Ranking Final Fantasy Series' SOUNDTRACKS!

[@Alnard]

I'm coming for you for that crazy FFX take. Wandering Flame, A Fleeting Dream, Contest of Aeons, Splendid Performance, Fight with Seymour, Besaid Theme, Spira Unplugged, Aurons Theme, Servants of the Mountian, Silence before the Storm! That's just off the top of my head.
Anyway, great vid, I hope youre well! x

[@mangomariel]

I feel like Rebirth was better then Remake. There is just so many unique tracks, and variations. Like climb to corel absolutely hyped me up max. The dog song, cosmo canyon, gongaga, main theme mixes, and like you said, it does everything from the OG better.

[@hayalmatnu9919]

I prefer remake to be honest, rebirth had a lot of overpitched tracks that just drove me insane after one minute

[@mangomariel]

@@hayalmatnu9919 Huh, okay. What does overpitched mean?
Did not find any songs annoying, only when Yuffie sings the Chocobo thing almost every time you get on one in Cosmo Canyon.

[@hayalmatnu9919]

@@mangomariel the dog side quest, the queens blood tournament, queens blood itself were all tracks that drove me insane after 1-2 minutes already lol

[@mangomariel]

@@hayalmatnu9919 dog song is awesome. QB is fine, a bit repetitive if you have many matches maybe.

[@hayalmatnu9919]

@@mangomariel I'm glad you liked it, but it was absolutely not my cup of tea

[@neovssmith19]

The XIII trillogy has some of the best music in the series, I listen to the piano collections daily. Masashi Hamauzu is a genius and I was so happy when he was brought on to help for the FF7 trilogy.

[@GentlemanGamer94]

XIII music's is so good! ^_^ Each game in the trilogy has so many songs that have been stuck in my head for days.

[@cinamynj]

XIII in C is insane, there are so many great tracks.
March of the Dreadnoughts and Archylte Steppe are bangers. All the battle music slaps as well.
I’m actually going to blame the game not being as repayable why the music doesn’t stick in your memory

[@scatered1]

ThBrando video on 13 is great and the game really doesn't deserve so much hate. It still definitely has the FF spirit which I don't feel in 16.

[@sct77]

The Oerba theme got done dirty in this one :c

[@ocean_0602]

Personally feel there should be one above S tier solely for Rebirth. Not just being the best soundtrack I've heard in any video game, but due to the music direction - something so often overlooked and under-appreciated. Things like which tracks are utilized in which parts of the game, when/why/how the music kicks in or fades based on the situation, the tons of variations of all the famous tracks - switching things between major and minor, seamlessly blending/merging parts of themes with one and other, etc. The soundtrack and music direction is truly next level.

[@gabrielnovais871]

For me, the only unfiting soundtrack was Sephiroth's Reborn one. It didn't had any hype IMO, when you compare it to Jenova's or even Vincent's battle ost. But, I do think that FF Rebirth is going to take Soundtrack of the Year and I'm really hoping for a GoTY

[@wmen48]

For me remake is perfect and rebirth is a joke. Except date themes and Tifas lifestream section it's far worse than ff7 og.
Above s tier is for ff14 but only because it's cheating as it's not a one ost.

[@seabicuit7247]

3 in D tier? After the pixel remaster? That’s a hot take. Both battle and boss battle themes are a banger. Also Crystal Tower, Dark Crystal, Dogs & Unei themes were great. I’d say B tier.

[@Greekeycoo]

I just LOVE how unbothered you are 😂😂😂 “I’m sure people are gonna come for me but this and this and this is why”
Extremely enjoyable video 😂

[@jimy199]

No Crystal chronicles?????

[@mason0448]

Honestly I can’t complain about these takes, in reality I feel like I could rank all of these in S tier but I think all of your placements make sense. Great vid!

[@dtcharo]

Even if I don't rank my list the same as your I appreciate your approach to this video. I discovered your channel for the Opera Omnia content awhile back and it's cool to go through your other videos and enjoy your content.

[@SanDisk4GB4]

I absolutely love you Joesephyr, but having neither VII or X in "S tier" is straight up criminal.

[@kolebowyer3837]

I don't remember anything from 7 other than tifas theme and one winged angel... And X, to zanarkand is God tier memorable, but eh.

[@emptilion]

Ehh, it is very subjective. X would be at the top for me, for sure. But VII only has like a couple memorable tracks for me. The ones that are memorable to me are fucking amazing, but I wouldn't put it in S tier personally.

