Final Fantasy games have always been a visual treat, with art styles that stand the test of time. This extends to the gorgeous character designs, put together by artists like Yoshitaka Amano and Tetsuya Nomura. The beautifully-designed characters are often the first thing people notice about Final Fantasy games, and the last thing they forget about them.
The series is no stranger to fashion, and indeed some members of the FF13 and FF15 casts have moonlighted as fashion models for Louis Vuitton and Roen, respectively. So, they’d probably fit right in at one of the hottest fashion events of the year — the Met Gala, an exclusive event where the who’s who of fashion and fame show up dressed to the nines, usually in line with a theme that changes at every event.
While most Final Fantasy characters wouldn’t look out of place at the Met Gala, here are some that would absolutely slay.
7 Ultimecia (Final Fantasy 8)
Though any of the other villainous Sorceresses in Final Fantasy 8 would fit right in at the Met Gala, Ultimecia is the ultimate being from whom they cop their looks. As one who wants to collapse time down to a single point, you know she loves the attention — and it shows.
With her plunging neckline, feathers and big headwear, she goes for a generally feral, yet somehow still classy look. You just know she would embody the theme of the 2011 Met Gala — Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty — blowing everyone else out of the water. Savage indeed.
6 Kuja (Final Fantasy 9)
Kuja slays, period. The Final Fantasy 9 antagonist is a drama queen with a chip on his shoulder, and he’s going to make it everyone else’s problem in the most fabulous way possible. Kuja’s love of opulence and his penchant for high fashion would make him a natural fit for the Met Gala.
Given his flair for the dramatic — the man speaks in metaphors based on a famous play, after all — he would do numbers at the Théâtre de la Mode-themed 1990 Met Gala. He’d fit in quite nicely with a crowd showing off plenty of skin, like John Galliano and his date or Sonia Braga, while somehow still wearing extra clothes. Though, he’d probably get along just as well with Lil’ Kim in her pink fur bikini at the 1999 Met Gala.
And if hanging out with fellow fashion elites wasn’t enough to even him out, a cup of tea might.
5 Paine (Final Fantasy X-2)
The 2013 Met Gala theme was Punk Rock: Chaos to Couture — which means that Paine, the most punk of all Final Fantasy characters, would rock the red carpet that year. In her default Dressphere she’s sporting more skulls, studs, straps and suspenders than a concert by The Clash.
In fact, with all the fairly standard red carpet dresses that year, she’d rank alongside Madonna, Donatella Versace and Debbie Harry as one of the few people who understood the assignment.
4 Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy 6)
Kefka would likely slay in a far more literal sense at the Met Gala, but he’d probably at least enjoy the party first. In particular, he would be a fantastic representation of the 2019 Met Gala, with its Camp theme.
The aesthetic of Camp draws its appeal from an ironic love of the garish and of poor taste, something that the fully harlequin’d murder clown has in spades. Not to mention that a lot of people on the red carpet that year already look like Final Fantasy characters anyway. He’d also give plenty of lines for the press to quote, assuming they make it out unscathed.
3 Lunafreya Nox Fleuret
Though her look isn’t as loud as some other Final Fantasy characters, there’s an understated, yet head-turning, beauty about Luna that is reflected in her character. She definitely deserved more screen time in FF15.
No stranger to fashion, her intended wedding dress was actually designed by Vivienne Westwood, whose designs are a regular at the Met Gala. While she would bring a demure and noble beauty to any fashion event she attended, she would be quite on point at the 2014 Met Gala. It was themed around the fashion of Charles James, who is famous for designing ball gowns similar to something Luna would wear.
2 Emperor Mateus (Final Fantasy 2)
The fights against the Emperor of Hell and the Emperor of Heaven from Final Fantasy 2
Being the Final Fantasy villain with the biggest god complex, it would be highly appropriate for the antagonist of Final Fantasy 2, The Emperor, to make an appearance at the 2018 Met Gala. After all, the theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.
In particular, his Light Emperor outfit from Dissidia, based on the Emperor of Heaven look from the Dawn of Souls remake of FF2, would steal the show. It gave him wings, and a gold-and-purple look that screams megalomaniacal divinity.
1 Celes Chere (Final Fantasy 6)
General of the Gestahlian Army until her defection to the Returners, Celes Chere is a hard woman who demands respect worthy of her lofty rank. So, it may come as a surprise to some when she shows off her softer side, posing as the opera singer Maria and even performing in one of the most memorable scenes in in all of Final Fantasy.
In her performance, she wears an extravagant dress that would have been at home at the 2022 Met Gala. The dress code was based on Gilded Glamour, a reference to the Gilded Age of fashion dominated by corsets and bustles. It’s a surprisingly difficult theme to nail, if the event’s attendants are anything to go by — but Celes, as Maria, would have nailed it.
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