Are the cast of FF8 annoying or relastic?

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

I've seen so many people complaining about how the characters in Final Fantasy 8 are whiny, and annoying.

This isn't true though. The characters of FF8 are realistic teenagers put into an unrealistic situation. They go from school life to saving the world from an evil sorceress. I'd be whining and annoying too.

I think it only makes it easier to sympathize with them. We were all annoying and whiny at that age. I honestly like the approach better the unrealisticly mature teenagers or children coughLarsacough that we see in another Final Fantasies.

What do you think?

 

[Saints&Storms]

I don't honestly think all the FFVIII cast is whiny and annoying, the only time Rinoa whined was when she nearly died trying to be brave for her cause, and that doesn't even qualify as whiny, its realistic and admirable for having been brave.

And Selphie while not my favorite character in the game, I can't remember her whining or being annoying at all. Irvine didn't have the guts to kill someone; that's not whiny its human, Quistis may have bitched a lot but she never whined about anything except at the beach possibly; but even that was just expressing her feelings not whining. Zell, I can't remember much of his dialogue but I don't think he whined either, I mean he felt guilty about somethings but he didn't cry or anything.

Now Squall, he may have whined a bit (a lot) but the other characters were pretty stand-up for teenagers, and in my own defense not all 17-18 year old people are whiny/annoying xD

Anyway I agree Ke$ha

 

[Martel]

Their situation isn't supposed to be realistic, though: its Final Fantasy. The age of the characters is only significant in that it makes it easier for teenagers (who you could call the primary group of gamers, at least back when FFVIII was first made) to empathise with them. I certainly wouldn't call them realistic teenagers, precisely because of their situation: I mean, how do you think you'd react if you were put in that situation? I'd question just how willingly a bunch of teenagers would take to the task of defeating a sorceress that can compress time itself.

That said, I wouldn't call the characters annoying. Asides from Squall, they don't spend an excessive amount of time brooding or whining about things, and the doubts they do have only adds to their characters.

Also, leave Larsa alone. Larsa was educated properly, just as Squall and co. were trained. Realistic not in our world (as I said, its not meant to be) but realistic in context, when you consider it.
/defending FFXII

 

[DKnight]

I wouldnt say they any of them were really whiny except for maybe raijin at times. annoying is another part, but that has to do with how characters like zell grew as the story progressed. at the beginning he was your everyday hyper tag along, but in the end he actually took some responsibilities. Quistis was the bossy one, but as she grew, she swallowed her pride and went on.

 

[Tom Badguy]

I've seen so many people complaining about how the characters in Final Fantasy 8 are whiny, and annoying.

This isn't true though. The characters of FF8 are realistic teenagers put into an unrealistic situation. They go from school life to saving the world from an evil sorceress. I'd be whining and annoying too.

Not trying to be a dick, but you state that it isn't true that the FFVIII characters are annoying and whiny when you say that you would be too. So can we just flat out say that they are whiny and annoying?

But for the most part, I agree with you. The characters were the typical dramatic teenagers which does add a type of realism to the characters themselves. But this doesn't make me like them or change my opinion of disgust for most of the characters in the game.

Though, I did like how Irvine was too chicken to shoot Edea. To me, this was a realistic reaction to not take a life, regardless of the circumstances. It also had nothing to do with age, it was a natural human reaction. Irvine's failure to act actually made him my favorite character in the game.

So maybe instead of fishing for realism in FFVIII through the "annoying teenager" portal, we should just look at it as a whole through natural human reaction. This way we're not splitting hairs too thinly.

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

Not trying to be a dick, but you state that it isn't true that the FFVIII characters are annoying and whiny when you say that you would be too. So can we just flat out say that they are whiny and annoying?

No I'm not trying to deny that they're whining and annoying so much as explain that they SHOULD be whining and annoying. So many people try to judge as though they were adults and should just take everything with a stiff upper lip.

To me they aren't annoying and whining and annoying, they're average teenagers.

And sometimes that's the same thing.

 

[Martel]

To me they aren't annoying and whining and annoying, they're average teenagers.

Last I checked, average teenagers didn't wield gunblades, summon all-powerful beasts, or save the world from time-compressing sorceresses

 

[Shaissa]

Well if you think about it, no ff game characters are "realistic" they had to use some fantasy on it and how the characters would react. I think for the situations and how Square wanted the characters to come off they did a good job with their emotions, they wanted Squall to be the no talker guy who kept emotions to himself, they wanted Zell to be that hyper arrogant guy. I mean I guess they would be the most "realistic" if your trying to find how people really do act in the real world, but none of us are going against time to save the world, I'm just saying, I think we try to make too much realism when we talk about characters, and sometimes forget its a game about people saving the world...

 

[Ayumi Hamasaki]

Last I checked, average teenagers didn't wield gunblades, summon all-powerful beasts, or save the world from time-compressing sorceresses

Last time I checked, our weird that haven't gun blades, all powerful beasts, or a time compressing sorceresses. My point is that they are as average as their world allows them to be.

