Welcome to my third annual Final Fantasy Character knockout game! I have 135 characters (the same 135 characters from last two years), from Final Fantasy I to Final Fantasy XIV, and Final Fantasy Tactics all meshed in and spat out to form battles. There's 9 characters from each game. Who will be victorious?

Last year the winner was Vivi, and the first year the winner was Squall. But if we're including the total tally of votes for a character, both years included, Zidane has accumulated the most votes. Who is going to win this year? Next to each character I've put down the game they appeared in, followed by position each character is in tally wise, both the last games included, and their votes tally from the result of both years as well. In Round 2 onwards I'll also post their total tally this year. This is all for information purposes, if you're a statistical nerd like me . If that doesn't make sense, here's what Vivi's name will look like:

Vivi (IX, 4th, 56)

(In case you're confused why Vivi is placed fourth, he came first last year but the year before he came 21st. Both years total tallied he places as the fourth most popular character, with 56 points).

Also what game will be most favourable? Last year Final Fantasy IX had the most votes, in terms of their characters totalling. FF6 won the first year. Are these games still the most popular? We'll soon find out!

If you haven't played any of my FF Knockout Games in the past, here are the rules:

The Rules
1. To vote, simply check who is going against who and reply with your favourite character in each roundup, preferably in a column format.
2. When a round finishes, if there are any tiebreakers, I'll post them up at the end. Tiebreakers are to be decided by listing them, and asking the question again about who is their favourite, the first response wins the tiebreak (eg. if the tiebreaker was Kefka vs Cloud, and the first poster to respond chooses Kefka, Kefka goes through to the next round).
3. Round 1 has 64 fights to it. Because 135 doesn't work into 64, there are 7 battles where there are three characters who will fight for the place in Round 2.
4. All these battles are chosen randomly, I've used a simple Excel spreadsheet and the "Rand" formula to help me make it fair and square. The only exceptions I've made is that there's no two characters from the same game going against eachother. I'm going to try and keep characters from the same games apart for as long as possible, although that may get difficult later.
5. I'll keep these rounds open for around a week, it depends on the reception and my business, this forum can go slowly sometimes so we'll see.
6. Because Round 1 has 64 battles, I'll split it into four sections (so you'll see 16 battles today, 16 in the next update etc). Round 2 will have 32 battles and I'll split that into two sections. Round 3 onwards will be posted in the complete forms.
7. Don't take this seriously, it's just a bit of fun. By all means debate why you love or hate certain characters, just be respectful of others feelings of those same characters.

So without any further delay, here's the first part of Round 1...

Round 1A

The Emperor (II, 47th, 14) vs Seifer (VIII, 62nd, 11) vs Tenzen (XI, 115th, 2)
Jecht (X, 20th, 25) vs Meliadoul (Tactics, 109th, 3) vs Papalymo (XIV, 115th, 2)
Basch (XII, 83rd, 7) vs Lion (XI, 115th, 2)
Minwu (II, 115th, 2) vs Faris (V, 109th, 3)
Barthandelus (XIII, 104th, 4) vs Dagger (IX, 22nd, 24)
Sara (III, 89th, 6) vs Terra (VI, 13th, 37)
Zemus (IV, 71st, 9) vs Matoya (I, 127th, 1)
Vanille (XIII, 89th, 6) vs Malak (Tactics, 133rd, 0)
Cecil (IV, 18th, 31) vs Zidane (IX, 1st, 61)
Laguna (VIII, 6th, 51) vs Vaan (XII, 71st, 9)
Maria (II, 127th, 1) vs Astos (I, 89th, 6)
Ovelia (Tactics, 95th, 5) vs Gabranth (XII, 47th, 14)
Selphie (VIII, 43rd, 16) vs Lightning (XIII, 95th, 5)
Dycedarg (Tactics, 127th, 1) vs Barret (VII, 28th, 19)
Emerick (XIV, 109th, 3) vs Cid (Tactics, 47th, 14)
Mustadio (Tactics, 127th, 1) vs Exdeath (V, 37th, 17)

Wohoo! It's back! :D

I stickied this to the main page in place of last year's one by the way Johnny. :)

Anyway, my choices:

Round 1A

Tenzen (FFXI) - the mysterious Samurai from the Far East, with a katana that is Phoenix in disguise and a whole lot of attitude on a mission to save Vana'diel from the Emptiness, in the second expansion pack Chains of Promathia. He's also an utter bastard sword to fight against too, which just makes him cooler. ;)
Papalymo (FFXIV) "Oh Rahlgr take you and your great beyond!" :p A member of the 'Circle of Knowing' who played an important part in the Gridania scenario quests, the blonde lalafell Thamaturge is very much comic relief, constantly bickering with his partner in crime Yda. But when push comes to shove, he does know a few potent spells and is ultimately loyal to his partner.
Lion (FFXI) Revan would probably give me a hiding if I didn't vote for Lion, but I'd vote for her anyway, as her loyalty, strength and bravery still keep her in high esteem amongst most FFXI players, especially due to her valiant sacrifice at the end of the first expansion Rise of the Zilart. Even if she does vaguely look a little like a red-haired Tifa. :p
Minwu (FFII) He's a White Mage (and one of the few confirmed male White Mages in the series). Enough said. ;)
Garnet (ala 'Dagger') (FFIX) No contest. 'Robopope' just couldn't even hope to match Garnet in this. She's still one of my favourite FF characters.
Terra (FFVI) Again, no contest. Terra is still one of the greatest FF characters of all time, for good reason. Her determination, strength and devotion even in the face of unspeakable cruelty, and of course, her touching maternal feelings towards the orphaned children of Mobliz just really endears her to me.
Matoya (FFI) Hard to decide, but I went with the infamous blind witch simply because at least she had a connection to the storyline, rather than FFIV's 'sealed-evil-in-a-can'. Plus she has an awesome leitmotif as well.
Vanille (FFXIII) Urrgh, two characters I hate. Alright, I'll go with Vanille, as I hated Malak in FFT more. Plus Vanille's subtle lesbian relationship with Fang was noteworthy too for being groundbreaking (even though I couldn't stand Vanille at all).
Cecil (FFIV) A tough choice. I went with Cecil though as his character underwent such a trial by fire - from wrestling with his guilt over the destruction of Mist, his pillaging of Mysidia's crystal, his battle with his dark side and resultant Job change from Dark Knight to Paladin, and of course, his touching relationship with Rosa, just made him awesome. And his brotherly rivalry with Kain only made him better. :)
Laguna (FFVIII) "Laguna Laguna!" ;) No contest. Stupid one-dimensional Vaan just doesn't come close to the bumbling yet still certified awesome writer-with-a-heart-of-gold. And he goes from soldier to writer to movie star to resistance leader and then President! All in the space of a game! How many other characters have such a long resume?
Maria (FFII) The first playable female character in the series, it's just a pity that her character was never really developed too much.
Ovelia (FFT) Despite being on face value little more than a Mcguffin whom the game's narrative tended to resign to little more than having rival forces trying to control for their grab for Ivalice's throne, she really came into her own in the twist right at the end, in tragic consequences.
Selphie (FFVIII) "I like trains!" So do I. Despite being the usual 'manic-pixie-dream-girl' type character, her magic is ridiculously over powerful (ala, 'The End'), and her relationship with Irvine, a notorious lady's man, was actually quite sweet, as you could see them really becoming an item. Plus she was shown to be very multi-talented as well, from running the Garden Square website, to organizing the Garden Festival, singing and playing guitar on stage, to even being able to fly the Ragnarok. She really is a girl-of-all-trades.
Barret (FFVII) Who you lookin' at foo'? ;) When push comes to shove, Barret is really the kind of guy you'd want on your team. A tank in more ways than one, and FF's answer to BA from The A-Team, his brute force and slightly uncouth manner are grounded by his fatherly-love for Marlene, who well and truly keeps him level-headed. And every time he chided Cloud for his tardiness I burst out laughing. ;)
Orlandu (ala 'T.G. Cid') (FFT) Definitely the greatest and most powerful character you can get in FFT, he was literally a one-man-army. Once he joins your party, every one else plays second-fiddle to him. And his power is only tempered by his noble nature and calm, evenheadedness, which is why he's on Ramza's team in the first place.
Mustadio (FFT) No contest again. A traditional version of Cid in all but name, the young engineer is necessary to join your team if you want to gain the secret characters in Chapter 4 like Cloud, but he's also well worth gaining for his ability to use a gun (one of the few characters who can) and his 'Snipe' skillset which is unique and very useful (especially Seal Evil). Plus his funny scene when you gain Worker 8 in Chapter 4 is hilarious! ;)

My votes:
Seifer
Jecht
Basch
Faris
Barthandelus
Terra
Zemus
Vanille
Zidane
Laguna
Astos
Gabranth
Selphie
Barret
Cid (Tactics)
Exdeath

Okay, a lot of those characters I didn't know so what should I do? Should I just pick at random or should I only post the ones I do know?

Okay, a lot of those characters I didn't know so what should I do? Should I just pick at random or should I only post the ones I do know?

