There have been many party members in the Final Fantasy series, and some have entrenched themselves in pop culture, outgrowing the series that birthed them in terms of cultural relevance. And then, there are the other characters who don’t leave a mark, either due to being mediocre in battle or just being uninteresting.

To make this list, the character has to be a party member, not a protagonist. The temporary characters who are playable in sections of the MMOs are also skipped. Otherwise, Hein from Final Fantasy XIV would have stolen all ten entries.

Kimahri from Final Fantasy X Has an Interesting Design, But Not Much Else

Yuna Needed A More Exciting Bodyguard

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Poor Kimahri. He’s not only forgettable as a character, due to a near lack of personality, but he’s also one of the most useless party members in terms of combat. This is due to him not having a defined role on the Sphere Grid, ensuring that he was always going to be less interesting than everyone else, as he was doing what they did, but worse.

While Kimahri does have a storyline in his homeland, it’s incredibly brief and nowhere near as interesting as the rest of the cast’s adventures. He has a Blue Mage gimmick, but it can’t even save him. If Kimahri’s Overdrive was better, it could have pushed him over the edge, but it just barely keeps up with the rest of the group.

Gordon Barely Adds Anything to Final Fantasy II

This FF Character’s Cool White Hair Can’t Save His Mediocre Stats

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It’s almost unfair to put a Final Fantasy II character on here, considering that the limitations of the NES meant that the developers couldn’t exactly cram The Lord of the Rings into a cartridge. Despite those limitations, the game featured some notable cast members, such as Minwu the White Mage and Ricard, the series’ first Dragoon. And then there’s Gordon, who is just kind of there.

Gordon joins the party for a short stint at the start of Final Fantasy II, isn’t that impressive on the battlefield, and ends up spending most of the story with Queen Hilda. If anything, his brother Scott is way more interesting, as he gets to have adventures in the afterlife in some of the game’s remakes.

Yang Doesn’t Add Much to Final Fantasy IV

His Wife Contributes More to FFIV Than He Does

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Yang is the very definition of mid. He’s a middling combatant, only hangs around during the midpoint of the game, and does very little of interest in the story, especially compared to his allies. Even his noble sacrifice is watered down by a last-minute save out of nowhere, completely diminishing its impact, while also taking him out of the story.

While Final Fantasy IV Advance did give the player the chance to bring Yang back into the party, this did little to elevate him, as the same was also true of the other temporary party members. Yang was still being unimpressive in the post-game, while Edward, the infamous “Spoony Bard,” became one of the best characters in the game.

Strago Was the Least Interesting Blue Mage in Final Fantasy VI

This Final Fantasy Proves Too Much Blue Magic Waters Down the Concept

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Final Fantasy VI really overdid it with Blue Magic, as three party members had the ability to utilize the power of monsters. Gau could steal enemy abilities directly and unleash them as part of his Rage, while Relm could Sketch them, effectively copying their capabilities and unleashing them on an enemy. And then there is Strago, whose Lore power acts like Blue Magic.

In Strago’s case, he has to be hit with an attack to copy powers, which makes for a much more frustrating experience. His Lores are also pretty weak compared to the other options available to the player, especially as there are two more Blue Mages hanging around who are better at the role. Maybe he could’ve stood out in another name, but as is, Strago is the least interesting Blue Mage of the bunch.

Quistis Was More Interesting Before She Became a Party Member in Final Fantasy VII

She Should Have Kept Teaching At Balamb Garden

Quistis is another Blue Mage on the list, this time from a game where everyone steals their powers. In Final Fantasy VIII, all characters can Draw magic spells from enemies, and Quistis unlocks specific Blue Magic abilities via items, which is used as part of her Limit Break. But enough about combat. How is Quistis as a character?

Unlike some characters on this list, Quistis actually starts off interesting. She’s Squall’s young teacher who clearly has a crush on him, but eventually loses that role, joins his party, and watches him fall for someone else. That last sentence sounds more dramatic than how it actually plays out, as the game never really explores the situation. Final Fantasy VIII features some of the most overpowered party members in the series, and Quistis just blends into the background..

Eiko Is Just a Reserve Character in Final Fantasy IX

FFIX Didn’t Need a Second Summoner

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Amarant almost took this position, but he at least has some cool powers. By comparison, there is Eiko, the second Summoner to join the party. She has more of a focus on defense and buffing spells, which includes her Eidolons, making her more of a support member. The only problem is that Eiko is a kid, and a particularly annoying one at that.

Dagger is a much more interesting Summoner/White Mage who joins the party at the start of the game and is much more powerful in combat. Because of that, it makes more sense for players to put Dagger in their parties over Eiko. Dagger is the better character in every way, and that means Eiko is generally stuck in the reserve group.

Penelo Doesn’t Make an Impression in Final Fantasy XII

At Least Vaan Isn’t the Most Boring Character in the Game

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Most of the Final Fantasy XII party members could have taken this spot, as only Balthier and Fran (who deserve their own spinoff) really stand out as being interesting. When it comes to the most forgettable character, then Penelo takes the victory, as Vaan is the protagonist, while Basch and Princess Ashe at least have relevance to the backstory.

Penelo is the very definition of a hanger-on, whose biggest contribution to the canon is getting kidnapped and forcing a rescue mission, just to push the plot forward. She could easily be taken out of the story without too many changes, which is a pretty damning thing to say about any Final Fantasy character.

Mustadio Is Bland in Final Fantasy Tactics

War of the Lions Made Him a Little More Interesting

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In a game full of OP party members with unique jobs, Mustadio sits dead last in terms of might. His Machinist class is just a ranged version of the Knight, with fewer powers. In terms of character, he spends most of the game being slapped around by the enemy, getting kidnapped, or facilitating more interesting characters joining the group, like Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII.

Mustadio is useful exactly once in the entire game. There’s a mandatory battle involving undead in the Yuguewood. Mustadio’s Seal Evil attack can petrify them, making the battle a little easier. He’s completely pointless outside of this, save for a sidequest added in The War of the Lions remake that hinted that Mustadio has a crush on Agrias, but even this goes nowhere, and won’t be included in the upcoming The Ivalice Chronicles remake.