And no one said they were good at any of that stuff Martel. I remember them giving lots of stuff the old teenage half assing.

 

[Sultan]

This post contains spoilers

My problem is that they are teenagers. And That probably wouldn't have been a bad thing had they used the story to complement a logic where teenagers as mercenaries were plausible. In no way would I describe the cast of FFVIII realistic, but stupid.

Questis, who's supposed to be a teacher and mentor abandoned her post, at what was an important mission to end a devastating evil, to apologize to someone she may have hurt her feelings, when she could have waited till it was over. Squall and Seifer slashed each others faces in training. Zell outed that Garden was involved in the abduction of the President. Irvine never mentioned that Edea was their foster mother and that they all grew up in an orphanage together until after Selphie's Garden was bombed to smithereens, so to speak, when mentioned sooner could have helped. Seifer joins the Sorceress after childish taunts and teasing in a matter of seconds, Ellone repeatedly forced them into the past without their consent or knowledge (to change the past or some shit), without thinking about calling Squall and telling him that a- change the past or else you won't get shit done. b- I am your Big Sis and you and everyone grew up in a orphanage together and Edea is the woman that fed you. Squall gives Rinoa up to what's their faces immediately after he recovers her, and then after seconds of brooding and well..thinking, I guess he needed time for that, he went back just to get her back from their base when he could have just refused and Lionhearted any of those masked pricked that wanted to touch her.

I must say, even though Selphie is the one person who didn't act like a human being, she was the most competent. I mean she did raise the error ratio on those homing missiles, endangering countless of lives and communities around the Balamb Garden area. I guess they never bothered to phone home and report to Cid, he could have told them that Balamb Garden was mobile and she wouldn't have needed to screw with the missiles and endanger all those lives and oh....oh no...oh she done goofed didn't she?


Oh wait! I remember! They don't have cell phones! Oh gosh, you'd think these mercenaries would have some form of communication to exchange info and intel. But wait, I guess the world relied on one satellite? for wireless communication? So how come wedge had a radio on him? And how were there homing missiles that can travel through continents but not cell phones?

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid and stupid.

 

[Ayen]

They're either not, or I must be more oblivious to what's right in front of me than I thought because I don't recall any of them ever coming off as whiny or annoying. Squall came off as emo to me at a time before I even fully understood what emo was but that never ruined my enjoyment of the game. Irvine, Rinoa and Selphie were my favorites.

 

[asm]

Nothing like a protagonist that whines for 4 discs. The first two he just douches it up with his teenage nihilism, the third and the fourth disc consist of him acting like he's on estrogen, whining it up.

 

[polydorr]

You can look at any story in the FF series (or any movie, or any book, or any[...]) and deconstruct it entirely, find all the flaws, ask 'why this' or 'why that' and look at you, you have a forum argument.

'Willing suspension of disbelief.' It's what makes stories work. The conventions in VIII aren't ridiculous, they're 'normal' from a Hollywood standpoint. Which is why most people can get through the game fine unless they've been negatively influenced by other people or internet message boards.

I loved VIII the first time I played through it in '99. Probably because I didn't have anyone standing over my shoulder to tell me that Squall was a whiny douche unworthy of respect.

But let's take a look at Squall. What is he guilty of exactly? 'Whining?' Was it all the sweet Rinoa-romancin' and sorceress hunting that did him in?

Basically Squall is reacting to the amount of pressure being put on him at such a young age. I'm not sure why this bothers people so much. People in the story around him put way too much on his shoulders, as people are ought to do when they don't want to do it themselves. As someone who had a lot of family responsibility placed on them as a teenager, I can somewhat relate to this.

I'm not sure why this characterization of him lasts past Disc 1 though. He really becomes a leader on Disc 2 and sort of redeems his earlier douche-itudes. By the end of the story I find him really likeable. By the time Galbadia and Balamb gardens go to battle I think he really cuts the leader figure well.

If you think that's a problem, well maybe Tidus can laugh some fun up for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5FTJxfV3pc

 

[DoomTra1n]

The models are the only thing that is supposed to be realistic, but there SHOULD be something relate-able to each character just like any other FF game. IMO, there is nothing real about any of them. But that doesn't mean the Final Fantasy VIII cast isn't likeable.

Squall is very introverted, probably because of what happened to him early on in life with his parents and than his sister.

The rest of the cast are set up to balanced Squalls pesamistic mood. Though he is not always brooding, he has his moments in teh game for sure, but I feel a good cast has every single human emotion in them. At different points in your life if not right away, you should be able to relate to or sympathize with every person in the cast.

Personally, I thought VIII had a great cast, not perfect, but who is? The story could have been filled in a bit better going into each characters background a bit better, and a bit more focus on Ultimecia, but it was a game that had enough character traits and plot twists to keep me happy. By the end , I was suprised Seifer was one of my favorite characters.

 

[Tucker]

That's very true. While they aren't like (say the cast in FF12 OR FF7) they are very realistic. Zell is a little "whiny" you could say, but what person that is tormented by some guy (Seifer) when you're just a teen, you would be a little whiny!