It's completely upto you, you don't have to vote in all the games so if you don't feel comfortable voting on certain games don't feel like you have to. :)

Seifer (VIII, 62nd, 11)
Jecht (X, 20th, 25)
Basch (XII, 83rd, 7)
Faris (V, 109th, 3)
Dagger (IX, 22nd, 24)
Sara (III, 89th, 6)
Matoya (I, 127th, 1)
Vanille (XIII, 89th, 6)
Zidane (IX, 1st, 61)
Laguna (VIII, 6th, 51)
Maria (II, 127th, 1)
Gabranth (XII, 47th, 14)
Lightning (XIII, 95th, 5)
Barret (VII, 28th, 19)
Emerick (XIV, 109th, 3)
Mustadio (Tactics, 127th, 1)

Seifer
Jecht
Basch
Faris
Dagger
Terra
Matoya
Malak
Zidane - I know it's randomized, but this is a tough match-up I would expect from the semi-finals.
Laguna
Maria
Gabranth
Selphie
Barret
Cid
Mustadio

I know it's randomized, but this is a tough match-up I would expect from the semi-finals.

I know, I was gutted when I saw it draw that way, but I haven't set any seedings in the game so far, it might be something I can do in future years. :)

Tenzen (XI)
Meliadoul (Tactics)
Lion (XI)
Faris (V)
Dagger (IX)
Terra (VI)
Matoya (I)
Malak (Tactics)
Cecil (IV)
Laguna (VIII)
Maria (II)
Ovelia (Tactics)
Selphie (VIII)
Barret (VII)
Cid (Tactics)
Mustadio (Tactics)

Anyone against a FFXIII character will automatically get my vote. I despise all of the characters in FFXIII, XIII-2, Lightning returns and how many other XIII inspired games there are.

Okay, here are the brackets for Round 1B, if you haven’t voted for Round 1A you can do both brackets at the same time…

Round 1B

Lich (I, 76th, 8) vs Alus (III, 109th, 3) vs Setzer (VI, 83rd, 7)
Snow (XIII, 109th, 3) vs Ultros (VI, 37th, 17) vs Doga (III, 95th, 5)
Bahamut (I, 83rd, 7) vs Celes (VI, 20th, 25)
Rafa (Tactics, 127th, 1) vs Balthier (XII, 32nd, 18)
Sarah (I, 133rd, 0) vs Cid (V, 59th, 12)
Desch (III, 66th, 10) vs Kimahri (X, 22nd, 24)
Baderon (XIV, 133rd, 0) vs Tiamat (I, 76th, 8)
Larsa (XII, 66th, 10) vs Gaius (XIV, 115th, 2)
Cloud of Darkness (III, 109th, 3) vs Freya (IX, 37th, 17)
Cid (XIII, 115th, 2) vs Rydia (IV, 15th, 36)
Lulu (X, 22nd, 24) vs Kefka (VI, 16th, 34)
Hojo (VII, 28th, 19) vs Niellefresne (XIV, 127th, 1)
Firion (II, 53rd, 13) vs Vincent (VII, 12th, 38)
Cid (VII, 26th, 21) vs Aria (III, 76th, 8)
Ashe (XII, 59th, 12) vs Wakka (X, 83rd, 7)
Cid (IX, 25th, 23) vs Shadow Lord (XI, 95th, 5)

Setzer (VI)
Ultros (VI)
Celes (VI)
Rafa (Tactics)
Cid (V)
Kimahri (X)
Baderon (XIV)
Zulvan (XIV)
Cloud of Darkness (III)
Rydia (IV)
Kefka (VI)
Niellefresne (XIV)
Vincent (VII)
Cid (VII)
Ashe (XII)
Shadow Lord (XI)

Setzer
Ultros
Celes
Balthier
Cid (V)
Kimahri
Tiamat
Larsa
Freya
Rydia
Kefka
Hojo
Vincent
Cid (VII)
Wakka
Cid (IX)

Round 1A

Seifer (VIII, 62nd, 11)
Jecht (X, 20th, 25)
Lion (XI, 115th, 2)
Minwu (II, 115th, 2)
Dagger (IX, 22nd, 24)
Terra (VI, 13th, 37)
Zemus (IV, 71st, 9)
Malak (Tactics, 133rd, 0)
Cecil (IV, 18th, 31)
Laguna (VIII, 6th, 51)
Astos (I, 89th, 6)
Gabranth (XII, 47th, 14)
Lightning (XIII, 95th, 5)
Barret (VII, 28th, 19)
Cid (Tactics, 47th, 14)
Exdeath (V, 37th, 17)

Round 1B

Setzer (VI, 83rd, 7)
Ultros (VI, 37th, 17)
Bahamut (I, 83rd, 7)
Balthier (XII, 32nd, 18)
Cid (V, 59th, 12)
Kimahri (X, 22nd, 24)
Tiamat (I, 76th, 8)
Larsa (XII, 66th, 10)
Freya (IX, 37th, 17)
Rydia (IV, 15th, 36)
Lulu (X, 22nd, 24)
Hojo (VII, 28th, 19)
Vincent (VII, 12th, 38)
Cid (VII, 26th, 21)
Wakka (X, 83rd, 7)
Cid (IX, 25th, 23)

1B

Setzer (VI)
Ultros (VI)
Celes (VI)
Balthier (XII)
Cid (V)
Kimahri (X)
Tiamat (I)
Zulvan (XIV)
Freya (IX)
Rydia (IV)
Kefka (VI)
Hojo (VII)
Vincent (VII)
Cid (VII)
Wakka (X)
Cid (IX)

Round 1B (some possible story spoilers below)

Setzer (FFVI) "My life is but a chip in your pile. Ante up!" What's not to love about a good looking free-spirited gambler with a love of opera (singers) and who has his own airship casino to boot? ;)
Ultros (FFVI) "Don't tease the octopus kids!" Heh, ironic he's up against Snow in this - I'm now picturing Ultros strangling Snow with his tentacles while sinking his jagged spike like teeth into Snow's head... mmmhmm oooohh yeah. So deliciously evil and cruel. (Yes, I hate Snow that much.)
Celes (FFVI) "I'm a general! Not some opera floozy!" I think there's a pattern here. Celes is much like Terra in a lot of ways, but she's also the complete opposite of Terra in personality. Strong willed and intelligent, she still retains honour and nobility even when she was still a member of the Empire, which is of course what led to her meeting Locke and joining the Returners. And of course, her stand in for the opera singer Maria in a ball gown on stage performing the beautiful Aria di Mezzo Caraterre is gaming history. Not to mention the tragic scene on the Solitary Island in the World of Ruin if Cid dies. Still one of the greatest FF characters of all time.
Balthier (FFXII) Finally someone who is not a FFVI character! :p The consummate ladies' man, he really is the 'leading man' like he always likes to say - stupid Vaan is nothing but an understudy in FFXII's story. Plus he has a hot viera as a partner and his own unique airship. Not to mention his relationship with Ashe was very subtle and understated, a refreshing change of pace from main characters who can't keep their hands off each other.
Cid (FFV) Forgetting what disturbingly became of him in the spin off anime Legend of the Crystals, the genius Cid well and truely keeps within the established canon of Cids being brilliant, if slightly eccentric, old men adept at building airships. And he has a Harry Potter clone for a grandson too. :p
Kimahri (FFX) I actually felt sorry for Kimahri - he's bullied by his own kind (I just wanted to punch those two morons who always jeered "Hornless!" mockingly to him), but he was a really interesting character from an ability standpoint (uses both Blue Magic and Dragoon attacks). And of course, he was noble and loyal to a fault, standing by Yuna to the end.
Baderon (FFXIV) I never did the Limsa Lominsa storyline in FFXIV 1.0, but I do know he is a musketeer in the Thalassocracy, and is an important member of Admiral Merlwyb's inner circle, so he wins by simply having a connection to the plot other than stupid Tiamat who existed only to drain the Wind Crystal and be defeated by the player.
Gaius (FFXIV) Firstly Johnny, his name is Gaius van Balseaar, not 'Zulvaan' - the name 'Zulvaan' was a mistake made by players in the game early on because his name wasn't mentioned in his first appearance. The gunblade-wielding Garlean Legatus of the XIVth Legion and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Ala Mhigo which he conquered. Dressed like Graf from Xenogears, on one hand Gaius appears a strong, powerful and noble villan, but scratch beneath the surface and you'll find he's really a cold, calculating sociopath, who only helped the player in the 7th Umbral Era story of 1.0 simply because he wanted Eorzea to be left intact so he had "something worth conquering". And considering he's now on the cover art for the reboot A Realm Reborn (he also appears in the recent 'Crystal's Call' trailer, waxing lyrical about saving Eorzea), you can bet he's going to be more than a thorn in the side of the player in the new storyline come ARR's release.
Freya (FFIX) Freya's storyline was rather sad in FFIX - thinking her true love was dead, only to find him alive but amnesiac and not knowing who she was, really hit hard. And of course seeing her homeland obliterated by Beatrix, Kuja and the Alexandrian forces, really makes you feel for her. Yet, she stands by Zidane and the party, and never once shows resentment towards Steiner and Garnet for being Alexandrian, a rare example of a character who even in grief can see beyond a thirst for vengeance and understand even members of an antagonistic country may be victims in themselves. Plus she was a powerful Dragoon, and Dragoons are cool. :D
Rydia (FFIV) Another character with a sad story, Rydia started off being a lost child grieving over the death of her mother during the destruction of Mist, but grew into a powerful Summoner who, completely out of the blue and having long been believed lost by Cecil, jumps in and saves him and his party at the eleventh hour from Golbez and his dragon ally. And of course, Edge's constant flirting with her was humorous, if not a little disturbing.
Kefka (FFVI) "Son of a submariner!" What more needs to be said about the flamboyant evil clown? He's clearly the greatest villain ever - from his hilarious one-liners, to his absolute malevolence and utter lack of empathy, he is also one of the few FF villains who actually succeeds - he defeats the pathetic heroes, destroys his world, and lives in a tower post-apocalypse like a god, striking down anyone with lightning who doesn't revere him as one, and hell, just if he feels like it.
Niellefresne (FFXIV) The Thaumaturge with a noble heart and more secrets than you could poke a stick at, his search for answers during the Ul'dah storyline in the original FFXIV ultimately open up more questions. I voted for him though because of his willingness to take under his care the recently orphaned Ascillia, whose father was killed during the opening scene to the Ul'dah storyline. Unfortunately for him though, this ultimately leads to his own death, in disturbing circumstances. And the irony is, the player didn't even realize it at the time, but every time you see him, is actually in the past via the Echo - he's been dead for nearly a decade!
Vincent (FFVII) A no brainer, Vince is the guy everybody likes - the cool, calm, dark 'Mr Mysterious' who prefers to let his gun do the talking and who turns into monsters for his limit break. Enough said.
Cid (FFVII) Another no brainer. The maiden of water can't compete against everyone's favourite foul-mouthed, bad tempered mechanic/airship pilot/astronaut. And again, he has Dragoon abilities.
Ashe (FFXII) Although she was somewhat pig-headed and stubborn, considering she was widowed not long after being wed (and even though her marriage to Rassler was politically motivated, they also really did love each other), and also saw her country be swallowed up by the Empire, it's little wonder she's abrupt and tactless. Still, after joining Vaan and his party, she starts to open up, taking on the burden of saving Ivalice from the Occuria in a completely unexpected way (unexpected except by Vayne, who was planning on her destruction of the Sun Cryst all along). It's just a pity she could never become involved with Balthier, due to her lingering grief over Rassler and Balthier's own restless nature and mutual relationship with Fran.
Shadow Lord (FFXI) Despite being burdned with probably the most cliched name you could think of, the instigator of the most bloody war in Vana'diel's history was actually a very sympathetic character, as he was revealed to be Raogrimm, the former Talekeeper of the Galka, and a Bastokan Musketeer, who made the mistake of falling love with the wrong woman. The loss of his love sent him into a rage which was answered by the dark forces of the Northlands, turning him into the Shadowlord and allowing him to enact his revenge against the five races. Ultimately though, he would be defeated, by the Bastokan Dark Knight Zeid, a galka like himself, and sealed away. But even darker forces would conspire to revive him (ironically the player is manipulated against their knowledge into assisting this), only to be defeated a second time by the player. Raogrimm redeems his sins by saving the player, Zeid, Lion and Aldo from the Ark Angels, turning himself back into the Shadowlord to allow time for them to escape. He later becomes the guardian of the Realm of Dreams, Dynamis, watching over all the dreamers within.

