastard. All he does in the storyline is to insult Jecht and he wants to beat him. It would be reasonable, but the way Tidus carries it is just over the top. And when it comes down to fight Jecht, Tidus starts crying and in the end forgives him? What the fuck? I mean, there is nothing bad in he forgives him, but why would I had to hear all of his annoying complaints about Jecht when in the end, he forgives him? Come on. And BTW, Jecht is right, Tidus is a crybaby. His voice actor is James Arnold Taylor, and although he's one of the best voice actors, he makes Tidus sound annoying and whinny.

As a fighter, Tidus is One of the Best. Most of his attacks have dodges, and/or HP chains, and his BRV game is one of the largest in the game. But I seriously think this motherfucker is totally unbalanced. I mean, he's as fast and agile and Zidane, and as strong as Cloud. Yeah, WTF, instead of FTW. Tidus's game is highly offensive as he is very fast and highly damaging. His only drawback is his weak HP game, which I always have trouble hitting with them. However, you can easily make an HP chain and lights off. He has on attack, Hop Step, one of the most unforgiving attacks in the game. Much like Squall's Beat Fang, it's highly unpredictable. But this one is harder to dodge, and almost impossible to block. It's because Beat Fang is haighly obvious when Squall puts himself closer to you, however as it's very fast (almost like a teleport), it's hard to block. But with Hop Step, you'll almost never notice if Tidus is going to attack you or not, mainly because his position when attacking is similar of him dashing, therefore making it too unpredictable. Oh, and it initiates chase. Now for the best part, his Ex Mode Eqquiped Caladbog, it's another version of "Eqquiped Ultima Weapon". Much like Cloud, depending on his HP, his attacks can now hit even harder, making him even a more unbalanced killing machine. Also it makes him the fastest character in the whole game, and grants him a magic barrier, reflecting weak magic. So Tidus is, very much the mage killer in the game. His Ex Burst, Blitz Ace, it's perhaps the most difficult, but one of the most damaging (Behind Cloud's) with full HP. In the end, Tidus is not my type, but he's definitely one of the strongest overall characters in the game, and people who know to use him are relentless. Still, I can handle him...