The Final Fantasy series tell emotional adventures filled with drama, hatred, and of course, love! The compatibility between certain characters is a fan-favorite topic, but select couples have become particularly iconic. Out of the mainline games, here are the romantic couples that are at the forefront of the series, with official (or near-official) status.
Final Fantasy II: Firion and Maria
Final Fantasy II, unlike its predecessor, featured a named protagonist and set of heroes. This means that companions Firion and Maria can develop a narrative with one another. While not overt in the game itself, in Final Fantasy II’s official novelization, Final Fantasy II Muma no Meikyū, the pair officially become a romantic couple. This means that Firion and Maria are perhaps the first main Final Fantasy romance!
Final Fantasy IV: Cecil and Rosa
White mage Rosa Farrell is childhood friends with dark knights Cecil Harvey and Kain Highwind – who is also in love with her. Despite the awkwardness of a would-be love triangle, Rosa only has eyes for Cecil. The two eventually get married and have a son together, Ceodore Harvey.
Final Fantasy VI: Locke and Celes
Final Fantasy VI featured an ensemble cast, and Celes Chere is one of the two protagonists of the game, alongside Terra Bradford, and if there is a main male character, Locke Cole would probably steal that crown (he is a thief, after all.) Celes is a former general for an evil empire, who was imprisoned when she defected before being found and rescued by Locke. While the two start to develop romantic feelings, Locke is plagued by guilt for his former love, Rachel. While the relationship between Locke and Celes is ultimately open-ended, it’s easy to imagine that they naturally get together.
Final Fantasy VII: Cloud and Aerith (Aeris)
While Cloud’s romantic persuasions are largely up to the player and Final Fantasy VII’s built-in affection system, there’s little doubt that Aeris is intended to be his true love. Their meeting is frequently described by developers as a “fateful encounter”. She is a powerful mage and the last of an ancient, mystical race, and Cloud becomes her bodyguard. The two immediately develop a romantic dynamic, with Aeris being Cloud’s default date partner. However, tragedy hits when Sephiroth murders her before Cloud’s eyes. In the game’s ending, Cloud expresses a wish to reunite with Aeris, believing that he can meet her again in the “Promised Land.”
Cloud and Tifa are another possible romantic scenario. Tifa is Cloud’s second easiest date partner to achieve, and, if Cloud has enough affection points, toward the end of the game the two will share a more emotionally intimate scene under the Highwind. However, even after Aeris’s death, Cloud and Tifa are never canonically in a relationship, so the love triangle remains open-ended.
Final Fantasy VIII: Squall and Rinoa
Squall Leonhart is a closed-off, rather sullen young man whose heart is thawed by the bright and warm Rinoa Heartilly. Unlike previous Final Fantasy titles, which featured love stories as side plots, Squall and Rinoa’s romance takes center stage from the moment its chilling FMV intro plays, and sets a precedent for romances between a main hero and heroine. Unlike Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII gives its hero and heroine a happy ending, allowing them to reunite and find one another after inter-dimensional trauma threatens the world.
Final Fantasy IX: Zidane and Garnet
Zidane Tribal departs from the cold-and-moody archetypes of the previous PlayStation-era Final Fantasy heroes and offers us a goofy, friendly, and flirtatious hero. Zidane is a ladies’ man through-and-through, but the woman that hits different is, of course, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, aka, Dagger.
Final Fantasy X: Tidus and Yuna
Tidus and Yuna are one of the most beloved Final Fantasy romance stories, and it isn’t hard to see why. Yuna is a disciplined and dutiful young woman who was only ever known to smile and accept responsibility – even if it means sacrificing her life. Tidus is wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks his mind. They teach one another to express emotion (who can forget their iconic screaming and laughing scenes?) as well as accept duty. The tragedy at the end on the story makes it a truly unforgettable story.
Final Fantasy XIII: Fang and Vanille
Final Fantasy XIII did not feature a love story for its protagonist, Lightning. It did, however, have a few side stories. This, of course, includes Lightning’s sister Serah and her overly-ambitious fiance Snow. But perhaps the story that really captured hearts was Fang and Vanille. While the two are not official – sadly, at the time of the game, an LGBT couple was unlikely to ever be canonized. But the two have a powerfully intimate dynamic and their romantic feelings for one another seem perfectly clear.
Final Fantasy XV: Noctis and Lunafreya
Noctis and Lunafreya take a return to the Final Fantasy tradition of tragic love stories. The pair were betrothed by their families for a political marriage but seemed to harbor truly amorous feelings for one another (similar to Princess Ashe and Rasler of Final Fantasy XII.) For the first half of the game, Luna assists us from afar, not as a party member but as an important narrative director. However, in a scene specifically designed to pay homage to Cloud losing Aeris, Lunafreya is suddenly murdered by the villain. Noctis sacrifices his own life at the end of the game, spiritually reuniting with Luna in a world beyond.
Final Fantasy XVI: Clive and Jill
It won’t surprise most Final Fantasy fans that the sixteenth numbered installment of the series features yet another tragic love story. While Clive and Jill seem to have officiated their relationship with less ambiguity than any other Final Fantasy couple (it’s a sex joke), it doesn’t work out. While there’s some gray area for personal interpretation, Clive (SPOILER ALER) seems to die at the end of the game.
Another love story featured in the game was the Dragoon Prince Dion and his loyal soldier, Terence. We have to give a shoutout to this canonically queer love story – the first without any ambiguity whatsoever. Dion is also way more than some token LGBT+ character – he’s one of the best characters in the game. But unfortunately for those looking for happily-ever-afters, that story also faces a tragic end.
Earth & Sky: A Cloud x Aeris Love Story 