Phew!

Round 1A

Seifer (VIII, 62nd, 11)
Jecht (X, 20th, 25)
Basch (XII, 83rd, 7)
Faris (V, 109th, 3)
Garnet (IX, 22nd, 24)
Terra (VI, 13th, 37)
Matoya (I, 127th, 1)
Vanille (XIII, 89th, 6) I have a soft spot for redheads and I always found Malak useless and unlikable, so...
Zidane (IX, 1st, 61) yep, those guys met a bit too early
Laguna (VIII, 6th, 51)
Astos (I, 89th, 6)
Ovelia (Tactics, 95th, 5)
Selphie (VIII, 43rd, 16)
Barret (VII, 28th, 19)
Cid (Tactics, 47th, 14)
Exdeath (V, 37th, 17)

Round 1B was much easier
Setzer (VI, 83rd, 7)
Ultros (VI, 37th, 17)
Celes (VI, 20th, 25)
Balthier (XII, 32nd, 18)
Cid (V, 59th, 12)
Kimahri (X, 22nd, 24)
Tiamat (I, 76th, 8)
Larsa (XII, 66th, 10)
Freya (IX, 37th, 17)
Rydia (IV, 15th, 36)
Kefka (VI, 16th, 34)
Hojo (VII, 28th, 19)
Firion (II, 53rd, 13)
Cid (VII, 26th, 21)
Ashe (XII, 59th, 12)
Cid (IX, 25th, 23)

Next up we have the brackets for Round 1C, if you haven’t voted for Round 1A or Round 1B yet you can do all three brackets at the same time…

Round 1C

Leo (VI, 83rd, 7) vs Guy (II, 76th, 8) vs Lenna (V, 71st, 9)
Josef (II, 66th, 10) vs Fang (XIII, 95th, 5) vs Fran (XII, 37th, 17)
Garland (I, 47th, 14) vs Djinn (III, 104th, 4)
Agrias (Tactics, 62nd, 11) vs Semih Lafihna (XI, 95th, 5)
Xande (III, 89th, 6) vs Yda (XIV, 115th, 2)
Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 59) vs Quistis (VIII, 28th, 19)
Sephiroth (VII, 8th, 45) vs Ramza (Tactics, 95th, 5)
Gilgamesh (V, 27th, 20) vs Rosa (IV, 66th, 10)
Ricard (II, 62nd, 11) vs Galuf (V, 32nd, 18)
Seymour (X, 28th, 19) vs Edgar (VI, 11th, 39)
Steiner (IX, 37th, 17) vs Leon (II, 43rd, 16)
Hope (XIII, 83rd, 7) vs Penelo (XII, 62nd, 11)
Krile (V, 32nd, 18) vs Aphmau (XI, 104th, 4)
Prishe (XI, 53rd, 13) vs Travanchet (XIV, 115th, 2)
Chaos (I, 45th, 15) vs Tidus (X, 59th, 12)
Kain (IV, 32nd, 18) vs Serah (XIII, 89th, 6)

---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 AM ----------



Gaius (FFXIV) Firstly Johnny, his name is Gaius van Balseaar, not 'Zulvaan' - the name 'Zulvaan' was a mistake made by players in the game early on because his name wasn't mentioned in his first appearance. The gunblade-wielding Garlean Legatus of the XIVth Legion and de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Ala Mhigo which he conquered. Dressed like Graf from Xenogears, on one hand Gaius appears a strong, powerful and noble villan, but scratch beneath the surface and you'll find he's really a cold, calculating sociopath, who only helped the player in the 7th Umbral Era story of 1.0 simply because he wanted Eorzea to be left intact so he had "something worth conquering". And considering he's now on the cover art for the reboot A Realm Reborn (he also appears in the recent 'Crystal's Call' trailer, waxing lyrical about saving Eorzea), you can bet he's going to be more than a thorn in the side of the player in the new storyline come ARR's release.

Amended. :)

Round 1C

Leo (VI)
Fran (XII)
Garland (I)
Agrias (Tactics)
Yda (XIV)
Quistis (VIII) extremely hard choice for me :/
Ramza (Tactics)
Gilgamesh (V)
Galuf (V)
Edgar (VI)
Steiner (IX)
Penelo (XII)
Aphmau (XI)
Prishe (XI)
Tidus (X)
Kain (IV)

1C

Leo (VI)
Fran (XII)
Garland (I)
Agrias (Tactics)
Yda (XIV)
Beatrix (IX)
Ramza (Tactics)
Rosa (IV)
Galuf (V)
Edgar (VI)
Steiner (IX)
Hope (XIII) Tough decision since I don't care for either character.
Krile (V)
Prishe (XI)
Tidus (X)
Kain (IV)

Leo (VI)
Fran (XII) Playboy bunnies ALWAYS get my vote lmao
Djinn (III)
Semih Lafihna (XI)
Yda (XIV)
Quistis (VIII)
Ramza (Tactics) Anyone against that One Winged lunatic wins by me
Gilgamesh (V)
Galuf (V)
Edgar (VI)
Steiner (IX)
Penelo (XII) Would of preferred to do a 'no vote' for this choice, as I hate both the characters equally... Penelo wins as she's a girl... But Hope is one as well... ugh...
Aphmau (XI)
Prishe (XI)
Chaos (I)
Kain (IV)

Leo
Fang
Garland
Agrias
Xande
Beatrix
Sephiroth
Gilgamesh
Galuf
Edgar
Steiner
Penelo
Krile
Prishe
Tidus
Kain

Round 1B

Alus (III, 109th, 3)
Snow (XIII, 109th, 3)
Bahamut (I, 83rd, 7)
Balthier (XII, 32nd, 18)
Cid (V, 59th, 12)
Kimahri (X, 22nd, 24)
Baderon (XIV, 133rd, 0)
Larsa (XII, 66th, 10)
Freya (IX, 37th, 17)
Rydia (IV, 15th, 36)
Lulu (X, 22nd, 24)
Hojo (VII, 28th, 19)
Vincent (VII, 12th, 38)
Cid (VII, 26th, 21)
Ashe (XII, 59th, 12)
Cid (IX, 25th, 23)

