The Best Unwinnable Battles In Final Fantasy

Key Takeaways

• Final Fantasy
  games often feature unwinnable battles to highlight power dynamics and set up key moments in the story.
• Shinryu Celestia in
  Type-0 HD
  and Edea in
  Final Fantasy 8
  showcase impactful unwinnable battles with significant story implications.
• Beatrix in
  Final Fantasy 9
  and Zack vs. Shinra Troopers in
  Crisis Core
  also demonstrate memorable unwinnable battles with emotional impact.

Final Fantasy is a series full to the brim with some of the most iconic video game moments of all time. The recurring summons, enemies, spells, characters, items, and other such elements help this franchise maintain its iconic status, even if the modern trajectory of this series has been rocky at times.

One trope that Final Fantasy plays around with time and time again is the idea of players being thrust into a battle they have no hope of winning. It’s meant to show the gulf in power between them and their foes or set up a cinematic moment that helps progress the stories of each game so that they stand out even more.

8 Shinryu Celestia

The Battle Is Meant To Be Lost, With Bahamut ZERO Appearing To Save The Day

Final Fantasy Type-0 has its fair share of amazing boss fights that make the most of its real-time combat, but there’s one boss that players fight who can’t be defeated via traditional means in their first playthrough. Shinryu Celestia is a ridiculously powerful boss who wastes no time smashing players with a few hits.

Class Zero may lose the battle against this foe, but a savior arrives in the form of Bahamut ZERO. Players must cast Tera Flare with this eidolon to end the fight against Shinryu Celestia. In New Game+, Class Zero can try to defeat this boss legitimately with their improved stats, but it’s still far from a straightforward battle and requires pinpoint reflexes and powerful attacks to come out victorious.

7 Girl (Rydia)

Rydia’s First Appearance Shows Her Summoning Titan To Take Cecil And Kain By Surprise

Final Fantasy 4 starts on a strong note, with Cecil and Kain being fooled into killing an eidolon, who protected the town of Mist, and unleashing bombs on the town. Their first transgression leads to the death of Rydia’s mother, who is incensed at the actions of the duo and takes them on in combat.

Most people assume that she’s just acting out and has no power to speak of, only for her to summon Titan and cause a landslide that splits her and Cecil from Kain. It’s an incredible moment in the early goings of Final Fantasy 4 that demonstrates its narrative-heavy focus.

6 Humbaba

This Persistent Monster Compels Terra To Regain Her Mojo And Save The World

The advent of the World of Ruin in Final Fantasy 6 is one of the most memorable video game moments of all time, compelling Celes to reunite the gang and take out Kefka. This is easier said than done, with people like Terra trying to move and save lives on a smaller scale.

However, Humbaba’s appearance makes it clear that these demons will continue to terrorize the land unless the heroes do something about it. After multiple confrontations against Humbaba (some of which are unwinnable), Terra understands what needs to be done and rejoins the party to put an end to Kefka’s nightmarish reign once and for all.

5 Barnabas Tharmr

The Player Can’t Stop Barnabas From Unleashing Iron Flash During Their First Encounter

Final Fantasy 16‘s action-packed combat isn’t all that challenging, with players easily walking through most of the encounters in the game without too many issues. However, there’s one fight in the main story that shows just how tough the combat can be if allowed to truly challenge players.

Battling Barnabas, aka. Odin, after he cleaves the ocean in two with his Zantetsuken is an incredible backdrop for a fight, but players soon learn that they’re in for a rough time when Clive is unable to stop him from using Iron Flash to end the battle. It’s a scripted moment meant to show off Barnabas’ power, which is what makes the subsequent fight against Odin such a blast. In this fight, players can handle this imposing foe once and for all after a lengthy, challenging battle that is arguably tougher than the final fight against Ultima.

4 Edea Kramer

Impales Squall With An Ice Spike, Sparking One Of The Most Popular Fan Theories Of All Time

Edea is a sorceress whose motivations in Final Fantasy 8 are left unclear for the longest time. The first battle against her is far from simple, and players who feel like they have the upper hand on this character will sing a different tune when an FMV starts where she impales Squall with an Ice Spike to end the battle.

The hero eventually recovers, and the party finds out that Edea was being manipulated behind the scenes by Ultimecia. Still, that doesn’t take anything away from the brutal manner in which she defeats Squall, which has led to the creation of one of the most infamous video game fan theories of all time.

3 Feral Chaos

The Game Trolls Confident Players By Placing Them In A Fight With The Game’s Superboss From The Get-Go

Encounters meant to troll players can become quite memorable if executed properly, and such is the case in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. If players confidently state that they are experts at this game, then they’re promptly humbled with a battle against the game’s superboss.

Feral Chaos is no joke, and is a hard nut to crack even if players fight him legitimately, so it’s easy to see why using a Level 1 Lightning to try and beat this foe is nothing more than an exercise in futility. They’re meant to lose, as the game is punishing them for being too cocky for their own good.

2 Beatrix

Displays Her Might To The Party Time And Time Again

Final Fantasy 9 is a love letter to fans of the series, with its characters being just one of the many aspects that help this title stand out as one of the greatest video games ever made. One such personality who has a major impact on the narrative, despite technically standing against the player more often than not, is Beatrix.

This trusted warrior is ordered by Queen Brahne to hunt down the heroes every step of the way, showing off her might in a string of unwinnable battles that make her one of the strongest Final Fantasy characters of all time. Steiner’s affection for this character is clear as day, making it a feel-good moment for the ages when the duo finally team up after she’d whooped the party into shape numerous times before.

1 Shinra Troopers

A Final Stand Where Zack Is Unable To Secure Victory Despite Putting Up A Valiant Effort

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is one of the greatest video game spin-offs ever made. The sheer amount of effort put into fleshing out Zack’s adventures prior to the events of the main game is incredible, with the final fight sticking a knife in players’ hearts.

Realizing that Cloud is in no state to move, Zack is forced to make a final stand against the Shinra Troopers pursuing him. Try as he might, these soldiers are stubborn and don’t stop shooting at Zack, with the battle eventually ending when his Digital Mind Wave breaks down and he is unable to continue, departing from the world in one of the most emotional endings in any Final Fantasy game.