[@guidopasquetto911]

​@@kolebowyer3837that's just a lie. Bombing mission, aerith's theme, on our way, under the rotting pizza, wall market, let the battles begin, boss theme, cosmo canyon, lifestream, world map theme, forgotten capital, cid's theme, gold saucer. I get not liking the game, but the soundtrack is too iconic

[@Alnard]

Agreed

[@DarkMattersAstro]

Criminally underrated FF4.

[@dannybruce4513]

FF7 has the best video game soundtrack Ive ever heard. So many great tracks

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

13 IS A OR S TIER

[@bench2346]

Great list and mostly agree on how you ranked them based on a set of rules. The one thing I'd say about FF12's soundtrack is that it was definitely meant to be more orchestral and atmospheric and so we didn't get many bangers, but rather pieces that fit the moods and locales. FF12 isn't a game where I go on spotify and listen to the soundtrack, but I also absolutely love the music when I'm playing the game. The Salikawood theme IS terrific though.

[@pianocat5955]

When this came out, it was said to be a turn toward sounding more cinematic

[@enzoapacible1083]

Our list is similar! I’d just put 16 up in S, the ambient music did it for me (like twilight), and 13 up in A or B.

[@CrimsonRidley]

The Theatrhythm games have the best soundtracks 😂

[@jamescorey3516]

I agree with mostly everything in this list and very similar thinking..

[@jamescorey3516]

You also might be a bit biased towards FF9 and FF6 but it's totally fine, it's your list.
I don't share the same nostalgia for those two title because I haven't played them, but only heard a few songs from Dissidia.
So I can't judge those full soundtracks because I haven't played those games.
So without those memories of seeing these scenes being played on screen to be combined with the music certainly won't hit the same as someone who did play the games and felt those emotions.
I also liked FFX-2 Opening theme but it basically told me I was straight instead... To each his own.

[@chronicguardian9684]

Final Fantasy III tracks from memory: Cute Little Tozas, Crystal Tower, and Let Me Know the Truth

[@buparwiggum9347]

The landing is in fact one of if not the best final fantasy track, it is flawless.
My hot take is while both are great, I think birth of a god is better than one winged angel

[@rebeccatomlin3121]

Record Keeper has some absolute bangers when it comes to remixes! The remaster of Battle 1 from FF9 is phenomenal in particular to me. 14 also claims the top spot for me not just because of its own vast multitudes of incredible Soken tracks but its reusing and rescoring of legacy tracks brings a smile to my face as a fan of the franchise. I’ll also say that I do like the FF3 boss theme, but specifically its original Dissidia version. Another great video, Josephyr!

[@francoisdauzon3107]

@Joesephyr Hard disagree with XI being in the bottom tier. It's not like the other FF games, but it has some (lots of) really amazing music throughout the entire game (and it's expansions).
Complaining about the instruments used feels a bit unfair when you're using the remake orchestral soundtracks for like, FF1 and not the original MIDIs. You can hear the XI stuff in orchestra too at like, Distant Worlds.... I get why you'd not use the live versions for the tier list, since you're just going on in-game music. But I still think putting XI in the bottom tier is grossly unfair.
(I guess I won't complain too much though. It's nice to see someone actually include XI in an FF tier list at all for a change.)

[@hermonylee6123]

XVI should be in S. XIII should be A-B, 7R should be A, 7RB should be A-S. And you miss 13-2, 13-3 too

[@TheAfterglowProject]

Eternal Wind sounds like a night after Taco Bell.

[@scatered1]

III in D? Absolutely not. The original and rearrangement are amazing.

[@valkyrionstormguard6133]

FFXI Memora de la Stona from the end of Chains of Promathia is my favorite vocal piece.
I'm also surprised you did not include FF7 Advent Children. I know it is not a game, but the music in it has to be "A" tier.

[@dragoncurieux]

XI has some absolutely beautiful tracks, Memora de la Stona made me tear up when I heard it for the first time in CoP...

[@elderboucher5849]

You said "think of the ambient music from ten" and mihen highroad theme started playing in my head and i was like "oh yeah your right..."

[@ALeafOnTheWind42]

I actually rank FF3's boss theme (Battle 2) as one of the better main boss themes in the series personally. I love it.
But honestly, this is a pretty good tier list. I'm not going to say I perfectly agree with every single position of every game, but overall I found myself agreeing with the overall picture of things

[@AxeMain]

These are my favorite type of videos you make. Would love to hear your top battle themes.

[@greggreggreg2000]

Opera Omnia is a tier above S because it had all the music!