Round 1C

Lenna (V, 71st, 9)
Fran (XII, 37th, 17)
Garland (I, 47th, 14)
Agrias (Tactics, 62nd, 11)
Yda (XIV, 115th, 2)
Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 59)
Sephiroth (VII, 8th, 45)
Rosa (IV, 66th, 10)
Galuf (V, 32nd, 18)
Seymour (X, 28th, 19)
Steiner (IX, 37th, 17)
Hope (XIII, 83rd, 7)
Aphmau (XI, 104th, 4)
Travanchet (XIV, 115th, 2)
Tidus (X, 59th, 12)
Serah (XIII, 89th, 6)

Round 1C

Leo (FFVI) The remarkably noble Imperial general, who virtually assumed control of the Imperial forces after Celes's defection, he remained compassionate and noble compared to the evil Kefka, refusing to poison Doma, amongst other things (unfortunately Kefka was more than willing to do his own dirty work). And sadly, being a virtuous character amongst an army of monsters, you know he's sadly fated to be stabbed in the back and deposed, which is exactly what happens.
Fran (FFXII) She's the only non-human character in the party in the game, not to mention despite her somewhat abrupt demeanor, the simmering sexual tension between her and Balthier is a nice change of pace from other FF 'professional' couples who are either so stoic as to be virtually asexual, or can;'t keep their hands off each other. So she has my vote. ;)
Garland (FFI) "I Garland will knock you all down!" That one quote went down in FF history as second only to the infamous 'spoony bard' line in FFIV as the most cheesy 'so-bad-it's-good' one-liner in the entire series! And ignoring Dissidia's stupid retcon about his past, the once noble Cornerian knight goes into fantasy cliche and kidnaps Princess Sarah. But as what became stock-in-trade for the FF series later, this was not what it seemed. And of course, he throws everyone into a time loop and becomes Chaos. The original FF antagonist.
Semih Lafihna (FFXI) The Captain of the Sybil Guard of the Federation of Windurst, Semih has an important part in Windurst's storyline, effectively serving as the Star Sybil's right-hand woman. But there is more to this orphaned mithra Ranger than first meets the eye. Strong willed and somewhat stubborn (she blindly follows the Star Sybil's ban on accessing the Full Moon Fountain, arresting both Ajido-Marujido and the player for violating the ban), she nevertheless has the good of her country at heart and will do anything in her power to help Windurst's people.
Yda (FFXIV) "You know, for being the clever one, you can be awfully stupid at times!" Papalymo's partner-in-crime in the Gridanian storyline, the blonde hyur Pugilist may look ditzy (and fully act that way most of the time - when she first meets the player she mistakenly believes she's dead and that the player is a psychopomp to guide her to heaven), but ironically, when push comes to shove, she actually shows that it's mostly an act, as she's an Archon like her Thamaturge friend. And from amongst the other Archons of the Circle of Knowing, she is the only one to actually land a hit on Gaius during the showdown at the end of the Future's Perfect story quest in the original game.
Beatrix (FFIX) "I once single-handedly defeated a hundred knights. To me, you three are nothing more than insects." The cool, calm 'Rose of May', Beatrix could kind of be thought of as a female General Leo - both are generals in the 'antagonistic' country's military, both are of the Knight class (arguably), and both although follow orders from their respective monarchs, do still have a kind heart and ultimately end up doing the right thing. Luckily for Beatrix though, she survives. And of course, her relationship with Steiner (whom she treated as a mild annoyance, while he regarded her as nothing but a rival) ends up blossoming into full blown love, due to a mis-targeted love-letter by Eiko (which was meant for Zidane).
Ramza (FFT) Definetely FFT's main protagonist over the three-time loser anyday. Ramza's nobility, compassion and sense of justice and honour even in the face of unspeakable evil and cruely, even after seeing his family virtually wiped out, his best friend turn evil and his country torn apart by civil war, he never once wallows in self-pity or acts emo about it. He continues on his quest simply because 'he's a Knight, and a Beoulve, and that it's the right thing to do (that and he wants to save his sister as well, which helps a lot). And ironically, even though history would virtually forget his place in the Lion War (due to him being classed as a heretic by the Church), the fact that it was thought he and his sister were dead at the end virtually freed him of the chains of duty, which he took up by riding off with his sister into the sunset, while Delita ended up with a knife in his chest.
Rosa (FFIV) OOooh, tough choice! But I'm going to have to vote for Rosa, because one, she's a White Mage, two, she's the first true example of a romance between the main protagonist, and three, she has a happy ending, marrying Cecil, becoming Queen of Baron, and having a child (ignoring The After Years of course ;)). Plus, although she's a White Mage, she also has Archer abilities - and wields a pretty mean bow!
Galuf (FFV) He may look old, but he was not only as sharp as a toothpick (once he overcame his amnesia of course), but he was a mean fighter as well. And of course, his death still remains a tragic point in the series (none the less due to the poignant scene of his granddaughter Krile trying desperately to heal him with every White Magic spell/restorative item she knew, only to have the 'Galuf has died' message appear.)
Edgar (FFVI) "Heh, guess my technique is getting a little rusty!" The good looking king of Figaro, he well truely doesn't act like one, more like a flamboyant engineer with a penchant for the ladies (his attempts to court Terra were hilarious). And then of course, there's Tools. Autocrossbow virtually invalidated his regular physical attack, Chainsaw is over-the-top, and Airanchor... well, what needs to be said about that? ;)
Steiner (FFIX) Built like an ox, as strong as an ox, and nearly just as dumb, Steiner may appear to be on the surface comic relief (his leitmotif is a lumbering ditty on tuba and strings!), and his fantatical devotion to Queen Brahne is ridiculous, even after everyone else realized that what Alexandria was doing was not right - he seemed utterly incapable of comprehending that the Queen was not herself. But ultimately, he began to understand Zidane's methods and his loyalty to Garnet, especially after he inadvertently falls in love with Beatrix, whom until then he had thought of as nothing but an annoying rival. He also seemed to never understand exactly why Zidane always called him 'Rusty'. ;)
Hope (FFXIII) Urrgh, two characters I hate. Okay, I went with Hope, even though I couldn't stand him in FFXIII, at least he redeemed himself in FFXIII-2, finally growing up and letting go of that stupid teenage angst he had for most of XIII. But he's still annoying as hell (especially in XIII-2 he went and became a mad scientist in one time-line, creating the proto-fal'cie Adam, which ended up turning on him and killing him, dooming mankind for another 500 years under fal'cie rule again. Moron.)
Krile (FFV) Galuf's young granddaughter, Krile was something of an oddity in the series, virtually taking over from her deceased family member (and inheriting all his levels, exp, equipment and Jobs too!).
Travanchet (FFXIV) The mysterious, shadowless elezen who was revealed to be the one behind the gobbue running amok in the first Ul'dah quest as well as stealing the treasure of Seal Rock in the Limsa Storyline, he seemed to possess powers beyond what a normal person in Eorzea would have. And not surprisingly, information from the developers stated that he's actually not even an elezen at all, but a member of the enigmatic beings called the Ascians, who will be playing a much greater role in ARR. And if that is true, then it's perhaps a good thing that the player never actually sees him in his true form. ;)
Chaos (FFI) Garland's big bad form, he still hit a pretty bad punch. :)
Kain (FFIV) The archetypical Dragoon, what more needs to be said? ;)

And finally here are the brackets for Round 1D, if you haven’t voted for Round 1A, Round 1B or Round 1C yet you can do all four brackets together right now. Voting for all four parts of Round 1 will end in around a week’s time, tiebreakers aside.

Round 1D

King Tycoon (V, 71st, 9) vs Vayne (XII, 104th, 4) vs Edea (VIII, 53rd, 13)
Rufus (VII, 47th, 14) vs Shadow (VI, 13th, 37)
Vivi (IX, 4th, 56)vs Cloud (VII, 7th, 47)
Locke (VI, 10th, 40) vs Tellah (IV, 76th, 8)
Auron (X, 5th, 52) vs Shantotto (XI, 89th, 6)
Zeid (XI, 115th, 2) vs Rikku (X, 19th, 27)
Unei (III, 76th, 8) vs Zell (VIII, 95th, 5)
Irvine (VIII, 37th, 17) vs Rubicante (IV, 47th, 14)
Cid (IV, 66th, 10) vs Gordon (II, 53rd, 13)
Yuna (X, 17th, 32) vs Rinoa (VIII, 45th, 15)
Kuja (IX, 9th, 44) vs Marilith (I, 71st, 9)
Golbez (IV, 95th, 5) vs Y'shtola (XIV, 115th, 2)
Quina (IX, 76th, 8) vs Aeris (VII, 53rd, 13)
Tifa (VII, 32nd 18) vs Bartz (V, 104th, 4)
Aldo (XI, 115th, 2) vs Squall (VIII, 2nd, 60)
Thancred (XIV, 115th, 2) vs Sazh (XIII, 53rd, 13)

---------- Post added at 07:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:34 PM ----------




My votes:

Edea
Shadow
Vivi
Locke
Auron
Rikku
Zell
Irvine
Cid
Rinoa
Kuja
Golbez
Quina
Tifa
Squall
Sazh

