Characters

This page includes all of the playable characters in the game.

Age : 17
Height : 5' 8"
Weapon : GunBlade 

The main character of FFVIII, Squall Leonheart is a very troubled young man. Brought up in Balamb Garden he dislikes getting close to people, feeling that they will always let him down. He rejects overtures of friendship, although the other characters wear him down throughout the game.

We are introduced to Squall at the very beginning of the game. He is also the character most often controlled by the player (although every single character must be controlled onscreen at one point in the game). He is a trained Gunblade specialist, the first one to become a member of SeeD. His constant fighting with Seifer has lead to Quistis, who always broke up their fights, feeling protective towards him and watching out for him. But is that the only reason?

During Squall's limit break, Renzokuken, he runs up the enemy and hits them repeatedly with his gunblade, sometimes ending with a randomly selected finishing move. The player must press R1 when the flashes of light moving across the bar at the bottom of the screen hit the trigger zone. At first he is only able to use one finishing move out of a possible four. He learns more as his weapon is upgraded, and it is possible to learn all four by skipping straight from his starting weapon to his final one. Squall's final limit break move, 'Lionheart' is prized by many players. It hits quite a few times, and since Squall's strength is usually very high at that point, it tends to be one of the better damage dealers in the game.

Age : 17
Height : 5'3"
Weapon : Pinwheel

Rinoa Heartilly is the main female character from Final Fantasy VIII. Open, lively, emotional, expressive and kind-hearted, Rinoa is in many ways the direct opposite of the cold and antisocial Squall. Although their personalities clash at first, Squall and Rinoa gradually become close, and their relationship is a major centre of the game's storyline.

Rinoa is the leader of the Forest Owls, a small resistance group seeking to liberate the country of Timber from Galbadian occupation. She is first introduced when she meets Squall at a ball at Balamb Garden, where she manages to captivate — albeit rather forcefully — the usually silent and unfriendly Squall into dancing with her. They meet again at Timber, when the Forest Owls hire Squall, Zell, and Selphie as mercenaries.

Despite being the only untrained member of your party, Rinoa is an effective fighter, who does well with magic and summons. Her weapon is a peculiar projectile mechanism named the Pinwheel. It appears to be a bladed disc mounted on her wrist, that acts like a boomerang. She is always followed by her devoted dog, Angelo, who makes appearances in all of her Limit Breaks. Following events later in the game, she also gains another limit break called Angel Wing, in which she becomes uncontrollable for the remainder of the battle, acting on her own by casting spells with significantly improved power. Many people find this more useful than Angelo, although her 'Combine' limit breaks can be very useful in their own right, particularly Wishing Star and Invincible Moon.

Age : 17
Height : 5'5"
Weapon : Fists

One of Squall's classmates in Balamb Garden, Zell has a reputation for hyperactivy. He also loves the cafateria's hotdogs, although for some reason he always seems to miss his chance to get them.

Zell fights with his fists, and so his weapons are gloves. a basic martial artist, Zell's limit is a combo attack, consisting of various kicks and punches. Which ones are used is determined by various button combinations inputted by the player.

Age : 18
Height : 5'6"
Weapon : Chain Whip 

Possibly the youngest instructor in Garden, Quistis Trepe is a valuable party member. An orphan, her adoption didn't work out, and she found herself in Balamb Garden at the age of nine or so. It was there that she began to notice Squall and Seifer, two boys who just couldn't get on. It was she who was there for Squall at this time, and still looks out for him as they both grow older.

Quistis Trepe passed her SeeD exam at the earliest possible age, fifteen, and became an instructor two years later. We are introduced to her when she supports Squall during the final part of his training, defeating the GF Ifrit at the Fire Cavern on Balamb Garden.

Quistis is not an overly friendly person, and keeps herself to herself. She has no particular friends at Garden, although, due to her fantastic achievments and beauty she has her own fan club among the students of Balamb Garden. As she becomes closer to the party she begins to open more and reveal more of her thoughts and feelings.

Quistis's Limit Break, Blue Magic, allows her to use enemy magic against monsters. You can teach Quistis more Blue Magic by using certain items on her from the menu. You most commonly gain these items from battling the monster in question, or through using Card-Mod.

Age : 17
Height : 6'0"
Weapon : Gun

A trained sharp-shooter from Galbadia Garden, Irvine Kinneas is the last member to join your group.

Irvine is a self-proclaimed ladies man and a loner. Brought up in an orphanage, he has fond memories of his childhood friends, particularly a certain 'Sefie', his best friend. An interesting character, Irvine prefers to keep himself to himself, not talking of his experiences or memories to anyone. He does occasionally show signs of worry and regret, although he soon hides these with a smile and a smooth line. Perhaps he's not as shallow as he seems.

Since the SeeD exam can only be taken in Balamb Garden, Irvine is not a qualified SeeD. He is however, fully trained, and a useful ally. His limit break, 'Shot' allows the player to select a type of bullet (depending on your inventory) and shoot them by pressing R1 as fast as possible. Many people find 'Quick Shot', using fast ammo, useful throughout the game, while AP Ammo (armour piercing) and Pulse Ammo are useful against tougher enemies, due to the high damage dealt.

Age : 17
Height : 5'1 1/2
Weapon : Nunchaku

Brought up in Trabia Garden for as long as she can remember, Selphie transfered to Balamb Garden to take part in the SeeD exam. Throughout the game, she keeps your party's spirits up with her cheerful and perky personality. Although cute and ditzy, her clear talent with computers and vehicles, and excellent organizational and motivational skills betray a fine mind, and a deeper nature and intelligence than is immediatly obvious.

Selphie meets up with Zell and Squall when she is a member of the information team in said SeeD exam, and becomes a valuable member of your team. Although random, her limit break 'slot' allows her to cast powerful spells such as firaga, thundaga, blizzaga, ultima, and demi long before the rest of your party. She also has several unique limits, including Full Cure, which can completely heal your party, Wall, which casts protect and Shell over your team, Rapture which removes enemies from the battlefield (although it may miss), and The End, which is the most powerful spell in any Final Fantasy game. Although random and rare, The End can defeat any monster (including the final boss, but excluding the undead) instantly.