The 10 BEST Final Fantasy Plot Twists

The 10 Best Final Fantasy Plot Twists

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today you’re not gonna BELIEVE what happens! These are the 10 best Final Fantasy Plot Twists. If we didn’t see it coming, we’re gonna talk about it, let’s leap from a roof with a giant sword and see how people react.

Gabranth is Basch’s Twin Brother

“Final Fantasy XII” (2006)

Right at the start of "Final Fantasy 12", the game basically screams “Basch is a traitor!” after he seemingly backstabs the kingdom and takes out Vaan’s brother, Reks, in the opening. Not exactly a great first impression, I’ve had worse though. But surprise, things are way messier than that. As the story unfolds, you find out the scary dude in black armor, Judge Gabranth, is actually Basch’s twin brother, which is peak soap opera energy. This whole identity mix-up gets Basch thrown in prison and accidentally kickstarts most of the game’s chaos. Watching these two brothers collide across the story are the most compelling moments, in an already VERY compelling story.

Garland Created a Time Loop

“Final Fantasy” (1987)

Looking back, the story in "Final Fantasy" feels pretty barebones compared to the absolute Square Enix explosion the series became later. At first, it’s the most classic setup imaginable: princess gets kidnapped, you roll up, beat the bad guy, job done, very Mario. That whole rescue mission is basically just the tutorial in disguise. After that, you’re off dealing with a bunch of elemental troublemakers like it’s a weekly chore list. But then the game pulls a sneaky twist, Garland, the guy you thought you already dealt with, is actually running a full-on time loop behind the scenes: Defeated in the present, he is sent to the past by the Four Fiends. In the past, Garland becomes Chaos and sends the Fiends 2000 years into the future to corrupt the world, ensuring they will eventually be sent back, creating a self-perpetuating loop

Cloud Was Never SOLDIER

“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)

"Final Fantasy 7" didn’t just show up, it exploded. It pushed the series into massive, multi-disc storytelling and ditched the whole “good guy vs bad guy” simplicity for something way more emotional. Then it hits you with that twist: Cloud isn’t the elite SOLDIER he’s been hyping himself up to be. Nope, he’s just a regular Shinra foot soldier who went through so much trauma his brain said, “cool, let’s invent a new personality.” He ends up copying his mentor, Zack Fair, and scraps him from his own memory, even after Zach saved his life. It’s honestly kind of uncomfortable.

The Party Was Raised By Edea

“Final Fantasy VIII” (1999)

Let’s be honest, "Final Fantasy 8" is pretty convoluted. The story just keeps throwing curveballs until half the fanbase is dizzy and the other half is arguing on the internet about whether the junction system sucks. Some people were so thrown off they came up with the theory that everything after disc one is just Squall having a very dramatic fever dream. But the twist that really gets people is when the game suddenly goes, “oh by the way, you were ALL orphans together,” and even better, raised by the villain, Edea. And why doesn’t anyone remember? Guardian Forces apparently gave everyone selective amnesia, VERY selective.

Zidane And Kuja Are Manufactured

“Final Fantasy IX” (2000)

The story of "Final Fantasy 9" is top-tier, and Kuja might be one of the most underrated villains in the whole series, which is wild considering how over-the-top he is. Someone notice, him for God’s sake. Then the late-game twist hits: Zidane and Kuja find out they’re basically manufactured beings with the emotional stability of a broken toaster. Zidane completely shuts down, while Kuja goes full meltdown mode and decides, “cool, I’ll just end the world then.” Classic coping strategies. If I found out I was manufactured, I think I’d burn down a village, and save Jenova... Has that been done yet?

Golbez Is Cecil's Older Brother

“Final Fantasy IV” (1991)

"Final Fantasy 4" is where the series finally stopped handing you four random nobodies and said, “hey, what if we gave these people feelings?” Suddenly it’s all about actual characters, and Golbez shows up looking like your standard evil dude in scary armor with zero personality… at first. Then the game hits you with the twist: he’s actually Cecil’s brother. Yeah, family drama becomes a staple of the series in 1991. Turns out his life was a mess, dad killed unfairly, mum gone during childbirth, and all that anger made him the perfect puppet for the real villain’s mind control. It’s tragic, messy, and way more emotional than you’d expect, and this type of story was definitely never repeated in any other game… *clears throat* … Definitely not.

The World Ends

“Final Fantasy VI” (1994)

"Final Fantasy 6" gets a lot of love, and yeah, part of that is because you can literally suplex a train. But the real reason it sticks is Kefka, a villain who woke up and chose chaos, and not in the meme way, in the actual “let’s destroy the earth” kinda way. While everyone else is chasing power or money, he’s just here to ruin everything for fun. And the game actually lets him do it. Halfway through, the heroes lose, like properly lose, like the world gets destroyed kinda lose, Avengers: Infinity War kinda lose. Then the game just lets that sit for a whole year in-universe, with everything broken and miserable. When the crew finally regroups, it feels earned, because this time they’re not saving the world… They're rebuilding it. That’s a pretty good line, is there an award at Mojo for writing? Can I have it?

Tidus Isn’t Real

“Final Fantasy X” (2001)

In "Final Fantasy 10", you’ve got stunning locations, chill music, and then BAM, one of the most heartbreaking love stories in the series. Tidus and Yuna are adorable together, which is exactly why the game decides to ruin your day. Because yeah, the game leads you to think you’re gonna lose Yuna at the end, but it’s actually Tidus that can’t stick around. Turns out he’s basically a walking dream, created by the Fayth to help end Sin’s endless chaos. Once that job’s done, so is he. When that reveal drops, it completely flips how you see his narration the whole time. And the way he just accepts it? UGH! BREAKS MY HEART!!!!

Aerith Dies

“Final Fantasy VII” (1997)

There was no way this couldn’t be number one. Aerith’s death in "Final Fantasy 7" is basically the Darth Vader reveal of gaming, even people who’ve never touched a controller somehow know about it. Back in 1997 though? That moment hit like a truck with no brakes. And here’s the worst part: knowing it’s coming doesn’t make it hurt any less. You still sit there thinking, “maybe this time it’ll be different,” like the game’s going to reward your 341st playthrough. It won’t.