[@dragoncurieux]

XI has a soundtrack I've never experienced elsewhere in the franchise. It is so unique but so beautiful that it's hard to put it into words.
Memora de la Stona, Ragnarok, Sanctuary of Zitah, Selbina, Al'Taieu, just to name a few.
I'll never forget the soundtrack of Chains of Promathia when experiencing the story.

[@Arksimon2k]

Agree on Sword of Doubt being an underated banger. You could say it's a 'Shocker'. Also I thought this would end up being a predictable ranking video, but watching it through I realised your opinions on the music are based and I agree with pretty much everything! FFXIV especially can't really be touched. It's so good. But IX remains my favourite FF, a big part of that is down to Uematsu's masterpiece of a score.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

You lost me at FF13 being at C. Dust to Dust, Nascent Requim, Lightning, Fang and Sash theme, The Cradle Will Fall, Decisive Battle, Test of L'cie, Seperate Paths, Mysteries Abound, Pompa Sancta etc. It's gotta be a bias. Listen to XIII over again.
1. VIII
2 X/XIII
3. VII
4. IX
5. IV

[@KenjiShiratsuki]

Honestly I'd personally put XIV and XVI as #1 and #2 respectively. XIV has such a variety of music and it's all really, really good, even the tracks I don't like, like What Angel Wakes Me, are good just not something I'm into. 16 I honestly feel has great music throughout including the ambient tracks and I think this is because they know when to let the music get out of the way. I'm also giving it bonus points for the sound direction. Half of a soundtrack's power is how the game utilizes it, and as such I think the fact that what they play, when, and how each track works with what's going on onscreen is expertly done here. For a similar reason I'd put FFT at number 3. All the music in that game fit really well with what was going on, including all the ambient music like during villain scenes.

[@dammyoyesanya4656]

XIV is rightfully number 1 but the number 2 spot is firmly reserved for the VIIR project so far. They’ve knocked it out of the park with the music that’s even better than the OG VII regardless of how fans feel about the direction of the story

[@KenjiShiratsuki]

@@dammyoyesanya4656 I can't agree with you. As awesome as the songs are they're extremely derivative. The leitmotifs for On Our Way and Aerith's Theme are used so frequently I had a hard time finding anything original in FF7R or R2. I would give them an A tier but not #2.

[@mangomariel]

idk, feel like you under rated X. There are so many bangers, the ones you mentioned, but also:
Yuna theme, yuna determination, Tidus theme and one of my fav FF tracks of all: Calm before the storm,

[@PatrickVillaverdejr]

Man him and you people forget about final fantasy type 0 soundtrack type 0 is a good soundtrack too

[@lieverlast1639]

I literally own the FF8/IX original soundtrack, both were great listening too. Dust to Dust/Fleeting Dream are, I can sleep to this nice.

[@js-ro5jk]

I would swap 9 and 10 and put Rebirth in S

[@Ghosthitman387]

It’s crazy how even though FFVI-X are iconic soundtracks, the more recent FFs including 14 are among some of the best soundtracks out there. A different kind of “best” than VI-X, but among the greatest easily.

[@003SONE]

My favourite are X-2 and X so I'm happy where X is on the list. What did you think of 1000 Words from X-2?
I love your comment about "What Can I Do For You". I think it helped me realise I'm a lesbian quite early in my gaming life 😂

[@siralextraffo]

The Landing from FFVIII is also my favourite and it's my favourite FF cutscene ever or the one that to this date still impacted me emotionally like no others and I think a big part is the music!

[@Tarrot]

I can't see Rebirth being behind Remake with the soundtrack. Even if you want to say the main themes are better used in Remake, there are so many small themes that are super memorable (Bald Bar theme, Yuffie's materia song, Frog Jump song, Kyrie's merc song, Bowowow escort song, etc.) that Rebirth should easily be in S tier for those alone. Other games you've docked points because the more ambient songs weren't as good, yet you have some of the most memorable ones across the entire series here and it doesn't seemingly get credit for it.
Also, FWIW, my Chocobo Theme is Crazy Chocobo from FF13-2, which got remixed into Rebirth as well.

[@beastslayer8729]

I definitely think FF7 Rebirth has the best soundtrack of any video game I have ever played. They really went crazy with it.

