Sephiroth is not just a popular character in terms of Final Fantasy villains. He's also one of the most popular villains in all of gaming, and rightfully so. He was first introduced as a nearly unstoppable hero that became corrupted into madness. His slow descent into insanity was documented through a childhood of torture and experimentation, which turned him into one of the most powerful individuals across the entire franchise.
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His popularity allowed him to cross over into Kingdom Hearts, where he was an extremely formidable foe for Sora, Goofy, and Donald. Seeing that battle unfold meant it might be interesting to see how he would fare against other protagonists across the Final Fantasy line of titles.
10 Tidus - Final Fantasy X
Tidus is an interesting case because he's not technically a person at all. He's merely a dream brought to life, and given Sephiroth's connection to Gaia's lifestream, He might be able to take advantage of Tidus's unique situation.
But even putting that aside, it's hard to imagine Tidus putting up much of a fight against Sephiroth, who is a hardened and trained soldier. Tidus's specialty is blitzball. When it comes to playing the sport, Tidus, along with Wakka, would actually run circles around Sephiroth, but in an actual fight, neither of them would stand a chance.
9 Squall - Final Fantasy VIII
Out of everyone on this list, Squall Leonheart might actually have the best chance at beating Sephiroth. After all, he's had legitimate combat training and is dedicated to his job. Also, Squall's iconic gunblade is a unique weapon to go up against Sephiroth's lethal Masamune.
However, it's definitely not a good look that in Final Fantasy VIII's opening scene Squall's rival, Seifer, slashed him across the face, giving him the deep scar that defines his look. He can also get down on himself pretty quickly, which makes Squall his own worst enemy, especially when going up against a superior foe.
8 Zidane - Final Fantasy IX
Zidane's quickness is probably his best asset to use against Sephiroth, however, he is definitely lacking in offense. His trademark weapon in Final Fantasy IX is a dagger, which isn't really going to do much good against the ridiculously long sword Sephiroth wields with expert precision.
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Also, it doesn't help that Zidane is primarily a thief by trade. That's what made his role in Final Fantasy IX perfect. However, being sneaky and stealing stuff isn't exactly an asset when going up against the franchise's most fearsome villain.
7 Zack - Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
Including Zack Fair in this list might be cheating considering he actually fought Sephiroth and lost, so the evidence is in the story itself, but it's still worth mentioning. Zack was barely even a background character in Final Fantasy VII, although he played a large role in the backstory.
It wasn't until Crisis Core that he became a protagonist himself, which makes him eligible for the list. During the infamous Nibelheim incident, Zack went up against Sephiroth as the legendary soldier went insane. Zack put up a decent fight, but Sephiroth ultimately beat him, proving that Zack would be no match for him.
6 Noctis - Final Fantasy XV
Almost since the moment Noctis was first unveiled fans had been mocking him as the leader of a boy band. Even throughout the game, he's portrayed as not a particularly strong prince or someone to lead warriors into battle.
He's probably more capable than the average citizen, however, that doesn't say much going up against Sephiroth. What made Noctis successful in Final Fantasy XV was his supporting cast, friends and allies that were willing to have his back to the end. In fact, their main goal was keeping him alive, which would be difficult against someone known for taking whole armies down.
5 Lighting - Final Fantasy XIII
Along with Squall, Lightning might actually have the best chance of beating Sephiroth out of anybody on this list. Coincidentally, they both wield a gunblade in combat. In Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning proved herself to be a competent fighter, with special powers and strengths granted to her as a l'Cie. However, Lightning's main weakness is her love for her sister, Serah, which Sephiroth would no doubt exploit.
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He had no problem cutting down Aerith when the opportunity arose, which had extreme consequences on Cloud's overall well-being. There's no doubt Sephiroth would do something similar to weaken Lightning if he could.
4 Vaan - Final Fantasy XII
Poor Vaan wouldn't really stand a chance against Sephiroth. He's primarily a street kid with dreams of becoming a sky pirate. In fact, Vaan actually plays a fairly minor role as a protagonist, as Final Fantasy XII's story happens around him rather than him affecting its outcome.
So it's tough to find justifications for him beating Sephiroth. His main class is that of a thief, which has little value in an actual fight. Without any proper training or even a serious weapon, he holds no threat to someone like Sephiroth, who wields a blade so sophisticated nobody else could master it.
3 Warriors of Light - Final Fantasy
It's hard to pick a singular protagonist from the first Final Fantasy game as they are essentially all a single unit dubbed the Warriors of Light. They have basic class templates such as warrior, monk, white mage, and black mage, however, none of that truly matters.
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They could really be considered prototypes for the Final Fantasy characters to come, which makes them pretty useless against Sephiroth. Given their stature and bravery, they would no doubt fight hard to the bitter end. Sephiroth is Sephiroth, though, and would probably enjoy cutting them down.
2 Ceodore - Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Ceodore might be the saddest entry on this list as he's still a young kid in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He is the son of Cecil, who is the main protagonist from Final Fantasy IV. However, unlike Cecil, Ceodore has yet to prove himself as a worthy fighter.
e is constantly trying to prove his worth and live up to his father's name. Although he is brave and has potential, he is not yet a fighter worthy of going up against Sephiroth and coming out alive. If the story had a sequel that showed him later in life, a better argument could be made for him putting up more of a challenge. But for now, Sephiroth would defeat him quite easily.
1 Yuna - Final Fantasy X-2
On the surface, Yuna has many abilities that would make her a worthy adversary against Sephiroth. In Final Fantasy X, she was a very talented summoner that could bring aeons to her aid, however, she wasn't a notable fighter by herself.
It wasn't until Final Fantasy X-2, where she took up the role of the protagonist, that Yuna got a little bit more spunk in her. Still retaining her abilities, Yuna picked up firearms to add to her arsenal. However, she may be just too nice and bubbly to be a serious threat. Sephiroth shows no mercy, and Yuna is just too soft to be a force to be reckoned with.
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