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Home»Game Lists»Final Fantasy 7 Character Tier List

Final Fantasy 7 Character Tier List

Only a few FF7 party members can be S-tier.

Nickolas DavisBy Nickolas DavisFebruary 23, 20244 Mins Read
final fantasy 7 characters tier lit
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash

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  • D Tier
  • C Tier
  • B Tier
  • A Tier
  • S Tier

Throughout the lengthy story of Final Fantasy 7, the player gradually acquires a number of characters that can join Cloud in the party to help take down Shinra. Storywise, these characters all have varying, complex backgrounds that have resulted in each forming fanbases of their own in the decades since the iconic game’s original release. For all purposes here, however, this tier list will be based purely on these characters’ utility in battle.

There is a lot of battling inย Final Fantasy 7, and it can get fairly complex and difficult, particularly with some of the later-stage boss fights. Having an optimized party will be the best way for the player to ensure they’re timing all their limit breaks correctly to get the win.

D Tier

aerith final fantasy 7
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash
  • Aerith

From a purely stat-based and utility standpoint, Aerith is far from the weakest character inย Final Fantasy. She’s more than well-equipped to do solid magic damage along with all the healing and support spells necessary to make her a powerful white mage. The problem is, and this is technically a spoiler, but it’s also one of the mostย well-known moments from a 27-year-old game, so it doesn’t really feel like one: Aerith dies. It’s not near the end, either; it’s only a little over halfway, so it’s really not even possible to plan any party composition around her with a mind for the late game, something that can’t be said for any other character on this list.

Related:

Opinion: What Made Final Fantasy VII Great?

C Tier

cait sith final fantasy 7
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash
  • Cait Sith

Unlike the D tier, Cait Sith is at least around for pretty much the entire game after he’s recruited to the party. That really only gives marginally more incentive to use him, though, since he easily has the weakest stats of any other character in the game. For curious players, Cait Sith does have decent Magic, so if he was going to become a staple party member, it could possibly be as the primary Magic damage dealer. All of his other stats make him a liability, though, and his luck and chance Limit Break isn’t doing much to help him.

B Tier

final fantasy 7 red xiii and vincent
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash
  • Vincent
  • Red XIII

As B-tier characters, Vincent and Red XIII aren’t essential to anyย Final Fantasy 7ย party, but they do have a number of strengths that make them viable additions. Red XIII has the highest speed stat, while Vincent can have a fairly high damage output between a solid Magic stat and some great weapons. Having other middling stats and shaky Limit Breaks is ultimately what brings these characters down a notch, though, particularly Vincent, whose uncontrolled state during his Limit Break makes him a wildcard that’s useful as often as he’s not.

A Tier

final fantasy 7 barret and tifa
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash
  • Barret
  • Tifa

For a good chunk of the game, players won’t have any choice other than to use Barret and Tifa in the party, and that’s no bad thing. As A-tier characters, it wouldn’t be a mistake to continue using both of these characters all the way through to the end, with both of them possessing great stats and some amazing abilities, like Barret’s focus on long-range attacks or Tifa’s physically focused Limit Breaks. The main thing keeping them out of S tier is that, while they’re useful for the vast majority of the game, they begin to get out-scaled a bit in terms of stats and stronger Limit Breaks in the late game.

Related:

Tifa Would Make a Perfect Partner for Cloud in Final Fantasy 7

S Tier

final fantasy 7 yuffie, cloud, and cid
Image Source: Square Enix via The Nerd Stash

The S-tier characters are the essentials. Not having at least two out of three of these characters present in a Final Fantasy 7 party is just asking to make the game more of a hassle. All of them have incredibly powerful Limit Breaks and overall top-tier stats. On top of that, Cloud and Cid can wield the Apocalypse and Scimitar weapons, which are possibly the most powerful in the game, providing triple AP growth.

  • Cloud
  • Cid
  • Yuffie
Related Topics
Final Fantasy 7 Square Enix
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Nickolas Davis
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Nickolas Davis is a writer and musician from Asheville, North Carolina. He has yet to convince his friends and family that playing Shin Megami Tensei every day is "for his job."

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