These RPG parties really shouldn’t have saved the day.
Final Fantasy 4’s party has multiple betrayals, deaths, and a villain doing everything they can to destroy the world. Persona 4’s high schoolers solving murders and beating a god seems unlikely. Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s group of rejects battling crime and powerful foes seems like a bad idea. The young cast of Chrono Trigger fighting a world-destroying Lavos seems hopeless. Tales Of Symphonia’s cast with clumsiness, betrayal, and insufferable nature seems like a recipe for a disaster. Final Fantasy 7’s Cloud with a broken brain and Sephiroth as the enemy seems like a bad day. Earthbound’s Ness taking on the embodiment of evil, Giygas, is like a suicide mission. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s heroes letting villains get too powerful and forgetting their training seems like they’re asking for it. Mass Effect’s Normandy crew against the overwhelming might of the Reapers is probably a bad idea. Then you get Fire Emblem: Three Houses, where Byleth is too preoccupied with dating everyone to wage war.
These aren’t just bad characters or silly stories – they’re all examples of RPG parties that shouldn’t have won against the odds.
Final Fantasy 7
Cloud is broken, Sephiroth is insane, and the Mako-infused creatures of the Planet are more than a match for the ragtag group of heroes. Final Fantasy 7’s party has more than its fair share of issues, but none of them compare to Cloud’s fractured psyche.
After the Nibelheim incident, Cloud lost his memory, but it’s implied that he remembers what he did. He believes he’s a failure and isn’t good enough to be a hero. He’s plagued by nightmares and takes out his frustrations on Barret and Tifa.
On top of this, the party is fighting Sephiroth, who is so insane that he believes he is a god. He also wields the power of the Black Materia, which grants his every wish. He wants to summon a meteor and destroy the Planet, which he believes is an inferior life form.
The Mako-infused creatures are also a big problem. They’re tough to fight, and their touch can cause Sephiroth to appear and hit the party with magic. The only way to beat them is to hit them with their weakness, which is random and changes after each attack.
The final battle is against Jenova, who is Sephiroth’s mother. She is the embodiment of all life on the Planet, having been created from the cells of the Planet’s life forms. She is so powerful that, if the party kills her, all life on the Planet will cease to exist.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Dragon Ball Z’s story is often lauded for its twists and turns, but there are a few points where the heroes let the villains get a little too powerful for their own good.
The first instance is during the Namek Saga, when Frieza demonstrates his new form and power. The heroes are forced to hide and run while they wait for Senzu Beans to grow. This is after Goku takes a beating from the galactic tyrant.
The second instance is the final fight against Cell, when he absorbs Android 17 and 18. He has access to all of their strengths and powers. He is so strong that the only way to beat him is to use the Spirit Bomb, which takes the strength of every Z Fighter that is still alive.
And the final instance is against Super Buu, who absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo, giving him access to the strength of two Super Saiyans.