Round 1D

Vayne (XII)
Rufus (VII)
Vivi (IX)
Locke (VI)
Auron (X)
Rikku (X)
Zell (VIII)
Irvine (VIII)
Gordon (II)
Rinoa (VIII)
Kuja (IX)
Y'shtola (XIV)
Quina (IX)
Tifa (VII)
Squall (VIII)
Sazh (XIII)

Edea (VIII)
Shadow (VI)
Vivi (IX)
Locke (VI)
Auron (X)
Zeid (XI)
Zell (VIII)
Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IV)
Rinoa (VIII) - No matter who she is put against, I will always vote for Rinoa, if only for personal, sentimental reasons.
Marilith (I)
Y'shtola (XIV)
Aeris (VII)
Tifa (VII)
Squall (VIII)
Thancred (XIV)

Round 1D

Edea (VIII, 53rd, 13)
Rufus (VII, 47th, 14)
Vivi (IX, 4th, 56)
Auron (X, 5th, 52)
Rikku (X, 19th, 27)
Zell (VIII, 95th, 5)
Irvine (VIII, 37th, 17
Cid (IV, 66th, 10)
Rinoa (VIII, 45th, 15)
Kuja (IX, 9th, 44)
Quina (IX, 76th, 8)
Tifa (VII, 32nd 18)
Squall (VIII, 2nd, 60)
Sazh (XIII, 53rd, 13)

1D
Edea (VIII)
Shadow (VI)
Vivi (IX)
Tellah (IV)
Auron (X)
Zeid (XI)
Zell (VIII)
Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IV)
Yuna (X)
Kuja (IX)
Golbez (IV)
Aeris (VII)
Tifa (VII)
Squall (VIII)
Thancred (XIV)

TIEBREAKERS! NEXT VOTES WIN!

Which characters do you prefer?

Gilgamesh (V) or Rosa (IV)?
Hope (XIII) or Penelo (XII)?
Krile (V) or Aphmau (XI)?
Golbez (IV) or Y'shtola (XIV)?

Round 2 will be posted as soon as I'm able... I have no internet at home so it makes it so much harder...

Gilgamesh (V)
Penelo (XII)
Aphmau (XI)
Y'shtola (XIV)?

Round 1 Roundup

Most Popular Games (Points) - FF6 leads the way having accumulated 44 points in the first place, then FF9 trail behind with 43 points, and FF8 are third place with 35 points.
Least Popular Game (Points) - FF3 have had a terrible year, they accumulated only 5 points between 9 characters, and all characters have lost their battles.
Most Popular Games (Characters) - FF6 and FF9 have all 9 characters still battling. Third place is FF8 who have 8 characters, as Quistis lost her battle with Beatrix.
Least Popular Game (Characters) - As noted earlier, FF3 is this years least popular game as all their characters lost their battles. Maria is the only surviving character from FF2, can she survive another round?
Most Popular Characters - The following characters lead the way with 7 points each: Rydia from IV, Cid from V, Barret and Cid from VII, Laguna from VIII and Kimahri from X.
Most Popular Characters (All Time) Squall is now joint first with Zidane, while Beatrix still in 3rd place.
Lowest Drop in All Time Rankings - Having secured no points this year, Aldo from XI and Cid from XIII drop from 115th to 131st place each.
Highest Rise in All Time Rankings - Matoya secured 5 votes in Round 1 taking his total tally from 1 to 6 points, and has risen from 127th to 104th, climbing 23 places.

Round 2 will be posted in two parts, here's the first. I haven't got time to put the rankings and point tallies down below, but I am keeping track at home (without internet) :(

Round 2A
Ashe (XII) vs Aphmau (XI)
Beatrix (IX) vs Mustadio (Tactics)
Larsa (XII) vs Sazh (XIII)
Tiamat (I) vs Hojo (VII)
Faris (V) vs Dagger (IX)
Cid (VII) vs Maria (II)
Gilgamesh (V) vs Leo (VI)
Kimahri (X) vs Rydia (IV)
Y'shtola (XIV) vs Quina (IX)
Steiner (IX) vs Prishe (XI)
Locke (VI) vs Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX) vs Cid (Tactics)
Yda (XIV) vs Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IX) vs Shadow (VI)
Galuf (V) vs Zell VIII)
Tifa (VII) vs Kuja (IX)

---------- Post added at 06:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:44 PM ----------

My votes...

Ashe (XII)
Beatrix (IX)
Sazh (XIII)
Hojo (VII)
Dagger (IX)
Cid (VII)
Leo (VI)
Kimahri (X)
Quina (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Locke (VI)
Vivi (IX)
Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IX)
Zell VIII)
Kuja (IX)

Round 2A

Ashe (XII)
Beatrix (IX)
Sazh (XIII)
Hojo (VII)
Dagger (IX)
Cid (VII)
Kimahri (X)
Y'shtola (XIV)
Steiner (IX)
Vivi (IX)
Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IX)
Zell (VIII)
Kuja (IX)

2A
Aphmau (XI)
Beatrix (IX)
Larsa (XII)
Hojo (VII)
Faris (V)
Cid (VII)
Leo (VI)
Rydia (IV)
Quina (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX)
Yda (XIV)
Shadow (VI)
Galuf (V)
Kuja (IX)

Aphmau (XI)
Mustadio (Tactics)
Larsa (XII)
Hojo (VII)
Faris (V)
Cid (VII)
Gilgamesh (V)
Kimahri (X)
Y'shtola (XIV)
Prishe (XI)
Kain (IV)
Cid (Tactics)
Irvine (VIII)
Shadow (VI)
Zell VIII)
Tifa (VII)

Ashe (XII)
Beatrix (IX)
Larsa (XII)
Hojo (VII)
Dagger (IX)
Cid (VII)
Gilgamesh (V)
Kimahri (X)
Quina (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Locke (VI)
Vivi (IX)
Irvine (VIII)
Cid (IX)
Galuf (V)
Tifa (VII)

Damn, missed out on the last voting for 1D (my net connection was dysfunctional for a week ; ; ). Ah well.

Ashe (XII)
Beatrix (IX)
Sazh (XIII)
Hojo (VII)
Garnet (IX)
Cid (VII)
Gilgamesh (V)
Rydia (IV)
Y'shtola (XIV)
Steiner (IX)
Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX)
Yda (XIV)
Shadow (VI)
Galuf (V)
Tifa (VII)

Here's Round 2B, if you haven't voted in Round 2A yet you can vote both parts of the round together...

Gabranth (XII) vs Celes (VI)
Kefka (VI) vs Agrias (Tactics)
Balthier (XII) vs Terra (VI)
Setzer (VI) vs Garland (I)
Ramza (Tactics) vs Laguna (VIII)
Edea (VIII) vs Matoya (I)
Ultros (VI) vs Tidus (X)
Rikku (X) vs Barret (VII)
Cid (IV) vs Seifer (VIII)
Penelo (XII) vs Vincent (VII)
Selphie (VIII) vs Auron (X)
Fran (XII) vs Squall (VIII)
Cid (V) vs Freya (IX)
Jecht (X) vs Edgar (VI)
Rinoa (VIII) vs Vanille (XIII)
Zidane (IX) vs Basch (XII)

---------- Post added at 06:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ----------

My votes...

Gabranth (XII)
Kefka (VI)
Balthier (XII)
Setzer (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Edea (VIII)
Ultros (VI)
Barret (VII)
Seifer (VIII)
Vincent (VII)
Auron (X)
Squall (VIII)
Freya (IX)
Edgar (VI)
Vanille (XIII)
Zidane (IX)

2B
Gabranth (XII)
Agrias (Tactics)
Terra (VI)
Setzer (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Edea (VIII)
Tidus (X)
Barret (VII)
Cid (IV)
Vincent (VII)
Auron (X)
Squall (VIII)
Freya (IX)
Jecht (X)
Rinoa (VIII)
Zidane (IX)

Round 2B

Balthier (XII)
Laguna (VIII)
Edea (VIII)
Tidus (X)
Rikku (X)
Seifer (VIII)
Vincent (VII)
Auron (X)
Squall (VIII)
Freya (IX)
Jecht (X)
Rinoa (VIII)
Zidane (IX)

Gabranth (XII)
Agrias (Tactics)
Balthier (XII)
Setzer (VI)
Ramza (Tactics)
Edea (VIII)
Ultros (VI)
Barret (VII)
Cid (IV)
Penelo (XII)
Auron (X)
Squall (VIII)
Freya (IX)
Jecht (X)
Rinoa (VIII)
Zidane (IX)

Celes (VI)
Kefka (VI)
Terra (VI)
Setzer (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Edea (VIII)
Ultros (VI)
Barret (VII)
Seifer (VIII)
Vincent (VII)
Auron (X)
Squall (VIII)
Cid (V)
Edgar (VI)
Rinoa (VIII)
Zidane (IX)

Celes (VI)
Kefka (VI)
Terra (VI)
Setzer (VI)
Ramza (Tactics)
Edea (VIII)
Ultros (VI)
Barret (VII)
Cid (IV)
Vincent (VII)
Auron (X)
Fran (XII)
Freya (IX)
Edgar (VI)
Rinoa (VIII)
Zidane (IX)

TIEBREAKERS! NEXT VOTES WIN!

Who is the better character?

