If there is one thing that characterizes Final Fantasy characters, is their awesome hairstyle. Even people that have not played any of the games can recognize one of them by their cool-looking, mostly weird hairdos. Lots of us have dreamed of rocking one of those, but it is almost impossible in many cases.
For those of you who wanted to have one of those hairdos, we have chosen our ten favorite hairstyles in the franchise, from main characters to villains. You will find well-known characters in here, as well as some surprises you might not expect. You can then try to mimic one of them -- In that case, I recommend you use lots of hair gel!
Lightning Farron - Final Fantasy XIII
Lightning is the main protagonist of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. She was designed as a female version of Cloud, with whom she shares many traits. One of these is her awesome hairstyle -- no wonder why she is one of the most popular characters in Japan!
Lightning's hair is divided in two parts. The first one is the spiky bangs in her front and her right side. The second is the long piece of hair that falls from her left shoulder. Both mix perfectly in a unique style, where light-pink is the predominant color. It is the color that represents Lightning in the games, which makes it perfect for her hairdo.
Cloud Strife - Final Fantasy VII
Speaking of Cloud, we could not leave him out of this list. Final Fantasy VII is probably the first game to feature lots of outstanding and bizarre hairstyles in the franchise, starting with its main character.
Cloud's hair is his second most iconic element, after the gigantic buster sword he carries around. Similarly to Lightning's hair, Cloud has beams divided into several spikes that go into different directions, although his hair is blond instead of pink.
He has two different hairstyles: the one depicted above, from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and the other from the original FF VII. We prefer the second hairdo, since it is more stylized and less crazy than the original one.
Rydia - Final Fantasy IV
Rydia is a powerful summoner from Final Fantasy IV and the only character from the classic Final Fantasies (FF I-VI) to appear on this list. The first installments of the franchise had a different approach in art style, which extends to the hair of the protagonists. Their hairstyles were simpler and less over-the-top, but beautiful nonetheless.
In this case, the predominant color is green, more so than any other character in the franchise. Rydia's clothes are almost all green, making her jewelry stand out from her outfit. Her hair is divided in multiple layer to look like it is more complex than it actually is. It is the most realistic hairstyle on the list, so you could try to mimic it!
Lulu - Final Fantasy X
Lulu is the black mage of the group in Final Fantasy X, a serene and stoic woman that guards Yuna on her journey to Zanarkand. She has one of the most complex and original outfits of the franchise. She even uses a moogle doll as a weapon! This depth of style extends to her hair as well.
Her hairdo consists on long bangs covering the left side of her face, a bun held by several exotic pins and very long pigtails at the back. All the little details add to an overall interesting and complex hairstyle. It also fits Lulu's personality in a perfect way, something designers should look for while creating their characters.
Rikku - Final Fantasy X-2
Rikku was Yuna's guardian during Final Fantasy X and member of the Gullwings in Final Fantasy X-2. During the two years in between the games' stories, Rikku changed her appearance. In FF X, she had shorter hair, diving googles and an outfit that allowed hair to swim freely. In FF X-2, she looks completely different -- especially her hair.
We chose Rikku's second hairstyle because we think it is simply better and cooler. She uses a big, blue hair band that holds her hair and pushes her bangs to the right side of her face. She also has several braids in weird patterns at the front, and two big ones at the laterals. Finally, a long mane emerges from the back of her head, completing a unique and complicated hairdo.
Caius Ballad - Final Fantasy XIII-2
The protagonists are not the only ones with cool hairstyles in Final Fantasy. Many villains like to display fashionable, complex hairdos as well. This is the case of Caius, the main enemy of Serah and Noel in Final Fantasy XIII-2. His creation was a direct response to the critics of Final Fantasy XIII regarding the lack of a good, likable rival.
As you have noticed during this article, there are many Final Fantasy characters with a color that represents them. In Caius' case, it is purple. He has long, thin hair, divided into layers. Just like Rikku, he has a hair band. Elements like the feathers and the pendants complete an extremely cool look that real men could mimic, if they had the patience to grow such a fabulous hair!
Hope Estheim - Final Fantasy XIII
Hope is not a very likeable character, but we can agree that his hairstyle is pretty cool, and not as complicated as the ones we have seen before. His clothes are also pretty normal, which could make him more relatable to us... Now, if only he had a good personality. Anyway, let's just concentrate on his style.
Hope looks like an average korean/japanese teen, since many teenagers in both countries have this kind of hairstyle. The layers in his hair are more defined and important than the previous characters, since they are precisely what gives it such a cool effect. His hairdo is also possible because Hope has lots of thick pieces of hair, which he combs in different directions. The result is a very achievable hairstyle many of us could get.
Vincent Valentine - Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Going back to Final Fantasy VII, concretely to a spin-off, we can find Vincent Valentine, an ex-member of The Turks and a key figure in the events that lead to the birth of Sephiroth. He is also one of the two secret characters from the original Final Fantasy VII, the other one being Yuffie. This guy has an awesome hairstyle.
Vincent exemplifies most of Final Fantasy hairstyles: hair band, predominant color (red) and long, straight hair. However, if we compare him to other hairdos, we can see that there are not so many layers. It is very managable, just as Caius' or Rydia's case. Long hair on men rocks!
Serah Farron - Final Fantasy XIII-2
Serah, the youngest of the Farron siblings, also earns a position on this list. She is a key character in Final Fantasy XIII and the protagonist of Final Fantasy XIII-2. Since she is Lightning's sister, she shares many traits with her, like the eyes, the color of her hair and certain facial details. Her hair is also similar, but Serah styles it in a completely different way.
This hairstyle is the same she had in the first game, just with a small change: the pin she uses to hold her side-ponytail is different, more suitable for combat. That mixes perfectly with the rest of her hair; shorter, straight and cut in layers, as usual in the franchise. She learned it from her old sister!
Noctis Lucis Caelum - Final Fantasy XV
Finally, we have the last protagonist of the franchise, the prince of Lucis, Noctis. This dark gentleman travels the world with his friends to save his fallen kingdom from the Niflfeim Empire. They are usually compared to a Japanese boy band, since they all were leather, black clothes in a similar style and have weird, over-the-top hairstyles.
Noctis is usually compared to Sasuke, one of the three protagonists of Naruto. Both of them are serious characters and have a very similar hairstyle. Noctis' color is black, and his hair is one of the darkest in the franchise. He has many different layers and combs them to the front and the sides, covering a big portion of his cheeks and his forehead. However, the back consists on several pieces of spiky hair that extend as long as possible. A fitting hairdo for a modern prince.
And that is it for the best hairstyles in Final Fantasy. There are many, many characters with awesome hairdos that we could not include in this article. Who would you have liked to see? Is there any character you do not agree with? Tell me in the comment section below!
Published: Dec 8, 2016 08:36 am