 

[Donald Trump]

I didn't find Squall whiny. I can't think of a protagonist in eff eff who is whiny. He's introspective and quite cold, but not I think, whiny.
Also I don't think annoying and realistic are mutually exclusive, it is possible to be annoying and realistic, in fact there'd have to be some annoying characters for it to be realistic. But people don't want realism per se, it is a finaru fantaru game.

'Willing suspension of disbelief.' It's what makes stories work. The conventions in VIII aren't ridiculous, they're 'normal' from a Hollywood standpoint.

I'd agree with most of that. There's a willing suspension of disbelief in the premise. Only idiots would go see inception and be annoyed because you can't enter other people's dreams. But after that, people have to act in a logical way that makes sense. I think the characters in FFVIII do that, given that they're teenage mercenaries trained to fight sorceresses, their actions and the way they behave and react to events seems perfectly normal and realistic.

 

[Squid]

Now I haven't finished this game, so what I type here isn't really an absolute opinion of mine. until I finish the game i wont really have an absolute opinion but so far, from what I have played the characters are very annoying.

I didn't really connect or feel for any of them, I found myself rolling my eyes at things they said or thinking stfu.
Squall looks awesome but he has one of the crappiest and most boring personalities out of any FF main character (so far, he probably grows later in the game)

I just don't like any of the characters in FF8 from what I have played.

 

[GalaxyFlare]

Its hard to say

There actions which depict there personality are varied, Sqaull acts upon his desire to be alone and distant but it doesnt draw from his leadership abilities as he leads more by example than with words.

Everyone in the garden respects him. So to me he has very realistic traits that are understandable in the real world

Zell is a hyperactive teenager who thinks before he acts, but that s what teenagers do act stupid sometimes. Mouthing off and being obnoxious are similar to alot of people who are afflicted with Foot in Mouth disease.

Selphie, is a bit hyper but and spazzy but the oddest thing about her is her use of a Shinobu but as those above said this is FF and not everything is based on Realism. Her dress is too short, again a very real world trait

Irvine is the most unrealistic to character to me for some reason............ It must be the use of a gun in battle? Plus no one is that smooth with the ladies.

Quistis is more annoying than unrealistic, what is she? Quistis is FFVIII answer to quina Blue mage that no one uses(Im sure some people use her)

Rinoa both annoying and unrealistic in one shart ass girl how many times can one chick get rescued and the tantrums Sometimes I was happy to see her fly of into space. Rinoa uses a dog in her limit break! and she rides it in Wishing Star, its a dog not a horse!!

Laguna was the most Unrealistic character but in a good way.

So in closing I will say that the Cast of FFVIII were not absolutely Unrealistic or Annoying
but a well rounded group of warriors flung into an adventure of Unrealistic proportions.

 

[OzDok]

I have an everlasting hatred for Squall. Seriously. I would have much preferred to have Seifer as a protagonist rather than Squall.

You can make all the excuses you want, but Squall is well and truly whiny. He's selfish, self-centered and whiny.

I've gotta say, my favourite characters in that game are Irvine and Selphie, because they actually seem real. They each have REAL moods in the game, rather than just being whiny the whole game, hyperactive the whole game, or calm the whole game. They change, and develop through that change.

So no, not all the characters in FFVIII are annoying.

Squall is though.

 

[DarkShadow]

Squall - Definately NOT annoying (he's worse) he's just not social and through his perspective you see things a different way he's not the hero-type. Square did make his personal feelings known but that made no difference, as he doesn't voice them.

Rinoa - She seemed too "normal" but she seemed to piss off Squall, and through her we did see Squall's attitude change slightly (but only towards Rinoa). Her personality is nothing great or bad, it was typical of her to get caught up in dangerous situations,but she bought out the best in Squall, overall she's just a normal girl. By the way does anyone know why she pulls out one finger like she did at the dance and the end?

Quistis - She just tries to do Rinoa's job throughout the game and that is try to change that emo's feelings (Squall). She's not annoying though she's pointless and kind of under-represented in the game as a whole.

Zell - Hell yeah annoying......He tries to be cool all the time and even overreacts to stuff,not forgetting he moans as well. I did like how he was talkative unlike most of the other characters, and even though he doesn't speak much, when he does you just wanna say "shut the fuck up".

Irvine - Wanna-be hero as well as a Edgar and Edge clone from FFIV and FFVI. He's not really that annoying but does the most annoying thing in the game which is

Spoiler

Promise to snipe Edea with all his cool talk and then chicken out the last minute.

But on a positive note I liked how he got people talking and reflected on situations and his past.

Selphie - Cheery and yes annoying. I don't know how old she is but she sounds like a 5-year old.........Similar to Zell but she doesn't try and act all cool, instead be all girly.....Too girly. I think her attitude does change after

Spoiler

after they launched rockets at Trabia Garden

but I don think she sits and greives that long like most FF characters do.