Y'shtola (XIV) or Quina (IX)?
Cid (IX) or Shadow (VI)?
Galuf (V) pr Zell (VIII)?
Tifa (VII) or Kuja (IX)?
Balthier (XII) or Terra (VI)?
Cid (IV) or Seifer (VIII)?
Jecht (X) or Edgar (VI)?

Round 3 will be posted as soon as possible.

Quina (IX)
Cid (IX)
Galuf (V)
Tifa (VII)
Balthier (XII)
Cid (IV)
Jecht (X)

Y'shtola (XIV)
Shadow (VI)
Zell (VIII)
Tifa (VII)
Terra (VI)
Seifer (VIII)
Edgar (VI)

Szczepan's votes count as they were posted first.

Round 2 Statistics

Most Popular Games (Points): Final Fantasy IX leads the way with 82 points, quite a way actually, with FF8 in second with 72 points, and FF6 just behind in third with 71points
Least Popular Game (Points): After FF3 got completely knocked out in Round 1, only getting 5 points, Final Fantasy II have now finished in second last place with 8 points. In terms of games still remaining, FF4 have accumulated 35 points and thus are the lowest ranked team with at least one character remaining.
Most Popular Games (Characters): Final Fantasy IX have 8 characters remaining as Kuja lost his battle. FF7 and FF8 both have 5 characters left so are joint third. FF9 is really running away with the favourite game competition this year.
Least Popular Game (Characters): FF1, FF2, FF11, FF13, FF14 and FF Tactics have joined FF3 and have no characters remaining. Only 8 of the 15 games are left in the competition.
Most Popular Characters (This Year): Cid from FF7 officially takes the lead in this year’s game with 13 points, second place is Barret also from FF7 with 12 points. In third palce we have 8 characters with 11 points
Most Popular Characters (Overall): We’re back to the original top 3 again, with Zidane eding ahead of Squall while Beatrix strolls along in third place.
Lowest Drop: The lowest drop so far from last year's rank is Seymour from FF10, he was ranked 28th before we started this year's game but currently sits in 46th place having only got 1 point this year.
Highest Rise: Faris' 7 points from the two rounds she played in makes her climb 31 places from 109th to 78th place, having only totalled 3 points in the two years before this year's game.

Here we go with Round 3, this round onwards isn’t split anymore, so the 16 battles below are the remaining 32 characters in the competition…

Round 3

<I>(Key: Character, Game, Last Year’s Rank, This Year’s Points Tally)</I>

Freya (IX, 37th, 11) vs Setzer (VI, 83rd, 11)
Kimahri (X, 22nd, 11) vs Steiner (IX, 37th, 11)
Gilgamesh (V, 27th, 6) vs Squall (VIII, 2nd, 10)
Dagger (IX, 22nd, 10) vs Rinoa (VIII, 45th, 9)
Cid (IV, 66th, 7) vs Galuf (V, 32nd, 9)
Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 9) vs Irvine (VIII, 37th, 9)
Larsa (XII, 66th, 7) vs Hojo (VII, 28th, 11)
Kain (IV, 32nd, 8) vs Ashe (XII, 59th, 8)
Vivi (IX, 4th, 10) vs Tifa (VII, 32nd, 8)
Jecht (X, 20th, 8) vs Kefka (VI, 16th, 8)
Balthier (XII, 32nd, 9) vs Cid (IX, 25th, 8)
Quina (IX, 76th, 6) vs Edea (VIII, 53rd, 10)
Auron (X, 5th, 11) vs Ultros (VI, 37th, 10)
Cid (VII, 26th, 13) vs Laguna (VIII, 6th, 11)
Zidane (IX, 1st, 10) vs Vincent (VII, 12th, 11)
Barret (VII, 28th, 12) vs Gabranth (XII, 47th, 7)

---------- Post added at 07:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:58 PM ----------

My votes...

Setzer (VI)
Steiner (IX)
Squall (VIII)
Dagger (IX)
Galuf (V)
Beatrix (IX)
Hojo (VII)
Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX)
Kefka (VI)
Balthier (XII)
Quina (IX)
Auron (X)
Laguna (VIII)
Zidane (IX)
Barret (VII)

3

Freya (IX)
I'll come back to this one.
Squall (VIII)
Dagger (IX)
Cid (IV)
Beatrix (IX)
Hojo (VII)
Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX)
Kefka (VI)
Balthier (XII)
Quina (VII)
Auron (X)
Cid (VII)
Zidane (IX)
Gabranth (XII)

Setzer (VI)
Steiner (IX)
Gilgamesh (V)
Garnet (IX)
Cid (IV)
Beatrix (IX)
Hojo (VII)
Kain (IV)
Vivi (IX)
Kefka (VI)
Balthier (XII)
Edea (VIII)
Auron (X)
Laguna (VIII)
Zidane (IX)
Gabranth (XII)

Setzer (VI)
Kimahri (X)
Squall (VIII)
Rinoa (VIII)
Cid (IV)
Irvine (VIII)
Hojo (VII)
Kain (IV)
Tifa (VII)
Kefka (VI)
Cid (IX)
Edea (VIII)
Ultros (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Vincent (VII)
Barret (VII)

Freya (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Gilgamesh (V)
Dagger (IX)
Galuf (V)
Beatrix (IX)
Hojo (VII)
Ashe (XII)
Vivi (IX)
Jecht (X)
Balthier (XII)
Quina (IX)
Ultros (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Zidane (IX)
Barret (VII)

No tiebreakers required, all the battles have been won and lost naturally.

Round 3 Statistics

Most Popular Games (Points) - FF9 still leads the way with 107 points, trailing behind is FF8 with 83 points, then FF6 with 80 points.
Least Popular Game (Points) - FF5 have joined the exodus, accumulated 41 points. In terms of games that are still left, FF4 have 42 points.
Most Popular Games (Characters) - FF9 still have 6 of the original 9 characters remaining in the game, taking up 6 of the 8 battles below. FF4, FF6, FF7 and FF8 only have 2 characters left each.
Least Popular Game (Characters) - ...doing that math, the last two characters left are from FF10 and FF12. The characters representing the games? Auron and Balthier respectively.
Most Popular Characters - Hojo from FF7 is now leading the way, having got 16 points in the first three rounds. Barret (FF7) and Laguna (FF8) are just behind with 15 points.
Overall - Zidane is still in first place, then Squall and then Beatrix. Beatrix is actually catching Squall up, albeit slowly.
Lowest Drop - Seymour's descent continues, last year he ranked 28th, and now currently sits in 48th place. Will he drop further?
Highest Rise - This year's highest jumper has now got a new face, the face of Setzer. Setzer started this year's game in 83rd place, having only accumulated 7 points in two years. He's doubled his tally this year so far to 14, and in the meantime sits in 42nd place, jumping 41 places. Can he make the last 8?

Here's the next round...

Round 4

(Key: Character, Game, Last Year’s Rank, This Year’s Points Tally)

Kefka (VI, 16th, 12) vs Vivi (IX, 4th, 14)
Kain (IV, 32nd, 12) vs Laguna (VIII, 6th, 15)
Quina (IX, 76th, 9) vs Setzer (VI, 83rd, 14)
Auron (X, 5th, 14) vs Dagger (IX, 22nd, 14)
Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 13) vs Balthier (XII, 32nd, 13)
Hojo (VII, 28th, 16) vs Steiner (IX, 37th, 14)
Zidane (IX, 1st, 14) vs Cid (IV, 66th, 10)
Barret (VII, 28th, 15) vs Squall (VIII, 2nd, 13)

---------- Post added at 07:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:47 PM ----------

My votes...

Kefka (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Quina (IX)
Auron (X)
Beatrix (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Zidane (IX)
Barret (VII)

Vivi (IX)
Kain (IV)
Setzer (VI)
Garnet (IX)
Beatrix (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Zidane (IX)
Squall (VIII)

Lol, a lot of FFIX ones for me this time - but I love FFIX so it works out. ;)

Kefka (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Setzer (VI)
Auron (X)
Balthier (XII) - Hard choice this one, as I didn't like either of them, but went along with the Han Solo wannabe
Hojo (VII)
Cid (IV)
Squall (VIII)

Vivi (IX)
Laguna (VIII)
Setzer (VI)
Auron (X)
Beatrix (IX)
Steiner (IX)
Zidane (IX)
Squall (VIII)

Vivi (IX)
Laguna (VIII)
Quina (IX)
Auron (X)
Balthier (XII)
Steiner (IX)
Zidane (IX)
Squall (VIII)

Round 4 Statistics

Most Popular Games (Points): Final Fantasy IX has pretty much run away with it this year, with 124 points, with FF8 doing really well this year still holding onto second place with 91 points, and FF6 still in third place with 85 points
Least Popular Game (Points): FF7 and FF12 have no characters left representing them, with FF12 accumulating 55 points and FF7 getting 74 points.
Most Popular Games (Characters): FF9 still have four characters left, so take up a place in every game in the quarter final. The other four characters are from FF6, FF8 and FF10.
Most Popular Characters (This Year): It’s still really tight left with the 8 characters left, but Laguna is in the lead with 19 points. Steiner, Zidane, Auron all have 18 points.
Most Popular Characters (Overall): The top three are still the same, no change there!
Lowest Drop: Seymour has now dropped 21 places. I think that’s his final position for the end of this game.
Highest Rise: Sezter has now risen 44 places, starting in 83rd place he’s now gone to 39th place. Can he continue to climb?

