Romance is part of most Final Fantasy games 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 romances are 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 retro Final Fantasy games, even if their stories and romances can sometimes be underdeveloped. The best Final Fantasy couples 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 2 was the first game in the series that had named party members, so it was also the 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.
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Final Fantasy 2 protagonists Firion and Maria’s romance is only confirmed through the game’s novelization Final 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 played FF2. 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 in Final 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 from Final Fantasy when their 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 in Final Fantasy 15 doesn’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
Although Final 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 of FF13-2. 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.
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Serah spends most of Final Fantasy 13-2 traveling 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 of Final Fantasy 13-3 dead 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 in FF4 is 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 of Final Fantasy characters do on-screen.
Clive and Jill From Final Fantasy 16
Clive And Jill’s Relationship Feels Very Natural
Clive and Jill’s romance in Final Fantasy 16 is pretty understated, but that 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 for FF16. 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 that FF16 mixes 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 putting Final 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.
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Maybe it’s the Star Wars references 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 in The 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 in Final 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 belongs and the game in general has a big focus on found-family. Although this doesn’t necessarily need to be romantic to work, I think Final Fantasy 9 does 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
Although Final 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 of Final Fantasy romances 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 throughout Final Fantasy 6 makes 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 7 is an interesting case when it comes to Final Fantasy romances, because players have some say in how it turns out. While romance options aren’t exactly unique in RPGs, this is the only Final Fantasy game 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 iconic Final Fantasy couples, which honestly made me a little nervous when I sat down to play Final Fantasy 10 for 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.
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It helps that Tidus and Yuna are both individually likable. Tidus’ cheery and excitable nature was a nice change of pace off the back of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and replaying Final 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 in Final 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 arc Final 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 that Final Fantasy‘s best couple canonically breaks up according to an audio drama included in FF10‘s remake.