[@KingKabisi]

This is certainly an interesting list, but i can at least appreciate that you explained your reasons and they arent something as basic as, song bad. Although I do feel like saying the field themes in FF16 are forgettable is odd considering where you put 14 because i do feel like they are quite similar. But if I had to choose id have to agree that 14 overall is a stronger ost and yes the strongest ost in FF. I would even say Shadowbringers alone is the best

[@Malacite]

So many hottakes, especially on 11 wow.
Setting aside my own bias since it's my personal favorite, I will be the first to admit that yes, the heavily synthesized sounds do hurt it.
But I also strongly believe that it is a testament to the talent of Naoshi Mizuta for having created so many beautiful pieces in spite of the limitations since everything had to be heavily compressed to fit on the PS2 hard drive.
Wings of the Goddess in particular, is one of the best final boss themes in the franchise along with A Realm of Emptiness.
Hell for fuck sake they named the FF concerts after CoP's ending song, Distant Worlds.

[@legolaswong]

I agree with almost all of the S and A tier. FFVII Rebirth and XV were knocking on the S tier's door, and as much as I love the VIII's OST (Fisherman's Horizon, Breezy, Balamb Garden) it is closer to A tier for me.

[@jetkirby26]

Doing Crisis Core so dirty... for shame

[@nalthien]

Me, starting the video: Ok, I have opinions! Let's do this!
Me at the end of the video: Hmm...its hard to argue with most of that.
I was ready to fight about your FF6 placement; but, you corrected it. I don't know if I can abide FF10 not being in S-tier; but, I completely agree with your statement about the battle theme being terrible. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes the Zanarkand Ruins music in FFX-2. Agree that it's the strongest after Eternity Memory of Lightwaves.
I don't necessarily agree with all your individual top songs; but, this is a solid list.

[@snookgaming4541]

Love this

[@ronb792]

I haven't even had a chance to watch this video yet, but these comments, lol

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

6:11 LOL

[@lordgaynondorf2148]

XI has one of the best soundtrack in this series how can it falls in D tier.

[@TwigletSparkle]

The absolute DoC hate =P
The vibe of DoC though is very dark and muted to match Vincent's character, and the music reflects this very well; it's almost all atmospheric music like Calm Before the Storm or Forgotten Tears; it's very Metroid Prime in its presentation, with more active moments getting faster tracks.
Fight Tune "Girl Named Shelke", A Proposal, Marching Tune, Under a Full Moon, Lucrecia Crescent, are all fantastic tracks you should give a try.
Of all the FF soundtracks, DoC is one of the few I'll still listen through even now. I know you don't have the nostalgia for it I do, but it has some absolutely beautiful violin music that gives me Castlevania 64 vibes.

[@callumkerslake1882]

You still got the Huawei phone 😊 or have you updated haha

[@hidehide8766]

top 100 sounds good do it pls o/

[@Baniished]

As a FFX fan, It is undoubtedly S-Tier and you have no taste :')

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

UR DUMB 🙂

[@vaajchang]

His taste is trash

[@scatered1]

FF 10 is my favorite soundtrack actually and 3 is also one of my top and is objectively fantastic including the re-arrangment in the 3D remake.

[@mattyice5696]

Ff dimensions is definitely S-tier

[@emptilion]

I'd say this is how I feel currently.
S- XIV, X ,XII, IX, T, X2, VIII, VI, XVI
A- XIII, IV, V, VIIR, VII, VIIR2
B- RK, II, III
C- SoP, I, CC
D- XV, XI, DoC

[@SonicKurosaki]

As a XIV fan, I definitely agree that putting all of XIV together is cheating. Also algorithm

[@PaleRaida13]

algorithm

[@artiomdavidov9452]

Dude ff7 has amazing miusc it's SSS it's better than all ff7 them is amazing the gold soser miusc is great and one winged angel is a materpese nothing less and I'm pretty sure everyone if you play them miusc from ff7 and it's remakes and expended games can say yeah it's from ff7 and I know this track something I can't say about every ff game

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

FFX IS EZ D TIER

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

U WERE DOING WELL TILL YOU PIT 8 IN S TIER; ITS C

[@sporkticus4061]

I gave up on this list when he put 8 over 7.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

8 is definitely better than 7's ost. Both are great tho

[@LightningZerker]

The Final Fantasy main theme is not in 2, 8, and 13. They also happen to be considered the most divisive in the series when it comes to fan reception. Coincidence? I think not!

[@Spongycentrefox]

Actually in 8 the FF Main Theme does appear in the ending Theme but it is missing in 10.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

13 at C is still wild though 😂

[@HolyJonte]

SSS: FF7, FF7 Rebirth
SS: FF7 Remake, FF9
S: FF8, FF10, FF16, FF6, FF15
A: FF14
B: FF13
F: FF12

[@sangjeongkimcho293]

8 (true D or C tier) you put A tier and above ff6 thumbed u down for that!!