Here we go with Round 5, the quarter final, which has all the top 6 ranked characters remaining. Very strong lineup below, good luck choosing between them!

Round 5: The Quarter Finals

(Key: Character, Game, Last Year’s Rank, This Year’s Points Tally)

Zidane (IX, 1st, 18) vs Auron (X, 5th, 18)
Setzer (VI, 83rd, 17) vs Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 16)
Vivi (IX, 4th, 17) vs Laguna (VIII, 6th, 19)
Steiner (IX, 37th, 18) vs Squall (VIII, 2nd, 17)

--

My votes…

Zidane (IX)
Beatrix (IX)
Vivi (IX)
Steiner (IX)

…sorry but I do love FF9’s characters!

Zidane (IX)
Beatrix (IX)
Vivi (IX)
Squall (VIII)

Zidane (IX)
Beatrix (IX)
Laguna (VIII) - Extremely hard choice, as I love them both... Last year when they met, I've voted for Vivi, so ths time...
Steiner (IX)

Auron (X) - No contest, the Samurai beats monkey boy
Setzer (VI)
Laguna (VIII)
Squall (VIII)

Zidane (IX)
Beatrix (IX)
Vivi (IX)
Squall (VIII)

Just going to go straight into the semi finals as I'm struggling for time. 3 of the four characters are from FF9 so there's no separating this time. It's the Top 4, who are your favourite two? :)

Round 6: The Semi Finals

Squall (VIII, 2nd, 20) vs Zidane (IX, 1st, 21)
Vivi (IX, 4th, 20) vs Beatrix (IX, 3rd, 20)

---------- Post added at 12:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 AM ----------

My votes...

Zidane (IX)
Vivi (IX)

Squall (VIII))
Vivi (IX)

Zidane (IX)

...Vivi...Beatrix...Viatrix! Can I get away with that? If not then I don't have a vote for this one yet.

Zidane and Vivi have my vote (although it was a tough choice, I admit I like the little Black Mage more.). :D

Okay it's the final! And two years running we have a Final Fantasy IX final.

It's Vivi, winner of last year's game, up against Zidane, the character who has accumulated more points than any other character in the history of this game. Who is your favourite?

Round 7: The Final

Zidane (IX, 1st, 24) vs Vivi (IX, 4th, 23)

---------- Post added at 01:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:47 PM ----------

And my vote goes to... Vivi :)

Well, I'm out for this year... I dislike FFIX,therefore I can't vote.

Zidane (IX)

Any more votes? I don't really want to bring the final to a tiebreaker...

Well I guess it's up to me to decide this then. ;)

I'm going to go for little Vivi again, as his story is so tragic yet the little Black Mage faces his fate with an amazing modicum of courage and maturity that belies his extremely young age. Not to mention his skill as a Black Mage is so powerful (even Steiner is terrified of him, who insists on calling him 'Master Vivi' out of fearful respect), he's worth keeping in the party for his very useful abilities.

So I vote for the little guy again. ;D

Vivi

So it's official! Our winner is Vivi! I'll post all the statistics when I get the chance. Hopefully in the next week :)

Statistics After the Third Annual FF Character Knockout Game

• Sarah from FF1 is now the only character not to register a single vote in three years. Have sympathy!
• The most obvious statistic, is that Vivi from FF9 is the first character to win a knockout game twice. He only got 21st place in his first year, his win last year boosted him to fourth place, and now, his second win, moves him to second place in the total rankings.
• Zidane from FF9 is still at the top of the rankings, if you combine the three year tallies together. Yet he has still not won the contest. He has gone from quarter finalist, to semi finalist to finalist. Is next year his year?
• This year is the first time the Top 4 actually got to the semi finals. There's a big gap, you may have noticed, developing from the Top 4 characters from the rest of the pack. Is it time to maybe think of changing the game and increase/decrease bracketing?
• Auron from FF10 is now a three-time quarter finalist, the only character to hold this honour.
• Cloud from FF7 is the highest ranked character to not register a single vote this year. Despite this he only dropped three places, from 7th to 10th.
• Papalymo from FF14 is the only character to have registered the one vote every year.
• Setzer from FF6, if you hadn't guessed, is the highest climber through the rankings this year. Starting the game at 83rd place and having only taken 7 points from the previous two games, Setzer got to the quarter finals and accumulated 18 points, nearly three times his previous tally. He climbed 45 places and starts next year's game in 38th place.
• Seymour from FF10 has dropped the most places this year. Starting in 28th place and getting 19 points in the two previous games, he only got the one measly vote this year and dropped 21 places as a result. He's now in 49th place.
• Whatever happened to Ricard of FF2? He gained 11 points two years ago and was ranked 37th place. Since then he’s not won a single one of your votes!
• Other characters that haven’t registered a single vote in two years are Unei of FF3, Dycedarg of FF Tactics, and, of course, Sarah of FF1 who hasn’t got any votes yet.
• Ultimate Game Scenario: What characters would create your ultimate Final Fantasy game? Using the ranking system, I've managed to make a pretty awesome cast. The main character Zidane, being supported by Vivi, Laguna, Auron, Terra and Rydia. Cid from FF9, Edea and Larsa can be “the less important” good guys whilst Beatrix and Jecht are anti-hero type characters that can turn from foe to friend. Your main villain can be Kuja, and his back up villains can be Hojo and Seymour, while Ultros and Gilgamesh can be lower bosses who also provide comedy. Your thoughts? All of these characters are ranked no lower than 58th place and it sounds like a pretty awesome game if you ask me!
• One concern I have going forward with this game is the actual total votes tally per year. Two years ago, we had a total of 1028 votes. Last year we got 898 votes. This year? We got 734. Meaning we’ve dropped 29% of our votes/voters. What are your thoughts on continuing this game? Are any changes needed? Comment below.
• If you hadn't have guessed, FF9 once again has come trumps in terms of what game has taken the most points this year, totalling 146 points. In second place was FF8 this year with 97, then in third place was FF6. FF3 got the worst result, only getting in five votes this year.

Final Fantasy Game Vote Tallies (all three years combined)
I – 90
II – 96
III – 58
IV – 185
V – 151
VI – 329
VII – 308
VIII – 304
IX – 455
X – 279
XI – 62
XII – 157
XIII – 71
XIV – 42
Tactics – 73

So here’s the big table of the results of the three years combined for the characters, and the characters in order of official rank…

