Eorzea is a land of heroes. Final Fantasy 14’s increasingly dramatic and thrilling main storyline has produced dozens of memorable and beloved characters. As with any great JRPG, these characters fight and suffer through impossible odds, fighting for what they believe in. Final Fantasy 14 is a story of perseverance, hope, and bravery.
However, some characters are just more courageous than others. So, for your reading pleasure, we’ve collated this list of the bravest Final Fantasy 14 characters. We’ll sort out the Hauchefaunts from the Emmanellains in no time at all.
Note: Major spoilers ahead for every Final Fantasy 14 expansion.
10 Estinien
The Azure Dragoon may have a spotty track record when it comes to keeping his anger in check, but nobody could ever accuse him of cowardice. Though he’s extremely courageous in a fight, Estinien’s true courage comes from his willingness to confront his own prejudices.
Estinien overcame his hatred for dragonkind, and in doing so, helped bring an end to the Dragonsong war. By Endwalker, he’s become a friend and confidant to Vrtra of the First Brood, helping him protect Radz-at-Han. Many foes have fallen to Estinien’s lance, but it was the enemies within that were the greatest of all.
9 Alisaie
Alisaie is no stranger to hardship. As well as having to put up with Alphinaud the whole time, she’s been through a great deal. From the moment we first get to know her in the Binding Coils of Bahamut, we learn that she’s a strong-willed young woman and not to be messed with.
In Shadowbringers, we see Alisaie face up to the loss of a dear friend. When Talseen’s aether becomes corrupted and she’s transformed into a Sin Eater, Alisaie stays strong. She breaks down, and takes the time to express her grief, but she never gives up and she keeps on fighting.
8 Tataru
The Scions of the Seventh Dawn are a deadly bunch. Estinien has his lance, Y’shtola has her magic, and Thancred has a sword that is also a literal, actual gun. Tataru may be the financial mastermind that holds the Scions together, but she is no fighter.
As terrifying as the horrors faced by the Scions must be to experienced combatants, imagine how much scarier they must be to everyone’s favorite merchant. No matter how big the threat or how slim the odds, Tataru Taru never abandons the Scions. She reminds us that a nice cup of tea or a new set of clothes can be just as important as a weapon when keeping the Darkness at bay.
7 Hien
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When we meet the prince of Doma, we find him in exile – his people suffering under the yoke of the Garlean Empire. The imperials killed his father and subjugated his homeland. The immense weight of pressure upon Hien’s shoulders could not be overstated.
Despite this, with the help of the Warrior of Light, Yugiri, and Gosetsu he regained faith in himself. He allied with the Au’ra of the Azim Steppe before returning to Doma to lead what was left of the resistance. In that moment, he saw past the legacy of failure left by his father and showed true bravery.
6 Emet-Selch
Here is a man who lost everything. His homeworld was destroyed, sundered into diminished reflections of itself. The Ancients, who once ruled like demi-gods, were now gone, and only pale imitations of humanity remained. Emet-Selch was willing to go to any lengths to restore the world he lost.
Despite this, the Warrior of Light would eventually thwart him. Emet-Selch then returned to the Lifestream where he recovered his memories from before The Sundering. In a tragic turn of events, he now knew that he’d been wrong the whole time. In Endwalker, his spirit returns to help, and despite everything, he is brave enough to support the Warrior of Light in their darkest hour.
5 Papalymo
Wise, cynical, and just a little bit snarky, Papalymo was a devoted Scion of the Seventh Dawn who followed the example of his teacher, Louisoix.
Shortly before the events of Stormblood, a group of extremists successfully summoned Shinryu in an attempt to unleash destruction upon the Garlean Empire. Rather than allow this extremely powerful Primal to lay waste to the world, Papalymo took up his teacher’s staff and sacrificed his life to seal Shinryu away, buying the Scions precious time to find a way to counter the Primal’s power.
4 Haurchefaunt
Once learning that the Dragonsong War was built on a lie perpetrated by his own people, Haurchefant joined the Warrior of Light in their attempt to rescue Ser Aymeric from the clutches of the Heavens’ Ward. Defying both the wishes of his father and the will of his nation’s leader, he stuck by his friends.
During the confrontation with the Heavens’ Ward, Ser Zephirin hurls a spear at the Warrior of Light, which Haurchefant quickly intercepts. The blow shattered his shield and mortally wounded the young Elezen. Even as he died, Haurchefant remained brave and optimistic, urging the Warrior of Light to smile: “a smile better suits a hero.”
3 G’raha Tia
Everyone’s favorite cat boy, G’raha Tia weathered two apocalypses and never let fear get the best of him. As guardian of the Crystal Tower, G’raha experienced an alternate future where the Umbral Calamity had been unleashed on The Source. Knowing he couldn’t save the world, he knew his only hope was to undo the past.
To this end, he used the power of the Crystal Tower to travel to The First, taking on the identity of the Crystal Exarch. He spent one hundred years gathering his strength and preparing to call out to the Warrior of Light, in the hope that they might be able to prevent the Umbral Calamity in The Source by saving The First. All that time, he never lost hope.
2 Ardbert
When we first meet Ardbert, he is determined to save his home at any cost, taking on the mantle of the Warrior of Darkness. He tries, in vain, to cause an Umbral Calamity in The Source, the effects of which might restore the balance of his homeworld.
When we meet him again, in Shadowbringers, the wool has been pulled from his eyes. He knows that he was being manipulated by the Ascians, but due to time dilation, by the time we see him again, he is a shade. In this diminished state, he was forced to wander The First and to watch as it fell to ruin. Despite this, he supports the Warrior of Light in their quest to restore balance in The First. In the end, he refused to give in to despair.
1 Venat
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Venat was willing to break the world itself to save humanity. Knowing that the Ancients were too metaphysically powerful to stop Metion, she sundered the world and everyone on it. This process caused human beings to become mortal. However, through mortality, human beings were now able to tap into the power of Dynamis: the raw power of emotion.
The Sundering destroyed almost everything that Venat knew and loved. She even irrevocably altered her own nature, transforming into Hydaelyn. Venat’s courage was such that she was willing to sacrifice everything to preserve humanity.
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