Final Fantasy Knockout Game Rankings (all three years combined)
<I>Key: Character Name, Game, New Rank, Total Points, 2011 Rank, 2011 Points, 2012 Rank, 2012 Points, 2013 Rank, 2013 Points)</I>
Zidane, IX, 1st, 86, 5th, 29, 3rd, 32, 2nd, 25
Vivi, IX, 2nd, 82, 21st, 14, 1st, 42, 1st, 26
Squall, VIII, 3rd, 81, 1st, 46, 17th, 14, 3rd, 21
Beatrix, IX, 4th, 79, 8th, 23, 2nd, 36, 4th, 20
Laguna, VIII, 5th, 72 9th, 26, 8th, 25, 5th, 21
Auron, X, 6th, 71, 6th, 28, 6th, 24, 7th, 19
Kuja, IX, 7th, 51, 4th, 28, 14th, 16, 37th, 7
Vincent, VII, 8th, 50, 7th, 24, 17th, 14, 19th, 12
Kefka, VI, 9th, 48, 13th, 22, 23rd, 12, 13th, 14
Edgar, VI, 10th, 47, 15th, 20, 10th, 19, 34th, 8
Cloud, VII, 10th, 47, 16th, 19, 4th, 28, 116th, 0
Sephiroth, VII, 10th, 47, 2nd, 37, 36th, 8, 78th, 2
Terra, VI, 13th, 46, 10th, 24, 21st, 13, 33rd, 9
Rydia, IV, 14th, 45, 14th, 21, 15th, 15, 41st, 9
Locke, VI, 14th, 45, 11th, 23, 12th, 17, 52nd, 5
Shadow, VI, 16th, 43, 3rd, 31, 54th, 6, 38th, 6
Dagger, IX, 17th, 39, 88th, 2, 7th, 22, 11th, 15
Steiner, IX, 18th, 37, 21st, 14, 68th, 3, 6th, 20
Hojo, VII, 19th, 36, 104th, 1, 11th, 18, 9th, 17
Kimahri, X, 19th, 36 21st, 14, 33rd, 10, 19th, 12
Barret, VII, 21st, 35, 60th, 5, 17th, 14, 10th, 16
Cid, VII, 21st, 35, 63rd, 4, 12th, 17, 17th, 14
Cecil, IV, 23rd, 34, 18th, 17, 17th, 14, 69th, 3
Jecht, X, 23rd, 34, 73rd, 3, 9th, 22, 26th, 9
Yuna, X, 25th, 33, 65th, 4, 5th, 28, 95th, 1
Balthier, XII, 25th, 33, 19th, 15, 68th, 3, 11th, 15
Celes, VI, 27th, 32, 11th, 23, 84th, 2, 43rd, 7
Cid, IX, 27th, 32, 39th, 10, 21st, 13, 26th, 9
Kain, IV, 29th, 31, 33rd, 12, 54th, 6, 14th, 13
Rikku, X, 29th, 31, 17th, 19, 36th, 8, 60th, 4
Freya, IX, 31st, 30, 39th, 10, 46th, 7, 18th, 13
Galuf, V, 32nd, 29, 56th, 6, 23rd, 12, 23rd, 11
Ultros, VI, 32nd, 29, 88th, 2, 15th, 15, 19th, 12
Gilgamesh, V, 34th, 28, 33rd, 12, 36th, 8, 31st, 8
Tifa, VII, 35th, 27, 47th, 8, 33rd, 10, 26th, 9
Irvine, VIII, 35th, 27, 47th, 8, 35th, 9, 24th, 10
Lulu, X, 37th, 26, 33rd, 12, 23rd, 12, 78th, 2
Setzer, VI, 38th, 25, 104th, 1, 54th, 6, 8th, 18
Edea, VIII, 38th, 25, 37th, 11, 84th, 2, 19th, 12
Rinoa, VIII, 38th, 25, 28th, 12, 68th, 3, 24th, 10
Fran, XII, 41st, 23, 43rd, 9, 31st, 8, 48th, 6
Gabranth, XII, 41st, 23, 56th, 6, 36th, 8, 26th, 9
Cid, IV, 43rd, 21, 88th, 2, 36th, 8, 15th, 11
Krile, V, 43rd, 21, 39th, 10, 36th, 8, 65th, 3
Quistis, VIII, 43rd, 21, 52nd, 7, 23rd, 12, 78th, 2
Selphie, VIII, 43rd, 21, 65th, 4, 23rd, 12, 52nd, 5
Ashe, XII, 43rd, 21, 122nd, 0, 23rd, 12, 26th, 9
Cid, Tactics, 43rd, 21, 30th, 11, 68th, 3, 43rd, 7
Cid, V, 49th, 20, 52nd, 7, 58th, 5, 42nd, 8
Exdeath, V, 49th, 20, 32nd, 10, 46th, 7, 69th, 3
Seymour, X, 49th, 20, 33rd, 12, 46th, 7, 95th, 1
Garland, I, 52nd, 19, 28th, 12, 84th, 2, 52nd, 5
Seifer, VIII, 52nd, 19, 30th, 11, 117th, 0, 34th, 8
Quina, IX, 52nd, 19, 73rd, 3, 58th, 5, 15th, 11
Sazh, XIII, 52nd, 19, 39th, 10, 68th, 3, 38th, 6
Tidus, X, 56th, 18, 65th, 4, 36th, 8, 48th, 6
Prishe, XI, 56th, 18, 24th, 13, 117th, 0, 52nd, 5
Chaos, I, 58th, 17,, 52nd, 7, 31st, 8, 78th, 2
Larsa, XII, 58th, 17, 88th, 2, 36th, 8, 32nd, 7
Agrias, Tactics, 58th, 17, 43rd, 9, 84th, 2, 48th, 6
Leon, II, 61st, 16, 19th, 15, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Rufus, VII, 61st, 16, 65th, 4, 30th, 10, 78th, 2
Aeris, VII, 63rd, 15, 43rd, 9, 65th, 4, 78th, 2
Penelo, XII, 63rd, 15, 47th, 8, 68th, 3, 60th, 4
Firion, II, 65th, 14, 88th, 2, 29th, 11, 95th, 1
Gordon, II, 65th, 14, 24th, 13, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
The Emperor, II, 65th, 14, 24th, 13, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Rubicante, IV, 65th, 14, 24th, 13, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Leo, VI, 65th, 14, 73rd, 3, 65th, 4, 43rd, 7
Rosa, IV, 70th, 13, 73rd, 3, 46th, 7, 65th, 3
Zell, VIII, 70th, 13, 104th, 1, 65th, 4, 34th, 8
Tiamat, I, 72th, 12, 73rd, 3, 58th, 5, 60th, 4
Ricard, II, 73rd, 11, 37th, 11, 117th, 0, 116th, 0
Zemus, IV, 73rd, 11, 88th, 2, 46th, 7, 78th, 2
Basch, XII, 73rd, 11, 65th, 4, 68th, 3, 60th, 4
Vanille, XIII, 73rd, 11, 73rd, 3, 68th, 3, 52nd, 5
Ramza, Tactics, 73rd, 11, 73rd, 3, 84th, 2, 48th, 6
Marilith, I, 78th, 10, 88th, 2, 46th, 7, 95th, 1
Josef, II, 78th, 10, 47th, 8, 84th, 2, 116th, 0
Desch, III, 78th, 10, 60th, 5, 58th, 5, 116th, 0
Faris, V, 78th, 10, 88th, 2, 99th, 1, 43rd, 7
Lenna, V, 78th, 10, 43rd, 9, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Wakka, X, 78th, 10, 88th, 2, 58th, 5, 69th, 3
Hope, XIII, 78th, 10, 65th, 4, 68th, 3, 65th, 3
Astos, I, 85th, 9, 122nd, 0, 54th, 6, 69th, 3
Bahamut, I, 85th, 9, 122nd, 0, 46th, 7, 78th, 2
Tellah, IV, 85th, 9, 122nd, 0, 36th, 8, 95th, 1
King Tycoon, V, 85th, 9, 56th, 6, 68th, 3, 116th, 0
Aphmau, XI, 85th, 9, 88th, 2, 84th, 2, 52nd, 5
Vaan, XII, 85th, 9, 88th, 2, 46th, 7, 116th, 0
Yda, XIV, 85th, 9, 122nd, 0, 84th, 2, 43rd, 7
Lich, I, 92nd, 8, 122nd, 0, 36th, 8, 116th, 0
Guy, II, 92nd, 8, 65th, 4, 65th, 4, 116th, 0
Aria, III, 92nd, 8, 52nd, 7, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Unei, III, 92nd, 8, 47th, 8, 117th, 0, 116th, 0
Ovelia, Tactics, 92th, 8, 88th, 2, 68th, 3, 69th, 3
Sara, III, 97th, 7, 73rd, 3, 68th, 3, 95th, 1
Xande, III, 97th, 7, 56th, 6, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Golbez, IV, 97th, 7, 88th, 2, 68th, 3, 68th, 2
Semih Lafihna, XI, 97th, 7, 88th, 2, 68th, 3, 78th, 2
Shadow Lord, XI, 97th, 7, 73rd, 3, 84th, 2, 78th, 2
Lightning, XIII, 97th, 7, 73rd, 3, 84th, 2, 78th, 2
Serah, XIII, 97th, 7, 104th, 1, 58th, 5, 95th, 1
Y'shtola, XIV, 97th, 7, 122nd, 0, 84th, 2, 40th, 5
Matoya, I, 105th, 6, 104th, 1, 117th, 0, 52nd, 5
Shantotto, XI, 105th, 6, 60th, 5, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Fang, XIII, 105th, 6, 73rd, 3, 84th, 2, 95th, 1
Mustadio Tactics, 105th, 6, 104th, 1, 117th, 0, 52nd, 5
Maria, II, 105th, 5, 104th, 1, 117th, 0, 60th, 4
Djinn, III, 105th, 5, 65th, 4, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Doga, III, 105th, 5, 63rd, 4, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Lion, XI, 105th, 5, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 69th, 3
Vayne, XII, 105th, 5, 104th, 1, 68th, 3, 95th, 1
Barthandelus, XIII, 105th, 5, 104th, 1, 68th, 3, 95th, 1
Zulvaan, XIV, 105th, 5, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 69th, 3
Minwu, II, 116th, 4, 122nd, 0, 84th, 2, 78th, 2
Alus, III, 116th, 4, 73rd, 3, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Cloud of Darkness, III, 116th, 4, 73rd, 3, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Bartz, V, 116th, 4, 73rd, 3, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Tenzen, XI, 116th, 4, 88th, 2, 117th, 0, 78th, 2
Zeid, XI, 116th, 4, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 78th, 2
Snow, XIII, 116th, 4, 73rd, 3, 117th, 0, 95th, 1
Emerick, XIV, 116th, 4, 104th, 1, 84th, 2, 95th, 1
Thancred, XIV, 116th, 4, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 78th, 2
Travanchet, XIV, 116th, 4, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 78th, 2
Meliadoul, Tactics, 116th, 4, 88th, 2, 99th, 1, 95th, 1
Gaius, XIV, 127th, 3, 122nd, 0, 117th, 0, 69th, 3
Niellefresne, XIV, 127th, 3, 122nd, 0, 99th, 1, 78th, 2
Papalymo, XIV, 127th, 3, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 95th, 1
Malak, Tactics, 127th, 3, 122nd, 0, 117th, 0, 69th, 3
Aldo, XI, 131st, 2, 104th, 1, 99th, 1, 116th, 0
Cid, XIII, 131st, 2, 122nd, 0, 84th, 2, 116th, 0
Rafa, Tactics, 131st, 2, 122nd, 0, 99th, 1, 95th, 1
Dycedarg, Tactics, 134th, 1, 104th, 1, 117th, 0, 116th, 0
Sarah, I, 135th, 0, 122nd, 0, 117th, 0, 116th, 0

Well that’s the end of this year’s game. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope to return it again next year although more voters would be appreciated but this forum just isn’t as popular as it used to be. Shall I change some things round? Let me know your thoughts. Anyway, thanks for playing!